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alecmagnuslwb · 4 years

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Halloween Wonder

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“I wanna be the wonder ladies for Halloween,” Lian says coloring a picture of Princess Diana herself on the coffee table in the living room. Roy pops his head up from where he’s reading a magazine on the couch. Jason’s out patrolling for the night so it’s just the two of them. It’s nearing her bedtime, but she gave him the doe eyes around eight o’clock requesting she have just one more hour to see JayJay.

“You mean you wanna be Wonder Woman?” he asks leaning forward and looking at the picture she’s coloring. She’s taken some liberties with Wonder Woman’s costume design trading the usual red, blue and gold for pink, purple and silver.

“Yeah! But you and JayJay gotta be the other two,” she declares. She flips through her coloring pages pulling out one of Donna and another of Cassie, the current Wonder Girl. She waves them in his face. “You can be Aunt Donna and JayJay can be Wonder Girl!” she says with glee.

Roy eyes the coloring page and remembers Donna’s old red costume, he’s not sure he’s got the curves to pull it off quite the same way his old flame and dear friend did.

“You sure you don’t want us to be Green Lantern and Superman, make the Justice League or something, kiddo?” he asks, pointedly not mentioning Batman, Jason would never go as Batman no matter how much Lian begs.

“Nope,” she says happily turning back to her own coloring page with a beaming smile. “Wonder ladies!”

Roy sighs looking down at the pictures in his hands, the things they do for their little girl.

***

Jason doesn’t make it home early, so much against her protests Lian is sent to bed only complaining lightly after Roy promises that they’ll be doing her requested Halloween costumes. Jason slips into their bedroom hours later, shower fresh and free of his gear.

Roy sits up from where he’d slumped down into bed trying to stay awake to see him. Jason smiles walking over to the bed and kissing Roy lightly once before flopping over him and onto his side of the bed.

“Lian picked her Halloween costume tonight,” Roy says as Jason pulls the covers up.

“Oh yeah, what dynamic trio will we be this year?” Jason says smiling. They’ve been letting Lian pick what they’ll all be since she was three, surprisingly this is the first year she’s picked any other supers usually sticking more to animated characters. Last year was particularly memorable when she begged to be Maleficent and Jason and Roy sported their best Scar and Gaston. Alfred had made the most elaborate and movie accurate costumes Roy had ever seen which was saying something since he’d done so well with other duos the years before.

“The Wonder fam,” he says with a smirk.

“As in?” Jason asks and Roy smirks.

“Diana,” he says pointing to the wall where two rooms down Lian is sleeping peacefully. “Donna,” he says gesturing to himself. “And Cassie,” he finishes pointing at Jason.

“And before you ask there’s no changing her mind,” he says.

Jason huffs. “Well at least she didn’t want me to Batman,” he says with a shrug. He grabs his phone from where he’d tossed it on the nightstand and sends off some text. It dings almost immediately with a response. “Alfred said he’s on it, we just have to swing by the manor tomorrow so he can get updated measurements for Lian since she’s gotten taller since last year.”

Not for the first time in his life Roy wonders if Alfred ever sleeps considering the late hour.

***

“You know Donna is never going to speak to you again if she finds out about this, right?” Jason says enjoying the view of Roy in his tight red one piece costume, but obviously holding back laughter as well. Roy adjusts his dark wig flipping the hair over his shoulder.

“Yup,” Roy says eyeing himself from every angle in the mirror. He looks good dammit, turns out he does have the curves to pull of the look, Donna can get over it if she finds out. Alfred’s really outdone himself with his seam work this year.

“And you know that there’s a 98% chance we run into Dick and Babs tonight and they’ll tell absolutely everyone?” Jason adds on from where he’s sat on the bed.

“Yup,” Roy says turning away from the mirror to face Jason. Lian had chosen Cassie’s most recent costume for Jason and Roy would be lying if he said Jason isn’t making the black leggings and skirt combo work. “You know they’re gonna see you in this get up and tell everyone too, right?”

Jason just shrugs. “Yeah, but everyone’s afraid of me, so the jokes will end real quick.”

Roy hums conceding the point. Lian comes barreling in a moment later, a pair of black wireless headphones in hand. She crawls up onto the bed next to Jason and settles the headphones around his neck. He flips his blonde wig out from under them and smiles at her.

“You look great Wonder Woman,” he says fixing her crooked tiara.

She smiles toothily at him and flexes her arms kissing her tiny biceps, the little ham.

“Can we go get candy now?” she says hopping off the bed and pulling Jason along to where Roy is still admiring himself in the mirror and grabbing his hand too.

“Yeah, yeah,” Roy says giving himself one last glance as they’re dragged out of the room. “Let’s go get candy.”

***

Trick or treating is a success. Thanks to Dick and Barbara’s well thought out Halloween safety plan for all the kids of Gotham Lian hits half the city before finally tiring out.

They run into Nightwing and Batgirl about halfway through their journey Roy already carrying a damn near full pillowcase of candy and he’s fairly certain Dick’s laughter can be heard from outer space once he’s taken in their costumes. He doesn’t get to cackle long though Lian declaring there’s no time for laughing when candies on the line and skipping away from the silly adults.

Roy’s carrying two nearly full pillow cases of candy now and Jason, wig discarded into one of the bags, is carrying Lian easily like she’s still two weighing barely a thing and not eight. Her little lasso is wrapped around Jason’s arm and her head resting on his shoulder.

“I’ll put her to bed,” he says quietly once they’ve made it into the apartment Roy plopping the two sacks of candy down heavily onto the table. Roy nods, kissing Lian’s hair once.

“Goodnight, Wondy,” he says and she snuggles in closer to Jason. Jason heads upstairs while Roy drags the two bags of candy over to the couch. He throws his slightly aching feet up onto the coffee table and starts digging in knowing there’s no way Lian will notice if a few pieces are gone.

He grins triumphantly when he finds a double pack of Reese’s cups tearing into them. He’s working on the second one when Jason finally comes down the stairs, hoodie, headphones, high tops and skirt now gone. If it weren’t for the Wonder Woman insignia on his top and the star pattern on the leggings he’d just look like he was about to go for a run.

“She all good?” Roy asks as Jason sits down next to him digging into the open pillowcase. He pulls out a long Twizzler opening the plastic with his teeth. Jason nods.

“Our little Wonder Woman is out cold,” he says before taking a bite of the candy twirling it around on his finger. Roy smiles digging back in and taking out a Hershey’s bar this time.

“You and your chocolate obsession,” Jason says shaking his head as he grabs a tiny box of nerds and pours them directly into his mouth.

“At least I have taste,” Roy grumbles eyeing the box of nerds in disgust. Jason shoves at him lightly making direct eye contact as he pours the box of nerds onto his tongue. Roy moves the bag of candy out of his way popping the last piece of chocolate bar in his mouth before crawling over and placing himself in Jason’s lap, bracketing his hips.

Roy leans in about to kiss Jason when he puts a strong hand to his chest and stops him.

“Sure you want to kiss me with this terrible flavored candy in my mouth,” he says feigning annoyance sticking out his tongue that’s now tinged blue. Roy shrugs.

“I’ll risk it,” he says leaning in to kiss him slow and deep the taste of tart Nerds and chocolate mixing together on their tongues. Jason moans his hands going to Roy’s thighs and trailing up along the stars on the side of his costume. He freezes when he reaches the lasso tied to his belt.

He pulls back abruptly leaving Roy chasing after his lips.

“We really have to take off these costumes,” Jason says still out of Roy’s reach.

“That was the plan,” Roy says with a smirk attempting to lean back in, but Jason stops him once again.

“No I mean like before we continue this in any way,” he looks down between them and pulls the long dark wig off of Roy’s head tossing it to the other end of the couch. “It’s too weird.”

Roy looks down himself and can see what Jason means, Gaston and Scar getting it on last year was fine, but being dressed like very real people they know is a different game when the haze of lust clears.

“Good point,” he says settling back on Jason’s thighs. “But you’re carrying me upstairs, my feet hurt.”

Jason rolls his eyes, “You’re the one who chose to wear high heeled boots.”

“Costume accuracy Jaybird, not everyone gets to be the super gal who wears sneakers,” he defends with a smile. Jason leans in pecking him once on the corner of his lips.

“Fine princess,” he says hefting up off the couch with Roy in his arms not even faltering a bit. “Hold on.” He says as he heads for the stairs carrying Roy like he weighs nothing. Roy can’t wait to get these costumes off and continue what he started on the couch.

Hours later, costumes long gone and both sweaty and sated Roy’s phone dings with a message from Donna, it’s a photo form Dick attached with a series of crying emojis.

He smirks, she’s just jealous he looked so good.

#my fic #jayroy #jason todd #roy harper

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ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult · 5 years

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Reality Check-Euphoria Imagine

Requested: No Warnings: mentions of trauma and a scene of an attempted sexual assault

A/N: I’m back from a super long break! I am so sorry I have not been able to update this blog since I started grad school but I have a bit of a break to write a bit. I just finished Euphoria so after this imagine, I’ll get started on the requests.

I own nothing from Euphoria and do not claim to own anything

Gif is from:geek-ramblings

Everything in italics in the story is Rue’s narration

Y/N Y/L/N wanted to be a princess for as long as she could remember. It didn’t hurt that every Disney movie and other piece of media designed for little girls endorsed this dream. One of those movies was the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Whitney Houston, Brandi, Whoopi Goldberg, and Victor Garber. It was the first time Y/N saw a princess who looked like her and it solidified that her dreams were possible. She watched that movie every day for three years and knows the soundtrack by heart. When her older cousin, McKay, irritated her, she would belt “Impossible/It’s Possible” at the top of her lungs in retaliation. While McKay was pushed to his limits on the football field, Y/N would twirl around in her living room during the ballroom sequence, pretending as though she had a dashing partner who would whisk her away. Her parents didn’t mind this dream since it suggested that she was as “normal” as a little girl could be. Eventually, Y/N’s mother put her in dance classes so that she could learn how to be graceful and dance with real people. Y/N fell in love with dancing since it gave her a way to express herself without speaking. Y/N was one of the sweetest people ever, but she was so shy and nervous, and I didn’t get it. Once she got comfortable, she actually had some things to say and a decent sense of humor. What she rarely let anyone know was she still dreamed of finding her prince, even though East Highland was overrun with frogs. In middle school, Y/N focused on studying and dancing while everyone else was practice dating (ie talking for a few hours on Facebook Messenger and avoiding eye contact in the hallway save a few nervous glances). She was hopeful that she would meet her prince in high school since that’s how it worked in the movies and what her older cousins had her believe. Y/N learned quickly that high was not like the movies and did not entertain herself with frivolous things, something Maddy called her out on at lunch one day.

“I’m right so don’t even try to fight me about it,” Maddy affirmed from across the table.

The cafeteria was busy and smelled of semi-fresh food and bubblegum. Y/N, Maddy, Cassie, BB, and Kat sat at their usual table. Y/N paused mid-bite into her cucumber sandwich and closed her mouth as soon as she realized it was hanging open.

“What?”

“You don’t do anything outside of school and dance team unless we drag you out and that needs to change,” Maddy insisted.

“I do other things,” Y/N said hesitantly.

“Yeah, like what? And it can’t be anything that you would use for college!”

Y/N racked her brain for a few moments. “Well, I watch movies and I read----”

“Fun things!” Maddy interrupted.

“Like gettin’ d-ck,” BB added.

Y/N’s face warmed up and she looked away from BB. “B, why’d you have to say it like that?”

“Well, at the end of the day, all that romance sh-t you’re into is just a pretty form of foreplay.”

“No, it’s not, they’re displays of affection and they’re beautiful. I know you all think romance is dead but I can’t and I don’t want to settle for that.” Y/N nodded her head in the direction of a table of guys who were concocting potions by mixing up the lunch of day with milk.

Cassie grabbed Y/N’s hand. “No one would expect you of all people to settle, but you haven’t dated anyone and there are some good guys in this town if not in this school. We just want to see you happy.”

Y/N could tell that Cassie was being sincere by the look in her eyes, all her friends were, but they also knew why Y/N behaved a certain way. The summer before eighth grade, Y/N saw the texts on her mom’s phone between her and a man that was not Y/N’s dad. It sickened her to her core, and she had no idea how to process it. Suddenly, her parents’ nightly arguments coupled with her mother’s late returns from nights out with “a friend” made more sense. She did not tell either of them that she knew and kept quiet about it. If she did not acknowledge it, she thought it would go away. She threw herself into dancing and studying, which did not raise any eyebrows. One night, Y/N, Maddy, Cassie, Lexi, and I went to the movies to see a Twilight movie. When she stepped out to get a popcorn refill, she saw her mother standing on the other side of the theater, smiling and flirting with a man who had to be in his seventies. Y/N managed to keep it together until we got back to Cassie and Lexie’s, where she broke down and told us everything. We hugged her and tried to calm her down, but there was nothing we could say that would repair her heart. Y/N’s mom officially stopped cheating when Y/N was fifteen but by then, the damage was already done. Her parents wanted to work on their marriage but neglected their child’s emotional and mental wellbeing since Y/N was so good and pretending she was fine. Her grades were excellent, she was the youngest co-captain of East Highland High’s dance team, and she stayed out of trouble. But if you really look at her, you can see the heartbreak in her big, coffee-colored eyes. Despite this, Y/N was convinced that there was a great guy out there for her, but she was extremely reluctant to date. She prayed that college would be better than high school and she would find the courage to date then.

“I love and appreciate your guys’ concern so much, but I am not about to give up my,” Y/N paused and glanced around the cafeteria before whispering, “virginity just to fit in, no offense.”

“Come on, Y/N, you may look and act all pure but you have to be dying to know what good d-ck feels like,” Maddy whined.

She had been, Y/N was human and not a total saint after all.

“I can wait, really.”

“So, have you just not been interested in any guys? I know plenty who are interested in you,” Cassie added.

“What?” Y/N was baffled by the loaded statement.

“Come on, Y/N, you know you’re hot,” Kat said.

“Your legs go up to your neck, Sis,” BB blurted as she nibbled on a Twizzler.

“Your face is basically perfectly symmetrical, it disgusts me,” Maddy said, emphasizing her statement with hand gestures.

Y/N chuckled nervously under the attention. “Thanks, guys.”

“But, is there anyone that interests you?”

Y/N glanced down at the tops of her metallic rose gold sandals. “No, not really.”

That was a total f-cking lie. Since fourth grade, Y/N harbored a crush on Nate that was fueled by when he shoved Caleb Parker after Caleb shoved Y/N during a game of tag in gym class. When Nate helped her stand on her feet, he was basically her knight in shining armor. Nate fit Y/N’s type perfectly: tall, dark hair, dark eyes, killer smile, and kind. Y/N never said anything, but anyone could tell just by observing the way she looked at him and the fact that she could never string together a decent sentence around him. This did not stop her from daydreaming about him and watching him from afar. She thought that maybe she could impress him with her dancing, and he would be forced to make a move. Y/N paid close attention to what Nate liked and disliked about girls, leading to religious mani-pedis and waxing. I tried to talk her out of it freshman year, but I can’t blame her for ignoring a junkie’s advice. When Maddy and Nate started dating, Y/N tried to cut off her attraction to Nate because she loved Maddy like a sister. She stopped pining after him but wished that she had a tenth of the confidence Maddy had.

“That’s it, we’re going to a party on Friday and you are going to meet a guy,” Maddy demanded.

“What?”

“Relax, you don’t have to sleep with him…unless you want to.” BB wiggled her eyebrows and Maddy, Cassie, and Kat burst into giggles.

“I think I can start off with kissing.”

“Have you even kissed a guy?” BB shot back.

“Yes, I have.”

In second grade, Travis Williams was double-dared to kiss Y/N on the playground. She knew that he wasn’t her prince charming since he produced too much saliva, and he was dared to do it. It gave her a weird complex about how attractive she was since no one really approached her. Sure, there were guys at parties but they just wanted something warm to slide into, not a real relationship.

After practice, Y/N and Maddy sat across from each other with their legs spread out, pulling each other back and forth to stretch.

“You really went in with this number, my legs are still killing me,” Maddy moaned as Y/N tugged her hands.

“Well, Alia wants to do something super impressive for homecoming; it’s not my fault she was so inspired by Homecoming.” Y/N relaxed her back while Maddy gently pulled Y/N’s arms towards her.

She relished in the stretch as her muscles released. Alia had tasked her with working on the homecoming choreography a month ago and the only requirement was it had to be set to Beyoncé’s “Diva/Everybody Mad” mix. It was tricky choreography, complete with acrobatics and lifts, but it would be entertaining.

“Well, we better do Beyonce well because she deserves nothing but the best.” Maddy’s expression dropped.

“What’s wrong?” Y/N turned and saw Nate heading towards them. He was so gorgeous even though he was in a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. His hair looked perfect for finger-combing and Y/N could just see his muscles flexing with every step he took.

Y/N could never relax around Nate, even though she tried everything----slowing her breathing, counting backwards from twenty, and imagining him with food poisoning since no one looks good with that. But nothing worked, nothing ever worked, and she was forced to do whatever she could think of in the moment.

“Hey, Y/N,” Nate greeted.

“Hi,” Y/N breathed.

“Maddy,” he looked at her and Maddy rolled her eyes.

“What?”

“Are you done stretching? I’m giving you a ride and we can’t be late, remember?”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter since I always take too f-cking long to get ready.”

Nate sighed. “Maddy, I didn’t mean it…”

“I can go,” Y/N volunteered meekly, suddenly very aware that she was still sweaty from practice and needed to shower.

“No, Y/N, stay,” Maddy said, “stay so you can hear the bullsh-t he comes up with.”

They argued for about five minutes, all of which Y/N used to make herself as small as possible. She knew they had a dysfunctional relationship and that was the last thing Y/N wanted, she’d seen how they worked. If the couple weren’t arguing with each other, they would rant about the other person to a friend. Maddy did it all the time, but she was nowhere near as bad as Y/N’s dad. Her dad spoke explicitly about Y/N’s mother’s activities when things were really bad. It was always late at night and Y/N was not always sleeping over at someone’s house. Her father would rant for hours and force Y/N to sit there and listen. Whenever she tried to ask him to stop, he would say, “Tell your mother to stop, she did this. I didn’t do anything!”. Y/N cried a lot more than she would let anyone know. She wanted so badly to be whisked away from East Highland, preferably by a tall, handsome prince who would take care of all of her worries. She would be comfortable around him and feel loved. After Maddy and Nate’s argument, Y/N was able to slip away and go home.

Y/N stepped out of a relaxing shower when she heard the low rumbling that started before every argument. The walls of her room felt closer than usual and she could easily run her hands over the lavender and white checked wallpaper. Everything felt so far away and she felt much smaller than five-foot-nine. Y/N slowly curled into a ball on her bed and shook as the rumbling grew higher.

“Please stop,” she whispered.

It persisted.

“Please, please stop,” she repeated.

Y/N kept repeating herself for so long that she did not know how long it took before her parents burst into her room. Her mother wrapped her up in arms and rocked her while her dad tried to get her to talk.

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“The fighting, it’s loud,” she whispered.

“Well, you can’t react like this every time we have an argument, Y/N. You’ll fall apart as an adult,” Mr. Y/L/N affirmed.

“Dinner is almost ready,” Mrs. Y/L/N said and kissed her forehead.

When they left the room, Y/N felt dejected and uninterested in food. Just as she was about to start lotioning, her phone dinged. It was Maddy.

Maddy: Football party’s on Friday. UR GOING.

It wasn’t a difficult decision for Y/N to make. Her parents gave her a generous curfew since Y/N wouldn’t go out every weekend. But her parents didn’t care how she felt so they shouldn’t care about what she did for once. And if they didn’t care, then why should she? It wasn’t like she going to engage in an orgy or something.

Y/N: You had me at football.

Scott Callahan’s giant house was filled with smoke and strobing lights on Friday night. People were dancing and drinking half-naked in his front lawn and inside was another kind of pandemonium. There was every kind of expensive alcohol one could imagine scattered throughout the house, marijuana, Percocet, molly, and cocaine. Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” was blasting through the surround-sound speakers and people were either dancing, grinding, or making out to it. Y/N arrived at the party with Jules and Rue. Hours prior, Y/N gave Jules free reign to do whatever she wanted with her makeup.

“Ugh, I have been waiting ever since we met for this moment. No, maybe even before then,” Jules said as she swiped silver glitter around Y/N’s eyes.

Cassie, Maddy, BB, and Kat already helped Y/N pick out an outfit a day before via Facetime: a shiny silver mini dress with platforms. Y/N had been nervous as Jules helped her do her makeup and put some waves in her shoulder-length dark hair. But the finished product made her look like a totally different person.

“Is that me?” Y/N had whispered as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Jules rest her chin on Y/N’s shoulder. “Yes, it is, the shinier version.”

“You look good, Y/N,” Rue complimented.

“Thanks, Rue. Are you sure you’re okay with me drinking tonight? I feel so weird and guilty.”

“Yes, it’s fine,” Rue had insisted. “I just got out of rehab and I don’t wanna go back.”

“And I don’t want you to, either,” Jules added.

Y/N agreed.

Y/N still felt weird about drinking around Rue once they arrived at the party, but Rue insisted that Y/N and Jules have fun. Several guys stared as Y/N walked past, but that could have been attributed to Jules’ neon green corset dress with matching hair or Rue’s tie-dye ensemble. When they reached the kitchen, they found Kat and BB doing tequila shots. Their eyes lit up at the trio.

“Finally, you’re here!” Kat hugged Rue, Jules, and Y/N.

“Did you miss us?” Jules teased.

“Little bit. You guys want a shot?”

“I’m DD-ing, or DR-ing since it’s a bike,” Rue said.

“Or DB-ing, for bicycling,” Y/N added.

BB poured Jules and Y/N shots and handed them over. They cheered before downing the alcohol. The tequila burned down Y/N’s throat and Y/N fought the urge to cough. She’d had alcohol before but she did not drink as often as her friends. Y/N immediately felt the liquid courage coursing through her as she slid her shot glass towards BB.

“Another one?” BB arched an eyebrow.

“Are you complaining?”

“Not at all, you look hot by the way.”

“Thanks.”

“I did her makeup,” Jules said.

Y/N laughed and continued drinking.

I watched as her third shot became her fifth, and then Jules made them both screwdrivers and she made them strong. I’d only seen Y/N drunk once and that was at freshman winter formal. Maddy convinced her that Gatorade and Everclear were a good mix. She was tripping over herself for most of the night, so there was no telling what she might do.

“Crap, I forgot to tell you, Maddy and Nate broke up again,” Kat said.

“Why?” Y/N asked.

“Stupid same old bullsh-t, probably,” Rue said.

“Where is Maddy, anyway?”

“Last I knew, she was outside with Cassie,” BB said.

Y/N finished her screwdriver. “Let’s go, then.”

Y/N was surprisingly agile as she weaved her way through the crowd and lead the way outside. Maddy and Cassie were easy to spot since they were standing by the lounge chairs and rolling their eyes at every guy who tried to talk to them.

“Maddy, Cassie!” Y/N announced.

They both looked up and smiled at her.

“Y/N, you look amazing,” Cassie said.

“Thanks, and you look great as per usual.”

“You’ve been drinking,” Cassie said.

Y/N nodded.

Cassie and Maddy greeted Rue, Jules, Kat, and BB.

“Hey, I’m sorry about Nate,” Y/N said.

“It’s fine, I don’t need him and I could get any guy here I want. Besides, it gives me the chance to focus more on getting you a guy,” Maddy said.

“Oh, Maddy, don’t worry about me.”

“No, that’s why we’re here. Now, let’s do some shots and scope!”

The shots were easy but finding a good guy was not. Y/N was officially drunk and giggled a lot whenever the guys Maddy or Cassie found spoke to her. Y/N would push the guys she didn’t like away, which was the majority of them.

“Alright, you rejected eight dudes, why?” Maddy asked over City Girls’ “Act Up”.

“Well, one had horrible halitsosissss and another kept talking about how he had never been with a black girl before.”

“Which one said the last thing?” Cassie asked.

Y/N shrugged and drank more beer. “Seriously, do not worry about me, guys, I’m fine, I just wanna have fun.”

“Yes, fun!” an equally inebriated Jules commented.

At that moment, Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” started playing and Jules and Y/N screamed in unison.

“I love this song!” Y/N exclaimed.

“Me too!” Jules said.

“Let’s dance!” Y/N turned to the rest of the girls and extended her hand. “You have to join us, it’s Lizzo, it’s basically law.”

“Yeah, basically law,” Jules echoed.

The others couldn’t argue, and they all moved to the dancefloor, which was really the living room. Jules twirled Rue around even though Rue was reluctant, and BB started grinding on some basketball player. Meanwhile, Maddy, Cassie, and Y/N alternated between shouting the lyrics and moving their hips to the beat.

Dance truly set Y/N free, but the song also helped. There was something about Lizzo’s voice and choice of beat that made Y/N want to dance and never stop. She would move her arms and hands and feel more fluid than water. For once, she wasn’t calculating each step and making sure she was on beat, she was simply reacting to the music.

Towards the end of the song, Y/N muttered that she was going outside to Cassie and slipped away from the circle. Y/N found herself enjoying the fresh air and giggled to herself when she saw a couple going to second base by the pool.

“Y/N, I didn’t think you was into watchin’ people,” Fez teased.

He was sitting on a beach chair in a corner a few yards away from the back door. He was wearing a navy, yellow, and red Coogi sweater with jeans. He was fully reclined in his chair and smoking a joint.

“You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Y/N shot back as she walked towards him.

She plopped down on the seat across from him and tried to steady herself.

“You good, Y/N?”

“Yeah, just drank a lot more than usual.” Y/N eyed Fez’s joint. “You know, in all this time I’ve known you, you’ve never offered me drugs.”

“No disrespect, I just didn’t think you’d be into it, didn’t seem like the type.”

“Oh yeah? Then what do I seem like?” Y/N leaned towards Fez and arched her back a little.

Fez blew some smoke away from Y/N and tried not to stare at her. “You…you look like the type to stay away from this stuff and even me.”

Y/N laughed and shooed the thought away. “How could I stay away from you, Fez? You have the best snacks at the gas station. Plus, I like talking to you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you have an interesting but simple way of looking at things.”

Fez looked as though he was thinking for a long moment as he smoked his joint. “I knew I liked you for a reason. You act all quiet and nervous usually but you got a lot to say and say it in a good way.” He extended the joint towards Y/N. “Be careful.”

Y/N focused as hard as she could to grab the joint with two fingers. She’d only smoked once with Rue and Rue was the one to drag her over to Fezco to get the weed. Y/N remembered coughing a lot, but she knew how to avoid that. She took two long drags before handing the joint back to Fez.

“Thanks, Fez. We should talk more later.”

“Sure, if you feelin’ up to it. I’m here all night.”

Y/N stumbled back into the house, her full intentions to find her friends. Then, she heard the beginning strains of Kanye West’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and she smiled to herself. She started spinning around in time to the music, twisting her arms up and down as she did. Her hips began to sway gently to the rhythm. She ran her hands through her hair and exhaled.

Y/N was lost again and wrapped up in the beat. She usually did not drop low outside of the comfort of her bedroom, but the alcohol mixed with the weed mixed with the great music made her think differently. She was free and everyone else around her was free. There was nothing to worry about and she could let go of her inhibitions. It didn’t matter that none of the guys at the party were her type nor really interested her, she was having too much fun. But little did Y/N know that someone had their eye on her since she started dancing to “Truth Hurts”.

Y/N felt someone push up against her from behind, followed by hands slink around her hips. Her eyes fluttered open and she covered the large hands with her own. “Sorry, I don’t----" She stopped when she made eye contact with Nate. “I’m high,” she muttered.

“I don’t know about that, but you’ve definitely been drinking.”

Y/N tried to ignore the way his gravelly voice made her stomach drop to her heels or how she felt like everything was throbbing. She shook her head and backed away from him. “I can’t…you just broke up with Maddy.”

“Y/N, please don’t.” Nate looked worried as he took cautious steps towards her.

Unbeknownst to Y/N, and everyone else, Nate had a fascination with her that bordered on obsession. He noticed her in fourth grade and how much she got excited about reading and history lessons. Even then, Nate thought Y/N was innocent and so quiet. He was curious about her but never really approached her until that day in gym. That day was a godsend so that he could show off how strong he was and get her to talk. All he got was a “Thanks” and “I’m okay”. Nate was disappointed, but he didn’t stop looking out for her. He made sure none of the football players went after her, which McKay appreciated but he thought Nate was doing it as a friend. No, Nate was doing it because he knew that football players were animals and Y/N was high above them. Maddy was too but Maddy was different .She was so much more confident and bold than Y/N was, and she was a virgin when Nate asked her out. But Maddy liked to fight with him and test him and Y/N wouldn’t do that----she was too sweet and would most likely want to resolve everything as quickly as possible. So, she was unofficially his and Y/N had no idea.

Y/N kept shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t do this, Maddy’s like a sister to me.”

“Y/N, breathe, please.” Nate took another step and when Y/N didn’t move, he got close enough to grab her forearms and rub them soothingly. “You’re allowed to dance with me, all we did was dance.”

“That was not dancing, I’m a dancer, I would know.” Y/N tilted her head back to will the tears away.

“You look beautiful, seriously. Don’t cry.” He tried to touch her face, but Y/N backed away.

“Thank you, but I think we should stop talking.”

“You always look beautiful, especially when your hair is down, it frames your face nicely.” He brushed some hair off her shoulder.

“Nate, stop.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“I know you’re doing this to make Maddy jealous, it’s what you always do, it’s the same game!” Y/N cried, but it was masked by the music. “I’m…I’m not going to be your pawn in this weird game, Nate. I deserve better than that.”

Nate reached out and cupped the side of her face in one hand. “Oh, Y/N, you would never be a pawn and I’m not playing with you. Maddy’s not gonna care if you dance with me, she’s not even here.”

Y/N glanced around the room and didn’t see Maddy anywhere. She suddenly got a sinking feeling and looked back at Nate. “I’m just not comfortable with doing anything with you, she’s my friend.”

“And I would never want to ruin that and I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable; I just wanted a chance to dance with the prettiest girl at the party.”

Y/N snapped her eyes to him. “You think I’m the prettiest girl here?”

Nate nodded. “But if you don’t want to dance with me…”

“Fine, one dance.” Y/N held up her pointer finger for emphasis. “And we’re done.”

“Deal.”

“Good.”

The song changed to “One Dance” and Y/N was stiff for a moment. She never really did partner dancing and was lost. Nate sensed this, grabbed one of her hands, and spun her around. She laughed and swiveled her hips to the beat. Nate continued twirling her around and watched Y/N move to the music. When he spun her out again, Nate pulled her back in and held her close. Y/N did everything in her power to fight to gnawing desire to melt into his embrace. He felt so strong and protective. Y/N stared at the collar of his t-shirt to avoid eye contact and kept her hands on his chest.

“This isn’t fair,” she whispered.

“What isn’t fair?” “I’ve had a crush on you since elementary school and the time you decide you want me, it’s just after your break up with one of my best friends.” Y/N buried her head in her hands. “I’m such a bad friend, I should go.”

Nate held her there and stared her down. “Go and do what?”

“Um, find my friends.”

“And then what?”

“Dance?”

“Just like you’re dancing with me?”

“No, not this close and you know that.” Y/N stepped back. “We should stop.”

“But, you said you’ve liked me for a long time.”

“I did, but I want to be a good friend. I’m sorry, Nate.”

Y/N really didn’t want to, but she pulled away from Nate. She couldn’t believe she’d spent a whole song dancing so close with her friend’s ex. Maddy would kill her if she found out. Maybe if Y/N told her first, things would not be as bad.

“If we can’t dance, can we at least talk?”

Y/N hesitated but nodded slowly.

Nate grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. A few coked out people and couples pushed past them and Y/N felt more and more nervous. They found an empty bedroom and Nate closed the door behind them. The room was dark and Y/N found a light.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” she made herself comfortable on the bed.

Nate sat next to her and clasped his hands together. “Things with Maddy and me have always been f-ckin’ crazy and they will always be. She always wants to fight when there shouldn’t be a fight.”

“If you wanted to complain to someone about your ex, you could have found someone who wasn’t her friend.”

“Stop, what I’m saying is I don’t like it, it’s exhausting, and…and we bring out the worst in each other. But you, I don’t think you would do that to me.” He glanced down at Y/N’s hands. “You’re kind and you want the best for everyone.”

“I try.”

“You would never want to hurt anyone on purpose and you listen, you really listen, and I feel like I could tell you anything.”

Y/N nodded.

“The truth is, I’ve liked you since fourth grade too, but I never asked you out because you seemed disinterested.”

“How’d you get that?”

“Whenever I tried to talk to you, you wouldn’t talk and I thought that meant you didn’t like me. So, I started going out with Maddy because she was clear about that, but now, I think we could be something.”

“Just like that? But what about my friends? Maddy and I have the same friends and I don’t want to hurt Maddy.”

“You can make new friends and you’ll have me.” Nate leaned closer to Y/N. “C’mon, Y/N, you know you want this. You’re always thinking of other people, be selfish for once.”

In that strange bedroom, with the guy she had been crushing on for so long begging her to do something to him, Y/N was at an impasse. She loved Maddy like a sister and didn’t want to divide the group, but Nate was making so many good points. The only reason she did well in school was to please her parents and the only reason she would go out was to please her friends. She didn’t do anything to please herself and this was her chance.

Nate leaned closer to Y/N and looked up at her for confirmation. Y/N closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of Nate’s lips against hers. They were slightly chapped but he knew how to use them, applying pressure in the right places at the right times. His hands went to her waist and Y/N wrapped hers around his neck. He slid her into his lap and Y/N gasped.

“Did I scare you?” he whispered.

“A little,” Y/N murmured.

He rubbed her sides and kept kissing her, adding tongue. Y/N shyly tapped her tongue against his and he smirked into it. He rolled his hips underneath her and Y/N gasped at the shocking feeling, pulling away.

“Does it feel good?”

Y/N nodded.

“Say it.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, it feels good.”

Nate nipped at her neck and Y/N moaned out, grinding down on him. Nate’s hands tensed around her hips. “You’re so hot,” he whispered in her ear.

Y/N laughed.

“Seriously, I’ve thought about what this would be like, what we would be like.”

“And?”

“And, so far, it’s better than I thought.” He kissed down to her collarbone and palmed her chest. “I’ve thought about these.” “Really? But they’re so small.”

“No, they’re just right.” He bit the base of her neck and Y/N hissed. “I’ve also thought about your legs, how they distract me during practice when you guys are outside. They’re so soft but firm.”

Nate kissed her again and pinned her on the bed. Y/N gasped as she felt one of Nate’s hands trail up her dress. Her mind was jumbled up and she didn’t know what to think. Everything he did felt so good, he knew just where to kiss and nip. He looked at her with full-blown lust in his eyes. Maybe Y/N had finally found the prince she’d been waiting for, but he was always there.

Then, his hand went a little too high. She squirmed and shook her head.

“Nate, that’s a little too much.”

“What?”

“I said it’s a little too much,” she repeated louder.

“I thought you liked it, don’t you want this? Isn’t this what you’ve always thought about?” Nate tangled his hand in her underwear.

“Nate, stop, I don’t want to do this.”

“You weren’t acting that way earlier.”

“Nate, please, stop.”

“You don’t want me to stop.”

“Yes, I do, please!”

Y/N tried to push him away but Nate pinned her down. He rolled his hips into hers and Y/N turned away, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Do you feel how much I want you? I’d do just about anything to have you.”

“Nate, stop!”

“Shut up!” Nate growled.

One of his hands let go of her wrist and wrapped around her neck. He had a death grip on her neck and Y/N started gasping for air.

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t want this? Like you weren’t dancing on me, begging for it? You were jealous that Maddy got me whenever she wanted. You wanted me all for yourself just like I want you.”

Y/N wanted to scream at him, tell him he was wrong about everything, but was he? When Maddy talked about sex with him, Y/N would feel pangs of guilt and jealousy for wanting to trade places with her. Most of all, she wanted Nate to get off her. She wanted Nate to leave her alone forever. When she looked at him, the sweet fourth grade boy was gone and replaced by a full grown monster. Why was she getting monsters when she wanted princes? What did she do to deserve this?

Nate unzipped his jeans and tears kept flowing down Y/N’s face, ruining Jules’ masterpiece. He kept his eyes trained on her and Y/N was losing oxygen, she couldn’t think to move any of her muscles. Just as he was about to push in her, someone banged on the door.

“Occupied!” Nate yelled over his shoulder.

“Whatever.”

Nate turned back and looked down at Y/N, shaking and crying. He leaned down and whispered, “Don’t make a sound.” He released his grasp on her neck and pinned her wrists again. Y/N’s throat felt numb and she couldn’t do anything. She inhaled through her nose and before Nate could thrust, she took gathered all her strength to knee him. Nate groaned and rolled onto his side, releasing her wrists. Y/N scrambled to her feet, unlocked the door, and ran outside. People in the hallway looked at her bewildered. Y/N nearly fell down the stairs and ran into Rue.

“Y/N, what happened?” she asked.

Y/N gasped for a moment before burying her face in Rue’s shoulder and crying, full-on, heaving, shoulder-shaking crying. Rue held her close and ran her hands through her hair. “Nate,” was the only word she managed to get out.

Before Rue could only see Red, Fez approached them. “Hey, I’m about to head out if you wanted a ride. What’s up?”

“I think Nate tried to do something to Y/N,” Rue whispered. “Y/N, could you look at me?”

Y/N straightened up and Rue and Fezco saw the handprints around her neck. Both of their expressions hardened.

“Where’s Maddy, Cassie, and Jules?” Rue asked.

“Right here,” Maddy said as they approached. Her eyes widened at Y/N. “Y/N, what the f-ck happened?”

Y/N swallowed but winced at the feeling. “Nate tried to rape me,” she rasped out.

In an instant, Fez and Rue handed Y/N over to Cassie, Maddy, and Jules. Y/N collapsed in their arms and continued crying.

“Honey, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay,” Cassie said.

“Breathe, Y/N, you need to breathe,” Jules muttered.

“I’m so sorry, Maddy, I’m so sorry,” Y/N said.

“No, don’t apologize,” Maddy insisted, stroking Y/N’s hair.

They cleared a couch for Y/N to rest and they continued trying to comfort her. A few seconds later, Nate came tumbling down the stairs, with Rue and Fezco on his heels. Rue was cursing at him while Fezco laid more punches on him. Nate’s face was already bruised and scratched up.

“It’s not my fault!” Nate spat out. “I told you, she came onto me, she’s been in love with me since fourth grade, she wanted this! Maddy, Y/N’s a bad friend, that’s not my fault.”

“Don’t even talk to me right now or I swear, Rue and Fezco will have to keep me from killing you,” Maddy hissed.

“I’m a bad friend,” Y/N whimpered.

“No, you’re not,” Maddy, Cassie, and Jules said.

“I liked him a lot, even when you dated, I liked him and then he…he came onto me, maybe I deserved it.”

“Y/N, no one deserves to get raped, no one, you did not ask for this,” Jules assured her.

Y/N turned to lay face up. “Why does everything hurt so much? I just wanted someone to like me since loving me is asking for too much.”

“No, it’s not,” Cassie hushed.

“And we love you,” Maddy said.

“I love you the most,” Jules said.

Y/N smiled slightly. “But you know what I mean.”

Y/N loved her friends and appreciated their love, but she wanted the fairytale. She’d convinced herself that maybe she would get some idea of that with Nate but she was so wrong. She wanted the dream and got a nightmare. It was a terrible f-cking way to learn how real life works, but it had to happen. Besides, we’re in high school and the love Y/N truly wanted was impossible to find in high school, especially East Highland. Y/N ended up pressing charges on Nate and that encouraged Maddy to open up about stuff he’d done to her during their relationship. Everything is different with Y/N now, I can see it in her eyes, they aren’t as bright as they used to be. Before the stuff with her mom, they would shimmer and after that, some glints remained. Now, it was like looking in a dark hole and I could guess what she was feeling since I’ve been in that place too----in fact, I’m still in it. I think the saddest part is she always had so much optimism and now it’s gone before she’s twenty and I don’t think she’ll get it back.

#euphoria imagine #angst imagine

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chaosmechanica · 5 years

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From Mortal Kombat Community.

After the recent Mortal Kombat 11 reveal, I was excited. I was giddy. Giddy in a way I’ve never been before for a Mortal Kombat game.

It looks great (and gory, if that’s your thing). Fan-favorite characters are returning. Even fan-favorite versions of each character are returning thanks to a time travel subplot. While in combat (sorry, kombat), I’m not the most diehard Mortal Kombat player, I absolutely love the lore and worldbuilding. I know a game about soldiers, ninjas and monsters fighting in a tournament isn’t the most unique story when it comes to fighting games. However, the story mode of the last two iterations (along with the Injustice games) were some of the highest quality productions in the genre. Time was spent crafting this universe. The interactions are fun, the movesets have become amazingly animated, and the characters have the most flair they’ve ever had.

But most of all I love the updated looks of the characters. While some like Scorpion have had several iterations that are iconic and memorable, some characters have fit more into the “meh” category over the years.

Notably, the character that stood out the most was Skarlet. Her costume has changed so much from her first appearance that she’s literally unrecognizable. She’s gone from a bland, sexy bikini ninja into a character with a very distinct look, even among the Mortal Kombat roster. She’s one more kunoichi that is getting the (excuse me) makeover she deserves. Here’s what caught my attention so much,.

Skarlet’s Origin

Skarlet was originally nothing more than a wink and a nudge to fans. It’s probably why her storyline was flat.

She was first “conceived” as a rumored secret character way back when in Mortal Kombat II. The rumor was false, but the idea of a red female ninja lingered on for years. Nearly twenty years, in fact. By 2011, NetherRealm Studios made her real, through DLC. And what we got was…more of the same.

Some may think this obvious criticism is the result of prudishness. However, it’s far from it.

Sexiness is not a character design sin. Modesty is not needed for character depth. A woman can show skin and shouldn’t be shamed or denigrated for it. This is a given that everyone can agree on.

The problem goes much deeper:

It’s uninspired.

This costume was yet another copy and paste moment for the designers: take the most basic kunoichi design and re-color it. What we have fans have seen for years. It happened with each male ninja. And it took years to make them unique. Unfortunately for Skarlet, not unlike her “sisters” Kitana, Mileena and Jade, her design meant getting what some on the internet call the “ninja stripper” design.

The Problem With Mortal Kombat’s Female Ninja Designs

Again, being “revealing” doesn’t mean being “ratchet,” “slutty,” or “smutty.” But having been a fan of the series since its inception, it’s easy to see the diminishing creativity for female ninjas as the series continued. This can be seen in the DeviantArt profile of artist OperatingTheTan. The artist’s “The Evolution of Mileena” piece emphasizes this well:

While there are some key, signature components of Mileena’s costume (chiefly, her veil-like mask), there’s not much else. Jade and Kitana don’t fare much better. They have nearly identical design choices that don’t take into account their personalities and history. There’s very little personality outside of each character’s weapons.

Outside of the very simple blood red motif, it’d be hard to tell anything about Skarlet’s character. One would have no idea that she was made to be Shao Kahn’s most dangerous and loyal assassin. Or that she is a sentient collective of blood. That Kahn made her from the bloodshed of battles. And that she considers herself as much as a daughter to Kahn as Kitana and Mileena.

Giving Purpose to “Sexiness” In Mortal Kombat

There’s also no use of sexiness as a weapon in the games. No deceptive uses. Most of the battles stem from very direct and overt confrontations. Despite the abundance of ninjas in the series, they rarely sneak up on their enemies. If Kitana, Mileena, Jade or Skarlet used their sexuality to attempt assassinations, their costumes would make sense. But this is rarely, if ever, the case.

Additionally, one could argue that perhaps women from Outerworld are just very liberal. Other females in the series are more modestly covered and generally more uniquely drawn. This is especially true of Earthrealm heroes like mainstay Sonya Blade, newcomers Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs, and forgotten characters like Kira. This makes sense and doesn’t assume the worse: that it was just easier to sell games with attractive, scantily clad, exotic ninja women. Maybe it was a purposeful design choice.

The truth may lie somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, everyone can agree the previous designs were spartan and bland. But this debate is what makes Mortal Kombat 11’s Skarlet such a standout.

The New Skarlet

The new Skarlet has a costume with personality to spare.

There were two main looks revealed during NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 11 reveal. The first is one not dissimilar to an alchemist crossed with a desert wanderer. One whom carries a variety of blood vials to manipulate and shape:

The second look is more like a fantasy mage ripped out of a modern RPG:

Immediately, Skarlet’s new look is leagues beyond her previous appearances. Her costumes are beautifully detailed and draw attention. They evoke ideas from other mediums. Additionally, her face has personality. There is fortitude in her gaze. Disgust and determination. Perverse pleasure in ripping her foes up the middle with her blade. Disdain.

This is what we need for the other female ninjas.

Jade has had both a bellydancer look and stripper pole animations, so she hasn’t really evolved yet. Mortal Kombat X gave Mileena a far more conservative look, but it didn’t feel unique to her. In that game she was an older and more seasoned warrior, but I missed her rabid unpredictability. Both characters are on different ends of the spectrum.

Arguably, Kitana has fared the best of the three. She’s had plenty of memorable costumes, especially in 2011’s Mortal Kombat (also known as MK9) and the recent Mortal Kombat X. This shows that the design team has been trying to define these characters with more unique traits, which will hopefully continue to standout in future iterations.

Final Word

Admittedly, Skarlet’s new costume could be considered a failure. It doesn’t truly represent her. One could argue that Skarlet’s Mortal Kombat X comic costume is more fitting (pun intended):

It shows everything she is meant to be. A deadly assassin, using deadly weapons. Weapons that draw blood and allow her to use her abilities (hemomancy?). And she maintains a ninja look.

All of this is true. Unless Skarlet’s character has changed in ways that leads her away from that archetype.

We don’t know what Skarlet’s new costume means for her. Is it a new direction for the character? Does it represent new desires or needs? Who knows. But it does invoke a lot of questions. Questions that pique interest. I certainly want to know more about the character. I’m curious about her place in the story mode. I want to know why she looks down at everyone. I’m curious about what she carries in her pouches and vials. I want to know where she’s traveled. It makes me wonder where she’s going. These are signs of good design.

Here’s hoping we get more of the same of this. Not just from NetherRealm Studios, who have continued to push their own boundaries and evolve with each iteration. But from all of the developers who give us the same tired designs. Go further. It makes characters memorable. Try something radically different. Fans will get over their biases if they see genuine change. Adapt.

If NetherRealm Studios is any indication, you’ll see:

We might just like it.

For more on video games, check out concepts and ideas and games that deserve second changes.

Skarlet Is A Huge Step for Mortal Kombat’s Female Ninjas After the recent Mortal Kombat 11 reveal, I was excited. I was giddy. Giddy in a way I've never been before for a Mortal Kombat game.

#ed boon #jade #kitana #mileena #mk11 #Mortal Kombat #netherrealm studios #skarlet #warner bros #wb games

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chocobrosadventures-blog · 7 years

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A Sky Full of Stars - Chapter 1

I was really inspired by @nifwrites amazing soulmate AU in the last few days, enough to try myself at my own multi-chapter fic even if it scare the shit out of me. I still have lot to write and add to be able to really flesh out my OCs and their relationships, but consider Ch.1 as an introduction. This was not proof-readed whatsoever and english is not my first language, but I hope you can still appreciate it even if it’s probably packed with mistakes. I’d be glad to get any feedback on this so you can fill my askbox as much as you want! Heads up, this is gonna be fluffy as hell and I plan to extend this story up until the end - and maybe after - the end of the game. For all the sweet Gladio fans out there, this is for you <3

Update 24/05: Reuploading here from my other blog. I also took the opportunity to proof-read it again and changing a couple of things, adding more details and descriptions and I definitely feel more satisfied with it now.

CHAPTER 1 | Word count: 2163

Insomnia was always calm in the morning, at least, in Cassiopeia’s part of town. She was always waking up early, drinking her usual coffee on the balcony of her apartment, in nothing but an oversized t-shirt and some shorts, enjoying the warm breeze on her skin. Inside, she could hear the sound of the shower running, her cousin, Altair, preparing himself to go to work, just like her. He was a couple of years older than her, just turning 25, dedicated to his kingdom and its Kingdom working for an elite group of soldiers known as the Kingsglaive. When she decided to leave her family home in Lestallum to study literature in the grand Insomnia, he welcomed her with opened arms, grateful to be able to spend more time with her as they grew apart after tragedy hit both their families.

As she sipped down the last few drops of coffee from her cup, she went back inside to finally put some clothes on, hearing her cousin, calling for her. “Cassie, am I still dropping you at work today?”

“Shit”, she thought to herself cursed under her breath. She was totally running late, having enjoyed the morning sun a little bit too much. She ran out of her room with her uniform in her hands, dashing to the bathroom to get herself somewhat ready and presentable for the rest of the day. Looking at herself in the mirror, she stuck out her tongue, furrowing her brows in a sign of annoyance. Her hair was a mess of platinum curls, glowing in the light like it was silver, that she braided rapidly. She put a bit of mascara on her lashes, making her sky-blue eyes pop a little bit more and some pearls earrings. Her fingers gently took her mother’s bracelet, a magnificent jewel made of rose gold, that she used to wear every day since she left home. The piece of jewelry was brushing against the tattoo that was ornamenting her wrist; her soulmark.

Her mother used to tell her about those special marks, about how everyone, somewhere, has a tattoo that matches another and how the two individuals sharing them have a special bond that cannot be broken. She had hers for as long as she could remember. She knew her cousin had one too, even if he never showed it to her. Hers was an intricate and beautiful design of flowers with two letters, which she could only assume were the initials of her said soulmate. “G. A.”

The tip of her fingers brushed the petals of the flowers; her mark hasn’t always been like that. It was growing every year, starting as a little bud when she was younger, until it evolved in this beautiful bouquet. Who was G.A? That was still a question she didn’t have the answer to.

“Cassiopeia, for Gods’ sake, I’m leaving without you!” “Sorry Altair… I got lost in my thoughts” the little blonde admitted, running out of the bathroom. She grabbed a book that was resting on the dining room’s table and put it in her purse, closing it and finally ready to go. “Daydreaming again, huh? Come on, you can daydream all you want while you’re actually in the car.” Cassiopeia gave him an embarrassed smile as he opened the door, following him closely outside their home and into his car. Since she moved in, he insisted to drive her to school or to work every morning, making her discover the streets of Insomnia at the same time. Now that it was summer, she was working full time in a cute little book café in the neighborhood. The place was cute and cozy and she loved that it was offering a complete library of books to their customers to read while they were enjoying their coffee. She actually enjoyed what she was doing, but sometimes, she wished for so much more than this kind of routine.

Gladiolus headed out to the training room, after another hard day trying to convince the prince to get out of his usual laziness and try to get somewhat involved in his training. “Are you also having problems with him, Iggy? Please tell me I’m not the only one he’s giving a hard time to.”

The tall man besides him chuckled, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I’m afraid our prince is going through a rebellious phase.” He answered, earning a groan for his companion. Being the King’s Shield, it was Gladio’s duty to protect the future King, Noctis Lucis Caelum, but also to make sure he was perfectly able to defend himself if needed. Like his father before him, Gladio was tasked to train the young prince and he always took pride in his duty, maybe a little too much. He used to despise his protégé, but grew found of him over the years. He was happy to consider him one of his best friend now, but, Six be blessed, sometimes he found himself frustrated by the attitude more than anything else. He was soon going to be 20 and had to be ready to take his father’s place. With the help of Noctis’ advisor, Ignis, it was their task to make sure he was all ready to take upon the throne.

“I have to drop by Noctis’ apartment after school to hand in the reports from today’s meeting. I’ll probably stay to prepare diner and Prompto’s gonna drop by to play video games. I suppose you’ll join us later?” Ignis asked, as he was heading towards the throne room to meet with King Regis.

Gladio stopped and checked the time on his phone, shrugging as he noticed how early it was. “Yeah, I’ll get there by the end of the afternoon. Got some training on my own to do, but nothing else planned. I’ll see you later I guess.” Ignis gave him a nod as they parted to go their own separate ways. After a difficult morning like this one, he was in dire need of a good jog to get those negative vibes off.

The owner of the café where Cassie was working was a good friend of her mother and she was able to get a job pretty easily. With her extensive knowledge of books of all sorts, she was an amazing asset to the place as she was able to talk and advise customers on her favorite reads. The place was fairly new, but it was already packed with faithful customers. The library of the café was growing everyday with donations and a little budget they could use every month to order new books. As her cousin finally dropped her off in front of the Café, she waved him goodbye, knowing he’d be home late in the evening.

Heading inside the café, a tall redhead girl greeted her with a big smile. Nova was already working there when Cassie was hired. The two girls soon became best friends and were basically each other’s half. While Cassie was more introverted and calm, Nova had a bubbly personality that made her so lovable. The blonde girl was still surprised at how fast she grew close to her, as she always had a little bit of trouble making friends because of how shy she was. It was even worse now that she was in Insomnia, the big city making it really difficult for her to have an active social life outside of hanging out with her cousin. She was grateful for Nova as she was pushing her out of her comfort zone in terms of socializing. Customers loved to come by just to see her and talk with her as she was preparing their coffee. Nova was a much better barista than her and even proposed herself to give her some lessons when there was no one at work.

Like pretty much everyday, Cassie started the book inventory. Every morning, she had to go through all the donations they were given in the last few days and find a place for them on the shelves of the café. It was her favorite part of her job, as she was able to go through all the new books they got during the last few days and create sections for her favorite authors and genres. She was looking at them, one by one, reading their content and entering the data about their authors and their category in the computer. Hours were always flying by when she was doing that and she couldn’t wait to finish her day so she could actually try to read them herself before making them available to the public.

It was almost 3 P.M. when Nova called her to get some help. A big line of customers was forming and her best friend wasn’t able to handle the cash at the same time as preparing all the coffees. Putting her apron over her uniform, consisting of a blue and white stripe shirt and a black skirt with thigh-high socks, she started greeting customers at the counter with a delicate smile.

Panting from a long run, Gladio stopped to look at the time on his phone. 3:15 P.M. It was almost time for him to head out to Noct’s like he told Ignis earlier. The sun was hot and he couldn’t bear the sensation of the heat anymore. Walking a bit down the street, he noticed a cute little book café on the corner. The building had always been there, but even if his run was always leading him here, he never noticed this place before today. As he walked by, he couldn’t help but stop in front, as if something was pushing him to go inside. Was it the fact that he could really use a new book to enjoy? Or the sign at the front door announcing their new 100% fruit smoothies? Or some moment inside to enjoy the AC before heading outside again in the stifling heat of the day? Before he could even answer his own questions, his feet drove him right inside the café..

A young woman greeted him and his gaze went down to look at her, answering with a smile, without really paying attention. “How may I help you?” she asked, probably seeing the confused look in his face. Gladio snapped out of his thoughts, answering the employee.

“Hi, sorry! Hum, this is the first time I come here actually. I’ll take a large smoothie and uh, are all the books here available to read?” The young woman started to laugh and the sounds resonated like music to his ears. He took the time to actually look at her, captivated. She had a soft face, illuminated by big pale-blue eyes and framed by hair so bright they almost looked silver in the sunlight.

“Alright, a large smoothie and… yes! All the books here are available for our customers to enjoy. Our library is growing everyday as we accept donations and buy new ones weekly. You can take some time to look at them while we’re preparing your order if you’d like!” Gladio couldn’t stop looking at her while she was explaining him how their little shop was working, captivated by her eyes and the sweet sound of her voice. It took her 5 minutes to walk away and come back with a large smoothie in her hand, handing it to him.

“There you go! Hope you have a good day and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me!” His gaze descended on her hands, in which she was holding his drink. He reached out to take it, his eyes stopping on a strange mark on her wrist. He could see the tattoo very clearly as it was embracing the font of her hands with delicate flowers intertwining with vines. He recognized the flowers almost immediately, as they were the ones he was names after. Not realizing he was staring, two letters caught his attention: “G.A.”

Feeling the awkwardness settling by staring too long, Gladio just took his drink and smiled at the girl. “I’ll come back for sure when I have more time. Thank you, um…?”

The silver-haired girl look at him with a confused look, just before understanding his question. “Oh! Cassiopeia. But you can call me Cassie! See you soon, then!”

Cassiopeia.

The name resonated in his head as he stepped out of the café. Gladio stopped in front of the entrance door, still puzzled by the scene that just happened. A strange sensation took over him as he took off his bracelet, hiding his left wrist. Underneath his leather cuff, at the exact same place as the girl’s, was a mark. His soulmate mark, made up of a constellation he identified long ago and 2 letters: Cassiopeia, and “C.L.” It only took him one second to make the math in his head, feeling a rush of panic engulfing him. There was only two possibilities, one of them being an incredible coincidence.

#ffxv #ffxv fanfiction #soulmate au #ffxv soulmate au #gladiolus amicitia #gladio x oc #a sky full of stars #asfos

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