#miss you pretty student services boy i hope you’re doing well and have quit drugs

[apopticghoul]

why do i keep having vivid dreams about boyfriend that doesn’t exist

[yoongihoseok97]

Cookies and kisses💋Pt3

BTS Jungkook

Summary- Jeon Jungkook is a broke college student who’s just trying to get his degree and find his place in the world but things aren’t always that easy. Especially when you’re only 21 years old and have a 4 year old daughter.

Warnings- Mentions of underage sex, brief mentions of past drug & alchol abuse. Mentions of past depression, self harm and suicidal thoughts. Quite a bit of swearing but nothing too harsh, don’t read if you’re sensitive to anything mentioned above.

Word count-2.7k

-

“Eunha baby please for the love of god can you just listen to me for once!” Jungkook cried out to his daughter who giggled loudly and ran away from her fathers grasp. He had been trying to get Eunha to have a bath for the past 10 minutes but the young girl was determined to get her own way. A quality she 100% got from her father.

“But daddy I had a shower the other day! I don’t need another one.” She exclaimed slightly out of breath from running up the stairs, her half naked frame was covered in a mixture of dried paint and dirt that she managed to pick up from nursery. Jungkook eventually managed to scoop her into his arms before she ran away again and locked herself in her room. A trouble he has had to face a few times when it came to bath time and he is only realising now that it would be easier to remove the lock. Luckily non of the boys were in to witness the young fathers struggle due to a ‘welcome back’ party half the campus was going to. Jungkook of course wanted to go and see everyone again after the summer break but the thought quickly disappeared when he realised he wasn’t a teenager anymore, he was a father and his daughter was his top priority, not some stupid house party that’ll probably be shut down by the police within the first few hours.

She squealed in delight when Jungkook playfully tickled her belly, an action that he knew would help win her over from past experiences. “Daddy has to shower everyday, some days when he’s really stinky he has two so you don’t get to complain misses.” He sat her down on the closed toilet seat and added the finishing touches to the bath, bubbles. Eunha hated baths more then anything but she wouldn’t even go near one of it didnt have bubbles in and so he makes sure to stock up on ‘unicorn mist bubble bath!’ Every week. After making sure that the water was just right he turned to his daughter and smiled “Bath time.”

-

It didn’t take long for Eunha to grow bored of the bath so Jungkook quickly dried her off, put her pyjamas on and ordered some food for them both whilst they relaxed in his bed. His long fingers made their way through her thick brown hair as she laid against her fathers chest. Jungkook couldn’t help but be reminded of the times when Eunha was first born and her mother was still around, cuddling into his side whist Eunha laid in his arms. Back to a time when Jungkook was vulnerable and believed her when she swore she’d never leave him. For a long while after she had left he wanted nothing more then to go back in time and and be with her where he felt loved and cared for. Now however he despised those memories. He wanted nothing more than for the images of her to be out of his head so he could finally move on. Eunha taught him what love is and he had finally learnt what she gave him was not it.

The father shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the girl in front of him. Her glowing eyes were engaged with the tv. They were watching Beauty and The Beast, Eunhas favourite film. Even as a new born when Jungkook was 17 and had no fucking clue on how to take care of a child she always seemed to calm down and relax when it came on. Now himself and Eunha has watched it so many times together that they knew every word to every song and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t know the script inside out also. Even so Jungkook didn’t mind watching the film, deciding it was one of the better disney movies that actually taught kids the lesson of not to judge a book by its cover and that love comes in all different shapes a sizes.

Eunha lifted her head suddenly from her dads side and shifted to look around the bed, her tiny hands patted down onto the mattress clearly searching something. “What are you looking for baby?” He asksd curiously sitting up so he was beside her again. “Your phone daddy I want to know the time.” He chuckled and leaned across her small frame to grab his mobile from the bedside table.

“Why didn’t you just ask? And it’s 9:45 why do you want to know?” He picked her up and placed her on his lap so that she was facing him. She smiled brightly “Well earlier you told me to remind you about getting your clothes from the laundry place but I forgot so I’m telling you now.” Jungkook burrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he wondered what she was talking about before it dawned on him. He gasped and mumbled a small curse word under his breath and prayed that she didn’t hear him before removing her from his lap and began getting changed back into the clothes he was wearing before.

“God I completely forgot! I need those clothes for tomorrow so we’re gonna have to get them now sorry baby.” He apologized and kissed her forehead before taking her into her own room and grabbed a light jacket from the back of her wardrobe. It was a nice summer evening so she probably didn’t need it but her pyjama shorts and tank top were too little to be wearing outside at this time. The father sighed as he paced around the house, picking up his keys and turning off the television whilst Eunha waited patiently by the door.

“Are we going in the car daddy?” She asked as Jungkook picked her up and walked out of the shared apartment.

“No baby the place is only a couple minutes away so we’re gonna walk.” They strolled hand in hand down the street as the sun set in the distance. The warm evening breeze struck them with a pleasant burst over their bodies, a reminder of the summer that had just arrived in Seoul after a year of bitter coldness. The laundry shop wasn’t far from the house, just through the park and down the street so Jungkook didn’t have to worry about rushing to get there as it was a 24 hour service. Something the father was thankful for.

Despite the time there was still quite a few people sitting around, students having a beer before the sun went down and older people walking their dogs which Eunha was intraced by. She looked up towards her father and pointed out a particular dog that she always seemed to fondle over than any other. It was a golden retriever puppy that made the young girl giggle as he raced up to her and buried his face in her shoulder. “Look daddy!” She screamed in excitement and pet his golden fur whilst Jungkook laughed at the cute sight in front of him. He had always wanted to get a dog. A big silver husky that could help keep the house in check. The thought sounded stupid to some people but Jungkook weirdly felt like getting the dog was perfect to help keep Eunha safe but after discussing the plan with the rest of his housemates his idea was quickly shut down by Jin when he mentioned the price of such a dog.

The father snapped a quick photo of the pair and kneeled down to join his daughter with patting the overly energetic pet. “When can we get a dog daddy?” She said with a voice full of hope as she looked over at Jungkook, a wide smile wedged on her face. He chuckled and stood up, brushing himself off before holding his hand out to help his daughter up off of the floor. “Soon Eunnie, soon.” The young girl turned around once again and waved goodbye to the small dog. Her knees were muddy from the grass but she didn’t seem to mind as she skipped through the park, forcing her dad jog a bit to catch up with her.

-

“This needs to be done by 4:30 tomorrow latest, washed and dried. I have a very important party to go to.” The middle aged women smirked as she pulled a $50 out of her over priced Louis Vuitton purse and handed it to you from the other side of the counter. “And keep the change, you clearly need it.” The obvious fake smile on your face widened as you snatched the cash out of her perfectly manicured hand. “Of course ma’am I’ll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day.” The smile stayed glued to your face until she was out of sight of the building. The last thing you needed was for her to catch you flipping her off and get you fired.

You inhaled deeply for a moment and regained your composure before putting the money into the till and taking out the tip in change. After months of searching you finally found a job that fit perfectly with your schedule and whilst working at a laundromat was not the most ideal job, it paid well and the amount of tips you got was surprising.

“God she’s a right bitch. Her names Karen Kennedy and she’s a regular, I don’t think she even owns a washing machine.” Your co worker said as she carried a large bag of clean laundry to the desk behind you. You chuckled quietly and shook your head. You’d only been working there a few weeks and you’ve already dealt with too many rich white people bossing you around and quite frankly, you were sick of it.

“Yeah well she tips good so I’m not saying anything.” You joked and turned to face the petite girl. Your co worker Mia was another reason as to why you hadn’t quit the job yet, she was slightly older then you and she was the type of girl that was pretty enough to be on a magazine cover so you had no idea why she was stuck working at a 24 hour laundromat. The two of you quickly clicked after working a 13 hour shift together and discovered that you both had a weird obsession with ‘NSYNC’. After that your friendship bloomed into snarky comments and late night trips to 7/11 after your shift.

“Anyway how’s rehearsals going?” Mia asked as she sat herself down in the space next to you, sorting through a bag of laundry that was dropped off earlier on in the day. You sighed “not the best, out choreographer broke his leg the other day so he can’t help anymore so we have to hold auditions for a new one”

“Shit that sucks, has Richards asked you too help?”

“Unfortunately, I mean it’s not like I mind helping her she’s done a lot for me it’s just I have no time at the minute”

“Oh well, why don’t you-” Mia was cut off by the sound of the bell Indicating a new customer has entered. Your eyes widened when you saw the beautiful man from the park with his daughter standing in front of you, smiles across on their faces. “Hello I’m Jungkook, I’ve come to pick up my dry cleaning.” He said as he picked up the little girl from beside him.

“Okay sir I’ll go grab them from the back, feel free to take a seat.” Mia said as she smiled at the two before raising her eyebrows at you and disappearing into the back.

He smiled at you before taking the young girl to go and sit down in the chairs closest to the counter. You looked away and pretended that you were busy so you didn’t embarrass yourself and do something stupid. You could hear the two talking quietly between themselves and you smiled as the giggles left the little girls mouth. It was just the two of them yet again, making you further wonder about the young girls mother. You turned your head away before he could catch you staring and pretended you were busy writing things down, his deep brown eyes and cute smile engraved in your mind. He was truly beautiful and the way he acted with his daughter was completely adorable, you wanted nothing more than to have the confidence to talk to him. Boys never usually made you feel like this. Why was he so different?

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Jungkooks voice “Eunha! Stop that please you’re gonna hurt yourself.” You turned to look at the two and found yourself amused when you saw the young girl twirling to the music that was playing through the building. You giggled at the sight, finding her dancing cute. He placed her on his hip and turned to look at you, a sheepish smile on his face when he heard your laughter. His tattoos were on full disply as he was wearing a short sleeved shirt and you admired the way the designs wrapped around his muscular arms.

“Sorry love, she gets excited when she hears this song it’s her favourite.” His deep voice sent shivers down your spine, a small blush covered your cheeks at the nickname he gave you. You smiled widely “Don’t worry about it, I loved it! You have some good moves.” You smiled at the brown haired girl as her eyes sparkled with delight. “I love dancing.” She stated proudly grinning widely.

“Love is an understatement, she dances all day and if she could she’d do it all night.” You laughed at the statement happy he was speaking to you. “I want to be just like daddy! He’s good at dancing too.” Excitement laced in her words as you raised your eyebrows in surprise. He was a dancer, no wonder why he was so buff, your mind filled with thoughts of how good he’d look all sweaty and panting for breath. Your cheeks flushed at the thought, Jesus this man was something else. “You’re a dancer? That’s so cool, I’m terrible at dancing it’s like I have two left feet.” You joked.

He laughed at your comment and the young girl giggled into her fathers neck. “I might have to teach you some time then.” He smiled as another blush spread across your cheeks. “Maybe” you said as Mia came out with his dry cleaning, a wide smile on her face as she handed Jungkook the bag.

“That’ll be 18.95 please sir.”

He nodded as set his daughter on the ground next to him, pulling out his wallet to give Mia 20 dollars. “You can keep the change, thanks a lot.” Jungkook smiled at Mia before turning to me, “I’ll see you around.” Giving me one last smile before mumbling a small ‘come on baby’ as the two walked out the shop. The young girl turned around and gave me a quick wave bye which I grinned at and returned.

Mia turned to me with a wide smirk wedge on her face, “He was so cute! He was so flirting with you!” She exclaimed clapping excitedly.

You turned to look at her after watching the pair walk down the street, “he was cute but he was not flirting with me, he was a daughter! Meaning he probably has a girlfriend.” You stated giving her a sad look before sitting down on the chair behind the counter. The thought of him going home to another women made you weirdly uncomfortable even though You had just met him.

“You don’t know that y/n, he could be a hot single father for all you know” she replied looking at me with another smile.

“Oh well, I doubt I’ll see him again.” You shrugged like you didn’t care when deep down you knew You were disappointed. He seemed like such a nice guy and for some weird reason he made your heart flutter whenever he spoke. You really wanted to see him again and talk more but you knew it was very unlikely.

She rolled her eyes at your words and got back to her work “whatever you say hun.”

-

Author’s note!- Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since I last updated this fanfic & it’s been awhile since we’ve been active on this account but we’ve just been so busy and we didn’t have time to update. I’m not gonna make any promises as to when chapter 4 is coming out because I have no idea but it won’t be as long a wait as this one was. Again I’m sorry it took so long but I hope you all enjoy!- love anon hobi Xxx

[samdoesblogging]

A Chanbaek Comeback (bc why not?)

YOYOYO I’M BACK NOT THAT ANYONE MISSED ME BUT I’M HERE SO DEAL WITH IT HAVE A FIC

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

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

Chanyeol groaned, rolling over and smacking the top of his alarm clock. He buried his face in his pillow and sighed. He could just not show up, right? Nobody really cares if you skip class in college. He nodded to himself. He needed sleep, he could miss the first day. He rolled over and closed his eyes, beginning to drift off again. He was almost asleep when he felt something hit his head.

“Good morning, hyung,” Sehun called from the doorway. “You’d better get ready, our first class is in thirty minutes.”

Chanyeol groaned again and pulled himself up into a sitting position. He would hurt Sehun for

this. Still, he knew he should be a good friend and show Sehun around since he was a freshman while Chanyeol was a sophomore. Chanyeol quickly got dressed and headed to the kitchen of their tiny apartment where Sehun was wolfing down a bowl of cereal. Sehun waved and smiled as if he hadn’t just assaulted Chanyeol out of bed. Chanyeol shot him a glare and poured himself a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine would wake him up enough to be able to get through his first class. The pair finished eating and Chanyeol led Sehun to his first class. They sat in the back of the lecture hall and pulled out their laptops. The professor was as boring as he could possibly be, and it took all of Chanyeol's strength to stay awake. About halfway through the class, another student rushed in.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said with a grin. He was somewhat short, with blonde hair and way too much eyeliner. The latecomer slid into the seat next to Sehun and waved at him and Chanyeol.

“So, what did I miss?” He whispered.

“Nothing,” Sehun sighed. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Well, clearly I missed meeting the hottest boys in the class. What a shame. We’ll just have to meet up later,” he said with a wink.

Sehun grinned, but Chanyeol choked on thin air. Who was this kid? They barely knew each other, why was he saying stuff like… that?

“I see he’s a shy one,” the new kid said to Sehun, nodding in Chanyeol’s direction.

Sehun nodded.

“He’s absolutely no fun at all.”

“I bet I can change that.” Sehun chuckled.

“I’m Sehun and that mess is Chanyeol, who might you be?” He asked.

“Byun Baekhyun, at your service,” Baekhyun said with a little bow.

Sehun and Baekhyun continued chatting throughout the class while Chanyeol struggled to focus and take notes. The class finally ended and Chanyeol dragged himself to the next one. When lunch came around, he searched for Sehun in the food court and was surprised to find him sitting with Baekhyun.

“Who’s that with Sehun-ah?” Chanyeol’s friend Jongdae asked.

“I dunno, some new kid. He showed up in our first class today.”

“He’s kinda cute.” “He’s kinda annoying.”

Jongdae chuckled and went to sit with Sehun and Baekhyun, Chanyeol following behind him.

“Ya Sehun-ah, how many hot friends do you have?” Baekhyun whined when Jongdae sat down. “This is too much for me to handle!”

Sehun laughed and patted Baekhyun on the back.

“Just look at Chanyeol when there’s too many attractive people around.” Chanyeol shot a glare at Sehun and Baekhyun turned to look at him.

“Nah, he’s part of the problem,” Baekhyun said with a smirk, shooting Chanyeol a flirty wink.

Chanyeol suddenly became deeply interested in his rice.

“I’m Jongdae,” Jongdae introduced himself, “Why haven’t we seen you around before? I guarantee I would not forget a face like yours.”

“I’m a transfer student,” Baekhyun said. “All the girls were in love with me at my last school and all the guys were straight. It was the worst.”

Jongdae and Sehun laughed and Sehun slung his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“I don’t know about the girls, but I have yet to meet a straight guy around here besides me.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.

“You’re straight?” “I was until you showed up,” Sehun said, attempting to wink at Baekhyun but failing miserably. Baekhyun just laughed and nodded.

“Well, tell me if I need to chill then, wouldn’t want you questioning your sexuality all of a sudden.” Sehun nodded and began to eat his lunch, glancing over at Chanyeol who was still very much entranced by his rice.

“Yeollie, you good?” “I’m fine.”

“Okay. By the way, I’ll be late coming home tonight, Baek’s taking me out for drinks. You should come too, Jongdae!”

Chanyeol furrowed his brow. Drinks? Wasn’t that something you did with your good friends? Not people you just met? This Baekhyun guy was really rubbing him the wrong way. Lunch ended and the group went their separate ways. Chanyeol had trouble focusing the rest of the day. All he could think about was Baekhyun. Who was this guy to step into his life so suddenly and take his best friend? What was he planning? Chanyeol was sure he was up to no good. He sighed and headed back to his and Sehun’s apartment. Raiding the fridge, he pulled out some leftover ramen and a bottle of soju and sat in front of the TV, trying to find a good drama to watch. He turned on Descendants of the Sun, even though he had already seen it a million times and popped open the bottle of soju. He had gotten through three episodes before the door swung open, Baekhyun carrying in a drunk Sehun.

“He had a bit much,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle, gently pushing Sehun away as the younger man tried to plant kisses on his cheeks.

“I LOVE you Baekhyunnieeeeeee,” Sehun slurred, clinging onto Baekhyun’s arm.

“Yeah, yeah I love you too you big goofball,” Baekhyun chuckled. “Where’s his room?”

Chanyeol was just staring at the two. He had seen Sehun drunk before, but he wasn’t usually this… touchy.

“His room…?” Baekhyun prompted.

“It’s the one on the right,” Chanyeol mumbled.

Baekhyun helped Sehun to the room and tucked him into his bed. Chanyeol frowned as he heard Sehun trying to get Baekhyun to stay. The kid was really, seriously drunk. Baekhyun came out a few minutes later.

“He finally fell asleep,” Baekhyun said with a soft chuckle. “He’s a bit of a mess, eh? And he claims he’s straight…” Baekhyun laughed again. “I’m gonna head out. Bye, Yeollie!”

Chanyeol was going to say something about not calling him “Yeollie” but Baekhyun was already gone. He peeked into Sehun’s room and saw that the boy was sleeping soundly, wrapped around a pillow which Chanyeol figured was probably a clever Indiana Jones-style replacement by Baekhyun for himself. Stupid Baekhyun. He thought. Baekhyun had only been in his life for one day but he was already ruining it! Chanyeol sighed and quietly shut Sehun’s door, plopping into his own bed and drifting off.

The next day, neither Sehun nor Chanyeol had morning classes, so Chanyeol elected to help

Sehun through his hangover. He ran to the drug store in the morning to get hangover medication, but was surprised to find Sehun already drinking some when he got back.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Baekhyun brought it!”

Of course he did.

“Oh. Well. If you need extra I’ll put this in the fridge.”

Sehun nodded and curled up into a ball on the couch. Chanyeol tsked and brought him some water.

“Drink.”

“But hyung…”

“Drink it, Sehun. You need it.”

Sehun frowned, but took the water and began to sip it. Chanyeol smiled softly and ruffled his hair. Sehun was like a little brother to him. He had practically raised the kid through high school. It hurt that now he wasn’t the most important or cool person in Sehun’s life. He sighed to himself and plopped down next to Sehun on the couch.

“Meet anybody fun at the bar?” he asked.

“It, uh,” Sehun mumbled. “Baek didn’t tell me, but it was definitely a gay bar. The, uh, the dancers were really good though. Especially this one guy. His stage name was Kai.”

“Wait, was it the Exodus Bar?” Chanyeol asked.

Sehun nodded.

“That’s Jongin! He’s in my dance class. He is really good.”

Sehun nodded again and Chanyeol noticed a slight flush spread against his cheeks.

“Yeol--”

“Hm?” “Kai-- or Jongin, or whatever-- my heart… flutters? When I look at him. Why does my heart flutter like that when I look at a man?”

Chanyeol wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. He had known Sehun was gay for quite a while, he was just waiting for Sehun to figure that out for himself.

“Maybe you like him,” Chanyeol suggested. “He’s definitely hot. And crazy talented.”

Sehun quickly shook his head.

“No, no way. He’s just cool. I think I just want to be like him. Yeah. That’s it.”

Chanyeol nodded and patted Sehun’s shoulder. Someday Sehun would be honest with himself, but maybe not today.

Soon it was time for the pair to go their separate ways and head to their classes. Chanyeol had Dance and was surprised to see Baekhyun in the studio chatting with Jongin.

“I really should have transferred sooner,” Baekhyun was saying, arm entwined with Jongin’s. “Clearly all the hotties go here and I was really missing out.”

Jongin chuckled.

“Well you’ll have to take that up with my boyfriend,” he replied, causing Baekhyun to pout.

“What? You can’t be taken! You’re not allowed to dance like that and then tell me you’re unavailable.”

Jongin laughed again and shook his head.

“Sorry, but it’s just a job. The kid you brought with you was pretty cute, though.”

Chanyeol made his way over to the pair.

“Ah, Yeollie!” Baek said, unlacing his arm from Jongin’s and going to lean on Chanyeol instead. “How’s Sehunnie?” “He’s fine,” Chanyeol mumbled, attempting to subtly push Baekhyun off of him. “You didn’t have to bring him medicine. I’m his best friend. I can do that.”

Baekhyun frowned.

“Well I’m the one who took him out and got him drunk,” he said matter-of-factly. “What is he, your boyfriend? Can’t I take care of him too?” Chanyeol shook Baekhyun off and took a few steps away.

“You only just met him!” He said, voice growing louder by the second. “Why did you have to come into my life and take my best friend?” Baekhyun looked stunned and prepared to say something, but Chanyeol had already stormed off.

“Is he usually like this?” Baekhyun asked Jongin. Jongin shook his head.

“No, not at all. He’s the softest teddy bear most of the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him attempt to get mad at someone.”

Baekhyun tilted his head and nodded. He had to admit, he was fascinated by Chanyeol. Not only was he one of the most handsome men he had ever seen, he also wore his heart on his sleeve and was comfortable in his emotionality. His cute vulnerability made Baekhyun even more attracted to him. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to protect Chanyeol or ruin him. Maybe a little bit of both. Chanyeol was eventually forced to return so he wouldn’t miss the start of class but he made an effort to stay as far away from Baekhyun as possible, sticking himself on the opposite side of the room. He tried to focus on himself and his own technique, but he often found his gaze drifting in the mirror over to Baekhyun. He clearly had taken dance classes before and he moved with this graceful, sensual energy that Chanyeol was absolutely entranced by. The class was over too soon and Chanyeol headed out, trying to get Baekhyun’s lithe form out of his head. The rest of his classes for the day were boring and Chanyeol felt like he had spent hours in each one of them. When he finally dragged himself back to the apartment he was pleased to see Sehun waiting with a pot of ramen.

“Hungry, hyung?” Chanyeol groaned and nodded, pretending to crawl towards the food on the table like a man who had been starved for weeks. Sehun laughed and Chanyeol smiled, halting his act and walking normally the rest of the way. The pair ate quietly for the most part until Sehun spoke up. “Chanyeol-hyung, just so you know, Baekhyun is coming over for movie night tomorrow.”

Chanyeol frowned.

“Movie night is our sacred roommate night.” “Well Baekhyun hasn’t made a ton of friends yet and I thought it would be nice if we invited him… He already said yes and he sounded really excited…”

Chanyeol buried his face in his arms and nodded.

“Fine.”

Sehun went off to his room to do some homework and Chanyeol was left to contemplate his nearing nightmare. Baekhyun and Sehun would probably chat throughout the whole movie making it hard to pay attention. They’d probably cuddle and leave Chanyeol all alone at the end of the couch even if the movie was scary. Movie nights were a sacred tradition and apparently Baekhyun was out to ruin all of those. He eventually went to bed and slept fitfully, dreaming a lot throughout the night.

Classes passed by far too quickly the next day, speeding Chanyeol towards his imminent doom. He tried to find excuses to stay late in his last class, offering to clean the desks or organize the professor’s books to no avail. Eventually, he was forced to go home. He entered the apartment to find Baekhyun and Sehun cuddled on the couch, flipping through Netflix.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he grumbled.

“You could always just join us,” Baekhyun said with a smile, pretending to plant kisses all over Sehun’s face. Chanyeol shook his head and flushed slightly at Baekhyun’s deeper implications.

“We thought we could watch The Shining,” Baekhyun said, gesturing at the TV where the movie was queued.

“I don’t really like scary movies,” Chanyeol replied. “Let’s watch something else.”

“But it’ll be fun,” Baekhyun whined, standing up and walking over to Chanyeol so that he could properly make puppy dog eyes at him.

Chanyeol shook his head.

“I’m not watching it.”

“Scared? I’ll protect you.” “I don’t need your protection.” “You sure? You seem awfully flustered all the time.” Chanyeol was caught off guard and stuttered out a response. Baekhyun just chuckled.

“We’re not watching The Shining,” Chanyeol said after he had gathered himself.

“Why not?” “Because we’re just not, okay! You don’t get to make the decisions, you aren’t even supposed to be here!”

Sehun sat back watching the two argue and munching on the popcorn he had made for them to share. The two boys continued insulting each other and raising their voices.

“You don’t live here! Stop showing up!” “I have as much of a right to see my friend as you do!”

“If we watch your dumb movie, will you at least leave sooner?”

Baekhyun was about to say something, but stopped and just chuckled.

“What? Will you?!”

“You so want to kiss me right now, don’t you.”

Chanyeol was shocked.

“Wh-what? No, what?? Why would I want to do that! We’re talking about movies! And how you’re stealing my best friend!”

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t be open to it?”

Chanyeol fumbled for words and took a step back, trying to think of something to say. He didn’t want to kiss Baekhyun. He didn’t. But then, why was his heart pounding so loudly? He was scared, that was it. He was just really scared.

“Either get a room or come watch the movie,” Sehun said, breaking up the tension.

“Up to you, Yeollie,” Baekhyun said to Chanyeol with a wink.

Chanyeol shook his head quickly.

“We’re watching the movie. And I don’t want to kiss you!”

The chaos from Baekhyun’s comment allowed Sehun and Baekhyun to get their way and the trio started to watch The Shining. Chanyeol sat through the first bit of the movie, but his mind was still full of what Baekhyun had said and the movie was getting pretty scary. He eventually excused himself and went to his room, throwing himself on his bed. What was he supposed to do? He buried his face in his pillow and groaned loudly. Baekhyun was the enemy! He was stealing Chanyeol’s best friend! He was-- attractive. Really attractive. And Chanyeol wanted Baekhyun to cuddle with him, to hang off of his arm. Chaneyol sighed and hugged a pillow against his chest, squeezing his eyes shut. He had totally ruined everything. Suddenly, he felt the bed dip beside him.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said softly.

“Um, hi,” Chanyeol mumbled. He sat up and pulled his knees into his chest - a difficult feat with his very long legs.

“I wanted to say sorry.” “For what?” “For everything. The flirting and the saying you wanted to kiss me and all that. I should have cut it out when I realized you were uncomfortable.”

Chanyeol shrugged and played with the hem of his shirt.

“You weren’t entirely wrong… I do want to kiss you.”

“Oh?” “Yeah…” “I’d like to kiss you too, Chanyeol. If that’s okay.”

Chanyeol swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

“Yeah, that’s okay,” he mumbled.

“We don’t have to,” Baekhyun said softly. He tentatively reached towards Chanyeol and placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder when he didn’t back away.

“I want to, it’s just-- I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“Well lucky for you I am very experienced. We can turn you into an expert in no time.”

Chanyeol blushed and nodded, leaning his head against Baekhyun’s hand on his shoulder.

“Then… can you teach me?”

Baekhyun nodded and smiled softly. It was different from his usual smirks, more gentle and sweet. He was absolutely whipped for this boy. He placed a hand on Chanyeol’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him. He could feel Chanyeol’s nervousness through his lips and tried to soothe him, running his thumb along Chanyeol’s cheekbone and keeping the kiss light and soft. He pulled away slowly, studying Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol’s eyes were still shut, processing the moment that had just passed.

“That was nice,” he mumbled. He sounded almost disappointed, though.

“Was it? You don’t seem very happy.”

“I am! Really! It was just… nice. I thought kissing was more… exciting?” Baekhyun chuckled and couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to Chanyeol’s nose.

“You’re adorable, you know? And kissing can be more exciting. Do you want me to show you?” Chanyeol nodded and leaned his head towards Baekhyun, sticking his lips out and making Baekhyun laugh again. Baekhyun captured Chanyeol’s lips with his own and began a deeper and more fervent kiss. He placed one hand on Chanyeol’s waist and one on the back of his neck and pressed his body into Chanyeol’s. He poured his everything into the kiss. All the built up tension he had felt for the past few dazed, the deep and aching need he had for Chanyeol. He wanted to explore every inch of Chanyeol’s mouth, every inch of his body. Baekhyun pressed Chanyeol into the mattress and kissed him harder, tangling a hand in his hair. He didn’t want to stop, not even to breathe. He had to eventually, though, and he was glad he did because when he pulled back he got to see Chanyeol’s face. Flushed and breathing heavily, lips slightly parted, Chanyeol looked gorgeous.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Chanyeol mumbled, turning his face away. “Because you’re beautiful.” “I’m not.” “You are. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Chanyeol blushed and squirmed beneath Baekhyun, trying to bury his face in his pillow. Baekhyun laughed and rolled off him, laying beside him and wrapping an arm around his waist. Chanyeol snuggled against him, tucking his head under Baekhyun’s chin. He looked a little funny since he was so much longer than Baekhyun, but Baekhyun just found it adorable.

“Is this day one, then?” Chanyeol asked.

“If you want it to be.” “I do.” “Then yeah, this is day one,” Baekhyun agreed, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Chanyeol’s lips once again.

[fandom-imagination]

sk8ter boi ~ part one

【ｓｔａｒｔ　ｏｆ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ｎｅｗ】

Masterlist, Extended Synopsis

pairing: ricky bowen x oc

Warnings*: drug abuse, death/grief

Word Count: 2.8k 

A/N:  This is the first chapter of sk8ter boi! I really hope you enjoy it xx

Never did I think that my dad would be walking me to the principal's office on my second first day of junior year. But here we were walking the empty halls of East High. Walking through the quiet halls was weird, to say the least. One because I was so used to the constant hum of students’ conversations, slamming lockers, and other high school noise pollution. Second because seeing everything just reminded me of the things that happened in the past year, and in particular the last time I was here, escorted out on a stretcher. I shook the thought out of my head and continued walking behind my dad. I could tell he was thinking of the same things by the way he kept his eyes on the floor as he walked. 

Posters coated the walls warning kids not to do drugs or informing them on the signs of suicide. These were definitely new additions since the last time I was here, and for good reason. But it’s only a fraction of the things I’ll see and hear once the day really started. But I guess it was an unavoidable part of being in high school, dealing with the bullies and the drama.  

We turned into the front office and were greeted by Ms. Sullivan, the longtime secretary. She was a student here when my parents attended about 30 years ago and seemed to have migrated from student straight to secretary right after graduation -- according to my parents. As soon as my dad and I walked in, she jumped to her feet. “Frankie! How are you?”

She reminded me of a blonde Fran Drescher, even down to the nasally voice. Another thing to note is that she harbored a crush on my dad she’s had since high school and she made it very clear in the way she flirted. Which was weird since she worked with my mother for nearly 15 years. 

My dad smiled. “Good, thanks for asking. How are you, Donna?” 

“Great, ready for another school year,” she said. She looked past my dad to me and her smile faltered just slightly. “Francesca, it’s so great to see you back! How are you?”

“Fine, ready to get the year started.” 

“That’s great to hear! Mr. Gutierrez is in his office waiting for you, so you two can head on in.”

My dad and I walked into the office. My stomach literally dropped to my feet seeing the tense expression on Mr. Gutierrez’s face. “Good morning, Francesca, Mr. Yates.”

My dad and I exchanged a look and took our seats across from Mr. Gutierrez. The window behind his desk was open letting in a cool late August breeze. A faint layer of glitter covered his desk. 

As he sat down, he sighed. “Sorry if I sound preoccupied. A group of seniors got a jumpstart on their senior prank and now I have to deal with a senior hallway full of glitter. But, anyway, it’s so great to have you back Francesca. So many of your teachers expressed concern for you and asked when you would be returning.”

“Really?” I asked. When I thought about what people would be saying about me it never involved concern. But I’m still waiting to hear what my fellow students think. I got a taste of it on social media over the summer and I was just waiting for what they’ll say in person. 

“Of course! You gave everyone quite a scare back in April. They wanted to make sure you made a full recovery,” Mr. Gutierrez explained. “Now onto the reason for this meeting. Typically the punishment for use and possession of class 2 substances on school grounds is expulsion. However, given that it was your first disciplinary offense and the events of the past year, I’m willing to be lenient. You already missed two months of school and were held back as a result so, I don’t want you to miss any more school. I developed a plan where you will serve in-school suspension for the year. Which means no extracurriculars and you are prohibited from attending school-sanctioned events, including homecoming, prom, and various field trips.”

“So that means I can’t do anything besides go to class?” I exclaimed. I’d basically been on house arrest for the past three months. It felt like I was moving from one prison to another.

“I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, Franny. You need to be focusing on recovering and catching up with your schoolwork,” My dad said, squeezing my knee. I rolled my eyes. I was a straight-A student even when I was high as a kite, I definitely didn’t need a break from extracurriculars to focus on school. 

“On top of the in-school suspension, you are required to complete in school community service, beyond your graduation requirements,” Mr. Gutierrez explained. As soon as he said this I was already concocting a plan in my head to do the community service as part of some of the clubs I was in. But just as fast as the plan was formed in my head it was destroyed. “We have a new drama teacher starting this year. Since you know a lot about our drama department I thought it would be a good idea to have you work with her on the fall production. You will serve as her assistant and show her how the theater department works here.”

“Are you kidding me? You know the reason that I know a lot about the theater department is because my mom was the former drama teacher. You know the one that died less than a year ago,” I exclaimed. I clenched my hands into fists to steady their shaking.

My mom died of ovarian cancer 8 months ago. After she died, I avoided anything that reminded me of her. I wouldn’t walk by her office and refused to step foot in the theater. Working with the new drama teacher seemed like pure torture. I was sure she was a great person but I didn’t need a constant reminder that my mom was gone. 

“Francesca, I know you’re upset, but you need to be respectful,” My dad said. His eyes were full of pain. I know losing a mom was hard, but I could never imagine what losing the love of your life was like. “Now, Mr. Gutierrez, do you really think that’s a good idea? Having constant reminders of her mom could potentially be triggering and lead to a relapse.”

“I understand your concern. However, I see it as a way of carrying on the legacy your mom left here at East High. As you know she was a beloved drama teacher and her loss was felt throughout the school. I truly think this will be a great character-building experience. Additionally, I’ve heard the theater kids are a very welcoming and positive group which will be great for Francesca.”

“I mean, if you think it will be a positive experience then I trust you. However, in the case that it doesn’t work out, do you have a backup plan?” My dad asked. I glared at him. I couldn’t believe my own father would betray me like that. There was absolutely no way this would turn out okay. 

“We have many places in school that Francesca would be welcome to volunteer in. So if it truly comes to it, I would be more than happy to transfer her to any of the other volunteer locations in school.”

“Great,” My dad said. 

“As for her classes, she’s scheduled to retake her courses from the previous semester. However, she can make an appointment with her guidance counselor if she would like to transfer. And that’s it for what I have to say. Do either of you have any questions?”

“Uh, when do I get to meet this new drama teacher?” I asked.

“Why don’t you stop by her office before the assembly?” 

“Sure.” 

“Any more questions?” Mr. Gutierrez asked. My dad and I shook our heads. Mr. Gutierrez stood to walk us out of his office. “Well, thank you both for coming. Francesca, have a great first day. Feel free to stop by my office for anything. Mr. Yates, it was great to see you.”

As soon as the office door opened I could hear the students in the hallway. I turned to my dad, “Do you really think it’s a good idea for me to work with the new drama teacher?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I see how it could be beneficial for you. Continuing your mom’s legacy and working with the theater kids, sounds good for you. But the only person who truly knows what’s best for you is you. So give it a shot, if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll talk to Mr. Gutierrez.”

“Fine,” I mumbled. “I should go. I told Eli I would meet up with him and I still need to see the drama teacher.”

“Okay. Have a great day. Call if you need anything. And I mean anything. I’m only a ten-minute drive away.”

“I know. Thanks, Dad,” I said, smiling. “I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” My dad said. He kissed the top of my head and tried walking out of the office but Ms. Sullivan looped him into a conversation. I ducked out of the office before he could pull me into the conversation. 

The theater and drama teacher’s office were in the same hallway. Which somewhat made it easier to avoid going near them. I was able to avoid this part of the school for months and I planned to avoid it until I graduated, but as I’ve learned things don’t always go my way. Today will be the first time I even approached the hall in months.

I stood at the beginning of the hall for 5 minutes just staring. I felt paralyzed. The few people that walked by gave me strange looks but it was still early enough in the morning that the halls were pretty empty. 

“Come on, Franny. You can do this,” I whispered to myself. I blew out my cheeks and took a step forward and then other until I found myself walking down the hall. 

Beside the office door, was a large glass case. Usually, it displayed the current theater production, but right now it had an in memoriam display dedicated to my mom. A photo of my mom sat at the center of the display. Whenever I met one of my mom’s friends they would always tell me I was a spitting image of her. We had the same dark hair and dark skin, angular jaw, and dancer’s body. The only thing I inherited from my dad was our green eyes. Otherwise, I’m basically a reincarnation of my mom, at least in the physical sense. I could definitely tell in the way my dad looked at me sometimes, that he saw my mom. I definitely did whenever I looked in the mirror. Looking at her picture only reminded me more of what I lost. 

“You must be Francesca.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. The drama teacher popped her head out of the office and honestly, might have been watching me for a minute before saying something. “Oh!... Yea, but you can call me Franny.”

“Why don’t you come into my office. I only have a couple of minutes but I would love to at least introduce myself. Also, please excuse the mess, I’m still settling in,” She said. 

“It’s all good.”

Inside the small office, a few boxes sat scattered across the floor. Papers and books were haphazardly stacked on the desk. The only clear space was the small couch beside her desk. I took a seat while she shifted a few stacks to lean on her desk.

“It’s great to meet you. I already spoke with Principal Gutierrez. He said you’ll be working as my student assistant for the next semester and that you have experience with the theater department. Were you involved in theater before?”

“What?”

“You have experience so I assumed you were involved in theater somehow.”

“Do you not know who my mom was?”

“Uh, no.”

“She was the old drama teacher. You know, the one that died,” I said and her expression fell. I scoffed. “I guess you didn’t. Well, she was and that’s how I know a lot about the theater program.” 

“Oh, honey!” She exclaimed and crossed the space between us to wrap her arms around my shoulders. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, I’m happy to have you as my assistant. In my experience, theater has been a great coping mechanism. A truly powerful experience!”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Also, something that may get you excited is that we’re doing High School Musical for our fall production. And you’ll have a hand in the school where the famous movies were filmed putting on a production of the first High School Musical,” She said, smiling wide. She was much more excited than I was. High School Musical is cool and has a pretty good reputation here at East High, but musicals were never my thing. 

“Well, that seems fun,” I said. 

“Are you not excited? Am I just aging myself?”

“No. Musicals are just not my thing.” 

“Maybe we can change that during our work together,” She said, glancing up at her clock, “Shoot. It’s getting late. I would love to get to know you a bit more, but there are some things I have to do before the assembly. Oh, and I’m Miss Jenn, forgot to mention that. I have a meeting with Carlos, the student choreographer during third period. If you’re free, you should come to the meeting.”

“Of course.”

“And if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, my door is always open.” 

“Thanks, Miss Jenn. I’ll definitely stop by later.” 

“Cool. Have a great day, Franny!”

As I left her office I crashed into someone.“Franny!”

“Eli? How did you know I was here?” 

Eli, my best friend, held out an iced coffee for me to grab. We walked down the hall side by side. “You weren’t at our spot so I went to the front office assuming you were still in your meeting. I found your dad in a very uncomfortable conversation with Ms. Sullivan. He told me you’d be here. And surprisingly you were.”

“Surprisingly?” 

“Yes. You wouldn’t even walk by this hall last year. But kudos to you for making a big step in the grieving process.”

“It wasn’t really a choice.”

“A step is a step,” He said clinking our cups together. Eli and I had been friends since we were in Tiny Tots Ballet and he went by Ella. Since then we've been through transitions, coming outs, middle school, quinceaneras, and everything else. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. Which makes it hard to think about how he’s graduating this year and I’m not. “Anyway, I need a full rundown on what’s going on.”

“I’m on in-school suspension, so no clubs, or homecoming, or prom. And guess who’s the student assistant for the new drama teacher.”

He stopped short in the hallway. “You’re working for the drama teacher? Holy shit. Are you joking?”

“No. Except for the fact that my entire life is a fucking joke!” 

The sound of a locker slamming stopped drew our attention. Just a couple of feet away, Nini Salazar-Roberts and Ricky Bowen stared at each other. They were one of the most well-known couples in all of East High. However, it looked like there was trouble in paradise. 

“You know what you did! Or, what you didn’t do,” Nini shouted. 

Ricky flinched. He reached out a hand but she backed away. “Come on, Nini.”

“We’re done, Ricky.”

She walked away. The crowd around them parted to let her through. Ricky leaned his forehead on the locker beside him. I leaned down to Eli to whisper to him. “Do you know anything about that? The last thing I saw was that cute video on Insta.”

“Do you think Big Red changed over the summer? His hair looks different. Maybe redder?” Eli asked. I scoffed and nudged his shoulder. “What?”

“We just watched a full-on dump scene between one of the cutest couples like ever, and all you focused on was the best friend? You really do have it bad.” 

“Whatever. And to answer your question, I heard she was dating EJ.”

“EJ? As is senior, EJ Caswell. Mr. Wonderbread on the water polo team?”

“Yea, something about theater camp.”

“Huh, you go girl. Really getting all the cute ones.”

“Second that!” He said, raising his coffee in the air. 

“Will students please file toward the gymnasium for the assembly please?” Mr. Gutierrez said over the intercom. 

“I guess we’ll have to finish our discussion later,” I said.

[pyxel-spree]

08 | liaisons and leadership

For Ramon, the next couple of days settled into a comforting routine. Wake up, attempt to eat whatever slop the older Greanleefe child had put together, then dig through everything they had on Annifrid Larsson, sometimes with the help of Danica, Zafir, Damien, and Aza, sometimes not. Evenings, drink with Kalyani, as the Greanleefes kept a prodigious liquor stash. Repeat. Lately, his assistants had their eyes on another prize, the famed Rakhsasi, as they called Kalyani.

The name was an utter embarrassment to her, and she refused to tell him what it meant. A Google search had told him it was the Sanskrit name for "demoness," which didn't sound like a good thing, but turned out to be a compliment of the highest degree. Apparently, she had become something of an Olympia academy legend.

That didn't surprise Ramon. No one else, to his knowledge, had ever pulled a perfect score on the Standard Field Exam. His own exam marks were barely above average, a poor combat score balanced by a good tactical strategy one. It was natural that the trainees saw her as a goddess.

After a few days, however, she had intimidated them all out of enthusiasm, and they had begun to stop begging for lessons, even Damien, who as a trainee needed them. Well, all except one. Danica, after a rough start, had really taken to Kalyani in a way the others hadn't. It was possible she had found someone as neurotically obsessed with perfection as herself. Ramon and the others were treated to hours of crashing and pained grunts. Occasionally, Danica would emerge, sporting a black eye or a twisted limb, but cheerful.

"I hit her," she told Ramon excitedly, over morning coffee. "In the last few seconds of match. It wasn't for very long or very hard, but I hit her. You could tell she felt it. I think I'm getting better."

Ramon smiled. "That's very good." Kalyani had told him she was going easy on her, but her version of "easy" was probably a far cry away from most people's definition of the word.

"So, did you find anything yet? About the you-know-what?" Her voice dropped an octave as she saw Oceania Greanleefe enter.

"Not yet." She really had to work on this whole being-subtle thing.

"I'm fucking starving," announced Oceania. "Where's the food? It better not be any of that oatmeal shit or I'm going on a hunger strike, I swear to God."

Ramon bit his tongue to prevent himself from responding. Llenwi Greanleefe was pleasant enough, but Oceania was a constant source of profanity, griping, and arguments. Her fights with Isolde were carried out at a decibel that was probably unsafe for human eardrums and ranged from subjects as diverse as who would take out the trash to going to school, which apparently, she was dead set against. "I have PROBLEMS!" she had screamed one memorable time. "I'm clinically depressed!" Apparently, she had been kicked out of her fancy boarding school for trying to kill someone, but he doubted it. She seemed like just another spoiled rich kid.

"There's stuff in the fridge." said Danica, keeping her face studiously blank. If Oceania could deduce how you really felt about her from your expression, she would tell you off, even if you were a good ten years older than her. It was kind of amusing unless you were the target.

After some crashing, Oceania emerged, clutching a jar of peanut butter. "Later, fuckers!" she screeched, then barreled up the stairs.

As soon as she was far enough away, Ramon allowed himself to smile. "She's definitely a character."

"In need of a kick in the teeth, more like. She told Zafir to suck her dick because he passed her on the stairs." said Aza darkly, emerging from the kitchen with a cup of black coffee. She snickered. "Not really sure how that would work, but-"

Ramon whistled. "She did? I should talk to Isolde about keeping her away from our agents.  We have work to do, and I don't care how important she is, she needs to control her kid."

"Can we do that?" Danica asked. "They are royalty, even though they don't act like it."

"I could care less. We're providing them a service, so they should treat us with respect." he told them. "Now, come on. I think it's time we reviewed the facts."

"I thought you'd never ask." Danica whipped out her laptop.

"Wait for Zafir and Damien." Aza admonished, shooting her a dirty look. "We realize you're the fastest person to ever use a computer-you don't need to show off."

Danica blushed angrily. "Excuse me for trying to do my job. I didn't realize that was a federal offense."

Aza began to respond, but Ramon cut her off. "Enough! We are here to work, not to pick fights. If this a personal issue, you two can always resolve it with an incident report filed with the Board-"

Neither of them took him up on this. "Good."

The men arrived, with Kalyani in tow. "Well, should we get started?" she asked.

"Uh, sure." Ramon said, making an effort to avert his eyes from her taut frame, still glistening with sweat from this morning's workout. Focus. She can never be yours, you idiot, don't you see? "So, what do we know about Annifrid Larsson?"

"She was a twelve-year old student at Valorian Hill Academy." Aza reported. "Height a bit above average, weight a bit under average. Blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles. Her social media indicates she was fairly popular."

"Which social media?" Damien interrupted.

"Uh, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. She was a pretty active Snapchatter, too. See-" Danica turned her laptop so they all could look. A spread of photographs greeted them. Annifrid Larsson throwing her arms around a girl. Annifrid Larsson in a formal dress. Always with the same brilliant smile.

"She's pretty," remarked Aza.

"Yeah. What else do we know about her?"

"She had transferred to Valorian Hill that year. She was a classical dancer. Decent grades, activities, a social life-she doesn't quite fit the suicidal teenager model." Zafir observed.

"Did she have drug problems?" Kalyani asked.

Ramon could feel the mood shifting. She always has to ask the uncomfortable questions. Which is fine with me-I don't want to do it. "Sort of. The friends of hers the police interviewed said they'd seen her intoxicated on multiple occasions."

"So young?" Damien asked skeptically.

"She was dating an older boy. Zaren Daves. According to the friends, he was able to get her into some of the older kids' parties."

"So party girl." Kalyani said.

"Sure. What we do know is this. Her parents planned to remove her from Valorian Hill and transfer her to Arcadia Village School."

Damien whistled. Arcadia Village was notoriously difficult to get into. You had to be smart or rich-preferably both-to even be considered for entry. And even then, there were few accepted.

"They sent her to the Rayquan Woods summer camp that year, hoping she would meet some Arcadia students there-it was a very exclusive spot. But then one night she went missing. Two weeks later, her head was found in the river. A police search found the rest of her body scattered throughout the Valorian capital."

"Ugh. What did her parents do?" Danica asked. "Clearly, they had a lot of money."

"They were security experts working with the Rublex military defense command. Very wealthy, well-respected."

"Wait-the Rublex? Wasn't that the galaxy that got taken?"

"Yeah. We'd ask them about it, but they committed suicide-for real-when they heard of their daughter's death. Overdosed on pills."

"Clever." mused Zafir. "So her death may have been just a dramatic method of frightening her parents."

"It almost certainly was. There's no other motive for it. Kid like that wouldn't make enemies."

The click of stiletto heels signaled the arrival of Eliza. Instantly, they scrambled to attention, trying to look innocent. She had that effect.

"Good morning." Eliza said smoothly, a cup of coffee in her hand. "We have a visitor."

"Oh?" Ramon asked, instantly on the defensive.

"He's our new director of operations-Olympia wide."

"Since when were we getting a new director of operations?" he wondered. Directors rarely retired, the money being what it was.

"Since today. His name is Oliver Branch-" Eric, who Ramon had not noticed until then, slipped a manila folder onto the table. "and he was a big deal at the academy."

Kalyani picked it up, leafed through it. Then she looked up. "Wait-he's fourteen? How is that possible?"

"I've no idea." Eliza says acridly. "but he's coming today and he's very big on the no-commitments policy, so I expect you two to keep this little liaison under wraps."

"Who, me?" said Kalyani, nonplussed. "I'm not having any liaison."

"Don't try to deny it. You and Agent Solis-I'm not stupid, you know."

"It's hard to tell." Ramon snapped. He was tired of this game, this stupid little game that every supervisor still thought they could play. Rubbing salt in a wound. Every time. He had been professional, he thought. And yes, they spoke to each other often enough, but they were friends, old friends, for Christ's sakes! What were they supposed to do? Lane had done this; even though he and Kalyani actually were having a liaison, he had taken pains to separate them, playing jealous lover without cause. And to hear this from Eliza, whose liaisons were numerous, was ridiculous. A sham. "I'm not having a liaison with her. We're partners. We've worked together for years. It's normal that we talk to each other. And coming from you-isn't that a little-"

Eliza reddened. "I'm not the one carrying out a liaison around a supervisor! You know the rules!"

"But I'm not, and you know it." Ramon protested. "This is another ploy to make me look untrustworthy in front of the new director,  and it's not very subtle. Try harder."

"I am your supervisor. Don't you see? I'm only trying to help. You might have been able to get away with this when Lane was running the show, but we aren't dealing with Lane anymore, Ramon. Best get used to it." So finished, she sashayed away.

Kalyani flinched at the mention of Lane, turning away. He wished he could say something, but came up mute. It was better this way. She didn't want to hear it from him, and it would be insincere anyway. He hated Lane.

••

The Director is a diffident young man, really more of a boy. He is not particularly attractive, with his greasy dirty blonde hair and sallow skin, but his eyes, two chips of blue-grey ice, are sharp and judging. He looks as if he was born to wear a black suit and his coterie of other, young agents are similarly dressed. "Agent Servai. A pleasure. And you as well, Agent Solis. I've heard so much about you."

"Only good things, I hope." Ramon quipped, smiling.

The Director did not smile. Ramon could tell he thought himself too important for such petty emotions. "What work have you done? On the Larsson case, I mean."

"The case? Em...we just got here. We haven't really done much work on it. I mean, yet. Training-"

The Director cut him off. "Then we have no time to waste. The Centauriians are in a terrible crisis and require our intervention immediately. While training is all well and good, our agents need to learn how to handle such concerns, and the best method for that is to begin now."

He weighed his options. On the one hand, he had never liked being lectured at, but on the other, it was better to remain calm. "Yes, sir."

"Good," said the Director, and Ramon realized, with an odd shock, that the boy had Lane's eyes. "We have much work to be done...especially in light of what happened to the Duchess Seonid..."