#so i go up the sis whos husband had a problem and apologized if i offended her

[abnormallycreative]

.

[ladysharmaa]

Kate mini version

Sharma!sis x Queen Charlotte's son

Summary: After the ball, everyone knows what happened between Y/n and Prince Charles. With the attention of high society members and the Queen, they face new obstacles as they fall in love.

part 1 part 2 part 3

Dearest reader,

The tone is abuzz with the latest gossip, and so it's my honor to impart to you.

Miss Y/n Sharma came to England after Kate Sharma's marriage to Viscount Bridgerton. In such a short time she managed to do something that no one else has managed to do: capture the attention of Queen Charlotte's youngest son, Prince Charles.

Dearest reader, this author finds herself compelled to share the most curious of news. It seems the two seemed to be quite close during the last dance, having danced together until Y/n walked away. But Prince Charles didn't take his eyes off the young woman for the rest of the night. Is a new romance brewing? Let's not forget that at the beginning of the season, her Majesty made her intentions clear of joining her youngest son with the princess of Austria.

In addition, Miss Y/n is here at her mother's request, living with her older sister, Kate Bridgerton, and her husband, Lord Bridgerton. Is it permanent or will she return to India? There are many mysteries yet to be unraveled.

On the other hand, the diamond of the season did not dance with any suitor, which may have made her Majesty uneasy. This author is left to wonder what shall her next move be, now that everything seems to be connected to the Bridgerton family.

Yours truly, Lady Whistledown

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"This is not good." Y/n muttered nervously, looking over Kate's shoulder to read the latest edition of Lady Whistledown. And to his greatest horror, she was the main topic. "How many people read this?"

"Too many." the older sister sighed, before placing the paper next to her and turning to Y/n who had her eyes increasingly wide. "Everything's fine. Most of the family has already suffered from Lady Whistledown's words and we support each other. And everything ended up being fine, the ton has short memory and will forget all about this by the next scandal."

"But what if they don't forget?"

"If they don't forget what?" a new voice intruded into the conversation.

Y/n let out a small scream, immediately recognizing Anthony's voice, and hurried to hide the paper behind her back. "Nothing. It's a beautiful day, I'm going to the gardens. Maybe hide there all day. Or all year."

"Y/n, no. You have to tell Anthony, he won't blame you for anything."

Bridgerton's eyebrows rose upon hearing that, turning to Y/n with a frown upon noticing her terrified expression. "What happened?"

"My apologies, Anthony. The last thing I wanted to do was associate the name Bridgerton with scandals. Lady Whistledown wrote about last night. About… About Prince Charles and I." She looked down, not wanting to see Anthony's disapproving look, and handed him the paper.

The minutes dragged on. To Y/n it felt like hours had passed. Long hours with just the silence in the room. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she tried to control the tears from reaching her eyes. Her head was running with different questions that only made her anxiety worse. Would they send her back to India so they wouldn't suffer any more from this scandal? She didn't know that dancing with someone could cause so many problems.

Just the thought of returning to her homeland, despite having loved growing up there, brought her great sadness. Her life was in England now. She adored her sister's family, having grown up close to many of them, especially Francesca and Hyacinth. And the truth is that she had enjoyed meeting Prince Charles. Y/n finally felt like she belonged somewhere.

She snapped out of these thoughts when she heard Anthony sigh. What was that? Disappointment? Anger? Sadness?

"Look at me." he said, but Y/n refused, knowing that as soon as she looked at the couple she would burst into tears. She shook her head, pursing her lips. "Y/n…"

"Please don't send me back to India."

"What?" the Viscount questioned in shock, almost not having noticed her from how quietly she spoke. He felt Kate hold his hand, looking sadly at her sister. "Y/n, look at us. We are not going to send you back to India."

"Really?" She raised her head shyly, her eyes red from holding back tears.

"Of course. You're part of the family. I haven't told you yet, but Mama sent a letter. Edwina had problems during the birth, so she's going to stay there until at least the rest of the year. You're going to stay with us. Here."

"Y/n, we would never send you away because of Lady Whistledown's news. You're a Bridgerton now." Anthony assured, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her smile upon hearing those words, although still small, released some of the stress that Anthony and Kate were feeling.

"Hey, Anthony, I was wondering— Oh, sorry!" Hyacinth entered the room, stopping when she saw the three of them and the tense atmosphere it was in. Then he noticed the sad face and the paper his brother was holding. "Is that from Lady Whistledown? What does it say?"

"It doesn't matter what it says. What did you want to tell me, Hyacinth?"

"Oh, I was wondering if we could go horse riding. I am so bored, Gregory is training and Benedict isn't paying attention to me." she pouted, causing Y/n to giggle and rush over to Hyacinth, intertwining their arms.

"Fear no more, I shall give you attention."

"Thank you, kind lady." Hyacinth laughed. "Please, Anthony, take us horse riding."

When he offered to teach Y/n how to ride a horse, the rest of his sisters were also invited, since the men already knew how to do it. As expected, only Hyacinth accepted with great enthusiasm while Eloise preferred to read and spend her time with her new friend, Miss Cressida. For her part, Francesca was never much for outdoor sports and Daphne was obviously busy with her husband and son. Thus, Y/n and the youngest Bridgerton both formed a special friendship, and were now a feared duo in the Bridgerton house.

"What do you say?" he whispered in his wife's ear, looking at the two girls who were giving them the best puppy dog ​​eyes. "I'm afraid I can't say no to them."

"I think it's a great idea." Kate smiled.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The four then ventured into the forest. Anthony and Kate were ahead, lost in their own world while Hyacinth and Y/n followed a little behind. The younger girl curiously questioned Sharma about the night of the ball, upset that she was still too young to attend one.

"I wish I had gone yesterday. Did you dance with someone yesterday? I tried to ask Francesca the same thing, but she wouldn't leave her room."

"Unexpected things happened. Francesca is just a little discouraged. As diamond of the season, she has a lot of pressure on her. And I… Well, I danced with someone."

"Prince Charles?! I saw you both when we went for a picnic, I think it was love at first sight." Hyacinth giggled.

"Sometimes I forget how good an observer you are. Yes, I danced with him." Before her friend could get too excited, Y/n hurried to add. "And I was naive, because although I enjoyed being with him, he has an enormous responsibility. I doubt people would want him to spend his time with me."

"Please, I think you are in love."

"What? Of course not, I barely know him. We just had fun dancing, but that must be over by now. I doubt her Majesty will let him dance with me again. Lady Whistledown made sure of that."

"If you say so. I, on the other hand, do not agree. Prince Charles has shown that he is interested in you. Or he would have danced with other girls after you. But he didn't."

"Well, maybe he was tired." Y/n shrugged, while Hyacinth rolled her eyes. They continued the walk in silence, enjoying the forest landscape.

“Girls, let’s do a race!” Anthony shouted, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. Y/n chuckled, knowing he had never met a family as competitive as the Bridgertons. But she was one now too, and she loved winning.

“Very well. But make sure you don’t get too sad when I win.” Hyacinth teased, despite being the one with the least experience riding a horse.

“We’ll see.” Kate joined the teasing.

The four positioned themselves next to each other, letting the man count down. Y/n grabbed the reins tighter, and as soon as Anthony finished, she let her horse run. For a moment they were all balanced, but Hyacinth quickly fell behind. The couple competed a little ahead, trying to reach a certain narrower entrance. So, with their attention diverted from her, she took the opportunity to step over a fallen tree trunk, arriving earlier at that entrance, continuing at the same pace.

She felt free on a horse. The wind hit their face, the landscape blurred from how fast they were going. Y/n petted the animal, feeling like they could conquer the world.

When she realized that the others had already stopped, as no one had yet reached her, she also slowed down so she could wait for them to catch up. They probably had to go back to help Hyacinth control her horse.

“That was impressive.” she heard behind her.

Although she felt a second of fear, thinking that an unknown man had found her alone in the middle of the forest, she quickly associated it with the voice of the person she least wanted to see at that moment. As such, she just closed her eyes and hoped it was just her imagination. But when he cleared his throat, she knew she had to face him. Finally, she commanded the horse to turn around, finding herself face to face with Prince Charles, who was also on top of a beautiful black horse.

“Prince Charles, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” she smiled shyly.

“You as well, Miss Y/N. I didn’t know you were so talented at riding. Did Lady Bridgerton teach you?”

“She and Viscount Bridgerton. And since then I haven’t wanted anything else.” she shrugged uncomfortably, both not knowing what to say. In this way, Y/n focused on the horse that the prince was riding, being shocked by its size. “Beautiful.” She looked at Charles, noticing his look of surprise and a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. “I mean, the horse— The horse is beautiful.”

“Of course.” he looked away, clearing his throat. “It seems we both had the same idea after the paper published by Lady Whistledown. A nice walk was exactly what I needed to get away from my mother.”

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to interfere with your marriage with the Princess of Austria.”

“Her Majesty wants me to marry her. But I don't. You see, a beautiful, fierce, remarkable girl has already caught my attention. It may seem sudden, but she is constantly in my thoughts.” he looked intensely into her eyes. Out of nowhere, it seemed like it had become much hotter, her breathing coming in muffled.

“Oh… I—”

“Y/n! Where are you?” Kate's voice was heard through the forest, breaking the atmosphere that had formed between them.

“I’m here, Kate.” Y/n replied, closing her eyes in despair when she realized that she would have a lot to explain once they arrived.

She had already taken a risk with Lady Whistledown, and now they were alone in an isolated place… It's a good thing no one outside the family would see them, or the scandal would have become much more serious. A feeling of guilt coursed through her body again. She had promised Anthony that she didn't want to associate the Bridgerton name with scandals, and here she was doing exactly the opposite.

“Prince Charles, we can’t talk anymore. It’s not right.” she said before the others appeared.

“Why not? Because of Lady Whistledown? Ignore her, the ton will quickly forget about this.”

“You don’t know that!” Y/n exclaimed exasperated at how calm Charles seemed to be about this situation.

“I know that I want to be with you.”

“You are crazy!” she put her hand over her mouth when she realized that she had “insulted” a member of the royal family. “Apologies, Prince Charles. I didn’t mean that.”

“Call me Charles.”

“I take back my apologies.”

“Finally, we found you, Y/N. We had to go back because Hyacinth’s horse refused to move.” Kate appeared, followed by the others, stopping when she saw what was happening. She made a small bow, looking at them suspiciously. “Prince Charles, I didn’t expect to see you here. Especially with my sister.”

“What do you think you are doing?” Anthony wasn't as friendly as his wife, narrowing his eyes and approaching Y/n to stand slightly in front of her.

“Lord Bridgerton, I guarantee nothing happened. I was simply, like you, taking a walk when I saw Miss Y/n. We only talk about what Lady Whistledown wrote.” Charles assured, sending a comforting smile to Y/n, who was watching the two nervously.

“It was mere chance that we found each other. We can go back to the house now.”

Anthony signaled to Kate, who nodded. They had mastered the art of speaking with just their eyes, it still left Y/n quite confused when they did that. But this time, she understood perfectly. Lowering her head slightly, she followed her sister and Hyacinth home, while Anthony and Charles remained behind. Over her shoulder, she mumbled a quick apology to the boy, hoping he would understand what she meant.

When the women were out of sight, Anthony turned to the Prince , who appeared unaffected. “I hope you’re not trying to ruin my wife’s sister’s reputation. You know very well what the ton would say if they found you in this situation. And I guarantee you, you don’t want to duel me.”

“I agree. That's the last thing I desire. Miss Y/n would certainly never speak to me again. And I don't want that. Lord Bridgerton, we were just talking, and on horses for more. But, for all the respect I have for Miss Y/n and the Bridgerton family, I assure you this will never happen again.”

"It better not."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

After a tense conversation with Kate and Anthony, they believed Y/n when she said it was a coincidence to meet Prince Charles, but that she understood the gravity of being alone with a man.

So, she spent a few days locked up at home, hoping that the scandal had already been forgotten. However, this isolation couldn't last forever, so she was forced to join the Bridgerton family on a walk by the lake.

She had her arm linked with Benedict's, Eloise beside her, while they listened to Collin's travel stories. He had seen so much, experienced so many new cultures, that Y/n just wanted to know more. Eloise, in turn, seemed envious that only men could have the pleasure of traveling alone wherever they wanted, and Benedict asked about the art of each country, something that Y/n barely understood.

However, Collin ended up rushing the end of the story, seeing a group of girls walking, giggling when they saw him. Eloise groaned in disgust, while Benedict shook his head, changing direction so he wouldn't have to watch his brother flirt. Y/n also went with them, not wanting to see that scene.

But she noticed that they had been stopped by Lady Wilson, whose daughter was participating in the season along with Y/n, Francesca, and Eloise. "Good afternoon, Lady Wilson."

"Good afternoon." she said. "I noticed you didn't go to the ball yesterday. I haven't yet had a chance to talk with Lady Bridgerton to know if everything is alright."

"Thank you for your concern." Benedict said sarcastically, taking control since Anthony wasn't around. "We had other matters to attend, but I assure you that we will be present at the ball tomorrow."

"That's wonderful news." the woman said with a fake smile. "In that case you will be able to see my daughter dancing with Prince Charles, just like yesterday. They form a beautiful couple, don't you think?"

Y/n had to control herself not to roll her eyes. It was clear what Lady Wilson was trying to do, but there would be no reaction from her. Eloise and Benedict looked at her from the corner of their eyes, waiting to know if Y/n needed them to interrupt the conversation.

"I don't know. I didn't see them together nor did I have the opportunity to know about it since Lady Whistledown didn't write about them. And we all know that she writes about everything that happens, and it seems especially important if the prince is interested in someone to court. Looks like we'll have to wait and see."

"Yes, we shall wait." Lady Wilson clenched her jaw. "I'm certain that the prince loved to dance with my daughter."

"If you say so. Please excuse us, we shall return to the rest of our family." Y/n said dryly, hurrying to walk in the opposite direction with the two Bridgertons behind her.

"Jealous, dear sister?" Benedict asked with a sly smile once they were far enough away from the woman.

"No. Why would I be?" Y/n pretended not to be bothered, but in reality the thought of Charles dancing with someone else didn't sit very well with her. But what could she be expecting, she had said that they shouldn't talk anymore and he had to get married this season. "I'm just surprised that Lady Wilson is so confident in her daughter with the prince when the Queen wants him with the princess of Austria."

"Hmm." was the only response she received from Benedict. Eloise, already fed up with just hearing about the season, changed the subject and Y/n was also grateful for that. The last thing she wanted was to think about the next ball.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"What are you going to do?" Hyacinth asked as she helped Y/n and Francesca get ready for ball. The two had already put on their dresses and now all that was left was the jewelry. Kate had already come to say that they would have to leave soon, smiling calmly when she noticed the nervous state of her sister who had changed her dress about five times already.

“About what?”

“About the prince, obviously.”

“I don’t know. I am a little confused. This is all happening so quickly. And the fact that Lady Whistledown wrote about us didn't help. But the truth is that when I'm with him, I don't know, I feel different.” Y/n tried to explain, but realized she couldn't describe her feelings in words. It was something foreign to her, but not unwanted.

“I know what it is. You like him.” the Bridgerton dropped onto the bed dramatically.

“But liking may not be enough. Don't forget that the Queen has a lot of influence on these things. And I wouldn’t want to piss her off, it would only hurt all of you.”

"You are exaggerating. Francesca, what do you think of this?”

“What?” the girl snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her name. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What are you thinking about?” Y/n sat next to her, taking her hand.

“I haven't had almost any suitors yet. And the ones I have seem incapable of having a conversation. What if I don’t find anyone?” Francesca revealed with a sigh, her voice tinged with sadness.

“Nonsense. Everyone would love to dance with you. In fact, I have a feeling you are going to meet someone today.” the Sharma said. “And for that to happen, we must leave and go to this ball. If you need to, we can stay together all night.”

“Thank you, but it won’t be necessary. I want you to have your chance with the prince.”

“After all, you were listening!” Hyacinth exclaimed, groaning as the two left the room and left her there. Now she had to wait until tomorrow to find out everything that was going to happen!

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The ball was already full of people, from nervous mothers to innocent daughters who giggled when a suitor asked them to dance. Y/n and Francesca walked in together, both of them taking deep breaths and looking at each other in encouragement. They could do this.

While Francesca's nerves increased as she saw the Queen's eyes fall on her, Y/n's heart began to beat faster when she noticed Charles, who was standing next to his mother. However, he was not alone, finding himself in conversation with the princess of Austria. From what the Sharma could understand from the few moments in which she let herself focus on them, they seemed to be getting along well, sharing polite smiles.

"Maybe we shall get a refreshment first?" Y/n said, seeing that the family had already dispersed.

"A great idea." Francesca swallowed, nodding several times.

The two hurried to a corner of the room, sending a quick smile to the people passing by. Fortunately, no one engaged them in a long conversation, allowing them to mentally prepare themselves to face that night.

They stopped next to Penelope, who looked at the dancing couples with a sad look. "Are you alright, Penelope?"

"Yes, of course, Francesca." the redhead replied shyly, offering a small smile to the two girls. "You ought to take the floor."

"Ought we?" the Bridgerton chuckled humorlessly.

"Once one finds oneself on the wall, it is difficult to come off it. No matter what one does." Penelope looked down, pursing her lips.

"Better to be on the wall than to make fools of ourselves." Y/n she murmured, discreetly looking at the boy who had invaded her heart, still talking to the beautiful princess. Only this time, almost feeling her gaze on him, he glanced at her, showing what appeared to be a genuine smile. "This is so confusing."

"I agree. At least the wall doesn't ask me about what makes me tick." Francesca complained, still upset about the failed conversations from the last ball. The older girl looked at her understandingly, noticing that Francesca was more reserved. Maybe that was what made her rare, different from all the other girls.

"And why are you on the wall, Penelope? I'm sure there are lots of gentlemen here who would be more than willing to ask for your hand in a dance!"

"Oh no. Nobody wants to dance with me. Believe me." she replied with a slight blush, embarrassed that she didn't have any suitors when this wasn't her first season, unlike them.

"They must be blind, then. You are beautiful." Y/n confessed honestly, really confused that they let such an incredible person like Penelope escape. If she could, she would drag the redhead and Francesca to dance, but she knew it was against the rules.

The three fell into a silence, not uncomfortable, but as if they all had more to think about than trying to carry on a conversation. From the other side of the room, Charles watched Sharma as if in a trance, quickly leaving the conversation he was having to go to meet her.

However, he was interrupted by Charlotte who discreetly held his arm. "What are you doing? Must I remind you that you shall marry this season?"

"Why are you putting so much pressure on me with this. You have so many other children, but I'm the only one who has to suffer with this."

"Your siblings reproducing bastards for me to ignore. You are my last hope, son. I have made sure to give so many heirs to your father, and none of my children seem to be fornicating." she said. When she noticed that she was being too harsh with her youngest son, she sighed. "Bridgerton, Charles?"

"What seems to be the problem? You've already accepted many of their marriages, including naming two Bridgertons as diamonds of the season and ignoring the scandal between Lord Bridgerton and Lady Bridgerton." Charles controlled himself not to roll his eyes.

"Yes… But that was until my son was mentioned in the paper of Lady Whistledown because he was just interested in a girl. Especially when the princess of Austria traveled here just to meet you."

"And I enjoyed meeting her. But I enjoyed much more meeting Y/n Sharma." he admitted, his voice conveying the confidence he felt in those words. "She's the one I want. The one I'll follow to the end of the world if necessary. Don't make me marry someone else, mom, I want her. Just her."

"I believe the boy is in love." Lady Dandbury appeared beside them, looking at the boy with knowing eyes. Charlotte glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "The dance they shared was remarkable. The London Season is already terribly monotonous as it is. Therefore, these cases of passion make it more enjoyable. Don't you agree?"

"Indeed, Lady Danbury." Charles nodded, appreciating her help in convincing the Queen. "May I go now?"

Charlotte watched him for a few moments, noticing how he was restless, his body tilted towards Y/n. Almost as if he had no control over himself, unconsciously wanting to always be close to her. This wait was killing him.

The woman didn't respond verbally, just offered a small nod of permission, and her son was gone in the blink of an eye.

Almost running, the prince arrived next to Y/n, who continued to watch people dancing. She was now only with Penelope, as Francesca was taken by Violet to meet some suitors. Charles approached silently, placing himself in her line of sight and simply offering her a hand.

"What are you doing?" she whispered with wide eyes. Beside her, Penelope excused herself, giving the couple space. Not that they paid much attention, appearing not to have even heard her.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm asking you to dance with me."

"You don't give up, do you?" Y/n let a small smile appear, pretending to be upset by the boy's persistence. Inwardly, her heart was beating furiously fast. She didn't want to dance. She wanted to get away from there so she could be with Charles alone, the two of them talking all night.

But their moment was interrupted by Lady Wilson's daughter, who suddenly appeared and grabbed the prince's arm. "Prince Charles, you promised me a dance. Shall we?"

Y/n took a step back, trying to hide her sadness. Charles hadn't even removed her arm from his. This was a reminder that Charles was not yet hers, and with her indecision, that was becoming increasingly difficult. He had so many good options for marriage, why would he choose her? What made her special from all the others?

Trying to make sure no one saw the tears that threatened to appear, the Sharma decided it was best to leave for the rest of the night. Perhaps Anthony and Kate would believe she was feeling unwell and needed to go home.

But before he could move away completely, Charles snapped out of his shock, grabbing Y/n's hand to pull her closer while shaking the other woman's hold.

He clenched his jaw, upset at not being able to have a single moment of peace with Y/n. "My apologies, Miss." Y/n had to put her hand over her mouth to hide her amusement when Charles didn't remember the girl's name. "Right now, I would like to dance with Miss Y/n. So if you will excuse us."

"But—"

"What do you say, Miss Y/n. Shall you give me the pleasure of having this dance?" Charles asked quickly before the annoying girl spoke again. His attention was on Sharma, who was looking at him adoringly. Was this what people felt when they were in love? It felt like he couldn't breathe. In a good way.

"We shall… Charles." she laughed. Charles' mouth opened in shock, appearing to have frozen to the ground. In a playful way, she rolled her eyes, guiding him to the dance floor, which was now empty as people saw the two walk there.

Despite the nerves she felt, Y/n felt good with Charles, so she decided to ignore ton's opinions on this. The boy bowed as he offered her his hand, followed by a bow from Y/n, and immediately the music began.

"You called me Charles."

"A very good observation."

"You know, I thought Lord Bridgerton would kill me the moment I looked at you. It would be worth it." he twirled her around, loving it when he heard her little giggles. When she landed on the ground, her eyes found Kate and Anthony watching them, but instead of upset, they looked happy that Y/n was happy. "I must say that when you said we couldn't meet again, it hurt."

"My deepest apologies. How could I have said such absurd things?" Y/n said dramatically, noticing Charles' amusement.

"All is well now. As long as you promise to not run anymore. Even if Lady Whistledown or someone else writes about us. I promise I won't let anything hurt you or your family."

Y/n focused on his eyes. They were honest and had a glow of adoration about them. "What about the Princess of Austria?"

"As I also told her Majesty, I have no interest in her. My heart already belongs to you, Y/n. No one else can take your place."

The music was slowing down, indicating that it would end soon. The boy gripped Y/n's waist tighter, fearing that he would have to let go when he was enjoying savoring every moment of their closeness.

"My heart belongs to you too, Charles." she scrunched her eyebrows and Charles could feel his heart close to bursting. He wanted to marry her.

Instead, he controlled himself from saying it right away, knowing that he would have to talk to Anthony first and ask for Y/n's hand in marriage. Or he feared the Bridgerton wrath. For now, having Y/n in his arms was enough.

[nobodysdaydreams]

Well...

...that could have gone better.

(Also it turns out Lovelace IS an alien. 👽 so that's fun, I think?)

(or my reaction to episodes 44-46 of Wolf359)

Welcome back dear readers, sorry for the delay. Procrastinating on finals has been taking up all of my time, thank you for your understanding.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom

Episode 44: Desperate Times

Now where were we? Ah yes. Cutter lied about their deaths and has an evil girlfriend who makes his robots. Hilbert and Lovelace told Minkowski about the death thing to get her on board, and once they have her, she should be able to get Doug and Hera on board.

Great point Doug. How many secret rooms can one space station have?

And how many copies of the SI-5? Because we already had two Duck boys. If another Kepler strolls in and starts talking about Whiskey again, that might just be too much for me.

No Minkowski. You don't want to kill anyone. But I understand.

Wow. Doug knows some fancy words. "Commander Eiffel" 😂

Oh, they're actually laughing. I'm sorry Doug. Wow, he just made that up too, very convincing.

Aw, Minkowski. I want to hug her. If she doesn't make it back to her husband...

oh yay, she and Doug are talking it out! Friends! My feelings exactly Hera! 💕💕💕

Hera is so sweet. It's weird to think she was built by and modeled after someone so horrible.

Ah. Taking a late night stroll around the ship Hilbert?

Hilbert. NO. NO NO NO NO NO. NOT THE EVIL CHAIR.

Evil chair will kill you. Evil chair will show them your brain which shows them your plan to rebel against them. Do not trust the evil chair Hilbert. For a smart man, you make some remarkably and unbelievably dumb decisions.

I want to believe in them. I do, I really really do. But unfortunately, I know that there is an entire other season left. So...

It's not looking good. Personally, I think the most expendable is Hilbert. They can kill the character off without having to fire the actor. If anyone's about to die, it's him.

The "terrible trio", I like it Doug. Good nickname for SI-5.

The um...the blunt force trauma face?

Oh my this hypothetical of Maxwell, Kepler, and Jacobi falling apart is music, sweet music.

If only...if only.

They are really counting on the SI-5 acting exactly like this. I hope they get it right. I do love the way they make Whiskey Boy out to be such a cartoon villain. He really is.

Oh they're conflicted about who to target. That's right Hera. Target Duck boy. I mean...they did already kill him once, right?

Although slight problem. Let's say they do kill SI-5. Let's say they try to fly the ship back to earth. Can't Cutter just blow the ship up remotely? He'll probably send a missel after them before they even get into the atmosphere. I mean...what would you even do in this situation? He's literally got them bargaining for every second of their lives. Makes you wonder how many teams he has out there like this...

What happened? No gas? Oh dear. Plan B?

HIT MAXWELL WITH A WRENCH? POP A WEASEL?

I don't like how this is going.

"I'm glad I have you alone" Hilbert stop it.

Opponent is not going to hesitate to kill you. That's true. But you can't forget who the enemies are. Cutter and Pryce. And yes. SOMETHING IS WRONG!

Oh dear. Well this is terribly awkward.

...um...so...Maxwell. Duck Boy. Fancy a mutiny?

Guess not. Oh dear. This is bad. This is very very bad.

IS NOT ABOUT THE CONTACT EVENT! IT'S ABOUT THEM GETTING BACK AND YOU KNOW IT.

I KNEW THAT YOU COULDN'T TRUST HER.

"Don't struggle?"

Not the brain sweeping. Maxwell you have lost all my respect, and likely your own if you still had any left in you.

Shut up Duck Boy, literally no one wants to hear from you.

Well this is a pickle. How will our heroes (and Hilbert) get out of this one? 👀

Episode 45: Desperate Measures

"Wakey-wakey", shut up errand boys.

"Passion for disciplining crew members, isn't that right Jacobi?" You're a sadist waste of space who works for a sadist waste of space, we got that Whiskey Boy.

Oh great. Another super secret room. There's probably thousands of them at this rate. A whole city in the sky.

What a nice little room of weapons. As a lover of dramatic irony, I do hope Dr. Robot and our dear Errand Boys find themselves on the other side of those weapons.

Hera you can delay having to respond to her commands! You can! Remember: You can't do this. You're not good enough. Use it to your advantage.

"I knew it!" you did Doug. And yeah, Hilbert didn't sink so low.

"Kill whoever you like least", well there goes Hilbert.

Good work Hera! 🥰 Oh dear it hurts.

THE VENTS! That's right! Go Minkowski!

Geez does Whiskey Boy ever tire of the sound of his own voice? I guess not.

Shut it Kepler! Yeah Doug! He can go to hell! Tell him off!

Doug: "You're crazy"

Kepler: "No Doug. I'm just a man that wants to be taken seriously. That's why I'm sitting here with a gun in one hand, glass of Whisky in the other, while singing "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" like a cartoon supervillain. There's nothing more respectable or serious than that."

Lovelace is speaking FACTS. He has lost his humanity. But um...ironically so might have Lovelace. Or all of them still unclear on that.

"You're hilarious" "one more thing I have that you don't" ooohhh... dang, it that ain't the truth. No one will be as funny as Doug, but if anyone comes close it's certainly not Whisky boy.

"Very nice speech captain" Well it was better than the Whisky speech Kepler. Take notes.

That's right Lovelace. Who cares what Kepler see when he looks at you? No one. Because he is a waste of space.

She'll survive because of magic alien plot armor.

Aw, she did it for Doug. That's really sweet.

And...off goes the gun. But no screams. He better not have shot Doug.

"You have 30 minutes to think about what you've done. Then we'll talk about Eiffel."

I know I should be furious over the whole "what you've done" comment, but I gotta ask, how dangerously stupid is Kepler? 30 minutes is plenty of time to put a plan into action. What does Kepler need 30 minutes for? Swirling his Whisky around and telling Doug how much he loves the feel of it in his hands.

Why don't you mind your own business Maxwell? Why don't you shut up and mind your own business and throw yourself in the airlock?

Good stalling Hera...yes! Finally knocked out Dr. Robot. Now, as much as I am against murder, eye for an eye, and all that...in this situation, keeping her alive puts multiple innocents at risk.

Anyone got an eye on Duck Boy?

Kepler doesn't care about Maxwell! He doesn't care about anyone!

Doug...great speech for this to work, he has to care about human life, and he clearly doesn't.

Yeah, I don't really like chess either Doug.

Why do I feel like he's going to hurt Hera in a way that only Maxwell can fix?

Ah there he is. "I wouldn't do that so someone. I just blow people up to kill them! :)" ugh Duck Boy is the worst. I knew that he was off doing something silly. "Crazy Jacobi the loose canon" dude, you're Duck Boy. That's your existence.

And I knew Hilbert would be the one to go. They don't have to fire his voice actor to kill him, which makes him expendable.

Well it took a very long time to get here, but looks like Hilbert is finally gonna kick the bucket. And yeah, you guys have no idea how long they've been trying to kill Hilbert. If it was Doug, I'd be more worried, but between Hilbert and Doug, Doug's got the plot armor.

And...there he goes! Oh wait...did she shoot Maxwell! Oh be quiet Jacobi, it's not like you ever actually cared about her. If Cutter or Kepler ordered you to kill her, you would have done it.

You can't talk sense into him Doug. He's a nutcase. We established that.

I love Doug. "Well it's been a topsy-turvy day!"

And see Kepler? Not so fun playing with lives when yours is on the chopping block, now is it?

Yes Doug! Tell him! Oh poor Whisky Boy, are you gonna cry?

Right three people dead: Lovelace, Hilbert, and Maxwell. That's a lot. My money is on Lovelace coming back due to alien magic, Hilbert dead for good, maybe Maxwell lives on in Hera's memory or flashback land.

YES! I love Doug's loyalty to Minkowski!

Does Kepler have an escape pod? I feel like he would. Oh he's telling his duck boy to stand down. But duck boy doesn't seem too happy about that. I guess he cared a bit more for Maxwell than Kepler, even if he would have shot her if given the order.

"Finally over" hm...I seriously doubt that.

Ah yes the aliens. I wonder what they have to say about all this. And Kepler please shut up. "You want to be in charge of this mess, fine." The mutiny literally just happened on your watch. You spent half the crew budget on expensive Whiskey. You don't care at all that Maxwell is dead.

Episode 46: Bolero

Is that music? Um... what is this? I do wonder why they chose to send music, when they've demonstrated that they can send voices.

Yeah...this is a lot. And they lost their human doctor and robot doctor. As much as I hated them, they were useful. Unlike the errand boys, who only seem to be good a cowering in fear from ducks and giving speeches about whisky.

Oh and apparently they like music too. How nice.

"If the commander wishes for silence, then silence she shall have" and yet you're still talking.

Yeah...what do they do now. They have to warn everyone, expose Cutter and get him to jail, but the aliens are also invading. Oh gosh, are Cutter and Pryce aliens? Is this a plot to replace humanity with aliens? That at least makes more sense than Cutter's a loon who just wants to take a gander at some dangerous aliens, but why do I get the feeling that "Cutter's crazy" is what's actually happening here?

Oh right Kepler's special DNA. But your DNA still works even if it's detached from your body, right? 🧬

"We owe it to Lovelace, Hilbert, and Maxwell..." good work Doug. They were evil, they were flawed, but they were still humans.

Oh Hera. Wow, we don't have funerals for animals???? Yikes... I'm starting to see how she was modeled after Pryce now. In that case, I wonder what happened to Pryce. Also Hera, I get what you're saying, but that's an insult to animals. Many cats and dogs I've met are very loyal, kind, and useful.

oh dear she's talking to Lovelace's ghost/memory. 🥺 It's not your fault Minkowski. It was never your fault. And yeah...you all deserve to make it home.

That is if there is even a home to come back to...

Doug, Hera, come on. You're best friends. Wow. And yeah, she and Maxwell were friends, that's why she's so upset! Oh right...if one human friend betrayed her...oh Hera...Doug's not like her you know that! Maxwell would sell you out, Jacobi would sell her out, and Kepler would sell him out, but Doug? Doug would never sell anyone out.

"I know what it's like to not get a chance to say goodbye. And I don't think you're past the point of not caring. Not yet." That's sweet Doug. But you're giving him a bit too much credit. Oh he's mad he killed her? Fair enough, but Jacobi...you said yourself you were monsters! Do you really want to try to claim the moral high ground here? That's right Doug! Tell him! "You're gonna like it...I mean you're gonna feel sad!" Yeah! That's right! Shove the compassion down his throat Doug. Sometimes that's the way you gotta do it.

Minkowski is gonna have some pretty severe PTSD after this. I want to hug her.

Oh no, Hera's remembering Maxwell. "Was everything you did for me part of a secret evil plan?" it's not that simple Hera. Bad people can do good things. Good people can do bad things. Cognitive dissonance Hera, that's how it's possible. Compartmentalization. Circular and deluded thinking. And fake Maxwell is right. It's about you Hera. It's not about her. Forget about Maxwell. Forget about Pryce. You're better than them, and more human too.

Yes Hera, get the feelings out. No, Doug she's coming around!

Oh no...no no no...Doug is wasted isn't he? Kepler's private supply no doubt...oh no... oh Doug.

"I killed them Hera." no you didn't Doug! Intentions matter! You are the ship's moral compass. Don't drink yourself off.

"I'm a drunken mess whether I have a drink or not." oh Doug. Doug.

Please don't give yourself alcohol poison. Oh good self-talk from Hilbert. Yeah Doug never wanted anyone to die.

"How else did you think this was going to end?"

Aw, Doug has so much hope. Never lose that Doug. Never lose it. And yeah, it's nice to believe in redemption. It is theoretically possible. Though in certain cases, highly unlikely. I won't name names.

So...it's just Doug and Jacobi at the funeral? Well. This is incredibly awkward...

Oh right, Hera's never been to a funeral...

Oh nvm Kepler's here for the food. He's so gross.

They gave Hera grief but no way to deal with it? Oh she can't understand why they are gone? The "I wonder if I'll miss you when you go away forever too" is hitting different.

Minkowski came through!

Wow, Jacobi actually is able to say a few nice words.

Dr. Hilbert was a monster 😂. Fair. Completely fair. See ya later Doc. I think Hilbert would have liked it.

Oh don't let Kepler talk. He'd ruin the funeral. Though to be fair, he'd ruin anything.

Never mind looks like the aliens beat him to the punch.

Looks like the aliens decided to come early.

Uh...HERA?

KEEPING WHAT OUT?

Tell me the aliens aren't already here.

Is Lovelace coming back? Oh Kepler knew this was going to happen.

"It can't hear you." DO NOT CALL HER AN IT KEPLER. Alien or not, she's a...well she's a someone.

So she IS an alien? An alien who acts like her? Okay... and yes please, let's start at the beginning. It's about time Kepler. If you're going to talk, you might as well say something useful.

Now I've procrastinated enough but...wow this doesn't look good. Hopefully the crew can get back safely.

[sarifinasnightmare]

The Pancake Conundrum

August 12-18: Sam Wilson

Rating: For Everyone

Pairing: Sarah Wilson X Bucky Barnes

Author's Note: Inspired by my mother who woke me up with a ridiculous craving. 😊

Summary: Bucky needs Sam to help him make Sarah happy again.

“Sam wake up.”

“No.” Came the muffled reply.

“Sam please, I need you.”

“No.” He buried himself under his blanket for emphasis.

“Sam!” Bucky grabbed the blanket and yanked it off him.

“You need to learn a thing or two about consent.” Sam whined as he glared at him with one sleepy eye opened. “I said no, meaning I do not consent to whatever fuckery you want me to participate in.”

“Sarah’s crying.”

“So you’re her husband, make her stop crying.”

“I am trying but only you can solve the problem.”

“That is…?”

“She wants your banana pancakes because mine aren’t the same.”

Sam sat up. “Are you kidding me?”

“It’s her hormones, she’s all over the place. Come on man, please. Help a brother-in-law out!”

“You know you could’ve avoided all of this by not dating her when I told you not to.” Sam groaned, glaring at him.

“Sam, I love her, I married her, get over it. Now come on!” He pulled on Sam’s arm.

“Gah! Alright, alright!” He finally gave up and got out of bed.

The men quietly bickered on their way down to the kitchen where Sarah, in shorts and tank top with a smooth, round belly poking out was sniffling into her napkin.

“Bucky I’m sorry. I know you meant well.” She cried a little.

He quickly sat in front of her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “It’s okay, don’t cry. I brought Sam. He’ll make better pancakes.”

“You diva.” Sam retorted as he looked over the batter and pancakes that Bucky had made for her. “Crying over pancakes like a brat. Mom would’ve made you eat those.”

“Oh shut up, Sam.” Sarah snapped. “I know they’re fine, but they didn’t taste like yours and I just started crying. This baby’s got me all messed up. I hate it!”

“I’m sorry.” Bucky apologized, offering her another napkin to cry into.

“Oh no, it’s not your fault. I love our baby, I do, I’m just so tired of being fat, and hot.” She tugged on her tank top. “It’s so hot in here.”

“It’s August. What do you expect, sis?” Sam said. “In fact, the house has been the coldest it’s ever been in years. What temp do you have it on?”

“Sixty degrees.” Bucky replied. “I bought a separate unit for our bedroom. It’s fifty in there.”

“Jesus, I hope your World War II pension has enough for the electric bill!”

“Sam please fix the pancakes!” He begged.

“Fine, fine!” He tasted the batter. “It tastes like mine.” He looks at the pan. “There’s your problem.”

“Which is…?”

“You got to use bacon grease, man!”

“Bacon grease? She can’t even eat bacon right now; it makes her sick!”

“No one said she had to eat the bacon!” Sam said as he went into the fridge. “Aha, always have some on reserve.” He said, pulling out a small Tupperware containing congealed yellow grease.

Soon Sam had the pan hot with the bacon grease going and ladled in the batter. Making three of them he added more bananas and drizzled it with maple syrup before setting it in front of his sister with a flourish.

“There we go. The original and still the best banana pancakes.” he said proudly.

Bucky rolled his eyes.

Sarah said nothing as she tentatively dug in, then proceeded to clean the plate and once she finished, she leaned back with a sigh of relief. “Bucky, can we go back to bed now?”

“Gladly.” He said as he easily scooped her up. “I’ll clean everything up in the morning.” He promised.

Sam shook his head before turning off the stovetop and setting the pan aside, then covered the remaining batter and put it in the fridge to use in the morning. “Think I’m going to soundproof my room. You two are ridiculous. I can only imagine how much crazier it’s gonna get with the baby.”

“Stop playing. You love this baby too, Sam.” Sarah mumbled, resting against her husband’s shoulder.

“I do, but yall are too much. I mean it’s freezing up in here!” He turned to Bucky. “How do you even sleep in that room?”

“I got two words for you, Sam. Cryogenically frozen.”

“Oops, my bad.”

“I hate you,” Bucky carefully laid Sarah on her mounds of pillows before returning to Sam, “And thanks.”

Sam yawned but waved it off. “It’s nothing. Good night.” He went back to his bed and buried himself under his blanket.

“G’night.” Bucky mumbled before closing the door and sliding down onto his small slice of the bed, Sarah fast asleep, minor crisis averted.

[niredsw]

so uhhh im bored af and i feel like i should make people know about this not that i think anyone cares about my life but here ya go rin lore everyone!

TW: mention of abuse, rape, and a lot of religious trauma

i apologize for the spelling mistakes from the start, i wont care about them rn

so yeah, lets start with my parents

mom: she grew up in a toxic abusive religious household where my grandpa was rarely home, she was the middle child of 4 siblings (the smallest ones are twins) and was literally the 'only good child of the pack'. my big aunt cant even take care of herself and she has 2 chlidren, she recently divorced her husband and is on the way of becoming an alcoholic. my uncle was praised by my grandma his entire life because he is 'the only son' and is nothing but a spoiled brat whos children are also problematic af. my little aunt is the only one i love and she has a daughter (deniz, my fav cousin) and an adopted daughter from her husbands ex-marriage, shes sweet and i dont believe how she survived in that family.

grandma, shes the worst. one day mom and her sibling were all in my big aunts house and i was sitting with them, they talked about how grandma beat them up daily because of the smallest things, the clothes she hang up to dry didnt dry on time? she beat up one of her kids (not my uncle, if i may add) i was terrified when i heard that about her and im not seeing her the same anymore. mom got married at 21 just to escape from that house and she ended up being the only child thats living in the same city as grandma. grandma also manipulated me my whole childhood, telling me i should be a good muslim and get hijabed at 12 when i first got my period, teaching me things most muslim people didnt even know their whole life when i was only 7, telling me men are always right and i should just obey what they say yada yada ya, she still treats me like her personal servant and keeps telling thing like "you look like a whore in that shorts" and shit, idc anymore but growing up with it is not very helpful tbh

so, mom beating me up when shes angry is not because shes abusive, its the only way she learned and shes not strong enough to break the cycle, so dont get angry at her its not her fault

dad: tbh i dont know if dad had gone throught anything like mom but his family is full of relative marriages and his uncle (whos 64) has a child as my age, she went to a mental asylum because of her father and just got out a few days ago, if i may add, his uncles suck but my grandma is the only normal one (and the only, oldest girl) among 5 siblings so i think thats pretty lucky, but growing up in a neighbourhood full of those kind of people definitely affected him and it shows over the years

yea well now its my time i guess

i was a bad child. i did some bad things. i swear i did it all for fun and it meant nothing

OKAY sorry sorry this is not it im not jojo siwa in a disguise (or i am?)

so, i had a pretty good childhood, if you ignore all of these things;

my family went in a hella dept because of my uncle (i told you hes a piece of shit) and we were always very careful with money, my parents tried to make it up to me and my sis with a lot of things but it did affected us

i dont know how we ended up in that debt but we sold our house and coffe shop so we could pay it, i was 8 when it all happened and i dont really remember most of it

my voice thingy and all of those health problems, i lose my hearing from time to time, have a genetical heart disease thingy, yada yada ya i am not gonna list all of them, lets just say after i was 6 i knew everyone in that hospital i was going practically 3 times a week

also i was the top student in primary school, the first one to learn how to read in my class and was practically a gifted child before i burn out but i dont care about that shit anymore im already a pretty big failure

then, we moved to my current city

4th grade was shit, my teacher didnt even care about her students, it was so easy to eb the top of my class but that school was really shitty, a pedophile teacher, who tried to rape and would do if i didnt kick his balls, a psycho kid in my sis's class that was sent to kids jail in 2nd grade, basically, shithole.

then i won a scholarship from my current school and i've been there for 5 years now, gonna start my 2nd year of highschool in a few weeks

i dont talk about middle school because that shit was crazy but also pretty boring at the same time, so yeah i think thats the rin lore? idk? nobody needs to amswer or say anything i just wanted to share it here so i dont have to explain it every time something bad happens to me

[sisterssafespace]

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatahu sister. Jazakallah khair for creating such a beautiful account where sisters can communicate their problems with each other without revealing their identity. Subhanallah! What a technological world we live in! I hope you are okay.

You have also helped me a lot in the past when I had certain doubts and had no person to consult to. Thank you for that. May Allah swt put baraka in your time. Ameen.

I am in my 20's and I wanted to ask this very serious and very very important question to you sister that how am I suppose to find a potential spouse, a husband ?

The problem with me is that I sit in my room 24/7 as my uni classes are off while day dreaming about my "future hubby" that how he is gonna be like? And I often find myself falling into this deception that it's all in my mind. I get scared sometimes and ask Allah swt in sujood to grant me caring pious husband who will be a blessing for me and not a trial. I believe in Allah swt's plan and I have my trust strong too. But sometimes I feel like may be there is no such husband exists (what am I asking for). May be I should stay single and live with my mother and sisters forever (as I love them little too much)

I often find myself asking the question that how am I gonna live without my family once I'm married. Obviously I want both, my family and husband. I am the youngest in my family and my mother spoiled me a lot. But i promise you I'm not a brat. :"D

I also get recommended proposals by my oldest sisi (who is alhamdulillah married) but I back off immediately from that decision of getting married.

Please if you help me out then may be I can start looking for those particular qualities in a husband.

P.s: I am also kinda a bit insecure about the idea of getting married because I have a hearing disability which i didn't had in the past. I got it few years ago due to getting multiple surgies. (Long story short) Now I wear hearing aids. :( My mum often asks me "Who's gonna marry you?" (Not in an offensive way but caring)

I am sorry for frying your brain cells. Stay safe sis.

و عليكم السلام و رحمة اللّٰه و بركاته 🍃

Please please please kindly accept my apology for the delay 🥺🥺

* hugs *

Okay so, I received both asks, read them thoroughly and here are the ideas that gathered in my mind while I read:

a) Patience: Allahuma barik you sound like you have strong faith and that you do trust in Allah's plan, with that trust you need to work on your patience habibty, patience is onr of the most challenging and the toughest skills we have to learn in this duniya, and that is why the reward for the patient is priceless. As human beings in general ( and dreamy girls ) we sometimes want things to happen to us right now, especially if you add in some peer pressure or societal pressure, and the frustration starts to build up .. but it won't solve anything, it will only stress you more. Again, one of the greatest tests we are put through is learning how to building patient and waiting for our rizq, because a spouse is in fact a rizq for the believer, a gift and a blessing from Allah swt, and your rizq will never miss you, in the sense that what is written for you will never go to someone else, what is yours will find you.. which takes me to the second point:

b) Allah's timing: You did mention that you believe in Allah's plan, now you have to also believe in Allah's timing, because yes in deed Allah swt knows what's best for us and has a plan for us, but His divine plan works according to His divine timing, not our humanly timing. An event will happen to you WHEN Allah swt decides that that's the right time for it to happen.. and very often, we don't understand the timeframe, we don't understand why things aren't happening for us right now or why Allah swt is not giving us what we asked and prayed for right now, but when it eventually happens, we'll understand, but for now all we have to do is remain patient, and pray that in shaa Allah it will be worth the wait.

While we remain patient, what can we do? This is my point c:

c) Work on Building and accomplishing other aspects of your life meanwhile: Meaning, while you are waiting to meet the one, you have other things to work on, because the life of a Muslim girl - a slave of Allah swt - is more than just a husband and marriage, you have to work on yourself, learn more and more about our rich religion, if you have learned the Quran Allahuma barik you can learn tafseer or Hadith or other islamic sciences, you can learn things related to your studies or your career, you can learn some interpersonal skills, a new language, develop other skills like cooking or drawing or crocheting or anything you like.. if you're still studying maybe work hard in that, engage in the civil activities, serve your community, be present in your masjid, there is just so much you can do, and it will take your focus on the husband issue all while making you a better person in shaa Allah..

d) The qualities: As for the qualities that should be in a good husband, that is sorta subjective honey, for example, what I would consider as a good quality might not be of preference for you. But there are some characteristics that are universally sought I think: honesty, commitment, empathy, compassion, devotion - all with a good sense of the deen in shaa Allah.

p.s. personal tip: choose someone you don't feel bored around, someone you don't have a problem spending a sick day in bed with, and most importantly someone who makes you feel safe, because the world is scary enough, tiring enough, at least you get to go home to someone who would know how to comfort you and ease your anxieties..

Last but not least, about the hearing thing, I am sorry you feel like it's a defect, it is in fact something that Allah swt gave you as a challenge, you can definitely make it a strength my dear, someone who really appreciates you will think of it as a strength, like " oh MashaAllah look at her, she is still shining and making her way through life even with that challenge.. she is such a strong amazing girl.. " which, you absolutely are!

Look honey, you are what you make of yourself and what you make of what you have. If you treat or perceive yourself as incomplete, if you carry yourself as if something is wrong with you then that's the image people will get about you, but if you carry yourself with all the content and the confidence of someone who is relying on and trusting Allah swt then that's going to be radiating around you 🤍

So I pray that Allah swt ties upon your heart and strengthen your heart to be able to patiently wait for what's written for you, and I pray Allah swt grant you the pious humble gentle kind romantic devoted compassionate husband you dream of 🤍

We can have a further conversation my dear, I just rushed the answer because I know you are waiting for the reply, but please let me know what you think,

- A.Z. 🤍🍃

[kiirokero]

Outro: Love Is Not Over (1)

Pairing: Daycare Teacher! Hoseok x Single Mom! Reader.

Genre: Single Parent! AU, Teacher! AU, Hybrid! AU, Fluff, Angst, Adorable Kids, 

Warnings: Don’t know if this counts but mentions of accidental pregnancies and shitty men. 

Word Count: 1.7k

Summary: Years after a relationship goes south. You are the single mother of a beautiful 6-year-old golden retriever hybrid who you named Yunho. He is the light of your life. Yunho is everything to you, and you’d do anything for him. But you’re a human. Yunho doesn’t care, he will tell you he doesn’t. “You’re still my Eomma. No matter what.” He says. But you can’t help but feel like you will never be enough for him. You can’t be the mother he deserves. You can’t show him the ropes of being a hybrid, and you can’t teach him things the other moms can. But you try. You try your damn hardest. So, when a handsome German Shepard hybrid comes into your life, helping you and guiding Yunho in a way you can’t, you can’t help the cozy home he sets up in your heart.

Chapter Guide:

Previous / Next

“Congratulations! It’s a boy.” 

“I-Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s very healthy. Do you have a name in mind?”

“Yunho.”

“A very nice name.”

“Oh, he’s beautiful.”

“That he is. I apologize for asking, but you haven’t listed the father on his birth certificate yet.”

“I’m aware.”

“Are you going to?”

“No.”

“You’re aware what that means, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, Ms. L/n, I’ll leave you be now. Press the button if you need assistance. A midwife will be coming to see you shortly.”

      “Eomma, wake up!” A giggly voice called. The bed was bouncing up and down, pulling me out of my slumber. I couldn’t help but laugh along. “All right, Yunnie, I’m up.” Yunho chuckled and lent down to give me my morning hug. “Good morning, Eomma.” He sighed, his fluffy blonde tail wagging in content. “Good morning, lovely. Did you sleep well?” I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him in for a snuggle. “Yes! I had a dream about giant squirrels!” He exclaimed. I let out an exaggerated gasp, “You did?! That’s awesome.” 

      Yunho wiggled out of my grasp and bounded towards my bedroom door. “Come on, Eomma! I’m hungry.” I chuckled and got out of bed. “Alright, waffles or toast?” I asked while I grabbed my sweatshirt, pulling it on. “Waffles!” Yunho answered, racing downstairs to the living room. I smiled to myself, I couldn’t help the warmth in my heart every time I saw my son. 

     Yunho had short hair that matched mine in color. He also had my eyes. I could see little pieces of myself in his face and it always made me smile. I didn’t pay attention to the features he and his father shared, even if they weren’t many. The most prominent feature they shared being his ears and tail, but somehow, Yunho made them uniquely his. 

      He never like getting his fur cut, would always sulk about it afterwards, he likes to keep the fur on his tail long so either him or I could braid it. He thought braids were so pretty, so he would ask me to braid all of his hair, and eventually, he learned himself. His fur on his ears was less long because of my insistence that having heavy ears would impair his ability to lift them. He could lift his left ear, but not the right one. He’s been working on that. 

      So, even if he was his father's child, he was still just Yunho to me. That man didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that Yunho has his button nose or freckles. It didn’t matter because Yunho was Yunho, and Yunho was the light of my life. He would run around the house non stop, bring me little rocks he found in the yard, draw pictures that had a special place on the fridge. Yunho was sunshine incarnate, and I couldn’t ask for a better son. 

      Downstairs, Yunho was sitting in front of the T.V, watching his favorite cartoon. It was about this hybrid boy and his best friend, who was human. Yunho said it was like him and I, that we were like the characters on screen, going on adventures every day. The sight made me smile yet again, and I went to the kitchen to get started on breakfast.  

     I could see Yunho from the kitchen since it was an open plan. Which wasn’t surprising because we lived in a small house. 2 bedrooms, 1 and 1/2 baths. It had a very large backyard that merged into woods. The area is pleasant, a little secluded, but that just gave Yunho more room to explore. The house got a lot of natural light with the large windows, and the air was always refreshing. 

      When I first saw the house, it was like a blessing. It was a little run down, but nothing I couldn’t handle, and it was cheap. A house being cheap should be a red flag, and it was, but it was worth it. The worst problem the house had was the hot water that ran out pretty quickly. In no way was it a luxurious mansion, but it was home, and that was all that mattered. 

     “Yunho! Come get your breakfast!” I called, placing his bright blue plate on the small dining room table we had. I heard his feet patter on the hardwood as he ran to the dining room. “Woah! Slow down, bub.” I chuckled. Yunho gave me a shy smile and sat down, immediately digging into his breakfast. “Is it good?” I teased, wiping away some stray syrup that threatened to end up in his hair. Yunho nodded enthusiastically, giving me a thumbs up. 

      We ate together with comfortable banter. Yunho was telling me about the latest episode of his cartoon, and I was more than happy to listen. The way his eyes lit up whenever he talked about something he loved was enough to make the toughest of men smile. “Eomma, can Hajun come over today?” Yunho asked in a hopeful tone. I thought about it for a bit, “I’ll call Aunt Hyejin and see if he can, okay?” Yunho brightened up and gave a little “okay!” In response.

     After we were done eating, Yunho put his plate in the sink and went back to watching T.V. I washed up the dishes and dialed Hyejin’s number. “Hey babe!” She answered in her usual cheery voice. I chuckled, “Hey sis.” 

      In reality, Hyejin wasn’t my sis or babe, but we were close like that. Hyejin was a Siamese cat hybrid that I met back in college. We were roommates, and we just clicked immediately. We were there with each other through everything. Shitty professors, family issues, breakups, shit men that make your life a living hell. She had her son, Hajun, a bit before I had Yunho, and helped me whenever I needed. 

      She and her husband, Yoongi, a Persian cat hybrid, were there with me through it all. They were the family I never had. Yoongi was like an overprotective older brother, and Hyejin was no different. They even helped me find Yunho and I’s home. We normally went on family trips to amusement parks or aquariums which the boys never seemed to get bored with. We were all one big happy family. 

     Yoongi and Hyejin were like polar opposites. Yoongi was chill while Hyejin was a bundle of never ending energy. Yoongi was quiet Hyejin loved to talk. Yoongi was an introvert, and Hyejin constantly dragged him out to parties that Namjoon, one of our mutual friends, had mentioned to her. It was funny to witness. Especially when Yoongi begged me to go in his stead, which worked 50% of the time.

      “So, what d’ya need? I’m all ears.” She snickered, and I could practically see her gray ears twitch. “Haha, hilarious. Yunnie wants to know if you guys can come over.” I answered. “Yeah, sure! We’re not doing anything today and I’ve been dying to talk to you about something.” She gushed. “Ooo, exciting.” I chuckled. “I’ll see you soon, babes. Love you!” I said I loved her back and hung up the phone. 

     Soon, Hyejin and Hajun arrived and the boys immediately began playing together. “Hey! So nice to see you!” Hyejin smiled, giving me a hug. “You too!” I was equally just as happy to see Hyejin since she and Yoongi had been a bit busy lately. We walked over to the living room where the boys were playing on the floor with their toys. Hyejin and I sat on the sofa and she immediately began talking. 

      “Okay! So, I’ve been dying to talk to you about this,” She started, already bouncing in her seat. “I can see that.” I teased, poking at her shoulder. “You know the job I was looking into? The daycare one?” She asked, and I nodded. “Well~ I got the job!” She exclaimed. My jaw dropped, a smile made its way onto my face. “No way! Congratulations!” I got up and squeezed her in a bone breaking hug, which she reciprocated. 

     “I know! I’m so excited!” Her tail was flicking behind her. “So, when do you start?” I asked, moving back into my seat. “Next week! I’m going to be the second teacher, helping someone named Mr. Jung.” She explained, and she went on to tell me how she got the job and how Hajun had asked if he could go, only to pout when Hyejin told him that he was too old. “I’m happy for you, Hyejin.” I smiled, excited that she was pursuing her dream of working with kids. 

      Hyejin, like me, got pregnant young and unexpectedly. But she was super thrilled. She didn’t care if she was only 20, she always wanted a child. She wasn’t married at that time, but Yoongi stepped up pretty quickly to raise Hajun with Hyejin. Yoongi was a cool dad, pretty laid back. Usually snuck the kids out to go get ice cream or pizza. Not that Hyejin or I minded, he treated both boys with the utmost care. He treated Yunho like his own son. 

      “So, have you met this Mr. Jung?” I wondered. “Not yet, but I had a phone call with him. Guess what? He’s our age.” She whispered, like what she was saying was some big secret. “Hyejin, we’re both 26, it’s not like a young teacher is unheard of.” I pointed out. “I know! But... What if he’s cute~?” She raised her eyebrows in a teasing manner, leaning closer to me. “I could be cupid.” She winked and I rolled my eyes. 

      “No thanks, Hyejin. I appreciate it, but love for me ended a long time ago.” I sighed and Hyejin huffed, dramatically slouching in her seat. “Y/n, just because... he... broke your heart doesn’t mean you should give up entirely.” She pointed out, looking at me with eyes full of undecipherable emotions. “Any man I date would have to be okay with being a father-like figure to Yunho. I’m 26 Hyejin, no guy my age wants kids yet.” I monotoned. 

      I had come to terms with the fact that most men didn’t want to date someone who already had a child. Not saying that it didn’t dishearten me a bit, but it was a revelation I made early on. If someone wanted me, they were going to want Yunho too. It either both of us, or neither of us. 

Yunho was my light, and he deserved a father that could be the things I couldn’t.

[dramaqueeenamby]

Waves: Quarantine

A/N: It's been way too long since I've done something for the Wavesverse, and I apologize deeply. I have a few requests related to this series to complete, but I couldn't knock this idea.

Words: 4K

Warnings: None

Tags: @babe-im-bi @notacamelthatsmywife @missyperle @queenoftheworldisdead @tashawar @valkryienymph @letsshamelessqueen-m @hello-therree @mani-lifes @liquorlaughslove @toni9 @koko-michelle @theequeenofcurses @taylortheeshowpony

Waves

Summer placed her phone inside of the mount and made sure that it was secured before she sat back in her bed, getting comfortable with the mass of pillows supporting her back, and smiling tentatively. “Hi, guys.”

Summer!

Someone tell me this isn’t a joke???? Please???

She lives!

Sis, blink twice if you need help.

Summer rolled her eyes. “Ya’ll better stop. I know it’s been a minute since I’ve hopped on live, but it hasn’t been that damn long.”

Summer continued to read the comments where more than a few people pointed out she hadn’t gone live on Instagram in over three months. Her mouth dropped. “Ya’ll lying. It has not been almost six months, has it?” She placed her hand over her mouth when people started dropping dates in the comments. “Okay, I stand corrected. Damn, I’m sorry, guys.”

Don’t be sorry, bestie. Do better!

Damn, ya’ll are so entitled. Celebrities have lives too.

What life? We all been in quarantine.

Rich people quarantine be different from us poor folks, I guess.

“So that’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk about.” Summer cleared her throat. “And I’m going to try really hard to make sure I word what I want to say as clear and as effective as I can, but I know this is still going to end up as a salacious headline. So, it is what it is.”

Oooh, Summer about to drop some tea.

I don’t see her wedding ring, ya’ll…..

I’m scared omg.

Watch this be nothing but a role announcement.

She shrugged and took a deep breath. “Okay, so a few days ago, I did the Buss It challenge, after being harassed by Sanda. And can I just say that filming was a challenge in and of itself? Not necessarily the movements but preparing? I’ve got two kids, twins, who are like the Tasmanian devil. I was literally up at 3 something in the morning trying to record it because my wild children won’t let me be great.” She chuckled. “Kids are something else.”

Summer truly jumped through hoops and was a damn near acrobat trying to figure out when she could not only get herself done up but actually record the challenge. Being the perfectionist that she was didn’t help, but the fact that she couldn’t recall the last time she’d put on makeup and dressed up was a whole other fiasco.

Quarantine definitely brought out her bum side.

“All of that aside, I truly was satisfied and happy with the final product when I posted it. In hindsight, I should have just left it that, but I wake up every day and choose chaos, so I decided to read the comments.” She blew out a breath. “One of the most frequent comments and really, insults, I’ve received my whole career. Primarily, since I was cast as Storm, revolves around how I look. I.e., my weight. I’ve been called fat, obese, out of shape, and so many other things.”

It was 100% true. The minute Marvel announced that she’d been chosen to play Storm, the racists came all out of the woodworks. She was too short, too chubby, too dark, too black. And Summer didn’t care, not a bit.

“Even,—and I’ll tell you guys this, when I first started my SS training, that’s what I call it, SS for Storm Shape, there was a—person who worked for Marvel at the time who came to visit me while I was training.” She smiled thinking back on that day. She could still recall it so clearly. “He basically was pissed because to him, I still looked the same, fat and out of shape.” She adjusted her top and shifted in her bed. “That same day, I deadlifted and bench-pressed over 200lbs” She paused for effect. “What I need for people to stop doing is stop fucking projecting—and I’m going to cuss in this, so if you don’t like it, oh well. I work for Disney, but I’m a grown ass woman, and I’m going to say what I want.”

I am screaming. Summer said we getting alll the tea today!

So, it’s wrong to point out that someone is physically unhealthy now, cool?

The problem is that no one wants to see a fat superhero. It’s not realistic.

^^^^ Tell me you have a small dick without actually telling me you have a small dick.

“I saw Lizzo, whom I adore, post a Tik Tok where she basically said that she workouts to have the body she wants not what ya’ll want, and honestly? Same. She said that her body type is no one’s fucking business, and that’s so true. Ya’ll love to hop on this internet and pick apart people you don’t even know and criticize bodies you don’t even have to live in and move around with. And for what?” She shook her head, slamming her fist into her open palm as she spoke. She was fully invested now. “I know we in quarantine, but damn, pick another hobby cause being a bully is not it, sweetie.”

I really needed to hear this today.

Using Lizzo as a point of reference makes everything you’re saying null and void. Lizzo is clearly overweight and at risk for diabetes, heart disease, just to name a few…..

I been saying this! You can’t look at a person and say they’re unhealthy.

Bodies come in so many forms, and all are beautiful.

“Now, I bring all this up because a lot of people were commenting on my Buss It challenge and pointing out the fact that I’ve gained weight, and guess fucking what? I have, and you know what else?” She leaned over to whisper while covering her mouth with her hands for focused effect. “I don’t care.”

Summer laughed and shook her head. “As others have pointed out as well, yes, we have a gym in our house. I 1000% acknowledge the fact that having the resources that I do as a celebrity and someone who has money puts me in a different category. Hell, my husband has a whole fitness app. I recognize that. If I wanted to keep up with my workouts, emphasis on wanted, I could have. I own up to that, but I just didn’t feel like it, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is to send and leave mean messages calling me all kinds of names.”

Summer had thick skin. She always had. Growing up with her family, who always ensured to feed her self esteem and make sure she knew that she was beautiful, definitely paid off. It was just a combination of quarantine and not having a lot of opportunities to keep herself busy with work that had her feeling some type of way.

“And that’s something else I wanted to bring up.” She blew out another breath and tried to gather her emotions. This was the subject she was almost certain she’d grow teary eyed discussing. “I love my husband to death. My children are everything. Christopher’s family is like my own, but— I haven’t seen my family, like my mom, grandma, brothers, etc in almost a year.” She paused, dwelling on that. Almost an entire year since she’d been able to physically hug and interact with the people who made her who she was. “And I’ve always made it clear how much I fucking love my family. I live in Australia. I can’t do a drive by with grandma so I and my kids can at least see her on the doorstep.” She quieted again, eyes darting off as she quietly cursed. “I’m trying really hard not to cry right now.”

Please don’t cry, bestie.

This is the side of quarantine that people don’t talk about enough.

Has this woman never heard of FaceTime????

I feel her pain. I live in Europe, and my family is in the states. This quarantine has been brutal.

My grandma died from COVID, and I couldn’t even go to the funeral. Summer is bringing up a good point.

“Damn,” Summer chuckled bitterly and wiped at the tears that fell. “I’m okay, I promise. I just bring this up because quarantine has also been very hard for me in that aspect. At certain points, I’ve been down, I’ve been in my head a lot, and I just was not, for the most part, in a space where I felt like I had to keep up my fitness regimen. And that’s okay. I put my mental wellbeing ahead of making sure my body is socially acceptable. Sue me.”

I really appreciate her honesty.

Summer never goes beyond surface level in interviews, so seeing her this vulnerable is really surprising.

Are we supposed to feel bad for her? She’s rich. She can afford whatever help she needed.

These comments are not passing the vibe check.

Ya’ll are all mental health advocates, but when a black woman is opening up about her struggle, it’s discarded?

“And let me make this clear too, I have an amazing husband who is so patient and so kind. He’s one of the best people I can go to when my anxiety hits, so I don’t want this to come across as me complaining that I’ve been alone. I have him and our children. I just miss the rest of my family. That’s all.” She dried her eyes and started to read the comments, unsurprised by the mixed reaction. She expected as such and was unaffected. At least until she saw one comment.

@ChrisEvans: ❤️❤️❤️

“Evans!” Summer wasn’t expecting to see his name pop up. It’d been such a task convincing him to join IG, let alone teaching him how to operate it. “Let’s go live.”

Not my husband and wife in my head about to go live!!!!

Imagine being able to call Chris Evans your best friend

I still say they smashed idc

It’s Christopher Jamal Evans hopping on this live for me.

^^^ I’m so sick of y’all with that shit.

“Let me try to add him,” Summer spoke to herself, scrolling through the comments to find his so she could request him. “Alright, I requested him. Let’s see if he answers.”

She wondered if she should have sent him a text asking if he was available when he appeared on her screen, effectively splitting it with her on the top and him on the bottom.

“Punk.”

“Kid.”

Summer smiled and greeted, “Hi, best friend.”

He chuckled. “How you doing, Summer?”

“Clearly not as good as the people watching,” she chimed. Summer saw nothing but heart eyes and hearts in the comments. “These people really love you. You truly are a manipulative bastard. He’s an asshole, guys.”

“Don’t be jealous, Summer. It’s so unbecoming of you.”

“You can go to hell.”

“Language,” he playfully reprimanded. “Where are the kids?”

“At preschool. Things are finally starting to open back up over here. Thank God.” She clasped her hands together. “Y’all, please wear masks. Don’t be Karen’s.”

Chris laughed, grabbing his chest. “We’re getting there, Summer.”

“The lies you tell,” she countered. “Don’t A Starting Point, me. Ya’ll are far from getting there, and I’m tired of it. I wanna see my family.”

He sighed. “I know, but how are you feeling today?”

“I got rid of the kids, so that’s definitely a weight lifted,” she answered honestly, laughing when she saw judgmental comments in the chat. “Listen, if you’re a parent, you know where I’m coming from. You love your kids, but my god, sometimes you just need some space.”

“As soon as this all blows over, I told you to send em’ by me for a couple of weeks.”

“Best friend, I already purchased their tickets.” He laughed. “As soon as I get the green light, they are all yours. Feel free to keep them.”

“You guys see how she is?” He pointed to Summer, leaning and squinting to read what was being said. “I do love kids, especially the twins, they’re amazing.”

“He is really really great with them, guys,” Summer added. “One thing about Evans, he’s patient as hell and really, just a big kid. Why do you think him and Christopher get along so well? 40 going on 4.”

“I resent that.”

“Is it a lie though?”

He hesitated. “No.” They both laughed.

I’m loving the dynamic between these two so much.

Is it just me or are they flirting with each other…..

Ain’t nothing inappropriate about this conversation. Ya’ll are reaching…

Ya’ll remember that blind item that came out years ago alleging Chris (Evans) was the biological father of the twins? Hmm…..

^^^^^This kind of bullshit is the reason we’re in a global pandemic.

As always, Summer and Evans ignored any foolery that was being dropped in the comments when she caught a comment that didn’t contain some ridiculous rumor.

“Yes, it is true that Evans and Christopher weren’t allowed to do press together anymore. Ya’ll, they literally could not stay serious for more than a minute. I felt so bad for the poor interviewers.”

“Hey, we were not that bad,” Evans protested, his Boston accent more prominent.

She gasped. “You guys were terrible, Evans, and you know it. I was so mad when they put me with ya’ll those few times. I could barely hear the interviewers over your laughing and stupid commentary that literally no one asked for.”

“We did not.”

“There’s deadass video proof, Evans.”

“Fake news.”

She opened her mouth but caught herself. “I was about to say something.”

He laughed and asked, “Do you remember how we all got drunk before the Infinity War premiere?”

“No, ya’ll got drunk. I was big and pregnant, remember?”

“No,” he dismissed. “You were drinking with us.”

“Evans, how was I drinking when I was pregnant?” She challenged and reminded. “I got drunk with ya’ll for the Endgame premiere, not Infinity War.”

“That’s right,” he remembered and chuckled. “You think we’ll get in trouble for saying this?”

She shrugged with one shoulder. “You’re dead, Christopher never gets in trouble for anything, and I do what I want. I think we’re good.”

Kevin Feige watching this live right now like 🥴🥴🥴🥴

I never realized how arrogant she is……

LMAO. Not the whole cast showing up drunk to the biggest premiere of their lives.

Chris Evans is too damn fine to be approaching 40 and still single.

Their friendship is so goals omg

@ChrisHemsworth: Snitches

Summer’s jaw dropped as she caught the last comment, swiping up to click the name and make sure that she was reading correctly. “Christopher, what the hell are you doing on my live?”

Evans brows furrowed. “Hemmy is here? Shouldn’t he be working?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Summer supplied. “And how long have you been watching?”

@ChrisHemsworth: Long enough.

She smiled nervously and looked off to the side. “I feel weird now. I don’t like when he watches my lives.”

“Aren’t you guys married?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be shutting the fuck up?”

Evans lifted his hands in a defensive manner. “Touchy subject, I see.” They shared another laugh as he cleared his throat. “Why don’t you add him now? I’m supposed to be helping Scott cook.”

“My favorite Evans,” she gushed and furrowed her brows. “You, cooking? Since when?”

“Get out of here.” He waved her off and reminded. “I’m not the one who constantly causes near fires when in the kitchen.”

“So, you really just putting all my business out there like that?”

“Summer, it’s not secret to anyone that you can’t cook for shit.”

“Wow, it really be your own best friends.”

He chuckled. “Love you, kid.”

“Love you too, punk,” she blew a kiss. “I’ll text ya’ later.”

“Alright.” He smiled for the camera. “Thanks for having me everyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said jokingly. Evans and Summer said goodbye one last time before he left the live. She blew out a breath and ran her hand through her hair. “Baby, comment something so I can add you. It’s too many comments to wade through.”

Summer adjusted her phone and checked the time on the clock on the wall. It’d been a while since the kids were away at school, and she didn’t want to get so caught up that she was late picking them up.

@ChrisHemsworth: I can’t. I’m too drunk.

Summer released a mixture of a laugh and a snort reading his comment. “You are so damn petty.” She clicked his name and adjusted her outfit while waiting for him to answer. She almost cursed when it seemed like he wasn’t going to join, only for her to smile when his face appeared on her screen.

“Hi,” she greeted in a soft voice with a small smile.

“Hello, Sandcastle.”

“Did you just—I swear to god, it’s always something with you.” Summer rubbed her temples and shook her head. Christopher smiled in response. “Why aren’t you working?”

“I am.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re working, how are you talking to me?” She asked, sassily.

“Umm, a little thing called multitasking, ever heard of it?”

“Wow. You are an asshole.”

“That’s mean.”

“You’re mean.”

“Christopher, you are literally a child.”

“Does a child have muscles like this?” He flexed, and Summer stilled. Christopher stayed in ridiculous shape, but this was another level. He’d never been this massive, and she wasn’t too proud to admit that. Just not aloud.

She faked a yawn. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

They really just be roasting each other all the time, and I’m here for it.

Summer must be legally blind because this man is stupid fine tf

It’s gotta be steroids. That’s not natural.

^^^^^He’s the god of thunder.

Summer rolled her eyes at the typical nature of the comments. These were the reasons she limited her time on social media and especially stayed away from reading the comments. Her attention was redirected to the top of her phone. It was a text from Christopher asking her to call him.

“But we’re—oh, I get it.” She realized he wanted to talk to her, not her and her tens of millions of followers. “Alright, guys, I’m gonna get off here so I can talk to my husband, alone.”

“She just doesn’t want to share me with you all, that’s all.”

“Don’t even start, Christopher,” she lectured while he laughed and got serious, for a minute tops.

“Hope you all are taking care and staying safe,” he spoke honestly. “And we’ll talk to you soon.”

Summer waved and smile. “Bye, guys. Remember to be kind.” Summer offered a final smile before ending the live. Closing up the app, she moved to open FaceTime and called up Christopher. He answered almost immediately. “You know I hate when you watch my Lives. Now, how much did you see?”

“Enough to know you’re coming to see me tonight.”

She laughed aloud. “Funny.”

“I’m serious, Summer.” Focusing on him, she realized that there was no humor in his voice nor his expression. Summer also noticed that he didn’t have the Thor wig on yet, which was probably why he was able to go live with her. He was waiting to get into hair and makeup. “Leave the kids with Liam. It’s not like he’s doing anything.”

“Christopher!”

“What? Is he not a professional unemployed bastard.”

Summer’s smile remained as she shook her head. “You are so mean.”

“I’ll handle the flight arrangements. You, my beautiful wife, just make sure you get on the jet so I can handle you.”

“Christopher, you’re working. People with everyday jobs don’t just up and show up to their spouses workplace because they miss them or need a break from the kids. That’s how folks get fired.”

Christopher started to move around, walking somewhere, she realized. “What are you doing?”

“Hey, Tike.”

Summer’s eyes widened slightly. “Christoper!”

“Sup, man?” Taika asked casually, as Summer laughed again. Taika Waititi was such a character.

“You mind if Summer comes up for a few days?”

“Sure, man,” he replied almost right away. “Bring the kids and chickens too.”

“I am not bringing those damn chickens,” she immediately protested.

Christopher made a sound. “Ha, so you are coming!”

“I didn’t say that.”

Taika joined Christopher so that he was in camera. “Hey, Summer, why don’t you come on join? You can have a cameo. Chickens, too.”

She rubbed her temples. Taika’s and Chris’s friendship would never not make sense to her. They were cut from the same cloth. “One, hey. Two, I was already in Ragnarok. I’m good on the cameos. Three, what is with ya’ll and those creepy looking chickens?”

“Whoa, creepy? What did the chickens ever do?”

“Exist,” Summer answered dryly. She still hadn’t forgiven Evans and Christopher for convincing her to let the kids keep those damn things. Her home was becoming more and more of a farm with each animal that joined the household.

“Tough crowd, that one, ehh?”

“Always,” Christopher agreed.

“I can hear you both,” she reminded and groaned loudly. Summer would love to spend a few days away from the kids. Chris would be working, yes, but she’d at least get some time for herself. Even better, alone adult time with her husband. That had also been a bit tricky during quarantine because of her rambunctious twins. Still, she disliked using her status as a celebrity to gain things, and this would definitely be a case of using status for pull. “I don’t know….”

Deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that Chris had walked away and returned to wherever he was prior to finding Taika, most likely his trailer.

“What if you only stayed a night?” Chris tried to bargain. “The flight is only an hour and a half. That will give you more than enough time to come here, let me fix you dinner, run you a nice bath, maybe get in the good ole’ horizontal tango—”

“You know I hate when you call it that,” she reminded quietly, admitting. “That does sound nice, though.”

“Or, I can come to you—“

“Absolutely not. Christopher, you’re already doing so much back and forth as it is.” One of the good things to come out of quarantine, to Summer at least, was that it forced many people to take a much needed break. Her husband was one of those people. Christopher had been working nonstop since she met him. Project after project, film after film, many of them Marvel films, which put a whole other layer of difficulty what with the strenuous physical requirements. Even now as he shot Thor 4, he was in the best shape he’d ever been, muscles nearly tearing the cotton of his clothes. He looked amazing, but it was what they couldn’t see that she was starting to grow a little concerned over. Christopher wasn’t as young as he once was. He had to slow down, eventually.

Summer realized this would be a perfect chance to have a conversation about just that with him, which all but led her to her final decision.

“Alright,” she conceded, finger up as she made her demands. “Three days, and I stay at the house while you shoot. We may be returning to normal, but we’re still in a pandemic. I won’t go around anyone except you.”

“So I get you all to myself? Hardly consider that a stipulation.”

“And…we talk.”

“After the horizontal tango—“

“I swear to God, if you don’t stop calling it that—“

“What was that, sweetheart? I wasn’t listening.” She saw that he had paused the screen, causing Summer to remember that she hadn’t even consulted with the babysitter. “Making flight arrangements for you.”

“Shit, let me text Liam and make sure he’s available.”

“He gets reception in the box?”

“Christopher! For the last time, your brother is not living in a box.”

“Do you know that for certain?”

“Goodbye, Christopher,” she prepared to end the call before smiling softly. “I love you, Christopher, and thank you.”

He winked. “I’ll always do anything for you, Summer. Anything.” A beat. “Don’t forget to leave the clothes. You won’t need them.”

“Christopher!”

[tinyboxxtink]

"Doppelganger" *Part 25* !!Finale!!

Okay I know this took two days but remember when I said I was NOT going to make another chapter? Well I had to just fit multiple chapters into this last one. Because dammit it will STOP HERE.

Except for the epilogue.

So here it is, I hope the anticipation and the hype doesn't ruin it for you, I did my best!

Also thank you so much for coming on this ride with me, it's been the longest one yet! I'm going to miss Pinguino and Raffi, but they'll be fine.

Part 24

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

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

It was finally the night before your wedding day. The day you had been waiting for since you had first kissed Rafael, if you were being totally honest. You were staying at Chloe’s due to the whole traditional “not seeing each other” before the wedding; it was the first night you had spent away from Rafael since the whole “Nevada” debacle. You wanted to prove to him and yourself that you could spend one night without him cuddling you like a toddler afraid to sleep in their own bed. But the more you drank during your “last girl’s night” the more the demons came out for you. Before you knew it you were hiding in your old bathroom dialing Rafael’s number.

“Baby aren’t you--” He started to ask you but you cut him off.

“Do you still want to marry me?”

“Ay dios,” You heard him chuckle. “Si, mi amor,”

“¿Estás seguro?” You asked worriedly.

“Yes carino,” He said very seriously. “I am very very sure,”

“...Okay,” You said in a small voice.

“Now go have fun and tell Chloe not to let you drink anymore, comprende?”

“Si,” You rolled your eyes. As you came out of the bathroom, you were greeted by Maria who was now in your former living room...for some reason.

“Hey babe, so Maria came by for--”

“I came by to ask you a favor, mija,” Maria cut Chloe off.

“Oh um--” You tried to act more sober around the only mother figure you’d really been around since forever. “Yeah sure! What’s up?”

“Well, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but Raffi is basically my son, so I consider you like a daughter,” She smiled sweetly at you, and you were suddenly aware that she was carrying a box with her.

“Oh, well that’s very sweet of you Maria,” You tried your best not to look uncomfortable.

“My husband Felipe and I,” She explained as she opened the box. “We were never able to conceive children ourselves,” She pulled out a very ancient looking, very detailed veil from the box.

“This veil has been worn by many generations in my family, and if I can’t pass it onto my own daughter, it would be my honor to give it to you to wear tomorrow,”

“Oh, Maria,” You did your best to hide your disgust for the veil, looking at her teary eyed smile. You glanced over her head and caught Chloe’s gaze; she was making a face that mimicked how you felt. It was like one of those fruit hats women wore in movies or commercials, only white and frilly. But what could you do?

“I’d be honored to wear it,” You nodded sweetly. Maria threw her arms around you with a tearful cry of joy. Behind her Chloe waved her arms wildly like “what the hell are you doing?!”. You could just shrug like “what else am I supposed to do?!”

“Bless you, hermosa,” She kissed you on the cheek as she stood up to leave. “Now I’ll leave you ladies to your fun,” She smiled and waved as she walked out the door.

“...What the hell?” Chloe couldn’t help but erupt in giggles as she properly examined the monstrosity.

“Shut up,” You tossed a pillow at her. “What was I supposed to do?! She was asking me to carry on her family name, or something,” You looked at the door where she had left; although you were still pretty drunk so you half remembered the conversation.

“Well if Rafael marries you while you wear this, you know it’s true love,” She snickered as she put it on you and turned you towards a mirror above your key ring holder.

“Oh God…” You threw your hands over your face and fell onto the couch face forward.

“Hey hey hey, don’t wrinkle it!” Chloe continued to tease and giggle. “That thing probably came over in some old Cuban woman’s raft,”

“I hate you,” You muttered through the cushions.

“You’ll hate me more if I don’t get you in bed right now,” Chloe shook her head with a laugh and a bottle of water. “But first, drink this. We don’t want you hungover on your big day,”

“Thanks mom,” You took the water and headed to your room, leaving the veil on the couch.

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

The next day Chloe woke you up by jumping up and down on your bed yelling “IT’S YOUR WEDDING DAY!!!”

“...Jesus Christ Chloe,” You grumbled. “It’s too early for this,”

“Too early?” She scoffed, plopping right on your butt making you grunt. “Nonsense. It’s your wedding day!!”

“Which begs the question why you’re so happy about it,” You raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“What? I can't be happy for my best friend to get her happy ending?” She feigned offense.

“....Uh huh”, You continued to give her the look.

“And the fact that my bridesmaid’s dress makes me look like a classy pornstar?” She added.

“....An oxymoron, but go on,” You waited for it.

“....And the fact that every eligible lawyer and cop are gonna be at this wedding?!” She finally exclaimed.

“There it is,” You nodded your head with a roll of your eyes as you threw on some clothes to go downstairs.

------

There was a limo waiting outside Chloe’s apartment for you and her. You hesitated getting in, remembering the last time you were in one of them. Chloe decided she’d do a ‘sweep’ for you. She jumped in and slid down the seats, squealing in delight.

“All clear babe! Check out what the husband left you!”

You cautiously slid in the limo to see Chloe pointing to a mini bar/fridge full of sweet pastries and champagne.

“Good lord,” You shook your head with a smile. “Chloe maybe we--” You were starting to say maybe at least wait until 11 am to start drinking, but she had already popped the champagne.

“Here,” She grabbed orange juice from the mini fridge. “Mimosas, the breakfast drink,”

You just stared at the drink she was trying to hand you; orange liquid in a champagne flute. You closed your eyes and told yourself the mind elixir was bright orange like Fanta, not orange juice. You took a deep breath and slowly accepted the mimosa, sipping it. See? You were fine. Everything was fine.

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

As you pulled up to St. Michael’s you saw it was swarmed with cameras, reporters, and people in general. It looked like a circus. You saw the crowd and silently wished you had said screw tradition and had Rafael there with you. But you were a big girl, and you had Chloe.

“...Can we get out somewhere less...this?” You nervously asked your driver.

“Absolutely ma’am, I’ll find a private entrance. No problem,”

“Thank you,” You sighed in relief.

-----

After driving around the church a few times, the driver finally found a side street blocked off. He informed the copper he had you in the limo, and the cop waved your limo inside. Chloe jumped out of the limo while holding your hand, nearly breaking your arm.

“Oh! Wait! Hey Jeeves, can we get those pastries and mimosa’s in the lady’s bridal suite?”

“Chloe his name is not--”

“It’s fine, ma’am,” The driver chuckled. “I’ll make sure the refreshments are delivered to your dressing room,”

“You’re a doll,” She blew him a kiss before she continued pulling you through the huge building like she knew exactly where you were going.

“Excuse me, where do we go?” Chloe asked a random man in a suit.

“Oh, it’s you Ms. Y/N!” The man pulled out a camera and began snapping photos.

“Oh my god--- What is WRONG with you people?!” Chloe shoved him aside and took you down another corridor. Finally you reached a doorway that was guarded by two armed guards.

“Hi, do you know--”

“Right this way,” One of them took your hand. “Mr. Barba is already inside getting ready,” He nodded to the door as you walked away. You wanted so badly to swing open the door and jump into his arms, but you knew you had to stay calm.

“Great!” You did your best to smile at him as he led you and Chloe down the hall to another doorway. He opened it to reveal a huge room with a vanity, a changing wall, two long body mirrors and a lush couch. Two sinks lined the wall and a room with a toilet was behind it. Yours and Chloe’s dresses were hanging on the changing wall, and sitting on the vanity were your treats from the limo.

“Weee! Look at all of this!!!” Chloe clapped her hands and giggled wildly as she danced around the lavish room.

“I mean, it is nice--”

“Nice? God I wish I was getting married here!” Chloe sighed as she poured herself another mimosa.

“Well, if you ever find a man I’ll look into it,” You teased her.

“Uh I think you mean WHEN,” She pointed out. “And I think the ‘when’ will be by tonight!”

“My wedding reception isn’t a singles mixer, Chloe,” You rolled your eyes.

“Well of course not,” She shook her head. “It’s a BALL!”

“Oh good god,” You groaned with a small laugh as you poured yourself a mimosa and downed it.

“Whoa there killer, let’s slow it down there,” She gave you a look. “Wouldn’t want you stumbling down the aisle in front of a million people,”

“...Do you think you’re helping?” You asked her in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry, sorry,” She apologized as there was a knock at the door. Chloe answered it to see two women carrying makeup cases and hair tools.

“We’re here to get you ready, Ms. Y/L/N,” One of them smiled at you.

“And her maid of honor, right?” Chloe jumped in.

“Uh...if that’s what the bride wants,” The other one looked at you with a wary stare.

“Yeah that’s fine, actually please do her first by all means,” You waved them over to the long sink wall and vanity.

“You’re a good friend,” Chloe put her hands over your face with tears in her eyes as she smiled.

“...You’re ridiculous,” You patted her head sweetly before she sat in the vanity, ready to be made over.

While Chloe was being turned into a princess, you walked over and admired your dress that looked like it was made for one. It was a long, cream white colored sleeveless dress with intricate cubic zirconia diamonds sewn into the bust. It was the simplest dress Chloe had let you pick. Suddenly you remembered the cornucopia veil, it was sitting on the couch in the box Maria had brought it over in. You pulled it out and put it on; when one of the stylists saw it she gasped.

“Oh, ma’am, I don’t know--”

“My...mother, asked me to wear it,” You stopped her.

“Right,” She nodded uncomfortably while Chloe tried not to laugh at the disgusted faces they were clearly trying to hide.

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

After what seemed like hours, you and Chloe were finally done in full make up and up do's. One of the ladies picked up the ancient headwear and tried positioning on your hair as best she could. She took several tries, using hair pins and hairspray before she finally stepped back.

“Lovely,” She smiled as she stepped back to admire her work. You looked in the vanity mirror to see your finished look. The headdress felt like it weighed five pounds, but it was intricately woven into your hair, there was no getting it out now. You longed for the moment Rafael would rip it off your head as soon as you were alone in your honeymoon suite...or, y’know before then.

“Well we’ll see you out there ma’am,” One of them nodded as they gathered their stuff and scooted out the door, leaving you and Chloe alone once again.

“Well,” Chloe examined your head. “At least you won’t lose it…” She was cut off by a knock at the door. You started to open it when you recognized those eyes.

“Rafa!” You slammed the door and yelled through it. “What are you doing? We can’t see each other before the wedding, it’s bad luck,”

“Baby I think we’ve gotten all the bad luck already out of the way,” He called through the door. “And I really, really need to talk to you,”

Your eyes widened in panic as you looked at Chloe, who sprung into best friend mode. “Calm yourself, I’m sure it’s nothing…” She walked over and put her hands on your shoulders.

“Stop freaking her out counselor, are you planning to run? Tell me now so I can get out there and tie you to a chair,”

“What? No! I just-- Y/N please will you open the door, por favor?” He sounded seriously distressed, and he used his secret weapon: speaking in spanish.

You sighed and slowly opened the door, revealing Rafael in a gorgeous black and white tux, and the tallest top hat you’d ever seen.

“Well well well, Mr. Monopoly, don’t you look spiffy?” Chloe snickered, causing you to hit her while Rafael made an even more distressed face.

“I knew it, god it’s awful,” He sighed as he took it off his head and walked inside the room.

“So why are you--?” You started to ask.

“The mayor said it would ‘look better on tv’,” He scoffed in disgust.

“Oh Jesus--” You rolled your eyes. “Baby why didn’t you just tell him--?”

“Because that stupid fucking contract we signed said we would go along with everything he said for the rest of this whole shit show!” He growled at the mess he had gotten himself into. The mayor knew damn well how much more “favors” he would ask of him before he signed that contract, he just knew it.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better…” You pointed to your own head. Rafael’s worried expression turned into a relieved smile as he finally noticed the bird’s nest on your scalp.

“...Maria sprung this on me last night,” You pointed to it. “At least you can take yours off,”

“...Well, that does help a bit,” He half smiled as he examined your ceremonial headdress.

“Is that it mi amor, you’re freaking out over a hat?” You put your hand on his face.

“Well our children are going to see these photos! Videos! Our GRANDKIDS! They’re going to think their grandpa was a huge douche,” He cried overdramatically.

“...Is this what it’s like to be with me? Because I don’t love it,” You teased him.

“I’m serious, Y/N! This isn’t funny!” He gave you a pitiful pout.

“...What else?” You gave him an expectant look.

“What else?”

“All of this over a hat?”

“...Alright fine,” He sighed as he sat down on the lush couch. “I know what I said about all that mattered was me and you standing across from each other but--”

“But?” You gave Chloe a worried look.

“But I also wanted someone else,”

“....Who, Olivia?” You rolled your eyes.

“No!” He exclaimed. “No, my childhood priest, Father Hernandez,”

“Oh,” You said with a relieved sigh. “Well, baby why don’t you just--”

“Because they’re being super particular, stupid Catholics!” He got up and started pacing.

“Apparently THEIR priest Father O’Shannon is ‘assigned’ to this place. God forbid anyone dare replace him,” He grumbled as he continued to pace.

“So you--”

“And it’s just the last straw on top of all of this bullshit, all this bending. I can’t do it!!” He threw up his hands in frustration.

“....Baby, breathe,” You stopped his pacing and pressed your forehead against his, your own personal calming gesture.

“God I guess it is true what they say,” Chloe suddenly spoke up, causing you both to give her a perplexed stare.

“In a couple when one person starts to go off the rails the other one instantly becomes the calm rational one,” She gestured between the two of you.

“Hey, I am NOT--” He protested.

“Baby please,” You shook your head. “I almost forgot how high strung you were until this moment,”

“High strung?” He took offense. “What are you talking about?”

“You forget that I worked for you,” You giggled.

“I’m high strung at work?” He asked. The question caused you to erupt in laughter. “What?! Am I?”

“Oh no sweetie, you’re totally mellow,” You smiled sarcastically.

“How am I--?”

“Think about how much coffee you drink at work, Rafa,”

“I don’t see how that is relevant,” He huffed. He loved his coffee, so what?

“...Mmmkay,” You chuckled, kissing his cheek.

“Well whatever, kettle” He made a pouty face.

“Fair,” You chuckled. “But we’re talking about you right now, pot,”

“Hey, I think I have done more than my share of helping you through your little ‘episodes’, it’s your turn!!!” He crossed his arms like a kid.

“Oh really? ‘Episodes’?” You replied in a snarky tone. Chloe sensed the rising tension and sprung into action.

“Okay! I think that’s enough, Pot. Kettle.” Chloe stepped in between you. “You’re clearly both too high strung for this conversation,”

“He started it,” You stuck your tongue out at Rafael like a five year old.

“Okay now let's not turn on each other, then the terrorist headwear wins,” She pointed to the hat on the vanity and your head.

“....Well do you have a solution, Gandhi?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Actually,” She smiled proudly. “I think I do,” She grabbed her phone and began typing something into google maps.

“You wanna share with the class?” Rafael asked as he gave you a look, like you were supposed to understand her crazy.

“.....Have you seen The Office?” She asked them, then glanced at you with a knowing look. Your face turned into a huge grin as you realized what she was implying.

“Chloe, you’re a genius,” You grabbed her in a hug.

“I know,” She nodded with a cocky smile.

-----

Chloe popped her head out of the door, making sure the coast was clear. When she was sure, she motioned to the two of you out and down the hall towards the back door where you left the limo. You and Rafael got in, and Chloe began to shut the door when you stopped her.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Someone has to vamp!” She pointed out.

“You're a good friend, Chloe,” You gave her a kiss on her head.

“I know,” She said boastfully. “Just hurry, my bubbly personality can’t hold them off for long,” She slammed the door and you were off.

-----

“...Fucking New York traffic! Estúpido tráfico de mierda,,,” Rafael began muttering under his breath. His childhood church in the Bronx was at least thirty minutes away with the busy Manhattan traffic. You put a hand on his knee to try and soothe him, but he was extra wound up by now. It reminded you of when you were just his assistant; he’d get this way when a trial wasn’t going his way and he felt backed into a corner. The worst days you’d seen him have at the office, where he’d suddenly take off for hours in the middle of the day….

That gave you an idea.

“Baby,” You snapped him out of his internal ranting monologue. He turned to you with a dismayed look.

“I’m sorry, carino,” He apologized, taking your hand that was placed on his knee. “I know I’m--”

“Can priests marry people outside of their church?” You simply asked him.

“....Like a closer church?” He looked at you in confusion.

“.....Actually, I was thinking somewhere closer,” You bit your lip with a smile as you took his phone and typed in an address that linked to the driver’s phone map. He glanced down at it and gave you a huge smile.

“You’re the best,” He gave you a huge kiss as the limo made a U-Turn.

------

Luckily Father Gonzalez used a bike for his transportation, so he was able to make it through traffic pretty easily. He met the two of you outside Central Park pretty soon after you got there.

“I appreciate you doing this for us, Padre,” Rafael hugged the priest tightly. “I didn’t want anyone else marrying us,”

“Claro, Rafael,” He smiled. “Of course! I was hoping St. Michael’s would have a change of heart, pero--”

“You know Catholics,” Rafael rolled his eyes.

“Si,” He nodded. “They’re almost as stubborn as you!” The padre chuckled. Then he noticed you.

“Ay, Rafa,” He gestured at you. “es este su prometido?”

“Si,” You nodded. “Soy su prometida,”

“Ay bien! Ella habla español!” Father Gonzalez smiled brightly. “So are you two ready?”

“Si, Padre,” Rafael nodded. “But first, we need the right backdrop,” He grinned as he took your hand and walked into the park.

----

It was the middle of the day on a Saturday so the park was full of families playing, joggers, street artists and the like. Luckily for you however, nobody seemed to want to see the penguins today. The enclosure was almost empty except for one elderly couple.

“Witnesses!” You beamed at Rafael as you calmly walked up to the two and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

“Excuse me,” You smiled sweetly. “Would you-- my fiancé and I, we’re supposed to get married in this huge chapel down the street from here, but it was just all too much circus so we snuck away so that we could just get married in our favorite spot here and--”

“Baby, too much detail,” Rafael laughed. He loved it when you would ramble on about something when you got excited, but you were on a time crunch.

“...Right,” You blushed. “Anyway is there any way--”

“You’d like us to be witnesses, dear?” The old woman smiled brightly at you.

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind,” You smiled gratefully.

“Of course not!” The man with her chimed in. “Y’know, back in our day, we had to get married in secret too,”

You suddenly noticed that they were an interracial couple; a white woman and a black man. Your smile faded a bit as you thought of the hardships they must have been through, just to be together, similar to you and Rafael.

“Okay, we’ll do the fast version of this, mijos,” The Padre opened his Bible and began to speak, but looked at the two of you.

“Actually, you know you’re going to do this whole spiel in a little while anyway, why don’t you say your vows in your own words while you can?”

“Oh God,” You muttered, then gasped. “I’m so sorry! I--”

“It’s fine, senorita,” He nodded.

“I just...I’m not great, with the speeches and the speaking in public thing,” You twirled the one piece of hair hanging from your updo in your hand nervously.

“I mean, we’re not exactly in public, amor,” Rafael smirked.

“You know what I mean!” You hit him playfully. “I just...I want it to be perfect,”

“If you speak from your heart dear, it will be perfect,” The old woman assured you. “Just look into his eyes and say whatever it is you’re thinking,”

“....Well, maybe not ‘everything’,” The old man added with a laugh, giving you two a raunchy look. Good lord.

“Okay,” You took a deep breath and took Rafael’s hands, looking into his gorgeous green eyes.

“I...um….” You looked down nervously.

“Hey,” Rafael cupped your chin to look at him. “It’s okay, mi amor. It’s just me, it’s just us. Just like I said,”

“Just us,” You smiled, then began to start again.

“Rafael,” You took a deep breath. “It’s...it’s hard for me to make some big speech because the truth is, when I look into your eyes I forget everything. Every wrong decision, every hurdle we’ve been through, it all just...fades away, when you look at me,” You squeezed his hands tighter.

“You have done so much for me in so little time. People probably think that we’re insane because we’re committing our lives to each other after only really knowing each other for a few months, but the truth is it feels like a lifetime. I feel like I was born loving you, I just didn’t know it until I saw you,” His eyes were starting to water as your voice cracked with your own tears.

“I know that I have put you through so much grief, so much pain and...doubt,” You paused, wiping a few stray tears. “But you have never, not once, abandoned me. You’ve stuck through all of my crazy, all of our shenanigans--”

You glanced over at the old couple who were grinning ear to ear. You didn’t want to get into all the psycho drama you and Rafael had been through in front of total strangers, but he gave you a knowing look when you said ‘shenanigans’. He knew what you meant; because of course he did. You were connected.

“I’m actually really glad that you had your ‘freak out’ because for one it made me look like the sane one for once,” All of you chuckled. “But also, because it got us our chance to get married our way, in our spot,” You gestured to the cave around you.

“I remember the very first time you brought me here, I thought that it was done. We were done. I thought that our one perfect day was going to be just that-- one perfect day,” You began to choke on your words again as you thought back to that very first day, the day you “magicked” him.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought that--'' You glanced at the Padre and the couple again. “That we’d….start, again here,” You exchanged another knowing look.

“And I certainly never thought you’d propose to me in this place-- with a flash mob, no less!” The Padre and couple laughed in surprise, Rafael began to blush profusely, but you put a hand to his red cheek.

“Literally every single beginning we’ve had-- it started right here,” You wiped more stray tears, already knowing the woman back at the church was going to have to re-do all of it.

“And now it’s starting again-- for the rest of our lives,” You sniffled while Rafael wiped more tears from your face and then his own.

“...Okay I’m done,” You took a deep breath in and out as you smiled at Father Hernandez.

“Alright well then Rafa--”

“Oh wait!!!” You suddenly interjected. “Also, I love you,” You make an “eek” face. “I can’t believe I left that out,”

“...I’m pretty sure that whole speech was an ‘I love you,’ dearie,” The old woman patted your back with a reassuring smile.

“I agree,” Rafael nodded. “And to be honest-- I don’t think I can follow that,”

“Oh come on,” You rolled your eyes. “It wasn’t that great,”

“No it wasn’t great,” He shook his head. “It was perfecto,” He took both of your hands in his once more. “...All I can say is, ditto,”

“Ditto?” You laughed. “Real romantic, Rafa,”

“Well I can’t think of anything more than what you’ve already said!” Rafael shrugged with a laugh.

“Well, except this: You say that I’ve put up with you, and never abandoned you, but neither did you,” He pulled you closer towards him.

“You’ve put up with me plenty, and you could have walked away plenty of times. But you stayed with me. You fought for me. And I will spend the rest of our lives trying to be good enough for you, not the other way around,”

“You’re already good enough for me, Rafael,” You bit your lip as you tried your hardest not to kiss him before Padre said you could.

“Can I kiss her yet Padre?” Rafael read your mind.

“Calma, Rafa,” Padre chuckled. “Do you have rings?”

“Shit, the rings!” Rafael groaned. “Sorry, Padre,” He quickly apologized.

“Wait...baby,” You turned around and looked down at all the decorative stones that lined the bottom of the tank. You picked two up and handed one to Rafael.

“Pebbles,” He smiled at you. “Like penguins,”

“Ah, well then…” The Padre shrugged, having no idea what was happening but went along with it anyway. “I guess, exchange the pebbles now?”

You giggled as you placed your pebble in Rafael’s hand, then he placed his in yours.

“Well then, I guess by the power vested in me by God and the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife,” He shrugged with a smile. “Now you may kiss her, Rafa,”

“Gracias, Padre,” He grinned before pulling you into a passionate kiss, a kiss rivaling many of the kisses you had exchanged in this cave before now.

“Now, if you three would like to attend a circus, we’d be glad to have you,” You glanced at your three witnesses.

They looked at each other with confused glances, then shrugged and followed you and Rafael back towards the limo.

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

As soon as you pulled back behind the church, the Padre and the couple were shown to seats by one of the security guards while you and Rafael walked back to the bridal suite. Chloe ran up to the both of you before you could make it here, Rafael’s top hat in her hand.

“What the hell, you guys?!” She hissed, then realized you were in a church so she made a sign of the cross and kissed her fist.

“They’re about to start rioting!” She added.

“Sorry, sorry, Chloe,” You kissed her cheek. “You’re a good friend,”

"I want you to realize you've said that three times now,” She smiled proudly. “Be sure to tell all of your sexy eligible lawyer friends that, Rafael,”

“I’ll be sure to slip it in every conversation later, Chloe,” He smirked as he gave her a kiss on the cheek as well.

“Alright now take this magic hat and get down that aisle before the mayor actually kills you,” She shoved the top hat in Rafael’s hands and shooed him through the hall and towards the doors of the sanctuary.

“Alright,” She focused on you. “You ready to do this?”

“I mean…” You gestured to your messed up make up and the veil falling out of your hair.

“Aw crap,” Chloe grimaced. “Ok, well looks like you’re getting the Chloe special,” She went and grabbed her purse from the bridal room and pulled you into the ladies room.

After a few minutes you reemerged with perfect make up and the veil reattached to your hair like a nest. Hey, you just had your perfect ceremony. You could last a few more minutes with this thing.

“Alright, now you’re ready,” She brushed you off and opened the sanctuary doors to signal the piano to start playing the Bridal Suite.

The doors opened and Chloe took your hand as you both walked down the aisle together. The flashing lights and bright red dots from film cameras were starting to overwhelm you as you walked, but you focused on Rafael.

He was at the end of all this erratic tunnel of people gawking at you like a zoo animal. You just breathed in and out and kept your gaze locked into his; his smile was like a bright beacon in the darkness. Finally you reached the altar and he took your hands in his. You felt safe again; you’d always feel safe in his grasp.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The priest began to speak, but the only thing the two of you heard were each other, speaking volumes to each other with just your looks. It was just like Rafael had promised: Just you and him.

And it would just be you and him, forever.

[razorblade180]

Shackles Finale: Free

[Part 12]

Destiny is a fickle thing. For some it’s real, and for others it’s as fake as fairy tales. No matter what however, time still goes on. Things still happen. Ruby was never one to think too hard on the topic despite all she’s been through. However, as she walked into Menagerie’s hospital soaking wet from the extreme downpour happening in the middle of the night, Ruby couldn’t help but wonder if it was destiny to test everyone’s resolve; or karma coming to collect.

Her self imposed mission had been going well. Adam cooperated, Blake planned ahead, and things progressed steadily. It should’ve stayed like that for three more months. Unfortunately things don’t always go as planned. Jacquelyn went into labor early, too early. The woman woke up today looking fit as a fiddle. Who could’ve guessed she would be fighting for her life today? Her, and her daughter?

Hospital staff were in a frenzy from the storm just like the public. It made getting to the back where everyone was without suspicion easy for Ruby. Certain doctors were notified ahead of time of the complexities of their patient and precautions had already been in place for Jacquelyn and company to have no disturbances. Though nobody factored in an unhealthy birth creating this island’s worst storms to date. Ruby made it to the sealed off waiting room. What should’ve been a haven of calm was another conflict. Blake stood arms folded and ears back in the way of guards and her conflicted father while Adam sat behind her, silent.

“You know I expected more from you, Saber. That goes double for you dad.”

The man frowned. “Blake, this wasn’t my-”

“We have held our end of the agreement.” Saber interjected, “Adam was to be free until the child was born. Not my problem that day came early.”

Blake grit her teeth. “You know damn well that’s not why I’m standing here right now!” She said through her teeth. His kid had just been born moments ago and just like that, she was rushed to intensive care. Meanwhile Jacquelyn was slipping in and out, her body failing her during the labor. “Let him see this through.”

“What good would it do him to hear terrible news? He’ll lash out for all we know. That can not happen in a hospital!”

“You just want to kick him while he’s down!”

“AND FOR GOOD REASON!”

Okay, Ruby had enough. “HEY!” She yelled, gaining everyone’s attention. She brushed her wet hair out of her face. “I set up generators across the island. No one's gonna lose power. I also told people Menagerie’s guards were making their rounds to make sure everyone was accounted for. I don’t mean to overstep being an outsider and all but…” her eyes burrowed into Saber’s “Get to work.” It wasn’t kind or even right necessarily, but Ruby didn’t care.

Feeling the pressure, Saber made the wise decision to take his people and leave. Ghira looked at Blake with guilt in his eyes for letting it get this far. “Listen I-”

“You know I understand mom not wanting anything to do with this, but I didn’t expect this from you. It’s like you’re trying to create every reason to push him back into old habits and make all this worthless. We will hold up our end of the bargain, so teach them what you tell me and have some patience.”

Ghira didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. There was caution, and then there was insensitivity. He had no words, just a nod before walking away.

Ruby grabbed his arm in passing. “She knows this wasn’t your call. Blake is stressed. Your house still has power. Ilia is with Kali trying to calm down Sienna and Sun is helping check on people. Maybe you should go home too?” Ruby smiled softly. She knew a worried father when she saw one. Ghira needed something to do.

“I appreciate the concern Mrs. Rose, but I think I’ll just stand guard outside this room.”

“Understood, and hey, things will work themselves out.” Ruby let him go and headed from one worried feline to the next. “You know he’s not to blame right? He’s just…trying to keep everyone connected.”

Blake let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I know that, and I also know he’s not going to lose me. But right now I really need everyone to not jump the gun. Thanks for keeping the peace. Maybe I should’ve paid more attention to your leadership skills.”

“I just got snippy with faunus officers on their own island. Really testing my boundaries with my status as an important huntress across Remnant.” Ruby patted Blake on the back. “You should go check in on the doctors. I’ll do my job watching our person of interest.”

“Okay.” Blake looked back at Adam. He stayed quiet throughout all of this, eyes closed and arms crossed. He must’ve figured the best thing he could do right now is not look threatening. “I’ll let you know first if anything changes okay?”

He still didn’t move but that didn’t stop him from speaking. “Thank you.” He heard Blake run off in a hurry while the sound of chair legs rubbed the ground in front of him. Adam opened his one good eye and saw Ruby sitting in front of him with her scroll in hand.

“You know…I can’t remember when a day has felt this long.” Ruby sighed, “Moments like these is enough to just make you want stop time ya know?”

“I don’t need sympathy.”

“Wasn’t giving any. Just venting I guess. My husband sent me a text. I’m missing a very important arrival today; not that it’s your fault by any means. I just know it’s gonna be grounds for a conversation later that might get feisty, again.”

Adam could see how tired Ruby was. The normally energetic woman was leaning back in her seat, eyes closed.

“Maybe you shouldn’t take long missions then?”

“Pfft nah. I don’t regret helping where I can. Besides I didn’t know until after I took the mission. Things will work themselves out though. That’s how family works. Believe in each other and the impossible happens.”

“I know what you’re doing. It’s not gonna work. Just stop talking okay?”

Ruby pursed her lips. Years of leadership didn’t prepare her talks like these. She had to say something though. It was hard to explain, but Ruby could feel the importance of this moment. Good or bad news, bottling this up would make anyone go insane. Ruby reached down her shirt and lifted her necklace. It was a silver cross with red roses wrapped around it. She took it off and dangled it on her fingers, scooting closer to Adam.

“My dad and uncle gave this to me on my birthday. They said…sometimes you need a piece of faith when you don’t have any yourself. I’m not really religious but apparently my mom used to pray after she knew there was nothing left she could do herself. Hehe, it’s a Rose mentality.” Ruby put it in Adam’s hand and curled it. “Don’t tell anyone this, but it’s pretty cool that you are your own kind of rose. Makes me feel like we’re connected in a way. Keep that. I know it’ll fit you.”

Adam remained quiet. He stared down at the trinket in his hand until his vision blurred. His body trembled. Slowly he clenched the cross. “I have no right to pray for anything. If destiny or whatever you want to call it exists then it’s only fair I get punished.”

Ruby frowned, “Hey that’s-” she cut herself short, not expecting Adam to put his other hand over the cross; his forehead pressing against them as he closed his eyes.

“Punish me.” He uttered weakly. “Me, not them. Leave everyone else out of it.” The first and only prayer he’ll ever make. His life could be at destiny’s whim forever as long as the ones who fought for him didn’t get burned.

Ruby stood from her seat and knelt down, grabbing his hands and joining the prayer. All while Ghira watched silently from the entrance.

For several hours, It was out of everyone’s hands. A roll of the dice, luck of the draw, fate, gods, destiny, whatever anyone wanted to call it; that was the only thing left and no one dared to keep track of the time out of anxiety. It was a scary, humbling feeling for certain. It was also the purest reminder that life wasn’t fair. Bad things happen to good people, hard work is left with nothing, and sometimes… a sinner’s prayers get heard.

The doors flung open with Blake breathless. “Adam…” she panted, eyes bigger than the smile on her face. “She’s-” the tears shed caught her off guard. The two roses stared blankly before Adam stood. Blake moved out of the doorway and he took it as a sign. ‘Run.’ Adam ran and no one dared to stop him.

“Back room.” Blake said, walking to her father. Ruby got up as well and joined the two. Blake looked at the red faced girl. The feline giggled softly while wiping Ruby’s tears. “And here I thought I knew how big your heart was?”

Ruby laughed as she tried to stop sniffling. “It’s not what it looks like. Seeing him sit there with his demons like that, it reminded me of how my dad and uncle qrow used to look when mom was brought up. Sorry, got a little compromised.”

“Welcome to the club. Dad, sorry I-”

Ghira wrapped his arm around Blake. “Don’t apologize. I tell you to take things slow and yet I tried rushing to the end of this. I’m sorry. I can’t say what lies in store for Adam next, but I suppose…I’ll have to keep more of an open mind. He’s earned that much.”

Ruby shook her head and sighed. “If I’m being honest, personally I think everyone has been a bit silly. Including my lovable sis. You all make it sound like he’s been trouble free for six months when that isn’t the case. I can’t say if he’s been perfect or not but the fact that Remnant thinks he died at Argus has to mean something, right? I certainly can’t link him to any world threatening incidents since then. He’s been minding his business for a couple years now. Is locking him up really gonna change anything? I mean it wouldn’t matter if Cinder was in or out of jail for me. I’d still be wary and pissed. Your men’s feelings about him wouldn’t change because of a cell. But hey, that’s just me.”

Ruby put her hands behind her hand and walked off. “I’m gonna step out for a moment and make a call.” She looked out a window. To her surprise, the rain had stopped. Ruby dialed Yang’s number. “Hey sis! Beautiful day to start a family. So, what’s my precious little niece’s name?”

xxxx

Adam reached the back room and pushed the door open to find Jacquelyn in bed, startled by his entrance before giving him a grin. Her skin had a sickly yellow dinge to it and she was covered in sweat. Still she smiled, holding a small infant as doctors looked at vitals and did their work.

“Awe, have you been crying? I’m sorry. Guess we gave you a fright.”

One of the nurses looked at the maiden like she was crazy. “Ma’am you slipped into a coma. Please don’t try and move around much.”

“I was a little tired, that's all. Heh…guess we finally found something I’m not good at? That’s un- oh…” Adam put his arms around her and the baby. Odd, to think he could hold something this gently? His presence soothed her into leaning into the embrace, humming quietly to both him and the new arrival. A premature baby with red hair, and tiny horns.

The doctor, naturally sworn to confidentiality, watched from the sidelines. “I’d like to congratulate you with confidence, but these two aren’t out of the woods yet. While I expect Jacquelyn to bounce back with time, your daughter is pretty frail. We have her stable for the time being but the heart is a complex organ even when fully developed. We’re going to have to keep her for a while just to make sure she’ll grow up healthy. Rest assured, I will do everything in my power for her.”

“Thank you.” Adam looked at his daughter’s round face. She opened her eyes to reveal two pools or bright blue. “Hmmm.”

“Something wrong?” Jacquelyn asked.

“She’ll have a hard time, with these features going for her. I was hoping she’d look more like you.”

“Oh hush. She’s beautiful like this. Though maybe I am a little jealous she doesn’t have my hair. Still, real big fan of those eyes.” She kissed his cheek. “We’ll do our best and then some.”

The doctor pulled out some paperwork. “Now then, I’m going to need a name. Her record won’t be too expensive in terms of…background history, but she’ll need the basics as best as possible. Especially in her condition.”

“Wanna name her after your mother, or even your sister?”

Adam shook his head, “I think we already have enough namesakes. Let her be free from that. You decide. I was never really good at these kinds of things.”

“Oooo okay. Don’t come crying later if you think of a good one. A free spirited name for our little kid.” Jacquelyn giggled to herself. “Got it. How about we name her…”

“Hehe, That’s a perfect name.” The two roses spoke.

[ladysharmaa]

I need you

Bridgerton family x sis!reader

summary: when a suitor breaks Y/n's heart, her family comforts her, reminding her that all she needs is her siblings' love

requested: yes

warnings: heartbreak, pure fluff

Y/n kept a secret. She was participating in the season in hopes of finding a husband. She attended the balls, put on a fake smile she'd learned to master, and danced with everyone who asked politely under the watchful eye of her older siblings. But they didn't notice everything.

From dance to dance, between small moments of silence between conversations, Y/n's gaze moved to the other side of the room. Earl Harewood had shown up, accompanied by his parents, hoping to find a wife who could fulfill her responsibilities. From the first moment their eyes met, it felt like the room had gotten smaller, holding a breath at the sight of each other's beauty.

But the Earl's mother later told him that she had already chosen a woman for him to marry. All the dances he had with Y/n, the moments they spent in the ball garden talking and talking, the secrets they shared, the plans for the future, it would all be for nothing.

Y/n trusted that he would have the courage to stand up to his parents, showing that he wanted to marry for love and not someone they chose. Y/n still thought they might accept her, being a Bridgerton, but the Earl's supposed future wife had a higher social status, and her family owned more wealth than hers.

When he told her he couldn't stop her parents' decision and would have to get married, the Bridgerton girl wanted to cry. Scream. Run away. Beg for his love.

 But she didn't say anything. 

She was silent, her eyes watering. She bowed out of courtesy, walked to her door as he wanted to talk to her in her garden where they spent several moments together. Not once did he call her name, and that made her heart even more torn apart. 

How could she have been so naive to think an Earl was going to marry her? How could she have allowed herself to be happy? She just thought how disappointed her mother would be, she was so excited thinking that one of her daughters was going to marry someone so important. All her life she had been prepared for marriage, and even that she had failed.

But what she cost the most wasn't that. It was knowing that she'd lost the first man she'd ever loved. She wouldn't know if she was ever going to be able to feel this love for someone else again. How could she? Her heart her belonged to someone who didn't desire her.

When Y/n entered the house, she looked around, relieved not to see any of her siblings or her mother. She didn't think she could hold back the tears much longer. Her luck ran out when Collin nearly hit her, her vision blurring from nearly shed tears.

"Sister! My apologies, I didn't see you," he exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from falling. He finally noticed her eyes. "Is your conversation with the Earl of Harewood over? Did something happen?"

That was all it took for the tears to start falling, seeming not to want to stop despite Y/n closing her eyes to try to stop them from falling. Her lips came together in a thin line to keep from letting out the sobs that threatened to break her body. Collin's face was one of pure terror, never having been the one to deal with girl problems. His sister was crying and he had no idea what to do.

"Brother!" he called in distress, knowing that Benedict who was in the room knew what to do. "Can you fetch mother for me?"

"Mother is not home, I believe she went to have tea with Lady Watford." the painter appeared, immediately noticing Y/n's state and Collin's terrified face. He immediately glared at his younger brother. "What did you do?"

"Me?! I did nothing! She just started crying." Collin desperately defends himself. Was the room getting hotter? Because he sure was getting hot. "I don't know what to do, brother. What if it is a girl problem?"

If Y/n hadn't been so emotional, trying to keep her composure and not talking because she suspected it would only result in more tears and a husky, not-lady voice, she would have laughed at the sheer panic on Collin's face and Benedict's angry look. Everything got worse when Anthony showed up.

"Brothers, what seems to be the matter? I have work to do." he questioned impatiently, having been disturbed by the noise midway through the paperwork. The Viscount then noticed Y/n's rosy, tear-streaked cheeks and her teary eyes. He pointed at Benedict and Collin with a glare, asking through a clenched jaw, "What did you two do? Why does Y/n seem to be crying?"

"Oh lord. Brother, we haven't done anything." Colin grunted.

"When I arrived, Collin was with her and she was already crying." Benedict shrugged, preferring to blame his brother rather than deal with Anthony's anger.

"Nobody did anything to me!" Y/n finally shouted, putting silence to the argument that had formed between the brothers who argued with each other. She just wanted to go to her room without anyone bothering her. "If you excuse me brothers, I shall go to my room. I wish to be alone."

She didn't even wait for them to answer, starting up the stairs in a hurry. She faintly heard Anthony ask her to come down and talk to them, but Y/n ignored him and continued on her way, closing the door with a bang. She didn't even have the strength to go to her bed, sitting on the floor, her back against the door. She propped her elbows on her legs, hiding her face in her hands, finally letting her tears run free. Why did it hurt so much?

Meanwhile, downstairs the three Bridgerton brothers have never been so panicked and confused. Usually when this happened, their Mother was home and they didn't have to worry about comforting their sisters. That was not the case today. They shared a look, ending up yelling all at once, "Daphne! You must make haste!"

Y/n could hear the sound of a knock on the door over her sobs. She decided not to open the door, hoping that her brothers respected her choice and let her be alone in her own misery.

"Y/n? It's Daphne. Can you let me in, dear?" she heard her sister's angelic voice.

Y/n didn't want anyone's company, but she knew she would have to face her family someday. "Is it only you?" she asked, working up the strength to speak but cringing when she heard her husky voice.

"It is only me." Daphne nodded, waving her hand for Anthony, Benedict, and Collin to leave, who stood behind her, anxiously waiting for an answer. "I'm going to come in."

Daphne's heart sank as she entered, quickly closing the door so the others wouldn't come after her. Y/n was on the floor, cheeks and nose red, her eyes swollen from wiping away tears that are always replaced by new ones. Her hair was starting to come out of her impeccable hairstyle and her dress rumpled from sitting on the floor.

Daphne sat beside her, adjusting her dress to cover her legs. Y/n, who had his head tucked between his legs, looked at her, her lips trembling as new tears threatened to fall.

"Hi." she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Hello." Daphne whispered back. "Do you want to tell me what happened to the Earl of Harewood?"

"We are not to marry. He is going to marry some other woman his mother chose. He does not love me, sister." the younger sister explained sadly, hugging her legs even closer to her chest in comfort. "I thought we could have a future together, Daphne. But from the looks of it, our love meant nothing for him."

"Well, it's his loss. You're so beautiful, educated, talented, adventurous, smart and the list goes on. I could stay here all night just talking about how proud I am to be your sister." Daphne tried to comfort her by bringing Y/n onto her lap and hugging her. Although the floor was uncomfortable and her dress was wrinkling, all that mattered at that moment was Y/n. "Never doubt yourself. You have so many suitors, I'm sure you'll find someone you love and who treats you like a princess."

"Do you think?"

"I'm absolutely sure of it." Daphne smiled at her, wiping her tears away. "Now, our brothers are very worried about you and I'm pretty sure even Eloise stopped reading when she heard you were crying. You may not have an Earl, but you will always have us."

"And that will always be enough for me." Y/n smiled, wiping away tears and taking a deep breath. "Eloise would kill me if she knew I was crying over a man."

"You can always come for us crying about whatever you wish to cry about." she assured her sister, but a smirk appeared on her lips as she thought some more. "But yes, I'm quite positive that she would throw a book at your head. But you have Collin to hide behind."

"That's a good plan. Thank you, sister." Y/n said, getting up with Daphne and shaking out her dress. She looked at herself in the mirror, composing herself and tried to put the sadness of not having the person she loved to the back of her head. She had her family with her.

When she opened the door, hoping to face the empty hallway, she was surprised when all her siblings were behind the door, waiting for her. Apparently they were listening in on the conversation, because her brothers seemed ready to kill.

"I'm going to kill him." Anthony confirmed what she was thinking, his voice low and menacing, arms crossed over his chest.

"It's quite alright, Anthony." Y/n assured him, grabbing his arm before he even went after Earl. "I have to move on and forget about this. I still have some balls to attend."

"And we'll be there at all with you." Daphne said, placing a hand on her back in comfort.

"And if you want to leave, you just have to tell us and we leave." Benedict added since Anthony was still too angry, thinking about plans on how to kill the Earl for hurting his sister.

"I know." Y/n smiled, looking around at all her siblings comfortingly around her, feeling the pieces of her heart coming back together. However, she was snapped out of her thoughts when a book hit her head, one hand immediately going to the hurt spot. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Crying over a man, please. We need to talk more about us, women. We don't need a man, Y/n. Now come on, I have many books you can read about this." Eloise said with her hands on her hips and linking her arms with hers, starting to head towards the library. Aside from the lesson, she was hoping this might distract Y/n for a while.

The other Bridgerton watched her as she listened to Eloise. She was going to be okay. They would make sure of it.

[bangtae-sohotddaeng]

we’ll be counting stars | k.th. | 2

(^ gif cred: ON THE VOYAGE | pinterest)

pairing: idol!Taehyung x publisher!Reader

rating: nc-17 (for language and themes)

summary: You’d sworn off love and relationships forever. You were here to do your job - work with the biggest boyband of the world. Not forge friendships and...and whatever it was that you and Taehyung were building up with these sneaky glances. It was, to be very fair, your Chief Editor’s fault that you’d landed in this mess. Maybe you should quit your job? Maybe you should quit life -

Oh, he was staring again, and did he freaking lick his lips?

warnings: swearing (reader’s got a potty mouth) + this is set like 5 years in the future + reader has emotional issues, she's a relationship phobe + mentions of weed

genre: so much ANGST ugh + fluff + comedy + some crack

words: 3.3 k

< prev | next > series masterlist

gimme feedback, much much appreciated!

“We’re all clear on the schedule, but I’ll repeat it for your sake,” you announced.

Your team was huddled around you, right outside the airport, with their luggage in their hands. You’d landed in Seoul less than an hour ago.

“So, right now, we’re going to take a cab to the hotel our company has booked us. We’ll rest, let our bodies recharge and adjust—because we left on Friday morning and reached Saturday morning in thirteen hours.” You grimaced. “Dunno about you, but my mind needs to adjust.”

You received collective groans of agreement in response.

“Great, you feel me. So we all do that first. And then we’ll collect in the lobby after lunch, at around 4 pm? I’ll have a word with BTS’ manager, and he’ll arrange for our commute. I’ll update you of the exact time, then. For now, let’s just go grab naps.”

You all hailed three taxis to the hotel, with Sana grabbing you by the elbow to make you sit with her. You did so, with a frown. She looked nervous. 

“Y/N!” she almost wailed as soon as you’d shut the door. 

The driver looked at her in alarm. You winced in embarrassment, and apologized in Korean. He started the car without a word.

“Sana, compose yourself. What is the matter with you?” you scolded the girl.

“Y/N, how am I gonna face him? I might freeze up at sight! And—and what if my brain starts to think up scenarios from… oh God, you won’t believe the kind of fanfiction-stuff I’ve read about him!”

Your ears started to warm up. You had some idea. It had been a while, sure, but you could still vividly remember the kind of fanfictions you yourself had indulged in—

Wait a second. This girl was gonna make you nervous, too!

“Okay, Sana, enough. It doesn’t matter how cute you find Yoongi, he’s our client. We’re gonna have to be formal with him. At all costs. We mess it up, we lose our jobs. You get that? So, think about your husband, try to be the professional woman he married, and for God's sake, stop making me overthink shit!”

Sana shut up, then, but her eyes still looked worried. "How do you do it, Y/N?"

You frowned. "How do I do what? I don't have a fucking crush on Yoongi!"

She gave a small laugh, looking slightly more at ease. "Exactly! How?"

You blinked, confused.

"I mean," she elaborated, "not just him. In general. How do you manage to not get dragged down by feelings and stuff?"

"I kinda had to." You snorted. "People are like leeches, Sana. You only stand a chance for a good, peaceful life if you avoid getting too close to them. Get caught up in feelings, get your soul sucked out of you. Get crushed under expectations, live the rest of your life trying to fulfil them. Die on the inside before your body perishes.” You shrugged. “A pretty horrid way to die, if you ask me.”

Sana gave a huff of laughter. “Who hurt you, Y/N?”

You froze. Sana probably said that rhetorically, but it still hit you hard enough.

It wasn’t the question of who hurt you, but actually, who you had hurt.

You shut your eyes for a few extended seconds, willing yourself to not think of the past. You succeeded for the most parts, too. But then Sana nudged your shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t—I didn’t mean to upset…you…” She trailed off with a worried look on her face when you shot her a glare. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not upset,” you grumbled, turning to look out of the window. “I’m just done with my quota of personal-unnecessary-unneeded-interactions with people, for the day.”

You heard Sana sigh. Mentally, you sighed, too.

You all found the two vans a bit excessive. There were eight seats in one—there were seven of you. But Manager Woo insisted that the boys actually used three of these to commute, so even this was a bit miserly of the management.

Rich people problems. 

You shook your head with a small smile. “It’s all okay,” you said to the Manager in Korean, following his lead into the BigHit offices where you were to meet your clients for the first time, ever.

You chanced a discreet glance at Sana. Maybe your frustrated, shitty pep-talk in the taxi had actually worked, because she looked a lot more held together than she had ever since you dragged her onboards with this project.

“This way,” Manager Woo instructed you, gesturing towards a lift. “The security personnel will lead you to the second floor, and into the meeting room. I will join you in a while.”

You bowed and your team followed, and then you all stepped into the elevator that looked big enough to hold the meeting within itself. Two security guards, all suited up with a tie and fitted with earpieces in a stereotypical bodyguard look, followed you in.

You exhaled, rubbing your hands together. “Guys,” you addressed your team in English. “You all have the detailed itinerary on your tabs, right?” At their nods, you pulled your own iPad out. “Good. Keep it on you when I talk about it with them.”

“Y/N,” Simon called out to you.

You looked at the fidgety guy with raised eyebrows.

“Are we gonna stick with the choices…” He trailed off when your eyes narrowed.

“We’ve spent more than seventy-two hours researching, Simon. Please stop with this.”

Simon gulped, but shut up. 

The elevators opened up, just then. One of the guards stepped out, and gestured towards the glass doors on the right. “That is the meeting room,” he said in Korean.

You all stepped out, elegantly, and you turned to bow to the two guards. “Thank you,” you said in Korean

They bowed in return, looking slightly flustered, and stepped back into the lift. You turned to face the meeting room, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled.

“Come on, guys. Showtime.”

You led your team as they walked behind you in pairs. Once you got to the doors, a guard stepped up from inside the room, and opened the doors for you.

A long meeting table sat in the centre of the room, with seven occupants on one of its sides. BigHit’s Founder and CEO sat at the head of the table, and the foot lay vacant—reserved for, you assumed, the Manager. Seven chairs also lay vacant for your team, opposite the BTS members.

As the door gave way, the CEO met your eyes. You gulped your nerves, and plastered a smile on your face. As you all crossed the threshold, the eight people seated on the table stood.

Dragging in a deep breath, you placed your tablet on the table before you faced them all. “Hello everyone,” you enunciated in Korean, and then bowed.

Your team followed your lead, and the people in the room bowed back. You kept your professional smile in place, discreetly wiping your sweating hand on the thigh of your cotton pants. Then you nodded at the CEO and he asked everyone to settle down.

“Welcome to Korea,” the CEO started. “Did you get here okay?”

“Besides the jet-lag, we’re actually very good,” you told the CEO to receive chuckles in response.

“Manager Woo will join us in a few seconds,” he then continued, looking between your team and the boys—that you were yet to properly look at—and gestured towards them. “Meanwhile, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Bang Si-Hyuk, BigHit’s founder and CEO. Nice to meet you.”

You bowed, telling him your own name, and then shook hands with CEO Bang. Standing from your place, you finally willed your gaze to focus on the faces of the members instead of nervously looking into space.

Oh, wow. Cameras didn’t do these guys any justice, apparently. Not even the 8K ones, because they were really freaking beautiful human beings.

Dressed in lounge wear consisting mainly of extremely baggy hoodies as far as you could gauge, they still managed to look jaw-droppingly gorgeous. And their skin was glowing so bright, it looked unreal. But it was very much real because you were sitting across a three foot wide table from them, you could tell. It looked so soft.

You’d tightly held your lips up in a smile to save your mouth from dropping open.

While you were trying to get a grip on yourself, your eyes landed on a pair of brown ones framed by gorgeous lashes, right opposite to you. They were looking down. But then, they were looking up, as if sensing your gaze on them. Your professional grin involuntarily melted into a genuine one as Taehyung gave you a bashful nod of acknowledgement. You nodded back.

“Hello,” you mumbled, watching as his eyes grew wider. You blinked, releasing how private that sounded. You cleared your throat and ducked your head before looking at all of the seven guys in turn and nodding at each one of them. “Hello to you all,” you addressed them in Korean this time and told them your name. “And this is my team.” You gestured with both hands to your sides. “We’ll be your interviewers and companions for the next six months.”

A flurry of bows, nods and hellos passed over the table, followed by your teammates announcing their names. You doubted any of these would be retained, including your own. Which is why you handed over the seven identical copies of all your resumes to the CEO. “Here, Mister CEO. My boss had mailed them over to you, but these are to help the boys get acquainted with us better,” you told the man, and he gave you an appreciative seeming smile.

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Namjoon suddenly said, smiling with dimples up at you from his place on Taehyung’s right. His black hair was ruffled and a circular framed pair of glasses rested on his eyes. “I’m RM,” he said in English, “but please call me Namjoon. It’s a pleasure meeting you and your team.”

You smiled wide, shaking his hand when he forwarded it. His skin felt super soft, just as you’d expected it to be by looking at it.

The rest of the boys followed suit, minus the handshaking. They all insisted you all call them by their real names, which felt almost funny to you, because you were gonna be unwinding their whole life. This felt so unnecessary.

Just then, the door opened and Manager Woo reappeared. He bowed his head in the CEO’s direction before taking a seat to your extreme left, at the foot of the table. “Hello, everyone,” he said, “did I miss anything?”

“Just the introductions,” Namjoon filled him in with a smile. 

Manager Woo nodded and then looked at you. “The next thing to talk about is the schedule your team has planned for us, so that we can sort out any doubts or disagreements that might be there.”

Nodding, you pulled up the itinerary on your iPad, and cleared your throat. “I have planned out a strategy of working on interviews, and then sitting back to compile everything in an orderly fashion,” you announced. “We’ll divide each one of the six months we have on our hands into two groups—three weeks of discussions, and one week of compilation. All seven of us would be working with one member each, one on one, continuously for a time span of three weeks. After that my team will sit together, compare notes and move forth with the actual writing part. Then we’ll check if something has been missed by someone and arrange for its cover up, before we move forward into the next set of three weeks.”

You turned to look at your team to see if any of them wished to add anything, but they nodded at you with discrete thumbs ups. You exhaled in relief.

CEO Bang nodded at Manager Woo, who hummed in response. “Sounds workable to me. Boys?” He gestured towards the band members.

You looked up to find seven pairs of round eyes and gawking mouths. 

Murmurs ran across the seven angels seated opposite you. While they were distracted, you took your sweet time looking at each one of their faces. They really did look unreal.

Next to CEO Bang, Jin and Yoongi were engrossed in some discussion. With their heads bent, their hair shined blindingly bright—Yoongi’s like liquid silver, and Jin’s like molten lead. Next to Jin, Namjoon was adjusting his glasses over his shut eyes as he listened to Taehyung whisper something in his ear, and kept shaking his head in response every few seconds. Taehyung was almost drowning in his oversized hoodie with the hood up, as he used his hands with those elegant ass fingers of his to cover his mouth while speaking into Namjoon’s ear. Next to him, Jimin was nodding along to Hoseok as the latter spoke in whispers, gesticulating widely. 

Your eyes fell onto the far end of the table, then. Jungkook, who was already looking at you, shot his hand up when your gazes met. His eyes were literally sparkling with curiosity.

“Yes?” you asked with a big smile.

Jungkook flashed his teeth at you, looking not a day over five years of age. “Is one week enough time to write?”

You frowned. “In theory, yes. But if things go south and we need more time, we can always extend the contract. Mr. CEO?”

“According to the clauses in the contracts, definitely.” CEO Bang nodded with a small smile. “The book has to be good. We can compromise with everything, except for the quality.”

You nodded in understanding. There was an extendable clause in your contract, but you had every intention to not have to employ it. Not only did your boss have huge expectations from you, but you yourself were determined to give this project your best. Better than your best. You’d wanted to manage a complete project by yourself for so long, this was your chance of a lifetime to shine.

Taehyung’s hand shot up, breaking you out of your thoughts. He looked beyond adorable with his eyes rounded and lips nervously folded in.

“Ye—yes?” you stuttered very unprofessionally and then covered up with a cough.

“Who works with who?” he said in a breath, confusing you for a moment. “Will you take chits out? Or ask us to choose?”

“Oh, no no.” You chuckled when you caught his drift. “We’ve already decided among ourselves and also done some homework. You’ll find your personal interviewers in your contract copies.”

“Did you decide by picking out chits?” Namjoon grinned at you, and you laughed.

It had been chits, but you weren't about to tell them that. “Something like that.” You shrugged, playfully, and giggles rolled over the table.

Manager Woo, then, launched into a set of instructions for the band members. CEO Bang kept adding details in the middle, and the band members just kept nodding along in a bored fashion. Maybe they’d been over this multiple times.

You sat back to relax, observing everyone as you listened to the set of rules and procedures you were already familiar with. You looked from the corner of your eye as Jimin elbowed Taehyung. 

“Did you want to work with someone in particular?” Jimin’s whisper into Taehyung’s ear floated over to you.

Taehyung’s eyes briefly met yours, nearly burning a hole through your head by the deep curiosity emanating from them. And then he ducked his head again, shrugging Jimin off of him. 

You swallowed, roughly. Oh, God.

Manager Woo wound up his instructions with a repetition of be as honest as you can be, and then called out to you. “Do you wish to add something, Miss?”

You looked at your team. They shrugged. You shrugged, too. “You’ve covered it really well, Mister Manager. I’d actually like to emphasize one of your points—this is not an interview.” You looked across the table, at each of their faces, turn-wise. “There would be no cameras, no recorders, and no one monitoring your actions. Relax and be at ease. You should, in fact, think of the sessions as making new friends. You tell them about yourself, and they tell you about themselves. Only difference being, what you tell them will get compiled in a book so there must be a bit more of that.”

Your eyes met Taehyung’s and he nodded with a small laugh. The others gave you similar reactions, with Hoseok giving a two-fingered salute.

“That’s good. Also, Miss, we would like to request your team to work around the boys’ bodyguards.” Manager Woo looked at you earnestly.

“We’re really very grateful that you’ve agreed to our request for privacy and not enforced the sessions to be with the boys’ managers.” You shrugged a shoulder, and exchanged glances with Sana and Nathan. “And so, we would be okay working in the presence of the bodyguards, no issues.”

Your team hummed and nodded their own agreements. Manager Woo nodded back with a huge smile, looking relieved.

“We have the first interview scheduled for the day after tomorrow,” he then said as he distributed the individual contract copies among the BTS members and then your team. “Have a look at the details, one last time.”

You could, by this point, recite the clauses of the contract in your sleep. Yet, to be respectful, you accepted the file and placed it before yourself. You looked to your right and then left at your team. “Any questions, guys?”

Meryl raised her hand. Your eyebrows rose in intrigue. You gestured for her to speak up. “Yeah, um. About the secrecy clause—can we get a rough estimate as to when the news of the biography will be released?”

You nodded along. That was kind of a good question.

Manager Woo looked at CEO Bang, and all seven boys’ eyes adorably followed. CEO Bang readjusted his glasses. “We are planning a press conference at the end of six months.” Whoa. “I believe you’re going to have to keep this secret for the entirety of the project.”

You exhaled. It was gonna be kinda hard, but you’d manage. 

“I got you!” 

Your head snapped up at Jungkook’s shout of joy. He held the file in one hand and the other was raised up, mid-cheer. When all eyes fell on him, he froze for a moment before folding onto himself, bashfully. The boys all broke out laughing. You too had to stifle yours, by looking down in your lap, to maintain your professionality. 

When you looked up after a moment, your eyes met Taheyung’s again. He seemed to be slightly confused and kept looking between the file in his hand, you and Jungkook.

“Si… Simon?” he whispered with a heavy accent, but it was all you could hear despite the chaotic discussions happening all around you. 

You pointed at the guy sitting next to you. “Him,” you responded in English.

Taehyung’s eyes reverted back to you. “You?” he asked in English, very quietly.

You paused. “Jungkook,” you responded, gesturing to the still blushing boy with your eyes. And then, realizing how intimate your exchange was, you flashed him a professional smile. “Simon is great at conversation! You’ll have a good time with him,” you old him loudly, in Korean, earning smiles from the Manager and CEO.

Taehyung had still looked a bit lost when you tore your gaze away from him and picked up your tablet, but you willed yourself to unlock the gadget and not let your eyes stray.

This was just your first meeting, and Taehyung’s person’s intensity was already too much to handle. You thanked God you weren't gonna work with him one on one, or you won’t survive.

But, little did you know.

< prev | next > series masterlist

gimme feedback, much much appreciated!

Tags: @tangledsparkles​ @hoefortaeshands​ @getmemyfries

[thegreenmetblue]

I saw this domestic question-answer thing and wanted to do it with Starker so here we go :

Disagreement :

Who is more likely to raise their voice ?

Tony. Mostly when he’s worried about Peter.

Who threatens to leave but never actually does ?

Tony.

Who actually keeps their word and leaves ?

Peter. He’d take upon himself until he really can’t.

Who trashes the house ?

Tony. Peter’s too sweet to break anything.

Do either of them get physical ?

No, they’d never do anything to hurt the other. No matter how much they argue or how much power they have.

How often do they argue/disagree ?

Often. I’d say fourth times a week but for little things. And one big fight per two months.

Who is the first to apologize ?

Tony. He’s most likely the one who fucked things up in the first place anyway.

Sex :

Who is on top ?

Tony. He’s daddy.

Who is on the bottom ?

Peter. He’s needy baby.

Who has the strangest desires ?

BOTH. They’re both super kinky.

Any kinks ?

Daddy, praise, humiliation, public, overstimulation, edging, hair pulling, power ambivalence, orders, spanking, and the list is long...

Who’s dominant in bed ?

Tony.

Is head ever in the equation ?

Yeah ofc.

If so, who is better at performing it ?

Tony. But Peter’s getting better every day.

Ever had sex in public ?

Is that a real question ? Tony enjoys it so much. Peter too (even if he pretends he doesn’t).

Who moans the most ?

Peter. He’s a moaning slut.

Who leaves the most marks ?

Peter. Cause the marks on his body fades pretty quickly because of the healing factor but they both like to mark each other to show they own each other.

Who screams the loudest ?

Peter. He’s also a screamer. His voice gets so high.

Who is the more experienced of the two ?

Bruh Tony. He has a life of playboy behind him. Peter’s a cute not-so-much virgin

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’ ?

Both, it depends on the mood of the moment.

Rough or soft ?

Rough but sometimes it gets soft, because the love is showing too much. Lots of praises, « i love you »s, kisses and needy cuddles.

How long do they usually last ?

Peter never lasts long but he cums multiple times. Tony mostly cums one time cause he lasts way longer.

Is protection used ?

Tony tried but yeah... nop.

Does it ever get boring ?

With their kinky and loving ass ? Never.

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex ?

Tricky question. Huh... Maybe on a couch while they were on a movie night with the Avengers.

Family :

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children ?

Yes, they plan to. But only once Tony retired.

If so, how many children do your muses want/have ?

At least two.

Who is the favorite parent ?

Both ?

Who is the authoritative parent ?

Tony. Peter’d be too cute to be authoritative.

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school ?

Both of them cause their kids are gonna be super clever anyway so what’s a day off ?

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around ?

Peter. Tony’d eat junk food but refuses his kids doing the same.

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children ?

Both. But Tony has more time.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews ?

Tony. Peter’s still an Avengers and have less time for those.

Who changes the diapers ?

Tony. Peter senses are too dialed up for that.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby ?

Peter. He doesn’t want his husband to wake up.

Who spends the most time with the children ?

Tony. Peter’s still Spiderman.

Who packs their lunch boxes ?

Tony.

Who gives their children ‘the talk’ ?

Peter. He’s scared Tony would say too much.

Who cleans up after the kids ?

Peter. Tony’s as messy as the kids.

Who worries the most ?

Tony.

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from ?

Tony again.

Affection :

Who likes to cuddle ?

Both of them. But Peter gets more needy.

Who is the little spoon ?

Peter. But he can spoon Tony when he gets nightmares

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places ?

Tony. But again, Peter always follows.

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself ?

Peter. He always want to touch Tony but try not to because they’re in public. But Tony enjoys touching Peter all the time just to see him blush.

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable ?

They never become uncomfortable from cuddling, what is that question even ???

Who gives the most kisses ?

Peter.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity ?

Working in the lab.

Where is their favorite place to cuddle ?

The couch.

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other ?

Tony.

How often do they get time to themselves ?

Every day but when they’re on missions.

Sleeping :

Who snores ?

Tony.

If both do, who snores the loudest ?

Just Tony snores.

Do they share a bed or sleep separately ?

Wtf ? They share.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart ?

Cozy up together.

Who talks in their sleep ?

Peter. He says Tony’s name a lot.

What do they wear to bed ?

When cold, Tony boxers and T-shirt and Peter the « trip to NY » T-shirt and « Hello Kitty » bottom. When hot, just boxers.

Are either of your muses insomniacs ?

They’re both super fucked up so yeah. A freaking lot of insomnias. But Tony has them more.

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside ?

Yes.

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side ?

Wrap their limbs around each other.

Who wakes up with bed hair ?

Peter. And it makes Tony’s heart melt every time.

Who wakes up first ?

Tony. He can’t sleep.

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other ?

Tony.

What is their favorite sleeping position ?

Spoon ? Or Peter glued to Tony.

Who hogs the sheets ?

Peter. He’s a sleeping princess.

Do they set an alarm each night ?

No. Tony always wake up and he’s the one waking Peter up with lots of sweet words.

Can a television be found in their bedroom ?

Yup.

Who has nightmares ?

Both of them have a lot of nightmares. Mostly about losing each other or dying.

Who has ridiculous dreams ?

Definitely Peter.

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed ?

Also Peter. But Tony lets him.

Who makes the bed ?

Peter.

What time is bed time ?

When they’re done in the lab. It can be really late cause they tend to forget themself in their little nerdy world.

Any routines/rituals before bed ?

Sex and then cuddles.

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up ?

Peter. He’s a teen, he never has enough sleep.

Work :

Who is the busiest ?

Both of them cause you know, superhero stuff.

Who rakes in the highest income ?

Duh, Tony.

Are any of your muses unemployed ?

Nop.

Who takes the most sick days ?

Tony ? Peter can’t get sick.

Who is more likely to turn up late to work ?

Tony. He doesn’t even show up to his own meetings.

Who sucks up to their boss ?

Peter cause Tony’s the boss ???

What are their jobs ?

Both are superheroes but Tony’s SI’s boss and Peter’s an intern here for now.

Who stresses the most ?

Peter. He’s always stressed. Tony’s always calm. Except when Peter’s on a mission.

Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations ?

They love it. It’s sometimes hard but that’s their reason to live.

Are your muses financially stable ?

Tony’s a billionaire so I think yes they are.

Home :

Who does the washing ?

Tony.

Who takes out the trash ?

Peter.

Who does the ironing ?

Tony.

Who does the cooking ?

Tony again.

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying ?

Both of them, they’re basically babies.

Who is messier ?

Tony. Cause he tends to forget everything.

Who leaves the toilet roll empty ?

Tony again. And Peter secretly likes that cause it makes him feel like he’s more mature than Tony.

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor ?

Peter.

Who forgets to flush the toilet ?

Peter.

Who is the prankster around the house ?

Mmmh I feel like it’s Tony. Lots of sex pranks.

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere ?

Peter. But it’s okay cause Tony have plenty of cars.

Who mows the lawn ?

Tony.

Who answers the telephone ?

Tony. Phone calls stress Peter.

Who does the vacuuming ?

Peter. But only when he can put music with.

Who does the groceries ?

Both.

Who takes the longest to shower ?

Peter af. He likes to sing and jerk off. But the longest showers are when both are in it cause yeah... heads and showersex.

Who spends the most time in the bathroom ?

Peter.

Miscellaneous :

Is money a problem ?

Tony’s a billionaire so no, money isn’t a problem for them.

How many cars do they own ?

Huhh.... 6 ?

Do they own their home or do they rent ?

Tony owns the Compound and they also own a house somewhere lost, next to a lake.

Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside ?

Both lol.

Do they live in the city or in the country ?

Also both.

Do they enjoy their surroundings ?

Yes. Peter more than Tony cause he’s still not used to all of this.

What’s their song ?

Can’t Help Falling In Love I guess ? Or Daddy Issues. They don’t have the same taste in music. Peter likes pop and love songs and Tony likes rock songs. But Peter secretly have a playlist for songs that remind him of Tony.

What do they do when they’re away from each other ?

They do video calls a lot cause they always miss each other.

Where did they first meet ?

In Peter’s bedroom.

How did they first meet ?

Tony recruited him in team Iron Man.

Who spends the most money when out shopping ?

Tony for sure. Peter is really not used to spend a lot of money. But Tony enjoys spending money for Peter.

Who’s more likely to flash their assets ?

Their assets won’t ever be flashed but Tony.

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over ?

Tony. Cause Peter is clumsy af when he’s not Spidey.

Any mental issues ?

Oof. Okay I need a roman for that. They both have heavy PTSDs. Due to their job. Tony’s traumatized by Afghanistan, the people he lost, his parent’s death, Peter dusting, his « death ». Peter’s traumatized by Ben’s death, his first fight, his « death », Tony’s « death », his fight with Mysterio. Tony has a lot of panic attacks and Peter has anxiety. And they both have a lot of nightmares about it so a lot of insomnia too.

Who’s terrified of bugs ?

None of them.

Who kills the spiders around the house ?

Also none of them cause it offends Peter.

Their favorite place ?

Their home.

Who pays the bills ?

Tony. He likes to make Peter’s life easy. Beside Peter doesn’t know how to do that.

Do they have any fears for their future ?

They’re obviously scared the other one will die in a mission, but they try to not talk about it and enjoys their time the best way they can.

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner ?

Tony. And everytime he does it, Peter melts.

Who uses up all of the hot water ?

There’s always hot water but it’d be Peter.

Who’s the tallest ?

Tony. But Peter gets taller and he’ll eventually be taller than Tony. And Tony hates that.

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other ?

Peter, he does that everytime he can.

Who wanders around in their underwear ?

Peter. Cause he’s warmer because of his metabolism. That drives Tony crazy.

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio ?

Peter. For sure.

What do they tease each other about ?

Tony teases Peter a lot. About everything. But mostly about his clumsiness, the way he blushes everytime Tony praises him, the way he needs almost nothing from Tony to get hard.

Peter teases Tony about his age sometimes. But only because he knows deep down their age gap turns Tony on.

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times ?

Both. Tony to Peter’s sweaters and Iron Man clothes. And Peter to Tony’s old band T-shirts. (But he secretly loves them and steals them to sleep with).

Do they have mutual friends ?

The Avengers. They spent a lot of free time with them as well cause it feels like a big family.

Who crushed first ?

Peter. Ofc. He has had a crush on Iron Man since he was like 7. Tony only knew him when Peter was 14, but it took a moment for him to come with the crush thing.

Any alcohol or substance related problems ?

Tony had a lot of alcohol problems yeah but not since he’s really with Peter. One night they had a big fight about it and Peter threatened to leave if Tony didn’t stop. Tony hasn’t had a drink since then.

Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am ?

Peter. Since Tony doesn’t drink anymore.

Who swears the most ?

Tony.

[the-flowerwolf]

"We are family"

Summary: The Hawkins siblings sort things out

A/N: @221roses "and you will always be my big bro". @jellyfishdodraw "I do". You guys are amazing and I love you💙💙💙

"Seriously?! Are you going to marry him?!"

"Dan is a good guy!"

"Of course, as good as your friends who break into other people's basements!"

Jessy felt like crying.

"Why can't you just support me for once in your life?!

"Why can't you just behave responsibly for once in your life?!" Phil shouted.

Until now, they were sitting at the kitchen table in his house, but as soon as the argument started, the siblings jumped out of their seats. Jessy wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed.

"Why do you say so?"

Phil looked at her coldly.

"Someone has to point this out to you. You're not 10 anymore, Jessy. Mother is no longer there to indulge your childish antics."

"Oh, so that was it! You just keep blaming me for what happened!"

Phil snorted.

"Of course, Jessy. This is all because of an incident a decade ago, not your behavior. Just keep making a victim of yourself, you're doing a great job of it."

Jessy had tears streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't even notice them. Phil turned away.

"What am I doing wrong?! Please tell me!" She flinched as her brother's fist came down hard on the refrigerator.

"What are you doing wrong?! Maybe you do stupid things without thinking about what the consequences might be?! Or wait for others to solve your problems for you?! You are already in your twenties, and you don't even care about how your actions affect others! Oh, I don't even know, sister, what are you doing wrong?!"

Jessy sank slowly to the floor, leaning against the wall. The tears continued to flow, she became hysterical and began to choke.

"I'm s-sorry... I'm s-so so-sorry," Jessy repeated between gasps.

Phil sighed. He didn't want to indulge her childish whims again, but... It was his sister. His little sister. And he couldn't see her like this and do nothing. Especially if he was the cause of her tears.

Phil sat down next to Jessy and pulled her into his arms. She immediately snuggled up to him, hugging him back.

"Shh, Shh, come on, girl, don't cry..."

"I-I'm so s-sorryyyy!"

"Stop it, you don't have to apologize a hundred times."

"I-I don't want you to ha-hate m-me!"

Phil started stroking her hair. He knew it had a calming effect on her.

"I don't hate you, baby. I love you. That's why I'm trying to set your mind straight. What are you going to do if you're alone?"

She clutched at her brother's shirt as if she were drowning and he was her lifeline.

"Please don't ever leave m-me..."

"Of course I won't leave you. We're family. You will always be my little sis."

"And you will always be me big bro..."

They sat like that on the floor for a long time, first so that Jessy could calm down, and then they just didn't want to let go of each other. They started chatting about nothing in particular. The atmosphere was no longer tense, siblings had made everything clear to each other. Of course, they have and will have disagreements, but all that really mattered was that they are a family. Loving family. And they will always be there for each other.

***

On her wedding day, Jessy stood in front of the mirror, nervously adjusting her dress and hair. She was ready and her older sister, Cleo, and Mc tried to calm her down.

"What if something goes wrong?! Something is sure to go wrong! Cleo, you made a cherry cake, didn't you?! This is very important, Dan's uncle is allergic to strawberrys! And..."

"You worry too much about nothing, sis."

Jessy turned around. Phil was leaning against the doorway, hands in the pockets of his black tuxedo. There was a soft smile on his face.

"Can you give us five minutes?" He asked her friends and they went away.

As Mc passed him, Phil winked and Jessy snorted.

"Do you have to flirt with my friends on my wedding day?"

"Yes." he said simply, walking over to her and putting his hands on Jessy's shoulders, still smiling softly. "You look amazing, sis. Dan is very lucky..."

Jessy smiled brightly.

"Thank you!"

"...But if he offends you, he's dead."

Jessy rolled her eyes, but giggled.

"Don't worry. He's a really nice guy."

"I really hope so."

They stood up, enjoying the cozy silence. It was a big step. They needed time.

"You know, mom would be very proud of you right now."

"Phil, please," Jessy laughed nervously, "I can't cry today, my mascara will run..."

"You don't have to cry, it's a good thing, stupid."

Jessy gave him a look of mock resentment and slapped him lightly on the shoulder with her fist.

"Idiot."

Phil laughed.

The door to the room opened again, and both siblings turned in it's direction at the same time. Cleo stood in the doorway.

"It's time."

Phil turned back to his sister.

"Ready?"

Jessy took a deep breath. Nodded. Then she took her brother's arm.

"Ready."

There were many guests. All relatives and friends. They were gathered in a nice little Church, and at the altar, with the priest, Dan was waiting for his bride.

The music began to play, and the guests turned to the entrance.

Jessy squeezed her brother's hand.

"Easy," he said softly, "It's going to be all right."

And they started walking down the aisle. The brother and sister, both beautiful in their current outfits and beloved by the crowd, walked proudly along the paved path. They were both tense, and both tried their best not to show it.

Phil led Jessy to the altar and turned to her. Without a word, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then turned to face her fiance.

"Take care of her." Phil said, shaking Dan's hand.

"Certainly." Dan said seriously and nodded gratefully. Phil nodded in response. He stood up in his place.

The priest's words flew in and out of his ears, leaving nothing behind in Phil's memory. He was looking at Jessy. She was the exact image of their mother, and in truth, Phil wanted to hate her for it sometimes. But then he remembered. He remembered how they played together as children, how he protected her from abusers, how she helped him with his problems. They were family. He just couldn't hate her.

"And you, Jessica Hawkins, do you take Dan Anderson as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

"I do."

Phil smiled softly.

[santoteez]

The Dormant Beast - Jongho (7)

Part: 7 of ?

Idol: Jongho of ATEEZ

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Friends to Lovers

Word Count: 9.4k

Warnings: Violence, Murder, Profanity MC is a Black Female (I've been writing this for months so if I forgot any warnings I am so very sorry but that should be all of them!)

Jongho laid motionless on the slab of cement molded into the wall, the sound of a leaky faucet the only auditory source in the room. Goosebumps rose along his arms from the frigid temperature in the colorless room. He sat up from the slab, groaning in pain from lying still for so long.

“Finally I hear you move from over there. You were silent so long I thought you were dead.” Desire croaked, her voice barely audible.

After charging towards the Void, Jongho blacked out. Once he gained consciousness, he was in this cell. There was the slab he was sitting on and a small toilet in the room. The only light came from a very small window in one of the high corners of the room. The cell was adjacent to the one Desire was being held in, which he learned left very little privacy for either party, seeing as they often spoke through the walls.

“I feel dead,” Jongho muttered. One of the Void’s men came by twice a day with food for both Jongho and Desire, but neither of them ate it. They were surviving on the water provided by the men, which was barely any.

“You can’t say that. Remember you have Crescent to get back to. I’m sure she’s been going crazy since that day.”

Jongho sighed. He really didn’t want to remember the look on her face when she shouted his name as he blacked out. The despair in her voice gave him an indescribable pain when he thought about it, which was quite frequent.

“How long has it been since that day, anyway?” Jongho changed the subject.

“Well, I never know what time it is in here, so I’ve been counting how many daybreaks I see. Today makes 10. You came on #4, the last time I left this place.”

“Six days,” Jongho said as if he was trying to convince himself.

“Jongho.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

He shrugged. “Take your time, I ain’t got nothing to do.”

There was a brief silence, eventually broken by Desire suddenly laughing. Jongho joined in, momentarily forgetting where they were.

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Desire.”

“Still, I kept pushing an agenda and a marriage even I wouldn’t be happy with. By doing that, I made things harder for you and Crescent. Now that you can finally be together, you’re the farthest you’ve ever been. If only I had cut my shit earlier-”

“Desire.” Jongho interrupted. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what’s happening to us. Void’s the only one at fault here. Whatever happened before this has nothing to do with what’s going on.”

Desire sighed. “I just feel like I wasted so much time trying to force this arranged relationship that I didn’t stop to think about what I wanted.”

“Well, what do you want?”

“Felix.” She said, dreamily.

“Sorry, what was that? You said Felix? Felix Felix? With the frog aura?”

“He’s a poison dart frog.”

“Wow. You really like him. Okay. Well, I’m sure if you just spoke to him and let him know you’re interested, you’d be well on your way to make life worth it.”

“Will he talk to me after all the crap I’ve done is the question.”

“No one’s perfect,” Jongho laid back down. “I know that, and I’m sure someone like Felix knows that too. Just try talking to him. And please, Des, just be yourself. No snotty valley girl like you’ve been trying to be all these years. Remember when we used to run that Star Wars club?”

Desire laughed. “That feels so incredibly long ago.”

“You used to do a mean Chewbacca impression.”

“What do you mean ‘used to?’” Desire taunted. “AAARARRRGWWWH!”

Jongho burst out laughing. “Sounds like you still got it. And Felix runs the movie club, so I’m sure he’s seen the movie and will love your impression. Just be yourself.”

“Jongho?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Jongho smiled. “No problem.”

Just then, an alarm sounded. Some of Void’s men came running into the room to check the locks and add more locks to each cell door before rushing back out.

“What’s that about?” Jongho asked.

“They’re securing the area because they’re leaving us alone. Void is off to do a mission. It happened the first night I spent here.”

Jongho imagined how hard it was for Desire to spend that night cold and alone in her cell. He waited until it was quiet for some time before speaking.

“Desire.”

“Yeah?”

“What would you think if I said I had an idea that might get us out of here, and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to try it?”

“I would say that I’m in and it’s about damn time.”

Jongho smiled, getting up and walking to the adjacent wall. “What if I told you our auras weren’t exactly gone, but dampened by the bracelets they put on us?” He hit his chest, then knocked down the wall, meeting face to face with a very surprised, very exhausted Desire.

“And what if I said I had a way to take them off so we can make it out of here?” He said, reaching his hand out to the girl.

“Now that’s the town’s king.” Desire smiled, running into the cell.

-

-

-

-

“So you’re saying she hasn’t done any of her assignments?” Solar questioned.

“Not only am I saying that, Mrs. Moon. I’m saying Crescent isn’t even engaging in any of her class meetups. I know I’m her therapist and all, but for such a bright girl to just drop the ball so suddenly and completely…I felt like I had to get in contact with you.”

“No, I understand, Ms. Parker. This isn’t like her. My husband and I will speak with her. Thank you for calling.”

Solar turned to Lunar, sighing. “She’s not even attending the online classes, let alone doing the assignments.”

Lunar shook his head. “She’s going through a lot, but what do we do? Can’t just let her keep failing.”

“I’ll ask Eclipse to have a talk with her. I don’t want her to feel like she’s in trouble by speaking to one of us.”

Crescent rolled her eyes, tip-toeing back up the stairs. So much for getting a drink from the kitchen.

She closed her door softly, throwing herself on the bed. Whose side was that therapist on, anyway? She was better at being a snitch than a therapist. Every time Crescent brought up Jongho and how she felt, she always offered to do strategic exercises from her treatment plan. Crescent didn’t want that. She wanted to go out and do what the police weren’t. Jongho was missing for 6 days already. They already knew who took him. What were they waiting for?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “What?” She asked, irritated.

The door cracked open, Eclipse peeking in. “Can I come in?”

“I guess.”

She closed the door back, sitting on the bed. “What’s up?”

“Thinking.”

“You know your therapist snitched, right?”

“Yep.”

“Why aren’t you doing the work then?”

“Fuck that shit.”

“Crescent!” Eclipse was surprised, her sister was never one to talk so bluntly.

“You asked.” She shrugged, sitting up. “Jongho gets abducted right in front of me and I’m expected to do what? Just get online with a smile and raise my hand in Google Meets? The cops know the Void took him and they aren’t doing ANYTHING.”

“Crescent, everyone is doing what they can-”

“Bullshit. That’s what they tell you so you can leave them alone. Two abductions in a week from the same town. Kids that go to the same school. There’s something they’re not telling us.”

“Even if there is Crescent, what are you going to do about it? What can you do?”

Crescent chuckled. “Jokes on you. I have a whole plan in place.”

“Wait, what?”

She nodded. “I leave tonight. I’m gonna uncover the truth. About the Void. About myself. About everything.”

“Crescent, you can’t just run off on some crazy mission because you feel overwhelmed!”

“I can, and I will.”

Eclipse shook her head. “I can’t let that happen.” She gets up, walking towards the door.

Crescent’s cheetah aura activated as she blocked the doorway, meeting Clips’ gaze.

“Where ya goin, big sis?” She said, pushing her until she landed on the bed. Crescent towered over her, pinning her to the mattress.

“Crescent, let me go.”

“You think you’re gonna go snitch on me, too? Huh? You think I’m just gonna let you walk out of here and run to mom and dad and tell them everything I just said?” She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t allow that.” Her grip on Clips’ arms tighten, a squeeze away from breaking skin.

Clips winced in pain, unable to overpower her little sister. “I’m not gonna tell them. I’m sorry, I’ll go to my room. Just let me go.”

Crescent stared for a while before letting go and powering down. She watched as Clips got up and walked to the door.

“At least let me go with you. If no one can know where you’re going, take me with you.”

“No. I have to do this on my own. You’d just be another liability.”

Eclipse opens the door, walking out.

“I’ll text you when I get there.” Crescent called out, causing Eclipse to momentarily freeze before she closed the door fully.

-

-

-

-

Later that night, Crescent got in bed and waited until her mother and father went to bed. Just as she suspected, her mother came to check on her.

“Crescent? Are you asleep, baby?” She whispered, rubbing her daughter’s back when she made a stir. “Shh, go head and sleep. We’ll talk in the morning. I love you.” She kissed her cheek before walking back out and down the hall to the room she shared with Lunar.

Crescent threw the covers off and stood up, fully clothed. She sighed, momentarily hesitating. Was she really gonna lie to her sister? Her parents? Take the car?

Crescent shook her head. “This is for Jongho. Once he’s back, I’ll face the consequences.” She grabbed her bag from the closet, already packed. She checked the hallway before shuffling down the stairs, shoes in hand. She ran out to the car, tossing her bag in the backseat. Before climbing into the driver seat she looked up, making eye contact with Eclipse who was watching her from the upstairs window. They both stared for a moment before Crescent started the car and drove off.

She drove for about two hours, stopping at a small motel a little past midnight.

“Are you still allowing check-ins?” She asked the guy working the front desk.

He looked up from his phone, amber-colored scleras and black irises peeking out from under his black hair. A hump under his hair indicated his forehead had a horn. Must be a rhino.

“Lucky for you, you’re just in time.” He smirked, opening the check-in book.

Crescent scribbled “Akira Mason” in the book and fished out her wallet. “How much?”

“$45 a night, I can make it lower if you do me a favor.” He leaned onto the counter, breath fanning her face.

Crescent fought the urge to grimace, smiling instead. “Not a problem, I can afford $45 a night. I’ll check out in two days.” She said, handing the guy $135.

He shrugged, opening the cash register. “Suit yourself. I’ll be here every night if you get lonely.” He said, handing her a key. “Room 308. Enjoy.”

“I will. Thanks.” She snatched the key, heading for the elevator. She got situated in the room, laying on the bed. She fished out her phone, texting Eclipse as she promised.

I’m here

C’mon Crescent. Where is here??

Crescent turned her phone off, putting it on the nightstand. She dug out her laptop, hoping the motel at least had Wi-Fi. Once she was connected to the internet, she pulled up all her research on the places that might help her understand the Void or the OmniAura or if she was lucky, both.

The first place she heard of was a library no one’s ever been able to find. Her only source of its existing was an online forum called Where’s Omni, which isn’t much. People theorizing where it is, how to get there, what they’d find when they got there. Legend has it the person who created the forum, Tam64, was someone who has been to the library and possibly was trying to document what they saw. Some say Tam64 is the OmniAura, but their posts ended in the 70s and they’ve never reappeared. Their posts are still up, and the last sentence is one that creeps most out:

It’s up to me to save humanity.

Crescent jotted down as many tips from the forum as she could, eventually closing the tab. Not much she could do about a place with no known address. The next two places weren’t as interesting: A gym in the neighboring town where multi-aura holders compete with each other for the title of who’s closest to the OmniAura and a café calledOmniAura.

Crescent sighed. Her luck was between a place that possibly didn’t exist, an ego competition or a cup of coffee. She closed the laptop and after making sure the door was locked from that weirdo downstairs, she went to bed.

-

-

-

Crescent made her way to the lobby first thing in the morning. On her way out, she runs into the receptionist from last night.

“You up bright and early.”

“I’m also leaving. Bye!” Crescent called out. She hopped into the car, using her phone as GPS to the gym. She didn’t want to risk using any built-in features of the car in case that made her traceable. She parked nearby the gym, stopping in a diner to get a quick bite to eat before entering.

“Name?” A bulky guy at the front of the gym asked.

“Akira.”

“Akira, you’re aware you need more than one aura to be eligible for this gym?”

“I have three.”

For the first time in the exchange, the man looked up. “Do you now?”

Crescent nodded.

“I would very much like to see that. He’s your nametag, you’re up against Sylvia over there.” He pointed at a woman near the back of the room. Please go to the back room over there for aura verification.” Crescent scoffed. She didn’t plan on wasting her time fighting anyone.

There was a lady in a white coat who smiled at Crescent when she walked in.

“Hi. Please stand on the square in the middle of the room. The windows in here are tinted, so please show me your full powers with confidence.”

Crescent took a deep breath and activated her seal. She looked back at the woman with all-black eyes.

She nodded. “Is that a seal?” She wrote on her notepad when Crescent nodded. “Nice, you can keep going.”

Crescent closed her eyes again, activating her cheetah aura.

“Cheetah?” The woman grabbed an apple from the table. “Catch this for me.” She said, tossing the fruit behind her. Crescent caught it in a matter of seconds, the wind she created blowing the woman’s hair around. “Quicker than most around here. You must be younger than I thought. You can power down now.”

Suddenly, the lady yelped. The table she was sitting on was suddenly lifted. She looked down to see Crescent balancing the desk on one arm.

“I wasn’t finished,” Crescent explained, the glimmer in her eye from the tiger aura shining bright. She hoped the woman didn’t feel the table shaking in her grasp as Crescent struggled to keep her aura activated.

“I see. So, you have the seal, cheetah, and tiger. Noted. Please wait outside for your battle.” She said, visibly relieved when Crescent set her down.

“I’m not here to fight.”

“You have to fight. Those are the rules.” The woman asked, confused. If she wasn’t here to fight. What was she here for?

“I could care less about this little bullshit arena you run here. Having people battle it out for the title of ‘Omni of the month?’ How does that even make sense? The OmniAura isn’t a title you earn beating other people up, you’re born with it. You’re either it or you’re not. You’re just trying to make a profit here.”

The woman set her clipboard down, sighing. “What do you know, little girl? Okay, maybe none of these people are the OmniAura. But don’t you think one of them could be? Having two auras is rare, having three like yourself even rarer. If an OmniAura possesses all auras, don’t you think you would activate more auras here? There could be someone here right now, thinking all they have are two auras when really they have millions of dormant assets.”

Crescent chuckled. “So the best way to figure it out is to have everyone beat each other up? Don’t make me laugh.” She sat on the desk, humored when the woman flinched. “What I’m really here for is information.”

“What information?”

“Whatever you have on the OmniAura. And don’t give me that ‘that’s what the arena is for’ crap. We both know you have more than what you let on.”

“Even if I do, why should I tell you? What’s some kid gonna do with that information?”

“I have some friends in need. The OmniAura can help.”

“Those kids taken by The Void? Don’t you know they’re good as dead by now? He probably killed them by now.”

“So where are the bodies?” Crescent shrugged. “Spill the beans, lady.”

“I don’t know anything.”

“When you spoke earlier, you said ‘even if I do.’ Usually, when people speak about something they don’t have they say, ‘even if I did.’ So, I think you’re lying.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “We have the reason to believe the OmniAura exist and have existed for years. No one knows if it’s a male or female, and people who have claimed to see them in the past all say different genders and stories and encounters that we can’t get any confirmation. All I can say for certain is whoever it is, they’re from Strongville. Nowhere else.”

“What makes you so certain they’re not from around here?”

“Have you seen the auras of people around here? Mole rat, bunnies, hamsters. Nothing strong enough for OmniAura material. Strongville has tigers and gorillas roaming around. It’s different over there. It’s Strongville for a reason.” She shrugged, walking around the desk. “Anyways, if you’re hoping to find out information about that library, you won’t get any. I’ve looked for years and could never find it. I’ve checked old maps, encyclopedias, coordinates I’ve found on obscure web pages and nothing. It might not exist. That’s all the info I have for you. And that’s the truth this time. I’ll give you a forfeit slip to give to the referee. It won’t say why you’re refusing to battle, just that you won’t.” she said, snatching it out of reach when Crescent extended her hand out. “Answer one question for me.”

“What?”

“Your name isn’t Akira, is it?”

Crescent smiled. “What makes you say that?”

“You mentioned those Strongville High kids were your friends and you’re a TripleAura. Strongville High has no student named Akira, so you must be named something else.”

Crescent laughed. “Well if you know that much, I don’t even have to tell you my real name, do I?” She grabbed the note from the woman, walking out.

“Good luck, Crescent. I hope you find them.”

Crescent smiled again. “I knew I didn’t have to tell you.”

She walked back out of the room, making a beeline for the ref. She tapped his shoulder.

“Oh good, you’re finally out. We can start the match.”

“Actually, tell the other person they’re winning by default. I’m outta here.”

“But wait! You’d be the first TripleAura competitor! C’mon!”

“You must be scared, little girl. Here I was thinking I was gonna ruin that pretty little face.” Sylvia shouted.

Crescent turned to get a good look at her. She appeared to be mid-thirties with a bulky build. “Whatever, grandma!” Crescent shouted, headed for the door again.

“What you call me, bitch? I should show you some manners.” Sylvia said, activating her gazelle aura and pouncing at Crescent.

Crescent sighed before turning around, clawing at Sylvia’s neck just as she reached her. While Sylvia reached for her bleeding neck, Crescent pounced on her, trapping her under her cheetah strength.

“You already won. What more are you fighting for? Back. Off.” Crescent let go of her and walked off, leaving the room full of stunned faces.

“Did you see that? She tackled Sylvia immediately.”

“She had the speed of a cheetah and the strength of a tiger. I wish we got to see the third aura.”

“Who IS that kid?” The doorman asked the woman from the office.

“Now that,” She said, smiling. “Just might be the OmniAura.”

-

-

-

-

By the time Crescent reached the OmniAura Café, the sun was setting. Crescent sighed, it was a regular café, just as she’d imagined. She went in and ordered an americano with a danish. She sat down, laughing at her order. She hated americanos. She always mocked Jongho for being so obsessed with such a bitter drink. Somehow, drinking it made her feel closer to him.

“Jongho,” she mumbled breathlessly, “Where are you?”

The danish was fresh and tasteful, despite it being nearly nighttime. Or perhaps it was the lack of food all day clouding Crescent’s judgment. She finished her food, tossing a few dollars in the tip jar on the counter. She stepped onto the pavement, zipping up her jacket as it had gotten notably colder since she arrived to the café. She decided to walk for a bit. After all, there wasn’t much to do back at the hotel. She stood at the crosswalk, watching kids play up the street while waiting for the light to change. She smiled as she watched one of the children be particularly protective of a little girl, reminding her yet again of herself and Jongho.

She passed the children, walking towards a relatively secluded area.

She paused, confused. “This street is so much quieter and darker than the one I just passed.” She said to herself. It was true, the street where the café and children were seemed like it was worlds away from where she was standing. Turning back around, she saw an abandoned building at the next corner over. There was a sign dangling off the gate, but the wear and tear prevented Crescent from reading it.

“That looks like an old library. Could it be…?”

Reluctantly, she crossed the street. Just as she’d suspected, the sign stated the building used to be a library. There was no condemned or demolition notice, but it seemed like no one had tended to it in years.

Crescent turned to cross the street again, but as she waited for the light, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more than meets the eye. A library so close to the OmniAura café, that just happens to be abandoned with no plans for demolition or renovation? And all of this while Crescent is looking for a library that is rumored to not even exist?

The light changed, but Crescent didn’t budge. She watched the countdown on the traffic light reach zero. Before she could think about it, she walked back up to the gate, prying it open and slipping inside.

A closer look at the door revealed it was bolted shut, and the windows had bars in place. Crescent checked the sides of the place, determined to find a way in. Even if the place was abandoned, surely there was information still sitting on the shelves, right? Or at least a clue.

On the left side of the building there was a narrow alleyway, with a ladder leaning against the structure, leading to the roof. Crescent shone her phone flashlight on the ground, showing fresh footprints heading to the ladder.

Someone’s been here recently. She thought.

She stood at the base of the ladder. Was she being too reckless? This is something Eclipse would do. For all Crescent knows, the owner of the footprints is still here. A homeless person? A criminal? Or was it all a trap by the Void? Did he know she was looking for Jongho?

She shook her head. If she just stood around, nothing would get done. She climbed up to the roof and found…nothing. The roof was completely empty. In the far corner, Crescent saw what looked like a door handle sticking out from the roof floor. She reached out for it, the door opening up like a black hole, a seemingly bottomless void within. Tired of wasting time, Crescent jumped in, gasping when her feet finally touched ground.

Immediately there was light throughout the room. Crescent stood up straight, goosebumps forming on her arms. She met the eyes of a man with long, grey hair sitting at a desk at the end of the hall. Behind him was a door.

I knew someone was here. Crescent thought.

“Do you realize you’ve trespassed, child? What gives you the impression that this establishment is open to the public? Once I give the police the fingerprints you’ve left on the door handle, you’re looking at 3 years, give or take.” The man shrugged.

“Well, it’s a good thing I have this.” Crescent picked at her wrist until an insanely thin layer of fake skin peeled off her hand. The man watched as she also peeled the other half, amused.

“Fake skin and fingerprints? You came with a purpose.” He chuckled. “What is it that you seek?”

“Are you the Void?”

“Is that who you’re looking for?”

“I asked you a question first.”

“And if I am?”

Crescent activated her cheetah aura, staring the man in the eyes in a matter of seconds.

“I’m tired of you running circles. Just answer the question!”

“Let’s say I am the Void. What’s going to happen to me? All the people I killed? All the ones held captive?”

Gripping the desk, Crescent flung it across the room, wooden planks and splinters tumbling to the ground.

“Wow. Impressive amount of power for such a young one.” The man muttered. “I’m not the Void. In fact, I have no aura at all.” He said, raising his hands.

Crescent froze momentarily before powering down. Especially after what she’s been through, she vowed to never show violence to someone without an aura. “I lost control, forgive me. I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“I see. No need to apologize. I’m simply the gatekeeper of this library. The abandoned look is to avoid the influx of people that would come claiming to be the OmniAura. If that’s the information you are seeking, you’ve found the right place.” He stood up, reaching for a key in his grey slacks. “Follow me.” He said, opening the door.

The library was littered top to bottom with books. The room itself was about the size of a two-bedroom apartment and the shelves were made of mahogany wood.

“Is every book in here about the OmniAura?” Crescent asked.

“Auras in general, really. But most of that information is probably public knowledge. Feel free to roam around.” He said, sitting on yet another chair at the front of the room. “I’ll be here.”

Crescent browsed the aisles, not even sure where to start when a book falls from one of the shelves across yonder. Instinctively, she ran to grab it and put it back, but then she caught a glimpse of the title on the front page:

OmniAura: The Origin.

She examined the exterior. No title or author on the cover. The book was bound together by leather, and it definitely wasn’t from the previous generation. Or the one before that.

This is my chance to find out who the OmniAura is. Crescent thought, sitting at a table near the shelf.

She flipped open to the first chapter, titled Two Hearts Make One. She furrowed her eyebrows. A love story? In a book about the strongest being on Earth? She shrugged. There has to be some point to the story.

To understand the OmniAura, one must go back to the story of Demelza Ainsley and Prince Gladstone Quinton. Prince Gladstone was next in line for the throne of Wilikar, and it was time to choose a bride. He’d already gone from town to town in search of the perfect maiden, but none of them seemed fit to rule by his side. On his way back into town, his carriage was halted by a woman struggling to cross the road.

“Make haste, young lady! Can’t you see we have the future king on board?” The coachman shouted.

“My apologies! All I ask is for a second to make it across!” She said, tripping and dropping her stuff once again. “Goodness gracious.” She muttered.

“Young lady-”

“It’s alright.” The Prince said, silencing the coachman at once.

“But my sire!” The coachman objected.

“I said it’s alright.” The Prince exited the carriage, curious as to what was going on.

“Do you require assistance, damsel? He asked the troubled woman.

In that moment, the young lady looked up, eyes widening at the sight of the Prince in the flesh. The Prince’s eyes widened as well, but for a very different reason. He’d never seen such beauty before. Her black curls framed her almond skin, and her pillowy lips made the perfect ‘o’ shape as she looked at him in surprise.

“Oh, Your Majesty! I’m terribly sorry! I’ll be out of your way in just a moment.” She said, struggling to carry all her items once again.

“I asked if you needed assistance. Allow me.” The Prince grabbed one of the baskets the woman had dropped, walking it to the grass.

“Your Majesty, that’s quite alright! I was just having a moment, surely I can manage myself.”

“Nonsense, I’ll help you to your destination. Lead the way.”

“Sire! That isn’t necessary! Allow me to assist the young lady.” The coachman said.

“Stay where you are, Squire. That is an order. I shall return.” The Prince said, ignoring the coachman’s pleas.

The prince and damsel walked for a while in silence.

“What is all of this for? Do you sell?” The Prince asked.

“Y-yes, Your Majesty. Every afternoon in the marketplace.”

“Please, call me Gladstone.”

The lady looked up at him in shock. “Demelza. I appreciate the courtesy, Your Majesty, but I just cannot do that. It’s not right.”

“I insist, Demelza.” He smiled, flustering the young woman. “If I’m correct, your parents are the Ainsleys.” She nodded. “I’ve always seen your siblings Dexter and Deana, but never you. Why?”

“I’m the eldest and the adult child, I have to support our family. Mother and Father can only do so much.”

“Surely you have fun sometimes?”

Demelza laughed. “Fun is for those who lack responsibilities like my siblings. I can’t remember a time I went out that wasn’t for my market sales.” She sighed.

“DEMELZA!”

Demelza looked up. “Oh! Your Ma-, I mean, Gladstone. There’s my brother. He’ll help me carry everything the rest of the way, so you can get back to your duties.”

“It’s fine, I’m in no rush.” He replied. “Dexter, how are you?”

The younger boy looked nearly starstruck at the sight of the Prince. “I’m doing alright, Your Majesty. Hopefully Demelza hasn’t caused you much trouble.” He said, ignoring his sister’s glare.

“Oh, none at all. Our chat has been quite fun, actually.” He smiled.

“Dexter! Have you found Demelza?” A woman shouted. “Oh! Demelza, there you are! What has taken you so long- Oh goodness! Your Majesty!”

“I apologize, Madam Ainsley. I accompanied Demelza down the way to help, but it seems I’ve made her even later, chit-chatting along the way.”

“Oh of course not, Your Majesty! All the time in the world for you!” She laughed. “Demelza, we really should be getting to the market before we lose our spot.”

“Oh, right! Gladstone, you’ve been oh so kind! I’m indebted to you.” Demelza smiled.

“You can make it up by coming to the palace tonight. There’s a dinner being held for all the damsels in the village. I know you said you don’t have time to have fun, but surely you can take a break? I’d love for you to come.”

She nodded. “If that is what you wish, I will see it through.”

Once the Prince was farther away, Demelza’s mother grabbed her arm, yanking her in the direction of the market. “You can’t go.”

“What?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“But mother! I just promised the Prince I’d go see him!”

“After seeing the rest of the girls in this village surely he won’t remember you. We’ll send Deana in your place. You’re the oldest, Demelza. You’re the one that has to stay behind and help us. My older sister did it, and now it’s your turn. That’s how it is.”

Later that evening, the palace was full of young ladies in their best gowns, all hoping to catch the Prince’s eye. And yet, his eye was glued to the door. He momentarily lit up at the sight of Deana, only to realize she had once again arrived sans Demelza.

“This won’t do.” He mumbled. “Father, I’ll return shortly.”

“Return? Gladstone, the event has just begun, and here you are running off already? We need to find you a wife so you can take the throne!”

“I’m aware of that. Just- I’ll return.” He said, walking away before the King could say another word.

He exited the palace out the back entrance, making his way around to the front. He ran into his Squire out front.

“Sire! What is the meaning of this? You should be inside!”

“Yes, Squire, I know. I just need to make a quick run. Please wane my father’s concerns should he try to come after me. I’ll come right back!”

“But Sire!” He shouted, but Gladstone had taken off into the night.

Gladstone reached the quaint house he had walked to earlier. Peering through the window, he saw Demelza tidying up the dining area. He knocked urgently.

“Yes? Deana is that you? Is everything alri-” She paused, coming face to face with the Prince once again.

“I thought we had agreed to see each other tonight, Demelza.”

“I’m so sorry, Gladstone. My mother says as the eldest, I shouldn’t worry myself with such fantasies like falling in love with a Prince. My duties are here at home. Please understand.”

“I know this is sudden, but you’ve been on my mind since this afternoon. I watched as girl after girl came into the ballroom, and yet I still waited hoping to see you.”

“Demelza, who is at the door?” A man’s voice said.

“Father!” Demelza said, more out of surprise.

“Who is it- Your Majesty! What are you doing here? It’s the night of the ball!”

“As the patriarch of the Ainsley household, I am asking for permission for your daughter to come with me to the ball, sir.”

“Demelza? But Demelza is not to be wed. Surely Deana-”

“Sir, I’ve never felt this way before. Any other woman just wouldn’t feel right. It must be her. All I ask for is the chance to prove it to you.” He said, kneeling before the middle-aged man.

The man sighed. “Well, I can’t argue with a declaration like that. If the Prince is so adamant he arrived for you himself, surely my wife and I have raised a fine young woman.” He said, smiling at Demelza. “Run along, you may go.”

“What is all this noise- Your Majesty! You’re here again! And during the ball! Demelza-”

“It’s alright, love. Let her go.”

“But what about-”

“We don’t need to drag our daughter down. We’ll be alright on our own.” The man said, taking his wife back into the house.

“Come on! I refuse to let the night end without so much as a dance with you!” the Prince said.

“Even if I have permission, look at me.” She motioned to her housedress. “I haven’t so much as a thread of ballroom-worthy garments here!”

The Prince thought for a bit and said, “I have an idea, but we have to run, yes?”

He took Demelza’s hand and the pair ran off in the direction of the palace, heartbeats racing from both adrenaline and excitement.

The Squire was still outside when they returned and he breathed a notable sigh at the sight of the Prince. “Sire, is this the young lady from earlier?”

The Prince nodded. “This is Demelza, Squire. She’s in need of a dress for the ball. Can you assist?”

The Squire thought for a bit. “I believe my wife should have a dress that’ll fit, but we truly must hurry.”

The three ran into the palace in search of the seamstress, who dressed Demelza in a deep blue, floor-length gown with gold accents and helped her style her hair in a neat bun. A gold necklace was placed on her neck as the finishing touch. The pair thanked the Squire and the Seamstress before running to the ballroom in time for the King to announce there would be a dance between the Prince and a damsel of his choice.

“Father! I’ve returned! And I made my choice!”

The King turned to see his son beaming with a beautiful young lady by his side.

“Are you sure, son?”

“It can’t be anyone else, Father.”

“What is your name, young lady?”

“Demelza Ainsley.”

The King smiled. He’d heard the name, but never seen her, meaning she was most likely destined to care for the family before his son stepped in. It was in his son’s character to fall for the one no one else sees.

“Well then, it has been decided! The prince will dance with Demelza of the Ainsley family! Please clear the floor for the chosen pair!”

Demelza wanted to shy away from the spotlight; she had never been the center of attention.

The Prince squeezed her hand. “Don’t hide. Let them see your beauty.” He pulled her in close as they began to sway to the music. Demelza caught a glimpse of her younger sister, who smiled sweetly.

“Now that I’ve got you, good luck getting rid of me, Miss Demelza Quinton.”

Demelza furrowed her eyebrows. “Demelza Ainsley.”

The Prince smiled. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

The wedding set the village ablaze. The soon-to-be royals were the talk of the town, both good and bad. The Royals couldn’t understand why the Prince would choose such a humble woman, whereas the commoners saw this as hope that life would improve for everyone in the village.

“What’s so special about her? There were so many girls prettier than her at the ball!”

“Not to the Prince. Rumor is she wasn’t even at the ball at all, and he went searching for her AND dressed her when she didn’t have anything to wear.”

“Now that’s love.”

“Sounds like exploitation to me. You want me at the ball, so you have to dress me. She couldn’t just make her own dress like the others?”

“SHH! Here they come!”

Demelza lowered her head, clinging to the Prince’s side. She hated all the things said about her. She never intended to marry the Prince for his money, or at all in the beginning. She never envisioned herself in this position either. Was it such a foreign concept, that of love at first sight?

“Don’t pay them any mind, dear. We know the truth.” The Prince placed a hand under her chin, raising her head once more.

The crowd surrounding the carriage cooed at the display of affection, chanting “Long live the Royals!”

“People of Wilikar, please make way for the Royal Couple, as they must get dressed for the royal ceremony! And of course, the entire village is invited!” Cheers erupted throughout the area as the carriage’s path was cleared.

-

-

-

“Gladstone.”

“Father.”

“The path you’ve chosen, I want you to know a long time of defending your bride is in store. Can you handle it?”

“I wouldn’t go through with it if I couldn’t defend her honor. I knew it had to be her from the minute I laid eyes on her. I’ll make sure the whole world knows no one else can take her place.”

The King smiled, embracing his son. “I’ve raised you well. All I want is for you to be happy. I may rule this entire kingdom, but you’re my greatest prize.”

“Your Majesties, it is nearly time for the bride to arrive! We must get downstairs!”

“Come on, future king.”

The palace was filled with villagers from far and wide wanting to witness such a historical moment.

Demelza’s gown was a simple off-shoulder white gown with silver accents. She donned a sheer white cape that trailed feet away from her person and an all-white bouquet of the village’s finest flowers.

The Prince kept his eyes trained on his bride, a small smile forming the closer she got.

“Your beauty is unmatched, dear.” He said once she reached the altar.

“You’re far too nice to me.” She blushed.

“Surely, that’s impossible.” He replied.

“We are gathered here today to witness the union of Demelza Ainsley and Gladstone Quinton, the future rulers of our kingdom.” The officiant said. “Demelza, please repeat after me. "I, Demelza Ainsley, take thee, Gladstone Quinton, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

“And now you, Your Majesty. "I, Gladstone Quinton, take thee, Demelza Ainsley, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

Once the vows were done, the officiant spoke again. “If there is anybody who thinks these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I object!”

Gasps and whispers filled the palace, onlookers searching for the source of the voice.

A young man in a simple white button-up and dark-colored pants stepped out of the crowd.

“Melbourne?” Demelza said in disbelief.

“My love, you know him?” The Prince asks.

“Yes, he’s a friend from childhood.”

“A friend from childhood that deserves to be with you. Demelza, I know you better than this man ever could!”

“That’s not just any man! That is the future King! Show some respect!” Someone shouted from the crowd.

“Fret not, I’ll allow it.” The Prince said, raising his hand.

“Demelza, I have loved you for years. Yet, when I expressed that, you told me you couldn’t marry. And now here you are, signing yourself off to the Royals. Was it all a lie to wane me off? Did you dislike me that much?”

“Melbourne,” Demelza said, grasping his hand affectionately when he approached the pair. “That was never the case. What I told you was true. I was destined to never marry. But, Gladstone fought to be with me. It is because of him that I am even here. It was never my intention to make you feel betrayed. You deserve someone who makes you happy. The way Gladstone makes me happy.” She said, turning to the Prince, who smiled in return.

Melbourne chuckled humorlessly. “I wish that were enough, Demelza.”

The Prince charged towards him. “Don’t harm her!”

Melbourne turned to the Prince, piercing him with a pocketknife he had concealed until now. “Very well, then. I’ll just harm you.”

“Gladstone!” Demelza shouted as Melbourne pulled the weapon out, blood oozing out onto the palace floor. The crowd began evacuating at once, screams and hollers filling the building.

“Last chance, Demelza. Marry me, love. It can only be you.” He pleaded.

Demelza stared at him. “You’re unbelievable. Look at the despair you’ve caused, and you say it’s all in the name of your love for me? This isn’t love, Melbourne. And I won’t marry you! Not now, not ever! My heart lies with Gladstone!”

Melbourne sighed. “My poor Demelza, foolish as ever.”

Demelza gasped, clutching her bleeding abdomen. “Melbourne!” She coughed.

“Don’t you get it, Sweetheart? If I can’t have you, no one can.” Melbourne said, just as the guards were able to reach the altar and drag him away.

Demelza crawled to the Prince’s side, who was barely clinging to life.

“Gladstone! My love, can you hear me?” She asked, her own voice barely a whisper.

“Son!” The King shouted, holding the distraught Queen.

“Demelza.” The Prince croaked. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

“Don’t you dare.” She shook her head. “Don’t you dare apologize at a time like this.”

“Your Highness, would you like me to continue the pronouncement?” the officiant asked. “It may not mean much, but you can still be wed.”

“Yes, please continue. I want to die married to the love of my life.” He mumbled, his words becoming more and more incoherent.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Your Highness.”

Gladstone didn’t have much strength to move, so Demelza leaned over.

“No matter how many times, no matter how long it takes. Come back to me, beloved.” She said, enveloping his lips in a loving kiss.

The Prince and Duchess of Wilikar perished in each other’s arms that day, and Melbourne was stoned to death for his crimes. The King and Queen were never able to recover from the loss of their only child, deeming them unfit to rule, so the throne was passed down to Deana. She ruled with the assistance of Gladstone’s former Squire since she was still shy of her 18th birthday. Notable differences Deana made include the abolishment of marital objections at weddings. One can guess why.

Why is this story important to the origin of the OmniAura?

Well, it’s said that when the Prince and Duchess finally took their last breaths, several animal-shaped lights glowed throughout the palace and the entire kingdom. These became known as astral projections and later, auras. The origin of auras in its entirety, not just the OmniAura, originated with Demelza and Gladstone Quinton.

Crescent slammed the book. What did she just read? The first people to have auras…didn’t even get to use them? So, the OmniAura are these two people? How was she going to get two deceased people to help her get Jongho back?

She opened it again.

By now, you’ve probably understood that the OmniAura isn’t one lone person, or a group or even chosen at random, but two intertwined souls destined to always be together, with love as their binding. The power has evolved over the years, with a new animal manifesting with every reincarnation. The previous story is from hundreds and hundreds of years ago, and it is said that every so often the couple will reincarnate. Melbourne, unfortunately, reincarnates as well, making their reunion complicated. Melbourne takes on a random role in society, but the couple is always together. Whether it be a boss and employee, coworkers, a professor and college student, or childhood best friends, the pair always reincarnate already destined to have a bond.

Crescent scratched her neck at “childhood best friends.” Could it be? Were they?

She kept reading.

Because the instance of the OmniAura is so specific and who exactly is the OmniAura is so fickle, many doubt the very existence of the OmniAura, sometimes even the OmniAura themselves. Signs of the OmniAura include a strong, deep-rooted connection that seems to have festered out of nowhere or triggered by a traumatic event, a strange feeling of déjà vu. These also include a sense of loss or longing when the couple is separated that may turn into reckless endangerment, the apparition of extra auras for one or both parties, etc.

But being the OmniAura comes with its dangers as well. Aside from the expected desired amount of power, the OmniAura depends a lot on one another. Regardless if the power is equally distributed or not, strength for both parties significantly diminishes when apart. This reduction in strength has not been seen in other couples with auras, not even when married. It can go as far as to weaker the immune system of the weaker party, or better yet, the party that houses fewer auras. This is all caused by the body’s natural necessity to be one with its other half-

Crescent slammed the book closed again, for real this time. She stood up from her seat. If her assumption was true, and her and Jongho were the OmniAura, then that meant that Jongho’s immune system was…

“Young lady?”

Crescent jumped. She had been read for so long she had forgotten she wasn’t alone.

“Are you finding everything okay? What made you want to research the OmniAura today?” The man asked.

“Oh,” Crescent said, “well, my friends were kidnapped by the void, and I was hoping to find some information on the person he’s really looking for.”

“Ohh, yes. The children kidnapped from the high school?” He asked, to which Crescent nodded. “And how do you feel now with the answers the book has provided?”

“Like I have more questions than answers. Did you know one of the OA’s? How did you come to guard this building?”

The man smiled. “Well, I was in fact part of the story. You might have seen me in that as ‘Squire.’”

Crescent gasped. “But if you were…then how?”

“When the Prince and Duchess passed, life went on as normal. People slowly began realizing they had auras and they explored all they could do with those abilities. I assisted Lady Deana, she refused to take on the Duchess title, and everything was fine. Until one day, after my 65th birthday, I stopped aging. All my other coworkers grew old and retired, passed away, their children passed away, My wife, Lady Deana, Dexter. They all grew old and passed. But I remained. Scientists and doctors were baffled. Even during things like the Spanish Flu, I was completely healthy. It was a running joke in the village that I would live forever. It was funny until the last person from my generation passed away. On the night of the funeral, I went to bed like normal. When I woke, I was in this library. I had no idea how I got here, and no idea how to get back to my village. I spent my days wandering the streets of the city and the halls of the library until one day a girl came rushing in. She was frantic, saying she needed to help her tutor who was bedridden and frail. No one could understand what was wrong with him. It was then I understood my purpose. I’m here to facilitate the union of the OmniAura through every reincarnation. And I’ve been doing so ever since.”

“And how long has that been?” Crescent asked. “And the book only ever called you Squire, what’s your name?”

The man sighed. “I’ve seen the reunion of the OmniAura a total of 43 times, all of which have ended in tragedy. Every time, Melbourne kills them both, with the promise of killing them in the next life. I truly hope it ends soon, so I can finally rest. I’ve lived for far too long. Oh, and my name is Alston.” He chuckled.

“Well, Alston, if you never saw this place prior to living here, where did all these books come from?” Crescent gestured to the rest of the room.

“They probably belonged to Gladstone’s family. I must confess, however, several of these books were written by me. Including the one you’re holding.”

“Really? I suppose it would make sense. You need something to busy yourself with here.”

“I wrote it around the time of the 22nd and 23rd reincarnations. I had finally grasped the concept enough to explain it and I had noticed patterns that repeat each time. Every time one of the OmniAura stumbles upon this library, that book is involved in the reunion or revelation, so I guard it well.” He sat down.

“Throughout the years, many people have attempted to access the library, seeing as it’s the only credible source of information for the OmniAura, so I make an effort to guard the door at night. I used to allow open visits until people became rude and arrogant, insisting on taking ownership of the materials and claiming to be the OA due to their strength and auras. Many would refuse to leave and got violent, genuinely believing they had the right to be there. The biggest misconception is that the OmniAura is a title to be earned; a competition to be won. But the title of OmniAura is determined by destiny, years before it actually comes to fruition, so all who claim they’re the OmniAura are frauds. What caused you to slam the book, young one?”

“It says that the half with fewer auras’ immune system gets compromised when the halves are apart, and I have no idea where he is.”

“Yes, it’s definitively safe to assume you’re the multi-aura vessel this time around.��� He looked at her, chuckling at her shocked expression. “Let’s dropped the act, dear. We both know it’s reunion time.”

“How are you so sure it’s me?”

“When you charged at me earlier, while your speed and strength were both impressive, it seemed something was off. Perhaps a missing aura?”

Crescent’s mouth fell agape. “Yeah. I’ve been struggling with my tiger aura. Sometimes it activates, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“In the absence of the other half, the aura most closely associated to that person might not work as well as usual. Does this sound like it might be the case?”

Crescent nodded. “It’s the only aura I developed when I was with him, and it’s the one I used to defend him. It’s only natural it falters when he’s not around. I struggled with it when I went training with my sister, too. He was too far away.” It all started making sense. Crescent grabbed her phone off the table.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“Crescent. Crescent Moon.”

“Go ahead and hang onto that book, Crescent.”

“Why?”

“It has some information you might need. And quite frankly, I’m getting a feeling I’ll no longer have a use for it.”

A chill ran down Crescent’s spine as she realized what he meant. She picked up the book and carefully puts it into the pocket of her jacket. She bids the older man good night and makes a beeline for the door. Just as she’s out, he calls out to her:

“I have a really good feeling about this time, Demelza. 44th time’s the charm.”

Crescent ran down the street back to her car and drove back to the motel. There was a new receptionist this time, a woman who smiled at Crescent as she heads up to her room. Crescent showered and changed into some pajamas before taking one last peek at the book for the night.

The most effective and fool-proof way of activating the OmniAura:

The OmniAura are already strong in each other’s presence, but for maximum strength in both hosts, activation is needed. The most effective way of activation is through the declaration of love and a lover’s kiss to seal the proclamation. Once that occurs, both vessels will be able to power up either aura they have between the two of them. They can also power up the same aura at once, coming in handy for double attacks.

Crescent closed the book, setting it on the table. She turned off the light and got under the covers, closing her eyes. Moments later, her eyes shot open.

“I’VE NEVER EVEN KISSED HIM!”

Crescent woke up in the morning and got dressed. She had breakfast downstairs in the lobby before heading to the front desk to checkout.

“Leaving so soon, beautiful?” The guy receptionist from last time said.

“Yup, I’m going back home. And by the way, I have a boyfriend. And we’re destined to be together. Bye.” She turned around walking away and leaving the receptionist extremely confused.

“If this is gonna work,” She told herself, “I’m gonna have to work on a much larger scale…” She pulled into the driveway…where her parents and Eclipse were already standing.

“..if I survive this first.”

not me taking months to update this story

my bad y'all

also Tumblr isn't letting me add the picture I've been using for this story and I'm sad about it

[twodaysintojune]

Arranging Weddings

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation

WangXian, background XiCheng, warnings - None 

Find me at AO3

It had not even been a month since the passing of Jin GuangYao and Lan XiChen was not feeling better at all. If things kept on going that way he might head into seclusion soon rather than half ass all of his work like he was doing right now. He was never feeling like doing anything and right now he was feeling it even less since he had to stand his uncle's outrage for the eleventh time at nine in the morning.

"... Anything could happen to WangJi at any moment and we don't even know where they are right now! The inconceivable, utter disrespect to the most basic premises of morality! He did not only stick his cut-sleeveness on my WangJi but he also… he also forced him to elope! Just like that! Can you believe it XiChen!? The shame he has forced on our Sect by dropping off the last sense of decency by not getting married!???"

Lan XiChen wondered for a moment if it was wise to remind his own uncle of rule number seventy five on the wall of rules: "Causing Noise is Prohibited" to satisfy his own pettiness or if his uncle was in need of another cup of tea before any kind of smart backlash when both men heard a coughing coming up from the exterior of the room.

Lan XiChen beamed as much as his proper upbringing could allow. Standing still and quite elegantly poised, like the Sect Leader he was, was Jiang WanYin.

"Sect Leader Jiang! What a pleasant surprise! We didn't expect you until…" Lan XiChen turned to look at the hour and realized his own mistake of letting his uncle rant for literal hours now "oh, Oh. Please forgive me, Sect Leader Jiang. I have failed to properly receive you at the appointed hour."

"Please, no need to apologize, Sect Leader Lan, Master Lan Qiren." Jiang WanYin bowed to both men as appropriate to the occasion "I would have waited without a problem for you but I must admit your conversation got me quite intrigued. Is master Lan Quiren implying that he wouldn't have that much of an issue with a pair of cut-sleeve relationship were they properly married?"

Lan Qiren scoffed. "I admit that would be a great start."

Jiang WanYin's smile widened wildly for just a glimpse in a way that reminded Lan XiChen of those moments he knew he had the winning hand during the few times they fought together at the Sunshot Campaign. A thing that made him excitedly anticipate the great Sandu Shengshou's upcoming actions.

"I am quite relieved to hear of this. If that is the case, Master Lan Qiren, there's a proposal I would like, no, I would love to discuss with you." 

---

Wei Wuxian was somehow splayed on top of Little Apple, looking at the increasingly brightening sky while Lan WangJi was pulling the reins, walking towards the closest city after being travelling through the mountainside a couple of days.

"Ahahahaha oh Lan Zhan, my Lan Zhan, did you really see that grave digger's face when all the corpses around him began to rise? Ahahahaha~"

Lan WangJi smiled warmly at his husband's figure. How could he deny him of such pleasures when they brought him so much happiness? Especially when it meant they were doing good. Keeping the spirits to their proper rest.

When they arrived at the city, the place was bustling with energy despite being so early in the morning but it was not the usual one from a large place like this, there was some sort of effervescence and giddiness in the way everyone behaved that both men felt was just a tad bit too excited.

Being a naturally curious person, Wei Wuxian asked the nearest steamed buns stall owner.

"Excuse me, Ma'am" he took a couple of buns while Lan WangJi was already taking out the money to pay. "Can you tell us what is going on that the city is so excited about?"

"Oh my boy! Haven't you heard!?" Said the owner, almost jumping on her heels as if she had just been waiting for someone to ask "The leaders of the Lan and the Jiang sects are getting married!"

Wei Wuxian paled and felt like he had suddenly become a walking corpse while he heard a couple of coins dropping to the floor by his side. He forced a smile on his face.

"Surely that's… that's not right? Is it not, maybe, a pair of disciples?"

"Oh, no, no, no. If it was that they wouldn't be announcing it to the whole world, would they? Just look at the announcements board at the plaza! If you can't trust this old hag, then you can surely trust an official document."

Wei Wuxian somehow brought up a more charming smile "My dear lady, I could never not trust someone that has so much more experience that I can ever dream of"

The old lady cackled while receiving the coins Lan WangJi had picked up again "oh my, you're such a flirt. Here, have another bun for the ride."

Wei Wuxian thanked her and turned around with his mouth open only to see that his man was well beyond him, already walking towards the plaza. He ran towards him and reached the board.

There, in the middle of it all, was a very official looking paper with celebratory imagery surrounding the edges of the announcement.

"It is with great pleasure to announce that the leaders of the Jiang and the Lan sects are organising a wedding to be held in Lotus Pier during the auspicious upcoming new moon of the month of Xin Si at sunset where they expect to celebrate a wedding that will tighten up the relations between both regions of Gusu and Yunmeng. All blessings for the grooms to wed."

The announcement ended with a beautiful seal that joined both sects imagery, a lotus flower floating over a cloud. 

Wei Wuxian read the thing three times before anything made any kind of sense and then one time more.

"The upcoming moon of… oh heavens, Lan Zhan. That is in eight days!!! This is… We cannot stay here! We have to stop this nonsense wedding!"

Lan WangJi was looking at his soulmate with a stern glare that was completely agreeing with Wei Wuxian's exclamation.

"Mn."

Soon enough, they were running to the stable where they had left Little Apple and began their journey towards Wei Wuxian's old home.

---

The day arrived, the whole city of Yunmeng was dressed for the celebration, people wandering excitedly throughout the streets, waiting for the announcement that the marriage was completed. Inside of Lotus Pier, two fine figures in relatively simple red robes were alone, kneeling already at the ancient hall, just waiting for the exact hour. A red veil covering the head of one of them.

"After knowing you through all these years and battles, I have to be honest and say that I know I shouldn't, but I am still impressed about your boldness. Sect Leader Jiang."

Jiang WanYin laughed "Turns out I'm not only good at slashing things, eh?" He winked at the elegant face behind the veil. "Also please call me Jiang WanYin, I hope we're well past certain formalities after this."

The veiled man snickered "Very well, then please do call me Lan XiChen. I'd feel quite saddened if you felt there was any need for formalities with me as well, Jiang WanYin."

Jiang WanYin smiled brightly at the man by his side.

A couple of minutes passed when Lan XiChen began to fidget.

"Are you sure they will come?"

"Oh trust me, I don't know about your HanGuang-Jun but Wei Wuxian will definitely be here. And if he is here…"

"Then WangJi is going to be here as well."

Jiang WanYin nodded in agreement. As if they had summoned the chaotic couple, they heard a commotion starting on the Swords Hall.

"It's the Yiling Patriarch and HanGuang-Jun!"

"Somebody stop them!"

Both men heard the sounds of blades and general fighting getting nearer at each second, sometimes yells of pain.

"Will your disciples be alright, Jiang WanYin?"

"Are you kidding me? They were ecstatic when I told them they would be able to test their skills against the Second Jade of Gusu-Lan. Not that they're anywhere near him but that will help them assess their own strengths."

Lan XiChen snickered. Soon enough, the commotion was right behind them and suddenly the doors of the Ancient Hall burst open and in came Wei Wuxian and Lan WangJi.

"JIANG CHENG!"

"XIONGZHANG!"

The pair in red stood up from their kneeling position and turned to look at the newcomers.

"Ah, my dear WangJi! How auspicious that you managed to arrive in time!"

"Yeah, we would have had a real problem if you didn't show up."

The couple at the doors looked at each other in shock and then glared at their counterparts while approaching them. Wei Wuxian fisted Jiang Cheng's robes and pulled him forward while Lan WangJi almost fell on Lan XiChen's arms, almost imperceptibly glazed eyes.

"Can you tell me what sort of nonsense this is!?"

"Xiongzhang, please!"

Both men in red gave their brothers a smile, albeit one would have been considered saintly while the other devilish. Suddenly, the doors of the Ancient Hall closed once more, startling Wei Wuxian and Lan WangJi. They turned around and saw, appalled some very well known faces.

"HanGuang-Jun, Senior Wei, I'm really glad to see you're well."

"I mean, not like we actually cared but…"

"Oh, don't be a liar! You're the one who wanted to see Senior Wei the most!"

"Can we get going with this? We'll be late for the banquet at this rate."

Before he was able to completely understand what the junior quarter was doing there, Lan WangJi heard his brother.

"Please forgive me WangJi, we cannot afford more stalling, you are indeed a little bit late."

And just like that, he clearly sensed how his spiritual energy was blocked by his own brother's hand.

"Alright, you can take him, Jiang WanYin."

"Gotcha!" Exclaimed the man while leaning forward and carrying a very startled Wei Wuxian like a potato sack and jumping through the threshold that the juniors had opened once more, disappearing through the hallways.

"W… Wait a second! What are you doing!? Lan Zhan! LAN ZHAN SAVE ME!!!"

"WEI YING!!!"

Lan WangJi did his best to get away from his brother's grasp while the frantic screams of his lover moved away from them but it was impossible without his spiritual energy. He turned to look at his brother, a pair of tears menacing to roll over his cheek.

"Now, now, don't look like that, let's go get you changed and refreshed, you'll be able to see him soon."

Unable to do much more, he allowed himself to be guided through another hall towards a guestroom with a sigh, shoulders slightly falling.

"Tche, what's all the drama for? It's not like they're gonna be apart forever."

"Look who's talking, Mistress."

"You-!"

"Please guys, let's not do this right now."

"Yes! A wedding is a very important occasion!"

Chided by his brother, Lan WangJi took a quick bath and began to dress himself in layers of increasingly dark blue without paying too much attention but stopped when he finally noticed the outer garment his brother, now properly dressed with his best silver and light blue robes, was providing. He had in his hands a deep red robe accented with dark blue and silver embroidery reminiscing of clouds around the edges that was to be matched with a dark blue, almost black sash. He looked at the clearly elegant garment in awe and then turned to look at Lan XiChen.

"Xiongzhang, this…"

Lan XiChen gave him a soft smile, already holding a comb. "Come on, dress up, let your big brother do your hair."

Lan WangJi's eyes widened up in comprehension. He felt his ears burn when he finished dressing himself and sat down.

"Xiongzhang, I'm sorry. I thought, we thought…"

Lan XiChen let out a soft chuckle.

"We know." Lan XiChen began to brush softly WangJi's hair. 

Both men got lost in the process of brushing and hairstyling, reminiscing childhood days where the older man took care of the younger in the same way. Lan XiChen sighed while pulling up the hair for the bun after being done with the brushing.

"You know WangJi, I'm really glad I'm able to be here for you today."

Lan WangJi frowned. "Xiongzhang?" 

It was barely a whisper but that didn't stop Lan XiChen to feel the worry.

"I'm going into seclusion WangJi… Don't move, you'll ruin the bun…" Lan XiChen sighed once more "Maybe one of the reasons I agreed to this mad scheme was precisely because I did not want to miss this particular day and knowing how erratic your movements can be I was not sure if I was going to be here otherwise."

Lan WangJi looked downwards, faintly blushing, feeling his brother fix the decorative pins. 

"Which is why I also wanted to tell you…" Lan XiChen grabbed Lan WangJi's forehead band,and began to arrange it on the hairstyle he had fixed, oddly out of place in the middle of so much red and dark blue. "That I don't really have much to tell you about the importance of treasuring your soulmate, since I saw you learn that lesson yourself." Lan WangJi saw a tear trailing down his brother's cheek through the mirror. "...But I can tell you that I am happy for you. And no matter where you go from now on, I hope your travels bring you nothing more than bliss and joy. And that I support you, today and tomorrow and all the years to come."

Lan WangJi felt a knot on his throat.

"There, it's done. Let's go back to the Ancient Hall. I'm sure your future husband is there already."

Lan WangJi stood up and turned to look at his brother. Lan XiChen smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Lan WangJi looked at his brother for a second and threw himself at him with a hug. Lan XiChen hugged him back a little startled and felt more than heard his little brother's soft sniffle. He hugged him tighter.

"I love you too."

---

Lan WangJi walked inside the Hall once more. He was shocked when he saw his uncle standing there as well. Feeling overwhelmed, he walked towards him and bowed. The old man scoffed and shooed him towards the altar. Lan WangJi nodded and turned towards the center of the room.

The perfect figure of his husband to be was already kneeling in front of the altar, not slouched or slant but immaculately poised. Bright red gown speckled with gold and lavender motifs of lotus flowers in both the sash and the veil. His face was barely visible but his body showed he was clearly moved. He knelt down by his side.

"Wei Ying" 

His voice had been but a breath but Wei Wuxian had heard him alright. He turned towards him with the brightest smile.

"Look at this Lan Zhan," he whispered "We're finally in front of them… Do you… do you think shijie would have given us her blessing? And Uncle Jiang? And Madam Yu?"

Lan WangJi gave him the softest smile yet.

"Mn."

Wei Wuxian took in a deep breath. Clearly trying to restrain the tears that were already rolling through his face and nodded. Unable to say a thing, very unlike his usual character.

The ceremony went incredibly fast after that. Both Jiang WanYin and Lan XiChen said a couple of words as the ones preceding the ceremony, Jiang WanYin dressed in proper purple, navy and gold robes. The grooms exchanged bows, too short and surprisingly not embarrassing from Wei Wuxian, too long and incredibly bold from Lan WangJi, and then prostrated three times as per the tradition. 

The juniors, the ones acting as witnesses standing behind were all tearing by the end. Jin Ling had been the first to be noticed but Lan JingYi's teasing was not really effective since he was crying as well.

The banquet had been a success. The entire city was celebrating the newlyweds after all so the noise and celebration was everywhere. Around nine, the newlyweds finally bid their goodnight and stepped away from the hall in the middle of catcalling and whistles that Wei Wuxian encouraged, absolutely elated after three bottles of wine. Being carried bridal style by his now very official husband.

The following day they were caught by the juniors before they could run away on Little Apple once more and received a thorough scorn from Jin Ling who screamed at them something about being already married and not seeing the point of acting like a pair of runaway, wanted criminals anyway and that Wei Wuxian better go see him at LanLing or else he would definitely hunt him.

Meanwhile, Jiang WanYin was supervising that not a place had been left uncleaned, with Lan XiChen by his side.

"Are you sure you're not gonna say goodbye?"

"If I say goodbye now, Wei Wuxian won't need to come back later." Jiang WanYin said matter of factly "What about you? I don't see you at the backdoor of Lotus Pier right now."

"I already said all that I needed. Now I feel like I can finally go into seclusion."

Jiang WanYin eyed his counterpart carefully and scoffed. 

"You don't approve of that."

"Obviously Not. You're saying it like you're about to die."

Lan XiChen laughed tiredly.

"You're being dramatic."

"All I'm saying is that this seclusion thing is not going to work for you at all. If you don't come out of your personal coffin after a year I'll come raise you from the dead."

Lan XiChen gave out a tired scoff but said nothing more about it. After all, there was no way Jiang WanYin would know him better than himself. 

"I'll take that as your permission."

Finished the man by his side, ending the conversation.

Both leaders kept on supervising the cleansing of the whole Lotus Pier and making sure it went back to its usual state while, on another side, a figure in black mounted on a donkey waved goodbye to a bunch of sniffling teenagers while a figure in white pulled softly the donkey's reins.