#trying to keep myself entertained while i’m stuck inside

[ohithankyou]

like this post and i’ll send you a random dm sometime this week

[paradiselost-monte]

{Requiem for a Dream}

If all goes wrong and I lose my mind

I will still carry your memory into the light

No matter which darkness I need to fight

I’d stay awake with you through the scariest empty nights

Believe me, if you‘d need me, I would be by your side

Because even when you don’t, I always still keep to try

Everything I can, to keep our deep bond alive

Wanted to be your only guiding light in a cloudy nighttime sky

Feared losing you every time I failed to brighten up your life

Gave my best to be happy enough for the both of us, I really tried

Tried to entertain and would play the clown, just to make you smile

Make me a fool, your personal pawn if it helps you to shine, it’s alright

Don’t worry, treat me like a voodoo doll, I don’t mind

I’m good at Concealing my feelings, even when I’m boiling inside

Didn’t want to be a burden, so I tried keeping you from ever having to see me cry

It’s Like Hide and seek, but please don’t seek what I hide

It’s frustration towards you, that I have locked up in my mind

You can tell me what plagues you and let the problem be mine

But no, you just blame me for all your bad feelings, because it’s easy, right?

You can easily just make it seem like it’s only my fault that we’re once again having a fight

Always expect me to take full accountability and feel guilty all the time

And to then be the one to first come crawling back to you to apologize

But then you don’t ever even bother to give me the slightest explanation why

I’m so sick of this social guessing game, exhausted and tired

I just don’t get what your problem is, Is it me what is sucking you dry?

If I’m just not good enough that is totally fine

But what hurts is that you lie about it, which I have to read from your eyes

But hey- don’t even worry, it’s okay now, because I just realized

The whole time I was stuck dreaming to get back to our nicer times

I patiently waited for it to feel the same again, to just feel alright

Desperately hunted it like a ghost- the 'you' that I memorized but could never find

Because it doesn’t even exist anymore, how could I ever be so blind

But I accept that and It feels like an emptiness makes me decay, rot and fade away from the inside out

A gaping Void that can’t be filled, a starving abyss, recklessly swallowing everything whole, I’m not in control, it’s been there all my life

Now I’m just wasting away staring deep into the nothingness, for a small but eternal feeling while

And for this one tiny moment where time almost stands still, I find

myself to be in a familiar feeling limbo-state, of being neither dead or alive

After what feels like not even the tiniest fracture of second later, my mind

snaps back to reality, back to life, my head suddenly blank, eyes wide

My mouth dry and I can sense the feeling of disappointment arise

But hey it’s whatever, Nevermind-

This Requiem is to cut the line, Cut you out of my life

To finally set me free, leave the empty dream I was chasing behind

To the end of this friendship- So long and goodnight.

- a poem by Monte V. -

[theringers]

friends with benefits - charles leclerc

summary: type A planner best friend lives with no thoughts head empty best friend and they decide to start sleeping together

request: 37 , 70, 78 w charles😃

prompts: 37) “Please? I'll be good, I promise!" 70) “we’re just…friends.” “friends don’t do this type of shit!” 78) “Not to make things weird, but I thought about you when I came last night.”

a/n: charles, head empty no thoughts just his hot roommate and his inability to keep things to himself

warnings: nsfw, 18+, angst kinda, friends to fuck buddies, oral sex

“Could you uhhhhh do me a favor?” You asked Charles. The fuzzy blanket was draped over both of you and he was about to press play on the movie.

His eyes rolled. “What do you need, my love?” He asked in a sarcastic tone.

“Can you maybe make some popcorn?” You tried to slow your words down a bit, for some reason thinking he would be more inclined to say yes if you asked like that.

He exhaled loudly. “Fine.” He tossed the blanket over to you so he could get up off the couch. “But only because now you’ve got that thought in my mind and I want it.”

“If doing things for yourself instead of me makes you feel better, that’s okay with me.” You smiled. This was a typical weeknight for the two of you.

You were a self proclaimed movie critic. Charles just got stuck with a self proclaimed movie critic as a roommate, but it made for some entertaining nights.

The two of you met in high school and immediately formed a bond. Everything between you two was easygoing and laid back, which he loved. He was never a huge people person or party type and neither were you.

You found peace in each other’s silent company and eventually realized you had more in common than you first thought. That following summer, you did practically everything together. Charles had a couple girlfriends here and there and you had a couple boyfriends as well, but it didn’t really matter. Nothing ever stuck.

College rolled around and you weren’t sure what to do. You wanted to stay in Monaco close to your family, but you just couldn’t live at home anymore. Lucky for you, Charles offered to let you move into his spare bedroom until you could make a decision. It had been years and you were still in that spare bedroom. The thought of moving out and doing something different hadn’t crossed your mind since the day you moved in.

“Do you want butter or no butter?” He asked from the kitchen, hands full of popcorn bags.

“Come on is that even a question?”

“Right. Butter. Lots of it.” He threw the bag into the microwave and it started to pop.

He came back with a bowl full of steaming popcorn and handed it to you.

“Be careful it’s,” he looked at you to see your mouth wide open and steam coming out, “hot.”

“Almost hotter than you,” you said once you caught your breath.

He rolled his eyes and fake laughed. “Hilarious, y/n.”

“I’m being serious.”

“C’mon, we’ve talked about this.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I think you’re hot,” you said. Every time this was brought up, he got so flustered. Which was why you continued to joke around with him and flirt with him. He would never act on it.

“Y/n…. I’m gonna go to bed if you keep this up.” He was annoyed.

“I’m sorry. Please stay? I’ll be good, I promise.” You batted your eyelashes at him.

“Fine, but you gotta stop,” he said, pulling your legs onto his lap so you could lounge more comfortably.

A rom-com was playing on the TV and the sound of munching on popcorn was filling the room.

A long distance relationship played out on the screen. Lots of phone calls, lots of phone sex, lots of jerking off to each other’s photos. You shifted in your seat, trying to seem casual and not uncomfortable.

“Not to make things weird, but I thought about you when I came last night.” You stopped shifting and looked at Charles.

“So much for ‘we’ve talked about this’.” You held up air quotes. “Care to elaborate?” He was known for saying out of pocket things. Sometimes you weren’t sure if he fully thought things through before he said them.

“I mean, not really. The movie just reminded me of it.”

You couldn’t think of a response quick enough so he continued to talk. “You always say whatever’s on your mind so I thought I might try it out.”

“You don’t do that enough already?”

“I’m trying to be more honest.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes at him. “I applaud you for that. But you can’t just leave me hanging like this.”

“Don’t hate me, that’s all I’m going to say.” His hand rubbed up and down your shins that were resting on his lap.

“I could never hate you, Charles.”

“Last night when you took a shower, you left the bathroom door wide open. I was just walking back to my room from the kitchen, I didn’t mean to-”

You laughed and interrupted him. “Charles, it’s okay. That’s my fault.”

“I just glanced, I promise. But I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. And my cock was still really hard after a while.”

“You knew I was awake, you should have come to my room,” you said. It sounded good in theory but if you were being honest with yourself, you wouldn’t know what to do if he showed up at your bedroom door with a boner.

“We’re just friends though. Friends don’t do that type of shit.” He took a deep breath and looked off in the distance. Anything to avoid eye contact.

“Says who?” He looked at you and tilted his head in confusion. “A lot of friends do that type of shit. There’s even a word for it.”

“Have you thought about this before?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t… Charles, we’re two young twenty somethings that live together. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about what it would be like if we were sleeping together.”

“I don’t mean this in a bad way but I honestly didn’t think about it until I saw you.”

“Maybe it’s just the hopeless romantic in me.” You had thought about what a perfect storyline it would make for you two to sleep together but never the reality of actually getting into bed with him. Now that made you nervous.

“More like the horny romantic”

“Very funny…” You tossed a piece of popcorn at him and he swatted it away.

“So, are we doing this thing?” He turned his attention from the TV to you.

“Tell me you didn’t just actually ask me that question.” He was blunt and never beat around the bush.

“I did, and I would like an answer, please.” You wanted to smack that stupid smile off of his face for how he was making you feel.

“What’s this thing?” He needed to spell it out.

“Are you,” he pointed to you, “going to let me,” his finger moved to himself, “inside of you?”

You burst out laughing. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty. We need to set some ground rules for this.”

“Rules?” He didn’t look like he was a fan of rules. And as his roommate, you knew he wasn’t a fan of them. Just ask the groceries you’ve gone shopping for two months in a row.

“Our friendship, our cohabitation, you know. I’m not just going to let you go willy nilly on me without making sure you aren’t going to leave me friendless or homeless after.” Nothing could be done with you unless it was carefully planned. All possible outcomes had to be thought through.

“I would never leave you friendless or homeless.”

“Even if I was the worst person at sex, in the world, ever?”

“I highly doubt you’re the worst, but even if you were.”

“You’d still fuck me, even if everyone in the entire world was better than me. Damn I’m lucky.”

“Here’s a rule for you. You need to tell me how it feels. I’ll fuck you however you want to be fucked so you better tell me when something feels good.” Charles said.

“I can do that. If you like something I do, tell me. If you don’t, tell me.” You talked a big game but telling Charles how he made you feel sexually made your spine tingle, and you weren’t sure if it was anxiety or desire.

“I doubt there’s anything you can do to my body that I won’t like.” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. He was a guy after all.

“You wanna bet?” You asked, lunging at him jokingly.

“Sure, I’d like to see you try.”

“I guess I will, then.” You just needed time to plan it first.

He stood up and held out his hand for you to take. “Now that we’ve talked about it, I can’t get it off my mind.”

“You want to do this, right now?” Panic set in. This was too sudden.

“Right now,” he said, confidently. “If, that’s what you want, of course.”

“Okay.” You followed him into the hallway, bypassing your bedroom and ending up in his.

You took a few shy steps around, like you’d never been in there before. “Do you want to get on top or do you want me to?”

“Y/n…” He needed you to just relax and let go.

“Right, right, let’s just do it.” You took a step forward and he grabbed your face in his hands. Your lips moved with his, feeling soft and warm. There was only so much in your life you could plan. This was never part of it.

He slowly guided you to his bed and gently pushed you backwards. His shirt slid over his head and you admired his body, looking at him in a different light. He never took his shirt off around you with sexual intentions but this was new. And fun.

You smiled at him, both of you acknowledging what you were about to do. It made you explode inside thinking about how much you were enjoying this, letting someone else take control and letting go. You shouldn’t be enjoying this, you thought. Snap out of it.

“Before we start, is there anything you really don’t like?” He asked, reaching for the button of your denim shorts. You nodded side to side, giving him permission to pull the shorts down your legs.

He immediately pulled your thong aside and slipped a finger between your folds. He smiled feeling the wetness. “Thinking about us fucking is turning you on, isn’t it?”

“Don’t embarrass me,” you shot him a look and he understood.

“I’m not embarrassing you. It’s sexy.” He kneeled between your legs on the floor.

“Well, keep it to yourself,” you said.

“Why would I keep it to myself when I have physical proof that thinking about us is turning you on?” One of his fingers easily slid inside of you and your hips shifted as you rolled your eyes at him. “Is this okay?” He asked, concerned by your movements.

“Yes,” you said, unsure of what else to say. You didn’t want to give him any more ammo to make fun of you. You told each other everything but this was one side of you he never saw, and you didn’t think he ever would. Vulnerability at its finest, but you agreed to this.

His finger moved in and out of you and the sounds of your wet pussy made you want to cover your face and hide. He added a second and slowly curled his fingers up to hit your g-spot. A soft moan escaped your lips despite the fact that you were trying hard to keep them to yourself.

“Tell me how it feels.” He said.

“It feels,” you took a moment to breathe in, “so good.” He used his other hand to play with your clit, causing you more pleasure. You were looking at the ceiling, finding it hard to acknowledge that Charles was the one making you feel like this. If you squeezed your eyes shut hard enough, maybe this wouldn’t be something you needed to worry about.

A euphoric feeling began to build in your stomach, your legs slowly going numb in the best way possible. You continued to try and hold in your moans but when you hit your climax, everything was uncontrollable. Your body jerked and moans fell as you rode out your high.

You opened your eyes to see Charles pulling his fingers out and smiling. He made you feel that way and while you lay half naked on his bed post-orgasm, it was starting to feel okay. How much more vulnerable could you get with him than this?

He stood up and pulled his sweatpants off, his hard cock springing out of his cotton boxers. Your jaw dropped and you couldn’t help but stare as he stroked himself, preparing for you. He noticed, but ignored it, granting your request of not embarrassing you. The look he shot you was enough to know that he was aware of your stares.

“I’m only gonna say it one more time,” he said, leaning on top of you with his hands on either side of your head. “You need to tell me how it feels, or I’m going to start talking really dirty with you.”

You laughed, feeling more relaxed than before. “I almost want to keep quiet on purpose just to see that.”

He dipped his head in disappointment. “Not funny.”

“I think I’m pretty funny.”

“You are, but I want to make you feel good. I’d rather know then instead of you telling me I sucked after.”

“Okay, okay,” you obliged. He nodded and positioned himself at your entrance, slowly pushing himself inside of you.

You had to adjust to his size - his dick was nothing like his fingers. He didn’t give you much time before he started moving and you didn’t even care. He felt so good inside of you and seeing his body on top of you was putting you at ease rather than stressing you out, like you had expected it to.

His head rested in the crook of your neck, giving you perfect access to his ear. Almost like he did it on purpose, to make you more comfortable. You didn’t have to look at him in the eyes and admit how good he was making you feel. “Your dick feels so good,” you whispered in his ear and he grunted in response.

“You’re so tight, fuck,” he said into your ear, slightly nibbling on the lobe.

His hips moved rhythmically while you lifted your feet onto his back to change the angle. You couldn’t help but let more moans slip out at the feeling. “I think I’m gonna cum,” you said, quietly.

“Let go,” he said followed by a few expletives. His pelvis ground into you, creating a sensation on your clit you’ve never experienced.

You felt your second orgasm of the night build up as he continued to fuck you, keeping the same pace. You held your hands on his back and let moans fall to his ear making sure he knew how good you felt.

He pulled out of you and your body felt like deadweight. You were glued to the bed and couldn’t find the energy to get up. “How was that?” He asked. Of course he couldn’t give you a second to recover before opening his mouth.

“Great,” you smiled, propping yourself up on your elbows. “Did you finish?” You sure hadn’t felt him cum inside of you and you don’t think he wore a condominium either.

“No, but I just wanted to make sure you felt good.” He picked his sweatpants up off the floor and went to put his boxers back on before you stopped him.

“Unacceptable. I’m not going to let you jerk off thinking about me two nights in a row. Especially not after I was just naked in your bed.” Your post-orgasm confidence was showing when you dropped to your knees in front of him and took his still hard cock in your hand.

Slick juices still covered it, making it easier for you once you took him in your mouth. He was bigger than you expected, so you started swirling your tongue around the tip while your hand worked at the rest of him. “Shit,” you could hear him say.

You slowly took more of him, hollowing out your cheeks in response to his moans. His hand found the back of your head but rested there, not wanting to pressure you for more but he couldn’t resist once you fit almost all of him in your mouth.

The sounds he made caused butterflies in your stomach knowing that you were the sole reason for those sounds. His grip got tighter on you and he started to thrust into you when you felt a warm liquid shoot down your throat.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he grunted while you took every last drop. You stood up and took a step back, swiping your finger over your bottom lip.

He looked at you with the same eyes you looked at him after he finished fucking you. “So, uh,” he said. “Where do we go from here?”

You nervously looked around the room. “Should we finish the movie?”

“Great idea.”

You both put your clothes back on and sat back on the couch. “Let’s talk about that.” He never knew when to shut up, but sometimes it was for the better.

“What about it?”

“Did you like it? Should we do it again? Do you want to move out?” You laughed at his last question.

“It was really good,” you said, your thoughts wandering to just a few moments ago. You wouldn’t mind having him on top of you again. “We might as well.”

“Just one more thing,” he said. “Don’t fall in love with me.” He smiled and let out a giggle. You weren’t sure if he was being serious or not, but you laughed along too.

[dreamkidddream]

Hi!! Wow your event looks wonderful, I love all of those tropes! I hope it hasn’t been requested yet, but could I ask for trope 5 (Stuck Together) with Fyodor?

Congrats again on coming so far and for this amazing event, i hope you have a beautiful day!! <3

Aww tysm!! I love your works especially the literature event that you did (Priest!Fyodor will always be one of my favorites) so I hope I don’t disappoint 😩🙏🏾 everyone go check out their works, both of their works and them in general are amazing <3 reader is gender neutral!

“Stuck Together” Trope with Fyodor!

Dream’s 800 Follower Special 📖

“Why do you keep staring at the wall?”

“Because the longer I stare at you, the more I’m reminded of this horrible situation that I want to forget that we’re in.”

A beat of silence passed, and you could just imagine the confused look on his face right now. He’s never been very expressive and you would call it cute because it is a rare sight to behold, but right now you just want to force his head into a corner and keep it there until you didn’t feel the anger bubbling inside of you. Anywhere that you wouldn’t have to meet his eyes, both because you knew how sucked in you can get and because you are getting very tempted in pushing him into said corner.

“I fail to see how that would be helping in any way.”

“It will be helping me restrain myself from doing something that I will probably regret later.”

It’s not like you could anyway; it’s hard to move in such an enclosed space like this. Even worse when you’re chained together, the cuffs around your ankles and wrists feel like they’re close to cutting off your circulation.

For someone who’s always so cold to the touch, you’re surprised at how much warmth he’s providing you right now. From touching shoulders alone you have to force yourself not lean on him. You heard him chuckle in your ear and you repressed a shiver before he could see, “You may try to harm me if you wish, but I highly doubt you would get anywhere doing so. And I have a better idea: how about we do something more entertaining to pass the time before our trip ends?”

If you weren’t trapped in this armored police van, you would have kept tuning him out. Have him listening to the sound of his own voice for the remainder of the trip, but you got tired of hearing the chains rattle so loudly every time the vehicle went over a speed bump. So you kept quiet and raised your eyebrow, waiting to see what he has to say. And when you met his dark amethyst gaze with his smirk, you wondered just what you gotten yourself into.

But you didn’t turn away.

And you found yourself actually entertaining Fyodor’s words. He’s very intelligent, which made him an even more dangerous man at that, which made you very cautious even being around him. But as time went on, you felt your defenses being chipped away, bit by bit. You didn’t fully trust him, as you weren’t ignorant to the threat that he is, but these conversations were thought invoking and…nice. You wouldn’t mind talking to him again in the future, and you would rather do it when you weren’t on the way to a high security prison.

You can see how he came to be the lethal man he is known for. His words fell from his lips so smoothly and with conviction, leaving no room for doubt even if all he were spilling were lies. Very bewitching.

“Tell me: why have you been trying to avoid me as of late? You even took extra precautions to make sure that I wouldn’t be able to track your movements.” The fact that he sounds so offended almost made you chuckle, “Which was a wasted effort on your part.”

“Of course it was,” you mumbled under your breath. You’re not surprised at all that it didn’t work- you honestly doubted that it would, and you were right. You understood why he refers to himself and his followers as rats, the way they scurry place to place undetected while hiding and collecting valuable information. “Forgive me if I don’t want you intruding on my privacy.”

“I believe we’re far past having secrets between us.”

“Yet I still don’t know anything about you. How would you consider that fair?”

“All in due time, my dear.” He reached up and caressed your cheek. The fluttering feeling in your stomach made you feel warm and nervous, but his sudden touch was only part of the reason.

When did he get his cuffs off?

“Do you truly think I would let you go? You are far too fascinating to be let out of my sights-“

His words were cut off when the vehicle slid to a stop and you both lurched forward, the sound of tires screeching and yelling filling the air. Yet, he was calm as ever, face blank as he rubbed at his wrists, complaining about the marks they left. What’s going on?

You could hear the gunshots ring out, some even piercing the armor, then silence. You eyes widened when the door was ripped off with such ease, sliding against the concrete outside, with the ability user standing a few feet with a smile that was too bright for your tastes. No doubt a fellow rat coming to save their lord.

“Ah, looks like it was right on schedule. Just as I predicted.” Fyodor brushed off the dust that collected on his shirt, while you were frozen, mouth agape. “Well?”

Your mind was still trying to process the events while your own shackles came off. “How did you- did you know that we were going to get captured? You planned this?”

He just gave you that damning smirk in response. You don’t know if you’re surprised or impressed, but he’s holding his hand out to you, waiting expectantly. “Shall we continue our discussion at another location? I know of a much better place, one that isn’t as restricting, and there is so much I can offer you. I want to learn more about you just as your need to learn about me.”

“But- you already know so much.”

“Yet it is still not enough for an alluring being such as yourself. We can use this time to truly learn more about one another.” His hand was getting closer to yours, fingers ghosting over your own. Yet, you didn’t recoil from him. “Now, shall we?”

You tried to convince yourself that you took his hand because of the resounding sirens closing in, and not because you found yourself not wanting to leave his side.

[blu-joons]

When He Doesn’t Want You To Go On A Girl’s Trip ~ BTS Reaction

Jin:

“How many days is it that you’re going to be gone for?” Jin cried out, following behind you.

“Four,” you reminded him as you grabbed what you needed off your shelf in the bathroom, bumping straight into him as you turned back around to your case.

His head nodded, reluctantly stepping aside so that you could walk. “Why do you have to go away for that long? Can’t you just make it one day, and then come home and spend three with me.”

“Jin,” you sighed, throwing your items into your case, “it’s four days, we’ve spent four months apart before, remember?”

Although he nodded, it was a time that he wished to forget. “But I’m usually the one that’s not stuck at home, lost, without anyone there to entertain them.”

“Now you can learn how I feel a little more.”

“It’s not fair.”

“It’s four days,” you pointed out to him once again, “invite some of the boys over or something if you’re that desperate for someone to entertain you.”

Jin continued to pout at your suggestion, “it’s not the same as having you here with me. Can’t you try and come up with an excuse t get out of it, please?”

“No, I’m looking forward to my trip, and you will be fine alone.”

Yoongi:

“What’s so wrong if I decided to tag along? It’s a bit sexist, don’t you think?” Yoongi frowned.

“It’s called a girl’s trip,” you reminded him, stopping just behind him, “last time I checked, you were a guy, so I think the answer is pretty obvious, don’t you think?”

He shrugged back at your stare, “but can’t you bend the rules just this once. I’ve been so busy recently, the last thing I want to do is to have to spend even more time away from you Y/N.”

“It’s been forever since we had a girl’s trip, it’s not my fault you shut yourself away in the studio,” you spoke back.

Another heavy sigh came from Yoongi, “aren’t you just a little bit tempted to stay here and spend time with me instead, we can have fun.”

“I can also have fun on my girl’s trip, thank you.”

“But I’m not there.”

“I know,” you chuckled, rolling your eyes as he continued to whine, “because as I keep having to explain to you, it’s a girl’s trip, not a girl’s trip and Yoongi.”

A light chuckle came from him, “I don’t know, a girl’s trip and Yoongi does seem to have quite the ring to it, why don’t you think about it?”

“I’ve already made my mind up, and the answer is still no.”

Hoseok:

“Look at how big this place is, and now think how lonely it’s going to be,” Hobi asked of you.

“You’ll be fine,” you responded, shrugging him off as he flopped down on the bed. “It’s a week, I’m sure you can find something to do to make it less lonely.”

He gasped at your response, “how can you be so cold? I thought you’d be desperate to spend time with me, I’ve only just come back off tour, and now you’re already going somewhere again.”

“Exactly,” you called back to him, “I’ve just spent a month living here by myself, you can have a taste of your own medicine.”

His expression dropped, pleading across to you. “That doesn’t mean that I want you to leave me to be all alone here, I want to spend time with you.”

“I never want to be alone in this place either Hobi.”

“I know you don’t.”

“So, you can survive a week, and see how the other half lives,” you smiled back at him, “the fridge is full, so you’ve got nothing that you need to worry about.”

His head nodded, knowing how right you were. “I bet after this week, I’ll never want to leave you here all by yourself ever again, way to make me feel guilty.”

“Good, enjoy having to entertain yourself for a while.”

Namjoon:

“Where is it you’re going again? I want to read up on the place?” Namjoon quickly quizzed.

“The resort just out of the city,” you responded, “I can’t remember its name, but the one that we drive past with the green ceilings, it looks nice.”

His eyes widened, quickly recalling where you were referring to. “Have you even read the reviews for that place? Y/N, people hate it, just because it’s pretty on the outside, it’s not on the inside.”

“Which is why it’s perfect for a girl’s trip,” you smiled back at him, “cheap alcohol and plenty of laughs, all we want.”

The more you spoke, the more wary Namjoon became. “If you’re all going to get drunk, then surely you should have someone to look after you guys.”

“They have staff Namjoon, there’s no need to worry.”

“What about my security?”

“No,” you immediately responded, taking a hold of his hands. “I know you mean well, but for once, I don’t want to go out and have security following my every move.”

His head nodded dejectedly, “I understand, I just want to make sure that nothing bad happens to you, or any of your friends for that matter whilst you’re away.”

“Nothing bad will happen, and if it does, I’ll be sober enough to call.”

Jimin:

“How will I know if you’re safe, girl’s trips are always a disaster,” Jimin called out to you.

“That’s exactly what a girl’s trip is supposed to be,” you argued back to him, “you can’t use my welfare as an excuse for you to come with us, it’s not working.”

He threw his arms up in exasperation, “do you really think the girls would have that much of an issue if I came, you would barely even know that I was there, I’d be like one of the girls.”

“It’s not happening,” you sighed back at him, “it’s bad enough taking you to work dos, let alone a girl’s trip.”

Jimin continued to follow you as you carried on packing your case. “What if something happens and no one is there to look after you? Then what happens?”

“We’re more than capable of looking after ourselves.”

“But what if?”

“No, what ifs,” you responded, smiling softly back across at him. “I know this is because you don’t want me to go, but it’s not going to stop me from going.”

His head nodded solemnly, “I just want to spend all my time with you whilst I’m at home, I don’t want to lose you to some girl’s trip.”

“It’s two days, and when I’m back, we can do something, I promise.”

Taehyung:

“Three days?! You’re leaving me for three, you said it was only two the other day,” he whined.

“No,” you chuckled, pressing a kiss against his pouted lips, “we always said we’d go for a long weekend, and that’s why it’s three days Tae.”

His eyes widened, “a long weekend? I thought you just said the weekend, you might as well just move out permanently if this girl’s trip is just going to get longer and longer than I thought.”

“Don’t be stupid,” you sniggered, rolling your eyes at his dramatics, “it’s always been three days, never changed.”

He turned away from you, folding his arms over your chest. “This is the ultimate betrayal; you’re leaving me and Tan to fend for ourselves for three whole days.”

“What about when you leave me for tour in that case?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?” You challenged, “we’re left for weeks, sometimes months, to fend for ourselves, and do you see us throwing a tantrum? Absolutely not.”

Taehyung’s head shook back at you, “you’re amazing and independent, and I’m not. I want company, and you’re just going to leave me here.”

“Tan’s here, you’ve got plenty of company. Call Kook if you’re that stuck.”

Jungkook:

“I reckon I know a way to get you out of going on this trip,” Jungkook informed you.

“How?” You questioned, turning back to face him as he approached you, feeling his arms wrap around your waist and pull you tightly into his chest to hold onto.

Your eyes rolled as he giggled into your ear, “I know that I’m far too strong for you to even try and get out of my hold. If I hug you, and don’t let go, you won’t ever be able to escape from me.”

“Is this really what you want to do?” You questioned, tilting your head back to look at him, “are you that desperate?”

With a proud smile, his head nodded. “You never leave me, so why do you have to go and leave me now. What’s wrong with being at home with me instead?”

“It’s Y/F/N’s hen do, I’m not missing it.”

“But what about me?”

“You can last two nights by yourself,” you reminded him, tapping against the tip of his nose, “the maknae act might work around the boys, but not on me.”

Your hands moved to rest over his, trying to pull you apart. “At least let me hold onto you then until you have to go, two days is a long time without a hug.”

“Two days is nothing compared to all of your tours Kook.”

---

Masterlist

[saphirered]

Hey if you don’t mind could you write just a big fluffy Grog piece where I’m at right now I need me some Goliath cuddles 🖤🤍🖤🤍

Hope this turned out to your liking! 😘

There you are seated at your desk bend over stacks of books and paper scribbling as you go. You’ve been at this for more hours than you can count but you need to get this done. For your own sake because you don’t think you can handle another sleepless night just stuck thinking about this. Best to just get it over with. You’re hyper focused, driven by a lack of sleep. Everything around you as faded into the abyss, the scribbling of pen on paper drowning out the sounds of the world you. If no one comes to fetch you you’ll forget about breakfast, lunch, dinner, what time is it again? Nevermind. You’re almost done. Keep going!

Grog paces back and forth your door at the end of the hallway, book in one hand crumpled piece of paper encasing a feather quill that’s seen much better days. He takes a step closer in the direction of your chambers but refrains from taking another and goes back to pacing. He doesn’t want to disturb you. He knows you’re working on something important but you’ve been cooped up in your chambers for two days now and you haven’t come out to eat anything since lunch the day before. Two days is a long time to go without food and you surely haven’t had any Strongjaw Ale. He doesn’t know how you cope without.

“Hey big guy. Still hasn’t left the room?” Vax comes out of nowhere trying to jump scare the barbarian. Grog, although scared won’t admit it and play like it hadn’t affected him at all. Though, a keen ear could hear the grip on the quill tighten and crack. Unlucky for him Vax’ildan has keen ears. It doesn’t take a genius Vax worries for you too. It’s not healthy behaviour and you desperately need to eat something.

“Why don’t you go get something from the kitchen and bring them some food?” Vax had seen Grog’s pacing and moment of hesitation. He knows better than to play into his affections for you or whatever he’s doing with a book and piece of parchment filled with squiggly lines resembling letters.

“Yes. That is a good idea, I came up with myself but since you mention it, I think we are in agreement.” Grog holds his nose high. He should have thought of that himself but the half elf doesn’t know that, does he? Vax pats his arm. Totally pulled that off!

“Excuse me while I go get some food.” Grog excuses himself with the same attitude of a genius. Or at least a genius in his opinion. If he acts like this is his interpretation of a genius then what does he think you are? Vax doesn’t want to know and instead lets the goliath fetch you some much needed food.

Book and quill sticking out of his pocket, cask of ale under one arm and carrying a plate with a variety of things; mostly meats and things he’d actually seen you enjoy and knows you like. See? He can be a good listener! Grog approaches your door. Now how is he gonna knock? He knows you hate it when people just storm into your room. His arms are full. He’s got legs though. But what if he spills the ale? He’ll just gently bump into the door with his shoulder. Keyword; gently.

You hear a muffled knock on your door but you almost have this equation right! Just a little more. The knock returns a bit louder this time. You can’t snap out of it now! Almost! Another even louder knock more akin to something or someone slamming into your door. Ha! Success! You jump from your seat but are unsure if it’s because of your successful completion of your endeavour or because of the hulking goliath tumbling into your chambers.

Grog shoulder checks the door one more time and yes he’ll admit he might have been a tiny bit too rough as the door bursts open, he falls through. He allows the cask of ale to roll from his grasp and decides to save the plate of food. There you are jumping up from your seat nearly spilling a half drunken goblet but you too save it from spilling. You make eye contact with Grog and you burst out in laughter at the goliath quite literally presenting you a meal on his knees face inches away from the floor preventing a disaster.

“I brought you some food.” Grog states as he slowly gets up. He doesn’t dare look up at you yet both embarrassed and fearing he may have disturbed your work. When you walk around your desk over to him you take the tray from his hands. You nudge his arm, a thing you do to ask him to lean down a little, and when he does kiss his cheek. Immediately the worry disappears and the happy giddy Grog returns. He picks up the cask of ale as you guide him along to your desk and begin to clear the area to make space for the meal Grog brought.

Inspecting the contents presented on the fancy if not oversized platter, you notice they mainly contain meats which leaves you to think dinner but the waffles and fruits throw you off a little. Is this breakfast, lunch or dinner? You don’t know what to think. Grog takes one of the cups, the normal sized one first and fills it with ale presenting it to you. You accept it with a thank you pulling over a seat he could comfortably sit in.

You enjoy your meal, Grog having brought enough you tell him you’re not eating all of this alone so he better join in. You know he’d been eying that chicken, practically drooling. Grog fills you in on all the things you’ve missed in your uninterrupted work days. He may hype up some parts and underrate others, not mention some important things because he thinks they’re unimportant but you appreciate it nonetheless and enjoy the conversation. Grog gets more excited and loves every laugh and response you give hence him exaggerating some things knowing they’ll make you laugh.

Grog had forgotten the book, quill and parchment in his pocket until he adjusted his seating to be more comfortable and heard something creak, or more like crack and something tickle his bare stomach. He suppresses a giggle and you notice. Grog tries to move so the feather can’t tickle him but in doing so he makes it worse; the more he moves the more it tickles his side.

“Grog, is there something you need to share?” You question giving the goliath an opportunity to come clean about what the hell is up with him. You’re half suspecting some kind of prank from Vax or Scanlan to be the cause of this but you must admit you’re surprised when he pulls out a broken quill, crumpled piece of parchment and a book and puts them on the table. Grog looks down hiding his face from you as much as he can. You’re unsure if he’s embarrassed or nervous.

You grab the parchment and begin unfolding it. Grog squeaks quickly pressing his fingers to his lips. You give him a look. Eyes fall upon the parchment and you notice the top half as dwarvish while the second half is common. The lettering isn’t the neatest but it’s readable and has seen some practice. On the back you see everyone’s names written out, most misspelled but it’s clear they’re your names. There’s little drawings with each name some a bit juvenile to where you entertain the thought he might have drawn some inspiration from your satire ‘satyr’ friend… They are actually quite funny.

“Did you do this?” You ask as Grog is midway through eating his own fist in suspense.

“Yes.” It’s the tiniest squeak possible. You don’t know how that sound came out of the goliath’s mouth. You turn it over and return to the writing giving it a closer look.

“It says ‘can you teach me how to read please.’” Grog says awaiting your response.

“Why the sudden interest? I know Pike’s been working on dwarvish with you. Don’t you like her teachings?”

“No. I do. I just…. I’d like to… I want to read this.” Grog grabs the book and you read the title. It’s your favourite. It’s not an obscure story no one’s ever read. It’s a common fairytale collection you grew up with. No matter the age, everyone loves these stories, if anything they grow more interesting with age and the ability to comprehend them better.

“I like you and you like books so maybe if I got better at reading I could help you and you won’t have to spend your time alone working.” Grog admits and it makes your heart melt. You know how hard it is for Grog to read and write and to know he wants to learn more for you, is too much to bear. It makes you a bit emotional. You get up and walk around the desk engulfing the goliath in the biggest hug possible.

“Of course I’ll teach you, Grog. I’d love nothing more.” Happily his arms wrap around you and pull you even closer to where you’re lifted off your feet. You know this is a sign of happiness from the man.

“Really?” He chirps and you nod giving him a kiss to his cheek.

“Of course.” You smile. Grog releases you but sits you down on his lap grabbing the book.

“Can we start now?” He’s excited flipping to a random page in the book. He’s very glad there’s pictures in this one too. You begin explaining the fundamentals of the story hoping that context will make it easier for him to understand. Reading word for word is one thing so you try to make it easier so he doesn’t have to focus on deciphering what he’s reading about just yet and focus on the words.

It takes a good amount of time but you get through the first page. Grog’s aware you could have finished the whole book by the time he finished the first page but you don’t mind and are enjoying teaching him. The smile and kiss you give him ever time he finishes a paragraph makes him feel giddy on the inside. He knows you notice and makes you vow to never tell the others.

[adorerdraco]

Healing Heart ✧ Draco x Reader Mini-Series PART 2

PART 1

Summary: PART 2  ! of Draco falling in love with reader during his sixth year (HBP) and dealing with the consequences of opening his heart to someone. 

Warnings: angst !!! but just a little fluff as always, BLOOD, violence, more crying, very detailed sectumsempra scene, mentions of death

Words: 4.9K

A/N: omg i can’t believe so many people liked the first one and to everyone who left me a comment, I appreciate you so much you have no idea plsss you guys are so beautiful. but here is part 2 and I hope you guys like it as much as the first oneee !!!!!!!! this one got dramatic. I’m thinking of doing a part 3, but I’m not sure and i also want to make it be mostly fluff so PLS let me knowww <3 i do not own gif. 

It was an awful feeling; the feeling of needing a specific someone to bring him a peace he so very much lacked in his life. It was a feeling of not being able to feel joy unless he had you by his side. He felt stupid and pathetic knowing he had made an even bigger mess of himself and regrettably of you. He felt more weak too, wondering to himself why he couldn’t stop crying and do what he needs to do without several potions or you with him to get him through the day. 

He didn’t want to need anyone. He didn’t want to need help. He didn’t want to need advice.

“Why can’t I just do this?” he cried to himself one night in the room of requirement, kicking something by his foot across the floor in frustration. He stared at the dead bird in hopelessness, not wanting to move it from its spot in the vanishing cabinet. He had managed to send inanimate objects, but not living things and that was only a discovery he was able to make when you were still in his life.

It had been weeks, since he left you under the tree, broken and in tears. He regressed back into to his old ways of lacking proper self care, of sleeping and eating, his studies being the last thing on his mind, him distancing himself from his Slytherin friends again. It was right back to square one, maybe even below that this time.

In Potions, he didn’t dare look at you, ever. He moved to a seat in the very back of the class where he would be hidden from you and could sulk to himself in peace.

“Mr. Malfoy, forgive me as it is none of my business, but why are you no longer working with Miss Y/L/N?” Slughorn asked him one day as he came by to grade his potion.

“It is nothing of concern, Professor,” Draco answered bitterly, holding back the scowl that wanted to show but deciding against being any more rude to authority. “I just rather work by myself.”

“It’s a shame, Mr. Malfoy, you both were my star pupils,” Slughorn mixes the potion around, eyeing it with a frown. “Now the both of you are falling behind. This potion is not passing, you forgot to mix in the dried periwinkle leaves.”

Draco never noticed how you would glance at him throughout Potions class. Of course, he was ignoring you and you felt that nasty realization every time your eyes landed on the platinum blond.

You felt numb, to say the least. You cried for days and days on end. If you weren’t in class, you were in your dorm, wrapped underneath the covers wondering why someone you shared so much love and time with had dropped you with no explanation. You tried endlessly to get him to talk to you, cornering him in the corridors, going up to him in class, but he would ignore you until you went away. He never once met your eyes, and your heart broke more every time you saw the coldness in his icy gray’s that made you feel like you didn’t even exist to him.

Your roommates and friends had gotten involved, forcing you to take better care of yourself. Staying up and hugging you while you cried. Bringing you meals from the Great Hall into the dorm. Brushing your hair when it started to become matted. Encouraging you to divulge yourself in studies rather than your sadness.

“Y/N, you are so much more than what you’re feeling,” your closest friend whispered to you one night as you cried in her embrace. “You can’t keep going like this. It’s okay to cry and be sad, but this is eating you up. Remember how strong you are. Remember the healer you are trying to be. You’ve helped so many people, inside and out, let your friends help you now.”

You nodded sadly, and finally accepted the help your friends had been trying so desperately to give you. You allowed them to take you out into the Great Hall again for meals. To Hogsmead for a fun day out. To the courtyard where you guys would sit and just talk. It was nice, feeling your old and normal life coming to light again even if it was just for a couple hours. But when you couldn’t sleep at night and your mind wandered off to Draco, you felt that same empty feeling of a gaping hole in your heart sting at you. 

There was nothing you could do or say anymore. The cornering him was getting desperate and made you feel weak. The ignoring was never going to stop. You didn’t cry anymore, forcing yourself to bottle up your feelings for him deep down into your mind, body and spirit to the point where you just tried your best to recognize him as a dream. 

Your brain didn’t know any better, right?

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Draco sat on the floor of his dorm, head resting against the side of his bed as he twiddled with the letter from his mother between his fingertips. His owl, Aquila, sat beside him and enjoyed the loving pets he was giving her with his other hand. It was rare she let him do this, but he figured it was because she felt that he might have possibly needed this. She nibbled on a crumb of a biscuit he gave her that she had brought with her on her journey from home. Draco sighed and opened the letter again, his eyes scanning over the perfect cursive of his mother’s handwriting once more.

My Dearest Draco,

          How are you, my love? I feel as though we have gone too long without writing to each other. I must say, the Manor feels lonely without you and your father here, but the house elves have been keeping me company. They are quite entertaining, some of them. I do hope you enjoy the small pastries I sent with Aquila that the elves also send on their behalf. 

I know the pain you are feeling, my son. I know it wears at you and I am deeply sorry that I cannot change it or help you. Please do entrust in Professor Snape, as he is the only one who can help you and understands your circumstances. You cannot get through this alone.

Please also remember that you are just a boy. In these times of turmoil, it is easy to lose yourself in your own despair. You are young, Draco, only 16 years of life and it has already failed you. Please find it in your heart to locate the little several joys in life that keep you going. Despite your situation, It is okay to be that 16 year old boy and revel in those joys for as long as you can before it is too late and they are no longer there. Do not succumb, it is what he wants. 

I will always love you, and I hope to see you soon. 

All my love,

Mother

He felt tears sting at his eyes, clutching the letter to his chest as if his mother had charmed it with the feeling of a hug. It wasn’t, but he swore he could feel it. He felt sad, knowing she was all alone in that house, but suddenly remembered that his aunt was seeking refuge with her at the Malfoy Manor and his mother left it out for the sake of keeping Bellatrix’s location secret. Seeing as she was a maddened Ex/Present Death Eater and escaped prisoner on the run. The thought of Bellatrix left a bitter and foul taste in his mouth, making him feel even worse that his mother was stuck at home with that beast who was nearly as bad as the Dark Lord himself. He didn’t care that that was her sister, his aunt, she had no empathy for anything, especially not for him. He recalls her telling him right before he went to school, that he should be grateful and honored for being entrusted with a task so important.

As much as Draco wanted nothing to do with his tasks, he didn’t ignore them. He begrudgingly let Bellatrix teach him Occlumency, something he desperately needed to learn and was now a little good at. He had even tried convincing himself that he needed to do this. It was all up to him. He was chosen for this. He hated it, but he was chosen nonetheless. And he would try with everything to save his family and to make them proud, even if it killed him.

He ignored the thoughts of his aunt and his dreadful life options, refocusing on the words his mother wrote to him. They echoed in his mind, imagining her saying them to him. 

“It is okay to be that 16 year old boy and revel in those joys for as long as you can before it is too late and they are no longer there.”

His mind wandered to you, knowing full and well you were are the one and only joy in his life he so deeply desires. His mother’s words hit him hard, to the point where he almost ran out of his room to go look for you. Almost.

But he was stubborn and still couldn’t pull himself out of the mindset he had boxed himself in where he thought being with you would be worse in the end for you than not being with you. 

So he went over to his desk, Aquila following him before flying up to the wooden surface where she perched herself in front of him as he sat down and pulled out a parchment and quill to begin his responding letter for his mother. He thanked her for the pastries, told her he would try his best in confiding in Snape, loosely promised he would fulfill her wishes of him finding some happiness, and gave her his love. He gave the letter to Aquila, smoothing the feathers on the top of her head one last time before she chirped and flew to the window and then out of his room and into the open dark starry sky. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

More weeks had gone by. And then a month. You were seeing less and less of Draco and for a healing heart, it was the best thing for you, but also the worst. He had even began skipping class as much as he could, not that anyone ever noticed, except you and Slughorn of course.

“Miss Y/L/N, may I have a word?” Slughorn came up to you while you were working on a potion with your friend. The same friend who had given up her seat to Draco who she now despised and regretted ever doing in the first place. She gave you and the professor a look before getting up and heading to the front of the class where she began to pick up vials and jars to store the potion.

“Of course, Professor,” you answer with a polite smile.

“I spoke to Mr. Malfoy about a month ago, he seemed rather distraught,” he began, placing a finger over his chin in thought. “I’m beginning to grow worried of the boy! Is there a reason he’s no longer showing up to class?”

You swallowed thickly before responding, “your guess is as good as mine, Professor.”

“Ah, well, one mustn’t pry too much,” he says. “Also, I’m pleased to see your marks improving in the last couple weeks. Keep up the good work, Miss Y/L/N.”

And with that the professor turned around and left to go check on other students, your friend returning.

“What’d he want?” She asked, setting the supplies down on the table.

“Wanted to know about, Mr. Malfoy,” you mocked quietly, your voice turning bitter when the name left your lips. 

You knew Draco’s disappearance was your fault and you felt that twang of hurt beat against your chest thinking about it. That whole conversation with the Professor killed your entire mood. It wasn’t great to begin with, but the feeling of nothing had turned into hurt. 

You were roughly stirring the cauldron, preparing to put the nearly finished potion into the two large jars so it could sit overnight. They were right beside your arm and you felt your elbow collide with the glasses, cringing internally when you heard them crash onto the ground and shatter. Luckily there was nothing in them, but you had still made a mess of glass. In your heat of embarrassment and with the people are you now staring at you, you forgot you could easily clean up your mess with magic so like a klutz, you instead bent down to pick up the shards of glass that scattered the floor with your bare hands.

A loud gasp left your mouth as you began to pick them up, feeling the largest piece of glass in your palm deeply slash the skin of your hand. You dropped it, feeling the blood begin to drip down your arms and onto the floor.

“Oh no, Y/N,” your friend sighed from above you, gripping onto your other arm and lifting you up. “Are you okay?”

The question was meant for your hand, but you felt it hit your soul just as it did whenever someone asked you that question when you were so overwhelmingly not okay. You shook your head no, the pain from your hand and your heart taking over you completely as tears began to trickle down your face. 

Slughorn came up to the table, waving his wand over the mess of the floor and fixed the damage done to the vases and making the small puddle of blood disappear.

“Class is dismissed, students, you are free to go to the Great Hall for lunch,” Slughorn announced and everyone quickly packed up their things and hurried out except for you and your friend. The full-bellied Professor watched you with concern and you turned to your friend where she took your hand in hers and placed it palm up for you.

You shuddered, bringing up your wand to the cut and simply thought your healing spell before watching it completely fade into a faint light pink scar.

“I’m going to explain to Slughorn what happened and put away our stuff,” she says to you, a sad glint in her eyes. “Go clean yourself up and I’ll meet you at our table for lunch with everyone when you’re done.”

You could only pathetically nod before you slung your bag over your shoulder and trudged off into the direction of a bathroom. You decided to go up to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, wanting to be alone from everyone so you could clean yourself up in peace and also have a meltdown. You didn’t know why you wanted to torture yourself with the ghosted memories you shared with Draco in that bathroom, but you still went. 

You took your time getting there and you were only down the hall when you saw the entrance. It was then when you heard a familiar ghastly screaming and wailing. It was horribly loud.

“MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!”

Moaning Myrtle floated from the large wooden double doors, screaming so loud it ricocheted off all the walls of the now deathly silent castle. You felt all the blood drain from your face as an awful and sickening feeling had bubbled in your stomach.

“It better not be Draco,” you said to yourself, your legs taking longer strides towards the bathroom. “Please, don’t let it be Draco.”

By now, you were sprinting towards the end of the corridor, throwing your bag to the floor as soon as you reached the doors and flung yourself through and into the destroyed bathroom, stepping into a pool of water that had streaks of crimson red. Your eyes followed the trail of blood, stopping suddenly when you found the source.

A blood-curdling scream twice as loud and stronger than Myrtle’s, left your throat as you tripped over your own feet to reach him. You saw Harry Potter, standing a little ways by the door, a panicked and pained look in his eyes as he tried to understand what he had just done. 

Once you reached Draco’s nearly lifeless body covered in angry red gashes, you fell next to him, his eyes finally meeting yours for the first time in ages. He was breathing raggedly in choked grunts, clutching at his mauled chest as he struggled to breath. The stormy eyes you loved so much were clouded in fear. Nothing but fear.

You shoved your hand into your pocket, searching for your wand and pulled it out hastily. You shakily waved it over his cuts, thinking and saying any spell you knew that came to your mind in the matter of 5 seconds. This was what you did. This was all you did. Why couldn’t you heal him? None of your spells worked.

“I, I can’t heal you,” you sobbed, resorting to putting your hands over his chest at a failing attempt to stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“n...o,” Draco said weakly and quietly. He mustered up all his remaining strength and placed a bloodied hand over yours, you grabbed it tightly and leaned over him when you realized he was trying to speak. “S-sorry. lo...ve. y...ou.”

It felt like there was a knife in your chest being repeatedly stabbed into your heart and twisted. His eyes closed and you cried harder, knowing you were going to lose him. Everything was happening so fast. You had only been in the bathroom a solid 10 seconds, everything around you moving in a slow blur but so quickly.

It was as if Merlin had answered your pleas, the sound of the door slammed open and a maddened looking Snape rushed inside, pushing Harry roughly to the side and looking down at Draco and then you only momentarily before dropping to his knees beside him and opposite of you.

“Vulnera sanentur,” he began running his wand over the cuts on Draco’s chest and you watched with wide teary eyes as the blood pooling around you began to retreat back into the wounds. He said it again, and once the blood was back in, the cuts began to close. He chanted it one last time, and the cuts had healed into thick and reddened scars. “Miss Y/L/N, please help Draco over to the hospital wing for some dittany, and quickly please. We might be able to help with the scarring, perhaps avoid it completely. I need to deal with, Potter.”

Draco was half conscious, a dazed and confused look in the gray of his eyes as they fluttered open and closed. You noticed the scar beginning to form on his paled face and you bit back a sob. You knew if that scar stayed there, it would only drive him into a deeper hatred for himself.

You quickly got up, Snape picking up Draco and throwing his arm over your shoulders so that you would be able to help him over to the hospital wing which luckily happened to be a hall away from the bathroom. The adrenaline and sheer love for the boy was pumping through your body which had made you feel stronger in basically carrying Draco through the halls. He was dragging his feet, mumbling incoherently and you couldn’t stop crying.

You saw the doors to the hospital wing open, Madam Pomfrey staring at the scene heading towards her in horror. 

“DITTANY!” you called to her. She threw open the doors wider, nodding before she ran back inside in a hurry. A passing seventh year Hufflepuff had dropped all of his books and his bag and linked arms with Draco’s free side, helping you take him inside with much more ease. Madam Pomfrey yelled to rest Draco on the nearest bed and she quickly returned with the dittany, shooing the both of you away from him.

“I’m afraid the two of you are going to have to leave, immediately,” she demands, her hand reaching up to grab the privacy curtain before shielding her and the love of your life from you and the prying eyes of shocked students gathered at the doorway to see what had happened. The Hufflepuff that had helped was already out the door, but you couldn’t bring your legs to move.

“Away from the door!” McGonagall suddenly appeared from behind the crowd of students, a disgruntled look etched into her aged skin. “Return to your house’s common rooms! That goes for you too, Miss Y/L/N.”

She gently placed both her hands on either of your shoulders, guiding you outside the door and out of the hospital wing. She gave you an empathetic glance before grabbing the handles of the doors and shutting them with a loud clang.

The lingering students stared at you in discomfort and grimaces. You looked around, still in a daze and then looked down at your body. You were drenched in blood and water, looking straight out of a horror movie and closely resembling the clothing of the Bloody Baron, Slytherin’s house ghost.

Everything still felt quiet and slow. You didn’t even notice your friends rushing towards you in hysterics, throwing you in hugs as you only stood there, unable to react. You let them pull you away, leading you to your house’s common room, tripping every now and then. You caught a glimpse of Moaning Myrtle in the distance, her cries still very loud and apparent. She had gone around the entirety of Hogwarts wailing the same news that had broken you, only this time you heard the new choice words she had added along the way.

“MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER! HARRY POTTER HAS MURDERED DRACO MALFOY!”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You sat immobile on the edge of your seat besides Draco’s hospital bed. Much to your surprise, Madam Pomfrey had allowed you to stay overnight with the fallen Slytherin Prince. You recognized it might be her way of paying you back from all your countless volunteering and because of that, she trusted you in knowing exactly what to do when it came to the medical field of the wizarding world.

It was around three in the morning, the incident having happened well past twelve hours ago. You were showered now and in a fresh pair of robes, your pajamas holding in your warmth as a cold draft flowed throughout the dark dimly lit room. The hospital wing was tall and large, it felt like a castle in itself, and it only made you feel more feeble. You scooted your chair closer to the bed, placing a hand onto the mattress right next to Draco’s paled slender hand.

Fingertips ghosted over his knuckles, your body shivering at the closeness of the near contact. You didn’t know how he was going to react when he woke up. It was all a waiting game, and your heart squeezed with anxiety as you awaited his regained consciousness. You didn’t forget the words he said to you right before he slipped away. They rang and rattled in your head like a pinball game on loop.

He had told you he loved you.

The thought of him dying and you never being able to tell him you felt the same haunted you. You thanked Merlin that Snape got there when he did. You also made a mental note to hex Harry into the oblivion the next time you got a chance. 

You sighed deeply, your voice quavering as your ran a hand through your tangled hair. His face glistened under the orange lamp on the bedside table, his skin tinged with a grayish undertone and his eye bags deep and dark. The scar you had seen on his face earlier was gone, the skin now just holding a skinny reddened line going across his features as if he was just hit with something. You smiled slightly, knowing it would be gone in the morning and feeling grateful for him that he wouldn’t be scarred with it.

His body was covered in a hospital gown and bandages infused with dittany, but seeing how bad his cuts were before they healed, you knew those would leave something behind no matter what. In your studying towards becoming a Healer, you read about the effects of dark magic and the marks it left behind on its victims. You didn’t know what spell had done what it did to Draco, but it was violent and radiated with darkness. 

The softness of his his skin was met under yours, your hand finally allowing itself to fall over his and you let out a sharp exhale at the touch. It wasn’t like earlier when you were holding onto him for dear life, rough and filled with fear and pain, this time it felt familiar. It felt warm despite the coldness of your skin and his. You shook quietly, another set of tears rippling through your body as you tried your best to not wake him. You sat up and slowly leaned over him, looking down at him to observe his peaceful features. He slept soundly and peacefully, his breathing even and quiet. Even though he almost died earlier today, he looked as though he was having the best sleep of his life. The sleep he gravely needed but seemed to never be able to get. 

Your free hand softly rested on his cheek now and you carefully moved your lips towards his forehead where you placed a long kiss. A stray tear had fallen onto his skin as you pulled away and you frowned, wiping it away with your sleeve before moving your hand up towards his hair. You smoothed it back, the soft blond strands feeling like silk between your fingers. He was a dream, an angel to you. You stood by what you had told him that unfortunate day under the tree, he was good, and you would tell him again and again until he believed it himself.

Just as you pulled back from him, a sharp gasp erupted and he shot up in bed, grabbing and tearing at his gown as breathless quick pants fell from his lips. 

“Hey, Draco, I’m here, you’re okay, relax,” you coo gently, grabbing his hands and holding them tightly in yours so he wouldn’t tear his bandages. Your heart battered against your chest, the waterworks in your eyes beginning all over again. He stared at you, searching your eyes and he began to cry too. The same broken and deep sobbing from months ago you had grown accustomed to hearing. 

He threw himself onto you, crying even harder as his arms wrapped around you, his hand on the back of your head pressing you into his chest. You climbed into the bed in deep shaky breaths so that you were now sitting on your knees between his legs. It was overwhelming, to put it lightly, both of you crying into each other as you remembered the fall out, the lonely days and nights, the wasted opportunities, the endless missing of one another’s presence in their lives.

“I’m sorry,” Draco chokes out. “I never meant to hurt you. I thought that by pushing you away, you would be safer, but I can’t do it anymore. I need you, I love you, Y/N.”

You cradled him in your arms, rocking the two of you back and forth, and you shook your head reverently.

“I forgave you the second I thought I was going to lose you,” you respond quickly. “Merlin, Draco, you scared me to death. I thought you were gone.”

The same words from his mother echoed in his head again and he finally understood what they meant. 

“It is okay to be that 16 year old boy and revel in those joys for as long as you can before it is too late and they are no longer there.”

Darkness was going to arrive one way or another, it was going to steal the rest of whatever life he had left in him one day. It was out of his hands, out of his control. The time to live his life was now. Because he didn’t know when he would ever have this opportunity of love again, of safety, of light. Everything was undefined and unknown and he felt the anguishing regret of all his decisions when he had seen you in the bathroom hovering over him with a hopeless look in your eyes. He promised himself, to Merlin and to the sun, the moon and all the stars that in the 1% chance that he survived that close call with death, he would never abandon you again. His heart pained at the memory of him trying to sputter out his final ‘I love you,’ not knowing whether or not you heard it or if you understood how genuinely he had meant it.

The room was only filled with sniffles and shaky breathing, both of you still in the same rocking position, afraid that if you let each other go, the other is going to disappear.

“Draco,” you say, lifting his head up from the crook of your neck so that he could look you in the eyes. “I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know. Please don’t ever, ever leave again.”

“Not in a million years, darling.”

PART 3

[tarosin]

the great adventures of y/n tommy wilbur and george - the water olympics

requested:yes/no

part 9 to the great adventures series

warnings: cursing, a suicide joke (the one george made in the vlog)

you were currently sat in your bedroom editing a video for your youtube channel however someone had different plans as you heard your parents talking to someone telling them you were in your room and that they could go straight up

“Y/N ITS ME CAN I COME IN”

you laughed before getting up placing your laptop on your desk before opening your door letting your friend inside.

“what is it with people randomly showing up where I live”

“ill have you know I asked your parents”

“Pfft yeah okay Tommy sure you did. anyway I’m glad you’re here editing was beginning to make me want to throw my laptop”

“you are honestly so dramatic pass us your laptop I’ll edit for you if you let me stay the night as it’s about to rain”

“you brought a backpack with you...you clearly planned on staying the night anyway but yes it’s a deal”

Tommy laughed before sitting on your bed waiting for you to bring the laptop over and sit next to him keeping him entertained as he edits for you. it was around late afternoon when he finished editing the video and you spent the entire time telling him about your merch plans and getting the sizes and items he’s going to want as you were planning on sending him some when you’ve agreed on a final design and products

“all done I want full credit for editing”

“hey I edited like a whole 3 minutes of the video..fine fine just stop staring at me like that”

the two of you realised it was a little late and neither of you wanted to cook anything so decided to go to a local restaurant. a few hours later you arrived back home it was pretty late now so your parents had gone to bed so you had to keep reminding each other not to yell, once in your room the pair of you collapsed onto your bed, you rolled over to face Tommy

“So why are you actually here huh, what’s going on in that mind of yours”

“I know it’s short notice but tomorrow afternoon would you like to go to this inflatable water course with me will and George”

“I don’t have anything else to do so I’d be more than happy to come with you guys what time do we need to be awake, we may as well set an alarm now in case we fall asleep as I tend to sleep in really late”

“I’ve got it don’t worry about it”

Tommy set an alarm as you logged into Disney plus so you and Tommy could watch tv for a while before deciding on sleeping arrangements, you put on the good dinosaur and instantly regret that decision as you began ranting to Tommy about how the films depressing. soon enough the pair of you fell asleep.

at 9 am Tommy's alarm went off waking the pair of you up

“y/n get up we’re going to a lake”

“Okay okay I’m up”

Tommy went to the bathroom to get ready so you could get ready in your room a few minutes later you both made your way downstairs grabbing a snack you could eat whilst you waited for your taxi to arrive. the pair of you arrived at the lake first, George arrived next and that’s when you noticed Wilbur show up and George beginning to record what’s happening

“Tommy is he wearing a suit?” you tilted your head to the left as Wilbur stepped out of the car

“it worked George”

“Why are you wearing a suit?”

“for the meal”

“we’re not doing the restaurant”

your eyes widened and you tried to hide your laughter as Tommy said he couldn’t change as he only hired three wetsuits, you all made your way to get your wetsuits, Wilbur reluctantly following you all as soon as you all stepped in several people began to stare at you all

“they’re staring at me because I’m wearing a suit”

George laughed before telling him it could also be because your hair was awfully similar to a highlight. you lightly hit his shoulder before rolling your eyes

“rude”

you laughed as you went away to get changed returning a few moments later

“I’m ready boys oh they gave will a life jacket”

“Why do you sound so disappointed”

“you not a fan of drowning then?”

“no, I’m not!”

Tommy grabbed your hand and ran towards the water before jumping in taking you down with him

��TOMMY I HATE YOU”

“HELP ME”

“NO SUFFER”

soon enough will and George made it onto the inflatable, Tommy tried to film his intro however the fact you and George were jumping in the background made it rather difficult. Tommy ran to Wilbur who pushed him into the water

“HA GET FUCKED”

you made your way across but saw Tommy in the water making you laugh which made you fall in the water too

“well hello again y/n”

“Hello Tommy funny seeing you here”

George managed to help you up whilst Wilbur pretended to help Tommy up before walking away. Tommy just held onto the inflatable whilst looking at you

“fine”

you reached your hand out and helped him back up onto the inflatable.

you made your way across the bridge Wilbur not far behind you so he could push Tommy off of the bridge into the water, he did but fell with him, you fell over laughing as George went to help Wilbur but ended up falling in himself. you George and Tommy ran to a high point of the course which will wanted you all successfully defended it and even managed to push will into the water. you and George weren’t the best at this course you had fallen three times and George fell twice

“look at them both”

Tommy turned around to see you and George in the water again as the pair of you fell once back on the inflatable you both made your way back to the others however George slipped and grabbed your arm trying to stay up ultimately dragging you down with him

“When is it my turn to be happy”

you all made your way to the canopy without falling, well that was until Tommy decided to lean on it causing it to fall into the water taking Tommy with it

“bye tom”

“he’s stuck save him”

“Nah this is funny”

Wilbur ended up helping him by making it so he could actually climb onto the inflatable

“you’re embarrassing us in front of the lifeguards”

you made your way across the course this time you didn’t fall as much as you did earlier on in the day, Wilbur went to push Tommy into the water again however this time you and George decided to get payback and attempted to side tackle him so he fell into the water

“bye will”

will finally got back onto the inflatable and pulled you aside

“We should form an alliance...I wouldn’t leave you behind”

“deal”

“When I say meet you there you start running the course I'll make sure you don’t fall”

“understood let’s do this”

you got ready to go as will told Tommy and George that the truces weren’t working and there was only one way to settle it

“meet you there”

you started running across the course you were doing surprisingly well, Wilbur only had to prevent you from falling once and that was because you lost balance over one obstacle

“I've got you! keep going”

eventually, you both turned around to see that Tommy and George finally set off and were making their way to you both

“we’re team weak..strong every day of the week”

you managed to contain your laughter as George fell as soon as Tommy said that

“we’ll be team pussy”

soon enough they caught up you and will went to push Tommy into the water however George snuck up behind you both and pushed you into the water

“ah yes water my good friend we meet again”

will helped you up first then you helped him up will noticed George fell and went to push him in the water whilst you made your way to Tommy

“I call this the leg turrent”

“you plan on doing this forever heh?”

you helped George back up whilst Wilbur tackled Tommy further down the course

“oh Tommy is still on the floor”

“what have you done to him”

you made your way to Tommy with George only to hear Tommy yell about the art of deception followed by a splash and Tommy's laughter. George got up to go get the drinks but fell again then stood up slowly turning to face you all

“that was called comedy.. I'll go get the drinks kills myself”

“the hydration is good”

“ah thanks, George you see I’ve personally been spending the majority of my time in the water”

Tommy ran over to you all then fell into the water making you all laugh followed by Wilbur telling him to complete the line about how many people are and are not subscribed to his vlog channel

“When did George fall into the water”

“How are you guys feeling for a race”

“I’m down”

“right you and George are going to run that way around, y/n and I will run this way and we’ll meet at the nub we fought for”

“winner gets to launch the other of that big floppy thing”

“GO”

Tommy and George ran off before you two however you and will made it to the nub before the others, mainly because neither of you fell and worked together.

“come across Tommy we will let you have the win if you make it across that”

Tommy ran at the bridge however he fell three quarters over the bridge

“oh fucking hell”

“he tried”

you and will helped Tommy up however George ran over

“George you’re ruining the moment” Wilbur pushed him over the edge into the water

“bye again George”

“let’s go back to the nub”

“I think me and y/n technically won”

“friends?”

“friends”

Tommy decided to shake hands with will and made you go over to him so he could give you a hug you stood with will filming Tommy for the outro you waved bye to Tommy as he fell a rather long distance into the water, once will stopped recording he pushed you into the water from the same height

“WILL I'M GOING TO KILL YOU”

once you all dried off and got ready you and Tommy made your way back to yours as it was late you agreed Tommy may as well stay the night again, the pair of you spent the night playing games together and arguing about who won the game you missed spending time with just Tommy and he missed spending time with you so you were both incredibly thankful he decided to come over to yours a few days earlier than expected.

taglist:

@l0ver0fj0y @etheriaaly @xx-smiley-xx @hawarun @kylobensgirl @cawcaw-pretty-thing @reverse-iak @renleicrashed @c1loudee

[melanie-adia-of-the-multiverse]

Everything Could Use More Ducks

Summary: The want for perfection is a universal inclination to possess, but Logan and Patton are going to find that sometimes the unexpected makes for the most beautiful memories and experiences.

A.K.A. An overly-long fic about Logicality’s first date and kiss.

Part 2 of Light and Tenderness Verse

Pairing: Logicality

Word Count: 23,585

Genre: Fluff with some Angst (it was supposed to be mostly fluff with the barest traces of angst but that’s the direction writing took me in as I was going along)

Warnings: Self-doubt, self-worth issues, self-esteem issues, some lingering tension from past canon conflicts (POF), food, kissing, swearing, crude language, explicit language, sexual humour, gross/disturbing facts and imagery (those last five are all Remus alone), Remus being Remus (I mean, he really goes to town in this one; also unplanned but it’s how it unfolded)

AO3 Link

Part 1: AO3 Tumblr

Author’s Note: Hello, all. It’s been a while but I’ve returned with another story. It also just occurred to me that I’m posting this story a week later from when I posted it on AO3 much like the first one (this time for Logan’s ‘birthday’/appreciation day). A funny coincidence, though I hope this doesn’t turn into a pattern. I admit to having more difficulty writing this new installment. With LaT, I knew exactly how it was going to pan out and planned it out to a tee with some room for freestyling. Here, I had less of a clear vision beyond the premise (Logicality going on their first date and having their first kiss) so I ended up doing a lot of freestyling, which I’m not accustomed to. Although there was a thrill in letting myself see where my writing would take me with little boundaries, I often found myself getting stuck more often than I’m comfortable with. So, my confidence in this final product is more shaky. But it’s finished and I hope it still provides some level of entertainment, and I know how to better approach the process for the next story. My waffling probably wasn’t necessary but I felt a need to explain myself. With that said, thank you for your time, take care, be safe, and enjoy.

Roman prided himself as a Side who rose to any challenge, but even he could (privately) admit when such a challenge that stumped him came along. Though, this time, it wasn’t the request that threw him off. It was the requester.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that again?”

Logan huffed irritably. “Did I not articulate about my request adequately, Roman?”

“Oh, no, no! I heard you crystal clear, Specs! I just wanted to hear it again for clarification!” Roman smirked at the logical trait, his eyes glittering with amusement and intrigue. “After all, it isn’t everyday that you, Logan, comes to me, the remarkable, ravishing Roman, for romantic advice!”

Logan sighed and turned around to head back to his room, muttering under his breath: “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’ll just try to figure it out on my own. Or seek someone else’s guidance –”

Roman shot out a hand and grabbed the crook of Logan’s elbow, preventing him from leaving. “Hey, hey. I was playin’ around, Lo. I’ll hear you out, okay?”

Logan looked back at the romantic figment. Roman at least had the decency to look contrite, and he seemed sincere enough. Logan stared at him a moment longer before motioning towards Roman’s room with an incline of his head.

Roman grinned wide and all but yanked Logan inside before locking the door for good measure to ensure privacy. He turned around and jogged towards his bed, spinning around and jumping backwards to land on it with a graceful – in his opinion – wump. Logan elected to sit down on Roman’s desk chair, keeping his perfect posture and legs pressed together, feet flat on the floor. When they’d both gotten comfortable, Roman crossed one of his legs over the other, rested interlocked hands over his knees and leaned forward with eager expression and eyes.

“All right, Teach. Spill.”

Logan blinked in confusion. “Spill what? I didn’t bring any liquids with me.”

Roman rolled his eyes and waved an exasperated hand. “No, no! Tell me what is troubling you romantically!”

“Oh. Right. Apologies.”

Logan fiddled with his tie for a moment before folding his hands primly in his lap, eyes fixed on the ground.

“I…wish to treat Patton to a…romantic excursion,” he mumbled, the apples of his cheeks turning rosy.

Roman blinked for a moment before his head clicked what Logan had meant. He trilled and clapped his hands excitedly, eyes shining. “That is fantastic! Your very first date! Oh, what a joyous occasion for you lens-wearing lovebirds!”

Logan rolled his eyes at Roman’s enthusiasm, but the deepening colour of his cheeks and his lips twitching upwards belied his aloofness.

“It’s about gosh darn time, too!” Roman continued. “The two of you have been together long enough!”

Logan arched an eyebrow. “ ‘Long enough’? We’ve been a couple for ten days, fourteen hours, twenty-seven minutes and counting.”

“Like I said: long enough!”

Roman leapt to his feet and started pacing around his room, his eyes already alight with inspiration.

“Now then, we hafta decide on what you’re actually gonna do on the date. Of course, we gotta make sure it’s something both of you like. Now, what would that be…”

“Well, actually, I did have an idea –”

“Wait! I’ve got it!” Roman gasped. “Ducks!”

Simultaneously, Logan’s face went blank and he hunched his shoulders slightly as though anticipating rainfall or some heavy object to fall on his head.

“…What?”

“Ducks!” Roman repeated, the ruby ribbons laced throughout his cinnamon eyes glittering like the last trails of colour and light after a fireworks finale. “You two should go to a pond and feed ducks! It’s got the cute, fuzzy animal factor for our puffball, and you can infodump about any duck-related facts you’ve got rattling around in that big dome of yours! There’s this secluded yet quaint lil’ pond in my side of the Imagination that would be just perfect!”

“Well, yes, but – ”

“But I think it’s empty right now, so I would just hafta conjure up some ducks! How many should I put in? Five? Mmm, no. Too little. Fifteen? Maybe. Though, the pond’s pretty big soooo you know what? Better make it fifty.”

“Wait, hold on –”

“No, wait! You know what? We should make it a parade of ducks! Yes! I’ll conjure up fifty ducks and make sure they put on a show for you that neither of you will ever forget!”

“But, I –”

But Roman kept on going, too caught up in his excitement to listen to Logan.

“So! Here’s what we’ll do…I’ll give you directions to the pond so you both don’t get lost on the way, and before you enter the Imagination, I’ll conjure them up and make sure they’re all sorts of different species! That way we get a nice variety and be able to have colour-coordinated sections!”

“Roman –”

“Ooh! Ooh! You know what else we should have? Kazoos! YES! I’ll teach them to play kazoos and when you two arrive at the pond, they’ll serenade Patton with a rendition of ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ while spelling out the phrase ‘LOGAN HEART PATTON’! But, if you don’t want too much attention on you, we can just use ‘I’ instead of your name.”

“Roman…”

“And then they’ll all leap into the pond and conclude with a synchronized swimming routine! Bam! Perfect evening! Although, it’d be a lil’ much for me to train fifty ducks on my own. Not that I couldn’t or wouldn’t do it! Maybe I should probably conjure up a choreographer…actually, you know what, maybe an animal trainer, too –”

“ROMAN!”

Roman stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at his sensible counterpart, equally put out by the interruption and bemused by Logan’s outburst.

Logan took a cleansing breath to quell his exasperation and pushed his glasses up his nose. “As much as I appreciate your…enthusiasm, I had something less exuberant in mind for the date.”

Roman made a face. “Lemme guess. Something uber doober boring like doing a jigsaw puzzle? Or reading one of your murder mystery books out loud?”

Logan glowered at the princely trait. “Actually, I was thinking along the lines of taking Patton for an afternoon walk through the Imagination, and ending it with a picnic around sunset.”

Roman opened his mouth to make a retort, then stopped and closed it again, blinking at Logan. “Huh. That is…actually quite romantic,” he said, a little impressed.

Logan preened a little, looking pleased with himself. Of course it was a good idea. He thought of it.

Roman made his way back to his bed and sat back down. He needed to catch his breath and rest his feet after all the pacing and talking he’d been doing not even a minute before. “Is it safe for me to assume that this is why you came to me?” he asked.

Logan nodded. “Indeed. Since you are in charge of one half of the Imagination, it seemed only logical to approach you in order to gain access to it. At least for an hour or so. I certainly wasn’t going to go to Remus for his half.”

Roman winced. “Yeeeaaah, probably a good idea. That wouldn’t fly well with Patton.”

Logan nodded in agreement, his eyes softening just a touch at the mention of Patton. Roman noticed but said nothing about it.

“So, did you have something in mind for how you want the Imagination to look like on your date?”

“I do, actually.”

“All right, then. Spit it out.”

Logan reared back slightly at that, face twisted with alarm and disgust. Then he shrugged and started working his jaw.

Quickly recognizing his mistake, Roman waved his hands hurriedly. “NO, not like that! Just tell me what you want!”

“Oh. Okay.”

Roman breathed an internal sigh of relief at his close call.

Logan reached into his pocket and took out a piece of folded paper, which he proceeded to unfold, smooth out and hold out to Roman. “I’ve done some research, and I’ve compiled a list of conditions and factors that, if adjusted just so, will ensure the ideal environment and setting for the date.”

Roman took the paper from Logan and read through its contents. His eyes slowly widened as he went down the list. Logan had taken into account every single factor he could think of and researched ways to ‘ensure the most optimal chance of dating success’ (Logan’s words, not Roman’s). The list ranged from things that were actually rather important and that Roman could easily accomplish like the ideal temperature (‘somewhere between 70 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 to 25 degrees Celsius’), to absurd stuff like the softness of grass (‘to prevent, or at least reduce, the likelihood of irritation or ticklishness, as Patton has sensitive skin’). He also noted that the date was to take place a week from today. Well, that was good. At least Logan was giving him ample time to tweak and mold the Imagination into the requested dimensions until it was just right.

When he was done, Roman looked back up at Logan. “You really put a lot of thought into this, didn’t you?”

Logan lowered his head a bit as though shy, but he nodded. “Well…yes. It’s only natural. I want Patton to be happy. And for him to have an enjoyable time.”

As he said this, a soft look came over Logan’s face, and his lips curled up into a rare tiny smile. Roman took advantage of the ensuing quiet that followed to observe the change in Logan’s demeanour. Falling in love with Patton had really had a positive effect on Logan. He was still his serious, stick-in-the-mud self, but his sharp edges had been softened. He clearly wanted his date with Patton to go well, considering the amount of effort he had gone through to compose the list. It was very in line with Logan’s sensibilities, which made Roman chuckle inwardly. He was a nerd, but he was their nerd.

Then Roman thought of something and he furrowed his brow. “Hold on…don’t you hate picnics? I think I kinda remember one time we all went for a picnic in the Imagination and you spent the whole time complaining about eating on the ground and getting eaten alive by bugs!”

Logan flushed at this and looked away, fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Specs?”

“…Again, ‘hate’ is a strong word to use…but…you aren’t incorrect in that assessment.”

“Then why are you going for this? Why make yourself uncomfortable doing something you don’t like? Why not something more along the lines of what you like? Like stargazing or something?”

Logan’s demeanor changed instantly at these words. His dreaminess – which had dimmed slightly at Roman’s first query – fell away completely to reveal a timider interior that the others were very rarely privy to. It honestly caught Roman off guard. The teacher’s self-confidence seemed to dissipate and was replaced by uncertainty and meekness. He looked down at his hands clasped in his lap and avoided eye contact. He stayed quiet for a moment, and Roman waited patiently, giving Logan the space he needed to speak freely and without judgment on his own time.

“This is my chance to really make Patton happy,” Logan finally said, quietly and morosely. “After everything that’s gone on, he deserves something special…to feel special. In a way, I feel like I have a lot to make up for the way I regarded and treated him in the past, even though it seems that he doesn’t hold me in contempt or bear any grudge for it. But…I guess I still feel some level of guilt that I’m not able to assuage. So, I feel compelled to make a great effort to really make this date special for him and make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Roman’s frown deepened as he watched the rational figment before him wilt and falter. He mashed his lips together. Even though he could be a little self-absorbed, Roman still cared for his loved ones, and it was unnerving to see Logan so unsure of himself and vulnerable.

If he was honest…Roman admired how far Logan had come. They were both similar in how opinionated and arrogant they could be, as much as that was difficult for him to admit to himself sometimes. So, to see how Logan had grown more thoughtful of others – like how he’d taken Patton’s own wants and needs into account to do an activity on their date that Patton liked – and how he tried to be better than how he was before…it was more than Roman could ever hope to achieve. Logan had been the first to reach out and try to repair the discord that had taken place after ‘The Incident’, whilst Roman had hidden himself away in his room, smarting and spiteful. It made sense; Logan had always possessed a maturity Roman himself could never duplicate.

Then Roman shook himself internally. No time for self-pity now. Someone else’s spirits needed lifting up.

Roman got up from the bed and slowly made his way to Logan, kneeling down in front of him. He paused for a moment before raising his hands and resting them on Logan’s knees.

Logan started a bit and looked up at Roman with surprised eyes. Roman smiled kindly at Logan and gave his knees a gentle squeeze.

“Listen…I know we haven’t always been buddy-buddy in the past, but it’ll all be fine. You and Patton are made for each other. And I’ve seen how he’s been since you started dating. He’s doing better than ever. And that’s just you being you. So, you’re doing something right. You’re good.”

Logan looked at Roman, parsing his words. Then his face broke into a small, grateful smile and he placed his hands on top of Roman’s, giving them a squeeze back. “Thank you, Roman,” he murmured. Roman grinned back at him, glad to see some cheer coming back to their beloved nerd.

Right at that moment, an enthusiastic knock sounded on Roman’s door, making Roman and Logan jump and breaking the moment.

“Hey, Roman! You in there, kiddo?” a cheerful voice called out.

It was Patton.

Logan froze like a deer caught in headlights and Roman shook himself out of his surprise to give an answer.

“Yes, I am, Padre! You need something?”

“Oh, no! I just came over to let you know that dinner’ll be ready in a few minutes!”

Dinner? 

Both Roman and Logan looked over at the gold-plated, sunburst-shaped clock on the wall, and their eyes widened. They hadn’t realized how much time had passed since Logan stopped by.

“Oh! Okay! Sorry, Patton! I didn’t realize the time!”

“No worries, kiddo! I know how you can get preoccupied with your projects!”

The two Sides watched the shadow under Roman’s door start to recede as Patton turned away – presumably to continue his mission of letting everyone know about dinner – when it stopped abruptly.

“Oh! Roman! By the way, do you happen to know where Logan is? I stopped by his room before yours and he wasn’t there.”

Logan paled slightly and Roman racked his brains quickly for something to say in his defense. He just hoped that the verbal fabrication wouldn’t be too extreme. He didn’t want a certain snake to sneak his way into his ‘Sanctuary of Solitude’ right this moment.

“I – I don’t, actually. Sorry! Um...did you check his study? Or his lab? You know how hyper-focused he can get.” Roman heard a thoughtful hum in response.

“I did think about that, but I didn’t wanna go in without permission. I know how protective he can be of his personal space.”

Logan’s face softened and he opened his mouth to say that Patton was always welcome to check in on him no matter where he was and what he was doing, forgetting where he was for a second. Roman waved a hand frantically for Logan to keep quiet, and Logan snapped his mouth shut, remembering.

“Roman?”

“Yes, yes! I’m still here! Sorry! Y’know, I’m sure he won’t mind if you go in. You are lovers now!”

“Yeah, we are…but I still wanna make sure I don’t cross any boundaries where I shouldn’t. I don’t wanna make him mad or anything.”

Patton’s voice sounded quiet and uncertain. Logan’s face fell at that. He never wanted Patton to feel like he couldn’t ever go into his room for any reason. He supposed that it didn’t help how impatient and short he had been in the past whenever anyone ever came into his room without permission or invitation. Roman looked at him in sympathy and squeezed his knee.

“Well, I’m sure he can’t be gone simply like that! He probably just went to the bathroom or something! Or maybe he’s with Virgil? You know how the emo often goes to him when he’s having one of his attacks.”

The shadow didn’t move but Roman had a feeling that Patton was nodding in agreement. “Yeah, maybe. I’m actually on my way to Virgil’s room right now, so we’ll see. See ya in a bit, kiddo!”

“Will do! Thanks again, Pat!”

Once the shadow was gone, Logan let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and ran a hand through his hair. “That was close. Thank you, Roman,” he said shakily.

Roman smiled and patted Logan’s hand. “No prob, Bob.”

Logan blinked. “I’m Logan.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Of course, Steven Universe would fly over your head. You really need to be more up-to-date with pop culture references, Teach.”

Logan stuck his nose in the air. “At least I’m not always stuck in Never Never Land like you.”

“Rude. And also, I think you mean La La Land.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“No! Both are completely different places!”

“But they’re both rife with unrealistic, fantastical elements, so my point still stands!”

“Oh, for the love of Dionysus! – ”

Roman and Logan glared at each other for a moment. Then their mouths started twitching, and before long they were laughing.

When their chuckles died down. Logan stood up and smoothed his tie out. “I should get going. I don’t want Patton to get any more worried than he is now.”

Roman nodded, wincing at the creaks in his knees as he stood back up. “Yeah. Maybe if you move fast enough, you can get back to your room before he comes back to check on you again.”

“That is my plan, yes.”

Logan got himself in position and was just about to sink out when Roman called out to him. He stopped and turned back towards Roman.

Roman chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh…sorry about earlier. With the whole duck thing. And not listening to you. I guess I got a little over-excited. So, sorry about that.”

Logan’s face softened and he shook his head. “It’s all right, Roman. Really.” Roman’s idea had been a little much, but that was how Roman was. He was Creativity, after all. There was nothing wrong with allowing inspiration to flow freely when it was present in the moment. But Logan did appreciate Roman’s acknowledgement of and apology for the indirect disregard. “Also, thank you again for helping me out,” he continued. “Both for the date and making sure Patton didn’t know I was here. I really appreciate it.”

Roman waved an airy hand. “No trouble at all, Lo. See you at dinner.”

Logan nodded once with a small smile and adjusted his glasses before sinking out. After waving Logan out, Roman picked up Logan’s list and started reading through it again. Logan’s specifications were really…specific. Roman was a little unsure if he would be able to get everything just right, but he was going to try. Patton and Logan were going to have the best first date of all first dates!

But first, dinner.

Roman folded the paper back up, slipped it into his pocket and primped himself up a bit in his mirror before heading downstairs for dinner. As he did, he thought to himself that Patton and Logan’s date could still use more ducks.

 *******

Three days later, Roman was in the common room, writing in his trusty notebook. A while back he’d started a new story when something Thomas had said inspired him, and then it got left on the back burner when another busy video-editing session came around, so he was trying to get back into it. Normally, Roman would write in his room since it enhanced his creative ability, but sometimes it got a little stifling and then Roman wasn’t able to get anything done. So, he’d read online that sometimes a change of scenery was a good way of clearing a writer’s head and allowing them to get some work done, hence why he’d moved to the common room for that mid-morning.

Roman let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair. This stupid short story was stumping him big time. He’d been working on it for a couple hours now and he was still stuck on this one particular part. What was the point of him being Creativity if he couldn’t come up with stuff?

Immediately after that thought floated by, Roman shook his head vigorously. No. None of that. No more bad self-talk. It wasn’t good for him as Thomas’ Ego, especially when it could lead down a slippery slope to a ‘creative block’ – he shuddered violently at the thought. Plus, he didn’t want to revisit the bad feelings he’d felt after ‘you know what’. That was in the past. Everyone was friends again (well, most of them; some of them were still on precarious ground but had promised (through gritted teeth) to try their best to get along for Thomas’ sake), and it would be nice to keep it that way.

After a few more minutes, Roman gave up and put down his notebook and pen. He was clearly getting nowhere. Maybe he should take a quick break before giving it another go.

He took Logan’s list out of his pocket and looked through it again. Whenever he completed a requirement, he made sure to tick it off. At this point he’d ticked off almost half of the requirements, which was good. A few were proving to be a little tricky but Roman figured he’d be able to find a work-around for them. He still had a few more days to get everything done.

Roman sighed. He really, really, REALLY wanted Logan to be pleased with his work, and to get it just right for him and Patton, seeing how much this meant to Logan. Roman was a perfectionist so anything creative he worked on couldn’t be half-assed. He was still learning to not be too hard on himself or hold himself to high impossible standards, but that was easier said than done.

“Hey, Roman!”

Roman jumped and let out an “Eep!”. He looked up to see Patton standing on the raised landing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh! Sorry, kiddo! Didn’t mean to make ya jump!”

Roman hurriedly shoved the paper back into his pocket. “N-No worries, Padre!”

If Patton noticed Roman acting strangely, he said nothing. He figured that if it was something private, he wasn’t going to stick his nose in Roman’s business. He wasn’t going to do that anymore. That’s how things went wrong.

Getting a handle on his composure and putting on a charming smile, Roman looked up at Patton. “How are you doing on this fine morning?”

Patton smiled back. “I’m doin’ good! Thanks for askin’! How ‘bout you?”

Roman shrugged. “As peachy as I can be. Just trying to work on this story here.”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I’d no idea. I can talk to you later if you want – ”

“No, no, no!” Roman waved his hands reassuringly. “It’s fine, Pat! I’m on a break, anyway.”

Patton looked at him uncertainly. “You sure?”

“Positive, Padre.”

A look of relief swept over Patton’s face before he made his way over and settled himself down next to Roman on the couch, slipping off his sneakers and pulling his legs up so he could sit cross-legged. Roman took a moment to take in Patton’s body language: his posture was better than normal, and his shoulders were more relaxed. Clearly dating wasn’t only doing wonders for just Logan.

“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Patton, at this point, looked back towards the stairs as though anticipating that someone was going to come down at any moment. Roman had a hunch the ‘someone’ Patton was looking out for was Logan. But Logan worked in the mornings so luckily there was no fear of any eavesdropping or walking in.

When he was sure that the coast was clear, Patton turned back to Roman. “Yeah, I did. I actually need your help for something.”

Roman leaned forward, interest piqued. “On what?”

“My date with Logan.”

Upon saying Logan’s name, Patton’s cheeks turned rosy and a dreamy expression came over his face. Being the Side of romance, Roman could recognize even the subtlest of love signs, and here was a Side who was a smitten kitten over his sweetheart.

Roman smiled at the paternal trait. “Looks like things are going well with you and Teach!”

Patton nodded, his smile widening and the colour of his cheeks deepening. He ducked his head momentarily in mixed embarrassment and fondness. “Yeah,” he mumbled eloquently.

Roman grinned and chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. What did you need?”

After getting himself back under control, Patton straightened up and took a breath. “So, my date with Logan is coming up in four days…”

Roman nodded, outwardly showing that he was paying attention, but inwardly he was concentrating hard on thinking his words through before he spoke. Logan had explicitly stated that his whole picnic thing was to be a surprise for Patton, and Roman didn’t want to mess it up for either of them if he misspoke, so he had to be extra careful. “Go on.”

Patton played with his fingers. “I…want to do something special for Logan.”

Roman cocked his head. “In terms of what?”

“Like, how I want the date to go.”

Roman furrowed his brows, feeling a tinge of not necessarily panic but a sense that things were about to get complicated. For him, at least.

“I see. What did you wanna do?”

Patton clasped his hands in his lap. For a moment, a vision of Logan doing the exact same thing flitted through Roman’s mind. Geez, these two were already similar enough in appearance since they looked like Thomas (okay, they ALL looked like Thomas) and wore the same glasses, but they were already starting to adopt each other’s mannerisms. What a difference almost two weeks of dating can make.

“I wanna take Logan on a walk through the Imagination during the evening, and end it with a night of stargazing. Would you be able to set up the Imagination like that for me?”

Roman’s anxiety ratcheted up. Patton wanted an evening date. At the exact same time as the daytime date that Logan wanted. When he was halfway done with setting up the Imagination for Logan’s daytime date that he asked for help with three days ago. Oh, this was getting more than just complicated. This was getting borderline impossible.

Unfortunately, he was taking too long to reply, and Patton took Roman’s silence as disapproval. He bit the side of his lip, his mouth going a little lopsided as he did so. “I’m sorry. If it’s too much for you, or not possible, or not enough time, it’s totally fine, Roman. I don’t wanna push something on you that you don’t wanna do – ”

“No!”

Patton jumped and blinked at the princely trait. Roman gave himself an inward shake at his outburst and smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile at the fatherly figure figment. “It’s all fine. I’ll do it.”

Patton’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

Roman nodded. “Really.”

Patton squealed and threw his arms around Roman to give him a big hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Despite the rising anxiety within him at his predicament, Roman easily returned the hug. “It’s no trouble, Padre.”

When Patton pulled away from his hug attack, Roman leaned back into the couch, summoning a notepad and pen as he did so. “All right, I’m all ears.”

Patton grinned. “Well, I hope I don’t talk your ears off!”

That got a chuckle out of Roman, and Patton giggled along with him. Roman thought how if he’d said that idiom to Logan, the intellectual Side would have likely taken the phrase literally (as usual) and countered that Roman was not made up of ears and was a fully humanoid form. Don’t get him wrong, he was fond of the nerd, but it was nice to be able to make jokes and puns without causing confusion or alarm. That’s why he and Patton got along so well.

At any rate, once they’d sobered up, Roman dutifully listened and jotted down notes as Patton told him how he wanted the Imagination to look for his date idea, giving off the appearance of a calm, collected Side, though inwardly he still worried about how he was going to pull this off along with Logan’s request. He noticed how Patton was just as attentive as Logan had been about little details he wanted to get right, and just as eager to make sure that Logan would have a good time. Most of all, he realized that Patton had chosen an activity that Logan liked. He, also, was being thoughtful of his partner’s needs and wants and trying to make him happy. Thankfully, he wasn’t as intensive as Logan had been, but he was no less determined to make sure that everything would be just right.

“ – And, like, I wanna make sure the sky is as accurate as possible, with lots of constellations so we can look at them and Logan can talk to me about them. There’s one he’s mentioned before that he seems to really like a lot…I think it’s called – what was it? The Pilates Cluster? The Play-Doh Cluster?”

Roman froze in the middle of the sentence he was writing and looked up and blinked at Patton for a moment. Seconds later, he burst into peals of laughter.

Patton did a small double-take of surprise at Roman’s reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”

Roman’s only response was to laugh harder. Patton’s confusion grew.

Soon, Roman was able to come down from his laughing fit, trying to take deep breaths while wiping tears off of his face.

“I – I think you mean the Pleiades Cluster!”

Patton’s eyes widened before his cheeks turned strawberry-pink. “Oh…oops. I guess they sound pretty similar, huh?’ he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Taking pity on him, Roman tried very hard to curb another laughing fit bubbling in his chest. He coughed a few times to get the urge out of his system so he was able to speak normally again.

“A-Anyway, yeah, sure, Pat. I’ll make sure to put that in the sky for you.”

Patton smiled through his flush. “Great, thanks.”

Another minute or so of talking later, Roman wrote down the last few notes and huffed out a breath. “All right. I think I got everything.”

Patton beamed at him. “Thanks, kiddo! I really appreciate this.”

Roman waved a hand. “Of course, Padre! It’s what I’m here for.”

A strange look came over Patton’s face then, one that Roman couldn’t decipher. Then Patton reached out and took one of Roman’s hands in both of his, his eyes heavy with an emotion that made Roman wonder if he’d said something wrong.

“Um, Patton?”

“I mean it, Roman,” Patton said earnestly. “I really do appreciate you helping me out. I have full trust in you. I know you’re gonna come up with something amazing.”

Roman’s mouth opened slightly at this, and his eyes felt a bit teary, touched as he was by Patton’s words. After what he did, how he’d treated Patton after ‘the thing we don’t talk about’, he almost felt unworthy of such genuine trust and faith. But Patton, blessed Patton, was looking so contrite and earnest that Roman couldn’t help but feel compelled to make his date idea come true, as tricky as it was going to be. He supposed, in a way, he also felt like he had to make amends, and this was a good way of doing so. And the most important thing was, he wanted to.

“I…thanks, Pat,” he whispered.

Patton’s smile turned softer and he squeezed Roman’s hand.

Roman took a moment to compose himself and he patted Patton’s knee with his other hand, managing to give him a smile.

“Just you wait and see, Padre, when I’m done, Specs won’t know what hit ‘im!”

“What’s that about me?”

Patton and Roman yelped in surprise and whipped their heads towards the stairs.

There was Logan, standing on the landing with a curious, amused expression on his face.

“H-Hi, honey!” Patton stammered out, face pink.

Logan’s face softened and he smiled softly. “Hello, love.” Then he turned towards Roman. “What was that about me you were just discussing?”

Roman panicked, scrambling to come up with something. “Oh! Um – we weren’t talkin’ about you! We were just discussing about…um, that is – “

“Ducks!”

Logan and Roman blinked at Patton. “What?” they chorused.

“Ducks!” Patton chirped again, his smile a little too wide to be comfortable. “We were talking about ducks! They’re just so cute, aren’t they? With the waddling and the quacking and that thing they do where they ruffle their feathers when they’re taking a bath! They’re just great! I love ducks! Don’t you love ducks?”

Patton said that last sentence to Roman, who immediately jumped in as if that had been the plan all along. Thank goodness for Thomas’ love of acting and knack for improv (most of the time). “Oh! Yes, of course! Ducks are truly splendid creatures! Aren’t they, Logan?”

Logan did a mini-double take of surprise at being asked this question by Roman, and he cleared his throat before answering. “I…yes, they are a rather fascinating species, though I don’t possess the same emotional attachment as either of you.” But he was distracted from what they’d actually been talking about, which greatly relieved the right-brained Sides.

“So, Logan, why’re you down here? Taking a break from working?”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Yes. Actually, I’ve come down because Patton and I made plans to cook lunch together.”

Patton blinked and he looked at his watch. His eyes widened.

“Oh my gosh! Is it time, already? Man, time really does fly by when you’re talking! About ducks!”

Roman winced and subtly nudged Patton’s foot with his own. No need to keep beating a dead horse when there wasn’t even a horse to beat in the first place. (Ew. Why was he thinking like Remus?) Thankfully, Patton got the hint and Logan was none the wiser (or, if he did notice their strange behaviour, he said nothing).

Patton slipped his shoes back on and stood up, brushing his clothes off. “Well, I should get goin’. Thanks again, Roman!”

Roman gave Patton a warm smile. “Anytime, Padre! See you at lunch!”

Patton grinned at him and bent over for one last quick hug. Then he skipped over to Logan – who had a tender expression on his face – and they took each other’s hand before walking into the kitchen together.

Roman allowed himself a moment to watch this tender display, a small smile on his face before he gathered up his things and sank out to his room. He was truly happy for his friends. They looked so happy together. He was so glad things worked out for them, and seeing their love and care for one another made him more determined to make sure that their date went off without a hitch.

Speaking of which…

Once he was back in his room, Roman’s smile vanished and he let out a loud groan. He padded over to his bed and – after throwing his things haphazardly onto the bedspread – turned and collapsed on top of it, staring at the ceiling in a starfish position. He rubbed his face with his hands, the anxiety over his predicament back with a vengeance.

“Sweet Stephen King, what am I going to do?”

“Maybe not keel over and die from a heart attack, for starters?”

Roman let out a startled shriek and quickly sat up, hands clutching the front of his shirt and his heart hammering in his chest. He frantically looked around until his eyes fell on the source of the voice.

“Heavens above, Jack Scare-ington! Don’t do that!”

Virgil, standing with his arms crossed, lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. “Geez, Princey. Could you be any more on edge?”

Roman groaned again and sat up fully with his legs over the edge of his bed, bracing his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. “You would be if you were in the position I’m in right now,” he mumbled into his hands. As startled as he had been, Roman was not too surprised at Virgil’s presence. He’d forgotten that, as the embodiment of Thomas’ anxiety, Virgil could feel when the other Sides were anxious. The little panic session he’d been having earlier must have been palpable enough to catch Virgil’s attention.

Virgil – who had risen up to chastise Roman for the erratic roller coaster ride he’d ridden for the last hour – surveyed the prince for a moment before coming over to sit on the floor next to Roman, lying on his back and resting his legs against the bed in a ‘L’ shape and his arms on his stomach.

“All right, Roman. Spit it out. What happened?”

“Logan AND Patton both came to me separately to tell me to design the Imagination in different ways for their date!”

Virgil grimaced. “Yikes. Now I understand why your anxiety levels were through the roof. But why didn’t you tell either of them you couldn’t or something?”

Roman exhaled heavily. “Because they both want it to be a surprise for each other.”

“Ah.”

A beat of silence followed, then Virgil exhaled.

“So, you wanna discuss a solution, or do you just want someone to listen?”

“Listen?”

“Sure.”

Roman started ranting about his problem, and Virgil kept quiet and listened, just allowing Roman to get it out of his system. He could see how worked up he was and he figured that yelling at him would’ve exacerbated it. Even though he didn’t give the impression with how broody and moody he appeared, Virgil was actually a good listener. He was skilled at sitting back and just letting the others talk out their problems. Part of it had to do with how he didn’t like to talk about himself, but it was also because of how he’d been suppressed and not listened to for so long that he just kind of learned how to listen. It was a little alarming how well he slipped into the role, and how often too. But he was fine with it. Mostly.

“ – And like, just, I dunno how I’m gonna be able to pull this off! Logan wants a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds so that there’s shade cover during their picnic, but that would interfere with Patton’s wish for a clear night sky for stargazing! It’s all just – UGH!”

Roman drew in a big breath after his rant and then flopped back onto his back, finally having run out of steam. He did feel a bit better, but it still didn’t solve the fact that he was still going to have to figure out how to make both of Logan’s and Patton’s requests come true. What to do, what to do?

Virgil shifted a bit and rested his hands behind his head. Then he reached up one hand as best as he could and patted Roman’s knee in what he hoped was a comforting manner, since it didn’t come easy to him.

“Yeah. It’s a really sticky situation. And the date’s four days away, too. Is there even a way to fulfill both of their requests at the same time before then?”

Wait. Hold on.

Roman sat up suddenly with a gasp. Virgil had to steady himself from falling head over heels in surprise.

“What the hell, Roman?!”

“That’s IT!”

Virgil looked up with a furrowed brow. “What’s ‘it’?”

Roman, bright light bulbs in his eyes, just pulled Virgil up so he was standing up and threw his arms around the emo in a hug.

“Virge! You’re a genius!”

Virgil, while trying to extricate himself from Roman’s hold, froze at the praise, blinking blankly. “I am?”

“Yes! I know what to do now! Thanks!”

Roman squeezed Virgil a final time before jumping up and bounding away to his desk. He sat down, grabbed a spare piece of paper lying around and a pencil and started furiously scribbling (or sketching? Virgil couldn’t really tell) something down, inspiration having struck him. Virgil stood there gaping in bewilderment and wondering what epiphany Roman had had and how what he had said had gotten the prince so fired up. He’d just been saying whatever had popped into his head without thinking too much. But then he shrugged. Roman seemed less tense now, and if he had an idea, he had an idea, so he wasn’t going to interrupt his creative process. He knew how hyper-focused Roman could be when he was in that state.

“ ‘kay, cool. Guess I’ll see you around, Princey.”

Roman waved a distracted hand back, still scribbling (or sketching, again, Virgil still couldn’t tell) like there was no tomorrow. Virgil rolled his eyes but it wasn’t with any true contempt, and he sank back to his room.

Roman felt a bit bad for ending his time with Virgil so abruptly. He’d have to make it up to him somehow later. But right now, he had a plan to…well, plan. He now knew what he could do to fulfill both of Patton’s and Logan’s requests with little time left.

It was going to be tricky. But he had a feeling that he might just be able to pull it off.

 *******

The day of the date finally arrived, and Patton was alight with equal parts excitement and nervousness. He was currently sitting on Roman’s bed, looking up at Roman. “Thanks again for helping me out, kiddo,” he said earnestly.

Roman beamed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’m honoured that you came to me, Padre! A momentous occasion such as this should not be taken lightly!”

Patton fiddled with his hoodie sleeves. “Yeah. I thought I’d know what to wear or how to look when the time came, but I honestly really don’t know how to go about it.”

"No need to fret, my frantic father figure friend!"

Patton beamed in appreciation at the quadruple alliteration and pointed double finger guns at Roman. "Nice."

Roman bowed with a flourish. "Thank you! Now then, what to do for you...”

Roman tapped his chin with a finger, brow furrowed in deep thought. Patton had told him that he wanted to wear a dress for the date, but he didn’t know what, and he didn’t really own dresses in his own closet. Luckily, Roman did, and since they were physical copies of Thomas, they were the same dress size, so at least Roman didn’t have to worry about fitting issues. It was just a matter of finding a dress that Patton would like, but which one?

Then his face lit up.

“Aha! I've got it!"

"What?"

Roman turned around without answering and jogged to his walk-in closet, the door opening by itself as the prince approached. Patton watched as Roman started looking through his collection, murmuring under his breath. After a moment or so, he grinned suddenly and pulled something out.

“There you are! You would look great in this!” Roman exclaimed, showing it to Patton. Upon closer inspection, Patton recognized it as the Grand Duchess gown from Anastasia.

“It’s pretty, but…maybe a little too formal?” he said, trying to go for a diplomatic tone.

Roman pouted a little but acquiesced and put the gown back. “Okay, something less formal…oh! Maybe this one?”

This next one was a simple pale green shift dress. Nothing more, nothing less.

“That’s nice…but maybe something with a pattern?”

Roman pouted again but dutifully turned back to the closet.

For the next minute or so, Roman took out a different dress every time. And every time there was always something that wasn’t right for Patton. Too busy. Not colourful enough. Too colourful. Etcetera, etcetera. Before long, a small pile of discarded dresses sat on the floor, and they still hadn’t found anything for Patton. The emotional Side hunched his shoulders slightly, feeling a bit guilty for shooting down Roman’s offerings. It seemed that history just couldn’t stop repeating itself.

“I’m sorry, Roman,” he said morosely. “They were all really pretty, I swear!”

Roman, who had started feeling a little frustrated, immediately softened at the sad tone in Patton’s voice, and he gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Pat. You’re just being choosy about what you wanna wear. And that’s a good thing! It means that when we do find the right dress, you’ll feel extra good about yourself! How about you think about what you’re really looking for? Maybe this way we’ll be able to narrow it down without going on a wild goose chase.”

“Honk.”

Both Roman and Patton snorted at that, which helped to lighten up the mood in the room.

Patton scrunched up his face, trying to really think about what he wanted to wear. He still wasn’t used to thinking for himself or his wants.

“Hmm…well, I do want it to still be a dress. Maybe something that’s…cute? Like, with a pattern or something that I like, like dogs or cats? And comfortable? ‘Cause we’re gonna be walking around for a bit so I wanna be able to move around freely.”

Roman nodded. Cute and comfortable. He could work with that.

Then he thought of something. “What about your skirt outfit from the photoshoot? It’s cute, and it seems comfortable enough.”

Patton looked up at an indiscriminate point, pursing his mouth in thought, trying to remember what he looked like when he was wearing it. “Well, yeah…but everyone’s already seen me in it.”

“Ah. You wanna wear something new?”

Patton nodded.

Roman returned the nod and turned back to his closet. His brow furrowed further and he bit his upper lip as he looked through his wardrobe one last time. Then he stopped, grinned and pulled out one more dress.

“How about this?”

Patton looked up, and he paused, mouth falling slightly open. Roman was holding up a pretty apple-red sleeveless dress covered in a white butterfly print. It had a boat neckline and a knee-length skirt that was perfect for swishing around.

“It’s so pretty!” Patton breathed. Then he faltered. “Just, it’s a little…bright, for me. Otherwise, it’d be – ”

Roman snapped his fingers.

“ …Perfect.”

Roman’s grin widened. Date outfit: check.

After laying the dress down carefully on his bed for later, Roman snapped the dresses off the floor and back into his closet, made his way to his vanity and picked up his makeup kit. Then he bounded back to where Patton was sitting and sat down beside him, already emptying the contents of his kit onto the bedspread.

“Do you have a makeup look in mind?” he asked, fingers skittering past blush compacts and mascara tubes.

Patton gave a small start. “Oh! Um…I actually didn’t really think about doing anything like that.”

Roman stopped and looked up. “Do you not want to?”

“Oh, no, no! I do! I was just caught off guard!”

Roman’s brow furrowed and he shook his head. “Patton, I will only do it if you really want to.”

Patton mashed his lips together and looked down for a moment, conflicted.

“…I do. Just…nothing too over-the-top, if that’s okay. Not that I think that you’d do that! Just – well – you know – ”

Roman placed a hand on Patton’s arm, making the dad trait stop. “It’s okay, Padre.”

Patton deflated a bit before nodding and looking down. Roman’s face twisted a bit at that, but he said nothing and gave Patton a comforting pat before retracting his hand and going back to rummaging through his makeup collection.

“Don’t you worry, Pat! I already have the perfect makeup look in mind for you!”

Patton nodded, though a teeny tiny part of him couldn’t help but be a bit apprehensive at what Roman had planned. Roman’s style was more extravagant than the other Sides, but…he was still better at makeup than Patton. So, Patton decided to keep trusting him.

Silence fell over them as Roman continued to look through his makeup collection and set aside those which he thought would work well for Patton’s makeup look, the only sound in the room being that of Roman’s clock ticking. 

Soon, Roman found everything he’d wanted. Pleased, he turned back to Patton, and he stopped, smile faltering. Patton was looking off into space with an unsmiling, unfocused look in his eyes. Roman waved his hand in front of Patton’s face.

“Patton? Patton!”

Patton jumped and looked up, startled out of his thoughts. Roman looked at him with mixed concern and confusion.

“Everything okay, Padre?”

Patton pasted on a smile and nodded. “Yeah! All hunky-dory, kiddo! Nothin’ to worry about!”

Roman’s brow furrowed. “You know…if something’s bothering you, you know you can always come talk to one of us, right?”

Patton’s smile vanished, and he broke eye contact and heaved a small sigh. “Yeah…I know.”

Roman paused for a moment before reaching out and placing his hand on Patton’s arm, not saying anything, waiting for Patton to come forth.

Patton looked down at the hand on his arm. “I…honestly thought I’d never have this again.”

Roman cocked his head to one side. “Have what?”

Patton looked up at him, and Roman saw a sliver of sadness slide over the paternal Side’s face.

“Like…how we’re talking again and hanging out together like we used to. Before everything that happened. Before…everything I did. Or said. And…everything I didn’t do.”

Roman’s heart pricked and his face winced. He knew what Patton was alluding to. He put on what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Patton. Really. I mean, yeah, things were icky before, but we’re in a better place now.”

Patton nodded, but he didn’t look any more reassured by Roman’s words. He only looked more guilty and ashamed. Roman’s smile fell away and he heaved a small sigh before moving closer and wrapping an arm around Patton’s shoulders. Patton let out a breath himself and laid his head on Roman’s shoulder, and Roman rested his head on top of Patton’s. They stayed in that close position for a moment, just taking in the quietness of the moment and each other’s company.

“I still can’t help feeling guilty, sometimes.”

“I know.”

“I mean, like, I don’t purposefully remember, but every so often something will remind me of ‘that time’ and then it all comes back to me and just…I end up feeling bad all over again.”

Roman rubbed Patton’s shoulder comfortingly. “We worked through that, though. We all did. And Logan did say that there’s no problem remembering the past, so long as we keep moving forward and let go of regret.”

Patton let out a weak chuckle. “Yeah. Logan really is smart.”

Roman chuckled back. “He sure is.”

A small smile lingered on Patton’s face at the thought of Logan, which relieved Roman a little. That relief was short-lived, however, when that same smile disappeared as fast as it appeared.

“I still wonder if I’m good enough for him. Or just…enough, period.”

Roman’s heart sank at these words and he removed his arm around Patton to take Patton’s hands in his and make him look him in the eye. “You are.”

Patton blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but the look on Roman’s face told him that he wasn’t done talking, so he closed it again and waited, letting Roman have his turn.

Roman rubbed gentle circles into the back of Patton’s hands, feeling a sense of déjà vu of what he was about to do. “You are enough. And you don’t need to change yourself for anything. Logan adores you. For all that you are. I’ve seen how he’s like around you, and he’s never been better. And I’ve seen it in you, too. So, you have nothing to worry about. You’re doing fine.”

Patton’s heart wobbled in his chest at this. It was just so much: how they were talking it out, talking about ‘it’, and Roman was being so reassuring and calm. He wasn’t sure if he knew or not, but Patton felt like he and Logan weren’t the only ones who’d come a long way. It had been a long road for Roman, but he’d come out the other side even stronger than before. The growth he’d gone through, and the maturity he’d developed and now displayed like a silent badge of courage, even if Roman wasn’t aware of it himself, it was a proud moment for Patton, and awe-inspiring, too.

Fortunately, Patton was able to stop himself from breaking down. He nodded his head quietly, looking down at his lap. “That’s why I want to make this date extra-special for Logan. Because he’s wonderful and has done so much for me, and it’s my chance to do something back for him.”

Roman's eyes softened a touch, and he squeezed Patton’s hands comfortingly. "It’s gonna go great, Padre. You’ll see."

Patton lifted shiny eyes at that, and he looked at the creative trait for a moment before giving him a watery smile. "Thank you," he whispered gratefully.

Roman beamed and he pulled the moral Side in for an extra-long hug for added reassurance, Patton clinging back. They lingered in the hug for a while before breaking apart.

"Now, then! Let's get cracking! You've a date to get ready for!"

 *******

Meanwhile, a hop and a skip to the other side of the Mindscape, Virgil was sitting on Logan’s bed looking up at the logical trait with an uncertain expression.

“Remind me why I’m here again?” he asked.

Logan pushed his glasses up his nose and brought his hands behind his back. “I have a date with Patton.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I know that. But why do you need me here?”

Logan shifted slightly on his feet, suddenly a little sheepish, which caught Virgil off guard a bit since Logan was never one to be unconfident or at a loss for words.

“I…require some help on my attire,” Logan finally admitted quietly. “I want to make sure that I look acceptable for Patton, and out of all of us I’ve always considered you as possessing the highest level of competency with wardrobe.”

It was true. When Virgil had revealed his new outfit following his acceptance, Logan had been honestly impressed with the level of thought and care Virgil had put into its design and his chosen colour scheme.

Virgil blinked briefly before turning away slightly and coughing, cheeks reddening a little. He was unused to praise, even though he’d been with the Light Sides for ages now.

Seeing Virgil’s reaction, Logan furrowed his brow. “Did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so forward like that.”

“No, no. You’re good, Lo. Just…y’know, I’m not used to hearing that kinda stuff.”

Logan cocked his head. “Hearing what?”

Virgil flapped a hand haphazardly, avoiding eye contact. “Just, like, hearing…I dunno…compliments? I guess? Like, from any of you. I’m not used to it.”

Logan’s eyes widened slightly at this before softening. He swallowed before speaking again. “I see. I take it that it wasn’t really commonplace on the ‘Other Side’?”

Virgil gave a non-committal shrug, but the tightening of his lips and furrowing of his brow spoke otherwise.

At this, Logan’s face creased slightly and he said, in a soft, reassuring voice: “I did mean what I said, Virgil. You know very well that I wouldn’t say anything just for the sake of saying it.”

This was true. Logan said what he meant, and meant what he said. So, he wouldn’t say what he’d just said just to be nice. Virgil nodded then changed the subject so that they weren’t focused on him anymore.

“Anyways, you wanted me to help you pick out an outfit?”

Rolling with the subject change, Logan nodded. “Yes. I’ve already devised an outfit, but I wanted your honest, keen opinion on it.”

Virgil looked at Logan with uncertainty. “You sure, Lo?”

Logan nodded.

Virgil let out a breath and waved a hand towards the rational Side. “All right. Show me.”

Logan nodded again before taking a brief, deep breath. Then he snapped his fingers.

A beat of silence followed.

Then Virgil raised an incredulous eyebrow at Logan.

“Really? This is what you were planning on wearing for your date?” he deadpanned.

Logan furrowed his brow. “It’s different from what I usually wear, is it not?”

“Logan, you’re wearing the exact same thing. Except your tie’s colours are now inverted.”

“Yes…and?”

Virgil let out an exasperated sigh and pinched his nasal bridge. “Listen, buddy, it’s a date. Ya gotta put in more effort. Otherwise, Pat’s gonna think you don’t really care.”

Logan’s eyes widened slightly. “But – I do care. That’s why I thought to switch the tie’s colours around so they differed slightly from the norm.”

“Wait. Hold on. That’s not – ugh!”

After groaning, Virgil jumped up from the bed and strode towards Logan, taking him by the shoulders and steering him around and pushing him downwards so that he was the one sitting on the bed now. “Let’s see what else you’ve got in here.” He turned back to the chest of drawers and opened a drawer.

The anxious trait blinked. All he saw was neatly folded piles of black shirts and jeans. He opened another drawer. The same sight greeted him. Upon opening the rest of the drawers and getting the same result, Virgil turned back towards Logan, bewildered.

“You really don’t have a lotta variety, do ya?”

Logan fiddled with his glasses uncomfortably. “Thomas based all of us on figures in his life that left an impact on him in some way. With me, it was his teachers at school who cultivated his drive for knowledge. It just so happened that the clothes I wear were the clothes they wore, so as I grew into my role, I ended up taking on the appearance as such. It’s all I’ve known since Thomas’ school days.”

That…Virgil could actually understand, a bit. Since he was based off of Thomas’ ‘emo’ phase during his adolescence, anything that wasn’t comfortable nor shape-concealing was deemed out of his comfort zone. It was all he’d ever known. So, he couldn’t fault Logan too much for sticking with something that worked once he’d found it.

Still…

“But, like, didn’t you have other outfits when Thomas was little?”

Logan made a face, but nodded all the same. “We all did. But our conjuring abilities weren’t as developed during Thomas’ childhood, so we all drew inspiration from wherever we could. Though, for me, it came from books and television that Thomas consumed. And back then they generally portrayed characters who were academically inclined in an…exaggerated manner.”

“So, nerd stuff like suspenders, big glasses and bow ties?”

Logan’s grimace deepened. “Yes.”

Virgil made a face back at that. “Yeah, probably shouldn’t go with that. Roman looked like a Young Sheldon reject in that get-up he wore for the jam commercial.”

Logan let out a snicker at that and Virgil joined in with a brief chuckle before sobering up and refocusing on the task at hand. He looked around Logan’s room before his eyes fell on Logan’s closet. He walked towards it and opened it.

Inside was a mish-mosh of clothes that were more varied than those in Logan’s chest of drawers, from the Sherlock cosplay to his holiday winter sweaters. Virgil’s eyes roamed over the eclectic selection before something caught his eye. He reached out and pulled it out. It was Logan’s skirt outfit from the ‘Sanders Sides Skirt Series’ from months ago. He turned back towards Logan, gesturing to it with his head.

“What about this? You haven’t worn it since your photoshoot with Thomas, right? It’s probably nice enough for something like a date.”

Logan pursed his lips slightly.

“Not too keen on it?”

“It’s not that. It’s just…“ Logan let out a breath. “It is nice, I’ll grant you that, especially considering that I picked it out myself while scouring the Internet with Thomas. And I haven’t had another opportunity to wear it again since the photoshoot so it could work. Just…the pencil skirt wouldn’t be conducive to my plan of walking through the Imagination with Patton. Neither would the shoes I wore, too.”

Again, Virgil could get that. He could see how much thought Logan had put into every aspect of the upcoming date. He clearly really wanted everything to go well. Which was sweet…so long as he was aware that there was always the potential for something to go awry. But Virgil knew better than to voice that at the moment when Logan was being open and vulnerable with him.

He took in the outfit then turned back towards Logan, burnt umber eyes raking over the teacher with a thoughtful look. The jagged bolts of amethyst in his irises seemed to burn like the dying embers of a mystical, fantastical campfire.

Logan shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny. “What?”

Virgil stayed quiet for a moment before speaking. “You said that you think I have a good handle on fashion, right?”

Logan blinked at him but nodded. “Yes, I did. It wasn’t an empty statement.”

Virgil nodded, cheeks flushing mildly again before getting a hold of himself by taking a breath. “I have an idea. But…before I do anything, I wanna make sure you actually trust me, okay?”

Logan looked at Virgil for a moment before nodding firmly. “I do.”

Virgil nodded a final time before motioning for Logan to stand up. Logan complied, nerves taut with anticipation of what Virgil had in mind. The vigilant Side approached his calm counterpart until they were face to face but with a respectable distance between them so that Logan was at ease.

“Okay. First, I want you to close your eyes.”

Logan did a mild double-take at that. “What? Why?”

Virgil huffed. “You said you trust me, right?”

“I do, but…why do you want me to close my eyes?”

Virgil rolled his own but replied: “So that it’ll be a surprise.”

Logan wasn’t one for surprises, but he was still willing to place his trust in Virgil’s fashion expertise, and he didn’t want to hurt his feelings by being distrustful. Their amiable companionship had come a long way since the early days of Virgil’s appearance in the Light Side of the Mindscape, and he didn’t want to do anything to make it go sour. So, Logan closed his eyes and kept still, waiting for Virgil to enact his plan.

Virgil mashed his lips together and swallowed as he gathered his concentration. Then, once he was ready, he snapped his fingers.

Logan started a little as he felt his whole form shift from his head to his toes, but kept still so as not to throw anything off. Then he heard Virgil say: “I’m gonna guide you to your mirror. Keep your eyes closed.” Once Logan nodded his affirmation and consent, he felt Virgil’s hands settle around his upper arms and himself be moved in some direction. He disliked the brief loss of control, but he knew still to keep trusting Virgil.

He felt himself come to a stop, and heard Virgil say: “Okay. You can open your eyes, now”

He heard the waver in Virgil’s voice, and the tension in his muscles prickled. Was something wrong? Why did Virgil sound unsure?

Then Logan opened his eyes, and he gaped at his reflection.

He was dressed in an interesting combination of clothes from different outfits he had worn, plus others he’d never seen before. His standard shirt and tie were gone; in their place was the matching dark blue brocade vest-and-tie ensemble from his skirt debut over the black long-sleeved button-down shirt he wore during the Sides’ court showdown with Janus with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His jeans had stayed, though now they were black like Virgil’s. The biggest, most stark change was his shoes; his dress shoes had been replaced with galaxy-printed Converse sneakers. The cat-eye glasses from his photoshoot completed the look.

He didn’t look like himself. It was different.

But…he looked good.

Virgil – who was already tense when he’d changed Logan’s clothes and maneuvered him to the mirror – hunched his shoulders even more self-consciously with Logan’s continued silence.

“If you hate it, I’m really sorry. I’ll change it to something different. I thought it would work ‘cause it’s, like, formal, like you like it, but it also makes you look good. Was that weird? Is it the shoes? It’s the shoes, isn’t it? God, I’m sorry! I really don’t know what I’m doing. I should just – ”

Virgil’s ramble came to a halt when Logan placed a calming hand on his upper arm. The anxious trait took a couple of breaths before looking at Logan.

The logical Side had a rare smile on his face, and he gave Virgil’s arm a couple of comforting pats.

“This is just right, Virgil. Thank you.”

Virgil flushed a bit from the praise and he turned his head away for a moment before looking back up at Logan with a lopsided smile. Logan smiled back at him.

“Well, isn’t this just sweet?”

Both Virgil and Logan jumped and looked around them for the source of the voice.

“Yep. It’s almost sweet enough to make me wanna puke my guts out.”

Both left-brained Sides looked in time to see Remus – sitting on top of Logan’s chest of drawers, when he hadn’t been before – throw his head over the side and start puking his guts out.

Literally.

In graphic, overly exaggerated fashion.

Virgil flinched and looked away, trying to block out the horrific sounds of squelching and retching. Logan watched Remus’ spew fest with unflappable disinterest.

The vomiting continued for a minute.

Then two.

Then three.

Then –

“Are you done yet?” Logan deadpanned, his tone etched with the slightest trace of irritation.

Remus, while still throwing up, held up a finger to indicate ‘not yet’. After coughing up both kidneys and his gallbladder, Remus sat up, shifted himself so that he was sitting as though on a chaise longue and propped his head on a hand. “All done!”

Virgil went through a full-body shiver then – while pointedly ignoring the sizable pile of internal organs sitting placidly next to the chest of drawers – leveled the intrusive Side with a glare. “What do you want, trash rat?”

Remus pressed a hand to his chest as though offended, a faux offended look on his face. “Why, emo! Is that any way to say hello to a friend?”

“More like constant annoyance,” Virgil retorted. But Remus, as always, didn’t take offense to that. He thrived on chaos and dissonance, after all.

Logan lightly placed a hand on Virgil’s arm as a silent form of communication to not take it too far. He looked up at Remus coolly. “Is there a particular reason for your presence, or did you show up just to be a nuisance?”

“Oh, you know me! I like showin’ up when I’m not wanted!”

Then Remus peered down to look at Logan more closely.

“My, you clean up nicely, Logan! A lil’ predictable considering what you like, but damn!”

A faint flush peeked out of Logan’s cheeks but he kept a straight face. “I don’t know if that’s your form of a compliment, Remus, but…thank you, I guess.”

“Of course, it’s a compliment, you dork! I could just eat you out right now!”

Logan’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “I thought the expression was ‘eat you up’?”

“Nope!” Remus chirped, popping the ‘p’ sharply. “I meant, eat you out! As in eating as-“

“OKAY!” Virgil shouted, now crimson. “No need to finish that sentence!”

Remus tutted and slipped a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a white round container, screwed the top off and dipped his fingers into the contents inside before smearing it all over his face like a face cream.

“You are way too tense, Virgin! You should relax! Like what I’m doing right now!” He held out the container. “Facial?”

Even from their respectable distance away, both Virgil and Logan could see that the white substance inside the container was way too thick and viscous to be a face mask, not to mention the sharp, pungent scent accompanying it. They wrinkled their noses and chorused their refusal in perfect unison. “No thanks.” Remus shrugged and continued his impromptu self-care routine.

Virgil let out an annoyed growl. “Would you mind shoving off? We’re in the middle of something.”

Remus looked back at them. “Oh? Would that ‘something’ happen to involve Nerdy Wolverine’s date with Sugar Daddy?”

Logan and Virgil stopped and stared up at Remus, their irritation evaporating on the spot.

“You…know about my date with Patton?” said Logan.

Remus rolled his eyes. “Who doesn’t? It’s all Patty-Cakes has been talking about for a week! At least, that’s what Janny told me, since he talks to him more than I do.”

Virgil’s lips tightened at the mention of Janus, but he bit his tongue this time. He was still tense around the snake, and he still had a tendency to lash out in small, passive-aggressive ways. But after the ‘big talk’ all of them had from ages ago, he really was trying better to at least tolerate Janus’ presence even at his discomfort. Mostly for Thomas, but also a bit for Patton, seeing as he still felt a bit bad for the way he’d treated him after the wedding. If Patton really didn’t have a problem with Janus, then he would try himself too, though old habits die hard.

Logan’s flush deepened at the mention of Patton, and his eyes softened a smidge, but his neutral expression remained uncracked. He adjusted his glasses and said: “Anyways, as Virgil said, I’m in the middle of preparing for my excursion, so your presence would be greatly appreciated if it turned scarce.”

Remus hummed at this and licked some of the white stuff off of his fingers, relishing in the looks of disgust he got out of the left-brained Sides. It was clear that he wasn’t planning on leaving any time soon. Virgil growled again.

“Let’s just ignore him, Logan. We still need to finish up.”

“Indeed.”

But they didn’t move very far before Remus spoke up again.

“Oh! I’d be worried if I were you!”

Logan turned back at this, intrigued and a little concerned. “About what?”

“Your date with Patty!”

Logan frowned slightly. “Why should I be worried?”

“Oh, you know, anything could go wrong! You two could get lost in the forest! Or you could get eaten by a bear! Or he could get eaten by a bear! Or –”

“HEY! LEAVE OFF. That’s MY thing,” Virgil snapped, his Tempest Tongue tempering down in a serrated decrescendo towards the end.

Remus tilted his head to the side, fluttering his eyelashes at the vigilant trait. “Oh? Really? You don’t say?” he said in what was supposed to be a sweet tone but was actually not that sweet. Virgil clenched his teeth and fists in unison. Sensing the tension, Logan swooped in once more to diffuse it, resting his hand again on Virgil’s arm. Virgil was still tense and pissed but kept himself in check.

Logan looked once more at Remus, a hard, stern look in his eyes. “Try as you might, Remus, you can’t get to me. I have full confidence in my outdoor excursion with Patton, and nothing you say can convince me otherwise.”

Remus perked up at this, beaming all of a sudden. “Perfect! Then I guess the only one who needs to be worried is Patty himself!”

Logan frowned. “Patton? Why Patton?”

Remus grinned, sharp teeth on display. “ ‘Cause he’s standing in front of the door to the Imagination with Ro-Bro right now! And he’s been waiting for almost fifteen minutes!”

Logan froze at these words, and whipped his head around to look at his clock.

The colour from his face drained instantaneously.

Then – faster than an inexperienced student who’d managed to light themselves on fire with a Bunsen burner – he bolted from his room without another word.

Virgil gaped after him, then turned back to Remus. The chaotic figment smiled sweetly at him and winked at him saucily while sucking on his fingers obscenely. Virgil blushed and rushed out after Logan, flipping Remus off as he left. Remus shrugged and continued his spa routine.

 *******

Logan rushed down the corridor to the door to the Imagination, heart pounding with panic. How did he lose track of the time? He was usually so conscientious. Oh God, he hoped Patton wouldn’t be mad at him, though he wouldn’t blame him if he did. He also inwardly cursed Remus for distracting him. That was probably the main reason why he popped up in his room. Just causing his usual chaos. Only this could potentially sour his relationship with Patton, a thought which pricked Logan’s chest uncomfortably but was immediately pushed away by the main thought of ‘MOVE YOUR ASS’.

Soon the door came into sight, along with two amorphous blobs of red and light blue whom Logan knew to be Patton and Roman. He skidded to a halt and bent over to catch his breath, lamenting how his brief burst of physical activity must have affected his appearance.

“Patton – I’m sorry – I wasn’t – I didn’t –”

But then, in his out-of-breath state, Logan looked up, and he stopped, gobsmacked.

Standing before him was his sweetheart, and all he could think was…’Wow’.

Patton was a wonder in frost and winter-cloud, with cheeks glowing like the rising sun. He was wearing a pale blue dress covered with a white butterfly print. The skirt cut just above his knees, allowing him to show off his calves. A grey cashmere sweater was tied around his waist in place of his cat hoodie, and nude ballet flats replaced his usual sneakers. He had gone with a simple jewelry set consisting of a light blue rhinestone butterfly necklace and matching dangling earrings. The butterfly motif ended with a papery-thin, decorative butterfly clip clipping back his bangs.

The full look was completed with what Virgil – who’d shown up behind Logan and was also admiring Patton’s look – could define as ‘throwback 90’s’, which was: white eyeshadow, black eyeliner on the bottom eyelid only, black mascara on top lashes only, a sheer pink lip tint and glitter all over his cheeks. But…it was done tastefully, and, somehow, they managed to make Patton’s eyes look even more voluminous and bright, able to see the light within. Best of all, the glitter made the freckles on Patton’s face stand out even more. It all came together really well and was the most striking aspect of Patton’s appearance.

In short, Patton looked – objectively – adorable. And, in a word, Logan was enchanted.

Meanwhile, Patton felt faint at the sight before him. Logan was a vision in sapphire and ebony, steady and certain as the dusk that followed the twilight. His brocade vest and the black button-down really helped to set off his broad shoulders, while the rolled-up sleeves did a good job of showing off Logan’s forearms. The cat-eyes both contrasted well with his sharp features and face shape and made them less severe. The galaxy sneakers took him a little by surprise but he felt like they actually went well with what Logan was wearing. And his brief sprint had fluffed up his hair, brightened his eyes and left a dewy flush in his cheeks. There was no question: Patton’s heart was almost about to fly out of his chest.

Logan was still panting slightly and gaping at the sight before him before being shaken out of his lovestruck stupor by Roman clicking his tongue and raising an eyebrow at him. “Got caught up with work stuff or something, Teach?”

Logan shook his composure back into place and managed to say somewhat evenly to Patton:

“I…you look wonderful.”

Patton beamed. “Thanks! So do you!” Then his eyes widened as he remembered something. “Oh! And you know what’s even better?”

“What?”

Patton’s grin widened, and he slipped his hands into two slits in the sides of his dress. Then he leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial-like whisper:

“It has pockets!”

Logan smiled in appreciation. Pockets were always a good thing to have. 

Then it occurred to him that he didn’t have a gift to give to Patton, and his smile fell a little.

Just then, the teacher felt something materialize in the hand that he was holding behind his back, and he just managed to stop himself from flinching in surprise. He surreptitiously looked out the corner of his eye to see that it was a bouquet of flowers. He looked back in time to catch Roman smirking at him from behind Patton, his fingers fluttering amidst a fading mist of red and gold sparks.

Logan swallowed and revealed the flowers from behind him, holding them out to Patton almost shyly. “F-For you,” he said, a little stiltedly.

Patton let out a small gasp and clasped his hands close to his chest. He looked up at Logan, and Logan was alarmed to see tears in Patton’s eyes. Did he do something wrong? Were the flowers not the right kind of gift to give?

Then he looked down and took a better look at the flowers.

White carnations and blue forget-me-nots.

His eyes widened in realization.

A pure and true love. May it remain everlasting and faithful.

Logan remembered the flower language associated with both plants from the time he’d studied the topic all those months ago when he was first trying to repair ties with Patton. It was hard to believe that all of that had brought him to this point. Suffice to say that they were very apt descriptors for his relationship with Patton. Now he understood that Patton’s tears were not because he was sad or hurt, but because he understood and was touched by the message.

Logan looked up microscopically to make eye contact with Roman. The princely figment had a gentle smile on his face and gave a tiny nod. Logan then thought that the choice in flowers was also an unspoken message of well wishes on Roman’s part, not just a display of his own knowledge on flower language like he and Patton. He felt a rush of warm affection for the creative trait and hoped that his silent look of gratitude was communicated fluently.

He felt the flowers leave his hands and Logan looked back down in time to see Patton taking the bouquet from him. Patton cradled the bouquet against his chest, gazing down on it like it was the most precious thing in the world. Then he looked back up at Logan, and his face held an expression of such intense yet tender adoration that Logan felt pinned in place like a butterfly from Patton’s dress on a corkboard.

The sweet moment between them was broken when Roman clapped his hands and cheered:

“All right! No more standin’ around! It’s date time!”

Logan and Patton looked back at Roman with equal parts fondness and exasperation (but only a little for that last one; they couldn’t bring themselves to be too annoyed at Roman, not with how excited and nervous they were).

Then Patton looked down at his bouquet and held out to Roman. “Do you think you could – ” he started saying, before the bouquet disappeared into thin air.

He jumped in surprise and looked at his empty hands before looking back at Roman, who was smiling at him. “Already in your room and in a vase, waiting for your return,” Roman reassured him.

Patton smiled at Roman in gratitude, then he turned back towards Logan, his eyes sparkling. “You ready?”

Logan gave a smile. “Always.”

Patton beamed and held out a hand, which Logan gladly took.

Roman beamed and unlocked the door to the Imagination with a wave of his hand. “Have fun!”

Virgil, leaning against a wall and watching them, waved them off. “Be safe.”

Logan and Patton smiled in gratitude and reassurance to the anxious Side and started making their way into the Imagination.

Once they’d fully entered and the door started closing behind them, Roman called out: “Make sure to look for the red rose bush at the entrance to the woods when you wanna come back! Enjoy!”

And with that, the door clicked shut behind them.

Virgil let out a breath and slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Well, that’s that. Hope things’ll go fine for them,” he said quietly.

Roman rolled his eyes and slung an arm around Virgil’s shoulders. “They’ll be fine, emo. I’m certain they’ll have a date they’ll never forget.”

Virgil nodded in agreement, then looked at Roman. “By the way, did you manage to solve your problem?”

Roman furrowed his brow. “Problem?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Y’know, the whole thing with Logan and Patton?”

Roman’s eyes widened. “Ah! That! Yeah, yeah, I did!”

Virgil waited. But Roman didn’t say anything after that. He raised an eyebrow.

“Well? How did you do it?”

Roman shrugged half a shoulder airily. “Oh, you know. A lil’ of this, a lil’ of that...”

Virgil side-eyed the romantic trait warily. He didn’t like how cryptic that sounded.

“Roman…what did you do?”

Roman just smiled. Boy, were Patton and Logan in for a real surprise.

 *******

On the other side, after watching the door dematerialize behind them, Patton and Logan turned to look at each other before smiling, both giddy with excitement about the date and enamoured with the sight of each other.

Then they turned around and –

They stopped dead in their tracks.

They blinked.

Then they looked at each other.

Then they turned around again and blinked once more.

What they saw before them was…not what either of them had been expecting.

They were standing at the entrance of a large wood, with tall trees looming over them on either side. The red rose bush Roman had mentioned was sitting on their left, as expected. This whole set-up wasn’t unusual.

What was, was…well, it was a bit difficult for them to put into words.

Logan had anticipated a picture-perfect summer’s day: blue sky, white cumulus clouds, a lush wood filled with friendly fauna which would lead to bucolic rolling hills of green and flora, with a perfect temperature in the 70s range (or, again, in the 20s since he had no preference for one system over the system and had studied both Metric and Imperial enough to be well-versed). The ideal setting for a picnic.

Patton had expected a peaceful summer evening: just a simple forest for them to walk through while it was still light out, with the sky all painted with pretty colours like orange and pink to start with. Then once they reached a wide, open clearing at the end, the warm colours would fade to cool ones like blue and purple in time to welcome the expanse of stars dotting the sky above, with a breeze that was cool but not too cool. The perfect way to enjoy stargazing.

What they got…was an amalgamation of both.

It was as if the whole world around them had been divided, split evenly at its center, into two different lands: one bathed in sunlight, and the other shrouded in moonlight. A split screen between day and night come to life. For Patton, it reminded him of that Pixar short with the two humanoid blobs – one personifying Day and the other personifying Night. Somehow – unbeknownst to each other – Roman had managed to literally fulfill both of their requests at the same time. It was both jarring and strangely beautiful at the same time.

Both Sides were beyond confused. What had happened? Why was it like this? Did something go wrong when Roman tried to fulfill their request? Should they go back or try to contact Roman in some way to inquire about the layout? Was it safe?

But the door was already gone, and it wouldn’t pop up again until they were ready to leave. They’d barely started the date! They figured that it was no use worrying about it, for now. It was the Imagination, after all; even though Roman and Remus could control it, it could still be unpredictable and flighty at times. It was in its nature. So, they decided to roll with it.

Patton looked around again. “So…which direction should we go?”

Logan looked around himself, then bit his lower lip. “I…admittedly do not know.”

Just then, something flickered in their peripheral vision and they turned around in time to see twin rows of white bioluminescent mushrooms light up along a long pathway they hadn’t noticed before.

“What the?” Patton commented.

“I suppose this is Roman’s way of making sure we don’t get lost on our way to…well, wherever we’re going, I guess,” Logan replied.

Patton nodded, nibbling on his lip a bit. He hoped that the clearing was actually going to be there. He didn’t know what he would do if it wasn’t.

“What mushrooms are these?” he said to distract himself from that worry for the time being. “I don’t think I recognize them from anything in real life.”

Logan hummed in thought and walked closer to them, gently tugging Patton along. He bent down slightly and peered at one of them, trying to get a better look. After a moment or so, he sighed and shook his head.

“I cannot identify them, unfortunately. Knowing Roman, they’re probably an amalgamation of any mushroom Thomas has seen in his life, or maybe they’re a whole new creation altogether.”

Patton nodded at this. “True. We are in the Imagination.”

Logan nodded at this and looked back down the pathway. The end of it was too far off for him to see what was there, but he hoped the hill where their picnic was supposed to take place would be there. Otherwise, his surprise for Patton would be all for naught. Well, there was no use worrying about it for the time being. They would cross that bridge when they came to it (although, from his peripheral vision, he was pretty certain there was no actual bridge for them to traverse).

Logan turned back to his loved one and gave him a smile, then nodded his head in the direction of the path ahead of them. “Shall we?”

Patton smiled back at his sweetie and nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. Logan felt his heart skip a beat at that.

The two lovers started following the path towards whatever destination they were going in, illuminated by the mushrooms lining the pathway. They took their time – after all, there was no hurry when it was just the two of them – and they took in their surroundings, never breaking the link between them. Even though it was a little unnerving to be traversing the Imagination in such a juxtaposed state, both had to admit that seeing how different the Imagination looked in both settings was oddly beautiful, in a way. To observe how the trees began by being lit up in shades of shiny gold and chartreuse before turning into deep greys and silvers. To have sunlight filtering through the canopy on one side and moonlight peeking through on the other. To hear birds singing in one ear and crickets chirping in the other. It really was something to experience.

And, as an added bonus, it allowed them to admire each other in secret.

As though by natural design, Logan found himself walking in the shaded section of the Imagination, which left Patton walking in the lit side. They’d done it without even thinking about it; it’d just felt right to do so. And as Patton looked all around him and cooed at all the fauna and flora to his heart’s content, Logan admired his darling in all his effervescent glory. 

The sunlight fell softly on Patton, leaving him framed in a golden aura reminiscent of the holy figures Thomas read about in his early Catholic upbringing. His butterfly jewelry left speckles of light briefly on nearby objects. The butterfly clip in his waves seemed to dance with merriment. And the glitter on his cheeks shimmered even more, like traces of fairy dust, even Logan wasn’t really in the habit of using such fantastical, flowery language and metaphors. 

In truth, Patton was wondrously, gloriously, inebriatingly magnified, and Logan felt like he would never get enough of just looking at him. 

Granted, Patton’s beauty – both outer and inner – made Logan feel a bit inadequate, even if he never admitted it out loud. How could he ever keep up with him? 

Then Logan shook his head firmly. No. None of that. Patton had told him: you are enough. And though he wasn’t Janus, he could tell that Patton was telling the truth. So, he pushed the thoughts away and allowed himself to sink into the belief that he was enough for Patton, and that was okay.

Then something caught his eye and Logan turned to see bats flitting about on his side, starting their evening search for food. He watched them with a slight smile, facts that he’d memorized about these nocturnal creatures flitting through his head as he observed.

At this point, Patton turned his head and took in the sight of Logan, the moonlight falling on him like a gossamer curtain. Logan came across like an ethereal woodland ruler, the epitome of calm and steadiness. Which was ironic considering his penchant for disliking anything not rooted in reality, which was why he still clashed with Roman on occasion. Just…the way the glow of the moon highlighted his cheekbones and shoulders even more. How the vest defined his waist. The galaxy sneakers seeming to twinkle like their real-life counterpart as he walked. And his forearms…oh boy. Logan just looked and was perfect to Patton.

Okay, well, maybe not perfect. Yes, Logan had his moments of temper and stubbornness, and he still tended to get so focused on his work that his self-care suffered (and Patton or Janus had to step in), but in general the logical Side was unflappable, able to get through anything with steely nerve and steadfast standing. Patton wished that he could be more like him. Less energetic, less extroverted, more collected, more careful. 

But he knew that Logan wouldn’t want that of him. He loved Patton as is, and would be devastated if he changed any part of him. Patton could take a few lessons from Logan, yes; allow himself to be influenced, but never lose the core of who he was as a Side. He could do that.

Soon the path started narrowing, and Patton and Logan came to a curtain of leaves that clearly led somewhere. They looked at each other for a moment, then each pulled a curtain back. They gaped at the sight before them.

A large, wide clearing stretched out as far as they could see, with the woods framing its sides all around, and in the middle of the clearing was a medium-sized hill with a somewhat flattened top. Above them, the sky expanded out into infinity, and its appearance was most awe-inspiring to behold. It was still evenly divided by the dichotomic light filters, but without the canopy in the way, Logan and Patton could experience the full scope of its beauty. On the light side, the sky was still bright and gay with the golden rays of the sun, Disney-esque blobs of fluffiness and its rich azure hue. On the dark side, the moon was the only source of light amongst the inky blackness of night. And right in the middle, uniting the two opposites, shades of fiery vermilion and rosy gold, royal blues and soft violets, all blended seamlessly into each other, with no muddiness or mismatches.

After taking in this lovely sight, Logan and Patton noticed something at the top of the hill. Looking at each other again, they started climbing the hill together. Fortunately, it wasn’t too steep, so at least neither of them would get too tired by the end. Once they got closer, they saw that the ‘something’ was a brown wicker basket sitting on top of a large black-and-white checked blanket.

Logan smiled. It was his picnic. Thank goodness Roman pulled through for him in the end. He gently tugged Patton towards it. Once they reached it, Logan let go of Patton and slowly sat down on the blanket. He looked up at Patton and smiled, patting the empty space beside him.

Patton complied, though he was still a little confused. “Where’d this picnic come from?”

Logan flushed. “This is…a surprise. For you.”

Patton blinked. “Me?”

Logan nodded and reached out to take Patton’s hand in his again. “I wanted to do something special for you, and I know you love picnics so…here you go.”

Patton blinked. A picnic. Logan set up a picnic. Logan didn’t like picnics very much. And yet he set one up. For him.

Logan’s confidence started to waver the longer Patton was silent. “Is it not acceptable? Maybe I could have gone with something else like –”

But Logan didn’t get to finish his sentence because Patton suddenly tackled him in a hug, nearly knocking both of them over. Logan just barely managed to keep them upright. He was also barely breathing due to how tight Patton was hugging him. Did this mean Patton liked it?

Then he felt Patton press a long, fervent kiss into his cheek before the moral Side sat back, his arms around Logan’s neck. His eyes were watery but he was grinning, and the light in his eyes was shining bright.

“I love this,” he breathed.

Logan nearly sagged with relief. Patton liked it. Patton was happy. That was all he had wanted.

“I – I’m glad to hear that,” he said shakily.

Patton grinned wider and he kissed Logan’s cheek again before letting go of him and crawling his way to the basket. Logan allowed himself a moment to get back his composure before crawling over himself to assist Patton.

They spread out their meal on the blanket. There were sandwiches (Logan was pleased to find that Roman had followed his instructions on making sure they were an equal balance of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins to ensure good nutrition and energy upkeep, though this was negated by the fact that they were cut into various shapes of both geometric and animal types for some reason, but he let it slide upon seeing the delighted look on Patton’s face), a simple salad for Logan and potato chips for Patton, lemonade and – the pièce de résistance, if Logan thought so himself – buttery thumbprint cookies with Crofter’s in the middle.

Patton immediately dove for the Tupperware containing the cookies, yanking the lid off of the container and taking one out.

“Patton, you’ll spoil your appetite if you eat dessert before the main meal.”

Patton paused and looked back at Logan, keeping steady eye contact. He brought the cookie closer to his mouth at a slow but steady pace.

“Patton…”

Patton slowly opened his mouth, cookie an inch away from consumption, still never taking his eyes off of Logan.

Logan looked back, poker face in place, unmoving and unreadable.

Patton started lowering the cookie onto his tongue.

Suddenly, Logan whipped out a hand lightning-quick and grabbed Patton’s wrist. Patton tried to pull his arm away and bring it closer to his mouth so he could still eat the cookie, but Logan kept a firm grip. Soon he and Logan were in a weird tug-of-war, impulse versus self-control. But there was no heat behind their struggles; both Sides were smirking, the ‘fight’ turning into a playful scuffle. Soon, Patton found himself on his back with Logan straddling him on top and pinning his arms down by his head, cookie still in hand but out of reach of his mouth.

Logan smirked down at his partner, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Looks like I have the upper hand.”

Patton pouted up at him. “No fair. You cheated!”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”

“You tickled me! That’s, like, the dirtiest trick in the book!”

Logan let out a laugh at that. Then he bent down low and whispered into Patton’s ear: “All’s fair in war and love, darling.”

Patton shivered at the close proximity of Logan’s mouth to his ear, his low, deep voice sending his heart aquiver.

Then inspiration hit him, and he quickly turned his head and licked Logan’s cheek.

Logan let out a squawk and sat up slightly to wipe at his cheek with mild disgust. As Patton had hoped, Logan used the hand which had been holding down the one holding the cookie. He immediately popped the cookie into his mouth, grinning triumphantly.

Logan froze and looked down, blinking in confusion at what had happened. Then it clicked in his head what Patton had done. He glowered down at the moral Side, who just smiled back up at him innocently while still chewing the cookie. But Patton wasn’t worried. He could tell that Logan was fighting a smile by the corners of his mouth twitching so he knew he wasn’t really in trouble.

It wasn’t long before Logan gave up faux-frowning and he rolled his eyes fondly. Then he lowered himself further so he was lying on top of Patton, faces inches away from one another. He reached a hand up to cradle Patton’s face and stroked his cheek with his thumb. Patton leaned into his touch.

“You are very lucky that you’re objectively adorable,” Logan murmured.

Patton scrunched up his nose. “I know you are, but what am I?”

“Adorable.”

Patton’s flush deepened and Logan felt his heart stutter in his chest. Patton craned his neck to boop his nose against Logan’s and gave it a little nuzzle. The minute skin-to-skin contact was still enough to send sparks shooting through both of them, and their muscles went taut. Their chests were flush against each other, and Patton wondered if Logan could feel the warmth in his chest radiating out. The sweet, fruity scent of the jam on Patton’s breath wafted near Logan’s nostrils, and a surge tingled through him, much like the one he’d felt the night when he and Patton first held one another in each other’s arms. He felt the magnetic pull from before push his face closer to Patton’s, but he let it this time. Patton felt the same, and he didn’t stop it either. They were alone in the Imagination, they were on a date, and they were in a very intimate position. Why not let it happen now?

Soon their lips were scant inches away from each other, and their anticipation was palpable. Almost there –

A chittering sound jolted them out of their dream-like state. They turned their heads around in the direction of the picnic basket, just in time to lock eyes with a grey squirrel poking his head out of the basket, a cookie in its mouth.

“Hey – hey! What are you – ” Logan exclaimed, immediately clambering off Patton to chase after the squirrel, only to fall flat on his front. But the squirrel was too quick for him, scurrying out of the basket at top speed and scrambling down the hill, leaving Logan lying on the ground looking very put-out by the cookie theft.

Patton, however, was giggling up a storm; he was too amused by the situation to lament the loss of warmth, nor the squandered opportunity.

“Let ‘im go, Logan. He just wanted a little snack!”

Logan couldn’t help but pout an infinitesimal amount. “But they’re our cookies,” he grumbled.

Patton snickered again and he crawled closer to Logan and kneeled next to him. He placed a hand on Logan’s cheek, and that action made Logan look up at him. Patton smoothed out the creases at the corners of Logan’s mouth with his thumb.

“I can always bake more, honey,” he said softly.

The sour look on Logan’s face dissolved away at Patton’s gentle tone and tender gesture, and he nodded. “Alright, love.”

The look on Patton’s face then turned mischievous. “Besides, you could say the little guy is –”

“Wait, Patton, don’t –”

“– nuts for Crofter’s, too!”

Logan let out a groan that could probably raise the dead from their eternal slumber. Patton broke into peals of laughter over Logan’s reaction.

“Why are we dating again?” Logan said wryły.

Patton let the last of his giggles fade away and he bent down to place a peck on Logan’s forehead. “Because you love me.”

Logan gave him an unamused side-eye, which lasted for a fraction of a second before his face softened and he let out a sigh. “I do,” he acquiesced quietly.

A thrill rushed through Patton at this, and he just barely stopped himself from just kissing Logan point-blank right then and there. Another opportunity would come up. Besides, he was starting to get hungry.

Patton helped Logan up into a sitting position. “C’mon, let’s eat the rest of the food before the little guy decides to bring some friends over!”

Logan agreed, and they helped themselves to the rest of their picnic with no further mishaps or interruptions. Roman – as asked – had manipulated the temperature to keep it staying at 74 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Celsius, so, this way, they were comfortable. The sun was still warm, though, so they were grateful for both the occasional cloud cover on the sunny side and the cool breeze they could feel wafting from the moonlit side. All in all, it was a delicious meal.

After they were done and had put away the remnants of their picnic back inside the basket, Patton sat back on his hands and gave a satisfied sigh.

“So…whatcha wanna do now?”

Logan was about to reply when something flickered in his peripheral vision overhead. He looked up in curiosity, and his eyes widened.

At this, Patton looked up just in time to see the first stars of the night sky popping into view. He grinned with delight and relief. It looked like Roman actually did come through with his promise to make Patton’s wish come true. He could get the stargazing underway.

He turned to Logan to say something, then stopped and stared at the sight he saw.

Logan’s face was aglow with awe and wonder, his mouth slightly open and the stars reflected in his eyes. For a moment, Patton saw a glimpse of the little Side once known as Curiosity. Who used to be fascinated with the world around him and everything in it. Who could study and spout facts and information about anything that interested him without pretense or self-consciousness. Who never failed to be overjoyed whenever he learned something new. Before he grew up. Before he turned serious. Before he became Logic. It wasn’t completely gone, just buried deep beneath the stress, jadedness and stringent foundation of the adult ‘Logic’ mentality. It came out every so often, especially when Logan got started on a topic he liked, but Patton wished it would come out more. Maybe it could, with a little more time and coaxing, and doing stuff like this. Just seeing Logan like this was more rewarding than he could ever know.

Patton let the moment linger for a bit longer before sliding closer to Logan and slipping his hand back into Logan’s. This seemed to jolt Logan out of his trance and looked at Patton, his face still possessing that same wonder. Patton gave him a big smile and, with a nod of his head towards the sky, whispered:

“Surprise.”

The wonder turned to confusion, and Logan looked from Patton to the sky and back again a couple times. Then the realization hit him between the eyes, and he looked back at Patton with a completely open face. He pointed a trembling finger upwards.

“That…you mean…did you…” he said hoarsely, trailing off.

Patton’s cheeks flushed and he nodded shyly. “Yeah…I had a surprise for you, too. I know how much you love stars, and how you like to talk about them, so I figured that stargazing would be a good idea and I made sure the sky was as accurate as the one in real life so…yeah.”

Logan stared. Patton had also had a surprise. He had had a surprise for him. Out of everything Patton could have chosen to do, the empathetic trait had thought about what Logan liked. And he chose stargazing. He went through all that effort. For him.

It was Patton’s turn to grow anxious as Logan’s silence stretched on. Was this the right thing? Oh, he hoped it was. He didn’t know what he would do with himself if this was a mistake. Why wasn’t Logan saying anything? Was he mad? Disappointed? What? Patton had to fight hard to keep the thoughts from snowballing, though he still found himself opening to say something – what? An apology? To explain himself? Who knew?

“Logan? Are yo–”

But this time it was Patton’s turn to be cut off as Logan wrapped an arm around his waist and raised a hand to cradle his cheek. Then Logan leaned forward and pressed a kiss into his other cheek before gently pressing their foreheads together.

“Thank you,” Patton heard a wobbly whisper. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Patton felt like he could almost faint. Logan wasn’t angry. He wasn’t disappointed. He was happy. He loved the surprise. That was all Patton had wanted and hoped for, and he got it. He copied Logan by raising a hand to cradle Logan’s own cheek, and closed his eyes.

As they lingered in that tender moment, it slowly dawned on the two lovers why the Imagination was the way it was when they first entered. Both had gone to Roman and pitched their ideas to him separately, without any knowledge of each other’s plans. And, somehow, Roman was able to mash the two ideas together. That’s why the sky was showing a steady progression from day to night. That’s why there was a hilly clearing for picnicking and stargazing. That’s why both of them could do the things they wanted to do.

Patton made a mental note to make sure to bake a batch of extra-special cookies for Roman later.

Soon, they pulled back from the tender embrace and smiled at each other, and Patton figured that it was time to get the stargazing underway. He looked up and scanned the sky briefly, before spotting what he’d been looking for and grinning.

“Hey, Logan, can you tell me more about that constellation?” he asked, pointing at some indiscriminate point above him.

Logan looked up at where Patton was pointing. “Which one?”

“The…uh, the Pila- no. The Play-Doh – no. The – ugh!” Patton flushed with embarrassment. Why couldn’t he pronounce things right?

Sensing Patton’s consternation, Logan reached out to take one of Patton’s hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “No need to rush, darling,” he said patiently. “Can you describe it for me?”

Cheeks still flushed, Patton gave a minute nod. “Um…there’s, like, six or seven of ‘em, and they’re kinda in a clump.”

Logan’s eyes widened in realization. “Ah, the Pleiades Star Cluster?”

“Yeah! That! I, uh…don’t really know how to pronounce it. Heh, heh.”

Logan chuckled and squeezed Patton’s hand again. “No worries, love. I’d be more than happy to tell you all about it. It’s actually one of my favourite constellations.”

Patton cocked his head. “Really? How come?” He already knew that it was one of Logan’s favourite constellations, but he actually didn’t really know the reason why.

Logan’s smile turned tender, and he reached out a finger to lightly trace the faint freckles speckled across Patton’s nose. “Because they remind me of someone very dear to me.”

Patton’s eyes went wide – both from Logan’s smile and the implication of that statement – and his face went through a full flush. “Oh,” he squeaked.

Logan smiled at him fondly before sliding an arm around his waist. Patton wrapped both of his arms around Logan’s own waist and snuggled into Logan’s side. They positioned themselves so their backs were to the lit side and they were facing the night sky of the dark side. That way, they had warm sunshine caressing their backs and a cool breeze on their faces.

“So, the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, got its name from Greek mythology, specifically from the seven daughters of the Titan, Atlas, and their mother, the Oceanid Pleione…”

Before long, Logan was prattling enthusiastically about every constellation he could identify in the night sky, telling stories and facts and everything in-between. And Patton absorbed everything Logan had to tell. How could he not, when Logan looked so excited to share something that was meaningful to him and made him happy? And Patton found it all interesting, anyway, so it was a win-win.

Just then, something caught Patton’s eye and he craned his neck to look at it better.

“Hey, Logan? What’s that star? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before.”

Logan looked in the direction of where Patton was pointing and squinted a little, trying to see better. The star that Patton had pointed out was a pale yellow, and its glow was pulsing in regular intervals. What was unusual about it, though, was the fact that it seemed to bob up and down not unlike a toy boat in a bathtub. Logan’s brow furrowed.

“I’m…actually not sure. It doesn’t fit any description of any of the stars I’ve memorized. It certainly can’t be a Yellow Dwarf like our Sun, considering how small it is. Maybe it cou-”

Suddenly, the light winked out of existence.

Patton sat up, stunned. “Huh? Where’d it go?”

Logan was also stunned, but intrigued as well. “I…I don’t know.”

Then, it winked back on again.

Patton and Logan exchanged confused looks with each other.

Then, another yellow star flitted up from the ground, winking on and off like the first.

Then another.

And another.

And –

Logan and Patton gaped as a cloud of millions of these yellow stars floated up out of the grass and into the air. It was like a star-patterned theater curtain being pulled up into the rafters, and they were all blinking on and off in a silent symphony.

That’s when it hit Patton.

These ‘stars’ weren’t stars at all.

They were –

“Fireflies!”

Logan looked at Patton. “What?”

Patton flapped an excited hand. “They’re fireflies! Not stars!”

Logan looked back at the shimmering sight before him. Patton was right.

“Of course, Lampyridae. How did I miss it? That would explain their intermittent bioluminescence.”

“Well, they certainly know how to light up the night!”

Logan sighed at that, but he was smiling.

As they took in the iridescent beauty circling around them, an idea lit up in Patton’s head. With a wide grin, he jumped up from the picnic blanket and held his hands out towards Logan.

“Dance with me.”

Logan blinked up at Patton. “What?

Patton made grabby hands at him. “Come dance with me.”

“But…there’s no music, a-and I don’t really –” Logan started saying before he stopped. Patton was looking down at him with a pretty pronounced pout. Logan caved then. How could he possibly say no to his other half? So, he extended his own hands and allowed Patton to enthusiastically grab ahold of them and pull him to his feet.

Patton maneuvered them both into a basic starting position: he placed one of Logan’s hands on his waist, then he rested one of his own hands on Logan’s shoulder, and finally their remaining hands grasped each other, almost like they were about to start a waltz. Once they were in position, Patton led them into a simple slow dance, just swaying them back and forth, left and right.

Logan was rather stiff at first; he wasn’t much for dancing. Or, at least, he wasn’t much for dancing in public. He didn’t like having attention on himself, not like Patton. And also, even if he did do a little bit of dancing in his own free time – which he didn’t! – he always thought that music was a necessary accompaniment to physical activity to ensure movement and whatnot. So, them just dancing to nothing was a little jarring for Logan.

But as they continued, Logan took in his surroundings. The light and dark modes of the Imagination allowed them to see something different as they turned around. He had to admit that there was something special about being able to see the world in both ways at once, and how the sounds of nature acted as their accompaniment. Also, the fact that it was just him and Patton, no one else around – well, except for the cookie thief – meant that no one was watching them. They could enjoy each other’s company in peace. Lastly, he looked down at the Side in front of him. Patton was glowing with enthusiasm, enjoying himself. Patton had always been better at celebrating the little moments in life than Logan. Dating the lively figment had shown him how to slow down and just breathe, even for a few minutes. That there was more to life than just being a Side and performing their function as a part of someone’s personality.

So, Logan slowly began to relax and allow himself to just be in the moment, be with Patton, nothing more, nothing less. He relished in the warmth and closeness between him and his love, and how it was just the two of them. Patton could feel Logan loosening up, and that in turn both turned up his joy and made him let go of his own trepidation, too (he’d been a little worried about stepping on Logan’s feet due to his clumsiness). As they kept swaying and turning, the proper dancing positions they’d started in slowly fell away as the space between them became non-existent. Patton wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck, and Logan wrapped his arms around Patton’s waist. They touched their foreheads together and they just held each other tenderly, still continuing to sway.

This lasted a little while longer, then Patton looked up and took in the moment. Something about being just the two of them, surrounded by all this beauty and magic, filled Patton with a euphoria he hadn’t felt in a long time. Just a bubbly joy popping and bursting inside of him, making his limbs tingle and his feet itch. He loved it. He loved this setting they were in. And he loved Logan.

With a laugh, Patton started swinging and spinning them around enthusiastically. Logan was caught off guard by the sudden change in the comfortable dance routine they’d fallen into, nearly tripping over his feet in the process. But Patton’s joy and enthusiasm was infectious, so Logan couldn’t help but go along with it. He let out a startled laugh himself, but, again, knowing they weren’t being watched, he let it happen. Soon, their laughter was the only sound ringing through the air, besting the birds and overshadowing the crickets. After a while, they stopped so as not to make themselves too dizzy.

Catching their breath from the increase in physical activity, Logan and Patton took in the new sight they were bearing witness to.

Patton was now standing in the moonlight, and Logan was standing in the sunlight.

If seeing one another in the light gradient that suited them most had further endeared them to one another, it was nothing compared to when they each stood in its opposite.

In the moonlight, Patton seemed like a watercolour sketch, his edges blurred and softened by Mother Nature’s night filter, the glitter on his cheeks now twinkling like stardust.

In the sunlight, Logan came across like a supernova, exploding in an ineffable burst of sound and light, his normally immaculate hair now all wild and flaring out like a solar flare.

Unable to look away, Logan and Patton stared at one another.

Then, in a bold display of courage, Logan gathered Patton into his arms, sliding his arms fully around the moral Side’s waist and pulling him close.

Patton let out a squeak and braced himself by resting his forearms against Logan’s chest, his fingertips just resting over the slope of Logan’s shoulders. He looked up, face bright with awe and love. The light in his eyes increased in intensity. It seemed impossible that it could burn any brighter, but it did.

As they stood in that loving embrace, the two Sides felt everything that made up the world around them fall into place and settle. Safety and comfort made tangible and all-encompassing. The world around them crawled to a tranquil quiet, still and hushed, as though holding its breath in anticipatory observance of what the two Sides would do next.

To Patton and Logan, they knew what was going to happen.

This was it. The moment they’d been waiting for, not just all day, but ever since they’d realized how much the other meant to them. How they’d wanted to share everything that made each of them endearing to the other, and all that set them apart, too. This time, this place, this opportunity, was right where they should be, and it just felt so right.

Caught once more in that magnetic pull, slowly but surely, Patton and Logan’s faces drew closer to each other, much like what happened all those weeks ago when Patton had nearly fallen down the stairs and Logan had saved him. But this time, for Logan, there was no hesitation. No self-consciousness. No balking. And for Patton, there was no uncertainty. No nerves. No second-guessing.

And right then and there, the world fell away as the heart and mind united as one. Every opposite half seamlessly slotted into place like the last prodigal puzzle pieces.

Cool water cascaded over Patton’s head, akin to jumping into a refreshing pool on a hot summer’s day. An airy breeze wafted into his face, helping to bring down the warmth in his face a bit to prevent him from overheating. With Logan in his arms, the ground felt sturdier beneath his feet, and not just in the literal sense. Patton felt steady when he was with Logan: less unsure, more apt to listen than react, less impulsive, more calm, more likely to think his actions and arguments through. Logan tempered his energy enough so that it didn’t get out of control, but not completely so that he wasn’t his usual happy pappy self.

Warmth rushed from the top of Logan’s head all the way down to his toes, as though he’d laid down to soak in the full brunt of the sun’s rays fully. And the only thing he could feel was…comfort. Loving and unconditional. When he was with Patton, Logan laughed more, smiled more. He was less quick to temper and more willing to listen through other people’s arguments that were pathos-leaning. Patton helped him to be less judgmental, less calculating, more open to new ideas and approaches that he’d otherwise dismiss completely or sneer at for not being within the realm of reason he was used to.

Patton’s hands reached up to cradle the underside of Logan’s face as he smiled into the kiss. Logan smiled back as he drew his arms tighter around Patton’s waist, pressing him further against his person. The contrasting sensations and temperatures danced around each other much like when they’d actually been dancing before: weaving and skimming but never clashing. And throughout their shared intimacy, the fireflies rose up around them like a protective barrier, as though shielding them from any unwanted attention or intruders in the vicinity.

Soon, they had to come up for air, and Logan and Patton pulled back from the kiss. They both heaved tiny sighs and then looked up at each other. Both had flushed cheeks and bright eyes, and both were feeling fuller and more complete than they ever did before.

Logan felt something bubbling up in his chest, and he started to chuckle, which turned into a giggle, which ended in full-on laughter. Then – in a rare act of exuberance – Logan lifted Patton into his arms and spun him around in a circle, laughing loud and joyfully. Patton squealed in surprise but also delight, wrapping his arms around Logan’s neck and holding on tight. His skirt flared out with the momentum, and it seemed like he became an extension of the day sky, the butterflies coming to life and flitting gayly on their canvas.

Once he’d completed a full turn or two, Logan carefully lowered Patton back onto the ground but kept his hold on him. Patton beamed up at him then cuddled in close, resting his head against Logan’s chest and sighing in contentment. Logan’s own smile widened and he drew Patton closer again, arms wrapped fully around him, with one holding on his upper back and the other cradling his waist, then laid his head against Patton’s.

Holding each other tenderly, they looked back up at the sky. They once more noted the contrast of the day and night modes the Imagination was in. But, this time, the differences felt less divisive and more unifying. They saw the opposites coexisting in harmony alongside each other: the sun and moon, the stars and fireflies, the warmth and cold – all of it. How they complemented one another and propped each other up. Fortifying strengths and buffering weaknesses. Never clashing, taking turns, giving each one their time in the transient state of nature. If that wasn’t a metaphor for something, neither knew what was.

Taking his eyes off of the wide expanse stretching above him for a moment, Logan lowered his head down to place a kiss on Patton’s forehead. Patton shivered at the action and looked back up at Logan, a lopsided smile on his face. Logan grinned back at him. The date hadn’t been what either of them had expected, but…if they were being honest, this was better than what they had planned for.

Just then, a strange noise that sounded like a ‘peep’ broke through the quiet. Logan and Patton startled and looked around them, confused.

“What was that?’ asked Patton.

“I don’t know,” Logan replied.

Then they heard the peeping sound again, but this time, it sounded like it was right in front of them.

Logan and Patton looked down, and they blinked at what they saw.

Right in front of them, looking up at them with tiny, beady black eyes, was a tiny yellow duckling.

Logan’s mouth opened slightly in surprise, which immediately clicked shut again as Logan winced at Patton’s high-pitched squeal. The moral Side’s eyes were wide with excitement, and he flapped his hands hard enough that they were a blur for a few seconds before covering his mouth with them. He looked back at Logan with an expression that Logan (privately) called Patton’s ‘enamoured by cute, baby animals’ face.

“Oh my gosh, Logan! A baby duck! Where did it –”

The tail end of Patton’s sentence broke off when he looked back, due to his excitement morphing back into confusion.

There were now three ducklings standing in front of them, looking blithely back up at them. Patton and Logan exchanged bewildered looks.

“Wait. Where’d the other two come from?”

“I’m…not sure. But there’s probably –”

This time, Logan was the one who trailed off when he looked back down, his bemusement growing.

Five ducklings now looked up at them.

His own confusion increasing, Patton looked around them. “Hold on. Where’re their parents? Are they all alone out here?”

“Wait, Patton –”

Seven ducklings.

The pattern continued a few more times, with one Side or the other inadvertently looking away for even a millisecond, whether to look at each other or their surroundings, and before they knew it, there were twenty-one ducklings surrounding them, peeping and cheeping and waddling about. Some were pure yellow, others were dark brown, and others still were a mottled mixture between the two colours.

Logan ran a hand through his hair, his bewilderment at an apex. “I – what – how –”

But Patton, while no less befuddled, soon fell swiftly under the spell of the adorableness of the ducklings. He stepped forward and knelt down on the ground, his skirt spreading out around him like a Disney Princess. Immediately the ducklings took to him like such, swarming around him, settling on his skirt and trying to climb up into his lap. Patton was beyond delighted, and he cooed and chatted with the little creatures to his heart’s content.

Logan stayed standing up, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. Then he heard a series of deep quacks a little off to his right, and he turned his head to look.

Sitting a little off from where they were, keeping a safe distance but still in full view of the ducklings, were two adult Mallard ducks. A quick look-over told Logan that they were two males. A brief staring contest took place between the humanoid figment and the Anas platyrhynchos, with nothing said between them. Logan wondered very briefly where the mothers were.

Then it hit him. He remembered that homophobia doesn’t exist in the animal kingdom, so these mallards were likely partners.

As though to prove his point, one of the mallards let out a quack and pressed its bill into the other’s neck. The other, in turn, turned its head to nuzzle their beak against the other’s head.

At this sight, Logan smiled. Nature truly was a wonder.

Then he looked back down at the other wonder in front of him. Patton was still basking in the adoring attention of the ducklings. Thankfully, no more had spawned since they’d reached the current number they were at, so this way they wouldn’t be overrun with them. As it was, Patton’s lap had no less than ten ducklings, his shoulders were occupied by one occupant each, and two somehow managed to make it to the top of his head.

Logan chuckled at the sight, then he lowered himself onto the ground as slowly and carefully as he could, so as not to spook the ducklings nor his sweetheart.

At hearing the shuffling next to him, Patton turned his head as best he could so as not to jostle his passengers. His face was aglow with joy and wonder, and the light in his eyes was as bright as the sun itself. Logan’s smile widened at Patton’s happiness, and he leaned forward to carefully kiss Patton’s cheek.

As he did, he thought to himself that, maybe, Roman had been right. The date had needed more ducks.

 *******

The door to the Imagination creaked open and Logan and Patton stepped out into the corridor, holding hands and with lazy, blithe smiles on their faces. Once they were through, Logan turned around and pulled Patton into another embrace, Patton letting out a giggle as he did so. Without looking, Logan waved his hand and shut the door to the Imagination, and then he brought Patton in for another kiss. Patton sighed contentedly and stroked Logan’s cheek lovingly with a thumb. Logan cradled the back of Patton’s head tenderly, chest warm and full.

“So…I take it the date went well?”

Patton and Logan broke apart at the voice, looking around to see Roman and Virgil standing a few feet away from them, amused yet fond looks on their faces. Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

“Yes, it was…satisfactory. In more ways than one.”

“Everything was perfect!” Patton cheered, the grin on his face almost splitting his face open.

Roman squeeed, shaking excited fists, then he came forward and pulled Patton into a hug. As the right-brained Sides chittered and chattered about what happened, Virgil slunk over to where Logan was and gently nudged his shoulder with his own, smirking slightly.

“That good, huh?” he quipped.

Logan blushed slightly and looked away, but he couldn’t keep a smile from coming over his face.

“Quite.”

After Roman and Patton broke apart, Patton skipped over to Virgil to give him a hug as well. Virgil – though not one for frequent physical affection – allowed it, smiling slightly as he did. He was glad to see Patton so happy, and he listened as Patton babbled happily about the date, interjecting with a comment every so often.

While this was happening, Logan made his way over to Roman and held out his hand. Roman looked at it in surprise before taking it. Logan gave him a firm handshake and smiled. “Immaculate job, Roman. That was some splendid work.”

Roman blushed and cleared his throat. “O-Of course! Nothing but the best from yours truly!”

Logan’s eyes softened and he said, in a quieter tone: “You really did do a good job, Roman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Imagination as beautiful as it was today.”

Roman squeaked and looked down, flustered. He really wasn’t too good with genuine compliments, and especially if they were coming from Logan of all Sides. Logan saw this and took pity on him, so he switched topics.

“Did Patton also come to you about the date?” he asked under his breath.

Grateful for the change in topic, Roman nodded and grunted: “Yeah.”

Logan snickered at that and shook his head.

“I hope it didn’t mess it up too much. I know that –”

Logan stopped him with a hand on his arm, his eyes understanding. “It’s fine, Roman. It all worked out in the end. I haven’t seen Patton this happy in a while.”

Roman looked over at the Dynamic Duo – Patton was still chattering a mile a minute and Virgil was still listening and nodding though Roman could tell that his social spoons were starting to run low – and smiled. “Yeah, me neither.”

Then Logan looked back at the prince with a smirk. “More ducks, huh?”

Roman squirmed and shifted on his feet slightly. “Um, well –”

Logan chuckled and patted his arm. “You were right. It did need it.”

Roman looked back up at Logan, face still red and with surprised yet delighted eyes. Logan smiled back at him.

When Patton ran out of steam, Virgil let out a breath and said: “All right, well, good to see you two had a great time. I think I’m gonna head back to my –”

A peep cut through Virgil’s sentence, seeming to echo throughout the corridor.

Everyone froze, blinking at each other in surprise.

“What was –”

Then three pairs of eyes looked at the last remaining pair, who was shifting slightly on his ballet-flatted feet as though he was hiding something.

Logan lifted an eyebrow. “Patton…did you take one of the ducklings from the Imagination?”

Patton squirmed a bit then looked up with an unconvincing smile.

“Um…no?”

Another peep squeaked out, this time louder and coming from the general vicinity of where Patton was.

A woosh was heard, followed by a tsk.

“Really, lying to your beloved? I never thought you’d do such a shameful thing, Patton.”

Virgil and Roman stiffened slightly as Janus popped into view but held their tongues, not wanting to break the present happy atmosphere.

Patton blushed scarlet but – under Janus’ steely gaze – slipped a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a yellow-and-dark-brown ball of fuzz. The fuzzball untwisted itself till its head was free before looking around at the company surrounding it and peeped.

Logan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” he said wearily. But there was no true anger or even irritation in his tone, which helped Patton relax a little.

“I mean, how could I not?” He lifted up the duckling to eye-level, eyes sparkling. “He’s just so cute!”

Roman and Virgil rolled their eyes fondly. That was their Patton. Then they turned to look at Janus with less fond expressions.

“Is there a reason why you’re up here, snake?’

Janus pressed a hand to his chest as though hurt. “Am I not allowed to share in the joy of our fellow comrades?”

Virgil sneered. “I never thought you cared much in the way of being a team player.”

“Boys…”

Virgil and Roman winced. Patton had put on his ‘Dad’ voice. Recognizing a need for civility when it was necessary, they cut their confrontation short, though it didn’t stop them from throwing hard looks at Janus’ own smug one.

“At least there’s only one of them here,” Roman muttered under his breath quietly.

“Think again, Ro-Bro!”

Everyone jumped at that, including Janus, and immediately looked up. Remus was sitting upside-down on the ceiling, grinning that Cheshire-cat grin of his. The chaotic trait twisted himself once, twice, then fell towards the ground. Everyone turned their heads away just in time to avoid watching the impact, though they couldn’t block out the sickening CRUNCH that accompanied it.

Janus sighed, muttering “Oh, Remus…” under his breath with his eyes closed.

After snapping his limbs back in place, Remus twisted his neck this way and that to get out every last crack he could possibly get, relishing in the cringes he got from everyone. Then he turned towards the two lovebirds, with Logan looking down on him coolly and Patton looking a little nauseated. Remus immediately noticed the duckling in Patton’s hands.

“Aww, a duckie! How cute! Hey, didja know that male ducks have corkscrew penises that can reach up to almost ten inches? That’s more than half their body length! And if there’re as many as three or more male ducks and one female duck, they’ll actually conduct a fucking gang bang! Sometimes injuring or even killing the female! But hey, that’s why the females evolved to have vaginas that’re like fucking mazes –”

“OKAY, Remus! Thank you very much for that commentary! Very helpful of you!”

Janus’ sarcasm was not lost on anyone, not even Remus, who simply didn’t care. Grinning wildly, he blipped out of existence and back right behind Logan and Patton, throwing his arms around their shoulders and catching them off guard.

“So, anyways! It looks like the date went well, considering the sappy looks on your faces!”

The expressions on their faces were very much not of the sappy kind at that moment; Logan had his stoic mask in place and Patton was trying very hard not to cringe at the duke’s close proximity. Luckily, Logan took up the initiative to continue the conversation.

“Yes, Remus. Thankfully, very little went wrong, so, all in all, it was a successful excursion.”

“Y-Yeah, it was!” Patton managed to stammer out. Remus still unnerved him, but he was truly trying his best to be nice around him.

Remus grinned wider and he gave their shoulders a strangely comforting squeeze. “Glad to hear that! If you two’re happy, then that’s good enough for me!”

Everyone stopped at that. Remus, giving a nice compliment? Was this real life or some sick twisted reality the Mindscape had thrown them into? But the look now on Remus’ face was softer than usual, more genuine. So…it seemed that he wasn’t bullshitting with them. Virgil and Roman were at a loss, Janus’ face was unreadable, though his eyes seemed a smidge softer as he looked back at the intrusive Side, and Patton and Logan were truly gobsmacked. This was so unlike Remus: being sincere and contained in his chaos. Maybe that was why it made it all the more meaningful. So, they returned tiny half-smiles, not quite fully trusting but willing to extend an olive branch.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“So! You two gonna fuck now?”

“REMUS!”

“What? They went on a date, they’re hot for each other, now’s a good time for a juicy session of stuffing the meat locker!”

“Oh – my – fucking – GOD –”

Shouts of disgust and shock rang throughout the hallway at Remus’ words. Remus simply shrugged and took out a nail file to smooth out his acrylics.

Virgil sighed noisily. “Okay, well, that’s my cue. I’m out. See you guys tomorrow.”

Roman waved. “Have a good evening, Emo! Hopefully no nightmares befall you in your sleep!”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “I think after having to stare at your face all night, Princey, I think I can handle a nightmare or two.”

Roman gasped in indignation, and Virgil smirked back at him.

“Oh, please! As if the two of you weren’t cozying up to each other all night!”

The look of indignation and smirk were swiftly wiped off the faces of their respective owners who whipped around at the intrusive Side and chorused in strangled voices: “WHAT?”

Logan blinked. Janus’ eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. And Patton squealed: “You guys were cuddling?! Oh my gosh!! I can’t believe I missed that!”

“How – how did you – where –” Roman could barely get the words out. Virgil’s face was as pale as his foundation.

Janus looked at Remus with a calculating slit-eye. “Did you hide behind the couch again?”

Remus tilted his head innocently. “Mmm, maybe! I may have been in the middle of planning another Rube Goldberg machine so I may have been testing things out behind there and then, when they came and sat down, I may have peeked in on them from time to time!”

Janus hummed thoughtfully at this. Then he said: “So, what happened next?”

“Janus –”

“Wait! I wanna know –”

“We don’t –”

“Let’s not –”

But Remus, looking for all the world like Halloween had come early and delighted to have a captive audience, ignored Roman and Virgil’s protests and plowed on.

“So, while I was behind the couch, they came into the common room after seeing Nerdy Wolverine and Pattycakes off on their date to watch some movies! They started arguing ‘bout what movie to watch – Ro-Bro wanted to watch Disney as usual, and Emo wanted to watch something horror-related! Finally, they decided to compromise and watch Nightmare Before Christmas since it’s both scary AND it’s owned by Disney! At first, they just watched it quietly and sang along to the songs so I ignored them and carried on with my thing. But THEN Emo started crying during ‘Sally’s Song’ and Ro-Ro immediately went to comfort him, and from that moment on they continued cuddling through the rest of the film!”

Both Roman and Virgil looked like they wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow them whole. Logan and Janus both had mild expressions of surprise. But Patton was beaming and would have pressed his hands into his cheeks if he wasn’t still holding the duckling.

“OH, that is ADORABLE!” he squealed, and Virgil hid his face in his hands.

Janus smiled crookedly. “Who would’ve thought that big, bad, Anxiety was actually a softie?”

“Nooooooo,” Virgil moaned, trying to disappear into thin air. Roman was also trying to make himself as small as possible.

Remus cackled. “Yeah! I guess I was wrong about which Sides should be fucking!”

Roman started sputtering, face as crimson as his sash, and Virgil hid inside his hoodie, pulling the hood strings tight. Remus roared with laughter on the floor while holding his stomach and Janus smirked, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

Logan rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness happening in front of him before he looked down to his side. Patton was leaning against him, giggling at the others’ antics and having recovered from Remus’ usual discord. His face was open with laughter and happiness. Logan’s face softened and he smiled down at his sweetheart, wrapping an arm around Patton’s waist and pulling him in closer against him. Patton looked up at him and beamed, the light in his eyes bright and effervescent. He slowly lifted up his hands so that the duckling was closer to Logan’s face. The duckling blinked up at Logan and gave a tiny peep. Logan chuckled and – understanding the silent cue Patton was communicating to him – put out a finger to scritch the top of its head.

Yes, things went a little more differently than what he’d expected or wanted. But he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

[mostlycompetentwriter]

Anything you write is so amazing so can I please request a marriage au and possibly mafia with Hyunjin. You can pick the plot!!

Hi! I’m not sure if you wanted smut, but I was inspired to write smut. Please enjoy.

Pairing: Fem! Reader x Hyunjin

Genre: Mafia AU; Marriage AU

Warnings: Language and Smut

Word Count: 1.7K

It was cold when you pulled up to your expensive estate, bundled up in a luxurious coat and an evening gown that cost more than the car your driver had brought you home in. But no amount of money could improve your current mood, silently loathing your husband’s insistence, yet again, that you return home early and miss out on all the fun at your best performing club.

“Fuck him,” you decided aloud, slamming the door closed behind you as you marched along the neat sidewalk leading to the front door. 

For the past several weeks, you had done your best to run the club downtown where you entertained the wealthy patrons who enjoyed the rare alcohol selections from the bar. You were the reason why the club was so successful, but then everything seemingly changed overnight, and you would always blame the drunk, inconsiderate asshole who started a huge fight that had to be broken up by every security guard you had hired. 

By the time Hyunjin arrived on the scene, your husband was incensed, and he enforced a very strict curfew that prevented you from staying in the club past nightfall. “Extra security measures my ass,” you growled. “Who else is gonna run that place while he drives around town making all sorts of deals?”

He hadn’t always been that protective. When Hyunjin found you after taking over your father’s pathetic excuse for an organization, merging the two together, and sealing the deal by asking for permission to marry you - the gorgeous daughter who could certainly handle herself in a fight - he promised that you would be involved in every aspect of his underground mafia dealings.

But then the fight happened, and you were stuck at home bored out of your mind while you resented Hyunjin’s decision to keep you locked up like some kind of animal. The anger and frustration continued to grow each night you found yourself gazing out the window in the living room and wondered what was happening to the rest of the world while huge, well-armed security guards walked the premises of your home and kept you inside. “I’m not doing this anymore,” you decided, and you didn’t even bother to change out of your club skirt before planting yourself at the mini-bar in the kitchen where you would wait for Hyunjin to drag his ass back home. “I won’t stand down!”

It was a worthy declaration, and you were in the process of rehearing everything you wanted to say to Hyunjin, ruminating over the past few weeks of isolation while glancing at the fancy clock ticking away in the background. The hour had entered the early AM when you heard the front door open, followed by the sound of Hyunjin’s voice as he spoke on the phone to one of his subordinates. “We’ll meet with him this Friday,” Hyunjin said, and you watched him walk into the kitchen, startling when he realized you were still awake. “Yeah, I’ll call you back tomorrow.”

You smirked, waiting until he hung up the phone before speaking. “It’s about time you get here.”

“I had some things to take care of,” Hyunjin replied, and he must’ve been ignorant to your foul mood as he walked over to spread your thighs, making himself comfortable between them. “You’re still all dressed up.”

“We need to talk,” you said, deciding that it was best to get straight to the point.

“Sweetheart, what’s your problem?” Hyunjin asked, and you frowned as he started messing with the knot on his tie.

“My problem is you, Hyunjin,” you snapped, furious that he was being so nonchalant.

“Me?” Hyunjin scoffed. “What the hell did I do wrong?”

“Really?” You rolled your eyes at how dense he was. “Can’t think of anything?”

“Is it because I’m home so late?” he asked. “You know I work late sometimes, baby.”

“Quit calling me that,” you growled. “I’m talking about the new club. You know I’m the best person to run it, but you keep sending me home like I’m a kid or something.”

Hyunjin smiled. “Is that all? You’re precious to me, baby,” Hyunjin whispered, kissing you like you were something delicate to be treasured.

“My father taught me how to use a knife when I was ten,” you hissed against the seam of his mouth, pulling back to glare at Hyunjin. “I’m not a flower.”

Hyunjin scowled, and you realized that you had said something to piss him off, swallowing hard when he grabbed your arm even while trying to keep on a mask of false bravado. “I just wanted to come home and make love to my wife,” he said, and you winced when the hold around your arm grew tighter. “No,” he continued, and all previous semblances of softness were gone. “You want to be fucked, isn’t that right?”

“I want to be treated with respect!” you protested, yelping in pain when he forced you up out of your chair only to spin you around and bend your entire upper half over the counter.

“Is that right?” he growled into your ear. “You want me to let you do whatever the hell you want?”

“I can protect myself,” you said. “I did it before I met you!”

“But you have me now, sweetheart,” Hyunjin cooed, and you shivered when he started sliding your skirt down your thighs. 

“I don’t need you to boss me around,” you insisted, even though it was quite obvious that Hyunjin had had enough of your attitude.

“Speak like that to me again,” he snarled, landing a sharp slap to the flesh of your ass. 

“What are you gonna do?” you challenged him. “Fuck the fight out of me? Act like the big bad mafia boss who orders everyone around?”

“Maybe I will,” he whispered, and your next words were wiped clean around a moan when two of his fingers immediately penetrated your tight cunt. “Not so mouthy now,” Hyunjin said, and you whimpered at his tone, legs shaking at the fast movements of his fingers against your delicate walls, grazing that sweet spot with every stroke. 

“This isn’t fair!” you whined, but Hyunjin only laughed in response, wrapping his free arm around your waist as he brought you back against his chest, curling his fingers just right as he flexed his wrist with talented motions. 

“You��ll cum once like this from my fingers,” he said. “And then once from my cock.”

“Is this your way of controlling me?” you asked, wincing when he abruptly removed his fingers and allowed you to tall back down against the counter.

“It’s my way of loving you,” Hyunjin said, and you could hear the raw emotion in his voice. “I just want you to be safe and happy, Y/N.”

“Hyunjin...” you tried, but there was no finishing a coherent sentence when his fingers were back on your clit, drawing harsh little circles with his thumb while three fingers stretched the walls of your still-tender pussy, pushing you closer to the edge while murmuring sweet nothings into the hair at the back of your neck.

“Feel good for me,” he said, and you choked around a stuttered exhale when your first orgasm of the night left you reeling from Hyunjin’s dramatic shift to something soft and decidedly un-mafia-like. 

“Baby,” you sighed, allowing your forehead to touch the cool surface of the counter to alleviate the sweat building there, groaning when Hyunjin slid down your panties and started working apart his well-pressed suit pants. 

“You can cum again for me, Y/N,” Hyunjin said, and despite the ache in your core, you spread your legs even wider for him when he started to push his cock between your gaping walls, replacing the spaces where his fingers had previously brought you to the edge. “So tight,” Hyunjin moaned, and his hands held firmly to your hips as he started pounding immediately, leaving you no time to adjust; although, you were already prepared for him because of the mess he had made from finger fucking you into oblivion. 

“Shit your cock is amazing,” you cried, tossing back your head against the fresh waves of pleasure, closing your eyes as you took everything he was giving you.

It almost felt like a peace offering, especially when your husband was more than inclined to take you over any available surface of your lavish home. 

“Yeah?” Hyunjin grunted, and you could practically feel his proud smirk as he gave you all his attention, working his cock at different angles and listening for your reactions: staccato moans and dramatic cries of his name. “Tell me when you’re close.”

“Soon,” you promised him, arching your back just a little more because it gave Hyunjin better leverage to hit your g-spot on every thrust. 

He took the hint, grinding his hips against your ass and working you over as only someone who had spent years learning your body could. “Do you need me to touch you?” he asked and you nodded fiercely, unable to resist the tears that started to fall when one hand returned to your throbbing clitoris, giving it some much-needed attention as the rest of you started to fall apart.

“I’m coming!” you cried, looking back over at your husband and nearly losing it at the sight of his concentrated expression. Sweat falling down the sides of his hairline, eyes focused on the place where he was pumping his cock inside of you, expression shadowed by the same lust and desire curling at the place where he was working you with his cock and fingers. “Hyunjin!” you shouted, losing every single last reserve of your inhibitions as you came for a second time, panting and desperate for him as he gave two deep thrusts before his cum joined your own.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he growled, pulling his cock from your ruined cunt as you held on to the counter with whatever strength you had left since your legs almost felt numb from his prior ministrations. “I got you,” he said, reaching down to collect you into his arms, holding you close as he brought you both upstairs to your shared bedroom.

You sighed at the feeling of the satin sheets against your lower back, reminders of the extravagances that his mafia dealings could afford you both, reaching over to wrap an arm around Hyunjin’s waist to keep him close. “I know that you love me, baby,” you said, drawing his attention. “But I still want to work the club at night.”

“Y/N,” Hyunjin growled, and you savored the wild, animalistic look in his gaze that promised you both a very long night.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Dead Man’s Cell Phone--Chapter 2

Summary: When Emma Swan starts getting phone calls and texts from an unfamiliar number, she decides to check it out–only to discover the number belongs to a Killian Jones, who was killed in a robbery gone wrong six months ago.  With some help from a medium, Merlin Emrys, Emma hopes to find out why a dead guy is contacting her–and why she feels such a strong pull to someone she has never met before.

Rating: K+

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew4 @annaamell @flslp87 @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay @ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones@kat2609 @brooke-to-broch @missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @daxx04 @nickillian @a-rose-for-a-savior@in-spirational @gillie  @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst@kmomof4  @linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @laughswaytoomuch@allyourdarlingswans @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 @cssns @therooksshiningknight, @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @eastwesthomeisbest @dreamingdreamsalways @xsajx @justren21 @laughterandbooks @cocohook38​ @therealstartraveller776​

Welcome to my entry for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer! A big thank you to @cssns​, the ladies on the Discord!  Thank you also to @eastwesthomeisbest​, my artist and my beta @veryverynotgood​!

Other Chapters: Prologue 1 3 4 Epilogue 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So after the phone calls, the text messages started coming," Emma said, settling into her best friend's plush sofa.

"Texts?" Mary Margaret asked curiously before taking a sip of her tea. "What kind of texts?"

It felt like Emma had known Mary Margaret forever. Both girls were placed in the system at young ages-Emma, because her parents abandoned her on the side of a road as an infant, and Mary Margaret, because her parents both died of illness. They ended up in the same group home, and quickly became the best of friends. They were closer than sisters until the day Mary Margaret was adopted by Cora Mills, and then eventually, Emma was fostered by Ruth Nolan.

Even after being placed with other families, Emma and Mary Margaret kept in touch-letters, phone calls, even the occasional visit. On one such visit, Emma's foster brother, David, was home from college, and as soon as he and Mary Margaret met, it was love at first sight.

They were so in love it was honestly a bit nauseating.

When they got married fresh out of college, Emma couldn't be happier. She'd always considered Mary Margaret her sister in all the ways that counted, and now they truly were.

There was no doubt about it - Mary Margaret Nolan was the person Emma was closest to in the entire world, and so it was only natural that when the weird stuff with the cell phone started happening, Emma decided to discuss it with her.

"Weird ones," Emma answered, taking a sip of her own hot cocoa with cinnamon. "Stuff like Help! or You're the only one who can save me!. And then some of them were even stranger. Just...random letters and symbols, almost like someone was randomly pressing buttons on a keyboard."

"So what did you do?" Mary Margaret asked, sitting on the other side of the sofa and turning toward Emma.

Emma shrugged. "I tried answering at first. You know, you hear about people who are abducted and, like, stuck in a basement for years and stuff like that. I kept thinking, what if someone really needed help and I just...ignored them?"

"And what happened when you answered?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Nothing," Emma answered before taking another sip. "No answer, just another cryptic text several hours later. Finally, I decided I'd had enough. Either someone needed help, or someone was messing with me. I decided I'd call the number, decide whether I needed to help them or tell them to go f-" She stopped, glancing over at Mary Margaret's toddler playing with blocks nearby. "Well, go do something not at all child-friendly to themselves."

"Let me guess, your call didn't get through."

"Nope," Emma confirmed, "but it was even weirder than that. I dialed the number just after receiving a text, but it went directly to voicemail."

"But that's not possible!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

"Right?" Emma said. "So I tried to ignore the whole thing. Maybe the phone was just...I don't know..glitching or something, although I don't know how a technological glitch could make phone calls and text someone. Anyway, for some reason, I just can't let go. Even though I don't know him, somehow I feel a...connection...to this Killian Jones. I just-I don't know what to do about it."

Mary Margaret was silent for a moment, taking several sips of her steaming beverage, before turning back to Emma with a cautious look in her eyes. "There is...there is another possibility, if you have an open mind."

"Just how open are we talking?"

"Pretty open," Mary Margaret said. "What if-and just hear me out, I know this is crazy-what if Killian Jones is contacting you from beyond the grave."

"What, like a ghost?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I mean, I know it sounds crazy, but why not? One of the other teachers I work with was talking about this medium. His name is Merlin Emrys. Supposedly he can contact the dead and see ghosts and stuff like that."

"A medium? Seriously?" Emma asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Mary Margaret, you know those people are frauds. It's all about researching their marks ahead of time and then cold reading them. They're only in it to bleed as much cash out of vulnerable people as possible."

"I know it sounds crazy," Mary Margaret conceded, "but what if it's not? I've thought about going to him myself. If I could just talk to my parents one more time-make sure they're okay, make sure they've moved on, or whatever happens after someone dies. Well, it would provide a lot of comfort."

Emma's heart turned over, and she took her friend's hand. She knew how much Mary Margaret missed her parents. It was different for Emma. She'd never known her parents, only knew they'd tossed her out like garbage. She wasn't sure she even wanted to find them.

"I know you miss them," Emma said.

"I do," Mary Margaret said, "but that's not the point. The point is...what do you have to lose? Maybe this Merlin is just a quack like you said, but maybe not. Maybe he could be the key to unravelling the whole mystery."

Emma was silent for a moment. It was crazy; she knew it was. A medium wasn't going to give her the answers she needed if all her bail bonds tricks had failed her, but what the hell?

"Fine. I'll go see Merlin," Emma caved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma's eyebrows rose as she took in the small, ranch-style house Mary Margaret had directed her to. She was skeptical before seeing the place, but now-now red flags were going up everywhere.

There was a huge, gaudy sign out front that read "Merlin, the great and powerful. Wizard of the unknown and medium of the great beyond." The sign-indeed the entire front of the house-was decorated with all kinds of astrological signs and symbols.

Was this guy even for real?

Emma seriously considered turning around and getting back in her car, but she'd promised Mary Margaret she'd at least check this Merlin out and give him a chance, and Emma was a woman of her word. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment later, an older man with longish, thinning gray hair and a rather unkempt gray beard opened the door. He was wearing long robes. Really playing the part, apparently.

"Merlin Emrys, I presume?" Emma asked as the man welcomed her inside with a sweep of his hand.

The man chuckled. "I'm afraid not. I'm merely his apprentice. Who might I tell Merlin is calling?"

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "You mean your all powerful boss didn't see me coming with his second sight or whatever?"

Emma stepped inside and the apprentice shut the door after her. "My master isn't clairvoyant. He merely has the ability to speak with the dead."

"Right," Emma said, not even trying to tamp down the skepticism in her voice. "I'm Emma Swan, and I'm here to-"

He stopped her with a raised hand. "Don't say too much. Merlin does not wish to be influenced by his clients. He wishes to sense the energy around you for himself."

Emma shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright," the apprentice said, moving toward large drapes at the far end of the room. "I'll be just a moment. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Emma looked around the room while she waited, and it took everything in her to keep from rolling her eyes. This guy was really playing up the whole "psychic" thing. It felt like she was in some sort of fortune teller carnival tent. All the signs and symbols. This guy even had a crystal ball. An actual crystal ball.

This trip was a massive waste of her time, but maybe it would at least prove to be entertaining.

"Emma Swan, welcome!"

Emma looked up at the handsome black man who made his way through the curtains. He was dressed in much the same way as his apprentice, only he wore a sorcerer's pointy hat on his head.

"Uh, thanks," Emma said, stepping forward and offering her hand. "Full disclosure. I'm more than a little bit of a skeptic, so if this is one of those 'it can only work if you truly believe' deals, we might have a problem."

"My gift can withstand the doubts of the skeptic," he chuckled before reaching out and taking her hand.

No sooner had his hand touched hers than he gasped, taking a step back, eyes going wide. "Would you-would you care to follow me back to my private sitting room, Miss Swan? It's far more comfortable back there."

Emma cocked a brow again, wondering what this odd man was on about. Still, she didn't sense any overt deception in him, and he didn't seem to be any threat to her, so she shrugged before following him through the curtains.

This backroom was far more ordinary than the room they'd just inhabited. Emma took a plush armchair, and Merlin sat on a sofa across from her.

Merlin pulled off his hat and sat it beside him. "I apologize for all the theatrics, Miss Swan," he said, reaching for a pot of tea and then raising an eyebrow in question. Emma declined the beverage with a small shake of her head, and Merlin proceeded to pour himself a cup. "I attempt to play up to what most clients expect from a psychic. Unfortunately, most poor souls who come to see me are out of luck. The loved one they wish to contact has passed on. For most, all I can do amounts to smoke and mirrors. I could tell the moment I shook your hand that you were different."

Emma inwardly scoffed. She knew enough about cons not to be fooled by a clever con man. Made sense he'd use a different tactic with a skeptic than he would with some poor, grief-stricken sap who was a true believer.

"No offense, but I still think you're full of crap," she said.

Merlin smiled. "It seems those with the most energy surrounding them always do."

"So, what?" Emma asked. "Are there ghosts all around me or something?"

"There are a few spirits here with us today," Merlin confirmed. "There's one who's quite insistent. It's a man; looks as though he died rather young. I don't sense he's family, but you were close. Maybe coworkers? Perhaps friends?"

Emma took a deep breath, a face coming to mind. Surely he couldn't mean-

"I'm getting a G in the name," Merlin said slowly. "Greg or Gray….no. Graham."

Emma's heart turned over. Graham. Sweet, slightly dorky Graham Humbert. They'd worked together on more than a few cases, and they'd become good friends.

In fact, they'd been teetering on the precipice of possibly becoming more than friends when he died suddenly.

"How did you know to mention Graham? How did you know that name would get the biggest rise out of me?" Emma demanded, voice hard.

"I don't choose the spirits who come to me," Merlin explained calmly, "I merely give them a voice. Graham is pleased to see you again. He's glad you're doing well."

The anger came then, spurred on by the pain the memory of Graham's death brought back. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"He died quite suddenly, didn't he?" Merlin asked, ignoring her question. "I'm feeling a tightness in my chest. Something with his heart?"

"Heart attack," Emma confirmed tightly. "He had a heart attack right in front of me and died in my arms."

"He's sorry, so very sorry you had to go through that," Merlin said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "He never wanted to be a source of pain for you."

Emma felt the tears at the back of her eyes and had to take a deep breath to keep them from falling. "Yeah, well, he didn't exactly have a say in the matter. Look, I don't know how you knew to bring up Graham, but I'm still not buying it."

"He apologizes he couldn't bring you a bear claw today," Merlin continued with a smile. "Oh, and he asks if you remember the day he thought he saw a wolf. He wants you to know he wasn't drunk. It really was there-in spirit at least."

Emma gasped, remembering the night she and Graham had gone to the Rabbit Hole for a drink after a long shift and Graham swore he spotted a big, gray wolf right there on the main street of town. Emma had made fun of him for that, telling him he'd clearly imbibed a bit too much that night. There's no way Merlin could have known about that incident. He couldn't have found it in any newspaper or online article about Graham's death.

Was it...was it possible this guy was the real deal?

"Okay, I admit, it's weird you'd bring that up," Emma said. "Let's say I believe you, can you ask Graham if he's okay? If he, like, moved on or whatever?"

"You just asked him," Merlin said. "He's here with us and can hear you. He wants to tell you that he is okay. He's more than okay; he's happy. He's moved on, and he's at peace, more than he could have ever thought possible."

Emma smiled, feeling comfort at the thought.

"There's someone else here with us as well," Merlin said. "Another male presence, but I don't believe you know this one. This one seems angry, desperate."

"Um...should we be scared?" Emma asked.

Merlin shook his head. "He doesn't mean us harm, only wants his story told. He's too indistinguishable to speak now, but I sense he'll be accompanying us on our journey today as well."

Wonderful. An angry, desperate ghost guide. Just fantastic.

"So, Emma," Merlin said, after a moment, "what brings you to me tonight?"

Emma pulled out her phone and laid out the entire story for Merlin. She told him about the calls, the texts, everything. Merlin took her phone in hand and gasped as soon as it touched his hand.

"There is a huge amount of energy here," he said. "There's no doubt a spirit has attached itself to you-or at least your phone."

Emma felt a chill. "My phone is haunted?"

"Not precisely," Merlin murmured, turning the device over in his hand. "Someone wishes to get your attention; wishes for you to help him, but there's something odd here, something I can't quite place."

"What do you mean?"

"The spirit is...indistinct," Merlin said, "hazy and just beyond my reach. I've never experienced anything like this."

Emma waited, her curiosity more than piqued at Merlin's odd reaction to her cell phone.

After a moment, Merlin's eyes widened. "Your friend Graham cleared up the mystery for me."

"What?" Emma asked. "What does Graham say is going on?"

"The reason I can't get a clear read on the spirit attached to your phone-this Killian Jones-is, well, because he's not dead."

Notes:

-So there you have it. For those of you who have wondered how this story could possibly have a happy ending since Killian is dead-this is how. He's not actually dead!

-Up next: With Merlin's help, Emma finds out how this is all possible-and she finds the not-dead Killian Jones.

                                                                            Next Chapter-->

[ibijau]

Futures Past pt 20 / on AO3

(posting early this week because I might not have time tomorrow)(also, because of the upcoming xisang week, I’m not sure yet if I’ll update this fic next week)

With some help from Su She, Nie Huaisang gets his wangxian ship sailing.

Nie Huaisang guiltily twisted his hands as they left the classroom, already half crying as Wei Wuxian finished retelling his first day of punishment with Lan Wangji. 

"I really am so sorry, Wei-xiong!" he lamented. "I really wish I could help you. Maybe if I could find a way to copy part of the rules for you and pass them to you…" 

"Lan er-gongzi would surely notice," Meng Yao softly objected. "And then you'd both be punished again." 

"Aren't you busy enough with your own punishment anyway?" Jiang Cheng huffed. "You'll be lucky if you can even attend your music lessons with all that extra homework you were given, right?" 

With a miserable sigh, Nie Huaisang nodded. Cheating was more work than he'd thought, and he'd have to find a better way to do it if he were to pass that year. Though really, it had been Lan Wangji’s fault for joining the lectures, which he hadn't done the previous year, and also Wei Wuxian's for taunting Lan Wangji by looking at him. Of course Lan Wangji had gotten curious, and he'd noticed the cheating, and… 

For some reason, Lan Qiren had decided that Wei Wuxian was the instigator in this business, so he'd been punished the hardest. But Nie Huaisang had been given a lot of essays to write, and he didn't dare to ask Lan Xichen to help, fearing to be scolded for his dishonesty. Meng Yao and Jiang Cheng, who hadn't cheated at all, offered little sympathy and even less help, the first because he was still catching up, the second because he didn't feel like it. Hopefully Su She might give a hand, if Nie Huaisang cried a little. 

"It's really not so bad," Wei Wuxian said carelessly. "I won't say that first afternoon in the library with Lan Zhan was fun, he's even more boring than his uncle, but I think I can entertain myself. I bet before the month is over, I can get him to break his self control. Now that'd be fun!" 

Nie Huaisang stopped on his tracks and grabbed him by the arm, not a trace of tears in his eyes. 

"Wei-xiong, why do you have to antagonise him so much?" 

"Why wouldn't I? I'd like to be his friend, but he's too stuck up. Pissing him off is the next best thing." 

Baffled by that logic, Nie Huaisang looked at their two friends. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, while Meng Yao was trying his best not to smile. 

"Wei gongzi is like that, don't question it too much. He likes to tease people, and thinks everyone understands it's meant in a friendly manner."

Judging by the tone of his voice, Meng Yao himself had been a victim of that friendly teasing, and that perhap it hadn't gone so smoothly between them. That would explain why Meng Yao seemed to prefer Jiang Cheng's company, who was less fun to have around, but also a little quieter when he wasn’t shouting at Wei Wuxian.

Personally, Nie Huaisang preferred Wei Wuxian out of the three, but was getting a little annoyed at him right at that moment. 

While Jiang Cheng and Meng Yao went their way to enjoy their freedom for the rest of the day (they would waste it studying, they seemed the type), Nie Huaisang decided to accompany Wei Wuxian all the way to the library, so they could chat a little. He still had a plan to put in motion, orders from his future self to obey, and his own natural desire for fun to satisfy.

“I don’t understand why you’re like that with Lan Wangji,” Nie Huaisang said as they took the longest path possible toward the library, trying to keep his tone casual. "If you want to be his friend, there are better ways. Why don't you talk to him nicely?" 

Wei Wuxian did not even hesitate. "I've tried, and he ignores me." 

That was sadly true, as Nie Huaisang had seen a few times. It didn’t help that Wei Wuxian naturally sounded like he was trying to tease people, even when he was sincere. He was so fun to have around that most people didn’t mind it, but for someone like Lan Wangji...

"Well maybe if you apologised to him?" Nie Huaisang suggested.

"I've tried that too, but he thinks I'm insincere.”

"Because you are!" Nie Huaisang pointed out, fighting a smile.

Wei Wuxian just laughed, but that was an answer in itself.

"Please, at least don't make him any angrier," Nie Huaisang pleaded. "He'll never be your friend otherwise!" 

Hearing him get so distressed about that, Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks, his expression more serious than Nie Huaisang had ever seen so far. He was a little scary like that, something about his height and the shape of his eyes making him look cold and distant when he wasn’t grinning and laughing.

"Listen, Nie-xiong,” Wei Wuxian said in a voice that had lost some of its warmth. “I want to be his friend, sure. I think there's something interesting about him, definitely. I’d really like it if I could be close to Lan Zhan, and given the chance I’ll do it for sure. But if he only becomes friends with me because I start acting like someone I'm not, then we're not really friends, and it's not worth the effort."

“Wei-xiong, I didn’t expect you to be wise like that,” Nie Huaisang whispered, a little awed.

“Only you would find that wise,” Wei Wuxian mocked, and Nie Huaisang found that he could breathe a little more easily now that the other boy was laughing again. “If Jiang Cheng heard me, he’d say that my personality is too awful for anyone to like me! And Meng Yao would say something about compromises. I’m pretty sure they’re the wise ones, but I just don’t feel like acting so seriously.”

Nie Huaisang grinned, a little envious of such a bold way of living. He was not always likeable, according to a lot of people (himself included, when it came to the man he was supposed to become), and so he would never have expected people to fully like him as he was. Nobody except his brother, who had little choice in the matter, and maybe Su She who probably felt like he couldn’t be too picky when it came to friends, and… well, Lan Xichen seemed to like him as he was, too, but that was just because he was so nice.

It was so bold of Wei Wuxian to expect to be fully accepted as he was. But then again, Lan Wangji also wasn’t the sort to make efforts to get others to like him, so at least they had that in common.

As they arrived near the library, the topic had to be dropped. Wei Wuxian, with a grimace of fake agony, went inside to sit with Lan Wangji, while Nie Huaisang had the pleasant surprise of finding Su She about to leave the library, and free to spend some time with him. Lan Wangji had asked for his help to put some order in a section of the building while waiting for Wei Wuxian to arrive, and Su She couldn’t decide if he was flattered or annoyed that the request had been made to him rather than another disciple.

Su She ranted about that for a little bit as they walked away from the library, before complaining about his classes, and then about a letter from his mother who wanted him to send home some talismans because she was still convinced their house was haunted even thought he’d visited during winter and hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Nie Huaisang listened, and even reacted here and there, but couldn’t quite focus on his friend’s problem that day. Su She noticed of course, and asked what hung so heavy on his mind that he couldn’t even laugh at his description of a clearly fake haunting.

“I might have a silly question to ask you,” Nie Huaisang replied. “But please, don’t make fun of me for it. It’s kind of important, and I think you could really help me.”

“That sounds very worrying, but fine, ask me.”

"How would one seduce a Lan?" 

Su She gave him such a long, serious look, that Nie Huaisang started feeling he’d rather have been laughed at after all.

"So you're finally doing something about Lan gongzi?” Su She asked. “About time, it was getting annoying how clueless you are. And, well, if you want my opinion…" 

"Oh, no, this is about Lan Wangji, not Xichen-gege!" 

Su She stopped walking and fell silent for a moment, his expression turning complicated. He looked as if he’d eaten a very sour lemon that also happened to be moldy, all while there was a cut in his mouth.

"Lan er-gongzi? Really?"

"Yes. See, I think Wei-xiong and him could be good friends,” Nie Huaisang quickly explained, startled by that strong reaction, “so of course I want to help. But they're the two most difficult people in the world, you know? Xichen-gege is helping, but a second opinion never hurts." 

"Ah, it's just that," Su She said, instantly relaxing. 

He resumed walking away from the library, and Nie Huaisang followed.

"Well, yeah. Why did you think I needed help about Xichen-gege?" 

Su She hesitated, and even opened his mouth a few times to say something. Eventually he frowned and shrugged.

"If you're too stupid, it's not my problem,” he said. “Let's talk about those other two instead, since you’re so preoccupied. Aside from being equally good at fighting, what do they have in common?" 

Nie Huaisang crossed his arms on his chest and shook his head.

"Nothing at all." 

Su She nodded.

"Then I guess they need to fight again. Maybe in public."

"You think that'd help if they had an audience?" Nie Huaisang wondered.

"No idea,” Su She said with a wicked grin, “but I'd like to see Lan er-gongzi in a fight that makes him break a sweat."

Nie Huaisang poked him in the ribs.

"Mean. But… Wei-xiong can be pretty full of himself,” he admitted. “I guess I'd also like to see if he's as good as he thinks. How to get them to fight though?"

They’d reached a more isolated part of the Cloud Recesses, a small garden that rarely saw much use, just at the border to the wilderness. They found a bench, and after removing some dead leaves they sat there to continue chatting in peace.

"In two days, you get a day off from lectures, right?” Su She asked. “Get your Wei-xiong to the training grounds after lunch. Lan er-gongzi is always there at that time on a free day, and I'll do my best to be as well. It'll be pretty easy to get them to spar." 

"Su-xiong you're just the best!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed, hugging his friend who barely even grumbled against such effusions. “What would I do without you?" 

"You'd be less efficient for sure. Now can we talk about something less boring than Lan er-gongzi?”

“Yes, yes! Tell me more about your parents’ haunting, I’ll really listen now! If it’s not a ghost, then what is it?”

Pleased to return to a more fun subject, Su She started discussing his theory about some wild cats and a few squirrels that he suspected to have found their way into the currently disused ‘haunted’ room, and talked about it with such indignation that Nie Huaisang was soon in tears from how hard he laughed.

-

Although nobody had been warned of the duel to come, a small crowd had quickly assembled around the training grounds once it became understood that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were having a friendly fight. They were both reputed to be insanely skilled after all, and rumours about their first duel under the moonlight had spread fast. 

So far, Nie Huaisang had to admit that both boy's reputation was deserved. If anything, they were both more talented than he would have expected. They exchanged blows and parried them as if it were easier than breathing, making for a beautiful show. Su She, who stood on Nie Huaisang's right at the very edge of the training grounds, appeared consumed with admiration and envy. He'd fallen silent a while ago, and perhaps regretted this fight he'd helped organise. 

On Nie Huaisang's left, Jin Zixuan was almost as upset, just a little better at concealing it. 

"I can't believe such talent has been wasted and given to the world's most obnoxious person," he complained as Wei Wuxian dodged a blow. 

"Apparently, that's also Lan Wangji’s opinion," Nie Huaisang cheerfully replied. "But I think he's warming up to Wei-xiong now." 

Lan Wangji, after a moment of surprise at the way Wei Wuxian had avoided his attack, lunged at him again with renewed vigour. 

"Yes, I can see they're on their way to becoming best friends," Jin Zixuan sneered. "Well, that's getting boring. I was hoping to see Wei Wuxian put in his place, but now he's just going to be more insufferable. I'll see you later, Nie gongzi." 

He left, but the spot next to Nie Huaisang didn't remain empty for very long. Lan Xichen quickly made his way there. Nie Huaisang immediately smiled at him, but unlike the rest of them, Lan Xichen didn't appear to pleased by the show. 

"Huaisang what's going on here?" he asked. "What are they fighting about? Did something happen?" 

"Oh they're just fighting for the sake of it!" Nie Huaisang cheerfully explained, only for Lan Xichen to look even more distressed. 

"Wangji got into a fight without reason? How?" 

Alerted by his tone, Su She tore his eyes from the fight and gave Lan Xichen a quick bow. 

"Lan gongzi needs not worry. They're not actually fighting, this is only a friendly spar." 

"Yes, we thought it'd be good for them, so we made it happen," Nie Huaisang confirmed. “I think it’s going great! Wei-xiong looks like he’s having the time of his life!”

Reassured that no rules were broken and no serious harm was intended by either party, Lan Xichen finally properly looked at the ongoing duel. He observed the two fighters for a moment before eventually nodding.

“Wangji too is enjoying this,” he said after some consideration. “I’m glad for him. It is so rare for him to get an opponent of his level. Other juniors are rarely a match, and adults won’t spar with him because they don’t want to lose to someone so young. You had a good idea, Huaisang.”

“Oh, that wasn’t even my idea,” Nie Huaisang replied, beaming. “It was Su-xiong who suggested it, and who asked to see them spar.”

Lan Xichen turned his attention to Su She, who appeared a little uncomfortable. Nie Huaisang realised, a little late, that scheming to make people fight, even in a friendly manner, was probably against some of Gusu Lan rules.

“I am glad you have such a good friend helping you set your plan in motion,” Lan Xichen said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Still, don’t drag him into too much mischief. I would be very disappointed in you, Huaisang, if you caused Su-shidi to get in trouble. He’s worked so hard to prove himself to our teachers, let’s not ruin his efforts just because you like to have a little too much fun.”

“Of course not!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed. “Su-xiong, you wouldn’t let me cause you real problems, right?”

“I only agree with Nie gongzi’s ideas if they don’t contradict the rules,” Su She confirmed, bowing again toward Lan Xichen. “And I wouldn’t let Nie gongzi do anything dangerous or ill-advised. Lan gongzi can be at peace, I won’t let anything happen to his friend.”

Lan Xichen smiled stiffly. 

"I know I can trust Su-shidi to take good care of Nie gongzi. I am… quite happy to leave him in your hands, where I know he'll be safe." 

It was a rather odd way to say that, and there was something a little too cold in Lan Xichen’s tone which did not quite please Nie Huaisang. But Su She himself seemed unbothered, so this might just have been Nie Huaisang imagining things. It was probably just that Lan Xichen still remained doubtful regarding Lan Wangji’s potential friendship with Wei Wuxian, which had to affect his mood.

But things really were going quite well. In fact, they were going much better than Nie Huaisang had hoped. After fighting a little more, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian eventually stopped when a Lan teacher approached them to explain that he needed the training grounds for his own class. There didn’t appear to be a clear winner between them, as far as Nie Huaisang could say. Later, when he asked Su She, his friend gave his more expert opinion that although they had completely different fighting styles, they were equals in strength and capacity. It would be interesting, he said, to see them fight side by side instead of against each other.

For now though, they politely bowed to each other, and Wei Wuxian, grinning more brightly than Nie Huaisang had ever seen him yet, asked if they might train together again in the future.

It was quite funny to see Lan Wangji’s conflicted expression. On one hand, Wei Wuxian was nearly a criminal in his eyes, who had disrespected his uncle, broken many rules, and cheated during an exam, all of which was unforgivable and marked Wei Wuxian as beneath his consideration. But at the same time, this looked to have been a very fun sparring session, Lan Wangji had been forced to use all his skill to keep up with his opponent, and that was something too precious to be easily dismissed.

At a loss, Lan Wangji turned to look at his brother, hoping for guidance. Lan Xichen, in turn, only briefly glanced at Nie Huaisang before nodding at his brother with an encouraging smile.

“Behave in class,” Lan Wangji ordered with a slight frown, before turning away.

Wei Wuxian looked disappointed by what he must have mistaken for rejection, but Nie Huaisang saw that answer for what it was and ran to his friend to explain that Lan Wangji had, in fact, very warmly agreed to fight him again.

[tinyboxxtink]

"Weird Secret Friends" *Chapter 8*

Chapter 7

Chapter 9

I know, I wait almost 4 days and now you gotta go through this bullshit. I can already hear your cries of anguish and suffering.

I love it so much. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

That being said I promise regular chapters for the rest of the week! Okay I don't promise but I promise to do my best.

Note: Alright it's a fanfic people, alternate universes and all that. So you know what we're saying that all the Carisi sisters are younger, and Sonny was the big bro. Kay? I can't deal with all the continuity stuff.

Tag List

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@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

@thatesqcrush

@shittanyy

@mrsrafaelbarba

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

Sonny was watching TV with Amanda when his phone went off. He paused the movie and answered the phone:

“Barba it’s kinda late--”

“What's wrong with your cousin?” he flatly said.

“Excuse me?” Sonny asked. “What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer the question, Carisi,” Barba insisted.

“Well it's a loaded question, Barba.” Sonny replied.

“Okay then just answer me this,” Barba sighed. “Why did I come back to my apartment to find her halfway through my once full bottle of vodka and pouting on the couch. Oh, after she had gone through all of my things of course,”

“Aw shit,” Sonny muttered under his breath. “That's kind of on me, Barba,”

“One second babe,” He muttered to Amanda, while he got up and went into his kitchen.

“Babe?” Barba asked.

“It’s just Rollins,” Sonny dismissed it.

“So you have feelings for me, but you’re fucking Rollins?” He asked in a snarky tone.

“What, are you jealous or somethin’ Barba?” Sonny smirked.

“No, don’t be stupid,” Rafael rolled his eyes. “Why is it on you?” He changed the subject.

“I should have never filled her head with doubts and suspicions and then sent her back to your place; when I should have known that you would keep a full bar in your apartment,” Sonny sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

“Well of course I would keep a stocked bar in my apartment Sonny, I entertain people and I'm a grown man,” Rafael scoffed.

“Yeah, again it's on me,” Sonny repeated.

“Okay so what is wrong with your cousin?” Rafael asked.

“I think that pretty much answers it, don't you think?” Sonny asked in a “duh” tone.

“... I see,” Rafael glanced at his bedroom door wearily.

“Where is she now? Did you send her away? Please tell me you didn't send her away,” Sonny begged.

“No I didn't send her away, she's sleeping it off in my bedroom,” He got up and walked to his bedroom door. “I didn't want to just kick her out because she was upset. I'm not that big of a dick,” He whispered as he watched you sleep. You looked so calm and peaceful, that’s the girl he remembered.

“ You know, this should probably be better explained in person,” Sonny walked back into his living room where Amanda glanced over at him. He motioned for her to get her stuff together.

“Can I come over?”

“Yeah okay, not like I have anything else to do,'' he rolled his eyes as he shut his bedroom door and walked back to his living room.

--------------.

Sonny showed up to Rafael's apartment with a loaded head and a semi heavy conscience. He knocked on the door and Rafael let him inside.

“Okay so what kind of long story is this,” Rafael asked while he poured himself a glass of scotch. He noticed Sonny giving him a weird look.

“What? It's not like she's in here now,” he rolled his eyes.

“True,” He nodded. “Do you have beer?”

“Yes, dark or light?” Rafael made a disgusted face while he asked. He couldn't stand the taste of beer but he always had it on him just in case he had barbarians over such as Sonny.

“Shiner Bock, if you have it,” Sonny requested. Rafael nodded as he went into his ‘party fridge’ and handed him one before sitting on the couch across from him.

“Alright so where do I start?” Sonny thought out loud.

“Well I guess first of all I wanted to say I don’t wanna say I told you so, but this is exactly why I didn't want you and Y/N to get involved in the first place. It had nothing to do with my feelings for you. It’s because I know that you tend to keep relationships with guys and girls chill and casual, but Y/N is a special case and special to me,”

“Yeah.. I wish you had expressed that before,” Rafael groaned.

Well what was I supposed to say in front of her, Barba? ‘Oh hey by the way, you probably shouldn't get involved with my trainwreck of a cousin? Sonny asked defensively.

“Maybe? I don’t know…” Rafael sighed as he put his head in his hands.

“Look, Rafael,” Sonny put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like she’s some kinda degenerate junkie,”

“Oh well, that’s great--” He started to roll his eyes.

“I’m serious Rafael!” He pounded the table.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry Sonny,” He finally used his first name, trying to be as soft with him as possible. He could see how much you meant to him, and it was really endearing. “Go ahead,”

“Alright,” Sonny sighed, ready to tell your life story. You would probably kill him later for it, but there was no hiding your...issues now, he might as well get the whole context.

“Well, first of all-- her dad died before she was born, overdose,” He began. “Then she was stuck with her junkie mother, my auntie. Who by the way at this point, nobody had heard from in years,” He took a sip of beer.

“So anyways,” He began again. “One day, she showed up at my mom’s doorstep with Y/N, and told her that she can’t take care of Y/N, or that she didn’t want to,” He sighed. “She was three years old by then, I don’t even wanna think about what happened before then,”

“Jesus…” Rafael muttered.

“I was eight years old at the time, my sisters were even younger. My mom and dad had enough on their plate with just us. So, I kinda took her under my wing,” He went on.

“We became so close, she wanted to go by “Sunny” just so she could be like me. I told her it would be confusing for the two of us, so I called her Sunshine, Sunny for short. That way if I’m calling her sunny, then obviously it’s not myself,” He chuckled. To this day, he still called you Sunshine.

“But as she grew up, she just...kinda had a rough go. She didn’t really interact with kids her own age, she was really defensive and untrusting with anybody but me. Not even my parents. And then we got the call that her mother died, and it ripped me up inside to see her body at the funeral. It was so fucked up, she was so fucked up. That’s why I-- I think something really bad happened to her when she was with her mother, Rafael. Like-- really, bad.

“Fuck..." Rafael muttered while glancing at his bedroom door. He didn't want to imagine what you had been through at such a young age. He wanted to run in his room right now and just hold you, but he kept his composure.

“So then I went off to college when she was ten years old, just about to start junior high. She begged me to stay, but I told her she had a good family and that my parents and sisters loved her as much as I did, and to stay out of trouble. But...kids are cruel. They made her harder, and harder. Without me there to be her-- I dunno, her guiding light or her-- protector, she just kinda fell into a bad crowd by the time high school rolled around,” He sighed while taking another swig of beer.

“...Right,” Rafael nodded.

“So when i came home from school my mom told me she was going to kick Sunny out. I asked her why, and she went on and on about how she had gotten in with these local girls who were like, I dunno some kinda girl gang, and they’d knock over liquor stores and then get drunk and stoned. She said she was never around anyway, unless it was to steal money out of her purse; And she just didn’t wanna deal with her anymore,”

“...But she was only fifteen at the time,” Rafael was stunned.

“Yeah, and that’s what I told her!” Sonny exclaimed. “Look Barba my mom is the salt of the earth, but like I said she had a lot on her plate and my dad wasn’t around a lot-- and she had three other daughters to watch out for,”

“Three of her OWN daughters,” Rafael clarified with a judgmental tone.

“HEY,” Sonny warned. “I know how it sounds. And maybe-- maybe you’re right, maybe that’s why she washed her hands clean of Sunny. Because she was just a by-product of her fucked up sister. But I-- I’m not gonna condemn her for it. And you sure as hell don’t get to judge her,”

“You’re right,” Rafael nodded while sipping his scotch.

“So I took Sunny in,” Sonny finished his beer as he wrapped up his story. “I took her in while I went through the police academy. I made sure she got sober, quit hangin’ out with those girls, I got her to do well in school, hell I got her to graduate high school!”

“And…?” Rafael pressed.

“...And when I started bouncing around precincts, she was finally a productive member of society so she started living on her own. She had a few jobs, but never really going anywhere. So once I got placed here in SVU and started making better money, I started helping her out with rent and her car, as long as she promised to start going to community college. Which she agreed to because she really does wanna make something of herself,” He half smiled thinking about how far you had come and how proud he was to call you his cousin now. You were so full of life with dreams and ambitions he never saw in you as a scared little kid.

“Okay so-- how does all of this lead to what happened tonight?” Rafael leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Because she’s still an addict, Barba!” Sonny tried not to yell, but didn’t understand why Rafael was still so flippant about you.

“Just because she got her life together-- I got her life together, doesn’t mean that she just got ‘better’. She’s on a daily see-saw of sobriety. I do weekly ‘drop ins’ just to check on her. It’s gotten a lot better as time goes on, and the less and less I worry about her, but--” He took a breath and looked at the floor.

“....Deep down she’s still that little girl with all of her walls and her distrust. She doesn’t have friends, I really don’t think she’s ever had a stable ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend,’ I mean she-- she doesn’t, talk to people,” He paused before looking up and into Rafael’s eyes.

“...Which is why it has been yankin' my chain tryin’ to figure out just why in God’s name she was so-- open, to you,” He finally admitted. “She’s never been that close to anybody else but me, not in her entire life,”

“Wait,” Rafael put a finger up. “So...you haven’t actually been jealous of Y/N this whole time, you’ve been jealous of me?” He half laughed.

“I mean, it’s a little of both,” He shrugged with a small smile, able to joke about his feelings now. “But I meant what I said when I first got here, I know the main thing that Y/N needs in her life right now is stability. And you-- you are not stable, in the least,”

“Oh I’m the unstable one?” Rafael raised an eyebrow.

“Relationship wise, yeah,” Sonny pointed out.

“....Fair point,” Rafael nodded as he finished off his scotch. He knew the longest relationship he had ever had was with the cute barista he saw every morning who knew how to make his coffee just right. And that relationship only took him five minutes a day to maintain.

“So…” Sonny knocked Rafael from his thoughts.

“So...what?” Rafael quirked an eyebrow.

“So, I think that--” Sonny took a deep breath, knowing you might hate him for this. But it was for the best, and it needed to be said.

“I think that if you care anything about her, or me for that matter, that you let me take her home, and forget about this whole weekend,”

“....I mean…” Rafael rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't want to let you go. Well, he didn't want to let go of the girl he had met at Forlini's. The girl who made him laugh, who he could be his true self around, the girl he might---

“Look the bottom line here Barba is that Y/N is-- a lot of work. I should know, I’ve been taking care of her for 19 years. But I don’t mind it, because I love her more than anything else in this world. Well, her and the rest of my family. But still-- I love her,” Sonny now stood up.

“And I get that you like her, but she--- she has gotten way too serious about you way too fast, and way too hard. And this?” He gestured around the room, referring to the whole night. “This ain’t even the tip of the iceberg with her, if she’s really fallen off the wagon,”

“...God dammit,” Rafael stood up and began to pace in his living room. He thought about every single second he had spent with you since he met you; you had never seemed so...broken, as Sonny was describing you.

“What I’m saying is, unless you’re ready to-- ‘deal’ with her, and everything that comes with that, please for the love of God, just walk away now,” Sonny pleaded.

“Because she won’t listen to me if I tell her to stay away from you. And if things get too ‘real’ for you, you’re just gonna freak out or-- or get bored, and throw her away. Her self worth will drop to shit. And if that happens, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get her back from that,”

“I would never just throw her away, Carisi,” Rafael rolled his eyes.

“You can’t say that, Barba,” Sonny debated.

“And why the hell not?” Rafael narrowed his eyes.

“Because you’ve never NOT just ‘thrown away’ someone,” He chuckled. “That front door might as well be a garbage chute,”

“You son of a--” Rafael started to yell at him but Sonny cut him off.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Barba. Look me in the eyes and tell me I have no idea what I’m talking about, and I’ll leave here and let you deal with her the way you want to,” Sonny looked at him pensively. Rafael looked at him for several seconds, then softened his glare into a sad concession.

“....Take her,” He muttered softly while looking at the ground.

“Thank you,” Sonny mumbled softly as he turned to go retrieve your passed out self from the bedroom. However, he was instead met with the most unsettling sight:

You were standing in the doorway of the room, glaring at the two of them.

“...H-Hey, Sunshine--” Sonny tried to appease you with an awkward smile.

“Don’t,” You growled, stomping into the living room and began packing your bag.

“Y/N, what are you--” Rafael went to put a hand on your bag but you snatched it away before you shot fire out of your eyes into his gaze.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I misunderstand what you just said?” You barked at him with tears in your eyes. “Because I’m pretty damn sure I heard ‘take her’. You know like I’m some sort of defective Amazon package,”

“That’s not what I meant---” He softly spoke, the guilt of his words being heard by you was quickly eating him alive.

“No I know what you meant, Rafael,” You zipped your duffel shut angrily.

“I heard the whole god damn spiel. Which, by the way, thank you so much for detailing my entire little sob story, cousin,” You glared at Sonny as you started walking towards the front door, shoulder checking him.

“But neither of you have to worry about anything anymore, okay? You’re released from your ‘duties’. This trainwreck is leaving the station, so you can relax,” You looked at the both of them with pain in your eyes, tears cracking your words.

“Sunshine--” Sonny started after you.

“DON’T,” You glared at him while putting a finger up. “Don’t ever call me that again,”

“At least let me drive you home--”

“No,” You shook your head. “And you know what, cuz? I didn’t realize I was such a financial burden, so you know what? Cut me off. Because I’d rather be homeless again than take any more money from you,”

“What did I do?!” Sonny was now angry. “All I did was come over and try to protect you, that’s it!”

“I don’t need your protection!” You screamed. “This whole time...this whole time, I thought you were proud of me. That you trusted me,”

“I do trust you--”

“You don’t!” You stomped your foot while tears streamed down your face. “Y-You think that if . one single thing like a boy not liking me is gonna set me off, like I’m some kind of bomb you’ve kept from detonating for years. My life is not your responsibility anymore, Sonny! I don’t think it ever was!”

“Well who’s else was it gonna be?!”

“NOBODY’S!!!!” You finally dropped your duffel bag and kicked the wall, leaning your head against it. You were strangely quiet for a long pause before you spoke again in an eerily calm voice.

“...Do you know why my mother “dropped me off’ with your mother?”

“Because she couldn’t take care of you--”

“No I heard what you said,” You sniffled with a sad smile. “Because she didn’t want to,”

“Sunshine--”

“But leaving me with your mother, was her plan b,” You cut him off, still looking at the floor.

“What do you mean?” Sonny asked cautiously while looking at Rafael who had a terrified look in his eyes.

“She didn’t want to ‘burden’ her sister with me, but she had to when I wouldn’t die,”

“...W-What?” Rafael almost choked on the words in disbelief.

“She tried to smother me with a pillow, but I wouldn’t die. I kept screaming and crying, and I guess it touched her strand of humanity, so she stopped,” You rolled your eyes with the same sad smile.

That memory was forever imprinted in your brain. The terror of being woken up in blackness, unable to breathe. The smell of the cigarette smoke covered pillow being shoved into your throat and nostrils. Your mother crying and telling you it would be over soon, just to let go. And finally her sad, pathetic whimpers and sobs when she finally lifted the pillow from you, disappointed in herself that she couldn’t do one good thing in her life. That now she was going to have to pass you, her problem, onto her sister.

“Y/N, baby girl--” Sonny stepped towards you again.

“I wasn’t supposed to be raised by anybody, Sonny. I’m not even supposed to be alive!” You stomped your foot again while tears continued to flow.

“That’s not true!” He ran over and grabbed you in a hug. “You are not a burden,”

“Really?” You laughed sarcastically into his shoulder as you pushed him away from the hug. “You just said your mom didn’t even want to deal with me. Nobody did,”

“I did!” He argued. “I do,”

“Yeah well, maybe I’m my mother’s daughter. I don’t wanna be your burden,” You picked up the duffel and opened the door.

“Okay well you have no choice in that so you’re gonna have to let that go,” Sonny grabbed your hand before you could walk away.

“Fine,” You finally conceded with a blank expression.

“Guess I’ll just have to let a lot of things go, won’t I?” Your voice cracked as you looked at Rafael one more time with the saddest eyes.

He stared back at you with a stone cold face. He wanted so badly just to go and hold you in his arms, telling you how you didn’t deserve any of what happened to you, and that you deserved everything good and all the love in the world. But Sonny’s pleas were still in his head.

He didn’t know if he wanted the responsibility of your entire self worth and happiness, let alone your sobriety on his shoulders. He didn’t even like to get close to clients with that many issues, the pressure was too much. So instead he just stood there, trying not to show how much this was killing him, sending you away like this.

“Come on Sunshine, just-- let’s go, okay?” Sonny pleaded with you softly, pulling at your hand. You didn’t answer, you just nodded and started walking down the hallway towards the elevator, leaving Sonny at the door.

“...Thank you, Barba,” He mumbled softly, nodding at Rafael. Rafael barely nodded back before Sonny closed the door.

As soon as it was closed, Rafael dropped on his knees and began to cry. He didn’t know why exactly, was he crying because he felt horrible for all the shit you had gone through? Was he angry at himself for not being able to get over his own bullshit to actually open up and care about someone for more than a week? Was he really that big of a hypocrite, showing empathy to clients all the time but shutting out the one person he felt he might-- he couldn’t even think it. He wouldn’t let himself think it. He just composed himself and poured another scotch while turning on the TV, trying to forget what just happened.

His NETFLIX menu popped up; it asked him if he wanted to continue watching Bojack Horseman. He closed his eyes and muttered obscenities in spanish while memories of the night before flooded his brain, making him cry angry tears once more. He finally decided just to go to bed, maybe his brain would release him from torture if he could turn it off.

He wasn’t sure he could ever turn it off now.

[themadlostgirl]

Treasure Hunt

*Some wholesome fun with a little Panlix tension to garnish*

~~~

We had new toys on the island. New to me anyway.

The Lost Boys and I crowded around the beach and stared out at the ship anchored on the horizon. Pirates.

Where they had come from or why there were here was a mystery to us. But one thing was for certain, they were certain to be fun. Peter ordered all of us back to camp while he spoke to the captain. Not that most of us listened anyway. We stuck around hiding at the entrance to the jungle to see what would happen.

A single rowboat came ashore with a trio of men. One was covered head to toe in tattoos, one was short and portly with a bright red hat, and the third I had to assume was the captain. He had a tall, dark, and dangerous look about him that I’m sure plenty of tavern wenches falling all over themselves.

“Holy shit,” the boy next to me muttered softly, gaze locked on the captain.

“Snap out of it, Teddy,” I slapped the back of his head, “What would Sanjit think if he saw you drooling over someone else?”

“I think he would understand.” Teddy shrugged, “Come on, even you have to admit the man looks great.”

“He looks good, I will give him that,” I peered closer, “Does he have a hook for a hand?”

“Nice,” Teddy grinned wider. I slapped him again.

Peter and the captain talked and argued before the captain and his men got back into their boat and left for their ship. Peter turned around and addressed us hiding in the trees. “You can come out now you disobedient tree stumps,”

Half of the boys fled at having been found out while the rest of us emerged. “So what brings them here?” I asked first.

“Youth and revenge, not the first time I’ve come across that salty sailor. Have to say, he has a lot more backbone as a pirate than he did when I first met him.” Peter said. “Captain Hook he calls himself now. Sounds much more fun than leftenant Jones.”

“Is the revenge he craves against you?” Felix asked. “I could see him blaming his brother’s death on you.”

“No. He’s upset about that for sure, but apparently the Dark One killed his lover and cut off his hand. That’s who he wants to get revenge against. Figured he would have more than enough time staying here while he concocted something. Idiot doesn’t even have a way back. It’s clear he didn’t think any of this through.” Peter scoffed with a smile. “His idiocy is our gain. Tell me, what do pirates always have?”

“Drinking problems?”

“Yes, but not what I was looking for.”

“Big hats.”

“No.”

“Terrible songs!”

“Treasure!” Peter snapped, “They have treasure!”

“Oh...that makes more sense.” I nodded. “What is treasure to us? Not like we have any shops to purchase things from using any of their shiny baubles.”

“True. But it means a great deal more to them.” Peter grinned. “Tomorrow morning, we’re gonna go on a treasure hunt.”

When we got back to camp those of us that stuck around informed the others about what had happened with Peter and the pirates. Many of them were excited about the idea of a treasure hunt. By the time dawn broke the camp was abuzz with anticipation.

“Morning everyone,” Peter greeted his camp, “Last night your fearless leader, me, snuck aboard the pirate’s ship and stole their chest of treasure right out from under their nose.” The camp whooped with cheer. Peter held up his hand to silence the boys. “I have now hidden it somewhere on the island. First person to find it is King for the day. That is...if any of you flopping codfish can find it.”

The boys jeered and raced off in all directions to find the treasure. I had started to run off with them when I remembered I didn’t have a weapon. Knowing the boys they would get violent and try to steal the treasure from one another when it was found. I needed something to defend myself with. I turned around to head back to the now abandoned camp.

I ducked into my tent to find a suitable weapon when I heard voices in the camp. I poked my head out and saw Felix and Peter were the only ones still around. I understood why Peter was still here but why was Felix?

“How long do you think they’ll be out searching for the treasure?” Felix asked Peter.

“They’ll search all day and probably into the night before giving up.” Peter laughed, “The whole time they’re digging around dark caves and in rotten tree trunks the chest is safely buried by the mermaid lagoon. None of them are going near there and even if they do none of them will think to start digging.”

“Maybe I should go dig it up then,” Felix said, “Let myself be crowned king for the day.”

“Now where is the fun in that? Let them struggle for a good while first.” Peter looked around the camp and I quickly closed the flap of my tent. I don’t think he would be too happy about my eavesdropping. “It’s nice to have some peace and quiet around here for once. The noise can get grating at times.”

“I understand that better than most,” Felix’s voice answered. “Even rarer that our Lost Girl isn’t hanging about. Seems she sticks around you more than usual.”

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Felix?”

“You’re not funny.”

“I’m hilarious and she’s a good friend.” Peter said. “I still cannot believe that you and those other idiots thought that we were interested in one another. As if I would actually even want to be with her.”

Okay. Ouch. And incorrect! He was the one that assumed that I was confessing my love to him the night I came out to him and said he was okay trying to have a romantic relationship with me. We agreed it wouldn’t work out between us after I told him I was gay but this was needless slander. Got to keep up appearances for the boys I suppose. Can’t let them know he actually considered me at some point. However brief it may have been.

“Not your type, huh?” Felix joked.

“No…” Peter said, “Has a lot of traits I do like. She’s straightforward, bloodthirsty, knows how to have fun, doesn’t take any of my shit, which is refreshing,”

“What are you talking about? I don’t take any of your bullshit either.” Felix said, his voice rising a tad.

“I know, Felix, that’s part of the reason I like you too.”

The camp was silent.

“You know, makes you a good friend too, a great second in command.” Peter continued after a beat.

“Good to know,” Felix sighed. “I’m going to refill my canteen.”

“Felix--”

“What?” Felix snapped at him. The harshness in his tone made even me freeze and it wasn’t even directed at me.

“Nothing…” Peter’s steps receded, “I’m going to go watch the boys run in circles.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Felix muttered before trudging off.

I waited a few more minutes before poking my head out to make sure the coast was clear. That was something. Those two have more issues than I thought. If they could get a nudge in the right direction--no! No! I am not getting myself involved in their problems.

I grabbed the sword I had come to retrieve and fled the camp. At the very least I know where the treasure is now! I ran towards the mermaid lagoon. It was deserted of Lost Boys but I could see the ripple in the water of the mermaids lurking right below the the surface, waiting and hoping I would venture closer so they could pull me down and drown me. I only made that mistake once when I was very new on the island. They were very pretty and I thought maybe they would be friendly towards a girl. I was soon proven how very wrong I was when one of them pulled me under the water and the Lost Boys had to come in and rescue me before I drowned.

Scanning the sand I found a patch that looked like it had been pretty recently disturbed. I started digging with my hands until I felt the solid weight of wood. I dug around it until the very top was uncovered. How was I supposed to get it out by myself? It was firmly stuck in the ground and getting it free by myself would be near impossible.

Maybe I could just grab something to prove that I had found it and cover it back up. I dug my hand down into the sand for the latch and pried it open. Inside laid a wealth of gold coins, gems, jewelry, and other shiny baubles. I stuffed a handful of coins and gems in my pocket and slid a pair of shining, jewel encrusted bracelets onto my wrists. That should be enough. I closed the lid and covered the chest once more. I decided to mess with the boys while waiting for it to grow later and dropped random coins and jewels around the jungle so they would think they were heading in the right direction.

By the time night fell the boys had returned to camp despondent. Some holding up the coins and jewels I had strewn about with a small amount of disdain. Peter was back to his jovial self but looked confused at the boys holding coins. Surely he hadn’t let anything fall out when he stole the chest.

That was my cue. I strolled into the middle of the camp and raised my glittering wrists to the sky. “Bow before your queen!”

“What?” Peter gaped at me. “There’s no way you found the chest!”

“Oh but I did,” I dug into my pockets and tossed the remaining coins I had onto the ground. “That chest was so big and heavy though I couldn’t take the whole thing myself but I think this is sufficient enough evidence.”

“Wait, were you the one leaving coins and jewels all over the island?” one of the boys pointed at me, accusingly.

“Duh,” I rolled my eyes, “I needed to have my own fun.”

“Never let it be said that I’m not a man of my word,” Peter gave an exaggerated bow, “Our dear Lost Girl shall be Queen for the day...or at least for the rest of the night.”

Some of the boys cheered, a lot more of the jealous boys booed. I didn’t care. I basked in the attention and laughed with the others at the silly antics the boys did to entertain their “queen” like court jesters. It was all in good fun, Peter even fashioned me a crown of sticks and leaves.

I pulled him over to dance with me. “So,” I spoke up to be heard over the pounding music, “How long till the pirates find out you stole their treasure and come to hunt us down for taking it?”

“Who knows,” Peter shrugged, “it’s sure to be fun though.”

I laughed along with him as the night grew late and my night of queendom came to an end. The game would begin again tomorrow but with the chest in a new spot. Looks as if I’ll actually have to hunt for it this time. Not a problem, I liked a good challenge.

[onewithnomightypowers]

clandestine (chapter 7)

PAIRING: Tom Holland x fem!Reader

SUMMARY: Y/N is an up and coming actress, married to a once hotshot actor, Harrison (Haz). What happens when her co-star, Tom, makes her realise that she is stuck in a loveless marriage. A marriage starts crumbling and a new romance stars brewing.

chapter 7: rabbit hole

A/N: i do not encourage cheating. omg THE LAST CHAPTER!!!! i hope you guys like this chapter!! feedback is always appreciated. thanks for reading <3

warnings: drinking, cursing, hate comments

word count: 1.6k

important: bold and italic are character thoughts

series masterlist   main masterlist   chapter 6

Love, easy it comes and easy it goes. Y/N and Haz’ calamitous love had no tracks ahead of it. The only thing they could do was jump off the train before it crashed and burned. Y/N took that step and fell on Tom’s doorstep. When Haz saw her leave, he understood that hurt couldn’t save a dying soul, so he jumped too, causing their marriage to fall off a hill.

They left the hobbit’s room with a sea of change in their aura. Both had bloodshot eyes from all the rivers they swam through. “I will go settle the tab”, Haz said without meeting her eyes. Y/N walked towards her driver, Arnold, who was standing near the main entrance, eager to tell her about the situation outside.

“There is a herd of paparazzi out there, ma’am”, he said.

Y/N hummed in acknowledgment.

“Shall we go?” Haz walked over to them.

“Yeah”, her voice was small and dry.

Arnold opened the door and stayed ahead to make way for them in between the storm of people. They were all screaming something over one another, making it hard to understand. Haz and Y/N had their heads down, trying to hide the stained cheeks from the blinding lights. Haz clutched Y/N’s hand protectively, out of habit.

They made their way inside the car, parked not so far away from the pub.

“You can stay with me tonight, you’re leaving for New York tomorrow morning anyway”, Y/N said looking outside the window.

“It's fine Y/N, I can get a hotel room”

“No, I insist”, her eyes focused on the lamp heads passing them by.

“Okay, I’ll take the couch”

“You can sleep on the bed, with me”

Haz found Y/N’s hand in the dark backseat and squeezed it affectionately.

That night was the last time they slept together in the same bed. When Y/N woke up the next morning, he was already gone. He left a note on the refrigerator that read, ‘thank you for everything’. A bittersweet smile took over her face.

Y/N needed some time to herself, but she also needed to inform people about her decision. She craft an email to her manager, agent and her lawyer. All of them were sent the exact same email.

Harrison and I have decided to end our marriage. I would like to file for divorce as soon as possible, and the process should be civil. I will be unavailable for a few days, so do what you have to with the news.

Y/N

She also sent her parents that email but as a text on the family group chat.

It’s short and to the point, let’s hope they don’t call me with a million questions.

When it came to Tom, she noticed that he had sent her an image a few seconds ago. It was a screenshot of a TMZ article. The headline was, ‘Y/N left her movie premiere early to meet her husband’, it wasn’t jarring but the photo underneath the headline was. Haz was holding Y/N’s hand as tightly he physically could, both of their bodies looked tired and Y/N’s makeup was all messed up. She hadn’t noticed any of that in the moment, last night.

Tom sent her another text.

Tom: Are you ok?

Y/N: not really, I’m filing for divorce

Tom: oh, do you want me to come over?

Y/N: I think I want some time to myself right now

Y/N: I’ll probably watch Gilmore girls the whole weekend

Tom: ok, I’m here if you need anything

Tom: love you

Y/N: you too

---

On Monday, the news broke. The whole world now knew that their marriage was over. The news outlets tried their best to be creative with headlines.

‘Their kingdom has come and gone: Harrison and Y/N file for divorce’

‘Harrison and Y/N, Hollywood’s perfect couple not so perfect anymore’

These were some of the most impressive ones according to Y/N’s management team but they decided to keep it to themselves. No one had heard from Y/N since Saturday. Even though she had told them that she would be unavailable, they still sent emails, warning her to stay off social media sites, especially twitter, the creator of hate wagons.

Twitter was not kind to her at all. Their divorce was trending in the entertainment section. Many people thought that it was their right to comment on this situation. They had a lot to say, mostly about Y/N.

Y/N would often find herself diving into the rabbit hole of her trending tag. She would read almost everything they had to say about her, the good and the bad, but the bad overwhelmed the good.

‘She was only in it to get famous’

‘She ugly if I was Harrison then I would drop that ass too’

‘She is so fake’

‘Harrison is better off without her’

‘She was def cheating on him’

‘Why would someone even love Y/N’

She didn’t notice, but this was getting to her. She would constantly stare at her reflection, picking her appearance apart because someone on the internet called her ugly. Y/N would rethink everything she ever said in front of the media wondering whether she sounded fake or not. She would wake in the middle of the night, pacing like a ghost, thinking she didn’t deserve Tom at all and that he would realise soon enough.

All would be lost.

Even though she thought no one noticed that she was slowly losing her mind, Tom did. He would look at her touching her face, getting lost in deep thoughts. He could feel her tossing and turning in the bed, every night. He would look through her while she’s looking through her phone. Her leg would never stop fidgeting while at rest. He noticed everything.

He took it upon himself to save her from the demons. It was late evening, Tom picked Y/N up from the set. The whole ride home, Y/N was on her phone, mindlessly scrolling through her twitter, reading every inch and every corner. No words could escape her.

When they reached home Y/N informed Tom that she was going to take a shower. Tom was in the kitchen getting the food ready, when he saw Y/N’s phone unattended on the kitchen island. He was tempted to go through with his plan.

He picked up her phone and unlocked it, he knew her password. He went on deleting every social media app from her phone and also changed his contact DP on her phone. Earlier it was an embarrassing childhood photo, he changed it to a scanned Polaroid photo of them together.

Y/N came out with a towel tied up her head. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and set them on the island.

“What are you making?” she asks him.

“Rice paper rolls”

“So we’re having Vietnamese today, interesting”, she grabbed her phone to check her Instagram.

Where the fuck are all my apps?

“I think my phone has some defect, the Instagram and twitter apps got deleted”, Y/N says vigorously swiping through her phone.

“That’s not a defect I did that”, Tom served the dinner.

“You did what? You have no right to go through my phone and delete apps without my permission, Tom.”

“It’s for your own good, all of that shit was getting to your head”, he said calmly.

“No it wasn’t” she poorly defended herself.

“Yes it was, you were letting some random divs tell you what you are worth. That’s fucked up, babe”

She lets out a loud grunt, filled with frustration.

They both ate in silence, only the crunch of vegetables audible.

After Tom was done with his dinner, he got up, placed his dish in the sink, picked up his coat from the sofa and walked towards the door. Y/N’s eyes never stopped following his figure.

“I think I should go back to my apartment”, before Y/N could reply, Tom was out of the door.

They didn’t talk for a day but Y/N realised how peaceful she felt without having other people’s opinions being fed to her constantly. She felt less insecure about her body, her personality and especially Tom.

He loves me so much that he was ready to invade my privacy to help me.

She decides to call Tom, noticing the unfamiliar photo on his contact. The phone rung, he picked it up on the second ring.

“You little shit changed your photo, huh” her smile was audible.

“I did and I’m sorry”

“No, I’m sorry. You were right, I do feel better with all the noise gone, but you know what would make me feel much better, you, here with me”

---

Tom came over almost instantly, it was like he was already halfway to her apartment when she called. They were on the couch, watching a movie on Y/N’s laptop. Y/N had her head on Tom’s lap and he was playing with her hair.

Holding her breath, Y/N slowly said, “You didn’t need to save me, you know”

“I know”, he replies nonchalantly.

“But the real question is, would you run away with me?”

“Of course, where to darling?”

“Somewhere no one can find us and it’s only the two of us”, she scrunches her face.

“Do you remember the first time we kissed, at the pub?”

“Yeah”, she replied, fondly remembering that moment.

“You said we should go to Ireland together and I said don’t make empty promises”

“Well, do you want to run away to Ireland with me?”

“Yes”, he bent downwards and kissed her softly.

THE END

@mysticapples17 @storybookholland @flqwsome  @hollandstanevans

[imaginesbymk]

Preference // Reservoir Dogs.

Taking Care of You When You’re Sick.

CHARACTERS: mr. orange/freddy newandyke, mr. white/larry dimmick, mr. blonde/vic vega, mr. brown, mr. pink & nice guy eddie

NON REQUESTED

TAGS: swearing & there’s a gif w/ blood + smoking in it

AUTHOR’S NOTE: i wrote this cos i’m at home, tested positive, cursed with our worst enemy c*vid19 :( i’ve been sneezing nonstop and i can’t enjoy eating anything cos i lost my sense of taste & smell - so i kinda wanted to make myself feel better with this preference!! this was inspired by @droogiesanddiscourse​, @headoverhiddles​ + @littlemissvincentvega​ !!

( MR. ORANGE / FREDDY NEWANDYKE )

freddy lets you sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the couch

he runs errands for you and makes sure everything on your to-do list is crossed off

he’ll often joke about how shitty you look but he’ll stop when you glare at him or threaten to cough on his action figures

he comes home from work with instant ramen and medicine

also he lends you his comic books to read when you’re bored :’)

you kind of nag for his attention here and there, but he’ll be there for you

freddy thinks he has the strongest immune system but he’s gonna catch whatever you had cos he’s not careful

_

( MR. WHITE / LARRY DIMMICK )

as soon as he hears a sneeze or a cough, his head is peeking through the gap of your door - “you hangin’ in there?”

“by a thread.”

always making you tea and hot soups

calling you a champ for staying strong during your sick days

props your head onto two pillows and makes sure they’re both fluffy

mr. white is not gonna care if he ends up getting sick, as long as you recover that’s all he cares about

always assuring you that you’re gonna be okay bc your body is gonna fight it off for a couple of days and you’ll feel better soon enough

_

( MR. BLONDE / VIC VEGA )

"damn... my little y/n is under the weather today, huh?”

he isn’t the best doctor in the house, but he will try to nurse you

you keep a bell on the bedside table to call for him if you need anything

he doesn’t mind if you ended up contaminating everything 

he would make you use a humidifier

vic is gonna randomly turn the radio on and dance in front of you to cheer you up

this guy would literally not get sick bc a Vega never get sick

_

( MR. BROWN )

mr. brown would be okay with taking care of you but it’s gonna backfire so bad

“brown, you don’t have to nurse me to health, just leave some medicine and water with me and i’ll be okay”

“i got you, y/n. i was pretty much a plague doctor in my past life”

but he would end up getting sick himself because he accidentally drank your juice from the beside table smh

brown would keep you entertained by putting the tv in the bedroom and putting on your favourite tv shows and movies from his collection

but THEN HE MAKES YOU SCOOT OVER AND JOINS YOU IN THE BED TO RAMBLE ON ABOUT THE SHOW OR MOVIE THAT IS PLAYING

now the two of you end up getting stuck at home, both sick, and just chilling, bedridden while the tv is on

_

( MR. PINK )

“okay... but are you dying?” 

he plays the tiniest violin for you when you mention how sick you are

however pink ends up feeling a bit bad because if the roles were reversed, he’d be the biggest baby ever and would rely on you to take care of him 24/7

just like mr. orange, his huge ego gets the best of him and he swears he never gets sick

the thought of your germs getting on everything and whatever you got sick from is airborne makes this guy grow concerned for his health

pink wears a mask when he comes inside to check on you

as soon as you reach the brink of recovery, pink kicks you out of the bed to do a deep cleaning

–

( NICE GUY EDDIE )

don’t even think about it, eddie refuses to baby you

he tosses a bottle of painkillers at your bed and wishes you the best

nice guy eddie is on the phone telling whoever’s on the other line that you’re sick and that he’s being forced to babysit you

eddie is very snappy if you need him for something

sometime out of his day, you call him and ask him to make a run to the pharmacy

“i swear to god, y/n - daddy is gonna fucking pop a vein if i show up late to the meeting and you’re asking me to get you cough syrup????”

if you’re close to feeling better, eddie is relieved he doesn’t have to deal with it anymore and things go back to normal

_

TAGLIST: @locke-writes​ @aryn-the-bearheart​