#love how we're talking this way instead of just texting each other like normal people btw

[izartn]

So, about how I see Link Click's Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi relationship:

As it stands in canon? Queerplatonic partners. And it's convenient for the plot that they're like this.

Because of Chinese censorship it can't be explicitly romantic, yes I know it. Let me tell why it's queerplatonic for me. The way these two have intertwined their lives and futures together?!

Owning a business and living together, that hint in ep2 (comparing them to the subtextually older lesbian couple who also came across as queerplatonic bc censure) where Xiaoshi wonders/fears if years down the line he and Lu Guang will separate/break up implying their partnership is for life as far as he's concerned (the parallel can be taken as a subtext romance too but follow me we're talking text), the way they were already going also on vacancies together three years prev in canon, etc...

Without entering on their complimentary powers and the way the dives need both of them if they want security in not screwing the past, and the inmense trust and vulnerability the dives themselves require?

They're not simply best friends either.

Those aren't the actions of normal, totally not queer friends. Cheng Xiaoshi checks out women on the dives, sure, (and men too when the host is feeling it which I love bc they can't address it directly bc censorship and then it comes across as Xiaoshi being super confident in his own relationship to sexuality/gender) but I don't think he would ever date bc Lu Guang is already there, filling that place in his life minus sex and romance but all that same companionship and intensity of feeling.

These two meet in what, the last year/s of High School and then proceeded to latch onto each other with a commitment reserved for romantic partners.

And I know you want to say, "it's the censorship! they'd be romantic and canon if not for the censorship!"

Are you sure? Are you sure the story would work if there were explicit romance in it? (I mean, if they could I'm pretty sure they would have nailed it anyways but allow me my a-spec delusions) Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang feel so much like an already established pair, they work like one, and Link Click is not about them coming together like many other stories. Are you sure this would work as BL?

There's a distinct difference on the way they start the show already like six years at least since they're best friends and three or two since they live together. That's not usually how it goes. I'm talking not just romances but every buddy or nakama anime/show, where the protag has to learn to work with who will be his best friend or rival. These stories usually have the same kind of plot progression as a romance which is why they work so well when you make the subtext text.

But a story where the main romance is already established and we're following a plot that has nothing to do with it? Much more rare, even stranger to find them well done although there are some very good ones and with the friendships instead of romo they're more common. For example, Soul Eater, which is all about the trials of it and how they hace to truly come to understand each other. That's Link Click a bit, but not even then.

Link Click juggling a budding romance between Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi with all the other stuff is going on?? Messier for sure. I don't know if people would have liked it as much or if the donghua would have been as well done.

As it is, Link Click has the exact level of emotional connection between our protags it needs to have incredibly high stakes emotionally and at the same time not need a detour by romantic scenes/fanservice that would derail the plot or the other charas importance. That it happens to be pretty queer anyways in a platonic way?

Nice for the aroace-spec folks watching the show xD

Btw, I'm pretty sure in season 3 we're going to get more of Lu Guang's PoV, the origins of their powers and the past between him and Xiaoshi. It'll probably dig more into the aspect of "testing their bond and coming stronger bc of it" which is were the romantic subtext usually comes through...

—unless you're very very good at writing like Arakawa in FMA, who nailed the brotherly relationship without tipping into incest subtext which I've seen more than a few writers fumble. or the latest D&D film for the platonic childrearing and partnership for a no familial example between a man and a woman also very very difficult to get right for writers dunno why—

... but until then, for now I'm incredibly satisfied by the canon.

The other read of course it that they're already a couple since well before the start of season 1, and to mentally edit what we saw in canon with that lens (it wouldn't be very difficult honestly) but reading only the text? Queerplatonic partners!

There also how Xiaoshi and Lu Guang don't have that anxiety/insecurity of their bond that makes it so easy to read the want for something, like a romance for shipping purposes. Despite the disagreements on the Dives or the trials of season 2 or Lu Guang keeping secret Cheng Xiaoshi future/past death they read very steady which is fun. I love some good established relationship, you can go to deeper places when the base is already secure and the risk is higher for the characters. Plus I love domesticity! Yes, I do my angsty/Gothic leanings notwithstanding. Don't you know you need a home for the Gothic to be effective?

[olderthannetfic]

The ace asks about how asexuality and being aromantic is increasingly seen to mean "has sex and romance like a normal person" reminds me of the time I accidentally deeply angered an author. She had the tag 'asexual character' in her fic's tags, but since it's a 300k word long fic involving a lot of characters, it wasn't clear who that referred to right away. I left long comments on each chapter, talking about what I liked, sections that hit really hard, lines that I loved, etc., as I always do. (I like to ramble IRL and I can't turn it off even online.) At the halfway point of the fanfic, during a long comment about the OCs that helped flesh out the oft-mentioned but barely explored organizations and companies in the world of canon, I said that I hoped This One Specific OC or That Other Specific OC would turn out to be the asexual character, as I saw in them echoes of myself and a friend of mine (we're both ace).

She had never responded to a comment of mine before, but she did for that one... to yell at me about how the main character OC was aroace, actually. This was apparently supposed to be obvious since the word ace was used in the tie-in prequel fic, which I had held off on reading because the author's note mentioned it would have spoilers if you hadn't read the whole main fic. The character in question has a relationship not remotely different from any of the cishetallo or cisqueerallo relationships presented in the text. She develops a snarky sarcastic friendship with someone she finds visually beautiful and impossible to look away from, gets to know him a little, watches movies with him, they get into urban fantasy danger which they help each other through, they fuck and do so extremely regularly, and she has past exes who she also did all of this with.

And I was, apparently, a bigot with internalized aphobia and negative attitudes towards women who have sex because I didn't look at her and go, "Ah, yes, an aroace!" She informed me I was forcing unrealistic stereotypes no one adhered to onto ace people by thinking aces had to be a certain way and by refusing to see that

Her angry reply was so long it took three AO3 comments to send to me, and it didn't really make me convinced I'd misread the situation. It just made me convinced this wasn't an author I wanted to read more fic from, because 1. this is a lot of anger, holy crap and 2., I really think this is an excusable mistake on my part. I saw no signs this character was in any way different from any other couple in the fic beyond that she and her love interest didn't get to know each other's backstories as much and instead bonded more through experiences they shared, which in my opinion is not something that can be linked to any sexuality or lack thereof.

I feel like there's a moral in here. Like, authors, as a fellow author, I get that it sucks when someone else doesn't see the characters like you do, or misses something you thought was clear, etc. I get that it's frustrating. But don't rip into someone who's been gushing about every chapter of your fic individually just because they didn't catch one thing. I failed to realize one character's sexuality. That's not the same as hating you, the character or the writing.

Mostly I remember that incident as the day I stopped asking questions in my long comments. A sea of gushing does not make up for a mistake and the best way not to make those is to not ask if a tag relates to a character or line.

--

Oof. I mean, sure, there's a diversity of experience. Everything is a spectrum. Yada yadda. But if two labels become entirely indistinguishable, what's the point of even having them, much less getting mad when people can't spot the difference?

[florasolarsystem]

System Roles and Jobs

To clarify because im terrified of miscommunication- system roles are their general role and title within the system that their jobs fall under. The jobs are more specific tasks that they do to fulfill their role.

The variety of jobs within systems? I love it. Even looking at the most general terms how that role specifically works within a system is so fascinating to me. No system is the same and how one protector operates and their job within a system can be so entirely different from another. For us a lot have hyperspecific or seemingly random roles and tasks within the system in order to help us. It's also partially why even if they're defined as (for example) a protector we tend to have to go into more detail due to their specific jobs.

Some examples of jobs within the system that I find cool:

Our main protector has a variety of jobs but one of the daily ones was helping us walk to and from school, especially with crossing roads in general. We've always been bad at it and genuinely put ourselves in danger accidentally repeatedly, and when we're struggling mentally it's even worse. So he's join us in co front of take front and just chat with us as we walked and made sure we stayed safe. There were a few other situations like people's dogs not being locked away properly or strangers offering us rides- lol- that he handled within the role.

One of my headmates her role is genuinely just to like things in moderation and has a few jobs that fall under that. We have issues with hyperfixations and obsessions over things we like and damaging our mental health due to it (and occassionally physical stuff due to things like forgetting to eat or not sleeping) and so when she fronts or is nearby it's easier to take breaks from things or she'll redirect us to new tasks or things like eating and help us stay focused on them instead.

We have one person who just helps us communicate with each other in different ways. It's normally by finding ways externally to communicate and then helping remind and encourage us to use them. Some of it has been through helping people write excerpts about their day or life or goals (normally masked as fanfiction), finding songs people relate to, starting a lil system of notes and reminders on our mirror for example.

Someone helps us establish boundaries by having alone time. It just means she fronts and does her own thing for a bit but doesn't reply to texts or talk to anyone unless it's urgent which is something we really struggle with.

One person's role as a protector is to just share violent and scary thoughts with those who can handle it better, in order to help us find coping skills for when one of our irl friends does something similar. His main job is literally to say scary things about harming people-

But yeah, none of this is gonna be a ground breaking revelation to hear but I find it cool all the specific jobs and ways people do their roles. If you have any you'd like to share please do, I could go on abot this for ages. ✌️

[fleshevter]

How does your Elder Scrolls worship work? What got you into pop culture work?

i am SO glad you asked, cuz i feel like it's actually a very interesting story! at the very least, i've been through a lot of ups and downs, and definitely a lot of extremes when it comes to deity work at all, so it really excites me to talk about my journey~

it began when i realized that i believed in multiverse theory-- well, i believed in it for quite a long time. moreso it began when i realized i could utilize that belief in my craft.

now let me tell you, i have hours upon hours stacked in different elder scrolls games. i've played them since i was little and i love them. if you can't tell, i'm autizzle fo rizzle and this behemoth of a story is my special interest.

i started out trying to work with azura. i was always so amazed by how beautiful her statue was in skyrim, and when she comes to speak to you in eso through the dunmer that starts glowing with her radiance, i was in awe. "and she's one of the good daedra too!", i thought (which i now understand after years of studying to be a very flawed mindset).

but it was so strange. everything felt so empty. and there came a time where i began contemplating the darker sides of magic as a whole. life, death, beyond, the in between, all of it. nothing more than a simple interest. but all of a sudden...

a stained glass portrait i had made for azura shattered on its altar. just out of nowhere. i never saw it happen, but as far as i could tell, it didn't fall over, nor did something fall on it. just, crack. in pieces. i still hold onto the pieces, something just keeps me from getting rid of them, but...

i no longer felt emptiness in that moment, but instead felt deep rejection. it was horridly strong. it reminded me of being a kid and not getting picked for dodgeball. just this pang of extreme loneliness and rejection and sadness.

everything else in my life had begun shattering in that moment as well. a horrible breakup, i was teetering on alcoholism, among some other very bad self destructive habits that i won't go into details with. i was spiraling. both my mental and physical disabilities got really out of hand.

but then i had a very strange dream while meditating one night. i dreamed about a broken down mausoleum, and when i went inside, a swarm of rats all began climbing on top of each other to form a bigger rat, kind of like those schools of fish that cluster to make bigger fish. they didn't talk to me, but just stared at me.

fast forward. at this point, i was extremely manic, so my memories of this time are hazy. i took a trip to visit a friend of mine in another state. well, we're not just friends anymore and now i'm living with him. we're very happy. but anyway.

i started to notice... bugs. everywhere. not like an infestation in the house, but they just kinda... get in. which is very normal here. what isn't normal, however, is how relaxed they were with me. while my partner always got nervous around them, they willingly crawl into my hands so i can let them outside. which, for things like roaches and spiders, is FUCKING WEIRD (though i'm sure i don't have to mention that).

so, i picked up UESP, an elder scrolls lore wiki where you can read the various books in the game, and started digging through some daedric passages again. and i became transfixed by this specific passage...

"Khenarthi has forsaken you. But I haven't. There's a place in the Dark for all you cast off, forgotten souls." —Namiira

In Khajiiti lore, Khenarthi is a goddess who delivers souls to Azurah. I about lost my mind reading this.

Then I started reading texts like Beggar Prince, realized that Namira isn't only watered down to a goddess of secluded cannibals and that only a few people choose to worship her in that way, that Namira is focused on those who are rejected by society...

And it just clicked.

Now, any time I call to her for guidance or assistance in my magic endeavors, i find little traces of her presence, like bugs that are a little too friendly. Just recently, I had an encounter with a house spirit that was getting a little too rowdy, and I called to her to help settle his shit. And when I was calming down from the encounter, a little roach just crawled over and rested next to my foot. She really knows how to show that she's there...

So now, I show my devotion to her by studying and documenting various texts of her (both from Khajiiti culture and Reachman culture), i keep my space a little disorganized to show devotion to her, and I also like to (safely) keep jars of rot. You know... throw a fruit in a jar and watch it decay over time. (This is perfectly safe so long as the jars are sealed correctly! I make sure I do this with care, so don't worry!) And while I won't be eating people any time soon, I consume in her honor. I sure do like my food, and she seems to like that a lot.

And for once, I feel... fulfilled.

While life is excruciatingly difficult, I find comfort in The Great Darkness and I am so proud to say that Lady Namira is the one I look toward.

I am so sorry that was so long. I'm just really happy to finally be able to tell my story. :)

[dojaeism-archived]

like you type it in the tag and then it'll show up automatically???? so you dont retype the same thing everytime????

oh like the tumblr tagging thing itself??? lmfao im on desktop + xkit i think the last time i used the tumblr auto tag was in like 2017 

[moonlightflower21]

just like magic

a/n: angsty fluffy. normal raph. there may be mistakes and it may be hard to follow through lol. but i hope you enjoy ❤

"y/n!! wait, please wait!!" the call of raph desperately trying to reach you fell on deaf ears as you angrily walked into the public so he couldn't come close.

it was so hard to decipher what you were feeling. betrayal, anger, sadness, embarrassment, pain. sometimes it felt like you couldn't even catch a break. he had been acting so suspicious and you couldn't help but recall what your best friend had said earlier, that when a boyfriend stop texting and calling back they were sleeping around.

he couldn't.... could he?

that one girl, amber, from the chief vincent crew had been crushing on him forever. you learnt that raph and her had a small fling years ago, before he ever met you. but other than that, you didn't know much else other than the fact that she absolutely hated your guts. the feeling was mutual of course but she never failed to make any small digs at you whenever you were together.

so when she came out of his room wearing nothing but lingerie, it wasn't an understatement to say your heart felt it had been stomped on the floor. leo, mikey and donnie were all out with their significant others so they couldn't even provide any help or shed any light on why she was in your boyfriend room

the reason as to why you came around was because you thought of surprising him, considering you hadn't even seen him for the last two weeks. he seemed to vanish for hours on end and while you didn't want to jump to any conclusions, you just had to talk to him. but seeing her come out of his room that he let no one in felt like a punch to the gut.

"when will you ever learn? first loves outshine any other" amber cackled in your face, swaying her hips as she left the lair. you couldn't even speak scared you would start crying on the spot. and the last thing you wanted was to give her the satisfaction.

you entered the room but aside her horrible perfume stinking the air, raph was nowhere to be seen. hell his bed looked empty. untouched. and yet his window was open, so perhaps he escaped? the more reasonable part of you disagreed vehemently, he wouldn't do this shit. and you couldn't trust that woman, she was out to drive you both apart

but this wasn't excusable either. the air felt constricting here, walls falling in closer so you left. angry tears on the brink of falling, the excited evening you had planned obliterated in small pieces.

---

the small bench in the park was empty and you sat, trying to reel in those thoughts but they proved to be a challenge.

"y/n please listen to me, i can explain everything i swear" you rolled your eyes but stood up. hearing his part would at least put your mind at ease and those burning questions could finally be answered.

"you get one chance raphael. let's go to my place, i don't want other people listening in" you look into his pleading eyes, turning the corner and walking home with him eagerly following you close.

raph entered your room, thankful for the heat that flooded his system. he didn't realise how long he was outside and how cold he was until he bagn to shake slightly. he turned his attention to you as you shrugged odd your jacket, brows raised at him.

"no more secrets, raph. no more lies otherwise we're done" you snapped, crossing your arms over your chest. he nodded, ready to answer the oncoming slaught of questions that had been scorching holes in your chest.

"who is amber? and do you still have any feelings towards her??" your voice trembled a little at the end of that sentence, hoping her put your mind at ease. his jaw seem to clench slightly at the memory of her which brought some amusement.

"she's someone i thought i was in love wit'. 17 years old me didn't know shit at the time. after a while, i knew whatever we had was just infatuation. it was never gonna work out. she wanted a relationship while i was looking for something small. but that's in my past. i don't have any love towards her anymore. she was just a silly crush"

"she was your crush? doesn't seem like it" "she was. ya can't be mad at that because you've also crushed on guys before i came but that's a good thing! because they led us closer to each other and look at us" he holds your hand, his thumb gently rubbing over your knuckles which was something he usually did to reduce your stress. and against your will, you could feel those familiar butterflies invade your lower belly.

"but why was she in your room? looking very cosy in there, i might add" your jaw clenched tightly, glaring at the floor in order to contain your anger.

"she what?? y/n i promise i had no idea why amber was even in my room. i wasn't even there. in fact, i'm barely ever there most days" he rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating the last part.

"why?" your brow lifts and he sighs, grimacing.

"well... i... uh... got a job" he chuckles awkwardly, expecting you to burst in laughter. but you just seemed to have a confused look, intrigued at his comment.

"a job?" you ask and he nods, fidgeting with the end of his shorts.

"yeah... in construction. splinter thought it would be good anger management. i started doing it to also pay back for the necklace... that ya don't seem ta wear anymore" he narrowed his amber eyes around your neck and true to his word, you had taken it off. your hand touches your chest, feeling only the bare skin instead. the only reason you had taken it off was because he just kept being so secretive around you. and you didn't know who to trust.

"so that explains the extra muscles on your arms" you ponder and he laughs, flexing his bicep.

"they got us liftin heavy stuff" he rolls his shoulders, aching from last night. "i'm sorry for not saying anything about it. i didn't want to be laughed at" he chuckles but there's no humour in his voice, just nervousness which is rare for raph to ever have.

"you'd think i'd laugh at you?? i'm the last person to judge and i think it's a good thing for you. it's healthy to let your anger out in this way, i'm proud of you. but you have to stop with these secrets, they're only driving a wedge between us" your hand is gently placed on his knee which he appreciates, with you he never feels pressured to say things. you let him take his time which he's never found in other partners before.

"i know i just didn't want ta disappoint ya, i'm not a millionaire and i'm not the greatest looking guy either. i just wanted ya ta be happy at somethin-" "raph, you could never disappoint me. i don't care about money or fame, i just want you to be as serious about us, i just want to be there for you. but i can't do that if you keep pushing me away, hiding these things from me" you sigh your previous anger melting into sadness and relief.

"m'sorry princess, i do care about us. there's just things that i have trouble saying. but i promise i never mean to intentionally hurt ya" he cradles your hand, his gaze on the floor in deep thought. your head gingerly leans against his arms and his finger places comforting circles around your knuckles.

"where is yer friend? aren't ya supposed ta go out tonight?" raph remembered, looking around the room.

"yeah she's supposed to come soon but i haven't confirmed anything" you lean back on the bed watching his amber eyes narrow mischievously. in the way you grew to adore.

"so what i'm hearing is, we have time?" he smirked but you gently nudge his chest, shaking your head with an amused smile.

"i'm still annoyed at you" you chuckle when he smiles softly, his eyes shining under your lights. he leans closer to you, simply just wanting to be in your embrace.

"and i'll spend every moment making it up ta ya. let's just cuddle, i've missed ya"

[buckyjamess-archive]

𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓲𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲 ❁ 𝓫𝓾𝓬𝓴𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼

chapter eighteen • a/n: last chapter folks- wanna thank all those who interacted/read it, I hope you enjoyed it! ♡ gonna miss these fools, ngl • wordcount: 2k • warnings: nothing but fluff. Parenthood. Babies. Kids.

summary

going through  rough years after losing your husband, you try to raise your daughter the best you can. With the help from the wilson's you make the best of it but the road is bumpy when sam introduces you to his friend.

masterlist

His hands are warmer and maybe even bigger as his fingers are intertwined with yours, gently swaying back and forth, his thumb rubbing the back of your hand or a light squeeze to remind you he's still there. 

a few steps ahead, rosie groans, huffs and puffs as she pushes the stroller the best she can. Talking to her little brother who gurgles back just as much. 

"You're really heavy!" 

a soft pink, round handbag with minnie mouse printed on the front hangs loosely in Steve's other hand. Handed to him seconds after leaving the restaurant by Rosie herself as she offered to push her little brother back home. A heavy diaper bag he'd taken off the stroller to take away some weight, hangs of his shoulder– you told him you could carry one of the two but Steve being Steve, refused your offer and instead clamped his hand in yours.

A day out planned by the man walking next to you. A day with the four of you, letting Rosie and JJ get used to Steve being around for more than the two hours every night before getting tucked in. That Steve wasn't just a friend anymore– though Rosie 'just knew' when you told her Steve was more than a friend, a special friend. 

'I don't kiss my friends like that' 

Rosie didn't mind, or at least you think. She was good with everyone, stranger or not. Opening up to Steve wasn't a problem, becoming friends with Steve came easy for the girl. 

And bucky, bucky would always be dad.

'Now I have three daddies. My real daddy, my normal daddy and steve.' 

And though you never intended to let Steve in your life so quickly, it became serious pretty fast. 

Delicately glueing back each other's pieces left of a broken heart; giving solace, a shoulder to cry on and someone to hold. Steve and you never intended to become this, you were just friends, used-to-be-coworkers. It happened. Bucky no longer floating through your head every other minute or feeling that ache in your chest– just you and Steve and for now after the heartbreak Bucky caused you could in all honesty say that Steve Rogers treated you better than anyone ever did.

The stroller comes to a halt when Rosie stills in front of the apartment block. She let's go of the stroller and places both hands on her sides, bright yellow sunglasses resting on the bridge of her nose, she sighs heavily. 

"That was heavy." 

You and Steve chuckle at Rosie her stance as if an old man admiring his self-built furniture, sarcasm dripping from her body yet as innocent as can be. 

"I bet it was, kid." 

"Yes, JJ eats too much." 

"Says the girl who ate all my fries." 

Letting go of your hand, Steve hands Rosie back her own bag which she happily takes– slipping the diaper bag from his shoulder, you wrap your hand around it and carefully toss it over your own. Hand digging in to find your keys. Taking the few steps up the building, you push open the door and watch how Steve casually carries the stroller and JJ up the steps and follows Rosie in the building.

The walk to the elevator is short, the three of you and the stroller packed tight in the small space– you stay quiet, watching the interaction between Rosie and Steve, your heart grows ten times its size. You thank the gods above for giving you all these amazing men in your life, even if they broke your heart in different ways- teaching you the ways of life, giving the best things to ever exist, trusting you, caring about you..loving you.

Riley, your first real love. The one that changed your life forever. Teaching the ropes of this crazy thing called adult life. Be the calm to your chaos. Showed you love like you'd never had before– sure enough about it all to put a ring around your finger and giving you the most important job of them all; be a mother to a beautiful, funny and feisty daughter. Riley who gave you real heartbreak, leaving an empty hole in your heart and took a piece of your soul with him

Sam who stood by your side through it all. Going through the process together of losing a spouse and partner on the field. Your shoulder to lean on when things got rough, a friend of your man turned into your best friend– showing you the meaning of family by letting you into his own.

Bucky who stole your heart so fast, you never had a chance to let it settle– a wild man willing to wait. A wild man who showed you that life after Riley could be something beautiful; taught you how to love again, brought you back to life and gave you the gift you call your son, gave Rosie a father figure. Bucky the best mistake you'd ever made in your life.

And maybe all these men were needed to get you with the one. Without Riley no Sam and without Sam no Bucky, and you'd never have met Steve if you didn't move to Brooklyn. All these men lead you to him.

Steve. The man who picked up the pieces and put them back together– the man you so desperately needed in your life. The calm that Riley once gave you and the wild and silly bucky once showed. The one for real this time.

Even if things didn't go your way, men changing every chapter of your book– life was pretty amazing. 

Steve must've seen the slight wobble of your chin and your eyes filling with tears. His firm hand back into yours, you look up to meet his blues, you shoot him a tight lipped smile.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" 

You inhale deeply, quickly wiping away the tears that have made their way down your cheeks and not trusting your own voice, you smile at your daughter but shrug. 

"You know what I think?" Steve quips, the hand that's intertwined with yours now snaking around your waist to pull you ever closer into his side "I think mom's just really happy." 

Rosie nods unsure but gives a toothy grin "then I'm happy too, then we're all happy." 

"Then we're all happy." 

He reads you like an open book, something you got to love and hate over the last few weeks. Nitpicking little flaws to get under your skin or be the biggest sap whenever you're feeling down; he knows you like the back of his hand. 

"This is so stupid," you breath out a shaky chuckle "Jesus, I'm crying in an elevator–" 

"It's not stupid," Steve reassures "we're all just very happy, right?" 

"Yeah." You nod. 

Squeezing your side, Steve let's you know he's there and plants a kiss to your temple before resting his chin upon your head.

"I love you, sweetheart." 

Bucky can't quite believe it himself; just a month ago he labeled Steve Rogers as his arch enemy and wish bad things upon the blonde and now, now bucky hopes and wishes the blonde would treat you better than anyone else– welcomed Steve into the mess. 

At ease, okay, alright but above all grateful. You didn't kick him out of your life or that of his kids– you wouldn't be the first mother to do such a thing, he's seen it on TV multiple times. Bucky's grateful that you and him still were a thing just not the same. Parents of your kids, friends.

Though jealousy would strike once in a while and he reminded himself of the mistake he'd made, It was good this way.

Big helium balloons in the shape of letters and numbers float above the table shoved against the wall, reading 'JJ 1 YEAR'. Silver birthday garlands hanging from ceilings along the baby blue and white balloons– table filled with snacks, gifts and drinks. Cramped in your apartment but done together– texting back and forth, nights of planning brought you all here, JJ his first birthday.

Friends and family here to celebrate something the two of you made from love.

Bucky leans against the kitchen bar, one hand tucked deep into the pocket of his jeans and the other wrapped around a bottle of beer. Eyes upon the small crowd gathered and lands on Steve, barely on his knees next to a side table, small plastic tiara on his head as Rosie applies makeup on the guy's face from the set she'd just got as a gift from uncle Sam.

Bucky smiles, at least you picked a child magnet, a guy who'll love his kids as much as the two of you do. 

Bucky scans the crowd again and spots you without any problem, another smile on his face at the sight of his godchild hailey holding JJ, probably gossiping around with you.

It's good this way.

"Hey man." 

Snapping out of his own world, Bucky meets the eyes of a man he hasn't spoken to in months; sam. Not since he got to learn about Bucky's mistake.

"Hey." Bucky shoots him a tight lipped smile.

Standing still next to Bucky, Sam leans against the bar in the same stance and follows Bucky's gaze to the crowd to you, his son and hailey.

"He looks like you." Sam confesses "scary." 

Letting his head fall, Bucky chuckles and nods "at least we know it's mine." 

Sam chuckles along till it dies down, silence falling over both men as they keep watching the scene in front of them. How you leave Hailey with her nephew and mingle with some friends– bucky can feel Sam's eyes burning on his face. 

"Told you so, didn't I?" 

Bucky snorts "Let's not go there, I've learned my lesson." 

"Do you?" Sam quips with a grin on his face "No new love on the horizon?" 

Bucky nods, he has learned his lesson and he knows he'll never find someone like you again– he has definitely learned his lesson and definitely not ready for something new.

"No man, I'm going to focus on my kids." Bucky breathes out a soft chuckle "apparently I still have two." 

"Rosie loves you– I have to thank you for that, giving Rosie a father figure." 

"Wouldn't trade it for anything else." 

"I know." 

Another, comfortable silence falls like a thick blanket. Knowing each other well enough to know what they're thinking– a smile creeping on both men's faces at the sight of you pushing yourself past some people and beelining towards the duo.

"Mind If I join?" 

Scooting aside, both Sam and bucky make space for you in between and your arm that snakes around Bucky's back gives him a warm and fuzzy feeling– he pulls you closer into his side with his arm dropped over your shoulder 

"A year ago you nearly passed out." You mumble softly 

"I didn't pass out." Bucky scoffs 

"I said nearly–" 

"Not even nearly." 

"The nurses had to sit you down." 

"They never–" 

"They did!" 

It's a game of back and forth, getting underneath each other's skin and Bucky hopes things like this will never change even if you decided to spend the rest of your life with steve. The silly arguments, the silly fights and the lame jokes– bucky would be alright as long as that stayed. 

The squeeze around his side makes Bucky aware you're still there. Locking eyes with yours, one's he's found himself lost in many times before, he copies your smile. 

"What?" 

"Nothing– we did good." You state.

Though things didn't go the way it was supposed to, the two of you did good indeed, more than good even. 

"I think we did amazing." Bucky smiles back.

Wrapping his arm around your shoulder a bit tighter, he places a quick kiss on your forehead before following your gaze into the crowd, his daughter, his son, his family and steve.

It's good this way.

"So, guys," Sam clears his throat from beside you "really gotta know what happened on hailey her birthday party that day." 

"No, you don't." You and Bucky chuckle in unison "you really don't."

Taglist: @farfromshawn @Nicollettemarie @wooya1224 @felicityofbakerstreet @agentmstark @sierrax023 @lilyevanswhore @qhbr2013 @buckybarnesobsessed @themaddies-obx @aloserwithoutacause @aanngie @sebby-staan @sweetth1ng @starrystarkey93 @libidinexx @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @gasly-kvyat @brown-bi-beautiful @peter-laufeyson @im-squished @meshlababy @lindseyrae20 @cb97skies @qwccrr @ssprayberrythings @yougottalovefandoms @jbcalway @realgaytrash @natyvwe @poetryazenth @winterberryfox @ahahafudge @okiegirl24 @0moondoodler0 @why-wait-4-eventually @abzidabzy

[kortsitron]

Revenge

Relationship: Loki × Male! Reader { Something between platonic and romantic }

Location: Mention in one shot

Time: Around 7- 8 PM

Warnings: heartbreaking, ex-boyfriend being total asshole, angry Loki, swearing, homophobia, mention of acrophobia, one very bad f-word (I'm sorry)

Imagine: Your asshole boyfriend broke up with treats you like shit. Loki sees everything and decides to do something with this.

[A/N]

I have no idea what to say. I sometimes do have a really weird ideas. (you will see why I call it weird) Hope you enjoy this oneshot.

(Y/N) was bouncing happily to the park, to meet his boyfriend. Male loved him so much and he was happy, as always, to meet him. Unfortunately, he didn't knew what was going to happen. What his "boyfriend" planned for him.

As he was on his way to the park, his friend, Loki the God of Mischief, was enjoying himself at the bench, reading a book. This time, he wasn't dressed as a witch, Asgardian was wearing more comfortable clothes. It was way too hot for a black suit.

Loki knew (Y/N)'s boyfriend. He talked to him once and both men didn't liked each other since their first meeting. Loki thought that (Male name) was inappropriate for his friend. In his opinion he seemed mysterious, in the bad way, but he decided to keep all of his thoughts for himself after seeing how happy (Y/N) was. (Y/N) was like a small sunshine, happy most of them time, smile on his cute face was making Loki’s cold heart beat faster. Seeing him sad, was breaking him. Mostly, because Loki had a crush on him, but he knew how to hide it.

Loki looked up as hear a familiar voice, in bad meaning. It wasn't (Y/N)'s voice, it was (M/N)'s voice. God's face from neutral quickly went to glowering. An annoyed sigh left his lips as Loki was watching every move he was making. Something made him suspicious about the male, more than normally. Something was about to happen.

As (Y/N) entered the park, Loki closed the book and started staring at (Y/N) really closely, all his attention was brought to him.

"Hey babe!" (Y/N)'s said with cheerful tone and smile on his face. Male was about to hug his boyfriend, but instead of a hug, he got roughly pushed away. He landed on the ground and looked up to see the emotionless face. "Why did you done that?" He whispered, feeling unsafe at the moment. Everybody near them was starring at both of them.

"Do not touch me, faggot." This word made (Y/N) choke slightly on the air, not believing what he just heard.

"Why did you called me this way?" His voice was lower and quieter than before.

Loki looking at everything from distance felt the anger building inside of him. He wanted to go and stop this, but he needed to know what will happen next.

"Listen to me little bitch. I don't what you were thinking, but we're done. I was with you, because of the deal with my friends." He groaned. "I have no idea what you had been thinking, but it all was fake. I would never fall for such a pussy like you. If really want to know, I was having fun with some girls when you were sitting in your house." He laughed dramatically.

Tears started streaming down male's face as got up and ran from the park to his house. Loki exploded inside. He got from the bench and went to the (M/N) to tell him some very interesting things that he should heard way earlier. He had no mercy for people who hurted (Y/N).

"Who you think you are?" Loki's voice was low and it gave shivers down the others male's spine.

"Oh, you're his friend. You better go to him and make this fucking baby stop crying." Grin on his face made God of Mischief feel furious.

"I will go and treat him in the way he deserves it, but now, I have something more important to do." His voice become dead, as he grabbed (M/N) by his arms. His strong hands weren't going to leave him alone. The revenge in his head, planned perfectly.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

When Loki was doing everything he should, (Y/N) was already in his apartment. Male was in his room, on the bed. His eyes were red and puffy, but it wasn't the end of his tears. He was feeling bad for being so stupid and he was extremely mad at himself for not noticing anything. He wanted to scream.

Knock. Two knocks on his door. Male got up and wiped the tears from cheeks, he breathed deeply a few times to calm down at least a little. He got to the door and stood right in front of it.

"Who is it?" He asked, the way he said that made the person behind the door broke inside.

"It is me, dear. Please, open the door." Loki implored, his tone of voice was telling (Y/N) how worried and sad he was at the moment.

After waiting a few seconds, he opened the door. Loki saw a despondent face. (Y/N)'s was a little bit of a mess, his face red and his beautiful (e/c) were looking like they were made of glass.

Without thinking Asgardian pulled smaller male into a tight, comforting hug. (Y/N) immediately started crying again.

"Shhh... Everything is okay, I'm here..." Sweet words that would made (Y/N) feel better in other situations, didn't worked too much this time. This time he couldn't stop and calm down. It was way too much for him and Loki noticed it. Instead of saying anything or just simply stopping crying, he cried harder, making God’s hoodie wet. Not that he mind of course, he knew that he needed to get rid of all the bad emotions.

"H-Help!" Someone yelled outside the window. He quickly got (Y/N) attention, because voice was way too familiar. "Please! Somebody!" Voice was breaking, fear in it.

"Wh-what is..?" Male pulled away from God, to slowly go to the window. Loki followed him from distance to see his reaction. Outside, on high building, (M/N). Tears in his eyes. "Loki, did you..?"

"I did." He giggled as he went to the window. "I couldn't leave this creature without any punishment for the way the treated you."

"I am so sorry!" He cried. "I shouldn't do that, (Y/N)! Please! I want to go down!"

"How did you knew it will make him react like that?" He simply asked, looking at Asgardian. He giggled before answering.

"You told once about the fact that he have acrophobia, so I thought meeting his worst nightmare will made him feel sorry." Loki answered without hesitation. (M/N) shouldn't did what he done and God wasn't going to do anything about his fear. "You know that I listen to you." He smiled sweetly.

"I don't know what to say."

"He got what he deserved, my dear. And if you're really worried about him, I believe spider-child will take care of him."

"Spider-child?" He laughed a little at the nickname. "Why did you call him that?" He couldn't stop the smile on his face thinking about it.

"He is a child." Loki grinned once more at the scene outside the window before glancing at (Y/N). "How do you feel about my little surprise?"

"I.. He got what he deserved, just like you said. But maybe it was a little too much, Loki." He agreed with Loki, but not fully.

"I believe I did a good thing." He responded, hoping that Midgardian won't be mad at him for what he done to (M/N). "You are mad at me, aren't you?"

"Not really. I am more mad at myself than you." He looked down, embarrassed by his own words, but he was right.

"Don't be, (Y/N)." Loki got other male's attention and looked shyly into his eyes. "It's not your fault, you shouldn't blame yourself, alright?" He nodded slowly.

"Yes. You're right." He whispered. Male wiped his eyes a little, feeling another wave of tears coming to his eyes. "Sorry, I just..."

"Oh, no no no. Everything is fine, (Y/N). You can cry, you know me, I don't judge." He smiled warmly and bring smaller male into comforting embrace. His hand gently brushed his back, making his calm down a little. A few tears came from Midgardian's eyes, but he didn't made a single noise while it. Loki's cold skin was quieting him a little bit.

"Spider-child." He chuckled into the hoodie, couldn't stop himself from saying that. Asgardian snorted hearing the nickname. "Did I just ruined the moment?" He chuckled once again, a looked up at God of Mischief.

"I think you did." He smiled in return. "But in a good way. It's good to hear your laugh."

"Do you think spider-man will be here soon?" He asked looking outside, at (M/N) who was crying at the moment.

"I think so. I also think that my brother will find about my actions and he will be mad." Loki rolled his eyes thinking about Thor's talks. Listening to them, didn't seems interesting. "But I don't care about it too much."

As soon as Loki made (Y/N) feel better and made him forget about what happened, men decided to watch Netflix. When they were enjoying themselves, spider-man took (M/N) down. He was texting him, at first he was sorry, then his messages became aggressive, but Asgardian told him not to care. He even said that he will do something like this again, if his ex will try to hurt him. It made (Y/N) blush, nobody in his life never cared about him that much.

"Are you staying?" (Y/N) brought his attention to Loki instead of the movie. His voice was quiet and it was almost impossible to hear. He wasn't fully sure if he should ask Loki that after a day like this.

"I can stay if you want." He answered, looking at him. "Are you afraid that he is going to come here?"

"Yeah and I just don't wanna be alone." He looked away, not wanting meet his gaze at the moment. Male didn't see the other male’s smile.

"I will stay if need me. No need to be scared to ask." He gently had put his fingers under (Y/N)'s chin to make him look into his green, beautiful eyes. "It's okay."

"I know it's just... That situation seems kinda weird." He murmured. "Probably because (M/N) did what he do and you know... He broke up with me."

"Don't stress yourself, my dear. It's okay to feel the way you do. You just need to take your time."

"I am gonna take my time." He grinned a little and hugged him. "Are you in mood to cuddle?"

"I thought you wanted to watch a movie." Loki lowed his voice and smirked.

"We can still watch it."

Loki chuckled and hugged smaller male back. "Alright, if that's what you want."

[papergirllife]

To Draw A Bigger Picture

Chasing The Flames Chapter 9

When the movie finished, Jaemin was going to ask your opinion on the movie, when he noticed you had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Just as Chenle was about to scream about something yet again, Jeno shut him up, muffling his loud voice.

" Y/N's asleep. Be quite. "

"Do you think we should wake her up? "

" It's already 11 plus. I don't think it'll be safe for her to go back home alone now, just let her sleep. " Renjun said.

Jaemin picks up Y/N, bridal style, and carries her into his and Jeno's room.

" We'll share. I'll let her sleep in my bed. " Jaemin said to Jeno.

Jeno separated their beds that were previously placed together, as Jaemin lays Y/N gently down the warm sheets.

I woke up on a warm bed with a fluffy blanket draped over me. I was clueless at where I was at, until I remembered falling asleep during the movie.

I rolled over to the other side to see Jaemin awake on his phone.

" Jaemin? "

" Y/N? You're awake? Do I need to get you anything? Water maybe? Do you want a change of more comfortable clothing? "

" Yeah, sorry. I'm so clumsy, I shouldn't have fell asleep, now I'm a burden to you. "

" It's fine, Y/N. You're not a burden, it's nice that you're sleeping over. We haven't had guests before. "

Jaemin said as he was looking for some clothes in the wardrobe.

Jaemin passes me a pair of sweats and a sweater and tells me to change in the bathroom.

When I put on the sweater I realised it was a Balenciaga sweater.

I walked out of the bathroom to see Jaemin holding up a cup of water for me, I gratefully took it and took a large sip.

" Jaemin, this is too expensive for normal people like me to wear. You should've given me something else. "

Jaemin looks at me with a comforting smile on his face.

" It's okay, Y/N. I rarely wear this anymore. It looks better on you anyways. Keep it. "

" But... "

" Uh, uh, no buts. Head to bed, or you'll be tired tomorrow. "

I climbed back into bed, secretly thankful for the good material of the clothing for keeping me warm in this chilly night.

" Jaemin? "

" Hmm? "

" Talk me to sleep. "

" What do you want to know about? "

" How did you get together with Jeno? "

The both of you were whispering, in fear of waking up Jeno who was sleeping on Jaemin's side, but I couldn't hear everything he said, so Jaemin pulled my bed closer to his.

" It wasn't a spur in the moment thing, it was more of a gradual built up of feelings, since we've known each other for a long time. We didn't really consider dating girls because of the risk, we're both bisexual. Us getting together was something that was fated to happen I guess, haha. Even though we didn't have any other choices, we never took it as a last resort. It's a blessing if you ask me, finding a sweet guy like him. He might seem aloof or shy sometimes, but he's a hopeless romantic deep inside. "

" You guys look really good together. "

" Really? Thank you. We should get some sleep. Goodnight, Y/N. "

" Goodnight. "

" You guys talked and you didn't wake me up? " Jeno shook his head in disbelief.

Jeno woke up to a scene that made him felt left out.

Y/N was cuddled into Jaemin's side, apparently the small little gap didn't do much difference.

" We should wake her up. "

Jaemin shook his head, disagreeing.

" If we do that, she'll feel embarrassed. Why don't you lie down next to me? Wait for her to wake up and act like this didn't happen. "

" She'd want that? "

" She's still confused about her feelings I think, it's best we don't push her like that, she might shy away if she wakes up to us needing to explain. She'll feel guilty. "

Jeno was grateful for Jaemin's skillful way of reading people's emotions, and laid back down the bed, an arm slinging over Jaemin's waist.

" I'd like to wake up to this again. "

" Me too, Jeno. We'll just have to wait and treat her better. "

When I woke up, I could smell a nice cotton scent, in my sleepy state, I nuzzled my nose to the source of the scent, but instead of a blanket or pillow, my nose hit something hard.

' Wait. Where am I again? '

' Dream's dorms, right. I'm sleeping on the couch? No, I remember Jaemin moved me to the bed. Wait, that's it. Jaemin's sleeping beside me. Oh shit. '

I slowly opened my eyes to see Jaemin sleeping peacefully right next to me.

I gently untangled my arms from his embrace and backed further away from him.

When I was at a safe distance from Jaemin and Jeno, I quickly got off the bed into the connected bathroom to splash some water on my face to stop it from heating up.

After checking my appearance in the mirror, I padded out of the bathroom back into their room.

The both of them were awake now, looking at their phones.

" Sorry. Did I wake you guys up? "

" Nah, we just got hungry. We have a new toothbrush in the cupboard under the sink, use it. "

" Thank you. "

When you finished washing up, you walked to the kitchen to see Renjun cooking.

" What's for breakfast? "

" Egg sandwich. "

" This looks good. Smells good too. "

" Wait till you try it, Y/N. It's the best. "

" Yes, coming from our demanding food critic, Park Jisung. "

" I got the recipe from Birds of Prey. "

" Wow, no wonder it looks and smells so good. I love bacon. "

Suddenly I felt a hand placed on shoulder, I turned my head back to see Jeno smiling at me.

" Morning. "

" Morning, you look nice, with the glasses. "

" Really? I didn't like the way I looked with them. "

" Don't worry, your fans like them. "

" Why are you so sure? "

" According to your fan accounts. "

" You've been keeping tabs on me with fan accounts? "

' Shit. I can't let him know that I'm following his fan accounts. '

" N-no. I just so happened to have read that from somewhere. "

Jeno had a knowing smile on his face, but he didn't seem annoyed that you were low key fangirling over him.

" Just text or call me if you want to know what I'm up to. "

He then grabbed an egg sandwich and sat down on the dining table.

I could feel the tension between the both of us. Or was it my own imagination?

It's probably my own assumptions in my early morning hazy mind.

" Y/N, take one. Be careful, it might still be hot. "

" Thanks, Renjun. "

I took a bite into my sandwich, the bacon had just the right crunch and the eggs and cheese were as soft as clouds.

" It's perfect, Renjun. "

" Glad you like it. "

I moved to the dining table to finish up the sandwich. When I sat down, with my mouth full of sandwich, Jeno took a photo of me out of the blue.

" Jeno! I look like shit in the morning. Why did you take a photo of me? "

" You don't look like shit. You look adorable, with your cheeks full of food. "

" Oh god... Here's comes the first cursed photo of me within 2 months of knowing you guys. "

" You haven't even looked at Jaemin's. Let me show you. "

" Yah. Stop right there, Lee Jeno. Don't ruin my reputation of being the cutest in NCT Dream. "

Jaemin said as he sat down to have breakfast.

Jeno did a puking face at him and continued eating his breakfast.

Not long after, we sat down to play Jenga in the living room.

Donghyuck was cursing at the blocks when they fell in his hands while Jeno kept winning.

When it was around noon, you packed up and papered to leave.

" I'll leave the extra groceries here for the next time you cook, maybe I'll pop in soon. "

" You better, Y/N. Before Chenle and Jisung eat everything. "

" Yah, Renjun hyung! "

As I stepped out of their dorms, I heard footsteps following me out. I looked back to see Jeno and Jaemin smiling at me.

" We're walking you to the bus station. "

" It's fine, Jaemin. It's still early, I'll be safe. Plus I don't want fans to spot us and get the wrong idea. "

" Okay, but give us a call when you're home. "

Jaemin was about to reject my idea, but Jeno beat him to it.

" Will do. "

" Bye, Jeno, Jaemin. "

" Bye, Y/N. "

I walked to the bus station reluctantly, not wanting to leave them.

" So, do the both of you consider today a success? "

" Chenle ah, you're too young to ask these things. "

" But Jeno hyung, I'm 20. I'm an adult. "

" Lele ah, you'll always be a baby in our eyes. But Jeno I think it's fine to tell him anything that's PG13. "

" I'll buy you coffee afterwards, Jaemin hyung. "

" Okay, fine. To answer your question, yes. I think today was a success. "

" Do you think she likes you guys? I think she does. "

" How are you so sure, Chenle ah? "

" Just a gut feeling. Plus, she looks at you and Jaemin differently from how she looks at us. Focus on the eyes, hyung. "

" The way you said that would've made any girl running for the hills, Lele. "

The next day I went into the office, I was greeted by Mr Kang beckoning me into a meeting.

" What's this meeting for? "

" Dream's comeback. From the looks of it based on what the marketing team has been working on, it's going to be one of the best projects we're going to be working on this year. "

After the meeting, it has been concluded that Mr Kang and I are going to be a part of the photoshoot, the stages and the music video, it's going to be my first time working with video making, making me giddy inside.

I immediately went to Dream's recording room to tell them about the good news.

As I walked in, Jeno was in the studio, recording his lines. He looked really serious and professional, just like when he modelled for you.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach as I thought of that day in their dorms, the way the three of us were cooking just gave me so much domestic feels towards them.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard someone call my name.

" Hey,Renjun. How's the recording going? "

" It's great. The concept is cool and we're getting both singing and rapping parts in the album. "

" Wow, that's going to sound fresh. Chenle must be really happy about getting a chance to rap. "

" Yeah, he's nervous though, he's been practicing for a long time now. " Renjun said as he points towards a rarely quite Chenle sitting on the couch, practicing his lines.

" Oh, I won't disturb him then. How about Jaemin? "

" He went out to buy coffee, Jisung and Hyuck tagged along. "

" And this is his? "

" Second for the day. "

" That boy seriously has an unhealthy obsession. "

" For now there's three things he's obsessed with, coffee, sugar, and Jeno. "

" Not a balanced meal if you ask me. "

" He never listens. It's great of you to drop by. Who are you looking for? "

" Oh, right. I just got the news that I'm going to be involved in your comeback for both photoshoot and mv. "

" Really? That's great. "

" The pay is great too. I'll take you guys out for lunch after your first win. "

" I'll hold onto that. It's lunch time now. We're ordering take out, want some? "

" Sure. "

Suddenly the door burst open, and Jaemin comes storming in with open arms and one of the brightest smiles I had ever seen, enveloping me into a hug.

" Aww, Y/N came to visit us. We missed you lots. "

" I missed you guys too, but if you don't let me go I'm going to die from lack of oxygen, Nana. "

Jaemin let's you go and opted to put his head on your shoulder, sipping his coffee.

" What did I say about too much coffee, Jaem? "

" Last one for today, I promise. "

He suddenly shoots up from his spot and goes over to the plastic bag.

" This is for you, hot cocoa. But you're sharing half of it to Chenle. "

" But...

" No buts. I won't be able to sleep tonight if your lactose intolerant acts up. "

He says as he pours you your portion of the drink.

" How did you know I was here? "

" I texted him. "

" How was your day, Y/N? "

" I just finished a meeting with the marketplace department and they decided that Mr Kang and I are going to be heavily involved in your comeback. "

" Really? "

" Yup. "

" That's great. I hope we're doing field trips for photos again. "

The way Jaemin looked at me like he has stars in his eyes was a sight to behold, but that's normal, for his natural flirty behaviour, I pushed those feelings deep down. I can't fall for Jeno and Jaemin, that's wrong, they're together.

I drank my hot cocoa in silence, a small frown tugging at the corner of my lips.

" Take out's here. I'll go collect it. "

" Y/N? "

" Jeno. Was recording smooth? "

" Yeah. Better than what I had expected. "

" Lee Jeno always has high standards. He's been cooped up in there for too long. "

" I just wanted to try different styles. I'm really hungry though, is the food coming soon? "

" Yeah. Renjun just went out to collect it. "

" Don't be too hard on yourself, Jeno. You need rest too. "

" I will. Don't worry. "

Jeno reached a hand up to pat my head as he sits on the couch opposite from me, his eye smile evident.

I really hope I'm not blushing now, it'll be too embarrassing to show up in front of them ever again if I did.

When Renjun came back with the food, I quickly placed down the money for the food and made up an excuse about a non existing meeting that needs me there in 20 minutes.

I grabbed the lunch box and left all of them after bidding hasty goodbyes.

When I reached my desk in the office, I was relieved to have got myself out of this mess that I put myself into, slumping into the office chair with a squeak.

' When will I ever get over with my schoolgirl crush towards them? '

[talesofsonicasura]

Diamonds and Voodoo

You Do Voodoo

A mysterious visitor comes to Morioh. Paths diverge and intertwine with the various townfolks of this crazy, noisy bizarre town. And it all started with a good deed touched by a bit of magic.

Good deeds tend to create ripples throughout what we know as life. Sometimes an act of kindness can lead to great rewards. At rare times the road to hell is often paid with good intentions. Nevertheless, this type of charity has a habit of changing the future of one or many individuals. For sometimes, a grand adventure begins with that very act of kindness.

"Look out!" Morioh, a small town amongst the middle of nowhere quite unlike many cities found in Japan. A type of place that tends to be quiet but also hosts some oddities within its dwellings. Unlike many small towns, Morioh would become ground zero for a strand of very bizarre events and each with their own level of danger.

A car was parked awkwardly sideways between the road and crosswalk. Upon closer inspection, this was a crash as the front end was inward from the telephone pole currently wedged inside the bright red metal. To the side was an abandoned bicycle alongside a police officer and what many from this town could call a foreigner. The officer holded the visitor close to his chest almost awkwardly, the telltale of being grabbed.

The officer was an older and surprisingly buff male, darkened grey hair hidden under his cap, eyes that had a natural glint of kindness despite the concern now shining for the person in their arms. A would-be victim of the car accident was a young woman around her late teens, between 16 or 17 from the bits of remaining baby fat still left on her face.

Her skin was slightly tanned in a more climate related basis, such as sun exposure than natural skin tone, hair a short messy lime green hidden under the top jaw of a dinosaur-esque skull, a 5'8 body that was slim, lean and had moderate bust along with curves, but it was her eyes and her arms that drew the most attention.

The young woman's arms were decorated in wavy almost vine patterned tribal markings with a four toes pad on each shoulder and her eyes had a unique case of heterochromia with the right being a normal orange but the entire left eye was blue except for a single white pupil. Her outfit consisted of dark blue fingerless gloves, red sneakers, light brown cargo shorts, a black bra and opened orange vest outlined in red.

"You okay there missy? That car almost hit you if I didn't pull you away in time." The officer questioned, his voice soft and kind in a sort of grandfatherly way. She merely looked up at him with a large impish smile. Not even scared or off-put that a speeding car almost made the teen paste on the street.

"I'm good mister! Just glad no one else got hurt either. Car accidents aren't something normal folks can handle and I rather get hurt than somebody else! I'm more than capable of taking some nasty hits!" The woman's peppy, slightly loud and light chuckle paired with the slightly morbid words had thrown the officer for a loop before he strangely found himself chuckling too.

"Hahaha. Well aren't you an odd but thoughtful young lady? I wish some of my friends on the force had that kind of energy. Everyone's been down as of late and honestly needs a pep talk or two." The greenette looked at his badge for a moment as if scanning for his name. Something that was quick to find apparently as it read 'Ryohei Higashitaka'.

With that in hand, she then reached into the pocket of her cargo while silently whispering his name. The officer or Ryohei honestly looked a bit surprised when the youth produced a peculiar item. It was a small brown wooden charm carved into a smiling mask. The mask was painted with red lips, yellow with green outlined eyes, large reddish eyebrows and four small feathers ranging from yellow, orange, purple and red.

"Please take this mister as a sign of gratitude. It's a good luck charm carved into the likeness of Aku-Aku, a spirit of protection. This charm shall ward off a great disaster in your future." The older man took the odd charm with a soft smile and looked it over. He softly chuckles before patting her head.

"Why thank you! It's pretty adorable and well crafted! I'll make sure to keep it close. Good luck is something a lot of people nowadays…" His eyes widened a bit upon realization. "Whoops! Careless me! I forgot to ask for a name. I am Ryohei Higashitaka, an officer of the Morioh Police Department. What's your name missy? I need it to file a report for ya and if you want to press charges." She merely gave an impish smile with a bit of her tongue sticking out.

"It's Taki-Taki, Taki-Taki Bandicoot."

Budo-ga Oka Middle and High School, one of the few schools within Morioh. A joint school where grades between 6 and 11th are together instead of being separate. It was also a place that had a quite an amount of delinquents which make up some of the school's student body.

Walking towards this destination from the local town square was a mountain of a man in very odd clothing. Hair was jet black and well groomed, eyes a bright ocean blue, body sculpted like a Greek God from every single inch out of 6'5 and a natural scowlish look on his face. Nearly all his clothes, from his coat, pants, shoes and torn back hat with golden pins stylized to spell Jo were white except for the man's shirt which was pitch black.

The man was currently looking over a paper, a report or letter from highly detailed it was in both text and a few select photos. His brows wrinkled in aggravation before muttering a soft 'Yare Yare Daze' under his breath. "Godamnit old man. You're too old to be causing this type of bullshit." He hissed, rough, husky and slightly aggravated tone to his voice making a few people steer clear of his vicinity.

Well… not just that. Unknown to the raven in question, there was something odd looking over his shoulder. This peculiarity was a mask of sorts. It looked vaguely human but the light blue material used to craft it was spectral from how it softly glow like wisps in the night sky.

An Aztec type crown at the top with four flat points as if it was a piece from a gear, large carved ears with faint spiral at the center, pure white eyes and mouth outlined in mauve, and the same mauve color to imitate flat eyebrows. Bystanders seeing the mask either quickened their step or blamed this bizarre sight as 'too much coffee' or 'no more liquor in the morning.'

"Huh. Guess an old man in his late 60s can get laid. Oh, so that's where the gardens are!" The young man nearly bit his tongue in shock from both the raspy, light and almost nerdy sounding male voice but also the fact it came from a floating tiki mask that took a closer look at his document.

He couldn't get a word out of his mouth as the mask flew off with surprising speed. "A Stand?! That means there's a Stand User nearby! You ain't getting away from me!" A bright golden aura began to burn around the adult upon giving chase to the airborne oddity. On the sidewalk, the man's shadow grew with the addition of a more peculiar one.

A few minutes passed when the chase was called off upon the mask being too far in the air to pursue, the extra shadow vanished as the adult male let a growl in annoyance. He lowers his hat with a curse. "Damn it. If that thing's responsible for the recent incidents going on in this town…" The man then went to a payphone before dialing in a number.

"This is Jotaro Kujo. Tell the heads of the Speedwagon Foundation that there is confirmed Stand activity in Morioh. Look into the database about a Stand in shape of a glowing blue mask and the possibility if it's connected to Dio." The phone was slammed down as the white coat of the man fluttered while he left.

"Poke!" A finger poking the little snout of a box turtle that had swam up from the water of the makeshift pond seated by a small bus stop. Sitting on the curb of the pond beside was the odd Taki-Taki, currently petting the small reptilian much to its pleasure. "You're a handsome turtle, aren't you? Much nicer than the big ones back home." She cooed while the turtle rubbed itself against her hand clearly in love with the kind contact.

A little whimper had the young woman look around in utter confusion. Soft heterochromia eyes soon met bright baby blue ones tinged with a bit of fear. That fear directed to the little reptile nipping at the greenette's fingers.

A 5'11 muscular young man with blue violet hair tended neatly into a large pompadour, a dark violet gakuran pinned with a yellow heart and gold peace on each side of his chest, sunshine yellow shirt that peeked through the gap of his uniform coat, and dark boots were the owner of these baby blue orbs.

"You okay? Look like you're about to pee yourself." Taki-Taki questioned upon the fidgeting male still looking at the turtle as if it tried to eat him. He immediately calmed down a bit now noticing he wasn't exactly alone, cheeks dusting a bright red. "I'm so sorry! Reptiles just give me the willies that's all, mostly turtles." His soft and slightly rough almost if still adjusting practically rattled with nervousness.

She merely chuckled whilst waving off any concern. "It's alright! Everyone is afraid of something so no harm done. Plus this little handsome fellow is much more kinder than the ones I've seen in Turtle Woods. Those turtles were mean and one tried to steal my hat!" Her spare hand pointed at the dinosaur skull on her head since the other was still petting the shelled reptile.

The pompadour wearing young man shivered upon the two words 'Turtle Woods' but was honestly thankful that she wasn't making fun of him for his phobia. Taki-Taki then stood up whilst petting the turtle's head one more time. "I better go! Promised to get some stuff with my friend Lani-Loli and we're supposed to meet up at the gardens! Chou!" And she was gone with a pep to her step.

"My name is Josuke Higashitaka… And she's gone. Maybe I'll see her again." The sound of male cursing grew as the purple pomp prince noticed a bunch of male students coming over to him. Delinquents from their rude, downlooking and glaring faces, something that only made him sigh. Days like these tend to suck.

The Higashitaka household, home to the Higashitaka family which consisted of the older police officer Ryohei, his daughter but also single mother Tomoko and Tomoko's son Josuke. A lively place from the unique personalities of the three living inside. Well, it wasn't like this right now.

Peculiar water slipping away from the house window almost like a cobra finished with their prey. A fact so true upon the still body of the family matriarch lying lifeless on the floor. Face carved in blood coated horror slowly changes to a pristine clean outlook through a soft golden aura. Almost if the man died in his slumber and not of gruesome supernatural murder.

The golden aura belonging to a bubblegum arm coated in crystalline diamond armor soon vanishes inside the body of Josuke. Behind Josuke was Jotaro, the man clad in white being a relative, his nephew shockingly taken into consideration that his grandfather was the pomp prince's father. Who knew?

And the older man could only look at the teen that was his uncle trying to coax his dead grandfather back to life with sympathetic pity. Aquamarine eyes that always seemed stuck in a perpetual glare now softened at the scene. The look of someone who had seen a death like this before. Or to be more precise, had experienced such a grizzly sight.

Jotaro knew that this wasn't the time for grief fueled hysterics. There were more pressing matters and dangers ready to drown them from the inside. "Josuke…" Any further words from the older man, alongside any actions from the teen immediately stopped upon one thing. Subtle movement originating from the chest of the officer's corpse before them.

A sickly sweet scent reminiscent of cherries filled the air along with the soft sizzle of something burning. Thin wisps of smoke coming from the body's chest pocket spurred Josuke to go into the clothing's pouch. Baby blue eyes widened seeing a small brown tiki charm in his hands but specifically the feathers that were turning to dust.

"A voodoo charm?" The purplette's attention immediately went back to the corpse of his grandfather. His still chest slowly began to rise and fall almost as if… "He's breathing." It was the only conclusion Jotaro came to upon the subtle movements. The charm in the teenager's hands fully became ash once his previously deceased grandfather sat up looking purely confused.

"Ooh my head… I don't remember my favorite booze having that strong of a kick. Josuke? What are you doing here since I thought you were going out? Who's this guy? And why are you crying?" Ryohei didn't expect to wake up to such a scene or his own grandson to hug him so hard thinking he was about to kick the bucket.

He was quick however to notice the scent of cherry in the air alongside a missing weight in his breast pocket. "Did someone light a scented candle and where did my good luck charm go? Was I mugged or something Josuke?" The elderly man's inquiry had the two younger men share the same look. They needed answers.

/"You want to know who gave me that charm? Well, it was a young girl around my grandson's age. She had green hair, heterochromia with her eyes being orange and blue, and had what looked like a dinosaur skull on her head. Said her name Taki-Taki Bandicoot and came into town looking for ingredients. The charm was based off of a guardian of protection... Aku-Aku I believe she said."/

Information that had both Jotaro and his younger uncle running through the streets of Morioh in a hurry. Ryohei had been put into protective custody with a short call from whoever the raven had pretty high connections to. Something that man would have refused if it wasn't for the fact his son was crying. Josuke only cried when things were at the absolute worst. This made it easier to search without the man being in danger once more.

"I never thought my life would have gotten this insane. First an escaped death row inmate capable of killing his victims from the inside with water and now a Stand User capable of bringing back the dead! Things weren't like this until you came to town!" The highschooler quipped as if to ignore the harsh ache going through his legs.

"Your life was bound to become bizarre the moment you awakened your Stand, no, the moment you were born with Joestar blood. A curse everyone in this damned bloodline has. So don't blame me for the shitshow." Jotaro fired back in absolute annoyance. Their destination was the place mentioned by the woman when Josuke encountered her, Morioh's Springroll Garden.

"Maybe she can remove it? She does know voodoo and it does involve a lot of curse thingies? Do you think Taki-Taki can get rid of my fear of turtles?" The teenager's question was merely met with an eye roll from Jotaro. He was going to shout back an insult until something caught his eyes.

A lone figure standing amongst a large collection of various flora and vegetation belonging to one of Morioh's famous landmarks. More accurately a lonehuman figure and a soft blue floating oddity by them that was very damn familiar to the male clad in white. "There she is and that's the Stand I saw earlier!"

Taki-Taki was currently plucking a few mushrooms from underneath the bushes that provided their moist dark home and placed them into a small straw basket. Springroll Garden was a place where people could pick their vast garden by purchasing a special ticket and take home an entire basket full of items.

"It's kind of cool that the town has such a garden like this. Especially when it guarantees a free basket of fresh goods for first time visitors too!" The luminescent mask said with a big smile while looking at a bush full of white roses. His green haired friend merely let out a chuckle in agreement before speaking. "Same here pal. Makes it a lot easier to find the things needed to work my magic."

A loud shout had the two look up to see some familiar faces running their way. "Wouldn't you know? Hey Pompadour Prince, fancy seeing you here!" Taki-Taki's nickname immediately had the boy stop in his tracks. Face burning in anger until the words finally hitting turned that anger into pure confusion. The sudden confusion didn't stop the mask from cowering behind the greenette.

"Pompadour Prince?" He questioned while pointing to himself, clearly confused. "You kidding? That's the best pompadour I've ever seen. Also, calling you king is going a bit too far since we've barely known each other and aren't in a relationship." Her words caused the male teen to blush a bit paired with a smitten look and cheesy smile.

Jotaro merely elbowed Josuke's shoulder as the highschooler remembered what they were supposed to be doing. "Taki-Taki Bandicoot, we need you to come with us. We already know about you being a Stand User since your Stand is hiding right behind you but also that charm you gave Ryohei Higashitaka before he was attacked."

The greenette merely had a confused look before it immediately narrowed into glare after the words Ryohei Higashitaka and attacked. Her emotions were clearly being felt through the odd mask as it came out of hiding to glare at them. "I knew something bad was bound to happen upon seeing that dark aura. Tell me what you've done to that kind officer before I rip ya putzes a new one!"

Josuke was thrown off guard by the sudden aggression consuming Taki-Taki's features. It was as if a cloak of pure madness just overshadowed that sunny aura of the greenette. The change didn't deter Jotaro who refused to back down at her threat. As if proving his point, a gold aura started to radiate from his body.

"You need to calm down now. We aren't your enemies but I won't hesitate to knock you out even if you're a girl." The man spoke as something appeared from his body like an apparition. It was a humanoid spirit of sorts that appeared to be an Aztec Warrior or barbarian with similar origins.

Just as big and buff as his summoner but a bit more, soft blue skin that outlined a coral inner pink, black hair that flowed like smoke but sparkle as if it was stardust, soft ocean blue eyes and a body armed with white pauldrons painted in gold spirals, black fingerless gold studded gloves, a white scarf around their neck, black knee high boots and a long white loincloth alongside a dark tasset.

Yet, the strange being seemed to only piss off Taki-Taki even further as she went into her pant's pocket to pull out a small crystal orb. "You're going to threaten me with a giant in his skivvies? Alright jackass, hope your ready to party. For this Ooda-Booga Boogie of mine is going to send ya to the hospital!" And she crushed the crystal orb in her hand.

Both men only had seconds until a large blackish pink fist had punched Jotaro's spirit in the face, the ghost and summoner were sent flying out of the garden before kissing the street concrete. Josuke could only blink before seeing the thing responsible for sending his nephew airborne. "Holy shit!" For what stood snarling in front of Taki-Taki was an absolute monster.

A heavily built 9'6 tall slightly deformed anthropomorphic porcupine with vibrant magenta skin overshadowed by a darkish gray hide. A long singular black horn tipped with hot pink, burning crimson eyes that glared down at the man in white, a magenta muzzle overlapped with an giant overbite of fangs, multiple pink tipped black spikes across their back, their right arm covered in black armor in the form of a riot shield, and crimson hakama trousers with a black paw print on the side.

The beast snarled angrily at Jotaro while a trail of drool came down from their razor sharp maw. It then let out a loud and deep inhuman roar almost if challenging anyone foolish enough to face the beast's wrath. Jotaro had gotten back onto his feet, spitting a bit of blood on the road before wiping the remainder from his mouth. Some of it stained bits of his hat a dark crimson. His spirit staring at the beast with an analysistic glare.

"That's one hell of a sucker punch you got there. Quite an ugly bastard of a friend you have, makes me question which one it is though. Is the beast your actual stand or a byproduct of its power?" The question only seemed to aggravate the greenette and the large creature she called upon.

"That 'ugly bastard' is my friend Quill and what is with this Stand garbage anyway?! What I want to know is did you attack Mr. Ryohei?! My charm doesn't just vanish without fulfilling its purpose even if stolen. Now answer me or I'll beat the truth out of you!" Taki-Taki declared with a snarl that held inhumanely sharp teeth.

Josuke didn't have to be a genius to know if he didn't stop these two right now then things were going to get a lot worse. His nephew's Stand went in for a punch while the greenette's large beast followed suit. Neither attack landing their blow as two diamond covered pink hands caught both fists.

The culprit was a giant pink skinned warrior whose body was covered in Corinthian style diamond armor. He was huge with the same type of muscle like Jotaro's spirit, eyes were a bright baby blue that shone through the darkness of the heart top helmet with concern, wires connecting the back of his neck to his back, heart shaped diamond pauldrons with spikes, armor that over lined the side of his arms, legs and back, and diamond plating rings around the fingers.

Unlike Jotaro's Stand or Taki-Taki's giant beast, this one exuded a gentle and kind aura akin to that of a guardian or protector. Something that made sense from the soft magenta aura radiating from Josuke. "Please stop fighting! I don't want to see my nephew or the person who saved my grandpa hurt each other for something stupid!" The pomp prince's words carried strong as they were sincere.

Something the greenette easily felt upon Quill taking a step back as if backing down from the fight since there was no longer any hostility. Jotaro's Stand disappeared soon after while he muttered a soft 'Yare Yare Daze' under his breath. "Holy shit… I thought things were going to get ugly there. I don't think this garden deserves to be wrecked by a Spike." The mask's quip not being lost on anyone.

Later at the Higashitaka House, cups of tea were placed on the table. Sitting at the table on mats were Josuke, Jotaro and the odd woman known as Taki-Taki Bandicoot. To their left side strangely enough was the greenette's mask and both men's spirits that were conversing with each other or goofing off upon the playing cards between them.

"I still don't believe that Stands are basically the spiritual energy of someone given form. You sure they aren't warrior ancestors? Jotaro's Star Platinum looks like an Aztec barbarian and Josuke, your Crazy Diamond reminds of those old Greek soldiers from his armor." She said while looking at the three oddities playing Go Fish.

A Scrabble holder was being used for the mask or Lani-Loli's cards since he didn't have any hands. He would ask either Star Platinum or Crazy Diamond to put any of his matching cards down and when he needed to 'fish' a card. "Pretty sure. Couldn't I ask the same thing about Lani-Loli over there? Floating masks that can talk aren't normal either." Josuke quipped while pointing to the mask in question.

"Hey! I'm right here you know and I'm way older than all of you combined! And I would have you know that I was human before becoming a Quantum Mask! If I still had hands I would smack all three of you on the head!" The mask fired back in aggravation, some of the cards disappearing in blue wisps of smoke... alongside Josuke's clothes.

"Eeek!" He panicked immediately covering his crotch, Jotaro hiding his embarrassment under his hat while Taki-Taki turned her head away with face hot red in embarrassment. "Great Tikimon! Lani-Loli! Phase his clothes back now!" The mask quickly undoing his magic in sheer embarrassment. Josuke's clothes and the cards popping back into reality with similar blue wispy smoke.

Poor teen let out a sigh of relief knowing he wasn't nude in front of a girl anymore. "Sorry! Sometimes I accidentally poof things out of existence when I'm stressed! And nothing says stress like an escaped convict who kills people with living water!" Jotaro rolled his eyes at the smartass remark. For an all mighty ancient mask, Lani-Loli was an anxious nerd that was a scare away from passing out.

The reason why they were holed up in Josuke's house was that all of them were targets of the Stand User Angelo and his Stand Aqua Necklace.

Angelo was a psychopath with a taste of madness and penchant for violence. The man was arrested repeatedly for brutal acts like murder and even sexual assault before he was landed on Death row. Sadly his execution didn't work properly, allowing the maniac to escape the morgue and reach Morioh. He attacked Ryohei as the cop was the reason Angelo got arrested.

Due to the nature of his Stand, none of them could use water that came from anywhere but a bottle in fear of accidentally swallowing the dangerous entity. "And when do you think it's safe for us to go home? Unlike you guys, my dad will go nuts if I ain't back soon. None of us want to deal with an angry father much less my pops, Crash Bandicoot." Taki-Taki wasn't blind to the nervous look on the pompadour prince's face while he took a sip of his tea.

"Until that Stand User is caught." Jotaro didn't foresee the spray of tea hitting his face from the greenette's spit-take. The grown man was growling in his seat while the young woman tried to settle down her coughs. "You nuts?! That is the stupidest thing I ever heard and this is stemming from the fact my partner does insanely stupid stuff on a daily basis!"

Lani-Loli had flown over to the table so fast that the card pile dispersed from the sudden gust, much to both Stand's displeasure. "You said this guy's Stand is pure water right? What do we do when we run out of water? Wait, here's a better one! What happens if it rained? Shelter becomes a deathtrap in two seconds!" Both men's eyes widened upon the mask's words.

After settling down her coughing fit, Taki-Taki let out a soft whisper. "I think this is what that putz wants. Turn ourselves into sitting ducks and swoops in for the kill until it's too late. And it's going to rain in three days." Silence filled the room upon that very knowledge. The convict was planning to turn their stakeout into a trap.

Josuke could only sigh at the difficult hand. Sure, they now know the guy's plan but if they ignore it then finding Angelo would be even harder. It also meant that the psycho will find out Ryohei is still alive and won't hesitate to attack him again. "Then let's turn the tables back. Turn the hunter into the hunted." All eyes were on Taki-Taki in seconds.

She had a goofy smile on her face with her tongue sticking out in an impish manner. There was also the fact that another crystal orb was in her hands. An item that produced the monstrous Quill but unlike that one, this jewel was a shade of toxic green. Lani-Loli, upon seeing what his friend held, grew a mischievous grin of his own. The odd duo clearly had a plan that almost made Jotaro and Josuke feel an ounce of pity. Almost being the keyword.

Rain had finally fallen upon the house once three days had passed by. Taki-Taki had called her father about being home a few days late since some issues had cropped up. Neither Josuke or Jotaro heard the man's voice but what they gathered upon how the greenette talked, 'Crash' was kindly lenient. Although, both males would have to see him once she got back home.

They spent most of their time keeping themselves from getting bored. Board games, reading, or Taki-Taki crafting some… mysterious concoctions and trinkets with whatever she found in the Higashitaka household. Josuke could honestly admit that he didn't know there was a den of possums hiding in his walls but the witch doctor managed to get some possum fur and nail clippings after one landed on Jotaro.

The greenette at the moment was alone in the bathroom, various ingredients that surrounded a lone bucket. Each item was odd in their own right, rat tails, frog eyes, shiitake mushrooms, yew branches, spoiled milk and a bottle of water. Taki-Taki began pouring the ingredients into the vat starting with the rotten dairy.

She was chanting in an unknown language that eerily sounded like a mix of Arabic and Pig Latin. Bucket began to bubble from her words as the color shifted upon every ingredient dropped into the vat. Taki-Taki's water bottle was currently halfway empty through the process and the cap left abandoned to the side.

Unbeknownst to the woman, rain began to patter outside and something opaque began to build up by the window. It looked like water but it held a more bluish hue and moved too much like a living creature to be normal. Then a pair of sinister pink eyes and a grin full of sharp teeth slithered through.

"You sure this isn't a mango?" Josuke currently sat in the front room alongside Lani-Loli who floated over the teenager's shoulder. Standing on the table was a large orange fruit with a yellow bottom similar to a mango but two leaves that hung from a stem. The teenager currently poking at the fruit that had come from Taki-Taki's home.

"Nope! It's a Wumpa Fruit, a pretty common thing to find on the Wumpa Islands. They're much sweeter than mango and the juice is pretty tasty too. Especially when used for a Wumpa Smoothie, those are really good." Being curious upon the mask's words, the pompadour prince took a nicely sized bite of the fruit.

Tangy sweetness was the first thing that hit the highschooler's taste buds then a rich zesty flavor kicked in a matter of seconds. "Holy shit! This is actually pretty good. Yo Jotaro, you have to try this!" The raven poked his head out of the kitchen upon hearing his name. He let out an annoyed sigh before snatching the fruit out of the teen's hand.

"Did someone put salt in your oatmeal today?" Lani-Loli couldn't help but point out at the man's awfully sour mood added by the harsh bite he took out of the poor fruit or the vicious vice grip. "No. None of you are taking this situation seriously and last I checked didn't get an angry rodent trying to claw up your face." He hissed before taking another aggressive bite.

The sound of footsteps had gotten the two humans and mask turning their heads. Approaching them with an eerily quiet and dead stare was Taki-Taki. Her feet moving sluggishly to the point it was close to that of a sleepwalker… or if heavy weights were tied to the woman's legs.

"Taki?" Lani-Loli's voice thick with concern while he spoke his friend's nickname. Her response was to open her mouth slowly with evil pink eyes glaring back at them in the darkness. "Sorry but your little friend's life is now mine!" A vile, raspy and deep male voice coming out of the greenette's mouth, all to the horror of her friends.

"Aqua Necklace?! You bastard, get out of Taki-Taki now Angelo!" Josuke could only burn brighter in rage from the deranged laugh of the psychopathic water Stand. "And get rid of my only hostage?! Hell no! This bitch is the reason why Ryohei Higashitaka is still alive! She has the power to bring back the dead, a ticket to immortality!" The mask could only roll his eyes as if sensing a monologue.

"I've been watching you this whole time. I saw the giant beast she summoned and that mask phasing things through existence. With her as my slave, I'll be invincible! The world will be my toy box and every single person my toys that I can break for eternity! Once you're all dead, I'll break her until she's a mindless bitch who will follow my every…" The monologue was caught short upon her mouth snapping shut.

Yet, it wasn't the lips that closed the space but an eerie green substance reminiscent to goo. "The hell?!" Aqua Necklace tried to dive down the woman's throat only to run into another gooey green wall. Then he heard laughter. Pink eyes turned to see it was Lani-Loli who was responsible. He was cackling mischievously that tears looked ready to fly from how hard his laughter, much to the confusion of his friends.

"Haha! Hehehehe! You really thought it would be so easy! Taki and I faced way worse than your miserable hide. Oh, and that's not Taki-Taki you putz! Drop the charade Toxic!" Jotaro and Josuke immediately jumped back upon who they thought was Taki-Taki began to melt. All color draining away into a puddle of green slightly clear goo.

Crazy Diamond and Star Platinum were quickly summoned when that sludge started to rise up in the process of a transformation. The slime forming three toed misshapen legs, dripping fat arms with chubby fingers, a large yellow green belly that from its almost clear texture and Aqua Necklace being held inside looked more like a prison, and a roundish hippo like head paired with short pig ears, large deformed inhuman teeth and two alien yellow orbs looking back at it's observers.

The beast or Toxic's appearance could be compared to a 8 ft tall ogre or even an Oni, supernatural beings that tend to punish wicked humans. "Meet the Sludge, a creature made of magic infused ooze with a love for eating utter garbage, like your ugly face! I told Toxic here about your little plan involving my best friend."

Almost on cue, the large oozing beast let a loud snarl before smoke began filling in its tummy. "Aaaaaaah! What the hell is that smell?! It's getting hot in here! Don't tell me this is acid?!" The mask only had a vicious smile on his face that solidified the fact. "People like you make me sick. I've read your entire file and I bet it would even make Uka-Uka himself furious to see your deeds!" Aqua Necklace could only shiver in horror at the mask.

It was like Lani-Loli's nervous self had been overshadowed by pure animalistic rage that his eyes were narrowed slits and teeth were now large fangs held in a snarl. A deity ready to smite a sinner with divine punishment. Even Jotaro and Josuke were taken aback by the sudden shift.

"I may be a scaredy cat but I am still a protector. My name is Lani-Loli, the Quantum Mask of Phase! For ruining the lives of many, threatening my friends and having an unsavory plan for my contractor, I mark you Angelo and his Stand Aqua Necklace, guilty of your sins! And boy do I have a nice punishment for your wicked soul."

The mask then faced the two Joestar blooded men. "Josuke. Jotaro. Taki-Taki left earlier to find this cretin's owner hence my friend Toxic here taking her place. I know where she is and I'm going to need your help with something."

On a street a few blocks from Josuke's house sat a large boulder. This rock had laid on this spot for centuries after a stray storm left it stranded on the land that would become Morioh. Tied to this very stone was an unsavory dark haired man in a milkman uniform bound by chains and gagged with a black cloth. Bruises decorating his body no doubt from the slightly bloody fists of the witch doctor.

Taki-Taki turned her head and smiled upon the sight of her friends coming into view. Aqua Necklace was still trapped within the prison that was Toxic's stomach, who seemed mighty pleased at the abomination's struggle. "Damn, you did a number on the asshole." Josuke said much to the greenette's pleasure.

"I aim to please. Now then, Angelo, since you made a living of ruining people's lives I believe your punishment should be providing good luck." Taki-Taki then pulled from behind the rock was the bucket filled with her concoction. It was a bright bubbling pink and had a smell akin to rotten lavender. She didn't resist dumping the nasty vat all over the convict much to his displeasure.

The man was struggling in disgust before his movements slowed to a crawl as if his whole body was paralyzed except for his mouth and eyes. Taki then yanked the gag from Angelo's lips allowing the man to speak. "You...crazy bitch…! What have you done?" His raspy dry voice almost sounded like a dying cat from how quiet it was.

"A simple potion made to turn you into an eternal good luck charm for all the folks in Morioh! Bet you now wished that your original execution didn't fail. Josuke, this last part is all up to you. Today you will have to make a choice on how this man goes out." Taki-Taki's eyes narrowed as they glowed inhumanly under the dark cloudy sky.

"Ryohei Higashitaka was the one who put this man in jail and stopped his rampage. In vengeance, this scum tried to rob a righteous soul of his life. As Ryohei's grandson, will you fulfill his task and put an end to the man that escaped the grim reaper's blade? If not, then I will perform the deed with Lani-Loli. What do you say?"

The pompadour prince was a bit off guard by the witch doctor's words. Why would she ask him if he wanted to be the one that dealt Angelo's punishment? "Josuke?! Are you seriously going to let her kill me? Sure I tried to kill your grandfather but if you go along with this bitch's plan then you'll be a killer just like me!"

None of them were blind to the man's false pleas knowing it was a trick to let him go. A rat that will only wreak havoc if given a shred of mercy. Angelo's rants were caught off by a fist breaking both his hand and a chunk of the rock. The shocking thing was that the stone merged and encased itself around the appendage much to the psycho's horror.

"Aaah! My hand!! What are you doing?" Josuke merely ignored the man's painful cries. "You really think that we're going to let you go after all you've done. This town used to be a peaceful place before you came and played with people's lives! So for the rest of your days, you're going to pay back every family that you destroyed! Taki-Taki." The greenette smiled knowing what the young man wanted.

"Let's do this Lani-Loli! Armor up!" The cyan mask flew around Taki-Taki with trails of aqua wispy trails that followed from behind. The mask situated himself onto her back while the ghostly ribbons wrapped themselves around her body. Each wispy streak solidified to form a black jumpsuit of sorts which was highlighted by glowing aqua blue chunks of armor reminiscent of Lani-Loli's crown.

Taki-Taki's eyes were now completely glowing blue while velvet sky blue energy followed through the tattoos on her skin and turned her hair into luminous bluish mist. The sudden change to the witch doctor had the restrained Angelo sweating in terror and nearly pissing himself when Josuke's Crazy Diamond materialized.

"Dorarararararara!!!!" The armored spirit let out a battle cry as both him and the armored greenette let loose a barrage of vicious punches. Each strike was as destructive and fast as machine gun rounds, blowing off huge chunks of the stone and merging to the man trapped in the dead center. Neither of them stopping their assault until every piece of stone had been reassembled.

With one last brutal punch, the stone fragments had fully merged Angelo turning the once human male into a deformed boulder. This new shape of the large stone was a malformed face with wide eyes held in different angles, a large flat nose at the bottom similar to a maui and stress lines just like the person it used to be.

Aqua Necklace, who was still trapped in Toxic's belly, quickly melted away in seconds. No doubt the Stand could no longer survive without the life force of its user, thus following its master into hell. Jotaro could only grimace behind the guard of his cap.

[Morioh Landmark 1: Angelo's Rock. No one knows where this mysterious stone appeared from or why. Despite its unnerving appearance, this landmark is a hotspot for couples both old and new.]

'These three are bat shit crazy and have the strength to back it up. Luckily Josuke has a good head on shoulders but…' The raven's eyes drifted to Taki-Taki, her sludge summon and most importantly Lani-Loli still hanging onto her back. She was conversing with Josuke who took the time to look at her changed form and the living sludge Toxic in rapt curiosity.

'Taki-Taki isn't a Stand User but she's just as dangerous as one. Those beasts, Quill and Toxic, whatever they are no doubt has a connection to her origins. And then there's Lani-Loli. I don't exactly know what a Quantum Mask is but I have a feeling he isn't the only one. Just who are you?'

And that is it! This ended being super long since the story revolves around two whole episodes instead of one. It does take place in the beginning of Part 4 and I wanted to stick as close to canon involving them.

Yes, Taki-Taki can call upon Titans, the enemies normally found in the Crash of the Titan series. Unlike a large chunk of people, I actually like the Titan games. They were the first Crash games I played and 100%. I did play Crash The Huge Adventure for the gameboy advance but it got destroyed in the wash sadly before I got the last crystal.

Any version of Crash of the Titans is good but I suggest playing the DS version of Mind Over Mutant considering the console version is more of an annoying chore with tons of backtracking.

My favorite Titans are Spike and Rhinoroller. I especially love the boss version of Spike from the DS Mind Over Mutant but I haven't found the concept art of it yet.

Just like a witch doctor, Taki-Taki does craft all sorts of potions and charms. The Aku-Aku charm acts like a second chance. If someone who has the charm experiences death, the charm will revive them. Deaths done through murder are a bit different.

The charm will hold onto their soul until its safe to revive the holder. Any extensive damage is done and the soul is returned back to the body once repairs are complete. After use, the charm will disintegrate or dull out depending on how much damage was caused.

The Phase Armor given by Lani-Loli is much different for Taki-Taki when she uses it. Reason for it is that she's contracted to him thus the power and magic he provides is much stronger than someone who doesn't have a contract.

Even if Lani-Loli is quite a skittish character,that doesn't mean he won't get serious when needed. Angelo did a lot of horrible stuff that I bet even Uka-Uka wouldn't do. Uka-Uka may be evil but he has standards.

I wanted to try a different writing style for this considering Part 4 is more of a murder mystery. So I wanted to introduce particular areas, new landmarks and important information in a traversing to the next scene.

Until next time folks! Tell the world that your unbreakable!

[tk-productions]

Mystic Sisters- Ch.3 Deja Vu

Hikari’s pov

I kept running through the dark and cold woods. “Why do we have to keep running?” I call out. There were heavy footsteps getting closer. “No matter what happens keep running.” Is what the familiar voice in my head kept saying. Why do I know that voice?

I woke up breathing heavily and confused. This was the 3rd time I had this nightmare. The nightmare was always the same. There was always a voice telling me to run away but what was I running from? I sat up running my hands through my hair. Yua has also been having nightmares but she never told me what they were about. She was always secretive when it came to things like that. We were usually in sync feeling each other's emotions but this is something new. I laid back down staring at the ceiling. Did these nightmares mean something?

I woke up the following morning to the sound of my alarm blasting Bad boy by Red Velvet. I hit snooze a few more times before finally getting out of bed before my mom came and woke me up. I worked some weekends at the local cafe Mystic cafe and today I had an early shift. As I headed downstairs I could hear Yua snoring from her room. Why does she always have to snore like that?

“Hikari I made you breakfast. It’s sitting on the dining table!” my mom yelled peeking her head out of her office door.

“Thank you. I have to close so I’ll be back late. But don’t worry Yua said she’ll meet me after work.”

“Okay sweetie have a good day. And don't stop at the park to pet random dogs.” I laughed remembering the last time I was late to work because I saw a puppy on the way and got distracted causing myself to be 15 minutes late.

“Hikari, there's a huge cake order being picked up later and I need you to ice them.” my boss Mrs. Hino said as soon as I walked into the stop. She was a middle aged woman with long black hair with bangs swept across her face. She had the warmest brown eyes that always made me feel warm inside. Mystic Cafe was owned by Mrs. Hino and her husband. The shop was passed down to her and has been in her family for 5 generations. When Yua and I were little we would always stop by on Fridays after school and get boba with our allowance before going home. Mrs. Hino would always give us extra treats with our order. “Anything for my favorite customers.” is what she always said.

She wasn't kidding about it being a big order. Walking in the back room there were 3, 4 layered cakes waiting to be frosted. Luckily the decorations were simple so it wouldn't take me too long.

I was so focused on finishing the cakes I didn't even hear Mrs. Hino tell me it was time for my lunch.

“Hikari, I said you can take your lunch. And change your apron when you get back.” Mrs. Hino said, laughing at my appearance and wiping the flour in my hair.

I nodded before looking down at my apron seeing I had different colored frosting over it. I grabbed my phone and headed out the back door. I stood there for a minute soaking up the sun. It had been sunny the past few days in Tokyo despite it being early Fall. I walked to the nearby convenience store and bought ramen along with a side of kimchi for lunch. Yua always made fun of how much I liked kimchi. She told me when I was little that I would turn into kimchi because I ate it so much. As I ate I kept thinking about my nightmare. I couldn't remember when or why I started having these dreams. I forgot about my food getting lost in my thoughts. Suddenly the air felt cold just like it did in my dream and I had the same uneasiness. Instead of being chased I felt like I was being watched. Is this how Yua felt a few days ago walking home? I could feel someone’s gaze on me but there was no one in the store besides me and the cashier. Before I could leave, someone was standing next to me.

“Boo!” said the girl jumping out in front of me.

“Hisako-chan you scared me.” I jumped clinging on to my phone that I almost dropped. . “I thought someone was after me.” I said letting out a shaky laugh.

“Hino-senpai told me you were here so I stopped on my way back from delivering my order but I didn't think I would scare you.” she laughed. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my things. On the way back to the cafe Hisako unlinked our arms and stopped walking.

“You look tired. Are you okay?” she questioned my face.

“Mh im fine. I didn't get much sleep last night.” she reached out now holding my hand.

“Are you having nightmares again?” I nodded letting out a yawn.

“You can always stay over if you want to.” she smiled. “My mom loves when you come over.”

“Thanks Hisako.” she smiled brightly not letting go of my hand as we walked back to the cafe.

The rest of the day went by fast. The weekends were always busy but especially now that we brought out our fall drinks. Hisako and I worked a cookie order together while we caught up. I had always admired Hisako. We met last winter outside the cafe. The first thing I noticed about her was her long silky white hair and her tough exterior. She had green eyes that you could get lost in. She gave me a warm smile.

“You must be Hikari. Hino-senpai told me to look out for you. Aww you're just as cute as senpai said” she squealed running over to pinch my cheeks.The cafe was busier than normal and we were two people working that day. Between running the cafe and baking desserts we somehow boned. The following week I saw her at school sitting under the apple tree with her eyes glued to the book in front of her.Hisako was known for the “mysterious” girl. She kept to herself and didnt have many friends.

“Kimoto-chan?” I called out to the older girl. She looked up and smiled brightly. She motioned for me to sit next to her.

“People usually avoid me because of my white hair.” She said drinking from her water bottle. I looked back at her confused.

“They don't talk to you because of your hair?” She nodded.

“They think it’s weird.” I had to admit Hisako did have a cold exterior but she wasn't like that on the inside. We talked the rest of lunch and ate together everyday after that. I really look up to Hisako. She’s like another other sister to me

“Thank you so much for locking up tonight.” Mrs.Hino said, grabbing her things.

“No problem, have a good night.” Replied wiping down the table. There were only a few more customers that came in before closing time.

Finally. I sigh resting my head on the counter. It was a long day working 10 hours. I wrapped up the pastries that didn’t sell and put them in my backpack. I texted Yua telling her that I'm on way before cleaning up the last few tables and locking up. I shut the back door behind me double checking to make sure it was locked. The cold air blew across my face sending chills down my spine. I started to walk down the alley when I felt something. It was that same feeling I had at the convenience store earlier. I held onto my phone tighter and walked faster. I could hear the footsteps behind me now. I'm definitely being followed. I picked up my pace and the footsteps got louder. I ran down the rest of the alley with the person on my tail. I just needed to get to Yua. “Keep running.” This was just like my nightmare. Where was this voice coming from? I kept running as fast as my feet would.

“Ow I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention.” I said after running into the larger man in front of me.

“Hikari-san?”

“Sensei?” I questioned looking back at my homeroom teacher. He reached out to help me off the ground.

“Are you okay? You seem like you were being chased.”

“I was. I left work and someone was following me.” I explained out of breath brushing the dirt off my pants. Before I could say anything else Yua came running over.

“Hikari what happened? You were taking forever so I came to get you.” I hugged my sister and sighed in relief.

“Im fine. Let’s go home.” I whispered.

“Would you girls like a ride home?” Mr. Hara said.

“No we're fine. Thank you. I’ll see you on Monday.” I interjected pulling Yua towards the train.

“How did you know where I was?” I asked unlocking the front door. No one's home. Mom and dad must be working late.

“Your location is turned on.” Yua answered, following me to my room. She shut the door and sat on my bed next to me.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened? You wouldn't talk to me on the way home. And you we were suppose to meet me at the tr-”

“I was being followed.” I interjected.

“Why did you call me during lunch? I could have stayed with you for the rest of your shift.” Yua asked a little while later from behind me as she braided my hair. I shrugged, pulling my knees to my chest. We stayed silent as she finished my hair.

“There’s obviously something you're not telling me so spill.” I sighed resting my head on my knees.

“I think it might have been the person who was following us last time. I don't know but I just get that feeling. I’ve been having nightmares again and now someone is following us.” I said but it came out more as a mumble. Yua tied the elastic around my hair and sat in front of me on the floor.

“Hey.” she cooed, “whatever this is we’ll be okay. Okay?” I nodded finally meeting her gaze.

“Cmon lets go downstairs and watch anime.”

“Only if we make popcorn.” I smiled following her out the room.

[the-unshaped]

CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME BACK TO BEACON HILLS

Chapter Text

"How's the first day back?"

Stiles Stilinski grinned as his oldest friend, Scott, slapped a strong hand on his shoulder. After what felt like a million years away from each other, he was back, his best friend standing beside him. It was a fantastic feeling.

Walking into the school was bizarre. He had felt nostalgia in the past but nothing to this extent before. Maybe it was because his last school was so much larger, but it seemed like every year they were making noticeable changes. Beacon Hills, on the other hand, was exactly how he remembered. The same white and black speckled linoleum floors, same painted mascot on the walls, same old lockers, same trophy cases lining the main hall.

Stiles was stoked.

Even the classes he'd taken so far, which would have ordinarily bored him since he'd learned a lot of what they were going over already, left him feeling almost giddy. The teachers didn't seem to share the sentiment, but fuck them. He wasn't going to let Finstock calling him Billinski a million times drag him down today.

Stiles and Scott had met up the day before, his dad surprising him with dinner and his childhood best friend as a gift for finishing all his unpacking, but it was even more exciting to know he was going to see him every day. They had talked at least once a week after Stiles finally broke and got Facebook eighth grade year and even more when they both had online gaming, almost every day. It was like they'd never stopped.

Stiles had been begging his dad to move back since the day they left, and he only got more persistent after his reunion with Scott, but no matter how hard he tried to convince him, no dice. That is until his dad's college friend, Adam Wilder, let him know that the Beacon Hills was offering full ride scholarships to the college of their choice to the top 5 graduates and was in need of a new sheriff. Not even John could refuse that kind of help. Despite his worry that he wouldn't be accepted as a transfer, he took a chance and put in an application. A month later and a million moving boxes later, Stiles was leaving his fancy Sacramento apartment and on his way home.

"Not bad, Scott. I've got Dad, my best bud, and my nightmares of a poorly-aged Lydia can finally be absolved because she is still as much of a goddess as the day I left, dare I say more. All is right with the world," he said, eyeing the lean strawberry blonde haired girl down the hall. Scott winced, and pulled at his lock, freeing it from the metal loop before opening it and shoving his math book inside. "I definitely missed this place. What more could I ask for?”

Scott scoffed and scuffed the toes of his shoes against the floor. "I can't imagine why anyone would miss this place."

Stiles eyed him, unsure if he was playing around or not. Leaving Beacon Hills, for him, felt like tearing off a limb, leaving something messy, jagged and bloody in its place. Sacramento hadn't been bad, per se. He made awesome grades and was in a club or two every year. He had some people that could pass as friends he hung out with occasionally, but it wasn't the same as the life he had in Beacon Hills. Also losing a limb, Stiles had survived the initial pain and adapted, but at the end of the day, he knew that it wasn't there and could feel the ache of its absence.

Stiles knew he was meant to be there. It was where he was born m. Where he learned how to tie his shoes and write his name. Where he and Scott made a terrible mess in the kitchen making treats for a fundraiser, and Melissa made them clean all day after school, scolding them even as she ate the last remaining cupcake. It was home.

The only difference between losing a limb and losing Beacon Hills was that there was always a voice in the back of his mind telling him that he could get it back, if only he could convince his dad. It was only a few hours away, and he would eventually be able to choose where he lived. Luckily he hadn't had to wait that long.

Stiles shrugged off Scott's dismissal. "I'm sure you'd miss it once you left."

Stiles closed his locker, and noticed Scott had gone quiet. He took a peek over his shoulder as he clamped his padlock shut and realized he had his eyes trained on an adorable brunette talking to a fierce looking blonde he had noticed earlier in their math class. Stiles looked between them a dorky smirk spreading across his face.

"You are so obvious, man. Your tail is practically wagging."

Scott's eyes shot up, eyebrows knit together. "What?"

"That girl. The brunette. You have your 'unrequited pining' look on your face," Stiles explained, shutting his locker door. Scott frowned, crossing his arms, even as he snuck another peek at her.

"It's not that obvious," Scott muttered.

"I've literally only been here for," he looked at her phone, then back up at Brennan, "three hours and forty-five minutes and I knew the moment you looked at her."

Stiles looked at Scott's downtrodden face then brightened. "Wait, is that Allison? Like love of your life, scary but amazing, Allison?"

The blonde glanced over at them, smirking at Scott. Stiles didn't seem to notice. Even if he had he would have no reason to suspect that she could hear anything he said, but Scott knew differently. He flushed, wrapping his arm around Stiles shoulder, whipping him around to face the lockers in a huddle.

"Dude," Scott hissed. "Keep it down."

"It is her! Holy crap," Stiles laughed. Scott just pouted, his eyebrows still pulled together.

"Yeah, yeah. You're brilliant. Can you shut up now?"

"Come on. You act like people are listening," Stiles said, craning his head around to look at the near bustling halls. "Trust me, we aren't that interesting."

"Speak for yourself. I'm plenty interesting."

"Oh yeah? Let my go ask how interesting you are," Stiles teased. "Yo, All-!"

Scott clamped a hand over his mouth, and Stiles was quick to retaliate.

"Did you seriously just lick me? How old are you? Stiles. Stop it!"

Scott dropped his hand with a scowl, wiping it on his dark jeans.

"I'll have you know, licking people could solve approximately 80% of the world's problems," Stiles said, hitting Scott suggestively. "Speaking of licking, how the hell did you get so built? I thought you sucked at sports."

Scott's scowl bled into a full blown grin, ignoring Stiles' sexual remark. "That was last year. A lot has changed. Now hurry up or we're going to miss lunch. And please try to control yourself a little, okay?"

Stiles gave him a questioning look, but didn't ask. He followed Scott through the halls, weaving through the people, trying to connect names to old familiar faces. Some people were easier to remember than others. He would catch flashes of memories from t-ball and baseball practices, or stories her dad had told him on the car ride here. He had only ever really been close to Scott before they left, but the familiarity was calming in a way he hadn't expected.

Stiles couldn't help but grin when they pushed through the heavy doors to the cafeteria.

The walls were a less than white white, dull and slightly grimy with age. They had long rectangular tables instead of the faux wood round ones at his old school, but honestly he liked these better, even if it was just a bit too much white all together for his taste. Too much like a hospital.

"Wow it hasn't changed at all," Stiles chirped. "I bet Mrs. Green still has that wild chin hair, too."

As if she could hear him, Mrs. Green looked up at him with a scowl. He waved at her excitedly, a lopsided grin painted on his face, and Scott shook his head in amusement.

"Hi, Mrs. Green!"

As they made their way through the food line, Stiles reminisced over the meatloaf and asked if they still had the breakfast pizza with white gravy and sausage balls he loved so much. Scott couldn't help but get secondhand excitement. It had been so long since he had felt normal like this. Not that he didn't like his life or that he didn't enjoy things the way they were, but having a friend that wasn't constantly caught up in his problems was nicer than he had expected it to be.

Stiles continued chattering excitedly up until the moment Scott sat down. At a table. With people. Very hot people. Stiles looked down at Scott with wide eyes, his mouth agape. Lydia Martin. Scott was friends with Lydia fucking Martin? How had this not made it into their text messages?!

Scott cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed.

"Guys, you remember Stiles, right? Stiles, that's Lydia, Allison, Isaac, Jackson, Boyd, and Erica. Cora normally sits with us but I think she-well, actually I'm not sure where she is today."

Stiles' eyes followed down the line, his face flushing. What the fresh hell? Scott was attractive in a totally platonic, nothing sexual way, and he would be blantantly lying if he said he hadn't noticed how fit he was now, but how the hell did they go from being the lanky dorks in class to Scott having supermodel-esque friends?

He immediately recognized some of the faces. Lydia, obviously. Scary hot blonde and Scott's crush, obviously Allison, from the hallway. Then, if his friends being hot wasn't weird enough, he realized with a start who the thin muscular guy was.

"Jackson. Jackson Whittemore? As in the Jackson Whittemore who shoved my Batman figure down the toilet?"

Stiles shook his head incredulously at Scott, like he had been personally victimized by the very thought of his seating partner, and Scott buried his face in his hands. Allison laughed, a musical sound that he had heard about in many different phone calls.

"You shoved his Batman down the toilet?"

Jackson smirked, shrugging slightly.

"Poor guy. So you were always a dick," Erica teased, peeking over the lip of her glass of water.

"We were like 6. I'm sure he's fine," Jackson said, leveling Stiles with a less than pitying glare.

Stiles muttered the contrary gruffly under his breath.

"You sure look tasty. Why didn't you tell us he was so fine, Scott?"

Stiles flushed at the blonde's words, not knowing how to comment to that. He looked to Scott for help, but he just shrugged as if to say, "she's always like this."

The man beside Erica, Boyd if Stiles recalled correctly, rolled his eyes, a knowing look on his face. He wrapped his arm around her and whispered something to her that made her giggle in delight, and Stiles was kind of scared to know what he said to make that noise come out of her.

Stiles, shifted back and forth on his feet, still standing awkwardly near the table holding his tray. He looked at the spot beside Scott, unsure. Out of everything he had prepared for today, this definitely wasn't it.

"You going to sit down Stilinski?" Jackson sneered.

"Actually I was thinking of enjoying my food standing up," Stiles shot back, biting into his roll dramatically. "I'd hate for anything else I love to end up in the toilet."

Scott grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him down onto the bench with strength Stiles didn't know he had. He scowled but kept his mouth closed.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Stiles," Allison said. "Scott talks about you a lot. Like a lot a lot."

"Well isn't that a coincidence, because-" Scott jabbed him in the ribs as hard as he could under the table. Allison smiled bashfully and Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Ow! Stupid overnight muscles," Stiles muttered, rubbing his side. "Not fair."

"You know you aren't going to be eligible for Valedictorian or Salutatorian right?" Lydia asked suddenly, clamping her compact mirror shut. "The policy is that you have to be present for the entirety of your Junior and Senior year to qualify."

Stiles shrugged, trying to keep his overeager inner 9 year old self at bay. "Yeah my dad wasn't thrilled about that, but I told him I didn't care. My GPA is all that really matters. Well, that and my SATs and ACTs."

Lydia gave him an adorable half smile. "Its a shame. It will be nice to have some competition around, regardless. Scott says you're quite the diligent student."

Stiles gave Scott a look that he was too busy ogling to notice. That was strange. That was the second time they mentioned Scott talking about him, yet he knew nothing about any of them. "Is that right?"

Lydia quirked her head, looking between the two, and made a mental note of it.

The rest of lunch went by fairly smoothly, but Stiles couldn't really focus on the various conversations going on around the table, too busy trying to figure everyone out. He could tell that obviously Erica and Boyd were a couple, despite the remark about his attractiveness. Even surrounded by friends, and them frequently chatting with other people instead of each other, he could almost see the personal bubble they had around themselves, so thick it was almost tangible.

From what he could see, Allison and Lydia seemed to be best friends. He wasn't exactly surprised, pretty people always seemed to attract other pretty people, but the vibes they gave off were very different. They were constantly having silent conversations between themselves, checking for opinions as they listened to other people's stories and laughing at inside jokes together. Luckily for Scott, he noticed her eyes would stray over to him frequently, especially when he would start to laugh over something silly.

The most interesting observation seemed to be that while Stiles was away, Scott, Jackson and Isaac had gotten pretty close. Stiles didn't really remember much about Isaac, but he seemed nice enough. He was actually a lot like Stiles in that he was fairly smart, sarcastic, and generally nice to be around, but he had a air of newly self-built confidence around him.

Jackson was the opposite, but to Stiles' surprise, he wasn't as bad as he remembered. Jackson exuded cockiness, that he expected, but he could tell that Jackson was a lot less of a jerk than he used to be when he handed the rest of his food to Isaac before he even had the chance to ask for it. Stiles figured he would be the hardest one to understand, because nothing he said was actually what he meant.

Stiles' thoughts were interrupted when Scott tried to reel Stiles into a conversation about lacrosse, but Stiles was contented to listen to the three guys recap the season so far.

Stiles gradually started feeling a bit more comfortable than he had in the beginning, but something kept nagging at him in the back of his mind: why had Scott told his friends so much about him, yet Stiles was clueless about them? He had heard about Allison, mostly because that was all he talked about, but why hadn't he ever heard of his friendships with the others, especially after Stiles found out he was going to be moving back? They all seemed close. Really, really close. They talked about hanging out on weekends, going to movies, and playing video games all weekend, yet Stiles couldn't remember a single time Scott ever mentioned them.

It was strange. Stiles knew that it was crazy of him to make assumptions from a few passing comments, but something in his gut told him Scott was hiding something.

"Do you have any classes with us?" Isaac asked, holding out his hand expectantly. Stiles shifted so he could pull his schedule from his back pocket and handed it to him. Isaac and Allison looked over it intently, and Jackson snuck a peek, trying and failing to look like he didn't care.

"Chemistry with Scott and Isaac, Math with Scott and Erica, most of the classes with Boyd or Erica if not both, AP classes with Me and Lydia. How did you manage not to have a single class with Jackson?" Allison asked.

"Lucky I guess," Stiles grinned.

Jackson rolled his eyes and Scott elbowed him again. Stiles sucked in air through his teeth and rubbed it until the pain faded. #WorthIt.

"So Scott said your dad is the new Sheriff," Boyd said. It was the first time Boyd had spoken out loud.

"Yeah, he was a deputy here when we lived here before. I guess enough people remembered him from back in the day that when he was nominated, people accepted him."

"Did he tell you how the position opened up?"

Everyone at the table stopped, and eyes were on him. If they were trying to seem subtle, they had definitely failed. Fortunately, though, this Stiles had anticipated. He considered whether he should divulge his true opinions or keep his ideas to himself. After an encouraging nod from Scott, he shrugged.

"Dad told me what they are telling people happened, yeah," he said.

Boyd's flitted to Scott, then he forced a small smile.

"You say that like you don't believe the story."

"I don't."

Boyd looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to elaborate. Erica squeezed his arm gently, not tearing her eyes from Stiles, keeping her expression soft. Scott gave him a look and Stiles relented.

Stiles sighed. "My Dad is going to kill me." He looked up to the ceiling as if he were praying for strength to survive. "They are saying it was a mugging or something near the park. That the guy was at the wrong place at the wrong time, got his stuff taken and killed for his trouble."

"That's what I heard too. Sounds reasonable enough, right?" Allison asked, laughing nervously.

Stiles scoffed. "Sure, if he was getting mugged by Wolverine. I haven't seen the crime scene photos yet, but from the conversations I've heard the last few days about the absolute carnage left behind, I don't see how it could be just a simple mugging. They're missing something, they just don't want to admit it yet."

Stiles pretended not to notice Scott tensing beside him. It was no secret Scott wasn't a fan of blood, but he didn't want to embarrass him by pointing it out.

"What does that even mean?" Lydia asked.

"What does what mean?"

"Mugged by Wolverine?"

"Wolverine. You know. X-Men. Wolver-you don't-you don't know who Wolverine is?" Stiles asked, his hands flailing then falling flat on the table, his eyebrows furrowed in distress.

She gave him an incredulous look, her perfect curls bouncing as she shook her head. He ran his hand down his face.

Jackson handed Lydia his phone and her lips turned down. "Man in tights. Not bad."

Allison rolled her eyes and the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Nice to meet you, again, Stiles," Allison said again, grabbing her bag and pulling it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, it was truly a pleasure. I need to borrow your calculator so let's go," Jackson said, ushering her away. Scott huffed beside him, and Stiles rolled his eyes. Scott was as oblivious as always.

*****

Everything was messed up.

Cora honestly couldn't decide which was worse, living states away with a bunch of strangers that she couldn't get along with to save her life, or finally being able to come home and dealing with all the frivolous drama that came with it.

Don't get her wrong, she was glad that Derek allowed her to come back home. She loved him and she was really glad that finally someone was starting to treat her like an adult, but having to deal with school and her brother's complicated Pack dynamics was stressful.

Being back home was annoying. Living in South America was worse.

Being away from her home, the last bit of family she had left, it had almost killed her. She didn't want to eat. She couldn't sleep. When she did sleep, it was interrupted by nightmares. Often times she would wake up in the dark, thinking the smoke had enveloped her completely. If that weren't enough, she felt more isolated than she had in her whole life. She was the only human in the Pack, which she was used to, but at least when she was home she was bonded with her family.

She sat in the library, head in her hands, trying not to think about all of the homework assignments that were piling up. Derek had said school was one of the conditions to her moving back in with him, but what exactly did that mean? What was he going to do when she got her grades back? Was he going to ship her back off like Laura had? Would he even feel bad?

She sighed. That wasn't fair. Derek had never wanted her to go, but when Laura decided on something, there wasn't really anything anyone could do to change her mind. As much as Cora didn't want to, she was going to have to talk to him. Good thing talking about feelings was a Hale family specialty.

When the bell rang for lunch, she rolled her eyes. As if her brother and his Pack didn't have enough to argue about, Scott's token human friend was supposed to have his first day today. Not that she wasn't curious what all the hype was about, but she didn't understand why Scott was fighting so hard to let his friend in on all their secrets when he was constantly pointing out how dangerous it was to let Cora stay here.

So, just to spite him, she was here, continuing to work on homework she didn't know how to do, and was too stubborn to ask for help with.

Before she knew it, lunch was over with only a little bit of progress to show for it. She walked begrudgingly to Chemistry, knowing that Harris was probably going to pester her about her revisions from their lab the previous week.

Cora walked to her spot, sitting down, dramatically opening her Chemistry book. Her up and coming best friend, Nina, nudged her with her shoulder has she settled in beside her.

"Did you hear there was a new senior?"

"Unfortunately," She replied icily, pulling a snack from her bag. Nina gave her an odd look. She interpreted it as "what the fuck is up with you?" despite the fact that Nina would never actually use those words. "Apparently he's going to be hanging around my brother's group."

"Oh," Nina smirked, knowingly. "The Hot Hale Harem?"

Cora almost choked on her granola bar, making Nina's smirk grow to a full on grin. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You love me."

Cora rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but laugh with her. Nina was different, but she honestly found it kind of refreshing. It was hard for her to remember to think about normal things like boys and shopping, but Nina didn't mind pulling her into her normie girl stuff.

"So, I was thinking," Nina started.

Cora took a deep breath. "No."

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say," she pouted.

"Fine. It'll still be a no, but continue."

"So you know how we have that test on Friday? I was thinking we could invite the guys to study with us."

(Find the rest on AO3 href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27811303"><strong>The Unshaped</strong></a> (16100 words) by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infernal_panda"><strong>Infernal_panda</strong></a><br />Chapters: 2/?<br />Fandom: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Teen%20Wolf%20(TV)">Teen Wolf (TV)</a><br />Rating: Not Rated<br />Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence<br />Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes<br />Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale, Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Jackson Whittemore, Vernon Boyd, Erica Reyes, Sheriff Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Peter Hale, Cora Hale, Laura Hale<br />Additional Tags: BAMF Stiles, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pining, Underage Drinking, Fluff, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Friendship, Humor, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Supernatural Elements, mentions of abuse, eventually, Happy Ending<br />Summary: <p>After leaving Beacon Hills at age 8, Stiles never stopped feeling the indescribable pull, beckoning him back home. A new Sheriff position opening up gives him the chance to move back, and it’s everything Stiles ever wanted. He has his dad, his best friend, and he’s back where he belongs. </p><p>His first day back doesn’t exactly go as planned, and now he is finding that he was even less normal than he thought. </p><p>****</p><p>A Hale Pack fanfic with all of our lovable characters as they try to integrate Stiles into their wolfyhood and crazy monster-filled lives with Stiles as their unknowing magic friend, and a bit of intertwined fates to keep things interesting )

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke's Monsterween: Scooby Doo The Movie

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Are Continuing Duke's Monsterween...

Where Yesterday On Duke Reviews, I Reviewed The Original Dracula, Starring Bela Lugosi But On Duke Reviews Xtra We're Going A Little Kid Friendly This Year By Reviewing Some Halloween Movies Done By Disney In An Effort To Somewhat Continue Our Look At Disney...

But...

We're Not Looking At Disney This Week, But Instead We're Going To Look At 3 Scooby Doo Movies This Week, Starting With Scooby Doo The Movie...

This Movie Sees Mystery Inc. Breaking Up After An Argument Between Fred (Played By Kanan Jarrus) Velma (Played By Hawkeye's Wife) And Daphne (Played By Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Leaving Scooby And Shaggy (Played By The Best Shaggy In The World) To Go Off On Their Own...

But Years Later When The Gang Is Invited By Theme Park Owner Emile Mondavarious (Played By Mr. Bean) To Investigate His Theme Park When People Start Acting Weird When They Leave The Park...

Will Mystery Inc Be Able To Put Aside Their Differences And Work Together For This Mystery?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Scooby Doo The Movie...

The Film Starts At The Wow-O Toy Factory Where The Gang Is Working On The Case Of The Luna Ghost...

(End At 2:51)

Once The Ghost Is Captured, We Get A...Pamela Anderson Cameo?...

No Offense, But Of All The Celebs I Would Rather See Have A Cameo In This Movie, Pamela Anderson Was Not One Of Them...

With The Ghost Revealed And Everyone Except Shaggy And Scooby Start Arguing As Fred As He Always Takes Credit For Velma's Plans While Daphne Is Just Tired Of Being Captured During Every Mystery...

This Leads Fred, Velma And Daphne To Quit Mystery Inc. Leaving Shaggy And Scooby To Go Off On Their Own...

Two Years Later, Shaggy And Scooby Are Asked By A Representative For Emile Mondavarious To Solve A Mystery At His Theme Park, Spooky Island, But Not Interested In Going To Anyplace With The Word "Spooky" In It, They Initially Refuse...

But When The Guy Says That There's An All You Can Eat Clause In Their Deal, Scooby And Shaggy Change Their Minds And Are On Board...

Going To The Airport, Shaggy Finds Out That Fred (Who Has A New Book Out) Velma (Who Works At NASA) And Daphne (Who Has Become A Black Belt)

Because It's Sarah Michelle Gellar And We Have To Make Use Of Her Skills On Buffy In Someway...

Have Also Been Asked To Go To Spooky Island As Well By Mondavarious...

But Only Seeing Shaggy, Velma Wonders "Where's Scooby?" Which Leads To Scooby Entering Disguised As A Woman As They Don't Let Big Dogs On The Plane...

But As Velma Starts Arguing With Fred And Daphne Again, Shaggy Tries To Play Mediator And Try To Make Them Realize How Great It Would Be If They Teamed Up Again...

Daphne's On Board But Only If Fred And Velma Are In, Which They're Not...

Once On Board The Plane, Shaggy Falls Head Over Heals For A Girl Who Likes Scooby Snacks Also Named Mary Jane (Played By Isla Fisher, Or As She's Called Nowadays Mrs. Borat)

And Yes, I Know Mary Jane Is Another Word For Marijuana, But To Me, It Is Just A Name, Let It Go!

But Unfortunately She's Allergic To Dogs So Shaggy Has Scooby Go Spend Time With Fred And Velma While Shaggy Gets To Know Mary Jane A Little More, But When Scooby Sees A Cat, He Starts Barking And Chasing It All Over The Plane...

With The Gang Arriving On Spooky Island, They Meet Emile Mondavarious, Who Notices A Slight Change In The Teens That Leave Spooky Island, Believing That It's A Magic Spell And They Definitely Notice A Change...

The Type That Causes Your Pants To Poop...

With Mondavarious Very Terrified And Scared For The People That Come To The Island, They Decide To Help Only Fred, Velma And Daphne Go Off On Their Own...

Later That Night, Velma Catches A Stage Show Hosted By A Man Named N'Goo Tauna And His Partner Zarkos, Who Tell A Story Saying That The Island Was Once Home To Creatures, Who Lived Undisturbed On The Island..

But When Mondavarious Built Spooky Island, He Antagonized The Creatures And Have Since Been Plotting Their Revenge...

Meanwhile, Shaggy Is Out On His First Date With Mary Jane, While Scooby Gets A Phone Call Saying That Someone Has Hamburgers For Him All He Has To Do Is Go Into The Dark Shadowy Part Of The Forest Where No One Can See Him...

Seriously? Did You Honestly Think Scooby Was Going To Give Up Hamburgers Even If It Was A Scary Voice On The Phone Who Told Him To Go To A Scary Place To Get Them?

Hell, No!...

But Unfortunately When Scooby Gets There, He Discovers That The Hamburgers Are Fakes And That There Was A Monster Waiting For Him...

He Tells Shaggy And Mary Jane About The Monster, But All They See Is A Guy In A Costume...

But As That Happens, Daphne Take With A Resident On The Island, A Voodoo Man, Who Warns Daphne To Get Off The Island And Stay Away From The Castle On The Top Of The Hill...

Despite Coming Up With Various Stupid Theories On What Might Be Up There, Daphne Gets Shaggy And Scooby To Help Her, Despite Refusing At First Because It's A Spooky Castle...

Joined By Fred (Who Followed Weird Footprints Up To The Castle) And Velma (Who Thought It Was The Most Obvious Place To Hatch An Evil Plan) They All Decide To Split Up And Search For Clues With Daphne Staying Where She Is, Scooby And Shaggy Going In Search Of Food...

And Fred And Velma Searching Other Parts Of The Castle...

But Someone Activates The Ride And Causes All Hell To Break Loose!...

(Start At 0:11, End At 2:15)

With The Ride Shut Down, Velma Finds The Secret Access Panel That Opens The Secret Room, Leading Her And Fred To Discover What Looks To Be A School For A Secret Cult...

Which Means It Could Only Be One Person...Granny Goodness!

Ok, It's Not Granny But It Could Have Been...

Meanwhile, Daphne Comes Across A Golden Pyramid That Was Left Alone In The Middle Of A Room, So, She Decides To Grab It, But Turns Out That...

Luckily Though Daphne Manage To Escape Before The Trap Fully Activates...

But As That Happens, Shaggy And Scooby Discover A TV Studio Where...Well...See For Yourself...

(End At 1:11)

With Alarms Going Off, The Gang Reunites And Quickly Fills Each Other In On What They Found Before Having To Hide From Henchmen Headed Their Way, One Of Them Being Zarkos, N'Goo Tauna's Right Hand Man..

Eventually Managing To Escape, They Head Back To The Spooky Island Hotel So They Can Fill Mondavarious In On The Clues And Their 3 Suspects Which Include N'Goo Tauna, The Voodoo Man And Mondavarious Himself (But Only Because He Freaks Fred Out)

While Daphne Researches Cults On The Net, Velma Looks At The Mysterious Pyramid She Discovers That There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye.,,

Talking With A Boy She Met Earlier, Velma Tells Him That She Believes That It's Called The Daemon Ritus (After Hearing A Guard Mention That Name While The Gang Was Hiding)...

And That It Describes An Old Race Of Creatures Through It's Inscriptions That Are Reminiscent Of Ancient Pandaemonous Texts Which Explain A Sort Of Ritual...

Eventually Velma Starts Reminiscing About The Past Which Leads To A Flashback About The Old Days Where We See Everyone And I Do Mean...Everyone...

Ok, I've Dreaded Coming To This Moment, But Obviously I Have No Choice Especially Since Since Some People Tend To Complain About This Character, Let's Talk About Scrappy Doo...

First Off, I Would Like To State That I Love The Character Of Scrappy Doo, I Think He Is Very Cute, Is One Of The More Memorable Hanna-Barbera Characters And Sidekicks And Is Not As Annoying As Everyone I've Heard Talk About This Character Believes Him To Be...

The Sad Thing However Is That This Movie Does Not Play To Those Good Traits...

They Make Scrappy An Asshole And A Complete Egomaniac

And I'm Sorry But I'm On The Side Of Mystery Inc, That Brat Needs To Be Taught A Lesson! Maybe Not As Extreme As Leaving Him On The Side Of The Road But Still..

Anyway, As Velma And Her Possible Love Interest With No Name Laugh At Scrappy's Expense...

Scooby Sees One Of The Monsters And Starts Panicking, This Leads Fred To Berate Him Before Telling Everyone That There's No Such Things As Ghosts Before Being Proven Wrong, 2 Seconds After Saying That..

Monsters Scour The Entire Hotel Kidnapping Nearly Half Of The People There, Including Fred, Velma, Her Unnamed Love Interest And Mr. Mondavarious, With Shaggy, Scooby,Daphne And Mary Jane Escaping Before The Monsters Got Them...

They Follow Them To The Area Where N'Goo Tauna Had His Show But Their Path Ends Up Blocked By A Stone Slab, This Leads Mary Jane To Call The Coast Guard But They're No Help As 2 Of Them Are Monsters...

This Movie Is Quickly Becoming Body Snatchers 2...

The Next Morning Everything Seems Back To Normal With The Hotel Repaired And Nearly Everyone Completely Back (Though Not As They Once Were)

Deciding To Split Up, Mary Jane Goes To Find Her Friends While Daphne, Shaggy And Scooby Look Around...

As Daphne Has An Encounter With Sugar Ray...

Not The Boxer, The Band!

Shaggy And Scooby Find Fred Only To Discover That Everyone On The Island Has Been Possessed By The Monsters As Daphne Gets Kidnapped By Zarkos...

(Start At 0:46, End At 2:12)

But As They're Driving, Scooby Discovers That Mary Jane Is A Monster As Well...

He Tries To Explain This To Shaggy, But He's Too Blinded To Even See It Leading The 2 Friends To Fight, But When Scooby Is Captured, Shaggy... Doesn't Figure Out That Mary Jane's A Monster But Decides To Put His Friendship First Before His Relationship...

Dropping Into The Same Hole That Scooby Fell Into, Shaggy Finds A Vat Filled With The Spirits Of Everyone Who Arrives On Spooky Island...

Hearing Velma's Voice, Shaggy Saves Her So She Can Go Back To Her Body So She Can Discover That The Creatures Are Weakened By Sunlight...

Shaggy Also Manages To Save Fred And Daphne Too (Whether Daphne Likes It Or Not) But There's A Little Mix-Up...

(Start At 0:46, End At 1:33)

Ok 1st, If I Were In Sarah Michele Gellar's Body, I'd Do The Exact Same Thing And 2nd, You're Married To Her, Freddie, See Her Naked On Your Own Time...

When The Gang Reunites, Daphne Gets Mad Over Fred Touching Her Body, But The Problem Is Soon Remedied By The Daemon Ritus Which Switches The Team's Bodies Until They're Back To Normal...

Seeing An Explosion Afterwards, It Leads Them To The Voodoo Man Who Was Doing A Sacrifice In An Effort To Protect Himself From The Creatures Darkopolips Ritual, Which Will Allow Them To Rule Earth For 10,000 Years...

Or In Other Words...

However, In Order To Pull It Off, The Leader Must Absorb A Pure Soul In Order To Do So, Thus...Scooby...

But The Question Lies Who Is Behind All This? And Unfortunately, It's The One That Brought Scooby There....Mondavarious, Who Convinces Scooby To Be His Sacrifice...

With Fred Still Wondering If Mondavarious Wanted Scooby Why Did He Bring All Of Them, Shaggy Tells Fred That It Doesn't Matter And That They Have To Save Scooby...

This Leads To Fred, Daphne And Velma Finally Reconciling So They Can Come Up With A Plan To Save Scooby...

With The Plan Set, Everyone Arrives For The Ritual Including Mondavarious And N'Goo Tauna, But As They Prepare To Start, Fred And Velma Are Discovered As Shaggy Joins A Bunch Of Henchmen In Bringing Out Scooby Which Leads The 2 Buddies To Reconcile...

But They Don't Run Off In Time And The Ritual Begins As Scooby's Spirit Is Taken From Him. Luckily, Shaggy Frees Scooby From The Spirit Pincher And Back To His Body While Hitting Mondavarious With The Pincer In The Process...

Going To Check On Mondavarious, Fred And Velma Discover A Possible Mask But Actually Mondavarious Is A Robot Who Is Piloted By...(Sighs) Scrappy...

First, Let Me Say That While This Is Defiantly A Disservice To The Character, This Was A Good Twist Despite Some People Thinking That It Was Too Obvious...

With Some Souls In Him, Scrappy Transforms Into Scrappysaurus Rex As He Reveals That He Brought The Team There To Witness His Moment Of Triumph...

Meanwhile On The Roof, Daphne Tries To Open The Vent So Light Can Enter The Cave As They Release A Skull Disco Ball Which Will Destroy The Creatures But Unfortunately, She's Confronted By Zarkos Which Leads The 2 To Fight...

(End At 2:46)

With The Souls Released From The Vat, The Creatures Are Ejected By Their Host Bodies As Scrappy Reverts Back To Normal And The Disco Skull Is Released Causing The Creatures To Go Boom...

Afterward Velma And Shaggy Reunite With Their Potential Love Interests, They Rescue The Real Mondavarious And Fred And Daphne Consider Starting A Relationship In Both The Movie And Real Life...

News Crews Arrive On The Scene, So Velma Can Tell Them All What Happened And Who Did It As The Gang Announces Mystery Inc Is Back Together...

We Get A Pre Credits Scene Where Spooky Island Delivers On Their All You Can Eat Deal And Shaggy And Scooby Gorge Until They Drop...

And That's Scooby Doo The Movie And How Is This A Bad Movie?

The Story Is Interesting, The Characters Are Funny, And The CG On Scooby (Despite Some People Saying That Gollum Was Better Done Than Scooby) Was Pretty Good And Lifelike...

Yeah, It May Not Have Been A Great Mystery But This Is Scooby Doo, Not Sherlock Holmes, You Want A Great Mystery, Then Go Solve The Mystery Of Your Huge Ego, But If You Want A Funny Mystery With Funny Antics, This Movie Is Definitely For You...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off..,

[gencat21]

Unexpected • Lee Taeyong (1)

(I did not give the boyfriend a name, not worth it haha.)

Autumn is just beautiful, watching the trees turn orange and how the floor was often full of their leaves was the most pretty and annoying thing for you. You love the cold breeze hitting your face, love the taste of coffee on your tongue, and love walking peacefully with your boyfriend talking about how your day has gone before going to the next class in half an hour. "I may be getting a good job as a music teacher. My piano teacher has been recommending me to a lot of people and after winning that competition last summer I've been getting a lot of emails. Also, a company contacted me, and they are interested in the songs I've written." You explain with enthusiasm, while he observed you with that smile of his.

"My little future Beethoven. Everybody wants you. But not as much as I do." He gets closer to kiss your forehead sweetly, but your thoughts are somewhere else, keeping you to react to his sweetness.

"There's even an offer abroad. Can you believe that?"

His smile turn softly to a straight line while he looks at you in disbelief. He wanted to smile for you, but he can't fake a smile. "Are you really considering that one?"

"It's on the states, but it's the best offer I've ever gotten."

"You really are, wow." He steps backward and laughs ironically. "I mean so little to you that you take that decision without even consulting it with me?" And your mouth fells open at how mad he was getting by the second. You were expecting to see him happy for you, after all it was an offer that you couldn't turn down.

"You don't have to get mad about this," you say sweetly so he would calm down, but he was looking somewhere else with a frown, which was starting to make you mad as well. "I have time to think about until graduation but I won't be turning that one down just because you want me to."

"How can you be so selfish?" And with that your sweet side disappear in the thin air. He was really saying that to you as if he wasn't thinking about his own words and you think it's useless to talk to him right now because he was getting madder.

"I have classes right now."

"Your class starts in 25 minutes."

"Well, I left a piano in the dance room, and the teacher needs it." That's wasn't a lie. So you take your leave trying to brush your boyfriend off your mind, but you were still thinking about the conversation you just had. "Calling me selfish when he was being selfish too, who does he even think he is? He's not my father, is the freaking crazy." You ramble while walking obviously mad to the practice room hating the fact that you left it there this morning. Why did you agree to play piano on the ballet presentation one week away? Yes, it was going to make everything more beautiful, but now you had more things to do.

You find Ten on the way and stop ranting to approach him without saying anything. You hold his wrist and continue walking, deciding by yourself that he was going to help you to move the keyboard from one side of campus to the other. "Why are you so mad today? Are you going to kill me?" He asks with that smile you loved and hated, he smiles way too much. A beautiful smile like that should be totally illegal.

"I hate men,"

"Are you becoming lesbian now?"

"No, women judge way too much. I hate them as well." You end up saying and laugh because of the conversation.

"Where are you taking me? Our class is the other way."

"Just help me move the keyboard, I will pay you back with fruit."

"But I hate fruits,"

"I know,"

"If you give me fruits I will throw it at you. But I'll accept tea." You like him as a friend. You've always wondered why you both weren't actually closer since he was a sweet and nice person to be around. But you had two different lives, so you just were glad that you both had a lot of classes in common, and that was enough for you. He made classes shorter by sitting with you, and you were thankful. Shortly, you both arrive at the building, and from that distance, you could hear the loud music playing in the dance room. The closer you got, the louder it was. The door was partially open, so you carefully approach the door to spy on whoever was dancing inside.

Inside the dance, room was a guy moving his body to the rhythm of the music. You never had the talent to dance that upbeat kind of music, leaving classical music as your cup of tea, but doesn't change the fact that you wish you could dance the way he can. Ten behind you peeks for a second as well and then taps your shoulder to get your attention. "Y/n, we need to go." Reminding you that your walk back was not short. Sadness covers your eyes since you wanted to see the end of the choreography, even if it was only the guy's back you were seeing. but you know he's right. Your eyes travel to Ten, who just shrugs at you. Suddenly the music stops.

His familiar face was turned to your direction, glancing at you with nothing more than a frown. "Who gave you the right to spy me?" His voice sends shivers down your spine because of how pissed he was of being spied.

"I wasn't," you step inside and your index finger points to your piano in a corner, his eyes follow your finger and then he looks again at you.

"Take it quick and leave, you're wasting my time." You avoid his gaze since it was a little intimidating sometimes. You've been used to seeing that guy for... As long as you can remember. For some strange reason, your paths are the same. Same high school, and weirdly, same art school. But you've never heard his voice until now, you've never had the chance to have a conversation, and you never wanted to. He's always had the bad boy aura, and you wanted nothing to do with it. He's always been the pretty bad boy that you made sure not to cross paths with, even though it was impossible

You know he never noticed you before, and hat even when he was a bad boy you had nothing to worry about because your social life was completely different. Until now that his scary gaze was following you around the room, watching your every move and that makes you uneasy. For a reason, they named him the scary pretty guy back on your school days. "Are you going to be here all day?" Ten asks Taeyong casually, you forgot they were friends for a moment there, but it was luck to you, since for that reason he stopped looking at you.

"Almost, we'll be waiting for you. Jaehyun and Johnny are on their way here right now, Mark went out a couple minutes ago."

"I have piano classes right now and then I will be free," he picks up your keyboard while you silently take the stand and make your way out of the room, glad that Ten distracted Taeyong. "See you in two hours." You hear him say, followed by him leaving the room behind you. You felt you could finally breathe, surprised that as soon as he stare at you, your breathing stop. He was breathtakingly handsome, but that was not the reason why you felt like that. Was the bad boy aura he has. "He just hates people seeing his choreographies when is not finished." Ten explain to you due to the silence that you hold.

"I don't care," you don't.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

8:23 pm says your phone when a text message pops up. You gasp in shock, realizing that you had been there longer than expected. It was normal for you to lose track of time when you were composing, but this time the hours really went by quicker than expected. You parted ways with Ten at five when your class ended, by staying in the piano classroom and played until the message from your boyfriend brought you back to reality. You slowly pick up your stuff, throwing your phone inside your bag not wanting to even read his text. But as soon as you step out of the building, your phone starts to vibrate, letting you know you had a call.

Annoyed, you look for your phone on your bag to see him calling you. "Yes?"

"I'm in the parking lot, let me take you home." His normal sweet voice appears on the other side, you roll your eyes in response as if he could see you. You just stayed silent on the entrance looking at your feet. "Or at least let's talk. I can't stand the fact of falling asleep while being mad at each other." Not standing the silence anymore. "Please."

"Sure, see you in a bit." The walk to the parking lot was the shortest walk you've ever had on the campus, you did not want to talk about anything right now because you were starting to see the real him. The not very supportive one, the one that may hold you back on a future. That may be the real one, and you were not ready to actually meet him. But you have to. His figure is against his car in the parking lot where there were only two cars, his and another way a few lots to the right. His eyes were on you the whole walk to his car, and you dont know what to feel about it. "Look, I thought about it,"

"Are you staying?"

" I—” you stop talking realizing you were about to raise your voice after that, and take a deep breath. "I will not make that decision right now, but I want you to be on my side and understand me instead of being against me. This is my future we're talking about in here.” you express your feeling, glad that he was listening to you in silence. " Do you understand?"

"But you can have a nice future, what is the matter with staying here?" He does not understand

"I do not know what I will do," you argue. "I just want you to be on my side not matter what decision I make."

"You will stay here with me." He says, as it was so easy, but the way he says it just bothered you. The demanding tone gets on your nerves.

"Stop saying it like that, you don't get to choose what I will do. This is my life."

"Oh, I see. You want to break up with me and fuck every single dude you see, like you went to fuck that guy instead of actually going to class?"

"What are you ta—"

"You thought I didn't see you leaving me alone to go for a guy? And you were still here when is not usual for you to be here? I went to your apartment and your roommate told me you were here. What were you doing?" Your expression shifts to one of disbelief and hurt.

"I can't believe you think I would do something like that to you," saying it was harder than thinking about it. A single tear rolls down your cheek, one that you quickly swipe away. "If you think like that, we have to break up. I'm leaving, and do not fucking call me ever again." You spit, then turn around to walk away containing the tears from falling. You do not want to cry near than man to show how weak you were. Obviously, you are weaker than he is.

You just feel the pain on your wrist and how harshly you are turned around to face him, "That hurts!" You whine, not being able to avoid the look he has. You've never seen his so mad, before, even less looking at you. The feeling of not being able to do anything was frustrating as he held your other wrist too. "Let me go, what are you doing?"

"So I'm right? How many guys have you fucked?"

"Let me fucking go!"

"You forgot you were only mine?"

"Fuck you!" You do not know where the strength to say to that man that had you under his control came out from, neither how by instinct your knee fly between his legs and make him let you go without wanting. Your breathing is audible, and you tell yourself to run away but you could not move at all. In shock, you stare at how he falls on the floor and stays there for a minute. Why could you not move? Why you have to stay there when you could run away and disappear somewhere he could not find you? Why do you wait until he stands up again and without thinking slaps your face so hard you fall on the floor? By then, Isn't it too late? Where did the strong Y/n escape to? He walks again to you, so you look for something around you that you could hit him with, but there's nothing. You close your eyes hard, waiting for whatever he is going to do to you, until the sound of a strong punch makes an appearance, and then you see from the corner of your eye how the man ready to hit you is on the floor holding his face with closed eyes. "Taeyong?" You ask yourself, seeing the familiar clothes you saw in the practice room earlier on the day.

You thought you had seen the scariest look on him, but that was not true. Now you could see what he really looks like when he is mad. Meanwhile, he's punching your now ex-boyfriend like his life depended on it. It was not the fact that he was hitting the man you can't say you don't love anymore, but the fact that you hated violence. Throwing punches in a reckless way like a person body was the easiest thing to hurt. "S—stop!" You voice comes out, but you know there was no way that with the sound of punches he heard you. You crawl to where they are and grab Taeyong's hand so he would stop.

He does and stands up so quickly that you barely could see him running to his car, grabbing something and coming out again. Your ex stands up, and follows him until you see him stop abruptly. That clicking sound just sends panic all over your body. "Do not fucking touch her ever again."

"Man, put that down," he says, giving a few steps backward.

"Taeyong, stop that!"

"I will make sure you don't fucking touch her from now on, if you look at her, if you get near her, even if you fucking think of her I will make sure is the last time you ever do." He spits the words out with some much hatred in his voice that you even lost yours. Your mouth moves like it screaming but you can't hear yourself.

From there, you start seeing how everything goes down on slow motion. How you lose sight of what was going on for a second while Ten sees your state and hugs you. Your tears rolling down in desperation wanting everything to just stop. You see how Jaehyun, Johnny, and Mark appear in the scene trying to calm Taeyong, while your ex gets in his car and leaves without even looking at you once. Mark slowly takes the gun, that God knows why he has it on his car, while Johnny holds Taeyong and says things you can't hear nor see, you just glare over Ten's shoulder and let all the tears come out. Your arms hug him when you see that nothing bad really happened besides the bastard having a black eye and bruises on his face. "It's alright," your sense of hearing lets you hear Ten murmuring it to you while your big sobs become little.

Your eyes go to the man that stares at your crying self on the floor. That anger and hatred disappeared out of the blue, now there was an expression that you could not recognize as he took a few slow steps. Your hands softly push Ten away from you, and as a mechanism of defense you back away. "Do not touch me!" You demand at the man that wanted to get near you and check if you were fine. Taeyong just wanted to ignore your words and get near, but your tears and your shaking hand made him stand still.

"I can explain,"

"Y—you don't need to explain anything to me, I don't want to know," you stand up with a great amount of effort since your legs were shaking the same way your whole body was. You forget about your bag, you just wanted to lock yourself on your apartment and forget it all happened. As if it was possible. You knew all the boys you've crossed paths a few times before where looking at your weak figure trying to walk away, and it was the most heartbreaking thing they have seen. Taeyong notices your bag on the floor, but before he could pick it up Ten does. "You've done enough, I will give it to her and take her home."

Mark gets closer to him before the others and places a hand on his shoulder when your figure besides Ten's disappears from their sight. "Let's go,"

Taeyong takes his hand off of his shoulder softly. "Please don't touch me," calmly says before starting to walk to his car.

(Any mistakes I didn't see, please let me know so I can change it. Thank you!)

[hisgirlfriday22]

Untangle Me

Chapter Two- Losing Track Of Time With You

.....

The set was over before Molly knew it and she soon found herself making her way toward the stage area. She didn't bother to tell her friends where she was going, as she was pretty sure they already knew. She'd agreed to have a drink with Lachy, and she wasn't going back on her word.

As Molly approached the stage, her eyes searched the crowd for Lachy, who had stepped off the stage almost as soon as they'd finished playing.. It was a bit difficult with the multitude of people that were crammed in the small pub, but she finally spotted him and began to make her way over to him.

It didn't take long for Lachy to notice her coming his way, so he met her in the middle with a grin on his face. "Hey, you stayed." He said.

Molly nodded, smiling a bit at the man. "I did." She confirmed as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. An awkward moment passed between them where neither said a word but only looked at each other. Finally, Lachy decided to break the silence.

"So, still up for a drink?" He asked as he gestured toward the bar area.

Molly nodded. "I've had enough alcohol for the night, but I wouldn't say no to another water. It's absolutely stifling in here." She replied. She was surprised to feel Lachy's hand grasping her's as he began to lead her to the bar, once again against her better judgment, she didn't pull away.

"Water actually sounds quite nice, if I'm honest. The stage lights were warmer than I thought they'd be." Lachy mused. He then proceeded to order two glasses of water for them, remembering that Molly liked lime in hers, which came as a surprise to the young woman.

Once they had their drinks in hand, the two-headed back out to the empty patio to get some fresh air and to escape the noise for a bit. Rather than sitting at the table again, the two decided to stand at the railing of the deck which overlooked the dimly lit beach. A silence fell over them once more. Despite this, Molly found that she was oddly comfortable in this stranger's presence which made her wonder if that fact had anything to do with her knowledge of who he was. How had she not realized before?

It was Molly this time that broke the silence as she couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. She tried to hide it, but Lachy had noticed.

"Dare I ask what's so funny?" Lachy questioned, raising a brow as he looked to the woman beside him. This only made Molly laugh harder, especially when she saw the curious expression on his face.

"I'm s-sorry...It's nothing really. Just..." She paused as a fit of giggles hit once more and she was unable to speak until she regained her composure, which she was failing miserably to do. Finally, she was able to calm down enough to take a deep breath and wipe away the tears of mirth from her eyes. Poor Lachy still looked rather bewildered as he waited for Molly to explain herself. "I'm sorry, I probably look insane. It's just...It's..When I was asked to come here tonight by my coworkers, I wasn't expecting to see the Wiggles performing in a little Irish pub." She admitted.

"Ahh, I see. I would suppose not." Lachy mused, chuckling a bit as he shook his head. "So, I take it you have children?" His gaze dropped to her hand, which he found bare of a wedding ring. Before Molly could catch him, he brought his gaze back up to her face.

"Eight adorable, but rambunctious toddlers," Molly replied, a smirk tugging at her lips. It was all she could do not to start laughing again at the expression of shock on his face. "Relax, they're not mine. I'm a preschool teacher." She continued. " I'm actually surprised I didn't realize where I'd seen you before when we were talking earlier. We've been on a Wiggles kick in the classroom lately, and we've almost worn the DVD's we have out. Oh wow, and you're probably weirded out by that, aren't you? I'll shut up now." Molly said before taking a large sip of her water in an attempt to distract herself.

"No, why would I be weirded out?" Lachy questioned, his voice holding a tone of confusion. "It is my job after all. It seems like what we do for a living is quite similar. You said you have toddlers?"

Molly nodded. "Older ones and twos. They're a sweet age group, but they can be a handful at times."

"Oh, I'll bet." Lachy chuckled. "And eight on your own, I don't see how you do it. I'll admit I can keep them entertained, but as far as actually caring for that many children at once..." He let the sentence hang in the air as he shook his head.

"A little bit of patience and a whole lot of coffee," Molly replied with a slight smirk. "So, what brings you all the way to Folly Beach? It seems sort of an odd place for a Wiggles show."

"Well, we had a show in Charleston yesterday followed by today and tomorrow off, so we decided to book a gig here at McGuires's. Well, we as in Anthony, Emma, and I. We call ourselves the Unusual Commoners, I suppose. It's just a bit of fun, really. Something we do on the side, especially while on tour. Just to keep our sanity."

"Oh, I can understand that...Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my littles, but sometimes those songs get stuck in your head and they won't go away. It can be a bit annoying..." Molly bit her lip. Great, she'd just told him her kids listened to the Wiggles, and now she was saying the music annoyed her. He probably thought she was trying to insult his job, which was the last thing she was trying to do. "I mean...Sometimes I don't want to think about work when I'm home. It's not always easy, though." She was trying to make this better, but she wasn't sure she was being successful.

If Lachy had been insulted by her words, he didn't let on. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "No, I get it. You don't know how many times I've found myself doing something normal like making dinner or walking my dog, and the next thing I know I'm singing or humming one of the songs. More often than not it's Propeller." He chuckled and shook his head. "I promise it's not intentional, it just happens. I guess it's true that you really can't leave work at work."

Molly giggled a bit and nodded. "I suppose not." She mused before she took a sip of her water. A comfortable silence seemed to fall on them once more as the pair both gazed on the waves crashing against the beach. With the dim lighting of the surrounding buildings, Molly could see there were a few people walking along the edge of the water despite the coolness in the air. She found herself compelled to ask Lachy if he wanted to go for a walk as well, but before she could ask him, she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you! Sophie isn't feeling well and I was going to drive her home..."

Molly bit her lip and spared a glance to Lachy for just a moment before she turned to Hannah and frowned. "Is she okay?" She questioned. She was worried about her friend, but a part of her was quite disappointed that it was time to leave already. She'd been so hesitant to come in the first place, and she nearly faked the starting of a cold so she could get out of it, but now? She was enjoying herself and genuinely enjoying Lachy's company. She found she didn't want to leave, not yet. Though it had to be going on 11:00 or later.

Hannah nodded a bit. "She's fine, she just had a few too many and.. Well, you know how she gets." She looked at Lachy and smiled a bit. "I hate to interrupt, but we're leaving now, so..."

Molly bit her lip. "Well, I drove myself tonight, so if Sophie is okay, I think I'll stay for a bit." She said. This was against her better judgment. She knew she should exchange numbers with Lachy and just go home too. But she found that was the last thing she wanted to do. A smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at Lachy for just a second. She could see that he was smiling as well, and that just made her decision to stay that much easier.

Hannah, however, wasn't smiling. In fact, she seemed a bit perturbed by Molly's decision. "Are you sure that's wise? I mean, after what happened earlier... It's always safer to be with friends, especially at a bar. You never know what could happen." She had a lot of room to talk, they hadn't even noticed when Molly had left the table...

Molly chose her next words carefully, for if she hadn't, she knew she'd have insulted her friend. "I'm sure. I'm having fun, and you said yourself that I need to have more fun. I'll text you when I get home."

Hannah looked rather irritated. "Molly, come on. I think you should go home too. You don't need to be here alone..."

"She's not alone." Lachy finally spoke up, surprising Molly, and from the looks of it, Hannah as well. "Molly will be safe with me, and I'll make sure she gets home okay. You don't have to worry." He continued.

Hannah looked back and forth between Molly and Lachy, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Molly could tell she didn't know what to say, and it was sort of amusing. "Molly, are you sure?" She asked, glancing sideways at Lachy. "I mean, you don't really know him. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Molly nodded once more. "I'll be fine, Hannah. Look, I promise to text you when I get home." She didn't want Hannah to worry, but she wasn't going to leave just because her coworker decided to get three sheets to the wind and had to go home all of a sudden.

Hannah gave Molly a lingering look as she bit her lip. She glanced at Lachy as well, who only smiled politely, not offering to say another word. Finally, she let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay, make sure you do. I'll see you on Monday, I guess." She didn't wait for Molly to reply before she turned and headed back inside where Sophie was waiting by the door.

Molly shook her head a bit and turned back to Lachy. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

Lachy shook his head. "No, it's okay. There's no reason to let your night end because your friend drank too much. Though, correct me if I'm wrong, you weren't really interested in spending time with them anyway...Am I right?"

Molly bit her lip before she nodded. "I wasn't even going to come tonight if I'm completely honest. I'm not really one for going out, especially to bars. Hannah practically begged me to go out with her and Sophie and I just..I don't know, I agreed to get her off of my back." She admitted with a shrug. It wasn't entirely true, Molly used to love going out with friends, especially after work on a Friday night. But after she met Asher things changed. And when she had ended things with him she became even more of a homebody. Molly hated to admit it, but this was the first time she'd been out for fun in the entire three months since ending her relationship.

Lachy gave Molly a curious look. "And why's that?" He asked her. She could tell that Lachy wasn't prying, he was genuinely curious, but she wasn't sure she was ready to tell a man she met literally two hours ago her entire sob story, so she settled for a playful smirk in an attempt to lighten the mood and perhaps steer the conversation in a different direction.

"That's a story for another day." She replied before looking out at the beach. "You wanna go for a walk? If your Wiggle buddies won't miss you, of course." She teased.

Lachy chuckled and glanced at his phone to check the time. "I'll think I can steal away for a bit. Anthony and Simon will be having another drink or two before we leave anyway." He pocketed his phone before offering his hand for Molly to take, which she did once again, against her better judgment.

The two walked down the wooden steps and onto the soft sand of the beach. Neither of them was wearing the correct shoes for the terrain, but it was far too cool to walk barefoot. They didn't seem to care, however, as they walked for what seemed like hours, all the while talking about anything and everything. It was only when Lachy's phone began to buzz that they realized just how long they'd been out there.

"Shit, it's nearly 2:00 am..."He cursed before looking at Molly with an apologetic expression. "We should really head back. Anthony's texted me a dozen times wondering where I am."

Molly's eyes widened in realization. "2:00 am?! How on earth did it get this late?" In all honesty, it hadn't felt like it'd been quite that long, though you know what they say about time and having fun. She tried to hide the frown that was tugging at her lips as she nodded in agreement. "Right, yeah. We should..we should go back." She may have been able to hide the frown, but Molly was certain her voice betrayed her disappointment. She felt Lachy squeeze her hand gently and for a moment she smiled. Funny, she hadn't noticed that they hadn't let go of each other's hands the whole time either.

Lachy and Molly walked back to the pub in silence. Neither of them really knew what to say to the other. It was strange how well they'd gotten along, how easily they'd clicked in only a few hours. And now they would have to say goodbye. It was silly, but Molly found that she dreaded saying goodbye to him. Little did she know, Lachy was thinking the same thing.

Finally, they arrived back at McGuire's, which was far less crowded by now. As they made their way up the steps and into the bar, Molly attempted to let go of Lachy's hand, but he continued to hold her's gently offering only a sheepish smile when she looked up at him. Molly found herself mirroring his smile.

Lachy's friends were all gathered around a table, finishing what appeared to be the last of quite a few rounds of beer. If they'd noticed Lachy and Molly come in, they didn't let on. They were laughing and carrying on amongst themselves as a gentle Irish tine played over the speakers in the bar.

"So, um...Shall I walk you home?" Lachy asked Molly as they headed toward the front door. It was an excuse to spend just a bit more time with his new acquaintance, for he was just as reluctant as she was for the night to end.

"Hmm? Oh, um..Actually, I drove here." She reminded him. "But I'd love to have some company walking to my car."

And so the two stepped out once more into the chilly October air, once again allowing silence to fall over them. The walk to Molly's car was rather short, as she'd parked in one of the closer parking spaces in the lot. For a while, the two just stood there, looking at each other, almost as if they one was waiting for the other to speak. Finally, it was Molly who broke the silence. "I've had a wonderful night...Thanks again for saving me. God knows what could have happened if you hadn't seen him lace my drink."

Lachy shook his head. "No need to thank me. I'm just glad I saw it happen." He said, glancing down at their still joined hands.

"I'd let you keep it if I didn't need it." Molly said softly, repeating the words he'd said to her hours ago. She smiled as a hint of a blush colored the man's cheek's

"Ah, what a shame." He chuckled, rubbing his thumb over her palm before he reluctantly let go of her hand. "I suppose this is goodbye then?"

Molly shook her head. "Not so fast, Mr. Gillespie. Let me see your phone."

Lachy didn't question her, rather, he unlocked his phone and handed it to Molly. He watched as she typed for a moment before she handed it back to him. "What did you do?"

"You can't honestly expect me to leave here tonight without having given you my phone number, can you?" She questioned with a raised brow. "Feel free to text or call whenever you'd like." Molly wasn't usually this bold, but the idea of never speaking to Lachy again was something she didn't want to think about. And from the smile on Lachy's lips, it was evident he was in agreement.

The two hugged for a moment before parting their separate ways with a goodbye and a promise to talk soon. And just like that, the night was over. Lachy made his way back into the bar while Molly drove home in the wee hours of the morning.

They both went to sleep that night with the other on their mind...

[xmeetyoutherex]

11 minutes

Chapter 3 // Simple

Previous chapters can be found in my masterlist :)

I recommend listening to the song “listen to your heart” by The Maine.

Carter and Calum texted each other all morning. He had finally convinced her to come to a small party Ashton was hosting.

It took a lot of convincing considering Carter was never was the party type of girl. But Calum promised it would be few to no people and extremely relaxed. With that in mind Carter had to agree. She herself was dying to see Calum again. She didn't realize how much she missed him and the boys.

Carter dressed in her usual attire. Just a simple t-shirt and black jeans, added with her black Doc-Martins.

By the time she was ready to leave, the party had already started. She wasn't late because she was working on her outfit. She just honestly didn't want to go. But she hadn't seen Luke and Michael in so long and Calum said that Like would be there. So she grabbed her keys and locked her apartment door and walked up the steps to the not so busy streets of outer LA.

Cater walked down to the subway to find she only had about a minute or two to wait for the train she needed to arrive. As she waited she got her phone out opening up Spotify and plugged her headphones in. She decided to listen to Lana Del Ray.

It was about a forty minute ride to the stop closest to Ashton's Flat. But even though it was the closest stop she still had about a ten to fifteen minute walk. She didn't mind though she was already late what's another ten minutes?

As soon as she arrived she knew she was under dressed and it wasn't a small relaxed party as promised.

Carter was about to just leave, seeing as this was not her scene at all. But then she saw them.

All her worry faded away though as soon as she saw the only reason she even came. Calum was standing in the kitchen waiting exactly where he said he would be, Luke and Ashton close by. He was dressed in a simple t-shirt and black jeans topped with a leather jacket, making her feel less worried about her attire.

As soon as Calum saw her he felt as though it was the first time he had smiled all night. Not even waiting for her to walk all the way to him, he decided to meet her in the middle.

"After about an hour I wasn't sure you were gonna show."

"Well up until about twenty minutes ago I wasn't." She knew she made a last minute decision in coming but she wasn't late because of it, Calum just didn't need to know that. But Calum still knew Carter wasn't joking about making a late decision to come, and he couldn't help but laugh at her comment anyways.

“Is that Carter?” Carter averted her eyes from Calum to behind him to see, a completely different looking, Luke. “Damn, have you changed.”

Carter rolled her eyes at him cause she didn’t change that much, only outgrew her baby face and started wearing makeup. She still had the same glasses she wore in high school, same hair style except instead of a full head of purple only the ends are purple now. She certainly didn’t change as much as him. She gave a snarky reply of, “and that’s coming from you.”

They could all tell she was joking based on the smile embracing her face. Luke went in to give her a hug while saying, “I know I got hot, no need to comment on it though.”

Calum and Ashton burst into laughter and Carter joining with a chuckle of, “but it is true,” as Luke and her separated from the hug.

Luke and Ashton decided to head back into the kitchen leaving Carter and Calum to themselves in the hallway.

"Come on Carter, lets go outside. There's less people out there." He lightly grasped her arm and led her outside.

Calum led her to two chairs away from everyone. Calum dramatically held both his arms out pointing to one of the seats. "Your throne," Calum then bowed his head while having a smirk play at his lips.

"We both know I'm no royalty" Carter’s family was never poor, but she certainly wasn’t getting more than one small Christmas gift a year and only movie nights on her birthdays. They just couldn’t afford to spend money on wasted items and Calum always knew that no matter how secret she always tried to keep it. Calum was one of the only people who ever gave her birthday gifts or random things here and there. They always left her feeling guilty cause she couldn’t do the same back.

"And we both know that has always been a lie." They both let out a slight chuckle but Cal's was heavy and weighted with nerves that he hadn't felt in years.

"I see your still as emo as when we were in high school." Calum observed the Mayday parade shirt that Carter still had from when she saw them in high school. Also the all black theme she was sporting went very well with the notion. A different look to what she had been sporting at the bar a couple weeks ago.

Calum on the other hand was wearing all black, but Carter knew that wasn't his usual attire lately. "And you have seem to made it only a phase."

It was pure joking on Carter's part and Calum could tell from the smile she was wearing. "My attire may have changed, but believe me all four of us only became more emo over the years."

"Your new style suits you," carter complimented while rolling her eyes sarcastically with her next comment. "Even though I feel betrayed here."

"Hey, I said that I would be emo forever with you, that doesn't include the clothes." They both broke into laughter and Calum couldn't help but feel all of the nerves he had, at the beginning of the night, fade away.

Their laughter drowning out the rest of the crowd and people allowing for another everlasting night.

....

Her and Calum talked about everything and nothing for hours. It was probably around 2:00 a.m. when they finally realized the party was dead. Looking inside, Carter could only see Ashton and Luke cleaning. She took that as her que to go help and then get ready to head home. Before she could get up though Calum was talking again.

"You love this song." It took her a minute to process what he just said until the lyrics started sinking in.

We're too young this is never gonna work

She could still remember the first time she listened to that song. Her and Calum were just sitting in her bedroom listening to random music. Calum still remembers her whispering how she adored this song.

That's what they say, "your gonna get hurt"

Calum stood up and held out his hand for her. All she could do was scoff at him. He knew she didn't dance, well at least not in public places where others could possibly see her.

"Come on just take my hand, no one's watching."

She reluctantly took his hand, and he immediately pulled her close to him. "Cal this isn't a slow song," Carter said while pulling back putting about a foot between them.

"So is it a mosh song then?", Calum began to jump a little swinging Carters arm.

She beamed at him, "Of course." Calum released Carters hand and they both began to jump and shout the lyrics at each other. It probably seemed childish to people looking in on them, but to them in felt like they were back in high school. It felt easy to be childish again.

They started singing the lyrics at each other. Each of them taking a turn and as they sang they stuck their faces out towards the other.

This promise doesn't have to be so loud,

Just whisper I could find you in a crowd.

I think it's time we ran away.

Your father says I'm not good enough for you.

Your mother she thinks that this is just a phase,

I think that we should run away.Don't listen to the world, they say we're never gonna make it.

Don't listen to your friends, they would've never let us start.

Don't listen to the voices in your head,

Listen to your heart.

As Carter and Calum stared into each other's eyes with the biggest smiles on their faces, It felt safe. It felt simple. Neither of them would do this with anyone else. It would be too embarrassing, but with each other it was normal. It felt like nothing changed even after all these years.

Don't listen to the world, they say we're never gonna make it,

But I know we'll make it.

When the song ended another The Maine song came on and Calum commented, "who gave Luke control over the music?"

The two began to do the same thing to the song Right Girl without a regret in the world.

As Carter and Calum danced around laughing to each other, Luke and Ashton couldn't help but notice.

"I can't believe Carter made her way back into our lives again." Luke was still shocked by the coincidence. At first he hadn't believed Ashton when he told him.

Ashton let out a content sigh, "God am I glad she did." Ashton Hadn't seen Calum smile like that for too long, it was overdue. And Ashton being him, he decided to take a video.  He saw how when the two danced around to the music the world disappeared in a sweet bliss.

A/N: well......................... it’s longer. It’s so freakin cheesy the pizza is five inches thick.

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