#shall be in a place very much like this from tomorrow ta

[noisyone]

Beyblade X Turbo (Ultimate Champion) | Chapter 6: Bey Sponsor

"Guys, we need to start searching for a Bey Sponsor starting tomorrow so eat up." Multi says as she finishes eating her meal. "AUGGGHHHHHH!! BUT I WANT TO BEY-BATTLE AT THE X TOWER RIGHT NOW!" Aiger screams as he throws a tantrum.

Jaxon: [screaming] Don't worry Aiger, I already found one.

"For real?" Aiger says with his sparkling eyes.

Jaxon: Yeah! And they offered us a really sweet deal too!

Naru: [smiling] That's amazing!

Jaxon: Yep, they want us to meet them tomorrow.

Aiger: [happy] Awesome! I can't wait to see them.

Multi: [worried] Why do I feel like I'm getting a bad feeling about this?

- The Next Day -

Jaxon: Ta-Dah!

Aiger: Woahhh look at all those floors. This place is huge! 

Jaxon: Hold up you're looking at the wrong place.

Aiger: [confused] huh?

"That's the one." X says as he points to a small building.

Aiger: [disappointed] Please tell me you're joking.

Blader X: This is a 200 year old Sushi Restaurant my good friend.

Naru: A sushi place?

Blader X: BEHOLD KOMABA SUSHI! AN ALL YOU CAN EAT RED BEAN AND CREAM SUSHI BOI!!

Aiger: [angry] SO THEY'RE THE ONES WHO CREATED THAT ABOMINATION?!?

Multi: I had a feeling something like this would happen.

Naru: [nervously] Maybe it looks better in the inside than the outside?

???: Well hello there youngsters!

Aiger: ...

???: Hey! Down here. A great big welcome to you Team Persona!

Taisho: I'm Taisho Sushiya, the President of Komaba Sushi.

Miss Myoden: I'm Meiko Myoden, his Secretary.

Taisho: Thanks for making it out here. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this-

"So it was your genius that brought the world all that delicious sushi! Words cannot express how thankful I am grateful for all you've done!" Blader X says as he grabs the Sushi manger and spins him around.

Taisho: [frightened] MISS MYODEN PLEASE HELP!!

Miss Myoden: [windless] I'm happy to see you have such a passionate fan Mister President.

Taisho: SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!!

Naru: This is not the type of sponsorship I had in mind.

Aiger: Seriously.

- 5 Minutes Later -

Taisho: Anyway, I'm very happy to be able to sponsor you kids. Back in my day, I had aspirations of becoming a Pro Blader too!

Aiger: [suprised] Wait, you did?

Taisho: [nods] Mhm, but that was right after I've taken over the Sushi shop so I was simply too busy to battle.

Miss Myoden: And your fans were also quite low at the time.

Taisho: [passionate] So I put all my passion into my work. Creating original delicious meals like Red Bean and Cream sushi.

Naru Akabane: What a disgusting monstrosity.

Taisho: But ever since those early days I've been bounded and determined to become a Bey Sponsor and support a team that will go on to live out those dreams instead. I have high hopes for all of you.

Multi: I see.

Taisho Sushiya: That being said my dreams don't simply end with you becoming Pros. My greatest wish is to help you become the Strongest Bladers of all. That is.. I WANT YOU THREE TO CLAIM VICTORY AT THE TOP OF THE X!! So weaklings don't apply.

"The Top." Aiger says as he looked down at his bey. "I promised Z Achilles that we would become the strongest team in the world. Not only that but we'll defeat Valt and any other stronger Bladers that come in our way." he said as Achilles shined in response.

Taisho: That being said before I agree to sponsor you. I shall test your worthiness to claim affiliation with Komaba Sushi. You must pass one final Pro test!

X and Aiger: [shocked] WHAAAA?

"Damn it!" Aiger let out as he put his head down on the table. "I hate tests."

Naru: [concerned] C'mon Aiger. It's just one test. Besides I have faith that you'll be able to pass.

Blader X: [excited] LETS DO IT!!!

Aiger: [ticked off] I don't want to hear that coming from you.

- Downstairs -

Taisho: The testing area is just up ahead.

Aiger: [excited] Woah! It's a stadium.

Taisho: I did some renovations on our dusty old room.

Miss Myoden: And thanks to that decision our finances are in shambles.

Taisho: Huh?!

"SO THE TEST IS A BEY BATTLE! WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!" X exclaims as he knocks down Taisho.

Taisho: [injured] Oh no. You've already been to the Top of the X so you just sit tight. Okay? No test for you today, Jaxon Cross.

Blader X: [shocked] HUH!? How'd you know it was me?!

Taisho: If I'm going to sign a contract with someone I'm going to do my research first.

"I guess that makes sense." Jaxon says as he takes off his mask.

Taisho: Now you two. Aiger Akabane and Multi Nanairo. You'll both be taking the test today and it won't be easy. Each of you will stand up against Miss Myoden in a bey battle and at least one of you has to win. [curious] Hey kiddo what's going on with your face?

Aiger: Oh I'm just a little disappointed. I mean this test sounds a little too easy, besides battling an amateur like her sounds too boring.

Naru: Weren't you just complaining about the test earlier?

Miss Myoden: Dear oh dear. I believe I'm going to enjoy this.

Aiger: ...

Taisho: Final Pro Test! The first round begins no-

Jaxon: HOLD ON!

Taisho: Wait wha- What is it? Why can't we start?

Jaxon: I don't want to be left out of this. It's not fair! Why am I the only one who doesn't get to battle?!

Taisho: Well I know your disappointed, but-

Miss Myoden: Perhaps Jaxon can participate if we amend the rules so that two of the three Bladers must defeat me. Does that work for everyone?

Taisho: Oh well, I suppose so Miss Myoden.

Jaxon: [happy] THAT WORKS FOR ME!!

Miss Myoden: In light of that would you want to go first?

Jaxon: Really? Don't mind if I do.

Aiger: Hey what happened to my turn?

Multi: *sighs*

Taisho: AND NOW IT'S TIME TO START THE FINAL TEST! FIRST ROUND BETWEEN JAXON CROSS AND MEIKO MYODEN!!

Miss Myoden: I'll be using my Keel Shark, so try to keep your head above the water.

Jaxon: [smiling]

Naru: It looks like Emperor Forneus!

Aiger: Yeah, but the Bey's design seems to be different to be it.

READY!

SET!

3...

2..

1.

!!!LET IT RIP!!!

Naru: [impressed] Woah! So fast!

Miss Myoden: Let's get this done. Keel Shark!

Keel Shark then starts to speed up towards Sword Dran.

Multi: She's gonna attack!

But then Keel Shark starts to tilt higher.

Jaxon, Aiger, and Multi: [Shocked]

Sword Dran then knocked the bey out of the Stadium.

Taisho: IT'S SWORD DRAN WITH A KNOCKOUT FINISH! JAXON CROSS IS THE WINNER!

Naru: Good job, Jaxon!

Multi: [confused] She changed angles right before impact. Was she trying to?

Miss Myoden: I must say Jaxon you do indeed have a singular talent.

Jaxon: [dissatisfied] Mm.

Taisho: Time for the second round. AIGER AKABANE VERSUS MEIKO MYODEN!! 

READY!

SET!

3...

2..

1.

!!!LET IT RIP!!!

Both Beys land in the Stadium.

Aiger: ACHILLES ATTACK NOW!

Z Achilles clashes with Keel Shark, but gets pushed back leading to several clashes.

Multi: [worried] He's coming in too hot. He'll lose stamina like that.

"It's like I thought. She was holding back." Aiger says to himself.

Achilles then starts to head towards the center.

Aiger: Now! Z DEFENSE!

Miss Myoden: Aiger.

Aiger: Hm?

Miss Myoden: Be careful. You shouldn't swim in Shark Infested Waters.

Multi: It's low!

Miss Myoden: BLUE FANG!!!

Keel Shark then goes for an upper attack and Hits a HARD UPPER ATTACK to Z Achilles' Defense.

CLISHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Clink.

Naru Akabane: ...

Multi: Achilles won.

Miss Myoden: [SHOCKED]

Taisho: THE ROUND GOES TO Z ACHILLES WITH A SPIN FINISH! AIGER AKABANE IS THE WINNER!! TEAM PERSONA HAS PASSED THE TEST!!!

Jaxon and Naru: YEAHHHH!

Aiger: Relax you two. Y'all are embarrassing me!

Miss Myoden: Excellently done, by defeating my Keel Shark you certainly surpassed my expectations. The talent and strength you displayed was more than impressive to be sure.

Aiger: [cocky] YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! HA! HA! HA!

Multi: Rightttt. But there was something bothering me this whole time.

Miss Myoden: What was it?

Multi: Your strength seemed to be higher than any average Blader I know and you definitely could've went for a stronger attack against Z Achilles and Sword Dran. So that means-

Taisho: Why that's true, Miss Myoden used to be a Pro Blader.

Jaxon: So if you lost our first battle on purpose, that means our first battle didn't count! LET'S GO AGAIN!

Miss Myoden: That would be a waste of time.

Jaxon: [disappointed] Awwww.

Multi: [relived] Looks like I didn't have to use my new bey after all.

Naru: [confused] Huh??

- Afterwards -

Taisho: Since you did so well today. I'm tipping in at a All-You-Can-Eat-Red-Bean-And-Cream-Sushi-Buffet!

"SCORE!" Jaxon exclaimed as he was eating some more disgusting sushi.

Jaxon: [munching] So good! C'mon Multi give it a try!

Multi: [disgusted] No thanks! I don't think my taste buds could handle the flavor.

Jaxon: Uh, Okay. How about you Aiger?

Naru: Aiger passed out after taking a bite out of the Red Bean and Cream Sushi.

Taisho: [offended] How rude.

Miss Myoden: I just need to complete the registration of the sponsorship contract. Have the four of you discussed which teammate will be your leader?

Multi: You know now that you mention it we haven't decided.

Jaxon: WHY THAT'S EASY! It'll be Aiger.

Miss Myoden: Now that we settled that I can complete the registration. We have also taken the liberty preparing residential rooms for you. Multi and Naru will be sharing a room while you and Aiger share one together. Any objections?

Naru: Nope.

Multi: Fine by me.

Jaxon: YAY! BEST DAY EVER!!!

Aiger: [sickly] I think... I'm gonna puke......

END OF CHAPTER 6.

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

My day also had a very "first-day-of-class" feel to it, despite also not being my first day of class— it was a required graduate TA training instead. Which, well. Very much "could have been an email" vibes about most of the day, but what can you do?

But still, it was an excuse to put on a fun little outfit and go into campus for a while, and also free lunch, which was great because lunch lately has been like Some Crackers or A Bagel, Maybe because my executives are dysfunctional as ever. I also got to meet some of my cohort and I recognized a few faces from the visiting weekend, which is cool! We have physics department orientation on Thursday which should hopefully be more fun— and they're giving us breakfast too so it's automatically a better event (TBH, breakfast should be included for all events beginning at or before 9am. who has time to be getting food that early).

I also found out something kinda weird— most of my cohort has to do this assignment where they film themselves doing problems on the board and then it gets reviewed by professors and peers, but I was 1) not on the email where the assignment was sent out, and 2) not included on the chart of who's reviewing who, so I'm not sure what's up with that? One of the other former undergrads who's sticking around (one of the Four Guys) also wasn't on there, so I don't know if the department was like... you've TA'd for us before we know you're fine, or what, but like. I feel like I'm kind of a shit TA I want the feedback please!!! So I might ask someone on Thursday what's up and if I can be added to that. I would like in on the cohort hazing ritual please :)

uhhh otherwise my day was kinda boring. I dealt with a horror that was forming on my desk, so that's a win (very overripe peaches + fruit fly infestation. Not Fun but at least it's gone now)! I'm gonna work on my fanfiction for a bit (fork found in kitchen) because I'm trying to get the first couple chapters done before things kick off next week.

Tomorrow things should hopefully be a little more interesting because I'm getting a haircut at the place you recommended to me! So we shall see if I get rambled at about the barber's special interest (or perhaps I might get to yap at him about bikes). I'm also probably going to try and finally hit the ice cream shop across the street for a little treat!

My second day of grad school has come and gone! (Well, okay, term hasn’t actually started yet this is just a qualifying exam preparation bootcamp run by the older grad students but I think that still counts)

The older students are lovely and my cohort seems really nice. I’ve been enjoying doing math with them quite thoroughly, it’s been a very chill and fun time. that said- today the homesickness and impostor syndrome hit me in earnest for the first time today. It’s weird- I know rationally I’m in the right place. I’m going to grow quite a lot; so many of the professors here are subject matter experts in areas I’m fascinated by but haven’t gotten to explore as deeply as I’d like, it’s a much bigger school than my undergraduate so it’ll be really good for networking, and I like the people I’m with! I could already see myself calling some of them friends in a month or two. I’m deeply fortunate and grateful to be here, and I’m confident the decision to come here instead of staying at my undergrad institution was a good one.

But I still miss my undergrad institution. I had a really lovely support network of peers and professors and now that’s not within arm’s reach (although I know it’s still there). I’ve gone from living with my best friends, people I could come home to after a long day and confide in, to living alone. Well, alone save my cat. But our conversations of late consist of my telling her not to eat the shower curtains- not exactly stimulating stuff.

I guess I’m writing this post to meet that need? That need for the kind of “hey here’s how my day went how was yours?” conversation that I took for granted the last few years of living with people. So … how were your days, mutuals and followers? Anything cool happen? Anything happen that bothered you? I’d genuinely like to know if you want to share

[gnossienne]

(x)

[kovjiro]

Out of My League - an Aran Ojiro x chubby female reader SMAU - College!AU

Synopsis: Commitment can be scary, especially when the only taste of actual commitment has come through your three best friends. An absentee father and cruel classmates can do that to you - no foundational trust in men, only sustained by male counterparts continually making fun of you for your size and weight. You’re ready for change, though, and maybe change will come; as you set out for university in a new city miles away from your horrid adolescence, change is inevitable. A chance at growth, at love, and new adventures await you in this new part of your life but, really, you’d never think to find this all with the upperclassmen you’d deemed out of your league.

Warnings(for this chapter): written chapter, self-deprecating thoughts, underage alcohol consumption, explicit depictions of being drunk, very much angst, reader is big sad (Refer to masterlist for complete list of warnings for this SMAU

Masterlist | Prev. | Chapter Four: friend | Next

“It’s Kiyoko and Yachi, right?” you call out over the heavy base and electronic beats blasting throughout the room.

Earlier that evening you made your way to Aran’s dorm, along with Suna, Osamu, and Atsumu. Upon arriving Aran announced to all of you that a few friends would be coming along, two members of his frat and their first-year friend. Aran had seen the worry on your face, however, and didn’t hesitate to come up to you and reassure you of your worries. “They’ll love you, hun, I promise.”

His words eased your nerves a bit but meeting new people isn’t always a fun experience - there is no telling when someone will judge you because of what they see. They had been nice enough at first meet so now, here at the party a couple of shots in and one drink down, you have the confidence to let loose.

“That’s us,” the tall one with black hair says, who you deduce is Kiyoko. She’s insanely attractive in a mature and sophisticated sense, her aura demanding respect yet offering a sense of comfort as well. Beside her stands a small blonde girl, who you’ve been informed is the first-year friend and her underclassmen from high school. Yachi’s demeanor is completely different from that of Kiyoko, looking almost out of place with her uncapped drink in her hand. Regardless, there is no ignoring how breathtaking they both are in their own right.

“Y/n, yeah?” Kiyoko counters before taking a sip of her drink. “Aran has told me a lot about you.”

“Really?” Don’t get your hopes up, for the love of all things sacred and holy, don’t break your own heart. “All good things I hope.” Kiyoko fervently nods as if to relieve you of any fear, saying, “Aran always speaks highly of his friends back home.”

Oh yeah, friend. It’s not like every time he’s come to your aid, every time he’s offered words of praise or encouragement, every time he’s held you close to his chest with your heart beats seemingly syncing together ever meant anything more to him - you’re just his friend, just like the many other friends he apparently talks so highly of. You’ve known this for years so why does it hurt so much?

Just as you’re about to respond, someone comes bounding up to the three of you. “They’re doing jaegerbombs over at the bar, you girls coming?” Speak of the devil… “C’mon, y/n, i know you can down those like a champ,” Aran pushes, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you to his side.

Maybe it’s the atmosphere of the cramped party filled to the brim with sweaty bodies bouncing and yelling, maybe it's the alcohol beginning to get to your head, or maybe it’s both and then some, but Aran’s presence is overwhelming and not in the good way. Where you’d usually feel over the moon to be near him you now find yourself feeling… annoyed? Upset? Absolutely devastated? In reality, though, you brought this on yourself because who could ever like you, the fat friend? Definitely not someone like Aran.

“Yup, that’s right, friend,” you say, mustering as convincing a laugh as you can. Not convincing enough because Aran cautiously chuckles all while squinting questioningly at you. “Yeah… friend.”

An awkward beat passes amongst the four of you but Kiyoko is quick to act, grasping your hand in one of hers and grabbing Yachi with the other. “Let’s get this party rolling, shall we?” she exclaims as she pulls you both to the make-shift bar the frat boys put together. As soon as she’s pulled you out of hearing range, Kiyoko leans closer to ask, “You good?” Her eyes convey just how much she’s gathered - you’re hurting.

What a horrible situation to be in - finding out your long-term crush only thinks of you as a friend in the midst of a night out. How will you get over this hurt, this heartbreak? Probably never. There is no cure for a broken heart.

But wait. There is. And you’re walking towards it right now.

“I will be,” you conclude.

In no time you’re standing in between Kiyoko and Yachi at the bar and what happens after is too much of a blur to make out. The first shot the three of you take together, the mixture of liquor and redbull hitting you in an instant. Your mind is running a mile a minute but it seems to be working - you’re numb. And so you have another, whatever it takes to forget why you were so upset a few moments ago. Two quickly becomes three, the same way three eventually becomes four then five then six.

In the haze that comes with being drunk you live the next moments oblivious to your surroundings. You miss when the twins and Suna join you guys right after Aran, you miss when Aran’s frat brother Sugawara appears and takes a shot with all of you, you miss - or perhaps ignore - when Osamu tells you to chill on the drinking. “You trying to die or something?” is what he says verbatim but his words don’t register in your imbibed brain.

What you don’t miss is Aran talking to a girl at the end of the bar and suddenly everything hits you tenfold - the hurt, the ache, the alcohol. Maybe if you weren’t so inebriated you would have noticed that he was only trying to help her out - apparently you aren’t the only person drunk off their ass at this party, who would have thought? All your mind can comprehend is that Aran is talking to someone other than you, a harsh reminder that you are - and probably always will be - the ‘friend.’

He comes to you then, speaking words you understand yet cannot comprehend, head spinning and vision blurring - maybe you should have listened to Osamu. He leaves you there at the bar and it crushes your heart all over again - didn’t he promise to be there for you? The alcohol has complete control of your body as you take a step in his direction but it’s as if the ground has moved out from underneath you. Two people are quick to your sides though and manage to keep you from hitting the ground. Who is that?

“Samu? Suna?” you manage to gurgle out, tongue feeling heavy and lips completely senseless. “No, honey, it’s Kiyoko and Suga. I think you’ve had enough for tonight, think it’s time to head home. Can you tell me where your dorm is?”

You know what she’s saying but your thoughts are jumbled, your dorm be damned. Where’s Aran? “I-I need to go- go see him,” you blurt out as you attempt to get out of their hold. You lose your balance as you take a step forward but they’re there to keep you from collapsing. They begin to drag you along to who-knows-where and you have no choice but to let yourself be carried, mumbling about how you need to see him and it hurts. It has to be the alcohol that’s making you spew nonsense, more so when you start crying because how could he only think of you as a friend, just a friend? Had it all meant nothing to him? Maybe you just misread everything, but you had been sure there was something there.

Or you’re the one in the wrong this time around, obviously, to even begin thinking Aran would be different. Every person you meet is unable to get past what’s on the exterior so why would this be any different? The idea of Aran reciprocating such feelings is an act of projection, simply put.

Your mind is a dark and negative spiral of harmful thoughts, reminding you of all that you’re not and why that is just not enough for Aran - for anyone, even. Yachi attempts to console you as Kiyoko and Suga place you on your bed? No, definitely not your bed. You may be wasted out of your mind but you’re cognizant to your surroundings that are in no way familiar at the moment. The three of them are able to reduce you from loud cries to soft whimpers in some time and eventually you’re all off to bed but you know deep inside of you everything will be different come tomorrow. How long would you continue being alright with being just a friend?

Credits:

raise your hand if you, too, have drunk your feelings and ended up crying

you've always held on to the hope that aran liked you too

he had always treated you differently than other guys

kiyoko, suga, and yachi>>>

taglist: OPEN! send an ask to be added :) AGE IN BIO PLZ

@szeonn @thatnikkixx @slutkags @roselleviennesstuff @bookiedoll @kris-1 @lucacangettathisass @serostapesweat @kiyokoism @ctrlaprilx @fantasycantasy

a/n: LONG overdue but here it is! i'm finally all moved in and got my wifi setup so ta-da :) i should go back to updating daily like i had been. i'm excited, it's about to get good >:) let me know your thoughts so far!!

[descendantofthesparrow]

Regained Passion - Harry Hook x Reader - Part 2 - proper meeting

=

Harry let out a slow breath as he stared into the void in his history class, it had been a full week since he started the dance classes, and almost every day Bert mentioned putting him into a higher experienced class due to his flexibility and the fact that Harry was already a good dancer. But again, Harry wasn’t into the dance class that much, he liked dancing, it's just he didn't like being forced to dance.

His counselor had tried to ask about his first week but Harry was stubborn as usual, even glaring at her during it. She had sighed and rubbed her nose “I can't help you if you don’t open up to me Mr. Hook” Harry had only glared again, he didn’t want or need her help, yeah, he was a little fucked up in the head but if he wanted therapy or a consular, he would get it, not something FG forced on him.

After history finally ended, Harry grabbed his backpack and walked out of the room, sighing in relief as he realized he only had one class left, and it was his favorite, history of sailors and the seven seas. It talked all about pirates and sailors, particularly one of his favorite pirates, Jack Sparrow. One of the few pirates that had escaped isle imprisonment, due to him being pardoned of his crimes after it was discovered that his branding of a pirate had been connected to his freeing of hundreds of slaves.

Harry froze as a now very familiar face stepped into the hall he was walking in, she was looking down at her book, her black backpack hanging off her shoulder, bringing her denim jacket down with it off her shoulder, revealing her gray t-shirt. She suddenly looked up, her sparking (e/c) eyes once again locking with his.

Harry felt the butterflies flood his body again and he ducked into the next hall, away from his class, and pressed himself against the wall, sliding down as he closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands ‘what am I doing?’ he thought, gritting his teeth ‘hiding from a pretty girl? What the hell?’

“Are you hiding from me?” Harry jumped and slammed his head against the locker behind him, looking up to see the girl, who had covered her mouth in shock from Harry's sudden motion “Are you okay?”

“Me? Hiding? No-no I don’- I don’t hide” Harry laughed off his embarrassment, standing from the floor and rubbing the back of his head, wincing slightly “I don’ hide from anyone” the girl smirked and rose her brow as she tilted her head.

“I looked up and as soon as I made eye contact you leaped behind the wall, and then stayed there until I came around the corner, I think that classifies as hiding.” Harry pouted at her, his heart going crazy as she laughed. “Now why would you hide from me? Im, not my brother mind you” Harry rose his brow at that.

“Who’s yer brother?” Harry asked, smirking as she made a sour face.

“Chad” Harry grimaced, relaxing a bit as she laughed again.

“I’m so sorry” her eyes widened a bit and she laughed even harder.

“I accept your condolences, he’s not a fun person to be related to, it took me a month to convince half the school that Chad and I are very different even though we're twins” Harry looked at her up at down, she didn’t look like Chad? “I know, fraternal twins though”

Harry hummed, nodding along, he remembered a couple of sets of twins on the isle, and even when they were “identical” twins, they didn’t look exactly like each other sometimes. “You’re Harry Hook, right?” Harry nodded again, ignoring the flutter of his heart as she said his name “I’m (y/n), (y/n) Charming” (y/n) held out her hand, giving Harry a warm smile.

“Dinne think yeh would even say hi ta me, considering wha’ yer brother has probably told yeh ‘bout meh” he took her hand, stilling for a moment as he felt a small shock ran up his arm and through his body. Shit what the hell was going on with him!?

“Well,” (y/n) laughed, once again sending butterflies through his gut “after almost 18 years of dealing with his dumbass, I've learned to not trust his word, if he says you’re a ‘filthy pirate’ then you aren’t all that bad” Harry smirked and shook his head, not seeing (y/n) freeze for a moment and stare at his lips.

“Yer somethin’ else I’ll tell yeh tha’” he laughed, biting the inside of his cheek as (y/n) looked away from him and fixed her backpack strap. “What’s yer next class?”

“Um-“ (y/n) started, pursing her lips a bit as she thought “Oh! History of sailors and the seven seas!” Harry couldn’t help the smile that grew on his lips.

“Same ‘ere, shall I escort yeh yer highness?” (y/n) gave him a look, then smiled.

“You may” (y/n) laughed, taking his arm as he offered it and they chatted quietly as Harry walked them both to class.

-

Harry threw his pencil on his table as he finished his English homework, leaning back in his chair and sighing. “Hey, Harry?” Uma started, looking up from her magic homework (a new class that FG had made for the magic endowed vks that needed to learn how to control their magic safely)  “You made goody-goody with Chad's sister right?” Harry looked over his shoulder to her, raising his brow.

“Aye? Why?” a devious look overcame Uma’s face, and Harry sat up “Uma” Harry started, a warning tone to his voice, they had just gotten to Auradon two months ago, at the start of the school year, and he loved Uma with all his heart but if she was trying to plan to overtake Auradon by using (y/n) he would have to put his foot down (which he didn’t know why he would defend the girl so eagerly, even turning against his oldest friend like that)Auradon was a lot nicer than they thought and he’d rather not lose the comfy bed and fresh food he had just gotten.

“Oh chill!” Uma scoffed, waving her hand and rolling her eyes “I’m not planning any takeovers or whatever, I wanted to know if she gets along with her brother or not” Harry mentally sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair again.

“Um, no, I said sorry to her that she was his sister and she accepted my condolences, called him a dumbass too” Uma smirked again, a glint in her eye…he knew that glint, it was the glint of pranks “Oh! Do yeh want me ta-“

“Yes,” Uma interrupted him, rubbing her arms together as he saw a plan forming in her mind “ask her if she wants to help us prank Chad, fucker decided to ‘accidentally” Uma used finger quotes “spill grape juice all over my new jacket, and we all know that shit stains, didn’t even apologize either” Harry grit his teeth. Chad, one of the very few teens at Auradon prep that still harassed the vks, he was a bully and a thief, something Harry could respect on the isle but even on the isle you didn’t bully Uma without getting Harry’s hook to your face.

“I’ll ask ‘er when next time I see ‘er, we don’ have a lot of classes together, and her dance class ends after mine” Uma smirked at that, leaning into her hand.

“How are those going by the way?” Harry just let out a raspberry, and Uma fell back on Gil’s bed, laughing away.

-

The next day, after Harry's dance class, he waited outside (y/n)s room, standing awkwardly and out of place as others passed by him, some looking at him oddly while others ignored him or simply glanced at him.

There were one or two flirtatious looks but Harry ignored those, continuing to wait for (y/n). about fifteen minutes of waiting, the class finally ended, and as (y/n)s fellow dancers exited the room, many of them stared at him, whispering amongst themselves for a moment before one turned to him. “(y/n)s talking to Esmerelda, she’ll be in there for a moment” She had a strong French accent and Harry nodded in thanks, the group finally moving on as the girl who had spoken up pushed them away from the room.

After a couple more moments of waiting Harry got impatient, walking up to the door and peeking in, seeing (y/n) standing in front of Esmerelda, looking down at her feet “(y/n) your posture is perfect, your leg is always perfectly straight during the Penché, everything you do during practice is perfect but…there's just no…passion (y/n), where is it? You are only doing the steps, you aren’t feeling the music, where is the love, the sorrow, the yearning? This is a dance to convey two people falling in love (y/n), and I don’t see any of it coming from you” Harry felt his chest hurt as Esmerelda sighed, looking away from (y/n) who stayed silent. “(y/n) if you can't find the passion I need for the piece…I’m going to have to switch you out, I’m sorry” (y/n) looked up at that, and Harry couldn’t see her face but he could tell there were tears in her eyes “You are one of my best dancers (y/n), but without passion, you are doing nothing but following the steps.” (y/n) nodded slowly. Esmerelda smiled and took her chin “You just have to find your spark again, I know you can do it…I’ll see you tomorrow” (y/n) nodded again, turning to grab her bag.

Harry ducked out of the doorframe and went back to lean against the wall, looking down at his converse as he waited for (y/n). “Harry?” he looked up, (y/n) walking toward him from the door and tilting her head “What are you doing here?”

Harry smirked, it turning to a smile as (y/n) smiled back. Good, that meant she wasn’t super down from her talk with Esmerelda. “I was wonderin’ if yeh wanted ta help Uma n’ I prank Chad~” Harry had hardly finished his sentence before (y/n) grinned, stepping even close to him.

“Hell yes!” Harry shared her grin and offered his arm again, walking her out of the building and back to the dorms to Uma’s room, where Uma would tell them her plan.

-

Two days later, Chad’s hair was puke green. And he didn’t suspect a damn thing, even as (y/n) held her laughter as she stood next to him, sharing a sly thumbs up with Harry and Uma as they cackled at him.

“You’re definitely cut from a different fabric princess” Uma chuckled, Harry moving to the side of the bench he and Uma were sitting on as you walked over to them when Chad bolted off screaming after realizing his hair was green (for someone who stared at himself almost all day it took him a while to notice his hair) (y/n) grinned in thanks and plopped down next to Harry, not noticing Uma’s smirk as Harry scooted closer to (y/n).

“I’ll take that as a compliment” (y/n) laughed, leaning against the table and looking towards the door “How long do you think it’ll be before Chad suspects us?”

“Three days” Gil decided, suddenly appearing and sitting down next to Uma. And as usual, holding a bowl of grapes “I give it three days”

(y/n) hummed at that, tapping her fingers on the table “Well Chad is smart,” (y/n) laughed a bit at Uma and Harry's look of ‘really?!’ “I know shocking…well less smart more cunning, but I say he’ll either figure it out by the end of the day or he’ll bolt up in the middle of the night and then figure it out, can't say which or when, but it’s one of those”

“By the way,” Gil interrupted (y/n), pointing his finger right at her “who are you?” Gil had been out of the room every time (y/n) came over to Uma or Harry and Gil's room to plan for the plank, so oddly enough he had yet to meet (y/n) before today.

“Gil!” Harry hissed through his teeth, Uma smirking once more at his reaction. (y/n) laughed and held out her hand.

“I’m (y/n), (y/n) Charming, Chad’s sister” Gil took her hand and shook it, giving her a sympathetic look.

“I’m so sorry” (y/n) laughed again, unknowingly sending a flurry of butterflies through Harry again.

“Harry said the same thing a couple days ago, I accept your condolences” Gil released (y/n)s hand and went back to his grapes as Uma intertwined her hands and looked at (y/n)

“So you and Harry go to the same dance school, right? Do you ever dance together?” Harry felt his cheeks turn red at the question and he pouted at Uma, not really wanting to bring up the topic of the classes he hated so much.

“I guess? Different classes but same building, I’m a ballet dancer, been one since I was a kid. Harry, I think is still in the beginner class but Harry?” He glanced at (y/n) with a raised bro and a hum “You said Bert’s thinking of upgrading your placement?” Harry huffed and leaned on his hand.

“Aye, somethin’ bout me being a higher level than beginner, I dinne kae I din’ listen more than tha’” both Uma and (y/n) hummed at that. “I din’ even wan’ ta do the damn classes in the first place so I don’t see why I should level up or whatever” Harry grumbled, pouting at nothing.

Uma forced the grin off her face. Harry, ever since he had made friends with (y/n), started to be more…enthusiastic when going to the studio, no longer dragging his feet. And after the first time he picked up (y/n) from her class he did it the next day, and the next. Uma knew Harry and she knew he was catching feelings for the princess, even if he himself didn’t realize it yet.

Harry had only known the princess for about a month now, but Uma could tell when Harry liked someone, and he really-really liked (y/n), he wouldn’t admit it until he knew what words to connect his feelings yet but, Uma could wait.

Now, Uma wouldn’t do anything to push Harry and (y/n) together yet, she didn’t know if (y/n) shared any feelings about Harry, but once Uma did find out? Oooh, it was going to be fun.

But for now? Uma watched (y/n) and Harry talk, smiling behind her hand at the sparkle within Harry's eye, she would sit and watch their relationship bloom.

-end of part 2-

part 2~ hope yall enjoyed and like (y/n) so far, and i do want to put a *sprinkle* of angst in this so it'll come with (y/n)s struggle to show feeling in her dance and maybe some Chad shenanigan's anyway~ yeah i think this will be a 10 part series at most, and im liking where its going atm.

anyway im gonna draw a blue ballgown now because i don't like any of the designs i found on google or Pinterest

Permtaglist

@queer-cosette​ @sephiralorange​ @lunanight2012​

@daughter-of-the-stars11​ @musicarose​ @random-thoughts-003​

@remembered-license​ @thecaptainsgingersnap​ @rintheemolion​

@imtryingthisout​ @verboetoperee​ @jatp-rules-my-life​

[chaos-caffeinated]

Miracle of a Chance Ch. 9 (Part 1 of 2)

Taglist: @ultimatebottom69 @bitxhinthecomments @natiebug1

This is the longest chapter of yet, so there will be two parts. One posted today, the other tomorrow!

Enjoy!

There's a little extra in there, I didn't write alcina x reader for nothing.

Giggles erupted into the hallway in a teasing manner, and it came from none other of the three witches themselves: Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela. It would stop for a couple minutes and resume once again. Inside a room, the library, was 7-year-old Ezekiel with his mother, Lady Dimitrescu.

Currently in his home studies, Ezekiel's cheeks were puffed as he pouts at his mother's direction, clearly showing his frustration.

"Once you finish with your assignment you can play with your sisters." She stated calmly, reading over his answers. She skimmed through the answers with her glasses on.

"But I did do my work." He raised his papers, "See?" The page was filled of his handwriting. For the past hour, he had been practicing his handwriting, his natural writing and his calligraphy; it needed work, and that is why he was practicing.

Alcina wanted all her children educated, but it was unnecessary for her girls to study what he was because of his human stance. She wanted him prepared for the world, for he would represent what men should be: courteous, respectful, self-worthy, yet still carrying the assertiveness and confidence without humiliating anybody.

She looked up to admit he did finished, "What about the rest?" She asked, opening her palm, only to receive the paper.

"Mom...you said if I had finished my assignment, and I did." Ezekiel confidently spoke, smiling small as he made a point. She was surprised that he listened so well, but she was also slightly upset that now she had to let him go, "Well, Mr. Dimitrescu, You are correct-"

Ezekiel beamed at her reaction, "So I can go?" He asked, almost bouncing in his chair, beginning to pack up.

"Wait a minute, your homework."

Ezekiel slumped in his chair, and Alcina raised an eyebrow which caused him to straighten up in his chair.

Then she placed her hand over the other, "You'll read 5 paragraphs of your favorite book and recite it to me in French, in addition, you'll also practice more of some cursive words to get better at it. That's it for today, you've done well." She praised which lit up his facial features with pride.

"Thank you, Mom!" He cleaned up his desk before running out to the hallway to meet with his sisters.

Alcina smirked softly as she continued grading his papers, distracting her for awhile before going to her bedroom today.

~

Each of the girls' plan was to scare Ezekiel as he searched for them, already deciding to play hide-and-seek. They were ruthless when hiding from Ezekiel, but he would always scream then laugh at their attempt, it was music to their ears when not dealing with actual men, or maidens.

As Cassandra listened to his footsteps, she noticed the pattern of walking and searching, and running with confident of their whereabouts.

When laughter erupted and bounced on the walls, the footsteps stopped only for there to be a scrape.

"Cassandra!" He shouted with confidence laced with his voice, giggling afterwards, "I know that's you."

"It only counts when you find me, little brother!~" She replied arrogantly.

Ezekiel placed his finger on his chin as he glanced around the main living room. He scanned the area before noticing a shadow cast on the ceiling, "There you are! On the ceiling!" He called out. The mass of flies buzzed off from the ceiling and reached to the floor, nearing him only transformed to her human form, giggling, "So you found me first?" She grins, ruffling his hair only for Ezekiel to giggle and fixing it. His hair was in a ponytail with a bow on the back.

"Now you must help me find Bela!" He pointed at nothing in particular as he took charge in the moment.

"Lead the way, brethren." She picked him up and settled him on over her shoulders. Together they searched and searched, and he even looked on the ceiling. That was until they entered a room. Like every room, it was elegantly designed with the golden details, white walls. There were two wardrobes on each side, and both Cassandra and Ezekiel checked twice because "checking twice removes...it's just better to check twice." he would come up with, and the anti-climatic quote would make Daniela burst out laughing only for him to laugh with her.

Once they check the wardrobes, Ezekiel hummed in dissapointment, "They're not here..." he commented, crossing his arms and resting his finger on his chin before he raised an eyebrow at a brick on the floor. He pulled his hand away from his face slightly before making his way to the brick only to notice a broken side of the wall, "Hey, Cassie....what is...this?" His voice faltered as he felt an ominous vibe from inside. It was horribly lit with the terrible rotting wood compared to the golden accents in the castle. The oil lamp was still lit, and he even stepped back.

"OOh~ Bela and Daniela could be down there, mother is going to be very mad." She inspected the broken wall, "Hm..." She turned around to look at Ezekiel with a grin, "Shall we go?"

"Uhm...I don't....I don't want to..." Ezekiel wrapped his own arms around his shoulders as he stared at the room with a uncertain look.

"Oh come on, baby brother, you're going to let them win? We spent an hour looking for them and they could be here." Cassandra pitched in, "Come on, it'll be quick. We'll hop in, and out in no time-"

"You promise?" He asked, his hands trembling softly against his arms as he made eye contact with her piercing yellow eyes.

"Yes, yes, I do promise. Now shall we? Do you want to be behind me?" She started walking inside, "There's a ladder." she revelled, "Bela and Daniela made so much effort for you to look for them."

Hesitantly, Ezekiel followed. He watched and observed everything around him as he became more sensitive, getting goosebumps at any point. He watched Cassandra just become her swarm as she went to the bottom of the ladders and he turned around to get down. He was cautious about his movements as he tried not to get his clothes dirtied from the dust.

When he reached to the bottom, he followed Cassandra as he passed a pile of loose papers by the table and just watched her become the swarm again and into the cracks of the wall. He was confused as to how she knew her way, but he was disappointed that the wall was not a signal of dead end, a signal for him to turn back.

In the process of Ezekiel and Cassandra making their way to the cellar, Alcina was enjoying her meal from her favorite maid, the nanny that was taking care of her son when not playing with his sisters, and someone she secretly considered someone closer than a personal maid.

Her red, semi-glossy lips were pressed against your flesh as she sucked on the blood, making you grunt as you bit your thumb.

"You make a wonderful noise, dear, I made no mistake in trusting you." She complimented as she pulled way, her lips removing from you sounded that of a separated kiss, a kiss you desired for so long.

"Thank you, my lady." You sighed softly as you lay on the bed, sheets covering your torso and below.

She smirked and caressed your cheek, confidence surging as you leaned closer to her, "Who would have thought that because of your persistence, you would be here?"

You turn your face slightly to face her, to see her smile lines, to see her this close to notice the brush strokes, the eye shadow, and the beautiful pair of eyes you laid upon, "I had no participation other than following you, my lady."

She pressed her smile, and even then she got closer ever so slowly, "Well, my dear, I made a good choice. And, draga, it's Alcina to you only." before pulling you in a soft kiss. That moment, you felt light-headed, you felt your heart rate go up by the second and hoping never to forget what happened before you felt her whip away. The rush of air hitting your body like whiplash as you heard it. A scream, and not just any scream you became accustomed. Your eyes widen in fear and concern as you sat up.

Alcina was already up and getting her robe on, helping you with the gown. She wasn't worried about you two anymore, but Ezekiel and it showed.

You felt her hands shiver as you looked up at her, "Go, I'll follow you."

And she didn't hesitate to go.

~~~~

Oh no a cliffhanger?! Oh but you knew already, welp, until tomorrow! Ta-ta!~

[lu-undy]

Happy birthday, Solitude But Two!

Here is a bonus Chapter!

"You guys will be alright, yeah?" 

"Of course, Micky, it's not the first time you leave the kitties with us." 

"But it's gonna be more than an evenin' this time. Also, before I forget, I put one of Lu's shirts in the bag, they need it to sleep, don't forget it or they'll harass you until you give it to them."

Perle was gladly following Caroline around while Soot lay on Mike's lap, purring as the old man gently massaged the black cat. 

"Bah, we raised you and we used to have cats as well as dogs."

"Your Mum's right." Mike answered from the sofa. "We'll be fine. You go and have fun with Lucien. Did you tell him by the way?" 

"Nah, not yet. I'm keepin' it a surprise for him. Speaking of, I really gotta go or we’ll be late. He’s waitin’ to have lunch with me before I take him." 

"You arranged everythin'?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, almost. Right, you guys take care, alright?"

"We will, Micky, you go and have your fun with your Lu'." Caroline answered as Mundy opened the front door.

"Meow!" Perle came trotting to her father and Soot jumped out of Mike's lap to join her. 

"Oh, sure, baby, c'mere you guys…" Mundy squatted down and dealt headbutts and scratches left and right to both the felines. "You behave with Grandma and Grandpa, yeah?" 

"Meow." 

"Good babies." He left a kiss on their heads and pushed himself back to stand up. "See ya!"

"See you in a few weeks, Micky!" 

A few moments later, the Aussie was on his motorcycle, racing through the streets and in his own mind. He had been preparing this for a while now. 

It had been one year. 

One year since he had put a ring on Lucien's finger and vice versa. Well, it would be one year exactly in a few days and this was what it was all about, celebrating the first anniversary of Lucien and him being… well… husbands? 

Of course, their legal status remained single but in their hearts and their heads, they were very much taken and faithful to each other. Mundy never did attract a lot of attention from ladies and gents, but Lucien… 

Every time the couple was having dinner outside, or enjoying a party with the few friends they had made, one person would walk to Lucien and hit on him. The first time it happened, it was a woman but Mundy nonetheless felt the itch to show her the rings, Lucien's and his. As he came close to his lover, he heard Lucien chuckle at the poor woman's attempt to pull her into her bed. He remembered it with a smile now…

“Oh, here you are, Mundy.”

“Hey, Lu.”

The woman had raised her eyes to the Aussie. 

“This your friend?” She asked. 

“More than that…” Lucien put a hand on Mundy’s chest and leaned on him. “Please meet my everything, Mundy. Mundy, this is the charming Amanda.”

“Hey there.” Mundy had stuck to being cold but polite, a defensive hand went to grab his Lucien and pull him to himself, almost defensively. 

“What d’you mean, ‘your everything’?” She chuckled with a raised eyebrow, confused and slightly mocking. 

“I mean this.” Lucien answered and pulled Mudy’s neck down for the Aussie to be at his lips height. He pushed a loving kiss on his lips and released him. Mund opened his eyes again, his mind still on the kiss even though Lucien’s lips had parted from his. 

Amanda’s jaw hung low and wide. 

“He is my husband, look!” Lucien went on, uphased. “This is the ring. It has only been a few months, mind you, time flies, but we love each other as if we were half our ages… Oh? Amanda?”

The woman had spun on her heels and left, leaving Lucien to chuckle and turn back to Mundy. 

“So, mon loup, are you enjoying your evening?” 

[My wolf]

“Uh… Y-yeah… Wasn’t she hittin’ on you?” Mundy nodded in the direction of the woman. 

“She was, very much.” Lucien answered. “But for some reason she left now. I cannot think why… Women shall remain a mystery!”

“Maybe that’s cause you snogged me like there’s no tomorrow in front of her?” Mundy answered.

“Oh, that? Maybe.” Lucien answered and leaned against Mundy’s shoulder again. He stared at the woman refilling her glass with whatever strong alcohol she could find before he raised his light blue eyes to his lover. 

They exchanged a smile. 

“You’re a devil, you know that?” Mundy said. 

“Maybe, but I am having great fun.”

“Why did you do that to her? You could have just said that you were already with someone.”

“And miss this laughter we shared? For nothing in the world. This ring that she chose to ignore,” Lucien raised his hand to Mundy. “It means that I vowed to make you happy. You did laugh, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. “

“Then I am upholding my vows. Très bien.”

[Very well] 

 “You’re mean, Lu’. Look at her now…”

“I am not mean. If anything, she was.”

“What?!” Mundys eyebrows jumped in surprise.

“I am wearing my engagement ring and she still chooses to approach me. She knew she was taking a risk and she liked the thrill of it. Well, let this be a lesson for her: not all the risks are worth taking, Madame Amanda.”

“Well, if you put it that way…” Mundy agreed. 

And Mundy reached his destination, which pulled him out of his daydream. He parked the motorcycle safely and entered his house. 

“Mon loup, c’est toi?”

[My wolf, is that you?]

“Oui, mon amour.”

[Yes, my love.]

Lucien rose from his armchair and met his love at the front door. 

"Your accent when you speak French is delicious…" He said before pushing himself to the tip of his toes and kissing Mundy. 

"I'm makin' progress, aren't I?" Mundy laced his arms around Lucien's waist.

"Oui, but please, never lose your accent." 

"If it goes like it does with you, I'll still have my accent in a hundred years."

"Are you saying I am old?" Lucien frowned in an exaggeratedly sad way. 

"I'm not the one spendin' my time sayin' 'You'll see when you get to my age', eh!"

"Pfff…" 

They chuckled together.

"You ready?" Mundy asked. 

"Where are you taking me for lunch?"

"Where d'you think?"

"Hm…" The couple exited the house and Mundy locked the door as Lucien thought out loud. "Maybe the new Lebanese place that opened in town? I am told it is exquisite and very reasonable in price." 

"Since when d'you care about the price of things?" Mundy smiled. "Oh, no, no, Lu', we're not goin' with the bike. I called a taxi." 

"Oh? This means that you intend to get drunk, so maybe the Irish pub? But isn't it early to get drunk?"

"Never too early to be with you, baby." Mundy raised his arm for the taxi to stop while Lucien's blush took a moment to fade. 

They both embarked in the taxi. 

"Where to, Sir?" The driver asked. 

"Where I told you on the phone, please." Mundy answered. 

"Alright." The driver let his foot press on the gas pedal and off they all went. 

"Tu me caches des secrets?"

[You are holding secrets from me?]

"Oui." Mundy answered. 

"Dis-moi où tu m'emmènes." Lucien asked.

[Tell me where you are taking me.]

Mundy shook his head and took a glance in the inside rear view mirror. The driver was busy. Good. The Aussie slid his hand to take his lover’s. 

“C’est une surprise, doll.” He answered with his accent. 

[It’s a surprise.]

“D’accord.” Lucien smiled and nodded.

[Very well.]

And the ride took them away from where the usual restaurants the couple frequented used to go. Lucien straightened his back and looked through the window. He started frowning when he saw the control tower of the airport, the same one he had landed in, a few years ago now. And it got him thinking. What if he could go back and see the Lucien that disembarked on the plane that day. Would the slightly younger Lucien believe him if he had told him what he would become? What would he even tell him? 

Tu rencontreras l’homme de ta vie et ta vie basculera. Tu ne demanderas plus comment ni pourquoi. Tu vivras l’instant, tout simplement, comme quand tu avais vingt ans. Tu vivras et aimeras, comme quand tu avais vingt ans. Tu seras heureux comme jamais tu ne l’as été. 

[You will meet the man of your life and your life will flip upside down. You will not wonder how or why anymore. You will live the instant, simply, as you did when you were twenty. You will live and you will love, as you did when you were twenty. You will be happy as you never were before.]

Would the younger Lucien believe him or would he laugh at him, scornful and disdainful, before he would realise that perhaps, the older him was senile, old, and out of his mind? 

Pff, in the end, Lucien did not even care. He smiled at that version of himself. The bitter, cynical and lonely old man. He was now even older, but so much happier…! 

"Lu'?" 

Mundy's voice broke the Frenchman's train of thought. 

"Oui?" 

"Je t'aime." 

[I love you.] 

Mundy said those words with such honesty in his eyes that Lucien's cheeks turned pink on their own. 

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

He smiled back at him and clenched his fingers a bit harder between Mundy's. 

"Alright, we're gettin' there, Sir. Which door should I drop you at?" The driver asked. 

"Departures, please." Mundy answered, his eyes sealed on Lucien's and the Frenchman's eyebrows jumped. 

"Departures?" He repeated.

"Yeah."

"Are we… travelling?"

"Yeah." 

"But Mundy, we haven't taken any luggage with us?" 

"Don't be silly." Mundy gently chuckled as the driver parked. 

Both men exited the car and Mundy winked at Lucien. 

"C'mon, Lu', keep up! We don't wanna miss the flight…!"

"W-wait!" Lucien caught up with his lover. 

The airport was as busy as an anthill. People coming, going, running, pushing carts, holding their hats on their heads as they ran. 

"Mundy, were you serious?" 

"Course I am! We're goin', c'mon!" Mundy glanced up at a screen and quickly spun on his heels to change direction. Lucien followed, sometimes even trotting after his lover. 

"But where are we going?" 

"Told you, and in French at that, it's a surprise." 

"You cannot keep the surprise going forever, I will soon know." Lucien answered. 

"Yeah, but meanwhile, I'm likin' this whole 'Lu' doesn't know what's happenin'' business." Mundy smirked and looked down at Lucien, which he knew the Frenchman had a weakness for. 

"I shall find out myself!"

"Alright, good luck, Sherlock." Mundy winked and Lucien smiled. 

They walked through halls and corridors. 

"Uh, uh, uh! Gimme what you took from my pocket back!" Mundy stopped walking and turned to Lucien

"How could you possibly know?!" Lucien stopped. "I made every effort for you not to feel it!"

"You stole somethin' from my back pocket." Mundy said and opened his palm flat. "Give it back…" 

"How did you know?" Lucien frowned. 

Mundy sighed with a smile. He took the step that separated him from his lover and bent slightly such that his lips were next to the Frenchman's ear.

"I felt you touched my butt, and I liked it."

"Ah…" Lucien lowered his head and raised the plane tickets that he had taken from Mundy's back pocket. 

"Thank you, now stop bein' a spook and follow me."

They went on following sign after sign and looking at all the screens they met. 

"Here, that's the search thingy. I hope you don't have your blade with you." Mundy said as they queued. 

"What do you take me for?"

Both men started undoing their belts. Mundy removed his glasses and his hat. When the Aussie finished, he walked through the metal detector and soon after, his lover followed him. 

BEEP! 

"Ah, oui, I must explain myself." Lucien calmly said and Mundy observed the scene. "This is my passport. If you run a check on me, you will understand." 

The security employee took the passport and disappeared for a while. He came back and his colleague stopped him. 

"Hey, don't let him go, he had a knife in his belongings!"

"No, we have to let him go." The man handed Lucien his passport back. "With the knife and all. Have a good day, Sir, and sorry for the inconvenience." 

"No problem, you are but doing your job, Monsieur." Lucien took his belongings back and left the area. "Mundy? Are you coming? I do not know which gate we should head to."

Mundy had been standing there, his belt half put on, half still dangling down. His jaw had dropped as he watched. 

"Uh, y-yeah."

"Mundy." Lucien stopped him. 

"Yeah?" 

"Maybe you should finish putting your belt first?" Lucien tilted his head on the side and Mundy looked down at his waist. 

"Ah, uh, yeah…" 

A few moments later, both of them were standing in front of a screen. 

"Well, this is the moment where you'll see where I'm takin' you, doll." 

"Oui, it is. So? Which gate shall we go to?" 

"Forty-five." 

Lucien's eyes scanned the screen. 

"Oh… Mundy, but… Why Paris?" 

"Because I love you, and I wanna see what it's like over there."

"I…"

"C'mon, let's go." 

When they sat on the metallic, back-breaking bench at the gate, they chose a corner where they could be alone and in peace.

"Mundy, why go to Paris, honestly?" Lucien looked up at his lover. 

"Told you. I wanna see what your life was like when you were there. I mean… I know you told me you're not from there. But still… Besides, you've been livin' with me in Oz for a while, you've seen me and my life, I wanna see yours."

"I have indeed seen the Bushman in his natural habitat." Both exchanged a chuckle. 

"Look, if you don't want it, we can go back home. I don't wanna force you, baby." Mundy cast his eye around and dropped his hat on his thigh. He then slid his hand and pulled Lucien's underneath it. The Frenchman felt Mundy's thumb brush against the back of his hand.

"So, what d'you say?" Mundy asked.

"I say we go and I will show you the city where I grew up." Lucien answered. 

"You sure?" 

"We are about to board, Mundy, it is rather late to turn and go back home, non?" 

"No, not at all. If you feel awkward or anythin', we can go back home. I wanted to make it a surprise for you but the point's not for you to feel weird about it." 

"Non, Mundy, you are right. I should show you." Lucien clenched his grip on Mundy's hand. 

"You sure? I mean, are you happy to do it?"

"Delighted."

And Mundy took a second to stare in his lover’s eyes. Was he lying just to please him? To not make him feel awkward? The Aussie slightly squinted. He looked through the crystal clear irises to see the soul beyond them. Were Lucien’s lips deceiving the Aussie? Bah, it wouldn’t be the first time but… When was the last time that Lucien had lied?

Hm. 

Oh! Yeah, Mundy remembered it, it was… 

At the lake, almost exactly one year before, the wig. Lucien had worn a wig because he thought his lover could only look at him with the eyes of love when he made himself more feminine. It was obviously wrong and Mundy had tossed the long-haired lie away. That was Lucie’s last one.

Mundy blinked and his eyebrow relaxed. Lucien was not lying. He was looking up at the Aussie with eyes that screamed his limitless love for him. 

“Alright then, doll. Glad you’re happy to show me around.”

“Of course.” Lucien answered. “I am surprised by this trip but welcome it warmly. I think we should probably have done that before but I suppose we did not stop to think about it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Got any ideas on what we should see?”

“Apart from the classics like the Tour Eiffel, the Arc de triomphe, and other tourist attractions? Hm, I shall think about it.”

“Can I ask you to show me some stuff in particular?”

“But of course. What do you have in mind?”

“Where you lived, where you worked, places you liked to eat at, that kind of thing.” 

"I will."

They exchanged a conniving smile and the call to board the plane interrupted them. 

"Ready, baby?" 

"Oui." 

"Right, let's go and queue." 

A few minutes later, both found their seats in the plane and Mundy looked through the window. The sky was blue despite the relative cold of winter. Well, once in Paris, it will be summer… The plane took off and when the couple was higher in the sky than the clouds themselves, Lucien looked up at Mundy on his left. 

“I am surprised.”

“You’d better. Been hidin’ evidence of everything.”

“How did you do it?”

“Gave the tickets and everything to my Mum.” Mundy smiled. “I even tried to not think about it. I never know with you; could turn out that you can read my thoughts or somethin’.”

Lucien chuckled. 

“I could indeed.” He confirmed with a lingering smirk on his lips. “However, I choose not to.”

“Why?”

“The Lucien of the previous life used to read minds because he needed it.”

“And now it’s just a hobby?” Mundy chuckled. 

“Almost.” Lucien answered. “Non, I value my relationship too much with you to not give you the same privacy that you give me. It is a question of respect. However, it is cute to see you try to read me to see if I lie sometimes.”

“Ah, uh, well…” Mundy scratched the back of his head. “Sorry...  I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust you…”

“Not at all. It gives me the impression that you really want to know what is going on in my head, which I appreciate.”

“Really?”

“Oui, I like this side of you, the side that wants to read all my fears in my eyes before I am fully aware of them.”

Mundy blushed. 

“Yeah, well… Sorry, can’t help it.”

“It is a gift and a blessing, thank you for being so.”

“You’re welcome, baby. But uh, Lu’?”

“Oui?”

“Why did you say you were surprised?”

“Ah…” Lucien chuckled before he even gave the answer. “I did not take you for the business class ticket kind of a man.”

“I was gonna go for the economy thing, but then Mum said that in business we’d get a booth and we wouldn’t be bothered by people givin’ us looks. So I can do this…” Mundy reached for Lucien’s hand and took it. “And no one’ll look weird at us.”

“Cutely thoughtful of you, mon loup.”

“You can thank my Mum for that.”

Both chuckled and Lucien leaned his head on Mundy's shoulder. 

“I will, but in the meantime, thank you, mon amour.”

Minutes passed that turned into hours and the sky naturally darkened. After the dinner they were handed in, the couple closed their eyes. 

“Mornin’, luv’.”

“Bonjour, mon amour.”

[Good morning, my love.]

Both yawned, woken up by the bright morning sun above the clouds. 

“Slept well?”

“I think my neck will hate me for a few hours only. What about you?”

“My legs…”

“How long do we have left until we land?”

“Uh…” Mundy checked his watch. “A few hours…?”

“Mundy.”

“Some number of hours…?”

“Mon loup.”

“Alright, ok, we got three hours left.”

“That isn’t that bad, actually.” Lucien answered, surprised.

“Yup. Oh, Lu’, I just thought about something.”

“Oui?”

“Uhm… Y’know how I told you I wanted to visit your workplace?”

“Oui, I remember.”

“How’re you gonna do it? I mean you're supposed to be dead for the Ministry back there, aren’t you?”

“Indeed, I am. You will have to call me by my second name when we get there so as not to raise suspicions.”

“But you still look like yourself. People will recognise you, won’t they?”

“Non, they will not. I was once a spy: entering places I shouldn't be while being someone I am not was my occupation for decades and not a trade easily forgotten.” Lucien raised his eyes to Mundy. “Do not worry, I will show you the Ministry.” He smiled tenderly.

“Alright, I trust you. But if you think we can’t make it or somethin’, there’s no shame in sayin’ it.”

“Non, absolutely not, you are right. But this will be easy.”

A few hours and a nap later, the pilot announced the imminent landing. Mundy looked at the city below the plane. He could see a river flowing, zigzagging through the capital. 

“C’est la Seine.”

[It is the Seine.]

“Oh…”

“Ca, c’est l’île Saint-Louis… Et ça ? tu peux me dire ce que c’est ?”

[This is the Saint-Louis Island… And this? Can you tell me what it is?]

Lucien pointed and Mundy squinted to see better. 

“It’s… Oh! C’est la Tour Eiffel, non?”

[It’s the Eiffel Tower, isn’t it?]

Mundy answered in French and Lucien looked at him as he always did, yet each time, the Aussie couldn’t help but fall slightly deeper for his lover. 

“Oui, c’est la tour Eiffel.”

[Yes, it is the Eiffel Tower.]

Lucien confirmed. 

“It’s the real thing? It’s tiny…”

Lucien’s smile vanished. 

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s tiny! I thought it was supposed to be very tall!”

“Well, you will climb it using the stairs and I swear to God your thighs will make you regret these words!” Lucien answered and Lundy burst into laughter. 

“I’m jokin’, you sensitive, patriotic old baby…”

“Hm, joking now, aren’t you…? I will still make you climb to the top of it on the stairs.”

“How many steps is it to the top, d’you know?”

“One thousand six hundred and sixty-five. It takes between half an hour and forty-five minutes to climb it to the second floor which is not even the top.”

“You're pulling that out of your arse, aren’t you?”

“You shall see….!” Lucien leaned back on his seat with a smug smile on his lips. 

“Hm… Hold on, we aren’t gettin’ closer to the ground, the Eiffel Tower’s still tiny…”

“It is because it is forbidden to fly over Paris.”

“Are you serious?”

“Oui, I am, it has been so since the Second World War, if I remember correctly.”

“Woah… You guys know no Germans are gonna come and bully you again, don’t you?”

“We know. But we would rather keep our sky blue and free of planes.” Lucien answered. 

“Fair enough. Makes it more calm I guess."

When the plane landed and both made it through, Mundy held Lucien back in front of the airport's closed doors. 

"Hold on, before we step into actual Paris…"

"Oui?"

"I love you, Lu'." 

Lucien smiled. 

"I love you too."

"Alright, now, we can go." 

They took a step more and the doors slid open. The first rays on the Parisian summer sun hit their skin warmly and the lightest of breezes grazed their cheeks before rolling up to the sky. 

“Here we are then, eh? Paris.” Mundy said looking around him.

“We are outside of the city itself but I guess you booked a hotel inside?” Lucien asked.

“Actually, I didn’t.”

“Oh?” Lucien raised surprised eyebrows. 

“I was kind of counting on you to know where to go…?” Mundy admitted with a half ashamed smile.

“Oh, of course. I have recommendations.”

“You choose then, Lu’. I looked up the hotels and stuff but there were too many of them and I didn’t know which one to pick.”

“It is fine, let us call a taxi, I know where we should go.” Lucien smiled.

“Thanks, Lu’.”

“My pleasure.”

After half an hour inside a taxi, both stepped out in front of a hotel and Lucien waited for the car to disappear behind him. 

“Welcome to the Ritz.” Lucien said and Mundy looked up to take the large three-floor building in. The architecture was nothing like he had seen so far. At the end of a flight of stairs hidden by a red carpet, the doors stood wide and tall between spiral-trimmed slim plants and equally fancy dressed porters. A French flag was flying above the double door that put a slight proud smile on Lucien’s lips. The walls were all made out of light beige stone and on each floor, rectangular windows were neatly and equally spaced. On the first floor were slim balconies adorned with a golden plated logo of the hotel. As Mundy’s eyes followed the column of clean stones, jumping from one window to the one above, he noticed that high up, the roof was covered in dark slate with windows surrounded by smoothly moulded, light beige stone.

“Gosh…”

“Come on, we both need a shower at least.” Lucien smiled at how absorbed Mundy was by the looks of the building. 

The couple decided to take a few days of rest and let the jet-lag fade away slowly. They had their clothes bought and delivered to them at the hotel and enjoyed their meals either in their suite or in the restaurant downstairs. 

“What did you say the room we’re in was called?”

Lucien chuckled. 

“It is not a room, but a suite, mon amour, and it is called the Coco Chanel suite.”

“Funny name…”

“It is the name of a prestigious designer. She designed the room herself.”

“She was French?”

“Oui, she was.”

“Ah, guess it makes sense… How much is it per night?”

“A price that pales next to that of your company.” Lucien poetically answered. 

“Thanks, Lu, but I meant in Francs?”

“About a hundred…”

“Oh that’s quite cheap for a suite.”

“... Thousand Francs per night.”

“WHAT?!” Mundy almost spat his coffee out.

Lucien burst out laughing, catching his breath in the short little snorts that Mundy fell in love with. 

The next couple of days were spent visiting all the tourist-heavy places: the Eiffel Tower, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Palace of Versailles… Mundy saw more paintings and sculptures in those few days than he did in his entire life.

“Stop.” 

Lucien’s voice was firm, too firm and cold to be addressing Mundy. The Aussie turned and saw Lucien with his hand on a young man's wrist. 

“Hold on, that’s my wallet in your hand…!” Mundy snatched it back from the stranger's hand. 

“La prochaine fois que tu pick-pocket quelqu’un, choisis mieux ta cible et ne regarde pas autant que ça à droite et à gauche, on te voit venir à des kilomètres.”

[Next time you pickpocket someone, choose your target more carefully and don’t look so much left and right, you are telegraphing all your moves.] 

The young man opened wide eyes and as soon as Lucien released his wrist, he darted off. 

“Attends.”

He stopped and turned to Lucien, a few metres away from him. 

“Tiens. Et tu n’es pas mauvais, tu devrais en faire quelque chose.”

[Here. And you are not bad, you should do something out of it.]

Lucien handed him a note. The young man took it and left. 

“You gave him money?” Mundy asked. 

“Oui.” Lucien resumed his walk and Mundy followed him. 

“Why?”

“Because stealing is rarely a hobby. If one does it, it is out of necessity. Throwing  this young man in a cell will not help him at all. On the other hand, helping him such should.”

Mundy fell silent for a moment. 

“Besides,” Lucien started speaking again. “I was once this young man, only I never got caught.”

The next day, the couple woke up normally. Good, the jet-lag had finally passed. 

“Mundy?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to visit the ministry today?”

The half woken up Australian opened wide eyes in a flash. 

“Sure. Uhm, how are we gonna do this?”

“I have an idea. But I need to call Maurice first. You go and take a shower, I will telephone him and will let you know.”

“Alright.”

A couple of hours later, both men stood in front of an elegant building in the heart of the fifth district of Paris, or as Mundy liked to call it ‘the fancy one”. 

“Shall we?” Lucien asked. 

“I’d follow you but ho ‘re we gonna go through these soldiers?”

Two military looking people were guarding the entry and checking everyones credentials. 

“As easy as just follow me.” Lucien answered with a smile before he took the flight of stairs up and met with the soldiers. 

“Bonjour, Messieurs. Nous venons de la part de Maurice de Ronzières, en Australie.”

[Good morning gentlemen. We come on behalf of Maurice de Ronzières, in Australia.]

“Je dois vérifier.”

[I must check.]

“Faites donc.”

[Pray do.]

Both men waited at the door and when the guard came back to them, he let them in. 

“Gosh, Lu’ - I mean, Louis… We’re in…”

“Oui, welcome to a place that they redecorated and I barely recognise…” Lucien shook his head disappointedly as he held his hips.

“That means we can’t visit it cause you don’t know where stuff is anymore?”

“Non, non.”

“Then why d’you look uh… not happy with it?”

“Because they redecorated and made it is ugly!” Lucien raised his arms in the air before letting them drop again. “Had I been still alive, I would have given the Minister of Defense a piece of my mind…!”

“Hold on…!” Mundy caught up with his lover and walked through the corridors. 

They abruptly stopped walking in front of a small door hidden under the stairs, on which Lucien gave a few knocks. 

“Qui est-ce?”  A muffled, old man’s voice asked.

[Who is it?]

“C’est moi.” Lucien answered and the door opened.

[It’s me.]

“Grand Dieu, Maurice a dit vrai…!”

[Good Lord, Maurice spoke the truth…!]

A short, skinny, old man emerged from what Mundy understood was the broom closet. He had lost most of his hair on his head and wore round, thick glasses.

“Comment allez vous, Georges?” Lucien opened his arms and the old man took a step forward and hugged him.

[How are you, Georges?]

"Ça doit faire une éternité! Les cheveux gris vous changent, Louis, mais je vous reconnais bien.”

[It must have been an eternity since last time. Grey hair makes you look so different, Louis, but I still recognise you.]

“Parlez-vous un peu d’anglais?”

[Do you happen to speak a bit of English?]

“Oh, j’ai les rudiments, à force d’entendre tout ce qui se passe…!”

[Oh, I learnt the basics on the fly here, as I’m forced to hear bits here and there…!]

“Then,” Lucien naturally switched to English. “Please meet my husband, Mundy.”

Mundy blushed beyond his ears. It was so uncommon for Lucien to introduce him as his husband straight away. 

“And Mundy, please meet Georges, the ultimate spy.”

“Nice to meet you.” Mundy extended his hand and the old man shook it with a smile. 

“Does he understand French?” Georges asked, his accent so thick that next to him, Lucien sounded like a native…!

“Bits, oui, I have been teaching him.” Lucien answered. 

“Then, mes félicitations, mon garçon!”

[Congratulations, my boy!]

“Oh, uh, thanks… But how are you the ultimate spy?” Mundy asked. 

“We can chat as we walk, boys, come on, follow me!” The old man pulled a trolley of rags, dusters and all kinds of cleaning products out of the closet before he started pushing it. Lucien and Mundy followed him. 

“Georges here is responsible for the cleanliness of everything you see. He also happens to have the keys to every room in this building apart from a very select few of them. And all of that makes Georges the best guide to this place." Lucien explained as the trio walked through the corridor. 

The old man pushed his trolley through the corridors, making sure to take all the stair cases that nobody usually takes. 

"And I forgot to say," Lucien added through Georges' explanation of the rooms and corridors. "This man here is invisible to everyone meaning that if we stick to him, we become invisible too." 

"And so you don't break your cover… Ah, I get it…" Mundy nodded to himself. 

"Georges, could you take us to the portrait room, please?" 

"Yes, I can. They didn't move it cause they say history can't be changed." The old man answered, the keys jiggling from his belt loop.

"Ah, perfect." 

Georges took a second to unlock the door and push it open. 

"You have ten minutes, fifteen tops, before my colleague comes here to dust everything off. I'll try and buy you some time but he's young and finds I talk too much so he usually just leaves me alone to do his job. Counting on you, boys, be careful with the time!"

"We will be. Merci infiniment, Georges." 

[Thank you infinitely, Georges.]

"Avec plaisir." 

[My pleasure.]

Both men entered and Lucien shut the large, wooden double doors after them.

“Wow, what’s this place? Who’re these people?” Mundy said as he found himself in a room surrounded by painted or printed portraits. The oldest were black and white engravings while the most recent ones were coloured.

“This is the portrait room. It contains the photograph, painting or engraving of every man who made a decisive contribution to the establishment or security of this country.” Lucien explained. “Please, do have a look.”

Mundy started walking in what felt more like an art gallery than a room. He admired the faces, sometimes commenting on the military attire or the old style moustaches and beards. Lucien tried his best to recall the bits of history he knew about those important figures of the country, mentioning a few anecdotes when his memory allowed him to. 

“Golden frames for everyone, eh? That’s fancy as all hell…” Mundy said. 

“Indeed it is.” Lucien answered. “I am told that nowadays, when young spies finish their training, they are brought here and come out of this room with the hope that one day, their face will be on thiese walls.”

“Yeah, I can get the enthusiasm.” Mundy said. “Oh, Lu’... Hold on… Is that…?” Munddy squinted in front of a photograph and took a step forward. His eyes zigzagged on that of the man with light eyes and coal black hair. “Bloody hell, isn’t that you?!”

Lucien chuckled. 

“Guilty as charged.” The Frenchman said. 

“How old were you on this? You look half the age of the others!”

“I started my career early and abruptly. Some would say I even started without knowing it myself. But to answer your question, I was in my early twenties in this picture.”

“Bloody hell… You look like an angel back then already.”

Lucien smiled. 

“Merci.”

“What did you do to get your face up there?”

“I helped in the Résistance to free France from the Germans. I started as a courier boy, delivering messages until I grew up and understood that my, ahem, ease to approach women could be an asset for the country. Countless Nazi were caught through their wives and their mysterious lover.”

“You…?”

“Mh-hm, me. I broke a lot of German hearts back then, even before France’s liberation.” Lucien chuckled.

“Wow… Id love to take a picture of it.”

“We could take it back, if you want.”

“What?! You wanna steal it?!”

“It is my face and I am dead. I can claim it back.” Lucien shrugged.

“Hm.” Mundy fell deep in thought. “You know what?”

“Mh?”

“Leave it there.”

“You have changed your mind?”

“Yeah, leave it there for folks to look up at you and remember you. You changed my life, yeah, but you also changed an entire country before that. Let them have a souvenir.”

Lucien smiled. 

“Very well, mon loup.”

The next day, the couple woke up with the first rays of light, wrapped in the satin sheet of the Coco Chanel suite at the Ritz.

“Lu’?”

“Oui?”

“Uhm, there’s somewhere I wanna take you today.”

“Oh?” Lucien’s surprise was obvious. Mundy wanted to take him somewhere? Where? Why? And above all, how? The Aussie had spent the past week or so following his lover blindly and complaining that he did not know how Lucien could know where he was going. “Sure, when do you want to go?”

“This evenin’, if that’s fine with you too. We can go have dinner somewhere and then we’ll go?”

“Perfect for me, Mundy.”

And for the entire day, Lucien kept on thinking about it. Where would Mundy take him…? Until of course it was time to go. He followed his tall lover through the streets. The Aussie stopped only a few times to check his map and make sure they were heading in the right direction. 

“Alright, should be after this street.”

They stopped when they reached beautiful dark blue, wrought-iron gates. 

“A park? You wanted to take me to a park?”

“I uh… I don't think it’s any odd park.” Mundy answered and Lucien frowned. They both entered and wandered inside, following the yellow narrow roads. 

“Why did you want to bring me here, Mundy?”

“I think you guessed why.” Mundy answered. “You know we’re not in any park.”

“Indeed, I do, so why here?”

“Because it’s part of you and it’s important.” Mundy answered before he stopped walking. “Now, you gotta guide me.”

Lucien took a deep breath and let it all out in a long sigh. 

“Très bien.” He started walking and it took a few minutes of silence before they reached their destination, under a tree. 

“Is it here?” Mundy asked. 

“Oui, it should be.”

“Gimme your blade.”

Lucien took it from his inner pocket and passed it to Mundy who went down to sit on his knees and started digging. The Frenchman waited, his arms wrapped around himself. He felt slightly cold even though the day had been scorching hot and he evening was still warm. 

“Here we go...!” Mundy unearthed a small tin box. “Let’s go back to the hotel.” He stood up and dusted his knees off before both him and Lucien headed back. 

When they were in their suite and alone, Mundy headed for the bathroom. He cleaned the box of all the soil on it and brought it back to the living-room on a towel. Lucien had been sitting on the sofa, his stare blank. 

“You alright?”

“Oui,” He shook his head as if to land back into reality. “I was just lost in thought.”

“C’mon, ask me.” Mundy said and Lucien sighed. 

“Why did you do this?”

“Because you told me that everythin’ that was you before was in a box, that you had buried it in a park in Paris as the rain was pouring down in the middle of the night. You told me that it has all sorts of things like pictures of you, maybe even of your family and everythin’.” 

Mundy took a deep breath and took Lucien’s hand in his. 

“It’s been one year of you and me bein’ a solid thing and it’s been even longer of us just spendin’ all our time together, and even longer of me lovin’ you to bits.” Lucien blushed at the last part and smiled shyly. “And today, it’s been exactly one year of us being a thing. I put a ring on your finger and you put one on mine one year ago exactly. I just… I don’t wanna make you feel bad at all, I love you, I just wanna see your life from before and beyond that, I want you to be at peace with what you were before.”

“Hm.”

“I don’t care what you were, I just want you to accept whatever's in that box as a part of you. It doesn’t need to be buried down in the ground, it shouldn’t be there. It should be with us, with our pictures and memories.”

Lucien had sat silently through his lover’s speech. 

“You understand, baby doll?”

Lucien raised his eyes to his lover. 

“You are right, Mundy.” He took the box and put it on his lap before gently opening it. “This is the only photo album I have ever bought in my life, before we got ours. The oldest pictures are of my parents, then me as a baby and a young boy. The next picture is when I was officially made a spy, after the end of the Second World War, during which I served in the Résistance.”

He flipped the pages and pointed for Mundy to follow.

“Wow, you were already gorgeous back then.”

“Thank you.” 

The Aussie wrapped an arm around his lover to pull him close and Lucien leaned on him.

“Mundy?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you know which hpark it was?” Lucien asked. “I don’t think I mentioned the name of it.”

“I asked Maurice for the park where we could spend some quality time that would mean something for you.”

“Ah, I see.” Lucien turned the page. “This is the few pictures of Marie and Jérémy that I have.”

“She was real pretty.”

“Oui, she was.” Lucien smiled at the pictures. 

“And Jeremy kind of looked like you a bit, I mean, his hair’s lighter than yours but…”

“He was born blond like the sun.” Lucien said. “His hair darkened as he grew up and was dirty blond before he passed.”

“Oh, I see.”

“This is us, all together.”

“Look at you bein’ a dad… You look so comfy handlin’ the baby. I’m always scared when I’m handed a kid. Always scared to drop them or hurt them or somethin.”

Lucien smiled with nostalgia.

“You should not. They are indeed very fragile but you are very strong.” He turned his head and pushed his lips on Mundy’s. 

“Thanks, luv’.”

“Thank you.” Lucien put the photo album aside. 

“There’s more stuff in the box?”

“Oui. Here, this was my first ever blade.”

“Oh, you kept it?”

“Oui, as a souvenir. When I was in the Résistance, I never thought that doing what I was doing would turn me into a spy, get me a job and a life that is reasonably put together. I just did it because I could and I was told I had a gift for it.”

“And you went on to become the best spook ever.” Mundy said, recalling the portrait at the Ministry.

“Something like that.” Lucien smiled. “Here, this is all black and old, but it used to be silver and shining bright.” He handed a thin, yet very old string of metal to Mundy. 

“It’s a bracelet?”

“It bears my name on it. It is a common gift that young children are offered here. I kept mine because it reminded me of my mother, whom I loved beyond everything else. Oh and this is a very old and worn out thing now, but I used to wear it to cover my mouth and nose, for people to not recognise me when I worked to liberate France.”

“It’s a black bandana?”

“It used to be Burgundy red.”

“We could give a polish to your bracelet and a good wash to your bandana. I’m not good with clothes but I’m sure there’s ways to bring it back to life.”

“I think so, oui. Ah, there it is… Although it is broken, this used to be the bracelet that I offered to Marie, when we first started to meet each other regularly.”

“It’s a pearl bracelet?”

“Oui, I have always liked pearls on women, I think it might be because my mother used to have a pearl necklace that she treasured more than anything else. It was a gift from my father. I remember as a child, I one day found it as I was prying into whatever I could lay my hands on in the house and she told me off for touching it.”

“Oh, wow…”

“Wow indeed.” 

Mundy took a second to look at the way Lucien was looking at his belongings from another life. His eyes were almost dreamy and his gaze, very soft, filled with nostalgia and bittersweetness. And soon, the smile widened and it was not an awkward listing of antics but objects that threw the Frenchman’s mind back when pictures were only black and white, when uniforms were compulsory at school, when with a Franc, you could buy a mountain…

“Oh, I am enjoying this actually, Mundy.” Lucien raised his eyes to his lover. “Thank you so much, mon chéri.”

[My darling.]

“You're welcome. See? It’s better to acknowledge everythin’ and even if it's bad things or mistakes that you can only blame yourself for, so be it. The only way to repent I guess, is to not make those mistakes again.”

“You speak truth and wisdom. May God keep you by my side for as long as we want.”

“Amen, baby.”

“Thank you for… Well… Half-forcing me to do this. I realise that I should have done it long ago.”

“How d’you feel?” Mundy asked. 

“Better, lighter in a way.” Lucien wiped a silent tear. 

“Hey, you sure you good?”

“Oui, it is not tears of sadness. It is… The intensity of all this. Finding myself in the Ritz again, but this time, not on duty, not for business, just for our enjoyment, the breakfasts, lunches and dinners here now taste so much more flavourful, I never realised that their food was exquisite. I knew it but I never felt it as much as I have in these past few days. And the outings with you, seeing the sights, guiding you through Paris, telling you her story. It is better than a dream come true.”

Mundy smiled compassionately.

“Lu’?”

“Oui.”

“Happy first anniversary.”

“Oh…” The Frenchman dived head first into his lover’s chest and let the tears run down his face. 

“It’s ok, Lu’, I’m here.”

“This is why you wanted to take me to Paris?” Lucien pulled himself out of his lover's embrace.

“Yeah, for our anniversary.”

“Je t’aime, Mundy.”

[I love you, Mundy.]

Lucien took his handkerchief out and wiped his face. 

“Je t’aime aussi, mon Lucien.”

[I love you too, my Lucien.]

[osakaso5]

Iori Izumi RabbiTube Rabbit TV Part 1: Spending Time With Iori

Part 2 | Part 3

Staff: …Now, on to the RabbiTube project.

Staff: Our plan is to introduce the videos by featuring clips on NEXT Re:vale!

Staff: We’d really appreciate it if you could show a side of yourselves that people don’t usually get to see on TV. It’s a pleasure to be working with you!

Momo: We’ve got high hopes for you guys!

Yuki: Feel free to fully expose yourselves to the public.

Mitsuki Izumi: Ahaha, please be gentle with us! Looks like I’m gonna have to do a RabbiTube study marathon..!

Gaku Yaotome: By the way, Tenn, I saw you watching RabbiTube videos the other day. Do you know any good ones?

Tenn Kujo: …I was just watching cat videos.

Gaku Yaotome: Cats, huh. That’s not gonna help us learn anything.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: …I think they might help! You could learn ways to entertain and soothe people…

Gaku Yaotome:  Ryu, not all of us are gonna be able to do that…

Yuki: …I’m liking the idea of Kitty Gaku.

Tenn Kujo: …Pfft…

Gaku Yaotome: Tenn, why’re you laughing!?

Riku Nanase: Kitties..! So could it be like a video of Iori going into a cat café?

Iori Izumi: Why do I have to go to a cat café!?

Yamato Nikaido: I’m not too excited about making videos like that, either…

Tamaki Yotsuba: I wanna do a pudding tasting!

Sogo Osaka: …Personally, I’d like to rank my top 100 spices from all around the world…

Nagi Rokuya: And I shall hold a Cocona watch party!

Mitsuki Izumi: You guys aren’t bringing anything new to the table!

Iori Izumi: …Actually, I suppose animal videos do have their appeal, despite how banal they are…

Riku Nanase: Did you say something, Iori?

Iori Izumi: No, nothing.

Momo: Ahaha! Great, you’re already brainstorming ideas!

Momo: You’ve all got the right idea! We wanna see you act natural for your RabbiTubes!

Yuki: Let’s have a fun year doing this.

IDOLiSH7 & TRIGGER: Yessir! 

- - - -

Riku Nanase: We’re going to be RabbiTubers for our birthday project this year..!

Sogo Osaka: All the group chats up until now were fun, so it’s kind of a shame that we won’t be doing one this year.

Mitsuki Izumi: …Fair enough. It’ll be awesome to make videos for our fans, but I wish we could have our own celebrations too!

Yamato Nikaido: It’s become kind of a tradition by now.

Nagi Rokuya: …We do not work together as much as we used to. Though I understand that it is difficult to match all our schedules…

Tamaki Yotsuba: Do we not get to eat Mikki’s cakes this year?

Mitsuki Izumi: The cakes are the one thing we’re gonna make for sure! Right, Iori!?

Iori Izumi: Yes. I’ll help, too.

Riku Nanase: Hmm… Celebrations…

Riku Nanase: Ah! Why don’t we all go somewhere together for our birthdays?

Riku Nanase: I guess we probably can’t all go… But we can get our manager to arrange it so at least some of us can hang out!

Mitsuki Izumi: Going out, huh… That does sound like a nice change of pace from all the group RabbitChats!

Yamato Nikaido: It’s a shame that we won’t all be able to go, but getting to choose a spot does make it feel more special. …You should take me to a beer brewery, by the way.

Mitsuki Izumi: Sounds like you’ve already got one in mind!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Let’s take lots of pics and videos for the guys who can’t go. We can send them over RabbitChat.

Nagi Rokuya: OH! A wonderful idea. It will make us all feel as if we are there.

Iori Izumi: I’m sure uploading them to Rabitter would make many people happy, as well.

Sogo Osaka: That sounds fun..! Let’s ask our manager about it tomorrow.

Riku Nanase: Yep! …Looks like we’re going to have pretty fun birthdays again! 

- - - -

Mitsuki & Riku: Strawberry picking!

Iori Izumi: ........

Iori Izumi: ...Er, Nii-san, Nanase-san.

Mitsuki Izumi: What's up, Iori? Want some condensed milk?

Riku Nanase: You'll need to eat quickly, since we've only got 30 minutes here!

Iori Izumi: No, I...

Iori Izumi: I just wanted to know why we're here to pick strawberries in the first place.

Riku Nanase: Do you not like it here..?

Iori Izumi: That's not what I'm trying to say.

Mitsuki Izumi: Remember that conversation we had about doing smaller group outings for all our birthdays?

Mitsuki Izumi: It just so happened that the two of us were free today, so we decided we'd take you strawberry picking!

Mitsuki Izumi: Isn't that right, Manager?

Tsumugi Takanashi: That's right! It would've been too difficult to free everyone's schedules for the day...

Tsumugi Takanashi: And we were lucky to find a strawberry farm not too far from the city!

Riku Nanase: It's January, right? And what rhymes with January? Strawberry!

Iori Izumi: THAT's why you brought me here!? You can't be serious!

Mitsuki Izumi: Ahaha! Well, he's not wrong about the rhyming part!

Iori Izumi: ...I feel like I would've been better off not knowing all this...

Iori Izumi: But, since we're already here, I suppose I'll make the most of it.

Riku Nanase: Great! Time to stuff ourselves full of delicious strawberries!

Tsumugi Takanashi: I'll be over here, taking pictures of you!

Mitsuki Izumi: Thanks a bunch!

Riku Nanase: Let's get picking! 

- - - -

Iori Izumi: ...Nanase-san. Are you sure you'll be able to eat all of that?

Riku Nanase: Of course I can! I'm a man!

Mitsuki Izumi: Iori, they said we could take our harvest home. Wanna grab a little extra for Mom and Dad?

Iori Izumi: Yes. I'm sure Mom would like that.

Iori Izumi: And... we should get some for the rest of IDOLiSH7, as well.

Mitsuki Izumi: Oh, right!

Riku Nanase: Tamaki was so jealous he couldn't come. He made sure to tell us that we HAD to bring him souvenirs!

Iori Izumi: I don't see what there is to be jealous about, but we should probably grant his request.

Mitsuki Izumi: ...Look, guys! Don't you think this strawberry's shaped kinda like Kinako!?

Riku Nanase: Wow, it is! This part looks like her ears!

Iori Izumi: To think that we'd find such a unique strawberry here...

Mitsuki Izumi: You can't find anything like this one at the store, that's for sure. ...I almost don't even want to eat it!

Tsumugi Takanashi: We should take it back home! I'll take some pictures of it, for good measure!

Iori Izumi: Right. Our president definitely needs to see this one.

Riku Nanase: ...Okay, so whoever finds the strawberry with the funniest shape wins!

Iori Izumi: Huh!? Since when was this a competition..!?

Mitsuki Izumi: That does sound like a ton of fun, though! And the Kinako one doesn't count!

Riku Nanase: Heh heh heh. I'm going to win, just you see!

Iori Izumi: ...Good grief... I won't take this lightly, either. It is my birthday, after all.

Riku Nanase: Well said, Iori! Okay, ready... get set... go!

- - - -

Riku Nanase: Time to show our results!

Mitsuki & Riku: Yaaay!

Tsumugi Takanashi: Well then, Mitsuki-san. Let's see yours first!

Mitsuki Izumi: Sure thing! Take a look at... this! A star-shaped strawberry!

Riku Nanase: Wow, it's almost like a live starfish!

Iori Izumi: It's... very impressive. You can clearly make out the star shape.

Mitsuki Izumi: Heh. I know, right? It stood out among the rest so much, you'd think it was actually shining.

Iori Izumi: That sounds like something Rokuya-san might say in reference to his anime blind boxes.

Tsumugi Takanashi: We might already have our winner..! Riku-san, you're next!

Riku Nanase: Okay! Mine is, um... Ta-dah! It's shaped like the number one!

Mitsuki Izumi: The number one?

Riku Nanase: Yeah! Since January is the first month, and Iori's name has the symbol for 'one', too...

Iori Izumi: I-I suppose I see a resemblance...

Riku Nanase: Right!?

Mitsuki Izumi: Uh, well, I guess a really long strawberry's still pretty interesting!

Riku Nanase: Why does it feel like you're both only saying that to make me feel better!?

Tsumugi Takanashi: I think it looks adorable..! Iori-san, you're the last contestant left!

Iori Izumi: Right.

Iori Izumi: Mine is shaped like King Pudding.

Riku Nanase: Whaaat!?

Mitsuki Izumi: Holy crap, the stem even looks like his crown!

Riku Nanase: You're right! And these are his arms and legs...

Mitsuki Izumi: How do you even have a talent for this sort of thing, Iori?

Iori Izumi: It is my birthday, you know.

Riku Nanase: What does that have to do with anything!?

Mitsuki Izumi: Well, Manager..!? Who won!?

Tsumugi Takanashi: ...I have no choice but to declare all three of you as winners!

Riku, Iori, & Mitsuki: Oooh..!

Riku Nanase: ...Ahaha. Looks like we didn't get to eat any strawberries, after all!

Iori Izumi: We can take some back to the dorm and eat them with the others.

Mitsuki Izumi: Iori, did you have fun today?

Iori Izumi: ...Of course. Thank you for bringing me here.

Iori Izumi: We should come here again. All of us.

Riku Nanase: Yep! Totally!

Tsumugi Takanashi: Let me take one more picture of you all with your findings!

Tsumugi Takanashi: Say cheese..! 

End of Part 1.

[justice4harwin]

Light’s Corruption- Chapter VIII

Summary: With few friends at the Little Palace, Alina must work to win the favour of her fellow grisha and their commander, who makes her feel light headed every time she sees him.

After training in Os Alta for two years, the king grows tired of waiting and demands the Sun Summoner joins a western post near the Fjerdan border along with the rest of The Second Army to test her abilities.

Something happens. Suddenly, Alina wants blood to run down the rivers and those who stand in her and The Darkling’s way will be blinded by her light and swallowed by his shadows.

It won’t be pretty.

Pairing: The DarklingxAlina

Rating: 18+

Do I have a playlist for this story? Yeah

Do I also have a separate bff playlist for Genya and Alina? Duh

Click here for chapter 7 in case you missed it. 

Chapter 8: Alina the Baker

Grisha at the Little Palace had a day of the week off every other week, which meant that Alina could catch up on some precious sleep in the confines of her soft, warm bed filled with softer pillows. Even with the weak winter sun shining down on her, Alina could've slept all day and well into the night. In fact, it was even better, for she'd be warmer. There was no such thing as 'too much warmth' for her. The hotter, the better.

Curled up like a cat over the luxurious bed, the Sun Summoner intended to sleep all day and night.

Then there was a knock on her door.

She didn't hear it and rolled over in a most unnatural way.

The knocking got louder.

She began to stir.

"Get up, Starkov!" Genya yelled from the other side.

"Maybe if I don't make any sounds she'll leave." Alina thought, clutching her eyes tightly shut.

"You know I can go get the keys, but that'll only give me time to get angrier!"

Groaning, Alina threw herself onto the floor and made for the wretched door.

The redhead swung in with her usual grace, her kit in hand as she hummed a melody strange to Alina's ears.

Slowly, Alina followed her.

"Wash your face and come sit here." she instructed, pointing at the vanity.

After doing so, the Tailor began to work on her hair.

"Do I have somewhere to be?" Alina asked, yawning.

"No, but with the Winter Fete so close, I wanted to try some different styles for your hair and make-up, so we won't waste so much time on the actual day." she explained. "Besides, the Duke is still here, so the queen's daily naps have become longer, which only makes it harder for the Duke to talk whatever it is he wants to discuss with the king."

Alina made an odd face through the mirror; Genya smiled at her ingenuity.

"They've been fucking like ra-"

"Ah, ta-ta-ta, I get it." the Summoner closed her eyes and waved her hands, not wanting to picture any of it. "Does the king know?"

Genya snorted, joining two braids into one.

"Please, he's a dumb child."

Alina yawned again, loudly.

"Look, I don't think my hair matters too much for the Fete, so how about we take a nap?"

"Lazy."

"It's early."

"So?" a red, perfectly trimmed eyebrow rose softly. "Who would imagine the Sun Summoner herself wouldn't want to raise with the sun?"

"Technically, the sun is always out."

"I'm also using you as an excuse to get out of the Grand Palace."

"Can we do something else, then?"

"No!" she yanked Alina's hair once more and tied it. Leaning over her friend, she arranged the three mirrors which sat atop the vanity so the other woman could get a good look at it. "What do you think?"

Alina stared at her reflection. Two braids started at the top of her head and joined as one at the base of her neck.

"I like it."

Genya placed a slender finger to her lips.

"Too simple." With a flourish of her hand, Alina's hair was freed once more, falling in dark waves down her shoulders. "Turn."

When she did, her friend leaned over and took her face gently.

"I thought you were sleeping better." she mumbled as she ran her fingers underneath her eyes, ridding it of bags.

"I am, I think."

"Have you been summoning?"

"Yes, but, …"

"But?"

Genya leaned against the vanity, waiting patiently.

"I don't know." Alina said, looking down at her hands. "I know Baghra is horrible, and she still hasn't called back for me-"

"Then you go to her."

"I don't want to." Alina confessed, even though she probably should. Who else would teach her? The Darkling? He was always on and off the Little Palace grounds. "What if I mess up too bad and no-one's there to stop me?"

"So you haven't been summoning." Genya concluded.

"I have!" she fought back. "Just a little."

To prove her point, she closed her hand into a fist, opened up, and let a small orb of light fly up to Genya's face, not too close to make her uncomfortable. The Tailor watched the light with a small smile, and slowly reached out.

"I thought it might burn me."

"I think it would if I wanted to hurt you, or if I put more effort into it."

"But you love me too much."

"I tolerate you." she joked, moving the orb up and above her friend's head. "Now you look like a saint." she said, trying to turn the orb into a halo. It flickered and didn't exactly do as she commanded, only shone brighter over Genya's features.

The redhead shook her hand.

"Move. With this light, I can probably mask my age a bit more."

"Oh yeah," Alina said as she stood up, a playful smile on her face. "Because you're soooo old."

Alina didn't actually know how old Genya was, but she was sure they were about the same age.

"Tomorrow I will be a year closer to grey hair so," Genya's fingers went over her face, getting rid of imperfections Alina couldn't see. "One can never start too early."

"Tomorrow's your birthday?" Alina asked, starting to smile.

Genya didn't seem so excited. She merely shrugged.

"Yes."

"What are you planning on doing? Are you having a party? How many people will be there? Are presents mandatory? Cause I don't have permission to go to the city to get you one, and it doesn't really matter because I have no money and I don't have time enough to do something myself. What sort of ca-?

"Alina!" Genya had to raise her voice a little to get her overly excited friend to stop. "We don't celebrate birthdays here. It's just another day."

The Sun Summoner frowned.

"So, not even a cake? Or the day off?"

The Tailor huffed, amused.

"What for?"

"To celebrate." Alina was no longer bouncing on her heels.

"Trust me, the last thing anyone in these palaces would think of is to celebrate my silly birthday." she said as if it meant nothing.

Alina sat on the carpeted floor; legs crossed.

"That's depressing."

"If you say so." she remained indifferent.

She peered up at her friend and got an idea.

"Should we have some tea?"

"After I test how to work your face."

Later that night, standing outside the kitchens of the Little Palace, Alina ran her hands over her kefta and stood as straight as she could, putting on her best scowl. She hoped she had picked up a thing or two from Ana Kuya and Baghra

She entered the place like she owned it. At first, nobody took notice, too busy with their tasks. She cleared her throat.

Nothing.

She clapped her hands twice, like Genya did to call upon the attention of her miserable shrews -not that Alina considered the kitchen staff to fall into that category- and everyone in the kitchen turned to her, adopting various expressions at the sight of her.

No-one seemed to know what to do or what to say.

Trying to seem somewhat commanding, Alina cleared her throat once more.

"I need ingredients to make a cake." she stated.

One of the cooks swallowed hard before she began to speak.

"If you'd like a cake, Miss, I can make-"

"I want to do it myself, actually." she said, placing both hands behind her back and praying to all the saints she could remember -there weren't many- that they took her seriously.

Still, nobody moved.

Alina guessed that it wasn't every day that a Grisha showed up and demanded to cook something by themselves.

Not wanting the kitchen staff to feel offended, she spoke again:

"It's for a friend, you see, so I'd like to give her something I made with my own hands."

Slowly, the same woman who had spoken nodded, and then smiled tentatively.

"There's fresh eggs over there, Miss."

As it turned out, Alina did need some help after all. She knew how to make a basic cake, but as soon as she said it was a birthday cake, a middle-aged man jumped on her, offended on behalf of Genya.

"You can't just give your friend something so bland." he had said, his face red as he gestured widely at the cake, like it was a disgusting piece of work. One might have thought Alina had insulted his family. "You need to fill it with something, decorate it, give it life and flavour!"

Yes. That, she had no idea how to do.

He pushed her aside hastily.

"Saint can summon light but can't make a decent birthday cake." he muttered.

Alina's mouth hung open, offended, but she said nothing.

She hurried up the steps with a big cake held as if it were a precious new-born child when she heard him:

"Miss Starkov?"

"Holy Saints!"

She came to such a sudden halt, the cake moved precariously on its base.

"Yes, sir?" she called, tense, not daring to turn back.

"I am glad I came upon you;" The Darkling said, and she could hear him approaching.

It was so great to have him back, but why did he have to arrive at that time? Couldn't he have waited a few more minutes?

"Was there something you needed?" she asked.

"I can't believe myself, but please say 'no'"

"No, no, I just wanted to inform you that you shall start training with me tomorrow. I will see you at the entrance just before dawn."

"I thought you had no time for personal training." she was reminded of their conversation one season prior. "And that you didn't want to show favouritism."

It was probably stupid of her to say those things, to make him look like he couldn't make up his mind, but she find it hard to filter her thoughts when he was in the vicinity.

"I remember our conversation very well, Alina." he said, and she could hear his voice closer. It was so deep and smooth. Alina took a deep breath and tried to steady her heartbeat. "But some circumstances have changed, and I decided to make an exception."

Any other day, she would've melted at his feet at the way he spoke, as if it were almost a dirty, scandalous secret only meant for them.

But she had Genya's cake in her hands. It was big, and heavy, and he couldn't see it.

"That's great!" she said, and she meant it. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to go. Moi Soverennyi." she bowed, and then clutched her eyes shut, cursing herself silently. Nothing showed more respect for one's General than showing them their behind.

"Are you hiding something, Alina?" he asked, sounding far too amused to her liking.

"Nope."

"Right. And I am the Black Heretic." he almost snorted. Alina frowned; he sounded so…normal when he did that. She wanted to hear it more often, she realized.

She craned her neck so she could get a glimpse at him. His eyes shone with mirth; the corner of his mouth was tilted up. She wanted to freeze him like that forever.

"It's nothing bad or illegal."

He chuckled, and his nose crunched up a little. Alina found it adorable, and she wanted to kiss him again, cuddle next to a fire by him, and make him laugh until his sides hurt.

"Alright, then. I shall let you be on your way." he took a step back, and Alina took a few steps forward before stopping at the end of the stairs.

"It's good to have you back."

She climbed up the stairs so quickly one might've thought a Squaller was pushing her up, and didn't give him opportunity to say anything back.

Alina moved her tea table to the centre of her room, where she placed the cake and a few flowers she had stolen from the various vases around the Little Palace to give it more life.

Smiling like an idiot, she closed her eyes and called her light just as there was a knock on the door.

Her light answered and her hand shot up, leaving a thin layer of golden dust hovering near the ceiling, giving the space a lovely ambience.

Hastily, she made sure everything was in order. The tea was hot, and there was plenty of kvas and wine for at least ten people. The kitchen staff had been more than happy to provide for her when they found out who Alina wanted to celebrate. Apparently, Genya was well liked among the otkazat'sya who worked on the Little Palace.

She hurried to open the door.

Genya waited on the other side, standing straight, an eyebrow arched up.

"You called for me? Is it urgent?"

"Yes!" The Sun Summoner answered, taking her friend's hand and dragging her across the expansive room.

She turned abruptly and placed her hands on Genya's eyes, blocking her view.

"For all the Saints, Ali, I don't have time to play around." she complained as she was dragged some more. "Just because the queen is spending another afternoon with the Duke of Balakirev doesn't mean I don't have other things to do and-"

Alina uncovered her eyes.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she squealed, taking a step to the side and extending her arms to showcase the cake.

It was rectangular, decorated with red, blue and yellow flowers all over it. No white. Nothing about that cake was white.

The Tailor stared at it.

'Happy Birthday, Genya!' it read, in black, messy letters. While the middle-aged man from the kitchen had done most of the decorating of the cake, Alina had insisted on writing the words herself.

Still, The Tailor stared at it, mouth agape.

Slowly, Alina's smiled dropped, and looking at her friend in the eyes, she was horrified to find them wet.

A tear fell down Genya's pale face, and Alina rushed over to remove it.

"Gen?" she asked, extremely concerned. "What is it?"

But Genya couldn't say anything. Her mouth opened, then it closed, and it opened again as a small cry left its confines, the tears falling freely now, like a turbulent river.

Alina hugged her, rubbing her stiff back in circles.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." she said over and over again. "I just thought you might like it. I'm so sorry. Do you want me to throw it away?"

She felt how her friend shook her head, clinging to her with a vice like grip.

Alina was the one who wanted to cry now, seeing her closest friend in such a state made her eyes tear, and, oh damn, she was crying now as well.

They stood like that for a few moments, weeping like idiots, the hug a bit awkward since Genya seemed to hover over smaller Alina.

Slowly, the Tailor disentangled herself from the Summoner, and her friend let her go.

Genya delicately passed a finger underneath her eyes and adverted her gaze, although Alina could see the red in her eyes.

"Thank you, Ali. Truly." she said, her voice slightly hoarse.

Alina was at a loss of words.

"It's just a cake, Gen." she shrugged. "I just thought, we could celebrate together, if you wanted. We can invite anyone you want." she suggested.

Smiling just a little, Genya looked down at her hands and played with her fingers.

"No, it's just…"she took a deep breath and let it out. Alina waited patiently. "No one ever really did this for me before." she said, raising her arm towards her cake.

"A birthday cake?" Alina asked slowly, her voice tremulous and trying not to sound sad. "Well, it's not a big deal!" she tried to shake it off, waving a hand with a forced smile. "Back in Keramzin there was only one plain cake per month for all the children so-"

"No, "Genya interrupted, her voice a mere whisper that cut through Alina's heart like a sharp blade. "I mean, celebrated. No one's ever done this much." her eyes were like crystal again. "Thank you."

Alina felt uncomfortable. She really did feel sad for her friend? Had no one ever truly celebrated her birthday? She knew she had been given to the queen at a young age, but even before that, had her parents ever made something for her? Or at least said anything on the day?

Alina didn't remember much of her parents, but she did remember once a year, her father coming up to her with a small, strawberry tart. He and mamma would hug her more than usual and kiss her cheeks and play with her all day until the sun went down and her eyes dropped closed of exhaustion.

"Chasing the waters." she thought, absentmindedly.

Even before the Little Palace, had Genya never had any of that?

"I'm just, sorry I couldn't do anything grander on such short notice." Alina tried to smile. "I have a present for you" she was now grinning, although so very nervous on the inside. She walked over to her desk and took the envelope. "I didn't have time to make something so… it was very last minute. She came back to stand before her friend and extended the envelope, which Genya took with a look in her eyes that resembled disbelief and wonder. Alina's cheek reddened. "It's nothing. Really. Open it."

Genya did as she was asked, and Alina bit her bottom lip, trembling as she recalled, word by word, what she had put down on the paper with her finest ink.

"I have a friend,

with bright, red hair.

She has a loudmouth,

and a brusque, yet marvellous touch.

 She and I have known each other,

for only a couple of months,

But I know that in my soul,

She's well settled for long.

 Some will say she's pretty

Others will say she's pricky,

and while those all ring through,

I know the person behind those needle-like replies.

 I have a friend,

with bright, red hair.

She's always there for me,

as I'll always be there for her."

It seemed as if an eternity had passed before the Tailor looked up, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Did you write this?" she asked, voice cracked. Alina nodded sheepishly, and Genya said: "This is the shittiest piece of poetry I have ever read."

The Summoner tried to not let her hurt show on her face, but a moment later she was being engulfed into another bear hug.

"I love it." Genya whispered almost fervently, clutching her tighter. "Thank you."

They spent the afternoon drinking tea, eating cake, talking and laughing. Genya had admired the piece for a long moment, as if trying to burn it into her memory, before she cut into the first two portions.

After a while, when there was no more tea and they grew tired of cutting, they sat themselves down on the carpeted floor, cake and all, and dug in directly from the base as they helped it pass through with kvas and wine.

"What do you mean?" Alina asked as they both laid on top of the soft, fur carpet of the floor, facing up, unable to move.

"Another rule of the General to keep his Grisha humble: no birthday parties." Genya answered, her speech slurred and the last part with a deeper tone, like she wanted to imitate Kirigan.

"That sucks!" Alina spat, just as drunk as her friend.

"Yeah!"

"Parties are…cool." she stated, raising her index finger as if to make a point. "There's cake,"

"Ugh." Genya's hand flew down to her stomach. "I can't move."

Alina ignored her.

"There's presents, if you're not an orphan." she giggled at her own misery. "There's more cake, and there's people."

"There's always p-people at the Tiny Palace." Genya reminded her, kicking off her boots.

Alina did the same, her hands blindly reaching up to the couch for the small pillows.

"Yeah;" one of the pillows hit Genya in the face, and the Tailor whined about it as she placed it underneath her head. "But there's no birthday cake, thanks to General Handsomest. And no birthday parties." She counted to three in her head, shot up, grabbed the blanket at the back of the couch, and let herself fall again on top of the rug.

Saints, how had she and Genya managed to eat that entire monstrosity?

She threw the blanket over her body and kicked until it covered her feet. Genya clumsily pulled at it so it'd cover her as well.

Alina frowned.

"There's people at parties."

"Yes, Alina." Genya closed her eyes.

Alina's frown deepened, some of the blurriness in her mind clearing.

"People talk at parties."

Genya opened one eye.

"Are you going to get us in trouble?"

Alina, who could barely put the dots together as she thought of how full of cake she was and how funny everything looked from where she was laying on the ground, and how handsome the General was, and how she wanted to kiss him again and slap him for leaving her like that, turned her face towards her friend.

"Only if General Handsome caught us." she said.

Genya sighed.

"Fine. But turn your head to the other side. I don't want your puke in my face."

Giggling at the disgusting image, Alina did as she was told.

Their hands found each other underneath the blanket in a soft hold.

"Happy birthday, Gen." Alina mumbled, the lack of sleep due to her preparations for the afternoon and all the alcohol catching up to her.

"Thank you, Ali."

A/N: Hope you liked it! This is probably the last sweet chapter before things gradually start to get darker *evil laugh*

Click here for chapter IX

[ahkaraii]

tov postgame drabblefic (3343 words)

“Raven?! Hey, Raven!”

Raven turns to smile at the little shrimp—who’s really more a jumbo shrimp now, with all the acne that comes with puberty—and waves. “Heya, Boss-man!"

Karol’s embrace draws a startled ‘oof!’ out of him, his blastia-heart creaking against his ribs. “You’re in town!” Karol exclaims. “And you didn’t say?!”

“I just got here, kiddo,” Raven says, patting Karol’s back—it used to be a pat on his head, but his head’s just about level with Raven’s now. “Damn, you’re getting tall!”

“You should’a said you were coming,” Karol grouses into his neck. “I’ve got a client I’m already late for across town.”

“Aww, that’s awright. I’ve got some time-sensitive stuff to get ta, too. We can join up after! Brave Vesperia’s still at the same place, yeah?”

“West corner across Saggitarius, yup!” Karol beams. “See you for dinner, then?”

“I’ll whip you up a Sashimi,” Raven promises.

“That’s a promise, pops!” Karol says, and dashes off. Raven scratches his messy hair and abruptly feels very self conscious about it. It’s just a casual nickname, old man, he don't mean naught by it. Relax.

After a fast-tracked meeting with Harry results in a tussle — poking gentle fun at the boy’s attempt at a beard earns him a “Your ass is grass, old man!!” and a surprisingly competent sword duel ensues — the young Master is turning into a proper Don, now — Raven subtly lets Harry disarm him and sprawls on the floor, dramatically defeated.

“Ohhh, these old bones!” Raven mimics being out of breath. “You’ve finally bested me, Master Harry. Do with my ass what you will.”

“Ugh! You’re so disgusting!” Harry is actually out of breath, so he still needs a bit more practice, but it’s leagues better than he was just a year ago. “A duel is an honourable exchange between men! Stop desecrating it with your jokes!”

“I don’t joke with my ass,” Raven says in his Serious Voice, enjoying Harry’s startled look before he dons his jester’s grin again. “Anywho, this old man’s got places to be, so! Toodles!”

“Wait! Raven! What the hell did you come here for!” Harry’s baritone is quite impressive when he gets proper angry. “Did you just come here to waste my time!”

“Never intentionally,” Raven promises. He’d dropped Flynn’s wax-sealed letter on Harry’s desk during their fight, and points to it as he nimbly leaps up to his usual open window. “There’s your homework, Master Harry! I’ll come by to collect it tomorrow at dawn, ‘kay?”

He leapfrogs out in time to hear Harry’s yelps of protest. “When did you put that there! God damnit, Raven!”

Raven’s grinning as he parkours his way away from Altosk’s headquarters and towards Brave Vesperia’s. If he sharply detours into Saggitarius tavern to catch up with the ladies (and the latest, juiciest gossip — who knew Heliord’s newest guild ambassador was trafficking drugs and possibly underage escorts? he did, now), then that’s just Raven being Raven, right? Karol’ll understand.

“I almost thought you wouldn’t come,” Karol says faux-lightly, when Raven finally makes it back a few minutes past midnight.

Aww, shit.

“Heeey, I promised, didn’t I? Business just stretched out a little.” Raven dithers at Karol’s knowing stare. “C’mon, you still up for a good ol’ Raven’s Special Sashimi?”

“Fish isn’t really fresh by midnight anymore,” Karol says drolly. “Unless you wanna go fishing at this hour?”

They’d only get sewer trash in Dahngrest’s polluted rivers, and the next best thing’s thirty minutes out, at the very least. “Ehhh—how bout a Beef Bowl?” Raven says. “Surely you got some cured meats in your pantry. C’mon!! I’ll teach you!”

“Aw, okay. I am pretty hungry.” Karol’s so easy to please, it’s both heartwarming and kind of sad. “I’ve tried making it before but I can never get mine to taste like yours did.”

“’S all in the seasoning, kiddo. Here, watch the master and learn!”

It’s well past two when they finally call it a night, bellies full and hearts warm; it’s solely because of this that Karol succeeds in wrestling a promise out of Raven that they’d talk more in the morning. See, Raven’s got orders to pick up Harry’s response to Flynn’s letter and hussle back to the Empire ASAP, but even he doesn’t have to heart to deny Karol this simple thing.

Ever since Brave Vesperia saved the world by ruining it, everyone’s been struggling to adapt to life without blastia and Raven’s somehow found himself smack in the middle between the two remaining powers: the Empire and the Guild Union. Former member of both and trusted by all due to his role in stopping the Adephagos, Raven’s got the privilege of being messenger boy between the leaders in lieu of formal meetings, due to the fact that a lack of blastia has made travel…immensely more time consuming.

He’s worn down all the possible routes between Dahngrest and Zaphias for over a decade; the presence or absence of blastia has not really affected Raven’s efficiency and timeliness, which, naturally, has made him an attractive player for both sides. It just sucks that this means he’s always on the go, never really spending much time in one place or another. The first six months couldn’t be helped, it was imperative that everyone get their shit together and master the essentials necessary in order to provide basic living to their respective citizens: barrier blastia had to be replaced with rotating squads of knights and guildsfolk trained to fight; food previously preserved by blastia now had to be kept refrigerated with imported Zophier ice, dominated by the Empire, which had to be kept from melting with salt from Weasand mines, dominated by Guilds; everyone had to coordinate and organise to secure trade routes and avoid conflict, etc, etc.

The next six months after that were peace talks and negotiations between what was quickly becoming independent kingdoms in separate countries. Sea travel had slowed the fuck down overnight, because blastia-fueled engines had become obsolete and everyone now had to rely on wind power, so every passing day each country was slowly but surely becoming more and more isolated from each other, and therefore gradually but surely more hostile.

Emperor Ioder ruled over the continent of Ilyccia with his aristocracy of nobles and meritocracy of knights, struggling to keep the Empire’s global standing while lacking the technology to enforce it; Tolbyccia was pretty much owned by Altosk, ostensibly headed by Harry, who was presently overrun with infighting due to the fact that the Union was composed of many, many guilds all clamouring for leadership, if not democracy; East Desier was dominated by the strong-spirited Palestralle guild and its current leader, Natz, whose militant-minded navy had quickly expanded toward West Hyponia now that the Union’s presence was months away by treacherous sea; East Hyponia was an oddly peaceful blend of both Guild and Empire, unique in its joint origin and therefore vocally neutral, though that was quickly becoming contested, and, hence, required Raven-the-Pageboy’s timely arrival to avoid it becoming a full out war. Ugh.

The Schwann part of him that still lived felt heavy resignation at the inevitability of violence—the first one to fall would be Raven, he knew, as no messenger could truly remain neutral in a tug of war between such powerful masters—but the more upbeat part of him was like, stop sweating the small stuff and just go with the flow. Shit always resolves itself one way or another, right?

Right?

“You leaving already?” Karol mumbles into his pillow when Raven rises at dawn; kid’s no longer the type to sleep deeply, it seems.

“Just visiting the young Master to collect his response letter for Flynn,” Raven promises quietly. “Go back to sleep, Karol. I’ll be back to make you breakfast before I’m gone.”

Karol eyes him tiredly but he manages a wan smile. “Okay, pops. I trust you.”

Raven feels goosebumps up his arm. Stupid blastia heart runs too damn cold. He heads out at a jog to warm himself up, since Dahngrest runs both chilly and damp at this hour.

Raven no longer sneaks into Altosk’s headquarters like he did when the Don was alive and Harry was a boy; for one, Don is no longer alive to vouch for his slipperiness and for another, Raven represents the Empire here as much as he represents the Guilds in Zaphias, and no one tolerates his antics as they did before, not with the threat of conflict so close to the horizon. He walks in through the front door and waves at all the folks waiting in line—Pecan, Cactus, Lima and good ol’ Walt; all familiar faces turning sour, as usual—and knocks politely on Harry’s door.

“Master Harry,” he sing-songs. “It is I, Raven the Great, come ‘round at last!”

“It’s been barely ten fucking hours,” Harry’s pissed off voice rings loud and clear through the door.

“Shall I come back at noon, then?” Raven asks diplomatically.

An explosive sigh. “No,” Harry mutters. “Get in here. And call Cactus in, too, would you?”

“You heard the Young Master,” Raven says, nodding at the aptly-named mercenary, with his spiked up armour and sharpened teeth.

“You don’t order us around anymore, traitor,” the prickly fellow spits and shoves past him, to whom Raven mockingly bows to as he passes.

Saviour of the world or not, it's no secret now Raven was a triple agent. The official story Harry graciously gave him is that the Don always knew about Raven’s split loyalty (which is true, probably) and trusted him anyway (which is true, too), so Harry and Altosk will continue to trust him as well (which is flattering, but increasingly doubtful). Harry's a good kid shoved into a position of leadership he's not very well suited for, but even Raven can't deny he's trying and doing better every day.

“Cutlass Cactus, I want you to deliver this to Sirena of Siren’s Fang as soon as possible,” Harry says shortly, handing the man a wax-sealed letter. “Wait for a response, but I await it at most a fortnight.”

“Understood, young Master,” Cactus says, thumping his chest at the honour. He takes the letter, glares at Raven, and makes his way out.

“As for you,” Harry says, “I have a question to ask you before I hand this reply over. A serious one.”

Raven feels his age and more. “Yeah?”

“Ioder is a good man. His dog Flynn is, too. I know this personally.”

There is no question here yet, and there are a fair amount of insults between the compliments, but Raven knows the heart of Harry, and he means well.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “They are.”

“But,” Harry continues, coldly. “Two kind heads on a hydra do not make it any less a monster.”

Raven hides a grimace by scratching at his sideburns. “The same can be said of the Guilds,” he says lightly. “Or of any organization grown large enough.”

“Stop twisting my metaphors,” Harry says shortly. “The question I wanted to ask is: what do you think the Empire's end goal is?”

And what is the Guild’s end goal, Schwann wants to counter, when the Guilds’ very existence rose out of violent rejection of the Empire? Raven, for his part, takes a deep breath and exhales it out as a thoughtful hum.

“I think the Empire was built to protect and manage blastia,” Raven muses. “And I think the Guilds were built to reject the Empire’ monopoly of them. But, well, there ain’t no blastia left, so… the Empire wants to micromanage what remains. And the Guilds do, too. Yeah?”

“So there can be no peace?” Harry concludes, tiredly.

“Harry,” Raven says, firmly. “Your grandfather, the Don, united the Guilds back when they were just a bunch of rowdy, armed assholes. Y’know how he did it?”

“By fighting the Empire?” Harry says dully.

“By uniting against a common enemy,” Raven insists. “By uniting against a common threat. The Empire is no longer the enemy—hell, think of the Empire as yet another guild. It’s just a group of rowdy, armed assholes. But you and they got a common enemy now, too.”

Harry looks at him sharply. “The Adephagos is no more,” he says, carefully, “right?”

“Not the Adephagos,” Raven says. “The lack of blastia. The lack of technology. The lack of creature comforts all of us got real used to. That’s our enemy now; the thing we all gotta pitch in together to fix.” Raven bows low to Harry, as low as he would to the Don. “I beg you, young Master: do not war with the Empire. Not now. See them as a business partner, instead.”

“Business, huh,” Harry says heavily, and then flicks his sealed letter in Raven’s direction, who catches it just before it smacks him in the face. “All right. Tell your Master we can’t afford a war, anyway.”

Something uncoils in Raven's chest. “You are my only Master, Harry,” he says, cheekily. Just like Flynn is his only Commandant, now.

“Ugh, the way you say it, you make it sound so gross,” Harry complains. “Get the fuck out of my room, old man. And call in Lima!”

Raven sends him a lazy salute and hops his way out, placing the important letter in his robe’s inner breast pocket. His heart blastia emits a small barrier shield of its own, using his life-force; this letter will remain pristine come rain, sleet, or snow, as long as he still lives.

“You’re up, Lima bean,” Raven chirps.

“You call me that again and I’ll break more than just your nuts,” Lima snarls, spits in his direction, and stomps off.

“And we used to have such fun together,” Raven laments. “What happened to us, O expert in nuts, Pecan, my man?”

“Careful, Raven,” the aforementioned Pecan murmurs. “Your jests are no longer in good taste.”

“Your fruit cocktail, on the other hand,” Raven says. “Mmhmm. Top notch, as always.”

Pecan gives him a wry smile. “I saw you buttering up Madam Teal and her girls, last night. They talk about Heliord?”

“Oh, you know me: promise me a free night of drinks and I’ll spill my guts,” Raven winks suggestively.

“Hmm…your costs run too high these days,” Pecan declines politely. “You’ll drink me out of business.”

Raven feels a mild pang of loss; he and the third-waiter-from-the-right Pecan used to be pretty tight. Schwann thinks it’s just how things go. Suck it up, buttercup.

“Next time I’m in town I’ll do you one free, fer old times’ sake,” Raven compromises. “Lemme know what info you want and I’ll get it for ya fer a Mabo Curry and a Don’s Special. Within reason, ‘course.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Black Bird,” Pecan murmurs. “But I’ll be waiting for you.”

Raven walks home with a heavy heart and on lighter feet. He makes a quick detour to the fish market, already bustling with a freshly caught haul; he haggles reliable ol' Fin for a kilogram of merflesh and charms Romelle out of a bottle of soy sauce and pays full price for a sack of white rice before finally making it back to Brave Vesperia’s HQ, just in time to catch Karol in the kitchen about to make morning coffee.

“Raven!” Karol’s smile is brilliant, and very welcome. “You’re back!”

“I promised you my world famous sashimi, didn’t I?” Raven says. “Can't have you saying this old man’s a liar!"

“I’d never,” Karol says honestly, and that, more than anything, is what makes Raven want to noogie Karol and maybe cry into his hair or something likewise unmanful. He settles for making that kid the most delicious dish of fish a Weekend Chef is capable of, and if he finds himself also making Karol his special Pork Stew to eat later, he tells himself it’s ‘cause the boy’s a growing man and not because Raven’s a sap at heart.

“So where ya off to now, Raven?” Karol asks, after they’re done eating and making the kitchen less of a mess. “If, um, you can tell me, that is.”

“Atherum,” Raven says honestly. “Flynn said his girl Sodia’d be there to collect whatever response Harry might have on the new moon, so, there I'll be.”

“The new moon?” Karol stares at him. “But that’s in no time at all!”

Raven gives him a wan smile. “Don’tcha worry, kiddo. I always get ta where I need to in time.”

“We should call Ba’ul,” Karol insists. “You’ll never make it otherwise!”

Raven doesn’t have the heart to tell Karol that it probably doesn’t matter how fast or slow his response arrives; in the end, it’s Harry actions from now on that will be his real response, regardless of what his letter says.

“Judith darlin’ probably has better things to do than be an old man’s cab,” Raven says lightly. “I’ll jes' hop on a merchant ship headed toward Atherum tonight; should make it just in time, if the weather stays fair. This time o’ year, the northern wind’s in our favour.”

“But what if merfish ambush you!” Karol protests. “Or if a storm’s brewing—“

“Tempest!” Raven sing-songs, flicking his hand. “Aw, man, I miss being able ta call up storms willy-nilly. That made me feel God-like, it did.”

Karol frowns at the interruption, but then his face turns thoughtful. “Can’t you still, though? Your blastia’s powered by your life-force, right? So your arts should still be working just fine.”

“Shavin’ a year or two off my life fer a light show is a bit too vapid, even by my standards,” Raven says sardonically. “Plus, I ain’t keen on folks realising blastia’s still useable if you use a human fer a battery.”

He can very easily see it happening in the future: folks trafficking humans for energy. Or, fuck, claiming prisoners of war for it—hell of a good reason to go to war, really, if it’s to dehumanize the ingredients you need to fuel your creature comforts. You justify your atrocities by framing it as necessary or even righteous; Alexei and Schwann used to do that all the time, no brainer. Honestly, this fear is one of the many reasons he’s made Rita promise not to share that part of Hermes’ research, despite the fact that human-powered blastia could solve a lot of the world’s present problems. Schwann’s too jaded to avoid thinking of all the ways it can go terribly wrong, and Raven’s too fucking tired of the parasite that is his heart to think of its more beneficial applications.

“People’ll find out eventually,” Karol insists, at once innocent and wise beyond his years. “Desperation breeds creativity, right? You should tell people about it so they know the risks involved, before someone invents it and says it’s a cure-all or something.”

“Ehhhhh,” Raven drawls. “I’ll think about it.”

He most definitely will not.

Karol drops it, thankfully, but then picks up the old tangent of, “I still say I should call Ba’ul for you. I’ve got the whistle and I was thinking of asking Judy to fly me over to Yumanju, anyway, since my next job’s over there. We could drop you off real quick, no worries.”

“The spa?” Raven perks up. The idea of running off to relax there after all this nonstop political bullshit is extremely appealing. “Really?”

“Really really,” Karol says, smiling knowingly. “So, you wanna come with?”

“Boy, do I,” Raven says excitedly. “Okay, kiddo, you’ve convinced this old man to defect to Brave Vesperia once again.”

“You never left, pops,” Karol says without hesitation, which warms the cockles of ol' Raven's heart. “C’mon, then, let’s head to the usual clearing. Ba’ul’ll show up within fifteen minutes after I call for him.”

“Wait wait wait! We should get Judy a gift first,” Raven insists. “The lady’s coming all the way over here for our sorry hides, we gotta say thanks proper-like!”

Karol blinks. “That’s a good idea! What d’you think she’d like?”

“I know just the thing,” Raven winks. “C’mon, kiddo, we got places to be!”

[eiennobeautyqueens]

Namie and Mariah UTABAN translation

Utaban April 14, 2005. Amuro & Mariah Carey Nakai – the guys with the white hat Taka – the other guy Amuro – our beautiful queen that shall continue to sing and dance Mariah Carey – the other female in this video. -just to let you guys know, I sorta combined Mariah and translator together in the translations…- Nakai – oh , here it comes! Taka – is everthing going to be okay? Nakai – oh, we can see the legs! Taka –woa, it’s so skinny. Nakai – yea, it is really skinny! I wonder of this person is skinnier than how it looks on the tv? (just in case you guys didn’t know, on tv, ppl look skinnier than real life) Okay then, let’s introduce our guest today, Mariah Carey!! The kitty is here….. [Amuro Namie comes in] Taka – Amuro-chan? Nakai –yea….it’s Amuro-chan. AMURO CHAN!! Amuro – Hello. Taka – hello….? Amuro – I’m here, because I was invited….?? Nakai – ‘WHAT? It’s Amuro-chan!’ I can’t even say that! Taka – Amuro-chan? Amuro –well, I don’t know how to react to this surprise guest show. Ahaha. Nakai –we apologize that you have to be with us for this stupid surprise show. Amuro – yea…don’t worry though. Nakai – Anyhow, amuro-chan… Taka – Did you know that Mariah Carey will be appearing on this show today? Amuro –yes, I heard about it.. Taka – Do you know Mariah Carey? Amuro – yes, I do know her. Taka – we’re not too strong, so please listen to us. Nakai – she sings like this right? [Nakai starts singing real horribly] Taka –what type of song is that??? Nakai – ummm.. what was it?? Amuro – the Christmas song? Nakai –yea, it’s Christmas song. That’s the only song I know by Mariah Carey. Amuro –oh but Nakai-san, you should ask her how she does her voice training! Nakai –what? Are you making fun of me? Amuro – oh no!! I thought it would be helpful. Nakai – It’s not helping at all. It’s too late for me to get a voice training. OKAY! Let’s really introduce our guest toayd….. Amuro – what? Huh? Taka – Are you okay, Hello Kitty? [Nakai laughing] Amuro – Are you okay? Taka – oh, there goes hello kitty. Nakai – you know, we were suppose to start this show at 7:00, but Mariah refused to come out because she didn’t like her outfit… Ever since that incident she’s been in her room…. Amuro – really? Nakai – I asked when we’re going to start, but they were like, ‘wait!’ [Amuro laughing] Nakai – I guess she’s feeling better now? Taka – She was pretty irritated. Nakai – so Amuro-chan, good luck to you. Amuro – oh my my my, let’s just let Kitty do all the job….I heard that as soon as Mariah sees Kitty, she becomes really happy. Taka –what? Nakai – she’s coming? Taka – it was so weird! There were so many ppl around Mariah Carey, and these two African-american guys accidentally entered Nakai’s room! It was so scary!! Amuro – please don’t get her mad. Amuro & Taka – She sounds so intimidating! Nakai – oh, here she comes. OH! This one looks real! Amuro – wow, here she comes. Taka –wow!!! [Says this right after the camera reveals the boobs] Nakai – this doesn’t sound like UTABAN. Are you sure we are allowed to invite her!! Nakai – okay, let’s introduce our guest once again, Mariah Carey! [Mariah walks in with the kitty] Mariah – thank you!! HI!! Nakai – HI! Konichiwa, this way please. Amuro – HI. Mariah – hello. Nakai – Amuro-chan, sorry about that!! Hey Amuro-chan, say this to Mariah, ‘HEY! You stole my chair!!’ Amuro – please don’t say anything like that! She might get mad! Mariah –do you want your seat back? Amuro – I’ll be fine. Nakai – you should’ve yelled at her to get back your seat back, darn. Amuro – gosh, you are bad! Translator – umm.. did she do anything bad? Nakai – no, she’s perfectly fine, right Amuro-chan? Amuro – yes! Of course! Nakai – okay then, well, in this utaban we have a special guest tonight. We just saw you walking in with Kitty. Do you like Kitty? Mariah – I love kitty. Taka – Oh, also Ms. Amuro Namie have some questions that she wants to ask. [here, Taka is saying this on purpost to put some spotlight on Amuro in front of Mariah] Taka –she’s the #1 aritist in japan. [woa! I am so happy that he said that Amuro is #1 artist in japan!] [Amuro coughs] Amuro – umm. Nakai-san have some several questions to ask about the concert that was performed by Mariah. [everyone’s laughing] Mariah – why are we all laughing? I need a translator. Nakai – Amuro-chan, which song do you like the most from Mariah’s songs? Amuro – I like most of her songs. Mariah –Thank you. Amuro – when I saw you in the PV with all the dancers, you were really awesome and sexy. Mariah -AWWW, thank you. Nakai – Taka is the #1 Japanese comedian. [Mariah claps] Taka – Thank you !! [laughs] Taka – Nakai is also the #1 comedian in Japan. Mariah – really? Nakai – I’m Japanese #1 singer. Mariah – oh, so you’re Japanese #1 singer!? Nakai – DO MI SO!! Mariah – fantastic! [laughs] Nakai – Okay, the hello kitty will now bring in a photo. Let’s see what is on the picture. [Kitty walks in] Nakai – oh, you changed ! okay, here’s the picture. What is this picture? Mariah – Private Plane? Nakai – is this yours!??? Did you ride on this plane to come to japan? Mariah – this? Yea. Nakai – you bought this? Mariah – it was a gift. Nakai –what! From who? Mariah - *sigh* It’s a secret. Nakai –what! A secret! Gosh! Tell us! Mariah –we’ll talk after the show. Nakai – what? Oh, so you are going to tell us. Be more clear! Amuro – wow, Nakai-san. I’m impressed. Nakai – you’re impressed? What did I do? I think you’re in love with me. Amuro – oh no, that’s definitely not it. Nakai – you answered that question too early! Mariah – Do you guys want to go somewhere together with my private plane? Nakai – will you take us? Mariah – where do you want to go? Nakai – Mishima. [there’s an island called mishima in japan] Mariah – un huh..yes? Nakai – It is much much easier to go by the train. There’s no place for the plane to land. Mariah – okay then, we can go to GUAM? Nakai – will you take us on your private plane? [Mariah nods her head] Mariah – we’ll all go…and hello kitty. Nakai – you really want to go with hello kitty, not us. Right? Mariah – no, all of you. Taka – where is your plane at right now? At Narita air port? Mariah – I don’t know, they keep it somewhere. Taka & Nakai – wow.. Nakai – wait, aren’t you going to Guam, Taka-san? Taka – yea. Nakai – why don’t you just borrow this plane? Since you’re going tomorrow. Mariah – you’re really going tomorrow? Taka – would you lend me your private plane tomorrow? Mariah – yea, if I can go. Nakai – don’t’ worry he’ll give it back to you. Taka – I am going to Guam tomorrow with Mariah Carey. Mariah – exactly! Sounds good. Nakai – okay then, let’s go on to our next part. ‘What we really want to know about our divas;’ [Nakai gets up and get pushed by some guy] Nakai – ouch!! What the hell!! Who just pushed me on the floor! [Nakai sees who pushed him and sees that the guy looks angry too] Nakai – I mean…sorry about that. Taka – ummm.. Mariah doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on.. Mariah –no, I don’t , but that’s alright. Taka –okay, the first question is : ‘Would you still want to be a singer if you had to start your life from zero?’ Mariah – I pressed it, what happened? Nakai – oh, two of you said yes? Amuro –yes [Amuro and Mariah stares at eachother] Mariah –oh! Very good. Amuro – taka-san, please don’t embarrass me. Nakai – you said you wanted to ask her some questions! Amuro –later, okay? Nakai- oh I see, you don’t want to belong in our group. Amuro – what are you talking about, I’m in the same group as you guys, right? Taka –nah, I’m not in the same group as Nakai. Amuro – oh yea, you’re right. Taka – next, ‘when you were little, you wanted to do something else when you grow up.’ Nakai –wow, ever since you were young? Taka – okay…then I have a question for you Mariah Carey. How old were you when you realized that you sang better than other people. Nakai – 6th 7th grade? Taka – no one is listening to you! Mariah –when I was four. Taka –woa, you were 4years old when you realized that? Mariah –well, my mom was a opera singer. Taka – oh really? Nakai – how about you Amuro-chan? Amuro – ummm. I never really though that I was a better singer from other people like that. Mariah - I never really thought that I was better than others, but thought that I was good. Taka – I see, okay next! ‘ have you bought anything expensive recently?’ Mariah – I don’t know, I guess. Nakai – what did you buy? [Mariah shows her wrist] Taka –very gorgeous! Mariah – oh, so you speak English, see? Nakai – so you bought it yourself? Mariah – yes. Taka – wow, that looks really expensive. How much was it? Mariah – Darling, that’s private. Taka –how about that necklace? Was that a present? Mariah –oh this too, it was a gift. Emancipation of Mimi, my new album. I want you all to buy it, except you (touching her shoulder) I’ll give you a free one. AND… Nakai –what? The edge of the bread? *Japanese lesson on what MIMI means in Japan. It means the edge of the bread…like the brown stuff…sometimes white, but the little harder edge… you guys know what I’m talking about right? Mariah –don’t start with me! Watch your language, I”ll fight you. Taka –Mariah just gave message that she’ll punch you, Nakai! Ahaha. Just right now, the world famous Mariah Carey said, ‘I’ll punch you!’ Amuro – oh, don’t hesitate, please do punch him. Taka – Are you in love right now? Mariah – I don’t talk about those things Taka & Nakai – (imitate Mariah by saying ) I don’t want to talk about those kind of things! Nakai – (still imitating Mariah) I don’t want to talk about it! Don’t ask me those type of question! Gosh! (Mariah asks how to say I don’t want to talk about it in Japanese to her translator—I don’t want to = Shi ta ku nai no) Mariah – exactly, Shitakunaino! Taka – how about you Amuro-chan? Amuro – I don’t want to talk about it, Shitakunaino! Taka –Do you guys want something right now? Mariah – okay….something I want… (she pushes the button) Mariah – I want to go….nevermind…..I want to go on a trip. (she wants to go to the bathroom) Translator – where? (Mariah is giggling) Nakai –what? She pointed to me?? She wants to go with me? Translator – oh! She wants to go to the bathroom. Mariah –I want the hello kitty to guide me to the bathroom. Nakai –oh bathroom? (Mariah gets up and leave…. ---gosh, what a rude way to do it in Japan….--) Taka –wow, this never happened on the show like this…I think she’s going to leave now too, right Amuro-chan? Amuro –yea… Taka –well then, I shall go now to make a poop in the bathroom. Amuro – ehhhh…… Taka – okay, Amuro-chan, I’ll leave it up to you now.. Amuro –oh wait! Come back and sit down! Nakai – just now, a girl told me that she was going to punch me! This never happened to me before, she’s like this….(Nakai imitates Mariah’s expression) Taka – Maybe…I think she was faking the whole bathroom thing and probably thinking about punching Nakai Masahiro! Maybe she went to see the manager. Nakai –what? She’s coming back? (Mariah comes back with CDs) Nakai – did you really go to the bathroom? Taka –she has something in her hand..?? Mariah –I brought you gifts! Nakai –woooow!! Amuro – wow, how nice!! Thank you! Nakai –gosh! She made me worried! I thought she was going to the bathroom!! OH, here’s your nickname, This is what you were talking about ‘MIMI” the album title! Mariah –exactly! See? And we have a duet on that album as well. Nakai –what? Mariah –don’t you remember? Nakai – oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! But, you can’t be better than me!! Mariah- *sigh* I know. Mariah – how come you all are drinking something?? It’s not very nice to a guest. I’m a guest. {wtf! She’s such a diva….gosh} Taka –it’s Chinese tea.. Mariah – well, there’s no Japanese tea? Nakai – hey guys! Get some Japanese tea! Mariah –maybe some Sake. Nakai – what kind of Sake? Mariah –regular Japanese sake. Nakai – hey guys! Get some Sake!! (Hello Kitty brings the sake) Mariah – but I don’t want to be the only one to be drinking! How about everyone else? Nakai – (imitate Mariah in Japanese) Taka –okay then, To the success of MIMI!!! Everyone – cheers!! Nakai – do you like it? Mariah – very strong!!! Taka – how about you Amuro-chan! You don’t look like the type of person who drinks sake! Amuro –this was my very first time drinking Sake!! (laughs)

[pixie88]

Bad Decision

Chapter 4 - Our Little Secret.

A/N: Queen B fanfiction. I’m currently editing and adding all  my FF to my new account. All being added to my pinned masterlist on my profile. Let me know if you would like to be tagged! 

Find previous chapters HERE under Queen B - Our Little Secret.

Word count: 1757

WARNINGS: ⚠️ Some adult language & Angst

Disclaimer: Characters are property of Pixelberry.

Pairings: Ian x MC - Lyla.

Enjoy!

"Lillian, I can explain" Ian tells her "How can any explanation make the fact you are sleeping with a student make this right? Ian, this is wrong on so many levels! Do you not care about your career?" she asks him.

I close the door, Ian turns to me for help "Lillian, I understand this looks bad but I promise this isn't how it started. When we first met I had no idea he was my professor nor did he know I was his student" "So when you did find out why didn't you stop it Ian?" Lillian asks him.

"Lillian, I tried, but the more I denied myself the more I wanted. I love Lyla, I'm even moving to a different university, so I can be with her without any repercussions" " So, you tried? It doesn't look like you tried very hard Ian! What do you two fuck between classes? I bet Lyla is an A class student in your class she has to be considering she's fucking her professor. Ian, how can you be so reckless?" Ian face turns to annoyance.

Lillian, Stop! I will not have you talk about or to Lyla like that! Yes, I have been reckless, but that is from my own doing!" Lillian face soften "Ian, I'm sorry! I just don't want this to blow up in your face and end your career you worked so hard for" (Lillian is right, I can't let Ian risk his career for me. At least not while he's still working here).

"Ian, your sister is right, maybe we should cool it until you start your new job. I can't risk you losing everything for me. So, I think it is best that you find a new TA for the rest of your time here. I'll see you in class." I put the graded essays on the small coffee table.

I go to leave the room, but I feel an arm on my shoulder "Lyla, No! Don't do this!" I turn to face him, his eyes are sad "Ian, I don't want to, but we have to," I see Lillian giving me an agreeing nod to the side of Ian.

"We can still carry on in secret, no one will know" his eye pleading with me (I have to tell him about Poppy) "Someone found out!" I tell him, and he pulls away "You're lying! You're just saying that, so I agree to take a break." "Ian, I wish I was, but I'm not. Poppy found out about us she had photo's of us. She was going to use them to blackmail me, but I managed to delete every copy she had and burn the paper ones. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to be a part of my mess" he gives me those puppy dog eyes I can't resist.

"Lyla, You should have told me. We could've dealt with that together" I smile "As much as I love you being my knight in shining armour, this was my mess" "No Lyla, It was our mess. You should've told me." he cups my face.

"I know, but so we don't have this problem again, I think we cool it just until you no longer my professor!" he lets go of my face, turns away from me and takes a seat behind his desk.

"Ian, I know it must be hard, but it makes sense and it's only for a few weeks. I think what Lyla is doing is very noble" she smiles at me.

"If that's all Lyla you may go. I'll get a new TA sorted from tomorrow." he doesn't look at me. I leave his office deflated. (Get a grip 8 weeks aren't that long).

2 Weeks later, I have only seen Ian in class I avoid being the first one there so it isn't awkward or at least any more awkward than Ian has made it. Ian avoids my eyes in every lesson and ignores me around campus. He got a new TA 2 days after I told him to get a new one.

I'm not sure Tony seems up to the job as Ian stressed when ever he's around. Ian's class has ended and I'm getting my stuff together to leave when I hear "Ian! It's so good to see you again" I look up to see Lexi approaching Ian's desk at the front of the class.

I hear his husky tone as I make my way to the end of the aisle to leave the classroom "Lexi, you're early" I reach the door when I hear her reply, "Oh, I thought maybe we could have a few drinks before Richard and Annie arrive" (Argh I need a drink and also a bath tub to drown Lexi in).

I send a quick text to Zoe asking if she was free tonight, but she has a lot of studying to catch up on so would probably spend the night in the library.

(Looks like your on your own tonight Lyla).

After I head home to change I found myself outside The Base Lounge a new club that opened last week. I make my way inside and take a seat at the bar and order a passion fruit martini.

After I don't know how many martinis I pull out my phone. I want to text Ian but I shouldn't, but I go against my better judgement.

[Hi Ian, I hope yuo are having a dreadful time on your date with Lexi!]

[You* Whoops]

PING (5 Minutes later)

[Lyla, I am not on a date with Lexi. We are just having dinner with a few colleagues.]

I laugh nearly falling off the bar stool.

[I bet that's not how she sees it. Now you're free for the making.]

[making*]

[Wait that's still not right taking*]

PING (3 Minutes later)

[Lyla, No one is going to take me. You said it was for the best!]

[That was sober Lyla's idea. She's stupid!! I dom't like her!]

[Don't*]

PING (2 Minutes later)

[Lyla, Are you drunk?]

[Well duh! Come on progessor you have a degree. I thought that was obvious!]

PING (1 Minute later)

[Maybe you should get your friends to take you home to sober up!]

[Professor*]

[ Haha, I would but Zoey was busy]

PING (50 seconds later)

[You're by yourself??]

[You know for a professor you are pretty dumb. Of courses I'm by myself if Zoey isn't here. I'm going to walk home after I have been for a pee. Do you know this place has shared toilets! I know it's new but that's just weird right?]

[Course*]

PING (30 Seconds later)

[LYLA, DO NOT WALK HOME! I'M COMING TO GET YOU! JUST STAY THERE!!]

[No need to shout. Well text shout haha. No I'm fine. I can walk. I'll see you in class tomorrow]

I hear my phone continuously ping and ring, but I ignore it and I make my way out of the club. I start walking in the direction I think my dorm is in.

(I feel like I've been walking forever, everything is spinning, Oh no I'm going to...) I run over to the nearest bin and puke. Once I've stopped I clean myself open with a tissue I have in my bag. (Not my classiest moment) "Are you ok?" I look up to find some guy with long black hair staring at me.

(Oh my god, I have hair envy) "Wow, I love your hair!" He smiles "Thanks, but are you ok?" "Yes, I am fine frank you, I mean thank you" "Are you on your way home?" I look at him confused.

(Oh god, he's one of these weirdos that bury young girls under his driveway) "STRANGER DANGER!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I move away from Mr. Perfect Hair. "Stay away from me" he seems shocked "No! Look, I was just checking you were ok. I did mean to scare you" I still back away from him.

"Keep away from me," I shout at him again. I hear a car pull up, the headlights light us up I turn I can't see who it is but because the light is blinding me but I soon recognize the voice.

"Lyla, there you are" Ian comes into view "I've been looking everywhere for you!" he turns to Mr. Perfect Hair "Can I help you?" Ian asks him. "I was just checking she was ok when I saw her throwing up in the bin over there then the mad cow started screaming stranger danger. She's fucking nuts mate." (Everything after that happened in slow motion) Ian squares Mr. Perfect Hair straight in the jaw.

He runs off and Ian takes my hand and leads me to his car.

He gets into the driver's seat, he seems angry "Are you ok Ian?" his jaw tenses "Ian, I said are yo..." "I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID, LYLA!" he shouts, "Excuse you!" "I'm sorry I didn't mean to shout, but you have no idea how worried I was about you!" "Ian, I'm ok!" "You might not have been! Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" "I wanted a drink and no one was free, Plus I was jealous!" I turn away from him.

"Jealous?" he asks I roll my eye "Yes, jealous of Lexi being able to be seen out in public with you and just in your company," he looks over to me with soft eyes "Lyla, This was your idea. I was happy to keep seeing you in secret, but you decided it was best." "Now I don't think it's best. Ian, I miss you," he quickly looks over to me with a smile before returning his eyes to the road.

"I have to admit I've missed you terribly, but you need to figure out what you want!" "Ian, it's you! I want you. I can't wait 6 more weeks, it's killing me now" I see him smirk.

He takes my hand and pulls it to his lips before placing a small kiss against my knuckles "I want you to, Lyla. But if we are going to do this we need to be careful, very careful! No one can know!" "Of course!" "Not even Lillian!" "Ok, but if we are trying to be careful for the next 6 weeks I don't think you should be seen dropping me at my dorm" "Where shall I drop you home?" I grin.

"At your place Professor!" I wink.

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 5.

[iliketowrite1996]

Conversations and Coffee Trips 3/4

Part 1: https://iliketowrite1996.tumblr.com/post/625541482204545024/conversations-and-coffee-trips

2: https://iliketowrite1996.tumblr.com/post/627207558610960384/conversations-and-coffee-trips-24

I wasn’t sure how I felt writing again. Black Panther inspired me to start writing again, though, and I feel like it’d be a shame to stop after Chadwick worked so hard to inspire others. So here goes. TRIGGER WARNINGS AND THEMES- dating, afraid of starting over, mentions of divorce, breaking up, resenting ex.

This is horrible. This is the worst idea ever. You should have never called Dejah’s teacher back, never should have accepted his offer to attend the literature exhibit, never should have taken Natasha’s advice and donned this spaghetti strapped black dress you’re sporting.

   ‘’You look hot,’’ Natasha beams at you, crossing her arms as she leans against the doorframe of your bedroom.

   ‘’This is a bad idea, Nat. I’m going to call T’Challa right now and cancel this date.’’

   ‘’I thought you said it wasn’t a date,’’ Natasha raises an eyebrow, a smirk threatening to invite itself to her face at your expense.

   ‘’Hush, Nat. You know what I mean.’’

   ‘’I know that you’re reading too much into it. Now, T’Challa seems like he’s a really nice guy. I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t advice you to give this, him and you, a chance.’’

   Natasha has always been blunt and honest with you- about Dejah’s grades, your fashion choice, and, yes, dating.

   ‘’Why do I have the strong feeling that I’m going to regret this?’’

   ‘’You will if you don’t let me help you get ready. The man is going to be here in fifteen minutes.’’

   With that, Natasha does tor makeup, expertly applying eyeshadow, eyeliner and the red lipstick that she bought for your friend-adversary last weekend.

   ‘’You look stunning,’’ she says about ten minutes later, handing you your mirror.

   She’s right, though. Your eyes look bright and there’s a layer of an emotion you can’t quite identify etched into your features.

   ‘’You’re going to have a good time tonight. Allow yourself to have just a little bit of fun, will you?,’’ Natasha advises, screwing the top back onto the eyeliner before playing it on your dresser, ‘’I’ve got to get home, but text me or Bucky when you’re home safely. Okay?’’

   ‘’Will do, Nat. Come on. I’ll walk  you to the door.’’

   Natahsha isn’t even gone a full five minutes before T’Challa is knocking on your door, and you’re greeted with a fresh bouquet of flowers at first.

   ‘’Sorry, are they too much?’’

   ‘’No, no, Mr. Udaku… uh, T’Challa. Um, feel free to come on in for a moment, I’ll just um… I’ll place these in some water.’’

   He nods, accepting your invitation to enter, closing the door behind himself as you head to the kitchen, taking a vase from under the sink, filling it with water before placing the bouquet of assorted flowers in it.

   ‘’Well, Natasha, if it’s not a date, then why the heck did he bring me flowers?!,’’ you frantically think to yourself you set it on the counter, turning back to T’Challa, who is peering at a picture of you and Dejah from last year that sits in a frame on your side-table.

   ‘’That was taken last year at the carnival,’’ you reveal, smiling at the memory, ‘’Back when she still liked me.’’

   Your relationship with your daughter has been a bit rocky, so you’re only half joking at this. She tends to lean more towards her dad, for whatever reason, and you’re just glad that Steve is a great dad to begin with.

   ‘’You two look so much alike,’’ T’Challa comments, ‘’I do not think that she hates you. You are her mother.’’

   ‘’Yes, well,’’ you clear your throat, surprising yourself at your confession to Dejah’s English Teacher, of all people, ‘’Shall we get going?’’

   T’Challa, ever the dapper man, holds the door for you and the two of you make your way down to his car.

   The drive to the art exhibit is relatively smooth, relatively painless. T’Challa is animatedly talking about the exhibit, and you’re doing your best to calm your this-is-not-a-first-date-so-why-am-I-feeling-first-date-nervous- nerves as you sit in the passenger seat of T'Challa's car, eyes trained on the road.

   ‘’So, um,’’ he clears his throat, ‘’How long have you lived in New York?’’

   ‘’Um, about fifteen years,’’ you clear your own throat, ‘’How about you?’’

   ‘’On and off in college- I always went back home to Wakanda in the summer. I moved here a few years ago, got a job, and my little sister moved in with me. She will actually be at the art exhibit with her boyfriend and some friends,’’ T’Challa reveals, pulling into the museum of the parking lot.

   As soon as he parks, he cuts off the ignition, going around to your side to get the door for you. He offers you his arm, and you hesitantly accept it, slipping your arm through his as you make your way to the door.

   ‘’Please pardon me if I am being too forward,’’ T’Challa looks to you, ‘’I intend only to be a gentleman.’’

   He’s cheesy. SO unbelievably cheesy, Had this been any other man, you probably would have not believed him. But there’s a sincerity behind T’Challa’s  eyes that causes you to relax a bit, reassure him, and allow him to guide you into the museum,

   ‘’Who is your favorite author,’’ he questions, sliding the man your tickets as he gestures for you to enter the exhibit.

   ‘’Oh, so many,’’ you admit, tucking hair behind your ear as you glance around, ‘’Alice Walker, though… her work made me interested in Literature in the first place.’’

   ‘’I would say the same thing. My mother gifted me one of her works, a copy of ‘’The Color Purple’’ when I was in secondary school. I never quite read it until I was in my first year of university in the states.’’

   ‘’I loved ‘’The Color Purple’’ as well. I remember in high school, it was assigned to us in AP English.  I can not wait until Dejah is a little bit older so I can start sharing some of her work with her.’’

   ‘’Your daughter truly does have potential,’’ T’Challa insists, letting go of your arm to allow you to go first down the narrow hallway, ‘’I believe that tutoring will be good for her.’’

   ‘’I really appreciate you saying that,’’ you admit, ‘’It… sometimes, I think she doubts herself and I begin to worry about her. So thank you, Mr. Udaku.’’

   ‘’Please, call me T’Challa.’’

‘’Okay,’’ you look back to smile at him a bit, ‘’T’Challa.’’

   The two of you continue to make your way through the exhibit, until about an hour in and you're looking at a piece of work done by Ntozake Shange, who you and your students are currently studying.

   T’Challa’s opinions are interesting, and your conversation is stimulating. Overall, the event seems to be going well for two English literature buffs.

   In fact, the night is going pretty well. You’re even laughing with him at jokes he’s making, and he seems really attentive when listening to you speak.

   Things are going so well that the two of you find yourselves in a coffeehouse, T’Challa sipping on an Americano and you drinking a latte. The plate between the two of you has a danish, an eclair, and a muffin- all three having been split evenly down the middle for you.

   ‘’So, you grew up in Wakanda. I’ve always wanted to go there,’’ you reveal, taking a sip of your drink.

   ‘’It is truly beautiful. I was telling my students about it the other day,’’ T’Challa nods, ‘’If we have enough time during class, I like to regale them with stories- my childhood, Wakanda, the Black Panther.’’

   ‘’Believe me, I know so much about the Black Panther because of Dejah. I know she struggles in class, she really adores you as a teacher though.’’

   ‘’She’s a good student. I can tell that she is working hard. She wants to succeed. And believe me when I say that you inspire her. I tasked them with writing reports on who their role models are. She chose you.’’

   The fact sends a warm flush over you, and you find yourself grinning, eyes cast on the table before bringing them back to T’Challa, ‘’You are very kind, Mr. Udaku. Thank you.’’

   ‘’Thank you,’’ he grins back, ‘’And you are very good company. I am glad that you agreed to accompany me to the literature exhibit tonight. Would you… would you mind going out with me again?’’

   It takes you by surprise a bit, and you nearly choke on the bit of eclair you’d just taken a bite out of, causing T’Challa to look at you with wide eyes,frantically passing you a napkin.

   ‘’On a date?’’

   ‘’If… if that’s what you’d like to call it,’’ he nods a bit, seeming a bit less confident than he was a moment before.

   ‘’T’Challa, I-’’

   ‘’Brother! What are you doing here with my English professor?’’

   You look up to see a few of your students- Shuri, Peter Parker, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Ned Leeks, Michelle Jones, and Miles Morales.

   ‘’Hello, Shuri,’’ he beams at the younger woman, as you finally put two and two together, kicking yourself a bit for not seeing the connection with Shuri and T'Challa similarities before.

   ‘’Hello, students. How are you doing,’’ you smile a bit at the five of them, ‘’What are you all doing here?’’

   ‘’We went to that literature exhibit at the museum,’’ Pietro explains, arm around his sister, ‘’Wanda and I thought , as good TA’s, it’d be good for the undergraduates to see it.’’

   ‘’We told you about it,’’ Michelle deadpans, earning a snicker from Miles, Ned and Peter.

   ‘’Anyway,’’ Shrui speaks pointedly, ‘’How do you know my brother, professor?’’

   ‘’He teaches my daughter. We’re not out on a date or anything. We’re just here as friends. Just.. just friends.’’

   The way T’Challa is looking at you lets you know he doesn't really appreciate the comment, but he’s too polite to refute it. Instead, he turns to Shuri, ‘’We’re both Literature buffs, so we saw the exhibit, too. Anyway, you all enjoy your night. Text me when you make it back to the dorms, Shuri, and I’ll see you and N’Jadaka for dinner tomorrow evening. Alright?’’

   With that, goodbyes are said, and you and T’Challa are left alone.

   ‘’I’m sorry I said that, the way that I said it.’’

   ‘’Don’t be,’’ T’Challa reassures you, ‘’We aren’t on a date. We are just friends. If you are ready, I will take you home.’’

   So that’s how you find yourself letting T’Challa walk you to your door, silence radiating between the two of you, so clear that it’s almost tangible and visible.

   ‘’Thank you for a nice evening, T’Challa. I had a good time.’’

   ‘’Me too. Well, I suppose that you have to get up early tomorrow morning. I will talk to you soon, hopefully with more good news about Dejah’s grades.’’

   He turns on his heels then, and you know that you should let this go. You should enter your place, get ready for bed, get up early and go to church in the morning, as is your usual Sunday morning routine.

   ‘’T’Challa,’’ you begin, waiting for the man to turn around, ‘’I’m planning on going to the 11:00 service and not the 9:00 service. Would you care to accompany me to get coffee?’’

   He grins then, so bright, and nods, ‘’I’d like it very much. How does 10:00 sound.’’

   ‘’It sounds pretty good to me, T’Challa,’’ you can’t help but beam back, ‘’I’ll see you bright and early.’’

   ‘’Sounds like a date,’’ he says hesitantly, seeming to relax when you don’t correct him, ‘’Have a good night.’’

   ‘’You too.’’

   And neither one of you sees the fist bump that you both do when you’re behind the closed doors.

   And so it goes for the next few months. Holding hands, cups of coffee cradled, and looking at the people in the cafe as they go about their days. Cups of coffee as you discuss your next date, a stack of papers in between the two of you. Sitting at the cafe’ as an apology when you forget to call him to break a date because Dejah’s upset that Steve can’t take her to the daddy daughter dance and T’Challa doesn't mind, does he?. Taking cups with you as you drive around, looking at the Christmas lights.

   Your relationship seems to be built on two things- coffee and conversations. You two have talked about your childhoods, your fears, aspirations and everything in between. He knows that eventually you want to publish your own book, you k know that he does want a family. He knows how much you love your daughter, how you and Steve do your best to get along at all times for Dejah’s sake, how this co-parenting thing isn’t as hard as it used to be now that you and Steve are friends.

   But there’s something else that he’d like to know, and he waits until you’re cuddled up on his couch, drinking coffee and watching ‘’It’s a Wonderful Life’’.

   ‘’I’m a sucker for the classics,’’ you reveal, ‘’Thanks for indulging me, T’Challa.’’

   ‘’I am enjoying it so far,’’ he smiles at you as you cuddle up to him a bit more, ‘’I am picking the movie next time, though. Speaking of which, my family will be in town. Shuri got us into ‘’Home Alone’’ last year. Would you like to come? Obviously, Dejah is welcome.’’

   Dejah, your twelve-year-old daughter. T’Challa’s student. Who does not know that you are currently seeing her English teacher.

   ‘’Oh, um, I don’t know about that,’’ you sit up, eyes on the screen, ‘’And I still haven’t exactly told Dejah about us yet.’’

   At that, T’Challa pauses the movie, even though you don’t look at him as he stares at you, hurt.

   ‘’Entle,’’ he begins, ‘’What is going on here?’’

   ‘’What is going on here is that you are making a big deal out of this, when I told you that I don’t want Dejah finding out about us until I’m sure what this is.’’

   ‘’So, how long is it going to take you to figure that out exactly, hm,’’ he raises an eyebrow, ‘’Because we have been seeing each other for a few months. I’d like to know what this is.’’

   ‘’It’s too grown up to get coffee, and hang out. Chill, T’Challa. It’s not that serious. Besides, you’re my daughter’s teacher and I’m your sister’s professor.’’

   ‘’For a semester,’’ he reminds you, ‘’Next month, when the new semester starts, Shuri won’t be your student. If you really don’t want to tell Dejah until she’s not in my class anymore-’’

   ‘’Why are you pushing this,’’ you stand, ‘’You’re making this worse?’’

   ‘’I am trying to see what this is, if it even is anything to you. Because it seems to me,’’ T’Challa is practically seething, voice so low, ‘’That it means nothing to you.’’

   ‘’You know what, I’m done here. Let’s go back to you being Dejah’s teacher, and me being Dejah’s mother. Because we never should have been anything other than those two things.’’

   You’re not sure why you say this- to hurt him, because it is the truth, or because it’s easier. Either way, you’re grabbing your coat, keys and purse and heading back to your apartment, alerting Steve that you’ll be home early and Steve can drop Dejah off at home now.

   Before you drive off, you take a few tissues out of your purse, doing your best to wipe your tears before you get on the road.

   And trying to ward off the feeling of doubt that is starting to rear its head.

   ‘’Hey, momma,’’ Dejah beams at you as you open the door for her, ‘’I missed you.’’

   ‘’Hey, baby,’’ you wrap your arms around her, pressing a kiss to her curls, ‘’I missed you, too. Did you have fun?’’

   ‘’Mhm! Daddy and Peggy took me ice skating.’’

   ‘’That’s great, baby girl! Go put your things away and you can come back and tell me all about it.’’

   ‘’Okay. Bye daddy!,’’ Dejah hugs her dad before announcing off to her room, duffle bag and book bag in tow.

   ‘’You look upset,’’ Steve cuts to the point, ‘’What’s wrong?’’

   ‘’Nothing, just tired.’’

   ‘’You always have been a terrible liar,’’ Steve chuckles amusedly,’’You know that. So why don’t you tell me what’s really the matter here?’’

   You can hear Dejah’s footsteps as she rushes back in, a beam on her face, ‘’Mommy, can daddy stay for Dinner? Peggy went to see her mom.’’

   ‘’Yeah,’’ Steve looks to you once more, ‘’Mind if I stay?’’

   Dejah’s grinning and Steve will let you vent, so you agree. When dinner is over with and Dejah is in her room working on homework, you and Steve talk as you clear the table.

   ‘’So you’ve been seeing her English Teacher for the last few months, and Dejah still doesn’t know.’’

   ‘’No, I’ve been hanging out with him-’’

   ‘’In an intimate setting. I know you’re not big on affection sometimes, but you’re giving up your Saturdays without Dejah to do something else. So tell me what’s really going on.’’

   You sigh a bit, sliding the dirty plate into the dishwasher, giving up on picking at the melted on cheese from the sandwich, ‘’He’s being so rude. He’s already trying to get me to meet his family, What are you doing?’’

   ‘’Calling Natasha so she can hear this,’’ he speaks shut as she answers the video call.

   ‘’This had better be good, Rogers. I was in the middle of a movie marathon while James is at work.’’

   ‘’It is good. Our friend here,’’ he points the camera to you, smirking when you glare at him and wave at Nat, ‘’She’s been seeing Dee’s English teacher.’’

   ‘’I wasn’t aware that they went out more than the one time,’’ her eyes widen, ‘’What’s happening?’’

   ‘’What’s happening is that the two of you are prying into my personal life again, thank you very much.’’

   ‘’No, no. You asked me for advice. I’m bringing Nat into it. So start from the top and tell her just what you told me.’’

   Two pairs of blue eyes stare back at you as you retell the story, before Steve turns to Natasha and asks, ‘’Well? What do you think?’’

   ‘’I think she’s scared.’’

   Your eyes widen now as you look between your best friend and your husband, the only two people, other than Dejah, who have ever been able to break through your heavily built armor.

   Well, up until you met someone new a few months ago, and he’s managed to make you even entertain the idea of starting over.

   ‘’That’s what I thought, too,’’ Steve speaks to Nat, eyes on you, ‘’Tell us the truth. You’re afraid of starting new.’’

   ‘’I don’t have to stand here and be interrogated about my feelings in the middle of my kitchen,’’ you scoff, both of them rolling their eyes before shrugging a bit in agreement.

   ‘’You’re right. But we are your friends, and we love you. We want you to be happy. T’Challa seems like he marks you happy. You are always smiling at your phone when we’re hanging out.’’

   ‘’So what is the real reason that you don’t want to make this relationship official?’’

   Natasha and Steve both wait for what feels like hours, until you finally speak the truth about the circumstance, ‘’He seems like a really great guy, and I don’t want to mess this up.’’

   Deep down inside, you’ve always known it yourself. When your divorce was finalized, you resented Steve. However, more than that, you felt like he resented you for it. It was a miracle, to you, that you and Steve  were able to start benign friends again. What if you get so deeply involved with T'Challa, it ends badly, and Dejah loses someone that she really cares about.

   ‘’Listen, I could give you some drawn out speech,’’ Natasha benign,s eyes trained on you, ‘’But you are never going to know unless you try. I’m not saying that you HAVE to go out with him again. But allow yourself to be happy.’’

   ‘’And, if it happens, allow yourself to feel hurt. You will get through it,’’ Steve finishes, ‘’At least think about it.’’

   And think about it you do. For a week. In your limited free time, you try to work up the courage to contact T’Challa.

   You never even press his name into the bar to text him.

   Pretty soon, January has morphed into February, and you’re sitting in your room grading papers when Dejah enters.

   ‘’Hey, sweetheart. What’s up?’’

   ‘’I saw your light was on and I wanted to ask if I could talk to you?’’

   ‘’Of course,’’ you pat your bed, stacking the papers and placing them on your nightstand.

   ‘’So momma… you know that Peggy and dad are getting married.’’

   ‘’I do, sweetheart. How do you feel about that>’’

   ‘’Good. I like Peggy,’’ she insists with a nod, ‘’I was just thinking lately, though. How come you haven’t dated for a while?’’

   You raise an eyebrow at your daughter doing your abs to hide your smirk, ‘’That’s a personal question.’’

   ‘’You’re beautiful and smart, mom. You know I think some of my teachers are single.’’

   You feel your heartbeat up at that fact,  but Dejah just continues on.

   ‘’Like, Mr. Udaku. He’s so funny, mom,’’ she giggles, ‘’He’s really handsome, too.’’

   ‘’Sweetheart, please tell me you’re not going around school trying to set makeup with any eligible bachelor.’’

   ‘’No, no. Nothing like that,’’ she speaks so much like Steve, ‘’I just.. Mom, I guess I want to know why you aren’t dating again.’

‘

   You know you need to be honest with her, but protect her from the entirety of it, ‘’Well, Dejah, it’s complicated. Sometimes mommy feels like she’s too busy to date.’’

   There. That’s true.

   ‘’Because of me,’’ she looks on sadly, causing you to take your daughter’s face in between your hands to focus her gaze on you.

   ‘’Dejah, i love you. You are not the reason. Whoever I date, though, has to like you and you have to like him. That is non negotiable for me.’’

   ‘’Thanks, mom,’’ she smiles a bit, ‘’If you find a cute guy, or something, I guess you’ll start dating again. Don’t wanna let a nice catch go.’’

   ‘’Stop listening to your Aunt Natasha when she’s talking to me and go to bed, girl,’’ you cackle, pressing a kiss to her hairline, ‘’I love you, baby girl. Get some sleep.’’    

   ‘’Alright. Good night, momma. I love you, too.’’

   With That, she slides off of the bed and heads out, closing the door behind her.

   You, for your part, take the stacks of papers- both graded and ungraded- and place it in your bag before turning off the light.

   That little conversation with Dejah has you picking up your phone, finally feeling ready to contact her teacher,

   Your fears are in your head gian, and you have to push them back with each letter that you type. What if he hates you? What if he doesn't want to try again? You can’t blame him- you won’t blame him.

   So you send the short message- ‘’Listen, I want to apologize for the way that I reacted. If it’s too little too late, I understand. But I’m hoping that maybe we can meet up for coffee tomorrow when Steve takes Dejah for the weekend?’’

   With That, you shut your phone off, doing your best to get some sleep.

   When you finally do turn your phone back on, you are in your office eating lunch.

   And one little text message comes in, causing you to grin- beaming at your phone at his response.

   ‘’Sounds good to me’’.

   So there’s hope. You’re tired of being afraid, and T’Challa Udaku is a good man.

   So here you are. taking a leap of faith.

   Hopefully, he’ll be willing to help you do that.’’

DISCLAIMER- I own no rights to nay Marvel characters or their fictional worlds, countries, cities, etc. 

@ashanti-notthesinger @destinio1 @afraiddreamingandloving @airis-paris14 @chaneajoyyy @90sinspiredgirl @shemiahsmelanin @zillmonger @skysynclair19 @marvelpotterlove @constantlycravingtheunknown @imaginewhoever @wakanda-inspired @pocmarvelworks @theunsweetenedtruth @dreampovx @adrioola21 @supremethunda @thisiskayesworld @mcusocialimagines @priya212  @kumkaniudaku  @airis-paris14 @alexundefined @fonville-designs  @dramaqueenamby  @mellowjellow6 @dramaqueeenamby @nerd-lovely @fonville-designs @akimi-youngblood @yoyolovesbucky @fd-writes @areubeingserved-too @areubeingserved-too @thisbrokencapuletx-blog @squeackygee @melidris1  @honeydew-melanin @id-rather-be-an-outsider @andreasworlsboring101    @earthformelanin @determinednot2fall

[mrsunderhill678]

The last one liners of 2020!! Let’s go!

“Discoveries of self are only grand so long as they give you a deeper meaning, but all mine have done is haunted me.” - Calliger Cougar

“Justice that harms the innocent is no justice after all.” - Calliger Cougar

“I fear I have yet to meet all of me, and if this sinful being is what I have met, I fear what I have not.” - Calliger Cougar

"I've spent life searching for a deeper purpose, only to realize, all I had to do, was be me.” - Espekarla Killovitch

“It took so long to accept myself, so long, that I believed no one would ever accept me.” - Espekarla Killovitch

“Life can beat you down and make you someone you don't like, but soar above that. See the stars, burn in the sun, become ash so long as it's you.” - Espekarla Killovitch

 “I am such a crime against myself.” - Duke Marston

“Loving me, I imagine, is a death sentence. Hold my heart only if you wish to place yourself on death row or the electric chair.” - Duke Marston

 “I am no brave little mouse, I am no Desperaux, it is as if I am Borticelli, a sewer rat, feasting on my grime, throwing the brave little mouse to the crowd, allowing them to cheer as the cat bats at him like yarn, watching him bleed, watching him fight, if only to keep my throne." - Duke Marston (If you get this reference I will fucking love you)

 How I yearn to be something other than this twisted creature, sitting upon a throne of other's blood and bone. But I never leave this throne, I never knock this life studded crown from my head. I guess that makes me haunted queen of the hill, fearing the descent yet staring down at the bottom, wondering what it would be like... To fall. But I fear my sister would catch me, deny this death wish of mine. She'd snag a cigarette from my lip if she knew it burnt my lungs. I fear myself, but she loves me, I'll never know why, I'm just a beast, a wicked creature of broken tusks and teeth. And my brother, he would carry the crucifix on his back and nail his palms to it's oak if he knew it'd spare me the trouble.” - Carlota Calico

“I am a cruel woman, my eyes glazed over with glossy regret, and yet all I do is weep the blood that I've spilled. I am a haunting of every grave I've dug, every life I took, and try as I may, it is never my blood I'll weep, but the blood of another.” - Carlota Calico

“My regret is spoken so much louder than my rage, it leaves me to wonder how my rage leaves more glasses shattered than my regret, when it's my hauntings that raise the decibels? They say to roll with life's punches, but what can a man do when the fists are his own?” - Max Tripp

“It was I who took my life and set it on fire. And everyone watched from the pyre as my ship sunk, and you know what? When this ship sinks, and I with it, I'll cheer along with those on the fucking pyre.” - Max Tripp

“I won't make it to heaven. I'd never pass the first step to the pearly gates, let alone a mile from the stairwell.” - Max Tripp

“I'm a gambling man, and I gambled this life of mine for a rusted lie and a nickel. Worth bout as much as me, I suppose.” - Max Tripp

“Raise a glass to the loveless man, raise a glass, for this shot of my tears and regret never runs dry.” - Max Tripp

“I'm tangled between my little flaws and my love for my children, I imagine my love for them heals me, I just... Wish it would heal, them.” Violetta Flint

 “Is the world, perhaps, just as self destructive as we are, causing pain to those who love it?” - Violetta Flint

“I wish I could've protected my boy, but life took him down the beaten path too soon. I was supposed to protect him from the thorns on the rose, but he gripped it before I could. He bled before I could bleed in his place.” - Violetta Flint

“Life can be so terribly cruel to the kindest of people, but don't let cruelty make you cruel. Remember that kindness is never forged from an easy life.” - Violetta Flint

“Revenge is a luxury I can't God damn afford, yet here I am, payin' the fuckin' price.” - Andraak Flint

“With a single snap 'a my fingers I killed the light that basked my soul, stepped on my own back ta reach heaven, just ta kill the man who claims himself a god above others. Oh he's above others alright, but when I meet him eye to fuckin' eye, sins on my wrist, with my rage and love he stole from my still tremblin' hands, he ain't gon' be nuthin' but below me.” - Andraak Flint

“You must inflict pain to know my wrath, and for a man that's inflicted more pain than the end 'a times, I reckon I ought to be more wrathful than the God that decided it fit for him ta live.” - Andraak Flint

“Revenge is a luxury I can't afford, because the price is this life I've lived and the corpse 'a the man I hunt. Ta pay the price, I got ta die, cause ain't no man damned as I am, seein' more sunrises than the devil he seeks. So be it, may the sun rise without me, so long as it rises without Quentin." - Andraak Flint

“Sometimes, crime is survival, and you can condemn me all you want, but all I'm tryin' to do is stay on the topside of the concrete. An old friend always said his corpse had already dropped, that he was already buried beneath the skyscrapers and subways, that he was just another corpse of New York. And I agree. We're all just corpses of New York city, because this place in of itself is a corpse of dead concrete goliaths and lost souls once filled with hope.” - Angeles Vance

“We are the revolution, built of scars and corpses of New York, and maybe one day, they'll hear our battle cry and call us heroes. But it's more often than most that heroes are labeled lawless and cruel, before ever, they put an end to the very tyranny that labeled them, enemy of the world." - Angeles Vance

“Evil is often a torch, passed down from one ruler to the next, but I've found, that we only take the torch, for we fear he who holds it, only to fear our own hand, in the end.” - Theodore Malrosa

“All you'll ever need in a kill or be killed world is a six shooter and your sins on your sleeve.” - Theodore Malrosa

“I'm a ragged bone man, with fur drenched over my shoulders like a tattered cape, but in the shade, all they ever see is the silhouette of a hero's torn cape. Shade hides all, my friend, even the most damnable of offenses.” - Theodore Malrosa

“He who mocks the peasant will find himself bowing to his feet miles down the road, just ask the brother's of Joseph. For they mocked his dreams only to realize always was he a prophet, in all his glory, and his coat of every color only aggrandized his robe of dreams and prophecies to be.” - Theodore Malrosa

 “I could drown in holy water and still, I'd be damned, all the holy water would do is grant me a painful death of scalding flesh and boiled blood. I wear a cross round my neck if only to remind me, I was once holy. But he who is nailed to the crucifix is often bled dry before ever he is forgiven.” - Arrow Holloway

“I sling these bullet casin's like regrets and charms, never knowin' what it is I'll get from this chamber. There's a spark in my chest, and I's long since learned, the spark in me chest and revolver are one in the fucking same.” - Arrow Holloway

“I am a hail of bullets in the crossfire, hittin' every soldier, I am the blood spilled and the bodies that drop. I suppose I'm everything death every grew, if only to be reaped for my simple existence. But it ain't simple, is it? Never were I 'spose, always was this life complex and bloody.” - Arrow Holloway

“I could face myself in a draw fight and still I'd lose.” - Arrow Holloway

“Take this ride 'a mine as you will, one of a wicked outlaw or a deputy corrupted by crimson burnin' justice, either way you spin the tale, you get blood spilled and bullets flyin', so I spose it don't matter which path ya take. It all ends the same. No matter what road you go down, there's a cliffside, a steeple or a river, and ain't none of em leadin' you ta salvation. Cause the biggest lie the preacher ever told is, "You're forgiven." - Arrow Holloway

“What is hope, really, but a single shared delusion of the human race? We cling to it so desperately, but it was never there, we were always battling ourselves and callin' a damn peace treaty. Cause when we fire against our selves, what do we call it? Freedom or murder of the highest degree?” Elliot Terminus

“We're either lambs or wolves, and only those with stained teeth'll make it through. We're already in hell, my friend, the demons are huntin' the angels and the sheep are bein' led to the slaughter. Ain't no sheep makin' it out with a white coat.” - Elliot Terminus

 “I'd gladly wash myself in the blood of the lamb if it meant soakin' the fields.” - Elliot Terminus

“You think the flock is safe just cuz there's a shepherd? He's as mortal as the sheep and he who protects the weak should be weary of the strong.” - Elliot Terminus

“This crucifix of secrets on my back weighs me down like the thought of my casket, I fear I shall carry this weight on my back for miles, only for none of it to ever matter in the end.” - Mason White

“It's often secrets lurk in those who have been silenced. These days, you can't cut off a man's tongue to prevent the truth from spilling out, but threatening all he loves does the same damn thing. When a man dares silence you, shout to the heavens, maybe God will listen and smite him down, render him speechless. No man can disarm you of your voice, it's the strongest weapon you've got.” - Mason White

 “For all who come for my sorry hide, tomorrow's an empty promise at best, and a threat at it's worst, cuz steppin' up to me is a losin' fuckin' battle. You wanna step up ta this plate? Then prepare for them pearly gates, cause ya meet the lord today, and ya don't got time for a fuckin' confession.” - Rafe Linton

“Honor ain't nuthin but a lie soldiers use ta steal the advantage, I'd rather cheat than die, and I'd rather scarper on my mah knees than be the poor sod bein' shot at point blank range for sins deemed worthy 'a death.” - Rafe Linton

“A man offers ta count ta three, shoot him at two.” - Rafe Linton

“Steppin' up ta me is a losin' fuckin' battle because I cheat, I lie, friend, only truthful word that ever come from my mouth is, I'm alive. I'd light a match and tell ya it's cold, I'd shoot a man six times in the chest and say he's breathin' just fine. The pearly gates await ya because you choke on all your truths, when a lie's the only thing that'll save you, these days.” - Rafe Linton

“The act of raisin' the dead is a simple act 'a redeemin' a man who's coffin lid is nailed shut. Yet for a man like me, it's complex as can got damn be.” - Alaric Alistair

“There was a time I believed the good guy always caught the thief, and the sun always rose, but look at me now, sittin' in the dark.” - Alaric Alistair

 “You could cut me down and I imagine I'd laugh, cause I can't imagine sumthin' darker than my life other than the end 'a it.” - Alaric Alistair

“I'm just roadkill on the highway that's risen, my antlers are broken, my fur matted and bloody, and I'm just fated ta pretend I'm still breathin'. But the breath from my lungs is stained from the blood on my teeth.” - Alaric Alistair

“In the end, it don't matter who ya were, what ya did, cause hell don't exist and devils were only myths of us.” - Alaric Alistair

“All I ever do is follow orders. I bark when told ta, I bite when aggravated or let off my leash, but the sad thing is, even the leash stabs inta me. The bruises and scars round my neck tell the sorrowed tale of a barkin' dog forced ta bite. This blood on my teeth tells the pain soaked tale of a dog, skinny and starvin', all because he bites, if only ta put another down." - Alaric Alistair

“For a man who's lost everything, I sure got a lot. My whole life I been swallowed by the fires yet remaining un-scorched, because all my life I've had love. For my wife, for my sons, for the lord, and even if many I knew are now nuthin' but a memory, I still find light in the intricacies of their smiles, cause I see em in my own.” - Balthazar Pennington

“We're beautiful creatures, really, holdin' one another ta show love, speakin' in languages so complex that not a word has ta be spoken to say, "I love you." - Balthazar Pennington

"Go on, kill us, kill us by the fucking dozens, Mr. De Niro. But you will find that the human resolve is a helluva lot stronger than your God damn conscious." - Cody Scarrow

"Oh I don't need savin' from me, brother. I may not be perfect, hell, I ain't even decent. But I can be damn proud of the fact, that I ain't you, and I never God damn will be." - Cody Scarrow

[adarlingwrites]

Absolution

Summary:

noun: formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

The Capital Wasteland lauded the Lone Wanderer as a hero, a Messiah, a savior who’s willing to give her life for the Good Fight. Beyond the legends, the propaganda, and the mythification that surrounded her legacy, there is only one person who knew her bare soul. She gave him his absolution, and now he will fight for hers.

VI

September 19, 2277. It’s been two days since the incident. I still can’t figure out my mistress’ motivations for helping me with that sorry excuse of a trial. Perhaps she’s protecting her 2000 cap investment, but she took the money back from Ahzrukhal’s body when I shot him. Letting me be apprehended by the people would certainly mean losing an asset, but she can always hire other mercenaries to take my place as her bodyguard. Whichever is it, I don’t know. Things had calmed down in Underworld. Barrows decided that the Ninth Circle should be repurposed as an assembly area. Carol invited my mistress and I for lunch, and Greta said the food was on the house. Percy spent hours listening to Carol’s stories while I ate my meal in peace. I appreciated being able to sit down and eat. Ahzrukhal never granted me such a thing. By the time we left Carol’s Place, Percy was blushing and smiling ear-to-ear from the stories and compliments the ghoulette told her. Carol stood in the doorway, an arm around Greta, as she watched us leave for Megaton, mentioning something about saying hi to someone named Gob. Miss said that we are going to her house in Megaton. On the way, we made a detour to a scrapyard, the sun almost setting. “Hey, Charon, could you help me look for a handbrake?” Percy asks, bent over a fallen motorcycle that she’s stripping for parts, and I set my sight on the horizon, watching for threats and actively avoiding looking at her. “My contract entitles you to combat services. I’m afraid you have to look for it yourself,” I tell her, unmoving from my spot. I still refuse to look at her. “Please? Two pairs of eyes are better than one,” she asks. That word again. Please. I realize she’s not issuing a command. She’s asking me a favor. I see a pleading expression on her face, and I roll my eyes.

Grumbling as I marched over to help her look, I got on my knees next to her to look for the damn thing. When she laughed at my frustration, I finally allowed myself to look at her. Snowflake chopped my mistress’ dark hair to a very short bob, no longer the combat hazard that it used to be. When I tore away my eyes from her and started to really look for the item she mentioned, I found one just lying a few feet from us, and held it out to her with a flat expression. She looks at me, laughs, and tucks the handbrake safely in her sack of scrap. “Oops. Didn’t see that just there, sorry.” “Your eyesight could put us at a disadvantage in combat, mistr-.” Percy gives me that look again. I realize my mistake. “Miss.” Laughing and shrugging me off, she stands up and shakes the dirt off her knees. “Okay, maybe I can tolerate ‘miss’, Mr. Dreamboat. I still prefer Percy, though.” I can’t help but grumble and groan in exasperation, but the jokes are better than what I experienced from past employers when I unintentionally disobey an order. Far better. “I will endeavor to adjust to your preferences, Percy.” “Thank you. I appreciate the effort, big guy,” she replies, moving on to rummage through a toolbox next to an old, decrepit car. “It’s hard to unlearn all the habits you picked up from your previous employers, so don’t sweat it. I’m giving you a wide room for error. You are allowed to make mistakes, unless it gets one or both of us killed, of course.” “I shall do my best not to commit such errors, miss.” Then, I heard a laugh bubble from her throat again. “A skin mag? Really?” she mutters, perusing a pornographic pre-war magazine hidden underneath the tools. She looks over her shoulder and sees me waiting for her, and she seems almost bashful. “N-not that I was planning on keeping it,” she stutters, tossing the magazine aside. “What my employers do in their spare time isn’t my business.” Percy pauses, then throws her head back, laughing in relief. “Finally, I’m in good company,” she said, breezing past me to pick up and tuck the magazine in her pack. She goes back to rummaging through the toolbox with an embarrassed smile.

Then, we both hear it. Gunfire, and barks. Percy immediately drops what she’s doing and runs towards the noise.

Cursing, I followed close by, and a raider was shooting at a dog. A scavenger lies dead on the ground, the dog’s former master I presume, and another raider, with teeth marks on his neck. Not wanting to waste ammo on a lone raider, Percy retrieves her baseball bat from her pack and gives the raider a hard smack on the head, and the dog lunges in for the kill, sinking its teeth in the raider’s neck. I didn’t even have to move a muscle.

Then, the dog sidles over, whimpering, a gash on its side. My mistress immediately falls to her knees and pets the animal. “Charon. Charon are you seeing this? It’s a dog! An actual dog!”

I was confused by her enthusiastic reaction, then I remember that she’s from a vault. She probably saw them only in pictures. “Hi boy. You’re okay,” she coos at the mutt, running her small hands on its head and giving it a good pet.

“You lost your friend, did you boy?” The dog whines at her, almost as if it can understand the words she’s saying. “Hey, I lost my dad too. I’m still looking for him.”

At her remark, the dog licks her face. “Huh. Well aren’t you smart? I think I should call you... Dogmeat. Like that dog from an old sci-fi flick. Do you like that, boy?”

Dogmeat slobbers on Percy’s face even more. Then, he bounds towards me, sniffs me, and decides that my hand is worth slobbering on.

“Charon, I think he likes you too,” Percy coos, and the edge of my lip twitches upward. I let go of my inhibitions and pet the dog’s furry head.

“C’mon, let’s get home.”

Eyes were on us when we arrived in Megaton. The sheriff, a man called Lucas Simms, went over to greet my mistress, and asked about me and the dog. Percy tells him that we are her new friends. Simms tipped his hat at me, told me that I am welcome as long as I treat Megaton’s people right, then went on his way. Seems like a decent enough man.

Percy dug in her satchel for the key to her house, and when the door swung open, we were greeted by one of those old Mr. Handy robots from before the war. My mistress dumps her sack of junk near the door. The dog gives the robot a curious sniff before moving on and settling at my mistress’ feet.

“Well, this is home. It’s not much, but it’s a place to sleep in. What do you think?”

There’s a salvaged couch and a busted pre-war television set in the living room, a stove in the kitchen, and school lockers repurposed as storage. A shelf holds her cutlery and there is a lone sink near the fridge. No toilets or showers. The stairs don’t have any safety railings, but thankfully the area above has some. I’ve seen houses in a more sorry state, but the house had no windows nor other exits. Still very much a hazard.

“C’mon, don’t be shy, big guy. You’ll be living here with me until we sort your contract out,” Percy asks, sitting on the couch and kicking her boots off.

“I don’t like the look of this place.”

“Yeah I- huh?” Percy looks at me with wide eyes. I realize that I have been too blunt and insulted the house of the girl who patched me up after being ambushed by super mutants.

Dammit.

“There is only one entry and exit point. It’s unsafe in case of an emergency, such as a fire, or a home invasion,” I tell her and cross my arms, not daring to meet her eyes.

To my surprise, she nods. “Yeah. It freaks me out. I still haven’t asked Moira to help me drill windows.” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“It’s still adequate shelter,” I tell her, but she moves on.

“Follow me,” she tells me, climbing up the stairs. There were two rooms, one that didn’t have a door on the left, and a smaller one with a door on the right. “I use the room on the right to store things, but you can have it. I’ll move the things tomorrow.. I think there’s also a spare mattress inside,” Percy tells me, opening the door, and some items come spilling out.

A bedroom? Under Ahzrukhal’s employ, I didn’t even have a bed. I didn’t even get sleep.

“Miss Percy, this isn’t necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am trained to go without sleep. Providing me with a room would only be a waste of your resources.”

The mistress looks at me in disbelief. “Wait, are you saying that Ahzrukhal didn’t let you sleep? You just stand in that corner all night?”

“...yes. I only leave for meals and to relieve myself.”

Percy does it again, that gesture where she raises her hands in frustration. “Christ, no wonder you’re so grumpy. Just take the damn room, Charon. It'll give both you and me some privacy, and you’ll get some sleep.”

I didn’t get privacy from my previous employers too, save for the times I needed to piss or shit. My head is light from all the things Percy is granting me, but I’m still grateful.

“I- yes, miss. Thank you.”

Thanking Percy felt foreign on my lips. My employers never did anything for me to be thankful for. I can’t help but feel suspicious of this girl, but her smile hides no malice behind it. It’s baffling, but I decided that I still like being under her employ.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll be right back. Just need to fetch some groceries and disinfectant for my suture kit from the store. I need to boil those tools soon...”

“I’ll accompany you,” I tell her, but she shakes her head. “I’ll be fine Charon. Now go on, make yourself at home. You can clean up in the sink then get some sleep.”

I nodded. As soon as the door shut, I walked to the sink and undressed. I can’t even remember the last time I took a sink bath. Then, I changed into a sleeveless white undershirt and gray boxers… the only spare clothes I own. I go in my room, turn on the lamp on a table in my room, and see everything in my room. There’s an assortment of junk, weapons, and armor.

Then, I see it. Power armor with a white paint job. The letters “USA” with a serial number next to it.

The straw that broke the brahmin’s back.

??? ??, ????

I flinch from a burst of snow, the metal of my armor feels frozen to the touch. The side has been cracked open, red staining the snow. My blood. I touch it and it stains my gloved hand. A .308 round tore through the metal. A pair of hands drag me to safety and I hear my orders from the radio. Get back up. Get back up or risk being taken prisoner. I can’t disobey an order.

Scrambling to my feet, I pick up my rifle. My legs drag me to the sniper’s nest, squadmates covering me, and I can taste iron in my mouth. I do not stop. I have been trained to withstand this. I looked for the tell-tale silver-white reflection, and when I saw it, I opened fire. The sniper uncloaks and lies bleeding face-first, broken on the floor. I see the red star on the nape of his armor, and he rolls on his back, and attempts to reach for the 10 mm on his hip, and I kick it away. He’s begging in a language I can’t understand, but I pay no attention to it. The only thing that matters is my orders. Aiming for the head, I shot him, and the helmet broke into pieces.

At the sound of my gun firing, I look at the soldier and see that there weren't any chunks of gore underneath his shattered helmet. Instead, I was looking at a woman’s face. The body wasn’t a man’s either; the sniper’s breasts heaved as she breathed rapidly, dark eyes wild. She’s underneath me, back pressed against the dirt, and I feel heat on my back.

It’s Percy.

“Charon.”

Every damn muscle in my body hurt like hell, and my head feels like it’s been split open. I look at my hands, rough and peeling, with no bloodstains. A small hand was on my bicep, and I heard the whine of a dog.

“Oh, thank God,” I hear a person gasp. It’s my mistress’ voice.

“Percy. What day is it?”

“It’s September 20, Charon.”

“What year?”

“2277.”

I let out a shaky exhale. My mistress beckons me, and I follow her wordlessly. Percy leads me to the couch, and we sit on the opposite ends of it. Dogmeat follows us too, putting his head on my lap. A look of worry is etched on Percy’s face. “That’s some nightmare, big guy.”

Just great. The first sleep I had in fuck knows how long, and I get a nightmare.

“Do you mind telling me about it?”

My jaw hardens. “If conversation is your order to me, I shall converse with you.”

“Hey, it’s not an order. If you don’t trust me enough to tell me yet, I understand.”

Relief floods through me. I grunted in acknowledgment. My mistress stands up and heads to the kitchen, and comes back with a plate of food. Broiled mirelurk cakes. “Um, here. I made these last night and reheated them. Please, eat with me.”

My eyes wander to my mistress. Her short hair is tousled, her eyes are still heavy with sleep, her face is clean, and she wears nothing but a black shirt and gray boyshorts. Now she’s serving me breakfast.

I think about the domesticity of the scene and decide to say nothing about it.

We finish our meal in peace, and she gets up to put the dishes in the sink. I busy myself with stripping and cleaning my shotgun, and my mistress busies herself with a book. Dogmeat eats his breakfast on a dog dish that Percy bought last night. It was a comfortable silence.

Then, she broke it.

“I need to say something,” she starts, looking at me with a firm expression. “Remember when I said that I was studying to be a doctor in the vault?”

I nod at her, and she clears her throat. “Part of my training is psychiatry. It's... how do I put it… the study of the health of the human mind. So, aside from keeping you physically healthy, I can also help with that.”

I let my mistress continue. An anxious look is on her face.

“And uh, I know the theory behind most of it, but I have no experiences providing those services to a patient yet. I need to properly diagnose you, but, you were screaming and saying some things in your sleep. I don’t think that what you experienced is a regular nightmare, big guy.”

I blink at her a few times.

“Charon, I think you were experiencing a traumatic recall.”

[laurazepamwrites]

The Chemicals between us ~Ch.7

‘You’re serious? You're not fucking with me are ya Old lady?’

‘I can assure you Jamison that I am completely serious. You and Rutledge are both assigned for our next mission..should you choose to accept.’

Ana sat and watched patiently as the Junker let out a whoop of delight and began racing around his quarters, grabbing whatever might be useful without even knowing what he was doing and where he was going and throwing it into a duffle bag. His mouth was racing as fast as he was moving and in his excitement jumped on Roadhog a couple of times.

‘Gonna be like this for awhile..’ Roadhog warned her.

‘Just as well, briefing is not till tomorrow morning, but I am here to discuss privately with you both about what is needed..and expected.’

Her tone made Junkrat finally slow down, his arms full of assorted wires which trailed to the floor as he cautiously peered at her. Ana smiled lightly and folded her hands in front of her. ‘There was of course some disagreement to you joining us on this mission. Good points were made on both sides but ultimately the decision to let you come was made. It seems a skill for destruction would be most beneficial to us if used correctly.’

Junkrat giggled, ‘Trust be lady, much more of me would be missing if I didn't handle explosives correctly. You just tell me who or what needs blowing up.’

‘There is a compound outside a small town in Russia. We know Talon are using it for storage of some kind. Weapons we expect. Once we have cleared out what guards they have and find any useful information then the building and its contents need to be destroyed.’

Junkrat made a dramatic sigh and slouched lower into his chair. ‘Issat all? Fuck, give me a challenge why don't ya?’

Ana narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Don't be cocky, the last time you met Talon your friend was injured. There will be more guards, more guns, even Mechs. We need your complete cooperation on this Fawkes.’

‘Yeah yeah, I’ll do what I’m-’

Ana held up a hand to silence him, mildly surprising Roadhog when he did keep his mouth shut, her warm expression had gone, now she was talking to him like a Captain.

‘Commander Morrison was against you coming and he was not the only one. You are used to working alone but here we work as a team, If you do  anything to jeopardize the mission or us then it will not be Morrison or Talon you need to fear, and if you even consider running then know this; I may only have one eye but my aim is still deadly, and I have something much worse than a sleep dart.’ She leaned closer towards him. ‘Are we clear Fawkes?’

Junkrat made a frightful glance towards Roadhog before gulping and nodding his head vigorously. Ana also turned to look at him, fixing him with her gaze until he too nodded in agreement, and with that the sweet old lady was back as Ana smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. ‘Wonderful! Well then gentlemen, I shall see myself out, be sure to be at briefing at nine am sharp, It will not do to be late. Goodnight!’ She closed the door behind her leaving the room with a few seconds of silence before Junkrat broke it.

‘Wouldn't fuck with her mate..’

He only grunted in reply. The one man apocalypse refusing to agree that an over sixty year old woman with one eye just made him feel like a ten year old child.

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

‘You cannot be serious?’ Asked Fareeha.

‘Do you see me laughing Fareeha?’  Morrison replied wearily

‘Mom! You can't expect two Junkers to undertake missions!’

Junkrat choked on his coffee, ‘ Cough!  Fuck! Fuck..sorry.  Cough!  First; none taken Birdy. Second; Shes your mum!?’

Fareeha ignored him, throwing her hands in the air in an exasperated manner.

‘The decision is final, and not for debate.’ Ana’s reply was curt.

‘I think it's a great idea!’ Hana chipped in cheerfully.

Junkrat pointed at her. ‘See? Lil Sheila gets it!’ He flashed a grin at her.

‘That's enough.’ Morrison raised his voice above them, sure enough the rooms attention settled on him. He brought up a satellite map of the Compound and surrounding area.

He sighed deeply, deciding for the millionth time in his mind if this was the right call.

‘Ok.’ He finally said. ‘This is how we play this out. We are outnumbered so communication and efficiency is key in this mission. Our first objective is to dispose of the perimeter guard.’ The map highlighted the perimeter. ‘This will be completed by Team A made up of myself, Tracer, Genji and McCree, once they are dealt with we rendezvous with Team B. Torbjorn and Winston will take down the gate and fence security with Athena's help. This may get messy here and if Athena can’t bypass their security then we storm the gate. Either way Team A and B both access the gate together and for god's sake stay close to Reinhardt's shield. Once those gates are breached Team B enter, you're the heavy hitters. Take out as many as you can whilst Team A flank. Hana I want you and Fareeha focusing fire on their Mechs. Once the courtyard is clear Team B head into the compound whilst Team A flush out the outer buildings. Look for anything that might be useful. Im talking files, security footage, anything that may give us a lead. In the meantime Fawkes will rig the place. Once we have everything we need we clear the area and rendezvous at the Orca, the compound goes down once we are airborne. Questions?’.

‘What if backup arrives?’ McCree asked.

‘It really shouldn't, not until we are long gone. Talon should have no idea we are going there.’ Ana replied.

Lena raised her hand. ‘When do we commence the operation?’

‘In two days. We’ll be arriving outside Bryansk at approximately four am, we’ll meet up with Genji and Zarya. The perimeter guard has a round at six am sharp. That's when Team A strike.’ Morrison replied.

Junkrat raised a metal hand. ‘Question mate.’

‘What is it?’

‘So, right, you want me to blow this place sky high yeah? With what exactly? I haven't been allowed near any of my gear or whatever good stuff you have. Happen to have any bombs lying around the place or what?’

It was Winston who answered. ‘Commander Morrison, Captain Amari and myself have already discussed this. You have permission to work on explosives suitable for the mission in a designated area in the watchpoint, just make a list of what supplies you will need and Torbjorn will try and accommodate you.’

‘You saying I get me own workshop?’

‘We’re saying you get a place where if a bomb goes off you don't bring down the whole watchpoint with you.’ Interjected Morrison.

‘ Pfft! Unlikely but whatever..’

Morrison sighed. ‘How long will it take you to rig the building?’

Junkrat stood up and leaned closer to the compound map, he furrowed his eyebrows and chewed his lip as he studied the building, eventually slouching back into his chair.

‘Gonna be two hours tops mate..’

‘Really? That long?’

‘Oh, oh yeah sure i'll rush it shall I? Look mate, you want it done right and it's getting done right. I need at least eight explosives to bring down a building that size and one fuck up and we go down with it. I can maybe speed things up if they have a gas supply or generator I can use to accelerate the blast.’

‘Er..actually I think there is a main power supply which luck would have it is right next to the main building.` Said Winston.

‘That’ll do it, ta very much.’

Morrison stood up. ‘Very well, Fawkes. Go make your list and get to work. Everyone else prepare and have the workshop make sure your weapons and armor are good to go. Winston, prepare Athena as much as you can. Everyone dismissed.’

Hana immediately grabbed Junkrat's arm, bouncing slightly in excitement 'This is gonna be awesome! We haven't struck at Talon this hard before. They won't know whats hit them with you two on board.’

Junkrat was just as enthusiastic. 'I'm getting off this rock! Im gonna blow shit up and im getting off this fucking rock!’

Hana grinned up at Roadhog. ‘Hope you're feeling better big guy, would hate if you got wiped out before we even get going!’

Roadhog tilted his head at her and contemplated the young woman smiling broadly at him, eventually he gave her a nod. Satisfied she turned her attention back to Junkrat.

‘C'mon let's go find Lu and get some breakfast.’

Roadhog watched them leave before deciding he should probably eat himself and slowly followed behind. ‘ Must be getting soft  .’ He thought to himself. ‘  Or that girl is a lot braver than she looks. ’

Mei left her quarters as the briefing adjourned. As she was not called to be present she knew once again she’d be left to babysit the watchpoint, not that she minded so much for this particular mission. It would be bloody most likely and her skills did not lie in combat however she could help with shutting down the defences..she could assist Winston with Athena, she could-

  ‘Oof!’  

‘Whoa! Morning Mei.’

In her thoughts Mei had turned the corner and had walked into Fareeha. ‘Sorry! Sorry Fareeha, guess i got a bit distracted.’

‘Its fine, don't worry about it’ Fareeha replied brightly. ‘To be honest that may have been my fault..briefing was..let's say, unexpected.’

‘Oh? Are you still going?’

‘Yeah I'm going..but guess who else? I have no Idea what the Commander and my Mother are thinking! To let those Junkers in on missions now? Its madness!’

Mei’s expression instantly darkened. ‘What?’

‘Right? How hard can it be to bring down a building? I don't trust them and I hope I’m wrong but-hey? Mei? Where are you going?’

Mei had hardly heard her, her temper had flared up with an added dose of jealousy and with this fueling her she was ready to let her feelings known to either Winston or Morrison. She saw Hana and Lucio leave the common room and decided to hang back a bit, she was in no mood for their cheerfulness. Once they had disappeared from view she continued down the hallway stopping by the common room door, her temper only made worse by its lone occupant and her new target.

Mei stormed into the room. ‘Ta me de! You're going? You?!’

Junkrat was sitting on the counter halfway through a first round of toast, the kettle was softly boiling behind him. ‘And a good morning to you too Frosty..’ He said with a mouthful of his breakfast.

‘How?  Why? Why you? You're a manic pyromaniac!’

‘Woke up on the passive aggressive side of the bed again I see.’

Mei smirked ‘I did not realize Overwatch were so desperate we now consider using Junkers..’

‘Don't mince your words will ya.’ He took another bite of toast. ‘Past the point of considering anyway, me and Hog are most definitely going.’

Mei glared at him and began to rather aggressively make herself a cup of tea whilst ignoring the smug smirk on his face as he watched her with amusement. She did not even want it but she did not want to give him the satisfaction of leaving even more. She tutted at him ‘Could you move? You’re blocking the kettle.’

He sighed and jumped down from the counter ‘I love our little talks..’

‘Really? Because I don't.’

‘Not so fluent in sarcasm are ya?’

‘ Hmph! Well you know what they say, it's the lowest form of wit.’

Junkrat laughed ‘Know who said that Frosty? People with no sense of humor.’

‘Well just because I find yours to be immature does not mean I don't have one!’

‘Oh do you? Has anyone actually seen the mythical creature that is your sense of humor?’

Mei slammed the spoon she was about to stir her tea with hard on the counter ‘Why do you always have to be such a Jerk?’

‘I was minding me own fucking business and you come in here yelling at me for something I had no say in! Fucking go moan at Morrison or better yet Torb since it was his fucking idea! Christ woman…’

He was right of course, although it suited him greatly it was ultimately the decision of the Commander and Captain. Not wanting to apologise and with nothing else to say she silently stirred her cup of tea, only looking up when fresh toast popped up from the Toaster.

‘Look Frosty.’ Said Junkrat as he reached behind her and took his second round of toast. ‘I get you feel shitty, really. It fucking sucks and I get that you feel even shittier about me cos youre actually Overwatch and I’m whatever unsavoury name you wanna call me. So I reckon you use some of that attitude you save especially for me and go confront Old man winter or the Monkey yeah? Ask em to send you out.’

She blinked at him in surprise not expecting him to show any sign of understanding how she felt, he flashed a grin at her and took a bite of his toast as he began to leave. She felt a pang of guilt for being so rude to him. ‘I was going to..erm..maybe I was rather..’

Junkrat interrupted her, turning around and walking backwards with his mouth still full. ‘Who better to give the weather forecast eh?’

‘ Gah!  Thats not what-! I hope your mission sucks!’

He flashed a grin and winked at her. ‘Not really the team spirit but its so sweet you’ll be thinking of me!’

Mei glared at the now empty space and blew on her tea only to grimace when she took a sip. After all that she had forgotten to put the teabag in.