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gooddaykate · 4 years

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You Already Mean the World to Me

Marcus Pike x Reader

Word Count: just under 8500

Tags: childhood best friends, pining idiots, King Arthur/Monty Python references, some cursing, roughly unedited terrible writing

A/N: It’s finally here! Again, absolutely would not have been finished without the constant support of my dearest @thedaysarenotfull. @hdlynn helped me talk through my roadblock. Let me know what you think!

You had been friends with Marcus Pike for as long as you could remember. You grew up together. You were toddlers together. You went to the same schools together. You fell in love with art together. You went to every gig his band had. He went to every art show of yours. You stood up as his “best man” in the wedding to his college sweetheart, and sat with him while he cried after she’d handed him the divorce paperwork.

You weren’t sure which broke your heart more.

You were certain that Marcus was the love of your life. He had just… never felt the same. And that was okay! You were perfectly fine loving him as much as you could. When he left a quiet but excited voicemail at three in the morning telling you that he met someone, you let all the love you held for him mold into the cracks in your heart.

Three months and many conversations about Teresa later, you got a call from him.

“Hey, Lance, I have news. Guess what.”

“Oh, it’s good you called, I’ve got news, too. Yours, though? I don’t know, Art. You’re finally moving to DC to come be with your best friend?” you asked sarcastically. The line was quiet for long enough that you took the phone off your ear to look and see if the call had dropped. “Marcus?”

“How did you know?” You could practically hear his furrowed brows.

“Wait, what?”

“How’d you know I’m moving to DC?”

“I was being facetious, you asshole. Are you serious? Are you really moving here? You’re not going to be halfway across the country anymore?”

“Nope. I got a promotion. I’ve got about a month left here in Dallas, and then I’m headed your way. I’m invincible!”

“You’re a loony,” you laughed, continuing the phrase you’ve said to each other since you were kids. “Oh my god, Marcus! That’s so incredible! I can’t wait to show you some of my favorite places. I mean, you haven’t even visited me here, Marcus, and I’ve been here for three years.”

“Yeah, I’m excited. It’ll be nice to be in the same city again, huh? Tell me your news, though.”

You laughed. “Forget city, just the prospect of even being in the same time zone is getting me excited. My news doesn’t really feel all that important, now. My show kind of took off and I had to get an agent. Now I’ve got three galleries wanting my paintings.” You knew Marcus couldn’t see you, but you shrugged anyway. “I’m not as excited by that anymore. Not when I’ll get to see you very soon. I can’t wait to have you here, oh my god. I’ve missed you so much, Art.”

“Hold the hell up, you mean to tell me that the first art show you’ve had your work in got so much traction that you needed to hire an agent? So you’re actually painting full time, now?”

“I guess when you put it that way, it does sound kind of important.”

Marcus let out a sarcastic laugh. “You freakin’ think? Man, I’m so proud of you, Lance!”

That brought a smile and heat to your face. “Thank you, Marcus,” you said quietly. “But yeah, painting full time. That triptych I did of the valley back home, remember that one?” Marcus hummed in affirmation. “That one sold for nine k. Three grand a panel, Marcus. I about crapped myself when Jenny told me how much the guy was offering.”

“That’s awesome. Did you ever meet the buyer so you could thank him in person?”

“Nah, he was some anonymous guy out of Texas somewhere. Apparently he grew up in the same general area we did. He told Jenny it reminded him of home. Enough about me, though! When will you be here officially? I’ll help you move in.”

“Three weeks. I don’t know the actual date, yet.” Marcus was quiet for a moment. “I, uh, I asked Teresa to come with me.”

In the euphoria of the galleries and having your best friend back, you’d forgotten about his potential plus one. “Oh! Oh, that’s… quick.”

He immediately jumped on the defensive. “It’s not like I demanded she go with me. She has a month to think about it. I’m going to talk to the director there and see if a place could be made for her, so she’d have a job to go to if she wants it.”

You tried to backpedal. “No, I know, Marcus. I know. It’s just,” you tried to find the words. “I don’t know, Art, you’ve been dating for three months. And I know you don’t want to hear it, bud, but I just… I just don’t think she’s all the way in like you are.”

“What?” he spat.

“From what you’ve told me I just-”

Marcus interrupted you. “Oh, that was rhetorical. You really don’t have to say it again.”

“Art, I’m sorry I just don’t think-”

The way Marcus said your first name stopped you in your tracks.

“If you can’t support me in this, then maybe I need to take a step back from our friendship.”

“Wait, Marcus, don’t you think that’s a little dramatic? I mean, I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. Art, you’ve gotta-”

“That’s enough. I’ll talk to you later.”

The line was quiet again, but you knew the line was dead this time.

“Bye, Art.” You sucked in a heavy breath and could feel your lower lip starting to quiver. “I love you.”

•

DC didn’t feel right. Marcus had moved with mostly excitement. He put a down payment on a house not far from headquarters. Teresa would be joining him today- he needed to leave to pick her up from the airport in about an hour, and then they’d start life as an engaged couple.

But Lance was missing.

It’d been almost five weeks since he’d spoken to her. He knew he’d been hasty and rude the last time they’d talked. He also knew she was just trying to help him protect his heart. But he didn’t need his heart protected. Lance didn’t know Teresa like he did. She’d see that when Teresa was finally here and they could meet. Everything was going to work out.

Marcus picked up his phone to call her for the hundredth time since moving to the same city she lived in. He missed her, and he knew it was his place to pick up the phone and apologize, but he just couldn’t.

A call from Teresa lit up his screen.

That’s odd, he thought. She should be on a plane right now.

•

The next five weeks passed slowly. The longest you’d ever gone without talking to Marcus was that one weekend when you were in high school and he went on a camping trip and didn’t have service.

This was slow torture, and you knew it was your fault. If you’d just kept your mouth shut and supported him like you had with Ashley, this wouldn’t have happened. It would have hurt you, but at least he’d still be around.

You knew he was in DC by now. Because of the way things were left, you didn’t even know if Teresa had decided to come with him, though you figured she’d be stupid not to. You had considered going to the fbi headquarters and asking for him, but then you thought better of it. The fbi probably wouldn’t appreciate some random person coming in and asking for an agent, and you didn’t really want to be detained. That probably wouldn’t win any points back in Marcus’ book.

Going to your studio was just depressing. Everything you painted was spoiled by your sadness. Your agent had laughed and called this your blue period. You just threw a pained smile her way with a nod and a shrug.

It was nearing the end of the sixth week without any contact from him, and you felt the Marcus sized hole in your heart. The other day, you ordered Indian takeout, and only when you were sitting on the couch with it on your lap did you realize that it was the malai kofta that he would usually get. That realization just served to make you cry and lose your appetite.

You were getting ready for bed when you heard a knock on your door. Thinking it was the sweet old woman from next door in need of some honey for her nightly tea again, you shrugged on your robe and swung the front door open with a smile.

But it wasn’t Miss Agnes.

Marcus’ eyes were rimmed red. He just stood there in your doorway looking at you. The sight of him brought you tears of both relief and concern. His chin wobbled and more tears sprung up in his eyes.

“Marcus, I’m so sorry. I never should have-”

He cut you off with a shake of his head. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m so sorry, Lance. I just didn’t want to hear it. I’ve missed you so much.”

You let go of the door to open your arms to him. He fell into your hug with a heavy sigh. You closed the door behind him and then just held him. You both had silent tears rolling down your faces.

Marcus mumbled something into your shoulder.

“What, sweetheart?” you whispered.

You could feel the wobble of his chin when he moved his face to answer. “You were right.”

“Oh, Marcus. I’m so sorry. That’s the last thing I wanted to be right about, hon. I’m so sorry.”

You didn’t want to be the first to let go, so you just stood in your front hall holding him. After a few more minutes of tired silence, you moved your face from the crook of his neck so he would be able to hear you.

“Marcus, honey, why don’t we move to the living room? It’ll be more comfortable. And then maybe you can tell me about it? If you’re up for that. We’ve missed a lot the last month and a half.”

He stayed quiet and glued to you for just a bit longer, before mumbling a ‘yeah’ and letting go. You grabbed his hand and led him to the couch.

“Tea?”

Marcus grabbed one of the fluffy throw blankets you had folded in the basket by the couch. “Yeah. Please.”

Walking into the kitchen, you grabbed a chamomile mint blend from the shelf and spooned some of the loose leaf into a steeper. You squeezed a honey stick into each mug and waited for your electric kettle to come to a boil. When you got back to the living room, Marcus was sitting cross-legged on the couch with the blanket pulled over his head.

“You look kind of like a sad nun, Art.”

The corners of his mouth twitched up as he took a mug from you. You sat facing him on the other end of the couch and just waited. He’d tell you when he was ready.

“I had, uh,” Marcus cleared his throat. “I had asked her to marry me.”

Your eyebrows shot up, but you didn’t say anything. You just waited for him to continue.

“She had said yes. She said she’d move here with me and had agreed to marry me. I put a down payment on a house. I was so happy.”

“Did she change her mind?”

Marcus scoffed. “She didn’t just change her mind. She left me for Patrick Jane.”

“Wait, the asshole clairvoyant?”

Marcus rolled his eyes, but the ghost of a smile lit up his face. “Yes, the asshole clairvoyant. I guess she’s been in love with him for years and it just took the prospect of her being taken away for him to finally realize he wanted her.”

You put your hand on his blanket covered knee. “If that’s the kind of man she wants, then you’re better off, Marcus. She made it clear that she only wanted him to see what he’d lose without any regard for who she hurt in the process. I know it won’t fix anything, but I’m so sorry, Marcus. You didn’t deserve that.”

He looked over at you with more tears in his eyes. “What’s wrong with me, Lance? Why am I not wanted? What am I doing wrong?”

“Marcus Alexander Pike.” You reached out to your coffee table to set your mug down. When you looked back at him, his eyes were wide. “My best friend in the entire world. Sunshine of my life. My literal favorite person. There is nothing wrong with you, okay? Let’s pick this apart, shall we? Starting with Ashley. I can guarantee you’re not going to like this part of the conversation because I’m going to be blunt and say not nice things about people you’re too kind to stop caring about, but it needs to be said, okay?”

He nodded slowly and looked down at the mug still in his hands. You put your hand on his knee and nudged so he would know to turn and face you. When he got the memo, you nodded and continued.

“Marcus, what is your degree in?”

“Art history with a specialization in art conservation. But you know that.”

“I do. Did Ashley?”

“Well, I mean, I assume so, yes. We met in art history in undergrad.”

You blinked at him. “Marcus, why did you join the fbi?”

“Well, the job I had with the museum didn’t exactly pay a whole lot, and Ashley knew someone in the art recovery department that got me an appointment. And it pays a lot better, so…” he trailed off.

“So you gave up your dream job and safety for the sake of a higher paycheck?”

He scoffed. “Well, of course. There are just some things that you have to compromise on in a marriage. You’d know that if you ever let anyone close enough to try.”

You shot him a glare. “First off, we’re not talking about me, asshole. Uncalled for. Second, compromise, I get. But what did she compromise? Marcus, you gave up your dream job, friends, a town you loved all for a dangerous job because your wife said she wanted more disposable income to spend at Nordstrom?”

“I was happy to do all of that because we loved each other and she-”

“Marcus, Ashley cheated on you,” you interrupted.

“No she didn’t, Lance. And even if she did, I was just too overbearing. I pushed her away.”

You heaved out a sigh. “Okay, let’s look at the facts. I know you’ve kept tabs on her. How long after your divorce was final was she engaged to that Todd guy?”

“Tedd, actually, but three-ish months.”

“You cannot tell me that she wasn’t with that guy while y’all were still married. She was never someone to rush into things. I mean, you asked the girl three times to marry you, and she said ‘not yet’ the first two. So three months after she wasn’t Mrs. Pike anymore, she rushes into another marriage? You’re a smart man, Marcus. Use that big fbi brain to look at the facts.”

“Okay, sure. She cheated on me. But like I said, I’m the one who pushed her to that in the first place. I was too much. Overbearing, or whatever.”

“Don’t make me bring out your middle name again, sir. I’ll do it.”

Marcus just rolled his eyes.

“Roll reversal, Marcus. Let’s say you were married to a wonderful woman who gave you her all.”

He scoffed. You shushed him.

“No interruptions. Quiet. Let’s say this wife gets a new job because you didn’t think the one she loved paid enough to support you.” You held your hand up to silence the start of his protest. “Ah, ah. Theoretical, Art. Roll reversal, remember?”

His eyes rolled, but nodded for you to continue.

“So she gets a new job that puts her in danger on the daily. Still passion-adjacent, so she figures ‘at least she’s got that’. And then you meet some other woman at some country club you insist on having a membership to and you refuse to work like this is the freaking fifties because she’s the breadwinner and you’re the absolute worst.”

Marcus’ eyebrows had shot up. “Wow. You really didn’t like Ashley.”

“No, I didn’t. She was a shitty person and a worse wife. Stop interrupting.”

He shook his head. “You’ve made your point, Lance. She wasn’t right for me. I didn’t pick well there, either.”

You placed your hand on his knee again and gave a soft squeeze. “The point I’m trying to make, Marcus, is that you’re already worthy of love exactly as you are. You deserve someone who’s going to support you in everything, just like you’d do for them. You’re also allowed to feel used, Marcus. Ashley used you to get herself into a specific station so that she could live a charmed life. Teresa used you to show the man she actually wanted what he’d be missing. Neither of those relationship failures are your fault. You are the kindest man I know. You deserve to have your love returned tenfold. You more than anyone I know. It breaks my heart that you’ve had to deal with these horrible women.”

He gave you a sad smile. “Come on, Lance. They aren’t horrible.”

“Just because you choose to see the good in people, doesn’t mean I have to. And to be quite frank about it, if I ever see either of them, I will be throwing the first punch, I don’t give a damn. I’ll go to jail. I don’t care. They broke your heart, they can go through me.” You crossed your arms over your chest and mumbled, “Bitches.”

Marcus barked out a laugh and you smiled.

“And that’s why you’ll always be my Lancelot. I know you’ve got my back.”

Your smile dropped for a moment, but you plastered another on and placed your right fist over your heart. “Always, my king.” You dropped your hand and just sat smiling at each other, and for a moment, it felt like you were kids again, just playing a silly game.

“Alright, Art. I’ve got a hankering for pancakes, so I’m going to call Bob & Edith’s and order some. I swear, they’re the best here. I’ll go pick them up and then we can chow down, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Lance,” he said with a yawn.

You knew he wouldn’t be awake for much longer, so you decided to just hold off on the pancakes, but walked into the kitchen anyways. You busied yourself by cleaning out the tea steepers and dumping the water left over in the kettle.

“On second thought,” you called, “I know I’m tired. I’m sure you’re exhausted. So I think I’ll just hold off until we can go sit in together.”

When there wasn’t a response, you turned the sink off. “Marcus?”

You walked down the short hallway and came back into the living room to find that Marcus had fallen asleep on the sofa. His long legs were stretched out taking up all of the space, and he still had the blanket wrapped loosely around his head and shoulders. You grabbed another to drape over his body.

Standing above him, you gently ran your fingers through his hair. He let out a satisfied hum, but didn’t stir.

“There’s another thing that I didn’t say, Art,” you whispered. You didn’t have the courage to say it to him while he was awake, but you needed it said out loud. “Watching you pick these women who only want to break your heart is torture for me. I have loved you for so long, and they have just hurt you. I wish they could have seen you like I see you. You’re such an incredible man, Marcus. You’re so kind and selfless, and so, so handsome. You make me laugh. You indulge me in late night pancake runs. I just wish I would get the chance to show you the love that you deserve.”

Marcus shifted a bit, and you paused your hand working through the curls on his forehead. When he didn’t wake up, you continued. “I know I’m not who you want, though. It’s not ever going to be me. I’m okay with that, I promise. I will just keep quietly loving you because you’re the best man I know and you deserve it. Sweetheart, you are worth so much. I hope one day you can find someone who appreciates and loves you like I do. I really, truly hope so. You really are the sunshine of my life. You already mean the world to me. I love you, Marcus.”

You leaned down to place a soft kiss on his forehead and then turned to head back to your room.

When you woke up the next morning, Marcus had left, but he had written a note and put it on top of the folded blankets he had used.

Your neighbor came over to see if you could help move her new couch in. If you need me, I’m over at Agnes’.

Making your way over with a Tupperware of scones you had made, you heard Miss Agnes chatting Marcus’ ear off.

“It’s been so nice having that sweet girl next door. She always indulges my whimsy.”

Marcus laughed. “Mine, too, Agnes. For entirely too long. I’ve known her since we were two, ma’am. She’s had to put up with me for years.”

You knew if you walked in, you’d see her hand on his shoulder. “That’s certainly not the way she puts it, my dear boy. That girl is enamored with you. I’m glad to see you’ve finally come to your senses.”

There was a deep sigh. “I was wrong for not talking to her for so long. I was mad, but she’s my best friend, so that’s not an excuse.”

Miss Agnes’ chuckle was breathy and her chair creaked as she sat down in it. “It was like her heart had been ripped out for weeks. You can’t leave the love of your life stranded like that, young man.

“Love of- no, Agnes, I think you’ve got it wrong. Lance and I are- we’re just friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids. Friends. She’s not the l- we’re just friends.”

Rather than let Marcus flounder and also have him casually break your heart without knowing it again, you walked into the room. Marcus was sitting on the flowery print couch and Miss Agnes was sitting in her usual reclining chair across from him.

“Are you done with your interrogation, Miss Agnes? Can I have my friend back?”

“Oh, fine, sweet girl, but you need to promise me that you’ll be straight with this one.”

“I always am, Miss Agnes. I brought you some scones for your tea. I’ll leave them on the kitchen counter, okay?”

She gave you a pointed look. “Well I think he needs to know that-”

“Miss Agnes,” you gave her a small shake of your head. “Please.”

Her sharp eyes stayed on you and she raised her eyebrow, but didn’t say more.

Marcus looked between the two of you with furrowed brows. “Okay, well, it was good to meet you Agnes. I’ll probably see more of you, now that I listened to reason.”

“Not all reason, boy, but enough. Keep thinking about what I said. The both of you.”

With both of you back in your home, you turned back to him with a smirk. “So what had she talked to you about that she wanted you to think about?” you asked, as if you hadn’t had your heart stepped on by his response.

“Oh, uh. She was just under the impression that we were more than just friends. Or maybe that we should be. I don’t know what she was saying, for the most part. What was that look you two shared at the end there?”

You brushed it off with a shrug. “Oh, Miss Agnes just likes to tease me, that’s all.”

Marcus hummed like he didn’t fully believe you, but he didn’t push it.

“Well, I’ve got to go to the office today, so I’ll see you later?”

You smiled. “Of course, Art. Text me your address. I’ll bring you some dinner?”

Marcus reached over and pulled you into a hug. “That would be great. Thank you, Lance. For everything.”

“Of course, bud. Any time, you know that.”

With a wave, he was out the door.

•

The decision to take the undercover case in Dallas was not an easy one.

He knew it would be a relatively easy case, but the prospect of seeing both Teresa and Jane was… daunting, to say the least. Marcus was over his anger at Teresa. He still had the lingering sadness of the ‘what if’, but Lance had helped him see that she wasn’t right for him in the first place.

He’d been off since the night he’d apologized to her. He could tell that she knew something was up, but he also knew she wouldn’t say anything about it until he did.

The truth was, he’d been awake when she came back out to her living room that night. He hadn’t meant to deceive her like that, but he knew from experience that she would have been embarrassed if he’d given away that he was actually hearing what she was saying. And he couldn’t believe it. Lance? In love with him? It didn’t add up.

And that’s why he’d been off. He didn’t know where his head was at. He’d had a crush on her his freshman year of high school, but that was it. He’d never actually considered her as a romantic partner, and it was throwing him for a loop. How the hell was he supposed to say that he wasn’t interested in her. Did he even need to say anything at all? They’d gone this long as just friends, they’d be fine, right?

But more importantly, what if he was wrong, and she was exactly who he actually needed? What if the butterflies he felt every time he looked at her were real? Lance helped him slow down, helped him breathe. She was the eye of his storm, whenever he was out of control. She knew when to apply pressure and when to leave him alone. She’d been the person he turned to when he was at his most broken.

What if Agnes was right, and she was the love of his life?

All of that was running through his head as he bent over Teresa’s desk to leave her a note saying he was happy for her.

“Uh, excuse me, can I help you?”

Marcus stood with a sigh. “Jane.”

“Pike, hello.”

He turned toward Patrick and then shifted back again. “I was, uh, looking for Teresa.”

Jane came closer. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s uh,” he looked around the glass-walled office. “I’m sure she’s around here someplace.”

This is weird, Marcus thought. “Yeah, she probably is.”

“Beard looks good.”

“It’s for an undercover thing.” It felt like they were at the start of some measuring contest and all Marcus could think of was Lance’s voice saying ‘that asshole clairvoyant guy?’ He shifted his weight to the other leg and decided to hell with it. He wanted to know. “So it’s, uh,” he smiled at Patrick, trying to show he wasn’t angry. “You and her.”

Jane walked closer still. “Yeah,” he looked down and at least had the decency to look guilty. “I’m sorry, we didn’t intend for it to happen like this.” Jane took a breath and Marcus had to look away from him. “I know it was the last thing on her mind, the idea of hurting you.”

Marcus wanted to laugh, because he knew that wasn’t the case. Asshole clairvoyant rang in his head again. Jane couldn’t have given a care less, and Teresa’s goal was to show Jane what he’d miss.

“I know,” was his response instead. “I know that.”

Asshole clairvoyant. “So do you have a plan?” He crossed his arms and stepped away from Teresa’s desk.

Jane rolled his eyes and looked away. “I don’t really understand.”

Asshole clairvoyant. “Well, I was offering her a life, a home, a family if she wanted it. A future. Have you thought about any of that?” Marcus knew the answer was no, but he wanted to hear Jane say it.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead, yet.”

Marcus hummed and furrowed his brows in mock thought. “Well, what are you offering her? I mean, other than,” he gave Jane a once-over. “Patrick Jane?”

Marcus turned at the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Hey.” Teresa looked spooked, like this was the last place she wanted to be.

Jane looked up at him with a smug twist of his lips. “Excuse me.” He walked over into the hallway, far enough away that he wasn’t in the conversation, but close enough that he’d be able to hear it.

Asshole clairvoyant.

Marcus looked down at Teresa and sighed.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I was upstairs giving a deposition, and uh, thought I’d say hi,” Marcus looked away. “Stupid idea,” he said with a sad chuckle.

Teresa responded with a nervous chuckle of her own. “No, it’s fine.”

She still hadn’t actually looked him in the eye. He looked over at Jane and watched him angle his face away like he wasn’t listening in. “Anyway, it’s good to see you, Teresa.”

“You too, Marcus.”

“Jane.” Patrick nodded back at him.

That one tense conversation was all the closure he needed. Teresa was never his, Lance had been right about that. She had been right about a lot of things. The ‘what if’ brought the storm of butterflies back to his stomach. He walked out of the office with a smile. For maybe the first time in his life, he knew the next time he gave his heart away, it would be safe. He needed to have a conversation with his best friend.

•

Two months after ‘the absurdity’, as you and Marcus had taken to calling it, he had to go back to Dallas for some work thing. He had grown out his hair and beard, said it was some undercover job. You were a little worried for him, knowing he’d have to be back in the Dallas office with Teresa and that clairvoyant guy. He told you he’d be fine, and you hoped that was true.

You hadn’t left your studio in almost seventy-two hours, but the wall sized landscape you were working on was almost finished. Marcus still hadn’t been to your studio, and that was fine by you. You’d started a portrait of Marcus because Jenny had asked you to paint something personal to get back to “your emotional roots”. Whatever that meant. Marcus being out of town and not coming to your studio meant that the portrait could sit out undisturbed while you made slight changes to the oil paints.

Jenny knocked and let herself in. “Okay, love, how’re we doing?”

You stepped back from the landscape. “Done with this one. I’ll let it sit for a week or so, see if anything needs to be layered over after it’s dried, and then it can head to the gallery. What do you think?”

Jenny hummed as she looked up at it. “It's difficult to enter into this work because of how the disjunctive perturbation of the purity of line endangers the devious simplicity of the essentially transitional quality. With regard to the issue of content, the disjunctive perturbation of the spatial relationships brings within the realm of discourse the distinctive formal juxtapositions. I'm troubled by how the mechanical mark-making of the emotional signifier visually and conceptually activate the remarkable handling of light.”

You paused and took a steadying breath. “Jenny, what in the blue blazes are you talking about? You sound like you’re talking out of your ass. Would you have said all that bullshit to Bob Ross? It’s just some happy little trees and a majestic mountain.”

“As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have. But I’m not Bob Ross’ agent. I’m yours.”

You scoffed. “That doesn’t mean you can make up critique-y phrases. If it’s bad, just say it’s bad.”

“Oh, whatever.” She turned to the smaller piece to her left. “Is that portrait the one I asked you to do? The personal project?”

You tried to school your features so they wouldn’t soften too much at the sight of Marcus’ profile. “Indeed it is.”

Jenny looked at you with wide eyes. “Whoa, do you have a boyfriend I don’t know about?”

Your eyes snapped back to her. “No. Why would you think that?”

Jenny chuckled. “Well, if that reaction wasn’t enough, this is a pretty… striking portrait, babe.”

“I’ve just known him my whole life. That’s all that is, Jenny,” you said, still trying to deflect.

She hummed. “Then I may ask him out when I see him. He’s quite handsome.”

You swallowed and tried to collect yourself. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess he is. I could, uh,” the lump forming in your throat was making it difficult to speak. “I could introduce you, or whatever.”

Jenny’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. “Girl. Just tell me the goddamn truth.”

You threw your arms up. “What do you want me to say, Jen?! That I’m in love with my best friend and have been since the second grade when he climbed a tree to get my teddy that a big kid had stuffed up there? That no man will ever measure up to him because he’s everything I’ve ever wanted? That it kills me to think of him with someone who isn’t me, but also kills me to know that it’s my reality? That Marcus will never love me the way I love him because all I’ll ever be to him is his fucking Lancelot?!”

Your chest was heaving after yelling most of that at Jenny. A dry sob clawed its way out from your chest.

She uncrossed her arms and engulfed you in a hug. “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry. I was teasing, I didn’t think. I’m so sorry honey.”

Jenny patted your back and pulled away. “Why don’t you go home, hon? You haven’t showered. Have you even eaten anything?”

You looked away from her disapproving face. “Dry granola,” you said sheepishly.

“Girl. Go home. I’ll clean up here. Go get yourself cleaned up. Make yourself something to eat. I’ll be by in a couple hours to make sure you’ve actually taken care of yourself, okay?”

“Okay, Jenny. Thank you.”

“No worries, babe. Can’t have my star’s light dim, can I?”

•

Marcus pulled up to Lance’s studio with a stupid smile on his face. He wasn’t sure how this was going to go down, but he knew he needed to tell her he was in love with her. He’s not even sure when it started, only that hearing what she said and listening to Agnes made him realize what was in his own heart.

He pulled the door open to a quiet, well-lit room. The windows were large, so it lit everything in the most wonderful natural light. There was a massive landscape painting directly in front of him that was stunning. The mountain was towering over him like the real thing would, and the oranges of the autumn leaves were a beautiful contrast.

He heard footsteps behind him, but didn’t turn to face them. “You’re so talented, Lance.”

He looked around the studio, and his eyes landed on a portrait of himself. He couldn’t remember this ever being a picture that was taken. It was his profile, and he looked a little sad. He’d never cared for his nose, always thought it was too prominent and made him look like a bad guy, but she’d taken so much care in painting it. He could see the emotion in his painted eyes.

“When did you know you loved me?” he asked quietly.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever known, because I don’t actually know who you are.”

Marcus startled at the voice that was definitely not his best friend. He turned quickly to find a small Asian woman looking at him with bright amusement.

“Sorry, I, uh. Who are you?”

The woman laughed. “I’m her agent, Jenny. I sent your Lancelot home about an hour ago. She’d been here for three days straight with only dry granola in her system.”

“That sounds like her,” he sighed. He held his hand out. “Marcus, by the way.”

Jenny shook his hand and smiled. “Oh, I’m well aware.” She gestured to the portrait. “I wanted her to paint something personal. She’s been in her own head a lot recently, hasn’t tapped into the emotion she usually uses to paint. It’s in that one, though, don’t you think?”

Marcus looked over at it again. He’d never really considered himself a very handsome man, but he certainly felt it right now. The way she had captured his likeness… “For sure. She’s a brilliant artist.”

“And she loves you a great deal.”

Butterflies erupted in his stomach again. “It was nice to meet you, Jenny, but I have to go.”

She just smiled and waved him out the door. “Make sure she actually eats something.”

•

After you’d gotten home, you decided self care was actually in order. You washed your face and put one of those weird face masks on. You poured a glass of sweet red wine and sank down into a hot bath filled with a de-stress bath bomb Jenny had given you. You turned on your audiobook of Pride and Prejudice and settled in.

About an hour and a half later, the Bennets were talking to Mr. Collins about Rosings Park when you heard a noise in your kitchen. Assuming it was Jenny coming to check on you, you unplugged the bath and toweled off.

With your hair stuffed in a cotton t-shirt and your robe secured around your middle, you stepped out into the hall.

“Sorry for my meltdown over Marcus earlier, Jen. It’s been a particularly rough season in our friendship. And I think he knows, now, that I’m in love with him, because-”

You rounded the corner and stopped short.

“Well, if he didn’t, he does now,” Marcus joked.

You felt the dread settle on your lungs like smoke you’d inhaled. Your eyes closed. “Oh, god,” you whispered. “What’re you,” you swallowed hard and fought the bile rising in your chest from the amount of dread you felt. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were going to be in Dallas for another three days.”

You couldn’t see it, but you could hear the smile in Marcus’ voice. “They didn’t need me anymore. Got done early. I stopped to see your studio. Met Jenny. She said you hadn’t eaten anything, so I let myself in to make you dinner.”

You rubbed a hand over your face, and still hadn’t opened your eyes to look at him. “That’s nice of you, Marcus. Unnecessary, but nice, thank you.”

“When did you know?” he asked quietly.

“Know what?”

You could hear the smile in his voice again. “That you were in love with me?”

Your eyes snapped open and fell on a shit-eating grin. “There’s no need to be cruel. I will smack you across the face, Marcus, I’m not even kidding.”

He said your name and reached up, but you took a step back so he couldn’t touch you. His brows furrowed and his hand dropped. “It’s a serious question. Please indulge me?”

You shook your head and turned away, feeling the beginning of tears fill your eyes.

Marcus cleared his throat. You could hear the scraping of a wooden spoon in a pan. “The first time I realized that I am fully, truly and completely in love with you, I was standing in the office of the fbi’s special crimes unit in Dallas having a conversation with the man who took a woman I now know never actually loved me away.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

“But I think what really got me thinking about it was knowing that my best friend has harbored feelings for me for, seemingly, a long time, and even though it must’ve broken her heart, she was always there when I needed her.”

You turned to face him again. He looked into your eyes and gave a small smile. “The truth is, I think I’ve been in love with you for a lot longer than I have even realized. You’re everyone’s comparison. Even Ashley, thinking back on it. You’ve always been it, Lance. It just took me a while to see it. I’m sorry.”

You let out the breath you’d been holding and brought the heels of your palms up to your eyes. “This isn’t some type of sick, joke, is it? I’ve never known you to be cruel, Marcus, so don’t start now. Please.”

He took a step closer and gingerly took your forearms in his hands. When you moved your hands away from your face, he dropped your arms and brought his hands up to your face to brush the tears away.

Marcus whispered your name and tenderly stroked your cheek. “Agnes was right. You are the love of my life. I’m so sorry it took me so long to figure that out, sweetheart.”

“You have to be serious about this, Marcus,” you whispered back. “You’re it for me, and if you decide you don’t actually want me, it’ll break me. I won’t recover, and neither will our friendship. So I have to know you’re sure.”

The slow smile he gave you was filled with reverence. “What do you want me to say so you’ll know that I’m serious?”

You pressed your lips together and shook your head. “I don’t know, Marcus.”

He let out a soft sigh. “How about this?” He took your hands in his and stepped closer. Marcus whispered your full name as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against yours. “We’ll go at your pace, sweetheart. I know you’re skeptical that this is real for me, so we’ll go as slow as you need. I’ll wait for however long it takes for you to trust this. I trust you. I know you’ll keep my heart safe. And I’ll do my very best to reassure you that I’ll keep yours safe, too.”

Marcus tilted his head to leave a soft kiss on your forehead.

“So, my dear, sweet, wonderful, beautiful, lovely friend,” he pulled back to look in your eyes. “Can I take you on a date and get to know you?”

You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but him asking to get to know you definitely wasn’t it. You chuckled. “Get to know me? Marcus, you’ve known me since I was three years old. What else is there for you to know?”

He grinned and glanced down at your lips. When he looked back up, he lifted his eyebrows, asking silent permission.

With your slight nod, he leaned closer. “There’s so much to learn, Lance. What makes you smile,” he tilted your chin up and kissed below your ear. You let out a soft whimper and he smiled. “What inspires you,” he kissed the underside of your jaw. “What makes you feel like the most important girl in the world,” he moved up to kiss the tip of your nose. “What makes you cry,” he kissed your forehead. “How I got lucky enough to have a woman as wonderful as you love me.”

Marcus paused long enough for you to open your eyes to look into the deep brown of his. “How to make your knees weak.” He brushed his thumb along your cheekbone and whispered, “How to kiss you properly.”

He looked back down at your lips and waited. You knew he wanted to give you the time to pull away if you weren’t ready to take that step. You had waited so long to kiss him, though. You had wanted it for so long that you were a little afraid that if you didn’t kiss him, you’d never have the chance again.

He glanced back at your eyes and smiled. Just as he moved to give you space, you closed that distance. Your lips met his with an almost desperate passion. You brought your hands up to cradle his face, and he moved his around your torso to pull you closer. He brushed his tongue against your bottom lip and you let him in.

The two of you stayed like that until the oven timer went off, startling you into separating. Marcus rested his forehead against yours again.

“Dinner’s ready,” he laughed.

You chuckled and let go of him to grab dishes, but he tightened his hold. “I love you,” he said, looking into your eyes. “I love you, and I will wait as long as you need me to. You already mean the world to me.”

Your breath caught in your throat again at his reuse of the words you said to what you thought was a sleeping Marcus two months ago. He gave you a quick peck on the cheek and turned back around to turn off the timer and pull whatever he made out of the oven.

“So is this what I can expect for my relationship with Marcus Pike?”

He looked at you with a small smirk on his face. “A relationship, huh? I thought I’d have to take you on a date, first.”

The heat in your face was immediate. You’ve loved him since you were seven, of course you wanted a relationship with him. But he was right, there was no need to rush this.

“Well, a date would be nice, I guess.”

Marcus’ smile softened. “I’m just teasing you, Lance. I plan on romancing the hell out of you for as long as you’ll let me.”

“You’re a loony.”

He set the baking dish on a hot pad and turned to mime drawing a sword. “The black knight always triumphs.”

You hummed and matched his smile. “The only time you ever let me be King Arthur was when he faced the black knight. Did you just like having me pretend to cut all of your limbs off?”

Marcus chuckled and a light blush spread across his cheeks. “It always made you laugh. So yeah, I guess.”

“That’s it, right there.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you.

“That’s how I fell in love with you. Those little things. You gave up playing your favorite character just because you knew it would make me laugh.”

He blushed deeper and looked bashful.

“I’d follow you anywhere, Marcus.”

“You won’t have to. Because whatever happens, it’ll be together.”

Together.

You liked the sound of that.

•

Everything was planned out. The two of you had gone to Bob and Edith’s for breakfast pancakes in the morning, you’d gone to the Smithsonian to see the O’Keefe exhibit they’d just brought in, and then you decided you’d have a little fun with it and go to a wine and painting class together, completely ironically. You’d secretly flown both of your parents in, and his sisters decided they wanted to be there, so they came in, too. The wine and painting would be just the two of you, and then they’d all come in and be there for the big question itself.

What you weren’t ready for was the instructor to recognize you, and ask you to lead the staff and Marcus in a painting.

“Well, this is really just something fun for my boyfriend and I to do together, I’d rather-”

Marcus put his hand on your shoulder and drew your attention to him. “How often does an opportunity like this come around? It’ll be fun, Lance.”

You sighed and closed your eyes. Damn him for being able to talk you into anything. That’s how two dogs and a cat had found a home in your shared townhouse. “Okay.”

The instructor squealed and rushed to hug you. “Oh my god, this is going to be great! Can we do a mini version of that mountain in autumn one you did last year? Please?” Her please was drawn out long like she was a kid asking for ice cream.

“Yeah, that’s fine, I guess.”

“This is going to be amazing! Okay, I’ll set everything up, you don’t have to do a thing except walk us through your process.”

Marcus ran his hands down your arms. “I know it’s not ideal, but you’re giving them such a cool experience. How often do they get to have such a legitimately professional painter show them how they work?”

“That’s not- I mean, sure, but there was a plan, and it’s getting messed up, and-”

“Breathe, baby. It’s just a silly date night. We’ll have many more, my love.”

You glanced over his shoulder and saw your family silently filing into the shop. The panic you felt suddenly multiplied.

“Why are you so upset about plans changing? You’re usually okay with a bit more of a go with the flow date.”

The instructor came out from the back room and looked past the two of you. “Oh, I’m sorry, this is a private party.”

Marcus turned to look at who they were talking to.

“Mom? Dad? What are all of you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but...”

Your dad nodded for him to look behind him, and when he turned, you were already knelt down.

“I have loved you since I was seven years old when you climbed the tree at the park to get my teddy that Blake Jones had thrown up there down. I loved you while you loved someone else, twice,” you winked at him. He had tears gathering in his eyes. “I will love you for as long as I’m breathing, and I’m sure long after that, too. You already mean the world to me. And I figure it’s about time you’re the one getting romanced. So, Marcus Alexander Pike,” you opened the black velvet box to reveal a simple platinum band, “Will you marry me?”

He looked up at the ceiling and chuckled as a tear fell. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

Your family and the staff cheered as he pulled you up from the floor. “I love you.”

You took his hand and slid the ring on his finger. “I love you, too, Marcus. With everything I have in me.”

And as he leaned in to kiss you, you knew your heart was full. That this man was everything you’d ever wanted, and you knew he wanted you right back.

TAGS: @seasonschange-butpeopledont @plexflexico @din-damn-djarin @dirty-dancefl00r5 @cinewhore @aplaceofpeace @just--a--snail @thecrystalgempearl @mrschiltoncat @campamcam @littlevodika @keeper0fthestars @greengrassandcyansea @uncomicalhumour @agentpike @yespolkadotkitty @chaotic-noceur

#marcus pike x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction

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theweirdoloveseggs · 3 years

Text

Mars (p6)

Chapter Six

A/N: So from now on I am no longer putting what part it is since it’s confusing the hell out of me.

We marched on at the crack of dawn, my new mask covering my face. Tigress had given me a new piece of cloth since I seemed so tense about my face. I barely got any sleep last night trying to figure out what to do next. Tai Lung really gave up the Dragon Scroll, limitless power, all for me?

I mean don't get me wrong I am overjoyed that he changed his path and managed to chase away the darkness in him, I just wish I didn't have to die to do it.

Chi seemed to have a weird obsession with the snow leopard and stayed on his shoulder most of the time, or maybe he just somehow sensed that I was once close to him.

Po hadn't bothered me since the thorn incident, and the others were quiet as they concentrated on getting to Gongmen City, that was also another thing I had to think about.

What will I do in Gongmen City? They're there to destroy the weapon and overthrow this Shen guy too, but I told them I was just seeing family... What if we run into each other again?

I sighed for the (Ahem, twenty-seventh time in the book) third time today, I was lagging behind since my muscles were sore from the thorns last night. Tai Lung seemed to notice and lagged with me.

Meanwhile, the others pushed ahead. This fat panda was also the dragon warrior... The Dragon Warrior!

Chi just groomed himself on Tai Lung's shoulder. Abruptly, my knee suddenly locked up and I stumbled. The snow leopard quickly caught me and put me back to my feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly, I nodded "Yeah, my knee just suddenly gave out." I mumbled, straightening my posture. Feelings of awkwardness overwhelmed me and I could barely be beside him any longer without spilling the truth.

What if... He's happier without me?

Well, he did say I was someone dear to him... He's obviously been grieving, and I must be important to him if he gave up the scroll...

What if he's angry that I had been hiding all these years?

Would he ever forgive me?

I pulled away from Tai Lung at the thought, I just needed more information but why would Tai Lung share news with me? I'm just a stranger he met yesterday.

Suddenly an idea popped up in my head, Po... He did seem apologetic for the thorn incident from last night and I can guarantee that he would leak any information if I asked nicely.

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem zoned out." Tai Lung's voice snapped me back to reality. I nodded before speed-walking ahead so I could be side by side with Po. The panda noticed my arrival to his side and jumped slightly.

"Oh hey..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Hey Po, " I forced my voice to stay calm even though I wanted to strangle him. "So I was just wondering if we could talk about someone," I whispered to him quietly, Po gave me a surprised look but nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah sure, who?" Po mumbled, I leaned in further. We were more ahead but I knew all too well that Tai Lung could hear very well.

"Tai Lung.." I whispered and Po immediately went wide-eyed and stared at me as if I was crazy. "HIM?" he gasped "Why?"

"I'm just curious about this Markerah person," I said smoothly, examining my claws

"Oh her... Yeah, they trained together, some would say-" Po looked behind him to see if the snow leopard was listening to our conversation "Would say they're even in love.." He whispered to me

Indeed, we were...

I frowned at the thought, did we make it THAT obvious? "How did she die?" I asked quietly "Oh, some say she killed herself after he was imprisoned while others say she simply slipped." Po stated

Okay, so there's some speculation about my death...

"How did he react about her death?" I whispered, "Oh, he didn't find out until he broke out of prison." Po said it so casually, meanwhile my eyes widened "Broke out?" I gasped

"Yeah, he came to the Valley of Peace to take the scroll by force and he got it but..." Po trailed off and began to fidget with his fingers again. "Well, it wasn't what he wanted and he felt sorry for Markerah." He then made sure to lean it before whispering "He visits her grave every night when he can."

I nodded, steadily concluding that it was more selfish of me to fake my death and never return. My death had affected Tai Lung as his imprisonment did to me. How did Shifu and Oogway respond? Were they sad?

"We're close to Gongmen City, only a few hours out," Tigress announced after talking to Mantis who was on her shoulder. She then turned to me "Mars, you might want to get away from us when we get there."

Oh right... They're destroying the weapon, the same thing I was going to do...

I contemplated confessing the truth but everyone started walking, Po walked ahead of me with the others. I slowly walked behind them, thinking about what to do since I guarantee we will run into each other later on in my mission.

"What's on your mind Mars?" Tai Lung's brought me out of my thought process, I looked up to see he had stopped and that's when I realized how far away I was from the others. They must've left me in the dust and Tai Lung noticed my lack of speed.

That's when I also saw Chi wasn't with the group or Tai Lung. That was my first question "Where's Chi?"

"He flew off into the distance an hour or two ago, I saw him just a few minutes ago." He stated, "But I have a feeling that wasn't what you were thinking." He crossed his arms, we continued walking but at a slow pace. I frowned as I thought about what to confess first, the fact I'm Markerah or that I lied about my true reason for being here.

"I... Have two things to tell you..." I mumbled nervously, my pace was even slower to the point I was just shuffling my feet across the dirt.

"One.. I'm not going to Gongmen to see family..." I mumbled underneath my breath, Tai Lung froze and turned around with wide eyes.

"I knew it!" He smiled arrogantly and proudly "I knew it!" He threw his hands in the air, I frowned.

Still his boastful and arrogant self.

I looked at him unimpressed and didn't bother to ask him how he figured. "So what are you really doing in Gongmen?" He asked suspiciously

"I was hired to destroy the weapon, same as you," I muttered, Tai Lung looked at me suspiciously. "Honest truth!" I glared right back at him just as he was at me.

"We should tell the others then." Tai Lung said, with a shrug of his shoulders. It showed the true strength and power in his chest and I nearly fell in love all over again. I turned my head away to hide my blush, which shouldn't be visible under my fur.

"And what was the second thing you needed to tell me?" Tai Lung pressed on, I froze as I tried to think about how to word how I was Markerah... "Uhm... I... Uh..." I stammered for the words

Before I could let out even another syllable, Chi let out a faraway screech that alerted me. We both perked up and immediately began to pick up our pace since the others were mere specks in the distance.

Our conversation forgotten...

Words: 1294

#tai lung #TaiLungRedemption #redemption #shifu #kfp #kfp2 #kfp tigress #furious5 #panda #wattpad #eggs benedict #kung fu #chapter #story

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pastelsandpining · 3 years

Text

I’ll Be Home (Coming Home After Being Away)

The seventh prompt in 12 Days of Christmas by @zelink-prompts | Prequel

Prompt List

Words: 4596

Summary: So, this is actually a sequel to tomorrow’s prompt but can be read separately?? I guess?? The rundown is that Link left years ago to search for his fairy and never returned. Zelda tried not to lose hope. He made her a promise, after all.

Ocarina of Time, child timeline?? Idk how the timelines work y’all please

Zelink-mas 2020 l Masterlist

“Your gown is ready, your highness.”

“Thank you,” Zelda answered, nodding in the direction of her lady-in-waiting. “I’ll be there shortly.”

When the door shut behind her, the princess turned her gaze back to the long dried flower. She set it carefully onto the page with the others and slowly closed the book, ensuring no petals or leaves crumbled in the process. The book was placed back on the shelf, right next to the Ocarina of Time and a dust-covered medal imprinted with the crest of Hyrule. She had no time to gaze at the reminders of her childhood this afternoon, because there was beckoning from all directions that insisted on getting her ready in time.

Zelda stepped through the doors of the washroom, where she was pleasantly surprised to see the water was still warm. A wash of her hair and a soap of lavender scent would treat her well and be pleasant to anyone in close proximity. She could not deny her maidens the credit--they always went above and beyond to make sure she was presentable in every fashion. A grand event called for twice the effort, so the princess sat without complaint in her robe as they brushed gentle powders over her face.

“Are you excited, Princess?” asked a maiden as she painted a color onto Zelda’s closed eyelids. “I hear there are princes from outside of Hyrule coming to get a glimpse of you.”

“Oh, is that so? I hope one takes a liking to you, Elizabeth,” she replied, folding her hands in her lap. “You would fare well with royalty.”

“You’re too kind,” Elizabeth said, and Zelda could hear the blush on her cheeks. “No man would notice me.”

“Hold yourself high,” Zelda encouraged as she pried her eyes open. “Everyone is deserving of love and happiness.”

“Do you hope to find love tonight?” asked the maiden behind her, who was busy twisting her hair into an elegant knot.

“I believe that whatever is fated will happen in time. If that time is tonight, then so be it.” It was a far better answer than telling them she had found love long ago and had no intentions of finding it again.

Zelda could hardly blame the maidens for their excited chatter and shared whispers. She pretended not to notice them, because their one form of entertainment was to gossip. Anyone who gossiped with ill intention was not worth troubling herself with, and while they were far from it, she didn’t pay any mind to them. It was not her business what anyone said about her, or about the anticipated guests, or about themselves. She had other matters to concern herself with.

An hour had passed by, and she was finally permitted to stand from the chair and move to the next room. A silken slip hugged her form and protected her skin from the rough edges of the corset. There weren’t many layers, but she was still grateful for the design of the dress.

It was a soft pink, a color to match the rose on her cheeks and paint on her lips. The skirt consisted of multiple layers that ruffled out into a pattern at the bottom. There were lace and glittering jewels sewed onto the bodice that caught the light. The neck cut low, but not low enough to be anything but modest. The top of her sleeves were rather poufy and the rest poured off in pink streams, but they were transparent and light. It fit her well.

The crown on her head, golden and sparkling with precious rubies made her look like a blossoming queen. She would turn heads tonight, more so than usual, and it was all thanks to her dressmaker and maidens. But she was already exhausted, and the ball hadn’t even begun.

Yet she was being escorted through the halls of the castle and steered towards the ballroom, which was already filling up with people. She could see that the maidens were right--there were people from everywhere, even outside of Hyrule. She wondered just how many suitors her father had contacted.

She supposed she would find out shortly, because her father had gathered the attention of the crowd and was now introducing her. With no more room to run, Zelda stepped out from the archway and down the stairs. The king took her hands and pulled her in for a kiss, and she had to fight back a smile.

“I’m not married yet, father,” she said, reaching up a hand to brush away a tear from his cheek.

“No,” he agreed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You really do look like your mother.”

“So I’ve heard,” she replied with a laugh. “It’s not too late to call them off. I could refuse to marry, stay with you.”

It was the king’s turn to laugh as he leaned his forehead to hers.

“Go,” he urged.

She pulled her hands free and pressed a kiss to his cheek before gathering her skirts and descending into the crowd. Various diplomats were on her immediately, greeting her and complimenting her and talking her into a frenzy about their own nations and accomplishments, no doubt trying to impress her. All she could do was smile and nod and pretend she was interested until another person came along to sweep her away.

“My father owns quite the bit of land,” a lord whose name she’d forgotten boasted as he twirled her across the floor. “It could be an advantage for both kingdoms.”

“Yes,” Zelda agreed, but she didn’t voice her knowledge of where this was going. The kingdoms were far enough apart that they’d try to force her to move and give up the rule of Hyrule--which was not an option as far as she was concerned. So when the next person cut in for a dance, she was more than willing to switch partners.

“I hear Hyrule has been at the edge of not one, but two civil wars within the past century. I have no room to suggest anything, but I can offer some tactics that would help convince the provinces to obey,” said a prince from a nation she’d never heard of.

“Hyrule has managed quite well on our own,” Zelda replied, fighting to keep the bite out of her voice. “But thank you. Should we need assistance again, we will be sure to reach out.”

“My father believes in discipline. That’s the only way to make a child listen,” continued the prince, as if he hadn’t heard a word she said.

“I’ve found that competent parents can make do without the use of force,” she stated simply and used a passing server with a tray of wine to make her escape. She was not technically of age to be drinking, but no one knew that as far as she was aware, and if the night was going to continue like this, then a glass or two wouldn’t hurt.

She was happy to find the wine dry but sweet, and she recognized the danger of something so tasty. While a duke rambled away to her, she reluctantly reduced her number of glasses to one for the night. The last thing she needed was for these men to think she was under any sort of influence.

When she was granted a moment to herself again, Zelda ducked further into the crowd until she found someone familiar to her. Nabooru, the not-so-new Gerudo chief, was in attendance, dressed in glittering Gerudo jewels.

“Princess,” greeted Nabooru with her arms open for a hug. “You look as lovely as a rose.”

“It’s lovely to see you again. How is Gerudo Valley fairing?” Zelda asked, taking caution not to spill her drink during the hug.

“Very well, thanks to you. The funds your father lent us were enough to not only build a proper town, but to conduct repairs to the Desert Colossus. With Impa’s consistent transport of food and resources, we’ve managed to turn ourselves around.”

“It does no good to dwell on the past. We can only own up to our mistakes and move forwards from here. Had it not been for our mistreatment of the Gerudo in the first place, Ganondorf would never have felt the need to avenge the pride lost in the civil war.”

“Lighten up, kid,” Nabooru said with a grin. “Things are looking up. Have you found a suitor to your liking yet?”

“Hardly,” Zelda replied, leaning closer as she lowered her voice. “The men I’ve spoken to so far are so full of arrogance and a lust for power.”

“That’s men for you,” Nabooru answered as she took a seat at a table. Zelda smiled and slid into the seat across from her, setting her glass down on the white tablecloth. “Don’t let any of them fool you. Ganondorf had a winning smile and the charm of a king, but look what he truly turned out to be.”

“For all of your skill and beauty, I cannot believe you settled for him.”

“Hey, Gerudo men are in very limited supply. When you’re a naïve girl, a powerful man giving you attention is enough to cloud your mind. I’m happy you’re able to see through that.”

“I would offer to marry you if you were younger,” Zelda joked as she picked up her wine to take another sip. “If any of your warriors are available and interested, I’d be more than happy to comply.”

Nabooru laughed.

“It’s going that badly, huh?”

“I’ve danced with at least eight men so far tonight, and I think three of them were named ‘Edward’,” Zelda whispered with a laugh of her own.

“I don’t think you’re one to talk, Princess. Which ‘Zelda’ are you again? The thirtieth? The forty-seventh?”

Zelda rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t reply because it would seem her time was up. There was a prince who spoke from besides her with an “I’m sorry to interrupt” (oh, he’d better be) and a request to dance.

“Find your prince charming,” Nabooru said, waving Zelda away with her hand. The princess gave her friend a playful glare as she took the prince’s hand and was pulled back towards the center of the ballroom.

“Might I ask who requested my hand in dance?” she asked with a polite smile. Now that she was closer, this prince seemed younger than her. Not by much, but by enough for her to be a little taller than him.

“My name is Prince Henry of the Liles Empire, just off the north coast of Hyrule,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to see your beauty up close.”

“Likewise,” she said, though she hardly meant it. He was not bad on the eyes, but those who approached her with comments on her appearance struck her as vain and, well, in it for just that. She could be reading them wrong of course, but she’d learned how to navigate her instincts and properly react after Ganondorf’s plan had been thwarted.

“If I’m being honest, I do not know how to hold a proper conversation with a lady such as yourself,” stated Henry as he led them in a circle.

“I could not tell,” she replied with a patient and gentle smile.

“My mother convinced me to ask you to dance. She believes an alliance would benefit our kingdoms.”

“A smart lady. Many of the others here tonight have said the same thing.”

“I don’t want to marry, though. You’re beautiful and kind, but I..”

Zelda gave the poor boy’s hand a squeeze. She knew his position quite well, if she was reading him correctly. All people had their secrets and anxieties. She would likely never see him again, so she felt she could be his peace, even if only for a moment.

“It’s an unpleasant position to be in,” she supplied, twirling him in the direction of a smaller crowd.

“It is. I couldn’t force myself to love anyone else.”

“Oh? Do you have someone in mind?”

A blush crossed the young boy’s face, but he looked eager to tell someone. He was the first of the night not interested in her or her land, so she was more than happy to indulge him.

“A kitchen girl back in my kingdom. She came to deliver breakfast one day when my servant fell ill and spilled tea on me.”

“Ah, a fairytale meeting,” Zelda replied with a small laugh.

“She’s beautiful. But my parents would never hear of it.”

“Stay true to your heart. I was always told that those fated to be together will find each other in time. To those who won’t agree, I say if you aren’t happy, how could you ever be expected to make a kingdom happy?

“They told me you were wise, but you speak as if you know the pain yourself.”

Zelda offered a sad smile. Perhaps one glass had been too many, because she was about to bare her soul to this young prince she’d met only minutes ago.

“I love a boy from my childhood,” she told him, cracking open old scars. “A little boy from the forest who helped me catch a tyrant. He disappeared years ago and no one has seen him since.”

“I’m sorry, Princess.”

“If I may offer advice, Prince Henry, tell your kitchen girl properly that you love her. But take care of your heart. It’s the only one you have.”

She tried to spend as much time around Prince Henry as possible. She found him pleasant company and he could be quite silly, but after an hour, the young prince could no longer keep the other suitors at bay. She was whisked away again, and she was growing very tired.

Her feet were sore in her heels, and her corset felt tighter with every tick closer to midnight. Yet she wasn’t dismissed yet, and she was determined to make it through this. No one could say she hadn’t tried.

Zelda searched the crowd for Nabooru again, longing for another conversation with a competent person, but she’d hardly taken two steps before another voice interrupted her.

“Princess Zelda, might I request a dance?”

She held back a sigh and plastered yet another polite smile on her lips as she turned, but she was not a good enough actor to keep it from slipping away. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, because she was convinced for a moment that she was dreaming.

His eyes were a striking blue, a color she’d accustomed herself with long ago. His smile was charming instead of crooked, but his dimples were just the same. He was taller now and he lacked the forest color he once ran around in, but something about him told her he hadn’t changed that much at all.

“Link..?” she whispered out, then clamped her hands over her mouth like she was afraid of someone hearing her. A breeze slipped past them when a couple whizzed by, but that wasn’t why she was trembling.

“I realize I’m six years late, and I apologize,” he replied, his cheeks reddening with shame. “But I made a promise to you, and I couldn’t bear to break it.”

“You..” For all of her wise words throughout the night, she found it very hard to speak. She took a hesitant step forward, then lifted her hand. Her fingertips brushed over his cheek and once she knew he was solid, she pressed her palm against his skin. He was warm beneath her touch. Warm enough to feel alive. “Is it really you..?”

“Yes,” he answered, his voice soft and filled with more emotion than she’d ever heard it before. He placed his hand over her own, making her skin burn under his touch, but she couldn’t pull away.

For a moment, all she could do was look at him. She looked at his eyes, took in his face and his features, and tried to blink the stinging away.

Perhaps the whole ballroom was watching, but Zelda dropped her hand and instead wrapped her arms wordlessly around his shoulders. She buried her face in his neck and squeezed her eyes shut as the first of the sobs escaped her. His arms circled around her waist and held her close, but it did nothing to stop the trembling. He was not the child she hugged all those years ago, but he still felt so familiar.

“Can.. can we go-“ She couldn’t finish her question.

She was aware of the scene she was making, and she didn’t want to embarrass her father any further, so she bit back another sob and kept her head down as Link led her out of the ballroom and onto a nearby balcony. The fresh air was icy on her skin and wet cheeks, but he took her face so gently into his hands that she felt like she would melt.

“I missed you,” he spoke. It was no louder than a whisper, but it reached volumes that deafened her to everything else. All she could do was hug him tight and cry harder.

“Goddesses, Link, I— where did you go?” she asked when she caught her breath again.

“Termina,” he replied. “I didn’t mean to be gone for so long, but they needed help.”

She’d never heard of it before, but she didn’t care because he was here.

“I thought.. I didn’t know if you were even alive.” But her love for adventure hadn’t changed and she sat him on a bench as she demanded, “Tell me everything.”

And so he did. He told her of the troublesome Skullkid and the malevolent mask. He told her of the overhanging moon that threatened to fall, and of the trials he had to overcome. He told her of the masks he collected and of the god he had to fight. And Zelda’s heart ached for her hero who could not catch a break. Trauma followed him everywhere he went, and he hadn’t even found Navi.

“Link.. I’m so sorry,” she said, gripping his hands tighter. “You’ve gone through so much..”

“It’s over,” he assured her. “Or at least, I hope.”

“I couldn’t imagine. I’m so happy you’re safe. Oh, you’ve grown so much..”

“And you look every bit the princess you were always meant to be.”

Zelda laughed, bubbly and weak, and buried her face in her hands.

“Goddesses, I missed you,” she murmured and wiped at her eyes. How he could still call her beautiful when she looked a mess, she didn’t know.

“I made a pinky promise. Besides, I recall you telling me you’d be very mad at me if I didn’t come back and I don’t think I could live with that.”

She lifted her head and sniffled.

“Well, you certainly took your time,” she joked and brushed some hair from his eyes.

“I hope this can make up for it.” Link pulled a box from his pocket and carefully pried it open. A sparkling blue jewel in the shape of a teardrop hung from a silver chain. It was almost glowing against the black velvet cushion.

“It’s lovely,” she breathed, running her fingers gently over the stone.

“It’s a Moon’s Tear,” he explained as he lifted it from the box.

“From the falling moon?” she asked. Link gestured for her to turn around, so she shifted on the bench and set her back to him.

“Clever girl,” he replied. She could practically hear the smile on his face.

The jewel was cold against her skin, but Link’s fingertips brushing the back of her neck as he clamped the necklace is what made her shiver.

“You’re quite ridiculous, I hope you know that,” she said as she turned to face him again.

“It’s no ring,” he answered and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “But I hope it’ll do.”

Zelda blinked in confusion, fiddling with the Moon’s Tear as she watched him gather his thoughts.

“A ring?” she asked quietly.

“I.. promised to marry you when I got back. You’re perfectly allowed to decline, of course. I wouldn’t— I mean-.. is this weird?”

Her cheeks burned as she burst into a fit of giggles, pressing a hand over her mouth to muffle them. Link looked at her, flushed with embarrassment, and soon he was laughing too. The innocent promise of two children had lasted over years of distance, even if it was more of humor than anything else now that they were older. She leaned into him, holding her stomach as her muscles grew tighter. Goddesses, she missed his laugh so much. Six long years were not enough to change him at all.

When their laughter quieted, Zelda lifted her head and took his face into her hands. He smiled at her, sending her head spinning.

“I wasn’t sure you’d ever return,” she whispered as she ran her thumbs along his cheekbones, relishing in his warmth and presence. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps she was being too forward—she just got him back and would rather not lose him again. So she reluctantly pulled her hands back to herself and fiddled with the necklace again.

“There were times I didn’t think I would,” he admitted. With the stories he recounted, she believed him. And she was beginning to understand the Princess’s decision to send him back in time in the first place. But it didn’t seem like he was fated to have an easy existence.

“I’m sorry your search was in vain.” And even that wasn’t enough, but what could she offer him? What words could she say to him that could quell the sadness running deep in his veins, betrayed by his eyes despite how happy he looked to be back. For all the wisdom she held in her blood, she knew no answer.

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Link softly, turning his gaze on her. The more she looked at him, the harder it was to maintain the poise she’d so very recently returned her hold on. So she looked away with a small smile and tilted her head to gaze up at the stars.

“What would you say?” she asked, tracing the constellations painting the sky with her eyes. A thousand stories came with those stars, stories about their past and their future, stories about fate and things beyond their understanding. She always felt that the stars knew and could see everything, and hiding was a naïve comfort they were never really granted. Even when they were children, throwing themselves under a blanket and giggling, the stars could see everything--even the secrets they didn’t truly have. They had known all along what would become of her and of the Hero of Time. She didn’t know if she pitied the stars or envied them.

“I would say anything that leads me back to you is more than worth it.”

Zelda turned her eyes to him, where she found nothing but sincerity and a tired smile. She could remember a childish curiosity whenever he looked at her, but she couldn’t quite name the gaze his eyes held now. Heat blossomed over her cheeks again and with a laugh, she ducked her head.

“Welcome home, Hero,” she said as she shook her head. “I hope you’re able to find the life of peace you deserve.”

“To be honest, Princess, I think a life of peace would drive me to the brink of sanity. I didn’t return with the hopes of finding it. I don’t… I don’t think I’d even want it.”

There was no hiding the mix of confusion and surprise and concern that took over her features upon hearing his words. A life of peace did not interest him? She wondered for a moment whether he was already past the threshold of sanity, or if he’d simply left his mind in Termina.

“Then,” she began, treading lightly over what could possibly be dangerous waters, “what is it that you want?”

“I want a life by your side.” His cheeks were as pink as hers under the moonlight, but it could very well have been just an effect of the bitter cold. “I know we’re not kids anymore and.. and a lot has changed. But if I could be even just in your service, I would be satisfied.”

“You owe nothing more to Hyrule,” Zelda spoke quickly, taking back all sense of personal space as she held his cheek again. “You’ve done more for us than we could ever begin to thank you for. You reap scars and trauma we can’t even begin to imagine. We are happy to have you back, of course, but you needn’t swear your life to any more trouble, Link.”

“Serving you would be of no trouble at all, Princess.” His hands wrapped gently around hers, pulling it from his skin, and he brought her knuckles to his lips instead. His warm breath fanned over her skin and for the first time of the evening, she did not regret the gloveless design of her outfit.

She could hear her own words, hypocritical and laughable, pouring from her lips when she told little Prince Henry to follow his heart and to hell with those who disagreed. It was much harder to take her own advice--like it was a bitter medicine that brought her heart into her throat and made her tremble. But all she could see was the little forest boy giving her one last wave, so much alike with the man who sat before her now. Her heart lurched.

“I love you,” she said, hardly louder than the gentle breeze that circled them. “And I know that I’m not your Zelda--the Zelda you first defended Hyrule for-”

“You are every bit the same Zelda. The only difference is this time, we don’t have to say goodbye. Not if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t,” she begged, gripping his hands tighter.

“Then let me stay with you.”

He freed a hand and cradled her face. She leaned into his touch, into the warmth that batted away the cold, into the feeling that he really was here. And then he was leaning forwards, his breath fanning over her lips, and she closed the space between them with an eagerness that Impa would refer to as “unladylike”. His lips were soft and their kiss was slow and gentle, fanning a spark so that it blazed into a flame. In the years she had spent imagining how this reunion might go, she never quite got the magic of it right. It felt strong and peaceful, like something old and practiced but new and exciting all at once. And when they parted, Zelda was quick to recall that silly little promise.

“You meant to ask for knighthood,” she stated, a giddy feeling flooding her at the idea. “But how would you feel about prince consort?”

It was Link’s turn to laugh, and she laughed too as she closed a hand around the Moon’s Tear necklace glowing against her skin. Of course, they had a while to catch up on before any official announcement could be made. They were not granted the opportunity to grow into their relationship, and now was a better time than any to get started.

Her Hero had returned, and Zelda quite liked the idea of never having to face any of the men who tried to win her hand ever again. Apparently, it was made evident enough by their return to the ballroom floor.

Link had asked for a dance, after all. Who was she to deny him after so long?

#zelink #oot zelink #ocarina of time #zelink prompts #christmas prompts #hurt/comfort i guess #this is a masterpiece actually i'm proud of it

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poorlytunedukulele · 3 years

Text

Day 13 - Night of the Hunter

September 13, 2872

It had all started with a cryptic message.

Andal Brask: Party. Tuesday. 29°30'57.2"N 147°42'28.2"W. ;)

Azra didn’t have much going on that day, so she figured why not? If it didn’t end up being her scene she could always just leave.

Still, some paranoia (it wasn’t not paranoia if it was useful, she had to remind herself) made her want to check out the place beforehand. Or maybe she was just bored. In any case, she found herself staring at an empty patch of Pacific Ocean at around 1pm local time. Andal’s coordinates had her smack dab in the middle of nowhere. There weren’t even any islands nearby. She flew her jumpship in lazy circles, wondering exactly what kind of prank he was playing.

It took her a good fifteen minutes to realize that Andal had never specified the coordinates were on Earth. A quick check with her maps revealed that 29°30'57.2"N 147°42'28.2"W was at the peak of a very prominent mountain on Venus.

But there wasn’t a party site at the mountain, either. There was a cache. A cache with a cheeky note (written in unfamiliar hand) and another set of coordinates. Those lead her to a cave on Mars, then an archive in Freehold, then a weird spire on Venus.

Azra was having so much fun she almost forgot about the party. There was a clue in a dead zone so full of interference even the GPS failed and she had to navigate by her map alone. She had to go diving in a cenote for another.

Then one clue dropped her off in the middle of nowhere. While she’d been galivanting about the system, night had fallen on the Appalachian Dead Zone. She was in some unremarkable stretch of forest in the mountainscape. There was nothing. No tracks, no trail signs, no notes with hints, just the cooling night air.

Azra closed her eyes and listened. And though there wasn’t any sounds to be heard over the wind, she did smell something. Just the barest hint of smoke. It grew stronger as the breeze picked up, so she followed her nose upwind. She paused to listen frequently. After a few minutes, she heard… something. Were those voices in the distance?

Azra had finally found the party. She hadn’t seen the fire because it was in a deep gully, hidden by foliage. She crested the ridge and watched for a few minutes below as figures talked, danced, gestured, lit by the roaring flames. It was hard to recognize anyone from the distance, but this had to be the right place.

Azra picked her way down the slope, social anxieties forgotten. Why she’d needed to go through a scavenger hunt to get here she had no idea, but she wasn’t about to complain. It had been fun.

The ground was slippery at the bottom of the valley (there was mud beneath the dead leaf cover). Azra would have normally paused to gather herself before approaching, but she was robbed of the opportunity when she tripped and slid the last few meters.

She stumbled into the light of the fire. A ragged cheer went up from those gathered- all Hunters, she noted. Azra was mortified for a second, all eyes on her-

Then everyone went back to their conversations.

Almost everyone. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd. Andal ambled over, drink in hand, hood thrown back. “Hey, you made it! Wasn’t sure you would.”

“Liar,” Cayde called from across the clearing. “You bet she’d get here before the night was up.”

“Didn’t mean I knew,” Andal countered, then turned his attention back to the young Hunter. “How long ago did you start looking?”

“Uh… four hours ago?”

Andal raised an eyebrow. “Scoping out the site early, I see. It’s not even dark in the Pacific yet.”

“I was bored.”

“You bored now?” Cayde asked as he also came over. He slung an arm over her shoulders and gestured. “Welcome to the cool kid’s club.”

“Is that what it’s called?” Azra asked. “With capital letters and everything? The Cool Kids Club?”

“No,” Andal sighed, “but it should be.”

“Only the cool kids get invites,” Cayde explained. “Only the good kids actually find the place in time. So here we’ve got ourselves a bunch of good, cool kids. That includes you, now.”

“Who arranged all of this?” Azra asked.

Andal shrugged. “Someone from Dead End Cure, this time. Sometime tonight there’ll be a contest to see who has the honor next year. Speaking of honor, did you remember your party etiquette?”

Spark answered by transmatting two bottles of rum into his Guardian’s hands. She waggled them in a proud boast.

“Brought the good stuff, I see!” an unfamiliar voice said. “Though I don’t recognize you.”

Azra turned as a stranger approached. They were half a head shorter than she was, leanly muscled, with dark skin and a camouflage-patterned cape. Azra glanced for half a second at Andal, who shook his head.

“You’re going to have to do a lot of introducing tonight,” the Gunslinger said. He clapped her on her shoulder and wandered off to talk with Shiro and another unfamiliar Exo.

Message received: you stand for yourself here, no help from me.

“I’m Azra Jax,” she said, transferring the bottles to her left arm so she could stick out her right hand. “My Ghost is Spark.”

“Name’s Puck,” the Hunter said, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.

“It suits you,” Azra said without thinking. They had a certain mischievous air about them. That didn’t stop Azra from immediately regretting opening her mouth. These were new people, she couldn’t go around saying whatever asinine thing came into her head first.

But instead of taking offense, the other Hunter just smiled. “Thanks! I picked it myself. I think I have heard of you before, but I can’t recall when. You frequent the ADZ?”

“No more than anywhere else,” Azra replied. “Um. I did some stuff at Twilight Gap.” She really hoped it was that and not the other thing people always recognized, but the other Hunter’s face remained contemplative.

Puck shook their head. “Fun story, actually. I was stuck on Venus that whole time. My ship got shot down and nobody could come pick me up. I don’t think that’s it.”

Azra realized she’d be having this conversation a lot tonight. She considered just leaving. Booze and a bonfire didn’t really outweigh hours of curiosity she’d have to entertain. “I’m the Arcstrider,” she said, aware of the weariness in her voice.

“Oh, yeah!” Puck’s eyes lit with recognition. “Say no more.” A pause. “Damn, aren’t you like, four?”

“Yeeeessss?” Azra said.

“Andal!” Puck barked. The Gunslinger ambled back over with Cayde and Shiro in tow. He was trying to suppress a grin and failing.

“You didn’t break the rules, did you?” Puck demanded. “No hints.”

Andal bowed. “No, ma’amsiree. Just the starting coordinates. And a winky face.”

“I told you ‘sir’ is fine,” Puck sighed.

“I think mine is the more elegant solution,” Andal said with an air of superiority. “Rolls off the tongue. ‘Sir’ sounds like ‘zir’ and then we all get confused about how formal we’re being.”

Azra had already lost where the conversation was going. “I ended up staring at the Pacific Ocean for a while before I realized what was up,” she offered. “Also I have no idea what you’re arguing about.”

“Listen,” Puck said. “Zavala uses ‘sir’. Sloane uses ‘sir’. Nobody is going around saying ‘him yes him’! It’s never going to get confused. Yours just sounds dumb.”

Azra turned to her Ghost for help, but he just did a shrug-twirl and floated closer to her shoulder. “I didn’t spend a lot of time with people before meeting you,” he whispered. “I have no idea either.” Puck and Andal continued their debate, to Azra's befuddlement.

“Somebody please explain it to the newbie before she gets an aneurysm?” Shiro interrupted. "She's turning red."

Puck turned to face her, dark eyes flashing in the firelight. “Okay, fine.” Azra knew that tone of voice. It was identical to the one she’d used earlier, a weary ‘let’s get this over with’. Puck spoke slowly. “So I’m not a ‘ma’am’.”

“You’ve made that very clear, sir,” Azra said.

“I’m not technically much of a ‘sir’ either,” Puck explained.

Azra’s brain plugged the new information into her equation and threw up an error message in response.

Andal cackled. “I’m not sure we’re out of aneurysm territory, my fey friend.”

Azra held up her hands. “You just spent like two minutes arguing-“

“I’m sure we could drag this on for another few,” Shiro said, “but let’s not. Puck uses ‘ze’ and ‘zir’. Andal always complains about honorifics because he likes smashing words together in terrifying new ways.”

“That’s it?” Azra said.

“There is no widely accepted gender-neutral honorific,” Andal said. “But one day…”

“Really trying to change the world, this one,” Puck muttered. Ze looked at Azra with a question in zir eyes. Does this have to be a conversation?

“Uh.. it suits you?” was all Azra could think of.

Andal grinned and nudged Puck with an elbow. Puck rolled zir eyes.

Azra turned on her Gunslinger friend. “Your solution to the ma’am/sir issue was ma’amsiree?”

“It’s in beta,” Andal said. “Still working out the kinks.”

“It’s a wonder you haven’t come across this problem before if you’ve been running with him,” Puck said. “Referring to people in… interesting ways is kind of his thing.”

Azra shrugged. “That’s the trick. I just don’t refer to people in general.”

“If it really bothers you, Puck, I’ll stop,” Andal offered. “I was getting the vibe that you liked that bit, but I’m always willing to be proven wrong.”

Puck just laughed. “As long as you don’t teach the newbies any bad habits.”

“I am sorry to inform you it is far too late for that,” Shiro intoned. “The puns, Puck. They get so much worse when she’s around.”

“Well see if I share my liquor with you,” Azra groused. “I had to go into the City proper to get this stuff.”

Puck eyed the bottles she still cradled in her arms. “Well, since you brought two, you deserve a present. Come on.” Ze swatted her shoulder until she moved to stand by a mostly-empty folding table. Puck vaulted easily on to the table and stood.

“Hey!” ze shouted, clapping zir hands once. All conversation died immediately. “Public service announcement! This,” ze gestured down to where Azra stood, frozen in shock, “Is Azra Jax. She’s an Arcstrider. Oooooo. Big mystery.” The Hunter waved zir hands in a spooky gesture, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Here’s the deal: if any of you bug her about it, she gets permission to stab you.”

“She won’t stab anyone even if they bug her,” Cayde called. “She’s shy.”

“Then I give Cayde permission to stab you,” Puck said blithely. Cayde made a silent gesture of celebration, which Puck ignored. “I just eliminated a lot of boring conversation. You’re welcome.”

“Is giving Cayde permission to stab people a good idea?” someone asked.

“Better not toe the line then, shouldya?” Puck waggled a finger, then jumped nimbly down from zir table. The hum of conversation resumed after a few seconds.

“Thanks,” Azra said.

Puck waved her off. “I’m the host, it’s my job. Drinks go over there. Ashton left to get pizza like two godsdamned hours ago, you’re welcome to some whenever that gets here. No explosions or ordinance unless some Fallen show up. Be nice. No bothering Azra about being an Arcstider. That’s all the party rules as of now.” Ze fixed her with a stern glare. “Don’t make me add any more.”

There was a loud crack- a branch snapping under someone’s foot. A cheer went up as an unfamiliar Hunter walked into the clearing.

“That’s my cue,” Puck said, giving a sly wink. “Have fun.” The Hunter strode off to welcome the next person to the party.

"Come on," Cayde urged. "I don't think you've been introduced to Mot Balek. I have to be there to see that."

AO3 Linky

#destcember #destcember2020 #destiny #destiny the game #shhhh #it's still the thirteenth somewhere #andal brask #cayde-6 #shiro-4 #and self-indulgent nb characters #oh my

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percysaysfuck · 3 years

Text

THREE OLD BITCHES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.

It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.

Almost.

But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was fucking lying.

Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.

I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her shit faced friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.

Fine, I told myself. Just fine.

I was homesick.

I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious fucking stepfather and his shitty poker parties.

And yet. . . there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. Id miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little fucked up. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.

I'd miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.

As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Fucking forget it.

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.

I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.

I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.

I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said ". . . worried about Percy, sir. "

I froze.

Shit.

I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking shit about you to an adult.

I inched closer.

". . . alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more. "

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline— "

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can. "

"Sir, he saw her. . . . "

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that. "

"Sir, I . . . I can't fail in my duties again. " Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean. "

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now lets just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

Fuck.

Mr. Brunner went silent.

My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.

A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archers bow.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice. "

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn . . . "

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow. "

"Don't remind me. "

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.

Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.

Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"

I didn't answer.

"You look awful. " He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just. . . tired. "

I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.

I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.

But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's . . . it's for the best. "

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit fucking smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

I mumbled, "Okay, sir. "

"I mean . . . " Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time. "

My eyes stung.

Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.

"Right," I said, trembling.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say . . . you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—"

"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for fucking reminding me. "

"Percy—"

But I was already gone.

On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.

The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of fucking nobodies.

They asked me what Id be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.

What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.

"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool. "

They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.

The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.

Finally I couldn't fucking stand it anymore.

I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"

I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh . . . not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

He winced. "Look, Percy . . . I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers . . . "

"Grover—"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and . . . "

"Grover, you're a really, really bad fucking liar. "

His ears turned pink.

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um . . . summer address. "

My heart sank. Grover had a fucking summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.

"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion. "

He nodded. "Or . . . or if you need me. "

"Why the fuck would I need you?"

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Grover blushed right down to his Adams apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you. "

I stared at him.

All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who fucking defended me.

"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.

We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really fucking good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks Id ever seen.

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right fucking at me.

I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all. "

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.

"Were getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on. "

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there. "

"Come on!" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the fucking flu.

Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not fucking telling me?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like . . . Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw. "

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she fucking cut the yarn. "

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.

He said, "You saw her snip the cord. "

"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time. "

"What last time?"

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth. "

"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to fucking scare me. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me. "

This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer.

"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to fucking die?"

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.

Fuck.

#Percy Jackson #Percy Jackson and the lightning thief #percy jackson and the olympians #PJO #Percy says fuck

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suhfleur · 4 years

Text

dear, my dear • jaebeom (3/4)

• pairing: soulmate!jaebeom x reader

• genre: romance, angst, smut

• warnings: cursing, sexual content

• word count: 3.3k

summary: in a world where a touch can lock the doors of the heart, his voice opened the doors to your soul as he filled it with joy.

a/n: i was just listening to dear, my dear, now im emotional. anyways. hope you guys enjoy, as usual forgive if there’s typos i’m too lazy to review.

• • •

The next day, anxiety had become your last name. Nothing else lurked in your head but "Jaebeom, Jaebeom, Jaebeom".

Now, he had more than a nickname, more than an artistic name. His name sounded like a sea of relief to you, it confirmed that it was really real and you had spent a lot of time putting yourself in dark places, thinking absurd things, you wasted too much time. Nothing else mattered now. Not even the fact that he is predestined to someone else and so are you. Nothing could break that absurd bond that you felt with him, and only with him.

You woke up anxious, agitated, the sun had barely set and you already thought to yourself "oh, what a beautiful day", nothing would be enough to take away your good mood. Not even the absurdly crowded and noisy subway station.

Your headphones were turned up loud enough, you were just absorbed by Jaebeom's voice, with a smile on your face. A smile that never left your face, since yesterday.

You were so out of orbit that you didn't even hear it when somebody called your name, you just realized what was going on around you when someone put a hand on your shoulder, making you turn around quickly, making you face the most babiest smile ever; of LA and Seoul.

"Mark!" You exclaimed excitedly, throwing your arms around the American's broad shoulders. He looked a little bit different, dyed his hair in a bright red color, wearing sweats, as usual.

"Hey, long time no see!" He replied, laughing and tightening his arms around your waist as he swirled you in the air, trying not to hit anyone who passed by. As soon as he released you, you slapped him hard on his right arm. "Hey!"

"Don’t you 'hey' me, Mark Tuan. You said you were only going to spend 2 weeks in Thailand, why the hell did you stay there for more than 3 months? Huh? And why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I spoke to you yesterday!" You asked sulkily, putting your hands on your hips, in your best angry-mom pose.

"Look, I had no intention of staying there for so long either, ok? But you know... My soulmate is from Thailand and I didn't want to be without her, but I also didn't want to leave Korea and everything I built these last 7 years, so, I spent these months trying to bring her here... And I did it. " He informed, rubbing the back of his neck, while his cheeks were flushed. "And I wanted to surprise you, I just didn't think I would meet you here on the subway..."

"What? And why didn't you say anything to me? I hate you so much! I will finally meet her. I have to meet her, because even though Yaya sounds like a loving person, just talking to her on the phone doesn't confirm my blessing, ok? You will only marry with my permission, I’m not going to give you away just because, not even because she’s your soulmate. She has to pass the test." You said, jokingly, hugging your longtime friend again. You missed this. "What train are you going to take?"

"Actually, I'm just waiting for a friend of mine to get off at the station... And now, since my plan to surprise you with my return didn't go very well, how about we go out tonight and celebrate?" He asked, hugging her head against his chest. "Me, my Yaya, Jaehyun, Sunny and you, how about it?"

"I... I meeting with somebody today, I don't know if I can go..." You answered feeling a little guilty.

"Can't you meet that person a little later?" Mark asked with a fake sad look.

"What time do you want to make this meeting?" You asked rolling your eyes, feeling defeated.

"You and Sunny leave work around 5pm, right?" You nodded. "So, let's get together at Jaehyun's apartment, which is very close by and, if you don't want to, you can stay there for just a few minutes... But if you also want, you can call this 'person' to stay there with us." He replied, with a suggestive look, arching his eyebrows.

"I don't know if... the person is going to want to, you know? It's the first time we've seen each other in person. But, I promise I'll come and stay with you for a while." You responded, blushing.

"I think it's really good for you to actually show up, because I want to know more about this guy that you never really explained anything to me, okay?" Mark's look was emanating an order and you no other option but to say ‘yes’ to that.

"Ok, sir." You saluted, making him laugh.

The unmistakable noise of your train arriving made you get out of that bubble with Mark. You had to say goodbye for now.

"Okay, I have to go now, Markeu. See you later." You opened your arms one last time, hugging him tightly, receiving a simple kiss on your forehead.

"Be careful, okay? See you later." He said, stroking your back quickly, as you watched the train doors open and you said goodbye to him, walking backwards towards the door.

And it all happened again.

As you turned to pass the train door, someone who was leaving ran into your arm and made the coat you carried in your hand fall. When you were about to bend down to pick it up, someone else did it first, reaching out to you. You gaze went up from the floor to that person, and you saw him.

The subway guy.

And he was stunning. He was like that everyday, but man, today it was something else, you thought. He had a new piercing, which was just placed under his eye. He was so close that you could quickly appreciate his beauty and the two small moles below his left eyebrow.

Breathtaking.

You said a small and very low 'thank you', hoping that he would’ve listened, while taking your coat from his hands and that's when your body collapsed for the second time that week. When you took the coat, your fingers lightly touched the back of his hand and you felt it again.

Your chest throbbed, shivers ran down your spine and the feeling of an absurd happiness got through your chest. Felt like your heart was screaming again, and you were static.

Of all people that could possibly be your soulmate, you were comically doomed to the guy you watched every Thursday.

He didn't seem so surprised by that feeling, he just looked at you cryptically while you stood stupidly still, until someone pushed you into the train and you saw the doors close in front of your face, again.

His eyes never left you, until the train started to move and you lost sight of him.

It felt worse than the first time because now, he had a face. You knew who your soulmate was, finally, and you didn't know how you were going to deal with that. That information ended up with everything you thought you knew, with everything you thought you could handle.

You didn't know how to deal with that. You definitely didn't.

Now, more than ever, it was all real. And it was happening to you. Like it or not, you actually don’t know how you feel about this.

And those thoughts followed you all day, without you being able to breathe for a second without thinking "it's him". Your head hurt. And the day that you thought it couldn't be spoiled, was troubled and distant. Your cell phone was forgotten again, until the moment you stopped to eat and remembered that you needed to talk to def.

When you took your phone out of the pocket, you saw messages from him.

[07:07 am] def: i’m still see you today, right?

[07:07 am] def: tell me you haven't changed your mind, please...

[07:07 am] def: i really need to see you.

[10:01 am] loftv: Of course we will see each other, I just think I’ll meet you a little later than agreed. I have to do something before that.

You thought about talking about what happened with you, but it was pointless. It shouldn’t matter to you, neither to him.

[10:02 am] loftv: Did something happen? You look strange. Idk.

[10:05 am] def: a strange thing happened today that i don't want to talk about. it doesn't matter to me. none of that matters.

[10:06 am] def: I'm fine.

[10:07 am] loftv: So, why didn't you say good morning? ):

[10:08 am] loftv: Uneducated prick! *insert angry emojis here, because I don't feel like using them*

[10:10 am] def: forgive me, madam of the valley. to make up for my lack of education and professionalism, here's a series of 'good mornings' in different languages.

[10:10 am] def: 1 - good morning.

[10:10 am] def: 2 - buenos dias.

[10:11 am] def: 3 - bonjour.

[10:12 am] def: 4 - buongiorno.

[10:13 am] def: 5 - *insert here ‘good morning’ in russian because it’s really hard and i don’t know how it is spelled*

You laughed at his nonsense. And that part of the day relieved your confused chest. At the end of the day, he was the only one for you. And anxiety knocked on your door once again. The day went by so slowly that you keep looking at your watch every 15 minutes. When it was finally time to leave, you were almost jumping of joy.

"Take it easy, Dorothy. The road to OZ is almost there." Sunny said sarcastically.

"I just want to do this soon, to meet with him." You said, opening her car door and getting in.

"Speaking like that, you look like you hate your friends." Sunny replied pretending to be hurt, placing her hand on her chest, fake crying, while starting the car.

"Shut up, actress. I'm just really looking forward to seeing him." You answered, looking out the car window, which was now moving, thinking about how you could hardly wait for that moment.

Arriving at Jaehyun's apartment, Mark was already there, talking to someone on the phone.

"Come on, man. It's only a few minutes, then you can go and do what you want!" Mark insisted to the person on the other end of the line. "I swear, if you want to stay just 10 minutes, no problem, but just show up... Okay. I'll be waiting for you." He said at last, putting his cell phone away and giving you a big smile. "Here you are, my little sweet pie full of poison." He said childishly, squeezing your cheeks.

"Do you want to die?" You questioned, punching him in the arm.

"Ouch! Why do you always want to kill me? I'm just being sweet!" He protested, as you squeezed your eyes at him.

"You are pathetic, where’s the lady that has your heart, by the way?" You asked hugging him. You missed that. Punching him and getting out unscathed, just after.

Yaya showed up from the bathroom, looking stunning, just like a Disney princess, and you looked at both of them together feeling like a proud mother. Not only was Yaya a sweetheart, turns out that she was funny and a great cook. Mark was a lucky son of a b...

It didn't take long for you to get together on the balcony of Jaehyun's apartment, talking about all the crazy events in Mark's life in Thailand over the past three months. From insane rides in a tuned Tuk Tuk with a high driver, to the perfect trip through Maya Bay, showing pictures of a place that looked like heaven itself on earth.

"My god, I really need to go to Maya Bay! Check this out!" Sunny said hysterically, while you agreed, starting to talk about ticket prices and everything about this place.

"We have to go on this vacation, and Mark, I know you just got back, but you are going too!" You said pointing at him, as you took out your cell phone to look for Maya Bay, that's when you looked at watch and saw that you had spent a lot more time there than you had planned and you needed to find Jaebeom. "Oh shit, I have to go!" You said hurriedly. While reading Jaebeom's message.

[10:10 pm] def: i'll take a while, too, but after that I'll be on my way to your house.

"But already? My friend is on his way, just wait a little!" Mark pleaded, sitting on the floor, putting both hands together in a gesture of prayer. "You'll like him, I swear! Jaebeom is so cool!"

The mention of that name made you hang up and take your eyes off your phone.

"Jaebeom?" You asked in an almost inaudible whisper, feeling your hands tremble. Sunny watched you without understanding, since you haven’t mentioned that little detail of his name to her, and Jaehyun kept eating pizza like he never ate in his entire life.

"That friend of mine that I always try to introduce you to, but it never works." Mark said, laughing and slapping Jaehyun's arm. "Do you believe that I tried to introduce these two to each other for a whole month and it always went wrong? I’m trying since May, we are in August already." He laughed harder, and Sunny chuckled, as if remembering something, still not noticing your static expression.

"I remember that. The first time was when we were at the mall, we were going to see that horror movie, Mark had everything planned to leave you and Jaebeom alone and he would disappear into the world, at end, Y/N didn’t show up and Mark was disgusted. He spent the rest of the week saying he was going to get the two of them to know each other, before he went to Thailand." Sunny laughed harder, stealing Jaehyun's piece of pizza, which he complained about with his mouth full.

"I tried every day when I was still here in Korea, but the two never collaborated. Aish..." Mark said frustratedly, messing up his red hair. "The last time I tried, it was the day before I traveled, I went to Y/N's apartment when Sunny was there, I made an excuse that I needed to talk to Sunny and Y/N just opened the door, greeted me, said a quick hi to Jaebeom, didn't even look at his face and ran to the bedroom. It was frustrating. He is a dumbass also, he was always on that damn phone. Both of them are frustrating. He was right there in your living room and you were locked in the bedroom." Mark said, looking for something on his cell phone.

Every word from Mark made your stomach turn and you felt like you were going to throw up at anytime now. You didn't know how to absorb that information.

"Ah! I found it. Look at him here with me." Mark said excitedly, crawling over to you by placing his cell phone screen in front of your eyes, showing a picture of him with the said Jaebeom. And you felt the air in your lungs disappear, and were on the verge of crying.

There he was.

The subway guy was Mark's friend.

Your soulmate was Mark's friend.

And maybe, he was...

"He has an amazing Soundcloud account, you know? He's a great singer, I swear. You should listen to his music. You'll like it, I know it's your type of music. Search for Defsoul, later."

After that, Mark's words grew more and more distant, as you shifted your gaze from the screen to Sunny's face, who stood still, with a piece of pizza in her mouth, looking directly at you, as astonished as you, while understanding what was going on.

Your chest tightened in an absurd way and you felt numb. The tears came hard and you got up off the floor quickly, running to the apartment door.

"I need to breathe… Just give me a second..." You said in a low, almost strangled, voice. Your chest seemed to want to explode, your breath was messy. You walked down the building's corridor in slow steps, barefoot, leaning on the walls. Your hand was shaking like never before and you could barely see the keyboard as you typed on your phone.

[10:20 pm] loftv: Mark.

[10:20 pm] loftv: Do you know Mark?

[10:20 pm] loftv: Please.

[10:20 pm] loftv: Tell me that you’re the one that it’s coming here. That you are Mark's friend.

[10:20 pm] loftv: Tell me it was you on the subway.

[10:20 pm] loftv: Please.

You typed while tears fell on your phone screen.

[10:21 pm] loftv: Please tell me that you are my soulmate. Please, I can’t spend the rest of my life with somebody that is not you. I don’t want to.

[10:22 pm] loftv: Please.

[10:22 pm] loftv: Tell me it's you.

The minutes passed and no answer came, and everything just seemed to get worse. Your chest was unable to rest and your legs felt weak. Nothing had prepared you for that, not even your best dream. He was always there, all the time, crossed your path several times and in different ways; nothing could make you believe that this was the reality.

The noise of the elevator doors took you out of your state, making you realize that you were in the middle of a building's corridor, crying, while looking at the floor. Quickly, you tried to pull yourself together in the best way possible, drying your tears with the sleeve of your black shirt, but it was all in vain when you saw who was coming out of the elevator.

In a dark blue shirt and slightly ripped jeans, his hair was messing up, his chest rising heavily fast, as if he had been running for miles, his face was all red while holding his phone. When his eyes met yours, you felt like you were about to die, drowning in so many feelings. He came to you in hurried steps, but they seemed absurdly distant from you. He stopped inches away from you, his eyes scanning every single piece of your face, every emotion hidden in your eyes, he was absorbing everything.

"Return of happiness." He whispered, incredulous. "The lily of the valley usually blooms on the 1st of May and in some countries where it grows, tradition says that offering the plant brings good luck. It is such a humble flower, but so, so beautiful." He went on, reaching out to touch your cheeks with his fingertips, and that shiver, which was becoming something habitual to you, ran through your whole body again. Your heart had never beat so hard like this. "It is a source of inspiration for a better scenario. In the language of the flower, the lily of the valley means 'return of happiness'," he continued, as he raised his hand to the back of your neck, tilting his face so that your foreheads were glued together. You squeezed the fabric of his shirt between your fingers, pulling him closer to you. He never stopped looking at you; so intense that it just made your heart slowly unravel. "That's what you mean to me. From day one. You brought back everything I didn't know I had let go of. You brought back my happiness. You are the return of my happiness."

He whispered those words, as if he had been telling his most precious secret, then pressed your lips together, while holding your face in both hands, as if he was afraid that you would disappear. Every part of your body warmed and trembled at his touch, as if his touch was the trigger for all the feelings you once suppressed in your life.

Nothing but happiness emanated from your soul.

You could feel yourself crying without even realizing it; felt like your heart was shaking saying 'thank you, you're finally here, my love'.

"I love you," he said after pulling away from your lips for just a second, returning to kiss you with fury and passion.

And again, nothing had prepared you for reality.

#jaebeom #lim jaebeom #got7 #jaebeom scenarios #jaebeom imagines #jaebeom smut #got7 scenarios #got7 imagines #got7 smut #got7 fic #dearmydearseries

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rosemusic18 · 4 years

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Spoilers Ahead for Stargirl S1 E9 (Brainwave)

I am tempted to just start doing youtube channel, but for now I am blabbing to a post on tumblr about Stargirl episodes from Episode 7. But let me just get to everything I want to for this week.

All the spoiler will not only this week be in my opinion on the episode but will be also just spoilers over the 41 minutes of this episode.

Overall episode: 9/10, I enjoyed this one more than last weeks. It had more moments with some of the character, and went more in depth of some of the storyline. Along with Brainwave, so I am excited for next week to see what happens.

Summary: Alright, so we start the episode off with Henry King not Henry King Jr. with him starting to learn about his powers in a lab full of experiments. We see him getting muggled until he reads the thoughts of the man and then gives the man a seizure and then the man falls on the ground and dies. And then we see him go in front of a camera filming or documenting about his powers after experimenting on himself. Then we see Henry pulling out the tapes from his fathers vault and starting to watch that video which was marked Day 1. Next we see Courtney talking about how she wants to recruit Henry Jr. to the JSA, and use his powers to figure out what Brainwave’s Power is. Pat at first is weary and we see a picture of the Seven Solider’s Of Victory. Which of course Pat was apart of. But he explained how the stopped Cindy’s father or Dragon King in New York once since I have forgotten Cindy’s father name. Then we see more of the Janitor which I suspect he is either a JSA member or apart of the Seven Solider’s Of Victory. Because he sees a vision of him holding the staff which is his mop. Next we see Beth looking at Cindy’s house with the goggles and it says she went to study overseas with her mom which isn’t true as her father the Dragon King locks her in a chamber in the underground tunnels are. And then she talks about how she killed her mom. Her Mom seriously. And then her father puts gas that makes her go to sleep. Bye Cindy for just this episode. Then we see more of the videos or tapes Henry is watching, and then him using his telekenetic powers. And then we see the JSA fight due to Courtney wanting to recurit Henry and Yolanda storms off after what Henry did to her. Beth agrees with Courtney while Rick sides with Yolanda. (Civil war vibes). Next we see more of the Tapes, and Henry watching them. Later to see his dad’s hate for humans. And then he talks to his maid, and after that he hears her thoughts, and then hears his dads. Then we finally see the plans of the ISA when Dragon King annonces that Henry Jr has his fathers telepathic abilities. Which then the satelite would work and would make people fall under “the perfect world” under mind control across six states to make a perfect america. Like super serious villain vibes. Then we see a moment of Jordan in his office until Barbra interrupts him on his mission that he finished, and then she invites him to dinner. Like seriously I swear he will kill Pat. Then we see Henry reading minds of people when he goes to the hospital. Then Courtney and Henry have a moment where she is trying to recruit him and trying to tell him that their is good to every bad person and their bad thoughts you just got to look deeper because everyone loves. And she told him he can come to her whenever and help her. And then leaves. And PS. yes now henry knows Courtney was the one that did that to his father. Then we see that Pat wants Beth and Rick alone to do some research about the underground tunnels. So they get alone time but Beth reads all the books, while Rick tries to see more of his father’s journal since Pat needs to go to this Dinner. Oh I already told about the whole Courtney and Henry which goes after this but anyways it happens. Then we see more of Barbara and Pat talking as he almost tells her about everything that him and Courtney are doing before Courtney stops him and the guest arrives. We see the Mahkent’s enter and I just lit up when I saw Courtney see Cameron and his father and grandparents at the door. I just love the two. And then we see Henry get pulled into a room which is Yolanda doing it because she tells him or warns him she will kill him if he messes with her friends you know who the JSA. And she will kill him, but he reads her mind and I feel like she may be the reason next episode he helps since she said she loved him, past tense. Then we skip back to the dinner seeing that Courtney and Cameron are sitting next to another and then they say a prayer which only Jordan and Cameron’s grandparents know because it is in Greek, and he could only speak French or learned it. Then we see Pat get jealous like seriously death glares at Jordan, I want to see those two fight fist fight. Because I swear Jordan wants to kill Pat because he likes Barbara who is a married women. And then we see more of Rick and Beth (Hournite) which Beth found something calls Rick who are then sitting together really close on a couch as Beth is reading over the history of Blue Valley and the tunnel and when they are built. And then we see how both of them talk about another to each others parents. Like oh my gosh they are so cute! Then Jordan asks about Pat and let me say I swear they are trying to rival another. Then we hear about “why Pat moved to Blue Valley” which is partily true. Then we hear a small bit of Barbara hating a bit of her childhood in Blue Valley. Then they both talk about remaking Blue Valley with what they are doing for families and Jordan and Barbara smile at another. And then we hear the grandparents talk about how Courtney worries them and how they might have to kill her basically. HELL NO! I love Cameron and Courtney and two those Grandparents need to go. They are speak Norwegian. And then Courtney does go get more food since she gets up then grabs the hot pot of food, and then she gets the gloves on since it stings her. Once she goes back and hands it to Jordan it doesn’t effect him at all. Then let’s go smaller we see Courtney and Pat talking in the kitchen on how Jordan could pick that up without gloves and with his hands.Then they talk more about him being icicle and then she suspects Cameron. Like ok I get it would be hard not to since Cindy is bad. But hey I love them together so please writers don’t let them flop. I NEED THEM TOGETHER. Then they leave and we see Cameron basically asking her out to hang out again, lets hope it isn’t at his place. But they do hug which is cute but I need more. Then we see Jordan and Courtney interact as he says he wanted to meet her and supports her basically giving her his blessing to date Cameron. Hey at least even though he is a villian he supports them dating. I love that. Then she runs down grabs the staff as Pat goes after her and she is about to go but Pat says they need to tell her mom. And in the end boom! Barbra sees it and she drops the staff which stops glowing. THen we see Henry in the hospital room with someone who says about a Will that is more trying to steal his family money. Then he does the same thing his father did by killing the man. Then at the end after that HENRY KING not HENRY JR. Wakes up from his coma and talks to his son. THEN End of episode. I don’t think this a summary more than a full recap because I swear this is the whole episode.

HOURNITE SCENES FINALLY MORE BREADCRUMBS GUYS THEY MIGHT GIVE US A LOAF OF BREAD SOON.

YOLANDA BEING A BADASS!!! Like she goes after Henry and threatens him about her friends. So can she be my friend?

Cameron and Courtney Scenes, I don’t want her to judge Cameron based on his father, I need them together and I want him to be good.

HENRY READING MINDS AND KILLING A PERSON. Like yes he kills someone but I do suspect that is why he helps them too not only because of Yolanda, but because he didn’t enjoy it he wants to help people and sees what Courtney means.

PAT BEING JEALOUS OF JORDAN!!!! I loved it so much the jealousy and tension between the two at the dinner was crazy funny and I want Pat to beat him up even if it’s in his Stripe suit.

Learning more about Brainwave was cool because backstory time.

DID I MENTION HOURNITE SCENES.

BARBARA FINDING OUT COURTNEY AND PAT’S BEGINNING OF THE SECRET. Not fully but she saw the staff and heard a bit of the arguements between the two.

HENRY WAKING UP HIS FATHER. I loved that scene because I knew it would happen I guessed it. I knew Brainwave would wake up. HE IS BACK AND READY FOR STARGIRL’S BLOOD IN REVENGE.

I DON’T KNOW IF BRAINWAVE REMEMBERS YET IDK NEXT WEEK MIGHT TELL ME.

HENRY NEEDS PROTECTION BECAUSE I FEEL BAD FOR HIM. RUDE AND HARD ON THE OUTSIDE BUT A CONFUSED MARSHMALLOW ON THE INSIDE.

Can you tell I’m writing this at midnight my time, and I’m tired but I wanted to get this done since I watched the episode 10 my time.

What I believe and want in Stargirl S1 E10 (Brainwave Jr,)

To see the JSA kick some butt for once and get back in action.

Did I mention Training scene before, hmmmm YES YES I HAVE. I need just one scrap of a proper one from the team.

When the JSA enters the tunnels and finds out about the plans that the ISA has.

Barbara and Pat fighting about everything and how she was lied to. And how Jordan is flirting with her.

More scenes of HOURNITE even if it’s just a loaf of bread this time.

Cameron and Courtney scene like where she goes on a date with him.

Henry Jr. decided to be good because he didn’t like killing the person and doesn’t want to be like his father or hurt the world so he decided to join or help the JSA fight the ISA.

See Henry apoligize to Yolanda and where she can at least stand him for two minutes to listen to him.

A kiss scene not long but just one not saying which ship it doesn’t matter I just need a bit of romance since things will get ugly once E11-13 hits us.

More of Dragon King. I need to know more about him, and this Janitor.

Thank you guys for reading it. Me and tumblr on my phone are fighting since I finished this last night and it wasn’t posting. But now it’s out, and now I can stop trying to save it on my phone when it doesn’t. I have tried posting it, so they’re are no fun colors really for me to play with on my computer. Ok but for now enjoy. I’ll be back next week for E10.

#courtney whitmore #rick tyler #hournite #beth chapel #yolanda montez #pat dugan #henry king jr #henry king #dragon king #cindy burman #courtney x cameron #cameron mahkent #mike dugan #barbara whitmore #stargirl #stargirl spoilers #dc stargirl #wildcat

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seriouslyblacklikemysoul · 4 years

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Until Forever - Sirius Black x Reader

MASTERLIST Warnings: My English as always. Pics aren’t mine. Since I started this story, I knew where I wanted it to end but the middle part was a surprise, the characters showed me the way and I am simply trying to tell their story. It is going to be a Sirius Black story but not so easily. Also, I am so sorry for the mini pause. I am back. Word Count~ 2.7k. Prologue | Mercury | Delicate | Blue | Running | Aftermath

Chapter 7. Stardust.

She had avoided breakfast, considering that it would be too awkward – especially since she didn’t know what to do. But she couldn’t avoid them forever. She knew that it was wrong playing with feelings, it was wrong hurting others but she hadn’t been able to answer the question James had asked. Everyone had always believed she had the answer. They would turn to her in distress and she would watch them slowly collapsing into themselves. A broken record, spiraling into oblivion. Paralyzed, unable to help the situation, leaning forward ingesting the emotions running through their mind. But they had never thought that she held no answers. She was a question herself. She wasn’t handling it very well either. She had to talk to him, clear things up. Just thinking about it stressed her out but she knew it was important to function like an adult about it. She had loved the book he had gotten her – it reminded her of her previous life and it was keeping her grounded to her true self. But it made her life so much more complicated because he had payed attention, he had given it thought, he had gone out of his way – and for fuck’s sake, he was always there. It was very early and Hogwarts was covered in mist. Beautifully enchanted and haunting at the same time. She walked all the way to the kitchens and finally thought about the castle itself; it was old – maybe not ancient but one thousand years were a lot. She had never given much thought to the location but Scotland’s Highlands had to be the most serene place in the world. She always wanted to visit Scotland and she never knew why – maybe because it felt magic and it would had been the closest, she would ever get to it. Entire valleys covered in green beneath an almost transparent gray sky and shore so dramatic alongside the beautiful coasts and the magnificent freedom of it all. And Hogwarts happened to be in the middle. The stones felt wise, as if they were meant to build a castle that would help magic grow. She hadn’t thought about how rare her experience was, mainly because after a while she had somewhat forgotten about the whole time-travel surreal thing. She couldn’t pinpoint the moment she had let go of her memories and started creating new one but it must have been somewhere between the soft, velvet, dark sky and the shy, twirling, luminous dawn. She finally made it to the kitchens and something struck her as odd; there were no elves. She already knew – she knew that he would have to be there. Because of an entire castle, he had to be there. Taking in a deep breath, she went to make her chai tea latte. He remained silent – he didn’t how to start and what to say. People don’t just kiss and never speak again – or they do but he didn’t want to think about that. Passing by him, without looking him in the eyes made her feel like a liar. “Hey” she gently greeted him and his heart skipped a beat – she wanted to talk to him and that was a start point. He slowly raised his eyes to meet her figure – he didn’t remember a time she didn’t wear black, gray or deep purple. Replying a single hey didn’t feel right; too pretentious and cold. Instead, he stood up from his seat, walked towards her and the counted, almost towering over her, as she prepared a drink Remus didn’t know. “What’s that?” he carefully asked her, pointing with his chin at the cup. She let a small chuckle escape her lips as she finally turned to look at him. A big mistake. She could never say no to that pair of eyes. Great. “It’s called chai tea latte and it’s quite aromatic and flavorful” she explained as if nothing had happened. But something had. He nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. He wanted to talk about it but seeing her so peaceful made it impossible. She wasn’t peaceful at all; all the serenity was superficial. She let her cup down onto the counter and turned her entire body towards him. It was time. “Thank you. For the book” she started but he got discouraged and nodded all nervously. “Oh, yeah. No problem:” … no problem? He wanted to slap himself out of whatever trance he was. She chewed on the inside of her mouth, gesturing him to sit down again, as she took her cup, placed it down to the table and sat down next to him. Before she could say a single word, he blurted out the first thing that came into his mind; the only thing that was there. “You like him, don’t you?” he stated as more of an answer than a question, his facial characteristics twisting in agony and disbelief. She could’ve lied – but what kind of a person would that made her? “You knew that when you kissed me, didn’t you?” she summed their entire problem in one little phrase. And she had been right – he knew that she liked his best friend and that Sirius liked her, he knew that he shouldn’t had left his feelings take control over his actions but he kissed her anyway. He was well aware that something was still out of his understanding, he knew that she was older and the even if she liked Sirius, she wouldn’t had acted. Yet he had kissed her. And she had every right to demand that answer as he had the right to demand his. It was useless because they both knew what the other person would say. He lowered his eyes as she swallowed with difficulty. He was about to stand and leave when her cautious voice stopped him. She hadn’t thought that through, she hadn’t listened to her last remaining brain cell, she hadn’t even begun to realize what would that meant, she hadn’t taken into consideration that the story wasn’t supposed to turn out like that, yet she said it anyway. She felt the same way she had in her previous relationship – it was the right thing to do, the safe bet, the loving companion. “Maybe we can give it a try” she whispered to him. He was startled. He had not seen that one coming and he hadn’t even considered the possibility of her choosing him. Maybe because he wouldn’t. He wanted to ask her why was shy so attracted to darkness but she had already answer him with her eyes. Because it intrigued her. The mystery that was never really resolved. It could change her and take her away from the reality, even when she had to face this every time she woke up. Because it had always been a part of her and something to become associated with. As much as it destroyed her, it also transformed her being and enlightened her emotional understanding. It had its own power and energy. Because she felt emotions to the extreme, there was something disturbing but pleasant about it. An addiction, to repeating bad things, that felt slightly good. “You want to? What about … him?” he found the courage to ask her but she shook her head, locking eyes with him. “I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise, Remus” she admitted and it was true. She did want to try it because she would never know how would it feel like. And before she could register what happened, he had crushed his lips to hers and it felt soft and nice but she could sense that extra fire which lingered on – he wanted to be bold, especially before a full moon, he didn’t control it. She found herself enjoying the kiss more than she had anticipated. She had always thought that Remus was the last one to indulge in the whole range of experiences that a relationship had to offer, but she wasn’t so sure anymore. He didn’t feel like a virgin after all, she though and smiled into the kiss.

She had never been a fan of labelling things, even when she had to move out of a house and into a new one, her things weren’t labelled. But above all, she didn’t want to label something like the thing she had with Remus as a relationship. She didn’t know where they stood, or how it would progress and she needed time to process the very fact. Remus understood and thought that it would be better if no one knew for a while. Of course, it would slip his tongue the moment his friends would ask him about it because, even though they were his brothers, Sirius was after the same girl, after all. She had been very careful with her thoughts, not wanting Remus to realize the sad truth about their lives. She knew she was a hypocrite but couldn’t find the courage to tell them; maybe at some point, her guilt would choke her – but she wasn’t just there yet. She was wondering alone, wanting nothing more than to be able to chose happiness, but she couldn’t. She was waiting for the four boys to return after another full moon; she was waiting to make sure they were all alright. Knowing that one of them held the power to change the others’ fates, made her stomach flip, in a bad way, ominous and ever present. She heard a pained breath across the corridor, realizing that her feet had dragged her all the way to the Hospital Wing, and rushed towards it. She felt guilty because her eyes landed on Sirius first; how could they not? No one saw her as they all made their way to Madam Pomphrey and she waited until everything was settled. Remus was silent and in a better condition than all the previous times. James was worried, Peter was anxious and Sirius looked miserable. He had a brutal bite mark on his bicep and she understood why Remus had remained silent – he blamed himself. Madam Pomphrey insisted that Sirius should stay too but he played the brave one, diminishing the severity of it. After a while, James and Peter left – not willingly but Poppy had practically thrown them out. She heard the debate between Remus and Sirius as the first took responsibility and the second laughed and joked about it as it meant nothing. Remus rolled his eyes and she took a step back, hiding in the shadows behind the corner. He thought he saw her but wasn’t sure because he was worn out. Not paying attention to what the two of them said, she found herself face to face with Sirius. He had dropped the façade and his face was stained with pain and surprise. She inhaled sharply but sooner rather than later, her eyes traveled to the wound and his followed the same path; he knew that it was too late to hide it and too pointless – she noticed everything and that scared him because he felt exposed in a way he had never before. He did try to get out of it but an austere look and an arched eyebrow made him shut it. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he blushed. She didn’t know what to do but she did know that she had to help him even though he was stubborn. She quickly remembered the Room of Requirement; if he didn’t want to be seen as weak in the Hospital Wing, he would have to comply with that. “Just follow me” she softly told him. He was taken aback; he really believed she would leave him to go and check on Remus. And she probably should have; he wasn’t the one who had kissed her, but oh, how she would have liked that. The room was located on the seventh floor in the left corridor of the Hogwarts castle and had a hidden entrance opposite the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. The way to open the room was pretty simple; she had to walk past it three times thinking about what she needed, and the door would appear. However, her mind wasn’t just thinking about a place to help him, but also, a place to simply be with him. It was to be expected, she thought. A rather spacious room, with all the things that he would need for the wound – a counter with a bowl of water and medicines, a simple bed and bandages – but with a twist; it also had a table with her favorite beer – two of them. He was impressed by the room in front of him but tried not to show it as they walked towards the counter. He eyed the two bottles and smiled with cockiness – well, at least this time, he had every right to. “Trying to get me drunk, love?” he amused and winked at her but she kept her cool, and sat him down onto the bed, putting a little more pressure on the wound than necessary. “I’m the one who need to be drunk right now, love” she told him nonchalantly as she raised the sleeve of his blouse only to find out exactly how extensive the wound was. He tried to smile it away, but he was hurting. She took a deep breath, went to the beers, grabbed them and gave one to him as she gulped it in big sips. She needed that extra kick for what she was about to say. “Take off your shirt” she announced and hoped that her cheeks weren’t as red as she felt. There wasn’t that much light in the room, but it was more than enough for him to see how rigid her breath was as her chest rose and fell – and he averted his gaze faster than he thought possible. He swallowed hard as he complied – not before emptying his beer. She wasn’t surprised or… she shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t his abs or toned torso that made her stare, but his tattoos. Just like photographs, tattoos moved as well. He had a lion – the symbol of his house – tattooed on his right arm, the paws of their animagi forms on his chest and a couple of runes she didn’t know. Solely focusing on the wound in his left arm, she zoned out and looked at it as a single body part that needed tending. There was a poisonous voice inside her head that mocked her for trying to hide her feelings while she had blatantly ignored Remus’ but tended to Sirius’ wound. That felt nice… She had cleaned it out, applied a generous amount of cream and covered it with a bandage when she took a look of his back and was left speechless. He had the planetary system tattooed across his spine and the planets were spinning on their axes. He saw her expression – it wasn’t excitement nor awe… it was something deeper. She closed her eyes and took a big breath. “All set” she broke the silence as she sat down next to him but not too close. He wanted to ask her why… why she had frozen when she saw his tattoo, why she had chosen to help him instead of her boyfriend… why she had to have a boyfriend… his best friend. “Thank you” he said instead. They didn’t know how to be with each other in the same room. There was tension – so thick, somebody could cut it with a knife. And they both knew that at some point their souls would crush and catch on fire. He put on his shirt and stood up, finding an excuse to leave. She agreed – he had a big night and needed sleep. As he thanked her again, he couldn’t stop himself from asking her why. She didn’t answer because she would have to lie and she hated it. She just shrugged and smiled at him in a way that answered more than he had asked. He nodded and left. She fell back on the bed and sighted. All things aside, they had the same tattoo.

__ Taglist: @nadinissavage @mycobrakai1972

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Tree House Kisses, Chapter 25 (Adorney) - Scorpio and Veronica

A/N: Click here for previous chapters. xoxo!

Chapter Summary: Grease finishes its illustrious run, and we end the school year with Prom and a group trip to the movies.

TW: homophobia

Chapter 25: Hopelessly Devoted To You

Despite their opening night drama, the rest of the weekend’s performances of Grease went off without a hitch. The principal agreed to beef up security and they kept would-be protestors far away from the theatre - so after 2 days they got bored and stopped showing up.

And, possibly because of all the controversy, ticket sales soared, and they ended up getting a write-up in the Arts section of a big San Gabriel Valley newspaper.

Alyssa was so jazzed by the extra attention that she began to ham it up even more than she had during rehearsals. One night, during the drive-in scene, she hit Roy so hard one night that he had a bruise the next day.

“Where are the fucking protesters for THAT?!” Roy whined, as he got ready that night.

“I mean, you were trying to date rape her,” Courtney reasoned.

“NO I WASN’T!” Roy screeched. “My character was! Why should I get a bruise for something he does?! This is reverse sexism!”

“Awwww…” Courtney soothed, climbing into his lap. “Poor baby…”

“Reverse sexism,” Darienne chuckled to herself, “Like that’s a thing.”

“It is!” Roy insisted.

Courtney kissed his cheek, teasingly saying, “I know, it’s so hard to be a sensitive male these days.”

“It really is,” he whimpered, resting his head on her chest.

“Oh, BOO HOO!” Alyssa crowed from nearby. “Listen, you just watch out the next time Danny tries to touch my girl without consent. I’ll break your goddamn fingers!”

“Alyssa…” Darienne laughed, shaking her head. “I think you’re going off book, here.”

“I think she’s going off the fucking deep end!” Roy said. “Anyone got a straightjacket?”

Alyssa grinned devilishly at him, making some punching motions in the air.

Roy nuzzled against Courtney’s neck. “You’re still her understudy, right? Can we have her killed?”

ADORE: You coming to the diner?

PEARL: Yeah, I just have to finish up here first. Order me some fries?

ADORE: You got it.

Pearl tucked her phone back into her pocket, turning her attention to the backdrops. She had to stay a little longer than the cast after the show was over to help reset all the set pieces for the next night. Most of the cast and crew had left, waiting for their rides or making their way to a nearby diner for post-show bonding.

Pearl unlocked the wheels of the drive-in set, pulling the backdrop behind her as she headed to the wings, accidentally running over her own foot in the process.

“Motherfucker,” Pearl groaned, reaching down to rub her throbbing foot.

“Need some help?” Shea appeared from behind the backdrop, catching Pearl by surprise.

“Shea? Hey! Uh, yeah I could use some help,” Pearl nodded, the pain in her foot completely forgotten.

“We're gonna leave it right here,” Pearl guided, nodding to the other backdrop already tucked away.

“Here?”

“Yep, now just lock the wheel on that side. I'll do this one.” Pearl quickly locked the wheel then glanced up to see Shea bent over, face scrunched in confusion. “It’s… it’s right there.”

Pearl walked over to her and bent down, showing her how to lock the wheel.

“You just… and it’s locked,” she smiled.

“Oh,” Shea nodded, gazing up into her eyes before clearing her throat. “Easier than it looked.”

She straightened up, then followed Pearl back to the stage to grab some of the Burger Palace pieces.

“Mhm,” Pearl nodded, gesturing to the booth that they needed to move. “This one slides pretty easily.”

Shea helped her work, biting her lip every time they locked eyes.

“The show’s been going well,” Shea said finally, looking at Pearl with earnest brown eyes.

“Yeah, people wanted to see what all the hoopla was about after the first night,” Pearl shrugged, brushing her hands off and looking around to see if anything else needed to be moved before tomorrow.

“Hoopla?” Shea brows furrowed in confusion before letting a laugh escape her.

“Yeah, you know, all the commotion, the hoopla.” Pearl’s hand swirled in the air nonchalantly, but the moment Shea burst in laughter, Pearl found herself giggling along.

“Who actually uses the word ‘hoopla' besides someone's grandpa?” Shea shook her head, following Pearl towards the exit, shoulders brushing together as they walked.

“I don't know, I don't know… I watched Spongebob the other day. Really, I've never used that word until now,” Pearl said, turning towards Shea as they approached the big double doors.

“Wow, Hoopla. I should start using that word. It's fun to say,” Shea giggled.

“It is,” Pearl chuckled, then bit down on her bottom lip, her gaze moving to Shea’s full lips.

Shea noticed, her own laughter fading off.

Pearl’s heart leaped to her throat as the silence between them filled with an energy she'd only encountered a few times before. She put one hand on the heavy door, and Shea did the same, their fingers bumping.

Eyes snapped to each other, gauging the other’s reaction. Pearl’s tongue darted across her lip as she leaned towards Shea, eyes flickering between glossed lips and wide eyes.

“Shea!”

The sound of Sasha’s voice had Shea stumbling back, right into a rack of costumes, a small gasp leaving her lips.

Pearl frowned, reaching to help her, but when her hands were swatted away, she backed up letting Shea have her space.

“Shea, you back here? Shea?” Sasha rounded the curtain, footsteps stuttering when she saw Pearl running her fingers through her thick blonde hair, looking at Shea with nervous eyes, while Shea hurriedly righted the wardrobe rack, re-hanging the pieces that had fallen off the hangers.

In a bizarre compromise with her mother, Darienne had been allowed to stay in the show despite the “evil pro-gay message” but not participate in any of the fun stuff, like going to the diner after the performances with the rest of the cast and crew.

Courtney had just been texting her a sympathetic message when she looked up. Bob was in the middle of an animated story, while Roy interjected with corrections and insults, as per usual. But what Courtney noticed wasn’t the boys, but how Adore sat in a booth nearby, staring into space.

She decided to take advantage of this rare moment while Raja was distracted at the jukebox with Raven, and squeezed her bestie on the shoulder to grab her attention.

“Hey...”

“What’s up?” Adore asked, giving her a half-smile, biting down on a fry.

“You were great tonight. I mean, you’re always great, but…” Courtney gave her a bright smile.

Adore swallowed. “Thanks. Um, you too.”

Courtney slid into the booth beside her, wrapping her arms around her waist and looking up at her with loving eyes.

“You’re so beautiful…”

“Alright, who gave you weed?” Adore scoffed. “Willam? Pearl?”

“Nobody! I’m totally sober. You’re just pretty, that’s all.”

“Well...thanks,” Adore bit her lip.

“Do you think I’m pretty?” Courtney asked, lashes fluttering.

“Uh. Of course. You’re stunning. Gorgeous. A living doll.” Adore glanced around helplessly. Where was Raja? Where was Roy?

Courtney giggled and nuzzled her cheek.

“What’s going on over here?” Raja asked, strolling up.

Before Adore could open her mouth, Courtney piped up, “Not much, I was just molesting your girlfriend.” She smiled coyly, head still on Adore’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah?” Raja sat down. “Seems reasonable.”

“Courtney, knock it off!” Adore said, shrugging her off.

Raja snickered, saying, “Oh yeah, you looked like you were really suffering there.”

Adore folded her arms crossly.

“Dory, don’t be mad…” Courtney pouted.

“Yeah Dory, don’t be mad.” Raja reached over to steal a French fry, brow arched suggestively.

“Ugh, you both suck!” Adore said, getting up and stomping over to the counter.

Courtney opened her mouth, eyes wide and innocent. “What?!”

Raja laughed, shaking her head. “Just let her sulk. Have some fries.”

After closing night, there was a wrap party at Pearl’s house, complete with Karaoke machine, mini strobe lights, and sundae bar. Or as Willam lovingly dubbed it, “the ultimate nerd fest.”

Pearl sat on top of her kitchen counter, nodding her head to the beat of the music, watching the party around her as she sipped from her cup of punch.

“Pearl!” Sasha smiled as she entered the kitchen to get some snacks, pulling the blonde’s attention away from Shangela and Alyssa’s karaoke performance.

“Sup,” she nodded.

“What’re you doing in here by yourself?” Sasha asked, crumbling a handful of potato chips over her chocolate ice cream, then topped the whole thing with caramel sauce.

“Just chilling,” Pearl shrugged, then gestured to Sasha’s sundae. “That’s genius.”

“Salty and sweet,” Sasha nodded and the two girls went silent for a moment as she dug in.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Pearl leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

“Sure.” Sasha nodded.

“Um…I’m usually a pretty good judge of when I like, vibe with a girl. And…and I really like Shea, and sometimes it seems like she likes me back. But then…I don’t know, sometimes I feel like I’m totally barking up the wrong tree. Am I crazy?”

“Well…” Sasha took a small bite of her ice cream, head titled thoughtfully. “We haven’t talked about it. And if we had, I wouldn’t tell you, because, you know, BFF trust.”

“Of course.”

“But, just from what I’ve seen…I don’t think you’re crazy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. The thing is…” Sasha paused. “She's not like you. I mean, she’s still probably figuring some things out.”

Pearl nodded knowingly; Shea wouldn't be the first confused (or closeted) girl she had a crush on.

“So as long as you get that she’s in a different place, and you’re careful of her feelings…I don’t think you’re barking up the wrong tree. I just think you might need to be extra patient. You know?”

“Yeah.” Pearl nodded, taking another sip of her drink. “Thanks.”

“No problem. And, in case you’re wondering, she’s out by the pool. Last I saw, she was talking to Carmen and Laganja.

“Awesome.” Pearl flashed a smile, hopping off the counter.

“Adore, you wanna do ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,’ or ‘No Me Queda Más’?” April asked, flipping through the karaoke book.

“Uhhh…” Adore paused, eyeing Courtney and Roy on the sofa before looking back at April to suggest, “What about ‘Dreaming of You’?”

April scoffed. “Omigod, you’re so basic! That’s her whitest song, you fuckin’ gringa!”

“Well, I don’t really speak Spanish, dude, sorry!” Adore defended herself with a shrug. “You know that.”

“Okay, fine, ‘Dreaming of You.’ But will you at least try ‘No Me Queda Más’?”

“I’ll do my best.”

April nodded, writing down the track numbers and handing them to Bob, who was lording over the rented karaoke machine with an iron fist. “Sir, please?”

While Adore waited for their turn, her attention drifted back to Courtney, curled in Roy’s lap, feeding him her ice cream sundae. They’d been sickeningly sweet all night, and while Adore was trying to ignore their nauseatingly adorable antics, it was proving harder and harder.

“I have no idea why I’m eating this,” Roy murmured, licking a drip off Courtney’s finger. “I don’t even like vanilla.”

“That’s funny, ‘cause I think a vanilla sundae is the perfect metaphor for you two dweebs,” Willam called from across the room, causing Bob to snicker and high five him.

“Fuck off!” Courtney shouted back. “I put rainbow sprinkles on it. And this cherry.” She lifted the maraschino cherry out by the stem, twirling it on her tongue.

“Give me that…” Roy said.

“Oh, you want this?” Courtney teased, batting her lashes. She glanced over to see if Adore was watching, feeling a rush of adrenaline from the other girl’s eyes on her.

“Yes. Please baby, give me your cherry…”

Courtney giggled, dangling it in front of him tauntingly. “Say please again, tell me how much you want it…” she breathed.

Unable to take it anymore, Adore got up, utterly disgusted, and stalked outside.

“Adore! Come back, we’re up next!” April called.

“Raincheck,” Adore grumbled, slamming the sliding glass door behind her.

Courtney paused, holding the cherry mid-air, wondering if she’d gone too far. She wanted Adore’s attention, but not to piss her off.

“Babyyy,” Roy whimpered.

“Here,” Courtney said, shoving the cherry into his mouth and letting out a disappointed sigh.

Adore found Raja out on the patio with Jinkx, smoking and drinking. She went up to Raja and demanded a cigarette.

“You don’t smoke,” the older girl told her breezily.

“I do tonight,” she insisted.

Raja handed Adore her lit cigarette and lit another for herself, watching her carefully. Adore looked over at Jinkx, holding a bottle of Jack Daniels, and snatched it out of her hands, taking a long slug, then another.

“You okay there, tiger?” Jinkx asked.

Adore wiped her mouth, shrugging. Pearl and Shea were sitting on top of a retaining wall, just a few feet away. Adore looked over at them just as Shea whispered something to Pearl, both laughing softly. Adore narrowed her eyes, irritated.

“What’s with you two?” she asked hoarsely. “Are you like, fucking now?”

Shea’s eyes widened in shock.

“Adore!” Pearl cried, horrified.

“Um, I have to...I should probably get going...it’s late and I need...uh…” Shea stammered, sliding down and backing away.

“Shea, I’m sorry, you don’t have to go, you can-” Pearl protested.

“No, it’s fine, I should have left earlier anyway, but...I’ll see you around, okay?” She turned around, hurrying from the yard through the side gate.

Pearl turned towards Adore, irritated, as shrieking laughter sounded from the pool.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Pearl began.

Nearby, Raven’s voice called out, “Raja! Come here!!”

Raja looked over to the pool, where Raven was fooling around with a bunch of kids and some massive flotation devices, then back at Adore. She took Jinkx by the hand and dragged her over to the pool, leaving Adore and Pearl alone on the patio.

Adore sighed, pulling her flannel tighter around herself. Despite it being May, there was a chill in the air.

Pearl watched her for a few moments before saying, “Alright. Out with it. What’s going on?”

“What?” Adore asked defensively.

“There’s only one thing that puts you in this kind of mood, so what? They do some gross hetero promise ring bullshit? He banging her out in one of the back bedrooms? Tell me.”

Adore sighed. “No, they’re just...eating an ice cream sundae.”

“Oh yeah,” Pearl nodded. “I can see why that would send you over the edge.”

“You weren’t there.”

“True.”

“It was really...too much.” Adore sighed again, taking another drag of the cigarette.

“Have you ever considered just telling her how you feel?”

“About as much as I’ve considered putting this cigarette out in my own eye,” Adore replied.

“Gotcha.”

“This is disgusting, by the way.”

Pearl nodded. “Yeah, it’s awful. Takes years off your life, too.”

“Ugh. Fuck this whole fucking night, man.”

Pearl moved closer to her, put a hand on her shoulder.

“Listen. I’m sorry you’re having a rough night. And you know, I really love you, and I’m always here if you want to talk. But...if you ever fuck up my game again, I will punch you in the face.”

Adore laughed and covered her eyes. “Shit. Sorry.”

Pearl kissed her forehead. “It’s alright. You get one pass.”

Adore sat on the retaining wall, holding the empty bottle of Jack, feeling slightly dizzy and more than a little sick. Her downcast eyes were dull with regret.

“So…fun party, huh?”

She looked up to see Raja standing there, with that typical, aloof expression, and her body tensed up, tears filling her eyes.

“Raja, don’t. I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I just, I can’t, I can’t explain, I don’t-”

“Hey, hey, I’m not asking you to explain anything.” Raja stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Adore sniffled, guilt filling her chest. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m also not asking you to apologize. We all have shitty days. It’s fine. Yesterday I kicked over a trash can and called Raven a cow.”

“Seriously?” Adore laughed, amused in spite of her shitty mood.

“It’s fine, she deserved it.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Adore wiped her eyes.

Raja smiled. “You wanna get out of here?”

“God, yes.”

“Cool.” She took her fingers and gently tilted Adore’s chin up, placing a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. “You really are so beautiful, you know that?”

Adore sighed. “Sure you’re not just looking at your own reflection in my eyeballs?”

Raja grasped both of her cheeks and looked closer at her face. “Holy shit! How have I never seen my own reflection before?”

Adore giggled.

“Hold still! Oh my god, she is stunning!”

“Stop it.”

Raja helped her down and led them towards the gate, an arm slung around Adore’s shoulders.

“Seriously, I don’t know how you manage to concentrate on anything with all this staggering beauty in front of you…”

Courtney stood at the stove, stirring a pot of tomato sauce, as Adore perched on the counter. They were discussing prom—or rather, Raja’s prom, which Adore was having second thoughts about attending.

“Don’t you think that she should understand how you feel? I mean you were basically hate-crimed on stage,” Courtney said.

“Well. I think she does understand, but on the other hand…it’s her prom. And I said I’d go, like a month ago,” Adore reasoned.

“But that was a month ago,” Courtney said. “Come here, taste this.”

Adore jumped down, sighing, and walked over to her.

“I don’t know. I mean, yeah, it was a month ago. But…”

Courtney blew on the wooden spoon, cupping Adore’s chin gently in her hand. She fed her a small taste of the sauce, eyes watching her carefully.

“Do you think it’s too spicy?” she whispered.

Closing her eyes for a moment as Courtney’s fingers brushed against her cheek, a thrill rippling through her at the contact, Adore shook her head.

“No, it...it’s good.” She cleared her throat and took a few steps back. “Um, maybe a pinch more salt?”

“Thanks.” Courtney nodded and went back to the stove, humming slightly. “I think you should do whatever you feel comfortable with. She may be a little bummed if you decide not to go, but Raja doesn’t seem like the type to make a huge deal over prom anyway. Right?”

“Yeah, I...I mean that’s what I thought, but...I dunno.” Adore sighed again, sitting down heavily at the table. “I just really don’t want to make this a big fucking thing.”

Courtney sat down beside her. “So don’t.”

“But isn’t that selling out? Letting the bigots win?” Adore’s voice broke, remembering the heated conversation with Raja earlier that day.

Courtney scooted her chair closer, biting her lip, a slight guilt washing over her. She knew that if she didn’t have ambivalent feelings about Raja, about Adore’s moony-eyed puppy love, the was a chance she might be saying something slightly different. Maybe. But ulterior motives aside, she didn’t like to see her friend so torn up inside. She reached out and took Adore’s hand.

“Listen. Will you have to stand up to these kind of assholes someday? Yeah, probably. And when you do, I’ll stand up with you. But does it have to be over someone else’s prom? This week? Not unless you want. It’s still your life. You are the only one who can make that decision.”

Adore nodded. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Courtney brushed a lock of hair off of Adore’s face

ADORE: Well. Turns out I was being a total pissbaby drama queen. It was just a fucking dance, no one said a word.

ADORE: Like, literally, nothing happened and I feel like a complete asshole.

COURTNEY: So you had fun?

ADORE: Yeah. I mean, you know. It was a school dance. It wasn’t life-changing or anything. Lol. But sure, it was fun.

ADORE: I might just not be a school dance type. I don’t have a lot of...like...spirit.

COURTNEY: Well, yeah, duh. ;P

ADORE: lol

COURTNEY: <3

ADORE: I’m gonna sleep now but wanna hang out later?

COURTNEY: Sure. Text me when you wake up.

ADORE: Ok. XO

COURTNEY: XO

Adore wasn’t positive why she agreed to this. Granted, she always used to be part of the group movie night expeditions with the neighborhood crew, but ever since she’d branched off and started to hang out with Violet’s group, she’d found one excuse or another to say no. But for some reason, today, she found herself in the local multiplex with Courtney, Roy, Darienne, Thorgy, Bob, April, Alyssa, and Jamin - who she supposed was off probation now that Darienne could stand to be around him again. To make matters worse, they had collectively decided on the most basic of all basic movies - some superhero action nonsense starring Christian Bale and Joey from Dawson’s Creek, who was way less cool when stripped of her Joey vocabulary words.

Adore sighed, sipping her swimming pool sized soda. At least Roy, in a show of macho bravado, had offered to pay for her and Courtney’s snacks. So she had gigantic popcorn, 2 Kit Kat bars, Junior Mints, Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to help her get through the experience. It cost her some side-eye, but whatever. If he was dumb enough to make that offer, then he should be prepared to handle the consequences.

It would have been nice if Raja could have made it, but as usual, she was working. It seemed like lately, the only time they had together was super late at night after CeCe’s closed down. She couldn’t blame her girlfriend - she knew that Raja was saving up to get her own place. But still, it was a little annoying to be sandwiched between April and Bob on one side (who she was pretty sure were engaging in some kind of gross hand job action under Bob’s letterman jacket), and Courtney and Roy on the other, cuddling and making Adore want to vomit, as usual.

Courtney turned towards Adore, a contented smile on her face.

“I am totally not following the plot of this movie,” she whispered, giggling.

Adore rolled her eyes. “It’s not that deep. He’s afraid of bats. He becomes a bat. Joey Potter loves him for some inexplicable reason.”

“Right. I keep thinking there must be more to it though?”

“Nope.”

Courtney inched closer to Adore.

“This theatre is freezing. Share your jacket with me.” She gazed over with a pouty face, fluttering her lashes.

Adore shrugged her off. It was one thing when they were alone, but when she pulled this kind of stuff in front of other people, it always made Adore extremely self-conscious. It was a total lose-lose for her. If she reacted too eagerly, it would be totally obvious to everyone and their mother how hard she was crushing on her best friend, but when she pushed her away, she had to deal with those hurt puppy eyes.

“Get off, bitch…”

“Please, Dory. I’ll be your best friend forever and-”

“SHHH!” Bob hissed.

“How are you not more relaxed right now?” Adore challenged, gesturing to his lap. April’s eyes went wide in embarrassment. Adore smirked and sat back in her seat.

“Babe, come here. You can wear my jacket.”

Courtney snuggled up to Roy, lovingly placing a piece of popcorn in his mouth. What was it with Courtney and feedinghim? Was that like a kink thing? Adore shook her head. Sick. She sighed again, shifting uncomfortably. It was possible that the largest size soda wasn’t the best idea.

On the screen, Joey Potter was reaching towards Christian Bale, drawing him towards her.

Courtney inhaled sharply, and reached over, instinctively grasping for Adore’s hand in the dark, holding on tight while the actors’ lips met in a slow kiss, the music soaring. Adore’s heart pounded. She knew that this was just Courtney, it didn’t really mean anything, but it didn’t change how it made her feel. How it made her palms sweat and her pulse race, to be here in the dark, fingers intertwined and slippery with fake butter.

And then, of course, she saw Roy’s eyes, just for a moment, when the screen flashed white. Glaring at her. Did he know? Was Adore that transparent? Or was he just peeved that Courtney was grabbing Adore’s hand and not his? Anxiety filled Adore’s chest and she wrenched her hand away.

Courtney, oblivious as always, leaned her head on Roy’s shoulder and continued to watch the movie while Adore gripped the arms of the seat, her knuckles turning white. She got up and bolted for the exit, muttering about the bathroom.

Courtney turned her head and watched as Adore raced up the aisle, then turned back to the screen, biting her lip. A lump formed in her throat. She was so tired of this endless loop they were in - Courtney reaching out, taking the smallest baby steps, only to have Adore push her away. Maybe it was useless. Maybe Violet was right all those months ago when she said that Adore would never like her back. She sighed.

Roy kissed the top of her head. “Bored, baby?”

“Uh, no, just...sorry, my mind wandered a little. This movie is so dark. I think I need more color to hold my attention.”

Roy laughed, pressing his lips to her temple. “You’re the fucking cutest, you know that?”

Courtney smiled up at him. “How about after the movie, you can tell me all about how cute I am?” She kissed him lightly, sliding a hand up his thigh.

“Deal.”

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1wishyouwould · 4 years

Text

Emptiness. That’s all there was. A shadow lay across Sam’s world, only briefly lit by fire. Then smoke descended again. He didn’t know how long it had been since his brother had died yet he knew, some how it had be 6 weeks 5 hours and 43 minutes since the world come undone around him. The silence wasn’t the worst part, the wrong noises were. The humming of off key metallic riffs and whispered curses still lingered in the empty bunker.

Walking the halls turned out to be the newest way to pass the time, a new game if that was what it could be called. Walk as far as possible, to fall on the floor, unable to bare the weight of a world, without his brother in it.

It took him weeks to be able to go in to his room again, but the smell of old beer was almost as bad as the blood he could never quite wash off his hands. So walk in he did heart in his stomach, and a miracle at his side. He walked. Because he had too. So when he found a box under his brothers bed, Sammy written across it in the block letters of a child. He was taken aback. The lock on the front was old yet it had been recently unlocked by the lack of dust surrounding the key hole.

Searching around the room led to nothing but old pornos, and half stale pizza slices. Until he looked up from grasping underneath the bed, at a confused looking mutt, with an oddly shaped tag dangling from its collar.

Sitting up, and festering for the dog to come closer, he carefully pulled the collar over miracles head. Attached was a generic dog tag, and a single key. “Always loved your mysteries” a choked sob came out of his mouth, muffled slightly by a hurriedly rubbing at his eyes.

Leaning against the end of the bed, he inspected the lock and key. A perfect match. Fitting the key in he turned, pausing only to shift in to a more comfortable position. The inside was filled with papers, nicknacks and assorted bullet casings. One letter sat on top of the rest, that seemed to be the most resent. It was signed to him in deans haphazard script and sealed with red wax. Opening the seal reveled a letter dated a few days before his brothers death. A last gift perhaps. - - - Hey Sammy you and I both know I’m shit at saying my words out loud, and heaven forbid I actually admit to like or care about something. But the thing is Sammy I do care about three things in this world. You, my baby, and Cas. But it will always be you first, thats why I made this box Sammy, its for you my last gift to you. If i’m dead. And we both know id never let you read this if I was alive, I want you to know a few things.

First: Im waiting for you Sammy no matter where I am, I’m waiting for you. Cause your my stupid ass little brother and I’ll always need you. I cant be happy anywhere with out you in it.

Second: Take care of yourself, I know you. You learned one of my worst character flaws “everything is my fault” Its not Sammy I don’t care how I went it would never be your fault. Find Eileen stop hunting for a bit and just live. Just live Sammy. Be a human and get stuck in grocery lines for insane amounts of time or drive your kid to school. Just don’t name him John and your all good.

Third: cut your hair you look like a damn Sasquatch.

I don't know if I will have the time to write any more letters. And I’ve rewritten this letter so many times. So since this is the last one I wrote before my death then here’s what’s just happened. Cas is gone. The empty came for him. Bobby, Charlie and even the damn miracle dog, their all gone. As I sit here writing to you Lucifer and Michel are having th staring contest to end all staring contests. Because I might be too busy trying to save the world again, from God.

So, if this does end up being the last letter, I just want you to know that I was in a bad place before I started hunting with you. And you helped me. You helped me Sammy, we’ve lost so much since I walked in your door all those years ago. Even if you didn't know what I was talking about. You in your weird striped pant thingy, and a girlfriend. Being with you made me not feel alone.

Because I know there are people who will say our lives didn’t happen, tell those sons of bitches how awesome I was. And there are people who will forget what it’s like to be normal when they get dragged along on the journey of being a hunter. I know our lives will be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs.

And you’ll be somebody's dad, because I can’t imagine a time where I die without saving you. But right now, these moments are not stories. These are our lives, our crazy demon, angel, monster filled lives. This is happening. We’re here. And as I look at this world so beautiful. And so broken. But it was Home. It was our Home. You, me, jack and that wonderful angel, following each other from heaven to hell, and everywhere and everything in-between.

And in this moment, standing against God himself, with little to no chance to survive but sheer dumb Winchester logic and luck. I would swear on my own soul.

We are infinite.

So get up off your ass, we’ll see each other again. Death hasn’t ever been able to keep us apart, even if there’s a new reaper I doubt that will change. But don’t worry I’ve got my hand full waiting for you. And I for one cant wait to see Kevin, and Charlie’s faces.

And besides I’ve got an Angel to run after.

Love your brother, Dean

- - -

After The tears slowed down long enough to read the letter once, he read it again. And again. Until the words could be read when he closed his eyes. Picking himself up, and off the floor, he walked towards the door, pulling on one of deans larger jackets on. Making his way slowly through the bunker, the dog at his heels, a silent companion.

Packing himself in to the drivers seat of the impala. He drove. Past hills and mountains, through valleys and towns. The same old mixtapes playing on repeat. And so the stories rose up. The tale of a man, searching for a woman. Who would stop at nothing to find her.

Hunters gathered around fires, in kitchens, and anywhere more than three could sit long enough to hear the tale of the Winchester brothers. The boys not even death could separate. The avenging angel, who would always come when called. And if you were lucky enough to find someone who knew them you could count yourself lucky, as not many that did lived to tell their tale.

It took time. Several thousand contacts. And mile after mile of the same road. But find her, he did. In an old run down dinner outside Chesapeake she waited. Together, tears shed for the ones lost along the way, old pains were dulled and almost forgotten. Except green eyes. Those would forever remain. Burned like a hand print in Sam's mind.

They settled down, and for once Sam got to be on the other end of the job. Instead of protecting people with guns and swords. He protected people with warm hugs and tender words. This life came almost easily to him. The routine distracting him from the ghost of almost forgotten smiles.

When his time came there was no fuss. Just a hand holding his. Dean. His sun, his son. The light that had been extinguished by the passing of his brother had come roaring back with a passion with the birth of his son.

His son.

Those simple words brought him so much joy. But sam knew. He could feel it. The end was here, and he wondered what might have happened if he had given up on that empty bedroom floor.

“You can go Dad its ok”

- - -

“Bitch”

“Dean”

#spn spoilers #spn 15x20 #fix it fic #destiel #if you squint #dean and sam #sam pov #dean d*es #im still not over it #its not even been a day yet #i am clown #inspired by the perks of being a wallflower

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captainatarime · 4 years

Text

"Tavi... can I ask you something?" Atarime asked Octavia, she looked a little worried

They were in Octavia's room, Atarime was writing in her diary and Octavia was listening to music on her headphones

"Sure, what is it?" Octavia said as she put her headphones on her desk

"Um... have you... have you ever thought about... the future?" Atarime asked

"Oh? The future...?"

"Yes... since you are not going to be the Queen of Octo Valley... do you... do you have plans for the future?" she spoke again

"I haven't thought about that since we left our dimension... when... when I was still studying to become a queen... the only thing I could see was a future where I wouldn't be happy... where I was forced to become a queen just because that was my destiny..." Octavia exclaimed in a serious tone, after a moment of silence she spoke again

"But... But that doesn't matter now, now that we escape from our dimension, we can do whatever we want and nobody will stop us!"

"Yeah yeah... That's... That's great!" Atarime exclaimed

"And what about you? Do you have plans for the future?" Octavia asked

"W-well... u-um..." Atarime didn't know what to say

"A-actually... i-it doesn't matter!" Atarime said while laughing nervously

"Oh? Why-?" Octavia was about to say something but Atarime interrupted her

"I-I think I should go back to my room! it's late and I'm tired..." Atarime exclaimed as she got up from the bed and went to the door

"Oh! Okay! We can keep talking tomorrow!" Octavia said

"Yeah... I guess..." Atarime exclaimed

Before leaving the room, Atarime spoke without turning to see Octavia

"Hey Tavi..."

"Yes?" Octavia exclaimed

"Do you... do you think the Great Turf War could happen even if we are not in our dimension?" Atarime asked

"..." Octavia was silent for a moment, she didn't know what to say to that question

"No... of course not... I-I... I-I don't know..." She replied

"*Sigh* just... forget what I said... i shouldn't have asked that..." Atarime said

"Good night Tavi..." Atarime said before closing the door

"Good night..." Octavia exclaimed worried

[...]

Before going to sleep, Octavia couldn't stop thinking about what Atarime had asked her

"Something is definitely wrong here..." Octavia thought "She has been acting very strange... could she be hiding something?"

"Oh...?"

She stared at her bed for a moment

Atarime's diary...

Atarime's diary was in her bed

Atarime had forgotten her diary before going to her room...

"Her diary... Should I...? No. That would be wrong. I already promised her that I would never read her diary again." Octavia thought, she refused to read it several times, but she wanted to know what was happening to Atarime and why she was acting so strange

"She doesn't need to know..."

She took the diary and began to read it on the last page that Atarime had written

#Captain Atarime #DJ Octavia

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 5 years

Text

What We Make for Ourselves

A story set soon after the events of Terminator: Dark Fate

Oakland, 2021

Sarah Connor’s knuckles were white as she maneuvered her jeep down the residential streets at highway speeds. She and Dani were cutting it close as is, having spent the last year preparing their plan to storm the no-name tech startup in Silicon Valley that would soon create Legion. She’d stopped Judgement Day once before, and she was sure she could do it again, but there was one last detour she needed to make in case their plan didn’t pan out. Someone she wanted to warn.

She’d never thought about visiting him before. She figured it would do no good, serve no purpose other than reopen old wounds. Until recently, she didn’t even know where he lived, but with Judgement Day drawing nearer she decided to take initiative. It didn’t take long to track him down; you’d be amazed how much you can find about a person on Google in a few minutes with just their full name. By sheer coincidence, he lived in the Bay Area, so she waited until they were already headed up for their mission to squeeze in time for her little visit. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Dani sat idly in the passenger seat, cradling a small manila envelope stuffed to the brim with building schematics. Grace hadn’t given them much to work with in terms of intel besides a company name and a short window for when the grid was supposed to go down, but somehow they’d managed to find the right data cache and download the floor plan for the server farm that would soon host the Legion software; Skynet by any other name still reeked of shit.

Dani would rather be at the motel finalizing their game plan than out in the open so Sarah could wax sentimental for no good reason. This outing was tactically dangerous, as they both had warrants for their arrest, Dani by ICE, Sarah by every intelligence community in the western world. A couple of fake driver’s licenses and Milwaukee accents would do little to hide their identities once the feds got back on their trail.

Sarah slowed the jeep to a crawl as she rounded the final corner onto a dead end street that butted right up against MacArthur Freeway. She parked on the curb between two houses, no doubt to the chagrin of their tenants, but immediately she knew she wouldn’t be there for long.

There he was

Right across the street, piling a small mountain of boxes into the back of an old pickup truck. Sarah didn’t dare take her eyes off him, even for a second, lest he disappear back into the void that was her memory. She hadn’t seen him in almost forty years, had almost forgotten his face, but all at once everything came flooding back. Good memories and bad, of the last normal day she ever lived. The day her best friend and mother were murdered by a machine, the day she went from an English major waiting tables to make ends meet to a soldier hellbent on stopping the end of the world. That was a lifetime ago, but here he was in front of her, younger now than ever before. She couldn’t help but stare, drinking in his face, memorizing every line, every curve. A man, probably his father, popped the truck’s hood and called to him as he checked the engine.

“Kyle, I’m topping her off with oil, but you need to remember to get gas before you hit the highway.”

“I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it, we’re not done loading my crap yet.”

Kyle Reese gingerly set down a duffel bag stuffed with unfolded clothes, and threw open the passenger side door. He was getting ready for his first semester at school, and packing his truck was proving to be the hardest part of the transition. “It’s like playing Tetris,” he quipped as he rearranged a few boxes, trying to will more space out of thin air.

He was taller than Sarah remembered. This Kyle had had an unremarkable childhood and never missed a meal, he was a far cry from the malnourished guerrilla she knew. Seeing him, this ghost from her past, living a normal life in a future she never thought she’d see, it was almost too much. She only turned away from him once she began to feel tears well up in her eyes. This encounter brought back too many painful memories, but pain, he once told her, can be controlled.

Just disconnect it.

His dad disappeared back into the house, and was soon replaced by three boys around Kyle’s age, carrying even more boxes.

“Why you got so much shit, Reese?” asked a short black kid with glasses.

“Because I’m trying to make things are hard as possible for you guys, that’s why.”

An tall Asian kid propped his box on the trucks roof so he could free his hands. “I’m really gonna miss you, man.” He walked over to Kyle and scooped him in for an awkward bear hug. Kyle tried not to laugh as he was lifted off his feet.

The kid with the glasses punched him playfully on the shoulder once the hugger finally put him down. “Hate to see you go, Reese. You know, it’s never too late to drop out and stay home.”

“Tempting, but I’m already balls deep in student loans. I might as well actually be a student for a while, otherwise they’d just be loans.”

“Things will never be the same without him,” cried a kid with a buzz cut, dramatically splaying himself out on the truck’s hood. “Poor kid, he was so young!”

“I’m not dying guys, I’ll see you in a few months, I’m coming home for Thanksgiving.”

“I can still hear his voice.”

Sarah didn’t bother stepping out of the jeep, but turned to face the small crowd of high schoolers, legs dangling out the missing driver’s side door. Dani followed her gaze across the street as she stowed the envelope in the glove compartment.

“That’s the friend you were talking about? He’s younger than I am.”

“I knew him, another him, from another time. Things have changed a lot since then.”

Kyle’s mom came bounding out the front door and embraced her son in an even more awkward hug than his friend’s.

“My little Kyle, heading out to college, paying bills. When’d you get so old? You’re not allowed to be an adult yet, you were still in preschool last week.”

“Mo-o-om,” Kyle complained with a smile. Only two of his friends laughed. “You didn’t act like this when Derek left for school.”

“Sure I did, every year, and I’ll do the same for you because I like embarrassing you in front of your friends. Now everyone come together. Marc, Andy, Sawyer, stand next to Kyle, I want to get a picture.”

“You already took a ton of pictures.”

“And I’m gonna take a ton more before you leave, now stand there and smile.”

They all huddled together against his truck, and she kept directing them like she was making Christmas cards at Sears. “Okay, now let’s have a funny one, everyone make a face. Great. Now let me get some with two of you at a time; Marc you’re first.”

Marc, the kid with the buzz cut, took this as an opportunity to force an exit. “Hey, Mrs. Reese, why don’t you go get his dad, and I’ll take a photo of all three of you. A family portrait, wouldn’t that be nice, Kyle?”

“Oh, I can’t think of anything better.”

She smirked, taking their hint. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she disappeared back into the house, calling her husband’s name.

“Quick, help me pack everything now and I’ll be gone before she gets back,” Kyle joked once she was out of earshot.

Three of the four boys began stuffing thing into the passenger side, well after it was full to capacity, but the bespectacled Sawyer stood back by himself for a few moments. Sarah’s eyes were still locked on Kyle, but Sawyer’s eyes were locked on her.

“Hey,” he called to his friends. “What’s wrong with this picture?”

“What’s up?”

“There’s an old lady staring at you, Reese. She’s been staring for like five minutes.”

Kyle looked over at Sarah, and she immediately turned away.

“Good for her,” he said without a second thought. He continued with the task at hand, trying to force an uncooperative shoe box into the space beneath the passenger seat.

“Isn’t that creepy?”

“Not really, she’s just some lady, she’s not hurting anyone.”

“You ever heard of stranger danger? She’s giving you the bedroom eyes, you’re gonna wind up in her windowless van.”

“Dude, shut up, she can probably hear you. Besides, that’s a jeep, it’s got nothing but windows, I’ll be fine.” Kyle turned back to Sarah who was trying to keep herself busy by reading the warranty sticker on the windshield. Dani nudged her to let her know Kyle was looking, and when she turned back to him, he smiled at her and waved.

Sawyer punched him on the shoulder again, less playfully this time. “Stranger. Danger. Windowless van. It’s your funeral, Reese.”

“Shut the fuck up, man. She’s probably a friend of my mom’s or something.”

With that, Sarah emerged from the jeep and walked over to the boys. Dani also stepped out so she could have a better look, but remained on the far side of the street. Sawyer tried to motion for his friends to head back towards the house, but none of them moved as Sarah stopped a few feet short of the curb.

“Kyle Reese?” She didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but she couldn’t believe it was truly him.

“Never heard of him,” Sawyer said at the exact same moment Kyle responded “yes.” A third punch, not playful at all.

“It’s really good to see you, Kyle.”

“Um, yeah, it’s good to see you too. How, uh, how have you been?”

“You can stop pretending like you know me. You don’t.”

“Okay, cause I was gonna say… Can I help you? What’s up?” This woman was at least a decade older than his mom, and her face wasn’t familiar at all. He had thought that maybe she was an old babysitter of his, or he’d seen her at church or something, but he was now drawing a complete blank.

“I’m actually here to help you, Kyle. You see, there’s a storm coming. Something big, something bad, and I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to stop it.”

Kyle’s friends had backed into his yard, but he remained where he was on the curb. As she took a step closer to him, a gear in the back of his mind began turning, and he got the feeling that he had seen her before, but still couldn’t place where.

She told him a date and a list of cities to avoid, suggesting he head out into the desert and stay there. Andy inched his way towards Kyle and gingerly grabbed his shoulder. “C’mon man, I think your mom’s calling us, we should head back inside.”

Sarah stared into his soul with such intensity that he was a deer in the headlights, unable to move. She reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out another manila envelope, thinner than Dani’s, and handed it to him. His friends shook their heads, silently imploring him not to take it, but he did anyway.

Dani, seeing that the handoff was complete, beat the hood of the jeep to call Sarah back over. “We’re burning daylight, we should head out. Andale.”

“Just a second,” Sarah cried over her shoulder. She turned back to Kyle, who was holding the envelope out at arm’s length like it could explode at any moment. “I don’t have time to explain everything right now, but it’s really important that you trust me on this, Kyle. Your future is at stake. I don’t have a lot of people left I still care about, but you’re one of them. Have courage in the dark times to come. I’ll try to help you with what you must soon face, but just know that the future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive.”

She turned and walked away, climbing back into her jeep without another word. The engine roared to life, and she and Dani sped away, returning to the mission at hand, leaving the four cowering boys in their wake.

“The fuck was that?” Sawyer finally managed. “I mean, what the fuck was that about? What kind of shady ass drug dealer shit was that? Do not open that envelope, it could be a bomb or anthrax or something.”

“Dude, that was sketchy as hell,” Marc said, his voice wavering with adrenaline. “You need to tell your parents.”

“Who was she?” Andy asked, clutching his chest.

“I don’t know,” Kyle answered, tearing open the envelope before his friends had time to yell anything coherent. Inside was a long handwritten note which he’d accidentally torn in half. He had no time to read it before his parents came bounding back out of the house for their last family photo. The four friends broke apart and pretended like they had been loading the car this whole time; Kyle’s dad could tell they were hiding something, but didn’t want to ask what.

Kyle balled up the note in one hand and unceremoniously tossed it into the open window of his truck. He’d read it later and give his friends the full report, but he didn’t want his parents to know a thing, not yet at least. They took their photos, said their goodbyes, shared more hugs, and finally got all of his stuff wedged in such a way that nothing would fall out, and he hit the road just in time to get stuck in rush hour traffic.

He unwadded the note and barely made it through the first line before he froze.

“My name is Sarah Connor,” it read.

Sarah Connor. THE Sarah Connor.

He’d heard her name a few times over the years. She was a domestic terrorist wanted for blowing up a computer company back in the 90s. They called her the Cyberdyne Bomber, and her name was up there with the likes of Ted Kaczynski and Timothy McVeigh. She’d been in the news recently because she was finally caught at the US-Mexico border trying to sneak back across. She’d apparently killed a ton of guards and stolen a police helicopter, then crashed it into a dam or something like that. Kyle hadn’t kept up with the news with quite the same intensity as his parents.

He realized now that that’s where he knew her face from…

“Holy shit.”

He pulled off at the first exit he came to and parked at a gas station so he could read the whole thing in peace. He’d heard that she was a crazy person, the news said she was schizophrenic, that she believed there were evil aliens robots trying to take over the world. Her note was legible, to say the least, but no less fantastical than the news made her out to be.

The end of the world was coming, fire and fury would rain down from the heavens, machines would rise up against man to exterminate all life on Earth. And here he was, stuck in the middle of it all. She claimed she knew him in a past life, one of his past lives apparently, or a future life, it didn’t make a lot of sense. Something to do with time travel, with a rogue AI called Skynet, but it’s also called Legion, but then only recently? She was trying to stop the end of the world, but didn’t know if she’d be successful, and just wanted to give him a heads up so he didn’t die like four billion others.

He’d lived through several end-of-the-world prophecies since he was a kid, but he’d never given them much thought. June 6, 2006, 666, Biblical Revelations, nothing happened. May 21, 2011, the rapture, nothing happened. December 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar, nothing happened. And now Connor was convinced that the world was going to end later this month, but for real this time, and wanted him specifically to know about it.

Why had a domestic terrorist singled him out like this? Was he in danger? Was his family? He considered calling the police, the FBI, the crime stoppers hotline, anything, but he wasn’t sure what he’d even say. At the bottom of the note was a cellphone number with too many digits, obviously international, and he typed it into his phone almost without thinking. He couldn’t stop himself from doing it anymore than he could force himself to call the police. He was on autopilot, fight or flight mode, and he had apparently chosen fight.

It rang once, twice, then connected with no greeting. He could hear the wind whipping by on the other side, a car on the highway. With caution, he threw out a feeble “hello,” secretly hoping she wouldn’t be there and he could pretend none of this had happened.

“Talk to me, Reese.”

Fuck. “Is this really Sarah Connor?”

“Yes, Kyle. It is.”

“What’s going on?”

“Did you read my note or not?”

“None of that’s… it’s not… But that’s all BS… Isn’t it?” He sounded unconvinced, one way or the other.

So, Sarah had some convincing to do.

“Kyle, listen to me very carefully…”

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yamagucci-x · 4 years

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When Kageyama finally left the Earth Kingdom, he thought reaching the Southern Air Temple would be a blessing. Ba Sing Se was a nightmare of a city, huge and loud and confusing. But even worse than getting lost eight times a day were the crowds; even more so than in the Fire Nation or the North Pole, every goddamn person in Ba Sing Se seemed to recognize him. Ogling him during his morning jogs, packing the training stadium and yammering so loud he could barely hear his teachers. It wasn’t that he necessarily minded an audience— he did some of his best waterbending when Ukai would bring his students to watch him and Akaashi train up north. But a crowd that foamed at the mouth just because he moved one stupid boulder? Idiots. Daichi and Nishinoya could do that in their sleep. It boiled his blood.

Eventually they moved to a village that basically amounted to a pile of boulders with a roof, but he didn’t complain. In fact, much to Daichi’s chagrin and Noya’s delight, the more remote and grueling the training the more Kageyama loved it. Eight hours in the baking sun getting rocks chucked at his head? Paradise. But somehow, even in the middle of nowhere, the crowds and the attention eventually found him again and ruined his concentration. (He and Daichi shared a suspicion that Noya’s, and by extension, Tanaka’s, big mouth was to blame.)

To make matters worse, by the time he decided to move on with his training people were already fawning over him as an “earthbending master.” It finally made him snap one night at dinner, during a brief visit with his sister en route to the Air Temple. Miwa had invited some friends and local big-wigs, including a government minister who clearly cashed in every favor he had for a seat across from the Avatar and seemed determined to not let Kageyama enjoy a single bite in peace.

Kageyama’s blood pressure was already at astronomical levels by the end of appetizers but the final straw came just as dessert was served. The minister was leaning forward with that self-satisfied smile people got, as if they were somehow personally responsible for the Avatar’s success, and said, “Well you certainly mastered earthbending in record time-”

Kageyama felt a blood vessel pop. He stood up suddenly, utensils clattering to the floor. “Will you shut up?” he barked, “How could someone who hasn’t even learned metalbending call themselves a master? What, because I’m the Avatar? I haven’t mastered anything, dumbass!” He threw his napkin down on the table and stalked out of the room with a scowl, leaving his sister to deal with the minister’s thoroughly ruffled feathers.

All of that was easily his least favorite part of being the Avatar. But the Air Temple would be different, Kageyama told himself as he left Miwa’s. There he could just focus on his most favorite part of being the Avatar: learning a new element. A thrill ran up his spine at the thought of tackling a new challenge. Some part of him knew that the smile spreading across his face had something to do with his new bending teacher, but he decided it was best to close his eyes and try to nap rather than let himself dwell on that thought. He slept soundly through the last leg of the journey and dreamed about tranquil morning runs, thin mountain air perfect for training, wizened monks who kept their stupid opinions to themselves...

Kageyama, unfortunately, had forgotten who he was dealing with.

“-Not like that— it’s more like yah and then wooosh! Got it?”

Kageyama clenched his fists to keep himself from wringing the neck that bounced incessantly up and down in front of him. “Hinata, you idiot! A minute ago you said it was like huh! Not yah. Huh. Is it huh or yah?”

The orange-haired airbender stopped his springing to ponder Kageyama’s question seriously, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was one sound effect away from getting smacked off the mountain. They were a couple weeks into training, and things were moving...slowly. It wasn’t that Kageyama was bad at airbending. No, with his natural talent he’d outstripped the other novices within a few days and could keep up with Hinata on his glider most of the time. There was just something that hadn’t clicked. No “aha!” moment, just a long string of “augh!” moments. The current source of Kageyama’s rage was a move that involved throwing a wheel of wind that had a slight curve at the end of its trajectory— so far, no curve.

“Aha!” Hinata exclaimed, his face lighting up. “Maybe it’ll work if you try to be more like hu-yah!” He demonstrated the form again, his movements light but precise, and sure enough his whirlwind shot straight across the courtyard before it veered at the last second. “See? Now you try,” he grinned.

Kageyama stared in awe for a second before he pushed Hinata aside with a scowl. He still remembered Hinata’s words from the last time he visited the Southern Air Temple. They were eating sweet buns in that same courtyard, legs dangling off the ledge that overlooked the valley far below. Hinata had looked at him with eyes shining like the sun and declared: You might be the Avatar, but some day I’ll be the greatest airbender in the world! I’ll keep training hard and beat you, no matter what element you use! Heat crept up Kageyama’s cheeks.

He wouldn’t let Hinata best him. He couldn’t.

Kageyama scoffed and took his stance. He focused his chi, felt the air flowing around him, thought hu-yah and— no curve.

“Dammit!” he growled, fire flaring briefly around his hands.

“Hey, hey, hey! What do we have here?”

The two boys spun around to see a figure with spiky hair hop nimbly down from atop a portico, lazily tossing up an apple and grinning at them expectantly.

Kageyama had no idea who he was but Hinata yelled, “Bokuto, you’re back!” and sprang toward him, snatching the apple out of his hand. Kageyama watched quizzically, trying to remember why the name Bokuto sounded so familiar. The other airbender was quick to react and within seconds the two of them were pinging off each other, flying across the courtyard and around Kageyama. For a few minutes he could barely follow the apple with his eyes, let alone the two figures, but suddenly they were on the ground and Hinata was flailing uselessly against Bokuto’s outstretched palm. The older airbender hooted with laughter before bursting into some sing-song victory chant as Hinata demanded a rematch and ran through his limited vocabulary of insults. Kageyama could feel his blood pressure rising the longer it went on. He looked from Hinata to Bokuto, his curious expression souring.

He felt his eye twitch. "There's two of them?"

Bokuto looked up as if suddenly remembering Kageyama was there and released Hinata, letting him trip over his own force. “So, you’re who my little protege was so excited to train with! You’re the Avatar?”

“Yeah, I am. Oh!” Kageyama started, suddenly remembering where he had heard the name. “You know one of my waterbending masters, Akaashi.”

“Akaashi? You trained with Akaashi?! He never- that little-” Bokuto floundered, red-faced, for a second before he propelled himself toward Kageyama with wide smile. “Wait- did Akaashi talk about me? What’d he say?”

Kageyama cringed and turned his face away. “Well he didn’t mention that you were so...loud.”

For a second Bokuto looked like he was stabbed in the gut. Hinata bounced indignantly behind him, yelling, “Take that back, scrub! Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Bokuto quieted him with a wave of his hand. “I guess I should expect nothing less from Akaashi’s twerp.” He turned to Kageyama with a smirk, “Looks like the wind wheel’s giving you some trouble, huh?” The Avatar nodded sullenly. “Well you’ve definitely got power, but your technique sucks!” Bokuto burst in good-natured laughter, having already forgotten the slight— Hinata, however, earned dagger eyes from Kageyama for snickering. Bokuto flew across the courtyard and called, “I wanna see you in action- come at me with whatever you’ve got!”

Kageyama dropped into a ready stance with an excited smile, his pulse quickening. Hinata had improved a lot since they last saw each other- an amazing amount, really- but this guy was the real deal. Hinata seemed equally excited just to watch as he perched on the low perimeter wall, shouting encouraging words to both of them. Kageyama advanced quickly on Bokuto, sending quick bursts of air with flying kicks that were easily dodged. When he got close enough he planted his feet and punched a powerful gust he hoped would send Bokuto flying— but Bokuto wasn’t there. Instead, he was lifted up by a swirl of air and in the second before he was unceremoniously thrown onto his ass he saw Bokuto grinning from below him.

“Hey, hey, hey! That’s how it’s done, baby!”

Kageyama groaned, dragging a hand down his face. When he opened his eyes Hinata’s stupidly bright smile was blocking his view. “Wow Kageyama, even you barely lasted a minute. Bokuto really is amazing,” he said, helping him up. The fact that he wasn’t even teasing, just genuinely admiring them both, somehow pissed Kageyama off more. He slapped Hinata’s hand away as soon as he was standing.

“Again,” Kageyama demanded.

Bokuto ignored him. “Just as I thought. You airbend like an earthbender,” he said, “You want to tackle challenges head on, but air isn’t a straightforward element. It leaves you wide open.” He abruptly turned on his heel and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “Follow me, little chickies! There’s something I want to show you.”

Kageyama raised a brow at Hinata, but he just shrugged.

“-Ta-da! Airbending gates!” Bokuto spread his arms before the cluster of wooden panels, some of them twirling lazily in the evening breeze. “From what I’ve heard you’re a real control freak, Avatar, but to conquer this you’ve gotta learn to surrender.”

Without further ado Bokuto set the gates spinning with a burst of air and plunged in. The younger boys watched wide-eyed as he wove fluidly through to the other side, exiting with a handspring just to rub it in. They gasped in unison, “So cool!”

After a short scuffle, it was decided that Hinata would go first. He held his own until about halfway through, when a misstep earned him a few new nasty bruises. “Nice one, dumbass,” Kageyama jeered as he stepped up to the gates. He slouched into a defensive position, keeping light on his feet as he entered the field of swinging panels. He kept his eye on the center and swerved one way, then the other, wondering why Bokuto thought he’d have so much trouble—

“Augh!”

For the second time that evening, Kageyama’s back slammed against the ground. “Dammit.” He gingerly touched his arm, red from slamming full speed into a gate. “Again!” he yelled over the airbenders’ laughter.

The scene replayed itself over and over again. Eventually “one more time” was too many times for Bokuto, but Hinata stayed until the sun had nearly disappeared into the valley. Kageyama got close a few times, but with every failure (and every time Hinata succeeded) his frustration mounted.

After getting thrown for the umpteenth time, Kageyama punched into ground with a ragged breath. How could it be so easy for Hinata, but so difficult for him? He needed to clear his head before he really snapped. Wordlessly, he dragged himself up and started walking away. “Where the hell are you going? You said one more time!” Hinata called after him. He just bit his tongue.

Finally, Kageyama found some peace running through firebending forms alone on a grassy knoll. His breathing was under control, his chi was flowing, and every burst of fire felt like an extension of his own body. Firebending was natural to him: airbending was confusing, for a lot of reasons.

One of those reasons caught his eye as he started his cool down. In the rich sunset that painted the southern temple’s sky, Hinata’s hair shined like flames. His eyes, peering cautiously up at Kageyama, caught the light with their brilliant yellow. Kageyama just stared.

When he realized he wouldn’t get his head chewed off Hinata cocked an eyebrow, putting up his hands expectantly. “Well?”

A smile spread over Kageyama’s face. “You’re on, pipsqueak.”

Their first spar was over pretty quick, quick enough that Kageyama almost suspected Hinata of throwing the fight. But when he pinned Hinata to the ground and saw the familiar glint of competition in his eye, he just grinned.

“Again?”

“Duh.”

They had no idea how long ago the lamps had been lit when they finally collapsed in the grass, panting and laughing. Kageyama knew he’d be sore the next day, and not just from those stupid gates. Hinata had gotten good. Like, really good. He knew from their letters that he trained like crazy, they both did. But something was different about him. Sure, he was still an excitable idiot and a huge pain in the ass, but there was an edge to him now that wasn’t there before. Maybe a base to his baseless confidence? Kageyama glanced over, watching Hinata watch the sky. It wasn’t just that, though— he couldn’t help noticing that the change was physical, too. “Pipsqueak” didn’t quite fit the toned, lithe airbender who was stretched out beside him anymore. Heat started to bud in his cheeks. Hinata looked over at him and he quickly looked up at the stars. “Thirty-seven to twenty-five. You’re never gonna catch up,” he said.

Hinata propped himself up on one elbow and clenched his fist. “Just wait, Kageyama! I’m gonna learn some crazy moves from Bokuto and beat you so bad it’ll count for a hundred wins!”

Kageyama snorted. He had some acid retort ready but it died on his lips when he looked over. What else could he do when Hinata was so close, looking at him with those shining eyes and that stupid sincere smile? He just rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”

Apparently satisfied by that, Hinata scrambled up the slope and plopped back down with paper package of rice balls. For a moment the night was quiet while the boys eagerly stuffed their faces, but the calm was soon broken as their conversation turned to Bokuto and his near-mastery of airbending.

Yeah, Kageyama thought as he munched happily on sticky rice and watched Hinata try to mimic the hwa-woosh of Bokuto’s moves, this is way better than the Earth Kingdom.

#avatar au

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poorvioletdraws · 5 years

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Tom vs. The Underworld

Chapter 2: Santeria, Part 1

I had been moping at home in our kingdom for two days before I decided to leave. No matter how many video games, or ping-pong matches, or the numerous times I hurled pear grenades at Petey as we played dodgeball, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how I left Star on the day we should’ve left for our trip together. My parents were away discussing business matters with the Pigeon Kingdom so that ruled out me talking to anyone about my problems. Brian’s expertise was anger management, and I wasn’t particularly angry over anything that counting backwards from ten would resolve. And Petey is loyal and all, but he doesn’t quite get it. So I decided to just go wherever the road led me and my skeleton horse-drawn carriage.

I picked up my “Alphonse the Worthy’s Atlas of the Multiverse” and started turning its pages. The titular sea captain had documented many dimensions throughout the universe that I thought would be a great starting point for Star and I to choose where to visit on our first getaway. All she had to do was pick one--any one. But she didn’t circle anything. And there were SO many dimensions we could have seen together. There’s the Underwater Dimension, Pixtopia, and even the Plains of Time where Father Time literally maintains time! There’s the Desert Dimension, home of the universe’s best hot dog, the Goblin Dog—I’ve always wanted to try one. There is even the Crystal Dimension where all the renowned, most evilest of beings are imprisoned; sounds pretty metal if you ask me!

I let out a sigh and closed the book. I sat it down on the table next to the throne chair I had been slumped in and rubbed my fingers to my temple irritated. Was none of those worlds just not interesting to her, or was she hiding the fact that she already had been there before… with Marco?

I pulled myself up and decided to brood over by the window of my carriage for a change. My skeleton horse trotted along a mountainous volcanic region of the Underworld, towing my caravan behind it. I had been travelling for two days now and I didn’t really know where I was headed, I just knew I wanted to get away and go anywhere at this point. I wanted to clear my mind and give Star space. I wanted to see something new. Star and I both would be seeing something new right now if it all worked out. But now I’m travelling through my homeland, the same old Underworld where I have lived all my life.

Granted, this was a region I had barely been in. My family would travel by portals to get to Lava Lake so we wouldn’t have to waste time travelling the hard way. This area was a divider between the lake and Prickly Plains, where the demon city of my common people resided. I don’t know why I decided to take the long trek through, it just felt like something I had to do. Plus, the change of scenery was not too bad. There were mountains of all sizes and volcanoes oozing out its molten rock like blood from a wound. The path I was on was decorated with charred skulls and skeletons, probably of tourists who foolishly came to the Underworld without a firesuit or any other form of protection from the burst of flames that would emit from the earth spontaneously. But no matter how cool the sight was, I couldn’t stop thinking about Star.

I wanted Star to be with me right now. I wanted her to finally start having fun and enjoy being a teenager for once. She no longer had any obligations to the Butterfly throne. She was done with being a princess and wanted to be free. But I can’t help to think that maybe she wanted to be free from everything that pertained to that aspiration. And since I am a prince, that included me being apart of what held her back as well.

“Ugh! What does she want me to do? It may be easy for her to just give it all up, but not for me.” I groaned as I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and leaned on the windowsill with my elbow. The Lucitor throne is what I’ve always known to be mine one day. I was proud of it--being a prince. It is my path and something I accept for myself. But I should accept what she wants for herself too. I finally got a second chance for Star and I to be together and I don’t want it to end over me being upset or letting my emotions get in the way again.

Without warning, my skeleton horse halted its pace abruptly and I shifted about on my feet. “Why have we stopped?” I said aloud.

I opened the door of my carriage and stepped out to see where I had ended up. I first noticed a humongous mountain a mile or so before me with bats and vultures dotting the sky around it. It was the tallest point in the Underworld--The Mountain of Boom. And seated within the mountain’s col was what looked to be a small town. There were a few buildings and residences built in to the mountain range as other structures came to the center of its valley. A crowd of demons bustling around a busy marketplace was the forefront of the town that lay ahead. It actually was a wicked sight to behold. The perfect place to get distracted.

I looked up to read the large entrance sign in the shape of a traditional Japanese shrine gateway that I was standing under. “Yomi Town”. Never heard of it. There were a lot of civilians around for it being in a remote location so it must have some interesting secrets behind it.

“Guess I’ll have a look around, not much else to do.” I said while placing my hands in my pockets and walking through the torii. “Get comfortable, skeleton horse.”

“Yes, Master Tom.” My horse uttered from behind me.

I strolled through the town’s marketplace engrossed in fascination. Not only was it loud, but it was crazy busy. Demons and monsters littered the streets haggling over shop items or enjoying the many varieties of food selections to be had. There were handcrafted weapons laid out on embroidered mats and decorative wares such as plates, bowls, clothes, and jewelry all being presented by its sellers to their intrigued buyers. I saw street performers dancing with basilisk boas while others blew fire from their mighty jaws to create authentic glass art. Customers were entering and exiting restaurants, ordering at side carts, or walking around eating their delicacies in order to not miss anything the market had to offer. There was even cute little cerberus puppies on display in the window of a pet store. I just had to check those out!

The little monstrous pups with three heads were tumbling and pawing at each other without a care in the world. I pressed my hands up against the window to admire their adorableness further. There were five of them altogether and they were practically identical. Their jet black fur was smooth and their red eyes shone brightly as they tussled with their siblings. One of the multi-headed canines finally noticed me and came up to the window. It looked up at me with its six big eyes and gave me a tiny fanged smile, wagging its tail playfully. It was so cute!

However, despite all of the excitement, my hand idly returned to its previous location in my pocket and held on to my compact phone. I began to wonder what Star was up to right now. Not being able to text her nonstop was one of the hardest things about this time away. She hadn’t called me since I left, come to think of it. Did she even care where I went? I wonder where she ended up going to… Probably Earth, I bet… Who am I kidding, I know she did…

I closed my eyes and pulled my other hand away from the glass and back into the adjacent pocket of my leather jacket. I sighed as I felt the depression returning. Even though I’m far away from her, I still can’t forget about Star...

“P-Prince Tom?” I heard a feathery voice float through the noise of the multitude of monsters and rest upon my ears. Her voice was familiar and inviting, I knew I heard it some time before. And although it was soft, it was as if everything around us seemed to hush for the female demon that stood a few feet from me.

She was a teenager like me, an assumption I gathered from her appearance. She had gray skin with patches of what resembled small rocklike fragments dotting portions of the parts of her body that was shown. Her golden eyes mirrored the sunlight and her somewhat disheveled scarlet hair spread out like a bird’s wing. But only the right side of her tresses were visible as the left side was concealed by the hood of her black sleeveless sweatshirt she had on under her shoulderless jean jacket. Her dark blue denim shorts were high-waisted and her white knee-high combat-style boots were scuffed from extensive use perhaps.

I remembered her. She was the delivery girl for that store on Lava Lake that would bring our order every few weeks. I answered the door for her once. She was clumsy and a bit high-strung, but she seemed friendly. Her name was…

… nice to meet you, Raya. Well, see-ya around …

That’s right. It came back to me.

“Hey there, Raya.” I greeted her by taking my hands out of my pockets and waved at her, my phone being forgotten at the moment.

She looked surprised and said, “You remembered… someone like me?” She began to blush and smiled to herself. “Thank you, Prince Tom…”

“Hey, I told you last time. No need for the formalities. Just Tom is fine.” I told her.

“Oh, no I couldn’t.” Raya tightened her grip on the bag she was holding. “My parents would be very upset if they knew I spoke to you in such a casual way... I’m sorry, Prince Tom.” She sounded very sorrowful over the thought of the idea.

“Well it’s fine, I guess…” Feeling defeated, I rubbed the back of my head not knowing what to say next. I fixated on the bag in her hands and became interested by its contents being a rather large flat square. “Hey, what’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, just a vinyl record.” Raya reached in and pulled it out. I recognized the band on the front and got a little excited.

“Are you for real?! Love Sentence! I love them! I’m like their number one fan.” I didn’t notice I had grabbed on to it during my fit of fangirling. I continued to gush over them, “What the!! This album is hard to find and contains all of their songs from when they first started out, like before they even were famous! There’s even a lot of never before released stuff on here! So you’re a huge fan too?!”

She said without hesitation. “No, never heard of them.”

If this were a cartoon, this is the part where I would face fault.

“What?! Then why did you buy such a widely-sought-after-by-fans album such as that?” I exclaimed dumbfounded.

“Oh is it that rare?” Raya looked it over perplexed.

“Yes, of course, have you not been listening to what I’ve been saying!” I was astonished by her naivety over such a remarkable boy band such as Love Sentence.

“... So that’s why it was the last one.” She said nonchalantly.

“WHAT?!” I felt fire explode from me as I yelled in disbelief. Keep it together now, keep it together.

I quickly calmed myself down and pleaded with Raya, “You have to let me buy that from you.”

Raya put the record back in the back and looked at me worriedly. “Oh… I’m sorry, Prince Tom, I can’t do that…”

“Why not? I’ll pay double what you paid, anything actually! Please!” I had grabbed on to her shoulders and begged for the album.

“I can’t because it’s a gift…” Raya said meekly, the gray on her cheeks were turning pink.

“Oh.” I squeaked out. Well that was a definite open mouth insert foot moment. I dropped down from 10 to 0 on the freak-out scale and could now think with a clear head again. I quickly released my grasp on her shoulders and it was my turn to blush due to the awkwardness that I had caused. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you like that. And I shouldn’t have tried to pay for something that is a gift of yours…”

Raya smiled at me and said happily, “Actually, Prince Tom, it’s kind of nice seeing how passionate you are about music. I’m the same way really.”

“Yea… Still that was a jerk move on my part. I still have a lot to learn about boundaries obviously… So I’m sorry.” I apologized as I was still kicking myself for how I acted.

“Thank you.” She gave me another sincere smile and accepted my apology.

I didn’t want to pry but I still wanted to know why she bought that record. So I asked, “So… you buying that for a brother, or a sister, or a boyfriend maybe?”

Raya shook her head and said, “Every year my family comes here on vacation and there is always some one-of-a-kind finds out here. I try to buy one souvenir for each of my friends back home since they don’t get the opportunity to leave our hometown very often…My friend Blair loves this band so I had to get it.”

“Wow… that’s pretty cool of you.” I praised her kindness. There is also more to this place than I thought and since her and her family come here enough to know about it, I had a great idea come to mind. “Hey, how about I help you shop for your friends as a way to make up for how I acted?”

Raya grew nervous again and said, “Oh no, I don’t want to take up your own time here that you could be spending with your family or… your girlfriend?”

Upon hearing her rebuttal, my heart skipped a beat. I started thinking about Star again. If only you knew, Raya. You won’t be taking up any time that I would have been spending with her because she didn’t even want to come with me anywhere…

I shook the thought away and tried keeping my composure as I told her, “Nah, it’s cool. I’m travelling alone actually. This is my first time here...” I began itching the back of my head, unsure of how she would handle such a proposal, but I continued anyway. “I was thinking… Since your family comes here more than I ever have, do you think you could also show me around?”

Raya put her hand to her chin and was actually considering what I had asked of her. “Well, if Your Highness… I mean, If you insist, Prince Tom. It would be rude if I turned down your request.” She began fiddling with her fingers.

“Awesome, let’s go then!” I was ecstatic. This was a great chance to get distracted. I started strutting forward but then froze in my steps. I looked back at her and said, “Uh… Where to first?”

She giggled and we walked down the main street together.

There was so much to see and so many novelty stores that I never would have expected from a town so deep in the mountains. This section of Yomi Town containing the marketplace and shopping center was known as the Tsukiyomi District. It was the social hub for practically everything. Raya showed me the music store where she had bought the vinyl record. What made it stand out from many others was the signed instruments it had from popular bands and infamous singers--I even saw one of Eclipsa’s skeleton guitars on display. While there earlier, Raya was debating on whether she should buy “The Box of Applause” for one of her friends and after a second opinion by me, she did (seemed different, but cool). Raya scored some gourmet coffee beans from an espresso stand as a gift and I pointed out a seller closeby with all sorts of exotic crystals she bought as another one. We finally picked out chocolate scorpions from a dessert store for the last friend on her mental list--it being a banned delicacy back in Prickly Plains--and we tried a few for ourselves.

In between our search for souvenirs we were also able to do some of the recreational activities Yomi Town had to offer--we went ziplining through the fiery caverns, played a few games of flamethrower tag at an arcade, and we caught a local band performing at Yomi Town’s cemetery event center while passing by. I even tried extreme hot air balloon racing with the speed being controlled by miniature dragon flames; now how sweet is that! I let Raya beat me though, I swear. I was actually quite impressed with how this day was turning out.

Raya knew a lot about Yomi Town too. She told me about the Mountain of Boom being the largest volcano in the Underworld and that when it erupts its vibration is felt throughout all of Mewni. It’s lava empties into crevasses around the mountain, kind of like a fondue fountain. There’s a hot spring at its base where her family is staying that has water with temperatures reaching up to 1,000 degrees due to the lava flowing underneath.

It was towards the end of our adventurous day where I slipped up. We had made it to a clothing store where we were trying on outrageous fashion styles and having so much fun laughing over the choices we showcased in front of a set of full-length mirrors.

Raya and I both were making vogue faces while wearing matching spider hats and spiderweb shades when I mindlessly said, “Haha! Oh wait, let me take a selfie so I can send it to--”

I stopped myself before I could finish but I was already holding my compact phone up as a reflex to snap a photo. Send it to Star? What was I thinking. Why would I say that? Would Star even care anyway?

Raya didn’t notice I had cut my sentence short and she agreed with a simple “Sure.”

I went ahead and took the picture for the sake of not alerting the demon girl of my sudden switch in emotion; but I didn’t send it. I was somewhat happy, from what my forced expression on the photo suggested, but deep down I was still bothered by my situation with Star. After all this, still?!

I removed the hat and shades and sat them back on the display rack. I’m sure it was written all over my face how I was feeling right now. I didn’t want to bother Raya with my problems so it would probably be best if I stepped aside for a moment.

“Hey, I’m going to get some fresh air, ‘kay?” I mumbled. Without waiting for a response from her, I walked out of the store and wandered over to a courtyard that was in proximity to the marketplace but away from all of the hustle and bustle. I stood under a large black tree with bare branches and frowned wistfully at it.

I can’t believe myself sometimes. After everything I’ve done today I still can’t get Star out of my head. She was probably having her own fun right now, with Marco. Not giving me a second thought… Seriously, what is wrong with me, why am I not good enough...

“Is everything alright, Prince Tom.” I heard Raya’s amiable voice as she carefully stepped up from behind me. So she did follow me outside...

I didn’t want to lie to her and I didn’t want to hide the reason for me ending up in this town. But these were my own problems and after she dedicated her time to me (to keep me distracted) she didn’t deserve my drama or baggage. She could’ve been doing anything she wanted, but she hung out with me. She wasted her time for me to show me around a place that she has been coming to for years. Yet I was the one being a downer? It seemed she had fun today, but did she really?

“Prince Tom?” She repeated with some worry in her tone after I forgot to answer her the first time.

“Sorry, I just… started thinking about my girlfriend…” I confessed with my back still turned on her.

“Oh! Is she okay?” Raya inquired concerned.

“Yea… I think she is. I’m just… We’re having a…” I was struggling with what to say. This was my business and I needed to handle it on my own. “Hey, t-thanks for today.” I choked out trying to deflect from my growing depression. Why did I feel I were on the verge of tears.

“Prince Tom?”

I heard her lightly step forward as my eyes welled up further. I croaked out, “You know, I don’t have a lot of friends… And it seems the ones I do have, the ones who are supposed to be my best friends, would rather spend time together than with me. And you have been SO kind to me today for me to just start acting like this. All I wanted was to relax and have a great time while I’m away. I just wish it were always like this when I’m with her... I’m sorry you had to put up with me and do things you’ve probably done a million times. You probably had more important stuff to do and I selfishly took you away from that. I can be such a buzzkill so I understand if you’re ready to just go--”

“Prince Tom, don’t say something like that.” Raya objected. Although her voice was still very sweet-sounding, it had invoked a formidable presence that rendered me speechless to what she had to say next. I turned to face her to see she too appeared to be holding back tears. She walked closer to me and put both of my hands in hers and said, “There will never be anything more important than showing you, our Prince, around a place that has been apart of me for years. You even helped me immensely with gift shopping, which I am so grateful to you for. I’m glad I was able to share with you the fun things I like doing. And for you to be happy, well, it makes me happy witnessing that…”

I still couldn’t find my words, “Raya… I…”

Within an instant, she had released her grasp and stepped back from me. Her voice became genial once again as she coaxed me further, “When you’re ready to talk, I’ll listen. Your friends are probably just occupied with issues of their own, so it may seem like they don’t have time for you. Just try not to take it too personally, and most of all, try not to let it ruin your time away from what is upsetting you.”

I felt my anxiety beginning to fade from what she said. Over the past few days I felt so empty. I felt that no one understood or even cared. I was trying to feel that void of not being acknowledged or not being wanted. But then I came here. This place and Raya was starting to help me feel whole again. And for only knowing her for a short time, I was glad I had found a friend like her.

“Raya, thank you so much for that.” I expressed my gratitude toward the demon girl.

As if on cue with my words, an ominous bell began to toll in the distance.

“What’s that?” I asked as I scanned the area for the origin of the ringing.

“Oh, that’s just the temple where they do all the rituals and sacrifices and tortures, you know, stuff like that.” Raya spoke as if it was just some ordinary, everyday occurrence.

“Okay I gotta see that.” I said. Well, for the Underworld, it is kind of the norm.

“Alright, I’ll show you.” Raya went to pick up the bags of gifts that had been sitting on the ground by her feet.

“Here, let me get that.” I volunteered.

Raya became flustered and said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Prince Tom. I don’t want to burden you with having to carry my gifts.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” I held my hand up and the bags began to effortlessly float into the air the same way the packages did when Raya came to our lake house. “‘Kay, ready?”

Raya was amazed by my telekinesis. “That’s amazing you can do something like that. Thank you!”

“Yea, I guess it is.” I couldn’t help but grin over her compliment.

The two of us began to walk away from the courtyard, not noticing two gray figures that had been crouching behind some bushes hop up and take off in the opposite direction.

Raya and I rounded the corner as the gigantic bell recessed in its tower ceased its powerful resonance. I was expecting to see an ancient temple erected with stone pillars or something basic along those lines, but instead, what my eyes discovered was truly magnificent. It was an enormous cathedral designed in the style of perfect Gothic architecture. It was made of black stone that glimmered from the surrounding fire that spewed from the ground steadily. And the craftsmanship was superior. There was a significant amount of excruciating detail no matter where your eyes wandered, right down to the last arch. I was mesmerized.

“It’s… It’s…” I stuttered as I couldn’t quite think of a word to describe it.

“Wicked, isn’t it?” Raya stared proudly at the building. She asked if I wanted to go inside but I think she already knew the answer from how bewitched I was already in the temple’s beauty.

We walked under a series of flying buttresses that outlined the foyer of the temple. And I just couldn’t stop gawking at the sight of the art on the walls. There was depictions of torture and agony brought on by fire-breathing demonic figures and satanic language etched in its borders. Any Mewman would cower and flee but to us demons, it was glorious.

I stopped marveling long enough to declare to her that this is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen all day but she had started walking through a great passageway. I quickly followed behind her to enter a room even more darkly majestic. We walked into the grand hall that was dimly lit by floor-length candelabras positioned systematically near the walls and toward the center. There were rows of benches facing an altar made of a numerous amount of skulls with what appeared to be blood dripping down from it.

“Darn, seems like we missed them harvest the blood from the unicorn.” Raya mumbled to herself.

“Hey what’s that?” I pointed over to two large statues that faced away from each other behind the altar. We walked over to them and I saw a table with small wooden boxes filled with beads and rope used for making what seemed to be necklaces. I stepped up and started examining each one. There were beads shaped like eyes, fangs, bats, teeth, and skulls. Upon further investigation, I could see that in the hands of the statues were finished necklaces hanging from them.

“These are the founders of Yomi Town, Izanami and Izanagi.” Raya explained as she came to my side. “They were demon lords from long ago that originated from this region and became known as the Underworld’s greatest fighters of that time. My mother always told me stories about them during bedtime when I was little. I’m sure your own mother did the same…”

I intently watched Raya as she spoke. She really did know a lot about this town--No, the Underworld’s history. More than I did, that’s for sure. My parents and advisors focused my rearing on what my duties as a prince are and what they will be as a king. Although I may be the prince, I have never been to Yomi Town; a place of great importance to my people and home to two legends. I’ve never even been to Prickly Plains either, come to think of it. And that’s the home of my subjects. Raya’s home... My people don’t even know who I am or what I’m like. I mean, when I first met Raya she was afraid I would harm her. Am I really that out of touch with my own people and their lives? Have I been too preoccupied with what has been going on in Star’s life that I’ve neglected my own? If I’m to rule this world one day, I need to understand it and be more involved in it than I have been.

“Please, tell me more.” I implored her.

Raya continued, “Alright, Prince Tom... Well, Izanami and Izanagi were close companions and fought alongside each other during many battles. Their most famous--and final legacy--was what had transpired from the war against the demons and Mewmans. Izanami was captured during an ambush on the battlefield and held prisoner by the Mewman army. When Izanagi tried to save her, he was too late. They burned her as a show of force to the demon army, her necklace being the only thing he could recover from her ashes. And although he fought fiercely for her revenge, he wasn’t the same without her by his side. When his army retreated, he kept fighting until he died in battle… alone.”

“Tragic…” I murmured as I studied the statues.

“So as a tribute to them, this temple was built. Other events and activities take place here but this ceremony is the main highlight of the temple. The giving of the necklace.” Raya pointed at the hands of the statues. “Because Izanami and Izanagi were separated, tragedy ensued and created the key factor for our species losing the war. And even after the treaty was signed between the Mewmans and demons, many still do not trust them and fear they will try to separate us from those close to us again. Izanami and Izanagi were strong because of their unity. The necklaces solidifies a union by two people who come before the statues--which are the sacred presence of the demon lords--and seek their blessing to never have their own companionship separated.”

Upon hearing the end of Raya’s retelling of the two demon lords’ story, an idea popped into my head.

“Hey, you know what? We should make one together.” I suggested.

“W-h-what?!” Raya stammered.

“Yea.” I responded unabashedly as I started picking through the boxes of beads. “To symbolize our friendship.”

“Oh. Okay…” Raya said with flushed cheeks as she started helping me choose what should go on our necklace.

Within a few short minutes, it was complete and I held it up to show it to her. “Look, it’s finished! Do you like it?” I said exultantly.

“Y-yes.” she mumbled while still blushing nervously.

I turned toward the statue and said, “Now, let's hang it on--”

“EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

A blood curdling shriek came from the hallway and caused the necklace to drop from my hands in an instant. The frightening screech carried on as the commencement of chanting voices were now heard as well.

“Oh! They’re about to torture someone!” Raya exclaimed.

“What?! We have to see this!” I said excitedly. “Come on!”

I ran out of the room toward the screaming. It took Raya a moment to follow me as she looked back at the altar once more.

After spending some time in the temple, we finally headed on our way. We had been walking down by some of the shops again while talking about our favorite torture devices and how it would feel to be the victim in a situation like that.

I was on a jovial high as I told her, “That was the best part about today for sure!”

“Well I hope just not the torture.” She remarked.

“No way! The whole temple itself was freakin’ awesome! I’m so glad you showed it to me!” I clarified punched my fists up into the air triumphantly .

Raya halted in her tracks and fixated on me as a smile began to tug , “I’m glad you liked it, Prince Tom… It is my favorite place about this town…”

“Really?”

Raya nodded as her cheeks reddened once again. “Every year that’s usually where I spend most of my time… Something about it is just so calming to me. When you walk in everything that troubles you seems to go away, at least for a little while. So I hope it had the same effect on you…”

I gazed over at Raya and felt something I couldn't really explain. This whole time I was too busy thinking of being distracted when I failed to recognize something else. Raya wanted me to enjoy myself. She didn’t really know me but genuinely she wanted me to still experience what this town could do for me. Had she known all along that I came here for this sort of retreat? Or could she just sense that I needed this? It was true that I felt some relief but once she had put it back in perspective, I tried my hardest not to think of what I was trying to forget. Fortunately for me, there was something, or should I say someone, lying in wait for the opportunity to help me further.

“Raya!” A powerful and intimidating bellow came from behind me, causing me to almost jump out of my skin.

I turned around hesitantly to see a tall looming figure with a muscular build and dark gray skin. He wasn’t anywhere near the height of my Mom, maybe half her size at least. He had long, sharp horns like a springbok and wild crimson hair. His glowing yellow eyes were in a glare as his fangs shown. Although he was very menacing-looking, he was wearing a baby pink tank that read “Gneiss Guy”.

“Hi Dad…” Raya darted her head down as she greeted him.

Oh it’s her Dad. I relaxed a bit.

“So who’s your friend? This BOY!” He growled as he placed emphasis on the gender portion of his statement, the ground beneath him cracking.

I tightened up a bit and could feel the sweat break out over my face.

“Oh!” She perked up and held her right hand out toward me as if she were presenting me. “This is Prince Tom Lucitor.”

“H-Hi…” I replied shakily.

Raya’s father’s eyes shot towards me as they sparked even more, I felt my heart stop. He was silent and still snarling. But then all of a sudden, the killing intent that was emitting from the great Stone Demon did a complete 180. His face grew soft as he gave me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “Ah, Your Highness. It’s been some time since I’ve seen you. You were barely able to peek over your crib if my memory serves me correctly. My apologies for not recognizing you, our Young Prince. I am Albion, head of the Belmonte Family.”

He bowed. I sighed in relief.

“Raya!” His loud roar was directed at his daughter now but still caused me to jump again. “It was Piers and Peter who alerted me of your whereabouts and that you were hanging out with a BOY, only to come and find that it is His Majesty’s son! Why didn’t you come get the rest of your family to greet the Young Prince? Unforgivable!”

It was Raya’s turn to stiffen up in nervousness.

“No, no, It’s alright. We just met. Well actually, we met before. But--” I pleaded for her.

“Your Highness, will you please do our family, the Belmontes, the honor of courting you!” He proclaimed, though it seemed to be more like a demand than a request as he knelt to the ground with his head touching it. I faintly remembered that Raya put her body in the same position when she first met me.

“... C-courting? I do--” I stuttered, a bit confused by his word choice.

“Thank you, Your Highness!” He cried out happily as he scooped me up and took me away with Raya trailing behind us.

#svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #fanfic #tom lucitor #oc fanfiction #oc #starvstheforcesofevil #The Underworld #TomVSTheUnderworldFanfic #TVTU

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dragonslayer-5fanfiction · 6 years

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My Burly Love Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long. I just got my wisdom teeth out. I don’t own any of Tolkien’s characters. Gif credit goes to owner and creator. This turned out longer than I expected. I appreciate all the love I got for the first part, you guys are amazing! So without further ado, here we go...

Chapter 1

I didn’t get the chance to give Dwalin his cloak because right after Balin told me who it belonged to;Thorin left. So; I packed it up with my things and decided to talk to him about it tonight.

I had decided not to ride with Fili today because he’d been squished on his saddle for days now. Instead I decided to ride with Bofur; he was always smiling and telling jokes. I quite enjoyed it…until Kili and Fili decided to pester me with questions, all day long. Silly little things like:

“What’s your favorite colour?”

“Most embarrassing moment?”

“Favourite food?”

“How do you pass the time?”

When Kili asked me that one, I told him to watch- and then I shoved him off of his horse. He didn’t ask me many questions after that and; I think Bofur was extremely grateful. Those two can be extremely annoying at times.

As we trudged along, the sky grew darker and the wind drew a cooling breeze. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the nature around me. It felt like hours, but I knew merely minutes had passed until something wet touched my cheek. I didn’t pay much attention, I assumed that Fili or Kili spit on me, but then I felt it again on my nose, then my eyes. The water kept coming and coming. It finally dawned on me that it was raining when the sky opened up and sheets of rain poured onto us.

“Mr. Gandalf? Can’t you do something about this deluge?” Dori asked.

“It is raining, master dwarf. And it will continue to rain until it is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard.”

“Are there any?” Bilbo asked.

“What?” said Gandalf.

“Other wizards?”

“There are five us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two blue wizards. Do you know? I’ve quite forgotten their names.” Gandalf replied.

Bilbo asked “And who’s the fifth?”

“Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown.” Gandalf answered.

“Is he a great wizard or is he…more like you?”

“I think he’s a very great wizard, in his own way.” Gandalf answered. We continued on into the freezing wall of rain. Bofur kept telling me jokes to distract me from the cold.

“What do you call a bear without ears?” he asked.

I thought for a minute and couldn’t come up with anything. “I don’t know, what?”

“A ‘b’!” It took a minute for me to understand it, then I fell into an uncontrollable laughing fit. I was laughing so hard I almost fell off of the horse along with Bofur. That would not have been good.

I eventually calmed down; but the rain was so thick that I couldn’t tell if I was crying or if it was just the rain. We continued on for several hours trucking through the mud and rain. The further we went, the more the rain slowed and slowed. As the sun began setting, the rain ceased. We decided to take advantage of the lack of rain and set up camp near an abandoned farmhouse.

“We’ll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them.” Thorin ordered.

Gandalf inspected the ruined house, “A farmer and his family used to live here.”

“Oin, Gloin, get the fire going.” Thorin demanded.

“Right you are.” Oin replied.

“I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the hidden valley.” Gandalf replied.

I stopped listening to them when Bombur told me what he needed for dinner. I glanced up as Gandalf stomped off, muttering to himself. I started to worry about not having Gandalf with us. I figured with all these warriors around, we would be okay if anything happened to us, but it still didn’t feel right. As dinner was handed out, I found Dwalin sitting on a log by himself.

“Hey Dwalin, can I talk to you for a minute?” I tentatively asked. He glanced up at me and grunted making soup dribble out of his mouth. I sat down next to him. I didn’t know exactly how to word what I wanted to say without making it awkward.

“Lass would ya stop starin’ at me and spit it out.” Dwalin said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked down at my hands in my lap, “I was told that the clo-”

Fili and Kili came running into the campsite, cutting me off, saying something about Mountain Trolls taking the ponies. Then they said that Bilbo went to free the ponies because he’s the company burglar. No one spoke for several seconds. Then, as if they were all slapped across the face they began to gather their weapons.

“Fili, Kili, lead the way.” We followed them, dashing into forest. We crouched down behind the bushes so we wouldn’t be seen. Bilbo wasn’t the easiest hobbit to spot, and it took us several minutes to find him until Fili pointed him out. Bilbo was trying to get a knife to cut the fence that held the horses, but he wasn’t having any luck. Out of nowhere, one of the trolls reached behind him. He was reaching for a rag, but he grabbed Bilbo instead. The nasty troll blew his nose on Bilbo: snot, boogers, the whole works. I wanted to vomit, but somehow restrained myself.

“Aah! Blimey! Bert! Bert, look what’s come out of me hooter! It’s got arms and legs and everything!” The troll yelled.

“What is it?” Bert asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like the way it wriggles around.” He promptly dropped Bilbo and, by the way he landed, I could tell it hurt. The trolls began asking Bilbo questions. The panicked look on his face brought Thorin to life. He started barking out instructions after that.

Just as they had decided to eat Bilbo, Thorin gave the signal to charge. Kili went, first slicing one of the trolls legs. All hell broke loose once the first drop of blood hit the ground. Everyone else was fighting; but I managed to get to the ponies and help Bilbo free them. As the last rope broke free, Bilbo and I were suddenly flung into the air. I remember looking into the disgusting face of the trolls before the world faded to black. When I woke up, we were hung over a fire by our feet. This wasn’t exactly how I pictured my death, but what can a girl do.

“Lay down your arms! Or we’ll rip their arms off!” I could tell they were aching for a fight, but they wouldn’t risk our lives. The trolls hogtied some of the dwarves to a spit over a fire, others were tied in bags, and I was left tied to a tree.

“I say we just squish em’ into jelly.” William said.

“No, they should be sauteed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage.” Bert said. Tom agreed with Bert.

“I think we should just skin the girl, and eat her now.” Tom said.

There were hollers of “Don’t you dare!”, “I will kill you if you hurt her!”, and “Ya’ better not touch the lass!” I glanced around at the dwarves, seeing how desperate they became. I felt helpless; all I could do was accept my fate.

“Wait! You’re making a terrible mistake.” Bilbo pipes up. Dori mumbled something about how he couldn’t reason with the Trolls because they were halfwits. “I meant with the…uh, with the…with the seasoning.” Bilbo replies.

“What do you mean?” Bert asked.

“Well, have you smelled them? They’re going to need something stronger than sage.” Bilbo answers. All the dwarves started to grumble and argue with Bilbo, but I understood what he meant.

“What do you know about cooking dwarves?” William asks. The trolls argued amongst themselves for a few minutes. “What is the secret for cooking dwarves?” Bilbo was floundering for an answer.

“You must skin them first!” He finally exclaimed. The trolls then started to argue more about what they should do.

“Nothing wrong with a bit of dwarf. Nice and crunchy!” Tom said as he lifted Bombur above his head to eat him.

“No! Stop! You can’t eat him!” I yelled struggling even harder to get out of my confines. All heads snapped towards me.

Tom stalked closer to me, “And why can’t I girlie?” I gulped and glanced over at Dwalin. His eyes were wild with fear and something else I couldn’t quite place. He was straining even harder to get off of the spit now.

“Because that one’s got worms in his tubes.” Bilbo answered. Tom threw Bombur into the pile of dwarves. “They’ve all got worms. They’re riddled with parasites.” Once that was said, everyone started to protest and threaten Bilbo, but mainly Kili. Thorin kicked him to shut him up, once he realised Bilbo was stalling.

I could see the sun beginning to rise; we only had to stall for a little longer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure coming up on the rocks.

“The dawn will take you all!” Gandalf yelled, cracking the rock to allow sunlight to shine on through. I watched on in awe as the trolls turned to stone while Gandalf helped the dwarves get out of their sacks and off the spit.

Once Fili and Kili were freed they ran over to me and cut the ropes. “Are you okay, Y/N?” Fili asked.

“I’m fine. I might have some rope burn, but I’ll survive.” Kili grabbed my wrists to check them over, making sure it wasn’t serious.

He gently ran his hands over the burns. “I’m sorry. This never should have happened to you.” I just shook my head.

“I chose to come with you guys. I chose to come help you fight, this wasn’t your fault. I promise I’m okay. I’m going to go see if Oin needs any help, okay?” I patted his back as I walked past him.

Oin was busy checking up on some of the others, so he told me to go check up on Dwalin. He was talking to his brother so I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. I began to walk away, but Balin saw me.

“Everything okay lass?” Balin asked. Dwalin turned around to face me when his brother spoke.

“Yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but Oin told me to come and check on Dwalin.” Balin smiled knowing that I also needed to talk to him about the cloak. He said something to Dwalin that I couldn’t hear, then walked off. I shuffled closer to Dwalin, “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“Lass, m’ fine. And ye? Are ye hurt?” He asked. I bit my lip and looked down. I didn’t want him to worry that I was hurt. I shook my head no because I didn’t want him to see me as a weakling. “Well if that’s the-” he suddenly cut off grabbing my wrists, making me wince. He held them up so I could see what he was talking about. “What are these?” I looked down at my feet, suddenly finding them very interesting. I mumbled something about rope burns, hoping he wouldn’t hear. Dwalin sighed and ran his fingers over the burns. “D’they hurt? Do ye need any medicine for em’?”

“No. I should be fine, besides I’m supposed to be checking you. Not the other way around.” I chided. He chuckled. I looked away and gathered all the courage I had to continue the conversation from earlier. “Before things get crazy again, can I ask you something?” He just grunted and nodded his head for me to continue. “I found a cloak with my blankets the other night. I was told it was yours. Is that true?” I paused and looked at him. He looked almost sheepish as he nodded yes. I smiled and continued, “Well in that case thank you. But why did you give it to me? Don’t you need it?”

“I was on watch and saw that ye were shiverin’ even under all of yer blankets. I decided that I couldn’ let ya freeze. My brother would have my head if I did. So I gave it to ya lass.” He looked away at the end, like he was embarrassed. By the blush on his cheeks, I didn’t believe that Balin was the reason he gave it to me.

“Do you want it back?” I asked.

He smiled, “Nah, ye can keep it. Ye might need it again.” He winked. I blushed as I shook my head and watched him walk away.

Chapter 3

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