#oh well it gave me an excuse to work on getting her proportions better

[crj-200]

did i ever show you guys the absolutely insane way i checked to see if the shoes i bought would work with a bridesmaid dress. because somehow drawing my sona was easier than just trying the outfit on

[doctor-plagueis]

RWBY Booty Tier List

Hi I said it would happen so now it's gonna happen, time to rate asses and explain why I gave them that rating...

(also they are in order from flattest to phattest)

[This took way too long (T-T) ]

Starting with D TIER Aka Flat as fuck

Raven: Ya go to the lowest tier in D tier ya all-tits-no-ass having ass, you deadbeat fucko (I really don't like parents who leave their children, how'd you guess?).

Weiss : Sorry girl but even with all your dance training, your Sperm donor's DNA is in you, if it was just your mom's DNA you'd rocket up to A TIER, still more ass than Raven tho, which says a lot about Raven since Weiss is as flat as a wooden plank (sorry @naughtyweiss your girl has no ass).

All of team NDGO: these bitches show up once or twice, and, in the novels they do something bad? I didn't read it, but they like sacrifice some people to the Grimm or something? Anyways they have almost no ass too little to actually matter.

C TIER Aka Too much muscle

Pyrrha : Sorry unbeatable girl your life style is just too healthy, with all her exercises and no fat foods she has no cushioning, I'm sorry Pyrrha you just have too much muscle.

Reese : With all her skating she must have some muscle in the back, like literally, her muscles are trained to keep her on the board during combat so her ass is super firm, but that's a bit of a downside since it's too firm, kinda hard actually like really hard.

Also she gives me party animal girl vibes, that doesn't affect anything just thought I'd mention it.

Elm: Have you seen how tall and beefy that girl is? Now does this affect her backside...mmm...kind of? Her ass is just and, I mean just muscle which is bad because no cushioning.

But her thighs tho mm~mm delicious.

Yang : Yang is all about her upper body, she's proud of her tits and her arms, she is Miss "punch first ask later" after all, so i can actually see her skipping some leg days, like Reese her booty is alot of muscle but not so much cushion, sorry Yang.

Arslan : Like Yang, Arslan is all about working out and honing her body to peak physical fighting ability, however, this girl has genetics on her side, her tits aren't as big as Yang’s however, she make up for having a tentsy little bit of cushion for the pushin' not really enough to be B TIER though.

B TIER Aka Now were gettin' good

Penny Ver.2 : Penny Version 1 was pure metal (at least in my headcanon) so she was all legs no butt, however, Penny Version 2 (again in my headcanon) had synthetic skin, now I'm not saying Pietro is some weird pervert giving his child a fat ass, but he was "generous" which was inaccurate as...

Penny (human) : Penny as a human never had the chance to exercise [fuck you RT (T-T)], so her booty was a little lacking but it was still bigger and rounder than her robot body.

Ruby: Now you and I both know that with all the sweets Ruby eats she isn't exactly thin, good thing though is all the fat goes to her ass, Ruby has that fatty y'all!

Neo : I'm sure people will question this one but, Neo's height is a detrement on her ass, since she's so short her ass has to be proportional to her actual height, so for women her height she has so much ass but compared to the others in this list it isn't as much.

Coco: Coco takes care of her fashion and her body. She does squats often and keeps a balance between fat and firmness. Unfortunately genetics gave her a cute face but not a phat ass, sorry queen.

Summer: Same as Ruby except she has that MILFY boost to her hips and booty (she also has bigger tits but, oh well this isn't the Titty Tier list so...).

Winter : Training for the military helped null the taint of Jacques DNA in her, so she took a bit more of her mother’s blessed genes, her ass isn't exactly impressive like the girls in A TIER but it's nothing to scoff at either, unlike her sister (sorry Weissey).

Miltiades "Miltia" : both sisters wear heels, however, Miltia has bigger boobs than her twin while Mel has a bigger booty, still wearing heels and being as acrobatic as they both are requires a lot of lower body training, and also since they work at a club as security they do know how to seduce people, and that did affected their rating.

A TIER Aka Nearly perfectly fuckable

Harriet : Now to be one hundred percent honest Harriet has more thighs than ass, however, with her focus on speed and the training she does, she must have a nice fuckable ass, not the biggest or roundest but really, really nice.

Melanie: Both sisters are guards for Junior's club, but, I like to think that Mel also works as a Stripper or Lap dancer (Hooker if you got enough to buy her services and have a dick big enough, she's a bit of a size queen), so she worked on making her already fat ass even better and also took the time to hone her sex appeal, those being her twerking and lapdancing.

Velvet : Bunny gal has some phat Bunny Buns if ya catch my meaning, like go back to volume 3 and get a good look at her costume, girl's got hips and ass like she was bred for it!

Willow: Have you seen her in the newest volumes?? She has a chance (admittedly small) against the legendary bellabooties Gahtdayum!

Too bad she wasted it with a nearly sterile fucking shit pile of a human like Jacques, ugh... (How he managed to have 3 children baffles me, must've taken half the world’s supply of Viagra)

[Side note our favorite Schnee femboy took after his mom, if he was on the list he'd be just below Harriet hehe].

A+ TIER Candidates for the Bubble Booty Brigade (BBB)

Glynda : Glynda is a professional huntress, she is a teacher and she's decked out in dominatrix gear, can I make it any clearer?

Salem : Salem is the original MILF, the thiccest witch of remnant , and also, she has magic and is technically a monster girl sooo... that gives her extra points (who would've guessed I like monster girls hehe).

The next entry might be blasphemous for some and for that I apologize but...

Blake and Kali : I'm sorry kitties, even though the belabooties are know world wide they are not yet in the BBB. Blake has the firmer booty because of her time in the Fang but Kali has the MILF bonus.

Because of their similarities and their diferences they tie for top of A+ tier.

S TIER The BUBBLE BOOTY BRIGADE

The three heavenly asses of remnant, only three girl stand a top the mountain of the perfect Bubble Booty and they are in order...

May Zedong : May has been depicted by the fandom as being really curvy, especially the cow udders she calls breasts, however she hides her curves under her clothes. The same applies to the fucking badonk she hides in her baggy pants, so much so in fact, that May should be number two of the BBB but because she's so shy about her body she's demoted to number three, still, being a member of the Brigade is a blesing of itself.

Emerald Sustrai : As stated in the previous entry Em should be number three, but because May is so shy and Emerald isn't they swaped places. Em is number two because of one singular thing, she knows her ass is her best atribute, and she fucking flaunts it, she knows she can make men and futas pitch tents, and make women stare like horndogs just by walking past them. Not only that, but she wear clothes that accentuate her ass from short shorts to miniskirts, she knows how to make anyone undeserving cream themselves just by swaying her hips a little and winking. Her seduction skills boosted her above everyone else except one.

NORA VALKYRIE THE ONE TRUE BUBBLE BOOTY OF REMNANT

Every single step a jiggle, every single jump or tiny hop and the world stops to stare, every time she passes by jaws hit the floor, every man woman and futa either wants Nora or wants to be Nora.

Nora's voluptuous cheeks are legendary and the worst part of it all is: She does know the effect she has on people, and she gives zero shits about it.

Because no one is worthy of her divine ass cheeks, except for two men: Jaune Arc and Lie Ren.

She's found her studs the ones who care for her, love her, give her the world AND the ones who have huge bitch breaking cocks to fuck her into the sheets like rutting animals.Every.Single.Night.

Every day of her life is one big teasing session for her studs, she purposefully wear skirts just short enough to see the glorious bounce, she always finds excuses to bend over, she sits on their laps as often as possible.

Just so she can have the mind blowing three ways she has every night.

All hail Booty Queen Nora Valkyrie.

Now everyone thank you for being patient this was something i spent a few days writing (like 3-4 days) and I only wrote this for that time so I hope y'all like it.

Some chacters are missing I know, but I really am comfortable with how it is now.

As always this SHOULD NOT AFFECT YOUR WRITING.

This was a thought experiment of mine, and like I always say in this sort of thing WRITE HOW YOU WANT TO WRITE I hope this was clear.

Thanks for reading and please if you so desire share it with friends.

But for now see ya!

[thewebcomicsreview]

Homestuck 2 has updated! Christmas is ruined!

Previously, on Homestuck 2: Literally nothing happened, and a non-trivial portion of the patreon supporters gave up and quit. Can this update pull a Christmas miracle and right the sinking ship of Homestuck 2? Probably not, but let’s find out! 

We’re back in Candyland, having completely skipped over Karkat and John talking about Dave’s apparent death, because this comic is only interested in long conversations when they’re boring and not about anything at all. That’s alright, I got the gist of it.

When Karkat is finally gone, John still doesn’t move. It isn’t as though he has nowhere else to go, since there are quite a few places he might attempt to make himself useful, for better or for worse.

So, it appears to be morning now, meaning that John’s son has been missing in a war zone for almost 24 hours and I guess John literally forgot Harry existed?

Prediction: This conversation is going to end in some variant of “Where is our son?” “Oh shit!”

ROXY: hey john can u do me a quick solid

ROXY: actly idk how quick itll be but its definitely solid

ROXY: harry anderson says i just missed u being here but could u skip back on over?

What.

So, I went back and checked, and apparently nowhere is it explicitly said that Harry Anderson was also looking for the Vriskas, so I guess he....stayed home? Which makes sense, I suppose, but maybe a “Stay here I’ll go look for them” would’ve helped. I wasn’t the only one who thought Harry was out looking for Vriska too. 

ROXY: sup

ROXY: follow me

ROXY: well were just going to my room so i guess technically u know the way

JOHN: haha ok.

John follows, trying to shake the ominous feeling he got from what she’d just said. He’d been in and out of this house a lot in the past few days. Why should this be any different?

Is Roxy....horny? Is the solid she’s looking for John’s dick? I mean, that’d make her saying Harry wasn’t available kind of weird, but I think this framing is a fake-out.

...

What the fuck is that lamp, Jesus Christ it’s awful. Just a cat’s asshole, facing the door.

ROXY: r u kiddin me rn egbert

JOHN: i’m not? unless you were, in which case yeah lets say i was also kidding.

JOHN: oh my god, i’m sorry, i don’t know why this making me freak out.

ROXY: i remember our past boot knockin with fondness but that is a situation im not interested in revisiting

Oh hey, it was a fakeout. Good job, Homestuck 2. You successfully implied something just through the art. Art which, by the way, looks a lot better than the last chapter. There are backgrounds and everything. I wonder if Chapter 15 was rushed out due to Hiveswap and that’s why it was so weak?

He’s almost embarrassed by how relieved he feels. So what if his ex wife wanted to hook up? Shouldn’t that be a situation he could navigate? Don’t people like to find solace in human physical connection during dire times? Why did the idea of it make his mind white out in panic more than, say, any number of the traumas he just experienced?

I’m not the biggest fan of the way the narration is going JOHN IS AFRAID OF SEX WITH ROXY LIKE HE’S A TEENAGE VIRGIN AGAIN (LIKE IN HS1!) AND IT DOESN’T REALLY MAKE SENSE PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IT’LL BE IMPORTANT LATER, but okay, noted.

ROXY: u said ur house is gone??

JOHN: yep.

JOHN: completely.

ROXY: jeez

Heh. I like Roxy, still. 

JOHN: so i just sat there, watching, trying to figure out why watching my house burn down felt like i was being released from prison.

If this comic actually uses the phrase “home” and “stuck” in the same sentence I’m turning this blog around and we’ll go right back to Winnipeg.

ROXY: aight then no wind bending just use your mangrit

Roxy flexes, the corner of her mouth pulled up into a familiar grin. John feels his guts, so recently calmed, twist up into knots again. Her eyebrows shoot up and the smile loosens. He must have shown something on his face.

ROXY: ok or just like push when i push

ROXY: we both got sick muscles

ROXY: no other adjectives necessary

I feel unqualified to talk about how hard Roxy is pushing the June Egbert thing.

....Is that the fucking portal from Hiveswap under a tarp? Also hi Candy Callie, appearing in HS2 for the first time. One of the Calliope’s is nonbinary, I think, but I honestly can’t remember and I think it’s Meat Calliope? 

JOHN: do i get to know what that big thing under the sheet is?

ROXY: hmmmmmm no

JOHN: oh ok.

JOHN: are you sure? i mean, it seems like a pretty prominent feature of the room.

JOHN: space.

JOHN: wherever we are.

ROXY: and a totally mysterious n COMPLETELY inconspicuous feature it will have to remain for now

ROXY: we r kinda in a hurry here fyi

ROXY: and by that i mean

ROXY: we are in precisely the amount of hurry that means im excused from having to a that specific q rn

JOHN: right, sorry.

JOHN: i will pay no attention to the object behind the curtain.

ROXY: u catch on fast egbert

Oh thing HS2 has not been great at is that it has a lot of plot mysteries that are supposed to keep us enticed but they don’t really get implanted into the audience’s head (Remember Vrissy mysteriously collapsing that one time? Probably not, she did it off screen and the boys kind of laughed it off). This one’s hard to miss.

JOHN: so... this is all downstairs?

JOHN: it seems like you had a lot of work done.

ROXY: well no not x actly

ROXY: were in the old meteor

It’s kind of weird how this meteor keeps popping up like this. 

CALLIOPE: besides, hUman divorces are even more fascinating than i had ever imagined, and being able to witness yoUrs in motion was an honoUr.

This is an unexpected but not unwelcome direction for Callie to have gone.

CALLIOPE: ah right, right. yoU're probably a little cUrioUs as to where the dickens we are.

CALLIOPE: how much do yoU know aboUt black holes?

Oh, wow, we’re going right there, then. This does seem like a bit of a reaction to complaints HS2 wasn’t shmoovin’ enough, but maybe I’m reading too much into it.

CALLIOPE: no, i mean, what if oUr whole WORLD was inside a black hole.

JOHN: ok.

A’ight, that got a laugh out of me

JOHN: ugh, i fucking KNEW it!

JOHN: i'm so sorry.

JOHN: i'm so sorry that i put the earth inside a black hole everyone. ):

I like this conversation a lot. 

ROXY: iirc at least part of y u got so weepy was the fact that u couldnt believe a version of earth existed where ppl got 2 watch more mcconaughey films than you

JOHN: listen.

JOHN: i simply don't think you all appreciated the gift you were given.

Quite a bit, in fact.

ROXY: ur not gonna enter a weird time vortex and change the trajectory of a little girls life with the power of love

JOHN: aw.

Roxy and John have a good dynamic. 

CALLIOPE: bUt Upon her departUre, the rift closed for good. as far as i can see, there's simply no way for Us to commUnicate with the world oUtside the black hole.

CALLIOPE: i woUld certainly be very sUrprised to find oUt that anyone had managed sUch a thing!

JOHN: ...right.

John’s phone has very good coverage, since he was able to talk to Terezi in the epilogues, as we’re being subtly reminded of here with that ... before the “right”. I wonder if it still works after alt-Calliope left.

CALLIOPE: oUr exclUsion from the overarching coUrse of events which governs all reality means that oUr existence here is liable to dramatic and violent Upheaval.

CALLIOPE: to pUt it another way, becaUse nothing in here "matters", we are likely to be sUbjected to things which are a bit bats in the belfry, for no reason other than it's totally insignificant to the wider canon of reality.

CALLIOPE: and mUch thoUgh i am personally titillated by some of the conseqUences of this predicament, it is a degrading way for Us to live. u_u

Okay, so we are now being explicitly told that living in the black hole is fucking with the characters and is part of the reason they make such baffling decisions, like Rose not telling Kanaya about Yiffy, or naming her daughter “Yiffy” in the first place.

CALLIOPE: we need yoU to free vriska from the clUtches of oUr misgUided friend jane, and bring her here, to the singUlarity.

ROXY: weve been calling it the plot point

CALLIOPE: yes, the plot point is a key part of oUr plan

CALLIOPE: as far as we have been able to sUrmise, the only remaining method for escaping oUr grim confinement depends on leveraging the UniqUe properties of this location to create an event of sUch catalcysmic proportions that it simply cannot be contained within the black hole any more.

CALLIOPE: something SO dramatic, so hyper-relevant, that it becomes ontologically impossible for anyone to ignore it.

CALLIOPE: for that, we need an individUal of sUfficient narrative cloUt, so to speak.

CALLIOPE: and to liberate her, who better than the embodiment of the aspect of freedom itself?

So, the plan is literally for Vriska to be such a Huge 8itch that the black hole itself gets sick of her and yeets Earth C out of its own event horizon to freedom.

This is actually a great plan. 

And that’s Hamsteak. This definitely feels like a bit of a reaction to complaints about HS2, but hey, I dig it, I guess? Definite improvement over the last chapter.

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH137 (Extra)

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents ]

-----

Chapter 137: Extra

Introduction to Extra: When a high school student idol girl encounters an exorcist of the Holy See who transferred to her school, the original scientific world seems to suddenly become unscientific...

Beautiful idol girl: A lovely and beautiful girl like me, of course, only likes handsome girls!

Handsome girl: Hmm!

Agent: Excuse me?

　　&&&

Note: This story is an AU (Alternative Universe) story, that is, a parallel universe, not a story within the same timeline as the main text. There is no Nightmare Game in this story. Everyone is living in modern times, including fantastic creatures such as supernatural ghosts, demons, and blood cults, but they are not widely known. The story involves the locations and characters from the Castle Cry copy, but it is different from the story in the text. Please refer to the text.

Genders are different, genders are different, and genders are different (important things are said three times). Because of gender differences and different experiences growing up, the characters are slightly different from the text.

Qi Leren entered the entertainment industry from an early age while attending high school, filming and singing, and was a famous idol and beautiful girl; Ning Zhou is the royal elder sister* mixed-race exorcist who transferred from abroad for some reason.

*{E/N: yujie, like the Japanese onee-sama character type}

　　&&&

The sunshine outside the window was too good, and there wasn’t even a cloud in the blue sky.

Qi Leren looked out of the window with her cheeks propped up, a little absent-minded.

The teacher was giving a lecture on the podium and the students around her were all keeping their heads down and taking notes carefully. Qi Leren’s eyes quietly drifted to the black-haired and blue-eyed student by the window. She sat upright and looked at the teacher on the podium, looking serious and earnest.

Her blue eyes were really beautiful.

Qi Leren's thoughts suddenly returned to the day a month ago.

On that day, she’d flown back to X City overnight the previous night. It was already after midnight when she’d gotten home, so she’d unfortunately overslept the next day and rushed into the lecture building as the school bell rang. Although the school was tolerant of her frequent leave, Qi Leren didn't want to be treated specially because of her idol status, so she would try her best to observe the school rules.

The bell was drawing to a close, and she was still a corridor away from the classroom. Qi Leren ran at the speed of the 800-meter women's champion in the school sports meet. As she ran, she thought she might not be late this time. As a result, at the corner at the end of the corridor, she ran head-on into someone.

"Ow!" The bump was really strong. Qi Leren raised her head angrily, covering her nose, and glared at the person.

The blue-eyed girl who was hit: "...Sorry."

Who is this? I've never seen her before. Is she wearing fashion contact lenses? So tall and beautiful!

Qi Leren stared at the person and for a long time she apologized until the class teacher coughed: "I'm sorry, I ran into you, I'm sorry!"

The class teacher accompanying the blue-eyed girl smiled and said, "Xiao-Qi, what are you hurrying for?"

Qi Leren immediately wore a bitter expression: "...Sorry teacher, I'm late."

"It doesn't matter, you’re busy with your work, the teacher understands it, go back to the classroom quickly," the teacher in charge said, taking the two people with her to the classroom.

Qi Leren walked on the left side of the head teacher and slowed down after two steps. She secretly looked at the girl walking on the right side of the head teacher. She looked only ahead of her, and she could see that her facial features were more three-dimensional than the average person. With those sapphire eyes, Qi Leren boldly guessed that she should be mixed-race.

"Hey hey, I’m Qi Leren, what's your name? Why haven't I seen you before? Did you transfer to this school?" Qi Leren put on her trademark smile photogenic smile and smiled sweetly at her, and spoke without any of her idol baggage.

The blue-eyed girl gave her a look, turned her face quickly, and fell silent.

Qi Leren, who’d failed to strike up a conversation, froze for a second. What? Someone ignored her? This was not scientific!

Qi Leren debuted at the age of seven, playing the sister of the self-improving poor hero in a drama set in the Republic of China. Because the story required crying from beginning to end, crying deeply and emotionally, and because of her lovable role and outstanding acting skills, she played the clever and poor little girl vividly and immediately became the little daughter in the eyes of the aunties and became a national sweetheart.

Since then, Qi Leren, who was still a young girl, relied on her mother's contacts as an actress and her own outstanding acting skills - and probably also her well-proportioned face - and after ten years, her development route had been well planned by the management company. From the age of thirteen, she had changed from the role of poor and lovely sister and daughter to the route of a youth idol and beautiful girl, acting on one hand and singing on the other, busy enough that she needed 48 hours per day. If it wasn't for her mother's insistence that she should continue her studies and at least finish college, she probably wouldn't even have the chance to experience normal school life.

It can be imagined that the campus life of this popular idol, this beautiful girl, was full of stars, yet Qi Leren had never met anyone who was nice to her.

To paraphrase the lines of the hero of her recent idol drama: Very good, woman, you have successfully caught my attention!

"Ning Zhou is a new transfer student. She was in Italy before, and her Chinese isn’t very good. Xiao-Qi, you should help her more and let her integrate into the group as soon as possible," the teacher in charge said.

"Oh, no problem, leave it to me!" Qi Leren smartly saluted the class teacher, which attracted the class teacher's tight smile.

The girl named Ning Zhou unnaturally turned away from her gaze, staying silent as she looked at the distant scenery.

It had been a month, and she was still like this.

Qi Leren, who was pulled away from her memories, sighed softly and looked at Ning Zhou with increasingly melancholy eyes.

Ning Zhou was really beautiful and cold, and she exuded an aura of staying away from strangers. Qi Leren heard that her classmates would also talk about her privately, saying that she wasn’t easy to get along with, and the amount of time she normally took as leave was comparable to Qi Leren.

Hey, why was she so cold? She had spoken up many times explicitly and implicitly, but Ning Zhou always ended the conversation with a "hm" which made the idol girl frustrated. If it weren't for Ning Zhou's eyes that were clear of disgust, she would have almost thought Ning Zhou really hated her.

Qi Leren was resting on her arm and looking sideways at Ning Zhou. The side of her face seemed to be glowing in the warm sunshine. It was really beautiful...

Suddenly Ning Zhou turned to look up, and Qi Leren who was peeking was caught red-handed as their eyes collided in the air... What happened with ordinary people? Were they embarrassed and looked away? Qi Leren didn't. She kept her head pillowed on her arm and smiled generously at Ning Zhou, especially sweetly.

Ning Zhou quickly withdrew her sight, not looking out the window.

In the warm sunshine, her earlobe was red.

Qi Leren blinked and repeatedly confirmed that she was not mistaken.

So, in fact, Ning Zhou wasn’t cold but just shy? Qi Leren was stunned by this idea and screamed in her heart for a long time, Ning Zhou! Lovely! She's shy! Super cute!

Qi Leren's heart was filled with an unprecedented impulse. She should try harder to strike up a conversation with Ning Zhou and make good friends with her! The kind where she could bury herself in her breasts!

When the bell rang, Qi Leren immediately sat up straight, and the students around them stood up and walked around the classroom. Several nice classmates gathered around Qi Leren and chatted with her twitteringly.

"Qi Leren, I heard that you’re going to release a single again. Have you recorded it?"

"When will your new show be released?"

"Qi Leren, help me ask Su Ying for a signature! The news said that you’ll be acting in that show, right!"

"Are XX and XXX really in love? I think it’s all just a rumor!"

All kinds of questions surrounded Qi Leren, these curious baby girls racing against time to inquire about the entertainment industry. Qi Leren patiently answered them one by one, and some inconvenient words had to be vaguely taken out. Fortunately, the girls were just curious, not asking why. Compared with them, it was obvious that the students in other classes and even other grades outside the window gave her a headache. If she wanted to go out to the toilet now, she couldn't do it without two students because she would be overwhelmed by the crowd...

This was also the trouble of being a popular and beautiful idol girl.

Until after school in the afternoon, Qi Leren didn't find a chance to get closer to Ning Zhou. She walked too fast. Qi Leren didn't find a chance to leave school with her, so she had to instead leave the school with several girls. In the afternoon, the driver who was in charge of picking her up asked for leave. She thought about whether to take a taxi home or to walk home. After thinking about it, the school wasn’t far from home anyway. It was currently rush hour, so the road would be too blocked. It was better to walk.

So Qi Leren put on a mask and walked towards home with her school bags.

Since the beginning of primary school, Qi Leren had had only a handful of opportunities to go home by herself. She looked at the cars blocking the street from one end to the other and the motorbikes occupying the sidewalk, gave an annoyed tut, and turned her head and walked into the alley.

Through this alley, one could reach the neighbourhood her house was in. Qi Leren was happily humming the tune of her upcoming single that she would be shooting the music video for tomorrow...

At dusk, the orange-red light fell on the corner of the lane, which shrouded the scenery in a decadent golden splendor. A cold wind blew, and the coolness was a little unsettling. Qi Leren instinctively had a feeling of foreboding. She hesitantly stopped and looked around - the sunset’s sudden dimness was only caused by the shadow of a building, and everything seemed ordinary.

The exit was just ahead. With an uneasiness in her heart, Qi Leren strode forward.

There was a cold wind, and the wind mixed with the foul smell and decay. Qi Leren held her breath and took three steps in two strides, but the accident did not let her go. Just less than ten meters away from the corner, the golden sunset was suddenly swallowed up by a strange darkness, and Qileren stopped suddenly and looked ahead in amazement.

The residential buildings on both sides of the alley echoed with the shrill cries of crows, and the daylight around her suddenly darkened as if she had stepped into an instant night. Qi Leren looked back in panic, but the road that she had originally come from had been submerged in the darkness.

What was happening? Was this some strange joke?

Qi Leren panicked and took out her cellphone to make a call. As soon as she unlocked it, there was no signal at all!

Qi Lered was flustered, using her cellphone to illuminate ahead as she walked faster and faster, but no matter how far she went, there was no end to the road ahead. Only the light of the cellphone illuminated a small section of the concrete ahead, and there was a mottled blood on the ground...

There was a strange movement in the darkness ahead. Qi Leren stopped and looked toward it with bated breath. The flashlight lit up the darkness. In this faint light, there was a rickety and distorted shadow coming towards her, step by step, slowly and heavy, as if a cold corpse had been forcibly fished out of the morgue was posing strangely and stumbling forward.

It entered the range of the flashlight’s beam and Qi Leren breathed in a gasp - Was that alive? The limbs were stiff, the skin was gray, and the eyes were glowing red. It paused for a second, its head lowered, and the red eyes looked straight in Qi Leren’s direction.

The next moment, it opened its closed mouth, showing a whole row of sharp teeth, and growled at her!

Qi Leren gave a cry and ran away. She bet that hadn’t tried so hard when she’d ran 800 meters in the school sports meet, but even still the monster that had suddenly become agile got closer and closer as it chased her, and with a swoop forward it grabbed Qi Leren's calf.

"Ah-" Qi Leren fell to the ground, and the monster opened its mouth and bit her throat.

At this critical juncture, Qi Leren, who had closed her eyes tightly, heard a gunshot, but the expected pain did not come. She opened her eyes carefully. The monster holding her down was covered with frost and the cold seeped into her body. She shivered, struggling out of the monster's hold by rolling and crawling, brushing the dirt off her clothes while looking in all directions for the source of the gunshot.

The darkness around her was fading gradually and the sunset came back from the end of the world, spilling its afterglow on the earth.

And in the direction of the sunset, there was a tall and slender figure with a silver shotgun pistol in her hand, looking at her from a distance.

That figure...

Qi Leren suddenly opened her eyes wide and ran to her without thinking. The girl took a step back and seemed to want to leave, but Qi Leren had already cried her name: "Ning Zhou! Wait!"

Ning Zhou didn't go away after all. Instead, she was pulled by the arm by Qi Leren: "What happened just now? What was that monster?"

"...Low-level magic," Ning Zhou said, and went to the monster who had been shot dead by her gun. She bent over to check it and confirmed that it was dead. Then she took out a bottle of a liquid flashing with silver luster from her bag and dumped it on the body. The body instantly turned into black and dissipated in the air.

Qi Leren was still immersed in the absurdity of the thrilling adventure just now, and her mind was full of strange questions. However, when Ning Zhou was about to leave, she quickly caught up and held onto her: "Don't go, where did that monster come from? Why did it suddenly get dark just now? What’s the silver liquid in your bottle? Corpse water? Who the hell are you? Certainly not an ordinary person?"

Ning Zhou, whose arm was being clung to, looked at the curious girl with a depressed face. At that time, she didn't know what to do. She could tell her, of course, but it would hurt her, involving her in something she couldn’t escape from... What should she do?

"Oh, please talk to me, I'm scared to death, can you walk me back? My house is just a little way away, it’s very close! Just be good enough to walk me there." Seeing that Ningzhou seemed to be shaken, Qi Leren immediately switched to acting mode and watched Ning Zhou, trying to impress this mysterious transfer student with what are known as "puppy eyes".

"...Let's go," Ning Zhou gave in.

Qi Leren silently made a victory gesture in her heart and took Ning Zhou's arm happily and naturally - at that moment, she felt Ning Zhou stiffen: "Thank you for saving me, Ning Zhou, you’re so handsome! I upgrade you to my goddess!"

And then? Then she succeeded in seeing Ning Zhou's ears turn red again.

It's so lovely, Qi Leren chuckled in her heart.

On the way home, Qi Leren played the rare dead-end part of the idol beautiful girl and pulled a lot of information out of Ning Zhou's mouth, which was sparing in words and inaccurate in pronunciation. What had happened just now was she had walked into the Nightmare World at dusk, a projection of the real world that existed in hell. Whenever night fell its power would become strong, and occasionally someone would go into the Nightmare World and be attacked by monsters.

She also learned that Ning Zhou is not from Italy, but from the Vatican. The Vatican was not only responsible for religious beliefs as she had imagined. There was also a very complex and huge underground Holy See beneath the surface. Since the Middle Ages, they had fought with the dark forces. Exorcists were not simply characters in novels and movies, but really existed.

At this moment, the person whose arm she was holding was an exorcist of the Holy See.

It sounded really cool. It sounded cooler than an idol girl!

On the short walk home, Qi Leren's worldview had been scrubbed clean. Sadly, she still wanted to continue to be washed, but she had already returned to her doorstep. Still holding onto the girl: "Eat with me, my parents aren’t at home these days. I have no appetite when I eat alone, and I’ve lost a few pounds!"

Saying this, Qi Leren pinched her arm and looked at Ning Zhou pitifully.

Ning Zhou compromised again.

Qi Leren felt that she had found the trick to deal with Ning Zhou, she just had to play up this charm and act as the cute coquettish girl. Ning Zhou was shy and soft-hearted, and had no idea what to do with this kind of girl.

"Let me see what's in the refrigerator. When the auntie comes to clean the house in the morning, she leaves something for me to eat later. I just take it out and heat it up at night." Qi Leren opened the refrigerator and studied it for a while. She smiled back and reported the name of the dishes present. "...What would you like to eat?"

"Whatever."

"There’s no food called whatever! I’ll tell you what, shall I make you spaghetti and steak? I'm good at that! Okay, it's a deal! Go and do some homework and I'll cook." Qi Leren kicked Ning Zhou out of the kitchen, turned on the stereo, and played the songs off her last album, which were all youthful and relaxed and made people feel happy when they listened to them - although Qi Leren was not interested in her own songs at all. When she heard the melody, she would recall collapsing while singing and having to leave the recording studio to vomit, but out of some unspeakably subtle mood, she especially wanted to play it in front of Ning Zhou now.

This careful choice really caught Ning Zhou's attention. She picked up the album case that Qi Leren "inadvertently" put on the coffee table. The girl on the cover was wearing a sailor suit and full of energy, with her hair that was tied into a pair of ponytails floating up as she jumped. Her pitiable and lovely drooping eyes became glowing because of her happy smile.

Ning Zhou looked at it for a long time, but she didn't even notice that Qi Leren, who was busy in the kitchen, looked back at her frequently. She picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. The image of the song’s music video immediately appeared in front of her eyes. The girl wearing sportswear in the music video was participating in a sports meet and fell down as she ran, suffering from a cold sweat, but stood up stubbornly and limped to the end regardless of her bleeding knee.

That stubborn and tough look... Ning Zhou's heart was suddenly hit, and then she woke up. It was just a music video.

When she looked into the kitchen, she happened to collide with Qi Leren who was secretly peeking at her. Their eyes were separated by the transparent glass door. Caught red handed, Qi Leren covered her eyes with one hand. After a long time, she opened the glass door and blushed and as she said, "That music video was shot blindly! I didn't fall when I was running. Last year I won the 800-meter women's championship in the school sports meet!"

Of course, winning the championship was due to the fact that special sports students couldn't participate in the school sports meet.

At the sports meet, Qi Leren was photographed from beginning to end and made headlines with her win of the 800-meter championship, so when this music video came out, it was ridiculed in good faith - Le-mei, you won this 800-meter championship by beating the previous player, right?

Qi Leren really wanted to promote herself in front of Ning Zhou. It was naturally a bit depressing to be seen in the music video, and for Ning Zhou to take it so seriously...

Inexplicably ashamed and resentful Qi Leren pulled Ning Zhou away from watching the TV: "Give me a hand, you cook the spaghetti and I'll make the steak! If you don’t know how, I can teach you."

So one person's kitchen became two people’s, and the sunset outside the window stretched the shadows of the two people until they collided with each other unconsciously. When an elbow touched another person, the two people would stiffen and casually pretend it hadn’t happened.

The living room outside the kitchen echoed with the familiar melody, full of youth and love.

After dinner, Qi Leren invited Ning Zhou to work on homework together. Whenever she did homework, she always complained that she could earn money to support herself yet she still had to study hard and do homework. With how often she took leave, it wasn’t easy to stay in the middle ranking. The price was that she often had to study hard on the set with her textbooks, and she was so tired that she would never get up until she was hungry in the afternoon.

When doing homework, Qi Leren's mouth didn't stop. She talked to Ning Zhou who didn’t say a word. Ning Zhou said too little, and she was almost always chattering: "My mother has been very busy recently. She’s the busiest person in my family. It’s normal for her to fly to three cities in a day on press tours when a movie’s released. She acts so tired even at her age. I think she’ll struggle until she’s 80 years old. My dad’s fine, he isn’t too busy working at the university. I don’t see him very often, even though we’re his wife and daughter. When my mother’s resting, he is not busy. I really want to cover over his face." At some point, Qi Leren casually asked, "Where are your parents? Did they come to X City with you?"

Ning Zhou's writing hand kept moving as she said faintly, "They’ve passed away."

"Ah..." Qi Leren froze, "I'm sorry..."

Ning Zhou stopped writing and looked up at her: "It doesn't matter, it’s been a long time."

Her blue eyes were so calm, almost empty, as if talking about something irrelevant, but… why did she feel sad?

No, you haven't let it go at all, Qi Leren retorted in her heart. You’re obviously sad, but you don't want to admit it. Do you feel that you’re weak? It’s lovely that people have such strong emotions. They laugh when they’re happy, cry when they’re sad, and pursue bravely when they like someone. Because of these feelings, people are able to become real.

A bell came from somewhere far away. Qi Leren took a look at the time, strengthened her heart to keep Ning Zhou here, and pretended to learn the time casually as she said, "Ah, it's late, why do you have to leave? I am alone at home, and with what happened before... I’m a little scared." With that, Qi Leren blushed and asked, "Can you stay with me?"

In the face of such a person, such a request, Ning Zhou couldn't refuse. Receiving a positive answer, Qi Leren happily went to help her find a change of clothes: "I haven't worn these pajamas yet, the underwear is new, a toothbrush and towel are ready, and I put them in the bathroom on the second floor. I’ll go wash on the first floor."

Finished saying that, Qi Leren trotted down the stairs, brushed her teeth and washed her face quickly, and took a bath while humming. After washing, she looked at herself in front of the mirror for a while. After hesitating repeatedly, she picked up a bottle of girls’ perfume with a fresh scent from the washstand, sprayed it twice in the air, and then walked through the mist.

Qi Leren, who walked out of the bathroom, also sniffed her body nervously. It was light, and it wasn’t obvious after being mixed with shower gel. It should be... It should seem quite natural.

The fragrant Qi Leren walked to the piano in the living room, pressed it twice, then sat down and played the piano skillfully.

Ning Zhou, who had finished washing, came down the curved staircase. Qi Leren looked up at her and smiled as she said, "I'll sing you the song from my new single."

Ning Zhou nodded silently.

Qi Leren coughed twice: "This song ‘I like you’ is dedicated to the goddess Ning Zhou who is willing to accompany me through this frightening night. Your blue eyes are as beautiful as sapphires, I like them very much.

"Everything became incredible, I fell in love with you at first sight, and the world was instantly sweet. Your smile and your voice linger in my mind. My eyes only follow you in the crowd, and my first love suddenly comes... I want to take you out of your lonely world, I want to accompany you to see all the beautiful sights, and I am inseparable from you from now on... La la la la, just like you so much, la la la la, I like you."

In the brightly lit living room, the girl who played the piano and sang presented her a song with countless sweet smiles. When being watched by brown eyes, the heart always lost its rhythm, and the heat surging in her chest was so strange and difficult to control. She was afraid of this uncontrollable thing, but she just wanted to let it go.

As she finished playing, Qi Leren looked at her eagerly: "Is it good?"

Ning Zhou hard nodded her head.

So Qi Leren smiled: "I hoped you’d like it! When I have a new song next time, I’ll sing it to you again!"

Ning Zhou looked at her deeply, and her deep blue eyes seemed to become gentle under the light.

Qi Leren, who despite not having a teacher had learned how to pick up a hot chick, jumped with excitement and tried to calm down, saying, "It's late, let's go to sleep."

With this said, she took Ning Zhou to the bedroom: "My bed’s quite big, it’s no problem for two people to sleep in it. If you’re not used to it, we can each have a quilt."

Anyway, there was no such option as sleeping next door.

Ning Zhou was not used to it. Girls here went to the toilet in droves and walked in the street hand in hand. Kissing and touching were commonplace. When she first came, she thought the girls here were all gay, but later found out that this was a difference of national customs.

"My friends have told me about having sleepovers with their girlfriends, but I entered the entertainment industry too early and the agents are very strict, and I haven’t had any friends close enough to sleep with." Qi Leren seemed to be a little hesitant to look at Ning Zhou, and quickly tried to act cute to disguise it. "I’ll definitely have nightmares tonight..."

Ning Zhou compromised again, and she found herself frustrated that she was always easily persuaded in matters relating with Qi Leren, without any bottom line.

Qi Leren, successful in being allowed to share the same bed as the goddess, got under the quilt and snickered, so happy that she couldn't wait to roll a few times in bed. But in the face of the goddess, she had to be careful and reserved!

The dim bedside lamp lit up this square inch. Qi Leren got out from under the blanket and leaned against the pillow. She looked at Ning Zhou sideways and said with a smile, "Let's chat."

"..." They had agreed to go to bed since it was late. Ning Zhou felt unbearable condescension, but nodded her head.

Qi Leren was quite good at chatting. She couldn't help it, it was also the actor's professional quality to be eloquent. Otherwise, they would be tongue-tied when being interviewed by reporters and the other party will be embarrassed. When she was on talk shows, the atmosphere would be stagnant, and the lethality of the silence would be huge.

Seeing that the goddess agreed, Qi Leren chatted with her in a garrulous way, getting closer and closer, and in the end she had cocked her head and leaned on the other's shoulder to show her her photos.

"This photo was taken when I was seven years old. At that time, I cried and didn't want to go to school. My mother threatened to make me go to her film set with her if I didn't go to school. Every day, I had to crawl in the mud and hang from a wire. I cried and said that I would rather go to the shoot, so my mother took me to her film studio to teach me a lesson. At that time, she was filming a drama set in the Republic of China. It was scary watching them shoot a war scene. I was scared. I thought that the actor brother was really dead and started crying. The director of the studio next door had just come to chat with an old friend, looked at me crying pitifully, and said that the actress who was meant to play the little girl next door had broken her leg and couldn't come, and he discussed with my mother whether he could borrow me the show. At that time, I was so naive that I thought I really didn't have to go to school anymore if I did it, so I happily went away with the director and embarked on the road of no return. The worst thing is that I have to go to school while I’m shooting a show. If I don't do well on an exam, I have to ask my tutor to make up the missed lessons! It’s mad, there’s no humanity." Qi Leren chattered at Ning Zhou, talking about her mother and making angry gesticulations as she went on.

From the tip of her nose came the sweet smell of girls, mixed with shower gel and an unknown fragrance, which was pure and fresh and sweet. Ning Zhou, who was almost never so close to anyone, instinctively felt her body stiffen and repeatedly stressed to herself that she was harmless, that she needn’t be so on guard or have to fight back. On several occasions, her line of sight had habitually fallen on her slender neck, which was so soft that a gentle push would be enough to stop her from ever singing well again. It turned out that she was flawed, and she didn't have any precautions about showing them. This naive innocence made Ning Zhou anxious and subconsciously worried.

"...And you? What was it like when you were a child?" Qi Leren asked in a low voice, she was a little uneasy for fear that such a question would be too abrupt, but she couldn't help but want to know more about Ning Zhou.

That isn’t a happy memory, she doesn't want to know, Ning Zhou thought.

She didn't want to know of the endless bloody killings at the border between the Nightmare World and the human world, and what it was like to hunt demons alone at the border of hell since the age of thirteen, and she didn't want to know how painful it was when she ran out of food and fell into the demon forest and her intestines slipped out of an abdominal wound. Even when they were sitting side by side, the worlds they lived in were never the same.

She didn't want her to see the filth and darkness hidden behind the peaceful world.

Ning Zhou was silent for too long, and Qi Leren lowered his eyes in frustration and realized that her questions had troubled Ning Zhou: "I'm sorry... I'm too curious..."

"When I was thirteen years old, I went to the Vatican..." Ning Zhou interrupted her apology and said quietly, "I’ve never seen my father. After my mother died that year, I had no other relatives who could serve as guardians. Her friends followed her will and sent me to the Vatican, where a senior who respected her was my guardian.

"Living in the Vatican was very happy. I’ve learned a lot of things and I am determined to be an exorcist like my mother, fighting demons hidden in the dark. In recent years, the scope of the Nightmare World is expanding, and the number of demon attacks around the world is increasing... I was commissioned by a descendent of a German noble to investigate the history of his past relative who had lived in China with her family."

Ning Zhou saw Qi Leren looking eagerly at her and wanting to hear more, so she talked about some modified hunting demons. Qi Leren listened to her carefully. Ning Zhou said many words very carefully, with a little accent, but it sounded so lovely to Qi Leren. The more she listened, the more absorbed she became, and when she heard some thrilling thing she would gasp and hold Ning Zhou's hand nervously.

The girl's hand was small and soft, and the veins were clear. She found that Ning Zhou's hand was different from hers. She took her palm and looked left and right. She also curiously touched the thin veins that ran from her palm to her wrist, and touched Ning Zhou's left hand. There was a scar in the center that looked like a thorn, and she said with distress: "This must have been painful."

The palm of her hand felt crisp and numb, and Ning Zhou breathed slowly and withdrew her hand quietly: "It's time to sleep."

Qi Leren was a little regretful but she had to turn off the lights, depressed at the thought of having to shoot the music video tomorrow on her day off classes.

The room was dark and the balcony off the bedroom was open. The wind blew in from outside the screen window, together with the moonlight. Qi Leren lowered her breathing and listened carefully. She couldn't hear Ning Zhou's breathing at such a close distance. If it wasn't for the other person's temperature, she wouldn't even feel someone sleeping beside her.

The hand hidden under the quilt sneaked over and grabbed Ning Zhou's hand. She looked at her with her tilted face that was turned away from the moonlight. Her facial features were immersed in the darkness, yet her sapphire eyes were shining.

A smile appeared on Qi Leren’s moonlit face. She held Ning Zhou's hand, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek: "Thank you for saving me today. Goodnight, Ning Zhou."

It was too close. When she had neared, Ning Zhou had almost turned over and stopped her, but the sweet smell of the girl puzzled her and she didn't move until her soft lips pressed to her cheek.

Qi Leren, who had kissed the goddess, lied back, and the quilt covered the lower half of her face, which also covered her hand clutching Ning Zhou’s.

Strange joy and pain haunted her at the same time. In such a complicated mood, she breathed another person's breath and gradually fell asleep.

The night was silent and long, but Qi Leren, who had always slept well, suddenly woke up. She hesitated, rubbed her eyes, and got out of bed to go to the toilet without realizing that she was the only one in the big bed.

When she walked to the bathroom, she looked at the mirror with a yawn. She looked sleepy in her reflection. Just when she was about to go out of the bathroom, she suddenly looked back with a start - the toothbrush cup on the washstand wasn’t hers!

The sleepiness was washed away at once and Qi Leren recalled, because the bathroom on the second floor had been lent to Ning Zhou, she had moved her things to the bathroom on the first floor, but... Where was Ning Zhou?!

Qi Leren ran out of the bathroom, shouting Ning Zhou's name and searching everywhere. There was no one in the bedroom, no one in the bathroom downstairs, no one in the living room, no one anywhere! A slipper fell off as she ran and Qi Leren suddenly thought of something, running to look at the shoe cabinet by the front door with one foot bare - Ning Zhou's shoes were gone.

She was gone?

Qi Leren sat down in front of the piano, angry and wronged. Why did Ning Zhou quietly leave in the middle of the night without saying a word? Why?

Maybe it was something urgent, Qi Leren thought sullenly, picked up the slippers she had dropped as she ran, and walked slowly back to her bedroom.

Once again back to the warm bed, Qi Leren sleeplessly rolled back and forth. When she was finished shooting the music video tomorrow, she would have to ask Ning Zhou.

Suddenly, an idea came to Qi Leren’s mind: Wait, was it because she snored and grinded her teeth when she slept, so Ning Zhou left because she couldn’t bear it?

Qi Leren held her face on both hands, like the frightened figure in "The Scream". After all that effort to convince the goddess to sleep in the same bed as her, she had made it unbearable for her to stay!

Qi Leren, who was on the verge of collapse, tearfully wanted to pick up her cellphone and turn on the camera. She wanted to record herself sleeping. How could a beautiful girl who was an idol sleep so badly? No, she refused!

With the cellphone set to record, Qi Leren lied back in bed, pulled the quilt up to cover half of her face, and the moonlight outside the balcony window was still clear. She still remembered that she had looked at Ning Zhou's face against the moonlight a few hours ago, and she was so curious about her, but when the tip of the iceberg of her past was uncovered, she couldn't help but feel distressed for her. She knew that the past Ning Zhou had told her of had been modified. She was not as relaxed and happy as she’d said. When she approached her, the stiff and cold alertness of her body could not deceive people.

Qi Leren didn't know what kind of experiences would make her develop these habits. Unlike her, this little princess who was brought up in the greenhouse from childhood and grew up like a star, Ning Zhou's wounds, cold eyes, and precise marksmanship... All the details implied that she is not a person of that world at all.

But so what? Couldn't different people be friends? She just liked Ningzhou, loved her dearly, and wanted to make her happy. She wanted to give her the most beautiful songs and show her all the bright, warm, and happy feelings. As long as she could get a little bit of happiness and a little bit of the world under the sun, she would feel it was worthwhile.

Since childhood, Qi Leren had received a lot of love. Now she wanted to give her love to Ning Zhou. She wanted her to feel that being loved was a very happy thing.

Thinking about this, sleepiness surged up again, and Qi Leren yawned and glanced at the moonlight on the balcony before closing his eyes.

When she was beginning to drift, Qi Leren felt that there seemed to be some movement by the bed. She opened her eyes in a daze and saw Ning Zhou lying down softly with her back to her.

"Where have you been?" Qi Leren murmured dreamily.

"...The bathroom."

Liar.

Qi Leren suddenly woke up, but she didn't open her mouth to confront her. Instead, she pretended to answer in a daze, stretched out her hand and continued to close her eyes. She could smell that the shower gel on Ning Zhou's body had changed, which wasn’t the smell of her family's shower gel.

Recalling the scene in which she had shot and killed the monster in the Nightmare World at dusk, Qi Leren knew her whereabouts well.

The fragrance couldn’t deceive her of the smell of iron and blood it masked.

Let's not expose her, Qi Leren thought. She took Ningzhou's hand and interlocked their fingers. Either way, this time she won't loosen her hand again.

When she was about to fall into a deep sleep again, Qi Leren felt vaguely as if someone had leaned over and said something to her, but she was too tired to fully register it before she lost consciousness.

Ning Zhou should have gotten up at dawn, but her hand was clasped tightly. As soon as she turned her face she could see Qi Leren sleeping soundly, with long eyelashes, red cheeks, and slightly open lips. What do you think is so lovely about me? Ning Zhou watched quietly for a long time, letting the sun rise higher and higher.

There was the sound of opening the door downstairs and someone came in. Ning Zhou, who had excellent five senses, frowned. These were a woman's footsteps. Was it Qi Leren's mother? Was it better for her to avoid them?

But Qi Leren also said that it was normal for girls here to sleep together...

The bedroom door was pushed open rudely and the woman with slender eyebrows and a good figure stood outside the open door and angrily knocked on it: "What time is it, is your cellphone not on, do you remember that you have to go shoot the music video today? Hurry and get up!"

Chen Baiqi, the agent who killed people in Qi Leren's family*, was about to rush in and pull her up. But when she looked at it from a distance, there were two people in the bed!

*{E/N: metaphorically, in case that wasn’t clear}　　

At this moment, Chen Baiqi, a senior agent, was about to collapse: Qi Leren! Do you still remember that you’re an idol acting as a role model for young and beautiful girls? Why is there a wild man! You can't fall in love before changing your image! How have you already developed to this step!

The "wild man" sat up from the bed and looked at Chen Baiqi coldly.

Oh, it's not a wild man. That's great... Like hell! Who is this woman!

With her hair a mess, Qi Leren yawned as she sat up in bed, looked back at Ning Zhou, and kissed her on the cheek naturally: "Good morning, Ning Zhou."

Chen Baiqi: "..."

"Oh, Chen-jie, this is my classmate. I’m a little scared of sleeping alone, so I let her accompany me," Qi Leren talked nonsense without a hint of shame.

"...Hehe." Chen Baiqi thought: Don't smile, your parents aren’t home half the time. How did you sleep before?

The girl named Ning Zhou nodded to her and went to wash up. Qi Leren took Chen Baiqi to the bathroom downstairs and explained the situation to her while brushing her teeth and washing her face. Paranormal, met yesterday, couldn't be spoken of. She had to say that there had been a small incident with a mugger as she had been walking home yesterday, and she was just saved by her classmate Ning Zhou. Since she was a little afraid, she had asked her to please stay for one night.

Chen Baiqi was skeptical but she couldn't say anything, so she let her quickly wash up so they could go to the studio.

Qi Leren remembered that her cellphone was recording her last night, and it should have automatically shut down when the battery had been depleted. No wonder Chen Baiqi came to her house in such a hurry to catch her in person.

After washing, Qi Leren, who had forgotten to eat breakfast, told Ning Zhou that there was food in the refrigerator. The auntie will come to clean up later and she could leave a note for her. She should just say what she wanted for the evening.

Ning Zhou had the illusion that she lived here.

After telling Qi Leren that she had something to go do, Qi Leren let out a "oh" in frustration and reluctantly followed Chen Baiqi to get in the car that would drive them to the shooting location.

Chen Baiqi inquired about Ning Zhou from beginning to end along the way, and Qi Leren said all the things that should be said, but didn't say a word that shouldn't be said. Chen Baiqi's intuition was that Ning Zhou wasn't so simple, but without evidence she couldn't rashly make Qi Leren stay away from her.

Finally, she sighed: "Your identity is unusual. You should be very careful when making friends. If you meet someone with ulterior motives who enters your room, secretly films you, eavesdrops on you, and reveals your privacy to the media, it will be a great blow to your image, especially as your current image is very sensitive to negative news."

Qi Leren knew that Chen Baiqi is good for her and obediently listened to her instructions.

"Although your last transformation was very successful and you got rid of the image of a little girl, this transformation is the key. If you can't jump out of the image of a young girl now, your journey will only get narrower and narrower. You’ll find that as you grow older you’ll be hired for fewer and fewer roles, and there are always young new faces to replace you. The audience doesn't want to see a 30-year-old actress playing a 17- or 18-year-old girl. Your mother's train of thought is very clear, she will take the time to find a drama for you where she can play mother and daughter with you - your mother also fights for you, she never promised to play such an age-exposing role before - this stunt can drive your popularity, if you play well, you’ll play the leading role in the next show, and when the small screen stands firm, it will develop like your mother to the big screen. The company is already discussing your new image and route. When you go to college it will begin, and then you won’t be as leisurely as you are now." Chen Baiqi couldn't help rubbing her temples when she thought of how busy she would be in the future.

"I’ll try my best, Chen-jie, thank you for taking so much trouble for me." Qi Leren cleverly said that although she was the one standing in front of the audience, there were countless people worried about her behind the scenes/ She had gone too far today and Chen Baiqi had helped her block trouble she didn’t know about.

It wasn’t easy to be an actress. Qi Leren looked at the passing scenery outside the window and sighed softly.

But it was no harder than being an exorcist. As Qi Leren thought again, she couldn't help smiling at the thought of Ning Zhou. They would have many opportunities to get along with each other in the future.

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Editor’s Notes: To be continued...? (don’t hold your breath)

Phew, this was a longer chapter than I remembered, but this completely caps off Nightmare Game part 1! I have one more little bonus of funny things from the mtl, which can be found [here] if you’re interested.  

Thank you once again to everyone for reading and I’ll see you again in part 2! :)

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[wann-der-lusst]

Cliché Drawing Sesh

By: Margareth Angelique Asico

"How do you decide on which reference you're going to draw next?"

"No one has ever asked me that before, well... I guess I just draw what I like. Why ask such a

question?"

"Nothing really. Just curious"

The sound of the pencil lead brushing through the paper, the sheer sunset filling the classroom, the sound of the birds chirping and the boy sitting in front of you was enough for you to get lost in your own world. It made your heart flutter on how much you're enjoying the scenery that your orbs are witnessing as you continue to draw- it was perfect you thought. You asked Joaquin to be your reference for your art project which took you by surprise that he actually agreed on such a sudden request. A chance like this doesn't happen every day so grabbing the opportunity of you not having to give excuses why your sketchbook was filled with his face would be great.

"Oi Santiago, someone's calling"

Instantly snapping off of your peaceful paradise, an immediate rush of adrenaline was released as the thought of him seeing your wallpaper made you quickly grab your phone in Joaquin's hand like your life depended on it.

"Ah yes, Hello?"

You answered the phone while glaring at Joaquin who was absolutely confused on your previous action since it was out of character of your usual self who is calm and composed. Nevertheless, you just saw him shrug it off which made you relax a bit.

"In front of the water fountain? The vending machine there? Why?"

"No, it’s okay, we'll be heading there anyways. I had some work to do so..."

“Right I'll see you"

Closing your sketchbook, you gave him an awkward smile as you began packing your things. He stood up from his seat- getting the idea that your drawing session has ended. You slid the door open exiting the classroom while Joaquin walked beside you.

"You're acting a little strange today" You chuckled with the sudden question.

"Am I?"

"Yeah"

Not being very expressive towards people, observing surroundings is much more preferable- to you at least. You figured that people tend to approach you less since they find you a bit intimidating. But given the circumstances, Joaquin never failed to surprise you on how well he can see through your reserved expressions which made you feel warm- important somehow. It made you feel as if someone's actually interested not only for your physical attributes, but for what's actually going on inside your mind and how you feel despite not being able to express it much.

The walk was quiet but relaxing, you were taken away from your thoughts as you felt a hand tap on your shoulder.

"Oh right, that's my friend... She was the one who called a while ago"

You walked towards your friend who seemed to have a companion whom you are not much familiar with. She leaned into the guy whispering something, giving you a smirk while raising her eyebrows before sneakily leaving. The boy looked incredibly nervous giving you the idea on what his intentions would be.

"Right, I'll get going for practice for the swimming club. Good luck to you two"

An intense, yet awkward atmosphere filled the place as the both of you stood there waiting for something to happen which actually took quite some time.

"Uhm, Santiago. I-I've been wanting to tell you this but I never had the courage to do so. I was... I was wondering if you would like to go out with me-"

Your attention dividing as a familiar scent went past through your direction observing him with your peripheral vision as he slowly disappeared from your sight.

"Hey uhm, as much as I want to... I'm sorry but I'm actually interested in somebody else..."

His expression immediately turns into a frown as soon as he hears you speak...obviously hurting from your response. You tried to comfort him as much as you could just so that it can lift a bit of the weight you've caused him which was not much of a help. He started walking away from you as soon as the conversation ended with sadness radiating his aura. You couldn't help but feel sorry but you were sure you already have someone to lend your heart to.

"Well, you seemed to be pretty popular around the boys." Joaquin exclaimed, coming out of nowhere.

"Aren't you supposed to be practicing for the swimming club?”

"I thought so too, but we were just called for a meeting."

"Is that so? Well, to be clear I am not in any way popular with the boys"

"You are Santiago, you are."

"How are you so sure?"

"Santiago, how many guys have confessed to you? How many of our classmates tried to take you on a date? If anyone's blind here, it would be you. I don't get it why you wouldn't date any of them though."

"Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who's acting strange today. Also, I have to finish the sketches so I wouldn't have to bother you from your next practice."

"Right, we can stay at the gym if you like since it'll be cold here."

You started sketching as soon as you've pulled out your art materials from your bag and once again, lost in your own little world. You were focusing on Joaquin's eyes - those brown eyes that looked as if they were shining, you wondered how he would look at someone he admires. His

proportions are outstanding, his build may be slim but the muscles which are gradually developing from his swimming practices are showing.. It would probably feel great to cuddle with him. His hands are perfect, his fingers are slender and you wondered how it'll feel like if you were to intertwine your hands with his. You thought to yourself how fortunate you are to have this chance to observe how beautiful this man is built, it is more than enough. Every imperfection seemed perfect when it’s him, it's unfair how incredibly handsome this man is and how he swiftly catches your attention. You drew every angle of his face as if you're drawing the final piece, you didn't want to mess up anything. You wanted to capture his amazing features; he surely is one of a kind. How can someone be so salty towards others be so considerate when it comes to you? Someone who doesn't give full attention to something he's not involved with will be so attentive when listening to your stories. How he notices everything that unease you despite your almost-emotionless face… Maybe he cares for me? You thought. Maybe I have a chance? Should I tell him how I feel?

You were once again, brought to reality with your phone ringing. A hand swiftly taking the phone

away from you making your heart jump from nervousness that you didn't even have the chance to see who's calling you.

"GIVE IT BACK"

A smirk forming on his face while holding the phone above his head

"Fine, reach it then"

"That's too high!"

He began to tease you by giving you your phone but immediately pulling it away once you're close.

"I didn't even get to see who was calling!"

"Really? I'll answer it then"

"This is so unlike you.."

Fear takes over your body as you watch his fingers tap on the answer button, knowing that you'll

lose him the moment the call ends. You were trembling as if you've never been this scared all your life. You tried to desperately snatch the phone while he was talking but it was no use.

The call has been going on for a while and you had no interest on what and who he was talking to. You were about to snatch the phone but failed when he wrapped you into a tight hug with his arm.

He is way stronger than you leaving you no choice but to give up on not being caught. You were

contemplating on how you should react when he finally saw what you've been hiding. Every second that passed was like hell for you that you couldn't even enjoy how close you are to him…

"Okay, bye"

You didn't even bother looking at him despite knowing the call had ended. You wouldn't want to remember how he looked when he finally saw your wallpaper of him candidly eating his strawberry shortcake in a café which you secretly took the first and only time you hung out together outside of school.

Eyes looking down, you took a deep breath accepting what he'll eventually do. His grip lessened, releasing you from the hug. It felt like you were drifting kilometers away from each other. He placed his hand over your shoulders, putting your hair at your back as you feel his fingers trace your jawline lifting your chin up. You look at him teary eyed, wondering if this will be the last time you'll see him this close.

His eyes deemed, he never looked this serious before making your heart leap from the sudden change of expression. His other hand finding its way to your back forcing you to come closer to him making you jolt. He was leaning in front of your face, he was so close that you could feel his breath tickle your lips as you felt your heart racing.

"So is this what you meant when you said you draw what you like?" He said as his lips curled for a smirk.

"uh uhm uh”

Cutting you off, he pressed his lips against your forehead enabling you to process the situation. He pulled away so slowly that you felt every part of his lips losing contact with yours. Your body not being able to move, you tried to at least calm yourself just enough to be able to process the

situation.

"Joaquin...."

Your ears are tingling from the permission granted to you. Face now tinted red from everything that has happened, he pulled you into a back hug digging his face onto your neck sending shivers down your spine.

"What the hell came into your mind to do that?"

"Nothing really. I was just curious"

"Si-since when did you know?"

"I didn't, I was the one who called you on your phone. Turned out better than I expected. Couldn't ask for a better outcome."

"You jerk"

"I love you too"

[burnsopale]

Ashen, excerpt 2

Last time was mostly a big tease. This time, Boris returns to the abbey for the first time in years. It doesn’t go well.

Working title: Ashen Characters in this clip: Takao, Kai, Max, Boris and Kinomiya Tatsuya Setting: 7 years after season one, Russia, the abbey Summary: Volkov has escaped from prison, attacked PPB headquarters and taken back Black Dranzer. The Russian boys have been living with the PPB, and were used and hurt in the attack. Yuriy left with Volkov for unknown reasons. Daitenji Kogoro has gathered the troops and sent them to Russia to find out what Volkov is up to. Meanwhile, Kai’s grandfather is on his deathbed, and Kai is struggling to deal with it.

A stray wind mumbled and whined through the colonnades of Volkov Abbey. In that desolate courtyard no summer lived, only barren winter. The stones were black, the shadows cold, and doorways yawned like sucking mouths while broken windows gave a sharp, jagged edge to the scene.

 For a while, Takao, his dad, Max, Kai and Boris stood silent in the middle of the open courtyard, a little overwhelmed by the sheer depressive atmosphere, wondering what on earth they were supposed to find here.

 “Home sweet home!” Boris exclaimed suddenly, before laughing uproariously at their startled expressions.

 A door opened up ahead. Takao vaguely recalled it leading to the mess hall where the BBA had eaten on their first visit here, years ago.

 “That’s probably our liaison,” Dad said and headed towards the young woman who had just stepped outside and was waving.

 “Hello, everyone!” she said as they came to meet her. “My name is Myrna Lebedev. I’m supposed to show you around this place?”

 She didn’t look much older than the boys. With her ash-blonde hair and glasses, turtleneck sweater and long jeans, she seemed a big-sisterly type.

 They shook hands with her in turn.

 “You worked here after it was shut down?” Dad asked.

 She nodded, gesturing for them to follow her down the pillared walkway towards the fat, looming tower where Takao and Zangief had battled.

Where was Zangief now? Takao wondered. Was he happy?

 “I was on the team that mapped this place out, initially. Strangest job I ever did. The police had been here and cleared out all the kids and those cultists of course, but when we first went down to explore, someone almost died; there were traps everywhere!”

 “Not traps,” Boris said. “Training gauntlets. You had to be ready all the time.”

 She stopped. “Oh. I’m so sorry. Were you ...?” She looked at them in turn.

 Max and Takao shook their heads and pointed at Kai and Boris. “Not us.”

 Myrna looked at them all a little longer. “You are strange. I was told a group from Japan wanted to see the abbey, so I thought you’d be like the usual tourists.”

 “This place gets tourists?” Boris asked, and then started laughing again. “Oh god. Can I work here too? I could be an attraction.”

 Kai frowned at him. “We’re not here for pleasure,” he said firmly, voice a little hoarse from his long silence in the car. “The man who ran this place, Vladimir Volkov, has escaped from prison and is in possession of an old weapon of his. We’re looking for any clues as to what that weapon is capable of.”

 “Oh!” Myrna’s dark eyes grew very big behind her glasses. “I see. That ... wasn’t really in my instructions ... I’m not supposed to let you wander much on your own or ... well, go that deep, but ...”

 “If you need to, we can shut you in one of the cells while we look,” Boris suggested, possibly seriously. “If you need an excuse.”

 Myrna certainly thought he was serious, and if her eyes grew any bigger now, they would pop out.

 “We won’t do that,” Max said quickly. “But we would be very grateful if you’d let us explore a bit. We won’t tell anyone. It’s very important that we stop Volkov from using the weapon.”

 She cocked her head to the side. “But why do you have to stop him?” she asked innocently. “Who are you?”

 Kai’s impatience got the better of him then, and he strode past her towards the door.

 Boris watched him go, his jesting finished. “We are the ones who let him have it in the first place.”

 It grew immediately colder as they plunged into the darkness of the abbey, and more so when they began to descend underground. Takao wished he had worn a proper sweater, like Myrna, but Dad had told him to bring one and he hadn’t done it so he couldn’t complain or Dad would say “I told you so”.

 Myrna told them a little bit about the history of the place as they walked, how Borg had purchased the abbey from a group of monks that might, in hindsight, actually have been forced to part with it and silenced afterwards, and how these hallways, once cellars for storing food and other things, had been dug out until they encompassed a labyrinth of rooms and tunnels, where Borg could carry out their clandestine plans.

 “What does clandestine mean,” asked Boris, and once Max had explained it, he declared it his new favourite word. “Holy shit, we were so clandestine. Clandestine is now my middle name. You can call me Boris Clandestine Kuznetsov.”

 “And now it’s lost all meaning,” Max said.

 Kai was continually a little ahead of them, and eventually Takao’s dad called after him. “Kai, where are you leading us?”

 “To Volkov’s office,” he replied.

 “Really?” Boris said. “Then you’re going the wrong way.”

 Kai came stalking back. “I am not going the wrong way; it’s down here and to the left. Don’t fucking mess with me, Kuznetsov.”

 Boris grinned wickedly. “That’s Clandestine Kuznetsov to you.”

For a moment, Kai’s face was white with rage, but he only turned on his heel and walked on. Takao looked to Max and found him looking back in concern. Kai’s reactions were way out of proportion lately.

 “Sorry about him,” Takao said to Myrna.

 “Oh, don’t worry about that.” She shook her head disarmingly. “It can’t be easy being back here.”

 “I don’t know,” said Boris. “I’m getting the warm fussies myself.”

 “Are you sure Kai-kun should be down here?” Dad asked Takao in an undertone.

 “Leave him to us,” Takao whispered back. “You just look for whatever it is Daitenji-san wants you to find.”

 When they caught up to Kai, he was waiting in front of the door which, as it turned out, did indeed lead to Volkov’s office. Myrna unlocked the door with her bunch of keys, and they stepped inside.

 It was empty. Not just nobody’s-here empty, but stripped completely bare. It was just a room, panelled in green and beige, with pale squares on the walls where pictures had hung or cabinets stood and preserved the original colours.

 Kai made a dissatisfied sound.

 “Did you check for hidden rooms when you were emptying the place?” Dad asked Myrna.

 “Yes and no. We had the building’s blueprints, and we did find some discrepancies and discover some rooms that weren’t noted, but we didn’t go knocking on every wall to find sliding panels or things like that.” She laughed a little.

 “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Dad said, looking at Kai for confirmation. “Seems the most likely place he’d hide any particularly sensitive information, right?”

 Kai inclined his head. “That was my thought.”

 “You two do that,” Max said. “Boris can show me and Takao around meanwhile.”

 Myrna came with them, and for a while they wandered from room to room. As Boris led them past dormitories, communal showers, training rooms, recreational facilities and secret corners, he seemed increasingly to veer between high and low spirits. He’d stand for a long time staring at the place where his bed had once stood, and then he’d crack jokes while they walked to the next place.

 They came around a corner and were faced with a row of rusting cells, some with their doors ajar. Takao remembered Kai saying he had seen Zangief in a cell all those years ago. Maybe it had been one of these.

 “I wonder what happened to Zangief?” he said out loud, idly moving the nearest door back and forth and making the hinges scream and creak.

 “He was probably rescued by the BBA,” Max said, eternally optimistic.

 “Zangief ...” Boris said slowly. “He was lucky. If he had beaten you, he would have advanced, gone to train with Baba Yaga.” As Takao moved on, Boris took over the door he had left, swinging it back and forth, back and forth, creak, creak, creak, creak. “He would have regretted that fast.” A bit of laughter, low in his throat. His face was lost in shadow. “Zangief was weak.” Creak, creak, creak, creak.

 “Boris?” Max was watching him warily.

 “Baba would have eaten him alive.” The ceiling light glinted off the edge of his sharp, sharp smile. “Then again, they say that’s what she does to the ones in the cells to.” Another laugh, like quacking. Creak, creak, creak. And then he stopped and stood very, very still. Trembling.

 Suddenly, Max grabbed Myrna and Takao and shoved them into the nearest cell, slamming the door behind them. Takao shoved at it, but the lock had sprung; it was shut fast.

 “Max!”

 “Stay there!” he said, giving them a warning look.

 Boris had twitched when the door banged shut, and now he turned slowly towards Max.

 “Max, why did you do that?” Takao pressed himself up against the bars.

 Myrna was going through her mess of keys and muttering stressfully to herself. “Is it this one or this one or this one? Not that one. Okay, this is scary. This one? No, no ...”

 “Be quiet!” Max commanded. He drew a careful breath, inhaling and exhaling. “Boris? Boris, please step into the light for me.”

 Boris didn’t move, but Takao could hear him breathing now, a harsh whistling sound like he was in pain.

 “Mama told me that you usually get a bit manic before an episode,” Max said gently. “That’s how I knew.”

 “Max,” Takao hissed. “Get out of here!”

 But Max shook his head. “No. Boris, you said you would be okay, and I believed you. I still believe in you.”

 Boris’ hand fell from the cell door to hang limply at his side. It twitched.

 “What is happening?” Myrna whispered.

 Max took a step closer to the other boy. “When I talk to Mama on the phone, all she talks about is you. How far you’ve come, how strong you are, how proud she is of you. She laughs about your terrible jokes. She says you are so clever.”

 Boris sucked in a breath. He was trembling all over, hands closing slowly into fists like he was holding himself back desperately.

 Max took another step forward. “Boris-”

 Boris’ lunged, grabbing Max by the front of his sweater and slamming him up against the bars. The light caught his face and revealed his eyes huge and staring, and a weird, cruel twist to his mouth. Max clenched his teeth and held still as Boris’ knuckles dug into his throat.

 “Max!” Takao cried, reaching through the bars, but unable to touch them. “Boris, don’t you dare! Don’t give Kai a chance to gloat about being right! Come on, fight it!” He turned back to Myrna, who seemed to be frozen in shock. “Find the key!”

 She startled and began to fumble again.

 “It’s okay, Takao!” Max said, straining. “Boris, it’s just you and me. I have Draciel, but I won’t use it. It’s your choice; you can hurt me, or you can come back to us. I already know what you’ll do, because you said you’d be alright, and because I know you want to make Mama proud of you.”

 “Make ... Baba ...” Boris muttered, seeming confused for a moment.

 “No,” Max said. “Mama Judy. My Mama ... and yours.”

 Another hard shiver went through Boris, and then he sank to his knees in front of Max, letting go of him. His face relaxed until he was pale, but calm.

 “The stupid door,” he muttered. “The stupid sound. Every night, all night, our metronome from hell.” He stumbled to his feet and moved a few paces away, sniffing and wiping at his nose. “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “Kai was right about me.”

 “No, he wasn’t,” Takao said quickly as Myrna finally moved past him to put the right key in the lock. “You came back.”

 “Let’s rejoin the others,” Myrna said a little hysterically as the door swung open. She hurried down the corridor without waiting for them.

 “Would you like that hug now?” Max asked Boris softly.

 He didn’t say anything, but lifted his arm, and Max slipped under it and wrapped his own around him.

 “She’s your Mama,” Boris said, almost whispering. “But I like her too.”

 “I don’t mind sharing,” Max replied, smiling as he let go again. “I already share her with Emily, and honestly she could use the extra practice.”

 Takao grabbed them and pulled them into a double hug. “Don’t scare me like that!”

 “Sorry, Takao,” Max laughed.

[nonbinary-octopus]

Secret Shifter

A gift for @cutetinyartist ​for the @secret-shifters ​gt gift exchange!

CuteTinyArtist gave three prompts to work with, and I tried to use bits from all of them, but this is mostly prompt three.

Prompt 1: Pretty much anything involving handheld fluff! Giants holding tinies (whether it's for the first time or the billionth time) is always a great trope.

Prompt 2: A giant finding a tiny and being really excited about it- possibly with accidental fearplay as the giant doesn't realize how scared the tiny is!

Prompt 3: Size-Shifter accidentally revealing their powers to a close friend who doesn't know about it (and the friend finding it absolutely adorable/amazing- possibly even leading to a confession of love? Fluffy romance in G/T is something that I absolutely adore)

Wordcount: 3.1 K

Summary: Sam has a secret. A big secret. Or maybe it's a really little secret...

[More of my writing]

~~~~~

It had been a perfect day. One of the odd days when Rose and Sam had had a day off in common, and they decided to spend it together. No plans, just hanging out and goofing around. They’d spent a large portion of the morning simply sitting together on Rose’s living room couch and watching cartoons, and now they were in her kitchen, doing their best to make lemonade from its base components.

Sam poured a small portion into his cup, taking a sip. He made a face.

“Still too sour?” Rose asked. Sam nodded.

“Put in like… twice as much sugar.” Sam put his cup down, picking up the sugar instead, and started pouring it into the pitcher. Rose stirred with their wooden spoon.

The falling sugar crystals were pretty. Sam got distracted watching them, and didn’t stop pouring until Rose said, “Uh, I think that’s probably plenty.”

Sam jolted, pulling the sugar away abruptly. “Oops.”

Rose laughed, still stirring. When the sugar had about dissolved, they asked, “Ready for another taste test?” Sam nodded, picking up his cup again. It still had some left in it from earlier, though, and he looked at the yellowish liquid for a few seconds. Then he shrugged a bit and tossed the whole thing into his mouth, trying to drink it all in one swallow.

It was… not a better way to get it down than just drinking it normally. When he’d finished his coughing fit, and Rose had finished laughing at him, they poured him another sample. Sam sipped it.

“Hm,” he said. He sipped it again.

“Well?”

“Well…” Sam considered, taking another sip. “It’s not too sour anymore?”

“Too sweet?” Rose guessed. Sam nodded.

“Very. You ever do that experiment as a kid where you grow sugar crystals? It’s like drinking that. A little flavor, but mostly just sugar water.”

“More lemons, then?”

“Maybe.” Sam ran his tongue across his teeth, which felt a bit grainy. “I don’t think the sugar all dissolved, actually. We should probably add more water.”

A little over an hour later, they finally had the ratios all right. They also had three pitchers full of lemonade.

“So…” Sam said. “Any idea how much of each ingredient we used?”

Rose laughed. “Not a clue.”

“Me neither.” Sam swirled what was left of his latest sample in the bottom of his cup. “Y’know… I think I’ve had enough lemonade for the day. Maybe even enough to last me for the rest of the year.”

“... same.”

“Put the rest in the fridge? Deal with it later?”

Rose nodded.

“So, what do you wanna do next?” Sam asked after they’d found lids for the pitchers and transferred them all to the fridge.

Rose shrugged. “More cartoons?”

“Yeah!”

During the theme song of their second episode, Sam felt a familiar prickle in the back of his brain. Oh no. Not now. Not here. Sam closed his eyes tightly, trying to will it away. It didn’t work. That never worked. The prickly sensation grew stronger. He had to get away, immediately.

“You okay?” Rose asked. Sam’s eyes shot open.

“Hm? Uh, yeah, I—” What excuse could he use? He didn’t want them to get worried, but at the same time, he couldn’t stay here. Sam fidgeted.

“Too much lemonade?” Rose guessed sympathetically.

“Yeah,” Sam breathed, relieved. “Yeah, too much, I gotta—”

Rose laughed, shoving his shoulder. “Go on, then. Get. You know where the bathroom is.”

“Thanks.” Sam shot to his feet, untangling himself from his blanket cocoon as quickly as he could. “Uh. Start without me. I’ve seen this one.” He ran from the room as fast as he could. This was okay. It would be okay. He could just lock himself in the bathroom until it was over, and Rose never needed to know. Yeah. Yeah, he could do this.

He made it halfway up the stairs before it hit.

Between one breath and the next, the prickles spread across his entire body, blurring his vision and disrupting his balance. Sam’s foot had been lifted for the next step, but the next step suddenly wasn’t there, and for a moment he was falling.

He landed flat on his face.

“Ow,” Sam said flatly into the carpet, and didn’t get up. The landing hadn’t actually hurt too much, but he still didn’t feel like moving yet. He lay there for several moments longer, waiting for the lingering tingles to fade and his bones to stop feeling like jello. It was always worse if he was moving when the shifts struck.

But he couldn’t lie there forever. When Sam felt like he could move without his vision spinning, he sat up, a little bit stiffly, then stood and brushed himself off. He was a little bit sore from faceplanting into the floor, but not so sore he thought it would leave a bruise.

And now there were the stairs to deal with. Normally, not a problem; they’re just stairs. Walk up, walk down. He’d been taking them three at a time just a minute ago. No biggie. But now? Yes biggie. Literally. Sam scowled up at the next step. At least these stairs were carpeted. He’d have handholds. But on the other hand, the top of each step had a lip that stuck out at least an inch or two, with an overhang underneath.

Maybe he should go down instead of up. Sam turned around, looking down the flight of stairs. It would certainly be easier; he could let gravity do most of the work. And sure, the drop was about twice his height, but he was surprisingly durable like this. He could probably jump down and it would still be more scary than painful or dangerous.

On the other hand, Rose thought he was in the bathroom, and the bathroom was upstairs, and it would be harder to pretend he’d actually been in the bathroom the whole time if he went down the stairs. Plus, if he shifted back without warning, Rose would be more likely to notice if they were on the same floor.

And staying put was definitely out of the question. There were worse places to be six inches tall, especially out in public, but just sitting on the stairs was still pretty bad. It was probably worse than out on a regular floor, actually, and not just because it was harder terrain to traverse. There was no clutter to hide behind, for one thing.

So up it was.

Sam nodded, lacing his fingers together and swinging his hands above his head to pop his knuckles and stretch his shoulders. Stepping up to the cliff face-like wall, Sam gripped one thick thread of the carpet at about shoulder height, and another over his head. He hauled himself upwards, trying to find purchase with his feet. There wasn’t really anything to stand on, but if he leaned back a bit, he could brace his feet against the wall so he wouldn’t have to rely entirely on his arm strength.

It helped that he didn’t weigh very much like this. Being small had a lot of disadvantages, but one thing it had going for it was the proportional strength. Sure, at this size Sam couldn’t open a jar or pick up even one of those pitchers of lemonade in the fridge, but he could lift his own body weight with surprising ease.

Getting over the lip of the step wasn’t as hard as he’d expected. Once he had climbed as high as he could, holding his arms in pull-up position so his hair brushed the underside of the overhang, Sam carefully shifted his weight onto one arm. With the other, he reached up and back, feeling across the ceiling until he found the forward edge. He made sure he had a good grip on a carpet strand, then let go with his first hand. As Sam swung back, he reached up and grabbed on beside his other hand.

Climbing was harder when he was dangling over open space, instead of having a solid wall in front of him to brace against. Sam hauled himself up, uselessly kicking at the air once or twice. His next reach gave him an anchor on the top of the step, and then he was squirming over the edge up onto it.

“There,” Sam said, puffing a bit. “One down…” He looked up, but from this angle, couldn’t see further than the next step, looming over him. “… several to go.”

This was going to take a while.

The step was three paces from front to back, and then Sam was climbing again. Getting over the overhang was a bit easier this time, since he’d had the practice of the first one, but he still had to stop for a breather after he’d dragged himself onto the top. After he had caught his breath, Sam started again.

As Sam was squirming over the overhang of his fourth step, things went from just tricky to downright bad.

“Oh! Hello there!”

Sam jerked in shock. He almost lost his grip and fell, but managed to grab onto another strand of carpet in time. For a few seconds, he dangled off the edge of the step, heart pounding. Then, slowly, he looked over his shoulder and up.

Yep, just as he’d feared… Rose had found him. She had an odd look on her face, a sort of frozen shock mixed with a wince.

“Sorry,” Rose said in a much softer voice. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Do you need some help?” They started leaning towards Sam, lifting their hand. Panic shot through Sam’s heart, and he started scrambling to get up and over the overhang again before they could reach him. Fear made him clumsy, and he had to grab at the carpet strands a few times before he had a good enough grip to pull himself up.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel the grasping fingers of a human hand, even though Sam knew all too well that he stood no chance of winning any sort of race against a human at this size.

Once up on top of the step, Sam turned around, backing toward the next stair. To his surprise, Rose had pulled her hand back and was looking apologetic.

“Sorry,” she said again.

Sam shook himself. Why was he acting so scared? This was Rose. He knew Rose! They were an absolute sweetie, and they’d never hurt him, even if he was very small at the moment and his instincts were screaming at him to get away. Sheepishly, Sam lifted a hand in an awkward wave.

“Hi.”

Rose grinned a small grin. “Hi,” she echoed. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how that would look from your end.”

Sam chuckled. “It’s okay. You meant well.”

“Good intentions don’t erase negative results,” Rose answered with a shrug. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam said, flapping a hand dismissively. “I mean, besides that you weren’t supposed to see me, but that’s probably on me anyway.”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, not exactly the best hiding place,” she teased.

“No,” Sam agreed, shaking his head and laughing as well.

“I could pretend I never saw you?” Rose offered.

Sam considered it for a second before shaking his head. “Naw, that wouldn’t work. You know you saw me, and I know you saw me, so all we’d be doing is not talking about it, and that could get awkward fast.”

Rose looked surprised. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Just don’t tell my parents, alright? Or, like. Other humans. This—” He gestured at the all of himself— “is kind of extremely, very much a secret.”

Rose grinned. “Deal.”

Sam grinned back, leaning casually against the carpeted wall behind him.

“So,” Rose said. “What’s your name? I’m Rose.”

Sam blinked. “Wait, what? What’s my name?”

“Yeah. Is that— is that not okay?” Rose looked uncertain, rubbing the back of her head. “Is that too much?”

“No, it’s— seriously, Rose?”

Rose gave him a distressed look, and Sam realized she was absolutely serious.

“Hey, hey, Rose, it’s okay,” Sam said, lifting both hands soothingly and stepping towards her. “I just, I thought you recognized me.”

“Nooo,” Rose said. “I’ve never met, I mean, you’re the first, um. I don’t know anyone your… height.”

“So you really don’t know who I am?”

Rose shook their head.

“Sam,” Sam said.

“Oh, does he know you?” Rose asked. “Are you friends?”

Sam laughed. “No, Rose, you’re as bad as Dr. Doofenshmirtz. I don’t know Sam, I am Sam.”

Rose squinted at him. “No you’re not.”

“What? Yes I am.”

“No, Sam’s much taller than you. I may not be great with faces in unfamiliar contexts, but I do know that much.”

Sam paused for a moment, trying to figure out where they’d talked past each other. “Rose,” he said slowly, “what secret did you think I was asking you to keep?”

“Borrowers exist?” Rose said hesitantly. “… why, what was it really?”

“I’m a sizeshifter.”

Rose processed that. “You’re a sizeshifter.”

“Yep.”

“So borrowers don’t exist?”

“Not to my knowledge, no. Sorry.”

Rose was quiet for a few seconds more. “So, what, you just decided climbing my staircase like a mountain would be more fun than hanging out and watching cartoons?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Why, then? And if you’re really a sizeshifter and not a borrower, why not sizeshift back to normal and prove it? Is that the right way to say that?”

Sam nodded. “It is. I can’t do it on command.”

“You can’t?”

“I cannot.”

“So you can’t prove that you’re a sizeshifter?”

“Also no. At least, not at the moment.” Sam shrugged. “If you’re willing to wait an unspecified amount of time, I can prove it.”

Rose still looked doubtful. Sam wasn’t sure what else to tell her. Then he had an idea.

“One moment.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly tapped out a text.

“Okay, I didn’t expect borrowers to have tiny tech” Rose admitted.

“Yeah, and I bet you wouldn’t expect a borrower to have your number, either.”

Rose’s hand went to their hip, and then they started patting their pockets and looking around. “I do not have my phone.”

Sam sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Of course not. Did you leave it in the kitchen?”

“Maybe.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s go find it. Mind giving me a lift? It’s a bit of a commute for someone with short little legs like me.”

Rose gave him a startled look. “What, you mean, like carry you?”

“Well, yeah. How else?”

“I dunno, I just. I didn’t think you’d wanna… you sure?”

Sam nodded. “ Course. I trust you. Just don’t drop me.”

“Okay, well.” Rose started to reach for him, hesitated, and pulled her hand back again. “Have you, um. Have you done this before?”

“I have not.”

Rose nodded. “Right. Me neither.” They still looked hesitant to touch him.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to,” Sam said, moving toward the edge of the step. “I can walk; you might have to wait up a bit though. Or go on ahead.” He leaned over the edge a bit, gauging the distance to the step below. Yeah, that was at least twice his height. Sam shrugged a bit, took two steps back for a running start, and jumped off the stair. Rose yelped.

Sam landed in a pair of cupped palms after far less falling than suited the drop.

“What were you thinking!?” Rose exclaimed. “You can’t just jump off of things! What if you got hurt?”

Sam looked up at her. He had to look pretty much straight up now, since she had lunged forward and her face was now directly above him. Sam shrugged. “I don’t take fall damage?”

“Don’t take— And you didn’t think to mention that first?”

Sam shrugged again, this time using his entire arms in the gesture. “Sorry?”

Rose opened her mouth to say something else, paused with it open, then shook her head and shut it again. She stood up. “Yeah, I’m giving you a ride.”

Sam grinned. “Great!”

Rose rolled her eyes at him.

The trip to the kitchen didn’t take as long as it would have if Sam had walked, but it was longer than if he’d been tall enough to walk normally, because Rose carried him like they had water cupped in their palms and didn’t want to spill it.

When they reached the kitchen, Rose stood just inside the doorway, looking around for their phone. Sam spotted it first. “There!” he said, pointing.

Rose walked over to it, then hesitated, looking down at him again. Sam chuckled, patting her thumb and looking right back up at her. “You can put me down, or you can hold me with just one hand. I’m okay with either.”

Rose nodded, biting her lip in concentration, and shifted him ever-so-delicately into her left hand. With her right, she picked up her phone, unlocked it, and read the text Sam had sent.

“‘How is a borrower trying to impersonate me more believable than me actually being a sizeshifter?’” A beat. “Yeah, okay, I believe you, you’re you.”

Sam grinned. “Great! Would you mind deleting that text, by the way?”

“But it’s my only proof I’m not dreaming or something,” Rose protested.

Sam gestured at the all of himself again, with both hands this time. “Secret,” he reminded them. “What if someone stole your phone data?”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly think this is the weirdest text you’ve sent me? Or even the weirdest text with zero context around it?”

Sam considered that. “Okay, yeah, you’ve got me there,” he admitted.

“So I’m guessing photographic evidence is out?”

“Extremely.”

Rose nodded. “I can live with that. Though you are pretty cute like that.”

Sam laughed happily. “I like to think I’m always cute.”

“You are. But you’re particularly cute when you’re itty bitty.”

Sam grinned, scrunching his eyes up in happiness.

“Itty bitty little Sammy,” Rose continued, patting him gently on the head.

Sam laughed again. “You just like being taller than me for once.”

“I mean, that is nice. But also you are small and cute.”

Sam put the back of his hand under his chin and grinned. “Aww, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Rose poked him in the shoulder. “Hey, so. You were going up the stairs when I found you… did you ever make it to the bathroom?”

“No… but I didn’t actually need to go,” Sam said with a shrug. “I just needed an excuse to get out of the room before I shrank.”

“Hm. Okay. Wanna watch more cartoons?”

Sam perked up. “Yeah!”

[bigskydreaming]

I can't quit thinking about potential Noshiko Yukimura and Diana Prince friendship because... they've definitely met. They have gone on adventures and quests together.

At some point in the past, in a dark cave, Diana wields her sword against a veritable army of the undead. Meanwhile, Noshiko sits perched on a large rock, delicately sipping at a drink she’s conjured while shouting out ‘helpful tips’ to her err, comrade in arms.

“You could actually help,” Diana shouts back eventually. Noshiko purses her lips, tilts her head contemplatively, and then with a shrug she snaps her fingers and summons a dozen shadow warriors who wade into battle alongside Diana. 

“Not quite what I meant,” Diana says. “You’re pretty good with a blade yourself. Is there any particular reason you’re averse to picking one up and lending a hand here?”

“Couldn’t possibly, I’m afraid. I pulled a hamstring the other day. Its terribly painful.”

“I can tell. Especially in that position you’re sitting in. I would think that would be excruciating, given that particular injury.”

“Oh. Right.” The faint rustle of cloth as Noshiko rearranges herself into another position. “Ow.”

Diana rolls her eyes.

Some time later, almost all their foes have been defeated, with Noshiko’s magical warriors finishing off the last of them. Diana sheathes her sword and stalks over to a nearby doorway, planting herself right in the center of it and proceeding to just wait there with arms crossed. Behind her, Noshiko continues to just sip at her drink.

Minutes pass.

Finally, the empty air in front of Diana emits a sigh. 

“You’re prepared to stand there all day just to make a point here, aren’t you?” It pouts. The corner of Diana’s lip ticks ever so slightly upwards in response.

The air shimmers and the illusion of invisibility falls away, revealing a second Noshiko in front of Diana, arms similarly crossed, but with a sulk in counterpart to Diana’s smirk.

“Well, this is awkward. Just out of curiosity, how did you know that was just an illusion of me in there? What gave me away?”

“I’ve met you,” Diana says dryly.

Noshiko frowns.

“How delightfully glib. It doesn’t give me much to work with though. Was there anything in specific that clued you in?”

“Are you seriously asking me for notes right now?”

“Well you’re the one always going on about bettering ourselves!”

“As people! As in, existentially! Not in terms of being better at deceiving people!”

Noshiko throws up her hands. “Oh so noooooow all of a sudden there are qualifiers! How convenient of you to leave out that only specific parameters of self-improvement need apply!”

“You are a truly ridiculous person,” Diana tells her. “Now would you care to tell me what you were off doing while I was fighting for my life in here?”

Noshiko scoffs. “Don’t be so dramatic. You didn’t even break a sweat. Look at you, you’re glowing.”

“That glow is sweat.”

The kitsune waves a hand negligently. “Semantics.”

Diana narrows her eyes. “Are you seriously not going to tell me where you went and what you were doing just now?”

“I don’t want to,” Noshiko says loftily. “You’re only going to lecture me more, and I’m already bored enough by this as it is. And do you really want to continue down that road? You know what happens when I get bored, or have you forgotten Barcelona?”

“We’ve been over this. What happened in Barcelona was totally uncalled for. Boredom doesn’t count as provocation.”

“I don’t see how that’s your call to make.”

“You’re six hundred years older than me,” Diana says with exasperation. “How am I the adult in this dynamic?”

Noshiko shrugs and plays with her hair. “Time is relative. At the moment, I’m feeling a mere one hundredth of the person I might be given a hundred more centuries to live, and whose to say I won’t get them? Ergo, its entirely appropriate to act the child that makes me in the grand scheme of how much life I could have left to live.”

“And yet it was just the other day you were lecturing me about what I was doing or not doing with my life, as well as a dozen other things, including my fashion choices.”

“First off, that tunic wasn’t a fashion choice, it was a cry for help. Secondly, that day I was feeling every single one of my several centuries of age and life experience, and thus it was totally appropriate for me to act as such, and impart the wisdom all of that has given me. It was a totally different situation. I don’t see how it has anything to do with today.”

“How convenient for you,” Diana drawls, her tone once again as parched as desert sands. 

“Yes, well, I do like convenience,” Noshiko shrugs again. “Oh no, what a terrible brute am I.”

“Fine,” Diana sighs. “Is it at least safe to assume that the fate of the world is not actually hanging in the balance, as I was led to believe before undertaking this journey with you?”

The shape-shifter shifted her eyes shiftily. “Creative liberties may have been taken, its true. But it was only in order to get you to come along with me. I missed you, we hardly ever do anything together anymore!”

“You do know you could have just said that from the start, right?”

Noshiko wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Ewww, no. Do you not hear how needy that would have sounded? I would rather die.”

“Now who’s being the dramatic one?”

“Yes, well, I’m a trickster, darling. Its my prerogative. You have no such excuse.”

Centuries later, an amused Diana Prince lounges against the wall of Noshiko Yukimura’s living room, as the latter grounds her daughter Kira.

“The fate of the world was at stake, Mom,” Kira yells in frustration. “Or does that not matter?”

“Stop changing the subject young lady. The issue here is that you lied to your father and I! If you had explained what was going on, we could have helped in some way, but instead we were sitting at home in total ignorance of the danger our daughter was in, because we were led to believe that rather than being out battling some demon of world-threatening proportions, she was at her friend Malia’s house, studying for her chemistry final!”

“I never said that,” Kira cuts in then, with a lofty expression so reminiscent of smug half-truths of centuries past, Diana can barely keep back a chuckle.

Noshiko pauses. “Excuse me?”

Kira shrugs. “I never said I was going to Malia’s to study for our chemistry final. I just said I was going to her place to study. Which I did. We studied up on the demon and how to defeat it, and then we left her place with the rest of the pack and went and defeated it.”

“Hmm,” Diana muses from her place against the wall, startling both Yukimuras with the reminder of her presence. “It does sound to me like she didn’t actually lie, and so punishing her for that seems a little unwarranted. Some creative liberties were taken, its true. But we all agree that’s not the same thing as lying, don’t we?”

Noshiko levels a supremely unimpressed glare on her friend of countless decades. “You’ve been waiting two hundred years for this moment, haven’t you.”

Diana smiles serenely.

[detectivedreameater]

Margarita Monday || Camille and Marley

TIMING: Mid October PARTIES: @carrionxcamille and @detectivedreameater SUMMARY: Camille comes over to Marley’s for margaritas but ends up sharing a little more than drinks. CONTENT: Alcohol

Relaxing just...wasn’t something Marley really did. Ever. Sure, she took time off and had nights off, but just doing something to do it for, well, fun? Was strange. Having another woman over and not having intentions to sleep with her was also very strange for Marley. But, here she was, setting out ingredients to teach someone how to make margaritas the right way, just to...do it. No ulterior motive, no reason other than to just be normal. Readjusting herself, Marley set out the ingredients-- Dragones tequila, triple sec, cognac, lime juice, and a little bit of simple syrup. Oh, and ice. Marley had had to go to the store and actually buy a bag of ice, considering the only fridge she had was a small drink fridge, and it didn’t make ice. Was that weird or suspicious? Did she care? If this Camille was anything other than what she said she was, Marley could easily get away or fear  gaze her. She was in no trouble here. Still, she jumped a little when there was a knock on the door. She looked over, straightened herself out, then went over. “Welcome to Casa Del Marley,” she said in a cheesy tone, even if she did know proper Spanish. “It’s Margarita Monday today, so please come in and make yourself at home.” 

Right, this was good. Meeting people, getting out of the house, making connections. Camille was making progress, and it sure was better than spending another tuesday night parked in front of the tv barely focusing on trashy reality shows. She needed more friends, and margaritas certainly seemed like a good way to curb any first meeting awkwardness, even if it was a little college to get drunk on a weekday. Whatever, it’s not like running the park was hard. This would be good for her. This wasn’t her threadbare allyship with Regan, and she couldn’t rely solely on Cece for company either. The greeting at the door made her laugh a little as she stepped in, toeing her boots off by the door, “thanks for having me, I needed an excuse to get out the house.” And an excuse to have a drink a little stronger than a glass of wine, honestly. “You earn points already for the alliteration.” She grins, “teach me your ways, margarita master.” 

Marley moved around to the kitchen quickly once Camille was inside, trying not to let the strange feeling in her stomach take too much hold on her. “Yeah, sure,” she said, setting out two glasses and the mixer. “Anything to have an excuse to make margaritas, honestly.” She gave an awkward smile. “Not that I need one, but, you know.” She cleared her throat, gesturing to the ingredients she’d laid out. “Well, first of all, you need the right ingredients. None of that cheap shit, okay?” she pointed at the tequila. “This is the best kind, hands down. People might try and tell you Cuervo or Patron is good enough, but they’re wrong,” she tapped on it, “plus, my girlfriend would gut me if I said anything otherwise.” 

It was a long time since Camille had tried to make friends, honestly. With Jace the way he had been she didn’t want people around at the house and eventually being lonely was just easier than trying to make yet another excuse for why the girls couldn’t meet her husband or see her home. But Marley had offered to have her over, she wanted the company too. Of course, Camille couldn’t really afford high shelf tequila right now, but they’d- unsurprisingly- had a well stocked liquor cabinet at home, and she did one day plan to have a set up like it again. “Right.” She nods sagely, laughing a little, “honestly I can’t drink Cuervo anymore anyway, it just tastes too much like terrible college decisions.” She grins, “does your girlfriend work for the company or is she just a big believer in high shelf tequila?”

“As it should,” Marley said, scrunching her nose. “Cuervo is for college frat kids who want to get drunk fast. You need a nice fine tequila to truly appreciate the art of the margarita.” She cleared her throat, trying to move past the awkward feeling in her throat, even if she’d said the word first. “She’s a lady of fine taste, what can I say?” grinned before sweeping her hand to the next ingredient. “Now, some people might also try and tell you that you can use sweet and sour mix. It’s cheap, it’s faster-- blah, blah. But they’re wrong. You gotta do it yourself if you want the best flavor. I use lime juice, salt and simple syrup. 2 parts lime juice, half part syrup. Pinch of salt,” she explained, finding talking about alcohol was much easier than talking about Anita being her girlfriend and what she liked. “Lastly, my special secret ingredients,” she moved down the line again, “triple sec and cognac. Add to taste, of course, but I usually do a shot of each. Really brings out the other flavors. You can add a little orange juice as a spritz sometimes, too, if you’re feeling citrusy. But, yeah--” she nodded to herself as if to congratulate herself on a job well done. “That’s all there is to it. So, shall we try and make some?”

College frat kids who want to get drunk fast? Camille almost winces. That had sure been Jace. Perhaps this whole thing really was her own fault, in a roundabout way. How had she not seen the signs of it when they were younger? Sure everyone liked to get messed up at parties when they were kids, but Jace was always looking for another party to get messed up at. She’d thought- stupidly- it was the social aspect. Jace was a jovial guy, he loved to be around people, that was why he loved parties. Maybe even back then he’d loved drinking more. Uh oh, yeah, she was not going to admit it to Marley but Cam had definitely made a few sweet and sour mix margaritas in her time. It was easier. But then she hadn’t been sure how easy the real method was too-- and honestly it didn’t sound like rocket science. She liked listening to people talk about a passion of theirs, and Marley clearly had this down to a T, so seeing her in her comfort zone made Camille a little more relaxed too, and they weren’t even drinking yet. “So you go pretty sour then? That’s good. I make cosmos sometimes and I always add more lime juice than recipes say too, I just like them sour.” She nods, “doesn’t sound like I’d be able to fuck it up too badly,” Cam grins and picks up one of the glasses, “assuming you start with tequila?”

“Oh yeah,” Marley said, nodding, “the more sour, the better. What can I say? I’m a sour woman.” She stacked two glasses on the counter in front of them and motioned to the ingredients. “It really is hard to fuck up a margarita, it’s more about getting the right proportions so that you can enjoy all the flavors at once. And, of course, making sure you have good tequila,” tapped the bottle again, “yeah, sure. Start with that, I’ll uh-- supervise,” she said stepping back and letting Camille approach. This was still...strange and knew for her, but she was learning that it was nothing to be awkward about. Maybe this was just how normal people interacted. Maybe if she kept trying, she’d actually get used to it one day. She gave a smirk. “Go on, then,” she motioned, “don’t fuck it up.”

Camille laughed a little- actually, she’d been called a sourpuss once, by an older guy at a club trying to grind on her. The memory amused her to this day. Maybe they were both a little sour, but she didn’t think that was a bad thing. “I’m the same with wine, I never like it overly sweet.” She says, stepping up to the counter to start by pouring some tequila in one of the glasses- hey, she was still young enough at heart to know roughly how to pour out a shot. “I’ve known people to use triple sec before, but I’ve never come across cognac. Hey, I’ll trust the master though.” Cam shrugs, adding in plenty of lime juice and salt before pouring some syrup into a measure and adding that too. “I will admit to hating it when people put stuff on the rim of a glass though, salt or sugar or whatever. I’ve never gotten that.” She was sure that too was something about flavor, but the grains just irritated her mouth. Camille knew she liked triple sec, so after a full shot of that she measured out a little less cognac- she’d never been a huge fan- and added that too. “Looks like I managed to avoid total disaster… Or I didn’t make a mess at least.” Obsessively watching bartenders in college to make sure they didn’t mess with her drink had paid off, it seemed. She raised the glass, “cheers.” And took a sip. “Wow. Okay, you’re right. I’m adding cognac to every margarita I make from now on. Damn, that’s good. I don’t even like brandy.” 

Marley watched Camille fill up her drink, talking herself through the process. “Cognac just gives it a little extra bite, you know?” she shrugged, “I’m not a big fan of the alcohol on its own, but the slightest touch really does spruce up the most basic cocktail.” Mostly, she didn’t like it because it wasn’t an alcohol she could consume copious amounts of in a small amount of time in order to get drunker quicker. But she didn’t need to say that outloud. “Ah, see! You’re amazing at it already,” she said, leaning back against the counter. From around the corner of the kitchen table came JD, sniffing the air and the new scent in the house. Marley observed him for a moment, before realizing that his horns really weren't anything that normal people would expect on a hare. Or, really even, expect a hare. She went forward to shoo him away, but he scampered under the table and around into the kitchen, right up to Camille. “Uhh, he’s got-- a mutation,” she said, staring wide eyed.

It was all going well and everything was very normal, which Camille was pretty pleased about because since waking up in town she kept getting hit across the face with weirdness. Killer mimes and vampire neighbors and an eyeball where the goddamn sun should be. It was nice to kick back with a new friend and have a drink, and talk about normal things like cognac. She’d been into cocktail making for a while when she was younger, but then Jace’s problem had gotten worse and keeping high percentage alcohol in the house just… Didn’t seem smart. She took another sip and tried not to think about that. “Well it helps to have a good teacher.” Camille laughed, only the slightest of a bitter edge to the sound, “I would know, I used to be a- ah!” 

Camille startled when the creature scurried up to her, pressing her body back into the kitchen counter. “Holy hell.” It was, in essence, a big weird looking rabbit. Which would probably not have garnered much of a reaction if it were not for the horns. Horns! Every day something new and totally out of left field. Is it the weirdest thing she’s seen? Well… There were eyeballs coming out of her taps at one point, that was probably weirder. But this-- Camille didn’t quite see how a mutation could give a rabbit horns. Which meant this was the supernatural kind of weird, which meant Marley knew about the supernatural kind of weird. “...Right.” She takes another sip of her drink and sighs, weighing the pros and cons. Camille could pretend to believe her, but there would be an awkward air over the rest of the night. She had enough secrets already. “Y’know, you don’t have to… I- look, here’s the thing, I’m not an expert. Like, I don’t know a lot about it all but I do know that there’s stuff in this town that is…” She waves a hand vaguely in the air, trying to find a good word for it. “Let me put it this way, when I lived in the motel my neighbors were vampires. So, don’t bullshit me. That’s not a normal rabbit.” 

Marley watched Camille closely, as she started down at JD. She could see the cogs turning in her head. Most people who wanted to remain ignorant would wave this away and be happy to accept the “mutation” explanation-- but when Camille didn’t, Marley felt herself slowly warming up to the idea that maybe she wasn’t half bad. She came over around the counter and picked up the large hare, hoisting him onto one arm and holding him so his legs dangled below her arm. He sniffed the air, wriggled once, then settled in. “You’re neighbors were vampires? Gross,” she muttered, scrunching her nose, “vampires are so broody and angsty. Oh, my life is so tragic,’ she sighed, putting a hand to her forehead, “I’m doomed to eternal life and I must feed on the blood of innocents! Or...whatever.” She remembered the last vampire she’d known, and how much his disposition to drink blood tortured him. Vampires, for all their monstrosity, could be so human sometimes. “Glad you got out of there, then,” she replied, feeling the awkwardness hang in the air a bit. She cleared her throat. “He uh--” glanced down at JD, “--he’s a Jackalope. Supernatural hare, basically. But I swear he’s nice! Usually.” 

Camille wasn’t going to wander around the whole town with her eyes closed. She was in White Crest because she’d died. If she wanted answers about what the hell had happened to her and didn’t want those answers to totally freak her out it would probably be a good idea to embrace everything else weird and wacky going on in town. It was just so… Exhausting. Nothing was normal. She couldn’t even make a new friend and drink margaritas without some not rabbit thing becoming part of the evening. Maybe she just had to get used to it.

It was almost comical the way Marley handled the thing, and how quickly it settled into her arms like it’d been there a dozen times before. It probably had, she seemed to be keeping it like a domestic pet. That was almost… Sweet. And her vampire impression did make Cam laugh. “They were broody!” She agreed, “those walls were thin, I could hear them complaining. Didn’t stop the parade of pretty young girls always going in and out of their room though, so they can’t have felt too put out.” Once she’d found out what they were Cam had started watching for those girls- some of them went back again and again, but what mattered to her was making sure they walked back out. She nods, “yeah. Cece really did me a favor.” Oh how much she had come to rely on the kindness of strangers as of late, it was new. “He doesn’t seem not nice. He just startled me. I’m still getting used to all this stuff, and I don’t really feel like getting into why I’m here in the first place but it.. Yeah, it’s part of my life now, so.” Camille shrugs, staring at the jackalope… She’d heard of them, but it hadn’t occurred to her that they might really exist in this new world. “He’s almost cute. Does he have a name?”

“All vampires are,” Marley said with a little roll of her eyes. “They’re pretty dramatic.“ At least, all the vampire she’d met were like that-- she felt like it almost came with the territory, just like how most mara liked the strange and horrific. Most of them even shared Marley’s love for insects, because unlike most mammals, they didn’t run away scared. “Oh, you know Cece? Like Cece Bishop, Cece? I work with her sometimes.” And somehow knowing Camille knew Cece made Marley all the more relieved. At least she didn’t have to skirt around things anymore. “He’s very nice, usually. Just spooks easy, which is funny, considering--” she paused, frowned, “he’s pretty scary looking.” Marley rustled her arms, cinching her brows. “Almost cute? He’s extremely cute, actually. I mean, lookit his face!” she exclaimed, holding him up. JD responded by thumping his legs against her and leaping out of her arms and over to the couch. “Well...I think he’s cute,” she muttered, looking back over at Camille. “His name’s JD. Short for Jack Daniels.” A pause. “I swear I’m not an alcoholic, though.”

Sometimes Camille worried she was taking all of this too well. But then she remembered her first few months here, the icy cold that had settled over her the second she realized she was supposed to be dead, sitting in that motel room and staring at the wall for god knew how many days without being able to move. Trying to accept it all had practically rendered her catatonic, and she was still struggling, but Camille was no idiot. Even with all the additions the world was still the world and she was still a living thing that needed to make money and survive and carry on.

“I haven’t actually met any vampires, so I couldn’t speak for all of them.” Cam shrugs, and then her eyes widen, “at least… I don’t think I have. I suppose that’s rather the point.” Wow, maybe she had met vampires. Marley could be one for all she knew. It was probably rude to ask. “Yeah, it’s her I live with. We met out at Dell’s Tavern one night and when she found out I was staying at that creepy motel she insisted I stay with her.” She nods, “right, it makes sense that you’d know her too.” The morgue and the police department probably worked closely. They’d probably done that in Boston, when she’d died. Camille chuckled a little at the contradictions, how Marley thought something could look scary and cute at the same time. Though she managed not to flinch when it- JD- was brought closer to her face. He had regular rabbit eyes, all big and innocent and shiny. She did jump when the beast moved suddenly though, clutching one hand to her heart and laughing despite herself. “He can leap like a rabbit, huh? Is he- do you just keep him, like, as a pet?” Cam smiled, “I like JD. When I was in college my roommate had a hamster and we called it Khalua.” 

“Count yourself lucky, then,” Marley said with a small chuckle. “Oh, trust me-- you’d know.” It was a strange thing, to find someone so...okay with all this weirdness. Even Erin had been a little freaked out by everything at first, but maybe Camille had just skipped past it all already. Or she just hadn’t seen the freak out and was getting the after effects. She shrugged. “Yeah, Cece’s like that.” She didn’t know Cece all that well, but from what she could gather, the woman liked to feel useful and help others. And was a bit nosey. “He’s a hare, actually. Common mistake. Hares are bigger than rabbits.” She scratched her chin. “I mean, yes? He’s pretty harmless. He mostly just follows me around and chews on things. Animals don’t normally like me, so it’s kinda nice to have one around that, you know, does.” A chuckle. “Khalua, ha. That’s a good name. I’m gonna steal that if I ever get another pet. I was considering getting another tarantula, they’re pretty low maintenance.” She gave a short pause, before prodding her next question. “So...how do you know about all this stuff?”

“Oh, would I? Well that’s… Reassuring, I suppose.” The only thing that’d tipped Camille off about her neighbors at the motel was how loudly they talked about it. Perhaps they’d been trying to scare her. Honestly at the time they’d been the least of her worries, and she’d even briefly wondered if any attempts to kill her would actually work. Jury was still kind of out on that one, but it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to ask anyone to try it and find out. 

Camille nodded, “right, a hare.” The difference wasn’t enough to bother her, but she’d try and remember it. “Ah, I hear most animals are a little bit destructive like that.” She chuckled, it was one of the things that had stopped her from getting a dog with Jace, being too precious about her house. “He was a real hit whenever we had dorm parties, that’s for sure. Even the dean thought he was too cute to tell us off.” The idea of a spider as a pet was… Really not Camille’s cup of tea, but if Marley already had a weird supernatural hare it probably wouldn’t seem so odd to her.

Right. How did she know about all this? Marley was a cop, it probably wasn’t smart to tell her too much about how she didn’t have a legal identity and there was a man in prison for her murder. But… Well, Marley was a cop with a jackalope, and wouldn’t it be a good idea to have as many useful people helping her figure this out as possible? If Marley had a strong enough link to the supernatural stuff, maybe she’d have some information no one else did yet. “Well…” Camille sipped her drink, tapping her fingers against the side of the glass. “How do you know about this stuff?”

.Marley ruffled her nose. “Hey, I asked you first,” she pointed out, frowning. It was strange to not feel affronted by the question, however, and she had to take a minute to pause and decide if that really was one she wanted to answer. A few months ago it would have been a solid and definite no, but now that things had changed in Marley’s life, she wasn’t sure anymore. She waffled on it for a moment, confused by her own indecision. “I’m a cop in White Crest,” she finally answered with a shrug, “how could I not know about this stuff? I know most of the precinct will like to make you believe everyone around there has their head in the sand, but you can’t judge us all because of that.” Even if Marley did. She knew most of the other cops didn’t believe in any of this shit. “I also sort of grew up with this kinda stuff.”

She leaned back against the counter again. “Okay, so now that I played my cards, are you gonna tell me yours?” she asked, nodding at her. “You seem pretty normal, so what could’ve happened to you to clue you in to all this shit?”

Camille lounged back against the counter, tapping her nails against the almost empty glass in her hand and waiting. Whatever Marley had to say she was willing to bet the other woman had been around this kind of stuff a lot longer than she had. The reasoning of being a cop was sound enough, she was willing to bet they all saw some weird stuff. But Regan worked in the morgue and had wings and still managed to be disbelieving of the whole thing. Growing up around it, though, that made Camille relax just a little. 

She set the glass down to pull back the sleeve of her shirt and show the sigil on the back of her hand. “I died a while ago.” Camille said, trying to sound more nonchalant about the whole thing then she felt. “Woke up in White Crest earlier this year. With this thing-” She tapped a finger against the mark- “which I did not have in my first life. A lady told me it means I was resurrected and the mark keeps my soul in my body, or something.” Camille tugged her sleeve back down. “So I am pretty normal. Or I was, but it’s kind of hard to deny all this stuff when you know there’s an autopsy report with your name on it.” She shrugged, twisting her hands together, “I figure for now this town is the best place for me, while I’m still trying to get it together.” 

Had Marley been drinking something, she would have spit out her drink. Instead, it came up as a cough that felt as if it stuttered and stuck in her throat, and she turned to look at Camille with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, did you say you died? And then-- came back?” That wasn’t really all that uncommon, but Marley had been sure Camille wasn’t a zombie or a vampire-- her tastebuds were too on par. But then she showed Marley the marking on her hand and it clicked-- someone had brought her back to life using necromancy. Marley didn’t know much about it, only that only very powerful spellcasters could do it, and that it was some sort of taboo-- Peter had informed her of this, and reminded her that they were not vessels of death while doing so-- and that Bea had likely also been resurrected. She’d told Marley she’d died after Marley had pestered her about not calling back. 

“Yeah, well, I guess that’s fair,” she answered, scratching the back of her neck. “Normal is-- relative, I guess. Even though you’re, well, you know…” she motioned towards her, “you can still live a normal life.”

Marley’s reaction was… Almost comical. Especially in comparison to others. Nell had been matter of fact, Regan in denial. Marley was much closer to what Camille had expected of people. The tequila probably helped, but she actually didn’t feel all that exhausted by talking about it for once, which was a nice change. Perhaps because she hadn’t gotten into the details of her ex husband and the whole ordeal that had brought about her death. She didn’t want too, it wasn’t like she owed Marley anything. Part of normal was moving on. “It’s kind of a lot to process.” She said, nodding. “So I’m trying to take it easy. Just… Getting out into the world again, y’know? Steady job, making new friends.” Camille shrugged, “not perfect but better than nothing.” 

She smiled,“actually, it makes me feel much safer knowing we actually have cops who understand exactly what is going on in this town, even if you can’t convince the entire squad.” She laughed softly, moving to set her glass down by the sink and pick up her bag. “It’s getting late. I shouldn’t keep you up all night. But we should hang out again, now that I know I don’t have to watch what I say with you.” 

For a dead woman, Camille was pretty casual. Marley didn’t know what that experience was like, but she could understand wanting to make a normal life for yourself. “You really should quit the Cryptid Corner,” she said after a moment, but it was with a sly grin and not a judging one. “I heard that place is haunted.” Marley gave a sheepish shrug. “Well, glad I can help out, then. I’ll certainly do my best to keep this place clean, but White Crest is certainly a...dangerous place. Don’t um-- do anything to get yourself killed again, alright?” She started heading over towards the door with Camille. She wanted to quip about how the night was her time, but she kept her mouth shut for now. She’d already given away too much, and even if Camille had been more forthcoming with all this than she’d originally thought, she still felt exposed in some way. Even though Camille had spilled her entire story, Marley kept hers much closer to her chest. “Uh-- yeah,” she said, confused for a moment. People didn’t often ask to hang out with her again, let alone as just friends. Was this really how the world worked? She furrowed her brow. “Yeah, let’s do this again. Maybe with snacks next time, too.” That’s what people offered, right? She brushed the thought away. “And uh-- thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. You don’t have to worry, either. Your secret’s safe with me.” And if Camille turned on her somehow, it would make for some good blackmail. Not that she wanted that to happen. But old habits die hard.

Camille snorted out a laugh and shook her head, “the closest thing that place has ever gotten to haunted was the one time we had a possessed toilet. A nightmare to deal with but we’ve had nothing since. It’s too lame to haunt.” She nods, “yeah… Yeah I know this place can be a bit wild. Hell, when I woke up here people were being attacked by mimes, so.” It was almost scary how quickly she’d gotten used to it all, but maybe waking up dead could numb you to experiences like that a bit. “Trust me, I don’t have any plans to put myself in harm's way.”

It was true, she certainly wasn’t going to go looking for trouble. She’d even stopped walking around the forest at night, so things were looking up. Another friend who knew her secret, someone else to trust. Camille was sick of being lonely, see, she’d decided this life was going to have friends. “Right. I appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of your night, I’ll see ya.” She gave a cheery little wave before heading out the door, to return to her own home feeling a little more optimistic than the day before.

[hournites]

Blackouts (2/2)

 part one

~.~

“You two made a bomb?”

Beth sat with Rick on the wooden bench of disciplinary torture. It was stiff and uncomfortable—worse, it smelt like sweat and fear. She had to squash down an anxiously clawing urge to tap her foot against the floor like Rick, a habit that used to annoy her. A habit she doesn’t even have.

Beth has never been in trouble at school. Ever.

Not one detention or demerit point or strict scolding by any teacher or playground monitor since Kindergarten. Beth never had to sit on this bench. Never been in the principal’s office for any other reason than collecting a plaque or certificate of achievement. Never felt this slimy guilt-ball of awful. It’s only been forty-five minutes, but sitting here in shame as their peers passed by through the big window of the office in front of Principal Bowin and Pat and the nice secretaries that worked here and God was punishment enough. She felt like a terrible human being. A liar. A cheater. A scoundrel.

Principal Bowin crossed her arms in her matching dark green skirt and jacket suit, far too displeased for a woman who spends her weekends hypnotizing innocent people to death with her husband’s fiddle.

“Not to harm anyone! This is bullshit!”

Beth held her tongue, but she had to give it to Rick. This sucked.

Why did Mr. Hyacinth have to correct his prescription glasses? He never bothered to notice their experiments in Chemistry class before! And Rick couldn’t get in his bad graces, he needed to do well in chemistry to figure out more of his father’s equations and codes. He was doing well in the course, Beth thinks he might have a shot at the regional science competition that she's pushing him to enter. A win there would look amazing on college applications and Rick was super good at it! He couldn’t afford another black mark on his student record, not now.

“I’m sure you know this act of delinquency is a serious offence,” Principal Bowin continued. “Explosives are weapons and they—”

“—A stink bomb is hardly an explosive—”

“—In fact, I ought to bring in the county sheriff—”

“Pat!” Rick cried. “She’s blowing things all out of proportion—”

“Bad word choice, Rick,” Beth muttered under her breath. He groaned and tried to think of something else to say, but under Principal Bowin and Mr. Dugan’s judgmental glares, he thought better of it and slumped back against his seat. Beth stared down at her shoes. She could never bring her parents to another parent-teacher assembly ever again. They were going to be so disappointed.

“How could it be a stink bomb? There was no foul smell in the report sent by their teacher.”

“Because we never set it off!” Rick snapped, lying to save their butts, and rather convincingly too. “We weren’t trying to hurt anyone.” Which was true. “We finished the assignment early and we got bored. I mean, this was just a prank that I made Beth help me with—”

Beth glanced up at the two adults, knowing if Rick continued the way he was, he’d only screw himself over.

“Mr. Dugan, this was all my fault. Rick had nothing to do with it!”

“Save your breath, Beth.”

He turned to The Fiddler. “May I have a word with these two? Alone?”

She let out a huff. “You have five minutes. When I return, we will discuss repercussions.”

The door shut firmly behind her, and they all waited for the click-clacks of her high heel shoes down the hallway before they all started talking at once.

Pat put his hands on his knees to stare at them at eye level. A truly incredible guilt-tripping tactic.

“— Bombs? At school?? Are you out of your minds?”

“For the last time, they’re not explosives. It’s just—”

“It’s for JSA!” Beth blurted out.

“Yeah, look sorry I’m not sorry, Pat. They’re important and we need them.”

“Explain. Now.” Pat never looked so mad. Not at Beth. She squirmed in her seat but Rick barely looked affected, if only the least bit remorseful. She didn’t know how he could sit so still in the face of a disappointed father figure.

Oh. Beth mentally cringed when she remembered why that was. Right.

Rick glanced sideways at her. Beth let out a sigh and reached into her backpack’s front pocket to pull out the blackout bombs. They had figured out how to make them compact last week. They looked like the fancy things her mom would put in her bath when she wanted to relax. Or charcoal gumballs from a retro candy machine.

“Rick and I came up with these so that I could throw them at ISA as a diversion when I need to run.”

Pat took one, bringing it up to his eye. “What does it do?”

Rick and Beth went quiet.

“Guys.”

Beth bit her lip. “We call them blackouts. When they hit the ground they mask the area with a thick black impenetrable smoke that makes it hard to see.”

“Yeah,” Rick chimed in. “So that Beth can use Chuck’s night vision to safely get away or blind opponents so she could have that upper hand.”  

“It’s not lethal? Toxic?”

She shrugged. “Not so far as we could tell, no. We never got sick and we've been carrying samples of them for weeks.”

His eyes bugged out. "Weeks?!"

Rick stifled a laugh.

Pat stared at them, slack-jawed. “ How did you come up with this?”

It was Rick's turn to shrug. “It’s just simple potassium nitrate.” He scratched his head. “And some other stuff. Beth made an Excel spreadsheet.”

“Don’t you potassium nitrate me, Rick Tyler. This is dangerous. And irresponsible. And frankly Beth, I’m shocked you went along with this for so long. At school? During class?”

“We’re sorry, Mr. Dugan.”

“Yeah,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “Sorry that you got caught.”

Beth’s face fell. “Are we getting suspended?” She hated the way her voice cracked. She hated the way Rick’s arm immediately went around her too. It was nice but she didn’t want him feeling bad for her because she couldn’t take a simple scolding. Ugh, she was so sensitive.

Pat confiscated all of the bombs. “I don’t know. I hope not, because you’ve never been in trouble, Beth. I’d hate for that to change now.” He looked at Rick. “But you. That’s a whole other story.”

“We didn’t do anything that warrants more than detention.”

"You're very lucky your mother and father aren't here, Beth. I don't know what they'd say about this." Pat began to pace, ignoring Rick’s excuses. “And since when and why did I become your emergency contact, anyway?”

Rick pulled a face. “What do you think?”

Beth’s hand found its way to his knee. Rick’s jaw tensed, but he sucked in a breath before looking away.

“...Right,” Pat said with a sigh. “Your uncle.”

The room went silent.

“Okay, well I’m glad you trust me with your screw-ups. Because that’s what this is. A big screw up, you hear me? You’re not doing these kinds of reckless experiments again.”

“Yeah,” Rick replied, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling. “We get it.”

“Rick, I don’t think you—”

Beth stood up from the bench of shame. “Don’t be so hard on him.” She wrung her hands, and her heart leapt out of her chest. She was really terribly bad at confrontation. Especially to adults. Super especially to nice adults she trusted and had let down. But she needed to defend Rick, he got enough to deal with already. She wasn’t about to let him lose Pat’s respect. Not because of her.

“I knew it was a dumb idea to do in school, but he only did it because he wanted to protect me.” She refused to look back and see Rick’s face, but Pat’s own went soft. “And Rick is really good at chemistry. Don’t take this away from him, Mr. Dugan.” Her eyes began to well up with inexplicable tears. This was really dumb. Beth needed to get a grip. “Please.”

Two hands were suddenly on her shoulders. Rick. He squeezed, rubbing with his thumb. “Beth,” he whispered. “You don’t have to do this. It was my dumb idea. You knew that. I don’t really care for school anyway, to hell if I get suspended or Mr. Hyacinth returns to thinking I’m trash. Whatever.”  

Beth frowned. “You’re lying.” She turned around and his arms dropped to his sides. His eyebrows pulled together as he stared at her, unable to read her sincerity. “You do care. I know you do. Stop taking the blame for me on the stupid stuff we both do. If we’re going down...We’re going down together.”

Something warm and wonderful seeped into Rick’s eyes. His hand flexed and Beth used her courage to take it again, tangling their fingers together like the first time they first started making the blackouts. “Beth.”

“I care about you, Rick,” she admitted, feeling her face heat up. It wasn’t like she was confessing an undying love for him or anything, of course, she cared, he had to know. “I’m in your corner. Always.”

Rick stared at her some more, unsure what to say. Slowly, he raised their joined hands and brushed his lips over Beth’s hand. Her stomach dropped like that one unforgettable time she rode the Dive Bomber at Omaha’s Six Flags. But this time she didn’t want to throw up. At all. This rush was thrilling. Beth could feel Rick’s kiss tingle down to her toes.

Mr. Dugan cleared his throat and the two tore their gazes away from each other, Beth slowly turning back to face him. He gave the teens a long look.

“Fine. Here’s the deal. Experimental weapon building only happens at the garage under my constant supervision. No ifs or buts.”

Beth stuck out her hand. “Deal!” She turned around to look at Rick. "It's a good compromise!"

“Your garage doesn’t have any of the chemicals we need.”

“Then I’ll order some,” he retorted. “Need I remind you that the school principal is a part of the ISA?”

“Yeah.” Rick’s stubbornness on the subject seemed to have deflated in its entirety. Beth held in her smile when Pat gave her a knowing look because they both knew why.

Principal Bowin returned, looking very annoyed. “Apparently, the school board has plans to use Beth Chapel for televised school advertisements and have no desire to hear my complaints about the matter as there’s no proof. They won’t even let me call her parents about it.”

Beth let out the biggest sigh of relief.

“So she’s free to go.”

Mr. Dugan smiled.

“Rick Harris, however—”  

Beth took a step forward and raised her head high. “I won’t do any commercials if Rick isn’t excused. That’s not fair. We weren’t making any bombs, Principal Bowin. The beaker exploded. We were in the lab. It happens.”

Mr. Dugan wrapped his arms around both kids. “They’re good kids. If Rick needs some type of community service, he can work at my garage.”

Rick looked at him. “Really?”

“Really?” Beth echoed.

“Yes. Starting Monday.” He ushered them out of the office while they still could. “I’m sure that would suffice, Principal Bowin?”

“But—”

“Need I point out that I am clearly not this man’s father? You do know who his father is, right Ma’am? Matthew Harris? The man Rick had tried to file student reports about for the last several years for neglect and abuse? Reports your administration did nothing about?”

Principal Bowin paled. “Uh.”

“Thought so. Have a nice day.”

He saluted, shepherding them out.

Beth turned to Mr. Dugan as they went outside, still holding Rick’s hand. “Mr. Dugan that was awesome!”

“You gotta start calling me Pat, Beth.”

“She’s not ever calling you Pat,” Rick teased with a smile of his own and squeezed her hand before he let go. Beth watched fondly as Rick tentatively, awkwardly, hugged Mr. Dugan in front of the flagpole. “But she’s right. It kinda was.”

Her heart flipped as it always did when Rick opened up his feelings to other people. She cares for him so much. More than anyone. More than her parents. It was crazy how much. It was almost like...She thought about the way he kissed her hand, eyes piercing into hers in The Fiddler's office and felt giddy all over again like—

Time stopped. Beth's feet stopped working as she realized something important about what she felt for Rick.

Oh.

[aphrodites-law]

My Favorite

Trope: Soulmate marks.

Twist: Lexa doesn’t have one. Clarke does.

2/? - (Part 1)

~

A week passed at the hotel, but while Lexa glanced into the sitting room each time she walked by it, she never saw Clarke again. She went back and forth between the hotel and her apartment, putting her boxes away while the windows remained opened wide and the smell of paint slowly faded. Eventually she checked out of Griffin Hotel, where Jake gave her a cheery look before sending her off with a basket of fresh fruit from the breakfast buffet - a welcome gift, he’d said.

With her first classes to plan and organize, Lexa spent most of her time with her nose in her books and binders. She used the rest of it to familiarize herself with Polis, where she picked up a few habits in a matter of days. There was the grocery store with the peanut-butter pretzels that melted in her mouth, the bicycle path that cut through the park, and the coffee shop owned by Raven Reyes.

Raven ran a tight ship and was as welcoming as she was fascinating. Her two loves were space and food, and evidently she had combined them with great success. Her shop, Coffee on the Moon, was exactly what it sounded like - the best damn coffee Lexa had had in a uniquely decorated setting. The coffee machines were themed like space crafts, which Lexa had noticed were wildly popular with kids (and perhaps even more adults); the walls were painted in swaths of silvers and dark blues; and the art hung up was courtesy of local artists. In the display case, well-garnished sandwiches made with local produce rarely lasted the day, if even the rush of lunch hour.

Raven seemed to know everyone and everything, an unsurprising fact given her infectious energy. One morning, Raven had come into her shop without her prosthetic leg on account of the pain, she had shared casually, but not once in the following hour had Lexa heard her complain. She was an admirable woman, and Lexa was particularly fascinated by how quickly she had charmed Anya.

Anya, who wouldn’t admit to feeling lonely while her daughter was at summer camp, had surprised Lexa with a visit that had turned into a week-long stay. She’d met Raven quickly enough, and immediately Lexa had noticed the change in her demeanor. Usually always on her guard, Anya had seemed to... soften around the edges in a matter of minutes. It was clear to Lexa that Raven had caught Anya’s eye, not only with her wit but also her ability to run such a good business.

Unfortunately for Anya, who didn’t like to be surprised by her own feelings, she dealt with attraction rather poorly. That is, she’d be ready to snap if Lexa so much as implied there was something there. Lexa, however, could understand her need for caution: Anya was a working mother who would soon leave back to her home, hours away. It was hard to envision this relationship having a future.

And, surely, it would have remained that way had Raven not suddenly noticed the tattoo on Anya’s wrist and shown off her own: a depiction of the moon with the logo of her coffee shop covering the words she’d had since birth.

“Got it at twenty-five when my boyfriend of ten years dumped me for some chick he didn’t even know,” she explained.

When Lexa looked toward Anya then, she knew her friend’s interest was piqued for good. It was rare to meet anyone who had willingly tattooed their mark like Anya had. 

“A decade gone to dust because some skinny redhead told him what he’d always hoped to hear,” Raven revealed with a snort.

“So you don’t believe in the mark?” Anya asked cautiously.

“Oh, I do.”

As equally confused as her best friend, Lexa invited Raven to sit with them at their table. 

“I just don’t think the way we go about it works,” Raven elaborated. “Just because you meet - it doesn’t have to mean you’re right for each other at that exact moment, you know?”

“Or at all,” Lexa muttered.

“Well, I do think there’s truth to it,” Raven admitted. “It’s fucking beautiful, really, if we just see it as it is, but we have a messy approach.”

Lexa shook her head. “It’s just always seemed like... Do you love the person because of who they are, or do you love them because the words on your wrist tell you to?"

Raven smirked, like she had asked herself the same question a hundred times before. To do so aloud, however, was bold. “The way I see it? Just because your souls are bonded, doesn’t mean the relationship doesn’t need work. Sure, most movies show us it's happily ever after once the first words are uttered, but in reality the words are just the beginning. It's not easy to go from perfect stranger to soul-tied, you know?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "Cry me a river."

Raven shrugged. "If it weren't so taboo to admit you're unhappy with your soulmate, maybe some would realize it's because they're taking it for granted. My friend, Bellamy - his soulmate was this broody chick who straight up punched him for sleeping with her friend. Insulted the shit out of him; word for word the string of insults that wrap around his wrist four times. Anyway, she didn't give a shit when he showed her. Took them three years to meet again, and then another three to even like each other. Now they're expecting their first kid. But I think the best thing they did was to grow as people. The mark showed them the possibility for something life-changing was there - but they'd have to work for it first."

Lexa glanced at Anya, who had yet to look away from Raven.

"Look, I know it's fucked how you're treated," Raven continued, "but I don't think the mark itself is to be blamed. I mean, I think it was designed as a way to make life a little easier, that's all. But then… I don't know, most civilizations blew it out of proportion and turned it into something else. Decided that those who have it are better than those who don't - and backed up their points by turning the exceptions into the rule. That people without a mark are going to steal your jewelry or murder your kids one day, just because this one markless dude some thousands of years ago happened to be an ax murderer. Everyone loves to forget that ancient Egypt worshipped the Markless. They believed that they were in control of their own fate - freer. And don't get me started on the Greeks! They had whole temples dedicated to them. There's a reason the statues of their Gods didn't have marks, but nobody likes to bring that up.”

“Moral superiority is one hell of a drug,” Anya shrugged.

Raven chuckled. “I don't think anyone is better than anyone; it's just a bunch of people trying to be happy."

"Well, you're definitely an exception,” Lexa sighed. “I’ve been reminded of my place in the world enough times to know that.”

Raven was about to reply when the door to the shop opened. When Lexa saw that it was Clarke who had just walked in, her heart jumped in her throat.

“You’re back!” Raven exclaimed before getting up to pull Clarke into a hug. “How was it? How’s your mom?”

Clarke grinned in the embrace before pulling back to sign something. Lexa watched with rapt attention, trying hard to follow the movement of Clarke’s hands, but understanding none of her language in the end. She watched as Raven tipped her head back and laughed.

“Classic Abby Griffin.”

Clarke then pulled out a heavy paper bag from her backpack and gifted it to her friend, who immediately looked inside.

“Yes!” Raven turned to Anya and Lexa. “Best goddamn blueberry pierogi in the country!”

Clarke looked toward them as well and gave Lexa a small wave.

“You’ve met?” Raven asked. 

Clarke quickly signed something. Raven blinked, then burst out laughing.

“Oh fine, just go, you idiot.”

Clarke bit her lip before dashing toward the coffee shop’s restroom. Anya got up as well.

“I’ll be right back,” she excused herself.

Alone with Raven, who was now counting the pierogi in the bag, Lexa’s curiosity got to her.

“Are you good friends?”

Raven turned to her and nodded. “Clarke and I got each other through everything. There wouldn’t be a Coffee on the Moon without her.”

Lexa found incredible strength in Raven’s ability to be so open. “I wouldn’t be here without Anya,” she admitted in turn.

“How long have you known each other?”

“Since college. Anya... just helped me believe that I was more than the missing part.”

Raven’s face fell. “Shit. I’m really sorry."

Lexa shook her head. “It’s fine. Just made me who I am today.”

“No, it’s not fine. You know - Polis doesn’t tolerate that. We have each other’s backs here, mark or no mark. I think you’ll notice when you start teaching the kids. They really give me hope.”

Lexa smiled. “I look forward to it.”

Clarke and Anya came back from the restroom together, not exactly chatting but... Lexa could tell they’d communicated something to each other by the small smile on Clarke’s face. Anya sat back down at the table while Clarke signed something to Raven.

“Oh okay,” Raven answered. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Clarke nodded before she glanced once more at Lexa, mouthed ‘bye’, and left the shop. 

Raven turned to the table. “Okay, well, I need to put the pierogi in the fridge and make some calls, but let me know if you need anything.”

Lexa sat back in her chair with a sigh. She watched Anya pick up her cup of coffee and then smirk.

“She doesn’t have one.”

Lexa frowned slowly. “What?”

Anya chuckled, then took a sip of her coffee. “You’re so obvious, you know? I figured I’d check when she washed her hands.”

Lexa immediately sat up, hope blossoming dangerously in her chest. “She... doesn’t have-”

“Nope.”

Lexa worried her bottom lip before grabbing her phone. Anya didn’t seem fazed in the least.

“Are you buying a hundred books on sign language?”

Lexa swiped something on her screen. “Yep.”

-

Part three

[fanghuas]

Tim always liked it when Dick was in town. He liked working with Nightwing, he liked training with him, he liked their post-patrol talks in the kitchen. He liked how Dick always seemed to have time for these things, how he always looked interested no matter what they were talking about.

Of course, Dick wasn't in town very often. And it was easy to be nice to someone when you only saw them once in a blue moon. Whenever Tim's mother was home - she and his father traveled together for the most part, but not always - she was always pleasant and happy to see him, taking him to museums and exhibitions and fancy coffee shops. But once his nanny had bailed, and his parents had been forced to take him on a trip with them, a whole month. He'd never felt more acutely how much of a burden he was on them. Dick had never had to be around him for a month.

"What're you thinking?" Dick asked now with a disarming smile, enough to put anyone at ease. Tim knew it was at least partially an act, but that didn't mean it didn't work.

They were sitting together at the den, in comfortable silence up until now. Dick was sprawled across the sofa, feet on the armrest and crossed at the ankles, reading a comic. Tim was curled up with his knees close to his chest, absently doodling new costume ideas. The suit he was using currently was one of Dick’s old ones, but Bruce had given him permission to come up with a design of his own.

It felt good. He couldn’t think of a better confirmation that he was Robin for real.

"Just about the upcoming science fair," he lied easily. "My science teacher thinks I should participate, but I don't know. I'm kinda busy."

Dick's smile slipped. "Robin stuff?"

"Yeah," Tim said with a shrug. "And I mean, I don't care about it that much? I have better things to be doing than making mini-volcanoes or potato solar systems, you know? Mom and dad might think it's cool if I won first place, but..."

He cut himself off and shrugged again. Dick was quiet for a long time.

"Well,let me know if you decide to go for it," he said cheerfully. "I'd love to come. And I'd offer my help, but you're probably better at this stuff than I am."

"Why?" Tim asked, baffled. "You know it's just gonna be a bunch of middle schoolers with projects made by their parents, right? It's not very interesting."

Dick shrugged. "If you're participating, it'll be interesting enough."

Oh. That was a very nice thing to say, but it made Tim want to cry a little. No one had ever been interested in something just because Tim was.

"I mean, I don't know," he said, "I'm not even sure I wanna do it, you know? And you don't have to drive all the way from Bludhaven just for that, so..."

"Oh, I don't mind the drive," Dick dismissed. "It's an hour tops. Totally worth it."

Tim wanted to insist, but his mind was already spinning with ideas for the project. He'd have to balance his time, obviously, he couldn't afford to look like he was slacking in his duties as Robin, but there was still plenty of time before the fair. If Dick really wanted to come, at least Tim ought to present something that would make it worth his while.

"Okay," Tim agreed.

True to his word, Dick was there. Tim watched him make his way through the crowd, eyes scanning the room. His face lit up as soon as he spotted Tim and he waved, changing course to come greet him. Tim waved back halfheartedly, glancing at his solar oven.

It had seemed like a good idea at first, but now that his project was out in the open for everyone to see, it felt woefully insufficient. He'd hand-painted it and made sure it looked good on top of being functional, experimented with different materials for the insides of the oven to find the one that'd heat up faster, double and triple tested the boiling time to be sure he wouldn't keep the judges waiting too long. It didn't feel like he'd done enough. Why had he even bothered participating in this again?

"I'm not late, am I?" Dick asked as he reached Tim, catching him off guard and momentarily trapping him in a one-armed hug. He pulled away and ruffled Tim's hair. "This looks amazing. Can I touch it or am I gonna break it?"

Tim squirmed. "Maybe wait until after the presentation."

“You got it,” Dick said.

By looking at Dick, you would have thought he was faced with a real scientific creation, not just some kid's school project. It made Tim equal parts wary – he wasn't at all sure what he'd made could live up to those expectations – and excited. If he did well in the competition, his parents might be pleased, but there was no question that they would ever take the time out of their busy lives to attend something like this. Neither would they gush over a cardboard cut-out solar oven.

It gave him the confidence boost he needed. Once it was his turn to show his work to the judges, he placed the little black pot filled with water he had next to him in the oven, walking them through the way it worked while they waited for it to boil. He'd timed his speech exactly so that he could take the pot out the minute he was finished talking, presenting it to the judges as proof that it'd worked.

To his immense relief, everything went off without a hitch. He got the timing down perfectly and he didn't trip over his words too much, neither did he stumble and shower one of the judges in boiling water, as had been a recurring fear of his. Throughout the whole thing, Dick watched with a wide, proud grin spread across his face.

Tim kind of felt like a fraud – he hadn't done anything that cool. He didn't even win first place. Other kids had better, more nuanced projects.

Dick insisted that they go for ice cream to celebrate, and like that wasn’t enough, that Tim tell him where his favorite ice cream shop was. Tim squirmed a little because it was halfway across Gotham, and it felt like he was just wasting more of Dick’s time, but nobody could resist Dick’s puppy eyes and relentless spirit for long.

They each got a huge ice cream in a cup with far too many toppings, and the lady behind the register slipped Tim an extra oreo. He was happy to have it but frowned a little. Surely twelve was far too old to be given free stuff on account of cuteness, although Dick did always tease him about how small he looked.

“Nice of you to treat your little brother,” she said, eyes crinkling at the corners. “All my sister ever does is hog the TV."

Wincing, Tim opened his mouth to correct her, but Dick just laughed it off.

“Well, I don’t live at home anymore, so that’s rarely a problem,” he said in good humor. “And he deserves the treat. His school was holding a science fair today, and -”

To Tim’s growing horror, Dick proceeded to talk her ear off about Tim’s project, blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Luckily the shop was mostly empty and the girl didn’t seem to mind, but Tim was still mortified by the end of it.

“What was that for?” Tim demanded quietly as they finally turned to leave.

Dick put an arm over his shoulder and pulled him into a loose hug. “Hey, you did good. Don’t I get to brag about you?”

Tim shook his head, perplexed and embarrassed. “Think you might be overselling it a little?”

“Nope,” Dick declared, popping the ‘p’ with great authority. “I’m proud of you, and that’s that. I’m telling everyone we see today about it. Deal with it.”

“Dick, no,” Tim groaned.

“Everyone,” Dick insisted, and just to prove his point, waved cheerily at a man crossing the road. “Excuse me, sir, but did you know that -”

“Dick,” Tim hissed, grabbing his arm and dragging him away. Dick went willingly, laughing all the while. “Oh my god, what’s wrong with you. That guy’s giving me the stink-eye now.”

Dick waved a hand as he tried to catch his breath. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just teasing you.”

Tim huffed. “You’re a real dick, Dick.”

“I know. But Tim,” his smile fell away, eyes earnest, “you know that I really am proud of you, right?”

Affirming it verbally felt like hubris of the worst kind, so Tim only nodded and, for once, allowed himself to believe it.

[nine-mp3]

Your Neighbor Sungho | Ch. 3

Photo Credits:

- left hand corner, @116page - center, @newat_rie

Rie (sungho) x (female) reader, fluff, slice of life, semi-angsty (?)

appearances of other OnlyOneOf and Dreamcatcher members will occur

hey so I rolled a wheel on who to write a fanfic first and got rie plus picked out a prompt to write from

warnings: alcohol, getting drunk; this fic is PG-13, some light cursing occasionally

btw i’m pretty sarcastic, there’s sarcasm thrown here and there, hope you enjoy

Description: your neighbor, sungho, from the day you've moved in has kept you up countless nights with their significant other. dancing, muffled long conversations, and amongst other noises you wished you could wipe from memory. one day it suddenly stops. those days become months.

This is Chapter 3. Chapter 1 & 2 is linked below.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

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Sungho brings you to a diner somewhere in the city, not too far from your apartment. It was retro, old school themed. Booths and single counter top seats that stretched to the end of the building. You have heard of this place from a friend, but never came to ever try it out. The two of you picked out a seat at the booths next to the wide window view that looked on to the city streets. It’s a cozy environment, the breakfast hours being rather quiet on a Sunday morning. Hushed voices spoke, the smell of coffee yet again filling in the air, the sound of cooking in the background, the chef yelling orders, and the occasional ding of a bell to let the waiters know a dish was ready. You never thought this would be a place Sungho would like. In reality you weren’t sure what to think at all since little is known.

“You can buy as much as you’d like to eat,” Sungho said, passing you one of the menus from the side of the table.

“And that’s what I like to hear,” you said, taking up the menu gratefully.

Not too long after deciding what to order, a waitress appears to come take your orders. Not noticing at first, you realize that the waitress is one of your friends.

“Yooheon?” you exclaimed, staring at her in surprise.

She jumps, looking up from her notepad upon hearing her name.

"y/n! Oh my god!"

You’re standing up to hug her immediately. She reaches out to return it briefly, both your voices in excitement from seeing each other.

“What are you doing here? Of course, to finally come visit this diner I’ve been telling you about right?” Yooheon said, poking you with one end of her pen to your shoulder.

“Ow! Sorry, it’s been very busy. Please don’t kill me,” you said, rubbing the spot, and holding your hands up to defend yourself.

"Yeah, yeah. Save your excuses. I knew you would have come eventually."

She takes notice of Sungho, seeming just as alarmed. The other male simply gives a small wave in greeting.

“Sungho?! You’re here...and with y/n? Wait, you guys know each other?” Yooheon asked, looking back and forth from the both of you.

“I was about to ask the same thing. But please, give me my usual coffee.” Sungho mentions, folding his hands on the table top.

“Alright, Mr. Demand. As for the one who’s been ignoring my messages for the entire month. Are you...doing okay?” she asked as she scribbled down the note, concern showing on her face.

They...know each other, you thought.

“I’m fine. Just...take our orders, would you?” Sungho said bluntly, averting eye contact now.

Yooheon’s a bit taken back by his sudden attitude. You gave an apologetic look to her, mouthing one too.

“Uh, ahem. We’re neighbors, for context. Small world right? Anyways…” you said, scratching at the side of your neck nervously.

Once Yooheon has our orders and Sungho has another cup of caffeine, there’s a silence filled with unnecessary tension. You’re stirring your own iced coffee with the straw, watching the ice cubes in the glass spin.

“Sorry,” Sungho said suddenly to you.

He’s gripping at his cup handle somewhat, moving around the cup slightly in his hands. Was it a nervous habit?

“Hey, stop saying sorry to me. Who you should really be apologizing to is Yooheon,” you tell him, gesturing to the female in the distance.

There's a pause, as if Sungho was thinking again, before he nods in understanding. You hoped that your message was clear and he wasn't only nodding to get you to shut up.

“How do you know Yooheon?” he asks, eyes lifting up to meet yours now.

“Old friend from high school. You?”

“Friend of friends and... this diner. I come here a lot, if it doesn’t show.”

You nodded to his explanation, taking another sip of the ice coffee from your cup. There were a million questions to ask. It wasn't exactly proper to ask about the relationship just yet, so you were deciding on an ice breaker question. Well, Sungho beats you to it in the end.

"I know what you want to ask...about what happened with them...and I," he said, grasping the cup tighter in his hands.

"Huh? What are you talking-"

"It's fine. The walls are thin, I know. That you heard us," Sungho said, cutting you off. "And the sudden silence too."

There wasn't any point in pretending now that he brought it up.

"Okay, you got me. I am curious," you admitted, still stirring your glass nervously. "You really don't have to tell me if it's personal. The details and all. Really, it's none of my business."

"I just...want to tell you for some reason. Especially since we both were a nuisance most of the time. And yes, I was very well aware they did not like you for some odd reason. Gave them more or less reason to be louder than they already were..." Sungho explains, his eyes focused on the surface of the table. "Anyways, not the reason why we broke up. We had a small argument over something so miniscule, insignificant. They made a big deal out of it and ever since that, they haven't returned. It's been a month now. Which explains the silence and my behavior."

It was your turn to nod then, taking another sip of cold coffee. You listened carefully, keeping your eyes on Sungho to let him know that you were listening. Not that he was making eye contact with you, but you found it important in conversation. There's another silence that fills up the air. Just as you were about to speak, Yooheon arrives with the food that was ordered.

"Okay, meals coming up! One for the irritated man and one for my lovely friend, y/n!"

"Thanks Yooheon," you said, smiling up towards her.

"You can say thank you by leaving a good tip! Enjoy!" Yooheon said cheerfully, turning away on her heels to continue her job.

Once Yooheon was out of earshot, you recalled what you were able to say to Sungho. His explanation, of course, was as how you thought it went down. In honesty, someone who threw childish glares at you for only greeting their boyfriend was also on the line of making petty arguments, followed by them throwing it out of proportion. You felt bad for him.

“All I can say is...that I’m sorry this happened. Though the silence wasn’t bad for me…haha...” you responded, smiling playfully.

Sungho scoffed, but there was a laugh along with it. He began to cut a slice of the waffle he ordered. It was topped with whipped cream, strawberries, and syrup. You had the same, but pancakes.

“Yeah, yeah. I know you were probably so happy that you didn’t even check up with your lovely neighbor,” Sungho said, joking along with you as he took a bite of waffle.

“Uh-huh. Lovely. Anyways...I was worried. Kind of. It was at the back of my mind. I totally did have a nice time finishing all the work I was thrown in the past month. It was the busiest time of the year. I didn’t have time to think about anything. Luckily, we’re in the eye of the storm now. A calm point and all deadlines have been met,” you replied, grinning.

“I’m curious, or have been actually. What’s your occupation?” the other asked, changing the topic now.

“Just some office job that pays alright. I write a lot of reports, sort out files, and all that jazz. The most important thing is that I can live and feed myself currently. And you, lovely neighbor?”

Another smile dances across his lips, possibly from the nickname.

“Ah, well...I work as a barista at a coffee shop in the city. It’s a small shop, but customers fluctuate occasionally. Because people can’t live without their coffee. I’m one of said “people.” Guilty of having one too many cups a day.”

“Well, don’t worry. Same here. Whatever gets us through the day, right?” you said with a grin.

The both of you continued to eat, continuing to talk casually and forgot about the subject of his ex-significant other. Through this conversation and a meal, you felt like you learned a lot about Sungho. The both of you had similar interests, with a few sprinkles of differences like the pancake and waffle debate right in front (and it was discussed, each person telling their reason why they thought pancake or waffle was better). Yet, he respected your opinion in the end without any further arguments. This was only the surface of everything. There was more, always more. But you were glad that maybe, just maybe, after this you could finally call your neighbor a friend.

After your meals were finished and the last drops of coffee were gone from both of your cups, the bill was called for. Keeping his promise, Sungho paid for your meal. You can’t help but feel a little guilty watching Yooheon ring up his card. Then you were reminded that he needed to also apologize to the female.

“I didn’t forget, don’t worry. Also, don’t feel bad. Did you forget that you literally took care of my drunk self yesterday?” Sungho said suddenly, as if he read your mind.

“Right...okay, I don't feel guilty. Nope," you replied, sitting up straight and proud. "Hey, wait...was it that obvious of what I was thinking? How did you know?"

“Your face says it all,” he said as Yooheon comes back, handing him back his card.

“y/n’s emotions are always on her sleeve, so easy to read,” Yooheon added in, despite not knowing what the conversation was about.

“Excuse me?”

Yooheon and Sungho laughed at your response. You couldn’t help but to feel flustered suddenly, yet shocked. That wasn’t even a joke, yet they both thought something was funny. Was it your face? Huffing and rolling your eyes, you gathered your things and stood up from your seat. But you felt relieved to see them laughing together.

“Alright, alright, enough laughing at me. Sungho has something to say to you. I’ll be standing by the door and just come over when you’re done,” you said, pointing, before turning to walk away to give the two their personal space for a minute.

Sungho watched you head down the aisle, going to observe the rest of the store, as now he was going to execute an apology. Not for you, of course. For Yooheon and himself. He agreed with your words, that it was right to apologize. Afterall, he was being unnecessarily rude. That response was a result out of fear. The fear of facing people again after so long. Yooheon was one of his good friends that always checked up on Sungho. Seems like he did take it for granted. Even though he didn’t say anything yet, she knew what it was about. Glancing around, the woman checks to see if there were any new customers. There wasn’t. Her manager wasn’t in view either, so she took a moment to take the seat where you had been sitting.

“So, y/n said you had something to tell me?” Yooheon said, with an expectant look on her face.

“Uh, right. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For how I acted before and...for the entire month prior to today. Thanks for checking up on me throughout that time period. I didn’t say anything, but I’m grateful to have a friend like you,” Sungho said genuinely.

“Aw, Sungho...it’s okay. I accept your apology, of course. I understand. It was hard, breakups are never easy. Especially when you’ve been with the other person for a long time. Together, happy...ahem. Anyways, like I’ve been telling you. Don’t keep it to yourself. Why else do you think Jisung and I wouldn’t stop knocking on your door every single day to make sure you were okay?” Yooheon said gently, adding one of her comforting smiles. “You don’t need to thank me. What are friends for? But now...just take it easy and...try to climb back into the way of your life. Without thinking about them. Screw them. You definitely deserve better. As of right now, don’t forget to take care of yourself too. You’re as important as anyone else.”

Yooheon reached out to hold Sungho’s hands, patting them. He would’ve cried there and then at her words, tears of joy mixed in with his sadness. Except it was a public area, so he held them in and moved to hold her hands back just as tightly. He nods simply, showing that he was grateful for her words. She pulled her hands away then, her eyes still wary of her manager coming out. It wasn’t the first time she’s sat down here to have a conversation with him on a slow day. Yooheon noted how you were idly standing in the distance, staring at the wall menus, and deciding what to try the next time if you were to come here.

“So, how’d you meet y/n? Was today like a random hookup or date? Looking at other fish in the sea now, eh?” Yooheon asked, leaning in closer towards him with interest.

“None of the above. y/n’s my neighbor. We barely know each other, actually. Today’s the first day we finally had a proper conversation,” Sungho said, making a face towards his friend now. “You remember right? How they didn’t let me talk to anyone. Not you, not Jisung, for even a minute. Sounds bad now that I’m only realizing now. The only time I was alone was if they were at work and I wasn’t…”

‘Wow. y/n’s your neighbor?! Talk about a small world! Anyways, I was only kidding. Focus on yourself first before anything, like I said before. And I remember that. Possessive they were. We tried to tell you, but no one sees anything when they’re too lost in love. It was bad, yes. Toxic relationship is what Jisung and I agreed on. You didn’t believe it though,” Yooheon said, sighing at her last sentence. “Anyways, we can talk more another time or…. later today? You’re free right? We can catch up with Jisung. What do you say? Just don’t want to leave y/n hanging any longer over there.”

Yooheon was right yet again. Sungho had been too caught up in love to realize the relationship he was in was toxic. A common problem in today’s society. People always attached themselves to people that weren’t good for them and weren't aware till the damage was done. He wasn’t the only one who fell into the statistics though. Outsiders could only do so much. It was always up to the person themselves who had fallen into such a relationship to pull themselves out, or not. As for his case, the one who was toxic left. So he was lucky that they weren’t in tbe picture anymore.

“Yeah...I really didn’t believe it, did I? And right, let’s talk another time..."

─────────────────

After you and Sungho said your goodbyes to Yooheon, (she also did not forget to nag you to come for the coming weekend get together as she was also amongst that circle of friends), and let her resume her work, the two of you headed back to the apartment building. Standing in front each other's respective doors, facing each other, there was an awkward moment of silence. Each person wondering what to say now that the out was done and favor was fulfilled.

"Uh, so...thanks for breakfast...again. I had a fun time," you said, giving him another bright smile.

"I did as well. I'm glad that I finally can get to know my neighbor for real. Not exactly the way I  thought, as in you having to deal with me drunk," Sungho said, chuckling.

"Consider it forgotten, Sungho. Don't worry about yesterday anymore," you responded.

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, let's exchange numbers? We're friends now, right?"

You pretended to think as you fished out your cellphone from your bag. Honestly, hearing Sungho asking that made you...happy. As you had hoped back in the diner, it was spoken thought into reality. Your neighbor, a friend.

"Hmm, I don't know about that..." you joked, as you opened the phone screen.

The other simply returned another smile, going along with your joke again. You had eventually lost count of how many times he smiled today. It was definitely a lot more than in the past month. From this, you made the conclusion Sungho looked the best when he was happy. He took your phone and dialed his phone number in for you, evening naming the contact for himself.

"Lovely Neighbor Sungho, seriously? Funny. You're really funny," you said as you hit the call button so he could get your number as well. "What are you going to put my name as?"

"Lovely Neighbor y/n of course. Consistency and now matching nicknames," Sungho replied.

He picked up the call, even though he was right across from you. With another hand, Sungho searched for his apartment keys. Just to humor him, you putting your phone to your ear as well.

"Anyways, I hope you have a great day y/n. I have an apartment to clean. Shall we hang out another time again?" Sungho said, his voice echoing through the speaker of your phone as well.

"Yes, of course. I would love to."

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Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for this long gap between chapter 2 and 3. I was a bit busy for some time. Now I'm free again, so hopefully there won't be another long gap in between chapters again. The ending should be at chapter 5, but that is yet to be determined. I tend to write without an ending in mind, a flaw of mine...but don't worry! There is one for this story. Anyways, thank you for reading as always! I hope you enjoyed. Please look forward to chapter 4 ❤️!

[writersrealmbts]

Picnic

Description: A beautiful day, means a picnic day. Everything looks better bathed in flower petals. Almost everything. Part 9 of the Shattered Pieces fic, Endangered Species series.

Warnings: Use your own judgement

Posted: 09/27/19

Tags: hybrid bts, yoongi x reader

Fluff and Angst: 2,393 words

A/N: Took me forever to finish this, but here it is! Another piece to the Shattered pieces series. 

Heiran jumped along with Jowoon, both trying to catch flower petals as they floated toward the ground. Jihun was wrestling with Yoongi, both grinning broadly. Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jungkook were playing tennis, the latter against the former two. Hoseok held Misuk and watched the other two, looking serene and happy. You rubbed your hand over your stomach, the bump finally barely visible. You and Yoongi had told the others last week that you were expecting, having waited for the chaos from the holidays to die down a little. Jihun was surprisingly excited, and seemed extremely happy for you. Heiran seemed happy, but she also didn’t really seem to believe you. They= guys had been ecstatic for you, even if you did catch little glimpses of jealousy in some of their eyes. Which was why you and Yoongi tended to send the guys off sometimes, and take care of all of the kids on your own. It was getting easier and easier now that Jowoon was a little more independent, and Misuk was crawling and running.

Jungkook finally beat the others, then came over and plopped next to you. You smiled at him, stroking one of his flopped ears. “You okay?” He shrugged. “Still worried about Jin-hyung.” You nodded, sighing, but keeping the smile on your face. You weren’t about to go all sober when the kids were happy. They’d start to worry. They already knew that something wasn’t right since Jin couldn’t stay home for long, usually about three days before he had to leave and recharge. Most of the time he took Jungkook with him, some sort of unspoken agreement, but this time he slipped out without a word to Jungkook. You thought that maybe they had fought or something since Jungkook seemed to feel guilty about all of it and Jin never answered his calls. You were the only one that Jin would answer calls from, and they were all worried. You were too, but there wasn’t anything you could do about it, especially not today. It was beautiful outside, and the kids were so happy that you didn’t want to introduce any sort of worry. They were ultra-sensitive to your emotions, and if you started worrying about Jin, they would know within minutes. “I just wish I knew why he left me behind,” He whispered, ears drooping further. You shushed him. “I know. I’m worried too, but for now I can’t worry about him. Look how happy they are?” You brushed his hair from his forehead and nodded toward the middle kids, who were collecting dandelions and asters. Heiran was singing some sort of song, and had flower petals captured in her hair. Jowoon was trying to fit more flowers into his tiny fist, growling at his hands but it was obviously a happy sort of frustration. “They know Jin isn’t here. They were asking about him before I brought them outside. They’ll ask again when we go inside. And when we eat. But right now, they’re happy and unaware that anything is wrong. They don’t realize that tomorrow is that day.” Jungkook looked up, bewildered for a moment, then his face went lax with shock. “Oh.” You nodded, grinning as Jowoon came running over and held out two fistfuls of dandelions with a chubby grin and that you didn’t dare try to resist. You brought his fists together, holding them as you exaggeratedly smelled the flowers, then gave him a kiss that had him giggling and running off to get you more flowers. You set them in a basket you had brought out, then returned to stroking Jungkook’s ears. “Do you think that’s maybe why Jin left?” You sighed. “I don’t know, Jungkook. Maybe. He’s been so sick, that it’s hard to say if he actually realizes. I’m just happy he got some professional help as well.” “Yeah, he always seemed better after a session with his doctor,” Jungkook said, but still sounded worried. He sat up and turned to you. “I…I want to go check on him. But what if he doesn’t open the door?” You smiled. “He’ll always open the door for you. But I do need you here tomorrow.” He nodded, and kissed your cheek then went and scooped up both the middle kids, pressing kisses to their cheeks and telling them that he had to go to work. They understood that excuse for leaving, since Namjoon and Taehyung were back to working daily, and Yoongi worked from home quite a bit now that he was back in the good graces of newspapers. Jihun stopped wrestling Taehyung (you weren’t sure when Yoongi switched with Hobi who switched with Taehyung) to hug onto Jungkook, a tinge of concern on his face. Jungkook ruffled his hair, then smoothed Jihun’s ears against his head, causing the boy to both smile and protest, breaking away and going back to wrestling Taehyung. You saw him glance after Jungkook, though, tail flicking in a worried way. Yoongi came and sat beside you with Misuk. “Jungkook?” “He’s heading to the apartment to check on Jin.” “Ah, okay. I wondered. He’s been distracted all day.” He got comfortable with his head on your lap and Misuk on his chest. “This was a good idea. We’ll need to bring lunch out soon, though.” “Mhmm, I was going to go get everything when a handsome cat came over with an adorable little kitten.” You smiled adoringly down at him. He grinned up at you, purring happily as he closed his eyes. You stroked his hair and ears until his purred rumbled out of existence in his sleep and you switched to stroking Misuk’s back realizing she was still awake from her soft little purr. Hoseok came over a few moments after Misuk drifted off completely. “The sandwiches and veggie platters?” “Everything on the top two shelves of the fridge,” You told him, smiling at Heiran as she deposited her flowers into the basket with the others and skipped off towards the boys that were still messing around on the tennis court. “Alright, I’ll bring it out and set up on the table, then get the little ones plates made so they don’t have time to argue over veggies.” “Good idea. We’ll eat here, on the picnic blanket.” He nodded and headed toward the house. Namjoon was getting flowers put in his hair by Heiran, grinning and laughing. Jihun came running over and snuggled down against you and Yoongi, waking Yoongi slightly, but he just shifted so an arm was around the almost-eight-year-old. Jihun looked up at you with a smile as Yoongi fell right back to sleep. “Why did Uncle Jungkook leave?” You brushed his silky-soft hair from his forehead as you debated what to say. “He went to go check on Jin. Wanted to make sure he was okay.” He nodded slightly. “Mom?” “Yes, honey?” “Tomorrow…tomorrow is the day they…” “Yes,” You confirmed, hearing the hesitance in his voice. “It is.” “What do I do?” He asked. “Whatever you think you need to.” He curled up, eyes squeezed shut. “I don’t want Heiran to be sad.” “Don’t worry about her. We’ll take care of her. Whatever you need, whatever you want, we’ll be here for you.” He peeked up at you then wiggled so he was on your lap just a little more. “I miss them.” “I know you do,” You whispered. Heiran was looking over and her head was cocked in that way that she did when she knew something was wrong. She sneezed, tail lashing, gaze still fixated, then she started sneaking over. Jowoon was playing a game of tag with the others. “Heirannie is going to pounce on you,” You warned Jihun. He sighed and moved so that when she did it wouldn’t hurt as much. “Why is she like this?” “She loves you.” Heiran pounced earning an “Oof” from Jihun and ignoring it as she wiggled and scented her brother, purring loudly as he gently tugged on her pigtails. The two started playfully wrestling, Jihun being careful and tickling her more than anything. Hoseok brought the last of the food out just as the oldest kids’ antics woke Yoongi, who growled good-naturedly at them and sat up with Misuk. Taehyung cheered, rushing toward the table. “Food!” The three kids heads popped up, gazes on the table before they scrambled toward the table. Yoongi shook his head. “We were going to make their plates before, weren’t we?” His voice was monotone. “I’ll murder that dog one of these days,” You replied, getting up and heading over to help Hoseok wrangle everyone. “Hey, can you make me a plate too?” You waved a hand to acknowledge him. Taehyung was sheepish by the time you reached the table. “Children,” You said, gaining their attention. “Head over to the picnic blanket and we’ll bring you food. I still have to finish some of it. Go on.” Jihun hesitated even as the younger two raced over to the blanket. “You’re gonna hold the meat hostage, aren’t you?” You nodded. “Shoo, now.” He groaned but ran to the blanket and gently tackled his two younger siblings. “I’m sorry,” Taehyung said immediately. “I wasn’t thinking, I was just really hungry.” Namjoon helped make plates of veggies and fruits for the kids. “Silly pup, always thinking with your stomach,” You teased, nudging Taehyung gently. “Double veggies for almost making our lives more difficult.” He pouted, but didn’t try to argue. You put portions of cheesy cauliflower on each of the kids plates, adjusting the proportion of veggies Namjoon had placed on the plates to make the portions the proper size. You made separate plates for sandwiches that they would get after eating their veggies. Then you made up a plate for Misuk and Yoongi. Hoseok took the veggie plates to the kids with Namjoon. Taehyung took Yoongi and Misuk’s plates over for you so you could make you own plate when you gestured that you were starting to feel a little light-headed. You grabbed a couple things to munch, sitting down just as your phone chimed. Jungkook had sent you a crying emoji. You debated for a moment, and then called Jin. He picked up just when you thought it would go to voice-mail. “Y/n? Is something wrong?” “I just wanted to check on you. Jungkook said you didn’t answer the door.” “I’m not at the apartment,” He answered softly. “Tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes.” “Jin,” You said quickly, feeling like he was about to hang up. “Y/n?” You measured your thoughts a bit. “Can I ask where you were?” “I had an interview, and then I went to see the doctor. I’m okay, y/n. Really. At least, I am right now. I’ll come home with Jungkook tonight before the kids are in bed. Maybe we could have a campfire?” “They’d love that. Alright, I’ll let Jungkook know.” You and he exchanged goodbyes and then you hung up and texted Jungkook. You kept picking at the food, smiling as Hoseok joined you. “Jin?” He asked, nodding toward your phone. “Yeah, he’s okay. A good day today. He said he would be here this evening. Suggested having a campfire.” “And you?” “Baby demanded food,” You said, grabbing more things to snack on. “How are you doing?” “I’m fine. Worried about Seokjin-hyung, Jungkook, and you right now. You sure you’re okay? You’ve been taking care of all of us.” “So, Yoongi’s worried and sent you over?” He grinned, laughing a bit. “Partially. But I am worried too.” “Because of tomorrow.” He nodded. “You didn’t know them, and all of us did. But you’re carrying the same weight as we are, just in a different form. And it’s not just once a year. When their birthdays come around, the holidays, and the day they…the day they died. It’s not fair to you. It really isn’t. I mean, Mother’s Day…” “Oh God, don’t bring that up or I’ll definitely start crying.” “Easter—” “That was a just a train-wreck altogether.” “Christmas…wasn’t too bad overall, but it couldn’t have been easy for you.” “Heiran has been speaking ever since. Hard to not see that day as positive.” You shrugged and grabbed a half a sandwich, trying to convince yourself that it would taste good. “Thanksgiving?” “Jin had broken fingers and I just about had a meltdown. But it was okay, otherwise.” “You were on the edge of an anxiety attack the whole night and Jihun kept hitting all of us by talking about his parents. And we all knew that Yoongi stayed with you that night because of it. We really haven’t had a break from any of it. I mean, even in January and February, you were…” “Kitten fever, yeah.” You rubbed your head. “And now you’re pregnant, which isn’t easy. I know you and Yoongi have been picking up the slack, making sure you could care for all of the kids on your own. Just, remember that I’m actually also here to care for the kids. It’s my job as much as it is yours.” You nodded, glancing away as you caught sight of Yoongi coming over. His arms wrapped around your neck and shoulders as he kissed the top of your head. “Feeling better?” he asked, checking your scent. “A little,” You replied, but you were actually feeling a little…ill. “Y/n? You’ve gone really pale,” Hoseok said, sounding alarmed. “And your scent isn’t right,” Yoongi murmured, moving your hair to double check. “I don’t feel right,” You breathed, suddenly feeling ill in a way that wasn’t normal so far. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Hoseok, get her out front, I’m bringing the car around.” “Okay, hyung.” Hoseok got up and came to your side. “We’ll try to do this so neither of us gets hurt, okay?” “Good plan.” “Taehyung!” Hoseok yelled, then crouched beside you again. “We’re going to carry you together, okay?” You nodded but you were started to shiver. Taehyung came over and quickly obeyed Hoseok and they picked you up together, carrying you out front. The world started to get dark around the edges and you were seeing spots. You could hear Jihun called after you in worry. You just knew your baby was in danger.

----

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Tagging: @kimmie113080 , @jungshaking, @ephemeral-mindset

[stevesharrlngtons]

143 for steve !

ew, your hand is sweaty. 

the party raged on around him and steve felt stagnant. he hadn’t wanted to come tonight, but a some of his old party pals stopped by the video store a few days before and urged him to attend. he tried to persuade robin into coming with, but she declined.

“i see enough of those binge drinking barbarians at school. it’s a hard pass.” she had scoffed and extended her hand for steve to pass her another vhs from the box by his feet.

steve was going to join her in rejection of the halloween bash, but decided against it last minute. he pulled out from his closet a pair of blue jeans, a white shirt, an old red flannel and a pair of scissors, to hastily constructed his outfit.

with his hair perfectly quaffed and a bandana in his back pocket for extra emphasis, steve grabbed the crumbled flyer from his night table and left for the party.

upon his arrival, party goers identified the king steve in the crowd almost immediately, some even cheering when they saw he was now in attendance. steve didn’t have much time to process their applause before he was ushered off to the kitchen by a kid he was pretty sure he had sophomore biology with, and got himself a drink.

as steve reminisced with some hawkins high alumuas and stood around for underclassmen to gush over, steve started to think coming tonight was a horrible idea. with the pulsing music, rowdy teenagers and familiar faces swirling in his vision, he couldn’t get what happened last time he was at a halloween party out of head.

nancy. spiked punch. bullshit. pain.

steve was sure other people remembered too. he attributed half of the looks and whispers directed his way to that.

his stomach began churned from cheap alcohol and anguished memories.

steve quickly excused himself from the conversation he’d been roped into, and started off for the door as inconspicuous as possible. steve really didn’t want the word around town to be that he fled a halloween party for the second year in a row. so, he bobbed his head to the music and pushed his way through the crowd, but not without sending smiles and friendly hellos to people to avoid suspicion. the door was soon in sight, and he was almost free, when he caught the sight of someone he couldn’t shake.

and suddenly steve was stock still, all thoughts of fleeing the house party silenced in his head. because there you were. (y/n) hopper, in the flesh, red solo cup to your lips and looking as beautiful as ever. suddenly leaving didn’t sound so appealing.

steve migrated through the crowd again, in the opposite direction this time, not caring to chat or hold a facade with anyone.

“(y/n)?”  

you glanced over to where your name had been called and did a double take.

“steve?”

steve grinned, “wow, holy shit. wow, what are you doing here?”

“surprised the news didn’t travel fast.” you chuckled, taking a step closer to so you wouldn’t have to yell over the music.

“after my dad’s accident,” you put knowing emphasise on the word, “i decided to defer duke a semester and come back to take care of him for a while. till he gets back on his feet.”

“oh, i didn’t hear, i’m sorry.” steve replied solemnly, keeping up the charade in case anyone was listening.  

silence fell over the both of you soon after, two pairs of eyes became distant as you thought back to a year before. seeing the other bring back so many memories.

like when you had stumbled upon steve and dustin, both helpless in their ability to make a reasonable plan. how you lied and went against your father wishes and your word when you promised not to get involved with anything involving the government or their secret experiments ever again. how you and steve both experienced indescribable horrors, how it had only brought you together and created a pair of unlikely allies. how you both had watched your lives flash before your eyes more than once that day, with your hands clasped with whispered reassurances. it all still felt so fresh.

“well, you uh, look great.” steve broke the pause, desperate for the gruesome memories to flee. and well, you really did look fantastic and he had to tell you.

“oh, thanks.” you chuckled and tipped the thin cap on your head, “slutty nurse.”

“yeah, i could tell. it looks, well, nice?” steve inwardly cringed.

you looked perplexed, but amused at his stumble, “i didn’t know springsteen got flustered.”

“guessed it, huh?” he looked down to his costume.

“i’ve been told i’m a good little detective.” you smiled and cocked your head.

steve’s heart stuttered as your words jolted his mind to the past once again.

“looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, huh?” steve said.

“sleuthing is in my dna, i guess.” you had shrugged.

“how was scarsdale?” he blurted out, internally kicking himself for his clunky conversation skills were with you.

you gave him another amused look, but answered his question, “it was fine. my mom’s my mom. we’ve never really got along. it was hard bein’ away.”

after the gate had closed and you had narrowly escaped the whole ordeal, hopper had sent you to new york to finish out the school year with your mother. steve remembered watching you scream at him on the front lawn of the byers house, tears mixing with the dried blood on your cheeks. you were always tough, too tough for your own good, he remembers your father saying, before taking your face in his hands and pleading with you to leave while you still could,

“because i need to keep at least one of you girls safe.”

and so, you left without a further fight. the last time steve saw you, you had been wrapped in his arms as he placed a sweet kiss to your temple. eyes glassy with tears, hearts rife with trauma, unshed emotions and declarations.

the story that was told to people was the truth, just not all of it. you were sent to live with your mother in new york. no one questioned this, the chief’s daughter did have a stubborn streak and a rebellious nature. it came as no surprise that your father would eventually send you away. and it came as no surprise that you sniffed out a party to attend and dress up for now that you were back in town.  

“well, things haven’t been the same with you gone. they’ve been much bleeker, all around dull. i mark that down to your absence and not indiana’s over all shitiness.“

you laughed and steve hadn’t known he had missed that sound of your joy so much until this moment.

“and, i mean, it wasn’t the same this time ‘round… without you.” steve added, shifting his weight and yearning to still have his cup to hide behind.

“i heard this one was a doozy. can’t say i’m sorry i missed it.” you mused.

“evil,” steve looked over his shoulder and lowered his voice to a whisper, “evil russian spies, possessed people and a monster of demonish rat king proportions?”

you tried to hold off a smirk, “well maybe i’m a little sorry.”

and steve shot you his signature smile. the very same smile that appeared to you when you couldn’t sleep at night.

“it woulda been better with you there, dustin even said it at one point. you’re smarter than all of us, y’know? always have been. and i missed that, missed you.” steve said, looking over your shoulder at the patrick nagel print on the wall.

“only miss me when you’re fighting commies and monsters, hmm?” you prompted.

“maybe other times, too.” steve resumed his focus back to you, and butterflies awoke in his stomach.

your (y/e/c) eyes were piercing through him, lashes fluttering slowly, hair falling perfectly to frame you stunning face, your tongue coming to quickly to sweep across your cherry red pout. you both had migrated closer to each other due to the parties vast attendance, you were almost chest to chest and steve could smell strawberries and creme on your skin. and god, had he missed you more times than just when he was in danger.

“yeah?”

“definitely.”

and the party continued to jostled you both, but you were still. still in this moment where you both communicated with your locked gazes. where you were both conveyed the longing you felt for the other, the fondness, the adoration, and hurt from your hasty retreat. the mourning for your lost first chance, and hope for a future one.

“do you wanna get outta here? i work at the video store downtown and get free rentals. i’m sure everything halloweeny is out of stock, but we could have our pick of anything else.” steve proposed hopefully, never tearing his attention from you.

“thought you’d never ask, harrington.” you grinned.

again. you had brought steve’s thoughts back to that night.

you were leaning against the wall of the byers house, steve next to you, his bat securely in his grasp. you were both awaiting further instructions on your role in fighting the mind flayer.

“can i say something?” steve asked.

you hummed in reply.

“i’m bummed we’ve never really hung out before this.”

you turned your head, a little shocked, “for real?”

“yeah, i mean, i always thought you thought you were too cool for me or something. too cool for high school politics and shit.” he shrugged.

“well, i did, i do and i am.” you smirked.

steve chuckled, “see? that’s what i was missing! you’re funny, you make me laugh.”

“i’m a regular steve martin.” you said deadpan, and again steve laughed.

“like i said, funny.”

you hummed again, “well, i’m sad i never got to know this steve before now. not the keg king, or ‘the hair,” he rolled his eyes at the nickname, “but steve. funny, strangely inquisitive, kind, thoughtful, steve.”  

steve preend at your compliments, and cursed himself for thinking about all the ways and places he wanted to kiss you when the end of the world was on the horizon.

he hated that this is what brought you together, this time of terror and fear. steve wondered why he couldn’t have just thrown his reputation to the wind and talked to you at some other moment. he had always thought you were beautiful, courageous, intelligent. he had an intrestrest and by your previous comments, he was sure you did, too. you could have hit it off in the hallways rather than in this hell. you could have been great together, so in love and so lucky. maybe he could be have been holding you, whispering sweet coos and comfort, instead of itching for your touch and reeling from nancy’s heartbreak.

“how about, if we get out of this, this steve takes you out on the town?” steve shifted from his back to rest against the house with his shoulder, inching closer to you.

“didn’t you and nancy like, just break up?” you raised a questioning eyebrow.

“that wasn’t my question.” he wore a flirty grin. when you returned it, his heart did a flip. something unexpected but certainly not unwarranted.

you moved to your shoulder as well, so steve’s lips were only a breath away, “i thought you’d never ask.”

the answer was never explicitly given, but you both knew it was yes.

“then let’s motor.” steve stuck out his hand for you to take, and after you set aside your cup on the nearest flat surface, you eagerly took it. excited to hold hands with him without any carnage around.

“oh,” you commented when steve intertwined his fingers with yours.

“what?” fear zipped down his spine.

“your hand is sweaty.”

and now embarrassment flooded his cheeks.

“oh god, i’m sorry- shit.” steve tried to yank his hand away, but you held strong.  

“no! no! it’s fine, i’m sorry. it just came out, i didn’t mean to- just, uh,” your face was starting to heat up, “i don’t mind. it just, surprised me, i guess?”

“cool, calm and collected (y/n) hopper is now the one flustered? how in the world could that have happened?” steve smared, pride inadvertently filling him.

“don’t let it go to your ego, harrington.” you rolled your eyes playfully.

“but just to get it straight, you got all flustered just by holding hands with me, right?” steve played.

“oh shut up, this offer is becoming less appealing.” you grumbled, but leaned forward to rest your cheek on his bicep.

“whatever you say.” steve replied, pulling you both from the throng of people around you, out of the house, toward his car and into a night full of possibilities.      

feedback! pls!

[preraphaelitepunk]

Fictober19 Day 21: Comfort Food

Prompt #21: Change is annoyingly difficult.

Fandom: Good Omens

Characters: Aziraphale, Crowley

Rating: General

Warnings: None

On AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/20843936/chapters/50257763

Some days, Crowley wondered why Aziraphale bothered to open the bookshop at all. Oh, there were the occasional lost souls in need who drifted in, lonely or homeless or in emotional or physical pain and drawn in by the angel’s welcoming presence, and even Crowley admitted the shop needed to be open for Aziraphale to help them. Unfortunately, having the shop open also drew in potential customers, and it was long-established fact that customers drove Aziraphale completely batty.

“I’m so sorry, but this particular volume is not for sale.” With his pointless reading glasses perched on his nose, Aziraphale gave the customer a tight smile. There was no warmth or humor in it.

“What? It’s got a price label on it.”

“Ah, yes. That is most unfortunate, isn’t it? But I’m afraid it is not for sale.“

From his spot on the sofa, Crowley started to eavesdrop harder, playing with his phone as a cover. This was the point where it usually got good.

“That’s ridiculous! Why was it out on the floor if it isn’t for sale?”

“That is an excellent question.” One Aziraphale clearly wasn’t going to answer.

“Look, just sell it to me. My niece’s birthday is tomorrow, and I need this for her.”

“And how old is your niece? Seven? Certainly not! A seven-year-old would have no idea how to care for such a fine specimen properly. Why don’t you try W.H. Smith’s?”

“I did. They sent me here.”

“Did they.” Crowley could almost hear Aziraphale’s teeth grinding. Usually, relations between the chain and Aziraphale’s shop were peaceful, especially since the angel sent anyone actually wanting to buy books to the other store, but every so often the sprightlier staff members of W.H. Smith’s decided to start a prank war with the stuffy independent seller. It never ended well for them, but Crowley always found it immensely entertaining to watch.

“Well,” Aziraphale popped the book under the counter, “I fear I simply cannot help you. Perhaps you can find something online that would be acceptable to the little darling? If you’ll excuse me, I really must ask you to leave. We are now closed.”

The customer argued and spluttered, but Aziraphale guided him firmly out the door, locking it and flipping the “open” sign around. He glared at Crowley, still sprawled on the sofa. “A lot of help you were, dear.”

“You had everything under control, angel. I’m just here as backup. The brawn behind your brains.” Crowley flexed demonstratively.

Aziraphale looked him up and down, unimpressed. “Oh, good lord. We’re all doomed.”

Laughing, Crowley slid off the sofa and came over to wrap his arms around Aziraphale. “Poor angel. Was the nasty customer mean to you?”

“You’re making fun of me, but he was, actually. He was quite insistent.” Pouting, Aziraphale leaned into Crowley’s embrace and let the demon stroke his hair.

“I think I know what might cheer you up.”

Aziraphale lifted his head, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “Lunch?”

“Lunch. Anywhere you like, angel.”

“Hmm. What do you say to spanakopita?”

*** ***

“This is getting silly,” Crowley said, shoving his hands into this pockets. “Actually, no, I think we passed silly about ten minutes ago. Now we’re into preposterous. Just pick another place, angel.”

Aziraphale cut his eyes at him irritably. “It’s not that simple, dear. I was very much in the mood for Adrian’s spanakopita. No one else does it quite like he does.”

They were standing on the street outside Adrian’s restaurant, which had a handmade “closed for vacation” sign in the window. Aziraphale was tugging at his fingers again, which was never a good sign; he’d already been on edge because of that obnoxious customer, and now Crowley could feel him working up to a full-fledged sulk at being thwarted.

Crowley was not thrilled to be the sensible one, but someone had to do it.

“I know, angel, but there’s nothing we can do. Unless you want to miracle Adrian and his staff back from vacation, just so they can make their spanakopita for you.”

Aziraphale pursed his lips and considered the idea for longer than Crowley had expected. “That . . . that would be unreasonable.”

“Right. So let’s go someplace else. How about Halepi’s? If you don’t want their spanakopita, you could get the klefticon. You always like a bit of lamb.”

“It’s not the same.”

Well, obviously not. Crowley bit back his snarky reply and tried again. “How about not-Greek, then? The Ritz? Neptune?”

“Bah. I’m not in the mood.” Aziraphale’s pout was working up to epic proportions as he glared at Adrian’s locked doors.

“All right, then. Is there anything else you are in the mood for?”

Apparently Crowley hadn’t managed to keep the edge entirely out of his voice, because Aziraphale’s posture softened and his hand reached out to touch Crowley’s arm. “I’m being a bitch, aren’t I? I’m so sorry, darling; it’s just been a long day, and I was so looking forward to this. Change is annoyingly difficult when you have such a specific craving.”

“I know, angel,” Crowley sighed. “We can fix this. Exactly what about the spanakopita were you craving? The spinach? The feta? The crunch of the phyllo? The spices?”

“Hmm. I think . . . yes, it wasn’t so much the spanakopita itself, but more the atmosphere. How Adrian’s whole family is involved in running the restaurant, and you can feel the love the moment you step in the door. It’s cozy. After that man in the bookshop today, I feel the need for cozy.”

“Huh.” Crowley tried to think of other small, family-run establishments. “How about Ibrahim’s, then? He’s managed to bring his family over, and you’ve always said his foul is divine.”

A light flickered in Aziraphale’s eyes; it was small, but definitely there. “Absolutely. And his chicken with pomegranate sauce is scrummy.”

“So, Ibrahim’s, then?”

Aziraphale linked his arm through Crowley’s and nodded decisively, looking much happier. “Ibrahim’s. Ooh, and we can pick up a bottle on the way — their corkage fee is really quite minimal.”

“That,” Crowley said as they set off back toward the Bentley, “may be one of the better ideas you’ve had all day.”