#mona x mc fanfiction

[monaownsmyass]

Reunion

Book: Ride-or-Die (2)

Pairing: Mona x MC (Ellie Wheeler)

Genre: ANGST (and just some general fluff)

Rating: PG13, Mona has a colourful vocabulary

Word Count: 3,930

A/N: So since we now know what was supposed to happen in Book 2, I HAD to write Mona reuniting with MC again for the first time in 5 years. The idea of them seeing each other after so long, the tension, mhmm! Since I'm working with the bare bones, I'm only guessing how most of the plot was suppose to go down. So if there's any plot holes in my own story, just ignore it :3

I never thought I'd be posting a fic again. And yet, here I am, years later writing for Mona cuz we were ROBBED of Book 2. I feel like I've come full circle cuz my very first fic was for Mona and I'm pretty sure this is gonna be my last. At least for a while. The last fic I posted was the last time I think I properly wrote anything so forgive me if I'm rusty, but anything for my baby Mona <3 Lmk whatcha think of this fic!

Ellie stared unblinkingly at the still face looking back at her from the screen. Her jaw clenched as her mind raced. Five years, it's been five years since she had seen her, five years since she's heard anything about her and there she was. And tomorrow, if everything goes to plan, she'll be right in front of Ellie. She'll actually be there, with her in the same physical space and not the one she had shared with her in her mind over the past half decade.

Just the thought alone was enough to make Ellie want to throw up, either from excitement or nervousness or both, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had been imagining this moment constantly ever since she last saw her. Ellie always thought about what she would say, what she would do, but she could never quite figure out what that would be. And for the longest time, she thought it wouldn't matter. She thought she would never see her again.

Until now, that is.

Ellie inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath, trying to get her thoughts in order. But she never seemed to be able to whenever she looked into those sly brown eyes and at that infuriating smirk on that gorgeous face. It was no different now, apparently.

She slammed her laptop shut. She'll worry about it when she's there.

~.~

Ellie was hyperaware of everything around her. The heat emanating from her coffee into her palms, the espresso machine whirring, the music in the background, the grains of the wooden table.

Suddenly, she heard the shop doorbell ring and her heart fell to her stomach.

She just knew.

Ellie didn't turn to look, she just couldn't bear the weight of it. Instead, she heard, she felt.

She heard the familiar footsteps of boots walking towards her that awoke distant memories. She felt her eyes shut on its own accord. She heard a soft sound of curiosity coming from where the footsteps had stopped. She felt her heart drumming so hard in her chest, she could hear it in her ears. She felt a presence looming over her. She heard a hand slap against the metal backing of the chair across from her.

And then nothing.

Ellie slowly opened her eyes and gulped. When did her throat get so dry?

The first thing she saw was a perfectly manicured hand gripping the chair in front of her that lead up to a familiar fully tattooed arm. She forced her gaze upwards, finding it exceedingly difficult, feeling as if she was fighting against an invisible force, as if the more she dare to look up, the more her own eyes were denying her.

She took in the other hand resting against the waistband of dark pants. She noticed a black tank top covered by a black leather jacket and the way the necklaces worn rested against it. Her breath hitched and her heart stopped when her gaze finally met the one of the woman she had been dreaming of for 5 years now.

And goddamn, was she just as stunning as Ellie had remembered, even more so maybe.

"Mona," she softly breath out as if she was hoping it was true. The name sounded foreign yet familiar against her lips. Oh, how she had missed saying that name.

There Mona was, a hand on her hip and the other propping herself up by the chair, a brow raised and the corner of her lips quirked upwards, as if fighting a smile back. Her pretty brown eyes gazed down deeply into Ellie's and Ellie felt as if she was losing an unspoken uphill battle.

"Well, well, well," Mona whispered and Ellie nearly laughed in relief at being able to listen to her voice again. It was surreal. "If it isn't Ellie fucking Wheeler. Hello, princess."

~.~

The entire situation was so overwhelming for Ellie, she didn't know what to do with herself. She was between a constant push and pull state of fidgety and paralyzed. It was like a dream and a nightmare come true and Ellie wasn't even sure if she wanted to be woken up if it was one.

But it wasn't, and Ellie still wasn't sure what she'd say or do now that she was face to face with the woman that had been haunting her thoughts since she met her.

Ellie took in Mona who was now sitting opposite her. She was leaned back with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Everything about her posture would suggest to Ellie that Mona was being standoffish. The only thing that was making her second guess herself were those damn eyes. Mona made no effort to hide the fact that her eyes were blatantly flickering up and down Ellie's form. They finally settled back on Ellie's and she swore she saw Mona's gaze soften just the tiniest bit. Ellie had no clue if she was assessing her as well or checking her out.

Despite her many psychology classes on body language and facial expressions, she still couldn't read Mona. She never had been able to. It was something that Ellie had appreciated every now and then, she liked that Mona kept her on her toes. But now wasn't one of those times.

"I didn't think you'd come," Ellie blurted out and finally broke the silence, not being able to stand the way Mona was looking at her anymore.

Mona cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged a little. "It's not everyday I get a letter from a girl I took a bullet for 5 years ago. Had to see for myself." Ellie had no idea how to respond but she didn't need to because almost immediately after, Mona leaned in forward and glowered at her. "How did you find me?"

Mona was so near, Ellie could smell her perfume and she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her a bit heady. Ellie leaned back into her chair, feeling the need to put some space between the two of them. She saw the corners of Mona's lips twitch in a flash as she did.

Unlike Ellie, Mona always could've read Ellie very much easily, probably even a bit too easily.

Ellie shut her eyes tight, trying to think of an easy, gentle way to break the news to Mona. There was no easy, gentle way.

"Look, Mona," she sighed and looked up at her. "I was hoping to warm you up a little before I jump into it but since you asked...," Ellie drifted off and paused for a moment to try and figure out the best way to phrase her next sentence. "I'm working with the FBI and I need your help."

Just as Ellie had predicted, Mona was mad. Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair and leaned in even closer to Ellie, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"What the fuck, Ellie?!" Mona whispered angrily, her voice low. "If you're working with the cops, then you know that I fucking broke out of prison, right? You're basically leading them back to me!"

"Mona, listen," Ellie leaned forward and placed a hand on Mona's, not knowing how else to reassure her. It was a mistake, Ellie's breath hitched being so close to her. Both their eyes flickered down at their hands before meeting each other's again. Mona jaw unclenched just the slightest bit and didn't pull away so Ellie continued. "They agreed to clear your remaining offenses and even your criminal record if you cooperate with them."

Mona finally pulled her hand away and she folded her arms again, leaning back into her seat. Ellie leaned back as well, thankful for a way out. She knew she was on the verge of doing something stupid.

Mona considered what Ellie had told her. "What makes you think I want that? If you're working for the pigs you'd know that I'm still involved."

"I'm working with them, not for them," Ellie corrected. "And from what rumors I heard, your current situation is more of a necessity than a want, it's transactional."

Ellie looked at Mona expectantly. If she was honest, she was hoping Mona would fill in the gaps for her because that was all she knew. She hadn't gotten any details. Instead, Mona asked, "Why are you working with them, anyway?"

"There's a heist crew that Logan was in that obtained list of important informants and the FBI thinks I can help 'cuz I have ties with him."

"And where do I fit into this?" Mona questioned, unamused.

"Your current... involvement... appears to have connections to them, so we need your help to gather intel," Ellie put it plainly, no point sugarcoating it and wrapping it up in a pretty bow, especially since she knew Mona would appreciate the directness more.

"Hm," Mona squinted at Ellie and Ellie tried her best to maintain composure which was proving to be very hard in Mona's presence. "Very bold of you to assume I'd risk my neck by going behind the backs of one of the most dangerous crime families just to helps out a bunch of cops. Very stupid, but very bold too. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or disappointed."

Ellie couldn't help but grin. It was the most Mona-like thing she had said and just for a little while, it felt like old times. She decided to push her luck a little further. "Can you... is it okay if you explain to me why you're with them?"

Mona glared at Ellie and then let out a huff, running her fingers through her hair, clearly frustrated. Ellie just watched in silence, unsure what to make of it.

"After all this time and you still can make me want to talk, it's embarrassing," she mumbled and Ellie had to strain to listen to her. Ellie felt her heartbeat start to pick up again at Mona's words. "I'll make it quick. Escaped prison, cops chased, crime family protect, work for them, safe from cops." She gestured with her hand lazily, explaining with complete disinterest as if she's told this story a million times which was ironic since this was probably the first time she told this to anyone.

"Well, think about it this way," Ellie had offered in response after taking some time to ponder. "If you help the FBI, you'll help bust them and clear your offenses, which means you'll be free, Mona."

Ellie could practically see the gears turning in Mona's head, or more like, she could practically see her weighing out the pros and cons on a scale. Mona's eyes flitted from staring at her table up to meet Ellie's and Ellie forced herself not too look away, daring to challenge Mona to accept her offer.

Mona sighed and unfolded her arms to gesture with her hands. "It's a very tempting offer, believe me."

"But?"

"But there's a reason they're the biggest crime family," Mona said in a hushed yet hurried tone. "If they haven't gotten caught for this long, I doubt me throwing a wrench in their plans and schemes would do jackshit!"

Mona was frustrated, but Ellie could tell it was more so about her situation than at Ellie which kept Ellie at least a little calm for now.

"Not to mention, law enforcement fucking sucks, I don't exactly trust them to catch every single member."

Mona's eyebrows furrowed and her lips were set in a displeased line, the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth prominent with her scowling. Ellie found herself missing it.

"I know, I know you're not their biggest fan and I know what I'm asking of you-"

"NO!" Mona slammed her palm against the table, not loud enough to attract unwanted attention but that didn't stop Ellie from jumping in her seat at her sudden outburst. "I don't think you realise exactly what you're asking me to do, princess," she spat out the nickname venomously and Ellie fought hard not to flinch.

"Mona-"

"Listen, I took a bullet for you, I went to fucking prison for you. You get in touch with me again after all this years only to ask me to die for you." Mona paused and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. Ellie watched in silence for a moment, her heart beating a mile a minute in realisation.

"You're right, I didn't think of it like that, I'm sorry." Mona snorted but Ellie continued. "But that's not the only reason I wanted to get in touch with you, I promise."

Mona opened her eyes and looked at Ellie. Ellie could sense she was trying to read her expression, decide if she was being sincere. She was.

It was quiet for a moment.

Mona crossed her legs at the knees and leaned forward. Ellie could see the anger in her expression dissipate into subtle smugness. Mona whispered, "What's the other reason then?"

There it was. Ellie knew Mona knew just from the slight pull of her upper lip and the way she was gazing at her with such intent. Over the past 5 years, Ellie had so much she wanted to say to Mona. Far too much to condense into a one sentence answer, but she tried anyway by saying, "I missed you, Mona."

"After all this time, and you still haven't learnt to save yourself." Mona let out a short, soft chuckle and shook her head. She stood up and tugged at the collars of her jacket, fixing it before shoving her hands in her pockets and turning around.

"Where are you going?" Ellie stood up in alarm, dumbfounded by Mona's actions.

Mona turned to face Ellie again, shrugging slightly. "I have to go, I came here on borrowed time."

"Will you consider it? At least?" Ellie was pleading at this point, but mostly because she knew if Mona said no, this would be the last time she saw her. She was very desperate for it to not be.

"I'll find you," Mona said and started to walk away again.

Ellie sighed softly, relieved that she's got Mona's word that she'll at least hear from her. But Ellie couldn't help herself, she had to ask, she had to know.

"Did you miss me?"

Mona stopped and and turned her head to the side to quickly glance at Ellie at the corner of her eye over her shoulder. She faced head on again and exhaled, as if the question itself exhausted her.

"I haven't learnt either. If I did, I wouldn't be here."

Mona walked away and left Ellie standing there speechless, mind and heart racing.

~~TIME CUT~~

Ellie looked around cautiously as she walked down the dingy back alley. Only a singular, dim streetlamp illuminated the street. Every small sound or movement caused Ellie to whip her head around in it's direction.

Leave it to Mona to pick the most unsavoury, suspicious place at the darkest hour of the night to want to meet up.

All of a sudden, she spotted a car headed in her direction. The headlights so bright, it temporarily blinded Ellie. She would've ran if she didn't catch a glimpse of the familiar purple of the car in the midst of being rendered sightless.

The car stopped right beside her and the door popped open to reveal Mona looking expectedly at her.

"Well, c'mon, get in."

"Mona! You still have your car?"

She rolled her eyes. "Questions later, get in now."

Ellie silently obeyed. As soon as she slammed the door shut, Mona sped off, leaving Ellie clumsily grabbling for her seatbelt. She managed to click it into place before turning to Mona who had a smirk on her face.

Mona looked at ease as always behind the wheel. Leaned back in her seat with one hand on the steering and the other on the shift stick, Mona was definitely in her element. And definitely looked hotter driving than Ellie remembered.

"Not used to the speed anymore, princess?"

"It's been a while," Ellie reminded and looked out the passenger's window, watching the buildings whip past them. "Some things never change though."

Mona drove in silence, not even humming along to the hip-hop music she had playing on the radio. Ellie cleared her throat and decided to speak up. "So, are you accepting the offer?"

"We'll talk later." Mona looked at Ellie briefly before averting her eyes back on the road.

Ellie looked around outside, roughly recognising their surroundings but not exactly being able to place her finger on it.

"Mona, where are we going?"

"You don't remember?" Mona quirked an eyebrow at her as they pull into an open area where a bunch of cars were parked. A video was projected onto a huge display screen right at the front. Ellie's eyes lit up in realisation.

"The drive-in theatre! The one we came to with Mercy Park Crew!"

"The one and only," Mona confirmed as she put her car into park and pulled the hand break up. "Literally."

She pulled the lever of her chair and leaned so far back, she was almost laying down. She raised both hands behind her head and stared at the projection in front of them.

Bewildered at Mona, Ellie's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at her. "What are you doing? What are we doing?"

"We're watching a movie, duh," Mona replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mona was being difficult, Ellie had enough experience with her to at least know that. And lucky for her, she also had enough experience to know how to annoy Mona into talking.

Mustering up the most gushy and enthusiastic voice she could, she said, "Aww, Monaaaa!" Ellie grabbed Mona's knee and Mona looked at her, with both brows raised, clearly confused and maybe even looking a little weirded out by her sudden change in tone. "If you wanted to take me on a date you could've just said so!"

"Pft! A date?" Mona sputtered, taken aback. "You wish, princess."

"What is it then? Are you feeling sentimental?" Ellie cooed and Mona lightly slapped her hand away, the one that was on her knee.

"Hah! Definitely not."

"It's okay if you are, it's actually so cute of you."

Mona gasped and sat up straight as if it was the most offensive thing to mankind.

"I am not cute," she glared at Ellie and Ellie fought hard to hide her bubbling laughter.

"Then what is it?"

"Fine!" Mona threw her hands up in defeat. "I just wanted to relax before we got down to business but since this is so much more stressful let's just talk now." Mona leaned back against her seat and motioned Ellie to copy her seat position.

Ellie smiled to herself as she adjusted her seat lever. "Why are we leaning back?"

"'Cuz it's less suspicious. Also it's more comfortable."

"So," Ellie turned to face Mona. "Why are we here?"

"Because, we needed a private place to talk in public at 9 p.m. and this was what I thought of. They have eyes and ears everywhere, this is the safest bet." Mona looked at Ellie. "I need to know the exact terms of this agreement before I give my answer."

"Yes, yes, of course," Ellie replied eagerly, hopefully that Mona was considering the offer.

"I will be exempted for all my crimes, correct?"

"Yes."

"And my record will be a clean slate?"

Ellie nodded.

"The leak must be anonymous, the gang won't know the mole was me. And I don't want the FBI to be tailing my every move either."

"Okay, that can be done."

"While working with them, I want the FBI's word that I'm under their protection and I get full immunity. I know it'll get messy. I need all of it in writing."

Ellie saw a flicker of emotions pass Mona's face. They both knew how dangerous this proposition was for Mona. Ellie gentle placed her hand on Mona's thigh and Mona stiffen at the soft contact, not daring to even look at it.

"I'll be with you the whole way, Mona. I promise, I-"

"Don't," Mona interrupted, sounding pained almost. "How many times must I tell you. We don't do promises, we don't do loyalty. It's each man for themselves, if you need to run, you run."

Ellie was quiet, letting out a shaky breath and squeezing Mona's thigh. Mona finally looked down at the contact and winced as if she was hurt, as if she could tell what Ellie was going to say next.

"And yet, you're still here."

Mona stared deep into Ellie's eyes, her gaze so intense it was hypnotising.

"I'll do it," Mona said softly. "I'm in."

Relief washed over her. Ellie smiled a little a nodded. As she did, a strand of hair came loose and fell in her face. As if on reflex, Mona's hand came up to brush the hair away, tucking it behind Ellie's ear. The gentle touch of Mona's fingers against her face made her sigh in contentment. Ellie had missed Mona's touch so much, she thought she could cry. It felt like an oasis after years of being parched.

Ellie thought Mona would pull her hand away, but she didn't. Instead, she let it rest on Ellie's cheek. Mona's warm hand cupped Ellie's cheek and Ellie leaned into it. She closed her eyes, reveling in the comfort and familiarity of it after 5 years. She moved her hand that was resting on Mona's thigh up her wrist, holding Mona's hand there, afraid Mona will move, afraid of missing the contact. But she didn't move. Instead, she whispered her name.

"Ellie."

Ellie's name coming out of Mona's mouth sounded so intimate, so precious. Ellie opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Mona staring back at her. She had never seen Mona look at her like that before. She looked soft, conflicted, as if she was fighting back. Ellie's lips parted and she noticed Mona's gaze look down at her mouth.

"Mona."

Ellie breathe her name out slowly, a praise, a hope, a gift. Silently wishing Mona would do what she'd been dreaming of for the past half decade. She was so close to getting what she wanted- no, what she needed. The touch, the gaze, the shallow breathes, it was all too much to handle. Ellie was ready to burst out of her skin, it was all too overwhelming.

"Fuck," Mona cursed, her resolve crumbling. She leaned into Ellie while pulling her closer as well. Their lips met halfway in a gasp and Ellie arms immediately wrapped around Mona's neck, her fingers playing with the baby hair on the nape of her neck. Mona moved her free arm around Ellie's waist and securely held her close.

Ellie could help but whimper at how good it felt to be in Mona's arms again, to be kissing her and holding her and savouring her. She had waited years to be able to do this again and it was beyond what she had hoped. She had forgotten how good Mona felt, she almost laughed at how she ever wondered why no one else could make her feel even a fraction of what Mona did. How could they when Mona made her feel like this.

Their lips moved in tandem and their grips on each other tightened. Even though Ellie had been waiting for so long for this, it was hard to believe any time had even passed between them with how in sync they were with each other.

Mona moaned softly into Ellie's mouth when she grabbed Mona's hair in her fist. Mona reluctantly pulled away and rested her forehead against Ellie's. Their hold on each other never ceasing as they tried to catch their breath.

Ellie felt delirious, she thought she would ascend at any moment. Mona softly brushed her thumb against her cheek. Ellie hummed softly at the touch and turned just the slightest bit to kiss the palm of Mona's hand. Mona sighed.

"I can't believe I'm still here."

[mrpenguinpants]

Mona HCs: Self-worth

[For the Christmas Celebration Requests, please read this]

---

Hey anon! I’m so sorry this is late. I hope you’re doing okay anon, wherever you are. But I’m happy to hear you like my work 💕💕 I don’t mind talking/writing about sensitive topics if it can help people, even if the comfort is coming through words it’s still comfort, but I’m never too busy to skip over a request. Just might be a bit slow haha. I’m glad you enjoy reading them and sending me an ask! Thanks for telling me I’m doing great cause damn I need that right now.

If any of you are struggling right now, even if you’re in a slump, I’m always free to talk. Sometimes it’s easier to vent to a stranger and know that you aren’t alone. We’re in this together.

I’m kinda scared to post this but that’s alright;; This was way longer than I thought it would be so I’m gonna split Barbara and Mona into separate hcs.

But, depending on the feedback (if there is any lol) I might skip Barbara. I swear I was going to make this happy but then I shot myself in the kneecap.

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​​​  @mikeysbike​​​ @unionwitch​​ @musekala​​ @twistedsunnshiii​​ @stanzastic​​ @akaasea​​ @xoneaboveallx​​ @adoring-ghost​​ @asheseiler​​ @childelover​

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Mona HCs: Self-worth

Mona Megistus was an astrologist of great skill and equally-great pride. She was both beautiful and confident and never used her astrology for profit. You were so proud of her and grateful that she was your partner. But maybe being with someone so great was when you started feeling off. You started comparing yourself to Mona and everyone else around you, seeing and thinking that everyone was doing something worthwhile. Sucrose and Albedo were great alchemists. Jean, Kaeya, and Lisa were part of the Knights of Favonius. What were you doing? Even though you felt guilt for feeling these ugly emotions towards your friends, you couldn’t stop them. You loved Mona, nothing would change that. So instead, you started hating yourself. 

You had met the astrologist when she was moraless and starving outside the walls of the City of Freedom. You knew that she had a temporary home towards the corner of Mondstadt so why was she outside the walls? It turns out that she spent all her mora on astrological devices and forgot that she was human and needed to eat and had collapsed before making it home. Out of the kindness of your heart and frankly, leaving someone to die right outside the gates of the City of Freedom would be awful, so you helped carry her back to your home and made sure she was alright. Since then Mona had attempted to return the favour but you always declined. You didn’t want to know about your fate but if she wanted to hang out as friends, you would be inclined to. It started to elevate from there and now you’re both partners. Since then you found yourself in Mona’s temporary lab and house more often than your own home. 

Being that you spent so much time with Mona, you’ve had to deal with a fair share of clients storming out the door because of Mona’s bluntness when reciting their fates. To be fair, she was blunt towards you too. In the beginning you didn’t mind, you actually enjoyed the honesty, but now you couldn’t help but second guess yourself. Trying to reason with yourself that if Mona didn’t like you, she would say it. If you weren’t good enough, she would tell you. Well, due to her astrology she took one glance at you the next time you walked in and knew all your deepest insecurity's.

“Your life is not at a standstill, it’s not hopeless. There is nothing to be sad about.” 

That made you take a step back. Slowly registering the words and repeating them over and over in your head. You knew that she was just telling you what you needed to hear. That this is what you needed and wanted to hear. That she wasn’t trying to be mean and that she was right. You wanted to live a happy life with her and if you felt useless then you should work on it. Staying holed up in your room wasn’t going to help you. You knew all of this and yet, you could feel yourself slowly breakdown.

“Breathe in. Breathe out. You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.”

Mona had her experiences of clients crying and getting angry at her predictions but when she saw you slowly breakdown. To see your eyes start to burn and get heavy, like the rim of a glass being pushed down and down. To see you slowly crumble from the inside out as you tried to hold your tears and sniffles in. She didn’t need the stars to tell her that she said the wrong thing. She was told to never offer advice, just to read what fate said when asked. 

“I want to be happy. But I just can’t. I want to enjoy these little moments. I want to enjoy seeing my friends. I want to do so many things and make so many happy memories with you. I know all of these things and I’m trying my hardest to think like that but I just can’t. I can’t. Am I just not trying hard enough? Am I enough to you? Am I worth enough to be okay?”

She called out to you but you already turned away and ran out the door. You didn’t see each other for a few days because you couldn’t help but second guess what you said. Were you overthinking it? Mona didn’t say anything hurtful so why were you so upset? You didn’t want to face her so you curled into yourself further and let yourself get swallowed whole in despair.

When a week had passed, Mona made her specialty dish “Der Weisheit Letzter Schluss (Life)” and awkwardly shuffled outside your door. She wanted to give you time to yourself but after talking with Albedo and Klee plus your absent presence from her, she felt lonely and was starting to reflect on her words. It was a insensitive to take your happiness for granted and while she usually didn’t complain about upset clients being told future’s they didn’t want to hear. You were important to her. You were worth enough to be told things were going to be okay and much more. 

As much confidence that Mona had in herself and her skills, she couldn’t manage money. She was always living on poverty line. She almost died if you didn’t find her and extended your help. She was so lonely and you were the first person that she considered a friend. More than a friend and more than a partner. You meant so much to her and she couldn’t realize that this is what you needed to hear instead. 

She softly knocked on the door to see if you were home but the door gave away. You hadn’t bothered to even lock the door. At least you were in Mondstadt so she could rely that no one had broken in. She softly opens the door and places the dish on the table and searches your little home trying to find you.

You’re on your bed, asleep even when it’s noon. She didn’t want to wake you up but she didn’t want to leave yet. Not until you were okay. She felt so much guilt and only now found the courage to come see you. She was disappointed in herself that she basically abandoned you in your time of need, what kind of partner was she? She bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed as she carefully lied down next to you and wrapping her arms around you. Even if you hate her or you don’t want to see her, she doesn’t want you to think that you’re worthless or she doesn’t care. You mean so much to her and you spent all this time not knowing.

You don’t need to be the best, even if you think that what you’re doing isn’t good, it was and she was proud of you. No matter how long it takes for you to feel okay, to feel happy, she’ll stay by your side the same way you did.

“It’s okay. It’s okay to feel like you’re not good enough. Don’t feel guilty for being stressed or sad. Things will get better. Fate has not abandoned you and neither will I.”

She had regressed to her apprenticeship, thinking that astrology could explain the laws that governed the existence of all things. That human hearts were guided by these laws, and if one had great enough powers of calculation, all the mysteries of the world could be understood. She remembered when she was starving, you had shared half your food with her. In your small but warm kitchen as you offered her your own hard work just to make sure she, a stranger, had something to eat. 

"Out here, we've gotta have each other's backs."

That was the first time she truly questioned her thoughts under the stars, she marveled that her research had been so full of holes. Mona cries silently beside you, even with all her training and how she boasts about the power of astrology, she can’t help you. No matter how many hydro graphs she makes or tells you that the stars show a glimmer of hope. That won’t help you. So she holds you and hopes that you can feel all her emotions and love. 

While you’re asleep she tells you about when she first started astrology, she accidently scaled herself. The burns are still on her as a reminder that she makes mistakes. How she was moraless for years after leaving her Master’s teachings but somehow found a job in the Court of Fontaine’s mainline newspaper. All on pure chance. She tells you how appreciative she is that you visit her everyday, to make sure she has a meal, and that she remembers to write her column for the newspaper. That she’s grateful to have met you and have you stay by her side. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s okay. It will be okay. You’re enough. You’re perfect. Everyone may seem to be exceeding but it doesn’t mean you’re slow, that you’re not worth it. You are at your own pace, working through your own steps. You’re not alone. I’m here. You’ll be okay.”  

[emma-nation]

Fanfiction Masterlist:

AO3 | Fanfiction.net

Resident Evil Village:

The Devil In I (Bela Dimitrescu x OC)

Follow Me Through The Dark (Cassandra Dimitrescu x OC)

Choices:

Bloodbound

Ride Or Die

Lovestruck Gameplays:

Yvette Holte

Vivienne Tang

* some fics are not included in these links, I'll either rewrite or remove them permanently in the future

* I'm aware my older fics on AO3 and FF.net have tons of spelling mistakes. I'm not an English native speaker. I didn't use a spell checker at the time and I also improved a lot ever since. I'll fix them once I feel healthier, please be patient and avoid leaving offensive comments on these fics.

Corrected versions of them are available here on Tumblr, in the links included above.

Thank you.

[lovehugsandcandy]

the good kinda luck (Mona x MC, RoD)

Pairing: Mona x MC, ROD

Length: ~400 words

Rating/Warnings: PG-13 (Swearing?)

Summary: Snake eyes is bad luck. Sometimes.

.

“Did it hurt?”

Mona scoffs, but her huff turns breathy as Ellie’s fingers trace featherlight over her side. “I got shot in the gut; it wasn’t fun.” Her breath catches as Ellie peers closer, and a strand of hair lands gauzy and gentle across her stomach. “Besides, you were there.”

“I meant the tattoo, idiot.” Her tone is joking, lilting at the end, but her eyes are probing, soft. “You got a prison tattoo. A little different from Ximena and her gun.”

“A little.” Mona quirks a shoulder. “I don’t know. Got sick of looking at the hole in my stomach.”

Ellie’s gaze softens further, thick lashes pulling down at the corners, lips twisting into a pout. “I still have the dice you gave me, you know.” Her fingers trace the perimeter of the tattooed die’s front edge; the scar from her gunshot makes up the center face and, beside it, a second die also shows one. Snake eyes. 

The unluckiest die roll possible to mark Mona’s streak of bad luck that only edged into worse.

“Did it bring you lot of luck?”

“I’m still alive, aren’t I?” Ellie says

Mona’s fingers glide across her hairline until they find the divot, a tiny notch of a scar, physical memory of glass and metal plunging 15 feet to the pavement, Mona’s heart plunging with it until it slammed into concrete. “Barely.”

“I’m here with you.”

“You are.” She can still remember walking out of the jail, finally out on parole, aimless but free. She had frozen when she stepped onto the sidewalk to see Ellie perched against the hood of her car, spinning a key chain around her finger, red paint gleaming in the sun.

The fingertips slip up the dark line, ink chain interlinking the die curving up in a graceful slope before curling under the curve of her breast. “I think that’s some luck, isn’t it?” Ellie asks, fingertips tracing down and stilling above the line of Mona’s jeans, wide eyes hopeful and trusting.

Is it luck? Chance? The stupidity of a valedictorian who was supposed to forget all about her and instead refusing to let her disappear into the night?

Maybe a bit of all three, and that’s enough for Mona. She leans up on an elbow so she can reach Ellie’s shoulder, pulling her onto the bed to kiss the smile off her face.

“Seems like.”

.

Tags:

Perma

@leelee10898, @client-327, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @choicesarehard, @burnsoslow, @zaffrenotes, @kat-tia801, @desiree-pow-35-1986, @ritachacha

ROD

@omgjasminesimone, @mskaneko, @alyssalauren

[blackandblueandstars]

Time waits for no one

Trigger warning: If you’ve struggled with pregnancy, this might be a hard read. Babies, children, etc. I dunno. It was a small laugh, you could barely even hear it but it still lit up the room. Ellie couldn’t help but feel it in her soul. The warmth, the light, all from such a small bundle of joy. She held her close, her small fingers wrapped around her thumb, her brown eyes wide with wonder and a hint of mischief. God, she looked like Mona.

As if summoned by the thought, Mona walked through the door, hands dirty from fiddling in the garage. “We’ll get a few more miles out of her,” she said, wiping her hands on a rag before tucking it in her back pocket.

Ellie smiled, catching her eye. “We’ve already gotten far more than we should’ve, thanks to you.”

Mona’s neck turned the slightest shade of red before she covered it with her hand, rubbing awkwardly. “Just doing my part,” she mumbled. She leaned over, looking at the swaddled baby in Ellie’s arms.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” she said lightly, in awe of the miracle they’d created. She opened her mouth to speak again when a loud blaring interrupted the moment.

Ellie opened her eyes, flailing to turn off the alarm. The room seemed darker than normal, coming out of the dream. Just a dream.

Alarm snoozed, she curled her arms around herself, taking a deep breath.

Happy, she thought, squeezing her eyes tight. I’m happy. I’m with the woman I love, doing what I love. That is enough. This is enough.

She hated herself for where her mind wandered in the night. She hated herself for the minutes that passed while she reminded herself how lucky she was, how happy she was. She hated every second that she didn’t believe the words.

“El?” Mona called from the other room. “You up?”

She blinked back the tears, steadying herself. “Working on it,” she answered lightly, adding a grumble at the end. She never understood how Mona was such a morning person.

Mona poked her head in, her brown eyes roaming over Ellie’s body. “Get a move on,” she said, lingering a little too long in the door.

“Sure that’s what you want?” asked Ellie with a wink.

Mona chuckled. “We’ve got to get to the shop.”

And that was that. Ellie pulled herself from bed, dressing quickly and darting out the door.

---

Mona took a deep breath. Nothing made her feel more at home these days than car grease tinged with gasoline. She looked around the shop, a lion surveying its domain. Ellie had made a beeline for the office, mumbling something about paperwork. She handled the business of it all, leaving Mona to the cars. With Ellie’s business sense and her...obsession...they were well on their way to being a premier import dealership in the area.

On their way, being the key phrase. It hadn’t been easy-going. El did her time in college and Mona served hers. They had a late start, and they’d put every dollar they had into growing this business.

They were happy, though. She wasn’t one for words or feelings, but Ellie...Ellie turned it all around for her. She made her something...someone. 

“Hey boss!” Mona shook her head, returning to the hustle and bustle of the shop.

---

Ellie focused on the work. It always gave her some feeling of purpose. She was happy. That was the most frustrating part of all of it. She loved Mona, she loved their life. It was her decision not to...not to conceive. 

She paused, taking a deep breath. This is stupid. Get yourself together, Ellie. But it wasn’t that simple. These things never were, were they? Her body yearned for a baby, her own baby. It was in her DNA. It was something she’d dreamed about since she was small.

And now she was old. Old, and in love, and all she wanted was to put more love into the world. She remembered that little girl from her dream. She had Mona’s eyes, her dark hair. A real heartbreaker. 

But that wasn’t reality, of course. They couldn’t just...make a baby. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much. Even if she could carry, the baby wouldn’t be theirs. Not biologically. And she knew, of course she knew that that didn’t really matter.

And then there was the cost. They couldn’t afford it, even if they were in agreement, even if they both wanted it. 

She wasn’t sure when the tears began, but she wiped them from her face quickly when she heard a rap at the door.

“Hey, El, I--” Mona cut off as she caught sight of Ellie’s tear-stained face. “El?”

“Hey, baby,” Ellie said, dropping her gaze to the stack of papers on the desk. “I was just about to start the invoices. What did you need?”

Mona crossed the room in two steps, towering beside Ellie. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m--”

“El,” she said quietly, kneeling before her. “You’re crying.” Mona wiped a tear from her cheek, her calloused thumb so gentle as it grazed her skin.

“I--I can’t…” Ellie murmured. She knew if she told Mona she’d blame herself. She couldn’t put that on her. But it hurt, holding it in. No one would understand. It’s not like she was physically unable to conceive. It was...it was her choice, right? She chose Mona, she chose the business. She chose this life.

“Ellie.” Mona’s voice was firm as she squeezed Ellie’s hand. “This is not how we do things. Talk to me.”

---

Love has a way of warping us. If we’re lucky, it’s for the best. But sometimes it’s not. Sometimes, it derails everything. Mona knew that pain too well. Like a cement block tied to your feet, dragging you down when all you want to do is tread water.

She tried to hide the tremor in her hand as she kneeled on the dirty floor, eyes locked on Ellie. Before she even spoke, she could feel it in her bones. These tears, they were about her...about them. Her head swam, heart thundering. We’re happy, she thought, overanalyzing every interaction, everything she’d done, everything she hadn’t. I thought we were happy.

“Ellie.” The word came like a lifeline, the only thing tethering her to the scene before her.

“I’m sorry,” Ellie whimpered. “This is so stupid.”

Mona had been shot. She’d been betrayed. She’d experienced every kind of pain imaginable. But nothing like the way her heart tore right now, watching Ellie, hearing Ellie’s pain.

“No,” she said, forcing the air into her lungs. “Your feelings are not stupid. Please, El, tell me.”

---

Ellie couldn’t stop the tears, now. She was angry with herself, angry for letting it get to her, angry for letting Mona see. She took a breath, meeting Mona’s eyes. She could sense her fear, and she knew she didn’t have a choice. Not anymore.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she began, trying to find some explanation for the intensity of her emotions. “I guess I’m just tired and emotional, I guess that’s why I’m such a mess.”

“What’s got you so upset?” Mona asked, not letting her off the hook.

“I’ve been dreaming,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been dreaming about having a baby. Yours, and mine. Ours. It...it’s part of each of us, and...she’s so beautiful, and...I know…”

She cut off, taking a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. “I know that we agreed. I know that I agreed, that I changed my mind. But I...I can’t help feeling like I’m missing out on something.”

Mona was quiet, eyes on Ellie. It was true, they’d agreed. They’d agreed to put the business first...the business Mona wanted. They’d agreed not to have a child of their own. A child that Ellie had always wanted to carry and Mona wasn’t even sure she wanted.

“We can adopt,” Mona started carefully. “Like we talked about. Older kids, the ones that need love and safety.”

“Yea,” Ellie said softly. “I know.”

---

This is out of left field, Mona thought. But the more she thought about it, she realized that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t, not for Ellie. Ellie, who’d dreamed of carrying a child, who’d dreamed of giving birth and being a mom.

Mona never really wanted kids. Not after everything she’d been through, everything she’d done. She didn’t need to ruin another human. She just needed to stay as far away from influencing anyone’s life as possible. She was too broken, too utterly damaged to be a parent.

But with Ellie...she’d opened her mind to the possibility. But then Ellie said she wasn’t sure if she wanted it, anymore. And then they started the business, and years had passed, and now...now it was barely an option.

“I’m sorry,” she said, unable to meet Ellie’s eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

It was all she could say. She always had a solution, a way to fix things, a way to make them better. But she couldn’t fix this. She couldn’t turn back time. She couldn’t change biology. She couldn’t magically acquire thousands of dollars for one shot...a long shot, with Ellie’s age.

“Me either,” Ellie whispered.

The air was heavy between them. Mona stood, wrapping her arm around Ellie’s shoulders. 

“Why don’t we take off?” Mona asked, gently. “Go home early, maybe go for a ride?”

It was a band-aid, at best. She knew that. It wasn’t an easy thing, mourning something you’d never had...someone you’d never know. As she held Ellie’s hand and led her out of the garage, she felt the sadness she carried with her. She even felt some sadness herself. She hadn’t wanted a child, but to see how badly Ellie did...it felt like something had been ripped away from them before they’d even had the chance to decide they wanted it.

They climbed in the car and drove home in silence, Mona feeling unbearably like a cement block. 

[scgdoeswhat]

Mirage - Mona x MC

Happy Mona Day for @rodappreciationweek​!!

How about a little impromptu drabble to go along with this?

Mirage

Had it been only a year since all the events of her senior year with the MPC?

Everything changed so much but as Ellie looked down at her Langston sweater and around her bedroom back in Mar Vista, some things never changed at all. Sure, she was back home for the summer, but nothing was the same.

A pang hit her in the chest when she thought about what happened with the Crew. Where was Logan? was Colt still around LA? But most of all, how was Mona?

The last she saw was Mona bleeding out after dropping her off at the hospital… and that was that.

She wiped an errant tear from her eye at the memory; she knew she had to close the book on that chapter of her life but how could she when she didn’t even know if Mona survived?

And that’s when she heard it: The sound of a familiar muffler rumbling down the block. But maybe this was her wishful thinking, akin to a mirage in a desert.

She shot out of bed and ran to her window, praying that her ears didn’t deceive her. Peering out towards the street, the biggest smile appeared on her face at the sight that greeted her. There, on the hood of her distinct purple car, sat Mona.

Ellie was sure of it as she ran down the stairs, out of her house, and into Mona’s arms. This wasn’t a mirage at all.

********

Thanks to @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @choicesarehard​ @client-327​ for hosting ROD Week! 

Tagging a few who might be interested in Mona content: @ohsnapitzlovehacker​ @queen-of-effing-everything​ @itsbrindleybinch​ @tayab12​ @aspenroman​ @leondaltons​

[zaffrenotes]

[ROD] Adventures in Babysitting

Book: Ride or Die Pairing/Players: Logan x Jin, Mercy Park Crew with a focus on Colt, OCs Rating/Warnings: PG – language/swearing, but mostly fluff   Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * A kind Nonny requested a future fic to have the crew look after Logan and Jin’s toddler * My submission for @rodappreciationweek Epilogue Day; thanks again to @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard @client-327 for hosting another successful event! * 31 days of ficlets and one shots using Jasmine’s Situational Summer Prompts – Popsicles * Word Count: +/- 5500 🙃

Perma/RoD Taglists: @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @loveellamae @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries // @choicesarehard @client-327 @everythingchoices​ @burnsoslow​ @debramcg1106​ @omgjasminesimone​ @emichelle​ @iplaydrake​ @lovehugsandcandy​ @lovemychoices​ @saivilo​

11:48 AM

Colt was in his office, on the phone with one of his suppliers, when he was interrupted by a rapid succession of knocks on the opposite side of the door. “Paul, lemme get back to you,” he sighed. He hung up the phone and scribbled a note on an invoice in front of him. “Toby, WHAT?” He exclaimed, just as the office door swung open.

Toby’s wide-eyed, nervous expression made Colt clear his throat, and he softened his tone before speaking again. “What is it?”

“Someone’s looking for Logan,” Toby replied, holding up the front desk phone in one hand, covering the base with his other hand. “They sound official, wouldn’t tell me why they’re calling,” he added, walking briskly into the room to hand over the phone, “said you were the only other person they were authorized to speak to.”

Colt’s brows raised in question, and the made an effort to keep the rest of his expression calm so as not to spook Toby into a panic. He beckoned Toby to hand over the phone, making sure to cover the mouthpiece, and took a deep breath before speaking. Toby quietly sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk, clasping his hands together.

“Hello?” Colt paused for the caller to speak. “Yes, this is Colt Kaneko, you’re trying to reach my partner, Logan Rhee?” He side eyed Toby. “Uh huh. He went out this morning to pick up parts, his service might be spotty…Have you tried reaching his wife?” Another pause. “I see.” He covered the mouthpiece again, looking over to Toby. “Where’s Jin supposed to be?”

Toby picked up the tablet charging on one side of the desk, and opened an app. “Uhh… according to the schedule, she’s in a research lab until 4:30.”

Colt pulled his hand away from the receiver. “Mrs. Rhee’s doing lab work all day today, that might be why you haven’t been able to reach her…Okay. I understand. Got it.” His brows pinched together in annoyance. “Lady, I got it!” He exhaled loudly and jammed his thumb on a button to end the call. He clenched, then unclenched a fist, counting to himself as he breathed hard and slowly worked to calm down. Tossing the phone over the desk in Toby’s direction, Colt got up from his chair and reached for his cell phone, slipping it into his pants pocket. “It was just TJ’s preschool,” he replied, answering the questioning look in Toby’s eyes. “She spiked a fever and they haven’t been able to reach Logan or Jin, so I gotta pick her up.”

11:57 AM

Heading to the preschool took longer than anticipated. Colt initially grabbed his helmet, as he normally would, when he would get ready to leave the shop during open hours, but cursed at himself and set it down. Jin and Logan wouldn’t have to maim him for putting their only child on the back of a motorcycle; he would’ve kicked his own ass for all of them. He didn’t quite ask, but rather insisted, that Toby hand over the keys to his car. Toby’s car was definitely out of service, as evident by its raised placement in his workspace, halfway through a tire installation. Colt rolled his eyes when the rest of the group - Mona, Ximena, Ryan, Quincy, and even the latest addition, Jordan - drew straws to determine who would have to loan their car to him.

“Christ, I just need a car. Any car. To pick up the kid!”

Everyone held up the wire remnants Toby had cut up to use as straws, and Mona and Ryan laughed quietly, holding up long pieces in their hands. “New girl’s outta luck,” Mona smirked, casting a subtle wink in Colt’s direction. Jordan held the shortest wire between two fingers.

Colt pursed his lips together and swallowed. “C’mon Tanaka,” he sighed. He held out his hand, waiting for Jordan to drop her keys, but she just stood there. “Jordan?”

The young woman across from him shook her head lightly, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Nuh uh. Nope. Nobody drives my car but me.”

Colt rolled his eyes and sighed. “For the…fine, go get cleaned up, we’re leaving in five.”

He waited impatiently for Jordan to change out of her coveralls and wash off some of the grease and grime on her hands. She’d been working at the shop a little over six months, to keep up with the growing demands of Logan’s endeavor of restoring vintage cars with an extra kick.

Seven years had passed since the chaotic spring when Colt returned to LA, competed for Jin’s heart against her now-husband, lost his father, took down the Brotherhood, and began to rebuild his life. Since then, he’d rebuilt Kaneko Auto Body, and with his reluctant assistance from the others, restored the shop to be something bigger than he ever thought it could be. When Jin transferred back to school on the West Coast, she was a driving force for Colt and Logan to go to college. Colt earned a business degree, and Logan studied engineering. Somehow, between group study sessions and days spent working at the shop, his hatred towards Logan diminished to mild irritation; it was mostly Jin’s doing, seeing how she bloomed around Logan. The two of them made sense together, even though Colt would always argue that he could’ve ruled the city with Jin by his side.

It was a sliver of a dream that faded away as soon as she flashed a sparkling ring on her finger, just after graduation. Any feelings that remained were affectionate and friendly towards the girl that used to look out of place at side shows, once she and Logan announced that they were going to have a baby. Right around the time of TJ’s birth, he and Logan signed paperwork to become silent business partners - and bought out a section of property next to the body shop to expand operations.

Logan’s new skills as an engineer and technician, combined with his fascination in restoring classic cars that most people would’ve given up on, created a niche market that lured in a new level of clientele. Logan’s rebuilds were in high demand, so they hired Quincy to help with paint jobs and reupholstering. Ryan was hired on to help with Colt’s side of the business. Between work, raising a baby, and Jin attending grad school, they were spread thin.

Colt offered Jordan a job the night he saw her at a side show. Her ridiculously pink Honda caught his attention first, with My Melody and Kuromi characters painted all over it. Her magenta and lavender hair ticked a box he didn’t know needed ticking, and her initial brushoff stoked a tiny ember in his heart. When she pushed her car past its limit in a race and sent up a pillar of smoke at the finish line, she hollered at her crew to get her tools, and she repaired the engine within minutes. She was a candy-colored mechanical magician, and he needed her in his shop.

While hearing “Mercy Park Crew” and “Kaneko” didn’t instill the same level of fear as it did when his father had been in charge, most circles knew what Colt Kaneko was capable of. It was a line no one challenged, even now.

“Where we headed, boss?”

“Need to hit up Target and get a ca—“ Colt blinked several times, stunned into silence when he turned around to answer Jordan. She’d changed into temptingly low-rise jeans and a fitted tank, the former making him twitch in his pants. “Carseat. Carseat,” he finished. He ignored the impish smirks Mona and Ximena had on their faces, and got into the passenger side of Jordan’s very pink, very girly car, flicking the sparkly bunny charm hanging from the rearview mirror.

1:13 PM

After a harried stop to pick up a carseat, Colt and Jordan made their way to Sunny Days Preschool to pick up Logan and Jin’s daughter. TJ was a precocious three year old, and he not-so-secretly indulged in her every whim as her godfather. He converted part of the upstairs loft space just for her, even before she’d been born. When Jin told the group that she was pregnant, Colt renovated the loft to include a cozy nursery room for the baby, knowing Jin would want someplace quiet if and when she’d have the baby with her at the shop.

TJ loved all things pink, purple, and any little car she could get her hands on. When Colt gifted her a tiny plastic tool set last Christmas, her smile warmed his heart. They spent countless afternoons together, with TJ on her play mat mimicking whatever Colt was doing, while he cleaned up pieces of engines when Logan or Jin needed a babysitter. TJ’s little brows would furrow together when she twisted plastic bolts and screws apart, and she’d stick her tongue out the side of her mouth the way Jin would when she’d pause to think about something. And then there was the unmistakable mop of curls on her head, courtesy of Logan’s genes; soft, soot black hair that flared auburn in the light.

Colt kept stashes of chocolate around the loft for her, though they were often out of reach for her tiny hands. He and the rest of the group took turns looking after her, reading books and teaching her words in Spanish, Korean, and Tagalog. When Logan or Jin had to work or study late in the evening, he’d stay in the loft with TJ, often times singing her to sleep. It was something he only reserved for her ears.

“Must be pretty tight with the Rhees to be the emergency contact for their kid, eh boss?” Jordan pressed her foot on the gas, and her car accelerated in kind as she drove down the long stretch of highway.

“Makes sense from a practical point of view.”

“What about family though?”

Colt scratched the back of his neck. While there were no secrets about the parts everyone played to form their non-traditional family, the original crew never really talked about the fallout Jin had with her father. That was her life, and her details to share. TJ’s birth helped to begin to rebuild that bridge, but as far as Colt knew, there was still a long way to go. “You’re looking at their family. Me, Tobs, Mona, Xi…Ryan and Quincy, we’ve been looking out for each other for years now. Even if Mona tells you otherwise. You’ll see.”

Jordan pulled up to a cheery looking building with a bright yellow sun and dancing flowers painted on the front. She pulled into a visitor’s parking spot and Colt opened the door, glancing back down at her when she set the car in park. “I’ll just wait,” she said, peering up to him. “Keep the car cool for the little one.”

Colt nodded and shut the door, tapping the roof twice before heading inside the building. He offered a small grin to the woman at the reception desk. “Colt Kaneko here to pick up TJ Rhee…she was running a fever?”

The woman moved a mouse around and clicked on something on the screen. “Poor sweetheart, yes,” she answered, typing something on a keyboard. “Do you have photo ID with you? We need to verify you’re the emergency contact listed on the form.” Colt pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled his ID from a slot, sliding it over the ledge of the desk. The receptionist looked over his ID and back up to him before handing it back. She picked up the handset from the phone on her desk and punched in several numbers. “Hi, it’s Carrie at Reception. Mr. Kaneko is here for TJ…oh, okay, I’ll let him know. Thank you.”

“Let me know what?” Colt’s stomach clenched with anxiety.

“Nothing to get alarmed over,” Carrie replied. “She’s still got a slight fever, ninety-nine point eight, but she doesn’t seem to want to drink any fluids, and she hasn’t used the bathroom in a few hours. She’s wearing pull-ups as a precaution.”

“What kind of fluids would be good for her?”

“Small sips of water, ice chips, something like Pedialyte or watered down fruit juice, broth if she has an appetite. One or two tablespoons every fifteen to twenty minutes, or as often as she can stand to drink. Bland solids like toast or mashed potatoes if she’s hungry and hasn’t vomited. I—“ she paused to see Colt typing frantically into his phone. “Would you like me to write this down for you?”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks,” he muttered. Carrie began writing things down on a piece of paper. “I’ve looked after her plenty of times, but she’s never been sick before.” He saved the e-note and pocketed his phone.

“It’s not too uncommon at school, being around other kids. The amount of stomach bugs and colds that run through here would make you want to keep your kid in a bubble some days!” She glanced up to see Colt’s blank, wide-eyed expression. “Not that we don’t keep the facilities clean! It’s just…nature of things, you know?” She folded up the paper and handed it to him.

“Uh huh…” Colt slipped the paper into his back pocket, just as someone walked out with TJ in their arms. Her hair was in pigtail buns, and he grinned softly. “Heyyyy there, Meatball Head.”

TJ’s head perked up and she twisted around, tiny smile crossing her face when she recognized Colt. “Ahjoosh Coco,” her tiny voice rang out. She stretched her arms out towards him, and the staff member handed her over to Colt.

TJ wrapped her arms around Colt’s neck and immediately laid her head down on his shoulder. He could feel the warmth radiating from her head against his skin, and his heart sank, knowing she didn’t feel well. The staff member handed over a backpack - it was pink and sparkly, with the shape of a unicorn’s face on the front. “TJ’s things,” she said, proactively answering Colt’s unspoken question. “Change of clothes, lunchbox and water, blanket and stuffed toy for naptime.”

He slung it over his free shoulder, thanked the ladies for their help, and TJ weakly waved goodbye to them as he exited the building.

After wrestling with the safety straps in the carseat and a quick introduction to Jordan - Jorjan, according to TJ, with the pretty, pink car - they were back on the road to return to the shop. Colt began looking through the backpack for any form of medicine, but came up empty handed. “We need to go back to Target,” he sighed. “Pick up some baby Motrin or something, maybe some Pedialyte and juice.” He craned his neck back to look at TJ. “Hey Meatball Head, did your teachers give you any medicine, or just water?”

“Ummm…water,” TJ replied. “Ahjoosh, Ahjoosh, you sit wif me?”

“The car’s moving, I have to stay in my seat, but you wanna hold my hand?” Colt twisted his arm behind the console and gave TJ’s leg a tiny squeeze.

“Nooooo Ahjoosh! You sit! Wif me!” TJ began to cry, letting out an ear-piercing wail.

“Good god!” Colt exclaimed. “Pull over! Oh my god pull over!” Jordan eased off the gas and pulled into a bank parking lot, and Colt got out of the car, quickly trying to dial Logan’s number as he climbed into the back seat. “Pick up, pick up, pick up!”

“‘Lo?”

“Where have you been?!” Colt scrunched his face at the casual tone to Logan’s voice.

“I just got a signal back on my phone, man,” Logan replied. “What’s going on with TJ? There’s a bunch of messages here. Did they get a hold of Jin?”

“She’s still in her lab, as far as I know. Look,” he sighed. “I picked up TJ and I’m here with Jordan. She’s bawling her eyes out because she wanted me to sit in the back with her.”

“Ah, yup, she doesn’t like riding by herself,” Logan answered. “It’s a new thing. Just sit with her, give her a toy or a book from her backpack. If that doesn’t work, play some Elvis on the radio.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope, she loves him,” Logan chuckled. “Dead serious. She got to watch Lilo and Stitch this month and it’s her new favorite. Hey, I gotta go, I think I’m go—“

Colt frowned as he pulled the phone away from his ear and saw the call had dropped. “Hey Jordan, d’you have satellite radio or bluetooth to connect to your speakers?”

“I’ve got both,” Jordan called out over her shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Elvis might calm her down.”

“On it!” Jordan giggled as she tapped at a screen, and soon Elvis’s velvety voice filled the car.

Slowly, TJ’s wails turned to sniffles, and it wasn’t long before she began to sing along as she made up words to Heartbreak Hotel and Jailhouse Rock. Colt messaged Logan and Jin for any new tips in case TJ had another meltdown, and it wasn’t long before he and Jordan were back in the Target parking lot.

After a longer than necessary trip to pick up baby Motrin, apple juice, Pedialyte, snacks, a coloring book and new crayons, and an ear thermometer, Jordan was back on the road, headed back to the shop. She smiled when she glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Colt reading to TJ, while Elvis’s greatest hits continued to play.

2:22 PM

“Ahjma Xie!” TJ scurried over to Ximena in the garage, hugging her tight as Ximena scooped her up.

“There’s my little warrior!” Ximena patted TJ’s back and pressed the back of her hand to one cheek. “Feeling warm today, hmm?” TJ nodded, and Ximena looked over to Colt, who had his hands full with shopping bags and a bright backpack on one shoulder. “Has she eaten?”

“Give me two minutes,” Colt sighed, dumping the backpack on a shop couch. “Didn’t want to give her anything in the car in case it didn’t stay down.” Jordan and Toby helped him carry everything up to the loft, Ximena following them.

After putting things away, Toby popped batteries in the thermometer and took TJ’s temperature. “Ninety-nine point six.”

“It went down a little.” Colt prepared the liquid Motrin and brought it over with the water bottle from TJ’s backpack. “Okay Meatball, time for kusuri, it’ll make you feel better.” (A/N: kusuri = medicine in Japanese)

“Yuck!” TJ clamped her mouth shut and buried her face in Ximena’s shoulder.

Several minutes of coaxing proved fruitless, and Colt’s patience was beginning to wear thin, when he remembered something. “Jordan, gimme a K-I-S-S,” he whispered, jutting his chin towards a small ceramic bowl on the counter.

“Um, okay,” she replied, leaning towards Colt.

“No, no,” he grinned. “I meant the uh, C-A-N-D-Y kind in the bowl over there…but I’ll take the first kind another time.”

“In your dreams, boss!” Jordan covered an embarrassed smile with her hand and plucked a chocolate kiss from the bowl, hiding it behind her back.

“Meatball,” Colt spoke softly. “If you take your kusuri like a good girl, you can have a chocolate.”

TJ turned her face towards Ximena’s neck. “Loc-late?”

Colt nodded. “That’s right, locolate,” he repeated. “But you have to swallow up all your kusuri first, to help you feel better. Okay?”

“Okay.” TJ turned around and let Colt give her the clear syrup, making a face as it went down. She took a few sips of water from her bottle, smacking her lips when she was done. “Loc-late, Ahjoosh Coco?” She held out her tiny hand towards him, waiting for her reward.

Colt looked at Jordan and ticked his head in TJ’s direction. “She deserves it,” he grinned, shaking his head. Jordan unwrapped the chocolate and TJ’s eyes lit up. “Do you want a story or a movie with Auntie Xi? Or Uncle Toby?”

“Lilo ‘hana, Ahjma Xie!”

Ximena looked at Colt, hoping for a translation.

“Lilo and Stitch, current favorite movie,” Colt replied.

4:45 PM

Colt was back in his office, trying to finish up his paperwork from the morning. Ximena and Toby had taken turns watching the movie with TJ, and Mona read two books in an effort to get TJ to settle down for a nap. Logan messaged that he was stuck in traffic, and Jin’s lab experiment was taking longer than she anticipated.

TJ’s energy level went up and down while everyone took turns watching her. One minute she was curled up next to Mona, pointing at pictures in her storybook, and a few minutes later she wanted to have a dance party with Toby.

Colt watched it all from an old baby monitor they’d stored with TJ’s baby things in the loft.

He was surprised when Mona let TJ color in the tattoos on her arm and sang some sort of lullaby in Arabic.

He was less surprised when Toby played The Ramones and Save Ferris for a tiny rock concert. 

7:02 PM

Dinnertime came and went, and with it, most of the crew. Logan and Jin were still trying to get back as fast as they could, but Colt was the only one left at the garage, along with Jordan. She cleaned up and kept an eye on things while Colt was up in the loft with TJ.

Her temperature was close to normal, at 98.9 degrees, as evidenced by the renewed level of energy. “What do you feel like eating for dinner? I could eat the left side of Kelso’s menu right now.” He descended the stairs with TJ in his arms; she had her new coloring book and a pack of crayons in her arms.

“Bimbap!” TJ exclaimed.

“Bibimbap, hmm?”

“Bimbap!” TJ repeated.

Colt set her down on the ground and patted her back. “Okay, how bout you color with Jordan while I make dinner?” He took out his phone and tried calling Logan again, remembering that Jin said she’d call once she was leaving campus. Thankfully, Logan answered. “Dude, how far away are you?”

“Still at least forty-five minutes from there, give or take,” Logan grumbled. “Why I thought I could do this drive in half a day is beyond me.”

“You should know better by now,” Colt laughed. “Look, her temp’s nearly down to normal, but she says she wants bibimbap for dinner. Anything I should avoid adding so she actually eats it?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, before Logan spoke up. “No meat, no chili garlic sauce, no shallots. Scrambled egg instead of fried if she says she wants one…but you might have to eat it anyway,” Logan chuckled. “Sometimes she’ll just eat two bites of egg and decides to hate it.”

“So… rice, cucumbers, carrots, and spinach? Soy sauce and sesame oil?”

“Sprouts, if you have those.”

“We might, actually. Toby got pho for lunch.”

“Try to get her to have some of the broth if it’s chicken,” Logan added. “Nap. Yes? No?”

“Nope.”

Logan sighed. “So…she might get cranky in about an hour, fight off the sleep. I’ll try to get there as soon as I can. Totally fine to let her watch a movie until she passes out at this point.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, Colt?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for watching her today.” Logan coughed lightly and cleared his throat. “Total clusterfuck with schedules and shit.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Colt replied. “You know this kid has us all wrapped around her finger.”

Logan laughed on the other end of the line. “Don’t I know it. See you soon.”

Colt ended the phone call and walked back to the small kitchenette area in the back of the garage, peering over the couch as Jordan watched TJ color a page full of kittens in her coloring book. He got to work putting together bowls of bibimbap as best as he could with what he found in the fridge. He warmed up a small cup of broth from the leftover pho and called Jordan and TJ over when the food was ready.

“Nice of you to stick around.” He glanced up at Jordan before blowing on a spoonful of broth for TJ.

“Didn’t have anywhere to be,” Jordan shrugged. “And Miss Tater Tot was pretty nice company,” she added, smiling over to TJ.

“I no tader tod, I meatball head!” She beamed a smile at Jordan. “Right, Ahjoosh Coco?”

Colt grinned softly at her, tapping one of the buns on her head. “That’s right.”

“What’s ‘ahjoosh’ mean?” Jordan took another bite of food from her bowl. “Also, who knew you could cook?”

Colt grinned again, jabbing his chopsticks at the rice in his bowl. “This kid loves her bibimbap, I had to learn how to make it once Logan and Jin introduced solid foods to her.” He took a bite of a cucumber slice, chewing and swallowing before answering the second question. “Ahjoosh is her way of saying ahjussi…it’s kind of like ‘uncle’ in Korean. Ajumma is ‘auntie’. They tried to teach her Tito and Tita for Tagalog, but we’re still workin’ on those T’s, aren’t we?” He patted TJ’s back affectionately.

“And Coco?” Jordan looked over to Colt and grinned.

“Mama, Dada, Coco… Mona’s Momo,” Colt shrugged, but he could feel the back of his neck prickle with warmth. “Only the kid gets to use those names.” He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he’d grown fond of the nickname, hoping to keep it even after her enunciation improved.

7:42 PM

After cleaning up their dinner - Colt ended up having to eat most of the scrambled egg from TJ’s bowl - TJ was allowed to have one ice pop; she picked a pink one, naturally. Instead of the brightly colored Fla-vor ice pops found in most stores, he kept a small supply of the ones found in Asian markets - pastel colored plastic tubes that had to be snapped in half in order to be consumed.

The dose of slushy sugar water was enough to get her to stay awake long enough to get cleaned up. He went back up to the loft to get her ready for bed, searching through dresser drawers for something that would work as pajamas. He kept extra clothes in the space for the nights he’d work late and would be too tired to ride home.

“Ahjoosh, can you sing for me?” TJ asked, face contorting as she yawned.

“Yeah Meatball, just as soon as I find you some jammies.” He ruffled some shirts in one drawer. “What song do you want to hear tonight?”

“Umm, nice song,” she replied. “White dress song.”

Colt paused. “White dress song?”

“Dada Mama princess song, king song.”

Colt sighed. She was talking about Logan and Jin’s wedding song. Can’t Help Falling In Love.

There was a soft knock on the door before Jordan stepped in, holding something bundled in her hands, and a case on her back. “Overheard you on the monitor,” she said, walking towards them. “Thought this might help. It’s clean, I keep a change of clothes in my trunk.” She handed Colt the cloth in her hands.

Colt held up the cloth and the corner of his mouth quirked up. Hello Kitty was emblazoned on the front of the shirt in glittery neon pink, and he momentarily thought about what the miniature tee would look like on Jordan. He turned and held the shirt up for TJ. “Whaddya think? You want to borrow Jordan’s shirt?”

“Kitty!”

He turned to look back at Jordan. “Think you just won extra points with her,” he smirked. “What’s with the case?” He turned back to help TJ change out of her clothes and into the Hello Kitty shirt.

“I…I play a little guitar,” Jordan replied. “I thought I could play while you sing, if I know the song?”

“You know Can’t Help Falling in Love?”

“More Elvis?”

“More Elvis.”

She giggled softly. “Yeah, yeah I know that one.”

“You get ready while this little meatball goes potty, yeah?” He looked down at TJ. TJ hopped off the bed and made her way to the bathroom, and Colt gave Jordan a shy grin before following TJ to make sure she didn’t fall into the toilet.

Jordan took her guitar out of the case and strummed her fingers across the strings a few times, tuning them as she played a few notes from the song. She felt nerves flutter inside her chest when she heard water running from the bathroom sink, knowing Colt and TJ would be back soon. It was rare that she ever played in front of anyone; more often than not, she just played melodies she’d make up in her head to help her unwind from the day. She straightened up when TJ skittered back into the room and climbed onto the bed, Colt boosting her up onto the covers.

“Keep your meatball hair up? Or should we take them down?” Colt sat down next to TJ  and held up the thermometer again. “One more time, yeah?”

TJ sat up and let Colt take a reading, setting the thermometer in her ear. “Hair down, pweez.”

The thermometer beeped, and Colt sighed with relief. “Normal.” He set it on the table next to the bed and started undoing the buns in TJ’s hair, gently tugging the elastics from her hair. It fell down in large, fluffy curls. “Okay, time to get comfy, find that sweet spot for sleeping now!” He smiled softly as she wiggled under the covers, and he pulled a small fleece blanket from her backpack. He laughed when he pulled a replica Scrump doll from the pack as well.

“Scruuuuump!” TJ hugged her doll tightly.

“Ready?”

“Ready, Ahjoosh!”

“Here we go.” He patted her head gently and looked over his shoulder to Jordan. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Jordan nodded and adjusted the guitar in her hands, and slowly she began to play the notes to the song. Colt began to sing, and the richness of his voice caught her off guard. He sang soft, but clear notes as TJ closed her eyes and squeezed her rag doll to her chest; it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep, one arm falling limply to her side. Jordan played on for another minute or two after Colt stopped singing, before quietly tucking her guitar back into its case. She flipped the hinges down as silently as she could, and leaned back into the couch cushions, looking over to Colt.

He pressed a single finger to his lips with a tiny grin, making small movements to push himself off the bed without disturbing TJ. He switched off the lamp by the bed, and turned on a small nightlight plugged into a wall socket, before making his way over to the couch, and sat down next to Jordan. “You’re pretty good on that,” he whispered, motioning to the guitar case on the floor.

“You’re a surprisingly good singer,” she murmured back. “I…did not expect to see this side of you today.”

“What side?”

“This soft, ridiculously cute, caring side.” Jordan let out a tiny puff of air. “You’re really good with her.”

“She’s family.”

Jordan shook her head. “It’s more than that. She’s not spoiled, but I can see how all of you care about her so much. She’s a lucky kid.”

“We weren’t all so lucky. I guess we’re trying to make up for our crappy childhoods by making sure she has a decent one.”

“You need to stop saying shit like that,” she scoffed lightly.

“What? Why?”

“Because,” Jordan exhaled. She rubbed her palms against her thighs. “It makes it that much harder to keep myself from kissing you.”

Colt’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and he looked over to meet Jordan’s eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard then.”

“Mayb—“ Jordan’s words were lost to Colt’s lips, melting into soft whimpers as his tongue pressed against her bottom lip. Her thoughts dissolved into pleasant sighs when he pulled her close, and he kissed her over and over and over again, until their lungs begged for air.

“Maybe,” he panted softly, brushing a few stray hairs away from her face, “we should go out, next night off.”

-

Down in the garage, Logan and Jin stood in the back room, looking at the grainy black and white video from the old baby monitor. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and they were both grinning at the small screen. “About damn time,” Logan whispered, leaning down to kiss Jin’s temple.

[harbingerofdespair]

They said that ride or die won’t be getting a sequel because the staff weren’t available and that they didnt want to mess it up

@playchoices please bring ride or die back I’ll give you my legs and all my banana milk

[xiervollerei]

Mona x MC

@rodappreciationweek day 3: Mona

Word count: 874

TITLE: Found you

It's already been five years since Veronica last saw Mona, the memory of seeing her get cuffed by the police and dragged away still burns fresh in her mind. She'll never forget that damn smile Mona gave her before she has to leave her behind. 

Veronica already finished college, she moved out of the house she used to live with her father and now she's just living life to the fullest moving from city to city with her car that carries the memories of the Mercy Park Crew, she wonders how Colt is doing taking over his dad's business after he died she also wonders where Logan, Toby, and Ximena is they're company was always welcome to her.

Then there's Mona...

She wonders if she's already out of prison, and that she's also moving from city to city with a different alias. Part of the reason why Veronica is on this adventure was because she hoped to find Mona in the process, even just for a second, she just wanted to know if the girl is doing okay just so her mind can finally calm down and let herself forget and move on. 

But tonight Veronica will wash her worries away with lots and lots of alcohol, she parked to the nearest nightclub she sees and entered the premises, the loud thumping bass of the music doesn't somber her thoughts though, so she went straight to the bar to grab a drink. She sat on a stool and waved down a bartender which immediately rushed to grab her order, after a few minutes her drink arrived in a flourish and the next thing she knew she's drowning shot after shot just so she could forget tonight.

Forget her eyes, the taste of her lips, and that intoxicating voice of hers. Veronica just wanted to forget tonight.

"Tough day?" A voice breaks Veronica out of her trance, she turns to find an attractive woman right in front of her although she doesn't know if she's seeing things right because of the alcohol.

"Yeah... Trying to forget about someone."

"If that's an ex they are not worth getting drunk to, you're too beautiful to get dumped." A surprise chuckle slipped on Veronica's lips, and for the first time that day, she smiled even just for a second.

"There you go, you have a beautiful smile as well."

"Mhmm... You don't look like you're drinking anything, waiting for someone?"

"I'm trying to find this girl, I haven't seen her for five years then I suddenly got a text and told me she'd be here today."

"Wait... So you've never heard from this girl for 5 years, but she texted you once and you'll drop anything just for her?"

"That about sums it up."

"Why?" The mysterious woman stared at Veronica for a few minutes, considering her words before she spoke up.

"Because I love that girl, and even though I told her five years ago she shouldn't waste her life finding me... Here she is anyway, scouring the entire universe just to find me."

Veronica's eyes widened in shock, and the words slowly started to register in her brain. She rubs her eyes just to check if she's seeing things right and it's not just the damn alcohol but when Veronica reached out to cup the stranger's cheek, she realized she's no stranger at all. Right here in front of her is the woman she spent five years trying to find.

"Mona? Is it really you?"

"Yes Veronica, it's me."

Overwhelmed with emotion Veronica surged forward and kissed Mona, which the latter quickly kissed back in response. The two poured all their yearning and feelings into that kiss, they didn't even try to hide their desperation even though they're in public, Veronica missed this she missed her home, she missed every bit of Mona and she couldn't believe that this is real, Mona's really here.

The two finally pulled away to catch their breath, their foreheads resting on each other, scared that the other might disappear if they let go.

"How did you find me?"

"You sent me a text, remember?" Veronica immediately knows what she's talking about, in the past five years every time the girl moves to a new city she makes sure that she texted Mona where she's heading, in some hope Veronica thought she would be able to read it and find her where she is. She knows it's risky, but the first time she did it nothing happened so she continued every time she would have hoped Mona can finally see the text she's never felt so happy to see her plan worked out in the end.

"But how did you see it? I thought you would have thrown away that phone by now."

"Turns out I never got the strength to throw it away, and I'm glad I didn't."

"God Mona, I missed you."

"Me too."

After a few minutes the shock finally wore off, Mona stood up from her stool offering her hand which Veronica immediately took.

"Let's get out of here?"

"Where are we going?"

"Honestly I have no idea, but wherever you go I go."

"That was so cheesy."

"Ugh I know, it sounded better in my head."

[embarrassingsmartphonegame]

La La Lost You - Mona x MC (Ellie Wheeler)

Summary: Based on the song La La Lost You by NIKI. Mona receives a letter from Ellie while in prison, and against her better judgment she writes back.

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1,038

All my love,

Ellie

It took a lot to shock Mona. She remembered vividly her own calm and aloof demeanor when she was told she would help kidnap someone, and her dry, sardonic remark when she threw herself on the wrong end of a bullet for a girl. It was always a girl who landed her in all the wrong places...but it was surprisingly this particular girl that briefly brought her out of it for the twenty minutes it took her to read the piece of paper resting in her hands. Short, simple phrases in eggplant purple glided across the clear white page; to Mona’s shame she knew who wrote it from the neat penmanship even before she saw the signature.

Elena “Ellie” Wheeler...Ellie freaking Wheeler somehow found out which prison she was being held in. Ellie freaking Wheeler sent her a letter while in prison. The girl Mona embarrassingly took a bullet for sent her a letter telling her about how she was settling into her new life at Langston, how interesting her intro to sociology class was (Mona couldn’t help but snort at that), how she was considering pre-law, and how much she loved and missed Mona. The latter sent butterflies in her stomach, even through the slowly healing scar of surgical repair. It was more than she deserved.

Mona’s hands gripped the paper tightly, her urge to rip it apart juxtaposed with her desire to hold on. Ellie was never good at being told what to do, and Mona both hated and loved that about her. Ellie’s face running through her mind, Mona went against her better judgment, picking up a pen and notepad.

.

.

Dear Ellie,

I don’t know why I’m writing this. I thought I told you to forget me, but you were never good at being told what to do. New York City is awful; way too many people and the rent is fucking stupid. Can you even drive your car where you are? Are you someone who now takes the subway? Nerd.

But I’m glad you’re living your life as the goody two-shoes you were meant to be. Pre-law, huh? Actually fitting for someone who single-handedly took down a few dirty cops. You’re a smart girl, Ellie, I know you’ll do great things. Greater things than missing and loving a fuck up like me. 

Hope New York holds you...hope it holds you like I do.

Now scram,

Mona

Ellie chuckled at the letter; it was just so...Mona. And she loved it. In comparison to her initial letter, this letter was written messily and on a cheap legal pad with a ballpoint black pen. And yet she held it as if it was the most precious diamond in the world. Mona always saw right through her. It was all true; the rent prices were awful and her souped up sedan that her father really shouldn’t have given back to her was usually in its parking spot...that she also had to pay for. Each word was bliss to her as she read it in the soft glow of her lamp in her dorm room, knowing that “now scram” in this case was Mona for “I love you.” Ellie shook her head in amusement; she really wasn’t good at being told what to do. She took out another piece of pristine paper and an electric blue pen.

.

.

And on and on their letters went. Every month Mona would get a letter in the same pristine white printer paper but with a different colored gel pen, sometimes sparkly and sometimes metallic. 

I swear, Ellie, you just like having an excuse to keep buying all these colorful pens! Also the metallic purple is my favorite.

And in return Ellie would get a longer and longer letter as Mona opened up to her.

I get, I really do. Thanks for telling me about your mom; I know how hard that can be. I still miss mine everyday.

It was constant, and they would often talk about the past (cautiously) and often talk about the future. Days turned to months and months turned to years. Ellie was working towards law school acceptance (You argue too damn well for them not to accept you.), while Mona read and studied everyday while in prison, eventually getting her GED (Now who’s the nerd?).

Langston have a law program?

Yeah there’s a good law program here, but I’m looking at other places. Might even go back to the city of angels.

Aww you might come back to LA? You sure you don’t just miss me?

Maybe I just miss the warm weather! My toes are turning blue here!

.

.

A few months into her senior year of college Ellie didn’t get a letter, and she had her last and bravest letter to Mona unanswered. After waiting two months for a response, she sat on the floor alone in her dorm and struggled to fight back tears; maybe her demons really did lie in that damned smile. She couldn’t believe it...maybe it was time to let go.

I love you. What do you say about giving us another try once you get out?

.

.

Mona let the wind coming in from the open driver’s side window whip through her long, black hair. Yet again she felt indebted to a Kaneko, who held her beloved car and maintained it during the years she was in prison. But to her surprise, he let her go with no demand for repayment. Mona knew not to question it. She took what little belongings she had, along with a large stack of what was basically the entire rainbow, and headed east.

Eventually Mona arrived. It was strange for her to be back, but she was a woman on a mission. Years of exchanging letters with Ellie and Ellie had pretty much told her enough of her routine to know how to reach her. At precisely 5:30pm, the girl in question got off the L-train and turned the usual corner, only to be met with an unusual site. Her eyes landed on a familiar purple Yottsume Halberdier; and she met the dark, welcoming gaze of the driver.

I love you too. I say yes, Ellie.

=================================================

A/N: I’m back! As always, thank you for reading and all comments are always welcome 💜

Permanent tag list: @furiouscloddonutpeanut @inlovewithrebels @nighthunterkatherine​

[lovemychoices]

Always Be My Driver - A RoD Rom-Com [Colt x MC/Logan x MC]. CH 3

Book : RIDE OR DIE

PAIRING : Colt x MC/ Logan x MC

SUMMARY: Emma and Colt have been childhood best friends since forever, they were both inseparable. In middle school they became something more but when Colt had to move with his mom away from LA all the way to Miami, things started to change between them. A small misunderstanding leads to the end of their relationship. Years later they meet again at the most unlikely place. Will Emma and Colt be able to mend what has been broken between them? Or will it continue to crash and burn?

Characters except my OCs belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them

Word count : 3500 ish..

Chapter Summary: Now that Colt is back and spending the whole summer at the shop, will things get better between him and Emma?

A/N : So this chapter was sort of inspired by an episode of FRIENDS. If you’re a big fan of the comedy series than you know why. 😬 Also this is a dialogue heavy chapter. Plus I hope you can look past my grammatical errors, which must be a lot cause I haven’t done much polishing.

Warning/Triggers : Pretty safe PG-13 stuff... for now.. *Evil laughs here* But just to be safe make sure you’re 18 and above before you read this series.

Catch up with the series HERE

Dear Diary,

This past year has been awesome. I met the most amazing guy, who I am so in love with and best part is he loves me back. Made a few awesome new friends along the way, got in to the perfect school, kept up good grades, won a lot of races.. you get the whole idea.

But see here’s the thing, just when you think things are perfect, life somehow manages to find a way and kick you in the gut. Yes I’m talking about a recent visit of a certain someone from my past. Colt Kaneko. As if meeting your ex boyfriend who you haven’t seen in like forever wasn’t weird enough. Now we have to live under the same roof for the entire summer.

That’s not even the worst part, the worst part is he acts like I don’t exist. The only time he talks to me is when he has something snarky to say other than that he completely ignores me. I mean it’s not like I care. This first time I noticed this was when Colt came walking into the garage asking for a sharpie. I offered to borrow him mine, I tried to be the mature one by offering him an olive branch and you know what he did?! He gave me the look and said he’d just buy a new one from the store. I literally had on right there in front of him and he just.. He is acting like I was the bad guy and was responsible for us breaking up.

Logan doesn’t know about our history at least the part where we dated. He already can’t stand Colt, why should I stir the pot hot on something that happened when we were kids. It’s not like I’m still in love with Colt Kaneko.

I’m not in love with Colt Kaneko.

[[MORE]]

A few days later..

Okay Emma this is your chance, just walk up to him and ask him what’s his problem. You’ve tried to be nice but if he is gonna be a jerk about it..

“Colt.”

He turns around then raises an eyebrow at her.

Why are you being such an asshole to me?

“The customer with the broken tail light wants to know if his car is already fixed?”

“I’ll be out to see him in a minute.” He answers flatly.

“Ok, cool I’ll let him know.” Well that worked out great.

****

A week later..

Colt slumps on the couch in the backroom reading the latest edition of top gear while Mona sat across him busy texting on her phone when Toby enters. “Hey Colt, Mona. Ximena and I are heading out for lunch. Wanna come?”

“I just ate so I’m gonna sit this one out.” Mona replies and shift her focus back to her phone.

“Sure, I’ve got nothing better to do here anyway.” Colt responds then tosses the Megazine on the table.

“Anyone saw Logan and Emma?”

Logan and Emma walks in with their face flush and hands entwined, Emma giggles at something that Logan whispers in her ear. Colt rolled his eyes at the sight and pretends to scroll on his phone, anything to avoid looking at the two.

“Oh. Hey didn’t notice you guys were here.”

“Great timing we were just looking for both of you. Where have the two of you been?” Ximena asks raising an eyebrow at them while folding her arms.

Emma and Logan gave each other coy smiles. “We were at the loft.. getting some workout done. Gotta stay healthy these days you know.”

“Right…” Ximena answer in a skeptical voice. “So we’re about to go out for lunch. You two want to join us?”

“Oh that sounds awesome. What do you say babe?” She turns and beams at Logan.

“Yeah sure I could use a bite to eat after all that workout.” He replies emphasizing on the word followed by a grin.

Colt gave a sarcastic eye roll again. “I think I just lost my appetite.” He mutters under his breath but it was enough for Mona who’s sitting near him to hear. She raises her eyebrow but doesn’t say anything at least not yet.

“So it’s settled.. Oh I call shotgun!” Toby beams excitedly and heads for the door, the others follow behind. “Colt, aren’t you coming?” Ximena asked.

“Nah.. You guys go ahead. I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do anyway.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have anything better to do a few minutes ago.” Mona pressed.

“Yeah, well I do now.” Colt retorts giving Mona glaring look.

“Alright if you say so..” and left with the others leaving Colt and Mona behind. Colt grabs the TV remote from the coffee table, surfing the channels to avoid having a conversation with Mona.

“So, What’s the deal between your and korean barbie?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb Colt, we both know you’re too smart for that. Now spill the beans or I’ll find out myself one way or the other.” She demanded with her arms crossed.

“Honestly Mona it’s none of your business. And why do you care so much?” He seethes.

Mona snorts a laugh. “I don’t.. But I like knowing things because knowing things gives you leverage. So talk junior.”

“We were friends and now we’re not. End of story, now leave me alone.” He abruptly stood up and starts walking towards the door.

“Colt,wait! I don’t know what went down between you and Emma but that was a long time ago, you were just kids and she’s been trying to reconcile since you got her.” She heaves a sigh. “All I’m saying is you’ve been friends before and I’m sure there were more good times than bad. Emma is a pretty good friend, hell don’t tell her I said this but she’s a great friend. And a friendship with her isn’t worth losing over some silly fight you had as kids.”

Colt gave Mona a thoughtful look. Who knew Mona had a soft side. I hate to admit it but maybe she’s right? He shook his head and without a word walks out, closing the door behind him.

****

A few nights later..

“Emma, oh thank God. Listen what ever happened we can fix this okay. Just talk to me please.” Colt pleaded his voice cracking.

“Colt, I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to hear excuses. We’re over for good. I’ve changed my number so don’t bother trying to contact me you won’t get through. Goodbye Colt, I hope you’ll be happy there.”

“Emma, wait!”

“How could you?”

She turns around and sees.. “Logan?”

“How could you lie to me Em, I thought we promised each other no more secrets.”

“Logan, what are you talking about?”

“I think we need a break and probably shouldn’t see each other for awhile.”

“What? Logan no wait!”

Emma wakes up covered in sweat trying to catch her breath. Logan lying next to her with her head on his chest, she could feel his chest gently rise and fall as he breathes.

She heaves a sigh of relief. It was just a bad dream.

The sound of thunder rumbling, echoes through the night sky and catches her attention.

Great as if the nightmares weren’t enough now there’s rain and thunder outside.

She closes her eyes and tries to go back to sleep but between the rumbling noise of the thunder and thinking about the dream of Colt and Logan, it just made her insomnia go into overdrive.

This is so frustrating! I can’t sleep! maybe I need some milk or a late night snack.

She gently moves Logan’s arm, careful not to wake him. She puts on a pair of bunny slippers and slip out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her before heading down stairs.

*****

The whole place was extremely quiet since everyone was asleep, the only sound she could hear was the loud continuous sound of thunder crashing in the background. She opens the door to the back room and sees Colt bending down in front of the microwave.

“Colt?”

Colt jumps at the sound of Emma’s voice with one hand pressed to his chest. “Christ! Emma you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing down here at this hour?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” She said and saunters over to the island, taking a seat on the stool. “What are you doing making popcorn at this hour?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Why would anyone make popcorn?” Colt replies in a flat voice. “So what’s got you up at this hour? Prince charming a loud snorer or something?”

“I’ll have you know he sleeps like a baby.”

“So he cries in his sleep a lot?” He grinned.

Emma rolls her eyes at him. “This was a bad idea, I’m going back to bed.” She got off the bar stool and turns toward the door.

“Em, wait.” He stops her before she could leave. Emma turns back to face him. “What now Colt?” Her voice flat when she answers. This better not be another snarky comment about Logan.

Colt nervously rubs the back of his neck. I can’t believe I’m doing this. “Look if you want, you can watch the movie with me and I’ll even share my popcorn. It’s.. melted butter and caramel.”

Damn it, that’s my favorite! Emma crosses her arms giving him a skeptical look. “What’s the catch?”

“Why’d you think there’s a catch?”

“Uh… I don’t know maybe cause you’ve been sort of a jerk and Ignoring me since you’ve got here?”

“I wasn’t being a jerk. I was just… Look do you want to watch the movie or not? Decide before I change my mind.”

Well I can’t sleep so might as well, nothing wrong with watching a movie right? “Ok fine. Only because melted butter and caramel is my favorite.” She replies and saunters over to take a seat on the couch.

Colt joins her a few seconds later handing her the bowl of popcorn.“So what are we watching?” She asked while nibbling on a piece of popcorn in her hand.

”The Conjuring.” He murmured while looking through the options on the screen.

“The what?!” She belted sitting up right from her slouched position. “There’s a real scary thunderstorm out there and you want to add to the terror by watching a horror movie?”

“It adds a cool effect to the experience Em.” He emphasized then gave her a questioning look. “You’re not still afraid of some silly storm after all these years?”

Emma throws her body back on the couch, her eyes focused on the popcorn that she keeps stuffing in her mouth.

Colt snorts a laugh. “Really Em? I thought you’d outgrow this silly fear by now.”

“I’m not afraid anymore but that doesn’t mean I like it either. Not everyone can be as cool as you Colt.” She said and gave a sarcastic eye roll.

“There first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.” He grinned.

“Can we just get this over with already? But I'm warning you if some scary shit goes down I’m jumping right at you.”

Colt shrugged. “Fine, whatever.”

The movie played on for about thirty minutes and the two watched it in silence sitting Five inches apart from each other. There were a few awkward moments in between like their hands accidentally touching while trying to grab some popcorn, both quickly shy away as they did..

As the movie progressed and got scarier Emma started to move closer to Colt closing the gap from three to two inches, her hands nervously fidgets with a lock of her hair. Colt noticed this from the corner of his eye and grinned. Damn it, she's still cute when she gets flustered. He subtly shift his body closer to her and clears his throat. “So um, how long have you been with Logan?” He bit his tongue and cringed as soon as he heard the words come out from his mouth.

“A little over a year now.” She answered. “It was at Billy’s party during senior year.”

“Billy? As in big bully Billy? Shouldn’t he have graduated by then?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“The very same, he got held back for failing a few classes. Anyway Logan was there to deliver a car to Brent. Long story short that’s how we met.” She explained and stuff a few more popcorn in her mouth.

“Hey remember that one time you kicked Billy in the nuts?” Colt recalled grinning.

Emma chuckled. “How could I forget, he was going to punch you for calling him a wuss and I guess.. My self defense instinct just kicked in.”

Colt gave a half shrug. “I could have taken him you know..”

The two shared a look before eventually bursting into laughter at the memory of that day. And there it was the sound Colt didn’t realize he missed so much until that moment. It was the sound of her laughter.

Their laughter slowly fades and there was a minute of silence before Emma decides to broach the question back. “So uh.. What about you? Do you have someone special waiting for you back in college?”

Colt gives half shrug.“I don’t really do relationships. I mean I’ve dated a bunch but nothing serious.”

“Oh. Yeah sure I completely understand.” Change the subject Emma you just made progress don’t blow it.

The two continued to chatting and laughing at stories basically ignoring the whole movie. “I really miss this you know... just talking to you.” She confeses giving him a sincere smile. “I miss talking to you too.”

A piece of popcorn got caught on Emma’s long rose gold hair and Colt reaches his hand out to take it. “You um. You have some popcorn stuck on your hair.” He said, his fingers brushed against her cheeks and there was this intense gaze between them for a moment, Emma could feel her cheeks start to blush. Shit Em look away before you do something stupid. Emma tilts her head down, averting her eyes from Colt. “We um—. Should get back to watching the movie.”

Colt blinks and shakes his head. “Yeah totally.” He agreed but there was a slight disappointment to his tone. He leans back on the couch, looking at the TV then back at Emma.

“Hey, so there’s The Conjuring 2 if you want to watch it after this?”

It was well after 2am, the rain was still heavy outside and she found the first movie one scary as shit but somehow Emma didn’t want their time together to end so soon.

“I’d like that.”

The two continued to chat as they watched the movie, both making snarky comments when a character in the movie was being stupid, sometimes debating about what the whole thing was about.

“What’s with the Nun, is it a ghost or something?” Emma asked curiously.

“It’s not really a ghost, it’s a demon. They actually already did the origin story about it.”

There was a sudden loud sound of thunder outside the building at the same time a frightening scene from the movie appeared, Emma instinctive moves right next to Colt, her hands clutching onto his arm while she buries her face in his chest.

Oh.my.god did I just bury my face in Colt’s chest? Damn it, why does he smell so good. Well this just got awkward. Maybe he didn’t notice.

She tilts her chin up and sees Colt looking at her cocking an eyebrow. “Sorry.. Reflexes” She said in a shaky voice. “Do. Do you mind?

“It’s alright.” He grinned.

Emma sits right up and raises an eyebrow at him. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just..I think it’s cute that you’re still afraid of a little thunder after all these years.”

“Shut up, Colt.” She said then playfully swats him on the shoulder before leaning back right next to him. Colt wiggles his arm from behind her back and wraps it around her shoulders just like old times whenever they would watch a movie together. “If you’re gonna lean on me at least give my arm somewhere comfortable to rest.”

It wasn’t long before the two eventually fell asleep laying on the couch. Colt had one arm wrapped around Emma as she lay her head on his chest.

They wake up a few hours later as the sunlight pierce through the window hitting their eyes. Colt slowly rubs his eyes and lets out a yawn, when he finally opens them he sees Emma fluttering her eyes open. Both still feeling half asleep.

Shit! Did we just fall asleep on the couch together? Damn, I forgot how cute she looks when she’s tired. Okay, play it cool like it’s no big deal.

“Morning.” He smiled.

Shit, did I just fall asleep in Colt’s arms? He’s so warm and comfortable to sleep on. Not that Logan isn’t.. Oh shit he just said good morning to me. Is he freaked out? He doesn’t seem freaked out. Play it cool Emma.

“Morning.” She sheepishly smiled back.

“Ahem!” Mona croaked.

Emma and Colt’s eyes go wide open when they realize they weren’t alone. They turn their heads to see Mona grinning with her arms folded, Ximena with her hands on her waist and Toby munching on some fruit loops.

They both sit up with a jolt, the other three continue to stand and stare. “We um… Anyone hungry?” Emma nervously chuckles, getting up from the couch. “I could really go for some omelettes and bacon.”

“I need to use the bathroom.” Colt mentions and excuses himself from the bathroom.

“So this is going to be a whole thing now?” Toby murmurs to the other two ladies.

“Apparently…” Mona replies with a grin. “Now let the games begin.”

*****

It was quiet around the table as the five ate their breakfast, so quiet that Mona could hear the sound of Toby’s teeth crushing the fruit loops in his mouth from across the table. Colt was seated in front of Emma and Mona between them, her eyes move back and forth at the two, who were awkwardly trying to avoid looking at each other for a second there they failed but quickly move their gaze away.

Ugh… Watching these two is more depressing than that finally episode of Game of Thrones. I wonder what’s going on in their heads?

What were you thinking Colt? Last night was a mistake, you weak son of a bitch! It only takes one smile.. One smile and suddenly she’s all I can think about. Who am I kidding I’ve been thinking about her since that night at the sideshow and that was before I knew who she was. It’s like we're magnets and there’s this strong force trying to pull us together.

He quickly tries to get a glance at her and it’s as if she could read his mind, she tilts her head up and gazes back at him. They both quickly avert their eyes mere seconds later. Colt shakes his head.

No You can’t do this, she broke your heart Colt. There’s a reason why You have all these walls up and You don’t plan on letting them down anytime soon. Just get through this summer as friends and nothing else. After that you won’t have to see her again.

Emma you’re such an idiot, falling asleep with Colt Kaneko, even if it wasn’t intentional and you didn’t do anything wrong but still! Why, after everything that’s happened between us, last night hanging out, it somehow still feels like home when we’re together. No! No! Get yourself together Emma you have a boyfriend who’s sweet and kind, who loves you and would never break your heart. OMG! I forgot about Logan, he already hates Colt’s guts. I can’t imagine what he would do if he found out and not just about falling asleep on the couch thing but about our history. I haven’t told him yet about the part where we dated at least and I don’t know if I should, Colt’s only going to be here for the summer then he’s back to wherever he came from. We can get through this few weeks as friends. Hmm.. Honestly I’m surprised Colt hasn’t said anything to him, since he seems to like getting into Logan’s skin.

“Morning.” Logan announces himself as he enters. He glares at Colt before taking a seat on the empty chair next to Emma.

“Morning beautiful.” He grins and kissing her on the lips. She could see Colt roll his eyes from the corner of her eye but pretends to ignore it.

“You’re dressed early today?” She smiled

“Boss needs me to get somethings done today, thought I get an early start.” He pauses to look at her. “Why aren’t you dressed? You’re usually the one who gets ready before I do.”

“Yeah.. Umm… I decided to take it slow today. Bacon?” She offers Logan a piece on her fork and he takes a bite, moaning as he did. Colt merely oggles at the site, if he keeps it up at this rate he is going to get a headache before noon.

“Aw how sweet, I’m not even pregnant and I suddenly got morning sickness just by looking at the two of you.” Mona said in a sarcastic tone.

“You jealous Mona?” Logan sneered.

Okay time to stir up some tension. Mona pretends to clear her throat. “So Colt, I heard you slept well last night. How bout you Emma? How did you sleep?”

Emma slightly chokes on her orange juice and tries to kick Mona under the table but hits Colt instead.

“Ouch! What was that for?” Colt bellowed and quirks an eyebrow at Emma.

“Sorry.. Hrk.. reflexes.” She apologizes trying to compose herself, her eyes fixed on Mona with a glare.

“Babe, you alright?” Logan asks in a concerned voice, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“Yeah… I’m fine… totally..” I mean I fell asleep in the arms of the boy I once loved but other than that totally fine. Emma replied trying to hide how nervous she was. “I um.. need to get ready. I’ll see you when you get back?”

“Sure. I’ll be missing you till then.” Logan leans in to kiss her but she quickly gets up before he manages to. At the same time Colt gets up from his seat and walks out the opposite way.

Logan looks curiously at the group that were still seated at the table. “Did something happen while I was asleep? Everyone’s been acting weird all morning.”

“You’re reading into things too much pretty boy, nothing happened.” She answers trying to hide a grin on her face. Not yet anyway.

****

********

Tag list :

@thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @annekebbphotography @desiree-0816 @emceesynonymroll @jessiembruno @jlpplays1 @rainbowsinthestorm @cora-nova @kinkykingliam @furiouscloddonutpeanut

Rod - @liamzigmichael4ever @client-327 @brightpinkpeppercorn @lovehugsandcandy @lilyofchoices @justdani14 @akrenich @princess-geek @flowerpowell @zaffrenotes @queenkaneko @mskaneko @princessstellaris

I’m using tags from my other series and also tagging people who are Colt and RoD stans that i think would be interested. Just Let me know if you want to be added to perma tag or a specific series tag. Or if you want to be removed from the series.

[monaownsmyass]

Are any Mona lovers still alive here?👀 I’m writing a lil snippet of how I’d picture RoD2 to go down, more specifically, Mona and MC meeting again for the first time. I think I’ll be posting the fic soon so keep an eye out and lmk if you wanna be tagged 😙

[parkershawss]

mona x mc headcanons

I know I posted a mona fic this morning, but let me live, im a mess. Also excuse the gif, i couldn’t find one with a proper fc for mona.

Book: Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance Pairing: Mona x MC  Warnings: Some swearing Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn, @flyawayboo, @samara-rani, @alj4890, @skipperthetechgirl, @give-me-ernest-sinclaire, @nitta-jaeguet, @mistersinclaire, @krish58100, @naomisilverhawk, @virgofairy, @crazzyplays and @indescribablechoices. Please let me know if you want to be added to my tag list! 

mona wears a lot of rings. one was given to her by her mother, and she kept collecting them ever since. when she and mc start dating, she gives her one of her rings. the rings are mainly a fashion statement, but can also be used as a weapon if needed

mona has a lot of band shirts. they’re oversized, but because mona’s tall they fit her fine. when mc borrows them, they’re like a dress on her. mona thinks it’s adorable.

SPEAKING OF. THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MC AND MONA. mc totally has to stand on her tiptoes to kiss her

even before they start dating, mona carries out a style overhaul of mc’s wardrobe. leather jackets, boots, band shirts, ripped jeans....you name it, mona gives her it (but of course, she makes sure mc is comfortable with it) - “why the hell do you have so many sweaters?!” “they’re cute!!!” “..........babe. no.”

one day mona comes to pick mc up from school, and everyone’s staring at her because she’s hot as fuck. also because she’s really intimidating. some of the freshmen are scared to walk past her. but mc just walks up to her and kisses her, and mona immediately becomes happy and smiley

girls night out with mona and ximena 

protective mona. if anyone even LOOKS the wrong way at mc she’s going to kick their ass. but!!! protective mc too. she glares daggers at everyone who is rude to mona, or people who are making a deal with mona. she thinks she looks intimidating, but she totally doesn’t. mona thinks she looks like an angry kitten, but she appreciates it all the same 

i just....have this hc that mona acts like a tough badass who would punch you without any hesitation, but with mc she’s just so soft, and so gentle cause it’s like she doesn’t wanna break her. i know i said it in my fic but!!!!!

mona and ximena teaching mc how to defend herself

movie nights! mc keeps trying to get mona to watch disney movies. little does she know, mona is a huge fan of disney, and cried throughout most of toy story 3

when mc’s pulling all nighters to study whilst her dad is working, mona picks her up and takes her to a 24 hour diner/mcdonald’s, and the two of them drive down the highway together, blasting music and having singalongs

[emma-nation]

Celebration - Choices November Challenge - Day #2 (Anniversary)

Pairing: MonaxMC (Ride Or Die)

Rating: T

Word Count: 1358

MonaxMC Tag List: @zoe6111​, @simsvetements​, @whoinvitedalx​, @abunchofbadchoices​, @kamilahmademedoit​, @talkinlikeateen​, @eagle-one-1​, @andreear17​, @monagf​, @nighthunterss​, @fal-carrington​, @crazzyplays​, @honorablebicycle​, @averyswilshere​, @iam-the-fuckin-queen​, @choicesnovemberchallenge Notes:

- Set in the same universe as my previous fics, where they ran away and settled down in a small town. You can checked them in my masterlist, under the pages of ROD (Roller Coaster Ride) and Choices July Challenge (All of them, except Set Free).

- @kennaxval It's the first part to the fic request I still owe you 🙈

- I miss Mona everyday and I can’t wait to see her again

"I never meant to hurt you," Allison sobbed. "We've been through so much to break up like this."

"Break up?" Mona let out a small laugh. "I'm not breaking up with you. I'm just... pissed."

"And for how long are you still going to be pissed?"

"I don't know."

Mona shrugged and left the house, headed to the beach, located only a few meters from their backyard. Allison threw herself on the bed, cursing herself for her actions in the previous days.

When she accidentally found out Mona had received a great amount of money and keeping it a secret, the first thing that came to her mind was that she could be back to the criminal life. Allison waited a few days for a confession, but upon Mona's silence, she confronted her.

“Almost four years and I haven’t earned your trust yet.”

She had never seen Mona being so hurt about something before. And when anybody hurt her feelings, her forgiveness was impossible to get.

“This guy was selling his grandfather’s car collection. He needed my help to evaluate how much they were worthy. After the auction, I've got my payment and I was planning a surprise for you."

After that, their relationship changed drastically. Like if Allison had built a tall iron wall between them. They barely talked and when they did, Mona treated her coldly and dry.

It was a real surprise when, by the end of her shift, Mona was waiting to pick her up to celebrate their four years anniversary.

She drove her home, where a fancy dress waited for her on the bed. Mona had also bought one for herself.

"Whoa," Allison looked at her in surprise, "you look..."

"Even more gorgeous than usual?" Mona smiled, spinning her around. "We are. You look great too."

"I agree, but... where are we headed? I mean, in this town we don't have any options that match these dresses."

"The ride will be a little more wild than that."

Allison couldn't really understand what she meant, until Mona drove them to a secluded location where an helicopter was waiting for them.

"We're hittin' the big city."

"B-But... isn't it a little bit exaggerated? W-We could... we could drive and just spend the night in a hotel."

"Don't ask, princess. Just follow."

Though she was tense, Allison enjoyed the trip. She was amazed by the view they had from the above. Mona was quiet during the whole way, only glancing at her occasionally.

The helicopter stopped at the rooftop of a luxurious building, only a few steps away from a restaurant. Mona had already made reservations, a hostess conducted them to their table.

"I think I've never been in such a fancy place before," Allison opened her mouth in shock when she read the menu. "Look at these prices!"

"Don't worry, the helicopter will waiting for us," Mona told, "eat and run."

"Mona!"

"I'm joking. I... This was the surprise I was planning. I just wanted us to have a special night, like a normal couple."

They were a normal couple, at least they had become. The only thing illegal about them now were their fake IDs. Mona was very responsible and protective of her, what made her the most amazing girlfriend Allison could ask for.

"You're always so perfect," she entwined her fingers on hers.

"As if there was any doubt," Mona joked.

The night passed quickly, after having their meal, accompanied by some expensive wine, she asked Mona to dance. Lying her head on her shoulder, Allison realized how lucky she was. A single tear ran down through her cheek.

"I'm so sorry," she voiced. "For the things I accused you of. I don't deserve you. I never did."

"It's okay," Mona caressed her hair. "Let's not mope about it. It's in the past."

"Do you forgive me?"

"You'd certainly know if I didn't."

Allison smiled and wiped a few tears of joy, then Mona involved her in a deep and passionate kiss.

"So, dessert now?" Allison suggested.

"Sure, but I won't be sharing. You better order your own."

----------

Drinking the wine bottle mostly on her own was the biggest mistake of the night. Still inside the helicopter, Allison initiated a steamy make out session with Mona.

"Allison," Mona playfully slapped her hand away, as she tried to get under her dress, "wait 'til we get home."

"I don't think I can't," Allison whispered against her mouth. "I want you so badly. Right now."

"I can feel it, but... the pilot?!"

Allison stopped and turned her head backwards. The pilot seemed to be very focused on his job, yet she felt some embarrassment.

"Oh. Do you think he's watching?" She blushed a little bit.

"He might be, if we get a little bit more funny."

She decided to cool off until they got home. Or almost. As they entered the car, it was Mona's turn to get in the mood. Being inside a car had this effect on her. Though she was driving, her mouth wouldn't leave Allison's and her eyes focused very little on the streets of their small town.

"You're gonna get us both killed," Allison laughed, still drunk.

"It's your fault! You know it drives me crazy when we..."

Feeling dangerous, Allison's mouth descended to her neck, placing kisses and small bites. After all, she trusted Mona's driving skills.

"You're torturing me..." she complained.

She didn't quite know how they made it home, but by the time they did, they weren't even fully dressed anymore. They entered the house, stumbling and bumping into furniture until they finally reached bed.

----------

Allison was almost falling asleep when Mona's voice pulled her back awake.

"Allison, did you hear that?" She spoke, in a low voice.

"No. What is it?"

"I don't know, it's..." Mona looked through the window, "it's coming from the beach."

Before Allison could even protest, she was already dressed and going outside.

"Mona, wait!" She grabbed the first outfit she found in her sight.

All those years, they had two fears. The police and former members of the Brotherhood coming for them.

When she arrived to the back door in the kitchen, it was too late. Mona had gone by herself to investigate the noise.

Allison started feeling scared as she walked through the dark path to the beach. She couldn't hear any other sounds but her own footsteps.

"Mona!" She called. "Where are you?"

She obtained no response. By the time she got to the beach, she spotted some clarity in a short distance. The more she approached, the more her heart would beat faster inside her chest, in pure fear.

"Please, no," she said to herself. "Not now we finally found peace."

A fire was the source of clarity she had seen. But she could see no one around. That was when she noticed the message on the sand, near the ocean.

"Will you..." Allison read nervously, "marry me?"

She sighed relieved and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, Mona was down on one knee with a ring in her hand.

"Please say yes?"

"Of course," Allison broke down in tears and she hugged Mona as tightly as she could. "Couldn't you do this at the restaurant though? Jeez, you scared me."

"Sorry," Mona slipped the ring on her fourth finger. "It sounded far less dramatic inside my mind, when I planned it."

"Do you really want to marry me, even after our fight?"

"It isn't the first time we fight. Probably won't be the last too."

Mona smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Allison rested her head on her shoulder.

"I just want you to know that I trust you. I trusted you when we agreed to run away, I trusted you when we decided to stay and I trust you now and in the future, when we get married."

" 'Cause?"

"I love you."

"I know," Mona grinned. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

After a moment of complete silence, contemplating the view, she kissed Allison's forehead.

"By the way, I love you too."

[flowerpowell]

You Drive Me Crazy (Colt x MC)

PART EIGHT (FINALE) + EPILOGUE

A/N: Hello everyone! It’s been a long time since I updated this series but here it finally is, the very last chapter! (there may or may not be an idea for a next au series in my head) I hope you all liked the series and will like the finale. As always I don’t own the characters but I would love to hear your feedback!

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 2305 (Beware, dialogue heavy!)

Tagging: @agent-bossypants @brightpinkpeppercorn @walkerduchess @confessionsofabrokegirl @lovehugsandcandy @desiree-0816 @choicesarehard @going-down-downtown @long-gone-girl @client-327 @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction @umiumichan @zaira-oh-zaira @claudevonstruke @akrenich @emichelle @lunablr-choices @emomoustache @liamzigmichael4ever ♥

Colt knocked. And knocked. And kicked the door and yelled and knocked again. Nothing was working because Mona apparently left them all alone in the garage. If they died no one would know. Great.

“I guess she really trapped us here. I’m sorry, Ellie,” Colt shifted uncomfortably and risked a look at his old friend, sitting on his father’s couch. Despite the circumstances she looked amused. And she was searching the mini fridge for something to drink.

“It’s fine. Oh! Look! You like these!” she held a bottle with his favorite soft drink but he only shook his head.

“It’s not funny!”

“Well, I’m having fun,” she chuckled, “ seriously, Colt. We haven’t been able to talk for so long and I’m really tired of this miscommunication between us. I miss us.”

“Ellie...”

“I called you pretty much every single day but you never answered.”

“I lost my phone in this mess a few months ago and I never bought another one. I didn’t expect anyone to call me.”

“Well, I did,” she whispered, smiling sadly at him.

A few minutes passed before Colt spoke, his voice calm and composed despite his heart nearly having an attack.

“How are you? How’s college?”

“I’m good. But I hated you so much when I was in hospital. So much.”

“I know I screwed up, I never should’ve come between you and Logan and--”

“I hated you for putting yourself in danger again. You promised to never race again.”

“Ellie, I...”

“Did it for me, I know,” she admitted and his eyes widened.

“You... do? Mona told you, didn’t she?”

“No one told me. But one day we have no money and right after you win a race we do? I’m not stupid, Colt.”

“I never thought you were,” he answered quietly.

“I wanted to talk to you. Before I was run over, I wanted to talk to you about something,” she looked at him and he remembered the conversation he had with Mona that day. She told Ellie everything. He blushed at the thought and shifted his gaze to his father’s desk.

“Was it true?” he heard Ellie’s question but he didn’t know what to say. What she wanted him to say.

“Mona,” her voice broke slightly, “Mona told me you were’t mocking me or joking. She told me you really felt something for me. Was it true?”

He wasn’t sure if he wasn’t imagining this, but her voice sounded almost... hopeful.

“Yeah,” he answered slowly, not bothering to look at her. He just couldn’t.

“When I woke up in hospital I needed to talk to you. But my father didn’t let me. He told me I wasn’t allowed to go near a man who almost got me killed.”

“I almost got you killed?” Suddenly Colt turned to face her. “I almost got you killed? Me?! I would kill for you, I would move the whole world for you, how could he say that I almost got you killed?!”

Colt took a deep breath and walked away from her to calm himself. One, two, three.

“I tried to reach you but I couldn’t. Mona told me you were in jail. That you risked your freedom for me.”

“I wouldn’t be that dramatic about it,” he snorted.

“Why didn’t you tell me? About your feelings? You know, talk to me instead of yelling.”

“I tried but... I don’t know, it’s not the easiest thing for me. And you were with Logan and all. And I was only your friend and I didn’t want to risk our friendship,” he sighed, “but I guess I did anyway.”

Ellie was silent for a few minutes and all Colt could hear was the ticking of the clock his father found on the flea market.

“You know...” Ellie finally spoke, “I didn’t...”

“You didn’t what?” Colt asked, still not looking at her.

“I didn’t sleep with Logan,” she whispered.

“What?” he turned to her, his eyes widened but he tried to ignore her red cheeks.

“I didn’t sleep with Logan. I wanted to because I was mad at you. But then I realized I wasn’t ready. Because all I could think of was you.”

“Whaaa--” Colt felt like the room was spinning. Or maybe he was spinning. Or maybe his head was detached and started spinning. Or--

“Logan is amazing. He’s a perfect guy for me. But... he’s not you.”

Breathe, Colt, breathe. Or you’ll die and you’ll never know if what she’s saying is true. Holy shit, is it true? Am I hallucinating?

“You on the other hand... You’re like everything I don’t want in a guy and yet you’re the only guy I want,” she admitted, blushing.

Okay, I don’t need to breathe anymore cause I’m definitely dead already.

“When I realized that I was scared, I didn’t know if you would return my feelings. I know what you’re like with women,” she said, sadness in her voice, “When you started acting weird and yelling these things I thought you were mocking me. That you somehow found out and decided to mock me.”

Breathe!!!!! One, two, holyshitshelikesmeohmygosh, three...

“It’s silly but... I was reading an article the other day, about fifty wordless ways to say ‘I love you’ and I realized you did most of them... I wanted to believe but I knew it was impossible... Given your history.”

He still didn’t say anything and Ellie shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

“Colt, say something, please.”

He took a deep breath, debating his answer. He needed to be honest though.

“I know my dating history is bad, Ellie. I know what you think of me. But you know why I sleep with all these women?”

“You... don’t need to tell me that,” her cheeks were red and for a second Colt found it adorable how sweet and innocent she was.

“It sounds so, so, so stupid, so please never tell anyone and forget it right after I’ll say it, but I just wanted to feel love,” this time he blushed. Gosh, what was about her that made him acting so weird? “I thought I’d know how it is to feel loved. After a while I realized it wasn’t love but I didn’t care really.” He shrugged and tried to sound nonchalant.

“That was the closest I could get to love so I didn’t mind. That’s the only reason, Ellie. Not because I’m a monster or whatever you think of me.”

“I never thought of you like this!” she protested but he only waved his hand at her.

“Please, forget I ever said that okay? And especially never tell Mona, okay?”

“Of course,” she nodded, “ I wish you told me sooner, though.”

“So, you and Logan? Are you guys--?”

“No. We never were. He knew my heart was elsewhere. We stayed friends.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell between them again. They stole cursory glances at each other as if they were strangers, not best friends. Or whatever they were at that point.

“I meant everything I said.” Colt broke the silence and sat next to Ellie on the couch. He took her hands in his and looked at her. “Or yelled, actually. I do love you. I don’t know what to do about it, I don’t know how to express it and I would make the shittiest boyfriend ever, not even mentioning that I don’t deserve you at all, but I want you to know that I love you, Ellie. Even if it ruins our friendship, I want you to know that.”

“Colt...” she said before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. He smiled against her and pulled her closer to him.

If it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake up.

“I know you were my first kiss to,” she admitted when they parted.

“You... remembered?”

She shook her head, “Unfortunately no. Mona told me. But if you’d like to remind me what it felt like...”

Colt smiled before his lips crashed onto hers, pinning her to the couch, lying on top of her. He deepened the kiss, his arms wrapped around her, holding her as close as possible.

“Colt?” she pulled away to catch a breath.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, too.”

Colt’s expression almost melted with affection when he looked at her, tears in his eyes. This is definitely the most beautiful dream.

He felt her lips on his neck and frowned when her hands wandered under his shirt.

“Ellie, Ellie,” he stopped her and she looked at him confused.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--”

“No, no,” he kissed her forehead, “it’s okay. I just don’t want to do it here. And now.”

“Why not? The couch is pretty comfy.”

“Ellie, I have waited my whole life for you and you’re way too special for this. And I’m not ready yet, I-- I want it to be special. We’re not doing it on the couch my father found next to the dumpster.”

“Ew, ew, ew!” Ellie jumped out of the couch, smoothing her dress.

He laughed, for the very first time in a very long time, relieved and happy as she shot him an annoyed look.

“Okay, point taken. I guess you’re worth the wait,” she teased biting her lip.

In no time, it was Colt who was biting it, holding her close, as if still not sure it was real.

“Do you have your clothes on?”

They jumped apart at the sound of Mona’s voice from behind the door.

“Yes, you pervert! What did you think we would be doing, huh?” Colt yelled at her, kicking the door.

“I’ll leave it for your imagination. I’ve heard you’ve made up so I guess I can let you out now. And I promise it has nothing to do with Kaneko going back to his office in like a minute.”

“MONA!”

When they finally were out Colt let out an exaggerated sigh. Mona shook his head and looked at Ellie who was standing quietly, smiling from ear to ear.

“Anything the two of you want to say?”

“You kept us in there against our will, which is illegal?” Colt suggested and Mona rolled her eyes.

“A simple ‘thank you’ would do the trick too.”

“Thank you, Mona. I don’t know what would happened without you,” Ellie said before Colt could snap back at Mona.

“You’re welcome. If Colt didn’t make a move on you finally, I would,” she winked at her before turning to leave.

“She’s right though,” Colt admitted when Mona already disappeared. “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be here.”

“Which means you should be nice to her. Unless you’re not happy with how it all played out...”

“I am! I am,” he kissed her again and again. It wasn’t possible for him to ever get tired of kissing her.

“I love you, Ellie. Even when you sometimes drive me crazy.”

“I love you too, Colt.”

~~ EPILOGUE ~~

He was happy.

For the first time since he could remember, Colt was happy. 

He was still learning about being in a relationship but Ellie was always beside him, and that was enough. The first days of dating were a bit awkward since Colt had never been in any long term relationship but his girlfriend was always ready to help him out.

“Oh Colt! You don’t need to buy me flowers every single time we meet!” Ellie chuckled as Colt blushed holding a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

“Really?”

“Really,” she shoved him playfully, “You’d be broke in no time!”

“Oh,” he ran his free hand in his hair, “I actually stole these…”

“Colt!”

He was happy.

He had someone who cared about him and always made sure he knew he was loved. His mornings always started with “Good morning, I love you” message from Ellie and ended with a “Sweet dreams, I love you” message, also from Ellie. 

His father didn’t seemed to care much that he was dating Ellie but he did pat him in the back awkwardly one day and repeated, “She’s a good one.”

But Colt already knew that.

Ellie’s father forgave him eventually, after finding out what he did for her, what they felt for each other, he didn’t have much choice but to accept his daughter’s choice. 

He was happy.

Their first time happened much later. Colt didn’t feel ready before and Ellie mocked him to no end.

“Well, well, well… Who’s being a nun now?” she laughed at his flushed face when he shot her an annoyed look.

“Shut up.”

But as Colt promised, he made as special as it was possible. He booked a hotel room, the same one where they spent her 20th birthday, lit the candles, prepared all that fancy stuff he used to mock, and that way, he made their New Year’s Eve special. While people were welcoming the new year, celebrating it with the whole world, Colt was holding his own world in his arms.

He was happy.

Of course, it wasn’t always easy; Ellie still attended college so far away from him and even though she was trying to visit him as often as possible, it was still not enough for Colt. He couldn’t travel for a while and he desperately needed to be with her every day but he understood, he waited, he was patient. And even when things weren’t always easy for them, it didn’t matter much to him.

Because he was happy.

THE END.

[blackandblueandstars]

Stranger

Requested by @iamkamilahsbitch

Ellie had counted every day, and felt it, too. She’d spent her time in classes, going to parties. But every moment felt empty. She was incomplete, and she knew that Mona was the reason why.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous, sitting on the hood of her car outside the prison. Mona had told her to stay away, and she was doing exactly the opposite. She took off her leather jacket, her tattooed arm a map of how much she’d changed.

Maybe Mona wouldn’t even like her. She wasn’t that sweet, innocent high schooler anymore. She’d grown up, and she’d changed.

She raised her head as a figure walked from the jail, and she could tell immediately from the curve of her hips that it was her.

Ellie hopped off the hood, taking a few steps towards the gate as Mona made her way out. Her face looked darker, harder than Ellie remembered.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, glaring at Ellie.

“I’m here to pick you up,” Ellie said, standing her ground.

“I told you not to come,” Mona said gruffly.

“I came anyway.”

Mona’s eyes raked over her body, but there was no hunger in them. They were just...cold.

“You look different,” she finally said, eyeing Ellie’s tattoos.

“You too,” Ellie replied, trying to remain cool despite the churning of her stomach. “Want a ride?”

Mona stared at her, long and hard. “Fine,” she said. “Beats the bus.”

And just like that, Mona climbed into the passenger side of the car. Ellie frowned. It wasn’t like her, not to fight for the driver’s seat. She shook her head, knocking the thoughts away and climbing into the car.

“You want to grab some food, on the way?” Ellie asked.

“Sure,” Mona said, staring out the window. She was cold, distant. Mona was never a warm person, but she wasn’t this.

“We could hit a drive-thru, get you a burger and shake?”

“Whatever,” Mona said coldly.

Ellie looked at her, the churning in her stomach growing. It was even worse than she’d thought. She didn’t know this woman at all, and the same could be said for her. They might as well be strangers.