#no im serious i had to think of problem solving like maths in my head when i was painting the leaves

[easprouts]

Trees

[rdngl]

hopeless romantic thoma as your classmate.

a very short hcs abt thoma! this is actually a another version of the hcs because the first one was too long! so in here, i'll try & keep it simple!

warnings: very ooc (i'm sorry), cursing, badly written, might contain typos and grammatical errors

thoma, just what the title said—is a hopeless romantic. he falls in love easily, falls harder, daydreams about their crush, and because of that, he falls out of love easily too.

this didn't matter to thoma. he knows what kind of person he is and he's not the type to confess immediately because he knows that if that person shows something that immediately turns him off, that person is erased or scratched out from his crush list.

our thoma here prefers a serious relationship. and even though he falls in love easily, and sometimes feels the urge to confess to the person they're interested in—he won't.

if thoma somehow confesses his feelings for you, that might mean that you've known each other for a while now, you're very close to each other and so on.

thoma is in love with the idea of being in love. being able to care for someone, someone cares about you, being able to love them and they also love you, and all that kind of stuff. he might seem like he has high standards but if you do the "bare minimum" on him-boom! you're officially his crush.

speaking of crushes, he's had happy crushes too!!! actually, funny story- thoma had a crush on someone and well, that someone has a partner! guess what- he was heartbroken but that went away quickly.

oh, and he's also the type to pass by his crush's classroom just to look at them for a millisecond before turning around and giggling like a little schoolgirl.

enough of that, let's get down to business.

WHAT IF thoma fell in love for real? like- omg i have a crush on them to omg i love them type of way??? thoma lovers (me) here's your crumbssss <333

a transferee student (you) became classmates with him, thoma fell in love at first sight, oh and wait- there's more!!! you might look like you'll bite but you're very friendly, you care about your academic performance, smart (if you're a math and science smart congratulations you fucking won), that's a plusss 1000 points for thoma.

BUT HEY- the two of you got close, laughed and joked together, you helped him with his homeworks and stuff that he can't understand that's plus 5000 points.

NAHHH YOU TWO GOT PARTNERED UP FOR A SCIENCE PROJECT?!@?!? WOW HOW LUCKY imagine thoma staring at you, smiling so softly while you explain the instructions and shit (whatever you do in group works because my group members are useless asf /hj) ONG IM DYING FR FOLDING

and that project helped the two of you understand each other better!??!?!?! science never sounded this good in thoma's ears.

AND THOMA'S REALISING THAT HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HIS OTHER CRUSHES ANYMORE!?!??! HUGE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FRRR

the panic, the realisation, that warm feeling, the feeling of winning- thoma felt all of that as he stared at you, figuring out the problems you need to solve for a math homework (i think thoma's ideal type is a smarty guys😥)

that's when thoma knew, he had to confess to you and well- his ideas and daydreams for confessing to someone saved him. all the romance books he'd read, all those scenarios in his head led to this final moment.

“i...i've liked you ever since the moment we met! you were so cool and smart and you managed to get past all the problems that were thrown at you. you're the bravest and strongest person I've ever met and i'm inspired! i-i thought that this feeling might not last that long but every time, every second that we were together that feeling grew and grew and before I knew it, i was madly in love with you.”

“y/n, would you like to explore this feeling with me?”

© rdngl 2023. do not repost, copy, translate or claim my works.

[fencesandfrogs]

a follow up from this post where i talk about math and me as a kid.

Wait you have dyscalculia but are a math major? Wow I have dyscalculia but I like the philosophy of math I guess like I sorta forced myself to get into it to learn, I feel I can do basic so for me it's mainly the math anxiety

@totallysweetheart​

tl/dr: the part of my brain that deals with abstract/tangible is, i think, broken, because i can’t deal with numbers as real things, but i can do that with polynomials or w/e.

so to summarize, based on wikipedia’s list of dyscalculia symptoms, here is me:

analog clocks: i’m fine to 15min in real life where i know the time of day, but in a vacuum, most real clocks r tricky. doesn’t come up. the teaching clocks i’m usually fine with because the minute hour hands are really distinct.

larger numbers: depends on presentation. purely verbally? no. visually? depends. if they both start with the same number it’s harder.

sequencing issues: not really.

financial planning: bank accounts are black magic and my mom still manages mine. i err on the side of frugal, which lead me with like 50% of my college meal plan unspent last semester.

visualizing numbers: no. nope. can’t do. not at all. numbers r fake. 

arithmetic: it sucks, a lot. i’m better at multiplying and adding, and it’s gotten better because i did a lot of practice a few years ago, but i still prefer calculators. 

number writing difficulties: yeah? hard to say i’ve been doing algebraic stuff for a long time and that really cuts down on the number of places to make those kinds of mistakes.

concepts and practice: this is where i’m strongest. my math conceptual game is strong as hell, and i don’t usually struggle with putting it into practice. even word problems i’m pretty strong at because like. it’s just math.

names of numbers: not really an issue.

left/right: also not really an issue. although it takes me a second.

spatial awareness: doesn’t exist. just. doesn’t. people don’t believe me then they ask me how long something is and i say like three feet and they’re like “it’s taller than you” and i’m like “oh really? huh the more you know”

time: im timeblind af. also adhd tho so that doesn’t help.

maps: ehhhhh. hard to say. I’m okay with some parts of maps but not others. this has definitely improved since school.

working backwards in time: i have an app for that its beautiful and i love it

music: i am good at music notation. not great at rhythm but i’m good at music in general.

dance: i did 12 years of dance. i’m not amazing, but it was a nonissue.

estimation: see: time, spatial awareness (the answer is i cannot)

remembering formulas, etc: i’m usually good at remembering this stuff.

concentration: adhd already so? maybe?

faces, names: i do not do very well here.

so like. i basically have the best possible set of symptoms to become a math major. i kind of skirted attention as a kid because i could get around a lot of my difficulties and didn’t really have anything to do but use brute force to cram multiplication facts into my head.

and because i had this really strong conceptual understanding, i just sort of survived until algebra. at which point i was very happy.

because basically most of my dyscalculia issues revolve around numbers and the real world. i can’t do time, i can’t estimate, i can’t really work with numbers. but i can work with algebra because the concepts were fine. there was just a road block.

for me, it’s kind of like having a major speech disorder in your native language. speech in the your mouth doesn’t work, not the language issues. as a kid i loved writing because the words came out the way they were in my head. they didn’t get shuffled and mangled. and that’s also how i felt about algebra. like, look! you don’t have to worry about getting the numbers right if you can move the variables around,

and obviously it’s not that complicated because i’m skipping basically from fifth grade to my junior year of high school, but even though it was a constant friction between me and everyone about why i kept making careless mistakes, even after other adhd stuff got treatment, it was generally acknowledged that i knew what i was doing, so i never really developed math anxiety. 

and as a math major, like, numbers are not a very large part of what you do. i use wolfram alpha a lot for solving that sort of thing. i do stuff that’s more about the logic parts of math. lil puzzles waiting to be solved.

it really does feel kind of like the abstract and tangible parts of my brain were swapped. because numbers really do feel abstract, but figuring out the equations of a graph is a fun game to play with friends. i usually get the constants wrong, but that’s besides the point.

i’m not entirely sure if this was helpful and/or clarifying in any way. if asked, i will usually not mention dyscalculia because? it just doesn’t feel very relevant/serious. because my management strategy is: don’t do anything with numbers and estimation ever. and then that works, because i don’t have to. it’s only really relevant in the context of me, a child, very confused about why those centimeter cubes exist, etc. 

and also, as i got older, i dug more and more into theory and proofs. learning about numbers as entities that follow rules was a really useful thing for me. learning about negative numbers made subtraction easier for me because it wasn’t addition in reverse, it was addition of a negative number. which made more sense to me.

i struggled in high school geometry because of all of the numbers and angles (i have a shirt somewhere that says “all i learned in geometry is that you can’t measure shapes”) and every time someone pointed out applications to me i kind of just went “okay but there are rulers for that”

and i do like geometry! i like how we can build properties out of simple rules and how shapes behave and its really cool you only need like 5 postulates to build a lot of geometry but if you make me deal with too many angles and i want to cry

so yeah. uh. i’m a math major & it works because when we deal with numbers, they’re almost variables in themselves? like okay we’re going to use 0 and 1 here to apply this theorem but the numbers themselves aren’t relevant.

here is a screenshot from my calc textbook, if this helps make my point. most of these concepts are things i can just. put in my head and hold the way people who can think about numbers describe numbers to me. 

i have no idea where u are in ur life but if u like math from the logic side, then pure math exists and its p cool. usually you gotta get thru calculus, and then take a course in proof writing (at my uni it’s called “transition to advanced math”) at which point everything turns into theorems and proofs and the most number intensive course is probability. i don’t even need statistics credits to graduate.

this was a lot and i tried to wrap it up like 3 times and then i had more to say because i think a lot abt math and the fact that i was lucky to have the right opportunities to not entirely chase myself away from the field (which is a lot more words and i should probably work on my hw) but if u have more questions lemme know bc! i am very dedicated to exposing people to math and why i love it.

[ayyyoonohwhatimean]

highschool!boyfriend haechan

mode: fluff, comedy and a lot of bickering! 

haechan x reader! 

p.s.: hii it’s been a long damn time I haven’t written about nct-related kind of things lol anyways I hope you guys would like this one eventhough it’s quite long and I had so much fun writing it! haha I would appreciate it so much! happy birthday to lee donghyuck, our pride, our fullsun haechan! I love you. ♡ (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

ridin and rollin oh baby 

HELLLLOO MY NAME IS HAECHANN

first of all y all know haechan aka lee donghyuck 

such a pain in the ass jjsjsjs jk 

he would literally annoy you every second, every minute everytime hes with u 

bcus he loves u 

like he finds u cute he loves seeing reactions 

so u guys go to the same highschool and obviously classmates duh 

and imagine him in a smart highschool attire esp with his body proportion  and his hair up showing his forehead omg 

he would wait for u outside the school bcus u’re too slow jsjs

too slow too fasT 

but whenever ure done and is finally outside the school w him, he would hold your hand tightly and kiss ur knuckles as he swings ur arm

when he sees the other guys tryna check u out oof boy he snapped 

“what are u looking at she’s mine u flat ass”

oooFf

u guys aren’t seatmates but he’d literally push ur seatmate mark lee away so he can sit with u 

“get away im lee haechan aka y/n’s boyfriend” 

and whenever it gets cold and u fall asleep in the classroom he’d silently wrap ur body w his sweater or jacket 

hanging out at the canteen with the dreamies!! 

haechan would literally steal your food when you look away 

and out of anger and annoyance you’d pull his hair literally 

you guys would literally chase each other haha 

god hes so annoying 

but i love him 

btw hes such a bad influence 

you guys will be doing the baekhyun’s candy dance challenge in the school’s hallway!!

u’ve never ever skipped ur class in ur entire life until like u guys met and got closer im srs 

“duDe aren’t you bored? this class is so boring i might die lets sneak out together and ill buy u food” 

“shut up im trying to focus here dumbass” 

“u can’t tell me what to do” 

“im gonna get in trouble again if i follow all the things that u said wtf-”

“well u only live once oh come on please pls-” he replied back w his pouty lips and u know that kind of sad cute eyes 

“what food where” 

“um me cus im a snack-” 

“i bet u taste horrible-” 

“oh no i mean im a wholemeal and i bet u taste even more horrible” 

“right now im not even surprised if i have a damn high blood pressure bcus of u”, you replied to him 

“me too bcus u’re old”

the no ending bickering jsjs it’s a MUST 

he loves to pick a fight w u for no reason man I SWEAR TO GOD

no bickering, no haechan

no haechan, no life

bcus he thinks ure cute when ure about to explode and get upset 

omg remember when he talked about renjun being cute whenever they bicker and he makes him feel upset uwu

he be gettin all the attention skrrrttt skrt

but anyways u guys ended up skipping class and went to eat at ur favorite restaurant or whatevahh 

he attac but he also protec 

u guys went to his house after chillin and eating at the restaurant cus why nOt 

it’s normal sometimes u would spend ur time at his house or he’d come to ur house so that u guys can spend ur time together ehe 

spending time at his house with him is so much fun even his parents adore u 

his room would be filled w michael jackson’s songs, ur and his loud laughter, a lot of love and just pure affection uwu 

u guys would study together and help each other whenever one of u have trouble in understanding smthg, eat and even cook together eventho it’d be a mess, play games, listen to the playlist that he made for u, listen to his smooth  honey voice singing to u, dancing w just the two of u together like u guys are just vibin y knoww 

OH AND DOING DANCE COVERS TOGETHER TOO OMGGG

he might be a pain in the ass kind of boyfriend but deep inside his love for u is soooo deep u can’t even see 

he has this special soft spot for u but he doesnt rlly show it but its obvious most of the time lol 

“hi baby”

“im literally sitting beside u haechan” 

“hello my name is haechan” 

you giggled, “what’s up, baby?”

“um nothing but like have u ever thought about your weakness? do you even like exactly know what are some of ur actual weakness is?” he suddenly asked

“honestly yeah i do think about it a lot and yea i know what are some of my main weakness is it’s quite...a lot”

“what is it?” 

haechan pulls u closer into his arms till u guys are like in a cuddling position next to each other on his bed and then he plays w ur fingers w full of love as u continue

“hmm like um failing? like i can’t accept my own failures” u hold his hand while stroking it up and down gently 

he might be annoying and always love to tease u nonstop and like how u guys would bicker and everything 

BUT having a deep heart to heart conversation w him is the best 

he loves it and treasures it so much and so do u 

he’s very attentive and a genuine good listener, like when he listens to u, he ACTUALLY listens 

he knows when to be goofy and tease u and when to actually be serious 

“failures? baby, you’ve been doing great and working so hard especially in your studies! I can’t even do it like you and in fact you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met and known” 

you shrugged, “I mean yeah sure but like I feel like I’ve been lacking a lot especially in my maths! you know how I’ve always dreamed of studying actuarial science for my uni major and it’s rlly deadass tough-”

haechan then holds ur chin up so that u can look at him and he cups ur cheek as he looks at u softly 

“hey, if you fall, I also fall. I’m not letting you give up so come on what do u need help with ur maths? I can help and teach u” 

you chuckled as ur eyes met his eyes and sigh, “hey, thank you for existing, hyuck. really.” 

he smooches ur whole face and coos at u, “no problem, I’m ur fullsun” uwu 

haechan wants to go to the bathroom so he stands up from the bed before making his way 

“hey wait, wait a second, I have something to tell u before u go to the bathroom-”, you said trying to stop him 

he looks at you with a curiosity, “hm, what is it?” 

“your breath...smells kinda bad just now” 

i swear HE CANT STAND U HAHAHA U GUYS CANT EVEN STAND EACH OTHER 

he rolls his eyes showing his disbelieved facial expression, “i swear to god don’t even start you-” 

and thennnn it beginsss 

anyways u guys spent ur time together in his room that day with him teaching u maths in the topic that u had hard time understanding and solving it 

hes so good at teaching and explaining that u can’t help but to stare at him in awe 

“sTop checking me ouT” 

“wtf hyuck i aM noT” 

jamming to love again while studying together!!

after like half an hour, u guys wanna take a break and u wanna eat some snack so u go to the kitchen 

haechan wraps his arms around your waist as he snuggles his face into your neck, “I thought you want a snack” 

“babe, i’m trying to cut these oranges stop bothering me” you replied to him while struggling with cutting the oranges 

to be honest ure not really good with cutting fruits :’) but u love oranges 

ten can’t relate oops 

haechan watches u from behind with his arms still wrapping tightly around ur waist and stops u

“hMm wait hold up, who the heck cuts an orange like that-” 

“I-I actually am not really good at cutting fruits-”, you replied as u look at him

he giggles while shaking his head, “shut up you’re cute” 

he then proceeds to hold your hand and fingers holding the knife carefully as he stands still behind u and shows u the right way to cut the orange at the same time teaching u slowly too

isn’t he lovely made from love 

SOOO LETS MOVE ON WITH MOVIEEEE TIMEEE *drum rolls*

you guys would always end up watching the same movie haha

so the two of u lie beside each other on the couch w some of the snacks that u guys prepared at the kitchen 

cuddling is a must!!! 

he prefers to be the big spoon and u the smol spoon 

but when he doesn’t feel well or stressed out, you’d be the big spoon 

he loves to wrap his arms around your waist and just having your hand in his hand

he would kiss your knuckles and stare at u but as in like lovingly and admiringly 

he loves giving u smooches and lil kisses all over ur face eventho u might act disgusted but u love it too deep inside lol 

“hey, look at me” he whispers to u as he entangled his legs w urs 

“no” 

pls just look at him or else he’d make u suffer with his otteoke otteoke song aegyo 

anyways the movie got boring so u just get closer to him and lay your head on his shoulder while putting ur left arm around his waist tightly 

“hyuck baby, sing me a song”, you telling him 

“you’re my missing puzzle piece”, he starts singing softly in ur ears while playing with your hair gently using his delicate fingers 

you rub his cheek slowly as u admiring his tanned skin, the details on his face and his beautiful honey brown eyes 

then u fell asleep 

he pulls the blanket nearby the couch and wrap the blanket around the two of you tightly so warm like a tortilla 

haechan looks at u w that soft eyes for awhile and smile before closing his eyes

“7 days a week, I’ll always hover by your side”, he whispers lightly 

“hyuck” 

“huh-” 

“I love you”, you mumbled before going back to sleep 

“I love you too, idiot.” 

[badwolfwrites-sometimes]

Chapter 5

Happy Remembrance Day. Remember those who died thinking the world would be a better place. Remember to make the world a better place.

'Tonight was the night. Tonight she will see him. Her dear brother.

Excitement filled her up to the brim. She could barely keep herself seated calmly as Elizabeta braided her hair. Alice sat on a small stool, wearing the golden dress Otto bought her. In her lap sat flowers, from daisies to roses to lillies. If she had to admit, they went really well with the dress.

"Okay, now another daisy." Elizabeta asked and, like a cannon, Alice shot up her hand to give it to her.

Elizabeta giggled as she took the flower and placed it in one of the braids going around Alice's head, resembling a flower crown. She left out a chunk of hair hanging to look natural and childlike.

"Betty, do you think Romano will recognize me?" Alice asked, twinkling with joy.

Elizabeta smiled. "Not with how pretty you've got. And that golden dress matches your eyes so well, I doubt even Otto would recognize you."

At the mention of prince's name, Alice's smile turned into a frown, dimples that were there moments ago, disappeared like they never existed.

"Do you think... Do you think he'll stop liking me?" She asked, hiding her face from Elizabeta. She didn't want her to see the pitiful expression she was making.

"He-" Elizabeta paused, realizing that Alice might not be asking this out of fear of him not liking her, but rather the opposite. "I don't think he will. You're his first real friend. Or rather, you're his first and only friend who's the same age as him. I don't think he'll let you go just like that."

"I wish that was the case. He's only going to get hurt if he keeps doing things like this to me." Alice pointed to the golden dress she was wearing, both the flowers engraved on the dress as well as those in her lap turned dull.

Elizabeta sighed. This was unfair. This is unfair to everyone, but mostly to the child sitting in front of her. After all, that's exactly what Alice was. A child. A child who should be playing with kids and not working to pay a debt for her parents. A child who should be free to like and befriend whoever she chooses, not worrying about statuses. A child who should not be treated like she's an adult. A child whose childhood shouldn't be taken away like this.

Elizabeta stepped away from Alice's hair and walked in front of her. Alice looked up at her as Elizabeta kneeled and hugged her. Shocked by this small motherly act, Alice broke down crying and returned the hug. Elizabeta smiled. "This isn't your battle, yet they are making a warrior out of you. Disobey them, Alice. You have it in you. You don't have to keep playing their game of house. Play with Otto, be friends with him, fall in love with him one day if you want, just don't let them stop you from being happy. Promise me you won't let them get in your way."

Alice continued to cry, nodding wholeheartedly. She needed this hug. She needed to feel this motherly energy around her, with her own being too far away. Elizabeta's words, however, engraved themselves into her memory. She might not be ready to fully accept them now, but when her time comes, she'll listen. "I pro... I promise.. e..." She said.'

Feliciano paused his reading to wipe away the tears welling up in his eyes.

"That's right, these two are forbidden lovers, I knew that. I knew and yet I'm crying like a baby." He laughed at himself. "Whatever, I've always been a crybaby. Just stop watering, eyes. I need to continue. We'll cry lots later."

Unfortunately, his cheer up method didn't seem to work.

He got up and walked downstairs, curious to see what his brothers were up to. Romeo should be back from college by now. Feliciano could vent out his feelings about the book to his baby brother. He'll at least understand him, unlike Lovino.

That's not meant to imply Lovino is a bad brother. It's just that they have different points of view on the world. They can never understand each other. Lovino is more objective and Feliciano more subjective. Romeo balances them both out.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by something heavy hitting the floor, shaking their house a tiny bit. Logically, this could be either a school bag or a person, likely Romeo, however Feliciano's brain is anything but logical. It immediately turned on a there's-an-intruder-in-the-house mode and Feliciano's entire body froze before he dropped on the stairs in a ball position and cuddled up to the wall, hands covering his head. It wasn't until he heard a familiar groan that he snapped out of it.

Turns out that the logical option was, logically, correct because once he got himself down to the living room, he was met with a school bag on the floor and Romeo sprawled out like an octopus on the couch, typing on his phone like a madman. Upon noticing Feliciano, Romeo smiled and waved.

"I take that as a don't-ask-me-about-college." Feliciano said as he made his way down the stairs and sat on the sofa next to the couch. He pulled his legs up and made himself comfortable in the upside down position. The mute television that was on was showing some movie, neither cared at all about.

"Well, yes and no. I made a new friend today. She's a mathematician." Romeo smiled, not removing his eyes from his phone.

"What's her name? Are you texting her right now? Tell her I said hi." Feliciano asked. It wasn't unusual for Romeo to befriend girls. He was a really approachable kid and made friends easily, unlike Lovino who had trouble approaching people. Feliciano believed Lovino was socially anxious, but Lovino denied it. He thought it would make him look weak, no matter how much Feliciano tried to convince him otherwise. As for Feliciano himself, his friends were his brother's friends. Especially now that his own best friend Feliks left for UK for work.

"Anne Marie. She's a real cutie. Look." Romeo said and handed Feliciano his phone which was opened to a Whatsapp profile picture of a serious blonde girl. Her hair was tied in a side braid, few strands falling out of it gracefully. She appeared to be sitting in some sort of cafe, looking in the distance. She was trully cute.

"Good job befriending her. She looks like a friend material." Feliciano said as he handed Romeo his phone back.

"I know. I met her in the library while I was whining about not knowing math and she called me an idiot and then showed me how to solve the problem. We're off to a great friendship."

"You're incredibly weird, Romeo. Never change."

"So, what have you two been up to while I was gone suffering?"

"Oh, I bought this amazing book and Lovi's the usual."

"Book?"

"Yeah. Silence in Venice by a German author. I'm only around halfway through, but it's amazing."

"You and your Germans. You've always been in love with them." Romeo giggled and turned off his phone, facing Feliciano. "What's it about?"

"It's about these two people who meet and fall in love, but one is a prince and the other is his maid and everyone's been telling them they shouldn't be together except for this one lady who's a total badass." Feliciano babbled out as much as he could im one sentance.

Romeo stared at his brother, his expression a mixture of confusion and intrigue. "So, like, your type of books? Did you cry yet?"

"Only once and yesIloveittoomuch!"

"What?"

"I. Love. It. Too. Much."

"Oh. You talk too fast, Feli."

"We're Italian, Romeo."

"Yeah, yeah. It's still too fast."

A pause. Feliciano was trying his best to roll his eyes, but all he managed was to close them and Romeo stared at him, trying not to burst out laughing. After a short while, Feliciano decided it wasn't worth it.

"Anyway, I just came to see what you were up to. I'm gonna go continue it now." Feliciano got up and went back to his room, grabbing a Corny snack that was sitting on the table.

"Have fun and you're welcome for the Corny!" Romeo yelled out as Feliciano was climbing the stairs.

He flopped on his bed as soon as he saw it, book slightly jumping. Feliciano stared at it.

"I like how you write, Ludwig Beilschmidt." He said, picking up the book and continuing where he left off.

'Such a moving moment was interrupted by the prince himself. Otto walked into the room dressed in one of his finest clothes, black and red pants, tight red shirt completed with a black cape. Said cape seemingly annoying him as he kept showing it off his arms. He walked in the room with a smile, but the look on his beloved's face changed his expression.

"Alice..." he whispered softly.

As soon as she noticed Otto, Alice wiped away her tears and smiled politely, bowing her head. Elizabeta turned around to look at the prince as well, admitting he looked handsome, she nodded and stepped away from Alice.

Otto walked closer to the two ladies. "Is everything alright? Do you not like the dress?" He asked Alice, worried expression painted on his face.

"No, I... I quite like it. I just miss my family a lot. Yeah, that's all." She answered. It was a partly true answer, she did miss her family, but the person she missed the most was standing right in front of her.

Otto sighed. "If I could bring them all to you, I would, but for now just your brother will have to do."

"That's enough for me. That's more than enough for me. You're already generous towards me, I shouldn't be complaining." She said, lowering her head.

"If there's anything bothering you or you don't like something, tell me. I'm here for you." He said as he lifted her head up, making her look at him. He didn't even realize what he was doing, but once he did, he quickly turned his head away, blushing.

Elizabeta giggled at the two of them. "Not to be rude, Prince Otto, but you haven't commented on Alice's look so far. Sure it isn't finished, but it's done enough for a little compliment."

Elizabeta's comment only managed to make Otto blush even redder. "I... well... you... pretty..." He babbled out, not even sure himself what he wanted to say.

It worked the magic. Alice was back to smiling and laughing again. Everything went back to how it's supposed to be. Otto was blushing and Alice was smiling.

"I think we should leave soon. Are you finished?" Otto asked.

Elizabeta went white. That's right the ball! And Alice still wasn't ready! "Oh, we gotta finish your hair! Quick!"

Alice was handing out flowers like a machine and Elizabeta made sure every single one of them fit in so well there's no way for Alice to lose any all night.

Otto, meanwhile, watched this mess with confusion and a bit of entertainment. For some reason, it always interested him how women get ready. And now he was wittnessing exactly that.

But his fun didn't last long as they were quickly finished. Elizabeta gathered some of the remaining roses and splashed them in water. Alice came running as soon as she did that and dipped her face into it. She gave her cheeks a few rubs and quickly pulled her head out.

"I'm ready!" She yelled out.

Otto stood in an even bigger confusion. "That was quick."

"Well, now you've seen how girls get ready. Or rather, young girls. For me it takes way longer." Elizabeta interjected.

"Yes, it was interesting. Shall we go now? I have to greet the guests. Would you like to accompany me?" Otto asked Alice.

Alice nodded wholeheartedly. "Yes! Yes! I want to greet my brother!"

Otto smiled. "Okay. Let's go then." He offered Alice his hand and lead her out of the room, leaving a giggling Elizabeta behind them.

...

The hall was crowded with people. Most of them were around the tables, picking out food and chatting with each other, others were standing on the sides, either by themselves or with other people. Alice's mouth fell open when she saw all of them. Sure, she attended balls before as a young girl, but they were never this big. They never felt this lively.

Otto let go of Alice's hand. "I have to do the greeting, you should stay here. When your brother comes, I'll signal you to come out. Is that alright?"

Alice nodded and, just as Otto was about to leave, she grabbed his coat. He stopped and turned back to her smiling face. "Good luck!" She said, drawing closer. Once close enough, she got on the tip of her toes and planted a small kiss on Otto's cheek. The same spot turned red as she stepped away, but in her defence, so did the rest of Otto's face.

His hand went up to the spot, his shocked expression remaining. He allowed his fingers to touch the warm spot where she kissed him. If only she could do that to his entire face. Make it warm like that little spot. How he would love that.

Alice smiled and went back to her position, waving at Otto. He regained his sense of reality and waved back at her before letting the curtain fall so she could remain hidden. At the same time, he wanted to hide her from everyone but himself, but on the other hand, he wanted to show her to everyone. He wanted her to remain a mystery, but he also wanted everyone to know who she is.

"Why are you here and not greeting the guests?" His thoughts were interrupted by the one person who could ruin his dreams of being with Alice, his mother.

"Hello, Mother. I just got here, I'll go right away." He bowed and run away as fast as he could.

Many guests came to be greeted by the prince himself. Some were even coming twice or more. After some time, he lost count, waiting for one specific family and their servant boy. Finally, they came. He noticed a young boy, older by a few years than him, his darker red hair reminded Otto of Alice instantly. They were indeed similar. He was standing next to a much older, dark skinned boy. The Prince of Spain.

"Prince Otto, may I say how happy we are that you're greeting us? We look foward to your eventual rule of the Holy Roman Empire. You will make a great emperor." The Queen of Spain spoke. Or was it the King. Otto wasn't sure. He wasn't listening anyway, just keeping his eyes on the young servant boy.

"Yes, thank you very much. Please enjoy the ball. May I just request a word with the Prince?" Otto said, momentary tearing his eyes away from the boy.

The royal pair nodded as well as the Prince himself. "Of course, Prince Otto." This time he was sure the Queen said it. Or it was indeed the King. They sound too similar. Like they are siblings.'

Feliciano took a moment to laugh. This Ludwig. This Habsburg family joke was too terribly funny to him.

'As soon as they left, Otto spoke. "I heard you got the boy from the Venetian family. May I borrow him for a moment? His sister is here." The moment he said that, the boy's eyes shot up.

He looked at his owner, the Prince of Spain, with such hopeful eyes. It was obvious to everyone that he wanted to see her more than anything. The Prince just sighed and nodded. "I guess that's alright."

The boy smiled delightedly and Otto lead him to where he parted from Alice, showing the curtain away.

As soon as she saw him, Alice squeeled. "It's you! Romano! It's really you!" She screamed, hugging the life out of her brother.

"I'm glad to see you too, but please let me breathe." Romano said, gasping for air, but hugging her tightly.

She loosened up, still smiling as wide as her face allowed it. This was the best thing to ever happen to her. To see her brother again. And looking at him, it was obvious he felt the same.

"Romano, how are you? How have you been? How are they treating you?" Alice asked.

"How long do we have?" Romano asked, turning to Otto, hopeful that the prince would allow them to stay longer together.

Otto smiled at Alice. "Take as long as you wish, but be mindful of the dance. It would be nice to show off your new dress."

Alice returned the smile. "We'll be there. Thank you!" And she took Romano by the hand, leading him to the garden.

Otto left with a smile on his face to greet and meet more guests. His heart now finally in place knowing Alice was happy. Her happiness was enough for him.

...

It was time for the dance to begin. And she was nowhere to be found. Otto looked around the garden, around the halls, he searched the entire castle for her, but she wasn't there. At one point he even considered her to be gone forever. Possibly running away with her brother. He knew this wasn't the case, she was his friend. She would never leave him. But the possibility still lingered on.

Elizabeta spotted him as he walked through the halls with his head lower than the ground itself. "Are you alright, Prince Otto?" She asked, drawing closer to him.

"It's time for the dance and I can't find Alice." He sighed. "I let her leave with her brother, but I told her she should be back before the dance. She wasn't where I left her. I'm just worried something might have happened to her."

"I doubt that's the case, she's clumsy, but she has been more careful since she's been with us. Did you check the ballroom? Maybe she's looking for you as well." Elizabeta said.

Otto looked up at her sadly. "Why would she, Betty? She's with her brother, she doesn't need me."

Elizabeta sighed. These children. "You are her friend. She puts too much trust in you. She knows getting hurt would worry you so she avoids it. Alice doesn't want you to worry. And right now, she's probably worried herself. Do you want her to worry about you?"

"No! Never! I-" he lingered on desparately. "I don't want that..."

"Then let's go look for her together. She probably searched the entire ballroom for you." With that, Elizabeta offered her hand for Otto to hold and the two walked towards the ballroom together.

"I can't find him anywhere!" Frustrated, Alice sat on the nearest bench.

"Why are you so obsessed with him? He'll find you. You said he always does." Romano said, sitting down next to his baby sister.

"Yes, but there were never this many people. How is he supposed to find us with this crowd?"

Romano let out a sigh. "It's not 'us' he's looking for, it's you. Besides, this is his castle, he's the prince, it's not like something can happen to him."

Alice's eyes stretched as wide as they could. What if...? She stood up as quickly as she sat down. "What if something did happen to him? Romano, we have to help! I can't just sit here doing nothing if he's hurt!" She pulled at her brother, desparate to get him to stand.

"Calm down. He's not hurt. If he was, this entire ball would be cancelled." Romano said, finally standing up.

"What if he's hurt and there's no one around to help him and no one around to spread the news and there's blood and-"

"You just want him to ask you for a dance."

Alice paused. "What?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice? The look in your eyes as you speak of him. You fell in love, didn't you Alice?" Romano asked, his stance and voice as firm as a brick. He wasn't letting his sister go without answers.

"No! I..." Alice mumbled. "I didn't... I... never wanted... to feel this way..."

"So you did. Alice, do you realize what you're doing? Easy for him, he'll go without punishment like they always do, but you... Do you really believe the Queen will have mercy on you for even looking at her son? You and your first sight love. You didn't think this through!" Romano almost yelled, but he was careful enough to not get them into any more trouble.

Alice clenched her fists together, breaking away from her brother. Normally, any kind of violence would frighten her, but this. This made her stronger. He made her stronger. "It wasn't love at first sight. I was scared of him. He's the next emperor of the bloody Holy Roman Empire! You know, the ones we fought with! Or did you forget grandpa's stories? And I've spent this whole time crying myself to sleep because I felt I wasn't worthy of even being his friend! I think this through every single damn night! But I'm not going to stop. I refuse to stop, Romano."

Romano stood in shock. He never saw his sister act like this. She was a calm and collected girl when they were all together, living here changed her. And he knew exactly what that trigger of change was. "You're going to get yourself killed like this."

She eased herself down. "So be it."

In that moment, Elizabeta came running towards them. Otto right behind her, face as red as a tomato from all the running.

"There you are! See, Prince Otto, I told you she would be here." Elizabeta said to the young prince as soon as he made his way towards Alice and her brother. He was resisting the urge to hug her as soon as he saw her, but he knew his mother would be watching him in one way or another.

Alice, however, didn't feel any fear from the queen and what she could do to her. She decided that whatever happens will happen anyway. There was no point in worrying over this anymore. So she hugged Otto as close as she could.

If he wasn't too preoccupied by being hugged by the love of his life, Otto would have noticed the look of despise in Romano's eyes. 'He's going to get my sister killed for no reason.' Yet Romano wasn't doing anything about it. This was Alice's choice and not his.

Elizabeta, meanwhile, was shooting death glares with a smile to anyone choosing to look down at the young pair. Nothing should ruin this little moment for them. Not the queen. Not Otto's brothers. Not Rod. Not even Romano was spared from a glare of hers. She gave Otto a little nudge to remind him where he was.

Shooting up like a cannon, Otto blurted out. "Do you want to dance with me?"

That took Alice, Romano and even Otto himself by surprise. However, the positive reaction of Alice eased everyone. The pair finally letting go of each other only for Otto to grab Alice's hand, fingers softly brushing against one another. He led her away from the staring crowd to the dancing circle that was forming in the middle of the ballroom, soft but playful music playing in the background.

Otto pulled Alice closer to himself, trying his hardest not to blush at her soft small giggles. Putting his free hand on her waist, he spun her. Both finally giving themselves to music and letting it guide them in their little dance. Soon, however, they couldn't hear anything. The music. The comments. Everything stopped for them. Now it was just each other. It was all that mattered anyway.'

 Quick reminder to read @juliussneezerfics ‘s new story: Blood Red Lilies and Baby Blue Cornflowers because it’s the bomb!

[salty-dracon]

SA- Day Job

Before he was the Dark Angel, he was a genius, according to Helion Kronus...

Ten Years Ago

A scrawny young man stood behind his boss. He held a suitcase in his hand. His brown hair was messy from the long trip.

“Nervous?” Helion asked.

“No, sir.”

At last, the group walked in. Some were chewing on sandwiches, some were sipping coffee, but they all shared an expression of boredom. 

“That ‘im?” one of the men asked. Oliver read the name tag. “Andrew Markes”

“Yes, that’s him.” Helion said, motioning to Oliver. “Oliver, these are the men you’ll be working with.”

“Yes, sir.” To everyone’s surprise, Oliver gave a medieval-style bow to the group. “It is an honor to serve under you, my lords!”

Markes laughed. “This is the 21st century, kid.”

“Yes, sir, it is.”

Helion laughed. “He’s saying stand back up, Oliver. And stop calling him ‘sir’.”

Oliver quickly snapped to a standing position. 

“How old are you, anyway?” Markes asked.

“Eighteen.” Oliver said.

“You haven’t even been to college?!” another man exclaimed. “You must be fresh out of high school!”

“High... school?”

“Oliver was homeschooled.” Helion explained. “He has been isolated for most of his life. He does not understand much of the modern world.”

“That’s correct... ” Oliver said.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Markes interrupted. “So you’re telling me that this teenage boy who knows nothing about anything is going to work for us?”

“No.” Helion said. “While he is a teenage boy, and he knows nothing about anything, he will not be working for you.”

“I won’t be?” Oliver asked.

“No, of course not, Oliver.” Helion smiled. “They’ll be working for you.”

“You can’t be serious!” Markes exclaimed. “That is a kid! He can’t even think straight!”

“If you’ll let me finish... ” Helion interrupted. “There is something Oliver knows quite a lot about. That is engineering. He has the brightest spatial mind on the planet. I’ve seen the man fix watches, repair phones, and solve complicated tasks in mere minutes. That, combined with a mind for advanced calculus, has made him into a virtual analysis machine.” 

“A kid?!”

“Yes. And you can trust me on this.”

Oliver had never heard such high praise from Helion. He beamed. 

“He is only missing one thing.” Helion continued. “That is where you come in. The things that he designs, you will be building. His position is far too important to be wasted on anything else. Anything he asks of you, no matter how small, is to be completed. His sanity and mental state are infinitely more important than any of your positions. Are we clear?”

The group of men stared at Helion and Oliver. 

“Y-Yes, sir.” Markes stammered. 

“Oliver’s office is in room 2105. Lead him there, and get him anything he wants.”

“Yes, sir.”

Oliver followed the men to the office. He couldn’t understand why they were grumbling. 

“Ever ridden an elevator?” Markes asked.

“Yes, I have. Twice.”

“This kid, I swear.” Markes grumbled.

The office was the perfect size. Oliver immediately went to work, drafting out everything he needed. The men watched in fascination as he gave them the plans.

“Sir, what do you need two random wood planks for?”

“Woodcuts, to go on either side of the door. I love woodcuts.”

“Are these thin curtains or thick?”

“Thick. As thick as you can get them.”

“A bed?”

“Yes, for the closet.”

As Oliver watched the men leave the room, he sighed happily. He was going to love his new job. 

----------

He hated his job. 

Draft this, draft that. Only a few months in, and he was already tired of the drafting. It had to be perfect, for the new style of holophone. What was Helion doing anyway? Probably nothing. There was nothing he needed more than a break. He started by laying out two napkins on his desk. 

“Markes?” he asked, through the intercom. “Please order two fresh chocolate chip cookies for me, and leave them on the napkins on my desk. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Okay.” Markes’ voice replied. “One more thing. The boss wanted me to pass on this message- his kid’s running around the office. If you find him, just let him know.”

“All right. Thanks for telling me.”

Oliver grabbed his wallet and left his office.

---

He walked back into his office, holding a bag filled with fast food burritos. He was about to sit down and eat one when he realized that the cookies he had asked for weren’t there. He noticed an oily stain on the napkins where the cookies had once been. 

Under the desk, he heard someone hold their breath. 

“Who’s there?” Oliver sat on his chair and leaned under. A young boy, only about six years old, was holding both of his cookies and eating one. He recognized the white hair and big blue eyes.

“Oh, hello, Nickel!” 

“Mmm!” Nickel groaned and took another bite of the cookie he was eating. 

“You took my cookies.”

“Buzz off.”

“Tell you what. You give me one of my cookies back, and I’ll let you stay here. Deal?”

“Sure.” Nickel gave up one of the cookies. 

Oliver took a bite. “They’re really good, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

“You want some more food? I brought back some burritos. They’re Ranch’s, so-”

“Really? Yeah!”

“Here you go.” Oliver passed down one of his burritos. “Now tell me why you’re hiding here. I heard your dad’s been searching all morning.”

“He got mad at me.”

“Why did he get mad?”

“Because I messed up on something.”

“What did you mess up on?”

“I was doing some math homework, but my teacher said I got half the problems wrong because I didn’t look at the problems right, and then I only got half of a grade, and my dad’s mad about it.”

“About a grade?”

“Yeah.”

“What about the rest of your homework?”

“I do the rest of my homework really well. Because if I don’t, Dad doesn’t get mad.”

“I see. Come here. I’ll protect you from your dad.”

Nick climbed into Oliver’s arms. Oliver allowed the boy to sit in his lap while he completed his draft assignment on the holo-V in front of him.

“Mr. Perch, what is that?”

“It’s a holovision. It allows me to create 3D models. See, it lets me see things like they’re 3D. So I can carve little notches into these gears, see?” Oliver carved notches into a disc. 

“Cool. What do you do with it?”

“These can be turned into plans. These plans are used to build things. See, what do you want me to make?”

“Make a pencil.”

“A pencil? All right.” Oliver created a cylinder, and then carved six faces into it. He sharpened the end into a point, and then curved off the other end. “See, simple.”

“You’re really smart, Mr. Perch.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.” Nick blushed and buried his face into Mr. Perch’s suit. “If I’m having trouble with my homework, will you help me? Please?”

“Of course, my boy.” 

The next moment, the door slammed open. Helion Kronus stormed in. Nick clung onto Oliver. Oliver’s hands quickly wrapped around the boy. 

“Oliver, there’s something wrong with the last draft you sent.” he said. “The gears aren’t connecting because they rub up against the battery.”

“I thought I fixed that.” Oliver plugged a small flash drive into the holo-V.

“Did you send the latest version?”

“I guess not.” Oliver pulled up a file, which opened up as a series of holographic gears on the holo-V. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Send it right away.” Helion demanded.

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, what is Nickel doing in your office?”

“We were just talking.”

“Nickel, we have to talk about that assignment. Why didn’t you read the problems correctly? That isn’t what the heir to Kronus Tech should do!”

“I said I’m sorry!” Nick cried and hugged Oliver. Oliver held him closer.

“It’s all right, child.” Oliver stroked Nick’s hair. “Everyone makes mistakes. You said I was really smart, right? Well, I forgot to send the latest version of the gear draft. That was really silly, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t encourage him!” Helion snapped. 

“It’s all right if you make a few mistakes.” Oliver continued. “What’s important is that you put all of the effort you can into your work. You’re already a very bright young boy. I’m very proud of you, even if your dad isn’t.”

“Th-Thank you, Mr. Perch.” Nick hugged Oliver.

“You’re welcome, boy.”

Nick jumped out of Oliver’s arms and ran out the door, into the hallway. 

“Oliver, what was that for?” Helion growled. “You just turned my own son against me.”

“Your own son doesn’t deserve to be hounded for one bad grade on a test. I know enough about the public school system to recognize that. You apparently don’t know enough about children like him to raise one.

 “Besides,” Oliver’s voice grew light and wishful. “his heart is so innocent. He deserves to be loved despite his very minor mistakes.”

“Pshht. Only something you would say.”

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

One Year Later

The first guests were just stepping into the formal party.

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

“Hello, Mr. Kronus! It’s such an honor!” A woman shook Kronus’s hand, followed by Oliver’s. “Who are you exactly?” she asked.

Before Oliver could introduce himself, Helion spoke. “This is my new head draftsman, Oliver. He’s played a huge part in our recent successes.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, madam.” Oliver smiled.

“You too.”

It was then that Oliver noticed a young girl poking her head out from behind the woman’s legs. He knelt down and held his hand out. 

“Hi there. I’m Oliver.”

The girl hid behind her mother’s legs again. 

“That would be my daughter Annie. Shy thing.” The woman picked her up. “Say hi to Oliver, Annie.”

“Ha-ha-haaaiiii...” the girl managed to say.

“Hi to you too.”

“Oliver, we’re not here to greet children.” Helion growled under his breath.

----

As the night went on, Oliver was tasked with taking care of Nick. Presently he was stroking the boy’s hair as he slept in his lap. 

“Mommy... ” The same young girl from before was wandering around aimlessly, looking at all of the adults for a sign of recognition. 

“Annie, are you lost?” Oliver called her quietly. Annie wandered over to him. 

“Who’ssss... he?”

“This is Nick. He’s very tired. I’m sure you’re very tired too. Do you want to sleep here?”

“No.”

“Do you want to wait here with me? The party will be ending soon. I couldn’t talk to anyone all night.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like to dance?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you dance a lot for your mom?”

“No.”

“Do you want to dance for me?”

“No.”

“Too tired?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m tired too...”

Oliver watched the young girl fall asleep next to Nick. 

A familiar feeling filled his heart. It was warm and gentle. The purest sort of feeling. These sweet children trusted him. They were his friends. Dare he say, almost like family. 

“Both of you look so cold.” Oliver took his coat off and covered Annie with it. He pulled Nick up closer to his body. 

Pure little angels, both of you. You are always welcome in my arms.

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

The Present

“Afternoon, Mr. Perch.”

“Good afternoon, Nick.” Oliver observed Nickel as he went to sit down. He had grown quite strong, and his features were well-defined. His eyes scanned his homework quickly and efficiently, picking up all of the keywords (Oliver’s headset scanned the approximate direction of his eyeballs) and yet not missing a single other word. He had long since abandoned him for homework help, but still continued to work in his office, and Oliver enjoyed the company.

“How’s your mother? Has she recovered?” Oliver asked.

“She’ll recover soon.”

“Good to hear.”

“I’m hungry. Can you ask someone to grab us cookies?”

“Sure.” Oliver pressed a button on his desk. “Markes, can you get Nick and I some fresh chocolate chip cookies?”

“Sure thing.” was the reply.

There was no time to waste. Oliver got straight to work, designing a case for a watch and fitting all of the little bits and pieces inside. 

As Nick watched Oliver manipulate the drawings inside the holo-V, his eyes went to Oliver’s chest. Supposedly, three years earlier, Oliver had been in an accident, requiring him to wear a bandage around his chest to keep his back aligned. He also apparently experienced frequent migraines, and sometimes even seizures. It scared Nick at first, but Oliver told Nick that there was absolutely nothing to fear.

No one knew what was under that bandage, or why Oliver even wore it, in this day and age, when scar tissue could be removed with laser technology. In fact, there was a lot about Oliver that couldn’t be explained. He had a list of fake names, bought most of his things with cash, and managed his own private network through a microserver. 

It happened. Oliver grabbed his head and shouted. 

“Mr. Perch!” Nick stood up. 

“Nick!” Oliver gripped the edge of the table and held his bandage. “Ugh! H-Hold on, I’ll be back soon.” Oliver stumbled out of the room. Within a few minutes he was back, looking completely normal. 

“Are you okay?!” Nick shouted.

“Fine, my boy. My back pain acting up, that’s all.”

“All right.” Nick raised one eyebrow, but then went back to his homework. 

Oliver smiled at the boy. Little did the boy know how close Oliver had come to revealing his true self- the Dark Angel that terrorized the skies. He could control the world if he wanted to. And yet, he could never control a slipped bandage bending the feathers of the very wings they were supposed to hide.

(TL:DR- Angel started out as a teenage prodigy named Oliver, who then met some kids, really wanted kids, and then somehow got this way.)