#we were doing mock trials and the teacher had to pull him off and walk him to the office IN HIS LITTLE JUDGE GOWN

[jojasimp]

Help oh my god we're doing mock trials in my government class and someone got an egg smacked into their head in a fight ?? Walked up said "You left this at my house." And smacked him ??? With ... an egg ???

[shurisneakers]

harmless (vii)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, existential crisis, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, lil bit of angst, clint barton being a lil shit

Word count: 3.4k

A/N: hey shoutout to @ugherik for suggesting a spin on the “A PLATYPUS!??!“ [perry puts his hat on] “PERRY THE PLATYPUS!???” thing. i used it in here, it’s a really small part and probably missable but i tried!! also i like the next chapter better than this one, i just wanted to put this here so it doesn’t seem abrupt <3333

here’s

my ko-fi

if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

Bucky can’t stop staring at the mirror.

He wishes it was for narcissistic purposes. He had enough reason for it to be. His age may be a hundred but he had the youthful exuberance of a very drained sixty year old.

But no, it wasn’t because of the steel cut jawline or thousand gigawatt smile.

After last week’s mini-spiral, he does what almost half the videos on TikTok warn him not to do.  

He got a haircut.

Everyone’s reaction stopped him from following it up with an ear piercing, but he can’t confidently say he didn’t at least consider it once. Maybe a neck tattoo. 

He pulls at a lock of hair. It’s not even longer than his finger.

What did he do-

“It’s just a haircut, man,” he says to no one in particular, almost like he’s trying to reassure himself.

He runs his hands through his hair. It takes lesser time than he was used to.

Steve had told him he looked good. But then again, Steve wore a fugly costume 90% of the time, what did he know?

Clint acknowledged it and didn’t outright call him ugly, which he supposed was a compliment. Wanda simply smiled at him.

“FRIDAY?” he reaches out.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?” comes the automated reply.

“How are you?” It took him some getting used to her, given that she was constantly listening to everything, and in general seemed to go against the universal idea of privacy. 

But his therapist told him he needed to form friendships. 

She didn’t mention it had to be human ones.

“As good as ever. Is there anything I can help you with?”

He wants to ask her what she thinks of his hair until he realises fashion advice from a faceless AI is a new low for him. Maybe ‘Do you think I should crawl into a pit and die?’ would be more appropriate. 

“Never mind,” he dismisses instead. “Any messages for today?”

“A reminder to buy a harder bed because you can’t keep sleeping on the floor.” Ah, that was on Sam’s recommendation three months ago, but he wasn’t going to stop any time soon. “And a text from a contact named Nuisance saying to meet them at the attached location in thirty minutes.”

“Where is the location?”

“The local sports centre.”

“Isn’t that closed today?” 

If he had to go out in public looking like this, maybe he could wear a cap and sunglasses and no one would recognise him. Unfortunately, as he was reminded several times before by anyone with an iota of common sense, it was a stupid disguise. 

Beanie it was, then. Bare minimum. 

“It is, yes.” Fewer citizens to worry about.

“Okay.” He hesitates in front of the mirror again, adjusting the hat on his head. “Thank you, FRIDAY.”

“You’re welcome, Sergeant.”

He stares at the little tuft of hair at the front that refused to stay down no matter how much he shoved it back.

“Come on, man,” he exhales in slight despair. “Whatever.”

____

The lock of the door leading to the pool is easy enough to pick. He can see how you got in without a hitch even though it was closed. 

The deck around the pool was absolutely drenched in water. No one was using it, there was no reason for water to splash out unless it was deliberately kept like this.

He catches sight of you easily, being that you’re the only two people there. You were standing at the end of the hall, head ducked as you scrolled through your phone.

The door closes behind him with a soft thud.

You don’t look up from your mobile when you start talking, “What do you think 6 year olds like?”

Because James Barnes, carbon dated to 1917 and therefore certified young person, would definitely know the answer to this question.

“I don’t know. Lego?”

“Just how much money do you think a teacher makes-”

You stopped mid-sentence, finally lifting your head to catch his eye. He stares back at you, steps faltering when you don’t move.

"Who are you?" you squinted.

What

"It's me," Bucky says, tugging off the dumb beanie and using it to gesture vaguely towards himself. Fuck, he shouldn’t have worn it, it was ridiculous anyway-

"You sound like him..." You narrow your eyes. “You don't look like him.”

Great

He rolls his eyes before putting on a mock scowl. Can't have Bucky Barnes without a sense of eternal disgruntlement.

"Oh hey, that is you." You grin. "You got a haircut."

“I did.” He suddenly feels the awkwardness increase. His fingers fidget with the beanie.

“Nice.” You nod in acknowledgement.

He wants to hit himself at the words that just spill out before he could think about it. “You hate it.”

“I never said that,” you snort. “And since when does my opinion matter?”

“It doesn’t.” But now he wants to know what you think since he didn’t trust anyone else to tell him honestly.

“Must cut down on time in the shower, huh?”

It did.

He shrugs. He shoves the beanie into his back pocket.

“Was it a crisis haircut?” How did you kno- “Are you going to get bangs next time?”

“Shut up,” he says lamely, a dull burn in his cheeks. 

“I know a place where you can get hair dye for cheap. Not technically FDA approved, but I think purple streaks are a good place to start-”

“What are we doing here?” he interrupts, sighing.

“Skinny dipping. Take off your shirt, Barnes.” 

“Funny,” he says dryly, eyeing your shoes when you straighten up.

Ice skates.

“Fine, pants then.” You don’t make any effort to move from your end so he does, walking closer to you. 

“What are those for?” He doesn’t hide the annoyance from his voice when he points at your feet.

“Oh, these?” You look down at them. “Yeah, I’m going to freeze the pool.”

That seems... mild compared to the shit show you wanted to do last time.

“For?” He halts where he is. 

“’M gonna take my friends ice skating.”

“Is that all?” He wants to make a comment about the fact that you have friends but bites it back.

“Today is just a trial run. Tomorrow I’m gonna go freeze the East River.” There it is.

“The East River is not your personal ice skating rink.”

“Not yet it isn’t.” You lift up a middle finger.

It was too early for you to flip him off, even by your standards.

He raises an eyebrow.

Your face scrunches in confusion. You follow his gaze to your finger. “Oh yeah, no, that’s a freeze ring.”

Only then he notices a ring around the finger. From where he was standing he could make out the blue stone that adorned it.

“Joy.” He rolls up the sleeves of his black bomber jacket. “Let’s get this done with, then.”

“No no, wait.” You hold up your hand and he complies, having nothing to lose anyway. You pull out your phone and press a few buttons before shoving it back into your bag and tossing it aside.

The soft sounds of a piano start playing from a boombox near the corner of the room. A child starts singing following a series of knocks.

His eyebrows furrow. “What the fuck is this?”

“The Frozen soundtrack.” You beam at him. “I thought it was fitting.”

He doesn’t know what that is and at this point, he’s too afraid to ask. He can vaguely make out the lyrics being about a snowman but he isn’t too concerned.

He takes one step forward. You immediately point your fist at the ground in front of him, forcing him to jump back when a blast hits right in front of his shoes. Suddenly he gets why the floor is covered in water.

It sounds like a series of cracks as the water starts freezing over, a layer of ice now separating him and you.  

"You ready?” The mischief was woven in your voice as the blasts continued throughout the deck, effectively turning the entire floor into ice.

Bucky takes a step tentatively forward. Not bad. He takes another. Okay.

The third one is when shit starts to hit the fan. His hands shoot out to hold onto his balance when his footing slips from beneath him.

His Nike sneakers aren’t used to snow. They’re used to well manicured lawns and pavement trips to Starbucks and marble floors of the compound. Not swimming pool decks covered in ice.

He can hear you singing in the distance and every time he looks up you’re a little further away, making sure every inch of space is frozen.

It takes him a while to get over the initial fear of breaking his skull and just move forward swiftly with short steps. A goddamn penguin is what he looked like.

“There you go, you’re getting it,” you chirp as you whiz past him. He reaches out to grab at you, only to miss by an inch. He staggers, arms flapping wildly to regain his stability.

He hears crackling beside him. He gets a second or two to watch ice crystals spread through the water before turning it completely solid. You step onto the now frozen pool, testing your weight with one leg before cautiously getting on.

A triumphant smile emerges on your face. “Awesome.”

He manages to press himself against the wall as a form of support. 

There is no point to this whole thing. He knows this. It’s been well over 6 weeks and there is genuinely no point to this.

He realises it again when he moves from side to side, body erupting into a waddle. 

Why is he doing this. He doesn’t get paid extra. He doesn’t get any kind of compensation. All he gets is more wisecracking geniuses, embarrassment and the mortifying ordeal of getting caught imitating a penguin.

The song changes to a woman singing about doing something for the first time, forcing him to pay attention to it. He hears something about ball room and balls and tunes right back out.

Bucky manages to find his way to the actual pool since that’s where you’re twirling around, opting to land on his mental arm in case things go wrong. He takes a sliding step forward, followed by another. Maybe he can do this. 

“If a 200 pound super soldier can stand on this, I suppose it’s strong enough,” you muse, watching him slip and slide as he tries to invent makeshift ice skating.

Unfortunately, his method doesn’t have any brakes, so while he’s too busy trying to move forward, there’s no way to actually stop. He finds this out very soon when he almost launches himself off the edge of the pool.

Something yanks him backwards and back onto the ice.  

“Honestly, this is utterly useless since you can’t really do anything but it’s the most fun I’ve had all week,” you admit when he goes sliding towards the middle, arms flailing.

“You had to pick fuckin’ ice of all things.” He thinks that maybe he’s getting a hang of this. He can definitely move faster than what he was doing like, 10 minutes ago. It’s not like you were going anywhere, anyway. 

“I like to keep things spicy.”

He stays where he is to glare at you. You mouth the words to the song, watching his every move whenever it interested you. 

Okay, change of plan; a temporary distraction till he figures out how to actually get the ring from you. He settles on skating towards the edge of the rink slowly, taking a step off, slipping almost immediately when his foot comes in contact with the deck. 

“Where are you going?” you yell over the music initially but immediately break into song when it ends in a crescendo.

He takes a knee, lifting his metal arm up before driving it into the ground. It shatters magnificently, leaving small shards of ice at his disposal. 

He picks up one of them, waiting for you to complete your dumb twirl. He takes aim, and-

“Ouch, what the fuck?” You stop your off key singing to rub your shoulder where the ice hit you.

He wordlessly picks up another piece to throw at you, hitting you squarely in the leg.

“Stop that!”

He may not be able to move as fast but he can definitely throw. 

“Give me the ring,” he commands, stretching his arm behind his back before releasing another piece to hit your forearm. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” There’s nowhere you can skate to avoid his stupidly good marksmanship. 

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” He shrugs, breaking another patch of ice to replenish his ammo. “Hand over the ring.”

“Over my dead body,” you shriek when a particularly big piece lands next to your feet. You knew he missed that shot on purpose.

“I feel like I’m finally acting my age,” he says casually, finding your darting about in order to avoid him more fun than he initially thought. “Can’t throw pebbles at meddling kids so this is the next best option. Thanks.” 

“If you acted your age you’d be in a casket, Barnes,” you hissed, finding that skating in zig zags helped your cause, but not by much. “I’d be- you bitch- I’d be more than happy to help you get there.”

You raise your arm, ready to send another blast to freeze the water that was starting to melt around him, hopefully, keep him where he was if it froze around him. 

He flinches. You notice immediately, hand dropping slightly when you realise what it looked like.

“I’m not gonna freeze you,” you say, softer than you intended. From what you knew, he had enough and more experience with that and you weren’t going to contribute to it. 

He swallows thickly, giving himself a little shake of his head as if to jolt him out of his train of thought. 

Another piece of ice hits you in the leg. You let out a string of curses at him.

“The more ice you make, the more I have to throw at you, Y/N.” He waits for you to regain your balance when you nearly take a stumble. 

“Shut up, you’re so immature.”

“Remind me whose plan this was again?” No point waiting for you to regain your balance when you fall over only a few seconds later. 

He gathers a few shards in his beanie, tucking it into his belt like a little makeshift rucksack just in case before venturing out on the main rink again. 

It’s more difficult for you to stand without railings to guide you, giving him enough and more time to make his way towards you, staggering and skidding. 

Both of you looked ridiculous. 

“Stay away, fiend.” 

“Ring first.” He holds his hand out in front of you. He even considered pulling you up if you just made things easier.

Next thing he knows he’s on his ass on the ice beside you. 

“I hate you,” he groans, watching as you inch away from him on your knees.

He doesn’t really have any other options so he shoves aside the humiliation and gets on his knees, using his arms to drag him along the ice.

“For the love of Christ, none of us are winning here. Just give me the ring.”

The bitch from the soundtrack sings about letting it go but he won’t. 

“Never,” you shout, sliding away from him as fast as possible. 

You make use of the fact that the top layer of ice is starting to melt, using the ring to freeze it again. His knees and fingers get stuck as the water freezes over but he has super strength. It barely takes him a second to free himself. 

“Great,” he huffs, just settling down on the ice, ignoring the sting of cold that was spreading through his limbs. Running after you wasn’t going to work; he needed a way to get the ring. 

“You won last time, I’m not letting you win again.”

“Are we seriously keeping score?” He watches as you scramble towards the edge.

“No one likes a loser, Bucky.” You use the pool stair railings to pull yourself up.

“Explain why you have friends then.” He can’t help himself this time. 

“Hardy har har.” You roll your eyes. 

He doesn’t make an effort to move. Instead, when you take a step back into the rink, he raises his arm and pummels it into the ice, just to annoy you. 

The ground damn near shakes, pushing you dangerously towards losing your balance again. 

“Are you crazy?” Your arm shoots out in front of you to keep you from falling headfirst. 

“No.” He does it again. This time there’s a crack in the ice. “I’m just very tired.”

“If the ice breaks we’re both gonna be underwater, you moron!”

“Fine by me.” He shrugs. “Freeze it again. I’ll just find different ways to ruin it for you.”

You glare at him. He raises his arm above his head again.

“Fine! Fine, stop.” You eye him as he lowers his arm. 

He reaches for his stash of ice pieces from earlier, throwing one at your shoulder again.

“Boy, I swear if you don’t stop doing that-” you duck when another one comes at you. You had no idea he could be this annoying. 

It suddenly hits him, like a lightbulb going off in his brain. He wipes his hands off on his jacket, getting on all fours before slowly managing to pick himself up again. 

He looks at you, tilting his head slightly like he was studying you.

“What?” you ask suspiciously, eyeing as he starts inching closer towards you. “What are you thinking?”

It’s like watching a newborn deer stumble its way through the world, albeit more gracefully, until he starts picking up speed. The motherfucker was going to mow you down.

The skates are useful but not so much when an extremely determined bumbling oaf is barrelling towards you, his speed beginning to match yours even without equipment. 

You don’t know why you’re running, you don’t know why he’s chasing after you but when you see the end of the pool you take a sharp left only to have him knock right into you, sending you both sprawling.

You land half on top of him, breaking your fall but it doesn’t stop the very loud groan that escapes your mouth. He’s already in the process of sitting up straight, giving you less time to analyse what just happened.

“What the fuck was that for?” you speak through gritted teeth. “Fuckin’ acting like the both of us have free healthcare.”

“You refused to give up.”

“So your plan was to tackle me like a quarterback?” You threw your hands up.  

“One part of it.” He drags himself to the edge, away from you. 

“There's more to your monkey brained plan?” He doesn’t look at you. The ice around the pool has more or less melted, letting him gain proper footing on the floor before he stands up. 

“Oh, yeah.” He turns to you. “The other’s a trick I stole from Stark.”

Bucky holds up the ring. Your jaw slightly drops, eyes searching your finger for the now missing piece of tech. 

“Suppose that’s two points for me?” 

You’re impressed. You also want to stab him. So you do the next best thing.

“When I imagined you holding a ring in front of me, the circumstances were very different,” you comment.

“Bye, Y/N.” He spins on his heel, not even giving you a second’s worth of reaction. You found it amusing.

He heads towards the door, clothes all wet. He empties out melted ice water from his beanie before stuffing it into his pocket. Just when he’s about to leave, you remember something. 

Do you mean it genuinely or just because it has an effect on him? 

“Just for the record, Barnes, about your hair-” you call out, earning his attention from over his shoulder. “I think you look really good either way.”

The world may never know. 

You swear you can see the corners of his lips quirk upwards before he turns around again. 

He slips on a block of ice, cursing and clenching on to the door to keep him upright, quickly yanking it open and leaving before he has a chance to embarrass himself further.

Smooth.

Next part

[avengersapology-vid]

Avengers: College Edition

Steve: Criminal Justice and Studio Art double major. He doesn't want to torture himself with anything difficult and still wants to study what he loves. He is still an over achiever though. Highkey hates frat parties, saw someone twerking upside down and almost cried but stayed because hes the designated driver (responsible KING). prefers small get togethers with his friends. Roommates with sam and bucky!! Joins Criminal Justice club, jokingly rivals with Engineering (Tonys Club) Everyone on campus loves him including the professors, wins Homecoming king and is very happy. Sam jokingly asks to be his queen, Bucky butts in and says "NO, im his queen". Can be found in the library or art studio, usually with ink or pencil markings on his hands.

Tony: Obvi an engineering KING has physics as a minor. procrastinates to the max "No Bruce I have everything under control" *crams for 46 hours straight on a constant IV drip of Redbull and coffee* Super smart and helps draw the blueprint for the new engineering building. Roomies with Bruce! Tony was in a frat for a bit his freshmen year but hated it and wanted real friends (Throws better parties anyway) met Bruce and all the other avengers during a 1301 intro class. Pulls women like no tomorrow. On the presidents list every semester and tutors math for free on the side. He is basically the Dad in STEM. Tries hitting on Natasha but she is just like :/ nah, when her and bruce start dating tony is surprised because bruce is his "quiet little cinnamon roll." Tony constantly teases bruce and is like "yall fuckin (;" Steve butts in "tONY PLZ I JUST WANT TO WATCH THIS MOVIE" Bruce is thankful for steves intervention. You know how he rivals Steves Criminal Justice club? He butts heads with Business Clubs leader (Pepper) until everyone catches them together at a party. Has a caffeine addiction. Works out with Thor and Bucky one day in the rec and almost dies.

Bruce: Physics and Engineering double major (Hardworking KING) In math club with Vision and Wanda. He loves being roomies with Tony because it helps him out of his shell. Likes to draw with Steve sometimes and enjoys the quiet. Doesn't procrastinate and gets things done in a timely manor. 4.0 icon we all strive to be. Him and Nat already know each other, but bond and get a lot closer while studying in the library and they eventually start dating. He takes her coffee when she works across campus and is always almost late to class because of that (He doesn't care though bc thats his BABY) "Um.. Bruce your class is in 5 minutes" "Okay and?.....Wait I have an ex-" *Sprints to his building* Takes boxing at night with Thor, Bucky, Sam and Steve!!! Loves sparring with Thor and can surprisingly take the big buy on pretty well. Gets his butt kicked by Natasha in a MMA class though.

Natasha: Majors in Criminal Justice and Minors in Psychology. Ballet club AND MOCK TRIAL!! Has a Job at the Criminal Justice Deans office and takes MMA classes on the side. She is on Mock Trial with Loki and they actually get along quiet well once they stop butting heads about the case. Introduces Sam and Wanda to dance and they have so much fun. Coffee dates with Bruce!! Her and Steve become RAs in the following years and are the coolest RAs you know. Prefers night classes, Bruce walks her to all of them. Psychology classes are her favorite and really wants to help children one day. Volunteers at a daycare during breaks. Sis can really out drink Tony and Thor. Puts Wanda under her wing and helps her with fafsa and what not. Her and Bucky get the Russian language credit by simply testing out. Has her sh!t together and while she has a lot on her plate she can take it. She is really the Mom of the group. Can be found dancing or with Bruce. Her and Clint are icons in psychology classes.

Clint: Deaf Studies with education minor! (we stan deaf clint in the comics) In the Archery club and wins nationals for the Uni. Loves to draw with Steve. Helps Bruce ask Natasha out! PRANK ICON! loves to do prank wars with tony, bucky, loki and sam. Was in the same frat with Tony but hated it as well. While he seems to have a more reserved demeanor he is still the life of the party. (Like he knows people at the clubs ya know?) Can get in anywhere and helps everyone rent out a club for the night in celebration of midterms being over. Loves reading in the library and loves morning classes and being productive early in the day. Cracks Tonys netflix and hulu passwords (no tony... tonyr0cks69 is not good enough) Wants to teach at a school for the Deaf. Bruce sets him up with a girl from engineering and that is his future wife.

Thor: Physical Education major and Communications minor! Here on a football scholarship and is in a frat (not the asshole one tony was in) and is a partying ICON. Tries to get Loki to party but Loki just wants to drink wine with the cat he snuck into his dorm. Learns Sign from Clint to prepare for his career in education. Loves working out with Bucky, Sam and Steve. Takes up boxing during football off season and spars with Bruce. Despite being everyones fav himbo he gets really good grades and is a very good writer. Loki dorms across the hall from him. Thor actually rooms with Peter. Peter is the freshman baby and Thor takes peter under his wing and introduces him to everyone and helps him with college stuff in general. Also hooks him up with MJ and brings him to the occasional boxing session. Has a loud booming laughter you can hear in all floors of the library when he sees a funny meme. One time he actually makes a very good point and notices a flaw in one of Tony and Bruces projects leaves everyone stunned. Picks on Loki in big brother fashion. Unironically calls weed the devils lettuce.

Loki: Pre-Law and Criminal Justice. LOVES to argue. (Devils advocate ass) In Mock Trial and Criminal Justice Club. Tony jokingly calls him steves sexy secretary in CJ club. Loves Mock Trial and is the president with Nat as his right hand woman. Sneaks a cat he found at the shelter into his dorm and names it muffin. Stays in the Library writing or going over cases. The one time he was taking Natasha a copy of the Mock Trial case packet and caught her and bruce smooching. (He screeched) "Haha funny joke yall heres the case packet BYE." He automatically texts the group chat "i think nAT AND BRUCE HAVE SOME TEA FOR US HMM". Lets Peter and Bruce come over to his dorm because he knows their roommates can get a little too much sometimes. Loki also becomes an avid twitter user and thats how he gains popularity on campus. (He called the uni out for their awful and expensive parking) Was able to convince the Dean with tony and steve to create a new parking lot. Caffeine addict!!! Him and Tony always bump into each other at the coffee shop. Brings baked goods to meet ups with the gang. Loves to play pranks (especially on Tony) Him and Bucky come up with a genius prank on him and even get pepper involved. Best dressed on campus and is in the fashion club. He is the embodiment of dark academia.

Sam: Criminal Justice Major with Aerospace Engineering minor. Gets introduced to Bucky and Steve during move in and they literally become brothers. Is both in Criminal Justice Club and Engineering Club. In the Historically Black Frat on campus and takes huge pride in that. Parties with tony and thor BIG TIME. Procrastinates by throwing paper airplanes at Bucky until Bucky is like "Um...dude your paper is due in like two hours." At that moment Sam got into work faster than he ever had. Loves gossip sessions with Loki and Wanda. Works out a lot with Bucky, Steve and Thor to get rid of stress. When he and Bucky finish a final they go to loki's dorm and ask "Hey can we see your cat." Helps prep food for friends-giving and decorates the dorm for holidays. HATES 8ams so so so much. Steve promises him pancakes if he gets up and goes. Binge watches shows during weekends and screams when Destiel is finally canon. Loves running and gets a Track Scholarship when Thor gets him to join a sport. Gets Peter to join track.

Bucky: criminal justice major and psychology minor. Buck is also in ballet club with Nat, it really helps him relax and gives him a free space to think (also he runs that shit like no ones business) Criminal justice club as well and LOVES to work out and box. One time Sam accompanies him to ballet and Bucky pushes Sam into a split... the scream was heard for miles. "Sam ballet is good for athletes it helps w-" "Yeah but its not good for my balls" Doesn't willingly procrastinate but once in awhile he will forget an assignment, you best believe his eyes will snap open from his nap and get to work asap. For one of his psyche labs he had to question Steve as if he were Steve's therapist to which Steve responds "Hey bro you dont have to hit a nerve that deep" He also likes to do dance with peter since it helps him get away from Thor for a bit. Not a big partier but once the weight of finals are off his chest you best believe he will go all out. Picks on Nat and says hes gonna steal her man, to which tony interjects and says "Not if I do first" Bucky also has a very comfy dorm, comfy lighting and tons of pillows, the man loves his sleep... and so does everyone else. Sometimes he finds peter, sam, THOR, tONY EVERYONE just napping in his bed before their study time. Overall, bucky is a smart boy and his time in college is kind to him.

Wanda: English Major and Education Minor. After being an orphan Wanda knows what it feels like to not have a parental figure there and she wants to change that for other kids by becoming an english teacher. She volunteers at an orphanage, specifically the one her and pietro were in for a brief moment when they came to the states. She loves to draw as well and takes plenty of art classes with steve. She paints a portrait of the entire gang and gives it to tony as a graduation present (he cried). She loves to do volunteer work for children and also spend a lot of time in the library, She helped Nat calm down before Bruce asked her out. Her and Loki are in constant competition for best dressed. "Loki ill let you win best dressed but you have to let me see your cat" "ugh fine... btw your shirt doesnt match your boots" "hEY" Her and Peter take alot of intro classes together and are constantly running around craft stores trying to get the right stuff for projects. Visits Vision at his Job on Campus and he visits her where she volunteers and eventually they start dating. She is constantly getting visited by pietro at 4am asking "Um do you have milk" "Pietro its 4am what do you ne-" "my OREOS"

Pietro: Track star business major, frat ICON with Thor. poor boy is STRESSED he hates college and is here on a track scholarship, constantly late and running around getting shit done. Queen of late assignments but still gets them graded because he is in Track. Yeah he has alot on his plate but he still parties with thor for hours. When he is drowning in assignments Clint is always there to help him, Bruce also helps him with biology and the more science-y classes. Likes to mess around and race sam at track practice. Not into coffee but will run on all the monster energy drinks you could possibly buy. Seriously is tired of 8 a.m courses, he just wants to nap after practice. Walks into the study room that everyone was in and actually looks more sleep deprived than tony. He gets a lot of tips from steve on how to have an easier time in college and it really helps him.

Vision: Grad student working on a civil engineering masters and a TA. Meets Wanda in the library and she asks him where the biographies are. He mistakenly says they are on the 2nd floor "Uh theyre actually on the third" "Then why did you ask?" "Cause I wanted to talk to you :)" He swooned. Through Wanda he met Tony and Bruce and became their best friend, He helped out a lot with engineering club and got them far. He spends a lot of time doing research for his masters degree, he loves relaxing with the group on weekends and picks on pietro as if he is already apart of the family. Him and Loki bond over intellectual conversations from time to time. Bruce and Nat go on double dates with him and Wanda. Went to a bar once with tony and bruce and had to stop tony from singing Queens entire discography, he had the best night that night. Helps everyone with getting into jobs and into grad school in general while everyone helps him let loose and have some fun.

Peter: Peter is a Physics major and eventually works his way up to biochemistry. (hardworking icon) He is the freshman baby of the group and is introduced to them through Thor. He dances with Buck and Nat sometimes as well. Tony obviously takes peter under his wing and helps him with assignments. One time everyone was in the same study room and him and pietro have a redbull shot gunning challenge. When Peter wins Thor picks him up and almost yeets the poor boy into the ceiling. "VERY WELL DONE YOUNG PARKER YOU SHOULD BE DOING THAT WITH BEER IN NO TIME." "Thor plz" Tony and Thor help him ask MJ out and even spy on them during a dinner date. (Imagine thor with sunglasses and a scarf around his head pretending to be tonys date) He feels so accepted in college because of the gang and gets all his work done on time. Goes out of his way to get everyone christmas presents and is so excited for friendsgiving. Becomes a little stressball during finals and midterms and stays in the library till it closes. He spots loki alot in there and helps loki with science classes while loki helps him with political science classes. He meets MJ through wanda and is obviously blushing the whole time while being introduced. Gets embarrassed when the guys flirt with aunt may. "guys plz stop" This is when Sam earns his "milf hunter" nickname. "Pete hows your aunt?" "She doesnt want you sam i-" its not like that... actually it is like that"

Coulson: Alumni Icon. Is the gangs Intro professor and is the reason why everyone meets eachother. (the class was chaotic indeed) Coulson loved that class so much and he still gets visited by everyone from time to time. He is obviously close with Nick. They were there that night when Tony was signing Queen at the bar and couldnt help but laugh.

Nick Fury: Dean for criminal justice and is heavily involved with criminal justice club and mock trial. He is tired of everyones shit as always. Makes a tiktok account for the criminal justice club and has no idea how to manage social media so gets Loki to help. Has to delete it when Loki commented "hah losers" on the engineering tiktoks page. He looks intimidating but in his office he has a picture with the club and has all the gifts he gets on display. (He even framed lokis comment because it was hilarious afterall)

[ikingsley]

Ina x MC: That Day

Ina x MC: That Day

Loosely based on chapter 6 of QB. Read the other parts of the series here: The Dance, A Small Detour, One Chance.

Summary: Ina and Luna discuss their past.

Warnings: Sadness, I guess. Warning for coming out stories?

Tag: @samanthadalton @domakir @kulaykape @hellyeah90sbaby @dopeyouth @kwaj05 @thedaft1​ @swimmingshoebakerydreamer (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed)​

Author’s Notes: Sorry, I’ve been real busy, but here’s another installment of my series.

——————————————————————–———–———–———–

Luna strolled into Ina’s office at a quarter past seven. It’d been a long day for both of them. Ina had a full day of lectures and quizzes while Luna had midterms approaching. 

“Professor,” Luna said, putting down her bags.

“Good evening, Luna. How are you?”

The two made small talk while Ina pulled the stack of quizzes she needed graded. But as well as Ina could hide her emotions, Luna felt there was something off about Ina.

“Here’s the answer key,” Ina began. “It’s all multiple choice so it shouldn’t take too long.” 

Ina handed Luna a red pen. But Luna wasn’t paying attention to Ina. Instead, she scoured through the stack of papers, pulling one out and comparing the answers.

“Whose is that?” Ina peered over Luna’s shoulder. “Oh, that’s right. You took this quiz today.”

Luna hummed in reply. “Aww man. I got one wrong.”

This time, it was Ina’s turn to tease Luna. “Nerd,” she scoffed.

“Shut up.”

The two worked in silence, except for Ina going ham on her keyboard. That research paper wasn’t going to write itself.

“Why are you typing so vigorously?” Luna commented absent-mindedly.

“Hmm...I don’t know, maybe because this paper’s due at midnight,” Ina said quite uncharacteristically. Ina, the polite and beloved anthropology professor, was not one to be so brash.

Rude! For no reason! Luna thought. While Luna was pondering the true reason for Ina’s disrespect, Ina stood up and began pacing back and forth. Finally, she stopped, slumping onto the couch that sat at the corner of the room.

“Ina?” Luna questioned, getting off of her chair. Like usual, her initial intuition was spot-on, something was, in fact, off. 

Ina laid on the couch, her head resting on the couch’s arm. When Luna finally approached it, she took a look at Ina. Her face was slightly glossy, tear-stained.

“Scoot over,” Luna said firmly.

Ina huffed a little, but she moved further into the couch. Luna faced Ina, acting as a handkerchief, wiping away Ina’s tears.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Luna finally broke the silence.

“No.” 

“Okay. We can just lie here together. It’s okay.” Luna wrapped her arms around Ina. Ina subsequently buried her face in her shoulder, her tears falling slowly, wetting Luna’s shirt.

The two stayed like this for a few more moments, until Ina sat up, wiping the lasts of her tears. “I apologize, Luna. I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t need to-”

“Please, I want to. I feel like you should know.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I am.” Ina had gained her confidence back. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I trust you. Maybe it’s naive or too early, but well...I feel like I could tell you anything, and you wouldn’t judge me. So here goes.” 

And boy, did Ina open up. It was unlike anything Luna had ever witnessed from the mysterious professor. But she wasn’t complaining. This was arguably what she loved most about Ina. 

“It was my freshman year of high school and I was sitting in my US history class. I was such a little nerd,” Ina recalled fondly. “Anyway, this girl walked into my class and god, I was smitten. What she made me feel...I’d never felt before. I mean, I hadn’t been with any guy, but this was different. Sure I’d thought some guys were attractive, but every time I looked at her, I got butterflies.”

“Aww! I’m imagining a little nerdy Ina staring at a pretty high schooler now.”

“Mhm. Well, we got assigned each other for a project. And we hit it off. She was brilliant, passionate, caring...I really liked her, but I thought it was just as friends. One afternoon, we went to the library together to prepare for the presentation of the project. She asked me if I liked girls, and I hadn’t really considered it. Some sort of internalized homophobia, I guess. I went home that day just deep in thought. But God, she made me feel so alive. It was something I’d never experienced before. And then I just started thinking of kissing her and I never wanted to stop. I think I knew then and there that I liked women.”

“Well? What happened after?” Luna asked, invested in Ina’s anecdote.

“A few days later, some teacher was berating her for not knowing an answer to something rather trivial and I found myself defending her. I guess my protective side came out.”

“Not the only thing that came out then...” Luna smirked.

Ina scoffed but had a huge grin on her face. But just as quickly as it appeared, her smile faded.

“When we left school that day, she uh thanked me with a kiss. And that’s how I knew for sure that I liked her. A lot. I asked her out a few weeks later and we were together for a little over a year. At the time, she meant the world to me. We’d do everything together and she was my first for a lot of things, my first kiss, my first love...”

“A year? That is...surprisingly long for a relationship at that time. Why’d it end?”

“Her parents were incredibly supportive. They knew about us since the beginning of the relationship. Mine...did not know. I had told Lilian, and she listened and supported me a lot. We were always pretty close. Well, after a year together, Emma asked to meet my conservative parents. I was both giddy and nervous, but I thought I was ready. I truly thought love was unconditional. Maybe I was naive to think acceptance was guaranteed. And well, I told my parents that I had someone special for them to meet. In retrospect, I should’ve told them more details. Maybe they were expecting a dashing young man that could escort me to Prom in the following year or whatnot. And well, Emma came over for dinner and I told my parents about us. They...were shocked. Their perfect little nerdy daughter was gay. They didn’t handle themselves well that night. They said some unforgivable things to Emma. We tried to work through it, but we were young and broke up a few weeks after that.”

“Ina, I’m so sorry.”

 “I...it’s okay. It’s been a while now. They didn’t throw me out of the house, but they didn’t talk about my sexuality at all. Emma was always my ‘friend.’ No one in the extended family knew. It was like they were ashamed of me. Lilian was the wild child and I was the apple of my parents’ eyes, but they never looked at me the same after that dinner. It was a tough time. Lilian and my friends at school supported me. If it weren’t for them...I don’t know where I’d be now.”

Luna caressed Ina’s check, wiping away the flowing tears.

“I just existed in their house for a while. I had a brief period of dating guys who were’t too good for me, probably out of my parents lack of support. Trying to be straight. But there was never any feelings between the two of us. They just...weren’t Emma. The last guy I dated was sweet, but I felt nothing for him romantically. And then Lilian was pregnant. And that was the last straw for my parents. They kicked out Lilian and I left with her. After all those years of her supporting me, I needed to support her. They said some inexcusable things to her and I’m glad we left. But it was incredibly difficult. Lilian and I struggled a lot. We had to work odd jobs just to pay rent whilst still going to school. Today’s the anniversary of them kicking us out. Today I have to be strong for Lilian’s sake, but I lost my parents that day too. I guess it all just hit me now.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Come here.”

Luna wrapped Ina in her arms once more. Then, she held Ina’s face, staring intensely into her eyes.

“You are the strongest woman I know. Strongest person I know. But it’s okay to not be strong too. You don’t need to pretend to be strong 24/7. Strength and weakness...that’s what makes us human.”

Ina smiled at Luna, tears falling freely. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Ina then leaned in, closing the gap between them. She captured Luna’s lips slowly, but as the kiss prolonged, the passion increased. When they finally pulled away, both women were out of breath.

Ina cleared her throat, standing up and beckoning Luna to get on her feet.

“Dance with me.”

Luna took a second to play a song on her phone, but she then gratefully accepted, leaning into Ina’s arms as they moved slowly.

Tu cabeza en mi hombro 

Quiero yo tener siempre

Acaríciame, cielo

Si me quieres tú

Ina smiled again at Luna, a hand rising from Luna’s waist to cup her cheek.

“I hope your coming out story is better than mine,” she jested.

“Well, yeah I guess. When my family moved to the States from Venezuela, my mom always emphasized the importance of getting a good education, being prudent, all of that. I was very involved in high school, and I was a part of a lot of science extracurriculars. My freshman year of high school, my mom forced me to join mock trial to improve my public speaking. I thought it was useless since I knew I wanted to do neuroscience. She drove me to every practice, every conference...I fell in love with it. The more I did research for trials, the more passionate I became about public policy, law, and civil rights. And of course, gay rights. I guess that’s how I knew. Mind you, I was one of those kids who cuffed their jeans and got called out for not sitting in chairs properly.”

“It makes so much sense now. And you are...extremely well-spoken. Anyway, how’d you tell your parents?”

“We were at a mock trial competition. I had just used Obergefell v. Hodges as legal precedent to win the trial. My parents picked me up and I told them all about the case. My dad kinda stopped me mid-sentence and asked me if I had anything to tell them.”

“And?”

“I told them, but they said they already knew. They didn’t care who I’d be with, as long as they’re someone decent, kind, protective...the whole nine yards. The only problem is that they’re just very nosy about my love life. If I texted someone and smiled they’d look to see who it is. They also acted as if each person I’d bring home to meet them was the love of my life.”

Unreasonable jealousy flashed through Ina’s eyes, but her voice remained steady. “Did you bring a lot of people home to meet your parents?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Luna smiled smugly.

[mistflyer1102]

trip

Summary: Darman goes with Etain in search of a specific snack.

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

Moments like these were rare and precious, and Darman treasured each one.

“There’s this little café in one of the lower levels, run by a Nikto, and he has one of the best roba pastries in this district. When I was still an initiate, one of my clanmates and I would sneak out after our morning classes to grab a snack,” Etain explained as she led him through the passageways that seemed to dominate the districts in the lower levels, something he had noticed during the few times when he’d run missions in the past on Coruscant. It had been sheer luck this time that he and his squad were stationed on Coruscant the same time Etain returned from her assignment on Thyferra. Omega Squad had just returned from chasing down a Separatist weapons dealer that had gone into hiding on Almania in the Outer Rim, and were currently awaiting their next set of orders from Zey. 

“Is it easy to sneak out of the Temple in general?” he asked as he followed her. They both wore civilian clothing, which he had saved from past missions in case he needed it for disguises, and cloaks that she had brought with her. It was freeing, to hold her hand as they crossed through the districts. No one looked twice at yet another group of human passerby wearing cloaks, most beings did in this area. He could still see armored troopers at different guard posts, more so than he recalled last time he was on Coruscant, but then again, security had tightened recently due to the recent threats of Separatist advancement towards Coruscant. 

Etain shrugged a shoulder as she glanced back at him. “More like it’s an unofficial rite of passage for the initiates. One that the Masters preferred we didn’t do, but they can’t complain because they did it too,” she explained, falling in step beside him again. “They didn’t even try to stop us, but they did try to catch us. There are secret passageways in and out of the Temple that are technically supposed to be used in the event of an emergency, but Padawans and initiates use them all the time to sneak into the city.”

Darman nodded, looping his arm through hers and pulling it close against his body. “Your teachers had to have known you were going in and out,” he said, glancing down at her.

Etain nodded, the sunlight reflecting off the reddish tints in her hair. “I’m sure they knew. But with classes to teach all day, they can’t really chase down every single wayward initiate. Padawans, well, you had your master to worry about, but I’ve heard stories about the Master joining the Padawan in the escapade. Master Fulier was like that, he’d sometimes show up as we were sitting down at one of the street side tables,” she said, swallowing slightly at the mention of her first teacher. Before Darman could press, however, she continued, saying, “But the Nikto, Guroox Pisk, he knew us all by name by the time we’d passed the Initiate Trials. I was the last of our group to be selected as a Padawan, and we had a group celebration after.”

Darman nodded, remembering that from another conversation. “And you and Gen-er, Jusik, were the same group, right?” he asked, glancing at her.

Etain nodded, having either ignored or missed Darman’s slip: Jusik had left the Order a few weeks ago, and seemed to have fallen into Sergeant Kal’s pack of misfits. Etain hadn’t spoken much on the topic herself, just a brief mention that her duties were shifting now, but Darman was curious as to how other Jedi viewed Jusik’s departure. “And say what you want about him now, but Bardan wasn’t the lead troublemaker in our group either. That honor belonged to another friend of mine, she’s a Knight in the Temple nursery now,” she said, nudging him with an elbow down a path that had colorful umbrellas and vendors lining both sides. Civilians milled about the stalls, bargaining, selling, and buying as vendors called out their wares.

Darman could already smell different varieties of food, he was looking forward to this visit. Both Fi and Atin declined to accompany him when he’d asked them, and Niner had already been stuck with a meeting. Niner also asked that Darman at least keep his comlink on him in case General Zey came by and summoned the squad for their next mission. 

He followed Etain to one storefront that had tables out front, the structure itself looked like a cross between a vendor stall and a food hovertruck. In addition to the tables, there was also a long counter attached to the front window, with a few stools. Inside, he could see the menu on the wall, but he could also see little pamphlets with the menu scattered about the three tables and the countertop. Several beings--two Twi’leks, two Rodians, and a Chadra Fan--were moving about in the kitchen setup that he could see from where he and Etain stood in line. A Nikto, whom he assumed was Guroox, barked orders at the other staff members, switching between languages depending on whom he spoke to.

“Etain! I wondered where you had gone on off to!” Guroox boomed as she and Darman stepped up after the customer in front of them left with their food. “I spoke to Jazzy just the other day, she said you were off doing things on the front lines,” he said, leaning on the counter beside the register.

Etain shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, Master Zey keeps me running, he had me brought back to Coruscant for about a week. Probably to cover for him as he takes care of Council business, it’s happened before,” she said, nudging Darman with an elbow. “Guroox, this is Darman. Darman, this is Guroox. I’ve known him for quite a few years now, he’s usually the first person I go to for snacks if I can,” she said, grinning as Darman inclined his head at Guroox.

“It’s nice to meet you, Etain was telling me about your pastries on our way down,” Darman said, grinning as Guroox laughed.

“Did she now? Well, let me get you some of the roba pastries to show you that she’s not making stuff up,” Guroox said, turning around, scanning the shelves before he looked down. Grumbling, he ducked out of sight, and then returned a few minutes later with two pastries in hand. “On the house, both of you,” he said, offering the pastries over to them. 

“Thanks.” Darman bit into the pastry, blinking at the burst of spice and flavor. He’d had roba before, but not with this particular spice and seasoning combination. “Oh, wow...Fi is definitely going to wish he came,” he said, looking at Etain, who was smiling as she took a bite from her own pastry. She held up five, then one, fingers to Guroox, who nodded and ducked back underneath the counter. “What’s in this?” Darman asked once he’d swallowed his bite. 

Etain grinned as she swallowed her bite. “See what I mean? If you can get the secret seasoning recipe out of Guroox, tell me, okay? He swears by it, but he also always says he’ll never tell a soul except for his eventual successor,” she said as Guroox reappeared behind the register.

“And even then, I may take one of those ingredients with me to the grave,” Guroox said before cackling. He placed six more of the pastries into a white bag, and pushed it across the counter. “Can’t risk someone selling it off for profit, that’s not why I started working down here. I keep the price down, and the food good,” he said as Etain counted credits before sliding them across the counter to him.

Darman nodded. “That makes sense,” he said, grinning when Guroox made a mock evil laugh as rubbed his hands together. “It was nice to meet you, Guroox,” he said as he began to follow Etain towards one of the tables. 

“It was nice to meet you too, Darman. And don’t be a stranger!” Guroox called after them.

Etain grinned as Darman sat down beside her. “He’s great, isn’t he?” she asked before she took another bite of her pastry.

Darman nodded. “And you were right about the pastries,” he said, grinning as she let out a muffled laugh. “Remind me not to question another one of your recommendations again.”

“Only if it’s Coruscanti cuisine,” she said, holding up a finger in mock seriousness. Darman could still see it though, a glimmer of worry in her eyes he hadn’t seen since she was a Padawan. “Anything else is fair game for questioning,” she said as she set her half-eaten pastry on a napkin she had spread out on the table. She then pulled out two pastries from the bag, and wrapped them up in separate napkins. “Grabbed these two for Laseema and Besany, there’s four in the bag for you and the rest for the squad,” she said, pushing the bag across the table.

“Thanks.” Darman took the bag, and folded the top over to seal it. Then he shifted in his chair to better see the pedestrians walking past their little table. Many were either talking to each other or various devices and droids while moving with the flow of traffic.

It felt like a suspended moment in time, but he still enjoyed it.

[oh-theatre]

Livin’ It Up: Chapter 2

Chapter title: To Build it Up and Break It Down

A/N: IMMMM BACCCCK!! Loook i know this chapter is stupid! and it sucks! But its finished and like actually here! Also!! the whole thing about Logan having no feelings and hating them is not what it reads as and im not trying to fall into that cliche!! But youll have to keep reading!!

words: 2682

summary: Patton finds himself allowing a slight detour in his plan and allows himself one night to...explore. He wont be doing that again. 

pairings: Eventual logicality, eventual prinxiety, eventual demus, eventual Moceit (Which then goes back to Logicality and Demus)

warnings: Swearing, alcohol, underage drinking, drinking, parties, kissing, throw up, slight self harm, emotional abuse

Ao3 Link  

“He kissed me!” Virgil cries, Patton kicks him softly from under the table. “He kissed me” He whispers once more, shushing his words. Apologetic glances to the people around him and Patton looks back to his friend.

“We are in the library” Patton eyes, Virgil shrugs but nods returning to his doodles he calls work. Patton finishes his work, packing up neatly each and every aspect of his belonging. Panic sets into once he realizes Pattons finished his work and is now preparing for leisurely reading whilst Virgil hadn't even begun. “Virge, I love you but if you don't hurry up or make a plan I'm leaving”

“You're going to leave anyway, you have cheer” Virgil mutters, rushing through his work. Patton sighs, he squeezes his friends hand before quickly leaving him alone. Once settled on the bus his pockets buzz gently.

“Patton!” He greets, he ruffles through some of his things as he gets off the vehicle, thanking the driver kindly. He walks into the school he had become ever so familiar with after all these years. He watched as the sports team made their way out to practice on the field and found his path into the locker rooms as he listened to yet another telemarketing call. He hated them sure, but he felt guilty hanging up. Especially when it was just spoken by a real human, so he listens, nodding along until they go through the niceties and say goodbye with awkward persistence. Finally changed and in his navy blue uniform, he approaches the field. Instantly he's greeted by his friends, giddy jumps as they babble on about whatever they can muster.  

He allows the team to get set up, run out their talk before calling attention forward. He ignores the rampant football team that plays behind them. Though they reserved the field Patton allowed them to use it for practice.

“Alright squad! Listen up!” He claps, a cheery grin and catching his pom poms from his friend Fiona, it begins

~~~

“I simply do not understand” Logan huffs, simply bundling himself tighter into his jacket. He follows a sweaty Roman out of the boys room, as he waves goodbye to his fellow teammates they make their way home. “Why must I have attended this practice?” Logan inquires

“Because you need to get out of the house, fresh air, you can't be huddled all day drinking away until your dad gets here” Roman explains, they stop at his locker on the way back through the school, the sounds of giggling call his attention but both continue with themselves.  

“My father returning is truly not the optimal circumstance” He sighs but shrugs, puling out a small bottle from his pocket he takes a swig before a disappointed Roman snatches it away from him. They swivel and resume their trail before a quick crash decides to tumble things down. “Ah apologies” Logan decides before even looking, but his eyes dart and land his eyes on the top of a bouncy and bountiful head of hair, a sweet blushed bow and when the boy looks up he meets his eyes through his round rimmed glasses.

“You going to help?” Roman whispers, nudging his friend adamantly. Logan furrows his brows. “Obviously not” Logan continues staring, they stand frozen while Patton reestablishes himself. “Sorry Pat” The cheerleader finds Romans eyes, “-On...Patton” An awkward moment before someone taps behind Patton.

“Right well, I have to go” Patton shuffles awkwardly, his deep blue uniform fitting him comfortably. Why Logan was eyeing him was a different topic. He begins to walk away but Logan decides he’s not finished, taking his arm with a quick snap as Patton pulls away “Yes?” Logan continues his scan, a smirk.

“Go out with me”

“Cute!” Patton giggles before his somber tone returns “Bye now” he rolls his eyes, Roman can’t help but snicker, clutching to the lockers as he regains his breath. Logan scowls as he watches the man walk away, he decides to abandon his friend and follow Patton.

“Why not?” He questions, skidding in front of him. Patton, though taken aback, nods. “Give me a good reason as to why you wont entertain my company for a night?” Logan pushes. Patton adjusts his glasses, putting away his folders he clears his throat.

“You want one? Ill give you about a million” Patton smiles “First off, even if i was interested I have about a million things to do. I never have a moment off and I'm not so sure I want to spend my only freetime with you” Patton admits, why did that hurt Logan.

“Awe, that hurt” Logan hides

“Moreno im not stupid, I’ve seen how you work around here” Patton scoffs, he checks his phone, quickly replying to many messages.  “You're charming! And honestly...kinda cute” Patton smirks, his small freckles dance upon his cheeks. “But i'm not a one night stand kind of guy” He shrugs

“Well, what if that's not what I want to do” Logan proposes, he pulls out his notepad scribbling done something before tearing a carefully neat crease and handing it to Patton. “You'll never know, if you don't give it a chance”

“I don't have time to give it a chance” Patton refuses the paper and decides the conversation has concluded. Logan flicks the note anyway, watching it land perfectly into his bag pocket. This satisfies him, now...to Roman.

~~~

“He asked you out?” Virgil inquires walking alongside Patton to their lockers.

“Eleven times” Patton sighs reaching his locker, he opens it up groaning at the sound of his phone. “Make that twelve” He looks to delete the message but quickly giggles. Virgil looks over his shoulder, quickly looking back as he meets Romans eyes and decides against it. “I have dance today” Patton notes, scribbling neatly in his planner, Virgil nods, squeezing his shoulder for luck as he walks away. “Tap shoes, tap shoes, tap shoes” He mutters searching through his bad waltzing into the auditorium.

“Morning Pat!” He looks up smiling as he greets the students. Walking backstage he fits his shoes on, tying his jacket around his waist.

“Alright students!” The teacher calls over the sound of the children warming up, Patton being the TA goes around checking on everyone and helping them out. He works with some students, holding them up as they work through his warm up. “Alright today's plan is partnering up and working through your partner dance!” Patton waits for everyone to partner up, going to the teacher. “Oh good, Patton, this is Logan Moreno, hes new but hes going to be your partner”

“What?” Patton turns, a smug Logan stands his hand extended and his feet ready. “Delightful” He sighs, he takes Logans hand and waits for the music. Once it begins he leads, and shockingly….Logan can dance. “Where’d you learn how to tap?”

“My mother wanted me to have a plethora of skills, so dance” He replies, spinning Patton in a quick circle. They dance around the room, Patton laughs as the routine moves, Logan feels a genuine rise in him as the smile flashes on the bright eyed boy's face. “Pretty…” He breathes

“What?” Patton wonders, they slow and close the gap between them. A slow dance as their taps echo carefully. “You're not bad” Patton  compliments, Logans never heard it sound so genuine.

“Thank you, although you're quite advanced” Logan notes.

“I've been dancing since I was two years old” Patton epxlains, cheering the class while they take a break. “Ballet’s next” He notes, changing his shoes, Logan flicks his hands away helping him tie the bows. “Thank you” Logan helps him up.

“Go out with me” Logan inquires, Patton chuckles. He hadn't realized they had begun a slow waltz around the room. The space between them closes further, Patton doesn't quite mind the proximity. A quick spin before Logan pulls the boy back in. “If you say no, Ill stop”

“I doubt that” Pattons been here long enough, he heard the horror stories. “You're charming, I won't lie, but I'm not a shop and drop kinda person” Patton fiddles with Logans hand, they seperate landing on their own squares. He begins his pirouettes, focusing on a specific spot. Logan comes behind him, taking him by the waist as he dips perfectly.

“Give me a simple chance, Sorian” Logan begs “Im being serious about this, I don't typically pursue but...there's something I want to explore” Patton finds it sweet, his breath gasping on his neck definitely trying to persuade him.

But he wasn't someone's pawn, and he certainly wasn't trial run.

“I'm not going to be your test dummy” He pulls away, why did this spark excitement in Logan. A quick twirl before they finish their dance, a slow dip before they stand face to face. A smirk from Logan. “However, there is a carnival on friday, I plan to attend...should you be there...” Patton trails off, suggestive glance. Logan nods with quite an understanding, the bell rings and through Patton's rare impulsivity he places a gentle kiss on Logans cheek before he's onto his next class.

“Ill pick you up at eight” He calls, Patton rolls his eyes.

Subtle

~~~

“Well well well, look at you all dressed up!” Virgil mocks from Patton's bed. His fingers tap violently on his console. Patton rolls his eyes playfully, brushing off his outfit. His flower printed shirt complimenting a simple pastel overalls. His legs, though exposed, were warmed by socks.

“Super cute” Patton claps “Ugh, remind me to thank Remus when he calls next” Patton requests, Virgil shoots a thumbs up focusing more on his game. He really went all out, he missed the more chaotic of the twins but alas a parents choice isn't always something he could understand.

“Virge what do you want for dinner?” Patton's dad knocks, leaning into the room. “I can whip up some mac and cheese” Virgil smiles delighted, nodding at the delicious prospect. “Peaches you look great” He moves his attention to his son, the boy giving him a thankful stare. “You be careful ok? Text me when you're on your way home” A nod confirms it and it's just the friends once more.

“Are you sure I can sleep over?” Virgil throws his console to the end of the bed, grunts as he loses. Patton laughs, turning to his friend.

“V, of course” Patton lays on the bed, his back sore from practice. “Never are you not welcome here ok?” his phone buzzes, drawing attention to his home screen. His smile sinks, his two fathers smile bright while he sits a giggling baby in the middle chewing on his dad's tie. Virgil continues playing and the quiet game noises bring Patton back.

Logan: I have arrived at your place of residence

Patton couldn't help but smirk, he really did come to pick him up.

Patton: Ill be out in a moment

Logan: Wonderful, its cold so bring a coat

Patton: Thank you channel five, weather report

“Alright gloom, I'm out, see you later” a peace sign as his farewell and Pattons out and ready.

~~~

“Where were you?” Logan blinks as he enters his apartment, setting his coat away. His father stands in the den, disappointed. When was he not? Seems like the man had finally reached home, no doubt his private jet was stalling on the roof ready to whisk him away just as soon as he lectured Logan.

“Madrid, it took longer than expected, but I picked up some spanish” Logan retorts, the amusings were not met well by his father. “At the school's carnival with a friend” He admits, a bored sigh. Everything was so straight forward with his father, nothing ever sparked Logan with excitement.

“I expect you to be home, ready to greet me and tell me of your school life when I return from a trip. Then promptly go to sleep. Not out with a…friend” He snipes. Logan groans slouching as walks, or at least attempts to walk by his father. Hes exhausted and truly wishes the elation of his night wouldn't be tarnished by his father's own wishes.

But of course when did Logan ever get to do things of free will or without the rest of the few seconds dictated and planned out

“Logan Moreno you will stop right there, you will not be going on any more outings, and tomorrow at seven am sharp you will be ready to meet with my sales team to discuss opportunities. A short lunch then you will meet with my associate planner, and from there you will spend as much time as he wants discussing what you will do once you graduate” He finishes, not a breath wasted, or energy. “Goodnight Logan” he disappears into the shadowy darkness of the house leaving a sickly feeling in his son.

Once the house settles and he hears his father locked away in his office for the night, Logan on an impulse grabs an almost empty bottle of the vodka and stuffs it into his jacket pocket before retiring to his room for a night of sickly drinking, binge watching tv until his boredom reaches a peak of exhaustion. His eyelids close and the world sinks into a void of vast expanse where his pain feels numb.

~~~

“It was actually sweet Virge” Patton swoons, stabbing at his salad for another delectable bite. Virgil gleams at his friend, the actual happiness is undeniable. “I know its stupid and I know im defintely falling into his trap but...i dont know” Patton sighs

“Maybe theres something there” Virgil proposes, watching his eyes gaze over to a confident Roman, flexing at a table a few miles away. “Maybe hes serious?”

“Guess we’ll find out” He shrugs, mid bite he stops feeling his phone buzz. He checks dropping his food quickly. “Crap! I forgot I had a council meeting” He rushes to pack his things, giving Virgil a little pat on the head much to his friends' amusement. “See you!”

Maybe Logan was messing with his mind, he couldnt remember where the meeting was being held. God, he wishes he had written it down.

“You're the president Patton” he scolds himself racing through the metal halls lined with lockers. Science room or Astrology...he paces. He decides a fifty/fifty chance won't matter, he’ll just end up in an empty classroom or late for his own meeting. He chooses the astrology door, texting rapidly at his phone with severe apologies, the door creaks open but its not an empty room. “Oh! I'm so-” He begins finding he's interrupted a couple and a rather...steamy encounter. But his embarrassment quickly fades and turns to anger.

“Mind closing the door?” Cynthia, Patton recognizes from the cheer team, requests. Her arms and legs wrapped tightly around Logan. He wipes at his lips turning to face Patton. The teen expects some kind of remorse, some kind of apologetic look but his eyes are glazed over. Bored with the world, devoid of emotion.

“Door...please” He basically recites. Patton takes a quick breath, a smile creeps upon his face.

“Of course, pardon the interruption” He apologizes. He may have slammed the door harder than necessary but his fuming was visible. “I will not cry, im ok” He promises, clutching deeply at his palms, feeling his nails pierce the skin.

“Patton! There you are sunshine!” Greta laughs popping her head out of the science room. “Come on! Meetings chaos without you” She beams, motioning him in.

“Coming” He mumbles weakly, one more breath and his smile returns to his face. Plastered. He puts Logan out of his mind, and begins his speech. Completely unaware of the screaming that engulfed Logan's brain. Seeing Patton shouldn't have hit him so deep, but a punch to his gut and a sickly feeling.

What was this?

As the teen walked away feeling shameful for what the planets had seen, he catches a quick glimpse of the cheerleader leading the meeting through the door.

Feelings?

Disgusting…

A genuine smile flashes across Pattons face

Do it again...

[companionjones]

From What I’ve Heard From You Guys...

Fandom: Hamilton

Pairings: Platonic!Thomas Jefferson x Reader x James Madison

Summary: You are over at Jefferson and Madison’s for dinner, and the three of you get to talking about a classmate of theirs.

Warnings: Cursing

Author’s Notes: -This is a college AU. -The real founding fathers were horrible people (except for John Laurens and John Adams) who profited off slavery. This fanfiction is not about them.

Please take some time to sign some BLM petitions! Remember not to give any money to change.org because the money goes to the website, not the cause.

*******

    “Ow, hot!” you cringed as you did that weird thing where you kept your mouth wide open while simultaneously trying to chew.

    Jefferson didn’t even glance away from the TV as he half-heartedly warned, “Careful, it’s hot.”

    Finally able to swallow your mouthful of food, you shoved Thomas in response for his jackassary.

    James Madison walked in. “Macaroni and cheese again? You two are obsessed.”

    “I’m not obsessed.” You motioned toward Jefferson. “He’s the one who keeps making this stuff.”

    Thomas scoffed, “I’m the only one who cooks anything around here. You guys are too lazy to make your own meals, so you will eat whatever I give you.”

    “Jackass,” mumbled Madison as he shoveled some cheesy macaroni into a bowl.

    “My thoughts exactly,” you agreed. Your turn not to look away from the TV as Jefferson scowled at you.

    James came to sit on the floor between where you and Thomas were on the love seat. “How did your opening statement go over with Alexander today?”

    Jefferson scoffed, “Just as well as one might expect. The bastard thinks we should go for the entrapment defense. How idiotic do you need to be? Washington should’ve never paired us together for this mock trial.”

    “When are you going to give this guy a break?”

    Both men turned to look at you.

    Thomas was flabbergasted. “What the hell did you say to me?”

    “You’re always racking on this guy. No one’s as bad as you’ve made this Alexander Hamilton out to be.”

    Madison explained, “Alex once talked for six hours, had the class stay in that room from 10am to 4pm, just because he was upset with how the Dean is running the university, and he had some ideas on how to make it ‘better,’ supposedly. His ideas were fuckin’ dumb.”

    Jefferson continued, “He’s always interrupting and taking over the class. I’m sure Washington would’ve kicked him out of the class if Hamilton wasn’t such a teacher’s pet.”

    “Okay, he does kind of sound really annoying,” you admitted.

    Thomas threw his head back to the back of the couch. “Thank you!”

    James nodded, “It’s impossible to not find him annoying.”

    “But just because he talks a lot doesn’t mean he’s evil,” you argued.

    Jefferson and Madison both groaned.

    “Hey, I might just be a humble Theatre major up against two law students,” you reasoned, “but Alex seems, from what I’ve heard from you guys, the kind of person who wants the best for the people around him, and is also prepared to fight for what is right. I’m just saying, that sounds a lot like you guys.”

    Madison squirmed in his seat. “So what?”

    “So,” you teased. “Give the kid a chance. He’s just a little loud.”

    The guys were silent, as if they didn’t have a counterargument. Thomas didn’t seem to like that. “Shut up and eat your macaroni and cheese,” he ordered, pulling his legs into a criss-cross position and dropping the conversation.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it! If you would like to read more, I have more fics over on my page. You should go check it out. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 007 [The Exam Begins]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂ Backward

Word Count: 1,796 ☁

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“This is my destiny. Here comes a king. Everybody’s gonna see.” WAR*HALL, “King of the World”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

Something was slapping my face. Repeatedly.

My eyes snapped open, glaring at the blonde hero hovering above me. “The fuck is your problem – stop!” I grabbed his wrist, shoving his hand away from my cheek.

“It’s the day of the exam,”

I tilted my head backward to look at the window. There wasn’t a hint of light coming through the sheer curtains. “What time is it?”

“Five-thirty,”

“Fuck off,” I rolled over, pulling the blanket over my head.

“Hey, hey, get up!” He easily tugged the blanket off, throwing it onto the floor. “I have to go meet up with young Midoriya and I don’t want you to risk sleeping in, now get up!”

I groaned when he grabbed my arm, pulling me up and off the couch. “Fine, whatever. Imma go shower.”

“Breakfast is in the microwave. It’s chilly outside so dress warmly!” He called after me before leaving the apartment. I let the cool water run over my body, my forehead against the cold tile. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as fuck, but I had confidence in myself and in the training Aizawa had provided me.

I dried my body, dressing in a pair of basketball shorts, a taco t-shirt, and a black hoodie.

The food was still warm, steam fogging up the plastic wrap covering the plate. A cheese omelet and a serving of white rice. Simple and nutritional, but not nearly enough to fill me up. I glanced at the window as sunlight started to streak across the horizon in shades of orange and purple. I set the plate in the sink, grabbed a couple of snacks from the cabinet and pulled my sneakers on.

I was ready to go.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

The entrance to U.A. High was packed with hopefuls. My eyes scanned their faces – confident, scared, nervous. Those were the most prominent emotions they were exhibiting. I stuffed my hands into my hoodie, following the throng of students as they piled into the building. Teachers herded the students into two lines, where we signed in at the desk and got our exam ticket.

After signing in, we were taken to a large gymnasium where rows upon rows of desks had been set up. A thin cement wall was constructed on each desk to prevent cheating. Midnight was standing at the front of the room with a smirk on her face and a riding crop in her hand.

“Everyone, take a seat! The written exam is about to begin!”

Students shuffled into the room, several boys rushing to the front to try and get closer to the R-Rated hero. I rolled my eyes, choosing a desk near the back. The last thing I wanted was to be closer to that woman, she doesn’t know what personal space is and I swear to god if she touches my boobs again, I’m gonna set this entire fucking building on fire.

After the room settled, Midnight spoke up, her voice echoing off the tall ceiling. “You will be given twenty minutes to answer as many questions as you can! There are a total of one hundred questions, each worth one point.” She started to walk around the room, her heels clicking against the polished maple floor. “Cheating is strictly forbidden. Anyone caught doing so will be punished severely.”

Her threat caused a wave of excitement to sweep through the male students. What a joke.

“BEGIN!”

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

After finishing up the written exam, we were led to an auditorium where the seats sloped downward like a college classroom. A podium was set up at the bottom, a large screen taking up the length of the front wall.

Where should I sit, hmm? I stood off to the side, watching as the students filtered into the room, nervously choosing a seat. I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced over, meeting the golden eyes of Shadow. He smiled, his clawed hand grabbing my wrist as he pulled me over to toward the bird boy standing on the right side of the room, looking embarrassed.

“Let her go,” he ordered before bowing at me. “I apologize for Dark Shadow’s actions.”

The shadow in question looked between the two of us with a sad expression. Dam, he’s too adorable. I reached out, patting him on the head. “It’s no biggie.” I sat down and he followed, sitting to my right. Shadow was hovering between us.

The boy held out his hand. “My name is Fumikage Tokoyami.”

I accepted, giving it a firm shake. “Jen Winchester,”

Using that last name felt foreign on my tongue. I had briefly debated whether or not I made a mistake choosing that name over Gramps’. When Toshi had taken me to get my quirk registered, he had asked me what last name I wanted to use. I hadn’t even considered that at the time. In a way, I felt like I was betraying Gramps by not taking his name, but… this just felt like something I had to do. Whether I liked it or not, I was a Winchester. It’s part of who I am.

But don’t worry, Gramps, I’ll always be a Tegu, as well.

The fluorescent lights clicked off before a spotlight focused on that damned cockatiel known as Present Mic, who stood tall behind the podium. I knew all about him and his quirk from the one time I met his ass during a trip to U.A. with Aizawa. He’s loud and really fucking annoying. I don’t hate the man, he seems pretty decent, but he’s too damn high strung for me.

Shadow perked up, looking fiercer in the darkness that surrounded us as he leaned against my shoulder. Fumi looked like he wanted to scold him, but he held his tongue.

“What’s up U.A. candidates?” The cockatiel boomed with excitement. “Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ. Come on and let me hear ya!”

I scoffed as the room remained silent. Because of nerves or just because they thought he was lame, I didn’t know. Probably a bit of both.

He started to shake at the rejection. “Keeping it mellow, huh? That’s fine. I’ll skip straight to the main show! Let’s talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, ‘kay? Are you rea~dy?!”

“So cringy,” I muttered, placing my palm against my forehead.

“He’s quite… eccentric.” Fumi commented.

“Like your application said, today you rockin’ boys and girls will be out there conducting mock battles in super hip urban settings!” The screen behind him came to life, showing the mock city. Lines extended out from it to seven boxes, labeled with a letter from A to G. “Guard your loins, my friends.”

He did not just fucking say that. What is wrong with this fool?

“After I drop the mic here, you’ll head to your specified battle center. Sound good? Okay?!”

What center am I going to again? I pulled the exam ticket from my pocket, scanning the card. Battle center E, huh?

“Aww, I wanted to fight alongside you,” Shadow said softly, peering over my shoulder.

I glanced at Fumi’s card – he’s in center A. I rested my hand on Shadow’s head to console him.

“Okay, okay, let’s check out your targets.” The city floated in the middle of the screen. Robot silhouettes appeared on either side of the city. “There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. You’ll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo!”

I deadpanned. The demonstration on screen was of a retro game where the cockatiel walked around kicking villains.

“But, check it – make sure you keep things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no, ya dig?”

“Excuse me, sir, but I have a question.”

“Hit me!”

God, I would love to hit him right now. Preferably with a chair. He’s giving me a headache.

A spotlight focused on a tall, navy-haired boy with glasses who stood up and pointed at the handout of the faux villains. “On the printout, you’ve listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students, we expect the best from Japan’s most notable school. A mistake such as this won’t do.”

“What a loser,” a kid behind me snickered.

“Shut up, he’ll hear you!” But he was also laughing.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a loser but he was certainly making an ass of himself. He reminds me of a pretentious prep school kid. I clicked my tongue, leaning back with my hands behind my head. Guess it’s expected to find these types at the top hero school, huh?

He turned his glare to a student a few rows back. “Additionally, you with the unkempt hair. You’ve been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can’t bother to take this seriously, leave. You’re distracting the rest of us.”

“S-Sorry,” the kid mumbled, earning a laugh from the other students.

Poor kid. He’s probably just nervous. “What a toolbag,”

“Alright, alright.” The cockatiel tried to get everyone’s attention back on him. “Examinee number 7111, thnks for calling in with your request.” Another silhouetted robot appeared on the screen. “The fourth villain type is worth zero points. That guy’s just an obstacle we’re throwing in your way. There’s one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It’s not that it can’t be beaten, but there’s… kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts!”

The prep bowed. “Thank you very much. Please continue!”

Like he needs your damn permission to do so. Man, I really don’t like this kid.

“That’s all I’ve got for you today. I’ll sign off with a little present – a sample of our school’s motto! As general Napoleon Bonaparte one laid down, ‘A true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes’. Mhm, now that’s a tasty soundbite. You ready to go beyond? Let’s hear a PLUS ULTRA!” Silence. “Good luck! Hope you practiced more than just books!”

Everyone was dismissed to get changed out of their school uniforms. Since I wasn’t wearing one, I headed straight for the bus that would take my group to battle center E. I noticed movement from the corner of my eye and glanced over, seeing Aizawa leaning against a tree with a cat in his arms.

“Did you steal that cat, bro?”

His eyes narrowed at me and he ignored the question. “Don’t make me look bad, kid.”

I scoffed as he walked away.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

▸Forward

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[thelookingglassalice]

Equestrian Training

Pairing: Steve Rogers (Captain America) x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1343

Summary: Training time at the compound with Steve, Nat, and Clint.

Square Filled: Horseback Riding @star-spangled-bingo 

Cap2Challenge-Prompt: Is that a horse?! Do I look like a cowboy to you?  @imhereforbvcky and @justsomebucky 

—–

You walked along the grassy pasture that led away from the compound. You wondered why you were told to report to the north field for training. Practicing sneak attacks in the flatlands? You crested a hill and saw a neat barn with a few paddocks. There were some chickens wandering around a coop, some sheep grazing. You saw Lucky, Clint’s dog eyeing the sheep. He was laying in a sunny spot by the barn.

“Hey Lucky…are you training me today?” You frowned, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing you had done since being recruited.

Lucky favored you with a chuffing noise then went back to watching the sheep.

“No. I’ve got you today.” Clint came out of the barn leading a horse.

“Is that a horse?! Do I look like a cowboy to you?” You eyed the horse with mistrust. “How many missions will I need to be on horseback?”

“It’s an excellent workout and helps you center yourself. Plus it’s a horse! Stop complaining.” Clint lovingly petted the horse along it’s nose.

“Clint…I’m not good with big animals. Cats and dogs, fine. But I cannot…center myself on a horse.”

“We didn’t get much training on equestrian lessons at the academy.” Natasha came from around the barn, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair. Steve was walking with her. They had obviously just finished some training in the woods.

“Thank you.” You gestured to Natasha. “Did you learn to ride these?”

“They fear her.” Clint frowned. “But yeah, she learned.”

“What about you? Did you ride many horses in WW2?” You asked Steve.

“I’m sure that this is a good skill to have.” Steve sidestepped the question, going to pet the horse.

“Glad you think that. Cause you’re learning, too.” Natasha smiled.

“I don’t think-”

“Not the best-”

“Don’t scare my horses.”

“Look. Like you said it’s a good skill to have. What if you were stranded somewhere and you needed a horse to get away. Are you questioning my training?” Natasha asked Steve.

Facts were, Natasha loved sticking Steve and you together. She enjoyed how you bothered each other. Several training sessions had ended with Steve wearing his ‘disappointed ‘ face and you frustrated as hell.

“So everyone mount up.” Clint shrugged and climbed into the saddle. He muttered to the horse and gave it a sugar cube.

“He really likes animals.” You chuckled.

“Steve had to implement an animal control or he’d have more animals than people here.” Natasha was settling herself on her horse, it stood perfectly still.

“Even animals respect her.” Steve was trying to find the best way onto the horse. He swung himself up effortlessly and sat confidently. You remembered Tony saying he’d like to punch Steve in his perfect teeth, you could concur.

“Okay horse. I’m not trying to bother you. Or annoy you. If you let me on your back, I’ll give you a sugar cube. Let’s just try and work together.” You figured out the easiest way would be to use the fence as a ladder.

You were graceful, all those years in the academy had made sure of that. But you didn’t trust the horse and he knew it. You didn’t carry the threatening air that Natasha did, so the horse tried to knock you off the fence. You finally got settled and saw all the superheros were watching you with amusement.

“Red Room graduate.” Natasha rolled her eyes and smiled.

“They taught me to kill with my thighs, not grip monstrous creatures…except that one time.” You furrowed your brow.

Clint went through the basics and the four of you took off. It wasn’t very calming, you didn’t feel centered. Clint was next to you, giving advice. Natasha and Steve were behind you.

Soon your abs were burning trying to keep your form. Nat and Clint had moved in front of you, they were talking. Steve was behind them and in front of you. He was looking at the woods. The trotting was sort of nice, you understood why some women really, really enjoyed this. You were enjoying it enough to be staring at Steve’s ass. It was a crime really that such an ass was attached to such a stoic person. You watched the muscles clench and unclench. You startled and the horse gave a noise of displeasure.

“Sorry, sorry.” You apologized and the horse whinnied. He was clearly not impressed with your equestrian skills. Neither were you. Paying more attention to Steve’s ass than the ride was not a good move.

“Are you still back there?” Steve turned his head slightly.

“Yes. Just enjoying the scenery.” You cringed.

“I think we’re ready to try faster.” Clint called back. Natasha took off like a shot. “Not that fast cheater!” Clint yelled and took off after her.

“And they’re gone.” Steve looked through the trees.

“What the fuck? Is that the end of my lesson?” You tried to see where they went without pissing off your horse.

“They’re not great teachers.” Steve frowned.

“My ass is asleep and my horse hates me. Do I pass?” You asked.

“We’re almost back to the barn. You can get down if you can’t take it.” Steve offered.

“Some of us don’t have super soldier butt cheeks.” You hissed as you brought your horse to a standstill. You slid awkwardly to the ground. Your horse seemed pleased to be free. You took the reigns and strode past Steve.

“I thought you were a ballerina. They have…somewhat strong…” Steve trailed off. He didn’t know how to end that sentence.

“Strong?” You closed your lips around a smile.

“You’re strong.” He finished.

“Thanks. But it’s not the muscles, it’s the saddle.” You stretched your legs and continued to walk.

“Shit.” You heard him dismount and he was walking next to you leading his horse. “You had to mention that.”

“It’s probably worse for guys.” You nodded and pulled a leaf off a tree, twirling it in your fingers.

“You know Nat puts us together because she likes to make me uncomfortable.” He said, conversationally.

“I make you uncomfortable?” You gasped in mock-shock.

“You like doing things your own way. That makes me uncomfortable.”

“You plan every moment. Everything done to code then you go on the run as a wanted criminal. You are hard to read and that makes me uncomfortable.” You shrugged. “I like to be able to read people and you I cannot nail down.”

“It’s a big team. You could just avoid me.” Steve glanced at you.

“You’re the FIRST Avenger. I feel like we’d run into one another.” You sighed. “It’s not a big issue. As soon as I repay Natasha for getting me out of there I’m retiring.”

“Retiring?” He scoffed.

“Yes. In the country or the mountains. No horses. Maybe the beach. I’d just like to rest for once in my life. You know?” You tossed the leaf.

“Are you not following orders so you can get kicked out?” The barn was in sight now. You had no idea where Clint and Nat were. Their horses were back in the stalls. “You can leave any time.”

“Well, not really. I owe Nat. She said that she made amends for what she did by helping. So…I’m helping. And if my old employers found me I’d be dead. So kinda need you all to protect me.” You didn’t see a point in lying. You’d already spilled your guts. The damn horse ride really did center you.

You led the horses into the barn and into the stalls. With some trial and error (and looking it up on your phone) you got the horses un-saddled and settled in with some water, food, and a carrot.

“I wonder where your trainers went.” Steve looked around. Then there were noises from the hayloft.

“This hay is making me itch.” Clint complained.

“Let’s just take one of the crops back to our room.” Natasha’s voice followed.

“I’m not training with them anymore.” You fast walked out of the barn with Steve on your heels.

[squirrelly831]

Encountering His Crush [Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook]

Sorry they are mega long, but I had an idea and rolled with it. Also, the title doesn’t really do it justice, but really had no idea how to name this reaction... I may fix them up in the future, but for now enjoy a little bad boy au and let me know what you think~

You can find Taehyung’s here.

Enjoy~

Jimin

Danielle was on her way to gather her things. She was stressed out with theater practice. She was the lead of the musical and her counterpart, as good looking as he was, pissed her off to no end. He couldn’t harmonize with her and wanted to show her up even though the play wasn’t a contest. As she stormed the hall, she heard a beautiful voice singing. Danielle slowed her steps as she wandered down the hall to find the person who belonged to the voice. She stopped outside the music room and peeked inside to see one of the bad boys of BTS, Jimin, on the windowsill looking out. He belted out the song as he sat there not thinking anyone was watching him.

As he finished the song, Danielle rushed into the music room flushed and shocked. Jimin cursed as he jumped at the sudden intrusion. She tried to form words as she thought of what she wanted to say, but only mumbles left her lips.

Jimin stared at her as he leaned back against the windowsill, “You look like a fish out of water.”

“You can sing.”

Jimin’s lips twitched as he held back as laugh, “And you have working ears.”

“That’s not” she sighed as she shook her head, “I didn’t mean it sarcastically… You just bring that out of me.”

“Lovely.” His lips fell in a tight line. His head tilted in her direction as he watched her with no expression, “Lucky me.”

Danielle took a moment to gather her thoughts before she approached him, “Do you know Rewrite the Stars?”

Jimin shrugged, “Who doesn’t?”

“Many apparently. Sing it with me.”

Jimin wore a puzzled expression as he looked back at her, “I’m sorry… I thought I heard you say to sing with you.”

“I did. Or” a smirk played on her lips, “Or are you too shy” she mocked in a high pitch voice.

Jimin’s eyes darkened as he shot her a glare, “Fine…”

After the song, the two were just inches apart and Danielle let out a shaky breath, “You have to be the main lead.”

“I’m sorry? What?”

“For our play! The current lead gets of my nerves and can’t match my pitch, but you can!” She grinned as she thought of how better the play would go with Jimin.

Jimin stepped away from her and crossed his arms, “I’ll pass. I’m not trying to be some theater geek.” He went back to the windowsill and looked out the window.

“What if I can convince our teacher to drop your detention?” She saw his eyebrow twitch in curiosity through the reflection. “I mean, if he knew you were helping out, I’m sure he could let you leave. Or” she shrugged as she turned to the door, “You can stay here. Suffer through two long hours of doing nothing.”

Danielle took a step outside the room counting in her head to five. “Wait.” Jimin called out. She looked back at him and he took a breath, “If you can get me out of here, I’ll do the stupid play.”

She grinned, “Great. Tomorrow after school. Meet me in the auditorium.”

“Ok…But you better keep your word, Dani girl.”

“Call me that again and you can spend the rest of the year in here” Jimin held up his hands as Danielle made her way out the room. Jimin watched her leave with a smirk on his face. He hated the idea of being in a play, but if it meant he could get Danielle, the only girl who blew him off, to pay attention to him… maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

Leading to the performance, Jimin and Danielle weren’t quite friends, but their sarcastic ways toned down towards each other. Their sarcasm turned to mindless teasing and flirting that drove them both up the walls.

The day of the play, Danielle met up with Jimin and was shocked by his new blonde hair, “Whoa, you look—”

“Hot? Desirable? Sexy? All the above?” He smirked. He eyed her costume and nodded in approval, “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks?” She felt a blush begin to form. “Also… I was going to say good, but never mind.”

Jimin chuckled as he got closer to Danielle, “You don’t look so nervous. Don’t the leads typically get the most worked up?”

It wasn’t a lie. Danielle felt like she was eating her heart out for more than one reason. The play intimidated her, but so did Jimin’s sudden blonde appearance. It was hard enough for her to practice with him every day as she found herself falling for him, but now he looked ten times hotter and it set her on edge. She hummed, “I could say the same for you. You’ve never performed before.”

Jimin’s lips curved in a smile, “Really? I think I perform pretty well everyday.” Danielle’s eyebrow rose as her face shifted into a look of confusion. Jimin’s finger traced up her neck to her chin and he pulled her head up to look him in the face, “I have to perform everyday and pretend I hate you because you’re too stubborn to admit you like me and want to kiss me just as bad as I want to you.”

Danielle cleared her throat as she looked away from him. She heard her name and looked to see her friend giving her their cue that they were about to start. She bit her lip, ruining her lipstick, and looked back at Jimin. “Make this play a hit and you can get that kiss you want from me.”

Jimin smirked as his brow rose, “I was already planning to, but since I get a reward, I guess I really have to now.” Danielle let out a small chuckle as she turned on her heels. Jimin watched her walk off as he thought about her lips on his at the end of the play. He couldn’t wait for the curtains to fall.

Jungkook

Mijin froze in shock as she absorbed the words Jungkook spoke to her outside of school. They were at the gate drawing the attention of their schoolmates as they rushed out of their prison. “Can you repeat that?” She finally answered.

Jungkook’s head rolled as he tried to keep his blush from finding its way on his face, “Do you wanna go out with me?” He scratched the back of his head as he heard Taehyung whistle from a distance.

Mijin didn’t know where this was brought on. She had never really spoken to Jungkook though they had been in the same class for years. She knew Jungkook’s reputation for fighting and being a bad boy who ditch class or cursed out teachers. Mijin was the exact opposite. Top of their class, not a single backbone in her body, and a regular dictionary definition of a goody two shoes. She played with her braid that rest on her shoulder, “Umm…” Her eyes looked at everything that wasn’t Jungkook as she tried to fish for a reply.

“Just a date” he spit out. “Trial date. I know this is sudden, but I’ve liked you for a while…”

“Me?” She couldn’t believe that. Someone as good looking as Jungkook having so much as a crush on a girl like her. This could be a trick… How many shows or stories has she read when the bad boy makes a bet with his friends to bang the nerd? What did she have to lose? She had a crush on him, honestly what girl didn’t in their class, so the worst that could happen was she could be used… She wouldn’t sleep with him.

“It’s okay if you wanna say n–”

“Why not” she spoke as he began to ramble.

Jungkook’s words caught in his throat as he grinned. He let out a throaty sound as he looked back at his group of friends, “SHE SAID YES!” Taehyung and Jimin hollered as the older ones shook their head at how hyped the two were. Jungkook looked back at Mijin and let out a shaky breath, “You won’t regret this, I swear you won’t. I’ll text you and we can set up a day for a date.” He hugged her quickly and she could feel his heart pounding before he pulled away from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

As he began to run off, Mijin laughed, “Jungkook!” His breath lodged in his throat as he heard his name slip off her lips. He looked back and Mijin held up her phone, “Don’t you need my number to text me?” Jungkook covered his face as a blush broke over his cheeks and he returned to collect her number.

It had been five months since that day and Jungkook and Mijin were going strong. However, even though they were dating, Mijin couldn’t get Jungkook to go to class all day long. She was lucky to get him to go to three class at least in the day, but she would collect his homework that he would do with her.

As they sat at a table outside a neighborhood cafe with her homework, they were approached by a group of high schoolers from a different school. Jungkook’s smile he wore washed away when he noticed the group. Mijin noticed the tenseness between the Jungkook and the guys. One of them eyed her before he winked her direction. Jungkook stood abruptly ready to swing, when Mijin acted.

“Can we go?” She stuttered as she fixed her glasses. “It’s kind of hot out here.”

Jungkook looked back at her and he stepped back from the group, “Yea…” His jaw clenched as he stared them down, “Let’s get out of here.”

Mijin hurriedly gathered her homework and stuffed it in her bag before she flung it over her shoulder. Jungkook took her hand and the two fled the cafe with exaggerated kissing sounds and whistles echoing behind them. Mijin was thankful that she didn’t have to see Jungkook fight. She was pacifist as it was, but she also didn’t want to see her boyfriend get hurt over something so stupid as some guys being jerks.

That evening, Jungkook and Mijin walked down the street hand in hand. Jungkook’s attitude had improved from the previous encounter and the two were talking and laughing together.

“Well well, if it isn’t Jungkook and his girl again.” Mijin’s shoulders stiffened as she heard the voice from the alleyway. It was one of the guys from earlier and he was with another guy from the group.

“Fuck off” Jungkook cursed as he stood in front of Mijin protectively.

The guy chuckled, “Oh, so mean. What do you say we make a truce? We don’t kick your ass if” he looked at Mijin lustfully, “You give us a pie–” His words were cut off as Jungkook swung and punched him in the jaw. The guy let out a dark chuckle as he held his jaw, “Oh, you’re going to regret that lover boy.” The two guys lunged at Jungkook and Mijin screamed as she jumped back. The attack led them into the alleyway where they ganged up on him.

Jungkook fought back as best he could under the circumstances, but having punched and kicks from two different angles.

Mijin gripped her phone as she tried to find her voice, “HEY!” She screamed getting the two guys’ attention, “I already called the police. They’re coming” she stuttered.

The guys tsked as the one who held Jungkook by the collar let him go. “You’re lucky your bitch saved you.”

She stood there quivering like a leaf as the two guys stalked off. “Jungkook!” She ran to his side as she saw him slide down the garage door. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Jungkook refused to meet her gaze as he rocked. “Fine” he growled. She reached out to check him, but he slapped her hand away, “Leave it alone!” He barked. Mijin jumped at his harsh words, but she refused to leave his side. “Fuck” he pulled at his hair as he leaned his head back giving her a view of his busted lip, “I couldn’t even protect you and here I am asking you out.”

Mijin took his hand gripping it tightly as he tried to free it from her grasp, “I don’t care about that. I don’t care what others say about me.”

“Well I fucking do!”

Mijin leaned up to Jungkook’s face as she took his head in her other hand, “And I appreciate that, but I don’t need you getting into fights on my behalf.” Her thumb traced his busted lip. “Come on, we should get your lip cleaned and check for bruises. Can you stand?”

Jungkook reached out and his hand went behind her head. His other hand went to her wrist and pulled her back to him and kissed her. He hissed at the pain of his lip, but he refused to break the kiss. Her hands support herself as she pressed her palms on his chest. He broke the kiss and let out a breathless laugh, “How is it you make me fall more in love with you every day I’m with you.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he kissed her again and took her bottom lip in between his teeth.

Part I | Part II

Credit to gif owners

Written & revamped by Squirrelly831

♕ REQUEST

☮ BTS MASTERLIST

∞ ULTIMATE MASTERLIST

[jarmes]

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Twisted Destiny Chapter 18 - Thunderstruck, Part 3

Masterpost - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

As Johana’s plane begins to take off, Sydney Young summons Thunderstruck and fires a storm of quills at it. Lightning crashes down from the stormy sky into the plane, bouncing between quills and ripping the plane apart. The remains of the plane crash down and explode.

Johana sits in an airport security interrogation room, her hands locked together by handcuffs. She could break them, of course, but what would be the point? There’s no way they’d let her get on a plane ten minutes after locking her up.

The light above Johana is far too bright, shining down blinding white light all over the metal table Johana’s hands are chained to. Johana moves her mouth to her coat and bites one of her buttons, tearing it off. She uses Hamon to spit the button at the light with pinpoint accuracy, shattering that.

“Impressive,” a policeman says as he walks into the interrogation room. “I guess I’ll add property destruction to your long list of charges.”

“What charges? I’ve been here for five hours and you still haven’t told me what I’m being charged with,” Johana says.

“Oh, all in good time,” the policeman says.

He wears an ill-fitting grey suit with a loose blue tie. Bandages cover a cut on his right hand. His greasy hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. Something about his demeanor pisses Johana off. “Who are you?” she asks.

“My name is Chief Inspector Sting, I’m with the London Police. Airport Security called me after you killed that security agent.”

“Like I told the last guy, I didn’t kill him.”

“You won’t believe this, but you’re the first murder suspect to say that to me.”

“Check the tapes, I didn’t touch him.”

“The cameras in that part of the terminal went out right before the security agent died. Some kind of power surge, I’m told. Eyewitnesses said you were raving like a madwoman before the detective died, threatening to kill people. Others reported that you got into a fistfight with another man, a man who is now missing.

“His name is Sydney Young, he’s the one you’re after. I didn’t do anything to the security guard.”

“Then why were your fingerprints on the dead man’s baton?”

Johana’s heart drops. Inspector Sting pulls a notepad out of his pocket and glances over hastily scribbled notes. “According to the papers we found on you, your name is Johana Joestar. Is this correct?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“And the girl that was with you, the one that is now missing, her name is Kan Nijimura, correct?”

“Wait, what do you mean, missing? What happened to Kan?”

“She escaped from security shortly after the two of you were brought in. Don’t worry, we’ll find her. After all, we wouldn’t want a murderer running free.”

“I’m not a murderer, and Kan definitely isn’t.”

“Of course you aren’t. This is all some big coincidence, isn’t it?” Sting says in a mocking voice. “You know, I’d be more inclined to believe you if this wasn’t the first time you were involved in this kind of thing.”

“This is the first time-”

“When I heard that the people being held were Johana Joestar and Kan Nijimura, I was pleasantly surprised, because the two of you are prime suspects in multiple cases of mine.”

“What cases?”

“Yesterday a crowd of people fainted at your friend’s concert. When we investigated the campus, we found multiple bodies, including the body of one of your teachers, a teacher you reportedly disliked and the body of a student whose heart had been ripped out,” Sting says. “And then, before I could track you down and question you, I was pulled away to a new case. Dozens of people died in a hospital downtown under mysterious circumstances. A hospital that, surprise surprise, you checked Kan Nijimura into mere hours before. Among the dead was another man whose heart was ripped out, a man who, by sheer coincidence, shared a room with Nijimura an hour earlier.”

Johana clenches her fist. “And then, this morning, we received reports of gunfire outside your dorm building. When we arrived we found more bodies,” Sting says. “And, of course, there’s the issue of the dead security guard.”

“Like I said, Sydney Young killed that man. The other slayings, they weren’t my fault.”

“And where is Sydney Young now?”

“I punched him through a window onto the tarmac, check there.”

“So you admit to killing this man? That’s progress, I suppose.”

“I didn’t kill him. At least, I don’t think I did. I didn’t have a chance to check because you locked me up here. And I only fought him because he attacked me and Kan. It was self-defense. All of these slayings have been self-defense. I’ve never sought out to hurt someone.”

“Then explain the arrow,” String says. Johana curses herself and slams her fist against the table. “Oh, you didn’t think we’d find the arrow? If you aren’t trying to hurt anyone, why are you trying to bring a weapon on an airplane.” Johana doesn’t have a good response for that.

“Everywhere you go, it seems, death follows,” Sting says. “Our current theory is that miss Nijimura is some sort of psycho killer and you’re her accomplice. As soon as we find Nijimura, the two of you are going away for the rest of your lives, understand?”

A large foot kicks open the door of the interrogation room. “Objection! I object to these proceedings,” Nero shouts as he bursts in.

“I’m sorry, who the hell are you?” Inspector Sting asks.

“How thoughtful of you to ask, dear detective. I am JoJo’s lawyer and am appalled that you questioned that you would question my client without my presence. Worse, you have not even read JoJo her rights yet, which is grounds for a missed trial!”

“You aren’t a lawyer,” Sting says.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“I’ve met lawyers, you aren’t one.”

“Such slander! I’ll add that to the long list of things my client and I will be suing you for after this thing boils over. On the topic of my client being mistreated, let us talk about those lights on the ceiling. One of them is broken! Do you really expect my client to sit here in such horrid conditions! I demand you release my cousin at once!”

“Okay, I’m not really sure what’s happening right now, but I know for a fact that Joestar isn’t leaving anytime soon,” Sting says. “For crying out loud, she’s wanted for multiple murders.”

“Nero, what are you doing here?” Johana asks.

“I am trying to save you, JoJo,” Nero says.

“Well, you’re doing a pretty shitty job at the moment,” Johana says.

“Wow, that was cold,” Sting says.

“Inspector, I apologize for my cousin...being the way he is,” Johana says.

“Is he even a lawyer?”

“You dare accuse me of not being a lawyer? I shall not stand by as you fling these insults, good sir!” Nero says before backhanding Inspector Sting.

Sting grits his teeth. “Did you just strike a member of the police, you son of a bitch?”

“Insulting my mother now, are we? I should slap you for that. Note that this shall be the first time I slap you, because that first slap hardly counted. If I really wanted to slap you, I would have done it like this,” Nero says. He slaps Inspector Sting as hard as he can, flinging Sting over the table.

“Goddamnit Nero,” Johana says while laying her head down on the table.

Inspector Sting climbs to his feet, his face red with burning hatred. “You bastard, I’ll make sure you rot in a hole for the rest of your life!” he shouts.

“You’ll have to catch me first!” Nero says before running out of the room. Inspector Sting charges after him, slamming the door behind him as he leaves.

Johana sits there in silence for twenty seconds before sighing. “Good job, Nero,” she says. “You know, when I break someone out of police custody I usually try to take them with me, but your way works too.”

“Talking to yourself is really weird, you know,” a voice from behind Johana says. Johana turns to see Kan standing in a black corner, waving.

“Kan? How did you-”

“Stand.”

“Oh, right.”

“I broke out of custody as soon as I could and found Nero. Are you going to break your cuffs or are you just going to sit there?”

“What’s the point?” Johana asks. “This airport is filled with cops-”

“Cops who are preoccupied with Nero right now.”

“I feel bad for mocking his plan now.”

“Don’t. The lawyer act wasn’t exactly Oscar-worthy.”

Johana snaps her handcuffs. Kan opens a doorway on the wall and the duo sneak their way back to the main terminal, where they hide within a crowd of travelers. “Nero got us some new tickets after we missed our flight. Take off is in ten minutes,” Kan says. “It’ll be tight, but we should be able to make it.”

“What about Nero?”

“Nero’s smart, he can take care of himself. Besides, Woodstock’s Stand Users are after you, not Nero.”

Johana’s throat drops. “The arrow! Sting mentioned the police had the suitcase we hid it in-”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that handled,” Kan says.

Kan leads Johana to a potted plant by the airport restrooms. After glancing around to make sure nobody is watching, she creates a wormhole on the ground and pulls out a suitcase. “I stole it back before coming to rescue you,” Kan says.

Johana opens up the suitcase, revealing three bracelets, the arrow, and a black cap with a gold star printed on it. “Huh,” Johana says.

“What?” Kan asks.

“It’s just, in all of the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you be so...on top of things,” Johana says. “You’ve grown a lot recently.”

Kan blushes. “Let’s get going,” she mutters. “We don’t want to miss our flight.”

+++

Nero runs through the airport, chased by dozens of cops. Inspector Sting pulls a pistol from his belt and fires wildly at Nero. Nero slides like a baseball player, dodging the shots. Viva La Vida appears next to him and strikes the ground, decaying it. The police trip over the pothole-filled floor.

Sting leaps over the trap and continues chasing Nero. Nero jumps back to his feet and runs as fast as he can. He runs up and escalator, hurdling over people in his way. Sting keeps chasing.

Nero runs straight for a wall. “There’s nowhere you can run!” Sting shouts. Nero smiles. His Stand appears and breaks down the wall. The Stand jumps through the new hole, sending Nero flying out of the hospital.

Sting stops. He’s stunned with confusion. Nero is gone, having evaded two dozen cops. That isn’t what confuses Sting, though. The thing that he can’t understand is the strange figure that appeared next to Nero as he broke the wall.

Nero lands on the ground outside the airport. Droplets of rain splash down as he runs away. Thunder crashes above as he climbs up the parking garage where he left Kelly’s convertible.

Nero stops short of the car. A man stands by the car, arms crossed. Nero summons his Stand. “I did not expect to see you here,” he says.

+++

Johana slides the suitcase under her seat. As the flight attendants give their speech, Johana takes Kan’s hand. “We made it,” she says with a smile.

“You’ll be back in New York soon, isn’t it exciting?” Kan asks.

“You know, so much has been going on that I haven’t really had a chance to think about it,” Johana says. “I don’t plan to stick around longer than I have to, though. I’m only going home because I have to.”

“Where do you want to go after New York? We can’t go back to London, obviously.”

“Yeah, we can’t,” Johana says with a sigh. “I’m sorry I brought you into this.”

“We should go to Japan,” Kan says, ignoring Johana’s apology. “It’s really pretty this time of year. I can show you my hometown, introduce you to my family, it’ll be fun.”

As the plane begins taxiing down the runway, the pilots notice a man standing on the tarmac. He shambles towards the plane, leaving a trail of blood. His arms hang limp at his side, too broken to function. Countless quills have been stabbed precisely into his body like acupuncture needles.

[kkojin-blog]

lord of the flies | mock trials

hi everyone!! i played jack merridew in my senior year mock trial, and i had a really hard time figuring out how to answer anything because there is literally no sources on the internet to even slightly help jack defend himself. there is a few, yes, but they’re mostly written by sixth graders or the opposition, so i decided to help all the jack merridews and the defence team lawyers of the world by posting everything i wrote, answered and behaved as jack. i should probably announce right away that my team did not win the mock trial, but that was because the character witnesses we had besides me were not prepared to be cross-examined, so this is also a friendly reminder to tell your buddies to pick up their slack!! jack can’t do it by himself.

Direct examination:

1) Summarize your childhood.

I was born to a rich family who often spoiled me with materialistic luxuries, and sent me to a PEDAGOGIC education facility on top of the additive tutoring classes, however, due to my diligence in my work, I did not have a single friend, as a friend would have “tainted the teaching” as my mother used to state- i did not have much of a social life, at least until i became leader of choir.

2) Why did you leave Ralph’s tribe?

I left Ralph’s tribe because his way of leadership wasn’t fun at the time.

(rules (make this! make that! collect fruit!, meetings.)

3) What was it like under Ralph’s leadership?

Ralph was rather drab as he listened to mostly piggy’s ideas. (conch, uhh, rules, uhh, can i get a number 15, burger king foot lettuce

4) What happened on the night of Simon’s death?

At the start we had prepared meat to be eaten. I supplied even Ralph himself with meat. Nobody objected the meal, except probably andrew, and after the feast we did our dance and we saw a dark figure moving in the bushes. Alarmed, we attacked. Afterwards, we found it was Simon.

5) Why did you become chief?

I became chief because the lifestyle I offered was more appealing to the boys than Ralph’s. No prepubescent boy wants to spend his time lugging around materials for huts or picking coconuts off trees.

6) What was it like when you arrived to the island?

It was unUSUAL, like it would be, for any one of the boys. I doubt anyone wanted to crash-land onto some mysterious island. ← this is a really weak answer idk

7) How did you start to feel after spending some time on the island?

I felt better about the situation. It was clear that we needed someone to lead, so I offered to do so.

8) Can you tell us about the events leading up to Piggy’s death?

We had taken piggy’s glasses because we needed them to start a cooking fire to feed the tribe. Afterwards, Ralph’s group came to come get them back. After some heated conversation, Roger got too riled up and triggered the lever that fell onto Piggy and the conch.

9) How did you adjust after you returned back to civilization?

(something along the lines of: when i got back to civilization, the presence of adults and rules led me to return to my civilized self)

I did go to an approved school, after I saw the contrast of myself at home and on the island, which I did continue until I was a young man. After the island, I can safely say that I did return to my old self. (say that without the governing of laws or adults we had all descend into savagery?)

( it helps so so much to memorize your affidavit. ) 

Affidavit:

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

LONDON, ENGLAND

GREAT BRITAIN            )

                                      )

          Plaintiff,               )

                                      )

vs.                                  )

                                      )

JACK MERRIDEW,        )

                                      )

           Defendant.         )

_____________________)

For a verdict of Innocence

Hello, my name is one I’m sure you’re all familiar with; Jack Merridew. I am the accused of this case, for which brings me to a type of desolation but which I acknowledge fully. For the purpose of the court, I have been asked to prepare a small insight into my life, prior to arriving on the island, and after the incidents that befell upon all of us.

I’ll begin as early as my memory allows; I was a promising child, born to a affluent family. My parents were good to me, and I had a sheltered childhood where I did not have much chance to experience the outside world; they carried me into my adolescence, for which I respect them deeply. I always did well in school, attended tutoring classes to refine my skills, most of which required me to be very focused, which broadened my book smarts, but restricted crucial knowledge of basic human behaviour. And most importantly; I always got high grades in choir, which eventually found me to become the leader of the school choir. I had to order the other boys to do tasks often, which was quite a different experience than I was used to, and I figured I was good at it after some time.

Naturally, when we arrived on the island, due to the fact I had already had experience leading, which Ralph did not, I felt it was necessary to appoint me as the group’s leader. I felt unsettled when I did not originally gain power, because I then believed I had all the traits necessary of a leader. Arguably, when I did obtain leadership, I was a leader of questionable practices. Perhaps this was because I was so used to the laws and order of the society I had been groomed into that I became overwhelmed when I suddenly had to create my own. On the island, we were forced to take actions in our own hands, and make decisions for the group instead of the individual, which sometimes doesn’t parallel with what’s ethical. After my experience on the island, I pleaded my parents to send me to an approved school so I could forget the island in sort of skewed way, to which I attended until I was a young adult. Now I exist as a quiet young teacher, working in the same area I had grown up in-- London, that is-- I teach history and also instruct a single after school music class. As I aged, I felt a growing sense of remorse towards those wronged on the island, but not once did I ever feel as if I was indebted to them nor their families.

In my experience leading the boys of the island, I had to experience many tragedies that I feel sorrowful towards but not liable for... I am mainly being blamed for the situations because of my position of power over the other boys, which I understand. As an eyewitness of the events that came upon the island, I feel responsibility to give my truth to the story.

During my time on the island, I was subjected to many unfamiliar situations. for instance, the death of the child with the mulberry birthmark, the first tragedy to come about. The child died, presumably from the fire that had accidentally devastated a small part of the island while we attempted to make signal fire. This is where my questions arose for the usefulness of the signal fire that Ralph pushed so insistently began.

The second death was Simon’s. Simon’s passing was the result of ignorance on our parts. We believed he was the beast, we had limited vision due to the darkness of night and Simon was crawling through the bush, where we could not possibly see. Simon’s death, although a terrible occurrence, was not murder; we simply had no idea. Finally, the death of Piggy heeds a similar answer; we hadn’t the simplest clue that he was to die, as Roger pulled the lever and Piggy, without his specs, could not spot the boulder in time to move out of the way. Although we had nicked Piggy’s specs, We had no idea that this would have been the cause of his untimely demise, therefore I cannot claim responsibility for something that was not my doing.

Character Sketch:

Parent’s names:

Mother (Anne Taylor Merridew, maiden name Millar)

Father (William Merridew)

School attended prior to the island : Westminster Abbey Choir School (London)

School attended post-island : St Peter’s school (York)

Age on the island: 14

Age now: 24

Past residence: Monck street, house no. 12

Current: Tufton street, house no. 102

I am playing Jack Merridew, a fictional main character from Lord of the Flies. In the novel, Jack is portrayed as a very hard-headed, aggressive young leader with a lot of spite built up in him for Ralph and some of the other boys on the island. He preys on weakness, and dislikes societal order. For my own entertainment purposes, I have distinctly chosen Jack to hide this side of him and have the appearance of a very reasonable, calm man who wants nothing but resolve between himself and the families that feel wronged by him.

I intend to play Jack to have very indifferent behaviour. I’ll make it so that Jack appears to be very analytical and calculating, conscious of his own actions, but on the inside he actually doesn’t care that much for the deaths of the two boys, because they are seen as an irrelevance to him, especially since he doesn’t think their deaths were caused by him. Jack will be quite sure of himself, but not cocky, as he wants to appear as if he’s had a huge humbling from the island, although he perhaps really hasn’t changed that much, aside from being more discreet about his callous ways.

Jack will have some quirks, like blinking when he is faced with a question that he knows he can answer perfectly, and he will have a tendency to smile and stare directly at those prosecuting him to show his confidence, especially if they’re asking him a question he doesn’t think he can answer, so he doesn’t show his nervousness. Jack, deep-down, may have more insecurities than the other boys. He needs reassurance and safety, and without it he feels like he’s walking blind.

pointers:

+ be vague in your answering, but not too vague. the only thing they could object to during my cross-examination was my contempt of court, e.g: dancing around the subject, not answering and adding a bunch of random things to the answer, like; “it was a beautiful day, the sun was out--” i’m a writer so i had to try really hard not to do this.

+ do not show nervousness. it’s really hard to be confident on the stand, but you should try your best. there is usually a reason that the teacher chooses you to be jack!

+ at the end of the day, remember that this is just a class project. i probably had ten million panic attacks the days leading up to the mock trial, and that’s not ok. if you need someone to give you peace of mind, my message box is open!!

[melaninkpopimagines]

Deal

Youngjae x Reader

*Requested*

Word Count: 5790

Warning: Smut

Author: Admin Jae

6th grade gym class, you spotted some boys shoving the new kid to the ground while the teacher wasn’t looking. “Hey Asian, you going to do my math homework?! You need to go back where you came from there’s enough immigrants here!” They taunted him. No one to defend him.

“Hey! Leave him alone!” you shouted running towards them. “What! You gonna do something about it” one of the boys shoved your shoulder. “Yeah, I am” you punched the boy square in the face. The boy stumbled back and collapsed on his knees holding his nose. You saw a small trial of blood seep out. “I’m telling on you!” the boy ran off alongside his friends.

He froze in horror, he couldn’t utter a word. “Hey, are you ok?” you asked extending your hand to lift him off the ground. “Yeah, thanks” he said dusting himself off. “You didn’t have to do that” he stated. “Yes, I did. They wouldn’t have stopped” you pointed out. He nodded his head and extend his hand “I’m Youngjae, what’s your name?” he asked. “I’m Y/N” you introduced yourself.

3 Years Later…

“Ready to be fresh meat?” you asked looking at him.

“Fresh meat, meaning?” his eyes widen in horror.

“We’re freshmen. Tiny little freshmen. So many freshmen for upperclassmen to make fun off and bully” you cooed. He didn’t bat an eyelash, he froze completely.

“Youngjae, I’m just kidding. No one is going to mess with you” you soothed his nerves.

“Oh God, Y/N. Don’t scare me like that” he burst in laughter slapping your arm.

First day of High School would have any freshmen feeling anxious. You and Youngjae were stepping into unknown territory. You two stepped off the bus facing the entrance leading to the gym lobby. “This shouldn’t be too bad” you smiled. “I’m not sure” Youngjae replied. You pulled out your class schedule and school map find where the classes were. Youngjae pulled his schedule with yours. “We have almost the same classes just different times” he stated. Youngjae followed your finger as you pointed to his lunch period then to yours. “Hey! We have the same lunch period” he beamed.

The first bell rung for first period. “We’ll rendezvous there” you said. “Good luck with classes Youngjae” you said and hugged him. “You too Y/N” he said hugging you back. You two waved bye. You sped walk to class, you made it on time with one minute to spare. You grabbed a seat. Class started with usual introductions. You were wondering if Youngjae was holding up ok with his classes. You continued your day till lunch.

The cafeteria was crowded, you couldn’t spot Youngjae anywhere. I guess he already found some friends. You grabbed yourself a salad and a slice of pepperoni pizza. You spotted an empty table and took a seat. You felt a tap on your shoulder, you spun your head around. “Hey, sorry. I almost got lost. I was afraid I couldn’t find you” Youngjae smiled sitting next to you. “You should grab something to eat” you suggested. “I bought lunch from home” he said opening his container.

You slid some salad into mouth. Youngjae looked at you disgustingly. “What?” you asked. “How can you eat that?” Youngjae pointed at the cucumber. “It’s easy put in your mouth” you mocked. You grabbed some cucumber with your fork and placed it in front of him. “Here eat it”. “No” Youngjae refused scooting away from you. You knew Youngjae hated cucumbers with a passion. You smirked and pleasantly placed the cucumber in your mouth. “That’s really disgusting” he commented.

 “You know what’s really disgusting. That!” you pointed with your eyes. The couple sitting at a table in front of you two were tonguing each other down. Youngjae looked where your eyes were pointed, he frowned. “See!” you laughed, “We’re trying to enjoy our food and we have to see this almost every day”. “Leave the couple alone Y/N.” Youngjae said chewing a kimbap.

“They’re probably in love” Youngjae mentioned. “Do we even know what love is at this stage in our lives?” you questioned. “Mhm, Good question” Youngjae replied. “I bet they probably already had sex” you speculated observing the intense groping. “Honestly, I would rather have sex with someone I care about and love” Youngjae spoke. “Really? Even if they like cucumbers?” you joked “Yes, even if they like them” he said. “Well, Youngjae, it’s your lucky day. Come here and kiss me then” you teased. “Y/N, I couldn’t do that. I would rather do things in private” he added. “Same, I would to. Maybe hold hands or hug” you agreed.

Waiting for his reply, you caught Youngjae staring at the couple intense make out session. The guy was groping the girl’s thigh and biting her neck. Youngjae zoned out your comment, “I’m sorry what did you say?” he uttered turning his direction to you. You looked each other in the eye. Youngjae slightly smirked. “I’ve never seen gawk at a couple before” you observed. “I had a thought” Youngjae began.

“Oh, what were you thinking?” you asked sipping your beverage. “Sex” he spoke. You inhaled too fast, you nearly choke on your drink. Coughing slightly, Youngjae pats your back. “What about sex?” you blurted. “Well, it’s bound to happen sooner or later” Youngjae clarified. “Yeah, but not now!” you exclaimed. “Why, you don’t think it can happen?” he asked. “Not really no” you laughed. “I’m being serious” Youngjae said. “I am too” you remarked.

“Alright, let’s have a bet then” Youngjae challenged.

“What kind of a bet?” you cautioned. “If we don’t lose our virginity by our Senior Year. Then, we have to lose it to each other” Youngjae instructed

You slowly nodded your head. “Are you sure you want to do this?” you queried.

“Yes” Youngjae smiled. You shook Youngjae’s hand accepting bet. “Fine”.

The bell rung for electives to start. “Hey, where’s your next class?” you asked as you walked alongside Youngjae. “Oh, it’s chorus” he smiled. “I’m headed this way. I have Home Economics, I’ll see you on the bus”.

You knew chorus would be a good opportunity for Youngjae to use his vocals. His voice was amazing. It was always very pleasant hearing him sing. When you visited his house, you would play Karaoke with his siblings, Youngjae would make perfect scores.

When classes were over, you were headed to the bus lot. Until, you heard a loud voice coming from down the hallway. You followed a loud voice coming from the classroom. You knew it had to be Youngjae. You snuck a peek inside, Youngjae standing in the center of class with his voice echoed throughout the room. Everyone was dead silent staring at him.

“Oh my God, he’s so good looking” you heard someone commented behind you. You smirked. He was singing a few verses from ‘When I Was Your Man’ by Bruno Mars.

After he sang, everyone gave him a thunderous applause, this was the most you’ve him ever smile. His face was turned red from shock, this was unexpected for Youngjae.

Youngjae heard you cheer for him from the doorway. His cheeks started turning red. “Wonderful voice Youngjae” his music teacher complemented him. She continued, “Alright class is over. Get out my room. I’m ready to go home”. Youngjae grabbed his belongings and approached you. You smiled embracing him in a hug. “That was amazing” you said. “Oh, thank you” he blushed.

You spotted a group of girls huddled together. “Hey Youngjae?” one of the girls spoke you as passed by. Youngjae stopped, “Yes”. “Your voice is amazing. I’m Abby by the way. I’m also in the same music class as you” she smiled. “Oh, nice to meet you and thank you” Youngjae said. They waved good-bye.

“I see you have fans already” you hinted. “I guess so” Youngjae said.

“What time is it?” you asked. Youngjae glanced down at his watch. “It’s almost three. Why?”

“We just missed our bus” you said as you saw it driving past the gym lobby. “Now, we have to the city bus home” you sighed.

“No worries” Youngjae said.

When the bus arrived in your neighborhood, Youngjae walked you home. “Bye Youngjae, I’ll see you tomorrow” you said as you unlocked the front door.

You found your mom in the kitchen cooking. “Hey Mom” you greet. “Hey sweetie, you’re home a little late. I was about to worry. How was your day?” your mom asked.

“Sorry, I forgot to text you. I was with Youngjae, he did a small performance for his chorus class and we caught the city bus home. But my day was pretty good” you replied.

“You and Youngjae have been friends for a very long time” your mom acknowledged.

“I mean he is my best friend” you noted.

“Have you guys ever thought about making your friendship more than its current state?” she cautioned.

You immediately recalled the bet you made with Youngjae. “Mom! Really? No, I don’t think we’ll ever have that conversation” you exclaimed “We’re just friends”. You felt your face fluster in shook.

“Alright, alright! I was just wondering. No need to yell. You guys are really close that’s all” she mocked.

You headed upstairs to start on your homework. “Dinner will be ready soon!” she yelled.

Youngjae with someone like me. I don’t think he’ll be interested in me. We are friends that’s it. It’s going to stay that way. You thought.

After dinner, you retreated into your room to finish the last bit of homework. You read the first chapter of Les Miserables for English class. You slowly drifted off to sleep.

“I miss you” Youngjae spoke as his soft lips dove into yours. He stared deep into your eyes, he wants to be vulnerable with you. You huffed softly feeling excitement. Youngjae wrapped his arms around you pulling you close. He trailed tender kisses down your neck, it felt so good. His hand rubbed against your skin, you quivered from the slightest touch. “I miss you too” you whispered.

You jump frightened as you felt someone tap you. It was your mom. “Who do you miss?” she asked. “No one!” you yelped. “You missed the school bus” your mom told you. “You’ve must have been really tired. I’ll drive you to school. Get dress”

What the hell did I dream?

You got ready and headed downstairs with your mom already in the car. You were silent. “Had a weird dream last night?” your mom broke the silence. “I guess, I don’t quite remember” you looked out the window.

You continued your day at school as normal. You sat at your usual spot in the cafeteria. “Hey, you missed the bus this morning?” Youngjae said. “I know, I was really tired” you replied. “Is everything alright?” he asked. “Yeah, everything is fine” you smiled.

“I want to talk to you about something” Youngjae spoke. “Sure, what’s up?”. “During lunch, I’ll be practicing vocals with Abby. You can come and eat lunch with us” Youngjae beamed.

You nodded your head “Sure”, you said with a slight smile.

For the next few weeks, you ate lunch with Youngjae in the music room. Each time, Abby would freeze in the doorway and narrow her eyes at you. You arched an eyebrow curious about Abby’s attitude towards you. “We’re about to practice, I hope we won’t disturb you” Youngjae cautioned. “Don’t worry about me, I just reading” you smiled. They had the perfect harmony. When they sang, they would look at each other. Abby inched herself closer to Youngjae. He didn’t seem to pay any attention. You scoffed knowing Abby’s motives. She’s trying to drool all over him.

“Thank you for practicing with me Youngjae. We make a great team” she smiled. “We do” he beamed, “I’ll see you later today”. She waved good-bye and exited the door. With Youngjae back turned, she glared in your direction.

You rolled your eyes in disgust. “I don’t like her” you spoke reading over your paper. “What do you mean you don’t like her” Youngjae questioned. “I just got a bad vibe about her” you replied. “You don’t know her Y/N” Youngjae sighed.

“Neither do you” you rose an eyebrow. “Actually, I do” Youngjae corrected. You scoffed and shook your head in disbelief. “What’s your problem with Abby?” he huffed. “She keeps giving me evil glares behind your back” you answered. He nodded his head taking a seat next to you.

“Do you feel awkward being around Abby?” he asked. “Yes, she’s all over you like she’s thirsting for water!” you stressed. He remained silent.

“You got nothing to say about this” you broke the silence. “What do you want me to say?!” Youngjae scolded. “I don’t know. I hope Abby won’t become between our friendship. Youngjae, I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt” you sighed placing your hand on his shoulder.

Youngjae shrugged your hand off. “I know you do but I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself. We’ve been friends for a long time, but you always baby me”

“I don’t mean to” you spoke softly. You swung your backpack over your shoulders and look back at Youngjae. “Where are you going?” he asked. “I’m getting a head-start to class before the crowd gets in the hallway” you replied approaching the door. You looked back at Youngjae. “Youngjae, you are the closest person I have in my life as a best friend. We’re supposed to have each other’s back. Friends are worth protecting even if the truth hurts”.

You walked out. Frustrated

Men never listen!

You spotted Abby at a corner, in your attempt to avoid any form of contact. “Hey, Y/N” Abby called out. Shit, what does she want?!

She walked over. You folded your arms across your chest. “Yeah”. “I know you and Youngjae are really close” Abby said. “We are” you confirmed. “Neat, is there any chance you guys will hook up?” she asked. “I don’t know, why?” your eyebrow rose. “You guys spend an awful lot of time together. Wherever he is, you’re always there. I would like to be alone with him myself sometime. But, I’m just curious” she smiled. “It was nice chatting with you”.

“You are disgusting” you seethed under your teeth. “I’m sorry come again” Abby said. “You heard me Abby. I didn’t stutter”.

“Listen, Youngjae and I are singing partners. Whether you like it or not?” she stepped closer to your face.

“You better not hurt him” you narrowed your eyes. “Or what?” Abby walked away smiling.

Next day, you stopped by your locker to gather your binders for your next class. You saw a flyer of an upcoming Winter Musical called ‘Christmas in July’ with Youngjae starring as Christmas. You grinned happily.

Some girls approached the flyer talking amongst themselves. “Did you hear Youngjae asked Abby out?”

You overheard the conversation, you kept quiet with the locker door still open. “No, I didn’t hear about that. Omg, they would make such a nice couple. I can see them together”.

You felt your heart become heavy and your stomach began to knot. Deep down, you were happy for Youngjae but you couldn’t shake the feeling of him with Abby. You took a slow deep breath and continued with your day.

Lunchtime came, you sat your usual spot in the cafeteria. You suspected Youngjae was preparing for the play with Abby. You didn’t take much interest in eating. You heard a familiar voice beside you.

“Hey” Youngjae smiled sitting next to you. “Hey” you softly smiled. “How have you been?” he asked.

“Well, I’m ok. I guess” you huffed “You?”

“I’m good. You know why am here right?” Youngjae asked. You shook your head.

“I was wondering if you’d come support me” he cautioned.

You smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world”. “Great. I’ll see you then. I better get going” Youngjae stood up. “Is it true?” you asked.

“Is what true?” he replied. “Is Abby your girlfriend?”

He sighs. “Yes”

“Wow” you spoke. Taken by your reaction. “That’s all I get is a wow. I thought you would be supportive of me being with someone” Youngjae seethed.

“Yeah, someone that’s not her” you corrected.

“What’s your problem with Abby?!” he snapped. “I don’t trust her Youngjae” you argued. “She’s not good for you”.

“And how would you know what’s good for me? He questioned

“Because…I’m your friend. I care about you. I lo…” you paused. You breathed and asked, “What exactly do you see in her?” “Things that aren’t in you” Youngjae insulted.

Hurt, you still managed to keep your composure “And what exactly is that?”

He didn’t answer. You swallowed hard realizing you had lost your appetite.

“Look, Y/N. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” Youngjae murmured.

“Well Youngjae. You did” you threw your bookbag over your shoulder and proceeded out to walk out the cafeteria.

You avoided Youngjae. Every call, every text, every door knock went unnoticed. When it came time for his play. You came however you sat in the back of the auditorium. The play ended, Youngjae searched the lobby looking for you with Abby following closely behind him.

“Who are you looking for?” Abby asked.

“Y/N” he looked amongst the crowd.

“Why? We have tons of people that want to see us together” Abby said. “Maybe she didn’t show up”

“Don’t say that” he snapped, “I asked her to come”.

“Well I don’t see her” Abby said.

Youngjae gave up and went back with Abby.

Later that night, you received a text message from Youngjae:

Y/N, where were you? I was looking all over for you. I can’t believe you missed the play. I know you are mad at me but this was important to me. Why weren’t you there?

You left the message on read.

The next day, you noticed when you spotted Youngjae in the hallway, he avoided you. Any form of eye contact was made, he would glare. You still had a soft spot for him, you could never stay mad at him.

For the next three years, he greeted you a glare. The only news your heard about Youngjae, Abby’s name was included.

Each play, Youngjae had performed, you sat in the back of the auditorium with a camera taking a video. You started to pursue an interest in photography and video editing. You joined the yearbook club. Every time, an assignment is given that involved the school choir team, you stayed away.

Youngjae grew more handsome during every performance. You smiled after watching the videos. You missed him.

Prom was approaching, everyone was preparing for it. “Do you have a date for prom?” your mom asked happily. “No” you replied. “What about Youngjae?” she suggested. “Mom, for the thousandth time, he’s with Abby”. Every suggestion involving Youngjae, you felt down on the inside. You miss him but you couldn’t be with him.

You stared aimlessly down at the textbook drifting off to sleep. Your phone buzzed. It was Youngjae.

Youngjae: Y/N, I don’t know where to begin to apologize. I would rather speak with you in person. ☹ Please come outside.

You: Wait, now?

Youngjae: Yes. I’m outside. 😊

You quickly got up off the bed rushing downstairs. “Mom, I’m going outside for a few minutes. I’ll be back!” you shouted.

Your heart was beating so fast, you doubled check to breath. You found Youngjae at the bottom of the porch steps. Youngjae smiled approaching you. You smiled too.

“Youngjae, I..” you began.

“Shhh, I should have listened to you Y/N” Youngjae said sitting on the porch steps. You remained quiet sitting next to him.

He sighed. “I should have trusted you about Abby. You were right all along. I wasn’t thinking clearly and I let Abby into your relationship. I’m sorry” he apologized.

You sighed processing your thoughts together. “What did she do?” you inquired. “We’ve been going through a rough patch. Things became worse when Abby kept telling everyone our business”. You nodded your head. “All her friends kept pressuring us to have sex because everyone was having sex”.

“What?” perplexed by the amount of drama.

“Yeah crazy, right? I never slept with her. It wouldn’t feel right” he said. You nodded your head. He sighed again. You believe there was more to the story.

“What happened after that?” you asked.

“When Abby realized I wouldn’t sleep with her. I found out she cheated on me” he slightly chuckled.

“Youngjae, I’m so sorry” you apologized. “Don’t be. I had a feeling. But when I saw those text messages and photos she sent to other guys. I’m was stupid to think she actually cared about me” Youngjae paused.

“You’re not stupid” you clarified.

“But I let her get between us”

“It’s my fault too. I should have told you this a long time ago but I went to every play you performed” you confessed.

“Even the very first one?” he asked. You nodded your head. “I always had my camera on you.” You smiled.

“Was I good-looking?” he raised his eyebrows.

“Always” you nudged his arm.

You glanced at Youngjae staring back at you. “Youngjae, I…” you hesitated. “I miss you Y/N” he whispered in your ear. “I miss you too” you whispered. He scotted closer to you. He lowered his eyes downward, looking at your lips. You both leaned in, lips softly touching one another. He deepened the kiss, you accepted. He moaned.

You two pulled back. “Woah” you said.

“Do you have a date for prom?” he asked.

“No” you replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. I’ll meet you there. I have a surprise for you. I should get going. It’s getting late. Night Y/N” Youngjae stood up and planted a kiss your lips before leaving.

“Night Youngjae”

You went back inside the house and found your mom happily sipping her tea. “So, what happened?” she giggled. “Nothing Ma. But a harmless kiss” you smirked. “Oh, so after 4 years he finally kisses you” she stressed. You nodded your head. “Did he at least ask you to prom?”

“No, he said he’ll meet me there. He has a surprise for me” you reckoned. “He loves you” she implied.

“How would you know?” you laughed.

“I’m your mother, I know everything” she continued to sip her tea.

During the entire school week, you witnessed guys going through great lengths asking for prom dates. One guy asked sent a bouquet of flowers and a pizza all to end in rejection. Another guy plastered a banner on the wall, his date said yes. You heard the news of Youngjae asking Abby to be his date besides they were also campaigning to be Prom King and Prom Queen. Flyers, buttons, even t-shirts were being given away by Abby and her minions. Youngjae was nowhere to be found.

Saturday Night came, Senior Prom the one night to have no regrets. The one night to celebrate high school freedom. You wore a lovely long lace backless champagne with a v-neckline. You stepped into the building, the music was blasting from the ballroom. The entire senior class had arrived. In a separate room, appetizers and drinks were being served. The bathrooms were flooded with girls checking their hair and makeup. The theme for Prom was One Night in Paris.

You saw everyone paused as Youngjae and Abby walked in together with her entire entourage behind them. He was dipped in all black suit. You were amazed, he looked extremely sexy. They took a seat a table near the stage. You walked in the food room, Youngjae spotted you walking across the dance floor, he quickly followed.

“Y/N?” he said.

You turned around smiling. “Wow, you look gorgeous” he stared in awe. His mouthed gapped open. “Cat got your tongue?” you asked. “I don’t have any words to say” he laughed. He walked up to you and embraced you in a hug, softly smelled you and let out a soft moan. He was warm to the touch. You’ve never had a hug feel this good before. “So, where’s my surprise?” you giggled. “Not yet, it’ll be later tonight” he smiled leaving a gentle kiss on your cheek. “It better be worth it” you said. “Just trust me” he smiled.

“Youngjae, what are you doing with her?” Abby approached sternly with her girls behind her.

“Exactly what you see me doing. I’m hugging her” Youngjae retaliated. She glared at you again folding her arms.

“It’s alright Youngjae” you said. “It better be alright” Abby chimed in. “Was I talking to you?” you snapped at her. “Go check your makeup or something”. She kept her mouth shut.

“I’ll see you later tonight” leaving Youngjae with Abby.

The night went on, bodies were so close together, the air became hot and thick. You looked over at Youngjae, he looked miserable with her. Why does he still put up with her? Why can’t he just leave her? I wish I could help him?

“Alright ladies and gentlemen. It is time to announce this year’s Prom King and Queen” the principal announced.

Everyone gathered around to the stage. You stayed behind to avoid being crushed.

The principal has an envelope in her had. “By default, we already know who won” she smiled happily. “Drumroll please” she asked. The audience drum rolled for dramatic effect. “This year’s Prom King is.... Choi Youngjae”. The crowd gave a thunderous applause. Youngjae bowed and smiled. He walked onto the stage to receive his sash and crown, he was handed the microphone. “Thank you everyone for voting for me to be Prom King. I greatly appreciate it” he smiled. The principal took the microphone in her hand, “And without further or do. This year’s Prom Queen is…. Abigail Thatcher”. All her friends screamed and cheered for her. She was smiling so hard. She stood next to her man receiving her crown as well. “Omg, I can’t believe this is happening. I want to thank everyone who support us on our campaign. We couldn’t do it without you guys. Thank you so much” she squealed. “Babe, is there anything else you want to say?” she asked.

Youngjae nodded his head and she handed him the microphone. “I have something I would like to say to all of you” he paused.

The whole audience remained silent. Abby still smiling.

“I’m not sorry for doing this. Abby, I’m breaking up with you” he announced.

“Oh my God” you gasped.

“Youngjae, what are you doing? What do you mean you’re breaking up with me? She stammered.

“Everyone, Abby is not as good as she says she is. Abby has been cheating on me for the past two years of high school” he confirmed. The whole audience gasped and immediately started booing.

“Youngjae, you need to stop this. Right now!” she shouted.

“It’s ok Abby. Everyone needs to know who you truly are. It’s over” He said. “I’m giving my crown to someone who’s been really special to me”. He stepped off the stage and started walking towards you.

You heard Abby shouting from the background, “I hate you Youngjae!” and left crying.

The lights shined on you. He smiled and placed his crown on your head. “I’m not a king” you whispered to him. “I know that but the person I love, should be honored” he spoke in your ear. You mouthed “love”. He nodded his head and extended his hand to slow dance. He gently pulled you close, his hands were around your waist. Your arms were around his shoulders.

He nodded. “Yes, I love you”. You smiled happily. “I take it this was the surprise?” you curiously asked. “Well part of it” he admitted.

“What else is there left?” you asked. “I can’t tell you right now” he smirked.

“What about Abby?”

“She’ll be fine” Youngjae reassured. “Besides, it doesn’t matter who you came with, it’s who you leave with”.

He extended his hand and said, “Come on, let’s go”. You took his hand and followed. The entire senior class stood there and watched. Hand in hand, you two couldn’t stop smiling. You both got in the car as he drove to a nearby hotel.

“Why are we here?” you asked as you two walked into the lobby to confirm his stay. He remained quiet until you two were alone in the elevator. “I want this night to be special for both of us” he finally spoke.

Entering the hotel room, one king size bed centered, the currents were draped closed. The tv placed in front of the bed. The bathroom styled with marble flooring, with motion sensor lights. The room was cozy.

Youngjae closed the door behind him and asked, “Remember the bet we made Freshman year?”

“Yes, but I thought you were joking” you chuckled. “No, I wasn’t joking. I meant it.” he walked closer to you. You froze in place, his tone changed.

“Youngjae...” your voice slightly cracked. “I want to lose myself in you” he moaned in your ear. His moan aroused you. You breathed and looked in his eyes, “I do too” you whispered. He didn’t hesitate, he kissed you. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His hands moved slowing down an inch closer to your ass. You turned around to let Youngjae unzipped your dress dropping smoothly to the floor. You faced him only in your lace panties.

He stared in awe from head to toe. You felt exposed. “Please say something?” you said shyly. “You look beautiful”. You smiled.

He removed his jacket and proceeded to unbutton his shirt. You unbuckled his pants. All his clothing fell to the floor next to your dress. You stepped out of your panties. You both stood naked in front of each other.

You two couldn’t resist each other any longer. When your skin touched his, you quivered. Youngjae chuckled. You want to his. Your thigh felt slightly wet, it was Youngjae’s precum seeping out of his cock.

“I’m sorry” he apologized. “Don’t be. Let me get that for you” you got on your knees. You gently jerked him off more pre-cum came out. “Y/N” Youngjae said tilting his head back. You stuck his cock in your mouth and sucked him off. He softly placed his hand on the back of your head. “Fuck” slipped through his lips. Each moment you sucked his cock grew more until it was full length. You went faster. “I can’t hold it in any longer Y/N” he gasped. “I’m about to cum Y/N”. He came in your mouth, your tongue licked along his tip his knees slightly buckled.

You got off the floor and laid with your back against the bed. Youngjae crawled on top of you. Your legs opened for him. He put his whole weight against you. He was so warm. You caressed his cheek and smoothed his hair behind his ear. He kissed you and smiled. “How was that?” you asked. “Amazing”. You chuckled.

Youngjae started kissed your neck working his way down. Each kiss planted gave you goosebumps. “Let me know if I’m hurting you” he said before he parted your heated lips. His tongue explored you. Your nipples peaked from his warm touch. You were breathing heavily. “Youngjae” you whimpered. “Yes Y/N”.

“Don’t stop”. He continued to suck and lick all over your pussy. You never felt this relaxed before, your back arched off the bed.

He suddenly stopped and grabbed a condom out of his pants pocket. He jerked himself off a couple times and wrapped the condom around his cock. He laid on top of you again. You kissed him. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable” he cautioned.

“Youngjae. I want to do this” you reassured him. He nodded his head and lined his cock to your pulsing entrance. You opened your legs wider for him. You held your breath as he inched his way inside of you. You felt a dull pain as you adjust to his cock. You gasped slightly. Youngjae immediately stopped. “Am I hurting you?” he asked. “It hurts a little bit. It’s ok.” you whispered.

“Maybe we should stop” he paused attempting to pull out. You placed your finger on his lips to prevent him to stop talking. “Youngjae, we’re here. Together. Alone. Don’t hold back” you whispered and passionately planted a kiss.  

He nodded his head, slightly thrust himself further in you. You pulled him closer to feel all of him. The pain faded away, you engulfed his hard cock. He hoists himself up with his thighs to place his cock at a better angle. His cock tugged at your walls going in and out. You felt tremors of pleasure spread throughout your body. Youngjae buried his face against your neck groaning in your ear. You felt like you were in a daze. “Yes, Youngjae” you whispered. “Are you ok?” he asked. “I’m better than ok”.

He smiled plummeting his cock back inside your wet pulsing guts. “Ah, Y/N. You feel so good” he murmured. His pace quickens, the mattress squeaked a bit each time his hips slammed into you. He gripped your thigh as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Your breasts bounced in unison to his thrusts. You were lost in him as he was lost in you. You cling to Youngjae afraid to be parted from him.

Each thrust made your pussy wetter than before. You were creaming all over him. “Youngjae, I’m so close baby”. “Me too” Youngjae mustered as he continued to keep his pace. You felt every muscle tighten and your upper thighs quivered in shock. You couldn’t hold in any longer. You cried out as cum released. Youngjae’s pace was slowing down, he called your name out as his cum spilled into the condom. He pulled out and disposed the condom. He crawls into the sheets with you. His forehead glistened from the sweat. You both caught your breath. You look over to Youngjae, he looks back and laugh.

“What?”

“I can’t believe you thought I was joking, that was by far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had” he said pulling you in his arms.

“Really?” you asked wiping the sweat of his forehead. He nodded caressing your cheek.

You leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his lips.

“I did. Besides I didn’t think you would want to lose your virginity with me” you explained.

“I don’t trust anyone else but you. You’re more than a friend.”

“What am I then?” you questioned. “My girlfriend?” he hinted

“I like the sound of that”

[dfroza]

to become as “One” body is truly a sacred thing

and to promise another your trust for a whole lifetime.

this is what marriage is as seen in Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament with chapter 10 in the book of Mark:

From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”

Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”

They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”

Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”

* * *

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”

He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”

James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”

“What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”

“Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”

Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”

“Sure,” they said. “Why not?”

Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”

When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

* * *

They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.”

They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.

Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.”

In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.

The Book of Mark, Chapter 10 (The Message)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 2nd chapter of the book of Job where Job’s great trial continues and even his wife tells him to “curse God and die!” but he refuses:

Now one day, it was time for the sons of God, God’s heavenly messengers, to present themselves to the Eternal One to give reports and receive instructions. The Accuser was with them there again, also ready to present himself to Him.

Eternal One (to the Accuser): Where have you been?

The Accuser: Oh, roaming here and there, running about the earth and observing its inhabitants.

Eternal One: Well, have you looked into the man, Job, My servant? He is unlike any other person on the whole earth—a very good man—his character spotless, his integrity unquestioned. In fact, he so believes in Me that he seeks, in all things, to honor Me and deliberately avoids evil in all of his affairs. And I have found him to be unswervingly committed, despite the fact that you provoked Me to wreck him for no particular reason, to take away My protection and his prosperity.

The Accuser: Well, as they say, “Skin for skin!” It is easy to be so pious in the face of such health. Surely a man will give what he has for the sake of his own life, so now extend Your hand! Afflict him, both bone and body, and he will curse You, right to Your face.

Eternal One: Well then, this is how it will be: he is now in your hand. One thing, though: you will not take his life. Job must not be killed.

With that, the Accuser left the court and the Eternal’s presence, and he infected Job with a painful skin disease. From the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, his body was covered with boils. Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape his wounds, and while he sat in the ashes just outside of town, his wife found him.

Job’s Wife: Will you still not swerve in your commitments? Curse God and die!

Job: You’re speaking nonsense like some depraved woman. Are we to accept the good that comes from God, but not accept the bad?

Throughout all of this, Job did not sin with his mouth; he would not curse God as the Accuser predicted.

Now Job had three friends: Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamath. When these three received word of the horror that had befallen Job, they left their homes, and agreed to meet together to mourn with and comfort their friend.

The Book of Job, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, April 9 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A post by John Parsons about seeing who we truly are in Light:

Part of the process of "teshuvah" - of turning to God - is turning to yourself, that is, learning to honestly observe yourself. Often it is not that we sometimes entertain bad thoughts, but rather we engage in a process of bad thinking, or more accurately, we unquestioningly accept assumptions based on fear and fantasy. Because of this, our reasoning becomes distorted and we lose our ability to see what is real. We then "play god" by justifying ourselves, unaware how we are being driven by fear and a profound sense of inadequacy. The remedy is to change your thinking, to question the assumptions at work in your reasoning, and to gain new perspective. For example, instead of seeing angrily, see your own anger and then ask what really lies behind it. Is it pride? fear? hurt? Look deeper and then come to God... Confession means making peace with reality, “owning” the truth about what’s inside your heart. Often we do not find lasting deliverance because we fail to see the real issue. You can pray all day to be free from lust, for example, but the real issue might be fear of intimacy or fear of rejection, and so on.

Undoubtedly the root of a lot of suffering comes from the vain attempt to fill the infinite emptiness we feel with something other than God. The pride of the ego puts the self as the center, but this comes from a place of inner poverty... We demand to be the center because we are afraid we are nothing. Only the Lord can save us from ourselves - and we rely on Him to correct our thinking and show us the way of inner honesty and truth (Psalm 51:6).

The unexamined life -- especially as a follower of Yeshua -- is not worth living, and the practice of suppressing the truth about our sinful condition can lead to self-deception and even death (1 Cor. 11:30). "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7-8). “Therefore, confess (ἐξομολογέω, lit. 'confess out') your sins to one another and pray (εὔχομαι) for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person (tzaddik) works great power” (James 5:16).

Notice the link between confessing our sins and praying for one another with healing... Being "yashar" - honest and upright - produces spiritual power and life. The word translated “pray” (euchomai) means to “wish (εὐχὴ) for oneself (or for another) the good.” Prayer is always reciprocal, as King David said in Psalm 35:13: "may what I prayed for happen to me!" (literally, tefillati al-cheki tashuv - "may it return upon my own breast").

We must begin by asking God for courage and strength... We must let go of the fear that we will discover the truth about who we really are -- about what we've done, what we've thought, about who we've allowed ourselves to become. Confession (ὁμολογία) means bringing yourself naked before the Divine Light to agree with the truth about who you are. Indeed, the word homologeo literally means "saying the same thing" - from ὁμός (same) and λόγος (word). We need to confess the truth if we are to be free from the pain of the past. When King David wrote, "The LORD is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1), he implied that he should even be free of fear of himself and of his past.... We also need to understand our sin in relationship to the wounds of the Savior, since without that connection, our repentance will be vain indeed.... [Hebrew for Christians]

.

Addendum: What is Sin?

The New Testament connects moral evil (or sin) with the absence of faith in the Lord: πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, "All that is not from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). Sin is also defined as rebellion and anarchy of the heart: ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία, i.e., "sin is lawlessness (i.e., anomia: ἀνομία), that is, the repudiation of God's authority as the definer and judge of moral reality (1 John 3:4). The apostle John further defined sin as "unrighteousness": Πᾶσα ἀδικία ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, "all unrighteousness is sin" (1 John 5:17), which may be further correlated with Paul's statement that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all "ungodliness" (i.e., ἀσέβεια, profanity, lack of reverence for the gift of life) and unrighteousness of men (i.e., ἀδικία, injustice, cruelty), who by their unrighteousness suppress (i.e., κατέχω, put down, "smother") the truth, because what can be known about God is manifest in them (φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, that is, it appears within them), because God himself has revealed it to them" (Rom. 1:18-19).

Sin therefore may be defined as the willful denial or disregard of reality, the deliberate squelching of the voice of conscience (i.e., consciousness of what is morally right and wrong), and the idolatrous exaltation of the ego as the ultimate concern of life. A life characterized by the ongoing practice of sin is marked by anarchy and chaos (תהוּ ובהוּ) that inevitably leads to loss and trouble. The "payback" for sin is death which is retribution for walking contrary to the truth. “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezek. 18:20). The divine judgment upon sin is spiritual and eternal separation from the reality and blessing of the Divine Presence... Hell is therefore the dreadful spiritual condition of living in a state of unending delusion and despair, removed from sanity and the truth of love that sets the soul free. - jjp

4.8.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

April 9, 2021

Pleasures at God's Right Hand

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

The 16th Psalm contains the Bible’s first reference to the resurrected Christ at the “right hand” of His heavenly Father, and this is important, for there are 20 other such references that follow this one. “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). This latter verse is quoted no less than five times in the New Testament (Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13).

Then there are seven references to Christ being at God’s right hand in Paul’s epistles (Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2), and seven in other books of the New Testament (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55-56). Lastly, “[Jesus Christ] is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22). It is noteworthy that the first reference speaks of Christ’s great joy at God’s right hand; the last of His great power there.

One additional activity there is mentioned: “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). In fact, His continual intercessory ministry on our behalf is His main activity in God’s immediate presence during this present age (note Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2; etc.).

Soon He will become God’s strong right hand of power, manifested until all His enemies become His footstool and we, His people, are taken up to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Then we shall enjoy with Him the pleasures and fullness of joy at God’s right hand forevermore. HMM

[evilrubberducke]

Better Together- Chapter 7- Broccoli on the Run

New cover art by @justanotherbnhalover​

And here we are! Sorry as usual for the wait. Be sure to check the notes for some updates on the schedule for this fic. 

In this chapter,  the trials continue, Izuku goes a step beyond, and All Might gets a much needed talking to.

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19985089/chapters/47314510 Or on FF.net:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13359634/7/Better-Together

Teaser below cut-

“My apologies for the delay, students,” All Might said, addressing the class, “but we are finally ready to resume your class.”

Katsuki, Uraraka, and Tsunatori had returned a few minutes ago, the latter two having shed their costumes in favor of the gym uniforms the school had provided for them. A quick visit from Recovery Girl, who had shot All Might a withering look, ensured that they were all in perfect health, if a little worn out from the exchange.

To Izuku’s immense relief, Katsuki and Uraraka had walked over to stand on either side of him when they returned from the lockers. They still weren’t looking at each other, but Izuku could tell that some of the tension between the two had bled away. His mother had been right after all. Katsuki had just needed to vent some of his frustrations, and combat had been the perfect way to do it.

“Does this mean we’re not getting out of class till late?” Ashido asked, not bothering to raise her hand.

All Might smiled jovially, “No need to worry, young Ashido. We made allowances for a few delays. You will make your train with time to spare.”

She chuckled at his statement, causing All Might to frown in confusion before continuing. “Ahem. Moving on. Now that the first fight has been completed, it’s time for analysis! After all, you learn as much from your failures as your successes! Or so I’m told.”

Izuku, along with the rest of the class, winced at the unintentional hubris. All Might’s reputation for being unbeatable was well deserved, but taken the wrong way, his statement could be seen as an insult towards the lower ranked heroes. Izuku knew his mentor hadn’t meant it that way, and he dearly hoped that if any of the UA staff had heard it they wouldn’t take it as one either.

“Why don’t we start with overall impressions? Who would like to go first?”

Izuku was tempted for a moment. As hard as it had been to watch Katsuki and Uraraka battle, there had been several moments that had sent his inner hero nerd into a Quirk analyzing frenzy. From a technical standpoint, it had been an amazing bout. Even Jirou, who hadn’t done any fighting, had demonstrated some impressive skills. He wondered just how sensitive her hearing really was and whether she could selectively mute sounds to block out vibrations from traffic or other urban noise pollution.

Before he could do more than contemplate volunteering, Yaoyorozu’s hand shot into the air.

“Quite frankly, sir, it was a complete disaster.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the stunned silence that followed her words. Even All Might seemed taken aback by the statement. Unfortunately, she took this as leave to continue.

“There was no team cohesion from either side. Both Bakugou and Uraraka immediately broke away from their partners to brawl, ignoring the objective of this match entirely. Tsunatori was only slightly better. She at least had the sense to hide the bomb, though her efforts were ultimately fruitless. Jirou was the only one who kept the objective in mind the entire time, though her infiltration would have been much more effective if she had coordinated with her partner beforehand.”

Indignant grumbles came from Jirou, Uraraka, and Tsunatori, while Katsuki actually growled in frustration. None of them were happy with the feedback, and they might have even voiced their opinions if All Might hadn’t jumped in to head them off.

“A, uh, very thorough analysis, young Yaoyorozu. Excellent work. However, you missed a few things. First, the strategy to divide and conquer threats is a tried-and-true staple of heroism, especially when fighting a stronger opponent. Second, I believe young Uraraka and young Tsunotori came much closer to defeating their opponent than you realize. Third…" he trailed off as he obviously tried to think of a good point to finish with. "Third, I believe we should give your classmates a round of applause for showing us a rather explosive first match."

There was a polite smattering of applause, though it was much more muted than it would have been before Yaoyorozu's comments.

For her part, Yaoyorozu seemed to realize she had made a social error and looked quite embarrassed. Izuku's heart went out to her. She had looked eager when raising her hand to answer and had obviously hoped to make a good impression on their teacher. Now, her shoulders were hunched and she had shrunk in on herself. At least her partner, Aoyama, seemed to be doing his best to comfort her, though Izuku wasn’t quite sure how cheese was supposed to make you feel better.

“Thanks to all of the participants of our first match,” All Might said, drawing the class’s attention back to him, “You certainly gave it your all. Now, however, it is time to give the rest of you a chance to shine! That said, there will be a slight change to the matches going forward.”

He pulled out a small set of notecards from his belt and held them up, his eyes dancing across the cards as he read.

“The objective of this exercise is to locate a mock explosive device hidden somewhere in the city. The team playing the villains will be allowed to move or disguise the device as they see fit while the hero team will need to locate and disarm the device by touching it. Your goal is to display and expand your information gathering prowess, as well as your teamwork skills. Stop reading here.”

He coughed suddenly, trying to cover for the mistake while the class chuckled awkwardly. 

“As you can see,” the hero said, forging ahead as best he could, “The rules are mostly the same as they were from the first match. The change in conditions is simply to help focus your attention in a less… destructive manner.”

Katsuki snorted, but made no comment.

“Now, are there any questions, or are you all ready to go on?” All Might asked, glancing around the observation room. Not a single hand raised, and the man seemed to relax a little. “Very well then. Let’s give the rest of the matches just as much energy as the first. Say it with me now! Plus Ultra!”

“Plus Ultra!”

Read the rest on AO3 or FF.Net! Links available on my profile page, should Tumblr mess them up again

[hallowsnothorcruxes]

Gellert Grindelwald visits Britain for the first time in years. He watches Albus in hogsmeade with his students. He's a good teacher. Gellert regrets so much. Gellert finds Aberforth. They have a conversation. Aberforth, through his bitterness and resentment towards his brother confesses the following, 'you broke him, Gellert.'

Very delayed, but rather late than never, right? I’ll get through all the prompts at some point, pinky promise!

Britain was still as he remembered it: The weather was lousy and the people shallow. He almost regeretted turning up in Hogsmeade, when his feet sank a few inches into the snow that covered the ground and a snowball hit his head.

He glared at the young boy, who had thrown it and ran away as soon as he saw him. Gellert sighed, pulled up his hood and made his way towards the castle at the other end of the town. He doubted that many people would recognize him, but he rather avoided that risk. His name had spread around the world in a fearful whisper, but photographs were rare. So even though his name was well known, his face was not so much, but if someone did notice him near Britain’s most precious school, the whole situation would become much more difficult than he was in the mood to deal with.

He was halfway through the town, just stepping onto the main road, when he froze. In the middle of the street stood a small group of young children, happily trying to transfigure small piles of snow.

A chubby girl with red cheeks and a red and gold hat had just managed to form a snowman just by using her wand. “I did it, Professor Dumbledore! Look!”, she cried and the tall man, who had been talking to a boy with a green scarf, turned around and smiled proudly.

He went over and examined the snowman. “Very good, Ms Finklestein. Take 5 points for Gryffindor.”

Gellert crossed his arms, stepped back into the shadow of an old house and watched how Albus taught his students how to transfigure their piles of snow.

He considered them rather dumb, taking so long to get such an easy task done, but Albus was patient. He repeated himself again and again, encouraged them and praised them for even the smallest progress. And the children seemed to like him. They even seemed to have fun.

A strange feeling spread in his stomach and his chest. He was smart enough not to give in to it and just walk over, but in that moment he regretted the path he had chosen over the past years even more.

He didn’t cry himself to sleep, of course, he didn’t beg for forgiveness, he knew that was pointless in his case. He couldn’t undo what he had done, he couldn’t fix people, he couldn’t mend broken families.

He merely strived to distance himself from the past. He didn’t want to sacrifice more people - more children -, he saw no point in subjugating muggles anymore, when it would be enough to loosen some laws in the statue of secrecy, which was what really restricted them.

The muggles were dumb enough to be played and tricked, wizarding laws were what made them bow down. He had realised that.

And he had realised that what woke him up at night and followed him in his dreams were people he had attacked and tortured.

Naturally, he had ignored his psych’s warning signals for a long time, but the wound above his ribcage, which stemmed from a little girl blowing up (or rather the Obscurus inside her) during one of his attacks reminded him that it was about time he’d stopped.

The girl had been about 9 years old, he’d locked away her parents and tried to use her for war, but had underestimated her powers. She had been special right from the beginning. Blonde her and brown eyes, gifted at drawing. Adrienne.

While training her, his head had taken on the unnerving habit of mixing up her and Ariana more often than not. It had almost driven him crazy. And in the end the one coming after him had been her brother.

He could have easily killed the boy, but he had been seriously concerned about his mental health, so that he had let him get away with it.

It had all become too much. He realised he had done a lot of evil, but he couldn’t bring himself to regard it more closely than generally admitting he regretted it. There was no point in going insane over things he couldn’t amend.

*

He considered it unwise to break into the castle, so he tracked down Aberforth.

He waited until even the most shady one of his guests had left, before he entered the Hog’s Head, just as Aberforth wanted to close for the day.

Aberforth eyed him disapprovingly already, for entering that late, but as soon as he pushed the hood off his head, his eyes widened in fury.

He had never seen anyone round a table that fast and the next moment he was pinned to the wall and Aberforth was on the verge of strangling him.

He could’ve got rid of him with only a flick of his hand, but he decided to wait a little.

“Give me one reason, just one, why I shouldn’t kill you right now!”

“Because”, he said, his voice hoarse from the lack of air. “We both know I’d be faster.”

Aberforth’s hands closed around his throat more firmly before he let go.

“What do you want? No, wait, I don’t care! Get out now!”

“How’s Albus?”

“I don’t know and I dont care! GET OUT!”

He stayed, his face expressionless. Aberforth drew his wand. “I will try anyway.”

“You don’t know?” Gellert asked calmly, but closed his hand around his wand.

“He’s a pretentious idiot and since you broke him it’s only got worse!”

“I did what?”

“You broke him! He’s the king of manipulation, trust issues and secrecy complexes ever since your affair or whatever you want to call it! Ever since you killed our sister!”

“It was an accident! I did not kill her!”

“I DON’T CARE! It’s your fault and his! And now get out before I call the Aurors!”

*

He waited until the weekend, when Albus visited the Three Broomsticks with a corpulent teacher, whose cheeks were already reddened by alcohol before they entered the pub.

He sat down at the bar, kept his head low and waited for Albus’ friend to go to the bathroom. He downed his glass of firewhiskey and approched his table.

He sat down on the chair Albus’ friend had occupied and Albus looked up, his eyes widening suddenly.

“Don’t flip out now”, he said.

Albus’ body tensed, he sat up straight, but his face closed off. “I don’t. What do you want?”

“Talk to you.”

Albus was silent for a moment, then he asked: “They say you are too scared to come here.”

“They are stupid and as you see - wrong. I need to talk to you.”

“Why?”

“Because I have abandoned my plans, but they are still looking for me internationally and I don’t know what to do!”, he burst out, almost forgetting to keep his voice down.

“And I should help you?”

“Yes.”

Albus shook his head.

“Come on, Albus. You’re my only friend.”

“If we ever really were friends, that was a long time ago. I don’t see a reason why I should help you.”

“Because you’re Albus Dumbledore and everyone’s mocking you for giving out second chances as if it was candy. And because I regret and because I still consider you my friend.”

Albus pressed his lips together, looked around the pub once and leaned in then.

“Alright. I will help you. But there are conditions.”

“What do you want?”

“You will stop hiding. You will surrender yourself to the law enforcement. You will get a trial and you will accept your punishment.”

Gellert stared at him. “Are you insane? They will send me to Azkaban for life!”

“If you really regret - and only then I will help you - that is what you need to do.”

“Well, I won’t need your help anymore, if I get the Dementor’s kiss!”

“Surrender and I’ll try to keep you out of Azkaban.”

“You’ll try?”

“That’s the best I can offer you right now, Gellert.”

*

It took him a few days, but what choice did he have? He could try to find a country that didn’t shudder at his name and didn’t have an extradition treaty with any country that did shudder at his name. And he was not sure such a country existed. So Albus’ influence was his best hope of ever living freely again.

He surrendered to the British Aurors, but his trial was in front of the international confederation of wizards. Albus kept his promise and conviced the confederation not to send him to Azkaban. (“Britain was least affected, there is no reason he should be send to a British prison.”)

They send him to Hideghely, the austria-hungarian wizarding prison, which was guarded by goblins and dragons, but no Dementors. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, surveillance and therapy afterwards.

“Will you visit me?”, he asked Albus, while he was prepared to be handed over to the hungarian wards.

“I will think about it”, said Albus, but the look on his face was much softer than it had been in the Three Broomsticks.

“So, no.”

“I said I will think about it.”

“‘I will think about it’ means no.”

“No, it means that I will think about it.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “But I am proud of you.”

*

It took a year for Albus to visit, but it was still earlier than he’d expected. It were only short visits at first. They talked about prison and Teaching and Transfiguration and Divination - nothing important.

He knew they had to talk about Ariana at some point, but the first year of irregular visits they stayed well away from that topic.

His third year in prison really got to him. He woke up from nightmares, the other prisoners hated him passionately and his mind went in circles of guilt and anger and despair. Everything seemed dark and blurry and he felt unable to get up.

“They say you refuse to eat,” Albus said upon entering his cell.

Gellert just lay on his bed and stared at the opposite wall.

Albus sat down next to him. “They also say, you don’t talk, you don’t get up, you don’t sleep well.” Albus gently rubbed his back. “I know that feeling.”

“I doubt it,” Gellert replied, his voice hoarse after a long time of silence.

“I was the same - after her death. Sometimes I felt like even breathing was too hard. I thought I didn’t deserve it, anyway.”

“It was not your fault.”

“Yes, it was.”

“It was mine.”

“We all fought, even Aberforth, but in the end, I was responsible for her. And I didn’t care for her the whole sumer and I didn’t protect her, when I should have. Everything else was an unfortunate accident.”

“I destroyed so many lives.”

Albus remained silent.

“And I am still so angry. I know I did wrong, but I still hate them all. Sometimes I want to break out and burn all of this down and move on with my plans, but the next moment I feel guilty and sorry and like there is no point in this.”

“You think you cannot be redeemed?”

“Did you hear what I just said?”

“Very well. Gellert, look at me.” He turned his head reluctantly. “I know you are mad at everything and everyone. I don’t know why and it will be a therapist’s task to dig into that, but the important thing is: Your feelings don’t define you. The way you choose to act is who you are. You chose to act upon that anger once, but it doesn’t mean that is who you are, because you decided not to act upon it once, too. Thinking and feeling all these horrible things doesn’t make you a bad person. And it doesn’t make you irredeemable.”

Gellert sat up. “You really think that, don’t you?”

“I have always believed it. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I try to help you. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with you despite knowing - deep down - about your struggles.”

“And that’s why they call you a fool.” He lay down again, this time with his head in Albus’ lap and Albus threaded his fingers through his hair.