#yeah Will isn't a number but he's honestly the closest thing to being one in all honesty

[willel]

S2E1 // S4E6

[plumipal]

I just had a thought- how would Grim and the ramshackle ghosts feel about all the stuff happening to us?

Especially if the yandere(s) are coming over to our dorm too! Would they, depending on the severity of the yandere and their specific actions, range from supporting it cuz yknow reader gets to be happy with someone who treats them well and loves them to concerned because sweetie please get yourself outta there 😭

I can imagine Grim is NOT alright with it and for a multitude of reasons, they are taking away your time with HIM, and once he pays more attention to the bigger picture? Yeah messed up things be occasionally happening that could very well hurt you!! He does not like that!!!

im just imagining Grim being visibly not alright and reader will not have it either when it comes to him, they are a PACKAGE deal and that is that no matter which yandere comes their way 🗣️

we have many people more alright with Grim being reader’s number one priority, or yknow silently(?) wishing it was them, poor Grim and Reader man encountering yandere after yandere 😭

Grim would give us a look if we expressed any sort of romantic interest in any yandere I think lol

‘Pologies if it was too long or ranty, though I am curious who you think would be the most and least alright with this? I imagine Leona and Ace (legally required to bring up Ace he’s my all time fav next to Grim) would NOT like it lmao

.. first off, this is the longest ask ive ever gotten, I gotta just say oml thank you so much????? You, wrote all of this, fpr me?? 🥹🥹🥹💖💖💖 this literally made my week thank you so much bestie 🥹😭 second off, this inspired me to rant too, I hope you enjoy!- (not proofread btw)

So im mainly gonna focus on grim, no offence to ramshackle ghost fans, I just really like the silly little fire-cat/rat/weasel/creature. He was literally our first friend, our first companion (I bet Ace and grim bicker on who was your first).

And oh boy, guy is NOT HAPPY when he sees all these dumbasses vying for your attention and either trying to butter him up with tuna (which will not work on the mighty grim!) or ugnore him completely! Like you stated you and him are a package deal! Get the prefect and get their silly hungry companion!!

Now, grim surely uses his position as your closest companion as a safety net, they can't kill off the closest you have to family in this world! Guess they gotta live with him if they wanna have a life with you.

Ace hates that grim was your friend before him, feeling annoyed whenever he bullied (Juice) Deuce about being friends with you before him only for grim to butt in. Ace isn't too annoyed with grim though, and grim thinks that Ace is one of the better choises of the roster you have, they're both friends after all.

Of course most students in the cast don't liek "sharing" you with grim, especially the more territorial ones. Leona is probably the worst, I mean come on they're both feline looking creatures. With scent being a heavy thing for felines (yes even beastmen dont come at me) Leona is not happy to have his scent on you be muddied by the little rodent (the greatest mage of all, grim). Probably the worst choise since they're just gonna bicker to the end of the world..

Floyd doesn't like this either! Not fair that he has to share!! And with grim no less.. Floyd results in biting you instead of scenting, his chompers being good for nibbling on you. He also has the advantage that grim is sorta afraid of him (honestly who wouldn't be? Especially yan Floyd...).

Kalim tries to brime grim, with anything he could ever think off! Unlimited tuna for grim, and the best there is as well!! Nything grim could ever want on a silver platter, only if grim let's kalim marry you! That alone doesn't sound too bad, but that unsettling horrifying servant that follows Kalim around. He knows what jamil can do, and he sure does NOT want you with that dude!- guy is manipulative and creepy (he would definelty seperate you and grim!-)

Malleus... Malleus scares grim, guys is honestly horrifying. Threatening to curse him into an eternal slumber so he can whisk you away from him, he doesn't want that! You would also get sad id malleus did that, so luckily the possessive dragon had to share (for now...)

Whoever you choose, grim would probably disapprove, guy thinks of you as family (he will never admit that tho). He cares about you, and he is not okay with the invasion of privacy from these teenagers! >:(

I know you didn't ask fpr any drawing or such, but I couldn't help myself sorry 🤭 hope you like my ramblings back at you!

[reiiiei]

but the thing is,

i don't believe diavolo is "canonically yandere"

and here is why:

first off, those admissions stated are not unique to "yandere" characters only. multiple characters have expressed wanting to keep mc to themselves, and given the chance, they would proclaim so. it can't be a fact contributing to diavolo = yandere if other "non-yandere" characters (say, mammon or asmodeus, or perhaps simeon) would or have already proclaimed such things. Obey Me is a romance oriented game. It is quite normal to hear/read lines of the sort, no matter the character archetype. I've played otome/gacha games including Solmare's games since back when they were still Shall We Date. edit: —and therefore encountered those same lines multiple times.

second, his character song. i genuinely believe his character song isn't meant to suggest that he's yandere. i didn't feel any of the sort. if anything, diavolo's character song instead feels likd desperation. like he was doing his best to sell himself to mc.

"Have you noticed? This is my charm."

"Please don't look away

I will catch your heartbeats

Say no more and come here"

"I'm a formidable No.1

The unmatched only one

Fear nothing and move forward

Run run run

Always singing with grace

La la la la la"

"I have nothing to hide, I am always honest

As long as I can, I will do anything for you

So yeah, "as an exchange"...

...may not be an appropriate expression

But I want that love from you in return"

Even the chorus feels like he was trying to convince mc and him both.

"Fear nothing and move forward." seems to be a message to himself, a reminder that despite possible, suggested fears of not being chosen, not being the closest to the player in comparison to the brothers, especially Lucifer.

It's very hard to explain and I probably should be doing my research paper instead but technically, he is the number 1. He's the prince of Devildom. He has the authority, the riches, the power. He's royalty. But compared to Lucifer and the brothers, he has barely any way to connect to mc. Not to mention that Lucifer is the more present and active forefront.

It's also like...like he thinks he needs to exchange luxury or material things to be loved.

Honestly I don't think I have enough non-neurodivergent braincells to be able to express my views on the matter clearly and concisely, so this ends here.

edit: i am back from first major hurdle of research study. right now i am not playing obey me. the way the writers handled the story and the individual character depths of all the male leads disappointed me, so i only come back for fanfic ideas because yes, despite what has happened in the story, i still love the characters. so yeah. as of now, these opinions are of what i know from the character song, and from side/event stories as well as devilgram and chats. before stopping, i did play obey me for the main story for three years though.

point one: it was not diavolo who was specifically responsible for mc's estrangement into devildom. mc was chosen by random and complete bad luck, mentioned by lucifer in satan's arc. even then, choosing did not fall under diavolo's responsibilities, but lucifer's. pretty irresponsible way to choose an exchange student, especially a human one, but diavolo wasn't even meant to be a dateable character back in the earliest part of the main story for it to suggest that diavolo has yandere tendencies. the only thing that implies is that demons overestimated humans and their ability to adapt/acclimate or simply did not care. however, this argument is only viable if the yanking mc from home thing one is referring to is not from season 1.

point two: the definition of a yandere is exactly, word for word, this: Yandere is a portmanteau of two Japanese words. The first is yanderu, which means “to be sick,” and the second is deredere, used here for “lovestruck.” A yandere is often sweet, caring, and innocent before switching into someone who displays an extreme, often violent or psychotic, level of devotion to a love interest

here's a longer definition:

point three: there's a distinct difference between yandere and somewhat possessive or jealous.

point four: barbatos is def much more of a canon yandere than diavolo, and i am not against fanon/headcanon/au yandere! diavolo.

[tblsomedoodles]

Wonder when they're gonna realize Raoh ahs weird mind powers too like they probably suspected it a long time cuz Raph didn't bother hiding then buy when did they realize it was soemthing unique to Raph

Probably the exact moment they mention it in front of Draxum lol.

It's just like

Raph: Yeah, it's weird. Raph can't see their visions. It's all blurry.

Draxum: That's b/c the visions are in their head.

Raph: Well yeah, but even when i try mind melding with them during one i can't see it.

Draxum: Mind...meld?

Raph: it's a Hamato ninja technique where you can share thoughts with each other! my brothers can do it a bit on their own but i'm the best at it. I could to it even before Pops taught us to.

Draxum *Realizing Raph's a telepath who obviously doesn't realize it's a special trait* What did i ever do to deserve being given such powerful yet moronic children to care for?

Donnie: Do you want the list alphabetically or by worst offense?

Leo: Oh! make sure him throwing me off a skyscraper is on the list!

Thank you!

yup! The twins are just like "why come up with new nicknames if he already has two awesome ones?"

Thank you!

Yup! It's hard not to when you've watched this kid grow up in your dreams over the last two months.

Thank you!

Yeah, probably not. And he'd be worried for several weeks after that.

Thank you!

Oh, i could see something like that happening. Donnie would probably be pissed at Leo for waking Leon, b/c if Leo woke Leon, the entire Lair would know in seconds. Donnie would damn near teleport into the room, and Raph wouldn't be that far behind him.

After they got the waking vision to calm down, they probably would make a rule that no 12 turtles are allowed to wake either Donnie or Leon for any reason, simply b/c they might not recognize the signs of a vision and they don't want a repeat.

Thank you!

lol oh yeah! Cass would definitely take whatever number Donnie told her as a challenge. It would probably end up being a game to the point where sometimes Donnie gives her the wrong number (higher or lower, doesn't matter) just for kicks. She always ends up being very close to the number he saw but still, the bickering over it is probably kind of fun for them.

the idea of Cass and Donnie being a very weird sort of friends has me intrigued lol. I usually go with Raph being the closest with Cass (just for tradition's sake. Raphs and Caseys are always bffs, no matter the universe.) but Donnie and Cass are both very chaotic in general so i could see them both getting into some trouble together, particularly for an "I see the future" donnie with an "I will rebel against every future thing i'm told no matter how small" Cass. (honestly, would probably do Donnie some good since he knows at least one person he tells of their future, isn't just going to blindly follow it.)

Thank you!

[ruthiesrambles2]

Ruthie rewatches: Season One, Episode One (part one)

Here have a stream of consciousness as I watch. Had so much to say that I'm cutting off halfway through the episode because it's taken me an hour and a half to get this far.

Ohhh the animated intro! I forgot about this. I remember first watching this and being enthralled. Fucking love the art and the transition to live action.

Baby Miles… Oh. This scene fucks me up more every time. His dad and sibling being left outside??? Let me tell you that has killed me now we have K2.

Yeah yeah Layton is already boring sorry. Do love the face he pulls at Grey though. Feel kinda bad for Grey, there's zero redemption for him he's just straight up bad guy.

Can I take a minute to appreciate the intro? I'm in love with the blueprints and I wish there existed a full version (not that that would work given the amount of disbelief we have to suspend).

What is the thing on the engine room door? I keep trying to work it out, it doesn't look like a standard W or anything.

Aw yiss boss lady emerges!

We get a shot of a jumble of paperwork on a messy desk and then the booth itself is neat and spotless. 100% the desk is Melanie's and no one can touch it but Ruth cleans the booth.

Also there's a Dell laptop. Strange mix of tech on this show and we see surprisingly little of it.

Perfectly central and still shot of Melanie in uniform. The crisps lines. The colouring. Yes.

Melanie has sensible nails. Only one possible explanation for that, clearly. Gay.

Our introduction to the train… classroom is cool but confusing. It seems the number of children is quite small and a broad age range but all the work and art seems to be primary level. There must be at least one more classroom. Third class. Tail. Watch the colour seep out of shots.

Something about measuring days since departure. I love it but surely that would be so depressing. Every day it's "everyone you know in the world died x days ago. Praise Wilford"

The balls on Josie. The swagger on Till!!

So we've got Josie the vet being the closest thing we have to a doctor in the Tail but here's an extra who clearly knows how to use a stethoscope. We won't ever see her again.

Strong Boy my lad!! What a character. Not sure who's hairbrained idea it was to give up rations for one (1) super-soldier (mediocre grade). Probably Layton's.

Why isn't Miles as bedraggled as the other kids? He's not only clean but smiley too. Layton proximity powers.

Pike with hair! I have no love for the character but really starting to appreciate Steven Ogg's acting.

13 Arms. How many nightmares did Ruth have that night huh. The sound of shattering frozen flesh rings a little like champagne glasses, doesn't it? How many times did she relive that day setting up for First Class dinners. Forgive me I am 8 minutes in and already daydreaming about her.

Mama Grande… Miss you babe.

"I don't want you on the front line tomorrow" uhh I'm sorry Mr Layton but who do you think you are. Leave Miss Balls of Steel Josie alone she doesn't need your patronising bullshit. Oh wait, kiss/cuddle/domesticity. Eh. Let you off then.

OHHHH TIME FOR THE BEST SCENE IN THE WHOLE SERIES. MAMA GRANDE SING IT. This scene is honestly breathtaking. The song, the prayer, the weapons, the togetherness.

"Wilford's train is a fortress to class" excellent line is excellent.

God the faces shown here. Knowing they're going to be ripped from us. Not all at once but. Most of them.

Melanie at the steps to first class dining… they mirror this shot in s3 and it's such a great call back.

How does she walk in those heels? My feet hurt just looking at them.

Iguana time!

Incredible variety of food at breakfast time considering the delicate balance of the food system.

Gay dad time!

Throwing in Melanie speaking Cantonese to remind us she's SuperSmartGeniusGirl

First shot of my most specialist blorbo!! She looking so fine.

Look how in step Melanie and Ruth are. The mirroring! The eyelash flutter. Gay.

Also obsessed with the difference in cut between their uniforms. I wonder if the rest of hospitality have their uniforms tailored to body shape too.

Lilah, baby, they invented the sauna. They can be nakey and sing songs. It's OK. Bodies are natural.

LJ with the sunglasses. Girl who packs sunglasses to get on a train travelling forever through a perpetual winter wasteland? Iconic. Her fashion is so baby gay here. Bi LJ is basically canon right?

Why does Melanie turn to look at Ruth like she's staring into her soul. Gay.

OH NO. Eye flutters to Lilah now. Super gay.

TRACK TALK. For every ounce that @train-pirate hates it I double down on loving it. I'm keeping it. I'm going to say it to you all the time. Track talk.

Arm touch arm touch! Gay.

Walking brushing against each other! Gayer.

Fixed stare open mouth. Even gayer.

Eye lash flutters. Getting gayer.

"Excuse to wear your fur" + tongue click. GAYEST. WE HAVE REACHED PEAK GAY. THESE BITCHES FUCKING IT'S CONFIRMED.

Back to the Tail. Has anyone checked Pike can actually count? The man's just throwing up fingers he has no idea. Also look buddy. It's the woman you're gonna bang once and die for. Started from the bottom didn't ya.

Alison has confirmed it's a faux fur. So I can have a clear conscience about the way I'm looking at Ruth in it, right? ✨Respectfully✨

Alison my beloved. Pick an accent. I love it.

Tristan! Baby.

Ruth does not have the gay nails. Pillow princess.

I know we get this decontamination scene to see Layton dehumanised but they are not consistent with it at all. The jackboots and brakeman have no infectious disease control protocols so what's the point?

The subtrain seems set up for engineering/maintenance purposes but they talk about it later like whole swathes of people use it. Do you think it was designed like that or did people start using it as a shortcut after departure and Melanie couldn't stop it?

Okay I've gotta give it to DD his acting of a hungry man facing his favourite food is really great. I don't understand grilled cheese and tomato soup though. Shit tier food combination.

Okay so there's been debate about how Osweiller came to be a Brakeman and the consensus is he joined W security before the freeze. But the way Roche phrases it here "most of us were Wilford security. Some were… soccer players?" makes it very much seem he wasn't. Os is smart and resourceful but I so wanna know how he got in.

Ohhhhh Miles calling Josie mom. Crush my heart why don't you.

"yall got some serious problems up in here" Sassboy Layton. And the face he gives Osweiller. Okay DD you're winning again.

"What about his… Um…dick?" spoken like a true lesbian Bess Till.

Footie jokes. Just bantz innit.

"smooth relations". Girl. You're so awkward.

Melanie's eye contact is so strong. Forceful even. Unusually long. Autie vibes for sure, that's learned behaviour and masking and overthinking. Just doesn't look as creepy when you have a face like JC's.

… How does never-left-the-Tail Layton know what the Drawers are? He just rolls with it.

To be continued…

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #175

Do you own anything from Victoria's Secret "Pink" line? Do you really think the clothes are worth the price? No, I couldn't fit in their stuff, but also I would not pay those ridiculous prices for undergarments or perfumes. I haven't heard good things about how their models are treated either, so I don't want to support their business anyway.

Who would you say is the overall best person you know, and why? Uh, that's really hard. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, like I really don't know. People I know may excel in one attribute, but seriously lack in other things. I suppose my mom is the closest that comes to mind though, her level of forgiveness, selflessness, and loyalty is fucking unreal, I just don't like how aggressively spiteful she is towards my dad. She's also a massive doormat, like people use her A LOT, and it's all because she has no idea how to say no, and she knows it.

Do you have a specific gas station you usually go to? Or do you stop wherever? No; I don't drive/have my own car, but Mom will try to pick out a lower price than other ones when she's driving around. We have a Shell or something not even a minute down the road which I do think we usually use, but she definitely sometimes picks other places.

What is your opinion on dating someone who already had a child/children from a previous relationship? It's not something I personally want; I do think someone having a kid could contribute to me choosing to not date them, but I'm unsure. It's not to be mean or anything, I just know that I could never be a proper parent figure to them, especially a child that isn't mine, and when you decide to date a parent, you're picking that child to be in your life too.

Have you recently accomplished anything that you are proud of yourself for? Yeah, honestly. I'm becoming capable of lasting longer and longer on the exercise bike, I'm being more diligent with my diet, still sometimes doing my PT exercises (by this point I've mostly outgrown them, other exercises like the bike benefit me more), and even after like, five-ish months or so of searching, I'm still job hunting nearly daily. Indeed has practically been my homepage lol.

Are you still friends with any of your exes? Do you still communicate with any of them at all? No. I'd be fine interacting with Aaron in a hypothetical situation, we have no ill feelings towards one another at all that I know of, we just grew apart, I don't even think he has social media anymore.

Is there anyone that you text on a regular basis that you do not have saved in your phone? If so, why don't you have their number saved? No.

What's the color of your front door? It's white.

How many people have you been really in love with? Two.

How frequently are you inclined to read, and how much? Not much, honestly... and definitely not as much as I want to. Odds are if I have access to technology, I'm using that in some way instead of reading, but I hate that about me. Like, I do enjoy reading, I have fun doing it when I'm into the book, but it like, automatically takes a backseat if I have Internet access. I'm entirely aware it's because I'm addicted to technology, like I've known this about me for a very, very long time.

How do you feel after spending a great quantity of time online? Oh yikes, that timing lol. I'm basically always online, like if I'm conscious the odds are high I'm at my desk on this laptop doing one thing or another, and I really do hate it about me. I've been this way since I was a kid and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to tame it down unless I literally had no way of accessing it, period. Even when I DIDN'T have access to a computer for around two months, as soon as I got it back, I was back to my normal ways again.

What is something you hope you never have to do again? Various health issues. Work in customer service of any sort.

Have you ever seen a leech in person? I feel like I have? I'm terrified of them though, I fucking cannot handle parasites, so I feel I'd remember if I ever had one on me.

What are two things you'd tell your child self that you wish you would've known then? TO STOP GIVING A SHIT ABOUT BEING SEEN AS "WEIRD" OR "CHILDHISH" AND JUST BEING SO FUCKING SENSITIVE TO JUDGMENT. Honestly, I feel like half the "judgment" I obsessed over never even really fucking happened, like there was no ill intent behind things said, I just take negative opinions of my interests to be a very personal attack on me as an individual. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and when you consider I'm more sensitive than ever about me and my hobbies and what I like, it's clear that this is an issue that was never corrected, and my life would be PROFOUNDLY improved if I stopped giving such a shit about the opinions of people whose names I don't even know or whose faces I've only seen once. The second thing I'd tell myself is to be strong and brave, and know that even when things got too dark to see where my life was heading, we came out of the tunnel one day to see light in life again.

Did you used to play hopscotch? Yeah I did.

Do you have anything monogrammed? No, that's never been my thing. My sisters like that stuff, though.

Have you ever joined a mosh pit? No, even as a big metal music lover I do not see the appeal in these at all. People get seriously hurt in those things, like I think people have literally been trampled and died.

Have you ever been hurt by a narcissist? Yes. Then again, I feel like most people have been in one way or another.

Have you forgiven everyone who's wronged you? Way too fucking many too many goddamn times.

What's your favorite thing to do at sunrise? Watch it happen, and also listen to the birds.

What does Notre Dame Cathedral mean to you, and how has its fire affected you? It's an incredible bastion of art and its persistence through time, I was heartbroken when the fires happened. It felt like watching the burning of the Library of Alexandria in modern times. I can't imagine seeing such a fantastic piece of architecture crumbling and NOT be affected by it.

Are you prophetic? I don't believe anyone is, we're all just mortal humans here for barely a blink in the grand scheme of existence and the universe.

Have you ever smoked weed, and if yes, did you like it? No, I'm not into smoking any substance. I do want to try an edible one day in a safe environment with people I trust, though, because I'm very curious regarding how it might help my anxiety.

Does your town's hospital have a good reputation? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, holy shit are there stories.

Have you ever read a Bible verse and thought, "this isn't true"? If so, what do you do when that happens? lmfao you mean since I was a child forced into attending Sunday school???????

What is your favorite shade of brown? Like a creamy coffee brown.

Do you prefer kale, lettuce, or spinach? Lettuce. I'm not sure if I've had kale, though.

Can you usually tell when someone has feelings for you? I feel like I can. Usually.

Do you know what things your pet(s) prefers to eat? I know Roman prefers wet food over dry; he mostly eats dry because boy those wet food poops are just lovely, but he definitely gets excited when we mix it up. I can tell you with absolute certainty that Cookie is insanely greedy with human food she's not supposed to have, and I really wish Mom would stop giving in to her begging.

Would you ever consider visiting Texas? I have zero interest in going there unless either of my two online friends I have and fully trust in Texas invited me to be at like their wedding or something, and even then it would very much depend on how doable travel would be.

Did you ever want a pony for a gift as a kid? Never seriously, no.

Do you know who your mom's favorite singer is? Oh well that's fucking easy, James Hetfield from Metallica. That's been her "celebrity crush" for as long as I can remember, that's her favorite band ever.

Have you ever tried to surf? No, save for like as a kid trying to stand and balance on pool accessories.

Do you want to learn? I'm not particularly interested.

Honestly, have you ever mooned anybody? No.

Which one of your family members do you wish you could see more often? Specifically, the immediate family of my mom's sane brother. He, his wife, and their kids. Like most of my maternal family though, they're in New York.

What room in your house is the messiest? Well, it's not necessarily messy, but it is very disorderly: the spare bedroom where I use my laptop. There's not much in here, but what is in here is placed without any visual appeal in mind. I'd really like to do something with it, but I'm not asking my mom to buy furniture and decor for a spare room when I haven't even done MY bedroom makeover...

Are you proud of your parents? Yes. I could go on for hours upon fucking hours about how proud I am of my mother with her fucking unmatched fighter's spirit, and I'm definitely proud of my dad beating long-time alcoholism. I honestly can't applaud him nearly as much as my mom, like honestly my dad is not a top-tier parent in a number of disappointing ways, but he's definitely gotten better with age. He's absolutely a better grampa than he was a dad.

Have you ever used a "puppy face" to get your way? I actually don't even remember doing that as a kid. The only time I'd ever do it would be entirely playfully.

Do you have dimples when you smile? Yes, very clearly on my left cheek. I feel like I had one on the right when I was young, but I don't see or feel it anymore.

Have you ever carved anything into a tree? Not that I recall.

Who will you be with Saturday night? idk, Girt's off so I might see if he wants to go see the Barbie movie, but I might wanna wait a few more days so the theater isn't crammed full.

What woke you up this morning? Nightmares. Twice.

Did you kiss or hug anyone today? No.

When were you the saddest in your life? End of 2015 and all of 2016. No hell a devil could ever design would be worse for me than what that fucking time period was. Every waking moment I wanted to be fucking dead and the only dreams I ever remembered were about my ex and not positive.

Do you ever get groceries delivered to your house? Only if the specific item needed is not available for pick-up in the store. Mom generally orders our groceries online and then we pick them up in the car, but sometimes something very specific has to be ordered not directly from the store location we go to.

What was the last job interview you went to where you didn't get the job? Do you think the interview went well or not? It was Pizza Hut I think, that or Inn, and I'd THOUGHT it went well; the guy who interviewed me even told me he had very high hopes of me getting a yes. Nowadays though I'm immensely grateful I never got the call back; this was in desperate times before my third job where I finally settled I just fucking can't work in customer service. Thinking I could ever be a waitress was absolute insanity, it would have gone horrid.

What's your favorite pasta shape? Probably penne. Or normal spaghetti noodles, I just don't like that they're generally messier to eat.

What's one of the saddest movies you've ever seen? I normally answer this with The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but just to mix it up a bit, Johnny Got His Gun is also fucking heart-wrenching.

What was the last physical pain you experienced? Menstrual cramps.

Do you know anyone who is terminally ill? Yes, she's way too weak for cancer treatments in her age so we know what's happening.

[lovingmusicalmen]

We're a Team (Pt 1)

Pairing: Dodge Mason x shy!female!reader

Summary: Y/N has been working with Dodge for a while now - she's one of the few people who he considers his friend in Carp Texas. Though as a result of her shyness, it's a surprise to Dodge that she's interested in participating in Panic

Warnings: Swearing, Panic events i.e. teenagers doing dumb stuff, alludes to abuse but nothing explicitly said just talks about rough family life (lmk if I missed anything!)

Requested: Yes/No

Word Count: 5,748

A/N: So yeah... this is the long awaited Dodge fic! I hope it's okay. It was all meant to be one fic for a few requests I got back when I opened then (apologies it's taken so long btw) but I was kinda losing motivation with it a little bit especially with how long it was and so I decided to split it up. It's gonna have at least one more part, but honestly it could be another 2 or 3 depending on the length and the direction I decide I want it to end in (torn between two options lmao) so stay tuned for them! Though part 2 isn't gonna be out for a little while yet as I've got exams coming up and also wanna work on part 2 for BWR. Remember to reblog, comment and everything - anything to tell me your thoughts! Requests are open at the moment so feel free to send them into my inbox :) and shoot me an ask if you wanna be tagged in future fics!

It would be wrong to say that it had been a shock for Y/N to see Dodge at the first Panic Challenge. After all, she had been working at the same time when Dodge had asked Heather about the town-wide tradition. But, it wasn’t something he’d ever seemed at all interested in beforehand - and she couldn’t quite understand, either, why he hadn’t simply asked her. After all, they were co-workers, they saw each other every day. She had even started considering him to be one of her closest friends.

So when she had heard him asking Heather about it, she had assumed he was just being nosy about the tradition, that his declaration of wanting to participate was just a way to convince her to give him the information he wanted. To her, Dodge just didn’t seem the type to get involved with anything like that - she had met Dayna, had been the first person in Carp who he had told the truth to about his sister’s accident. With all of that in mind, she couldn’t understand why he would actually want to participate in something so dangerous.

And yet there he was, walking towards her, flare in hand and eyebrows raised ever so slightly in what Y/N recognised as being a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“You know, this doesn’t really seem your scene,” Dodge commented. Y/N breathed a quiet chuckle and dropped her gaze down to look at the flare clutched in her own hand, embarrassed by the comment. “Wait - you’re… participating?” Dodge asked, only seeming to then notice that she, too, had a number scrawled on the back of her hand. Y/N shrugged in response. “You never said.”

“You never asked,” she pointed out with a little smile.

“How come?”

“Well… you know my family,” Y/N said awkwardly, finally summoning the courage to meet his eyes again. She gave him a half-hearted smile, seeing his expression soften in sympathy.

There was a reason why Dodge - usually so reserved and reclusive - would go out of his way to invite her over to spend dinner at his house with his family.

“Right,” Dodge agreed.

“What about you?” She asked after a moment’s silence. “Doesn’t really seem your thing, either.”

“Well, you know,” Dodge started with a half smirk. “It’s a long summer.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and started to laugh, though quickly quietened the sound when she noticed people beginning to look her way. She didn’t like being noticed. It was kind of her thing. With her aversion to social interaction and innate shyness, it was honestly a wonder that she’d managed to land a job at the cafe.

Dodge was still watching her her, watching her in that way that silmultaneously made her heart beat too fast in her chest, and also made her want to hide from the world forever from sheer embarrassment.

“You-“

“I-“ They began at the same time. Dodge laughed and Y/N coughed, gesturing for Dodge to go first.

“I was just gonna say - you look nice,” he said easily. Y/N couldn’t be certain in the moonlight, but she thought she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks.

“Oh - I - um…” she stuttered. Desperately wanted to hide, she decided. “I was just - I should probably start heading up.” She said, at a loss for what else to say. She gestured awkwardly at the cliff behind her and Dodge nodded, that soft expression still on his face.

“Right. Well - good luck, I guess. Make me proud.” He teased gently. Y/N just nodded, before disappearing off into the night.

//

When Y/N got to work the next day, Dodge is already there. She wanted to mention his jump - commend him on the extra points he had earned for himself. Ask him again why he was completing - no one, least of all Dodge Mason, would compete in Panic just for the hell of it.

But Dodge just greeted her as normal - with a smile, a quiet “morning”, and a mug of coffee slid across the counter to her. And she doesn’t know how to breech the topic anymore, not with the butterflies in her stomach, which are always present whenever Dodge would do something like that for her.

They get through the whole day dancing around the topic of Panic. Y/N couldn’t tell if Dodge just felt awkward about it all, or if he was worried she did - though he really ought to know by this point that she felt awkward most of the time.

She wanted to talk to him about it. Being as quiet as she was, she had never had many close friends while at school - not that she was unpopular, it was just… she was shy. She never quite understood how people worked and so struggled to get to know them. She had always known she’d enter Panic - she was as desperate to get out of her home town as everyone else. But she’d never been able to talk about it with anyone, not really.

And also, she just liked talking to Dodge about anything.

It’s not a surprise when the bell chimes and Heather, Natalie and Bishop enter into the diner - they weren’t not exactly regulars, but Y/N had figured that they’d be getting a couple of the other Panic players in today, especially after Dodge had gotten 25 points. Y/N offered them an awkward smile and gestured that she’d be over there in a moment. She could feel their eyes on her, sizing her up.

Dodge moved to stand next to her, his arm brushing hers as he reached up to grab a glass down from the shelf.

“You alright?” He asked, clearly picking up on her change in attitude.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Y/N asked. Dodge hesitated, looking at her, before placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

“Alright.”

Y/N grabbed her notebook and headed over to the trio, giving them her best service smile.

“Hey guys - what can I get you?”

“Hey, Y/N!” Natalie greeted her cheerfully - the same way that she would greet Heather or Bishop for that matter. “We were surprised to see you there last night.”

Y/N cleared her throat, uncomfortable at the statement. She tapped her pen on her notebook as she measured out her response carefully. It wasn’t often that she was placed into social situations such as this.

“Yeah - well…” was the most she could muster up. She shrugged again. “It’s a long summer?” She offered, remembering Dodge’s joke from the previous evening. It seemed to do the trick, though, with the trio giving her polite chuckles in reply.

“Could we just get some chips to share and some water?” Heather asked and Y/N nodded, writing down the order to give to the kitchen.

“Sure - I’ll be right back with that,” she said, her words coming out more fluently now they had moved back into the familiar territory of her doing her job.

“Why do I feel like they’re watching us?”

Y/N almost jumped out of her skin at Dodge’s voice being so close to her, having snuck up as she was keying in the order.

“Sizing up the competition,” Y/N stated. “Everyone gets like this around Panic,” she gave him a wry smile. “Sometimes I forget you’re new in town.”

“I’ve been here for a year,” Dodge complained, leaning against the counter, waiting patiently for her to finish so that he could process his own order. Y/N shrugged.

“You’ll be new in town either for the rest of your life, until you leave or until someone else moves in. That’s just how it is here,” she reminded him.

“Guess I should’ve seen that coming.”

Shortly after putting his own request through, Dodge had disappeared into the back to organise the shelves, leaving Y/N out in front to tend to the customers. Just after she had served the trio of friends their chips, the door opened again while she was wiping down the counter just for something to do. She glanced up and froze at the presence of Ray Hall in the cafe. He walked straight over to the counter, ignoring her presence, and began to ring the bell repeatedly.

“Can-can I help you?” She asked awkwardly. She held back a shiver as Ray looked her up and down, sizing her up.

“Sorry, darling - I’m here for Dodge,” he answered, returning to ringing the bell, the sound aggravating Y/N, making her clench her jaw. Though, she had to admit that the strategy was effective as only moments later, Dodge had returned from the back room, looking equally pissed off. He grabbed the bell and moved it out of Ray’s reach and Y/N watched in satisfaction as Ray’s hand instead slapped onto the table. Not that it annoyed him, instead it caused his smirk to widen.

Dodge glanced at Y/N, eyebrows raised, though she could only offer him an apologetic shoulder shrug.

“Can I help you with something?” Dodge asked, placing a menu down on the counter in front of Ray and stepping back with his hands on his hips.

One thing that never ceased to surprise Y/N was how Dodge’s attitude would change when he was speaking to her compared to speaking with anyone else - with her, he was sweet, funny, always trying to make sure she was okay. With anyone else, though, he became the mysterious, brooding character that everyone thought he was.

Ray made a big show of pretending to examine the menu.

“Yeah,” he dragged out. “Why don’t you go ahead and get me the fuck you?”

Dodge’s brows raised higher on his forehead and Y/N had to stifle a laugh at his expression. He glanced at her again and she rushed away to tend to a customer, giving them their space - also so that she could release her nervous laughter out of earshot.

She watched as they spoke - Dodge looking impassive, unimpressed, even, by whatever it was that Ray was saying. Ray let out a wheeze of laughter, though Y/N wasn’t sure if it was scathing or dryly amused.

It wasn’t long after that before Ray had left the cafe, shooting one final, cocky wink at Y/N.

“Everything alright?” Y/N asked, approaching the counter herself and leaning on her elbows in front of Dodge.

“Sure - Ray’s doing me a favour and warning me to drop out of Panic,” Dodge replied.

“Wow, how kind of him,” Y/N teased. “Didn’t realise he was so concerned about your wellbeing.” The corners of Dodge’s lips twitched at her words and he shook his head at her, rolling her eyes. He turned away, likely to try to hide his smile, though it didn’t stop Y/N from beaming at his back. “Did you see the movie theatre on your way here, by the way?” Y/N asked, changing the conversation slightly.

“I mean… I passed it?” Dodge offered uncertainly. Y/N rounded the counter, grabbing hold of the towel resting over Dodge’s shoulder and yanking it into her grip instead to have something to play with as she spoke in a lowered tone.

“You didn’t see the sign?” She asked, staring at her hands as she threaded the towel between her fingers. “I imagine that’s why Ray came in now - because he just saw it.”

“What’re you…” Dodge trailed off with a frown.

“The Judge’s have left the clue for the next trial,” she said, lowering her voice even more, daring a quick glance around the diner to make sure there was no one within earshot.

“What? When?”

“I guess it went up sometime last night - you must’ve missed it on your way into work today. It’s at the granary. I was gonna head there after work to check if there’s any information there for the time.”

“I can drive you - we get off at the same time anyway, right?” Dodge asked and Y/N nodded her confirmation.

“Thanks.”

//

The atmosphere when Y/N reached the granary that evening was electrifying. Dodge had offered to pick her up and take her, the two of them arriving together, but Y/N had said no - she knew what her parent’s reaction would be if she was seen leaving the house in the evening to meet a guy.

So they had gone their separate ways after visiting the location after work and figuring out the clue, Y/N promising to meet him there that evening.

As she had suspected, though, she arrived earlier than him, settling, as she almost always did, at the edge of the crowd. She surveyed her peers, picking out the other contestants among the sea of spectators. In doing so, she caught the eye of Natalie, who raised her hand in greeting.

Y/N gave an awkward wave back before leaning on the tree behind her, turning her gaze to where Diggins and Summer were standing and looking to be in deep conversation.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what the next challenge would be, what with the precarious plank so high up in the air. That didn’t mean that Y/N wasn’t scared, though, of having to step onto the platform. She wondered how many people would bow out here, at just the second challenge. She wouldn’t, and she knew Dodge wouldn’t either - and she supposed that that was what counted.

“Hey! Do you wanna come over and sit with us?” Y/N jumped at the sudden voice. She was surprised to see that it was Natalie who had approached her, having assumed that the awkward wave she had offered would have been enough social interaction for the other girl. But she was smiling kindly and gesturing back at where Heather was seated on the hood of a car. Heather offered a smile when she saw Y/N looking.

“Oh - I…” Y/N trailed off nervously.

“I know you must be waiting for Dodge - but we can keep you company,” Natalie said in a teasing tone, taking hold of Y/N’s arm. Y/N gave a sharp intake of breath at the unexpected contact and instinctually moved away from the touch. She saw a look of brief confusion flit across the other girl’s face.

“Sorry - yes. That would be nice,” Y/N stammered, forcing herself to smile.

“Where is Dodge, anyway - did he not work out the clue?” Natalie asked as they walked over to Heather.

“Oh - he did. He just…” Y/N shrugged helplessly, unsure of how to explain Dodge’s mannerisms to her. “He had some stuff to do this evening,” she settled on at last. “And besides, he likes to arrive to things on the dot,” Natalie and Heather both laughed at the comment before moving into their own conversation. Y/N just sat there, vaguely following their words and nodding along when it felt appropriate. But her thoughts were with Dodge - what she told Natalie and Heather wasn’t untrue, Dodge did like to arrive to things exactly on time, but even knowing that never did any goof for her nerves as she always felt he was cutting it just a little too close. Especially for a game like Panic, where one wasn’t offered second chances.

Sure enough, just as Diggins called for everyones attention, Dodge slipped into the crowd. Y/N gave a sigh of relief, allowing his words to wash over her - again, she had already pretty much figured out what would be going on in this challenge. As always, her entire focus was on Dodge Mason, who was scanning the crowd, his typical public-scowl on his face.

It was an expression that softened, just minutely, when he caught sight of Y/N. While he didn’t give her a smile, he did offer a quick nod of his head.

She was just a little ashamed to admit that that acknowledgement was all that she needed to calm her nerves and allow her to focus on the challenge again. She watched as Drew climbed the ladder and gave a shaky breath as the tower shook the slightest amount. Fingers clasped around hers and she looked over to see Heather looking equally terrified. Y/N squeezed the girl’s hand back, the two of them letting out simultaneous sighs when Drew made it to the other side, whooping loudly.

“Next up: Y/N Y/L/N!”

And just like that she couldn’t breath again. Suddenly, all eyes were on her, the exact thing that she had spent almost all of secondary school trying to avoid. Her legs were wobbly as she stood from the hood of the car, responding to Heather and Natalie’s encouraging smiles with a grimace.

She began to walk, staring at the ground and wishing that it would swallow her up. When she reached the base of the ladder, she forced herself to look up again, trying to ignore the shaking of her hands as they gripped onto the first rung. Dodge had come out from the shadows again. He offered her the tiniest smile in the world.

‘You got this’ he mouthed.

Y/N set her jaw and began to climb.

If she was being honest, she didn’t remember much of her actual crossing of the ledge - one moment she was at the top of the ladder, refusing to look down, dimly aware of Diggins giving her a countdown. The next moment she was on the opposite podium, legs wobbling a little and feeling as though at any moment she would fall down the ladder as the applause of her peers rang through her ears.

When she reached the bottom, she barely registered Diggins calling out for Shawna to begin her run. Her breath was still just a little too fast, her eyes a little too wild. Then - a gentle hand clasped ever-so loosely around her wrist and a slight tug pulling her to the side of the crowd.

“You did good up there,” Dodge told her, voice lowered. Y/N offered a weak smile.

“I… don’t really remember doing it at all,” she admitted as the crowd erupted into yet more cheers - Y/N imagined it was a result of Shawna finishing her crossing.

Dodge chuckled, shaking his head.

“You okay?” He asked. “You’re still shaking a bit.”

“Yeah - just.. adrenaline, I guess,” Y/N shrugged awkwardly, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

“Well trust me, you didn’t look nervous at all. If I didn’t know you, I would’ve guessed you were in your element.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N laughed, elbowing him. Dodge joined in on her laughter, though much more quietly, something soft in his eyes.

There was a sudden loud gasp from the crowd around them, drawing Y/N’s attention back towards the competition. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was Heather’s turn and she had slipped, falling to her knees on the plank. Y/N stepped forwards instintively, though she knew there was nothing she could actually do to aid her maybe-friend. Dodge’s hand shot out, though, and clasped around her wrist, pulling her back towards him. She felt the weight of his chest behind her.

“It’s okay - she’ll be fine, see? She’s getting up,” Dodge told her, breath tickling her ear. Sure enough, Heather was making shaky attempts to raise herself back up to her feet. Ray was sitting at the opposite side of the plank, lips turned up into a cocky smirk as he watched. It looked as though they were speaking with each other, but Y/N was sure that it couldn’t be anything good. Heather had made her opinion on Ray quite clear.

“I hate this,” Y/N groaned out quietly. She turned to bury her face in Dodge’s chest instead, not quite registering her own actions before she had already done it. She felt him freeze, before he slowly, hesitantly raised a hand to place on her back, holding her there.

“It’s alright - I’ll watch for you, let you know when she’s over.”

as it turned out, Y/N didn’t exactly need Dodge to tell her when it was safe to look again. Her peers let out a collective sigh of relief, which she was sure could have only been brought about by Heather crossing safely. But still, she remained with her face hidden in his chest up until he gave her a gentle squeeze and gave her a murmur of reassurance.

“Thank you,” she whispered, smiling awkwardly up at him.

He gave her a stoic nod in reply, opening his mouth to say something before being cut off by Diggins calling his name.

“Be safe,” Y/N called after him, as loudly as she dared, feeling the weight of so many eyes lying on her and Dodge. Dodge gave only a slight tilt of his head in acknowledgement that he had heard her.

“Hey - come wait with us,” it was Natalie again, holding out a hand to Y/N with a kind smile. “Saw you were nervous when Heather crossed,” she admitted when Y/N finally placed her hand into Natalie’s, allowing herself to be pulled back over to their little group.

“Think I was more scared watching that than crossing myself,” Y/N admitted quietly, though Natalie laughed loudly at the comment.

“Yeah - figured you’d want some company with Dodge crossing now.”

“Though I think he’s gonna be just fine,” Heather added reassuringly.

“He was completely unfazed by the jump last night,” Bishop pointed out and Y/N smiled.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s gonna be-“ she cut herself off with a loud gasp, eyes widening in fear as Dodge stumbled and almost fell, catching himself on the pole with a single hand.

One more she was prevented from moving forwards by a hand on her wrist, pulling her back.

“It’s okay! You can’t help him, remember,” Heather tried to soothe her.

“No!” She desperately tried to pull her hand free - though what she would actually do if she were able to get over there, she wasn’t sure. When Heather had slipped, Y/N couldn’t watch. With Dodge, however, she was unable to look away. Stuck staring at him, feeling her breathing quickening with every moment that he spent hanging there, slowly managing to pull himself up.

She found it impossible to breathe until Dodge had managed to pull himself back up, rolling onto the plank, the muscles in his arms flexing and his jaw clenched determinedly. A dry sob wrenched itself from her chest, her body sagging in relief as Dodge stood up again and made it the final few steps to the end of the plank.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t care about the eyes on her, the moment that the grip on her wrist loosened enough, she pulled herself free and rushed over to where Dodge had just climbed down the ladder.

She stopped short, though, watching Dodge stalk over to where Ray was leaning against the side of his car. Her eyes widened as he slammed him against the metal, glowering at him. Dodge’s jaw was clenched harder than she had ever seen it before, his eyes calculating his next move.

“Dodge,” she whispered, certain it would go unheard. But no, Dodge glanced over at her and she shook her head minutely. Whatever Ray had done, it wasn’t worth it.

Dodge shoved the other boy away with a scowl, turning to face Y/N and begin to walk over to her.

“What, not even a kiss goodnight?” Dodge met Y/N’s eyes, something apologetic in his expression, before turning and throwing a punch at Ray.

Everything happened in a blur - one moment, they were throwing punches at each other, the sickening sound of fist meeting muscle. The next, the sky was alive with blue and red lights as sirens wailed.

Y/N froze like a dear in headlights, unable to move as she saw the policemen leaving their cars, shouting at all of the gathered teens to stop their movements. Then she was slammed into by one of her fleeing peers, falling to the ground with a groan, lifting her hands desperately to cover her face in the hopes it would stop her from getting hurt by the panicked movements around her.

She curled up tighter as a foot kicked hard into her stomach, her peers still stampeding around her. Hands gripped tightly around her shoulders, then, pulling her across the ground out of the masses.

“Can you get up?” Dodge asked, his voice panicked. Y/N nodded, unable to speak. She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, Dodge’s arm wrapping around her waist and guiding her in a swift jog over to duck behind a car where Heather was waiting.

“Are you okay? You looked like you got kicked a few times,” Heather asked her.

“I’m fine,” Y/N managed to get out.

There was a help behind them and the three of them peaked over the car to see Natalie stumble. The three of them moved quickly, Dodge slipping his hand down to wrap his fingers around Y/N’s instead, Natalie looping her own arms over both Dodge’s and Heather’s shoulders.

“It’s my ankle,” Natalie explained.

“We need to get out of here,” Y/N said, squeezing Dodge’s hand. He looked at her and nodded, allowing Y/N to lead the way of their odd chain of people, her pulling him by the hand into the surrounding fields.

They didn’t let up on their staggering run until they reached a clearing, where they lowered Natalie onto a nearby stone.

“I’m gonna try and call Bishop,” Heather said, shaking a little from the adrenaline.

They nodded their confirmation and Y/N crouched down in front of Natalie.

“Can I look at your ankle?” She asked softly. Natalie nodded a little unsurely.

“I mean - you don’t have to,” she said, but Y/N had already began to examine it after her nod. She could feel Dodge watching her but she tried to push that thought to the back of her mind.

“It’s not too bad - looks like it’s just a sprain or just a twist. I’d bandage it if I could but…”

“I got it,” Dodge cut in and when Y/N glanced back at him, he was pulling off one of his socks. “Don’t worry - I’ve taken my monthly shower,” he added, seemingly picking up on the amused expressions on both Natalie and Y/N’s faces. Y/N looked up and met Natalie’s eyes, the two of them grinning at each other.

“Lucky me.”

“Your sock, Cinderella,” Dodge said, handing it to Y/N, who began to wrap it around Natalie’s injured ankle.

“It might hurt a little - but if we do this, it’ll hopefully stop it from swelling too much, and when you get home I’d ice it and if it’s still hurting take some painkillers,” Y/N advised, finishing up her handiwork.

“Did you take a first aid course at some point?” Natalie asked, and Y/N bit her lip, Dodge’s gaze feeling heavier than ever as it rested on her.

“Something like that,” she agreed.

“Bishop’s gonna drive around and pick us up,” she let out a sigh of relief at Heather’s sudden presence.

“Y/N - you need a lift back?” Natalie asked her with a smile.

“Ah - I can-” Y/N began.

“I’ll take her back,” Dodge cut her off. “Thanks, though.”

Heather and Natalie looked between the two of them before nodding, Heather offering her hand out to Natalie to pull her up.

“Well… we’ll see you around,” Natalie said. “And thanks again,” she added, nodding to them.

The moment that they were out of earshot, Dodge had crouched down to Y/N’s side.

“Are you okay? Heather’s right you did take a few kicks,” he said.

“I’m fine - I’ll ice it when I get home,” Y/N assured him. Dodge didn’t look particularly happy and Y/N tilted her head a little. “What?”

“Nothing - not… it’s not my place,” he sighed, straightening up and offering her his hand.

Y/N allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, stumbling forwards a little into his arms, finally feeling the ache of her torso begin to kick in.

“You going to be okay working tomorrow?” Dodge asked worriedly, his arm slipping around her waist, supporting her as they began to walk in the direction that he had parked.

“Sure - I’ve worked with worse,” she joked. Dodge’s jaw clenched and he shook his head. “Sorry - not funny,” an awkward silence fell between them. “Hey - were you okay earlier?”

“Were you? I heard you scream.”

“Well excuse me for being worried about my friend,” Y/N snorted and Dodge sent her a side smile.

“Yeah - Ray was being a prick. Shone a light up at me and I slipped.”

“I take back what I said earlier - it is worth it. Next time I see him I’m gonna punch him so hard that it’s me he’ll see in his individual challenge.”

“Calm down, spitfire,” Dodge laughed. “I’m alright - Ray’s just an idiot. He’s nothing I can’t handle,” he assured her, opening the passenger door of his car and helping her in.

//

Natalie comes by the diner the next day after they had closed - Y/N was wiping down some tables, walking gingerly as too much movement caused sharp pains in her bruised torso. Dodge was at the register, cashing up for the evening.

When the knock came at the door, they shared a look of equal confusion. Dodge went to open it while Y/N backed up a little - the movement instinctive.

“Hi,” Dodge greeted, sounding surprised.

“Hey - can I come in?”

Y/N relaxed upon recognising Natalie’s voice. Dodge looked back over his shoulder at her and Y/N just shrugged her shoulders.

“I need to talk to you - in private,” she said to Dodge, and Y/N caught the glance she threw at her as she took a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

“Y/N-“ Dodge began, frowning at Natalie and crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s alright - I can go take stock,” she interrupted. She shot Dodge a smile and tossed the rag she had been using to wipe the tables with at his face, biting back a laugh when it hit him in the face. He rolled his eyes at her but she could see that he was trying his hardest not to smile.

It didn’t take her long to organise the backroom for the evening - truthfully, it had been a slow day anyway and so she had actually already begun to do it near the end of her shift. So instead she took a seat on one of the counters, pulling out her phone and idly playing a game as she waited for Dodge and Natalie finish talking about whatever it was that Natalie wanted.

“Hard at work, huh?”

Y/N looked up and shot him a bashful smile, shrugging her shoulders and pocketing her phone.

“In my defence, it was already mostly done.”

“We’re done out there too - come on, I’ll give you a ride home,” Dodge held out his hand and Y/N took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. To her surprise, though, he didn’t loosen his grip, instead tightening his fingers around hers as he led her out of the cafe, only letting her go when they were actually outside so that he could lock up after them.

“What did Nat want anyway?”

“To team up - she spied on my mail and found out that I’d reenrolled this year. Threatened to get me kicked from Panic if I didn’t team with her,” the way he said it was so nonchalant that Y/N did a double take at the words.

“Shit - well… are you alright?”

“Yeah - why wouldn’t I be?” Dodge asked, seemingly surprised at her concern.

“Just… I guess I figured you wouldn’t want anyone knowing stuff like that, especially with Panic going on,” another thought occurred to her, heightening her concern. “Does she know about Dayna?”

Dodge’s jaw clenched just slightly and he refused to make eye contact as he gave a subtle nod of his head.

Y/N hesitated before swallowing down her nerves and insecurities and grabbing Dodge’s hand again, squeezing it tightly. He looked over at her and she tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure she won’t tell anyone else - especially if you two are working together now,” Y/N said gently. Dodge nodded his head, forcing a smile onto his own face.

“I told her you’d be an ally too.”

“What?” Y/N asked, surprised.

“I said she didn’t get a choice - that we’d already agreed to split the money if either of us win anyway so I told Nat that she’d just have to be on board with you being part of our team too.”

“But we didn’t-“

“I know,” Dodge agreed. They pulled to a stop outside of his car and Dodge faced her properly. He hesitated for a moment before lifting his free hand to cup her face ever-so gently. “But… I hate the thought of you being stuck here with your family for another year. I was always going to split the money with you - we’re a team, alright?”

“Dodge…”

“I hate to say it, but I’m not going to take no for an answer,” he said, a teasing edge to his tone. “I… I care about you - you have to know that by now.”

“I just…” Y/N bit her lip, looking down at the ground and she drew a shaky breath, thinking over his words as best she could with how close he was in that moment, the warmth of his hand still on her cheek and how she could feel the tenderness of his gaze lying steadily on her. It was hard to think of anything at all - impossible to try to force out any words.

“I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Dodge said after a beat too long without a reply. He went to pull away from her and Y/N bit the bullet, tugging him back as close as she could and pushing herself up towards him, her free hand curling around the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss.

[chibinightowl]

For the pairing and a number challenge could we get JayTim and number 5?

Fits into my JayTim werewolf AU

--

"Wait a minute... Are you jealous?" Jason glances down at the little black, white, and brown puppy of indeterminate breed that's curled into his chest, floppy ears shielding half its face. The little thing is finally dry and warm, and has a belly full food. For once, Damian had come through without any grief, telling him exactly what he needed to care for a puppy so young.

Honestly, if the little demon had been on the same coast, Jason is certain he'd be here right now. Thank god for long distances.

However, Jason has to admit he didn't expect...this.

This being his werewolf mate pacing with extreme agitation around their living room, eyes locked on the unoffending puppy like it's the spawn of Satan himself.

"I am not jealous," Tim growls, black ears twitching.

"Try telling me another one," Jason replies, nodding in the general direction of his mate. "Your ears and tail are out."

Tim stops dead in his tracks and slaps a hand just above his ass to where, yes, his long black is swishing back and forth in quick, jerky movements. He closes his eyes and visibly tries to collect himself, taking deep breaths through his mouth.

Jason has the distinct feeling it's because of the puppy scent now permeating their living space. "Might I remind you," he continues, "that you brought this little fella home. You. Not me."

He thinks the little pup is a boy, but gendering dogs isn't exactly high on his rather diverse skill-set.

"I know," Tim lets out a breath with a low whine that has the puppy twitching in its sleep. "It's just..." he trails off and a pained look appears briefly in his eyes before it vanishes.

"Just what, Tim?" Jason asks, carefully. He has a feeling he knows what this is about now, but he's not about to assume. Not on a topic like this.

His mate swallows a few times, fists clenching so tight that a trickle of blood drips down his fingers from where his nails have pierced the skin of his palms. "I... I wish it was mine. Mine and yours," he says in a rush, averting his gaze from peacefully sleeping little puppy.

Jason's heart wants to break. "Tim, I... You know that unless some really fucked magic happens, we can't. Or you cozy up to Ra's and steal his artificial womb technology that gave us the demon spawn we all know and love."

The pained expression in Tim's eyes changes to calculating. "If I did, then would you...?"

"Would I consider having a kid with you?" Jason smiles gently and extends a hand to his mate, dragging the wolf onto the couch to curl up beside him. He presses a kiss to the tip of the closest black ear and enjoys the shudder Tim never fails to make at the tender touch. "Yeah, I think I would."

Tim melts into him and nuzzles at the side of Jason's throat where his mating mark is hidden beneath the fabric of the shirt he's wearing. "I suppose that means I have to figure out how to dick over Ra's."

Jason chuckles. "When you do, we can have Damian dog-sit. He'd love that."

A low growl erupts from Tim's throat and he runs a protective finger across the puppy's back. "Absolutely not. He'll try to teach her how to do tricks like fetch and rollover. No pup of mine, adopted or otherwise, is going to be treated like a common dog."

He sounds so offended at the thought that Jason laughs again. "You said her. I take it you can scent the gender?"

Tim raises his head to give him a look that clearly says he's an idiot. "Yes, I can," he says. "She's also old enough that it's pretty obvious she doesn't have balls."

"Excuse me if the only dog balls I'm familiar with are yours."

[bangtanreadingcorner]

three words, eight letters (i love you) • kim namjoon

plot – it was never supposed to go this far, but then it happened. you both said i love you.

words – 3.3K

It started out casual.

You and Namjoon met at a party years ago, and the attraction was immediate. The only problem was that neither of you had time for something serious - you as a world traveling model and him as a world traveling artist. So, after spending a mind-blowing night together, you two both agreed in the morning after that it was a one time thing and wouldn't happen again.

That lasted until the next time you saw each other two months later. The morning after you two agreed that you were open to sleeping together if you are near each other and both willing and it wasn't exclusive because this attraction between you was too hard to ignore.

What neither of you told each other, was that you had no intention of sleeping with someone else.

A year and many chance encounters later, you both decided to be exclusive and decided to try dating each other casually. Nothing big, like going out of your to see each other but more like finally exchanging numbers and texting, calling and Skyping each other. You still agreed only to see each other in person when you both happened to be in the same place.

(And if you both snooped around to figure out where the other was to plan a visit when the longing became to much, well, you certainly weren't telling each other.)

It was good, for three blissful years life was good, great even, until one day it all blew to hell.

It started with a good morning call from Namjoon.

You grinned, despite the early hour as you picked up the call. "Hey, handsome."

"Good morning, gorgeous. You sound sleepy." You heart thumped with the term of endearment. You could hear the smile in his voice.

"I just woke up." You admitted through a yawn. You looked at the time, and shuffled back under your covers, intent on sleeping further once your call with Namjoon was done.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He said, voice apologetic with a tinge of guilt.

"It's okay, I don't mind." You told him honestly. You'd prefer talking to him over sleeping everytime. You yawned again, rubbing at your dry eyes with your free hand, stopped when you realised your make-up artist would have a fit if you showed up with puffy eyes. "Just had a late shoot. I only got home three hours ago."

"Yikes." Namjoon said and you could picture the wince on his face, and it made a sleepy grin tug in your lips. "I'll let you get back to sleep then and call you later on."

"M'kay." You yawned, halfway asleep as the next words slipped out of your mouth. "I love you."

"Love you, too." He replied instantly and without hesitation.

The line went dead silence in the aftermath of your confession.

"I have to go." You eventually blurted, a little mortified, your face on fire and you heart beating in your ears. Suddenly you were wide awake, all sleep gone from your system.

"Yeah, me too." He said and you were glad to hear the way to cracked because it means he was affected by this too.

You never end up going back to sleep, not even able to form a reply later that night when you arrive for your shoot and the make-up artist mutters about your red eyes from lack of sleep.

The photographer tells you there's no sparkle in your eyes. You tell him if he doesn't like your work, he's welcome to request another model. He's right though, you know he is. You go through the motions but your heart isn't in it like it usually is.

It was all the way in Namjoon's hands, just like his heart is in yours, from when you exchanged it earlier that morning.

Then only question is, what are you going to do with it?

You meant the words, you love him and you know he loves you too.

The three special words you've never uttered to another soul outside your family and your few friends. Never intended too either, no matter how much you mean it. It's terrifying, to open yourself up like that, make things between you and Namjoon real on a whole other level.

You shouldn't have said it, you know you shouldn't have. After all, there is a reason you never have before.

You knew it would have hurt in the long run. It was inevitable, with how much you love him. Only now, everything is going to hurt so much more when it comes to an end.

***

Namjoon has never been one to let problems fester and lie, or ignoring a problem until it goes away. You are a personal fan of the latter. The point is, Namjoon is the type to face a problem head on, talk it out and try to solve it.

So, it came to absolutely no surprise to you when five days after the confession, a knock on your door sounded at eleven in the evening and when you opened it, it was Namjoon.

"Y/N." He greeted.

"Hi." You breathed.

He was wearing an oversized t-shirt and loose pants, nothing spectacular, but he still causes your breath to catch, your heart beat speeding up. The want you had for him, has never dimmed with time. It only grew, in fact.

And it wasn't just a physical desire, but a mental one too. You want to know him, ask him about his day, show him the new sketches you drew, listen to him ramble about the new encyclopedia about animals he finished.

You want him - heart, mind, soul and body.

But right now, you just really want to kiss him.

"I'm going to kiss you." You warned him, closing the two feet of distance between you slowly enough that he could say no if he didn't want you to kiss him.

He stood in your doorway, eyes watching you intently, unmoving but the moment you put your hands on his neck to pull him down, just a bit, and kissed him, slowly but deeply, he kissed you back, his hands gripping your hips, pulling you even closer.

He pulled away first, but didn't go far, muttering against your lips. "We need to talk."

You didn't want to talk because then everything would get worse, not better. Still, you needed too.

You stepped out of his arms, placing one more peck against his lips, wondering if it would be the last time ever. You let him in, listening as he closed the door and took off his shoes.

"Do you want something to drink?" You asked when you passed the kitchen.

"No, thank you." He denied and you walked past the kitchen, heading to your spacious living room. You took a seat on the one seater couch, he took one on the three seater, sitting closest to you.

It was quiet, for a long time, neither of you wanting to begin the conversation. Finally, Namjoon gathered the courage first. He asked an easy question, "Did you mean it?"

"Yes." You answered, because you did, and you could see a lot of tension leaving his shoulders. It made you wonder if he doubted it, if he thought that you said it because you were tired. Well, you did only say it because you were tired, but probably not for the reason he thinks, so you decided to explain. "Being sleepy lowered my defenses enough for me to tell you the truth, instead of hiding it from you."

He nodded, accepting your words. "Did you regret saying it?"

You wanted to say no, but it would be a lie.

"A little." You admitted, as honest as possible.

Namjoon took that in, swallowing thicky, nodding again, slower this time. "Why?"

"Because it made everything complicated. And I don't want complicated." You burst out, chest feeling heavy.

"I thought we weren't just sleeping together, that we're dating." Namjoon said, voice tight. There was hurt in there, it stabbed at your heart.

"We are dating." You confirm.

"Then why haven't you told anyone about us?" He asked sharply.

"I have. All of my friends know about you, and tease me mercilessly because of you. They figured out that I'm stupid in love with you, long before I climbed out of my pit of denial." You told him, because if your relationship was going to shit, you might as well tell him everything.

"Have you told your parents?" Namjoon asked, suddenly and it makes you a little defensive.

"Have you?" You retort.

"Yes." He answered, and it catches you completely off guard.

It took you awhile to regain your bearings, because you didn't think Namjoon was serious enough about your relationship that he has told his parents about it. It made you feel happy and guilty, all at once.

You didn't know what to say to him, so you said nothing, sitting in silence again.

"I meant it, too, you know." Namjoon broke the silence again, voice soft as he looked at you so gently that your heart twisted. "I love you."

You inhaled sharply. It was one thing to hear it over the phone, but another thing entirely to hear it from his lips in person. There was only one you that felt right for you to say to him.

"I love you, too." Too much, you thought.

An expression of wonder and awe crossed his face as he looked at you. It disappeared a moment later when he frowned over at you.

"Then what's the problem?" Namjoon asked, a little desperation in his voice.

"I don't want what you want." You said simply.

"I want you." He said immediately, so sure that you know he believes it right now, but right now isn't where this ends. In his mind, this ends with the two of you married, living in a house with a yard, a few kids and maybe a cat and a dog.

It doesn't for you.

Here it comes, you think to yourself, the whole reason you knew your relationship would have never lasted. Not in the long haul. You've thought about it long and hard, over and over, because you want Namjoon in your life for a longtime, but you've never found an ideal scenario where both of you get what you want.

You sighed, deep and sad, shaking your head slightly. "No, I'm not talking about now. I'm talking about the future. You want to get married and have kids. And I-" You inhaled, your eyes burning and voice going softer, wondering if anything would soften the blow you were about to give him. Nothing helped when you finally admitted to yourself your relationship was never going to last. "I don't want that."

A crumpled sort of expression crossed his face, eyes pained when he looks into yours. "Why?"

You shrugged, eyes blurring, memories flashing across your mind. Horrible, terrible memories. You suppress them as fast as they surface. "I just don't."

More silence.

"So what do we do now?" Namjoon finally asked.

"I don't know." You said, feeling your heart cracking a little. You knew it wasn't Namjoon's fault though. He would protect your heart from anything and everything in this world.

Unfortunately he can't protect you from yourself.

***

When Namjoon went home that night, it was with a heavy, heavy heart. The rest of his band noticed the moment he stepped through the door, but no one asked him because if their leader didn't want to talk, you couldn't make him.

Well, one person could.

All eyes turned to Yoongi when Namjoon went to his room after giving them a soft greeting.

"What?" The oldest rapper asks them.

"H-he doesn't look too good." Hoseok said worriedly and the other's voice their agreement. Namjoon has been a little off for a few days now, but not once was he as subdued as he was just now.

"Yeah, he went to see Y/N-noona, right?" Jeongguk asked.

All of then knows about Namjoon's long term girlfriend. It was the oddest relationship ever, to them at least, but the two them make it work and she makes their leader incredibly happy, so they have never shown anything but support.

"Maybe they had a fight." Taehyung suggested hesitantly, because they've never had a fight, as far as he knows. It's why they all feel a little lost right now.

"Whatever it is, it's big. He looked really sad and he's never looked like that when he comes back from seeing her." Jimin said, worrying his bottom lip.

"Go talk to him." Seokjin said to Yoongi, nodding in the direction of Namjoon's room.

Yoongi didn't need to be told twice.

Yoongi entered the room as he knocked. Namjoon was sitting on the floor, against his bed, legs pulled up, forearms resting on his thighs, head in his hands. Yoongi sat down next to him. He gently nudged his arm, "Talk to me, Namjoon-ah."

Then Yoongi waited for Namjoon to gather his thoughts, knowing the younger would talk when he's ready.

When Namjoon finally spoke, his voice was teary and soft, a little bit broken, too, "I've always believed in love and being loved. I believe in it because I can feel it and I experienced it, but with her, it's different."

"Good different, right?" Yoongi ventured hesitantly.

"Yeah, but now. . ." Namjoon's breath hitched, and he took a second to pull himself together. "Now, I'm scared"

Yoongi was very lost. He doesn't know what happened for Namjoon to feel like this or where it comes from. He'll be here, though. For whatever Namjoon needs from him. "Why?"

Namjoon swallowed, "Because I've never felt like this before."

"Like what?"

"Like I can't live without her." Namjoon whispered, sounding like he was going to cry any moment.

"And?" Yoongi said, still confused. That was supposed to be a good thing. Finding someone you love so much that you can't live without them. Right?

"And I'm scared that she doesn't love me the same." Namjoon said, voice still a whisper.

This made Yoongi frown because he and the rest of the guy's have met her a few times and each time, they all saw the complete adoration and utter devotion in her eyes when she looks at Namjoon. "I'm sure that's not true."

Namjoon sighed, knowing he was being a little unfair but his heart was hurting something terrible. "Okay, maybe you're right but, she- tonight she told me that she doesn't want to get married or have kids and that's all I want. And I know that doesn't mean that she doesn't love me but it has a great potential of breaking us apart."

Yoongi was quiet for a long while, processing all that Namjoon has told him. "Have you talked to her about this, Namjoon-ah?"

Namjoon snorted, voice a bit bitter when he spoke. "She just dumped an 'I love you but I don't want a future with you' on me and I sort of just walked away, so no, not really."

"Maybe you should." Yoongi suggested.

"Hyung, she told me that she loves me and then two seconds later she told me that she doesn't want to marry me. Like, ever." Namjoon said again, strong voice growing defeated as he spoke each word.

"Damn, that's harsh." Yoongi sighed, bit down on his bottom lip.

"At least she was being honest with me." Namjoon sighed, heart heavy. "I don't know what to do. She doesn't either." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, tugging at the strands.

"You're gonna have to decide, Namjoon-ah." Yoongi said after a long silence. "Hold on, or let go."

***

You remember walking Namjoon to the door, making sure to lock it and starting to walk to your bedroom but only reaching the hallway before breaking down. Sobs ripped through your chest, your knees giving in and you sank to the floor.

It hurt, everything hurt.

And you had no one to blame but yourself.

You laid down on the floor, curling into a fetal position, crying until eventually you were exhausted enough that you passed out.

It took two weeks before you gathered enough courage to text Namjoon if you could see each other. He told you that he was in Japan right now and you asked him what city and hotel before booking a flight and a room for yourself. It wasn't for you to use, just a way for you to get into the hotel without any unnecessary questions.

When you knocked on his hotel room, your heart unsteady, your hand shaking, something inside of you knew that this is it.

This is the end.

Namjoon opened the door, and something in his gaze told you that he knew it too. Maybe that's why he didn't call either, these last two weeks.

Your eyes blurred as you walked through the door, fisting your hands to hide how badly they were shaking. You didn't want to sit, too restless. You looked at Namjoon, he looked at you.

"This will never work, not if we don't want the same things. You know that." You told him, voice breaking already. And it was just the start of the conversation.

"I could live without getting married and having kids if I could have you." Namjoon tried to stop what was happening.

You let out a wet chuckle, somehow loving him more for trying. You shook your head, letting out a resigned sigh. "You'll resent me."

"I'd never." Namjoon swore and you could tell he means it.

"Maybe not right now," You acknowledged. "But in ten years? When you see all your friends getting married and having kids?"

"I love you." He said, words a fierce promise, almost an oath.

You gave him a sad smile, "I know, and I don't ever want to change that love into resentment."

"You can't know that." He said, not wanting to let go.

"Yes, I can." You said, a tear finally breaking past its barricade and rolling down your cheek.

Namjoon stepped close and wiped it off, pressing a kiss to your cheeks, the corner of your mouth and finally to your lips. You could feel his body shaking against yours as he wrapped his arms tightly around your waist and it made more tears fall down. You fisted his shirt in your hands, holding tight, not wanting to let go either.

You did, eventually.

"Do me a favour?" You asked in a hoarse whisper when you pulled away, your breaths tangling, foreheads resting together.

"Anything." He agreed immediately.

"Don't forget me. Even if-" You cut yourself off and started again because you aren't delusional and you know how easy it was to fall for him. "Even when you fall in love again. Keep a little place for me in your heart and think of me once in a while." You requested. It was selfish, you knew it like you knew your name, but you will never forget him or stop loving him and if he remembers you once in a while, it would make you feel a little better.

(Not that you deserve it, but you've already admitted to being selfish.)

"As if I could ever forget you." Namjoon promised, squeezing you tighter, leaving out the part where he doesn't think he'll ever fall in love with someone else ever again. You had his heart since the moment he laid eyes on you from across the room of that party four years ago.

You finally pulled out of his embrace, but took hold of his hands. "I love you. I always will."

"Me too." He said, tear escaping from his eyes. You wiped it away with one hand, cupping his cheek.

You pulled him close, kissed him one last time - long, deep and filled with all the love you felt for him.

Then you let go of him, and did the hardest thing you ever had to do in your life.

You walked away.

the end.

[nightshade-minho]

3021:Starless

-(1)-

Warnings: Nothing much for this chapter. Scenes of mild violence. Future smut. Please view the teasers before reading this part.

Word Count: 2.9k

Hyunjin x fem! Reader, Minho x fem! Reader, Jisung x fem! Reader

A rainy summer’s day. 

Oxymoronic, yes...but what was Neos, if not a city of oxymorons? 

The larger part of the city was crammed with skyscrapers, packed atop each other. The streets were filled with rich cyborgs and their androids, chatting away on their neodisks and living their glamorous, expensive lives. 

The rain definitely wasn’t affecting them too much. Water-resistant metal plating and advanced technology made it possible for them to live their lives as usual, despite the heavy downpour.

However, things were different out here. The outskirts of the city were a lot quieter, the streets empty and deserted. There were no skyscrapers here, just sad-looking buildings and dilapidated abodes. Here, nearly everyone was made of junk and scrap metal dating back to 2032- the rain was a huge inconvenience for most.

As you walked down the street, you made sure to wrap your cloak around you tighter. You couldn’t afford any repairs at the moment. 

Though that would change soon, once you finally manage to earn your Phantom license. You smiled as you thought about the crescents you’d win with each bounty. You’d finally be able to buy a new arm...

Two fingers in your right arm had stopped working years ago- you’d made do with it till now, but being a Phantom meant that you would need your bionic arm to be fully functional, since it was your dominant one. You’d learnt to use your left hand to carry out most tasks- though it was flesh and bone, and weaker than your right, it was definitely more reliable. It never glitched out on you. 

Sometimes, you wished you were entirely human. Being one of the 98% of Xaliens who were technologically advanced definitely had its perks- but it was also expensive. You were glad for Mr. Han’s discounts. 

You continued walking, the icy cold air biting at your skin, and making you shiver. It was supposed to be summer. You sighed, humming a tune to yourself as you made your way to the shop.

Beep.

Fuck.

That sound could only mean one thing. You paused, the low beeping resonating in your head as you inhaled deeply.

1...2...3-

You swivelled around, slipping your dagger out from your waistband in the process and swinging it at the spindly-legged automaton that had been creeping up on you. As soon as the knife made contact with its large, blue eye, it started glitching, convulsing for a few seconds before dying.

Your chest heaved, eyes wide as you stared at the dead machine. Inching closer, you ripped your knife out of its metal, tucking it back into your pants as you crouched to inspect it closely. 

Your suspicions were correct. You pulled your neodisk out of your pocket, scrolling through the news. It only confirmed what you already knew. 

It was a Zenx, though it seemed to be a newer model...it looked a lot more advanced than the ones you'd seen photos of. The arrival of the mysterious, hostile androids had been all the news were filled with, recently. Nobody knew where they came from, who was controlling them or what their purpose was. The royal family had offered the people in the poorer areas of the city a generous amount of crescents if they caught the Zenx and sent them along to the palace for observation. The ones who would sign up were to be called the Phantoms.

It was the very reason you were walking down the street to the workshop, despite it being past curfew. Tomorrow, the applications to be a Phantom would have to be filled and submitted. If you wanted to be a cyber-assassin, you’d have to have two fully functioning arms.

You flipped the machine over onto its side. Unlike most androids, these weren’t humanoid. They were strangely creature-like. You took note of the numbers and symbols on its plated metal belly, mentally jotting them down. Wrenching the plate off of it, you pocketed it with a groan. Maybe Jisung could take a look at it, tell you what you needed to know.

You stood up, sighing as you turned around- only to be met with a dark figure standing right in front of you.

Your eyes narrowed, tilting your head at the hooded man and rolling your eyes.

"I know it's you, Minho."

He let out a grunt of frustration, whipping the hood of his cloak off. "Its unfair, really. You're literally scared of nothing...you sure you're a cyborg and not an android?"

"Hmm...You had your hood on. Maybe I would have been scared if you'd shown me your face."

"Har di har." Minho chuckled. "You know you like my face, baby."

You wrinkled your nose. "Don't call me that. And I don't...like your face-" You stammered a little as he came closer, nose almost brushing against yours.

"Yeah? Why are you blushing, then?"

Your eyes widened as you tried to keep your composure. "I am not blushing." You put your hands on his chest and pushed him away slightly.

He shrugged, looking past you at the upturned machine.

"Woah. Is that a Zenx?"

"Maybe."

"You killed it? Alone? Without any government issued weapons?" He asked incredulously.

You glared at him. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"It's just a little surprising, that's all." He smirks at you. "You're a bit of a badass, hm? But all I have to do to get you flustered is lean a little closer."

You frowned at him. "That's not true." 

Your watch suddenly let out a beep, and you grunted, standing up and scowling at him.

"I have somewhere to go. Leave me alone." You started walking away from him, sighing as you heard his footsteps follow you. Whipping around, you crossed your arms.

"Honestly, do you have nothing better to do? Are you stalking me or something?"

"You wish, princess. I just happen to be in the same places you are."

You pressed your lips together, rolling your eyes and turning away again, walking a little faster...but he was still right next to you, strolling along beside you as he hummed under his breath.

You stopped, making him stop as well.

"Fucking leave."

"No can do. You think I'm just going to leave you alone, especially after you just got attacked? These streets aren't safe." There was no teasing lilt to his words anymore, and his voice was firm as he looked at you. "I'm walking you to wherever you're going."

"No you're not." You said, trying to keep your tone chilly. "I can take care of myself, okay? I don't need you. I don't need anyone." You snarled.

"Calm down."

"You're lucky my middle finger isn't working." You grumbled under your breath, turning away and walking as fast as you could. 

A minute later, you looked behind you, but he was gone. You pushed down the slight disappointment in your heart, and continued on your path.

A few minutes later, you were finally there. You knocked twice on the shutter, tapping your foot impatiently.

Seconds passed by with no response. You couldn’t shout, since you were supposed to be inconspicuous. About four whole minutes passed before he finally opened the shutter.

“Finally! What the fuck, Sung? You knew I was coming at this time.”

He fiddled with his fingers, avoiding eye contact. “I know. It’s just...I feel like Dad’s getting worse. I was feeding him.”

Your glare disappeared, your expression softening. “Oh...sorry.”

Jisung looked up at you. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I just...feel guilty. I could have signed up earlier, if I hadn’t spilled coffee on my hand...I’m so fucking careless.”

“Y/n. You’re doing more than enough to help.” He met your eyes, sighing and looking away again.  “Seriously...you don’t have to do this.”

You shook your head firmly. “I will. Mr. Han’s the closest thing I’ve had to a father. I’m not prepared to lose him yet. Besides, once I become a Phantom, I’ll have more crescents than I know what to do with.”

You moved closer, slipping your hood off and brushing a hand through your hair as you gave him a soft smile. “I’ll have more than enough money to take him to the city, and get him admitted in one of the best hospitals. We can finally move out of this shitty neighborhood. I promise you.”

Jisung gave you a weak smile, watching you as you pushed past him, making your way to the reclining chair in the corner of the workshop and collapsing onto it. 

You held your hand out. “But in order to make crescents, I need to become a Phantom. And to do that, I need my hand to work right, and I need to be fully charged to pass all my tests tomorrow.”

He chuckled, rolling his sleeves up and flopping onto his chair, rolling over to you. He took your arm, turning it slightly and inspecting it closely. 

“Hmm, you really do need a new arm.” He hummed under his breath, grabbing his oculus from the table and peering through it. He held your arm with one hand, using his other to lift each of your fingers individually. 

“Hmm, okay. I think I have replacements for your fingers lying around here somewhere...” He rolled to his desk, rummaging through a drawer and pulling out a box filled with prostheses. He scoured it for a few minutes before finally pulling out the appropriate parts.

Coming back over to you, he cocked his head to the side.

“What’s wrong? You look...sad.”

He felt his heart beat a little faster as you looked at him, making eye contact with him. “I’m not sad...just a little nervous, that’s all.”

“You don’t need to be. You’re going to be great. I’ve never met someone so strong, powerful and badass as you.”

“Yeah? Well, I’ve never met someone as kind and funn-”

“Can you lovebirds get a room or something?”

You looked up, laughing as you spotted Jeongin enter, his apron streaked with soot. Jisung’s cheeks turned redder than a tomato, his grip on your hand loosening a little.

“Seriously, though. Jisung, you’re supposed to be working on her, not gushing over her-”

“Hey! Remember you’re supposed to be my a-assistant!” He stuttered. “So instead of running your mouth, come over here and hand me my tools.”

Jeongin smiled, walking forward and lifting the wire up from the floor. Plugging it into the socket, he handed the other end to Jisung.

Jisung stood up, gently brushing your hair behind your ear, heart jumping in his chest as he did so. Exposing the circular socket on your head, he attached the wires to it, turning to arrange his tools as you made yourself a little more comfortable. The whirring sound combined with Jisung’s humming had a calming effect on you, your eyes slowly closing. 

Jisung watched as you fell asleep, sighing as he got to work, detaching your arm with his screwdriver as gently as he could. 

“You’re so fucking whipped.” Jeongin called, handing Jisung the prostheses.

“Shut up.” Jisung growled, adjusting the oculus attached to his eye as he unscrewed your middle finger and thumb, attaching the new ones with some difficulty. Your arm was an old make- how he wished he had the crescents to get you a new one. 

You’ve always been his...guardian angel, for lack of a better word. He wished, for once, he could be the one to protect you. Jisung admired your strength, your tenacity and determination. However...sometimes, just sometimes, he wondered why he couldn’t be the same. 

“Seriously though, Hyung...you really need to stop giving her those heart-eyes and just confess, already.”

Jisung looked up at Jeongin, frown settling on his features. “It’s not that simple.” He glanced over at you, eyes still closed as the machine charged the processor embedded in your brain. “She’s not the type to be bothered with things like romance. We’re just friends. In fact, I’m pretty sure she once said I’m like a brother to her.”

Jeongin stayed silent, not wanting to say much more. 

There wasn’t really any point in protesting really, because what Jisung said was true, more or less. Love just wasn’t on your agenda. 

Jisung shook his head at the boy’s silence, affixing your arm back to you and humming as he did so. He stole glances at your peaceful face from time to time, his heart jumping in his chest.

Maybe one day.

You blinked repeatedly, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the light in the room. Sitting up a little, your eyes landed on Jisung, his back facing you as he worked on something at his desk. You cleared your throat, causing him to turn around and look at you.

“Ah! I didn’t realize you woke up...” He came over, unplugging you. “How are you feeling? Fingers?”

“Yeah, I feel so much more refreshed now.” You lifted up your arm, moving your fingers and making a small sound of delight. “Thank you so much.” You smiled up at him, getting up to wrap your arms around him, hugging him tightly. Jisung felt his heartbeat speed up, hesitating as he let his hands rest on your waist. All his senses were flooded with you...he almost forgot how to breathe for a second.

It felt too good to have you in his arms. It was scary.

When you finally pulled away, you went over to the corner to grab your cloak, fastening it around you as he felt his heart drop. He didn’t want you to leave yet.

“Hey...wait, let me walk you home.”

“Oh no, I’ll be fine, Sung. You don’t have to do that...besides Mr. Han needs you.”

“Um, Dad’s asleep. Please? Jeongin already left...and I just wanna talk. We haven’t had a proper talk in ages.”

You sighed, pausing. “Fine.”

Jisung walked alongside you as you kicked a small pebble with your foot. The subway tunnels were long abandoned, and you often came here for some peace and quiet. It was also the safest place to take a walk, considering it was after curfew.

“So...how nervous are you? For tomorrow?”

“Just...a little.”

“Don’t be. I know you’ll do great. I can come watch, right?”

“Yeah, I think it’s open to the public...which is why I really don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of so many people.”

“Hmm...don’t worry, it’s going to be a piece of cake for you. I’ve seen you train, Y/n. You’ll be able to handle any challenge they throw at you.”

Suddenly, you remembered the weight in your pocket, eyes widening. “Oh wait...um. I almost forgot to show you...before I came here, I crossed paths with one of them.”

“Them? What?”

“A Zenx. I killed it.”

“Wha...what!?” Jisung spluttered, shocked at the nonchalance with which you uttered those words. You pulled out the piece of metal from your pocket, handing it to him. He stared at it with wide eyes, hands trembling a little as he took it from you, turning it over as he inspected it. 

“Y/n...this looks so different from what I’ve seen online...”

“Yeah. They seem to be getting more advanced. I wonder who’s upgrading them...”

“Hmm, it doesn’t have to be a who...but it’s possible. Y/n, you really killed it alone? That could have been dangerous.”

You rolled your eyes. “Please. You’re the one who said I was capable enough.”

“Yeah, but...” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Just a little concerned, that’s all.” He smiled at you. “Now I’m even more convinced that you’re going to be amazing tomorrow.”

You smiled, looking at the floor as you continued along the tunnel.

“So?” You gestured to the plate in Jisung’s hand.

“I left my oculus back home.” He pocketed it, “I’ll inspect it at the workshop... I’ve been reading up on the Zenx lately. Very little information....not much to go off of, but I suspect that...”

You squinted a little as Jisung went off on a tangent, gesticulating as he talked...you tuned him out. Your eyes had noticed something. You blinked, wondering if it was a trick of the light. 

Something...was lying on the tracks. Humanoid, it was panting....you stopped Jisung with your arm stretched out, staring at the body that was a short distance away from you. Jisung looked at you with a confused expression, following your gaze and gasping as he noticed it too.

“What the FUCK is that-”

“Shh!”

The figure was lying facedown, writhing a little as it struggled to get to its feet. 

You and Jisung shared a look, considering what to do. Putting a finger on your lips, you slowly approached the body, carefully trying your best to not make a sound. Jisung followed, trying his best to be quiet...but as he took another step with his heavy boot, the stones crunched beneath his feet.

The figure looked up, eyes landing right on you, who was closer to it.

Beautiful, onyx eyes..shiny hair and plump lips...you recognized it. Him.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His face twisted into an expression filled with fear and confusion. “P-please...help me...” He begged, crawling a little closer. Jisung grabbed your wrist, trying to pull you away a little, but you stayed put, eyes trained on the man in front of you, brain going into overdrive as you tried to figure out what was happening.

“I- Y/n, he’s-”

“H-hwang Hyunjin.” The man choked out, his voice glitching a little as he collapsed right in front of you, eyes closed as he fell unconscious.

H88.

[solar3lunar]

1.𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙☼︎

Ayama POV

My alarm starts going off. I groan at it then shut it off. It's was a Sunday. I was wondering why I turned it on. I lied in my bed for a bit then it hit me. I wanted to torture myself today. By going on a walk on the beach.

I felt four paws on my thigh. "Morning, Nebula." I said. "Meow" "I'll get up." I told her. I stretched a bit. I took my bonnet off and got out the bed.

Once my feet hit the carpet. I walk towards my closest and pick out something simple and plain. I then went in the bathroom and set my clothes down on the counter and closed the door.

I got undress and put my shower cap on. And got in the shower. Once I was done in the bathroom. I walk out wearing a black tank top, a black crop top hoodie that I could only wear if I have a tank top under it. And black leggings.

I walked back into my room and went straight back to sleep. I woke up about 10 minutes later. Leo woke me up this time. "Okay, Okay." I sighed.

Knowing my dad already went out the house to help the other pro heroes with the exam that coming up tomorrow. I turn on the TV in my room, but all I found was news channel or ads talking about the exam.

I turned it off and went downstairs to get cereal not wanting to make pancakes or french toast. I pass a picture of my mother and father.

I stopped to look at it for awhile. I've seen some pictures of my mother. The rest are kept somewhere in my father's room.

She's Afro-Asian. She passed away when I was 3. I never met my grandpa or my grandmother from my mother side. They're villians after all.

I seen my mother's family members in Texas and some in California. We visit them sometimes whenever it's a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving. I've also seen my dad's family members other than his sister. He never told me why she not in my life. And tellsl me it best if I don't meet her.

Anyways, my mother's hair is natural black(or very very dark brown that looks black). Her hair was long and wavy in the first picture. Our hair same the same features. Our hair type can and it grows fast after a week or two. Her eyes were like mine, but her eyes colorare lavender and mines lilac.

Her skin is dark brown and it's very beautiful. I can't help but admire her. She also has some yellow sparkle across her face. They looked like stars. It's apart of one of her Quirks. Her eyes color and lavender.

She had four dark brown gazelle horns on her head and her gazelle ears were showing. Her body was well mature. I guess like mine though I never really care about my shape really. She has two of her horns wavy and the other two curly wrapping around the other white horns.

Her costume in the third was her in a long sleeve black crop top and black pants with gold medal plates around the rims of them. Her high combat boots were black. And finally she had a gold medal choker around her neck with the sun symbol in the middle of it.

(Considering her Quirks she doesn't really need a bold hero outfit.)

In the second picture her hair is long and was in a kinky fro she didn't show her horns. Despite her time being alive she was one of the top number ten heroes. I walked away from the picture to go eat.

"Leo! Nebula!" I watch the two come into the kitchen and go to their bowls. Turns out it was already filled. They just wanted me with them.

From what my Dad told me. He got them for my mom when it was her birthday. So the cats been in my life the moment they brought me home.

I keep thinking about the exam tomorrow. I wonder who I would see. Once I was done eating I decided to clean the house. I did every room but my dad's.

I decided to go down to the beach, because I don't want to stay in the house all day and game. I text my dad and inform him about my whereabouts.

I put 20 dollar into my phone case and put my phone in my pocket. And went near the door to put my shoes on.

Now that I'm here. I'm just going walk along the shore. Although it strange to be wearing this on a hot day. I honestly don't really care. I have my reasons.

I walk towards the beach and decided to walk along the shore. While doing that I saw Izuku jogging along the shore. Geeze he grown a lot. "Izuku!" I shouted. It doesn't seem like he can hear me so I tried calling out to him one more time. He didn't so I followed him.

I see him almost out of breath. "I finish what you asked." He said while breathing heavily. I look up to see he was talking to. I saw Uncle All Might, but I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to say about me being relate to my dad.

"Oh hey n-Ayama!" And that was a close call. "Wait?... Ayama!" Izuku shouts. "I been calling your name for the last minute." I spoke. I saw him blush a bit, but I ignore it. Not really sure why.

"Wait is it okay for her to see you like this?" He ask my uncle All Might. "Oh yeah. Before you I had told her about it, but she turned it down saying I should give to someone who doesn't have a quirk." He told him.

"Oh so that means you also know about 'The one for all' Right?" Izuku ask me. "That right, freckles." I giggled. "Freckles? BAHAHA!" Uncle All Might laugh blood coming out of his mouth.

Izuku was freaking out about it. I seen this before but I was just gross out. "Alright you can take a break. Oh by the way can you me a popsicle?" He asked me. "Sure."

"Come on Izuku! We have a lot of catching up to do." I shouted. He rush up to me as we went to the small market near the beach. Which lead you back to the roads and sidewalks.

We were talking about what the news were talking about. "I wish I could've been with you guys. Mostly to tell Katsuki to stop." I said with guilt.

"It's nothing to be guilty about." He said reassuring me. "To make it up to you can get what ever you want from the market just try not to go overboard." I said.

"Ayama you don't have to." He said waving his hands. "I insist." I tell him. "Your kindness never change a bit Ayama." He said. He right and that was a bad thing in middle school, but it not like it ever left me. I got myself a soda, Izuku got a chocolate mint ice cream bar, and I got uncle All Might a ice pop of himself.

"That would be 4 dollars, Ms." The cashier tells me. I paid her. She gave me my chain back. I thank her we both left walking back towards my uncle.

"So I'm guessing after today your finally getting your quirk."I said. He nodded while holding the bag in his hand.

"Oh I'd never asked you what are your quirk?" He asked me. "I have two of them, but their both complicated." I said. "Oh I see." He said. "Don't worry you'll get to see me in action at the exams." I cheer him up. Once we got the spot again.

"I want to be surprised that you're eating a popsicle of your self, but I'm not." I sighed. "It a hot day. I have every right." My uncle said. Leaving me and Izuku giggling and snickering. "Hey! What's so funny?!"

They went back to training and I decided to help uncle out with training. The fun part was Midoriya going on his back while doing push up. "I'm sorry Midoriya." I muttered. I spent almost the whole day with them. It was about 7:00pm

"Welp I better get going." I said. Me grabbing my soda bottle. "I'm guessing I'll see you at the exam?" I asked him. My uncle interrupt him "Oh yeah definitely!" I just sighed. "See you later Midoriya!" I shouted waving at them both.

I while walking towards my house I notice a teenager with ash blond hair that was spiky but looked soft. "I wonder if that could be... No. I doubt he would even remember me."

{Brain and Heart♡Melanie Martinez}

‘Help me when I'm at a loss for words. Bring up all of my memories for the please and the temporal.’ "There's that melody again."

'Well that was a fast walk.' Dad's Car was park in the driveway, so that meant he has came back. I open the door and then lock it behind me. I took my shoes off and left them at the door. "Lyric." My dad spoke. I jumped a bit. "Oh hey Dad." I said. "You seem lost in thought." He said.

"Oh yeah just a song came in my head. Although the melody was a bit strange." I spoke. "But who's know when I'll be using it." I shrugged my shoulders while walking towards the kitchen to go sit at the dinner table. It's was quite, but comfortable. I was just lost in my mind.

I got up from the dinner table and went towards the kitchen sink. That melody it sounded familiar, but I never heard it before.

I felt a hit on my hand. "Ouch, Dad!" I whined. "Next time, pay attention." He sighed. "What do you- Oh." I saw the dish I washing now broken in half.

"My bad." I mutter throwing it away in the trash. "Alright what was the lyric this time?" He ask. This isn't the first time this has happened. "Help me when I'm at a loss for words. Bring up all of my memories for the please and the temporal." I said.

"Don't give it too much though. If you go to sleep You'll have nothing to worry about." He said. He always does that. Brushes it off like it's nothing. "Alright, night Dad." I said.

"Good night and good luck tomorrow." He said. That right he won't be here when I wake up. I took a quick shower got into my PJs setting an alarm on my phone to wake up at 6:00am.

"I'm going to get a new bonnet. I can't stand this one. It's always falling off." I muttered.

The moment I closed my eyes. I saw someone with long wavy natural black hair and two gazelle brown horns and ears. I woke up and got out of bed and went straight downstairs to look at my mom's photos.

"I thought I told you to go to bed." My dad said. "Technically, you suggested it." I said. I'm still looking at my mother pictures.

"Bed. And I mean it." He said strictly. "Alright, alright." I said. Going straight to bed this time got it. I look at the clock it was 8:30pm.

"Just one question. Why do I have to go to bed this early?" [Ayama]

"Because you'll end up like me if you don't." [Aizawa]

~Wishlist~

~Luna Lyric~

~Universe navi~

[prettyblfan]

Coffee Shop Boy

Chapter Three

~

Sorawit flipped over the sign on the door, which read in bold.

The Pink Lily is now open for business.

And once again Sorawit found himself cleaning tables and organising coffee at 4.20am.

~

Whilst restocking the last row of coffee Sorawit couldn't help but ponder over the conversation he had with Nam yesterday, not only did Pong seem like a bad guy his ego was way too big. Which of course was a big red flag, guys like him won't take no for an answer.

Letting out a huge sigh Sorawit laid his head on the counter and pouted, all this thinking and worrying was giving him a headache.

'Should I tell P'Bun about this?'

The pout on Sorawit's face only seemed to grow bigger.

A low cough broke the silence in the coffee shop abruptly pulling Sorawit out of his thoughts.

Straighting up Sorawit lifted his head to greet the customer which he hadn't hear enter. Standing in front of him yet again was the same bruised boy, the face that was almost healed yesterday now had a purplish blue mark across his left cheek.

Casting his eyes downwards Sorawit saw that the hand he treated yesterday as well was now in the same condition or even worse.

Sorawit looked up smiling helplessly at the boy infront of him.

"Same as yesterday I take it" Sorawit began moving before the boy could even rely.

"Yeah" That said taking a seat in the exact same place, the table closest to the door.

"Why did you fight this time?" Sorawit asked adding the whipped cream to the top of his caramel iced coffee.

"Just now why were you pouting" That responsed with another question.

"You're strange" Sorawit fired back also not responding to his question.

As he brought the coffee over and placed it down on the table That locked eyes with him.

"How so." That questioned eyes not once leaving Sorawit's.

"It's like you don't actually exist" Sorawit spoke softly feeling his heartbeat speed up, ripping his eyes away from That's he went to retrieve the first aid kit.

"What if I don't." That teased pulling the same exact smile as yesterday but today's one was a little more playful.

"Then I'd be talking to myself like a weirdo, you do exist right" Sorawit said his voice clearly showing his sudden worry.

As he made his way back over to That he reached out the hand that wasn't carrying the first aid kit to touch his hair.

"I'm real" That replied softly tilting his head up at Sorawit smiling, this time it was a lot softer like if you weren't looking closely you would miss it.

Sorawit paused his hand lingering for a second longer before pulling it back. He was flustered everything That seemed to do caught him off guard.

'P'Bun was right handsome people are dangerous' Sorawit thought pulling out the chair next to That.

He started off by treating the wound on his knuckle that he had treated the other day. He slowly took his time bandaging each finger until he had finished.

Looking up at That Sorawit couldn't help but wonder,

"Who are you?" Without noticing Sorawit had let his thoughts out into the air.

"I told you yesterday, That." That replied laughing lightly at his bluntness.

"Not what I meant and you know it, you're so mysterious like I know nothing about you. Until yesterday I didn't even know that you lived in Viangpa Mork but all of a sudden you should up in my coffee shop. The curiosity is killing me." Sorawit said after all he got himself into this conversation he might as well see it through.

"There's no simple answer to that I can't tell you everything in one day, so I'll answer a question a day" That said calmly this time letting his laugher out.

To Sorawit That was just as cute when he laughed so much so that Sorawit didn't know how to react. So of course he did what solved most of his problems, not dwelling on it and just living in the moment.

Sorawit returned the smile letting his eyes curve up along with his mouth. Excitedly he got up to return the first aid kit almost falling over in the process. However, he managed to pull another laugh out of That which in Sorawit's eyes was totally worth it.

Once he had successfully put away the first aid kit he quickly went to the kitchen in the back to retrieve an ice bag.

By the time he had reached back That had fishished his ice coffee and was waiting quietly, it was moments like this when That looked slightly intimidating.

Smiling at that thought Sorawit gently pressed the pack of ice against his bruised cheek which pulled a soft wince out of That.

"Why haven't I seen you before, where do you live?" Sorawit quickly asked not giving That a chance to complain about the sudden coldness on cheek.

Leaning his hand over the table Sorawit continued to press the ice bag against his cheek as he sat down, smiling brightly at That he continued to wait for his response.

"Until recently I was in Bangkok, as for your other question I'll answer it tomorrow remember only one question per day." That responded staring clearly into Sorawit's eyes.

"What??? That was barely even an answer let alone a whole question" Sorawit sulked his innocent eyes looking straight back at That.

"Then be wiser with your questions." That answered his eyes showing no hint of guilt.

"Wow, what a scam atleast tell me what you were doing in Bangkok" Sorawit continued to sulk.

He was upset, of course he was, why... That he couldn't really answer, he just really wanted to figure out the boy in front of him.

"Studying mostly but I dropped out." That replied moving his hand to his cheek to hold the ice pack himself. The movement in itself caught Sorawit off guard especially when their hands met but he was slightly relieved, his wrist was starting to hurt.

"Why did you drop out, do your parents still live in Bangkok" Sorawit fired out questions knowing the chances of them being answered were slim, he was just dying to know.

"Too many questions, ask them next time" That smiled leaning back in the chair.

"Aww~ what if you don't come. Oh wait," Sorawit whined before continuing,

"Give me your number in case you can't make it I'll text you."

There was no way he'd miss out on finding out more about the very odd and mysterious That.

That nodded completely amused he took the phone handed to him by Sorawit and typed in his number.

"Ah one more question how old are you?" Sorawit asked after all this was a very important question that he had somehow not thought of earlier. Dropping out of highschool can't possibly be that easy P'Bun would never let him.

"19" That said finally having enough of the ice pack and placing it down if the table.

"Ah so then it should be P'That, cause I'm still in my last year of high school" Sorawit said tilting his head.

It was then for the first time Sorawit saw That show an expression he'd never seen before, it was like a mix between embarrassed and surprised.

"What???" Sorawit spoke not quite understanding That's reaction.

"Nothing, you're right it should be." That mumbled.

"Umm then wanna ask me a question." Sorawit requested, as it only seemed fair.

"Why were you pouting earlier?" That asked, Sorawit wondered why he cared so much but to be fair why did Sorawit care so much about him.

"Are you sure, like that's really what you want to know" Sorawit teased lightly, he honestly thought That would ask a more practical question like something about him.

"Umm, don't wanna tell" That teased back leaning in across the table locking eyes with Sorawit.

Once again Sorawit was caught off guard and left rather flustered, although he played it off by looking more confused then anything he still didn't really like the funny feeling it left. It was very foreign to him.

"I don't mind i mean its the question that you asked" Sorawit laughed awkwardly.

Sorawit proceed to recount what had happened yesterday with Nam and Pong, as well as why it worried him so much. Of course all the while making sure to avoid the intense eye contact That was making with him.

"Pong?" That probed.

"Umm, you know Pong" Sorawit asked,

well of course he did Viangpa Mork was a small village but then again he didn't know That until only recently.

Then before Sorawit could get That's response the usual early morning customers began to flood in. He got up quickly to greet them, quickly sending That an apologetic glance he returned back to the Counter.

Once he had managed to get everything under control, in which he may of may not have dropped 3 cups of coffee in the process. He glanced at the table closest to the door,

And just like yesterday the only thing left in sight was money.

~

Arriving home from school Sorawit felt as if his soul had left his body.

Not only had his shift been chaotic it also turned out that he had two surprise tests at school, which he left both of them half blank. The worst part of it all is that when he gets them back tomorrow Nam would tease him to the ends of the earth, after all he did make a promise that he would be her top competitor.

You see Nam isn't the pretty type with a flaw, she has absolutely no short coming what so ever (Nam is that bitch period). This meant she was just as smart as she was pretty. So as soon as she found out Sorawit was aiming to work in the medical field just like she was, she always made sure to show her test results him (which she never failed to get the top results in). This all resulted in him making that very impulsive promise he'd compete with her.

Sorawit sighed as he stepped into the Pink Lily and of course Ploy somehow magically heard this all the way from the counter seeing as she quickly made her way over to the door to greet him. More like question in Sorawit's eyes.

'Maybe I should stop coming home before her shift starts' Sorawit thought briefly before dismissing the idea getting home early was always better he could get more sleep and study.

"What's wrong~" Ploy teased lightly squeezing his cheek.

Pulling Ploy's hand away he plops himself down on one of the chairs.

"Ploy I'm staring to think I should tell P'Bun that you have a lot of free time" Sorawit said smiling sweetly at her.

"There's absolutely no need to do that I'll get straight back to work" Ploy laughed sheepishly before returning back to work, the last thing she wanted was for Bun to nag her.

Finally getting rid of Ploy Sorawit aimed to start on his homework and attempt to go over some of the topics that he didn't really understand.

However, that plan was quickly interrupted.

BUZZ.BUZZ.BUZZ.

Pulling out his phone Sorawit looked at the text on the screen.

TheRealThat: I'm busy tonight so I might not make it tomorrow.

Sorawit laughed at the name he chose. It was fitting but strange.

Sorawit: Why??? 🤔

TheRealThat: Just text me a question tomorrow if I don't show.

Sorawit paused and thought about his response. That always seemed to make things difficult. He pouted before relying.

Sorawit: Fine just be careful, no more injuries.

The conversation basically ended there That never responded or looked at the last message he sent.

So without any other distractions Sorawit continued to work peacefully until Bun came in complaing about that same guy from yesterday, it was at that point he gave in and decided to return to his room.

~

Just as Sorawit was about to call it a night he received a text from That.

TheRealThat: Umm I'm uninjured.

Sorawit: That's good 👍

Sorawit despite wanting to bombard That with question he knew he wouldn't answer, Sorawit could basically feel his eyes begin to close but before dozing off he sent his last message.

Sorawit: Night That sleep well 😴 💓.

Sorawit didn't pay much attention to what he had typed and fell asleep straight away even missing That's response.

TheRealThat: Night.

In his heart as he fell deeper and deeper into sleep Sorawit couldn't help but hope That showed up tomorrow.

~

Have I taken a century to write this chapter, yes. But what you fail to consider is the amount of procrastinating that took place 🤔. So when you think about it this chapter was actually released kind of fast.

On a side note i like really want to do a chapter later on from That's perspective but until then have fun guessing what he's thinking and how he feels.

😘😘😘😘😘😘

Trigger Warning ⚠️ i don't proof read that throughly so feel free to point out mistakes and correct me.

[secondhoekage]

It's only 80km, which is like 49 miles. I'm pretty freakin sure Hawks could have flown over and at least been there in time to save everyone from the decay if he had his wings. He's fast enough that maybe, he could have made it before Shig woke up? And leaving early isn't so bad, as long as he could confirm Skeptic wasn't in the monitoring room or had a laptop nearby. Leaving a minute or two early could have helped so much. Do the heroes even need an element of surprise? 1

under the cut but in general nah there’s no reason for Hawks to have gone to the hospital. He definitely needed to be at the PLF mansion

 I mean?? Unless we’re given a timeline of how quickly this all happened I don’t really know how closely we can calculate, but at the top of my head if we assume maybe like?/ This has all taken maybe 15 minutes? Which honestly feels a little long since this seems to have all been happening REALLY fast in the manga... 49 miles, 15 minutes, Hawks would have to zoom over to the hospital at almost 200 miles an hour and that seems really really fast, even for him. If it even has been 15 minutes? So speed is one issue here

Also, I don’t think he could’ve left “early” bc that would imply he’d known the exact time the raid was going to happen, down to the very second. And I really doubt he did. He wasn’t getting fed info the same way he was feeding the Commission info. They didn’t send him an exact time that he should expect the raid to happen. They planned it based around PLF meetings, the times of these meetings being info that Hawks provided for them. Which means that yeah...the heroes needed an element of surprise lol... Any amount of time that would’ve given big threats like Geten or even that zappy Commander time to mobilize and launch an attack, would’ve been a HUGE hole in the Hero plan. The heroes attacked while the Lieutenants were having a meeting for a reason. If they didn’t take that window of opportunity to launch a surprise attack then they would’ve had absolutely no clue as to the whereabouts of the PLF members. So even if Hawks had known when to leave, and left early to the hospital, he’d basically be screwing over the Hero army outside by completely undermining their choice to attack while there was a meeting going on

But ok assuming Hawks could only zoom over to the hospital the moment the raid happened, that still leaves Twice unguarded bc I don’t see how another hero could get in there IMMEDIATELY after Cementoss broke the building and go deal with Twice. Twice is the other issue here. If Hawks isn’t on Twice, there would have to be another hero there INSTANTLY, without any time in between for Twice to clone. I don’t see Hawks taking that chance. It’s way too risky. Excluding the fact that there’s no way Hawks could’ve collaborated with the heroes extensively enough to have a switch-and-go plan with another hero in place so he could zoom to the hospital, unless somehow this other hero knew exactly where Twice was, had the means to get there quickly amongst the raid madness, could be sure he wasn’t with other PLF members that would cause trouble, could ensure he wouldn’t face any time-consuming obstacles along the way... then Twice already has enough time to start his Sad Man’s Parade and that’s an immediate loss for the Heroes. Hawks had to be there. He knew that Twice would be dangerous unchecked, and Hawks was the only one in the building in the instant Cementoss broke through that could check him. I just can’t see reasoning that another hero could come to handle Twice when Hawks was the closest. I don’t see why he’d dash over to the hospital to help secure one enemy (Shigaraki) when another one was already in front of him (Twice), who was already awake and already inherently dangerous and demanded immediate attention. Hawks had to handle Twice. Trying to put another hero in there to take over that job is just pulling too many strings when they’re in a time crunch like this

Regardless, Hawks wouldn’t have even known what was happening at the hospital anyways, that Shiggy was awake and that the heroes were about to be Decayed. He would’ve probably assumed that w the info he gave (or hoped) they were taking care of things over there and had a capable team that didn’t need him to begin with. I think it would’ve been a really bad strategy for the Heroes to have Hawks, who’s already at the mansion, fly to the other raid location for no other reason besides “we need back up from the Number 2 hero over here bc we may need you at some point”. Because that’s the only reason he’d hypothetically fly over in the first place. And that’s not reason enough for him to leave the mansion. Yeah he could’ve been useful in saving the heroes from Decay, but no one knew for sure  that was going to happen in the first place, so it really wouldn’t have been a “Hawks could make it there in time” situation bc he didn’t know he’d need to be there anyways. And he wouldn’t fly over there just because “well they might need me” 

And nah, Hawks didn’t expect Dabi to show up. Hawks didn’t know, until Dabi told him, that Dabi was already suspicious of him and didn’t trust him. So while yeah Hawks probably could’ve reasoned that he’d need to deal with another villain eventually, he clearly didn’t expect Dabi to show up as immediately as he did. If he had, I sincerely doubt he would’ve remained with Twice in that room instead of relocating the both of them to ensure Dabi couldn’t get him in a closed space

[daikenkki]

MrDonald09: Since Series 22, what new change has annoyed you the MOST??

tttedrawings: Fantasy sequences and the intro/life lessons outro, they just make the episodes shorter, and most of the time aren't really needed at all.

MrDonald09: Ah yes unfortunately you can only have 4 options on Twitter polls, I’m sure the list would be huge if you could have more.

MasonDey1: To me the whole concept of the Steam Team is just pointless.

MrDonald09: Yeah it limits the characters that are used most of the time.

PSideplates: I voted for bouncing since it's closest to the general "kids show" tone that BWBA takes on. It really is like watching a show you put on for your 3 year old so you can leave the room in peace. It hurts to watch. If we were getting the Brenner era where the engines bounced, had ugly details, went worldwide, and got Nia and Rebecca, I'd be miffed but accept it. But BWBA just claims to be TTTE and acts like a generic preschool show. And I don't wanna be in a position where I'm an adult watching a preschool show.

MrDonald09: Agreed. I feel proud to be a fan when I watch classic era and Brenner era, but if it was like BWBA throughout the whole show I can tell you I would not be supporting it now.

TCKRangeltoon: I blame Chuggington.

PSideplates: I don't. Chuggington ended before they came up with BWBA. If anything, Chuggington made the market for train toys/shows competitive which forced HiT to make good Thomas products, well toys anyway.

ronniethe14xx: Honestly, disagree with the point it's the most general kids show tone. Travelling seems to be the new hip and cool thing to do in kids shows, I'd argue that makes it slightly worse then the bouncing because it's clear Thomas only jumped on that trend to be "hip".

JovanniChavez11: Faster pace and Thomas losing his identity. I don’t mind Thomas going on a trip but that wasn’t the way to handle it.

MrDonald09: Yes. IMO it should have stopped after the BWBA special, I think it should have only been a special.

Bostonthomasfan: Don’t really mind the bouncing but it can be over done at times. For around the world? I wish there were more episodes on Sodor and less around the world. Like 18-8 would be good.

MikeArc31375512: The bouncing. Loathe it with a passion.

ThomasTVNostal1: The thing I hate is constant arguing over opinions.Some people have been told to fuck themselves for disliking an episode of BWBA that the majority of the fandom likes and vice versa. This is unacceptable. As a fandom, we're a team and we help each other out.

ChillerB3: The forced feminism with Nia, Rebecca and the newer Steam Team really rubbed me the wrong way, more than hyper bouncing and worldwide shit did.

MrDonald09: Same, especially how the majority of the audience really doesn’t care about that, having more females, great! but don’t mess with many people’s childhood to make SJWs and toxic feminists happy cuz I guarantee you the people who wanted this change probably don’t even like the show.

ryanburges4472: I didn't read properly and the real thing since Series 22 that has annoyed me the most is the bouncing. I've been more bothered about the steam team without Henry (Just Henry). I'm happy with Edward sleeping at Wellsworth.

MrDonald09: Yeah, I completely agree honestly i’m not mad that Edward isn’t in the Steam Team anymore. It's Henry that annoys me the most.

ryanburges4472: I know! Gordon and James sleeping at Tidmouth without Henry. Edward is best at Wellsworth because he has a branch line which stars from Wellsworth.

CoolCar161: Henry and Edward stopped appearing as much anyway. They haven’t been good characters since series 4, even in the Brenner era they had little to no appearances due to writer's block. Rivets is a nice little detail that makes them seem more real, Thomas always wanted to see the world and the bouncing is hardly that bad.

TheBlueE21: Thomas' world tour. It's so inconsistent. Doesn't tie into the movie that hyped it up, never explains why or for how long Thomas is in each country, 1 ep he's in China, then Brazil etc then Sodor eps act as though he never left due to always being there. Plus most sets aren't great.

halfbakedhex8: For the record, I voted the 'rivets' option because the inclusion of the new detailing runs so counter to what the show is now, that trying to inflict reality onto the now-very-unreal engines feels very confused as to what the show is trying to achieve.

BluebellThEngin: The "bouncing" doesn't bother me much at first, but as time went on, it starts to get a little out of control and it kinda bugs me. I don't have a problem with the added details like the rivets, but they do look a little too big. Shrink them in size and they'll be okay. I'm mixed on Thomas travelling around the world if I'm being honest. The new Steam Team is what bugs me the most out of all of these options. I never liked it to begin with (minus my child self). It makes the other characters look useless. What I love about the Classic Series is we got lots of stories about almost each and every single one of them it makes the series interesting. But with the Steam Team, not only does it focus on the main characters so much, but it also brings them out of character. Especially if it's for the sake of the plots.

fan_ttte: The New Steam Team with Nia and Rebecca is what I don’t like most. I don’t mind the bouncing or rivets, Thomas going worldwide is okay. I don't know, I just feel like it would’ve been better if Nia and Rebecca did join, but also keep the others, for some interesting interactions and episodes.

islandofodor: If Thomas hadn’t gone worldwide, we’d probably still be in the Brenner era. Granted, it’d still be a slight step down but the international episodes barely take advantage of the different setting and opt to use generic plotlines that we’ve already seen on Sodor.

thesaddletank18: Bouncing, rivets and worldwide idea are bad but the new Steam Team is just....why was this done to the show?

Jacob34335638: I liked the new details, I’m mixed on the New Steam Team, and Thomas travelling the world. But the bouncing is what pisses me off the most, it literally makes the show look like Chuggington. The bouncing was at it’s worst in Journey Beyond Sodor and Thomas’ Magical Birthday Wishes.

TWR_Douglas_10: ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!!!!

DFox1203: Is everything an option?

TheWinnerGuyCJP: Voted worldwide cuz it makes Thomas completely out of character.

SoupyGunzilla: I think a lot of the stories suffer from the shorter time. A lot of them could be better if they had more time.

kofi_milky: The bouncing, more sing alongs, replacing Edward and Henry with Nia and Rebecca. Even Thomas going worldwide. When the Rev. W. Awdry said "Here is your friend Thomas the Tank Engine. He wanted to come out of his station yard and see the world", the world that's he meant is Sodor.

sodordaily: Choosing New Steam Team because I miss the old SO MUCH!

peter_sam_no4: I think for me the bouncing as it’s so unrealistic . A 1 ton lump of metal can not swing all over the place like it has no weight.

Growlithemaste1: I hate the bouncing the most, but the rest are all useless too.

sixteen_dnw: Worst is the New Steam Team, then worldwide, then rivets, and then bouncing. TBH it doesn’t bother me too much.

BearsFlush: It annoys me that Thomas travels the world, as they remove chapters that might be focus on Sodor, and the locations and some engines are not represented correctly on the railroad.

VacentTest: I’m fine with the New Steam Team changing Edward and Henry out for Nia and Rebecca, I’ve always supported it in the beginning because increased feminism is good. Thomas going worldwide, that didn’t annoy me cause I was interested in that, the rivets is minor and nothing to worry about. But the bouncing, annoyed me the most at first but I’m used to it.

SnatchyBoi: The bouncing and the New Steam Team.

GWREngine: The New Steam Team is the most annoying change. It feels like Mattel doesn't care how special Edward, Henry, and Toby are. Plus we don't need to have more than 1 female main character. Emily being the only girl used to make her special. With Nia and Rebecca around, she isn't special anymore.

TurnTable2002: Chris Renshaw's music really annoys me.

MichaelfromNZ1: Bouncing, worldwide and New Steam Team. They represent how far Thomas has fallen since Mattel fully took over.

ArmchairRailway: New Steam Team.

TI4MGP: This is probably the hardest time I’ve had deciding on one of your polls lol. I went with the Steam Team though, but bouncing comes in a REALLY REALLY close second. The other two are less but equal with each other.

jack_bench: TBH, I'm fine with all of them? But I chose bouncing because the rivets are neat, world-tour - while it makes no sense - has a valuable goal (and is kinda fun), and the Steam Team really needed more female representation which we got with two positive role models in Nia and Rebecca. Bouncing is unnecessary, but not horrendous.

Holycro1Michael: Everything!

JosefSnowBall: Rivets was something I actually liked seeing on some engines. Bouncing is something I’m OK with, it’s kind of grown on me. New Steam Team sucks because it gets rid of the 2 best engines, Edward and Henry, and Thomas worldwide sounded like a bad idea to begin with.

TheThomasFan: Probably Thomas going worldwide . The animation is shit and it’s all just recoloured.

TheUnluckyTug: The new Steam Team. I think I'd be a little more accepting of BWBA if Edward and Henry weren't so transparently and obviously thrown to the side and treated as if they don't exist. It was like the biggest "fuck you" to fans ever.

MrDonald09: Yeah, not to mention Nia and Rebecca have such generic personalities they can barely hold a unique episode nowadays. I can understand Edward staying at Wellsworth but they did Henry DIRTY by slapping him at Vicarstown so he can focus on his Mainland duties yet not do any episode focused on this new job.

SteamEn83954980: Ok so ignoring Emily, it was a perfect 1-7 number of characters and now it's just 1, 18, 22, 4, 5, 6 and 12. Like I know it's minor but that fact gets under my skin.

DBlue02: I voted for the bouncing, but yeah, I kinda have to agree with Simon Martin’s opinion on the Steam Team concept, it’s long since overstayed its welcome. I’d prefer a nice balance of the main and side characters getting their share of the spotlight, like in the classic seasons.

TFan512: What if Edward, Henry, Nia and Rebecca were all part of the main cast.

[shippy-pjo-shipper]

Rachel/Ethan Headcannons?

Ethan doesn't like to stay in his mother's cabin. That's why, one night, he leaves it to go walk around the bordure of the camp. There, he finds Rachel, walking strangely towards the forest.

At this point, he doesn't know her very well, she's just the mortal girl friend with Percy Jackson.

But the forest is a dangerous place, especially at night. So even if he doesn't like social interactions, Ethan decides to go talk her out of the idea to continue her way. But when he comes closer, he realizes that Rachel is living one of her oracle episodes.

He finds himself unable to wake her up, so he decides to follow her closely, in order to protect her.

After walking almost an hour, they finally reach a particular tree. One problem, at the moment Rachel reaches the tree, a dozen of monsters come out of the dark. Second problem, at the exact same moment, Rachel passes out.

Ethan, surrounded at first, does his best to protect the unconscious Oracle. He starts to take the advantage after a few minutes, but when he thinks it's finally done, he notices the last living monster too late. He's about to be hit without being able to do anything, and that's when he prepares himself to receive the fatal blow, that Ethan hears a loud noise. He opens his eyes and sees the monster, or more exactly the dust of the dead monster, on the grown. When he lifts his head up, he sees Rachel, straight on her foot, with a heavy branch in her hands.

"Did you... Did you just killed that hydra with only a branch ?" "It looks like it. But trust me, I've used way weirder weapons. Oh but wait a second, you know that. I recognize you, Ethan Nakamura. I've seen you fight before. You've improved your sword skills since last year." Ethan doesn't replied. Of course he remembers the first time he met Rachel, and it's a day he doesn't want to think about. So, awkwardly, he gives her a look before starting to walk toward camp in silent.

Rachel decides to do the same, feeling the unease. But keeping quiet isn't her thing, so when they reach her cave, she can't resist : "You know, I'm suppose to head to Camp Jupiter in a couple of days, would you like to come with me ?" "With...you ? But why ?" "Oh a simple need of protection." "You want me to be your... bodyguard ?" "What ? Oh no I want to be yours." "Mine ?!" "Yeah. I've just seen you fighting. Not... that great. I think I could teach you a thing or two." "Teach... Teach me ? Teach me what ?! How to fight with a piece of wood ?" "It's a start." Ethan is prideful, and Rachel knows that, it's easy to see, so she knows where to strike.

And that's how the two of them ended up on a trip to the roman camp, both teaching their "fighting skills" to the other.

And that trip is the start of a great friendship (even if Ethan would take time to admit it).

After that, to the surprise of (almost) everyone, Ethan decides to become Rachel's protector. He can try to present a plenty of arguments to be needed at the protection of the Oracle girl : "She can fall into transe at any moment someone need to watch after her" or "I can teach her sparring and how to defend herself". But nobody is fooled : Ethan just want to spend more time with the sassy mortal Oracle (some even dare to say he has a crush... and honestly they're probably not wrong).

Maybe Percy would be quite jealous of their relationship at first, but he would soon become their number one shipper.

I see Ethan going at the same school than Percy (cause yeah, you know, they still have to go to school). They would hang out a lot, Ethan spending almost all day with Percy's best friend, the boys had time to become closer.

Percy would be... irritating. Ethan likes him and sees him as one of his closest friends, but everytime the subject Rachel is discussed, Percy drops... let's say not very subtle hints. (But, honestly, the main reason why Ethan doesn't like to talk about Rachel with Percy (or anyone else) is because that always turns him into a blushing mess).

Surprisingly, I think Ethan would be quite popular with girls in college. His eyepatch would terrify some, but intrigue most of students, so all the girls who try to hang out with his group of friends would not only be there for the son of Poseidon.

Percy constantly sets up plans to bring the two together : dates, "unplanned" meetings, a training session between the three of them to which Percy "unfortunately" can't be...

And the day Ethachel would finally end up together... you can be sure it wouldn't be thanks to Percy, they would make sure of that (even if the son of Poseidon would always, pretend he's the one to thanks for their confessions).

I'm not sure how it would happen, maybe Rachel would see Ethan with a too friendly classmate, and decide to introduce herself as his best friend/girlfriend. Or maybe Ethan would finally confess after a hard mission he had to face. What is certain is that it'd be the event of the month if not of the year (some could argue it should be put on the CHB pearl of the year).

Cause... yeah... campers ship them pretty hard, especially the young ones who love Rachel, who often takes care of them when the camp is under attack, and Ethan is really liked by them too (not surprising, he spends so much time with the Oracle that being with her often includes being with him too).

Ethan is a particular person to deal with, cause the relationship you have with him depends of how he views you : if he likes you, you can be sure he'll be one of the most trustworthy person you'd know, but if he doesn't trust and/or like you, trying to befriend him is a lost cause.

Ethan has a very dark sense of humor that not everybody gets at first. So with new people, it happens that Ethan says a joke that frightens their interlocutors, and what scares them even more is when Rachel laughs after it.

They're two drama queens : Rachel more in a funny way and Ethan in a dark one.

After his fall from Olympus (of which he has survived from because I WANT IT) Ethan became terrified of the heights. So Rachel tries to help him being at ease with them again by taking him in trips in helicopter (after Annabeth gave her flying lessons).

They are really protective of each other, not particularly in fights, but more when they're mocked by others (Rachel cause she's a mortal or Ethan because of his past mistakes).

Rachel and Reyna became great friends while the Oracle girl was studying the roman texts with Ella. Reyna likes Ethan, he is a great fighter and a wise advisor, and the two of them have developed a sincere friendship, same for him and Frank.

For a long time, Rachel was the only person in the world who knew what Ethan's smile was like. It took him time to show it to other friends, but he did, thanks to his best friend/soon to be girlfriend.

They balance each other greatly : Rachel knows how to put Ethan at ease, make him laugh, smile and see things in a more positive light. While, at Ethan's contact, Rachel becomes more measured, wise and calm.

They're not the most cool, badass, cute or fun couple of all. But they have a particular bond, and a beautiful influence on each other which makes it impossible to not ship them, and that's not all the roman and greek campers who'll tell you otherwise.

...One month and a half... Gods I'm sorry anon it took me SO. long. But I didn't want to force myself to write when I didn't have the interest on it. I hope you like what I've come with. (So for people who send me asks to which I still haven't answered a while ago, don't worry, I have them, I just prefer to do thing my way... and my way is... slow, sorry.)

[irepookie]

Wake up Call, Infinity Ch.3

Summary: QUEEN AU WHERE ROGER (ROWAN)IS A19 YEAR OLD SINGLE DAD TRYING TO FIND A PLACE IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC

WARNINGS: iNTENSE FLUFF AND SOME SWEARING

Chapter 3: Row has to start stepping out of the bubble him and his daughter have been living in while in the safety of the hospital, and break the news to his best friends. 

John- Rick

Fred-Len

Bri- Terry

Rog- Rowan

When Row had hung up on Len mid sentence, the boys had been confused. Then again, he was at his mom's house and they had heard her infamous shout of <<ROWAN EUGENE QUEEN>> that always preceded an argument, so they let it go. But then he didn't turn up to rehearsal, or called back for the rest of the afternoon. Or the following afternoon. Or for rest of the week. And that was unlike him. He always called back. (Well, most of his former one night stands would disagree with this). Let's just say he always called his band mates back. Sometimes drunk, at 4 AM, Thus leaving  a wakeful Terry with 2 hours to spare nothing to do but to start revising for whatever exam he had ahead.

So, when they didn't know of him, they went directly to the village's police station, to see if he was locked up, and if not, to report him missing.

"What if we ask Gina?" Rick suggested

"I'd rather check the morgue first, thanks" Len said.

"Well, what else can we do? Huh?"

"Audition new drummers"

"Seriously boys. Let's go."

They knocked on Row's childhood home. Gina opened, with messy hair, a dressing gown and slippers

"Oh, hello boys. He ain't here" she took a drag of the 4th cigarette she had smoked that day despite it only being 8:30 AM.

"Where is he?"

"He isn't at home?"

"We've checked and there's no track of him. We haven't seen him in 7 days"

She sighed "in the hospital, I think. If he hasn't left already"

"Hospital?" All three said simultaneously

"What happened?!" Len added

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

She smiled, mockingly "Wow, father of the year isn't so sure after all"

"What?"

She laughed bitterly. If he hadn't told his best friends yet, it maybe meant he was reconsidering the whole thing. Maybe common sense had hit him after the first stinky nappy.

"You know what? Come in."

"Oh we were actually in a rush..."

"You wanna find him or not? Come in, I don't bite

"Alright" all three musicians entered somewhat awkwardly in the house where so many sleep overs had taken place, back in the day.

She led them to the kitchen, where the phone was, and dialed.

Callie was the closest to the phone "Row? Yes, I'll get him"

She made her way to the room where the Prune had been moved in the previous evening, due to her favourable evolution and the need of free incubators.

She grinned at the scene: the 6 day old infant was dozing against her dad's bare chest, supported by his hands -which seemed huge in comparison to her small figure-. His eyes were closed, but Callie could tell he was awake as his left hand was stroking her head. It was adorable, and they seemed at such peace -poor Row had spent his first whole night on night watch and was exhausted-.

"Row" she called softly

He opened his big blue eyes in acknowledgement.

"You have a call"

"A call? From who?" He whispered back, before looking down at the baby to make sure she was asleep

"Didn't say. But she was kind of irritated"

"Oh, that's mom then" he smiled sarcastically, but didn't move a bit.

"You aren't gonna get on the phone?"

"I don't know. She doesn't deserve our attention does she?" He cooed

"How bad can it be?"

"You don't wanna see my bad side. And I don't ever want her to see it either"

Callie smiled "Go. I'll stay with her"

He groaned in annoyance. He was so comfortable, and he didn't want to get up.

"C'mere darling" he mumbled, detaching his daughter from his lap and carefully lying her on the cot

He exited the room and walked to the phone "What?"

"Row! Where are you?" The three voices of his best friends greeted him from the other side

"Oh, hi guys I... How did you get this number?"

"We're calling you from your mum's. She says you're in hospital" Terry's soft voice said worriedly

"You've gone fucking AWOL! Where are you man? We're worried as hell" Len scolded

"Oh yeah, hehe been..."he scratched the back of his head "been pretty busy" He glanced in the direction of his daughter's room, where he saw Callie readjusting the yellow teddy bear he had bought her the second day.

"Busy? With what?" Rick inquired

"It's... It's a long story."

"Well we've got time"

"Shouldn't you be in uni?" Row said in hopes they'd have to run into class

"It's Sunday, Row!"

"Oh is it?" He had lost track of time, honestly

"C'mon! Spit it"

He sighed "Alright, huh..." He tried to think of where to start. He couldn't really think much tho; his brain was pudge at that moment. "I met a girl in..." He counted nine months back from February "June?" No wait Piper was premature so it could be July or... Then it hit him. "No, remember that afternoon when we set up that Live Aid session in your parents backyard, Len?"

The boys nodded. July 13th. How could they forget? It had been dubbed the best Summer Party of 1985 in town. The four of them had tried to get tickets, but they couldn't even afford a ticket to London in the first place. And so, They watched the whole show with four TV screens around the yard instead, and the whole village had joined them, arguing on which performance had been the best.

Of course, all four members of Symbols agreed that it had been Queen.

"But they signed up late" someone said 

 "Yea, they came late to the party" another agreed. 

"So what? They rocked the party! You just say that because you like U2 better"

 "Like you prefer Queen!" 

 "But we've got a point! Regardless of how much we like them, they were, objectively, the best performance" /

"Objectively? Bullshit!" Anne Williams snapped "They played the same shit they always play! And Bono was a true gentleman, helping that girl who was getting crashed by the crowd."

 "Yea, I'm sure Freddie wouldn't have given a shit, so full of himself and his teeth up his~" /

Dennis Phelps couldn't finish his sentence as a  someone tossed him a Converse, which hit his head. A young woman, with Bowie-like orange dyed haircut approached, with  a bare left foot and the matching shoe on the other 

 "You know nothing about putting up a good show then. Also, you mess with Freddie Mercury again and next time the shoe will be stuck up your ass" she told Dennis, retrieving the item "I mean, it's clear who I'm rooting for but Queen really did what had to be done. Geldof told them all to play the hits, because that's precisely why they're hits: they work. Other artists, like your boyfriend Bono and his band played new material, as if this was their concert. And it's not. Even though they signed up on time and whatever. They took a risk, crowd didn't know the song, they lost interest. But Queen had common sense: they played the hits, the anthems, and people connected with them. And it's not about Freddie or him hypnotizing Wembley. It's having some common sense. And not even you two knew the lyrics of U2s new song. So shut the hell up"

Row had liked her instantly. That's a girl who knows the stuff.

They exchanged a smile, a wink and a complicit nod

"We must join our forces to help out our friends under pressure, don't we?" She said

"Oh yes, Bowie girl." Terry remembered

"Yep."

"So what's with her?" Rick said

"Well, that.. she..." He cut himself off when a cry echoed in Pip's room "Gotta go, guys. I'll call you back"

"No! Row!" Len said, but the line went dead

"Shit"

"What happened?" Gina, who had watched the scene from the door frame, -and was about to finish her 6th cigar in a row,- asked

"He rambled about that Live Aid day, and a girl he met there"

"Did he say her name?"

"No. He had to go suddenly. It's all weird"

"Yea, well... Life is weird, boys"

"I don't understand. What's going on? Can't you tell us, Mrs. Queen?"

"Oh no. No. It's not my story to tell. Nor my business. I tried my best, but that stubborn bastard didn't listen. I'm sorry" she said

"But is he okay?" Len asked, concerned

Gina grinned, at how despite it all, the four boys would stick up with each other to the end of the world "Yes. He's fine."

"Row, are you okay?" Callie said, as the drummer wordlessly took the bundle from her

"Yes, yes. Why wouldn't I be?" He said, sitting with the fussy baby

"You're a bit pale"

"Oh I... Nothing. Just... I'm nervous honestly. Because we're about get discharged and I'm gonna be alone with her and I'll have to dad around all by myself and... And everyone will know..."

"Know what?"

"About her"

"And is that a problem?" Callie crossed her arms

"No, I mean... No, of course not. But everyone will ask questions and judge me and... I'm worried I will end up believing them more and fuck it all up"

"Believing what?"

"They'll start telling me it's a mistake, that I'm gonna screw everything up and that I won't be able to be a good dad and I'm afraid it will become true"

"So you're saying that how people think of you is gonna affect the way you... How you called it? Dad around?"

He nodded "Well, answer me these, will you? Have you, in this moment or at any point during these seven days, thought you are making a mistake?"

He looked at the tiny bundle and shook his head.

"Are you willing to always do your best for the shake of Piper?"

He nodded, noticing he was unconsciously rocking her back and forth.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Look I haven't exactly been a role model in... Well anything. One thing my mom's proud of is that I'm not into drugs. Everyone who has a daughter in the block hates me. So how am I supposed to raise one?"

"Exactly how you've been doing the last six days"

"Yes but I have you guys. And the medics, and the equipment. But there I'll be all alone"

"You will never be alone. You have the friends you've told me about. And your mum...Maybe the little darling is gassy"

"Oh stop about my mum" he carefully changed the Prune to an upright position and began to rub circles on her back without even hesitation. Wow he was actually getting a hold on the burping stuff.

"Yes. Your mum will eventually come to terms with the lil'raisin. I'm sure." She said, whist handing him a muslin to place on the baby's range of accuracy

"Oh you don't know her"

"I know she's a mum. Your mum and mother's rarely ever turn their backs on their children for good"

Row looked at the baby, then raised an eyebrow at Callie

"I said it's rare. There are obviously exceptions" she said "And believe me you're better off. Also, she did call. That's gotta Mean  something"

"I didn't speak with her. Just the band. They were at her place, yeah but... I don't know. I'm not gonna beg on my fucking knees..." He was interrupted by a burp I his ear. Damn, that was a big one. He'd need 2 beers to produce such a loud one.

"Easy, tiger." He laughed "Goddamn it, where did that come from, huh? You're unbelievable" he praised, while getting the muslin out his shoulder and handing it to Callie

"And a neat one too. 10/10." She chuckled

"Atta girl. That's my lil'raisin. Yeah, good girl" he cooed, bringing her to face him, before she started fussing and he nested her again on his chest "Aw, don't cry honey. Please. You're alright. C'mon" he begged. She settled down quickly, and he sighed in relief.

"The point is, that here is like... I feel safe, you know? It's like another world. Another life. And now I have to fit her in my every day, and be in charge and stuff, and... I'm not sure I'm ready"

"Parents are never ready to take them home. Not even those who had 9 months of preparation, and parenting classes, and a nicely decorated and supplied nursery. No one feels ready. But nerves are good. Nerves mean that you care. Worrying and doubting about your ability to be the dad your child needs is precisely what's gonna make you raise your game. Just one last question: are you 100% that you love that lil one with all your heart?"

He looked at his daughter, who had gone back to sleep with the rambling of his voice, as his hand still caressed head and grinned "Hell yeah" Otherwise, how could he explain the way his chest seemed to be holding two hearts whenever she was in his arms? Or how, when he had to leave for the night it felt as though both those hearts were ripped away from him? Or how else could he have turned this goddamn sappy? Yep. That was the proof.

"Then that's all the two of you will ever need. She won't care if you two are rich or live in a cardboard box, or if she wasn't in your initial plans, or that she doesn't have a mom. As long as you love her and make her feel like it."

He nodded, and rested his lips on her soft scalp.

"Right, I Gotta get to another patient. Call'em back."

He stood up, this time taking his Prune along, and went to the corridor where the phone was. Making sure her head was safely cradled along with the rest of her small body on his left arm, he tucked the phone between the right shoulder and neck and dialed their shared place's number

Rick picked up "Yes?"

"I'm a dad" he said simply, and waited for his reaction. 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

I’ll post the picture separately in order to preserve my goddamn sanity cause Tumblr is being a pain in the arse!!!!!

How do you guys do it? Am I the only one who needs 5 bloody tries to post this things?