#says the girl who meant to dye her hair blue green last week and it ended up green blue bc i also did not tone my bleach 😂

[cocoapeaches]

merry-men

i. bill withers and earthquakes

When her head hit the end of the bunk bed roughly, it meant either of two things. A) a monster had decided to say hi in the middle of the night, trying against all odds to break through the barrier around camp or B) one of her siblings was seconds away from clashing two bronze plates near her ear as a 'wake-up' call. 

Emmie didn't know which was better.

A soft pillow was smothered against her face, and she was smacked with it twice. "Gods, get up, you snoring pig!" 

Emi blinked to clear her hazy vision. A multitude of groans rang out in the dark and the faint buzzing, like that of radio static, grew louder until she could distinctly recognize Lovely Day covered by her father playing in her mind. 

"Bill Withers?" Victoria shrieked. "That man has no taste! Zero, zip, nada!"

You are a daughter of Apollo, they said. It'd be fun, they said. 

See, that was the catch about having Mr. Sunshine as a dad, they did not have a choice to wake up with the Sun. Either that or bleeding from your ears. Most preferred the former.

Will had beaten Yan to the bathroom and peeked his head out with a toothbrush stuck in his mouth, mumbling, "Be grateful it wasn't a sonnet. I don't think I'll ever recover from the last one."

Ah, the one with the naked grandmas having bird poop for hair.

It was still dark when Emmie stepped outside, knowing full well that she would not get a chance to freshen up before all twelve of her siblings had. Pulling the zipper of her jumper down, she took a deep breath.

For all the chaos the campers created in broad daylight which lasted till a couple of hours into midnight, the quiet camp was eerie in a sense. No Hermes kids looking for trouble, no Aphrodite children tweaking the campers' appearances for the summer. Not even the Ares kids had energy to pick fights this early.

A chime from her wristwatch pulled her out of her trance. May Fifteenth aka beginning of stress month for Chiron and Mr. D. It marked the start of week when the handful of demigods who went home after summer's end started arriving. Year rounders like Emmie looked forward to the day, too, eagerly awaiting their friends, siblings and all sorts of gossips they carried with them. It was their only link to the outside world, especially for the less experienced fighters and the young ones—she was also lumped in that category—who were not allowed past the border.

The last time she had stepped outside was when Aunt Calliope had taken her to meet her newborn brother—her half-sibling. As if there weren't enough of those already.

Someone whistled behind her. "Your turn", Austin called out.

Kayla was yelling at a smirking Felicity, threatening the older girl with a strangely lavender shampoo bottle, when Emmie went back inside. "You did it! And don't you dare deny it, Felicity Jake! I see right through you. You purposefully went before me and swapped the shampoo with the dye!" Oh, yeah, Kayla's hair was blue instead of the normal ginger with green highlights.

Felicity sat on her bed, arms behind her to support her weight. "Oh, come on. Blue suits you. Alright, watch this. Everybody who agrees raise their hand up!" More than ten hands shot up. Kayla grumbled but didn't argue."

"Hey, who's in-charge of which cabin again?" Emmie asked. She took her bathrobe and the coconut-scented soap from the toiletry cabinet, stepping into the foggy shower.

Lee scrambled for his list that they referred to as their version of 'chore distribution'. "Let's see. . .Vic with the Aphrodite bunch, Jerry with Demeter, Ellis gets Hephaestus, Emmie you'll handle Hermes and Gracie gets Athena."

The remaining paled while the already chose ones cheered. "And I'm proud to introduce today's victims—Michael and Tessa. Apologies in advance, my dear siblings. You tackle the Ares kids."

Safe to say, the two had some choice words to hurl at their Head Counselor.

It was sort of an unspoken rule for the occupants of Cabin 7 to wake up the rest of the campers. Albeit without a choice, they woke with the Sun and some crazy sibling of Emmie's from possibly decades ago had decided to sentence them all to being human alarm clocks. Too tired to argue, having spent majority of the night flipping through a new find from the library—an adventure following a poorly mixed crew of six who attempted and succeeded in breaking into some super-jail for witches—Emmie walked up to the Hermes cabin without putting up much of a fight.

From there on, it was a routine job. She flipped over the 'Not you again!' doormat and dragged out the silver master-key. The lights were off when she managed to get in. For being children of the literal god of thieves, they weren't very good at countermeasures. Tiptoeing past the lengthy rows of snoring sleeping-bags, she took the vinyl she had carried and placed it on the player.

Gangnam Style blasted out.

"Who the fuck?!"

From her perch on the wooden dresser pushed against the far corner of the cabin, Emmie smirked. "Good morning to you too, cousins."

--------

"Morning, Emmie", Luke mussed up her hair as he exited the Hermes cabin with his siblings and too many unclaimed or children of minor gods and goddesses in tow. "Don't be late for practice later."

"Aye, captain." She smiled up at him, imitating a nymph. Her eyes were fixed on the two astonishingly similar individuals for not being twins. They caught her eye and gestured toward the secluded area behind the Zeus cabin. "Did you get it?" she asked once they were out of the others' earshot.

The Stolls smirked in unison and Travis fished out an obnoxious pink snow-globe from his pocket. "Top quality product. One smell and you'll be bleaching your nose for the rest of the week."

She shrugged, passing them a ten-dollar bill. When she went to pat her pocket, it was empty. Narrowing her gaze, she tried to snatch back her wallet only for Travis to hold it up higher. Curse him and his ridiculous height. If only she had a heckin' ladder. "Give it back boys."

"For another ten, sure", Connor replied, scouring through the worn-out leather item and dropped it in her hand. Emmie huffed, pocketing it and followed them to the dining pavilion.

Breakfast was always something everybody looked forward to. With the plates spawning every kind of food someone craved, the aroma mingled to form a mouth-watering scent.

Emmie slipped in to sit beside Kayla who was seated at the end of the table, opposite to Lee. The now bluenette quirked a brow but did not question her tardiness.

Their older brother, however, noticed. "And where have you been, Parker?"

Emmie hung her head and shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth after dumping her offering into the hearth alongside a quick prayer. "Tending to some business."

"What business?" Instead of letting the matter drop, he prodded further. "I don't suppose it's got something to do with the huge ball in your pocket?"

Victoria gasped, clamping her palms over Will's ears with mock exasperation. "Mind your tongue, Fletcher. There are kids present!"

Will snorted. "I'm seven, not stupid."

"I did not mean it like that!" Emmie cackled with the rest of her siblings while Victoria continued riling Lee up.

Finally, Michael sighed and tapped the tabletop thrice. "Alright, gutter rats. Some of us are trying to eat h—" He smiled, pursing his lips. Victoria giggled and all hell broke loose. Soon, everyone was guffawing, chuckling or laughing like a maniac. "Not a word."

Camp Half-Blood was like summer camp that lasted for a whole year. Naturally, teenagers with ADHD needed a lot more than food and familiar faces to keep them occupied. That's where the activities came into play. From climbing-walls with dual modes to simple old school arts and crafts, every day was filled to the brim with recreational activities.

The last time she tagged along to deliver strawberries to the local market, Emmie had experienced a massive culture shock. Most kids her age were glued to a screen for the better part of their day while she barely knew how to work one. Chiron claimed they were like magnets to monsters and demigods were better off without them.

First came 'Sword and Sheild' with Clarisse La Rue. Let's face it, Emmie sucked at it, and the big and daunting daughter of Aeres made sure to drill it into her head with "You cannot leave your left side vulnerable like that! ", "The shield is there for a reason, Parker, use it!" and "What part of 'dodge and hit' do you not understand?!"

Emmie worked best with a bow, even better if it was a crossbow. As such, archery with Chiron went nice and smooth. No hollering mentors and no threat of being hanged upside-down by her ankles looming over her.

By the time she had made it past horseback riding with the Demeter cabin, her arms felt ready to fall off. 

Luke greeted them with a large bone-like object that looked like it could very well belong to a megalodon as the sluggish swarm filed into the arena once more for Monster Assault Technique class. "Can anybody guess what today's topic is?"

Annabeth's arm was up in the air before Emmie could get herself seated in the very back of the class with Valentina. "That's an Ethiopian Drakon's tooth. They are known for their deadly claws and can be traced rather easily by their feeding habits."

Luke smiled, setting the tooth down on the low table with a missing led that he had snagged from the store. "Very good. Annabeth's right." The blonde daughter of Athena gave a pleased hum and Valentina chuckled. Apparently, her 'love senses' were acting up again.

"Today we'll be covering Ethiopian dragons. Now, our good ol' Director wants a five-page essay on this topic so I will humbly suggest that those who think being here is a waste of time, please pay attention. Clovis, buddy, your pillow should've stayed in your bed. Can someone sprinkle some water on his face? Yeah, thanks, Katie."

--------

Emmie had almost made it up to the Big House without drawing unwanted attention to herself. If only the Stolls has mentioned that the bomb needed a trigger and that being a drop of wine. And the only place one would keep alchohol - besides the infirmiry - amidst a bunch of impulsive teens was inside a cabinet in the baby blue HQ.

"Emmie? I thought lights out was an hour ago. What are you doing up?"

She jumped, clutching the front of her t-shirt. "And I hoped you would be asleep, Mister Chiron. But we don't always get what we want, do we?"

"Luke gave me a heads-up about the Stolls and Valentina dropped by earlier to reveal your scheme. Now, go back to bed."

Emmie sighed, clenching her fists. "Those two will get it in the morning."

Chiron smiled knowingly. "So will you. Expect extra tasks tomorrow. Off you go."

"Dang it!"

Before she made to leave, Emmie caught sight of the resident God of wine and lunacy who was sound asleep on the recliner, a goblet tipped over his stomach. "Mr. Chiron, can I head to the kitchens? I can do with a late-night snack."

He seemed to contemplate it. Big mistake, Mr. Chiron. "Yes but bed immediately after. I can barely deal with one sleep-deprived powerhouse, two is pushing it."

"Okay. Good night, Mr. Chiron."

Just as her hand grasped the doorknob, thunder rumbled in the distance, sending tremors through the ground.

Usually, the weather in camp was always pleasant. Therefore, when it came to sudden thunderstorms, it could only mean one thing.

Zeus was throwing another temper tantrum.

But judging by the look on Chiron's face, it was a lot deeper than that. She followed the Director out into the night.

"Did something hit the barrier?" Emmie asked as they hiked down the hill and towards the entrance. "What in Holy Hera is that!"

Down on the ground, a boy about her age was lying unconscious, one arm wrapped around Grover the satyr and the other clutching a huge bull's horn close to his chest. Chiron ran to them and pressed his fingers under the boy's nose. "Alive."

Emmie felt the sinking feeling dissipate before noticing the trail of blood that went down the boy's face. "We need to get them to the infirmary!" Chiron seemed to agree as he slung the two on his back effortlessly and away he went.

"Well, scoot." Chiron laid the raven-haired boy one of the beds while she took her place on a stool beside the bedframe. Drawing a long breath, she started a slow hymn to Apollo, hovering her hand over the boy's chest. Looking closely, it was no doubt he was a demigod - tanned skin with a fluff of jet black hair and sharp features. He was fairly good looking, better than half the camp's boys even.

But who's kid? Hopefully not Dad's, that would just be weird.

Soon, the wounds on the boy's face and arms began to glow faintly and disintegrated into mended skin.

Emmie looked up at the centaur who was totally lost in thought. "You're hiding something", she said. It came out stingier than she intended but Chiron's attention was gathered all the same. "Who is he?"

Chiron frowned but did not answer directly. "Emersyn, I want you to keep tonight's ordeal to yourself. If anybody asks, let me handle the talking." He paused to glance at the knocked-out ravenette. "He can turn out to be a crucial part in deciding where demigods stand today."

Well, geez. That was very informative.

Emmie had finished her healing and turned her stool to face Chiron. She had just registered the newbie demigod's spoil of war and couldn't help imagining how he had ripped it off. "That's Minotaur's horn. Did this kid really beat him?"

And got tossed around like fried rice in a wok, she guessed by his wounds.

"Likely. Can I take your word for it? That you will keep this between the two of us?"

That you will co-operate, went unsaid.

Emmie studied Chiron's features intently, noticing every frown line on his face. The man was as older as the camp itself and no doubt he had much to worry about. She decided against messing with him anymore.

Emmie disliked being stuck on a puzzle as much as she hated quick and breezy games. Perceus Jackson was the former in the category. After hushed agreements and exhausted goodbyes, Emmie stayed back in the infirmary, feeding nectar and ambrosia cubes to Grover before returning to the cabin. It would be morning in a little while anyway.

As she lay wide awake, twisting and turning in his sleeping bag and listening to the cicadas chirping outside, Emmie felt intrigued if anything.

Maybe this summer would not be as uneventful as the last. Perhaps she would annoy Clarisse into a re-match on the lava wall tomorrow.  

Maybe, maybe. . .there were endless possibilities.

[kindahoping4forever]

Calum @ Take My Hand Vancouver - 11 June 2022

[blue-writes-things]

“Mudblood”

Sirius Black x Reader | Fluff / Angst

“For once you didn’t want to set the place on fire, you wanted to set yourself on fire”

| Masterlists | Words: 2225 Warnings: Shitty parents, Walburga and Orion’s A+ parenting, swearing, feminine pronouns   A/N: I still don’t know what pov this is, and also world ‘law’ inconsistencies. Edited Blue Moon Archives

Feedback is always appreciated! - Blue

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

You’re standing in a crowd of people talking shit about each other or blood purity, blah, blah, blah. Although you’d rather be listening to the other people at this ‘Pureblood only’ party that your mother dragged you to, then listen to her talk at you, ripping at everything about you because the ribbon you tied around the waist of your dress was red and gold.

You wanted to have something with you that didn’t make you want to set everything on fire, or maybe you could borrow some of those fireworks James and Remus made, or - you got snapped out of your thoughts of ‘justified arson’ by someone yelling “Sirius Orion Black!”

Oh shit- that was one of the biggest reasons you hated going to these things since Sirius had ‘family’ in this little clique, he was dragged to them. You always made a big effort to not let anyone at Hogwarts know you were related to these monsters.

Everyone but a few Slytherins knew you as a muggleborn, Including your friends, you knew you should tell them the truth, but something always stopped you.

So you spent these parties hiding from Sirius, seeing him in a room meant you went to another, or even just went to the bathroom for the whole event so there was no way he would see you. You wanted to tell him, so these things wouldn’t be as bad, so you’d have someone to talk to, but you thought that if he, or any of your friends found out, you’d be dropped as their friend and that was the worst thing that could happen to you.

As Sirius and his mother walked into the room, you went to the other room, but unlucky, Sirius saw the little bit of red in the sea of green, going after you, knowing that no one who went to these things would ever wear red. But he missed you by a second. A seconded that, to you, saved your friendship. You and Sirius ended up playing a game of hide and seek for the rest of the night before you finally got to leave.

The next morning when you walked into the common room to see James, Remus and Lily sitting on the floor watching Sirius pace in front of the fireplace talking faster than a snitch flies.

“Who broke Sirius?” you raise your eyebrows sitting next to Remus on the floor.

“He had to go to one of those pureblood parties and a girl was there” he sighs, you stiffen, knowing it was you

“It’s not about her being a girl! It was that she had a red ribbon!” he yelled, before dramatically falling to lay on the floor.

“What’s it matter that she was wearing a red ribbon?” Lily asked leaning on James, making him turn as red as the couch “No don’t make him talk again!” Remus half laughs, but was also being a bit serious (no pun intended)

“Because! If you were listening, no one at these parties wears red, it’s like poison to them, meaning this girl must have known that and chose to wear it, meaning she doesn’t think like them!”

“Sounds like your jumping to conclusions Pads,” James says, still red “No! Cause she also was basically running from me all night

“She sounds smart” You smirk “Either way, why does it matter?” “It means that there’s someone there who is also a Gryffindor, you guys wouldn’t understand…” He trails off, you wanted so badly to hug him and say, I know exactly what you’re saying

“Guys, I’m hungry, can we go to breakfast now?” Remus whines standing up, we all nod and agree getting up

“Last person there has to do Sirius’s homework!” you half yell making everyone run out of the room down to the great hall, once everyone gets there, Lily ends up coming last, meaning James will end up doing Sirius’s homework.

“How do you always get here first?” Remus says panting (pun 100% intended)

“Cause I remember all the shortcuts here” he grins

“I think that’s cheating and Sirius is disqualified meaning he has to do his own homework, all in favour?” Lily glaring but smiling at Sirius as everyone, but him raises their hand “You’re all sore losers!” everyone laughed sitting down and starting to eat.

About halfway through breakfast a bunch of owls come in, dropping everyone letters. You don’t pay too much attention to it, you rarely get letters, and when you do, it’s just your parents shouting insults at you. So when a letter drops in front of you it made you flinch. Noting it’s in a green envelope you shove it in your pocket. Sirius frowns but doesn’t say anything.

The group go about the day, having classes, watching James try to flirt with Lily, Sirius trying to flirt with you, the norm.

But after charms with Slytherin, you and the boys had planned a prank for Lucius Malfoy, he was bullying a first-year Hufflepuff, no one messes with Hufflepuffs and gets away with it.

Right as it was about to go into action, he got out of the way of the red dye about to fall on his plantation blonde hair. The group all groan, seeing Severus smirk as he leaves the classroom, you guess he told Malfoy about it but the looks of things.

“Watch it ‘mudblood’.” he smirks, putting ‘mudblood’ in quotations, he was one of the people who knew about you not being muggleborn, he said he wouldn’t tell anyone, but now he uses it as blackmail on you.

“Don’t call her that!” Sirius yells, going to pull out his wand, to hex him into next year.

“Y/N, I suggest you control your friend there, he does anything to me, I’ll tell your little group about your dearest mother and father. To be honest, I’m surprised you’ve kept your mouth shut about it for so long” he chuckles as he turns to leave, Sirius fuming about to go after him again

“Sirius. Just, leave it” you mumble

“Why! He can’t say that to you!”

“Cause we’d get detention and I have a…thing…I need to go to this weekend, and if I miss it, I’ll get bea- in big trouble….I’m going to the library I have homework to do, I’ll see you guys later” you rush off

“She’s not going to the library” Remus utters, both James and Sirius look at him funny “You can’t get to library from that way”

“I’ll catch up with you guys,” Sirius says going off after you

“Wanna go get lunch Moony?” James says after Sirius runs off

“Sounds good”

***

You reach the black lake, taking out the letter your parents sent you this morning, ripping it open and reading it. It was the normal ‘disgrace, worthless, traitor’ it hurts more than you expected, plus a reminder at the bottom that you’re going to another gathering this weekend.

You drop the letter next to you, hugging your knees to your chest, tears start falling. You sat like that for almost an hour before someone sat next to you

“Been lookin’ for you everywhere love” you look up and It’s Sirius “What’s wrong?”

He frowns looking down seeing the letter, and a green envelope, just like the ones his family sends him, he goes to grab it, but you snatch it away before he can

“What’s the letter say? It’s clearly upset you” he shuffles closer to you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders. Not thinking clearly, you say the first excuse that comes to your mind

“Mum just told me that, my aunt died,” you say not looking at him

“Y//n, I know that’s not true”

“What do you mean it’s not true! I just read the bloody letter”

“Cause this is the fourth letter in a row telling you that an aunt has died, you’re not very good at lying”

“You’d be surprised” you mumble so Sirius doesn’t hear you

“Come on, you can tell me anything, you can tell me the truth”

“You don’t want to know the truth, Sirius!” You snap at him running up to the castle.

You spent the rest of the week avoiding your friends, well Sirius, but he’s always with them, so it meant avoiding them too.

It was Saturday night, and you were at the pureblood party, and completely miserable. You go over and stand next to your father

“Couldn’t help but bring that ‘Gryffindor’ pride with you?” your father says looking down at you. You’ve never felt so small “Take that stupid thing off”  

“S-sorry father” you look down you taking off the red ribbon

“Disgrace” he mutters walking away

Not wanting to look as alone as you felt, you go outside though some fancy glass doors, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, for once you didn’t want to set the place on fire, you wanted to set yourself on fire, you felt cold, but not from the weather, from spending a week away from your friends, and re-reading all the letters your ‘family’ sent to you.

You didn’t notice, but Sirius had just walked in. He’s looking around for the red ribbon, hoping that ‘whoever’ she is, was here tonight, he sees the ribbon by the doors, smirking “fuckin’ finally” he thinks, once he’s outside he sees that it’s you.

“Y-Y/n?”

Your eyes go wide ‘well tonight can’t get worse’ you think, turning to him but not daring to look in his eyes

“How’d you get here? What are you doing here?”

“Same as you” You show Sirius the ‘invite’ to the party

“I-I don’t understand, you’re not muggleborn you’re pureblood? Why didn’t you tell me?” he frowns

“I didn’t want you to think of me as one of them” You look inside, you can practically hear them saying mudblood

You could see cogs turning his brain though his eyes as he was piecing it all together “All the letters were from them?”

You nod, pulling out a bunch of paper from your bag “Only letters I ever get” you choke handing them to Sirius He looks through them, anger boiling inside him

“They say I’m a traitor, pathetic, disappointment, disgrace, worthless, unloved, unneeded…I guess I am really” Sirius pulls you into a hug.

“You’re nothing like them, and you’re none of those things, I’m so glad I met you, I don’t know where I’d be without you… actually I do, I’d be in there bored outta my mind,” You hold him tighter burying your head in his neck

You hear Sirius’s mother calling him from inside, you pull away smirking at him, and spark in your eye, as if you weren’t about to burst out crying.

Sirius looks at you confused but smiling “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours”

“Well since we’re stuck here for a bit, why don’t we have some fun” you grin tying ribbon back around your waist

“I like the sound of that”

You grab Sirius’s hand and pull in inside to where a song is playing and people are dancing respectfully in pairs.

“Hey, Pads? May I have this dance?”

“Hey, isn’t that my line?”

You roll your eyes as you both go to where the dancing is. Sirius holds you by your waist pulling you close

You raise your eyebrow and Sirius winks at you “Do you know what personal space is?” smirking you wrap your arms around his neck, only making you both closer “Doesn’t seem like you mind” his voice drops an octave

“Who would mind being this close to Sirius Orion Black” Sirius looks down at your lips.

“The way my name sounds coming off your lips is making me want to kiss you,” he says sensually, smirking and pulling you closer (if that’s even possible) you bite your lip, flicking your eyes from his lips

“Sirius.Orion.Black”

He crashes his lips to yours, sending sparks through each other, it felt like it was always meant to be, but ruining the moment both your mothers are pulling you apart, saying things like blood traitors, despicable, etc, making you both laugh

“See you at school!” Sirius calls as his mother drags him out

“If we make it back!”

You both laugh, your mothers going off.

~ A few months later ~

You were taking a walk around the grounds finding Sirius sitting by the black lake holding a letter “Parents?” you say sitting by him, wrapping him in a hug as he nods

“Th-they disowned me…It’s like I don’t give a fuck, I hate them…but it still hurts”

You laugh a bit “You’re kidding right?” “Hm?” he tilts his head to the side as you pull a letter from your robes

“Got it yesterday” you hand letter to him He lets out a laugh “They disowned you too?!” “They couldn’t wait one day? So we can get disowned together?” you both laugh

“I love you, Sirius Orion”

“Now that sounds so much better coming from your lips” he has his cheeky grin on his face “Does it make you want to kiss me?” you smirk “It makes me want to kiss you forever” as he pulls you into a passionate kiss.

[junicai]

infinite.

| summary | When Aria's with her boys, it feels like the sky's the limit.

| word count | 2.3k

| warnings | none

| era | circa. June 2021, filming for Hello, Future music video

The grass in the empty stadium had been liberally covered in fake flower petals - the healthy green of regularly watered grass slowly becoming overshadowed by the light pink and yellow that settled lightly atop it. 

The white corduroy overalls that Aria donned were splashed with colour in fake paint splotches to compliment the petals - yellows and greens and pinks mixed with blues and oranges in a jumble of streaks that were stark against the otherwise plain material. The Doc Martens that all eight of the members had been fitted for were all padded at the toe and the heel - lest the hard rubber break away skin and cause them to bleed during filming.

Aria crunched several petals underfoot in the heavy boots as she wandered over to the other boys who had been released from hair and makeup a handful of minutes before her. 

The sun was just reaching it’s highest point in the sky, the heat bearing down onto her exposed midriff and almost entirely cancelling out the cool breeze that threatened to rise goosebumps on her stomach. The floaty, bell-sleeved crop top was, in Aria’s opinion, absolutely gorgeous. She had already planned out the best way to corner Heejin unnie - one of the stylists that had an especially soft spot for Aria and her pout, when used effectively. 

Shaking her freshly dyed blue hair out of her eyes, Aria broke out into a light jog to catch up to Renjun, swinging an arm around the boy’s shoulders. 

“Hi!” She smiled brightly. 

Renjun wrinkled his nose at her playfully. “Hey. You done in makeup?”

Nodding, Aria replied, “Yeah. They wanted to touch up the colour in my hair and stick a couple more tattoos around.” She pointed to the new daisy sitting underneath her eye, and the Make Peace, Not War written in differing fonts along her left forearm. 

He aah’d exaggeratedly, patting his own upside-down HELLO on his arm absent-mindedly, before frowning lightly. “Is your colour coming out already? I thought they only dyed it a couple days ago.” Lifting up a hand, Renjun brushed away the strands in Aria’s fringe that were falling into her eyes, cringing lightly when they came away covered in blue residue. 

Aria pulled away from his fingers, shaking her fringe back into place. “They didn’t have any dye left, so it’s hair chalk.” She explained. 

Renjun made another noise of understanding, looking at his smurf coloured fingertips thoughtfully. When his eyes flickered up to meet Aria’s, they had a mischievous glint in them, and she barely had the chance to turn on her heel and break out into a run before Renjun was giving chase hot on her heels. 

“No!” 

“Yes!” 

Her boots were beginning to rub the skin around her ankle raw, still not broken in enough to stand the test of a sprint through a football field, but Renjun was behind her - holding up his hand threateningly - and that was enough to keep her powering through the burn.

“Stop it!” Aria panted, laughter beginning to soil her already failing lung capacity. Her pace was lagging, but much to her relief; so was Renjun’s. With a final burst of energy at seeing the ground she’d gained on him, Aria made her escape attempt-

Only to be captured by Jeno, strong arms wrapping around her waist and swinging her around in a circle to be plopped right back down in front of a now jogging Renjun, an evil smile on his face. 

“Lee Jeno!” Aria protested, wriggling against the arms that had yet to release her. “Let me goo!” 

He deigned not to respond, but Aria could see the matching glint in his eye, and she resigned herself to her fate. He shared a nod of understanding with Renjun who was advancing slowly now that his victim was immobile. 

“Renjun.”

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. 

“Renjun, I’m sorry.”

His smurf-hand raised threateningly again. 

“I’ll do your dishes for a week.” 

With a final step, Renjun was now within a half-arms distance from Aria. 

“Jenooo-” Aria cut herself off with a squeak, as Renjun dragged his fingers over the bridge of her nose, leaving behind a trail of the blue hair chalk. Aria flailed in Jeno’s grip, but he held her fast, even going so far as to tug her down into his lap on the ground to hold her steady. 

Now entirely stuck, Aria resorted to flailing her limbs as much as she could, which really wasn’t a lot when Jeno tucked her legs beneath his knees, trapping her with all four of his limbs as Renjun rubbed the rest of the hair chalk off of his fingertips and onto Aria’s nose and cheeks. 

Revenge enacted, her attacker eventually settled back onto his heels, fingers now chalk free - having spread most of it over Aria’s face as a replacement for blush. 

Aria let out a small sneeze when the loose dust tickled her nose, blinking harshly in surprise. 

With her eyes closed, she couldn’t see the hand Renjun held to his heart, or the pout that Jeno’s lips formed at the cute sound. The two men peered up at each other, silently agreeing that: Yes, it was unfair that she looked so tiny and cute with blue blush. Sometimes, life wasn’t fair, and it was coming for Renjun and Jeno’s heart in the form of a very tiny girl with a blueberry nose. 

With a pat on the arm from Renjun, Jeno released Aria from his grip who promptly turned around and rained a series of light smacks onto his chest, only stopping when her rings snagged in the necklace he wore. He made no effort to help her, asides from holding her up when he accidentally leaned back and nearly took her down with him. 

“Traitor!” She declared once she had untangled the jewelry. For her own revenge, she ran a finger through her hair to collect the chalk and smudged the colour onto Jeno’s cheek in a bright smear. 

The shocked look in his wide eyes was enough to have Renjun coughing out a laugh, the other two soon following. The patch of grass they had settled onto was far enough away from the filming location that there were no petals to hinder Aria’s plans of laying down onto her back, hands splayed over her stomach as she laughed along with the boys. 

“Guys!” It was Mark’s call that drew their attention away from the coloured chalk - although Renjun did let out another snicker at the light blue cloud that Aria’s hair left on the grass where she had been laying - and together the trio made their way back over to the other five members. 

When Jeno and Renjun got distracted in comparing the temporary tattoos they had both been decorated with, Aria slowed her pace enough to let the two wander ahead without her. 

She slid her focus away from the duo and towards the group that had settled in between the flower-covered goalposts, some standing, some sitting.

The bright colours of this concept was a nice change, Aria thought. She loved doing sexier concepts - don’t get her wrong, she loved the empowerment that came with it, and the twitter reactions were always fun to scroll through - but she’d missed this kind of bubble pop. Songs that made something uncurl up in your chest, complemented and encouraged by all the bright colours and messages. 

When Aria had read through the lyrics the first time, she’d never felt like she’d loved a song more without hearing it. They meant something, especially to her. 

Hello, Future; and all that.

And the costuming was always so fun. Short skirts were never the most ideal things to dance in, and the heeled shoes were the bane of her existence (no matter how good she looked in them) so the sturdy boots and durable overalls was a welcome switch-out. 

Her boys looked happy with it as well.

With Hot Sauce, there was an infinite amount pressure to get it right. It was the first full album that NCT Dream was going to release, and it was 8DREAM. They had Mark back. They were all adults at that point. There were expectations to meet. They couldn’t pass things off as being children anymore; they had millions of eyes watching them, and it was like having someone breathing down your neck. 

The pressure just kept mounting and mounting until it loomed over them all like dark clouds that you could just know held heavy rain. It was like they were debuting all over again. Re-debuting as eight again. Aria doesn’t think she remembers a single thing from the set at all. The whole thing is just a blur in her memory. 

Hello, Future, this time around, is different. The members had gathered in the living room around Donghyuck’s laptop when the Hot Sauce music video aired, watching as the views racked up and positive comment after positive comment poured in. They’d read through each and every one, Mark and Aria translating the English ones that the others couldn’t read. 

If Aria cried, one arm wrapped tightly around Jaemin, with the other held Mark’s right hand in his lap, then no one commented on it. It could be, because they had tears of their own in their eyes - but no one can say for sure.

They ended up sleeping on the floor that night, laptop discarded on the couch that was stripped bare of pillows and throw blankets. Curled around each other - this time with her head on Renjun’s chest and her stomach monopolized by both Chenle and Jisung lying horizontal from each other, Aria felt the tension and the fear that had been teeming underneath her shoulders for the last two months abate. 

The terror that if the album had flopped, then they’d be facing disbandment like so many kneitzens wanted. 

Or worse: Dream would keep going, but they’d lose Mark again. 

Even the thought made something horrible curl up in the pit of Aria’s stomach. 

No. 

Never again. 

The odd sleeping arrangements were not something that were uncommon in the Dreamies dorm (Honestly, Aria can’t remember the last time she had slept alone in a room, let alone a bed. They had a system worked out for when someone genuinely needed time alone, but otherwise, most bedroom doors remained open all night.)

This time, Mark was forcibly settled into the middle, everyone clamoring that he’d missed out on nearly three years of them - and he wasn’t getting ride of them that easily again. 

To his credit, Mark went without much argument, although that probably falls down due to the fact that god, he had missed them too. 

Over the weeks of practicing together, re-working the choreography for the songs that had been released when Dream was seven members only, they found their rhythm again. The one that they had lost in 2019, the one that Mark had taken with him when he’d graduated from the group.

Finding it again felt easier than breathing. 

Aria thought she’d never get to see her boys smile so brightly as they did together again, giving the colourful flowers lining the grass a run for their money. 

From her position a ways away from the group, she watched as Chenle immediately launched himself at Jeno as soon as he was close enough, tackling the older boy onto the ground where they both landed with a thud, Chenle’s head whipping backwards with the force.

She watched as Jeno - ever careful - had tucked a hand behind Chenle’s head to catch him even before they started to fall, his hand taking all the impact as they came into contact with the ground.

Jisung was quick to clamber up, eager to pull Renjun over to Jaemin and show him what they had been doing. She watched as Jaemin held up a small crown made of the fake petals, held together loosely by the short strands of confetti that were scattered around the goalposts. 

Mark was leaning his back against the post, head tilted down onto Donghyuck’s shoulder. Donghyuck was watching Jeno and Chenle wrestle with each other - cheering for one or the other, depending on who was winning at that exact moment. 

Aria watched as Donghyuck slowly slipped into silence, tilting his head down to look at Mark’s peaceful expression as the eldest seemed to almost doze off on his shoulder. 

And, she watched as Donghyuck lifted his eyes, flickering from each of the members. His eyebrows furrowed, scanning the group again before he craned his neck towards the rest of the field.

When his eyes locked onto Aria’s, he raised an eyebrow, but deigned to stay quiet - choosing against startling Mark with a yell. His expression was enough, though. 

Donghyuck understood Aria on a certain level that she thought not a lot of people could. She had a unique bond with each member of Dream, but Donghyuck sometimes knew what was going on in her head before she even did. 

Which is why, instead of teasing her for being an introvert, or running away; when Aria strolled up to join the group he just extended the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Mark’s waist, beckoning to her.

After being firmly tucked into his other side, Aria curled into his chest with a sigh, shivering lightly when the sun slid behind a cloud for a brief second and the air felt cooler than it had all day.

Feeling her shudder, Donghyuck tilted his head down to look at her the same way he’d looked at Mark a moment ago, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“You okay?” 

Aria nodded. “M’okay.” 

(Donghyuck didn’t realize that his lips were blue from the chalk until Jisung pointed it out, some thirty minutes later.)

[fatefulfaerie]

Domesticity

Zelink Week 2021 prompt #5/7 @zelinkweek2021

Word Count: 1,951

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild 2 (post)

Additional Prompts Followed: Hearts, Family

No Trigger Warnings

“Is one of us dying?”

The feast was definitely unsettling to Wendie, and although she was mostly joking, she couldn’t help but think that such a nice dinner at such a random time of the year was odd. Of course her dad was a great cook, but this was a step above, despite there being no family birthdays for at least three months and no holidays for five.

“No,” her mother said as she placed on the table a large bowl of goat-buttered mashed potatoes, one of Wendie’s favorite foods. She had said it with a slight motherly laugh and a warm smile. “No one is dying. We’re just having a family dinner.”

The mother, who went by the name Zelda, had aged gracefully over the past twenty years, blonde hair highlighted with streaks of white that her husband would often call angelic and ethereal when she would doubt her beauty. At the moment, her age-hued hair was swept into a single braid behind her head, messy yet secure.

“Our family dinners aren’t usually this elaborate,” Wendie observed. “You made mashed potatoes and seafood rice balls—which is Elyjah’s favorite food—grilled carrots, meat pie, mushroom skewers and you have an apple turnover on the counter for dessert!”

“Nothing gets past you,” her father said, putting a bowl of baked and salted radishes on the table. His blue eyes looked over to Zelda. “I think we raised them too smart.”

“Nonsense,” Zelda said, walking forward and using the rag that was just draped over her shoulder to wipe a smattering of flour off of Link’s forehead. “Where’s Elyjah?”

Wendie made a sound that sounded a lot like a lazy “I don’t know” while shrugging her shoulders where she sat at the table.

“He can just eat when he gets home,” Wendie reasoned. “There’s more than enough food.”

Wendie didn’t see her parents exchange glances, the seventeen-year old not caring in the slightest that her twin brother wasn’t here to ruin her first dibs on dinner.

“I’ll try and find him,” Zelda said with a sigh, Wendie looking back up at her parents. Link nodded as Zelda departed. Wendie once again questioned what was going on.

“Ly!” The father and daughter heard outside, Zelda from just the doorstep of their modest Hateno home calling out to the entirety of Hyrule. Link sat down across from his daughter, elbows on the table and arms folded into each other. The deep thought he was in concerned Wendie greatly. He wouldn’t even meet her glance. Was she in trouble?

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

Elyjah.

Of all the people to be in trouble, surely it was him. He had never gotten into anything truly bad but he was the biggest prankster in Hateno. The only shop he wasn’t banned from was the dye shop. The green-eyed troublemaker was here nonetheless and Wendie prepared herself for another fun show. Zelda moved to sit down next to Link at the table but Elyjah stopped as soon as he saw the table, mouth popped open and body frozen.

“Is someone dying?”

He had looked over to his sister when he asked the question.

“Yeah,” she said. “You.”

“What?” Elyjah asked, almost believing it.

“Wendie, that’s enough now,” Zelda said, before looking over to her son. “No one is dying. We would just like to talk to you both.”

Elyjah sat next to Wendie with the same bewildered look as her, trying to figure out what it was before their parents spit it out. It was like Hylia’s Day presents except they didn’t have a good feeling about this, especially when Link took Zelda’s hand and looked at their children, ready to address them.

And yet it was Zelda who started.

“Do you two remember the fairytale we used to tell you?” Zelda inquired, her voice shaky. “The bedtime story? Of the princess and the knight?”

Neither Elyjah nor Wendie had any clue of the relevance, but they both remembered the tale well.

“The one with the weird ending?” Wendie asked nonetheless. “Where he rescued her and then that was it?”

“Yeah,” Elyjah said. “Didn’t they just stare at each other in silence? After all they had been through, it seemed like there should have been more.”

Link dove his hand into his forehead.

“Zelda, you could have given them a better ending,” Link suggested.

Zelda scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

“It was a lesson in imagination,” she said. “And clearly none of you have any.”

“But that’s besides the point…” Link said, prompting Zelda in a different direction.

“Yes,” Zelda said, nodding at Link and returning her gaze to their children, confused as ever. And yet she smiled at them.

“You both have grown up so fast,” Zelda said. “We both love you very much and cannot believe that you have blossomed right before our eyes into adults.”

Zelda’s smile became sad and she bowed her head.

“You see it’s a lot easier to lie to children.”

Wendie’s brow furrowed.

“Lie…” she repeated from her mother.

When Zelda’s head tilted back up, green was glazed with waves of coming tears, making the emeralds that Link fell in love with a hundred years ago shine even brighter.

“That fairytale…” Zelda said. “The princess who used her sealing power to keep away Calamity Ganon and the knight who slept in a ruined Hyrule for a hundred years in order to recover from his injuries and save her…”

Zelda stopped herself. Twenty years of keeping it in and it seems it wanted to stay in. She wrestled with her conflicted heart, kept it at bay long enough for her to blurt it out.

“It’s true,” Zelda said, no weakness in her voice, no lie, no apprehension. “The knight and the princess really did fight the calamity, really did survive a century to see it through and then some. Once they tracked down the cause of the anomaly, destroying the true form of Ganon, they settled down in Hateno. They got married and eventually gave life to twins, a boy and a girl.” Zelda’s eyes were proud as she looked upon her children, although they glistened with tears. Her heart hurt to see their faces in shock, but the outspoken truth felt better than she could have imagined. She felt Link’s grip tighten around her fingers.

“You both have royal blood in you,” Zelda said. “Even though I stepped away from the throne in the search of a simpler, more fulfilling life, you both still have claim to the titles of Prince Elyjah and Princess Wendie. We wanted you to know in case that path would prove fulfilling for you and…well, now that you’re adults you have the right to know the truth.”

Wendie stood up and walked out of the house, her parents not daring to stop her. Elyjah, however, just sat in shock, piecing it all together in his mind. Link and Zelda both could see his green eyes working, much like his mother’s did when she went over schematics or theorized about plant life.

“The story,” he finally started, “everything you went through…the pressure…you wanted to protect us from that…you wanted to give us the childhood you never had…that neither of you had.”

Link nodded.

“That’s right.”

Elyjah pursed his lips and nodded. Sometimes he was just like his dad. He shrugged.

“Okay,” he said, replacing his empty plate with the one filled with the seafood rice balls meant for the whole family. “Cool,” he continued, or at least it sounded like the word “cool”, his mouth mostly filled with rice.

Link raised his eyebrows and looked over at Zelda.

“Apparently we’re…cool.” Link said the last word as if it were completely foreign.

“Not all of us,” Zelda reminded her husband. She started to stand up. “I’m gonna go talk to her.”

Yet Link placed a hand on her arm.

“I’ll go,” Link said. “You stay and enjoy the food.”

Link found his daughter on the banks of Firly Pond, knees hugged close to her chest and water lapping at her bare toes.

At first he waited with his hand on the bark of the near apple tree, pursing his lips. Sometimes he was thrust back in time twenty years, when he felt he had no idea how to be a dad. This was one of those moments.

Link saw in his mind’s eye Wendie’s big blue eyes staring up at him, stubby arms reaching for him. He smiled. She grew up so fast.

“I know you’re there,” he heard Wendie say. She didn’t turn her head away from the pond. “Did you come to give me a speech?”

Link walked towards her.

“Maybe.”

He sat down next to her and Wendie only gave him the smallest of glances.

“I feel like I don’t know my parents at all,” she finally said.

Link nodded.

“I understand.” He said. “I don’t agree, but I understand.”

Wendie looked over to his profile, trying to ascertain how he could be serious. The calamity was real and her parents fought it. Sheikah technology really could heal fatal wounds and the goddesses power really was wielded by a mortal, not to mention her own mother, who never seemed like a princess in the slightest. Her father was a knight in a kingdom that really did exist and she?

Well she was a princess. This whole time, she was a princess. The girl who was called the “ugly duckling” of the family as a child was a princess in peasant’s clothing. She almost wanted to go brag to the town, but that seemed petty for just a small ounce of appreciation from the people her age who used to tease her when they would play as children.

Her parents were legends and in comparison, what was she?

Definitely not a princess.

“You know us as what we became after everything we went through,” Link finally said, having taken the time to get his words together. “The people we were before…”

He hesitated.

“We were nothing more than what the kingdom wanted us to be…statues, legends, weapons…we were never fully ourselves, and we could never afford to be ourselves with an entire kingdom looking at us to save them from a calamity. The slivers that were left of us found a friendship in each other, one that grew into love in time. After everything was settled, we began to truly find ourselves, basking in the freedom to do so. It’s something that usually occurs in a fifteen year old but your mother and I were a hundred and twenty years old when we solved the identity crisis. She did not want to be royalty and I did not want to be a knight. When we finally did not need to be those things, we took our first breaths as Link and Zelda. We wanted our children to take those breaths from the very second they were born, and that is why we let you grow up before we told you the truth. We wanted royalty to be an option for you two, not a necessity. We wanted you to become yourselves, not tiny versions of us. I only hope we have…at least I think we have.”

Wendie smiled.

“You have,” she said. “If you want your daughter to have absolutely no idea what she wants to do with her life.”

Link brought his daughter closer by hugging her far shoulder, bringing her close enough to kiss the top of her head.

“That’s exactly what I want,” he said. It sounded strange but Link didn’t mean it as a bad thing. “Because finding out your passion for yourself is the most exciting thing in this entire wild land.”

[fbfh]

vegas lights - piper x mpdg!bff!reader

2.3k words

wlw, friends to lovers

piper x manic pixie dream girl! best friend! reader

inspired by this concept playlist from this post (i think it’s the fourth one on the post)

You and piper met at one of those fancy boarding schools

You’ve been told you have trouble respecting authority, can’t follow instructions, and have little regard to your attitude

So more specifically, you met in detention

You had shown up to school with blue and orange hair

As you expected, that didn’t go over well

Piper hadn’t done her homework again

The teacher had left to make some copies of papers, and you were sitting one seat back and to the right of piper

“Hey, since people always talk about going back in time and making one small change that affects everything, do you think the most minute decisions we make have the capacity to change everything now?”

She turned her head and saw you leaning across your desk

Your eyebrows matched your hair, your blazer was too big and the sleeves were cuffed, and pen ink was scribbled on your arms and hands

You had a wild energy, like a strong breeze that smelled like summer you find some other time of year

“Uh…” 

She wasn’t really sure what you meant, and was still a little thrown by you

“Or like, is it the kind of thing where nothing we do matters and we’re gonna end up where we end up, so that takes off the pressure of moralizing your decisions and you end up making ‘better’ choices?”

Was this real?

The late afternoon sun cast an unsettling blue green light throughout the building, and made Piper feel even more like she was dreaming

“Maybe neither,” she mused, grabbing the first thing that came to mind

A new smile crept at your eyes, and she could almost see your perspective shift

“Yeah, like… the presence of someone who wasn’t there before was the thing to set everything off. Maybe it’s not your decisions as much as being there…” you trailed off lost in thought, “huh.” 

You pushed yourself up, and sat on the edge of your desk

“So what are you in for?”

Piper hadn’t realized she was staring until your eyes locked with hers

“D- uh, didn’t do my homework,” she sputtered

You sighed, and rolled your eyes

“God, they’re only gonna realize humans aren’t designed for constant work when we’re all dead.” 

You turn back to her

“You seem intelligent. Being smart doesn’t mean anything, intelligence is what actually matters.” 

Wow

How do you respond to that?

“... I’m Piper,” 

“Piper…” you repeated slowly

“I like that.”

Silence 

“What’s your name?”

“What do I seem like?” 

She looked confused

“What do I strike you as?”

She thought for a minute, then blurted out the first thing she thought of

“Vegas.” 

You smiled

“I love that… we’re gonna go to Vegas some time. It’ll be an adventure.”

“If I had to guess for you…” you trailed off, examining every detail of her in a way that didn’t make her self conscious

“I’d say diamond. I really like Piper too, though.” 

Her stomach fell

There it is, nothing more than a pretty face once again

“Oh, cause I’m-”

“Strong.”

Her eyes snapped up to yours

“You don’t seem like anyone can break you.”

She liked that a lot better

You asked her something about lunch tomorrow, she didn’t remember quite what, and that was the beginning of the two of you

You spent every minute you could together, which often resulted in coordinating your stunts with hers to end up in detention together

After a while the bmw story came up

You believed her without hesitation

“God, guys can be the fucking worst sometimes. I bet that piece of wet toast gave you the car to get on your good side then pulled a Nice Guy as soon as he realized it wasn’t happening.” 

Not totally accurate, but she appreciated your enthusiasm so she agreed wholeheartedly

For some reason it felt really nice to hear you say boys suck

As the semester went on, she started to get worried

You had started talking to a guy, and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach

She found herself having to try harder and harder to fake happy for you

She was almost surprised at how relieved she was a week later when you plop down at your usual lunch spot and denounce cynically

“Y’know that guy I was talking to? Turns out he’s not actually into philosophy, he’s a fake academic with a superiority complex.”

A weight flew off her chest

“You’re way better off without him,” 

“I know! He thinks watching rick and morty is a personality trait,” 

“Oh god…” she laughed

She had to fight a smile for most of lunch

To her despair, the cycle repeated again, less than a week later

Then again and again, you were seeing a new boy every week for a little over a month

As it progressed, she began to notice feeling worse, then better with every guy you picked up and dumped

She started to worry she was being a bad friend, possessive and jealous

You could tell something was off, and had mentioned here and there if she needs to talk to you she can

Every act of closeness from you made her feel worse and better at the same time

You had asked her to help you re dye your hair, this time a bright lime green, and she had no idea how she’d made it through the long night of just the two of you without saying something really stupid

It was almost graduation by now and she felt like she was going to break in half

“That’s it, I’m done with men. Never touching another one. Ever.”

She looked up at you shocked

“You can hold me to that.” you finish, a laugh frosting the seriousness of your statement

A flood gate opened somewhere deep inside her

Before she could stop it, the thought crept up on her from the back of her mind

‘Least now I have a chance with her,’

The organicness shocked her so much she almost choked on her food

“You okay Di?” you asked

Her pulse was racing and she felt panic and adrenaline coursing through her in a way she’d never experienced

“Yeah, I just have go to the bathroom,” she said, standing up quickly and avoiding your eyes

“I’ll come with,” 

“No! It’s fine. I’ll be right back, stay here.” 

You agreed

She rushed into the bathroom to google “does having a crush on a girl mean i’m gay” 

She tried rephrasing the question a hundred times, glad she remembered to turn on private browsing before she started

She tries to calm her breathing as she gets the same answer five times in a row

“If you keep asking if you’re gay, you probably are”

One article on realizing you have a crush on your girl best friend was actually slightly helpful

It was validating, gave advice on how to act normal, and emphasized there’s time to sort out these feelings and what they might mean later

She read it three times before the bell rang

Shit

She had half her classes with you, what was she gonna do now?

She came out of the bathroom and there you were, waiting for her

“Hey, you okay?”

“Ye- uh… yeah, I’m… sick I think. That’s why I left suddenly, and couldn’t… finish lunch,” she was a terrible liar to you, and just hoped that whatever forces had gotten her in trouble so many times could convince you this was all cause of a stomach bug

“Oh, that sucks. I have an extra bag of chips if you get hungry later, and if you wanna sleep after class instead of hang out I totally get it.” 

Her heart was palpitating

At least you seemed to believe it

“Yeah,  I probably should… and I probably shouldn’t get too close to you- like, I should stay away from you. Cause I don’t want you to get sick too.” she knew she was rambling and had no idea how to fix it.

“Okay, text me later. I’m here to talk if you wanna.” you smiled, and squeezed her shoulder, her heart squeezing at the same time

She left in a hurry to get to her next class, for once grateful you weren’t in it

Over the next week or so, the idea of having a huge uncontrollable crush on you started to be less scary

She just didn’t want to lose you

She knew everything about you

Your favorite color, violet

Your favorite singer, someone named king princess

Your favorite food, broccoli

Even your favorite lip balm flavor, cherry

She had to set all these feelings aside and be there for you as a friend, because that’s what you needed her to be

Just for another week, then you’d part ways for the summer and she could get over this before next year

She couldn’t stop the way her heart skipped a beat when you rested your head on her shoulder

Or when you were studying last night

You couldn’t figure out a problem, and put your head in her lap declaring,

“That’s it. We’re moving to a countryside cottage and becoming an old married farming couple.”

She didn’t breathe right for a second

She somehow managed to choke out

“God, please. That can be our plan b if we fail.”

Which, unfortunately, you didn’t 

You both passed, and unhappily went your separate ways for the summer

She tried to keep plans to meet up abstract, savoring that last hug on friday more than she should have

This plan will work, she’ll avoid you all summer, and come back next semester and be totally normal

It will all be fine

Or it would have if you hadn’t pressed a kiss on her cheek before she got pulled into a rented car, speeding off for the airport

Every minute between that second and seeing her dad at the airport was filled with thoughts of you

Five days had passed, and she couldn’t sleep

She had tried to keep texting you to a minimum, which only worked because of how much she was overthinking everything

Friends can kiss sometimes, right?

And yeah, you looked at her with those big sparkly eyes, but you’ve looked at her like that since she first met you

She was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and couldn’t get your stupid amazing smile out of her head

She was… overwhelmed

Her phone buzzed

Of course, it was you

She threw her phone on her bed without reading it

Her whole body was buzzy, her feelings had never been this strong

It was too much

She actually felt like she was going to explode in 10 seconds

She could feel a stupid impulse of some kind or another creeping up

A gentle tapping on her window snapped her out of it

‘It’s her’

No it’s not, she chastised herself, you’re practically on the other side of the country

She looked over at her window

It was you

It was you

Oh god

She scrambled out of bed, and threw the window open

You had already popped the screen off, propping it next to her window

“Hi,” you said,

“H-” she had no words

Time and time again you left her speechless

“Y-... your hair’s pink,” she choked out

You laughed and smiled that crooked little smile of yours, and she could feel her heart clench

“Yeah, d’you like it?”

“Yeah,” she said without a second thought

Something she’d read online came back to her in a rush

‘If you like your crush after they change their hair, you know it’s real’

Shit

You placed your hand on top of hers

“So… do you wanna go on an adventure?”

“Yes.” she answered, never wanting anything more

You laugh and lean forward, closer to her

You brush a strand of hair out of her face and watch as her eyes flutter closed

A surge of nerves pulse through you simultaneously, your hand still on her face

“Piper,” you whisper, sounding closer than before

“Hm?”

“... do you want to kiss?”

Relief floods her like nothing she’s ever experienced before

She nods twice, vigorously

Your lips connect in a moment of pure euphoria

You’re soft

You taste like cherry, and that gum you’re always chewing, grapefruit and pear and a little cayenne

Her lips are warm and soft and so inviting

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless, already wanting more

Her mind is reeling

What if this is just a fling or something, what if this isn’t like, romantic kissing and it’s the kind of kissing best friends probably do sometimes?

Best friends can kiss sometimes, right???

She has to do it now, there’s no way she could possibly come back from this

She has to tell you how she feels

But how can she say it?

She can’t just blurt it out

It has to be perfect

But she also has to be able to take it back in case you say no

“Piper,” you start again

“Yeah?” she breathes

Once again you take the words right out of her, spinning them into something beautiful and easy to understand

“Do you want to be girlfriends? Like, date each other?”

She’s frozen for a second

This has to be a dream

It feels fake

She’s been dying to hear you say those exact words for months

And how much more in character could it have been than after asking her to go on an adventure

She looks into your eyes, searching for a hint of a lie

She finds nothing

And for a moment, for the first time, she sees your composure begin to crack

You look… scared

She realizes she hasn’t answered yet

“Yes!” she blurts, pulling you in to kiss you again and again

“Yes, yes, yes…” she mutters between kisses

Your giggles hit her ears, sounding different than ever before

After what feels like forever and not nearly long enough, you finally part again

“So…” you play with her hair, braiding a loose strand

“How ‘bout that adventure?”

[tsarisfanfiction]

Teen Tracys

Muse is on a roll today, it seems (and I even managed to get some uni work done!).  From a conversation with @janetm74 that started over a discussion about punk!teen Virgil with a green mohawk and Eco-Warrior!teen Gordon and snowballed into, well, something a bit like this.

Random, has not been particularly polished, and I threw in a time skip rather than deal with the serious conversation.  Might write that later.

For ages, we’ve got Scott at 21, John’s 19, Virgil’s 17, Gordon’s 13 and Alan’s 9.  Three teenagers in the house; uh oh.

Scott loved his brothers. Really, he did.  But sometimes, they were just too much.  Big brother just didn’t hold the same weight as parent, no matter that he’d helped to raise all of them, and every so often his little brothers remembered that.

“Gordon, no.”

The thirteen-year-old, decked out in nothing but recycled greens, glared up at him with all the self-proclaimed righteousness a teenager could summon.  It was a lot.

“Do you know how much pollution is still being pumped into the oceans?” he demanded, not at all cowed by the fact he barely reached Scott’s chest.  “They finally stopped all the fossil fuel in the 2020s, and plastic was entirely phased out by 2030, and then the world gave itself a nice pat on the back as though that fixed everything!”

Scott had heard this tirade before.  Many, many, times before.

“Yes, Gordon, I know. Preservation of the oceans is important and that’s why this family – and Tracy Industries – does its bit to make sure nothing goes in there that shouldn’t, and is why you take part in charity events to continue to spread awareness.  I know.”  He didn’t have a problem with any of that, either.  No, what he had a problem with were the rallies.

Charity work?  Fine.  More than fine.

The rallies?  Not for an unaccompanied thirteen-year-old boy, and Scott knew they often involved illegally sabotaging places that still produced pollution.  No matter how well-meaning Gordon was, it was Scott’s duty as big brother and guardian not to let him get tangled up in that.

“Clearly you don’t know if you think that’s enough!” Gordon retorted, and Scott sighed.

“Gordon, I know more needs to be done, but it needs to be done legally, and not result in you getting thrown in a lockup, okay?  You’ve got that charity dinner with Lady Penelope next weekend, remember?”

“I can do both!” Gordon protested.  “Scott, I have to go!  It’s important for the planet!”

“Well it’s important to me that you don’t end up-”

Bright green in his periphery killed the rest of the sentence as he turned his head to see his normally sensible, reliable brother looking anything but.

“Virgil, you are not going out looking like that.”

“I can go out looking however I want, Scott.”  Seventeen years old and the teenage attitude Gordon was showing seemed to have infected his next oldest brother at last.  Virgil had been such a quiet, low-effort teenager – even more so than John, whose rebellion had been entirely digital and Scott was quite frankly afraid of what he might have done – until now.

Now, the punk phase had hit, and apparently the colour of the day was green.  Vibrant, radioactive touch-me-and-die green.  In a mohawk.

Scott tried to be the supportive big brother, he really did, but there were lines and the all-leather ensemble complete with mohawk and numerous piercings were pushing it.  Worst of all was the noise-maker he called a trike that he’d gone and bought last week despite being explicitly told not to. That had crossed the line.  There had been much shouting.  Virgil refused to return it, and spent more time in the garage tinkering with it than with his family now.

Gordon considered it an affront, and Scott wasn’t entirely certain it wasn’t going to be a target for the so-called rally if Gordon managed to join it.

“Virgil, please.”

“I want green hair!”

They’d caught Alan’s attention.  Great.

“No, Alan.  You are not dyeing your hair green.”

Realising both green-themed brothers – if for two very different reasons – were both trying to slip out while Alan played distraction, Scott backed up to the front door and blocked it with his body.

“Virgil did!”

“And if his hair dye ends up in your hair, his entire new ensemble is heading straight for the recycler,” Scott growled.  Three little brothers, all at once.  It was enough to give him a headache.  Gordon shifted, a shift that meant trouble, and he remembered the current household feud. “Gordon, if Virgil’s hair dye ends up in Alan’s hair, no more charity events until you’re eighteen.”

“But Scott!”

He didn’t even care which of the three said it.  It could have been all of them.  Why couldn’t they go through teenage rebellion from the sanctity of their bedrooms, like John did?

“I wouldn’t say green’s your colour anyway, Allie.”  As though summoned by Scott’s thoughts, the fourth little brother materialised.  Finally, some sanity- “how about we try black, or a dark blue, to match space?  Maybe Virgil can help make it a galaxy?”

“John!”

Betrayal.  Betrayal of the highest order, but Scott refused to get dramatic about it because he had three drama queens in the house already and that would only encourage them.  Even if the smirk John sent his way made him want to throw something.  Or scream.

Or both.

With four brothers ganging up on him – two because they’d hit the rebellion phase, one because his brothers were, and one just because he could – Scott knew he wasn’t going to win this with his sanity intact.

“Alan, no, you are not dyeing your hair any colour.  Gordon, you are not going to that rally.  Virgil, you are not going out like that.  John, if you’re not going to be helpful, scat.”

“But Scott!”

That was all four of them. In chorus.  If half of them weren’t feuding he’d think the whole thing was choreographed.  Looking at John, he still wasn’t convinced the ginger genius hadn’t managed to orchestrate it.  He was still smirking.

Scott needed to pull out the big guns.

“If you four won’t listen to me, maybe you’ll listen to Grandma.”

The woman was in the garden, taking a well-deserved nap away from five grandsons.  Scott didn’t want to disturb her, but he knew when he was beaten. Two brothers, he could handle. Three, tough but doable.  Four, when one was deliberately stirring the pot? Even Scott had limits.

Any hopes he might have had that the mere threat would be enough died when three defiant – and one amused, damn you, John – faces stared at him.

He pulled out his phone, gave them one more moment to change their minds of their own accord, before making the call.

“Scott?”

“Sorry to interrupt you, Grandma, but can you come back inside?”

“On my way.  What have the trouble-makers done this time?”

Scott gave her a brief rundown, interspersed with varying levels of protest from each brother as it reached their turn.  By the time he was done, the woman was inside the house, regarding all five of them.

Three faces were starting to quail.  Alan in particular looked on the verge of tears, but no teenage rebellion was stopping Virgil being a Grandma’s boy and even Gordon had a healthy respect for her tongue.  John continued to look far too smug, and Scott’s internal alarm bells were ringing.

Still, Grandma was here now. Grandma would sort his brothers out and Scott could get a blissful half hour – maybe even an hour, if he was lucky – without some sort of sibling drama.

“Well, I’m not seeing any problems here.”

What.

Grandma walked straight up to Virgil and started plucking at his jacket, deftly dodging the metallic spikes as she adjusted it on his shoulders.  “When I was your age, it was all pink.  Pink leather, pink hotpants.”  She winked in Scott’s direction and the urge to scream bubbled up in his chest.  “I dyed my hair to match.”

At least his brothers seemed to be as dumbstruck as him about that, even if Scott was watching his last bastion of support crumble before his eyes.

“Your Grandpa had the most amazing Harley,” she continued.  “Ooh, what a beauty.  Such a smooth ride.  He really knew how to treat a girl, your Grandpa.”

Nope.  Absolutely nope.  Scott needed brain bleach, and an escape from the madhouse, preferably before he screamed.

With a hoarse yell that was only a yell, and not a scream at all, he yanked the front door open, all but ran through it, and slammed it so hard a shingle slid from the roof.

He stared at it for a moment before surging into a run, past the garage and that damn trike, over the front gate, and headed straight for… who cared, as long as it was away. Right then, the house could collapse or burn to the ground for all he really cared.

Scott tried to be tolerant, he tried to be fair to all of his brothers, but sometimes it was just too much to handle.

***

“Scott?”

He’d ended up sitting in a tree after running all through the woodland until his legs burned.  Apparently, that wasn’t enough to stop his grandmother finding him when she wanted to.

“Are you ready to come home, dear?” she called up.  He sighed and let his head thud against the trunk.

“Am I going to be ganged up on by my brothers over stupid things if I do?” he asked.  “Because I think I’ve had enough of that.”

“Your brothers and I had a nice long chat, and we’ve put some new house rules in place,” she told him. “Gordon has agreed no more rallies and Alan no longer wants his hair dyed.”

“And Virgil and John?” he asked warily.

“Virgil has agreed not to provoke Gordon any more, but you two need to talk about policing each other’s clothes, young man.”  Scott winced. “As for John, he knows he went too far, but just like with Virgil, you are going to have to talk to each other like the reasonable young men you are.”  There was no reproach in her tone, but Scott felt scolded all the same.

He didn’t want to go home, but if Grandma was promising no more carnage…  Scott could never bring himself to leave his brothers for too long.  Reluctantly, he eased himself out of the tree, swinging from the last branch to the ground below.

“I know you don’t like what Virgil’s done to his hair,” Grandma said, looping her arm through his. “But remember it’s his hair, not yours.”

“It’s not that,” Scott admitted.  “He can do what he wants with it; it’s that trike.  He can’t wear a helmet with his hair all spiked up like that!”

“Then you should tell him that’s why you disapprove.”  Grandma was, as always, full of logic.  “None of you boys can read minds, you know.  You have to talk to each other.”

“I know,” Scott sighed. “Sorry, Grandma, I messed up.”

“You’re just worried about them.”  She squeezed his arm fondly.  “They’ll appreciate it when they’re older.”

“Will they?”

“They’re not the first teenage boys I’ve raised,” she reminded him.  “There’s nothing you and your brothers have done that your father and uncle Lee didn’t do already.”

“…Even the punk mohawk?”

“I still have the photos.”

[kanene-yaaay-o-retorno]

The Colors of my Soul(mates) [1]

[Second oneshot]

[AO3 link]

Kanene’s Notes:

Nope, I do not regret the pun. Okay, okay! I’ve plaining this AU for almost an year so I’m pretty excited to post it!! dfghjsdfrtyucfvgbhjv yaaaay!! Thank you very very much @olliedollie1204 for such a positive feedback and awesome ideas. it helped me a lot!! 

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* That fanfic has Virgil, Logan, Patton and Roman (only a brief mention of Remy) in a platonic relationship (yet), but it can be viewed as romantic, if you wish. 

* Warnings: A bit of swearing and depreciative thoughts. It’s mostly fluff and hurt/comfort, tho.

* This characters do not belongs to me. They all belongs to the amazing Thomas Sanders in his series of Sanders Sides.

* Something around 4.500 words. -w-)b.

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! Any advice is very very welcome!

* Tô com preguiça de postar a versão em português brasileiro aaaa! Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Say to someone important how much you love them, be safe, talk with the one that you love, drink water and sleep well! Byeioo!~

                           [~*~]

What can do a creature if not, between creatures, love?  - Carlos Drummond de Andrade

  - What the fu-

 Virgil only discovered he had more than one Soulmate when he was twenty years old, more specifically the exact moment he took a wrong turn and kept going even knowing he was in the wrong way because one hour it would lead him to somewhere Virgil would recognize before his mortal being inevitably starved to death in the middle of nowhere and his eyes got dragged from the visions from thousands of futures created by his mind to a Teddy Bear Store - they seemed to replicate worse than bacteria during Valentine’s Day - and two bears from the crimson shelter suddenly dyed themselves in two milliseconds as he slightly glanced at them.

 Two of them. Virgil felt his entire face burn in hot shades of embarrassment with drops of disbelief, almost as if all the people running, stumbling, locked in their own worlds and swearing while walked in the sideway because ‘some stupid teenager decided to just stop and block their way’ could, by only looking at him, stare deep into his soul and realize the one staring astonished the store already carried in his fate another one more Soulmate at home.

One completely different in shape and form, even if also blue, however in a light, sky blue completely opposite shade from the new navy one staring him down - Virgil knew plentily their link wasn’t bonded yet, albeit he was equally sure that the person behind those black glooming teddy bear’s eyes were already judging him, - wondering why, between all the people, he was their soulmate. The other red one was very much likely crackling in his face when an employee came and pointedly turn the adult’s attention to the sign in big, graphed words clued in front of their store:

 “You dye, you buy.”

 Virgil signed, pushing his hoodie down further, wondering how much time it would take of him hitting his head on the wall to finally pass out. This option sounded much more attractive when he realized that this new ‘discovery’ about himself would cost all his month’s saves.

 He asked, to the Universe, the stars, the Earth and whoever was seeing him in that exact moment: why?

 Was it a kind of prank? A punishment from fate when, years and tears ago, Virgil lifted his chin up and dared the Universe to give him more soulmates as he locked all his uncolored – although never really free of some weak drops of paint from what one day they came to be – simply stuffed animals, - and nothing more, anymore, - away and promised he would never, ever allow himself to go all through this shit again?

 But… That had been… years ago. Almost a decade since that soft voice he got to know so well, the impulsive acts, long conversations and warm feelings.

 But…

 Time has passed, that is true. Nevertheless, deep down has he really changed?

 Virgil stared at the bag carried so close to his chest since his bare hands were sweating and shaking way too much for this task. Yes, he knew his Soulmates won’t feel anything until both of them decided to ‘give the First Step’, accepting to link their souls and fates, for the longest as it lasts. However, he didn’t want to risk it, because what if they felt? What if he in some way broke the Soulmate System when got two at the same time and now everything was messed up and they could already feel his touches even through the bag and the first impression Virgil would gave to them was ‘That anxious, weird boy and his creepy, sweaty hands’ and-

 A girl almost hit him as she passed running at his side, making his arms protectively hug further the teddy bears closer to him, arms protectively involving them, the soft touch somehow calming his tumulted thoughts. The lost man took a deep breath.

 Clear your mind. Rational thoughts. Focus on the two sides of the coin. Three people wouldn’t be able to break a millennial, unknown system, don’t matter how good he was in screwin… No, a voice that sounded suspiciously a lot like his psychologist calmly pointed, not like that. Virgil huffed, trying again. He was a magnet of problems and bad…Okay, also wrong. Neutral thoughts, focus on neutral thoughts. Come on. Come on.

 It was okay.

 They wouldn’t feel him until they gave the first step. Right, that… sounded like a start. He didn’t do anything. Now, what Virgil needed to do was go to his house, clean his bed in order to find a good place where he could put and ignore them and then he would get his headphones, listen his playlists and wonder where the fuck his life was going.

 It was okay. Everything would stay okay as long as he didn’t give the First Step.

 Virgil unconsciously hugged tighter the teddy bears, his fingers finding way and drowning themselves in the soft, cozy fur, combing them in light, soothing touches as he continued his way.

 Okay. Everything was okay.

 [~*~]

 Plurinfanto, or Multiple Souls, it’s the nomination used for the cases when a person has diverse soulmates at the same time and in a same period.

 The first known case was with Pharaoh Cleopatra when multiples of her woolen fabric started to dye themselves in various colors and shades. In Ancient Roman, it was believed that the occurrences were blessings from Venus in a sign of prosperity and abundance. Grand, longstanding parties were executed through days nonstop in order to get together those intertwined souls. When the connection broke and the colors disappeared, it meant that days of pain and foreboding were waiting forward.

 It is not known for certain the exact moment when the meaning changed, albeit researchers believe it was around the fall of the Roman Empire, when all the invasions resulted in a cultural reconstruction which led to the loss from much of their costumes.

  CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER HOW TO HAVE THE SOULMATE OF YOUR DREAMS!!!!  

 [~*~]

 The computer made a soft ‘click’ as Virgil closed it and sat on his bed, adjusting slightly his position to stare the three vivid, brilliant stuffed beings contrasting to the general dark theme of his room.

 Virgil growled, resting his back on the cold wall, the shivers calming his flowing thoughts about all the variants this whole thing had. No to mention that people change with time, leading to the souls who they “relate” to change as well, meaning that you can have someone in your life for years and then, one month, or weeks or the next day, you can wake up only to discover you and the said person don’t “match” anymore.

 And NO ONE talked about this just because it was a freak tabu to doesn’t have ‘an only one soulmate who will be with you until the end of your existence’. Oh, for fuck sake. Virgil ran his hand through his hair, wincing when he accidently pulled some tangled strands. That sounds like a line of commercial, does anyone believe that bullshit for real?

 “Hello dear, newer fellow!!” The popping thought broke his line of reasoning, jumping excitedly in his mind and automatically pulling him out of his wanders. It has a strong and full of… about everything, tune demanding attention. Virgil felt a warm kiss on his forehead, meaning one soulmate – a deep part of him turned his attention to the red colored teddy bear, - had given the First Step. The one who in some moment changed his position so now he was sitting on the floor felt his face get hot again, heart thumping strongly in his chest as his arm moved, fingers stopping inches away from the fur, questioning if he was ready to retribute the gesture.

  [~*~]

 Many history icons have reports of being Pluriers, as shown in the book ‘The Romance in the History of Those Who Wrote It’, by historian Henry Senyura. The subject is also beginning to gain more visibility after the protest from the teacher Joan A. in 2010, who got touched towards the situation of some of her pupils being forced to choose only one among their Soulmates for the six-month annual exchange, by the end of that period most of them lost or weakened their bonding due lack of communication, small changes of personality and continuous absence. She held a protest at the front of the school, stating that no one had the right to interfere in ‘matters of the heart’.

 A lot of fiction works are beginning to address the topic more frequently, as in I’m Not One, a movie directed by Devon Stan; The Seven Colors of Rainbow, a book written by Lílian Lee and the psychological analysis Life’s Watch, recently found between drafts by the famous writer Robin Green, published after their husband’s authorization, Josué Green.

 [~*~]

 Logan hummed. As it seems, this was a relatively common thing, since the concept of Soul Mates surpassed the barriers of unity and time, being ‘souls who in a way or other intertwined themselves in some part of their life. Sometimes it didn’t necessarily mean a romantic relationship, as the majority of society and media pointed, but it also didn’t hold any assurance that all of them were platonic.

 He massaged the bridge of his nose. Remy wasn’t in the dorm so everything was silent enough for him to hear his own thoughts.

  It has been a remarkable amount of years since he got his last soulmates, - except for Remy, however they both considered this occurrence as a separate incident - well, until, of course, this day. At least it was a good thing he always carried in his bag extra easy manageable stuffed animals or else maybe the System would dye one of clothes, what would be less than ideal for him in the middle of his philosophy debate. But things got even more interesting when, after his classes, as he arrived at the small, pleasantly well-organized store next to his university, one more stuffed animal colored itself right before him.

 He didn’t exactly understand why. Logan considered himself an owner of a… quite strong, strict personality, this added with his difficulty in managing his and one another emotions usually tended to bring some complex tribulations in his rela-

 Anyway, that is beside the important matter. The one laying his chin on his crossed fingers undid his pose for a bite of time in order to adjust his glasses, barely fixating his gaze on the two plushies in the desk before him, his third – Pat - resting a few centimeters away, closer to Logan’s fingers, who were barely touching. Mind running. Asking, reflecting, wondering what was the exact amount of time to be acceptable to give his First Step?

 ‘The First Step’.

 Logan never really understood from where and how that expression emerged. It didn’t come from the words’ etymology nor some semantic detour. His most concrete hypothesis consisted of the phrase being derived from old romances.

 “Did you know it used to be called the ‘First Kiss’?! But that confused a lot of people who really believed that, to be able to talk and interact with their soulmates they would have to kiss each other, like the Sleeping Beauty! I always got confused in this movie when I was a child, by the way! That ended up messing with a bunch of relationships before they even started, since a lot of peeps don’t feel comfortable enough with strangers kissing them. However, they also speeded up a bunch of them as well…” Logan blinked, his attention escaping from his previous thoughts to the light sky blue plushie of Baby Yoda, for a moment surprised with the sudden input. He felt fingers carefully holding his arms and a bit of ghost movements as Pat probably moved his representation to somewhere else, a hug and warmth engulfing the one yet absolving the new information moments later.

 “That was… enlightening.” His voice danced across the room. Even though he was completely aware they could chat telepathically, the childish act of saying the words out loud still comforted him, in a way. “Thank you for your contribution.”

 He took a deep breath and closed the tab of research on his cellphone, internally thanking from the escaping of his turmoil of thoughts, his free hand carefully combing the Baby Yoda’s head fur, almost methodic.

 “Looo, no!” The other protested with no heat in his tune, leading a toothless smile to resurface in Logan’s features. “Stop doing this. You know I end up sleeping every time!”

 “Oh no, what a tragedy.” He deadpanned, already plugging his phones and changing to a most relaxed position on his chair, his eyes traveling across the countless movies on the device before him. “In which episode did we stop?”

 “I’m going to fight you.” Pat sounded like he was pouting.

 “How so?” Logan asked, trying to hide his amusement.

 Silence followed his words.

 “Pat?”

 “What is the skeleton’s favorite instrument?”

 “Pat, don’t you fucking da-”

 “Language! It’s a xiloBONE!”

 Logan audible growled, fast in his final decision. “I’m going to drop you out the window.”

  “I’m going to hug you!” And immediately the one rolling his eyes felt himself being squished in a strong bear hug, huffing only half annoyed.

 “You are an incorrigible heathen, let me go in this exact instant.” His answer was a ‘butterfly kiss’ – as Pat was fond in calling them – on his forehead. “Urg, affection.” Yet he smiled and mirrored the act, lightly poking the other’s side.

 “We’re on episode 19.”

  [~*~]  

Roman stared the paper, his pencil’s tip stopped in the middle of the biggest petal’s flower, his eyes narrowing in the hope of a clearest way of how to convert the vague idea he had in transforming the night full of stars in a flower. No to tell he also would need to choose a good pallet of colors indication for it, later, and probably re-do all the process over and over and over until got the best result as possible. A yawn found its way from his lips and the designer stretched, getting up to drink a bit of water and rubbing his eyes, wondering if it was really worth it to make a black tea to help him through the night.

 A glimpse of color caught his attention. The navy blue teddy bear on his couch, the main inspiration of his newest tattoo. Roman wondered why it wasn’t resting in front of him while he drew. A corner of his brain, obscured by the tiredness, telling he had a previous good reason for this choice although his actual self carried absolutely no idea of why.

 Well, if he couldn’t remember it, it means the reason wasn’t THAT good, right?

 Roman held the stuffed animal, spinning with it across the room for a couple of minutes, imagining who would be the person behind it. A king, a queen, a non-binary royalty? Did they like Disney? Musicals? Sing? Would they chat for hours at first with a few words exchanged or would they take a bit to warm at each other? Was navy blue their favorite color or…

 Or…

 Navy blue.

 Oh.

 He fixed his glare on the plushie, his hands feeling and slowly drawing in the soft fur of it.

 Navy blue, huh? A humorless chuckled flew in the air. It could have no significance, it could be a world of it. It probably didn’t mean what he, for a moment, a so silly, stupid moment, wished it meant. Of course, one day this would happen, right? It was something normal, something expected. Not the magical, right out of the story books or his old daydreams, occurrence.

 This wasn’t a second chance. The Universe doesn’t give you second chances. He wasn’t the same boy from eleven years ago, holding his own costumed teddy bear crying his eyes out, hugging he – No, it – the closest as possible, wishing with all his heart and soul for the color, the voice, the thoughts, the rambling, their bickering, the forgiveness to come back again.

 No, he grew up. He moved on. He got better.

 Then why did a part of him still felt this way? Like he was about to hear the excited giggles, the soft reprimand, that lovely, deep and so truly -and sometimes boring, Roman had to admit – questions? Why would a part of him still say that he could have it all again if he just… waited long enough, hoped high enough, dreamed long enough…

 …If he was enough.

There aren’t more than seven billion colors in the world. Roman would be stupid if he really believed there was a path where he wouldn’t stumble in that so (un)fortunate well-known shade of blue again.

 Roman growled, his forehead making a loud, dry thumping sound as hit his desk. The one who should be asleep hours ago had absolutely no energy to battle against those thoughts, again. At least for now. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the teddy bear laid on the cold tabletop before him. Well, what a better way to get rid of your own means thoughts than put some stranger’s unpredictable thoughts in the middle of it? Roman slightly pushed the bunch of flowers and some warmup sketches he had out of the way, carefully carrying the representation next to him, nodding. Honestly, that was the best idea he had for a while, why did he even put the lovely thing away?

 Awake Roman was so silly, thinking that… something he couldn’t quite recall right now would be a bad idea, he pointed as snorted softly, pressing his lips on the teddy’s forehead, the quote he knew by heart flying from them in a natural flow.

 “It is not immortal, since it’s flame. But let it be infinite while it lasts.”

 A warm sensation rested on his own forehead moments later, leading the sleepy form to hum happily.

 “Is it… poetry?” Oh shit, Roman widened his eyes. His soulmate heard that?? Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. Roman mentally facepalmed himself. So that was why he usually said it before the First Step!

 “Uhh, yeah. Of course. Fidelity Sonnet by Vinícius Moraes.”

 “I see. Classicism, I presume. A literature of very soundly pleasant rhymes, indeed. The first sonnet was probably created by the humanist Italian poet Francesco Petrarca, although it got even more known in the western literature after the works of Camões, who- ”

 “He is from Modernism, actually.” Roman didn’t know why he suddenly sounded so defensive. Logan felt a cold feeling run his body when the other’s hands let go of him, for a piece of second wondering if it was supposed for him to do the same with the red narwhal plushie on his hold.

 “A very common mistake to make due the lack of context.” He retorted, unable to formulate another answer. He had, of course, thought, balanced options and chosen the best topics to discuss with his new soulmates when they bonded. However, his fingers firmly gripped the pen, its tip tapping on the first topic written in the notebook partially forgotten in front of him, the poetry figuratively threw him out of his tracks, leading the decision to be the most impartial as possible due his… not so impartial past memories with that specific shade of red an even more difficult task than it already was.

 “Yes. Sure. Sorry, I- I’m just… very tired right now.”

 “You should go sleep, then.”

 The other snorted with the direct, immediate response. “I should, shouldn’t I? Gotta work, though.”

 Some part of Logan’s brain registered the new fact, separating and keeping it in a special place so he would remember to write it down in the new folder he bought, later.

 “I see.” … poetry? That wasn’t a hard topic to talk about. The one now nervously cleaning the very clear lenses twisted his mouth. He could talk about this for hours. No, correction: he already had previously talked about this for hours non stop.

 Logan strangely felt the urge to rub his face and scream. It has been years, - eleven years and 10 months to be precise – and exactly eight years since the one wearing glasses learned poetry because of him. Because of his constant habit of reciting Shakespeare before they would go to bed, until Logan brought himself to research and decorate all the poems he could muster, taking the task to now wake Prince – the name still carried a strong taste in his tongue – in the same way every single day. Before they realize, that becomes something between them. There were times when both didn’t talk, content in only reciting some verses and hear the other complete them. A part of Logan, that illogical and unfortunately full of feelings one wondered how their rap battles would be if they found each other right now.

 Did Prince even maintain his liking the same things he one day did? Does he still recite poetry? Does he maintain the same dreams? The same habits?  Does he even remember about him?

 Highly improbable.

 “You can call me Lo.”

 Roman slowly blinked, getting out the fog surrounding his brain to realize he was mindless staring at the pan’s boiling water, surprised the other still there. Well, it seems like he hasn't screwed terribly everything yet.

 “Lo? Like Lowrance?”

 “Even though my name does contain ‘Lo’ in it, no. It’s ‘Lo’ like Logic. I came to believe it’s a good idea the nomination after a predominant characteristic, since we can’t actively exchange our real names through the Soulmate System.”

 Roman’s breath hitched, a memory with yellow-ish edges and nostalgic smell unrolling in front of him.

 …

 ‘I think we should choose you a name with more personality in it, ya know?’ He threw himself on his bed, kicking his legs on the air before immediately scoping the plushie and laying it on his stomach. ‘Like a characteristic!’

 ‘I don’t see what is wrong with the nickname I choose.’

 ‘No, no! There is nothing wrong with it! But that could be something just between us!’ Then he gasped, picturing that, if he was inside a movie there would be a lamp shining right above his hair in this moment. ‘We could call you Ro!! You wanted to be a robot, right?’

 His soulmate growled and Roman felt a few pokes on his arm, the verbal protest doesn’t taking long before accompanying it. ‘I was three years old!’

 ‘And I’m never letting you live this down.’ He beamed, both knowing the annoyed scoff he got as response held no real heat. ‘Besides, we could even match our names!!’

 ‘That would be very counterproductive.’ Roman felt his hair being softly smoothed, a usual indication the other was losing himself in his thoughts. ‘Nicknames are supposed to help us. Having two equal names is not the most efficient thing.’

 Roman dramatically scoffed, picking the stuffed animal and half hugging it, his free hand occupying itself in making a couple of gestures to no one, since his soulmate couldn’t exactly see them. ‘It’s not about being productive, Bear! It’s about feelings!!’

 ‘And since when,’ a light poke was delivered on his belly, making him squeak and mess with the teddy bear’s hair in revenge ‘Everything isn’t feelings for you, your highness?’

 …

 “Okay,” Roman and his self past disappearing with the fading memory said, in synchrony “You shall call me by Prince, then.”

 Suddenly he felt himself falling, his hands quickly holding on the tabletop as the cold, nauseous feeling took over his stomach, more like a punch on it, his veins being filled with amounts of adrenaline for a glimpse of a second.

 “Excuse me? Warn a guy next time you decide to just drop his representation, dude! Damn.” Roman shook himself, trying to bring his body to calm down.

 “Sorry, I got… startled.” Logan gulped. The word ‘Prince’ echoing on his mind as a broken vinyl disc. What were the chances? That couldn’t be such a common nickname, right? Nor color. Nor interests. What were the chances? What could be the chances? Maybe he was just projecting, being played, tricked by a dangerous partnership between his own brain and emotions. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions due the nostalgic feeling fogging his actions, his thoughts. Perhaps-

 “Hey, Lo? Are you there?”

 “Yes.” Logan answered, his fingertips colliding quickly with the fabric of his pants as he visualized his options. “Yes, I am.”

 “Hm. Okay, then. I’m… glad to know.”

 Silence. Logan took a wobbly breath.

 “Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back; Wherein he puts alms for oblivion; A great-size monster of ingratitudes:”

  “Those scraps are good deeds past; which are devour'd; As fast as they are made, forgot as soon.” Roman continued without even noticing until the words danced in the air, just like the years haven’t passed.

 Then he understood.

  His heart stopped for a second, his eyes widening and his voice disappearing, as if his whole being was afraid to break the moment, the spell; as if this was a dream and a miscalculate step would make everything fade.

 “Bear?” Roman felt a light poke on his cheek.

 “Hello, Prince.”

 Roman choked a laugh, quickly crawling the teddy bear next to his chest, hugging it both firmly and yet so caring, curling around its - no, him - feeling an equal warmth involve his form as he hided his face on the soft fur, giggling and hugging, feeling so happy, so alive and right and good and he would never, ever, ever again let him go.

 “I missed you, bitch. Never scare me like this again.”

 “I… missed you, as well.” Logan tried to not let the emotion take over his tune, his hand petting the narwhal plushie softly, the words had abandoning him, as it seems. “This reunion is a… good surprise.”

 “Oh, shut up, I know you’re having a blast somewhere in that logic soul of yours, too.”

 Logan huffed, grinning. “Stop crying on my hair, your troglodyte.”

 “Make me, I dare you.”

 “Always so dramatic.” They both rolled their eyes, letting the moment be bathed in the deep waters of a comfortable silence.

 “Eleven years.”

 “We have so, so much to talk about!! Oh, my goodness gracious, I’m going to get my tea. Do you remember about that play I wrote about zombie princes and a dragon witch? You will NOT fucking believe what happened with it!”

 “Good thing I have you to explain to me then.” Roman stopped, a gigantic smile taking over his features as he closed his eyes to feel everything even more.

 “Yeah, I agree.”

 Somewhere in the world Patton and Virgil smiled during their sleep, unable to control themselves when a gigantic wave of pure joy and delight filled every corner of their hearts, coloring it on the most brilliant gleam, just like their stuffed animals resting peacefully on their grip.

[sincerlypadfoot]

Maledicite Terrae (Curses 2)

Word Count - 2397

I watched my hair go from brown to Blonde, over and over again, changing colours now to dark green to blue, stopping at a dirty blonde colour, matching Marlene just a bit. “I like it,” I whispered to myself, running my hair through my now blonde hair. 

“You are just like your brother, get out of the bathroom and come on Josie,” Lily Evans yelled at me, banging on the door. “You're going to be late to your own Quidditch game!” She yelled again, not having the chance to bang on the door.

“I’m ready,” I said to Lily who’s mouth dropped open, a smile appeared on Marlene's face and Alice looked surprised. “Come on now, your gonna make me late for my own game,” I said to Lily mocking her voice.

“You look wonderful,” Marlene said putting her hand on my head. “You know I like it,” She said with a smile. “Now come on, James and Sirius would kill you if their seeker wasn't at the game,” She said pulling my arm.

“James and Sirius would have a complete heart attack if you didn't show,” Lily said joking. “Gives me an idea,” She said with a smile.

~

“What do you mean you don’t know where Josie is, is she mad?” James said looking over at Sirius who looked twice as mad then back at Lily. “What am I saying, my sister is mad,” He said putting his hand on his head. 

“We’re going to lose to Hufflepuff, HUFFLEPUFF!” Sirius said kicking the nearest box at him. “Beauty without brains,” I heard him say in his head, making me smirk a bit.

“Do you guys really think I would leave you hanging against Hufflepuff,” I said to the two as I walked into the tent with a smirk on my face. “You both are bloody crazy,” I mocked James' voice. 

“Ducky,” James muttered.

“Skunk,” I shot back.

“Freak,” 

“Asshole,”

“Oh okay that's enough,” Sirius said coming in between us too. “The team is waiting for us, let's go you two and enough bickering from you two,” Sirius said making me smile a bit.

“Nice hair,” Sirius said looking at my hair, from Brunette to Blonde was a big change for me but I needed change in my life.

“Nice hair too, even know it's messy,” I smirked running my hand through it. I turned to James, leaning on his shoulder a bit. “We win by the way,” I whispered so only James could hear.

“I know, we always win,” He replied knowing what I meant, Every night, my dreams would be something different, some good some bad, but it's was getting worse, way worse. 

“Nice hair,” Remus said as he walked towards the three of us. “Blonde really suits you now,” he said with a smile. “Good luck you three,” He said with a thumbs up then walked away with Lily and the girls.

“Bloody hell I didn't enough notice your hair,” James said with a smile. “Easier said than done, all you gotta do is think it,” He said joking making Sirius look over at the two of us. “With hair dye you know,” James said covering his tracks.

“Here comes the Gryffindor team, the trio, Sirius Black as Beater number 53, James Potter our best catcher 35 and my best friend Josie Potter our Seeker!” Alice yelled out, she became the speaker after Frank suggested it. “LET THE GAME BEGIN,” She screamed as the snitch was flown away and the Quaffle was released followed by the three Bludgers.

“James Potter is off, Quaffle in hand, he throws and,” With a slight pause from Alice. “HE SCORES, 10 points for Gryffindor!” Alice screamed joined in by the Gryffindor stands.

I looked around the field for a minute, searching for the snitch, spotting it right almost in the hands of other Seeker Dean Grudge. “No way,” I mumbled taking off my broom in that direction. “No way Dean,” I shouted at him, bumping into him with my broom.

“Nice hair huh,” He said reaching for the snitch. “Let me take you on a date,” He asked almost getting to the snitch, I put my hand out reaching for it too, both inches away. 

“The three Broomsticks, tomorrow,” I shouted at him, watching the bludgers come right for him. “Sorry,” I yelled as the bludger hit the back of his broom and fall to the ground, with the snitch right into my hand I fell along with him with my hand up in the air.

“Josie Potter has caught the snitch,” Alice shouted. “My best friend did it again!” She screamed as the mic dropped and everyone cheered around.

“See you tomorrow for our date,” Dean said standing over top of me well I laid on the ground. He put out his hand to help me up.

“See you tomorrow,” I said with a smile, unravelling my hand to look at the snitch in my hand. Dean walked away and James was running to me.

“Look at your profit, always right,” James joked looking at the snitch in my hand. “You know as captain, that snitch it mine,” He said putting his hand on the snitch, both of us having a grip on it.

“James Fleamont Potter,” I muttered pulling the snitch from him, we both pulled back on the snitch before both falling back and letting it go. “Oh look what you did!” I yelled at James watching the snitch fly away.

“I’ve got it,” Sirius muttered at the both of us getting on his broom and flying up to catch the snitch, I quickly got up on my broom and followed him up.  

“What's your problem Black, we won,” I shouted chasing after him. “You did great out there,” I added.

“I know your dirty little secret ducky,” He shouted stopping his broom with the snitch in his hand. “You're a metamorphmagus,” Sirius said with a smirk.

“I don't know what you’re talking about, and don’t call me ducky,” I muttered taking the snitch from his hand and flying off, back down to James who looked madder at them when I left him.

“You have a date with a Hufflepuff tomorrow?” He asked with his hands crossed. “With Dean too,” He muttered but was shortly cut off with the three girls running to me.

“Come on, we have to get ready for the party,” LIly said taking my hand. “Potter.” She mumbled looking at James who just stared at her with a smile.

“Lily Flower,” James said with a smile to Lily. “You gonna say yes to my date now?” He asked making me hit him in the chest.

“Oh all the things I could do to your hair,” Alice said pulling me away from the two boys and back to the castle. “You would look so cute with space buns and blonde hair, oh my,” She said happily.

“I have a date tomorrow night,” I blurted out making the three girls look at me. “With Dean Grudge, at the three broomsticks,” I said to the three who looked at me in disbelief.

“James is going to Hex that boy into next week,” Marlene joked not really joking. The last time a boy had asked me out he never showed up, turns out James and Sirius hexed him, sending him to the hospital wing so he couldn't show up for our date.

“Which is why we’re having our date at the three broomsticks, where you three can make sure James doesn't do anything dumb,” I said to the three girls. “Now come on we go get ready for the party,” I said with a smile, looking back at James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. 

“God your such an ass,” Peter Pettigrew thought making me chuckle a bit. “Sirius Black I could kill you,” He muttered making me roll my eyes and turn around.

“Why do you do that?” Lily asked poking my shoulder. “You just zone out, staring at nothing,” She asked.

“Just old habits of James and I,” I said to her smiling, opening the door to the castle. “Dean is a nice guy, must be he’s in Hufflepuff now,” I said nervously. “I don't understand why James has to ruin the fun for me,” I mumbled now angry, watching my strain of hair in front of my face slowly turn red but I stopped it.

“He’s just your brother, it's what brothers do,” Alice said whispered the password to the fat lady and watching the common room door open, the boys already beating us there. “How did you?” She asked but stopped.

“Magic,” James smirked leaning into the couch. “I heard Deans gonna be sick tomorrow afternoon,” He muttered making Sirius laugh, causing me to stop and look at him.

“Oh, James Fleamont Potter I could hex you right now!” I yelled taking my wand out. “Why do you always have to ruin everything for me, why can’t you let me go on one date!” I screamed making Sirius, Remus and Peter cover their ears, James was unphased.

“You're my sister, I’m not gonna let a little Hufflepuff hurt my sister, over my dead body,” He said standing up and taking his wand out. “Hex me I dare you, I’m better anyways,” I said egging me on, my feet started patting and my hands started shaking in anger.

“Levicorpus!” I screamed pointing my wand at James, watching him turn upside down and hang by his ankles. “I’m better huh,” I mocked walking towards him.

“Relation,” James growled pointing his wand at me, making me drop my wand and land him down on the couch.  “I know I’m better,” He said standing up as I picked up my wand.

“James Potter you are the most ignorant man on this planet,” I yelled turning on my heel and walking out of the common room. “Please don’t open it for any of my friends to follow me,” I said to the fat lady, making my hair turn a bright red and running away to the outside of the castle and to the black lake docks, turning into a duck and jumping into the water.

“You know,” James said sitting on the dock. “The more times you tell the fat lady to not let anyone out, the more times she doesn't listen to you,” He said looking at me in the lake. “Don’t speak, just let me talk,” He joked knowing I wasn't going to say anything. “I love you a lot Josie, but I don’t want anyone hurting you, or finding out about you, that would be a terrible mess to clean up, passably to mom and dad,” James said watching me come closer to him, walking onto the land and turning back into myself.

“Serena Potter held her secret until the day she died, I think I could too,” I said wrapping my arms around my brother. “You know I saw something the other day in my dreams,” I said to James turning to him.

“What do you see, what's wrong?” He asked worried, turning his whole body to me and looking confused. “Josie?” He said putting his arm on my shoulder.

“I saw you falling into the black lake,” I chuckled wrapping my arms around him and tipping both of us into the black lake, turning myself into a duck again.

“Ducky are you serious?” James said coming up from the water and looking at the duck in front of him. “You really are a special one,” He muttered kissing the top of my head.

“What are you doing Potter?” Sirius Black asked coming to the end of the dock. “A duck in this lake?” He said sitting down.

“Yeah a stupid one-two,” James muttered grabbing onto the end of the dock and helping himself up. “Sirius you should go back, I’m just waiting for something,” James said to Sirius looking back at me in the water.

“Yeah little old Ducky here turning back into your sister, I saw what happened,” Sirius said chuckling, James looked at him, then back at me. 

“I don’t know what you're talking about Sirius,” James muttered putting his hand out into the water and picking me up. “This is just a normal duck,” He said patting my head before Sirius took me into his own hands.

“Then you wouldn't mind me giving the duck to Slughorn, he was looking for some duck feathers for some potions,” Sirius said standing up, that moment I turned back into myself and tossing myself off him.

“You will no such things with my duck feathers!” I yelled shaking my head at him. “How rude,” I said poking his forehead.

“Josie Fleamont Potter what did you do!” James said now poking the side of my head. “What happened to not telling anyone huh, look at your hair, bright red, you just giving yourself away!” He said shaking my head at me.

“Would you have rathered me be duck head soup!” I said back then looking at Sirius. “You were gonna turn me into soup,” I mumbled shaking my head.

“I wouldn't have done it, but I’ve done for a long time that your a metamorphmagus,” Sirius said looking at James then at me. “I never was curious of the bat that hung in our rooms until I put the pieces together that it was you, when we never let you join boys night, that bat was there hanging from the roof every night of boys night,” Sirius explained making my roll my eyes.

“Of course I should have known that was you, you could never take no for an answer, boys night is private,” James said rolling his eyes making me chuckle.

“Didn't know you guys wanting to become Animagus next year, and planned on getting tattoos next months, illegal tattoos,” A smile formed on Sirius’ face when I said that. “You said no secrets, James, I was just keeping up with your word,” I joked making him roll his eyes again.

“We should get back, these wet clothes are getting to me,” James muttered walking past Sirius and me I. “Let's go,” he called back at the two of us.

“What other secrets are you hiding from me,” Sirius smirked throwing his hand over my shoulder and walked with me. “Come on now, you can trust me,” He said holding the door open with his other hand.

“Gain my trust first then maybe I’ll tell you my dirty little secrets,” I said chuckling, following James into the common room. “Goodnight Sirius,” I whispered to him then looked over at James, taking Sirius to hand off me.

“Goodnight Ducky,” James muttered throwing his hands over me. “No more secrets,” He whispered in my ear, following Sirius up to their room.

[aesthyuckic]

AVENOIR | l.dh - OCTO

Genre: High School AU (at beginning) ; Tarot Reader!Witch!Hyuck

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: (will bold if in use) slow but with a purpose, belief contradictions, mentions of r*pe, blood, swearing, violence, mentions of abuse

Pairings: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) x Reader (F)

THE STAR - hope, faith, rejuvenation

It had been a few weeks since they had met Johnny and joined his circus. To them, it felt odd and almost silly to be considered part of the circus... It never changed the fact, though. They hadn’t really met anyone there yet, at least not anyone to be considered more than a acquaintance maybe. Although, they did met a boy named Jisung, who was one of minor acrobatics, around Cosimia’s age.

They never saw him much, considering he worked in the big tent while they had a smaller tent of their own in the carnival part. They still lived with Ten and Sicheng, so immediately after they were done working they would go back to the trailer for some peace for themselves. It made it so they never really had time to hang out with the other kids their age or just the others there.

They were given a day off when they stopped in Texas, near the coast. Donghyuck was eager about the small break as he was exhausted from having to pick up and go every other day. It was all too much work for him on top of the long, hot days they had to go through. Cosimia remained on the other side of spectrum, excited about traveling and the work she was given. He guessed seeing the sparkle in her eyes whenever she looked out the window of the trailer as it moved down the road kept him going through it all.

They sat on the floor of the living room in the trailer. Sicheng and Ten were eating outside along with everyone else since meals were covered by Johnny at one of the tents. The green of money filed in neat piles in between the two as Cosimia counted the last of it. He stared at it, zoning out until the girl across from him picked it all up and put them together.

“We have around two thousand dollars,” She said, counting the bills again. “But I doubt we’ll spend it all today...”

“How are we even going to spend it?” Donghyuck asked. “We’re in the middle of nowhere and we don’t have phones to shop on.”

“Come on.” She rolled her eyes while getting up from the floor while she took all the money with her as well.

He didn’t really have a say in the matter and was quick to follow after her since half the money was his. She was fast, didn’t let him catch up for a second either as she walked all the way to the tent that had smoke coming out of it. The sound of people talking and coals crackling got louder.

He realized he had stopped for a moment right outside of the dirty white and red striped tent. He saw Cosimia round the corner, in enough time, to which he ran after her, almost loosing her in the crowd of their co-workers. She was walking toward the table Sicheng and Ten sat at. He stood back once he saw the dark haired male stand up and leave, not even bothering to look up from the ground. He still was not on very good terms with Ten, but then again, no one really ever was other than maybe Sicheng.

The other was left with a bunch of other people he seemed to be friends with. The girl continued to walk over to him, unaware she was even there until her hand rested on her shoulder and she bent down.

“Can we borrow the truck?” She whispered in his ear.

She had straighten her posture, him turning to looking up at her while putting his fork down. He moved around in his seat to go digging through his pocket. The familiar sound of keys jiggling rang before he gave them to her.

“Don’t crash it and never tell Ten I let you use our truck.” He demanded.

“Thank you!” She chimed before she walked away.

She had spotted Donghyuck when she turned around. He only looked at her with a questioning expression as he hadn’t seen the keys or anything. She grinned once she walked up to him and place the keys on his chest that then fell into his hands. He was shocked by it and stared at the set in his hands. She continued to walk, presumably toward Sicheng’s truck.

“Are you coming or what?” She chuckled as she turned around and walk backwards.

A slight smile came to his lips at her the sight of her chuckle. He run to catch up with her once again that day. They approached the rusty, blue, beat up truck together and got in. He, of course, drove but it took some time considering it was a stick shift and its age but it still started up.

They had smiled at each other once the engine started before he took off, rather quickly which left a cloud of dust behind them in the dirt.

Throughout the drive he noticed him occasionally looking over at her, just to check in. She remain quiet as she looked out the window, watching as nothing went by. For some reason, he found a little joy within just that. He wished the radio wasn’t busted because maybe then it would’ve made things more fun. The drive wasn’t long, the stores began to appear the further they drive down the road and they came to stop in front of a retro looking thrift shop.

She seemed excited as she jumped out of the truck, leaving Donghyuck to run after her get again. When they got inside, he was saw the clothing racks were full of color, parts of the store were overcrowded with furniture giving it an oddly comfortable feel. There was a section he was drawn to, it was narrow but full of old board games, movies and recorders.

He could see Cosimia dashing around the store, taking things off the racks, impulsively, and carrying them. He could see her fine from the the corner of his as he mostly focused on the records around him. It’s not like he was going to buy any of them as much as he wished, he had no record player but man, did Ten’s music annoy him so much at this point... He sighed to himself as his fingers lingered on the old things.

He had just then noticed his friend was no where in sight. He started to feel panic arise in his chest, not being able to see her anywhere. He went looking everywhere like a lost puppy until he stumbled across a section of the store that had curtains hung up to make a sort of dressing room. It had a three way mirror in the corner that seem to sit in the sun just right. He realized the mountain of cloths that laid on the velvet banquette settee center. They were men’s clothes, in his size and everything...

He was startled when the bright yellow curtains opened suddenly to reveal the girl he’d been looking for. She didn’t pay a mind to him as she walked over to the three way mirror to stand in the middle. She wore a long, royal purple skirt with a gold and yellow pattern of a planchette from a ouija. She smoothed it out while trying to fix the way her white t-shirt tucked into it. To be honest, it seemed like her and it seemed she thought so too by the way she smiled herself in the mirror and twirled, playfully. It made him smile to watch her like that, he’d never seen her act that way. The way the sun lit up the fabric as she twirled was quite beautiful as well, in his thought process. With the skirt glowing around her, he saw she wore black boots, a little beat up but it worked for her. He caught himself staring too much, probably looking like an idiot from how afar he admired her from.

Bags filled up the small backseat of the truck by the time they were done in the thrift store. The vechile was welcomely warm and stuffy when the both of them had finally got in.

“Is there anything else we should get before we get back or are we good?” He sighed as his hands rested on the stirring wheel.

She looked at her hair. The cherry red that was once there was now gone and replaced with a strawberry blonde color. One of which he knew she wasn’t too fond of, on herself anyway.

“We should go get hair dye,” She answered. “You look like you could need some too.”

She ruffled his hair a bit as she spoke. She didn’t seem to notice how shallow her breath got at the smallest of touching she’d done as she buckled her seatbelt. It took him a second to come down and do the same before he drove to the nearest drug store they could find.

It didn’t take long for her to pick a box for herself as they stood in the aisle next to each other. His hair was fading to a chalky, pastel orange. It reminded him of pixie stick dust but fried and crunchy. How he came to end up with orange hair? His friend, Yangyang, decided to bleach and dye his hair an obnoxious color as a prank when he blackout drunk freshman year. It was surprisingly how the color held for so long, his roots barely showing.

“What about you?” Cosimia asked. “What color do you want?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “Don’t really care that much either. The whole dyed hair was a prank and I never got around to dying it black again after it happened...”

“While I do think black would look good on you, I think lighter colors suit you better.” She sighed.

She remained silent as she looked at him for a minute while she clearly contemplated. She reached out and came to hold his chin, moving it around as she pleased to get a different angle. His breath easily hitched in his throat at her gentle action. She had never been one for physical attributes and to know she was doing the littlest things meant so much to him. She was getting more comfortable with him and he loved that fact. She let him go as gently as she had held him. She hummed a bit as she bent down to the colored dyes once again. She grabbed a box of silver hair dye with ease before she handed it to him.

“It will compliment your skin tone,” She have a slight smile. “Make it look more like gold than it already does.”

She turned a way from him with a smile, walking down the aisle, not even daring to look back at him which he was somewhat thankful about. He stood there, in the same place, too lost in himself as he could feel the skipped beats of his heart. He clutched the box of dye in his hand as he could feel the evident, hot blush come to his cheeks before it heated up his whole body. It was the littlest of things.

He didn’t understand it, the feelings that had never been felt before. Didn’t understand what intrigued him about her so much that he’d fake his death just go with her, didn’t understand the attraction to her like magnets or why he liked and hated the feeling as well.

The drive back remained a blur to him. He was too focused on her gestures throughout the day which meant absolutely nothing, to her at least. It was that odd blur where one remembers only how the felt and can piece small things together, but nothing else. He remembers the warm feeling he felt throughout his body, much like a fever as his grip on the steering wheel was hard enough to turn his hands white, but that was it.

When they had gotten back, the grounds were bare, few people were out running around in the dusty area. They went back to the trailer, even called out for Ten and Sicheng as they came back in. The two didn’t seem to be there when they came in which left them wondering where they could’ve gone since they had taken their truck. It didn’t last long though.

Cosimia threw the bags on the couch and grabbed the box of hair dye. She quickly grabbed Donghyuck’s hand before she ran to the bathroom. She even shut the door behind them, not taking into consideration how small it was. There wasn’t enough room for two people, leaving him leaned up against the wall. It was happening again, the hot feeling through his body he hated and loved.

“There’s... not a lot of room in here...” He practically gulped.

“Well, I’m gonna help you and you’re gonna help me,” She smiled with a glint in her eye. “We’ll make it work.”

He banged his head on the wall, on accident of course, after she had gotten closer to him in that moment. How close their faces were left him nervous. She giggled at him as he just held back a groan.

“Now, I definitely have to help you...” She chuckled.

He went first. She stripped his hair of the remaining pastel orange and washed it out. She was gentle, especially around where he has injured him. It felt nice to have someone run their hand through his hair, even if it was wet and his neck was straining. The moment felt nice as well in an unexplainable way.

As he wait for his hair to dry to apply the silver, he help Cosimia dye her own hair. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing but it gave for a few good laughs as the sink, floor and even their skin was stained a red-ish purple. Then it was his turn to have his put in which thankfully didn’t come out as messy since the girl knew what she was doing. The stains left by him where already going to anger Ten a lot, which enough.

He wrapped a towel around his head as she turned to wash her hands, the both of them smiling to each other without the knowledge. Before she could turn on the faucet, the very clear sound of the trailer opening was heard. They both looked at each with panic in their eyes. The girl quickly reached over the locked the door, leaving silver to stain the gold door knob. Ten was most definitely going to kill them for ruining the bathroom and probably the white towels the used impulsively.

The smell of chemicals stunk up the small space, lightly suffocating them. There was no doubt the smell hadn’t lingered out from the crack under the door and occupied the hall. A shadow appeared at the bottom of the doorway which made them jump a bit. A polite knock on the door.

“Haechan? Cosimia?” Johnny called from outside.

They both relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. Cosimia got of the sink to unlock the door and swing it open which startled the man.

“Have a makeover?” The dark haired man chuckled.

“You scared the shit out of us, we thought you were Sicheng and Ten.” She snapped.

“Hm, probably shouldn’t snap at me like that. I am your boss and I came with something you ought to be thankful for.” He said while remaining calm but nevertheless, delivering what he said with a certain tone that was underlined vindictive. “I was going to say I finally found you two your own trailer. A nice one too, definitely bigger than this one. Though, if you’re going to act like that, maybe I should just feed you to Ten.”

“Thank you, Johnny. We’re very thankful but maybe so if you had said it was you when you entered. You also could’ve been an axe murderer for all we knew.”

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. He practically had a foot on her and he was also more powerful than her in the terms of business. She didn’t stand down for a second as she glared at the elder waiting for him to utter anything in reason.

“Guess you’re not wrong,” He huffed. “The keys are on the counter and you can tell which on it is, it’s the nice one as I said. Probably best you get out of here before Ten shows up too.”

He walked away, leaving Cosimia to shut the door that creaked with the movement. She leaned her back against the door as she looked at the boy while taking a breath. In that moment, Donghyuck realized she was strong. He should’ve been able to noticed that sooner. He liked that, something about the trait made his heart flutter in a, yet again, unexplainable way.

“We should probably wash out the dye and get going.” She said, still leaned up against the door.

“Yeah,” He nodded, still sat on the toilet as he was knock out of his thoughts.

They rushed to wash the leftover coloring out of their hair. The water coming out purple and gray. The towels on the floor were scattered. His towel wasn’t that bad but hers, it resembled red wine, especially after the quick dry job that left it with even more stands. Her hair came out looking like a night purple which brung out there paleness in her skin. Oddly enough, the first person it reminded him of was Raven from the Teen Titans. He thought the character fit her rather well.

They gather the towels and cleaned up the floor and sink as best they could before putting them in the small laundry hamper in the closet in the hall. After that, they turned on the fan in the bathroom to get rid of the obnoxious smell that filled the place. Cosimia grabbed the keys off the counter before she took some of the bags off the couch. Donghyuck close behind her, grabbed the rest of their belongings as she hurried out the door.

It really was easy to find their trailer. It towered a little over the rest, though around the same size in length. It also looked quite a bit nicer than the others around them, a lot newer too. They didn’t understand why Johnny would’ve gotten them one so nice. They were kids and they did think they were getting a cheap one by what he said to them weeks ago. Still, they definitely weren’t complaining, just curious.

They settled in quickly, not that there was much to settle into. There wasn’t any furniture, food in the pantry or fridge with left it up for them to fill it up with what they wanted. There was microwave and coffee maker, though. There was a dusty sheet that covered the bed in back. The two pillows were fine but there was no blanket.

He walked out from the back to see Cosimia sitting on the counter, her back facing him. The sunlight barely hit her from where it slipped in through the blinds. It was the first time he’d seen her purple hair turn into a passionate red due to the light. It reminds of sparks and fire. He didn’t even think about how long he’d been staring from afar.

“What’s up?” She asked, turned around now after she realized the boy behind her who stared in complete silence.

“I’m just kinda tired...” He mumbled. “That’s all.”

It wasn’t completely a lie...

“Go take a nap then,” She chuckled. “We’ve got the rest of the day off and nothing to do with it.”

“What about you?” He questioned.

“Not to be of your concern,” She sighed. “I’ll figure out what to do with myself.”

He shrugged to himself. It wasn’t a half bad idea especially since he didn’t recall the last time he slept... He walked into the back and fell face first into the bed. The pillows were down and he could tell by the way the feathers poked out at his face and the way his head sunk into the pillow. He was still able to fall asleep in seconds of hitting them, though.

Donghyuck woke up with his head pounding and no concept of time. The banging coming from the kitchen is what really woke him up. At first, his sleepily self thought nothing of it until he remembered Cosimia. His mind immediately went to worst case scenario: Ten came to strangle them so he rushed out of bed. Though, he care out to see her just sitting in a stool, in front of her on the counter was her amethyst crystal only this time practically split into two. He also saw a hammer, chisel, some cord and small pieces of metal.

“What the hell?” He muttered as he rubbed his head to sooth the pounding.

“Sorry for waking you up.” She said rather sheepishly. “I was making something for you.”

“What?” He asked, forgetting about his headache.

It seemed like she was aware of what he had been doing though. She pulled out a bottle from her bag and opened it for a couple pills. She handed them to him along with a water bottle. She didn’t have to say anything but encouraged him to take him which he did without a word of it.

“I made you something.” She repeated.

She grabbed something he didn’t get to see before she hid it in her hand. She hopped off the stool before she made him turn around. He felt something hit his chest and could hear her tying of cord behind him too. He looked down and saw a piece of amethyst dangle in the middle of his chest. He turned back around, confused as he held the small piece in his hand.

“Do you remember what amethyst symbolizes?” She asked.

“Yeah...” He hummed, not able to really forget even the smallest details of that night.

“Good,” She smiled. “It’s so you can be protected from evil, even when I’m not around to protect you from it.”

He wanted to ask, what about her? What would protect her from evil? Who would protect her from evil? Why was it her job to protect him from it? But he knew what she would say, that’s not of his concern. She was like that. To be frank, he liked the idea of someone wanting to protect them but he also wanted to be one to protect them as well.

[purplesurveys]

962

Do you have a pair of Beat headphones? I used to have a pair. I mean it’s still around in my closet, but it’s completely broken now with the cable all given out and the cushion for the left ear has been missing for a while. I just don’t have the heart to throw it out because it was my absolute favorite pair of headphones that gave me good memories during a particularly shitty time in high school.

How was your week? A little better. I’ve gotten into the groove at work so I’m no longer shy when it comes to asking questions and giving inputs, and I’ve gained a better grasp of the workplace’s dynamic so it’s also been easier to communicate with people. Heavy life stuff is still around and it won’t be leaving for a while, but they were easier to ignore this week.

Are any of your electronics not working properly at the moment? Not really, but my phone’s charger cable recently stopped working. I have a backup that I’m using at the moment and while it’s able to charge my phone, it’s starting to fray and I’m not feeling too good about the wires that I’m starting to see hahaha. I just don’t know how to take care of my cables, guys. Anyway, this question made me paranoid so I took a few minutes to wrap a shit ton of electrical tape on the frayed area so I think it’s all good for now.

Are you excited to pick out your wedding dress one day? I like thinking about my wedding but I truthfully dread the wedding gown part. I’ve never been able to decide what look and style suits me best and I’ve just never been good at determining things like that. I like to imagine that I’d leave that bit to whoever my maid of honor will be, because I’d definitely prize a second opinion more than my own.

When was the last time you felt relieved? Yesterday, 6 PM when I exited the last Google Meet for the day. It was a Friday night and it meant my work week was over :)) I mean I love what I do, but Friday nights will always hit differently.

Does it bother you when an artist remakes a song that one has previously done? I wouldn’t say it bothers me but covers are definitely a hit or miss for me, with way more misses than hits. Nothing wrong with acts putting their own spin on an already existing song, but I’m personally the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type when it comes to music.

What brand of chapstick do you use? I don’t use any mainly because I’m bound to lose them within a week. Same goes for other care products.

Do you really think someone could be perfect? No. Everyone has their flaws and that should be okay to acknowledge.

When was the last time you cried? Wednesday, I think. It’s been three days! I’d count that as an achievement. But idk, my sadness comes in waves so I shouldn’t be celebrating too early. I’m sure I’ll feel a pang soon and be crying again over the weekend.

What’s a food that you like every once in awhile but not often? Cake. Too sweet and rich; I wouldn’t enjoy eating it every day. What letter is the song you’re listening to under? Not listening to music, but I have a YouTube video on.

Would you rather visit the 60s or 70s? 60s would be the lesser evil, I guess. I would NOT want to live through Martial Law in the 70s...I originally wasn’t even going to go with 60s because I think the world was a bit chaotic at the time, but I think my country was mostly unaffected by the political/cultural things happening then so it’s whatever.

Are you the type of person that enjoys getting hugs? I don’t actively seek them out but it feels nice when someone likes me enough to extend their arms out to me for a hug. I haven’t been hugged for a while and I feel kinda empty.

Do your socks say anything on them? I think some of my socks have the brand name on them but that’s it.

Name a TV channel that only has three letters in it. AMC.

Have you found out who your true friends are? For now, yes.

Gray or Grey? I use both spellings for no particular context. I simply like changing it up lol.

Will you be buying concert tickets any time soon? LOL of course not. And I’m very picky when it comes to concerts that I choose to attend anyway, so I doubt I would’ve bought any tickets in the last six months even without Covid unless it was for Paramore or Beyoncé.

Have you seen the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower? Did you like it? Nope, but everyone was hyping that movie up when it came out. It never really looked like my thing < Yeah pretty much. I feel like it’s such a teenage-y movie so I was never drawn to it. I also think it would be too triggering for my depression, so I’ve felt wary about checking both book and movie out.

Is there something you’d fall apart if you didn’t have? One of my biggest fears is to end up alone, so I always have to have some form of a support system to fall back into. I would be very lost if I didn’t have at least one person to rely on.

How many weddings have you been to? I can think of four off the top of my head. I was either a flower girl or a junior bridesmaid for all of those.

When you smile, are you confident? Most times I am; I like to smile. But sometimes I smile just to fake it and avoid any questions.

Have you ever not done something because you were afraid of getting in trouble? Yesss, all the time. I’ve always been all about following the rules and I’ve never seen the appeal in breaking them. That makes me sound boring but at least I’ve never gotten in serious trouble lol.

Was the weather beautiful today? For me it is, but only because I like the rain and cloudy weather. Others might find it bleak and sad, but I feel right at home.

Do you have to have a fan on when you sleep? Yeah, all year long.

Would you rather have an orange, red or gray bedroom? If I had my dream modern/brutalist home, grey would be soooo fucking perfect for the bedroom. 

Would you ever dye part of your hair blue? I’m open to it, but I don’t think it’ll be a good match for my black hair as both are darker shades as it is. If I could dye my hair I’d pick lighter colors like green or even go all the way to blonde.

Have you ever gone to a private school? Yeah, from kindergarten all the way to high school. Private schools here typically give a better quality of education and they don’t give off the for-lazy-spoiled-kids vibe that I always hear from private schools in other countries, which makes them the norm for middle and upper-middle class families.

Is Finding Nemo a favorite movie of yours? I have other favorite animated movies, but that doesn’t stop me from loving Finding Nemo. :) I would always tune in for the whole thing if it were on.

Does/Did your school have a uniform? I had to wear one in my first school, but I didn’t need one for college.

Turn on the TV. What channel are you on? No TV where I am. I think my parents are watching a movie on their TV, but it’s on Netflix rather than a channel.

Does your house have security cameras? It does not.

Does a popsicle sound good right now? Eh, I guess it sounds fine but I’d rather have a pint of ice cream. I think that fits better with the weather and the mood that I’m in today.

What’s your favorite exercise workout? My weight training class last year was a lot of fun. I always felt dead after every session haha but I definitely felt healthier. I wish the semester had gone on longer just for that one class.

What’s your favorite thing to do? Lol I love doing many different things < Same lmao this question is so vague??? My favorite thing to do these days is binge-watch Rhett and Link content, but I like doing so many other things too.

What did you do for your 17th birthday? I was with Gabie that day and we went to a local art museum, as well as to a restaurant that she had wanted to take me to.

Does your local Walmart have benches in them to rest? We don’t have Walmarts.

Was your favorite stuffed animal really a teddy bear growing up? I never had stuffed animals. Well I was given a few of them as gifts, but I was never into them and they always ended up being owned by my sister.

If your house was haunted, what would you do? Not even think about it. Just show them that I couldn’t care less, lol.

Are you good at swimming? I can do a few strokes and am pretty good at treading, but I'm prone to panic-kicking when I can tell that the water is too deep.

What’s worse: Slow internet or slow walkers? Slow internet is such a pain in the ass. Shouldn’t even have to be an issue in 2020 anymore.

What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? Cat-called, whistled at, winked at, lunged at. One good thing about this lockdown is that I haven’t had to deal with men as much as I used to. Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in or out? Well I only have one layer of bedsheet and it’s the one that covers up the mattress, so it’s tucked in by default. I have a blanket to cover me up when I’m cold.

What do you do to fall asleep faster? I find a few videos to watch as that tends to make me feel sleepy the quickest.

Do you carry a bottle of water wherever you go? I used to have a tumbler/water bottle in college but I forgot it at the gym one day and when I came back for it, somebody already stole it :( It was such a handy water bottle because it kept my water cold all day, so it sucks that I lost it. I’m planning to buy the same model again soon.

Are you afraid that one day you might get cancer? It doesn’t really run in my family save for one grand-aunt who had cancer, so I’m not too worried. But I’ve accepted the fact that it is at least a possibility.

Are you a fast or slow walker? I like being in the middle. Slow walkers are annoying so I try not to be one, and walking fast just reminds me of my mom and how quickly she walks at malls when she’s supposed to be spending time with her family lol.

Do you usually have to wear a belt with your pants? No. They all fit me just fine.

Does it bother you when people’s underwear hangs out? Eghhh, it really does. I know it shouldn’t but it really does. I just feel like it’s so invasive and it gives me a lot of secondhand embarassment.

Are you usually the person to try new things with your hair? Not really. I like staying safe with my hair. The most daring thing I’ve done with it is get bangs tbh, and I don’t plan on going any further than that.

When’s your birthday? April 21st.

What age do you look forward to reaching? I don’t feel that way about any age. Whenever I reach ultimate satisfaction and security will be a good enough age for me.

Name a state that begins with the letter M. Minnesota.

What’s the first thing you do after a car accident? Think about how to tell my parents. D:

What do you use to get rid of bad breath? Brush my teeth, drink water.

What exercise do you hate the most? Pull-ups.

What do you do at a party? Drink, socialize, tell stories, eat allllllll the food ha.

[awaylaughing]

I was playing around with the girls’ various backgrounds and a few wee HCs for some of them were spawned. There’s smth for each one here, some more or less though. (Pippa has the most tho bc I am. Very biased).

Aurora, Baroness Namaire

- wicked good at poker, she learned from her mother, and went on to teach all her siblings

- has a minor rivalry with one of her baronial neighbour’s wife: in a rare subversion from expectation though it’s centred entirely around creating Revair’s best plum wine, and growing the best northern plums in general. No one has died, been blackmailed, and so far, not one case of arson has occurred. It’s all very atypical.

- was named for her mother’s younger brother, Aurean, who backed the old empire during the coup and was executed for it.

- knows how to patch stucco and fix thatching, skills she’s not had any reason to flex since she was 17.

Michi of Holt

- hates super spicy food, or super spiced food, or even super sweet food – delicate pallet on this one.

- learned to draw because of her third tutor (the first two gave up) who realized that if he let Michi pick the class location and doodle, she learned way better than locking her in a room and yelling at her.

- had a really, really complicated relationship with her maternal grandmother Myrna of Brehna whom she loved, but also resented both for how her grandmother impacted her relationship with her dying mother, and her grandma’s ‘my way or the highway’ approach to teaching Michi etiquette.

- on the note of the Brehnas, Michi is related to Noa via that branch (Myrna’s father is Isador’s paternal grandmother’s brother - making Noa and Michi 4th cousins)

Noa of Hise

- despite the stereotype, much prefers to be decked out in silver (brings out her eyes)

- mildly dyslexic, she spent her childhood doggedly trying to hide her difficulties learned her grandfather, Bantim or “Bonny Tim”, had the thing.

- lived in Wellin for 3 hours after her mother died. Her father insisted they move back, and Noa, worried for his health agreed. Three days in one of Isadore’s brothers made an offhand remark about Blackthorn and Noa alike, and her father walked right out of the parlor and back onto the ship that had brought them to Wellin in the first place, a greatly relieved Noa trailing behind him.

- was terrified of heights when she was a younger, a condition she considered intolerable and thus found her scaling every vertical surface she could find. Cousins or her mother had to got fetch her down a few times, but she largely outgrew it and now she only get queasy very rarely.

Pippa of Corval

- was actually born an fraternal [edit bc I changed my mind] twin, however her sister died after only three days. Corvali traditions wait a week after birth to name children (or, the seventh night, to be more exact), so her sister was never named. Pippa doesn’t have much of an opinion about this, other than joking maybe sharing that space was why she ended up so short (a minor mystery in the family, as her mother’s quite tall and her father wasn’t tall but not really short, either)

- her snake was actually a gag gift to another girl, Mitra who hates snakes. Basically, Pippa cares for Hihissa 9/10 parts of the yeah, and whenever Mitra’s brother visits, Mitra holds her nose and pretends she’s totally been living with this snake for three years.

- looooves rose water sweets. And tea. A scented oils. Basically, smells like a rose garden all the time and aspires to eat one as well.

- had a reputation as a shockingly well behaved child, from the age 2 onward. In truth, she just figured out very, very young that if you agreed with the adults and then did what you wanted in secret, you got praise and could have fun.

- Once wore nothing but saffron dyed clothing for a whole season: it was on a dare by a lady hoping to beggar a rival. Alas for the lady, she did not realize the Pippa’s mother, Roshan, actually owns several acres of saffron fields. Roshan felt supporting her daughter’s flex was worth eating into the profits for a season (but just one).

- named for her aunt, Philippa, her father’s sister who died age 4. In fact, Philippa was meant to be her full first name but her mother never liked it, and so changed it to just be Pippa after Judicael died. A small selection of people do still insist on calling her Philippa however, assuming Pippa to be a familiar nickname.

- (technically her first name is Mehr, but that acts as a sort of generation name for girls in her family, and thus goes unused.)

- No one actually calls her Pip, she just wasn’t going to tell of a Princess so went the most obvious option outside of telling her Pippa is technically a nickname

- semi related to above: astonishes her mother with how much of her personality is a vivid reflection of Judicael’s, despite Pippa being born posthumously to him. The only major difference really is Pippa is more scheming - and from a Corvali perspective, Pippa’s an outright Non-Schemer, so that tells you more about Judicael than it does Pippa.

- lowkey hates wearing shoes, avoids when possible (and thus, pays special attention to her toes haha)

Temperance of Arland

- secretly a fan of adventure novels, especially “gentleman explorer” types. Her supplier is the head chef’s son, who leaves them under a bush in the garden for her to borrow from his rather less restricted collection.

- hates chocolate – cannot stand it in any form

- found out at 12 she was almost named Claudia and sort of wishes that had happened – there’s like 13 “princess Temperance”es in the Arlish royal family history, only two Claudias.

- is a natural blonde, but does secretly lighten her hair. As she grew up, it darkened to near-brown blonde. Temperance lightens it in pseudo-secret, because she’s not supposed to be so vain, despite also having to always be pretty.

- pretty neutral towards Innocent, who is 18 years her junior (she’s 25, having been just this side of 17 for the last Summit)

- in Zinnia’s World State, she’s a Wellish lady, daughter of a Landgravine, and far happier for it (her parents are basically a love match that was also politically astute, so it being recreated in another timeline is not unlikely).

Yaen of Jiyel

- grew up in the far, far south of Jiyel, and has never quite gotten used to the northern seasons in the capital.

- lowkey wanted to run away and be a pirate from ages 5-8, looking back, she’s not sure why she outgrew that particular wish

- would eat lemons like oranges except it makes her teeth feel worryingly weird

- when we say “minor lady” we mean it - the family was only entitled in the last three generations - Loda’s father being the rare true blue meritocracy story, going from poor fisherman’s son to high ranking civil servant in his life. Her mother in comparison didn’t have a title at all - but her family were wealthy merchants, specializing in dyes and fabric. Her stepmother, however, is the daughter of a (3rd rank) Marquis, but with three elder brothers that means very little in the land of titles - even for her step mother’s biological sons.

- the nickname used by her father, mother and older sister, Lian, is bug. For obvious reasons, she did not share this with Ana. Her step-mother could use it - Yaen wouldn’t mind, but doesn’t feel comfortable doing so for the simple reason that she’s a naturally anxious woman.

- it’s an open family secret she’s not actually Loda’s biological daughter, but she doesn’t know who her “real” father is. She’s not exceptionally curious about it however - in part because she doesn’t want to hurt Loda in any way more.

Zinnia of Arland

- is the only MC in my roster outside Pippa to have read the Corval Satires, Constance sent her an annotated collection six months before the Summit. “For research”.

- didn’t see her father once between the age of 1 and 7, spending those 6 years on her mother’s private lands while her mother coalesced and avoided her husband. As such, had very atypically non-stodgy (but by no means improper) childhood than most Arlish princesses (Helah is 100% going to be blamed for Zinnia marrying an Arlish Earl oh the shame)

- frequently broke into Prosper’s nursery growing up, because he was her brother and she wanted him to have as much fun with his big sister as she remembered having with Constance as a child (results: fewer frogs caught, but similar levels of big sister adoration from the younger sibling)

- her rebel streak has always been semi-obvious, usually in her doggedly dressing to her own standards – which usually just meant picking colours not necessarily in season (greatly favours greens and browns, not least because the Princess Dowager, her great aunt Evalina was overheard saying she looked like bog-witch in those colours)

[cabbagebender]

[header reposted from this post by @ao3commentoftheday​, with permission]

The following excerpt is from an April Fool’s Day VLD fic I started last March, and am considering finishing up for this April 1st.

The context: Team Voltron is spending a week of vacation at Shiro’s cousin’s very nice mountain lodge house. They have one conference meeting that happens to fall on April 1st, but other than that, they have the week off.

“I was up early,” Pidge said, “so I set up the dining room as a conference space.”

“What does that mean?” Lance asked. 

“Like I tested the equipment and set out stuff to take notes.”

“That's old-school of you,” Shiro said.

“What can I say, even I get nostalgic sometimes.” 

Shiro laughed as he walked into the dining room. “Oh.”

Each seat had a sheet of colored construction paper and a blunt crayon in front of it. 

Hunk chuckled. “Nice one.”

Pidge glowed with pride.

Allura sat down in her chair and picked up the crayon with some interest. 

“What is this?”

“It's–” Keith began, but Pidge grabbed his arm, gesturing at him to shush. Keith frowned at her, but didn't keep talking.

Romelle picked hers up as well and inspected the label. “It says it's a… cray-on.”

“Whatever that is.” Allura turned around to the others. “Are you not going to tell us?”

“I like seeing you figure it out,” Pidge said. 

Alura sighed and returned to examining the crayon. 

“Oh, there – look,” she said after a moment, leaning towards Romelle. “It says Wild Strawberry. That's an Earth fruit. What does yours say?” 

Romelle turned the crayon. “Cotton Candy.”

“Flavors?” Allura suggested.

“Maybe they're like those candy canes,* Romelle said. 

“Oh, no,” Hunk muttered.

“The packaging does look similar,” Allura took the edge of the paper wrapping and pulled it down.

“Wait, Allura, no–” Pidge cried out, but it was too late – Allura had already stuck the crayon in her mouth and taken a tentative bite. Romelle immediately followed suit.

“Hoooly quiznack,” Lance said.

“It's chewy,” Allura said, Then she made a face. “That doesn't taste like strawberry at all.”

“I like it,” Romelle announced, taking another bite. 

Hunk looked like he was going to be sick. “Guys, that's not food.”

Romelle looked up, the stick in her mouth. 

“It's not?”

“No! It's a writing utensil! It's made of wax!”

Allura grabbed a tissue from the center of the table and discretely spat out the bite she'd already taken. “That would explain why it tastes so strange.”

“Like you can talk,” Keith said. “You drink nunville.”

“Is it dangerous?” Romelle asked, her eyebrows flying up. 

“Well…” Pidge blinked. “I mean… probably not… they have to make it non toxic for kids.”

“So… if I had more, it wouldn't hurt me.”

“Don't eat more!” Keith exclaimed, and all the other humans chimed in to agree with him. Shiro sank into the chair at the head of the table, looking faint – and a loud raspberry noise ripped through the room.

The conversation halted. Everyone turned to look at Shiro.

 “That wasn't me,” Shiro said quickly. 

Hunk sniggered. “You sure?”

Shiro reached under his seat and pulled out a deflated whoopee cushion. “Alright, very funny, who left this here?”

The other paladins glanced at each other. 

“Wasn't me,” Pidge said. 

“Yeah, me neither,” Hunk seconded.

“Or me,” Keith added.

“I don't even know what that is,” Allura said, and Romelle nodded along. 

Shiro turned to look at Lance.

“Uh,” Lance said. “I… I thought Keith was gonna sit there.”

Keith shot him a glare. 

“Oh, really?” Shiro said. 

Lance laughed nervously. “Uh–”

Shiro's mouth twitched into a smile, and Lance relaxed a little.

Which meant that, when Shiro jumped out of his chair, grabbed Lance, and threw him over his shoulder, Lance was too slow to react. 

"Hey! Put me down!"

Shiro turned around and walked out of the dining room.

“Shiro, think about what you're doing!” Lance yelled, kicking futilely. 

Shiro remained impassive, walking through the living room.

“Wait,” Pidge said. “Are we going where I think we're going?”

Shiro grinned.

“Wait, where do you think we're going?” Lance demanded. 

A second later, Allura caught on and laughed. “Oh, you can't be serious.”

“What?” Lance pressed.

"Can someone get the door? Shiro asked.

Pidge hopped ahead and slid open the glass door to the outdoor pool.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no–” Lance said, and then Shiro dropped him in the water. 

Lance went under with a splash and emerged gasping.

“I can't swim!” Lance yelled. 

Shiro's expression morphed from triumph to horror. “You said you grew up on the beach!”

“Yeah, but I–” Lance flailed vaguely in the direction of the pool wall. He seemed to be barely managing to keep his head above the water. “We just – splashed around in the shallow part!!! We didn't–” 

“Wait, hang on,” Shiro said, frowning. “But – you and Hunk–”

But he didn't get to finish. Keith dove onto his stomach at the edge of the pool, stretching his arm out as far as he could. “Grab my hand!”

Lance beat at the water like an oar and managed to propel himself a few inches in Keith's direction. He reached out – after a few slippery tries, his hand clasped Keith's. 

“Thanks,” Lance breathed. Then he grinned. “Wow, you have a terrible memory.”

“Huh?” Keith asked, and then Lance dove under the surface, yanking down on Keith's arm. Keith yelped and tried to grab at the side of the pool, but in vain – he went tumbling face first into the water. Lance shot back up like a dolphin and gave a triumphant whoop before settling down into a lazy backstroke, circling Keith's point of entry. A second later, Keith came up spluttering and looking ready for murder. 

“You–” he seethed. 

“I can't believe you don't remember the upside down pool,” Lance said. “Why would I be going swimming if I couldn't swim? How could I have survived the whole mermaid planet with Hunk if I couldn't swim!?!?”

“Oh, man,” Hunk called out, laughing. *Keith, I can't believe you fell for that. Lance? Not know how to swim? That's a good one. He's basically a duck.”

“Excuse me,” Lance said, “I'm a swan.”

“Yeah, cause swans are assholes,” Pidge mumbled. 

“I was worried!” Keith exclaimed in high-pitched indignation.

“Aww, you really do ca–”

A deluge of water crashed against Lance's face. 

“Seriously, what was that for!?”

“Well, I was trying to get Shiro back,” Lance said, “but I wasn't going to pass this up.” 

He splashed Keith back.

“Awwww yeah, splash party!” Hunk cried. “I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get my swimsuit–”

But he'd barely made it a few steps towards the door before another huge splashing sound occurred, followed by quick footsteps coming directly towards him. Hunk turned back around to see what the matter was. He had a fraction of a second to process Keith running at him, water droplets flying into the air behind him, and then something kicked Hunk's legs and he went down. A cold wetness sank through his shirt from all sides as he hit the wet floor and Keith climbed on top of him.

Hunk groaned up at the sopping wet person lying on his chest.

“Why?”

“You laughed at me,” Keith said simply.

Hunk sighed. Then he pushed Keith off easily, sat up, and pulled his shirt off, followed by his shoes. 

Lance cheered. “You coming in?”

“Since I'm already wet.”

He grabbed Keith around the waist and stood up, lifting Keith off the ground.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Keith said, and then Hunk cannonballed into the pool, and for the second time that day, Keith was drenched against his will. 

Hunk emerged, laughing – then he blinked around.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“They made a break for the door when you jumped,” Lance said. 

Keith scowled, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. “Yeah, 'cause they're smart.”

Hunk whacked him with a pool noodle.

It was a very soggy trio that tromped back into the meeting room.

“We brought you towels,” Pidge said sweetly.

Allura stood well on the other side of the table, lifting the towels over with her old staff – red, blue, and yellow.

“Scared of getting wet?” Hunk said. 

“I saw what Keith did to you. Dry off before you get it on us.”

She prodded the staff forward. 

“Thanks,” Keith said grouchily, taking the red one. Hunk followed suit with the yellow, but Lance was still busy figuring out the best way to arrange his sneakers on the heater.

“I'm placing an open bounty on Lance's head,” Keith announced, as he dried off his hair. “Whoever wins gets nothing but smiles from me for a day.”

Hunk whistled. “That's tempting.”

Keith pulled the towel off of his head, and Hunk and Lance gasped – but the girls all snickered, and Shiro bit back a smile.

“What?”

*Your –” Lance pointed. “It's red.”

“My what!?”

“Uh-oh,” Hunk said, pulling his own towel off of his head. “Is my–”

Keith stared at Hunk’s hair, which was bright yellow.

“Altean hair dye,” Allura announced. “Activated by water. Don't worry, it's temporary.”

Keith looked at the towel, which was now white on the inside. Then he spun around, looking for a mirror, which he finally found over the fireplace. His hair was, indeed, bright red. 

“ALLURA.”

“Well,” Pidge began, “the rest of us helped– ahh!” She broke off as Lance grabbed her and ran his wet hands through her hair.

“Someone hand me a towel!” he yelled.

Hunk tossed over the yellow one – then, after a moment's consideration, picked up the blue one as well. “I wonder if they mix to make green.”

“Only one way to find out– oof!”

Pidge had elbowed Lance in the stomach to make her escape.

Keith climbed on top of the table and stared at the ceiling.

“Uh, Keith,” Hunk said, “what are you doing?”

“Strategizing,” Keith said, and then he held his hand up to the sprinkler system and summoned his bayard. 

Everyone shrieked as the sprinkler burst on, showering the room. 

Keith hopped off the table and grabbed the blue towel out of Hunk's hand. 

“Hey, Allura,” he said, holding up the towel. “I think maybe you need a little Blue Lion pride.”

She held the staff out in front of her. “Don't you dare.”

Keith kept advancing, pushing forward against the staff with his chest. Allura stood her ground, but she was so focused, she didn't notice Hunk sneaking up behind her. 

"Got her!"

Hunk wrapped his arms around Allura's torso, pinning her arms to her sides, and lifted her off the ground.

"Put me down!"

Keith threw the blue towel to Lance, who was standing closer. 

“Lance, I'm warning you!” she yelled, but it was too late. Lance had wrapped the blue towel around her head. 

Hunk set Allura down as Lance pulled the towel away. 

"You know what, Allura," Hunk said, "blue hair suits you."

Allura glowered. 

[xladyxfatex]

Chapter Ten

~*5 year time skip*~

It had been five years since Jessica had last seen Alesiter, four years since they last spoke on the phone and three years since she had gotten her last letter. She had kept trying to reach out on several occasions but decided  it was just best if she stopped, seeing as Alesiter hadn't responded to any of her letters. But she did still wear her necklace, it was the one promise to Aleister that she was going to keep no matter what. Now a 13 year old freshman, alongside her brother Jeff whom was 15 and Matt 17, High school was a whole new ball game. Jessica started taking more after Jeff in the way she dressed and was eventually able to convince him to dye her hair like his. Which went more along the lines of.

“ Well Jeff if you don’t do it for me, I’ll just have to do it myself and since I’ve never done this, who knows what it’ll look like or the mess I’ll make.”

Yup that was how she went from beautiful strawberry blonde hair, to its current colors of purple, with pink tips. She dressed like him too, well as close as she could get. Instead of dressing like the other girls, in skirts, and tight clothes, Jessica went for baggier, skater pants, studded belts, tank tops, with a hoodie over the top and combat boots on her feet. When people asked why the hell she looked like she'd just smile and walk passed, she didn’t need to explain herself and she never would. As usual, Jessica excelled in school, top marks every quarter, and to earn some cash, she even tutored others. Her sophomore year she was placed into college prep classes in hopes of giving her harder work, which all but failed. When not studying, tutoring or harassing her brother to re do her hair, Jessica could be found in the ring in the backyard.

Over the years the siblings had made changes and upgrades to the ring, but nowadays Matt and Jeff were actually going to wrestling school part time, and on weekends, when it wasn’t a full moon performing shows. Jessica was envious of her brothers, she knew they’d make it big one day and she wanted to follow in their footsteps. Junior year was different. She still dressed the same and had weird hair in fact that year she had dyed dark blue with teal ends, but the odd part was her body changed. She didn’t get much taller, but her chest grew, and so did her curves. She began getting noticed by the guys in school and since Matt had graduated two years ago, that only left Jeff. Jess wasn’t going to bother him though, he had his group of weirdo friends at school, and she had the like two friends she had. After what happened with Aleister she never really did allow others to get close to her.

That was until Jack came along. He was your typical pretty, jock boy. Same grade as Jessica and one of the students she helped tutor. She wasn’t sure what the hell had gotten into Jack but he expressed interest in dating her. There never were any rules in place in case she was asked out, so she thought it would be okay. She agreed to meet with him on a Saturday, she knew her brothers would be gone from Friday night till early Sunday morning, and dad was hardly ever around. So if she was going to go on a “date” Saturday would be the perfect day. Forgetting that of course Sunday was the full moon which meant her brothers would actually be home Saturday night.  The rest of the week past and Jessica did her normal routine. Friday was her tutor session with Jack and they exchanged phone numbers at the end of it. Getting back home Matt and Jeff were just leaving when they both noticed an odd smell on their sister.

“What’s that smell?” Matt asked, to him it smelled of leather and smoke. After tutoring sometimes the smell was faint on her but today it was almost overpowering. Jessica shifted on her feet looking down. 

“Oh that, I ah...I hugged Jack after his session today, he’s finally getting the hang of those mathematical equations.” She prayed Jeff wouldn’t pull his alpha card and make her give the truth this wasn’t his place, no one set rules for this and she wasn’t going to let them.Quickly noticing the time she shoved her brothers out of the house after promising everything would be fine.

Meanwhile Jack was off talking to his Demon King. 

“Yes sir, I have a date with her tomorrow night. I’m telling you something isn’t right with her. It's not that she’s smart its almost her smell is off. She’s not a full werewolf that much I know to be true I just can’t figure out what else she is.”

Balor hummed, while tapping his chin. Coming up with away to pull her other side out.

“Tell me more about the lass Jack. Her personality.”

Jack had to think about that, the girl only had two friends whom she kept at arm's length, plus her two brothers. That was when he recalled a name.

“Jessica only has two friends, and if I remember correctly its because when she was younger, her best friend Aleister basically abandoned her shortly after her mother’s death.” Jack smiled at the information he remembered, as did Balor.

“Aleister you say? And didn’t you mention she can practically speak perfect Dutch? It was how she got out of taking a foreign language?” Balor tapped his fingers together this was far too good to be true. Aleister Black the powerful witch was friends with little wolf Jessica . No no there was far more to this than met the eye. “I know how to get her to show her other half. Follow the route I give you tomorrow, she won’t be able to resist.”

Saturday morning came and like all Saturdays Jessica was alone in the house. She got up, showered, shaved, brushed her teeth and hair. She put on some nice smelling lotion, and then got dressed. Though she thought better of her normal tomboy style and went with a pair of dark straight legged skinny jeans, and a decent shirt, along with her DC sneakers. In reality she didn’t really have girly clothes this was the best she was going to do for her date tonight and she wondered if this was even good enough. Seeing the time she decided to take off the decent outfit she had put on it, it was way too early anyways, and threw on her ring gear which was just a pair of shorts, and tank top. She played her music loud and set an alarm to let her know when she should stop to actually get ready, which of course would include another shower.

Several hours late, and Jess was drenched in sweat as her alarm blared. Greeting out the ring she showered and changed. She was putting her shoes on just as there was a knock at her door. Answering she let Jack in, as she quickly finished up. Not that there was too much for her to do. Getting back downstairs the pair left and walked to the local pizza parlor. They say, they ate the talked about random stuff. When they went to leave Jack had asked if Jessica would like to go on walk, honestly she saw no harm in it, again she was going to be the only person home anyways. Following the route Balor had given him, it isn’t long till Jessica hears a painfilled cry. She knows damn well she shouldn’t pay any mind but that’s just not the kind of person she is. She takes off in the sound of the cry, which is not the way Balor had intended the two to go, and she finds a young woman beaten in an alleyway. Jack is hiding in the shadows watching to see what the young girl does. Not noticing Jack nor smelling him, Jessica starts to talk to the young woman.

“Hey, I’m not sure what happened to you, but I can help you, if you let me. I swear I’m not here to harm you.” She offers a soft smile and the woman just nods. Once again checking for Jack and not seeing or smelling him she begins chanting a healing spell. Her body glows as the energies flow into the woman and all her injuries began to vanish.  Jack and gobsmacked at this, a hybrid of her kind hasn’t been in existence in who knows how long, and yet here she is only showing her wolf side, she must know its dangerous and only follows what her brothers tell her. Jessica helps the woman to her feet and wishes her a better rest of her night. She begins to run back towards the way where she might have lost Jack, and soon enough he appears around a corner panting. 

“Ah.. I’m so sorry I took off like that, I normally wouldn’t have.” Jessica looks down feeling embarrassed about the stunt she just pulled. Jack chuckles and shakes his head.

“No no it's fine, ya know you’re really fast you should try out for our schools track team.” He places his hand on Jessica’s shoulder as he leads her back to her house. Yeah he knows Balor is going to be upset he didn’t go the way he told him to but in all seriousness he’s pretty sure the girl only knows healing spellings so if he had an attack setup that just would not have worked. Getting her home it was already almost 11pm and that's when Jess noticed the car in the driveway and stomach sank. Why the hell were her brothers home early? She tried to quickly tell Jack goodnight and thank you but he insteaded on being proper and walking her to the door. Swallowing hard she allowed it.

As they got closer to the door, it swung open revealing a pissed off Jeff whos green eyes were fully gold, and Matt whos brown eyes where ice blue. Shaking Jess quickly said goodnight to her date once more, but not before he kissed her check and asked to do it again sometime. Walking past her brothers she knew she was in trouble and Jack may the Moon Goddess save his soul.Once the door shut Jack stalked around for a few minutes he wanted to hear what was going to happen.

“WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU AND WHO THE HELL WAS THAT!” Jeff screamed and Jessica’s omega wolf gave in automatically. Speaking barely above a whisper she told Matt and Jeff almost everything that had happened and how it had gotten to their date. Matt was a little calmer after listening to his sister explain everything and in hindsight she was always alone on weekends and they never did set rules for her dating.Jessica ran to her room and locked the door. She wasn’t going to be yelled at just because they came home early. This had been her first date, and she had, had a good time up to that point.

[sarcastically-defensive17]

Times Like These - LRH. Chapter 1 - 2 months, 7 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes

It had been exactly 2 months, 7 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes since he had moved in.

It's not that she would want to see him out on the streets, or mooching off of their kind grandmother anymore than he had. She knew the spare room in her fathers' house was the best place for him.

It's not even that she didn't like being around him. It was that she hated his smug, self-centered attitude, and the blatant narcissism that rolled off of his tongue with every syllable drawn from his viper mouth.

In short, she hated her cousin.

He was two years her junior and acted as if he was the be all and end all of the universe. Now, Audrey would never admit it, but she could be rather selfish. In specific circumstances, she could be arrogant, but unlike her frustrating cousin, she has the capabilities of acknowledging the feelings of others.

Despite what her father says.

Jason Bernard Clifford, often called J.B by family and his overly obnoxious 'popular' friends, was the very bane of her existence.

She had just settled Alexis. Just as the little girls' brown eyes closed, obnoxious music blared through the upper story of the house.

The 10 month old jolted awake and adopted a deep frown on her face as she jutted her bottom lip out.

Audrey released a growl from her throat, pulling the babe into her hip and shushing her. It took almost 15 minutes to get her back to the point before sleep, and when they reached it, she was out of the room.

She stomped towards his bedroom, the same room that used to belong to her brother, and threw the door open only to be met with the strong stench of marijuana and the unmistakable toxic fog of teenage boy.

"Jason, for the love of god-"

"What the fuck do you want now?" He snapped, not even looking up from his video game at the presence of his cousin.

There was a pale yellow bong resting on the floor next to his leg, and garbage and clothes strewn over the entirety of the room.

She sighed through her nose, closing her eyes for a minute as she restrained her mind from delving into the idea of giving the boy a concussion.

"How many times do I need to remind you that there are other people that live in this house? I'm convinced that you enjoy watching Lexi stay awake all night because of your shitty mumble rap!" The same event had happened 3 times this week. It was only Thursday.

"Whatever," he still didn't bring his eyes from the screen.

She huffed, stepping in his vision and blocking the television, "You are unbelievable."

The thing about J.B, was that he could go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds when it came to his elder cousin.

They hadn't gotten along since they were little. In fact, he hadn't gotten along with many family members, the exception being his doting uncle Daryl.

"I'm unbelievable?"

"Yes, that's what I said, dumbass."

"Oh, you're such a little princess. Maybe if you pulled the stick out of your ass you could loosen up," he snapped, a sadistic laugh falling from his lips at the end.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" She growled, her eyes flaming with anger.

She had simply gone to his room to remind him that there are other people present in the house as well and to ask him to turn down his incessant noise. It was a very real possibility that the interaction would result in an argument, but to be honest, she was fine with that.

The boy irked her to no extent. He was 17 but acted as if he owned the house and could make the rules, and to her, it seemed like that was the reality.

Jason could do no wrong in her fathers' eyes, and it had been like that since Michael left and her parents marriage fell apart.

Her mother, the lovely Karen, was on a pilgrimage of Europe with her sister. A trip that Audrey rejected going on, for the sake of her university degree and her daughter. As such, the youngest Clifford child moved in with her father, despite her being old enough to live on her own.

University was economically draining, as well as emotionally. The only escape Audrey had was the casual job she had at the local tattoo parlor.

And even the money she made there wasn't enough to pay rent, travel, food for the two and babysitting.

"I said, you should try pulling the stick out of your ass, you uptight little-"

"Do you two ever stop fighting?" they both turned their heads to be met with the sight of the blond man she called her father.

Immediately she felt her eyes roll back into her skull, knowing that the argument will be brushed off and she will soon take her place cleaning the war zone in the kitchen.

"Sorry Uncle Daryl," Jason murmured, shoving his hands into the pockets of his grey sweats and adopting an innocent look. "I asked Audrey to clean the mess she made in the kitchen and she just blew up at me!"

"What? It wasn't my mess!" She screeched, raising her arms in the air when her father nodded at the boys words. Typical of Jason to change the topic. And her father would always believe it as well.

"I honestly think it may be that time of the month again," He whispered to his uncle, following it closely with a deep cringe.

Her father opened his mouth to answer the boy, a sympathetic look directed at him, but was cut off by the sound of Audrey grunting and stomping out of the room.

"I'm sorry about her, Jason. You know how ladies get at that time," she could basically hear the cringe on her fathers face as the words sounded through the thin walls.

She slammed her bedroom door behind her, and the sound of her 'Piss off, Jason' sign hitting the ground tore another growl from her throat.

Times like these, she wished for nothing more than her brother to talk to, or her mother to come back to Australia so she could move in with her. Instead, she was stuck in her old family home, with a man she thought too immature to be any sort of parental figure, and a teenage delinquent whose only purpose in life was to make hers and her daughters hell.

Audrey had more important things to focus on rather than the two impossible males she lived with.

She had first-year University work piling up, bags under her pale green eyes and an influx of shifts coming up in the next two weeks and a teething baby who was going through a hair pulling phase.

Unsurprisingly, she longed for the days when the only worry she had was kicking Michael's ass in Guitar Hero.

After a few hours of stewing in her bedroom, she had a shower to alleviate some stress. She decided her monthly self-care routine would be the best way to unwind in preparation for a long day of work as Lexi was sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Her mother had sent her a two tubs of a blueberry extract hair mask from France with her last postcard, and Audrey adored the substance. She had already planned to make a trip to the country in the future simply to get more of the product.

She was so exhausted by the time she was layering it on her blonde hair that she didn't pay particular attention to the overly blue colour of the product, nor did she make sure to keep her eyes open for the ten minutes it was meant to stay in her hair.

45 minutes later, she woke up and upon realizing she forgot to rinse her hair, went to do so; only to emerge with patches of blue dye coating her naturally blonde locks.

The entire house, and the neighbours surrounding it, were woken abruptly at 11:30PM by the sound of Audrey Clifford screeching her cousin's name at the top of her lungs and the aggressive grunts from Alexis as she woke with a start.

[hunterswearingplaid]

Cup of Coffee? (Dean x Reader)

Summary: The reader finally meets the person who left her coffee at her desk everyday.

Word count: 1.6K

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: eh, none.

Square filled: Cappuccino

Author’s Note: This was written for the @spnonewordbingo . Enjoy! :)

It was your last night on the night shift. You couldn’t wait to get it over with. Finally, you’d be back to the days of having a normal body clock! Being social! You absolutely couldn’t wait.

As you walked into your office, you saw the usual cup of coffee sitting on your desk. And as usual, the steaming cappuccino had a note under it. You put your bag down beside your chair before sitting down, smiling to yourself.

Someone knew you were on a night shift, and they had been bringing in coffees for you at the beginning of your shift anonymously every day. Without fail. They’d also been leaving notes for you every day. Sometimes they’d be song lyrics, sometimes they’d be inspirational quotes, and sometimes they’d simply be what was on this person’s mind. Things like, “I can’t believe it’s already December!”

It was really cute. You moved your coffee mug aside to read the note. Today, it was a crappy pun.

“What do you call a pony with a sore throat?

A little hoarse.”

It was crappy. But it made you smile even more. Whoever it was was trying to make sure you didn’t have shitty night shifts, and you loved them for that.

A few hours later, having downed your cappuccino, you went into your boss’s cabin for him to have a last-day-on-the-shift chat with you. On the way back to your desk, you decided you take a little detour.

You made your way to the lounge, wanting to have a quiet minute to yourself before you headed back to work. You made yourself another cup of coffee from the machine, sipping it slowly. You were seated in the very corner of the lounge, running your finger along the rim of the mug.

It was your last night. From tomorrow, you’d be back to a normal shift. You wouldn’t need these coffees from this anonymous entity.

You had to admit, you were going to miss it.

You didn’t meet a lot of people on a daily basis, and it seemed like in the scheme of things, this coffee-giver had become a small part of your life. You enjoyed what they had to say. You enjoyed guessing what color of paper your note was on.

You just didn’t want for them to bring a coffee in the next day and have it just sit there.

You also didn’t want whoever was going to take your night shift to think that the coffee was meant for them, if you were being honest. You didn’t want to seem possessive, but you had begun to think that this was your coffee-giver.

So, after going back to your office, you pulled out a post-it (yellow, to complement their green) and scribbled out a note for them:

“no more on the night shift. your coffee has been a pleasure :)”

You stuck it to the edge of the desk in hopes that they will get to read it.  

The next morning, you got into work to find the note you had stuck to your desk gone. Oh. So your anonymous coffee supplier had either read it and taken it off, or the janitor had come in this morning and cleaned up.

You bit your lip as you set up your laptop, really hoping it was the first of the two options.

The thought remained at the back of your mind the entire time you answered some emails to get the day started. After you were done answering emails, you turned your chair around and started fishing around in your bag for your planner. That’s when you heard someone’s voice.

“Oh, shit, I’m so sorry.”

You jerked your head up to see who it was.

He was cute. Short, chestnut hair. Tall. Freckles. But above all of that, he had a cup of coffee in his hand. And a blue sticky note on their finger.

You smiled lightly, pointing a finger at him, so hoping your hunch is right. “Cappuccino guy?”

He bit his lip, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah,” he smiled. “Not on the night shift anymore?”

“No,” you laughed. You stood up, extending a hand to him as you walked towards him. “I’m Y/N. Very grateful for your coffee. It did a really good job of keeping me awake.”

He almost stuck his own hand out to shake yours but fumbled around with the coffee tumbler for a few seconds. He chuckled awkwardly. He set it down on your table, cleaning his hands on his jacket. “Dean. Pleasure.”

“Nice to see you in the flesh, Dean.” You said, blushing. Your coffee supplier looked like this. Whoa. No, really. Freaking whoa.

“You too, Y/N,” Dean said back. He flashed you a toothy grin. “I do have to get back to work now, but…”

“A cup of coffee later?” You joked.

“Yeah, that would be awesome.”

-

A week went by at work, where every evening you had a cappuccino with Dean on your break. You had shared a doughnut two of those five days.

Dean was really cute. And friendly. And awesome. And cute.

Ugh, you really liked him. He was always interested in what you had to say and would listen very intently. He gave you a list of classic rock bands to listen to, and you had to say, they were definitely something.

It was Friday when he asked you if you were interested in catching a drink. He said you would get along really well with his brother and wanted to introduce you to each other.

There was a tiny voice in your mind that was trying to tell you that he wanted you to meet his brother — Sam — because he was trying to set you two up. But you crushed that voice, telling it that it didn’t know shit.

So on Sunday, you showed up at Dean’s apartment’s front door. You half hoped that his brother wasn’t around; you wanted to get to know Dean better.

You were disappointed when someone who wasn’t Dean opened the door. Cute guy, admitted. But not Dean.

“You must be Y/N,” he said cheerfully. He pulled you in, shaking your hand casually and shutting the door behind you.

“Sam, I presume,” you asked nervously. You always got nervous around people.

“Dean’s said so much. All good things,” Sam said.

You heard Dean’s voice get louder as he walked towards you. “Y/N, welcome!” He held out his hands, an awkward smile on his face. He stood two feet away from you, keeping his arms mid-air.

“Do you… do you want me to hug you?” You asked nervously.

Dean dropped his arms immediately. “No,” he said, “Not at all. I mean, I don’t not want you to, I just —” You watched him fumble with his words, a smile on your lips.

Sam scoffed from where he was standing, rolling his eyes before walking towards the living room, hollering, “Beer?” Over his shoulder.

Dean seemed startled when he heard Sam’s voice. He rushed behind his brother.

You invited yourself into the living room. You were sure they didn’t mind if you sat on their couch while you waited for them. On your way through the passage, you took a look at the pictures that were hung up on the wall. There were pictures of what looked like Sam and Dean when they were young. Pictures of both of them with a gruff-looking man who loved ballcaps very much. Pictures with a blond girl. Pictures with a dark-haired guy.

These guys looked like fun. Just from these pictures, you felt like they had really fun lives outside of work. Hanging out with friends all the time.

You made yourself comfortable on the couch. You could hear the faint sound of arguing from the kitchen, but you paid no attention to it.

After a few minutes, Dean entered the living room, followed by a disappointed Sam.

Sam sighed. “Y/N, I have to go to work. I really wish I could have gotten to know you today, but someone really needs me at work. On Sunday. So I have to go.” He turned around, shoulder slumped, jabbing Dean in the side on his way out.

You laughed a little, because you had a good idea of what had gone down in the kitchen now.

Dean exhaled nervously, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

“So, Dean Winchester.”

You and Dean had spent three hours talking to each other, about everything. About past jobs, dreams and ambitions, childhood pets, the whole nine.

Without having realized it, you and Dean had gotten closer to each other on the couch, your hand touching his shoulder over a joke he had made.

“You’re really awesome,” Dean said out of nowhere. “Like, you’re so interesting! That story about the hair dye,” Dean closed his eyes and smiled.

You chuckled in response. “You’re not so bad yourself.” You said.

Dean’s eyes flitted to your lips. He licked his own, now looking at your eyes.

His lips looked… kissable. Really kissable. You wondered how it would be like to kiss him.

Dean put that out of question. In a fraction of a second, his lips were on yours, a gentle tug towards his own. He pulled away as fast as he kissed you, the tip of his ears red.

You sighed, laughing a little bit. You brought your hand to his neck, running your thumb along the light stubble on his jaw. Before you knew it, you were kissing again.

When Dean pulled away, he looked at you with a dazed look in his eyes. He smiled, biting his lip.

You smiled back at him, nice and wide. You got up slowly, running your finger along his shoulder. “I should go.”

Dean stood up. “Coffee tomorrow?”

“You betcha.”

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