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kohanayaki · 3 years

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.:Time and Time Again:. (Marauders Era x Reader) Ch 3

Continuing the story of how you and Sirius became friends; as James and Remus grow closer to you, Sirius continues to treat you coldly until a late night encounter makes him question everything.

LINKS: CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH 6 CH 7 CH 8

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Ch 3 .:Resistance and Reconciliation:.

~Previously~

“I'm not going to bother making friends with someone whose family is so wrapped up in blood politics they forget to be human beings first. Trust me, I've met their mother enough times to know.”

“Did you ever ask them about it?” Remus pressed.

“I don't really need to, do I? They're a (L/n). Open your eyes, Moony!”

Remus' brow furrowed, a shine in his eyes akin to sympathy as he regarded Sirius.

“Perhaps it's you that needs to clear your vision, friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1974 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius sat on the stone ledge on the window of his dorm room, looking out towards the Black Lake. He could see the push and pull of the wind as the thin branches of the ash trees bowed gently with the rhythm. In the reflection of the glass he could see James and Peter behind him experimenting with an altered set of wizard's chess, complete with fire-breathing knights and bishops that threw daggers, while one of Remus' records spun in the background.

Despite everything he could have been thinking about at the moment, his thoughts, irritatingly enough, drifted to you. He frowned slightly as he leaned his shoulder against the window, annoyed that you occupied even a portion of his mind. He just couldn't understand you. Somehow you had turned James, who had once openly proclaimed you his sworn enemy, into something close to a friend in the span of a year. You had no qualms with pranks pulled on you, yet you were fiercely protective when they were directed at others. You were always smiling, yet your temper took no prisoners. If you weren't a Slytherin you might even be attractive.

The thought made him bolt upright. Where the hell did that come from? He almost laughed. No. Absolutely not. He was Sirius Black, he could get anyone he wanted in this bloody school, and he certainly wasn't going to busy his mind with you. What the hell was wrong with him? It's not like he noticed the way you smiled to yourself when you were reading, or the fact that the sound of your laugh got stuck in his head like a song—

No. Stop it. Get your head straight, they're evil.

Sirius exhaled deeply, rubbing his tired eyes with his hands. For some reason that thought didn't sit right in his brain, and the longer he sat with it he came to a horrifying conclusion:

Maybe Remus was right.

The only time you'd really been nasty to them was when they'd instigated it first, or whenever they had a go at Snivelus, which had become less and less frequent; Sirius suspected because of your tentative friendship with James. He'd always just assumed you were like the other Slytherins he'd come to know. There's been hearsay circulating around you, especially given your family's reputation, but you yourself hadn't really done anything to prove the rumors. Maybe you really weren't like your family at all. Maybe you were like him. . .

Suddenly, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, not from his friend's reflections but from outside the window itself. A figure emerged from the lamplight of the castle gate, making their way towards the edge of the forest. If the green lining of your school robes and (h/c) hair didn't peak his interest, the flash that he saw of your face as you shot a quick glance over your shoulder confirmed it was you.

Sirius' mind began racing as he watched you disappear into the foliage, and suddenly every thought that had given you the benefit of the doubt vanished. He'd heard the rumors about the gatherings in the forest, everyone had. He'd even caught Snape practicing dark magic there himself one of the first nights they'd used the Shrieking Shack passageway.

He jumped off his perch by the window and grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill, drawing a rough outline of the perimeter of the forest. He labeled the Black Lake so his spell would have a going off point and pressed his wand to the still drying ink.

“Revelare Popularis,”

The enchantment was a work in progress— a technique he'd learned from a seventh year. It wasn't exact, but it was enough to tell him if anyone else was in the forest right now. His eyes darted across the paper as he scanned his makeshift map, and the color drained from his face as he saw names suddenly appear in a cluster by the lake: Mulciber, Wilkes, Avery, and Malfoy.

Was this it? Were you really one of them?

James looked up from his game as he saw Sirius grab his leather jacket off where it hung from his bedpost.

“Going somewhere?”

“(L/n) just went into the forest,” Sirius said, “I'm following them.”

“Why, Sirius?” Remus said sardonically, having had enough of his unusual grudge against you, “We're not really ones to talk when it comes to sneaking around the forest at night, now are we?”

“He's got a point,” James said, “I mean, what do you think you're going to see?”

“What do I think?” Sirius scoffed, pushing the paper into Jame's hands, “what does it look like?”

James looked down at the parchment blankly.

“What am I looking at?”

“A variation on Revelio,” Sirius explained quickly, “if you have a location in mind it shows you who's there, but only at the time the charm is cast.”

“Are you kidding me?” James' jaw nearly dropped, “You're just now showing this to us? We could have been taking advantage of this spell to dodge Filch this whole time!”

“I'm serious.”

James had to fight hard not to make a joke out of that one.

“If (L/n)'s meeting up with those guys it can't be for anything good,” Sirius continued, “and I'm gonna find out exactly why.”

Before any of the boys could get another word in, Sirius took off running down the corridor. James groaned, rebelling against the urge to slam his head into the wall.

“I've got to stop him before he does something stupid,” he said, pulling a coat on over his shoulders, “You with me, Remus?”

“Probably not the best idea,” Lupin reminded him, “the moon's full tomorrow. I won't turn, but in the direct moonlight I may get a bit. . . well, you know.”

“Right,” James sighed, running a hand through his hair in distress, “Peter?”

The boy jolted as he was addressed, his eyes quickly cast down to his twiddling fingers.

“I. . . w-well. . .”

“Fine,” James said, waving them off in annoyance, “I'll go at him alone.”

___________________________________________________

You took a grateful breath of the crisp night air, letting the wind whistle through your hair and clothes. You loved your common room, but it could feel constricting at times, especially when there were nights as beautiful as this taking place.

Your eyes drifted up to the moon, smiling at the sight of it. It was nearly full, only a sliver of white missing from the very edge of the sphere. The sight alone was enough to make you feel more at home in your own skin, an inexplicable sense of comfort washing over you. You hadn't been able to really let loose and just run in so long. You'd made doubly sure no one had followed you into the forest, but you still gave your surroundings a quick once over. You jumped as the sound of leaves crunching suddenly asserted itself behind you and you lit your wand quickly, turning to see who it was.

“. . . Black?”

“Sorry, were you expecting someone else? One of your pureblood friends, maybe?”

The confused look on your face only made his anger flare.

“Don't act coy,” he asked harshly, “just what are you playing at?”

Your back straightened in surprise, taken aback by his words.

“Excuse me?”

“I've seen you talking to my brother, Rosier, Snivelus, and all those other Slytherins. Don't think I don't know what you're doing,” the words flew out of his mouth before they had time to pass through his brain, every irrational irritation he had regarding you spewing out of him at once, “I've had to sit through it, you know. All those dinners where my parents talk blood politics with all the fanatics who think just like them. I've listened to your mother brag all about your pure blood line and how her child is 'so eager to carry on the family traditions'. So whatever you're planning by getting close to James, I'm not going to let it happen.”

You felt like you were frozen in place, staring at him as your throat tightened into knots.

“My mom?” you said, voice suddenly small, “Sirius. . . my mom passed away when I was little.”

Your words hit the Gryffindor like a truck.

“. . . what?” he asked dumbly, his brain delaying slightly in processing what you'd just said.

“She got sick. . . an experimental spell gone wrong. If you met someone with my family's name that spoke like that, it was probably my aunt. My cousin goes to Ilvermorny. That's the child she's talking about, not me. The divide between purebloods and muggleborns is even more severe in America, if you can believe it. . . ”

Sirius faltered, this new information going against everything he'd heard and thought he knew about you and your family.

“But,” he hesitated, “your father—”

“Put up the image he had to in order to keep me safe,” you said. You knew he was documented as being very open about his pureblood pride and distaste towards muggles, but it was a cover more than anything, “Since he stopped speaking with my aunt and moved us both away from the estate, she's acted as the new head of the (L/n) House, and that was years ago. . .”

You trailed off awkwardly, not feeling very self-righteous in your explanation.

“I know my family doesn't have the best reputation. . . that's probably why you hate me, huh?” you chuckled humorlessly, wincing at how harsh the words came out. But if you were honest, you were hurt that out of everyone in their group, Sirius was the one that didn't even seem to want to give you a chance. You were the one who had extended the olive branch in the first place on the condition that they ease up on Severus.

“Hate you?” Sirius echoed hollowly, feeling guilt creep up on him like a shadow, “that's. . . shit, no, that's not—”

“Everte Statum!”

You gasped as Sirius was suddenly shot backwards, his body flipping wildly through the air from the force before being slammed against the trunk of a nearby tree. His head spun, heavily disoriented as his vision shifted in shades.

You had drawn your wand on instinct, looking around for your attackers when you saw a black-clad figure lift their hood, revealing a long mane of white hair that stood out starkly in the night.

Malfoy.

“Well, looky here,” Mulciber taunted, revealing himself behind you, “we've caught the two biggest blood traitors of the last century having a touching little moment together.”

Laughter echoed from the trees, Wilkes emerging from the shadows. You took up a defensive position as their group surrounded you.

“Now, let's not be hasty, Mulciber,” Lucius said, “their father may have disgraced their house, yes, but they didn't have a choice. It's not too late for them to make the right one now.” His lips turned up into a snarl as he regarded Sirius, “get away from that blood traitor, (L/n), he'll rub off on you.”

You grit your teeth hard, preparing to cast a spell when Malfoy put his hand up in a silencing gesture, the pretentious little prat.

“Ah, you don't want to make any rash moves either, (L/n),” he said, looking to your left. You followed his gaze to see Avery coming out of the foliage, grappling with someone under his arm.

“Potter?!”

James smiled weakly as Avery held him in a choke hold, a bit of blood dripping down the side of his head.

“Hey,” he said, humor still light in his voice, “So, this didn't exactly work out as planned.” He groaned as Avery's elbow was driven into his stomach, effectively silencing him.

As soon as you tried to move towards him, Lucius had his wand pointed at you.

“Let him go and get lost, Malfoy,” you said lowly, “you've taken this far enough.”

“You've been avoiding us, (L/n),” Lucius said, ignoring you entirely, “Snape may have come up with some rubbish excuses for you earlier, but you can't keep running from this.”

“If practicing curses on first years and terrorizing other people is how you plan on using magic, then I don't want any part of your little cult,” you spat, “face it, Malfoy— you lot need me, but I don't need you.”

Lucius exhaled sharply, his genuine surprise at your resistance replaced quickly with anger.

“Think about what you're doing, (L/n),” he said, his eyes narrowing dangerously, “don't be a fool like your father.”

That did it.

With a growl you unleashed an orange bolt of energy from your wand, your Stupefy hitting Lucius square in the chest. Mulciber was quick to retaliate with a jinx of his own, which you quickly nullified with a shield charm. Shock flashed across his expression at your casual use of nonverbal magic, and he recovered one second too late.

Sirius was back on his feet, petrifying Mulciber and swatting Wilkes away like a fly with the knockback jinx before either could cast a spell at you. You and Sirius found yourselves back to back, fending off Lucius as he continued to direct a steady stream of curses in your direction. Sirius managed to create an opening for you and you turned to where James was being held.

“Evanossa!”

A flash of blue hit Avery, who shrieked in horror when he saw that the arm he was using to hold Potter had turned gelatinous, fingers drooping down like melting ice cream. James wasted no time paying him back in kind for roughing him up earlier, sending him flying into the oak tree and using the water from the Black Lake to freeze him there before joining you in the fray.

“Expelliarmus!” he called out, sending Wilke's wand spinning out of his reach and leaving only Malfoy against the three of you.

Lucius faltered for a moment as he stared down your group of three, but held fast.

“Leave it, Malfoy,” you said, “it's over.”

He growled under his breath, taking up an obvious offensive stance, but you were too quick.

“Ebublio!”

Lucius gasped as he suddenly found himself encased in a giant bubble, his knockback jinx ricocheting off the inside and hitting him in the back of the head. He pounded against the bubble in frustration but found it to be thick as Plexiglas and just as strong, unable to pop it. Suddenly, he was hoisted into the air as you raised your wand higher, directing him farther and farther away until he was hovering directly over the Black Lake.

“Let me go this instant!” he growled.

A devilish smile graced your features.

“You got it.”

“No, wait, don't you dar—AHH!!”

You turned your back on him, your breaking eye contact promptly bursting the bubble and sending him flailing into the water a few feet below.

You chuckled as you sent a few quick counter-jinxes out from your wand, restoring Mulciber's range of motion and liquefying the ice that trapped Avery.

As soon as Mulciber was unpetrified he took off running towards the Lake where Lucius was furiously treading water, tripping over his feet as he dragged Wilkes along with him. Avery limped after them, defrosted but still chilled to his bones (which you had been so kind to also restore).

“I'd fish him out quickly if I were you,” you called after them, “the giant squid is more active at night.”

“You're out of your mind, (L/n)!” Avery turned around and yelled, but with fear evident in his eyes, “You'll live to regret this, mark my words. The Headmaster—”

“Would love to know who cast the first spell, I'm sure,” you said darkly.

Avery stammered out some lame response under his breath before turning around and running after the rest of group, retreating.

Sirius turned to look at you, awestruck and chocked full of adrenaline. Maybe you really weren't so bad after all.

“That was. . .” James trailed off, grasping for the words and blurting them out as soon as he found them, “Brilliant, (Y/n). You're bloody brilliant.”

You felt your face heat up, not expecting that. You and James had stopped trading insults and threats (serious ones, anyways) and your teasing had become well meant, but neither of you had crossed the threshold of actually paying the other a compliment before.

“Thanks, Potter,” you said, unable to fight the smile on your face. You turned to Sirius briefly. “I hope this cleared some things up for us,” you said, “I'd really like to try and be friends, so. . .”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, wanting to kick himself at the way you turned him into a monosyllabic neanderthal with just a look. You gave him a small smile before turning back to James who was trying desperately to hide his limp and aching rib cage.

“Alright, let's get you to the hospital wing, Potter,” you sighed, “you look like a cheap action star in a muggle movie.”

“Uh,” James said nervously, “better we not. If I go to Madame Pomfrey three times in one day she'll never let me hear the end of it.”

“And who's fault is that?” You huffed, slinging an arm over his shoulder and helping him walk, “at least let me patch you up, then.”

Sirius followed some distance behind you, watching as you walked James back towards the castle and laughed at his occasional jokes. This one night had just turned everything upside down for Sirius. This whole time he was sure that he didn't like you because you were a blood-purist Slytherin and he was jealous that you were taking his best friend away from him; but the way you had stood up to Lucius and his goons made your position on blood politics very clear, and the tight feeling that struck Sirius' chest as he watched you cozy up with James made him reevaluate just which one of you he was jealous of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sirius?”

The man blinked, slowly coming back to reality. You were looking up at him in concern, your head resting lightly on his shoulder. It took an embarrassing amount of his willpower to keep from leaning forward just a few inches and kissing you.

Could you pick a worse time, you numbskull? He thought, mentally smacking himself for even thinking about it.

“Are you okay?” you asked hesitantly after he stayed silent.

“I'm alright,” he insisted, giving you a reassuring smile, “just. . . thinking about how far we've come.”

His answer surprised you, though not in a bad way.

“I suppose we have,” you smiled back, “this is a far cry from you scowling at me from across the Great Hall over your breakfast.”

“I did not scowl,” Sirius scoffed playfully, nudging you away with his shoulder.

“Right,” you grinned, “scowling, glaring, glowering, whichever you prefer.”

“I said I was sorry,” he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender, although you both knew you weren't really upset about it. You'd long since forgiven him for his initial misjudgment.

When your light laughter died down, your head found itself lulling to the side again, tiredness taking over your mind as you rested against Sirius once more. When you tilted your head up to look at him he had a surprisingly pensive look on his face. Your eyes traveled across his expression, his gray eyes almost taking on a deep shade of blue in the shadows of his room. You noticed how much younger he looked when he was smiling; it was in moments like these when it really set in how long you had known each other, because you could see the years in his eyes.

Your own flickered down to his lips in spite of yourself and Sirius' heart skipped a beat, fearing you could feel it racing in his rib cage. When had you turned him so soft? He chuckled inwardly. Long before he had fully come to terms with how he felt about you was the answer. Even when he was in Azkaban, with two of his closest friends dead and the world convinced he was at fault, even if he had to live with the fact that he would never see you again, he still thought of you, and that kept him alive, sane— himself. But now you were here in front of him, and he was terrified that at any moment you would vanish into thin air and he would find himself back in that horrible cinder block cell, face to face with a dementor as it took his last memories of you away from him.

Your hand squeezed his, almost as if you had read his thoughts— as if you were assuring him that you were real, and you weren't going anywhere. You noticed him leaning in closer, even if he didn't, possessed by some invisible force. You were nearly about to meet him halfway when you were suddenly startled apart by the sound of quick, heavy-footed steps bounding down the stairs.

You both looked at each other as if you had just awoken from some sort of trance, instinctively putting some distance between yourselves as you shifted away awkwardly.

“I. . . I should probably get to bed,” you said, your face warm.

“Right,” Sirius said, reluctantly getting up from his seat at the edge of his bed, “I've kept you up long enough, I'm sure you're tired. . .”

Before you left his room you turned over your shoulder, a small smile on your face.

“It's really good to see you again, Sirius,” you said earnestly, “we should catch up for real later.”

“Definitely,” he said, a bit of his old self reflected in that smirk of his, albeit forced.

You steeled yourself, turning the doorknob and closing the door behind you gently before you did something to ruin the friendship you had just gotten back after over a decade. You shook the thought aside, your head hurting. You really did need to sleep after today.

You were about to head into your room, but something in you didn't feel quite right. You'd definitely heard someone go down the stairs, but you hadn't heard the front door open or close. Dread pooled in your stomach at your gut feeling, and you found yourself inexplicably making your way back down the stairs.

The house was eerily silent now that its residents had either gone off to bed or disapparated until the next meeting in a few days time. You'd left Sirius upstairs, and you knew Harry was staying here for the time being until school began, but everyone else had gone home. So then why did you still feel someone else's presence so acutely?

You stared at the empty hallway leading to the front door, taking a cautious step forward; the image in front of you didn't feel real. The colors were too saturated, the edges too sharp, and the surfaces too smooth. And that's when it hit you. The smell of rain. Leather-bound books. Lavender.

You froze, staring at the seemingly empty space in front of you.

“Severus?”

The potions master didn't dare make a sound, thinly veiled behind his invisibility charm but clearly not well enough. He was standing not three feet in front of you, taking in the sight of you as if it were the last thing he would ever see.

He panicked slightly as he felt you reach out to him with your mind, shutting himself off expertly. Your hurt expression as you were unable to detect anything pained him, but he wouldn't dare think that he deserved to say anything to you. What was there to say after everything he'd done?

Your gaze roamed the empty hall, and for a moment he could have sworn you stared him right in the eyes.

You knew he was there.

The moment lasted no longer than a second before you looked away, turning to go back up the stairs. As soon as your back was facing the front door you heard it open then close gently, and the tears you had been fighting to hold back finally spilled over.

Read chapter 4 here !

Taglist: @sleep-i-ness, @blackpinkdolan, @parker-natasha, @ornella0910 @undertaker1827 @thatwierdo-koemi

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artharakka · 2 years

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Hey there---I have been hunting for your blog forever! A classmate of mine brought thumbnails of your work to a drawing session, and we have been obsessing over your people. I find the way you illustrate long noses and sort of androgynous-looking faces and big hands really refreshing, and your werewolf druid Vaara is super charming! They really make me want to know more about your campaign world.

I hope you don't mind sharing, but I was curious what software(s) you used for the comic you made, A Dream with Rain. Do you have any general tips for people trying to draw better? Sorry for bamboozling you with questions. Delighted again to have found your blog!

OOof thank you! ❤❤❤ This was a delightful message to get! So cool to know my art exists outside my own little circle (it's sometimes difficult to realize that there are actually so many people behind all the notes my art gets). And also an encouraging ask because I've been struggling with my art style a bit lately (feeling like finally slowly getting there and out of art block now tho). But one of my goals has been to use bolder shapes and lines (like larger features and other than snub noses), glad that you like them as well! And if you read my tags I do have many non-binary characters & I like to play around with masculine and feminine features anyway so ough it's cool that it shows through the art as well ❤ (And oh check out my sis/sibling's art blog @artist-rat as well, they also have a very funky style and draw so expressive faces!!)

This is getting long, so here's a quick doodle of Vaara for you and rest of the answers under the cut!

The campaign Vaara is in is still in the beginning, so I don't know yet either what's to come! My friend @iijadraws (who is the DM) knows more about the lore if you want to know (and if she will spill). So far Vaara's archdruid Aalis noticed something bad was happening to their forest in the north and south. Vaara's dear friend Kiilo gave Vaara a precious key/amulet for luck and went north, Vaara gave Kiilo their stone knife for protection and went south. After a day's travel, she found forest stripped of life, and an old empty stone hut/house. Then strange things started happening, like giant unrecognizable beast coming out of the forest and Vaara's own empty eyed doppelganger staring at them from the empty forest. Vaara freaked out, hid into the stone hut, was cornered, and used her now faintly glowing key to open a door within it. The door became portal, and led them to a mysterious house where they are now stranded with Knell (artist-rat's character). Vaara is still mostly freaking out and attempting to run back home (not happening).

Mmm I want to illustrate more scenes and ramble more about both of the DnDs I'm currently playing (Rhiam's and Vaara's). I have one Rhiam background info & illustration coming up and will hopefully get it posted tomorrow, and I'd like to do more of those for both of them!

THEN What software I used: I've been using Krita for years now and I really like it! It's free and constantly developing (there have been a couple of hiccups in the past, but I haven't had any issues with the latest versions). If you want to know more about some specific feature I used (like brushes, effects, settings in general) feel free to send me another ask/message!

And general art tips: "Practice" is kind of a old and empty answer, so, here's some bit more specific stuff I learned from my art teachers (keep in mind that my art education isn't university level, but I went to a really great upper secondary school (high school?) that had special emphasis on visual arts so it's something).

Try to avoid using eraser or blurring. Especially the latter. One of the first lessons our class learned was not to blur pencil lines with our fingers/paper when shading our works. It was forbidden and it caused outrage, but was really helpful in the end. Airbrush tools have their place, but learn to shade and mix colours without it first (add or lessen pressure, select in-between color manually, cross-hatching). Personally I’ve been really digging using really sharp edged brush to colour my works lately (for paintings I use softer tools, but sharp coloring works really well with my softer line art I think!)

Studies are a great way to improve whether it’s anatomy or colours. I had weekly classes with model for a couple of months back in school but now I’m mostly using images from Unsplash (they are free to use) for color and painting practice. If you want to improve fast, try to do many sketches as fast as you can: we started with 3 minute sketch and then lessened the time so that in the end we were doing 10 second sketches of the model. I think there are sites specifically for this purpose where images/models change with timer? Here big paper & pen/brush might also help (no time to dwell in details, get the overall shape).

Try different mediums and methods: before my art school, I mostly drew with a pencil on A4 or smaller paper, and my art was kind of faint, careful, full of little details, stiff. Then in school I was forced to use watercolours, and acrylic and oil paints, try digital art, use big canvases, sclupt things out of clay and whatnot. It gave me a better sense of how shapes and colours work, but also helped me get bolder with my art (that is still a process, but I developed a LOT). I had drawn my entire life before that but I was shy to change my art and methods. And I know materials can be expensive, but work with what you have. My teacher once made a still life composition out of cleaning cart and other random stuff and made us draw it on a really big paper with big chunky chalks that were taped on long sturdy sticks found from forest. Relatively cheap but forced to draw big shapes and use your entire body rather than just wrist. It looked kinda like this and it’s still one of my favourite classes:

Again, feel free to send ask about specific art (or other) things you'd like to know if any come to mind! And thanks again for the message! Have a great day/evening/whatever time you have there!

#hope you don't mind this took a bit time and got a bit longer :D #i tend to ramble when i write #ask #livereats #Vaara #and other stuff #hopefully not too many typos #and when I say my art USED to be full of details I mean there was A LOT of them and they were UNNECESSARILY polished

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codenamed-queenie · 4 years

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#BatsInQuarantine

I am going insane. So I poured my restlessness into one long and very detailed post and got super into it. Please enjoy this hot mess.

The Justice League, being the well-meaning virus-proof Super Friends that they are, took one good look at the news, one good look at their non-powered friends Ollie, Bruce, and their families, and collectively decided that these normal humans must be Protected At All Costs.

Now, keep in mind, Bruce is never one to roll over when it comes to being benched.

However, he understands the importance of social distancing. He knows he needs to set a good example for his kids, and keep up appearances as Gotham’s Most Responsible Multi-Billionaire.

So. Quarantine it is.

But how are his kids handling it?

Dick -

100% on board in the beginning. Gotta do the Responsible Thing. Gotta set a Good Example. Besides, guys, this is gonna be Fun. Quality Family Time is always a Must.

He lasted 2 days.

Then he started to get twitchy.

And as everyone knows? A Trapped Dick Grayson is a Feral Dick Grayson.

He bounces off the walls.

Literally.

“I have to climb.”

“Dick, no.”

“I have to climb everything.”

Has scaled the manor 16 times already. Has climbed the chandelier. The banister. Bruce. The roof. The Cave. Anything in the house that’s been bolted down and especially anything that hasn’t.

Duke found him clinging to the wall 10 ft off the ground like Spiderman and screamed so loud it shattered glass.

Desperate for news of the outside.

He thrives off of it like a starving man.

Was the one to suggest he and Barbara take a break to Social Distance from each other (”Sorry, babe, kissing spreads germs”) and experienced Instant Regret(TM) approximately 5 minutes after.

The Family has labelled him a Flight Risk Level 1 (Most likely to say f**k it and make a break for the outside world)

Jason -

Accidentally got trapped inside the manor with the others when Bruce called Shutdown. If he had his way, he’d be chilling in his favorite safe-house right now, binging The Witcher with Roy and Artemis, and not worrying about finding a stray brother in his sock drawer.

But he’s nothing if not an opportunist.

The way he sees it, Jason has 3 options:

Self Improvement

Self Isolation (See Duke, Cass, and Damian)

Descension Into Madness (See Dick and Steph)

And, well, he always wanted to try a few things. Now he’s got the free time to do it.

So he settles on baking.

Alfred’s got enough food and raw ingredients stored up to feed an army. (Not because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder in times like these. But because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder all the time. Just try feeding 11+ teenagers sometime.)

Uses recipes he finds off Google.

His first few attempts are, in a word, ‘tragic’.

Alfred slips him a few of his recipe cards, and Jason suddenly starts seeing Results.

Turns out he’s pretty good at this baking thing once he gets the hang of it.

Hope everyone’s okay eating nothing but pie, macaroons, biscuits, and whatever else Jason whips up.

Cause that’s gonna be the only food left by the time he’s done.

Barbara -

Self-quarantined with her dad.

They’ve been binge-watching classic black and white movies together.

It’s a fun time, but she’s started to get a little antsy. Loving her dad and wanting to be around him 24/7 are, understandably, mutually exclusive.

Calls the manor to video-chat every day.

For her sanity just as much as theirs.

Gives everyone little challenges to film on their phones and send in. She makes compilations of everyone’s submissions so they can all watch and laugh together.

Bonus points for Creativity

One comp shows the family trying to drop Mentos into coke bottles.

Dick did a handstand, and dropped his Mento from the second story balcony.

Tim did it wearing the Batman cowl. The soda exploded into his face, and the rest of the video is just Bruce’s Shrieking.

Stephanie tried it, but the bottle tipped. Everyone on camera screamed as the bottle rocketed through the front window.

She spends most of her calls having one-on-one convos with Dick.

They’ve come up with little code phrases so they can be Cheesy even with family members lurking in the background.

She thinks the way he clings to the monitor is cute.

Almost like he’s giving her a hug through the screen.

(It’s easier than letting herself worry about his mental state, at least)

Tim -

Oh this boy.

Freaked out for the first five minutes before he decided ‘hey wait, Bruce is letting me stay in my pajamas all day? Noice.’

Now he’s just vibing.

The rest of his family is Low-Key shielding him.

He Has No Spleen, you see.

Steph: “Someone could cough on him and he could die!”

He just goes about his day, playing Animal Crossing like there’s no tomorrow, tinkering on projects, taking naps, etc. Living his best life.

Meanwhile there’s always someone lurking behind him, keeping watch, keeping him safe.

Dick sneezed within 5 feet of Tim once (the fact that he was on top of the dusty bookshelf Tim was perusing is irrelevant)

Jason still full-body tackled him the second Tim’s back was turned.

No one with any symptoms--

Like, any symptoms. They don’t even have to be Corona-related.

--is allowed within 10 feet of Tim.

Tim has been wandering the manor for weeks, now, without seeing another human being.

(He sees Dick on the ceiling sometimes, but that doesn’t really count)

He’s been trying increasingly drastic pranks and shenanigans to draw someone, anyone, out.

But it doesn’t matter how many times he steals Damian’s sword, or sets fire to Jason’s brownie bites.

Nobody wants to risk it.

Cass -

No one has seen her since quarantine started.

Everyone is approximately 87% sure she’s somewhere in the manor though

Because she does eat the meals Alfred leaves out for her.

Or at least someone does, at any rate.

(Jason and Santa top the running suspects list)

Santa was Steph’s suggestion. For some reason it snowballed.

It’s assumed that Cass misunderstood the meaning of ‘social distancing’ and took it too far.

But no one knows for sure.

She is Tim’s Guardian Angel.

People who so much as clear their throats a little too loudly anywhere near him suddenly wake up on a different floor of the house four hours later.

Duke came closest to spotting her while he was up in the attic.

Either that, or there’s another Creepy Sister everyone forgot to tell him about living up there.

She is silent, and watchful, sticking to the shadows, but she does leave the occasional note out to brighten her siblings’ day.

Things like ‘helo i love u’ and ‘hop u ar ok’ mostly.

She is bound and determined to protect her family from this invisible threat, no matter the cost.

Steph -

Like Dick, she was Super Pumped at first.

(Just kind of showed up at Wayne Manor before quarantine was enacted. The original purpose of her visit is unclear, but regardless, she’s Trapped.)

Also Like Dick, her descent into madness was swift.

She is impossible to pin down.

Not like Cass or Damian, who’ve stayed off the grid, and are therefore Untraceable.

No. She’s impossible to pin down, because she never stops moving.

Switches seamlessly between Zumba on top of the Giant Dinosaur in the Batcave, and furiously knitting Alfred (the Cat) a sweater with a pair of Tim’s used chopsticks.

Braided everyone’s hair while they were asleep.

Even Bruce’s.

She tried to do Tim’s, but somehow blacked out and regained consciousness in the attic.

When she woke up with a scream and a furiously twitching eye, she startled Duke out of his Makeshift Fort he built out of old cardboard boxes and antique furniture. He’s had to resort to finding a new hiding place.

Sometimes, on the rare occasions she does sit still, staring off into the distance, she’ll suddenly start laughing hysterically. This may last between thirty seconds and thirty minutes, depending entirely on how long it’s been since she’s knitted a cat sweater or done cartwheels through every room in the house.

Blew up the greenhouse out back, somehow.

Everyone has agreed not to talk about it.

Some people were built to handle prolonged time inside their homes.

Stephanie Brown is not that way.

Damian -

Damian Wayne Cannot Be Contained.

At least not inside the house.

He took off thirty-six hours into quarantine.

Thanks to the security equipment around the borders of the Wayne Estate, he can’t escape the grounds.

(He’s tried and failed multiple times. Jason and Bruce have a running bet on how many times the perimeter alarms will go off per day.)

(Jason is winning.)

He wanders the grounds with Titus as his only companion.

The two of them run laps, practice drills, and find ways to occupy their time.

No one’s entirely sure what those ways are.

In fact, nobody knows exactly where Damian is at any given time.

Only that he is Out There.

And he’s the best security system Wayne Manor’s ever had.

So far, he’s stopped five groups of civilians scaling the perimeter walls before the lasers and electric nets even have a chance to deploy.

They were trying to break in and steal supplies.

(Even ones they already had in surplus. Like Toilet Paper.)

He’s also stopped Dick from escaping twelve (12) times.

Drags him back by his shirt collar and deposits him on the welcome mat.

Usually with a note for Alfred/Jason, requesting more fruit tarts.

Duke -

Did not leave the attic for two weeks.

Then Steph discovered his hiding spot (read: was dumped there by Cassandra) which forced him to relocate to the basement.

Yes, it turns out Wayne Manor does have a basement.

This was a surprise to Duke, who always thought that the Batcave was Bruce Wayne’s basement.

Alfred keeps him supplied with all the necessities:

i.e. food, magazines, assorted pastries from Jason’s latest batch, usually straight out of the oven.

Duke also snagged the Manor’s Alexa.

She has become a sort of ‘Wilson’ to Duke’s ‘Chuck Noland’.

She is his only comfort. His only ally.

He’s determined to wait out this quarantine, doing his best to avoid the others.

Duke has seen these people under pressure.

He knows exactly what he’s dealing with.

Duke: “Alexa is the only motherf****r in this madhouse I ever respected.”

*offended butler noises from the other room*

Duke: “And also Alfred.”

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watchyourbluesturngolden · 3 years

Text

the shrooms cafe

part 1- watermelon tea with strawberry boba

hello everyone 🥺 this is the first series i've ever done so i'm a little nervous but i'm so excited because I really like this story!!!

this is the first part, and I have literally no idea how long it will be because I don't have a solid plan/outline yet! so feel free to send little concepts or things you would like to see included 🥺 i can't guarantee they will be added but i'll definitely try my best :)

shrooms cafe masterlist

my masterlist

warnings: none

word count: 2k

"Stella, we have to leave in 10 minutes!" You called up the stairs. "Come down so you can eat breakfast!" "Yeah Stella, hurry up!" Seraphina yelled from her spot at the dining table. She was finishing up her fruit loops with a grin on her face. "You're going to make us late!" As the youngest, she often liked to bother her sisters. She was only five, just starting kindergarten, but she was already a master at getting under their skin.

"Sera, don't antagonize your sister, please," you reminded her. "She's not going to make us late." Sophie rolled her eyes. "Seraphina, you're so immature." Despite only being 11, Sophie was clearly the mother hen. You sometimes joked that the girls didn't even need you; Sophie would take on the role of their mother with no problem. "Besides, you were the one who made us late yesterday." "It's not my fault I couldn't find my purple socks. What was I supposed to do?" "Maybe wear different socks?" Sophie suggested smugly. "You know I need my purple socks, otherwise I can't write my words!" Sophie rolled her eyes again. "You don't need a certain color socks to write." "Yes I do!" You smiled to yourself, turning back to the fridge as the two bickered. You pulled out the ingredients you would need to make their lunches, then reached up on your tiptoes to get their lunch bags from the top of fridge. "Okay girls, what kind of sandwiches do you want today?" "Peanut butter and jelly!" Seraphina said excitedly. "Why did I even ask?" You smiled. "And Sophie?" "Turkey please, but I can make it myself," She said, sliding off her chair and bringing the breakfast dishes to the sink. "Thank you, love," you said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "You are such a big help in the mornings, I don't know what I would do without you." "You would have a real handful dealing with those two," She said matter-of-factly. "That I would," you laughed, handing her a butter knife. "Stella!" you called again. The 8 year old came running down the stairs, carrying her backpack and another bag. "Did you forget I have dance today?" "I did not forget," you reassured her. She liked to plan things, and got worried quickly if she wasn't kept in the loop. "I'll pick you up at the door by the playground, does that work?" "Actually, I was wondering if I could walk today? A bunch of my friends do, and I feel kind of weird having my mom drop me off." "That should be fine," You nodded. "But stay with the group, don't go off by yourself." "I won't," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "You're so overprotective." "Oh yes, I'm so sorry for trying to keep you safe," you laughed. "Now what do you want for lunch?" Once everything was ready, the four of you made your way out to the car. Stella climbed into the back, and Sophie helped Seraphina get buckled. Even though the three of them bickered a lot (as sisters often do) it wasn't hard to see how much they loved each other. "Everybody buckled?" You asked, looking behind you. When you heard a chorus of confirmation, you started your playlist and smiled when the opening notes of Adore You filtered through the speakers. It was easily one of your favorite songs, and the girls liked it just as much as you did. It wasn't a long drive to the cafe; it took about 15 minutes if traffic was good. The girls' school bus stopped about a block away, so they walked there together every morning. Then after school, they would come back to the shop and read books or finish homework until it was time to close up and go home. You parked in the lot behind the shop, helping the girls out of the car and making sure they had all their things. Seraphina held out her hand, and Stella grabbed it to help her jump over a puddle on the sidewalk. Sophie gasped excitedly. "I think that was the biggest jump you've ever done!" The girls promptly launched into a discussion about who could jump farther as you unlocked the door. As soon as it was open, they made their way over to the mushrooms to find some books for the day. Their voices filled the shop as they chatted about school and the cute boy Stella liked and the kitten they had seen outside their house the other day. You went about your morning duties, flipping on the lights and starting up the coffee machine. You also turned on the oven, preparing to bake the muffins. (They were frozen- who has the time to bake them fresh? Certainly not a mother of 3.) Once the kitchen was ready, you went over to the radio and tuned it to a familiar station, the soft

music adding some pleasant background noise. "Okay girls, it's time to get to the bus stop," you said, leaning over the counter to speak to them. "Don't forget, I'm walking to dance," Stella said, pointing at you as she walked to the door. "I won't forget," you said, pointing back at her. "Have a good day!" "Bye mom," Seraphina waved her small hand at you. "Bye honey, bye Sophia," You smiled, blowing a kiss to the three of them. "See you later!" Once the three of them were gone, you went around to the shelves and straightened up, getting ready for your first customers.

-----

After the lunch rush had dwindled down and the shop was nearly empty again, you were getting ready to go on your lunch break. You had just leaned down to grab a sandwich from the deli case when the bell above the door jingled, alerting you that a new customer had come in. You straightened up, your eyes going wide when you realized who it was, but you quickly fixed your face and smiled. "Welcome to the Shrooms Cafe!" "Hello," the man smiled back, speaking in a deep British accent. "I saw your sign for boba tea, and I've been looking everywhere to find some. You're the third shop I've been to today, so I'm really hoping you're not sold out like everywhere else," he grinned, coming closer to the counter. "No, we're not out! What kind did you want?" You asked. "Um... probably should have thought about that before I came in," he laughed nervously, looking at the menu above your head. "Oh, don't worry about it, we're not busy right now," you said reassuringly. “Take all the time you need.” He smiled gratefully, stepping off to the side while he read the menu. Meanwhile, you fidgeted with towels and wiped off the work surfaces and tried to pretend you weren’t staring at him. Who could blame you, really? Harry Styles had just walked into your coffee shop. Who wouldn’t stare? “I think…” he spoke again, breaking you out of your trance. “I’ll do the watermelon tea, with strawberry boba, please.” You nodded, laughing lightly. He quirked one eyebrow, smiling along with you. “What’s funny?” “Oh, no, it’s just… of course you would order the one with watermelon.” “Oh,” he smiled, and you thought you detected a hint of a blush on his cheeks. “I guess I do have a bit of a reputation with fruit, don’t I?” “Just a little,” you grinned. “One watermelon tea with strawberry boba, coming right up.” After ringing up the order, you quickly got to work. Instead of his real name, you wrote “watermelon man” on the sticker on the cup. Hopefully he would appreciate your little joke. “Here you are,” you smiled. “I hope it’s good, seeing as you worked so hard to find some.” “I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” he laughed, grabbing a straw from beside the cash register. You also noticed he had dropped a generous tip into the jar, probably while you had been busy making the drink. “Have a nice day,” you smiled. “You as well,” he said with a small wave before he made his way out the door, sipping his drink as he went. You sighed, shaking your head with a small grin as you grabbed the sandwich from earlier and went to a table for your lunch break.

-----

“Hi mom!” Sophie yelled, holding open the door for Seraphina. “Hi girls!” You called from the back corner of the shop. “I’m by the mushrooms!” The girls quickly found you, Seraphia hugging you and Sophie situating herself on one of the short stools. “How was your day?” You asked. “Good! I gave my report on monarch butterflies and guess what Mrs. Wilson said?” Sophie asked, leaning forward. “What did she say?” “She said it was the best report she had heard all day. She waited until the other kids left so they wouldn’t feel bad, but still,” she said proudly. “Oh wow! I’m so proud of you,” you said, moving over to hug her. “What did I tell you? You can do anything you put your mind to,” you smiled. “Including writing the best report in the whole class, hmm?” She nodded happily before turning away from you to pull a book off the shelf closest to her. “Which one are you starting now?” You asked, leaning over her shoulder to see the book she had. “Anne of Green Gables,” she said. “Oh, I loved those books when I was your age,” you smiled. “I think you’ll really like them.”

She nodded, already immersed in the book. You turned back to Seraphina, who was pulling her folder out of her backpack. “And how was your day, miss Seraphina?” “It was so good, look!” She handed you a paper with two gold stars at the top. “My teacher gave me two gold stars. She said my writing was very good!"

"All that practicing we did must have worked, then!" you said, beaming as you looked at her letters. They were still wobbly, but a huge improvement over how they had been at the beginning of the school year.

She nodded. "And then I colored this picture for you!” She handed you another page. This one had a drawing of you holding hands with her, Sophie, and Stella. The three of you had big smiles and lots of adorable little details. Stella had her hair in a bun and was wearing ballet shoes. Sophie was holding a book in her free hand. Seraphina had drawn herself wearing a shirt with a cat (her favorite animal) on it, and she was wearing her purple socks. Lastly, there was you, holding a cup of coffee and wearing a shirt with a big red heart on it. “Since you like coffee so much,” she explained. “It's beautiful,” you smiled, hugging her. “We’ll hang it on the fridge when we get home, okay?” “Okay,” she agreed. “Why don’t you find a book and read with Sophie for a little bit? We have just over an hour, then we have to go get Stella from dance.” She nodded, handing you the papers and her backpack before running over to the shelves. She grabbed a picture book, settling into the red cushion in the tree and beginning to flip through the pages.

----- “Alright girls, it’s time to pick up Stella,” you said as you wiped off the counter one last time. You had already turned off all the machines and packed up everything else for the day. You flipped the lights off on the way out, smiling a bit when you saw the hand painted sign for boba tea in the window. Harry came into your mind again, with his easy smile, his kind words, and his blushing laugh. You really hoped you would see him again, even though you knew you probably wouldn't. Your shop wasn't very big or well known. How likely was it for him to come to the same little shop in the middle of London again? Still, it didn’t hurt to hope. Maybe he would decide to try the other flavors and stop in again. Your smile spread even further when you started your playlist and Lights Up was the first song to come on. Apparently, it was going to be hard to forget about him.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles/you fanfiction #harry styles x reader fanfiction #harry styles/reader fanfiction #harrystylesxyou #harry styles x you fanfiction #harrystylesxreader #harry styles/reader #harry styles/you #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry fanfiction #the shrooms cafe

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yutahoes · 3 years

Text

Sakura

(Part Ten)

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Eight - Nine - Ten

genre : Chaptered, Fluff

pairing : childhood friends: soccer player! Nakamoto Yuta x single mom! Y/N

word count : 1.9k words

You’ll always be his Sakura.

@ailoveyuta @loona-4-eva @aiforyuu @2-3-t-i @cosmiclatte28 @url-lindo-sexy @nuoyipeach @aaasteroidsky @readers-posts @delightfultacobread @bby-kji9

"...And then okaasan, Cherry made me this card to congratulate me for making the team." Yuta shared with a smile, lightly staring at the pink paper on the dashboard of his car. "I think she got Y/N's talent in drawing."

"It must be nostalgic to see her especially when you said that she looks exactly like Y/N." His mom's voice can be heard through the speaker phone of the car. He was driving to Jae's school since it's his first soccer match.

Yuta smiled at the memory of Y/N's surprised face when he asked for her to grant his wish. Well, Jae's wish. And that is to let him play in the little league of their school. The younger boy looked so happy when she agreed, even promising that he'll listen to the coach and not forget about his studies and eating.

He saw the passion in Jae's eyes while practicing and he can't wait to celebrate with him when he gets his first goal. Was he the same when he was a kid? He must be really pretty cool back then. "I hope you can meet Jae and Cherry, okaasan." Yuta said with a chuckle. "You'll love them both."

"I know I will." His mom claimed. "Son, you seemed happier than the past months you talked to me." Is he? "Whatever you're doing, you know that I and your otousan are here to support you."

If there is one thing that Yuta heavily realized about everything that's happening, parenting is not an easy task. He felt a great appreciation for his parents who never left his side and is always there whatever his decisions in life are. It is indeed true that you'll appreciate people more if you're in their shoes. "Okaasan, I never told you and otousan this but I love you both. And I'm always thankful that you're my parents."

He heard a sniffle in the background that made him chuckle, "Are you crying?" He asked in disbelief. His mom? The true Osaka mom, who never lets her child show her emotion, is crying? "I'll go home soon. I miss you already."

"And we miss you, Yuta. I'm glad you're happier now." And he is.

Yuta was surprised at how small the crowd is during the soccer league. It's one of the school's sports, why is there so little audience? He immediately saw them by the bleachers, Cherry was seated beside her mom who was carrying Jae who looked like he was crying. "What happened?" He asked immediately, putting down the things he brought.

Jae transferred to his arms, sobbing hard. "I'm scared. What if I don't get a goal today? What if I fall?" Yuta smiled at that. He's so cute. "What if the team loses?"

"Hey buddy, it's alright." He assured. "It's fine if we cannot goal today, we can do it next time. And it's alright to fall, that's part of the game." Jae stared at him, blinking his tears away. Yuta put him down, letting him sit. "I have something for you."

He took a box of shoes from the plastic bag he brought, opening it to show him a new set of soccer shoes. The older removed his old shoes, replacing them with new ones and even tying the shoelaces for him. "Just enjoy playing for now, Jae. Don't think of winning. We can do it next time."

The young boy nodded, jumping with his new shoes. "I will play soccer as cool as you. And then I'm going to be known in soccer like you." He said while smiling widely. "Appa."

Yuta smiled. That word. The butterflies in his stomach are fluttering. "That's my boy." He grinned, ruffling his hair. Jae ran down to the field as he watched him with the taller, bigger kids.

Y/N was looking at him, eyes twinkling. "What?" He asked but she shook her head. When he glanced at Cherry, she was just smiling knowingly at him.

The game is just a simple elementary soccer league at first, five kids played against another five kid team. But what surprised Yuta is how rough the children were. He remembered one kid, the guy who was bullying Jae the first time he saw him at school. He kept on kicking the other kid's ankle, stepping on another's foot just to have the ball for his own yet the coach isn't even telling him off. At one point, the kid even bumped on Jae purposely even if they're on the same team that made the smaller kid fall.

Y/N was about to storm down the bleachers when Yuta held her hand. "Let him. He needs to learn to stand up." She only grasped their intertwined hands that made Yuta smile. She didn't let go, instead held on to him tighter.

Jae was obviously stopping himself from crying while playing. When the ball was kicked in front of him, he didn’t hesitate to create a beeline to the goal. In his short stature, he kicked the ball which entered the goal that gave a score on the team. Cherry was cheering and Yuta grinned, Y/N’s hold on Yuta got tighter if possible and her eyes were twinkling once again. She’s happy. Jae was running on the whole field, smiling at himself. His first goal. He remembered feeling lightheaded when he did that in first grade, his parents watching him while smiling. Now, he felt proud of Jae. Like a dad. Maybe this is what his dad felt that time.

“Hey, shorty!” The coach called in a booming voice. “Isn’t it my order to give Siwoo the ball whatever happens?” What? Yuta was about to storm to where the coach was but Y/N pulled him back, shaking her head. “Come here, shorty.”

His eyes went red seeing how the big coach lightly hit the younger’s head using his finger. “Yuta…” Y/N called but he’s already in front of the bigger man.

“Do you really have to do that?” Yuta asked calmly. “What’s wrong with this kid scoring a goal? Is your son the only member of the team?”

The coach smirked and Yuta wanted to punch his cocky face that instant. “Oh look. If it isn’t the world-class soccer superstar.” he teased that made him glare. "This is a school league, hotshot. Last time I checked you don't have any children." Yuta clenched his jaw at that. He's so annoying. "Oh. Are you banging this kid's mom? Must be a pretty good fuck that you have to support this dadless loser."

That does it. Yuta landed a punch on his face, even holding the collar of his shirt in annoyance. "Shut your fucking mouth." He spat and was about to land another punch when he saw from his peripheral sight the fright in Jae's eyes while watching him. The younger had always stared at him in adoration so seeing him like this scared Yuta for a moment. He clenched his fist, dropping his arm on his sides when the coach landed a punch on his face.

"You think you're some amazing dude just because you play soccer?" The coach asked, punching his face once again. "Since you're so great, why don't you just coach them?" The principal and some other dads stopped the two but Yuta's eyes were focused on the younger boy looking at him with tears in his eyes. He can't even hear the profanities that the coach was saying, all he could hear is this little voice in his head scolding himself for getting angry and scaring Jae.

Yuta jolted in pain when Y/N applied the medicine to the cut on the side of his mouth. "I told you to calm down." She said while dabbing the Q Tip gently to the blood forming on his lip. "He's a former boxer. You're lucky you just had a cut on your lip. He can crush your face, you know?" Why didn't he know that before? Are boxers that short-tempered? His friend, Jung Jaehyun, isn't.

"Is Jae mad at me?" Yuta asked, eyes focused on his hands. His face doesn't hurt honestly. What hurts the most is that look imprinted on his memory. Of Jae being scared. Because of him. "You should be with him right now."

Y/N sat on the chair in front of him who was seated on the clinic bed. "Cherry said she'll take care of Jae. I can't really calm him down, only Cherry can." She explained and he pursed his lips at that. "You were usually a calm person, Yuta."

He is. That's the basic rule in soccer. Always cool your head. It's not helpful if you get angry easily. Soccer is a physical sport. You'll obviously get hurt and that's fine, as long as you keep your cool. But this is not soccer. "I'm sorry. He's just fucking annoying." Yuta explained in a soft voice. "I just hate it that he dared to say those things when he doesn't even know anything. How can you trust your child to someone like…?"

His words were cut off when she leaned closer, her lips touching his. He was too shocked to react when she pulled away. "Did you just…?"

"I'm going to check on Jae. We'll meet you at the school gate."

Wait. Is he knocked up with that punch? Is he dreaming? She kissed him, right? He touched his lips. If this is a dream, can't he just wake up?

Jae was so quiet when he drove them home. Y/N asked if the younger wanted to eat but he only shook his head. This is unusual for the younger who is always the talkative one. Y/N looked worryingly at Yuta when they stopped in front of her house. "Jae, buddy. Can we talk?"

Cherry and Y/N exited the car, leaving Jae in the backseat. "Buddy, I'm sorry." Yuta said sincerely. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I'm sorry that you got scared. I promise I won't be angry like that again."

"Were you hurt?" The younger boy asked that surprised Yuta. Is that what's running in his mind? "I'm scared that you might get hurt, appa." The older shook his head and Jae leaned in to hug him. "I'm scared you're mad at me because I didn't play well. I don't want to see you angry like that again."

The older smiled. "I'm not mad at you. I won't be mad at you." He held the back of his head, caressing it. "And you played so well, buddy. That goal." He exclaimed in awe, remembering the goal Jae did and the happiness in his chest the moment he witnessed that. "You did so well, Jae."

"I'll play soccer well, appa. I'll make you proud of me."

"I am proud of you, Jae. Always."

When he exited the car, Cherry knocked on the door to the passenger seat. Yuta opened it for her and she sat on the seat next to him. "We heard everything that the coach said." She started. "You didn't get mad when he was saying bad things about you. You got angry when he said things about eomma and Jae." Yuta only stared at her, Cherry is such a great observer. The makings of a true detective. "You feel like our real dad now protecting Jae and eomma."

"Thank you, Yuta appa." Cherry whispered, hugging him.

Yuta just smiled. He could get used to these hugs. He could get used to these children calling him 'appa'.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Eleven

This took too long to write but here it is. This is the exact scene where the whole plotline for Sakura started and honestly, this is much better in my head than when I wrote it. 😂 I also want to thank those people who always leave comments in each chapters. I always keep your words in mind and is actually getting some ideas from those. So thank you so much. 💓

#nakamoto yuta #yuta nakamoto #yuta #nakamoto yuta chaptered #yuta nakamoto chaptered #yuta chaptered #nct 127 #nct 127 chaptered #nakamoto yuta fluff #yuta nakamoto fluff #yuta fluff #nct 127 fluff #nct chaptered #nct fluff

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sango-blep · 4 years

Text

I want to add a little something to the art tutorials I've been posting, not that anyone asked for this but it's something I see more and more and it really bothers me.

CHEATING IN ART DOES NOT EXIST

period.

I keep seeing the word cheating often in combination with something like tracing or reference and other things, and I know that some people are trying to counter this by saying it's okay to "cheat". But I'm honestly mad that this word made it into the art community in the first place.

The only thing you shouldn't do is steal/trace someone's content and sell it as your own or use it without permission. That's it.

Using reference is normal and a MUST if you genuinely want to learn and get better.

Art is also not a contest and you're allowed to do art however the fuck you want. Start out with tracing because it helps you learn? Go ahead. Draw comics but use photos or photo edits as backgrounds because you can't be bothered to draw them? Don't let anyone stop you! Copy/paste parts of your own art to reuse them somewhere else? Common practice. That shit is time consuming baby! Once again the only thing you need to watch out for is to not steal/use anyones pictures or content without permission.

(Of course this would be a different story in a educational/professional environment where you often need to do things a certain way)

If you, for example, get an assignment in art class to invent your own figures, meaning to draw them without reference, and you use reference or trace anyway, and then fail your assignment, then that's on you. It has nothing to do with tracing being inherently bad, you just didn't follow your instructions and did it wrong.

Doing art like that doesn't make you a "lesser" or "worse" artist. You are also not obligated to put a disclaimer on your art that says " Attention, these parts are traced and those are the references I used". You are allowed to enjoy art the way you want and then post it online.

I know there are a lot of bullshit voices out there, often from non artist, who are acting very entitled over art. They expect the FREE content they see online to be cut to their needs and want it to be "original" and "real'. Often meaning they'll shit on people who trace/maybe use parts from photos/ or even use reference. Which just makes it clearer how little most people know about what it takes to create art.

Every now and then some soggy walnut feels the need to point out how disney reuses and steals animation clips from previous movies. It's from their own movies...you can't steal from yourself you whole ass clown car.

So, so often I see the argument of" Digital is easier, you can't do this with pen and paper" or " You don't learn from doing this and that".( Once again often on FREE content on the internet...)

I can't count anymore how often I've seen stuff like that in the past month on art videos and other content that are FREE on the internet. It just makes me sad.

The prejudice of artists only ever wanting to "show off" and being "snotty" can be very exhausting. Someone builds their own furniture,or their own house even and people would be impressed by their hard work. But hang up a lot of your own pictures as an artist and you're suddenly just full of yourself.

And if you ever gave artists or content creators a hard time for any of those things, then ask yourself why and how ridiculous you would sound in other real life situations.

Imagine you're meeting up with friends and one of them brings a cake, would you tell them that "they're only here to show off their baking skills and are clearly just full of themselves, clearly everyone can bake like that and they could've done a better job with the frosting and decoration anyway"

No, you would just be happy that there's fucking cake and thank them. ( unless you're some fucked up psycho person)

The topic of references and tracing and similar things comes up every now and again on my blog, and if you're scared to do any of the above , because people might give you a hard time, don't be. I'm angry at the way society and a lot of people treat artists and their art,and how that garbage "purity culture" is starting to seep into everything. I just wanna say you're allowed to be happy and proud of your art, no matter how you created it!

Not everyone who posts art online needs to have the ambition to become the best artist in the world, you're allowed to just do whatever the hell is fun to you.❤️

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#tutorial #art rant #long post #might regret later

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just-a-poor-boy-queen · 3 years

Note

Another double feature, because it's been another hard day.

Part 7 of Jimercury Kid series

‘Those bastards!’

Freddie’s exclamation from the next room didn’t alarm Jim; it was something that happened quite often, though the cursing had lessened considerably since they had adopted Khaleel. Whatever it was that had angered Freddie, it had to be something bad.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked as he entered the kitchen, finding Freddie and Phoebe at the table, Freddie clutching a newspaper in his shaking hands.

‘Look at this!’ Freddie yelled, practically shoving the paper under Jim’s nose. ‘Look at this absolute trash they’ve printed!’

Jim took a moment to smooth out the paper, before running his eyes over the article that had upset his husband so greatly. The headline read – MERCURY’S SECRET LOVE CHILD? – with the tagline below reading: AIDS survivor rumoured to have fathered child with former girlfriend. Below was an image of Jim in a playground with Khaleel, holding his son protectively in his arms and shielding his face from the camera.

Jim sighed; he had warned Freddie that it was a bad idea for him to take Khaleel to the park that day. He understood why Freddie wanted him to go; he wanted their child to be able to have as normal a life as possible and be able to visit a playground just like any other kid. But the reality was, the press was always sniffing around. Jim had been pushing Khaleel on the swings when he noticed a photographer lurking in the distance, and he quickly grabbed his son before the bastard could snap a photo of his face.

He continued reading the article: Mercury’s gardener, Jim Hutton [pictured above] was seen with the child rumoured to be Mercury’s son in a local playground. The unnamed infant is believed to be the result of an on-and-off again relationship with the singer’s ex-girlfriend, Mary Austin, who he previously described as “the love of his life”-

‘Absolute drivel!’ Freddie grabbed the paper back before Jim could read any more, crumpling it in his hands. ‘Love child. Can you believe them? And I never called Mary the “love of my life,” who the fuck came up with that? “On-and-off again relationship”? We broke up nearly twenty years ago, for God’s sake-’

‘Freddie.’ Jim interrupted calmly. ‘It’s just another shitty tabloid. They make a living off printing lies. You know that.’

Freddie simmered quietly, while Phoebe took the hint and excused himself to put the kettle on, leaving the couple to talk. Jim sat down at the table and took hold on Freddie’s hand, thumb gently stroking his knuckles until Freddie was calm enough to talk.

‘Khaleel is our son.’ He growled between clenched teeth. ‘Mine and yours. No one else’s. I’m sick of them making up lies.’

‘It doesn’t matter what they think.’ Jim replied softly. ‘Weknow the truth. Khaleel is ours and he always will be. So what if the public think he’s Mary’s? Hell, some of them actually believe you’re straight!’

At this, Freddie snorted with laughter.

‘People are going to believe what they want to believe.’ Jim went on. ‘Like you said, that’s the way it is when you’re famous. Fuck them!’ He smiled when Freddie chuckled again. ‘Our little boy knows who his parents are, and I value his opinion much more than some rag of a paper.’

On cue, Khaleel scampered into the kitchen, a large piece of paper clutched in his little hands that he immediately shoved under Freddie’s nose. ‘Look, Baba! I drew you and Daddy and me!’

Freddie looked at the clumsy, crayoned drawing Khaleel had made. The three of them were standing in what he assumed was the garden, Khaleel in the middle while Freddie and Jim stood on either side of him, holding a hand each. There was a little square drawn in the background (which he assumed was the house) a few weirdly shaped cats (all of them with their names spelled wrong) and a round circle with arms and legs and a big smiley face squeezed into the corner with “Uncle Feebee” scrawled beneath it. Freddie’s front teeth were comically large, like a rabbit’s and Jim’s moustache took up half his face.

The sight almost made Freddie burst out crying.

‘It’s beautiful, darling. I love it.’ He said in a tight voice and leaned down to give their son a kiss.

Khaleel knew exactly who his family was. Fuck everyone else.

Ahhh they finally face the real world! It's as if they were living in their own little bubble till now, away from the vicious society that they live in. You expressed Freddie's anger beautifully, I feel. And oof, the comments about Mary. I want to tattoo those words lol because yes, they're relevant in our reality too. And I am sure Freddie would be upset if he saw the disregard his chosen family has faced since his passing.

But in this universe, I am glad that he has Jim and their son to support him and love him. Speaking of Khaleel, I am so in love with this baby boy. Him making a family portrait with his papas and uncle feebee and his feline brothers and sisters is the cutest thing ever💙

I hope you know how much we're all loving your writings, anon. A lot of us genuinely wait for your daily updates, and you have been receiving prompts from other anons too. However, if you ever feel you need to take a break, please don't hesitate to take one. Your priority should be your well being. Also, the offer to talk privately will always stand, so if you ever feel ready to contact me personally, you are most welcome to do so💙

(More drabbles by writer anon)

#ask response #jim hutton #freddie mercury #phoebe freestone #freddie and jim and their baby #anon writing

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terrific-togekiss · 3 years

Text

What if there was a Walt Disney Fighting Game? [Video Game Concept]

Note: I am well aware, that Disney would probably never say yes in a million years to this idea. Taking their beloved, child friendly characters and having them fight?!

OH THE HORROR?!

I am also aware there have been concepts for this in the past.

Final Fantasy Dissidia was supposed to be a Kingdom Hearts fighting game, but Nomura felt uncomfortable portraying Disney characters in such a violent atmosphere.

And there are sketches of what a Walt Disney fighting game could've been, inspired by Super Smash Bros, before it was canceled. It would've focused on more violent characters such as Gaston, Beast, Ursula, Captain Hook, Captain Silver and the Horned King. But the idea was dropped.

Here's the link.

This entire post is just building and putting together what a Disney fighting game would look like to me, if one came out in today's world. It's all merely speculation and ideas that's been in the back of my head for awhile.

(Special thanks to @mayflower-gal for helping me set this up. 😁)

Anyways, let's get started!

Part 1: The Plot

For the plot, I believe it would have to be something simple, since this an idea for a first game. It's the start of a potentially huge franchise, so I wanna keep it not only simple, but an aspect that helps kick off the potential series. And pull in many fans, old and new of Disney.

Let's take into account one thing: what's a recurring theme across various Disney movies (and overall media)?

Is it the lovable, comic relief sidekick that makes audiences laugh? Is it the songs that kids find themselves singing, long after the tale is done and the curtain has closed? Is it perhaps, the clever celebrity choices for important side characters?

No, It's the one defining aspect that draws in audiences, both new and old, bringing you to fall in love with the characters as the story is told:

Wishes.

Pinocchio wishes to be a real boy. Beast and all his servants wish to be human again. Tiana wishes to have her own restaurant. Ariel wishes to see the world beyond the sea.

Everyone wishes for something more in their life and have dreams that they wish come true.

What if all those wishes were counted? Collected?

Watched over. Much like a parent to their children. Or a teacher to their students.

Found engaging. Found entertaining. Found comforting. Found peaceful. Found introspective.

Looked at with childlike wonder and glee when accomplished.

But frowned on when those wish for selfish desires. And an even deeper disappointment at those very same inhuman desires, coming true.

Good and bad exists inside every person, it's just a matter of what one chooses to act on and stand by at the end of the day.

What someone wishes for is reflective of that.

Now imagine that same being coming to life and wrecking havoc across the Disney universe. Judging for themself, if any of these colorful, imaginative characters, truly deserve their...

Happily,

Ever

After.

Yep, the main plot of the story mode is all the various Disney characters literally fighting for wishes and dreams to come true...

against the LITERAL embodiment of wishing upon a star.

Each playable character having their own unique ending.

Some endings being repeats of your favorite Disney movies, with some minor changes to acknowledge the game's plot. While others are original due to the wide cast of characters that are available, besides your favorite Disney Heroes.

For example, you beat the story mode as say, Pinocchio, he wishes to be a real boy.

I know it sounds very redundant since a majority of these things already happen in the Disney movies, but I feel as though relieving them would be fun. In addition to some original ones that didn't happen with either the villains or less major characters.

It's only the hypothetical first game and I wanted start with something simple, that fans could easily get into. More complex plots, with more character interactions should be saved for any possible sequels.

Part 2: The Gameplay

The game would be your typical 2D fighting game. You have,

Combos exclusive to every character that requires practice.

Playstyles that make each character feel unique.

Special moves for each character to get the upper hand and the main focus in besting your opponent in 1 VS 1 matches.

Of course, there's dialogue before fights in the character intros. With so many to pick from, it had to be put in somewhere.

It resembles 2D fighting games that you've all no doubt heard of, such as Marvel VS Capcom or Street Fighter.

But what would a Disney fighting game have to offer on the table, in order to survive the overall video game market?

It would have to be something unique and a feature that not only gives it originality, but a chance to stand out with so much creativity and innovation. Practically begging fans for more.

Which is why I present to you: Disney Songs.

Or as this game prompt will call them: Musical Finales.

The highlight of many Disney movies and overall media, the music is what leaves a lasting impression on many audiences. Which is not surprising, since Disney is mostly a musical. At least in terms of most of their films.

With so many iconic songs from throughout the company's history, of course I'll be squeezing them somehow!

Each character has a music meter, that can only be filled up with how the player times and follows the beat of the character they play as. Follow the rhythm and beat of a character, and it will fill up quicker. Get cut off by the opponent and it doesn't fill up.

That beat being the music of the stage each player fights on, by attacking to the music and the same time. Think of it like the Sound Battles mechanic in Mother 3.

Every character has four different kinds of attacks: Neutral, Musical, Wonderful and Special.

Neutral Attacks are normal attacks that are mostly used to set up combos.

Musical Attacks are attacks that deal more impact, when timed with the music of the stage.

Wonderful Attacks can be seen as character oriented attacks, that embody the personality and charm of the character you play as. And can be used to entertain the audience. We'll get into that later.

Special Attacks are unique finisher moves that require a separate meter to be filled up, as with most fighting games.

Now what happens when the music meter is full? A Disney Song starts playing of course!

Say you filled up Cinderella's music meter for example, then "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" starts playing, granting some unique abilities for Cinderella.

Each song would grant different outcomes and bonuses for the various characters. They're not Special Attacks, as that's already a separate mechanic already.

For example, "Part of Your World" starts playing if you're playing as Ariel, filling up the stage with water and slowing down the opponent, giving Ariel a chance to either take advantage of that, bump items into them or create big waves of water.

But what happens if BOTH characters trigger the music meter at the same time?!

Well, that's where this gimmick becomes a fight for which song keeps on playing!

Both songs would start playing, both at the same time and volume. Except, both characters have to compete to see which is stronger.

This is done by the two characters fighting, before triggering a rhythm game between the two. Once one is the victor, the other song fades, while the other stays playing. Doubling the duration of that character's Musical Finale.

Another mechanic is the Entertainment Meter. Every level you fight on has one, that determines which fighter the audience likes more. Via Wonderful attacks, you can charm the audience into supporting you more. This activates things like getting healing items or stat boosts in power and speed. Some of your favorite Disney sidekicks even provide aid from the audience!

It's almost like watching a Disney movie live and being able to interact with the story!

Or the battle system in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

I feel as though this is the best way of keeping the game interesting, giving it an identity of its own and still embodying that magic people will grow to love. It can also lead to some entertaining interactions in the background or foreground of a stage, as the music meter also brings in characters that would not be playable, but support playable characters nonetheless. Like Flounder and Sebastian.

Of course, either feature could be turned off if you're not a fan of that sort of thing, but that's a given.

Part 3: The Stages

With many Disney movies pick from, it's no wonder there's plenty of choices to pick from. Since this is the first game, I chose to focus more on the movies. Here's my take.

Steamboat (Mickey Mouse cartoons)

Duckberg (Ducktales)

Spoonerville (A Goofy Movie)

Dwarven Forest (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)

Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

Monstro (Pinocchio)

The Prince's Ball (Cinderella)

Neverland (Peter Pan)

Forbidden Mountains (Sleeping Beauty)

The Coliseum (Hercules)

Andy's Room (Toy Story)

Elsa's Ice Castle (Frozen)

San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (Big Hero 6)

Atlantica (The Little Mermaid)

House of Mouse (House of Mouse)

The West Wing (Beauty and the Beast)

Cave of Wonders (Aladdin)

Pride Rock (The Lion King)

Ant Island (A Bug's Life)

Tamatoa's Trove (Moana)

Hawaii (Lilo and Stitch)

Headquarters (Inside Out)

Mor'du's Ruins (Brave)

Big Ben (The Great Mouse Detective)

Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Merlin's Cottage (Sword in the Stone)

Emperor's Palace (Mulan)

The Great Before (Soul)

Todayland (Meet The Robinsons)

Paradise Falls (Up)

Zootopia (Zootopia)

Monsters Inc (Monsters Inc)

Nomanisan Island (The Incredibles)

The Bayou (The Princess and the Frog)

Atlantis (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Halloweentown (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Oakey Oaks (Chicken Little)

Spirit Mountain (Brother Bear)

Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood)

Treasure Planet (Treasure Planet)

Horned King's Castle (The Black Cauldron)

The Secret Lab (The Emperor's New Groove)

Bald Mountain (Fantasia)

The Grid (Tron)

World's End (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Radiator Springs (Cars)

Grandmother Willow's Forest (Pocahontas)

East High School (High School Musical)

The Axiom (WALL-E)

Regent's Park (101 Dalmatians)

New Mushroom Town High School (Onward)

Happily Ever After Castle (Walt Disney Opening)

Part 4: The Roster

The bread and butter of many fighting games, the roster is no doubt one I had a bit of trouble putting together. With so many characters from over the years, it's no surprise. But since this is the outline of a possible first game, here's my interpretation.

Also, the cast is big to avoid being too barren or dull.

And because I had a lot of fun putting it all together.

Mickey Mouse (Mickey Mouse): The all around character of the game, he mostly fights by a series of cartoonish tricks, magic tricks and his paintbrush from Epic Mickey. His Special Attack would have him break the fourth wall like and rewind the fight like an old film projector in reverse. Except he heals, while the opponent receives twice the damage. His Musical Finale "Sorcerer's Apprentice" has him use Yensid's Sorcerer hat to its fullest and give his overall moveset more flashes to distract the opponent and slow them down.

Donald Duck (Donald Duck): Everyone's favorite, greedy mallard and the world's angriest duck. Donald would fight mainly with toon force, his fists, his bad luck and his anger. The more damage he takes, the angrier he gets. His Special Attack would have him don the Duck Avenger persona from his PK days and use a series of superhero gadgets to finish the opponent. His Musical Finale "The Three Caballeros" trades his anger for Jose Carioca and Panchito Pistoles showing up, making him happy. As they hurt the opponent, each time they hit Donald, to keep him happy.

Goofy (Goofy): Everyone's favorite Disney dad, Goofy joins the fight as not the brightest but with the biggest heart. He has toon force to aid him in some unconventional ways. His Special Attack would have him become Super Goof from his older days. His Musical Finale "Eye To Eye" would restore health everytime he dodges an attack, with a dancing flair to it.

Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves): The first Disney Princess, Snow White makes her debut and she's not alone. The Seven Dwarves direct most of her attacks, such as tossing rocks, mining tools as weapons and even just grabbing the opponent and tossing them. Snow White herself can sing and command woodland animals to tie up opponents or just fight to defend her. Her Special Attack would have the Dwarves try to roll a boulder, only for lightning to strike on the opponent and the boulder as extra damage. Her Musical Finale "Whistle While You Work" will call on a huge number of forest animals, as they tidy up the stage and Snow White, slowly replenishing her health and slowing down the opponent.

Pinocchio (Pinocchio): Don't lie in his presence, as that nose is not only for show. Pinocchio fights mostly by using his nose as a staff, the Blue Fairy bringing other toys to life to aid him and Jiminy Cricket distracting the opponent with music. Pinocchio's Special Attack would have him wish upon a star and turn himself into a real boy, as the opponent is turned into a puppet and loses damage as a result. Pinocchio's Musical Finale "I've Got No Strings" would cover the stage in thin lines used for puppets: if the opponent touches one, their frozen briefly. If a projectile attack hits, the same happens.

Cinderella (Cinderella): The bell of the ball and someone whom never gives up on kindness, Cinderella will use the dance moves she showed off at the ball for her moveset, having a dancing and musical feel to how she plays and flashy dances to win against the the opponent. With her Fairy Godmother using her magic to help her, such as flashes of light. Her Special Attack would have the clock strike midnight and she leaves behind her glass slipper: once the opponent touches it they get weighed down by a giant magic dress. Cinderella's Musical Finale "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" would have the Fairy Godmother cast a series of spells over the stage, as a new carriage pops up every time Cinderella pulls off a combo. The carriages run over the opponent and can even carry Cinderella to safety.

Peter Pan (Peter Pan): Leader of the Lost Boys and Captain Hook's second biggest pain in the butt, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are here. Peter Pan has a pocket knife with him and Tinker Bell's pixie dust for aerial attacks. His Special Attack would have him toss a bunch of gold on the opponent, as the rest of the Lost Boys tackles them and beats them up for the treasures. His Musical Finale "You Can Fly" would create a trail of pixie dust behind him, that randomly causes the opponent to either jump too high or too low.

Captain Hook (Peter Pan): Keep all 'ticks' and 'tocks' away from this pirate! Captain Hook has a wide array of hooks to switch between, a flintlock pistol and his sword to win the battle. His Special Attack would have him run away from the Tick-Tock the Crocodile, as said crocodile attacks the opponent instead of Hook. His Musical Finale "A Pirate's Life/Elegant Captain Hook" would call his ship the Jolly Rodger onto the stage, as the pirates on the ship occasionally throw knives at the opponent and shoot at them, everytime Hook is caught in a combo and can't escape.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty): Aurora, sleeping beauty herself, is doing anything but sleep and her guardians are making sure of that! Her attacks has the Good Fairies use their magic in numerous ways, such as moving objects, animating objects and even petrification. Her Special Attack has Prince Philip show up with the Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue, to deal heavy damage on the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Once Upon A Dream" boosts her stats everytime she's hit.

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty): The Mistress of all Evil, Maleficent uses a wide array of magic powers from cursed, throny vines, to her iconic green fires, she's one tough fighter from a distance. Her Special Attack would have her turn into a dragon and breath fire down on the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Once Upon A Dream" would have her make the opponent more drowsy, each time they hit her, until falling asleep, unless they keep moving.

Robin Hood (Robin Hood): The sly fox of England and one talented theif, this fox focuses on disguises, archery, swordsmanship and woodsmanship to make his way. His Special Attack would have authorities show up to arrest him, as they rain down arrows on the opponent in the process. His Musical Finale "Running Through The Forest" would allow him to dodge all attacks, without needing to hit the controls or input buttons.

Basil of Baker Street (The Great Mouse Detective): World's greatest detective! At least in the mouse world that is. Basil would investigate the stage of the fight, much like a crime scene and even pick up clues that double as weapons, such as a propeller or a mouse trap. His Special Attack would have him investigate a crime scene that hurt the opponent, before pushing them aside as 'worthless' evidence. His Musical Finale "Let Me Be Good To You" would have him require no further evidence and counter each hit with a deduction on his opponent's crime and even stop them from performing combos. Doing damage in the process.

Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective): Never call him a rat. Ever. This crime boss of the miniature crime world be no stranger to fist fights and gleefully take a swing at your demise, whether it's his fists, cane or traps. If not him, then his minions are more than happy to drown some orphans! His Special Attack would have him call his pet cat, Felicia to devour the opponent. His Musical Finale "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" would give him more durability to hits, more destruction to the stage and traps cover more range on the stage.

Ariel (The Little Mermaid): Princess of the Sea, everyone's favorite mermaid is ready to explore beyond the sea. Armed with her father's trident, some amazing swimming skills and various sea animals at her command, she's more than ready. Her Special Attack would have her conjure a giant wave, that also covers the opponent in sea creatures. Her Musical Finale "Part Of Your World" fills the stage with water and can have Ariel bump floating objects into the opponent.

Ursula (The Little Mermaid): The last sea witch you would want to cross paths with, Ursula has eels to do her biding, poisonous ink clouds and even thunderclouds. Her Special Attack would have her turn giant via King Triton's trident and use the added power to attack the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Poor Unfortunate Souls" has her disguise herself as the opponent and slowly regain health from all souls being eaten by her. As a bonus, if she's infront of a mirror that's on the stage, her reflection will be her true form.

Belle (Beauty and the Beast): My, quite an odd girl, reading books and getting on the field of battle?! Belle's entire moveset would revolve around books; not magic books, just books on the rest of the cast and fairytales overall. She would be able to switch between each of these books and use what she's learned from them. For Example, 'Romeo and Juliet' gives Belle immunity to stat changes and rose themed weapons that hurt the opponent, like throwing weapons. 'Aladdin' gives her a magic ring that can conjure up magic smoke, furniture on the foe and teleport her. 'Jack and the Beanstalk' plants vines that can raise her up or entangle the foe. There's more books at her disposal, but that's just the general idea. Her Special Attack has her father ride in on his invention, chopping up an entire forest until the opponent is covered and crushed by chopped up logs. Her Musical Finale "Tale As Old As Time" gives her the power to 'skip' a fairytale, turning each of her attacks into the endings from the books. For example, 'Aladdin' would trap the opponent in an oil lamp, leaving room for her to attack.

Beast (Beauty and the Beast): The poor and cruel prince, turned into a monster as evil as the one in his heart. Beast has his boost in strength from his beastly form and claws to defeat the opponent. The curse not only affected him: his servants are by his side. Lumiere can incinerate the opponent or plant fires on the ground, Cogsworth can distract them with timed clock sounds, Mrs. Potts can spill tea to slip up the opponent, Chip will knock over bookshelves and Wardrobe can block attacks. His Special Attack would turn the opponent into a piece of furniture, leaving them open for attacks: each opponent having a different transformation. His Musical Finale "Be Our Guest" would have every attack with one of his servants, also heal Beast in addition to hurting the opponent.

Gaston (Beauty and the Beast): Nooo oooone's slick as Gaston! Quick as Gaston! No one's neck is as incredibly thick as Gaston! He's especially good at combo breaking! Boy what a guy that Gaston! Gaston has his inconic blunderbass and his fists, along with a bow and quiver and a hunting knife to deal with an opponent, almost as if they were an animal he's hunting. His Special Attack would have an angry mob charge at the opponent and beat them up. His Musical Finale "Gaston" gives him a strength boost, everytime he pulls off a combo successfully.

Aladdin (Aladdin): Everyone's favorite street rat and theif, he's not alone on the field of battle as Abu and Genie are here to help him. Abu can cling to the opponent and hit them repeatedly, Magic Carpet can be used for aerial attacks, Aladdin has a sword that he 'borrowed' from a guard and Genie can shape-shift in a variety of ways to best the opponent. Aladdin's Special Attack would have Genie distract the opponent, as Aladdin steals something off them and uses it to beat them. Aladdin's Music Finale "Friend Like Me" would have Genie grant a wish, each time Aladdin gets a combo, such as a stat boosts and healing.

Jasmine (Aladdin): The sultan's own daughter that would rather be anything than a prize to be given away. She has learned self defense skills, her father's guards and her pet tiger Rajah in her moveset. Her Special Attack would have the guards arrest the opponent and toss them into prison, as they struggle to escape and take damage. Her Musical Finale "A Whole New World" has one the Seven Wonders of the world occasionally pop up in the background to hurt the opponent, as the fight goes on.

Jafar (Aladdin): The Sultan's Royal vizer of Agrabah and one whom believes he should rule Agrabah. Jafar has his magic staff to hypnotize and cast spells onto his foe. Occasionally tapping into the phenenomal, Cosmic power of his Genie form to do some real damage. And Iago is here as well... mostly to complain. His Special Attack would have him become an all powerful Genie and Iago wishing for ways to 'hurt' (not kill) the opponent. His Musical Finale "You're Only Second Rate" would boost all of his stats and attacks, except he can't KO the opponent until the Musical Finale is done.

Simba (The Lion King): King of the Pride Rock and son of Mufasa, the Lion King himself is more than prepared with his claws and iconic roar. His roar can even control the weather to strike lightning and cause windstorms. His Special Attack would have him call on the spirit of his father, Mufasa, as the two of them roar at the opponent. His Musical Finale "Circle Of Life" will have him remember, how we are all connected and draw on the life-force of nature, slowly healing him and giving his roars more range.

Scar (The Lion King): Mufasa's little brother and King after his timely demise, Scar has his claws and his hyenas to make short work of his foe as if their nothing more than a light snack. His Special Attack would toss the opponent of a cliff, into a Wildebeest stampede just like in the movie. As a bonus, he would say 'long live the king's son' if Simba is the opponent. His Musical Finale "Be Prepared" has him do damage without needing to attack the opponent and just walking into the opponent.

Pocahontas (Pocahontas): Daughter of Chief Powhatan, this Disney Princess has the skills necessary in order to survive and win. Her Special Attack would have her people come in to fight alongside her and best the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Colors Of The Wind" gives her attacks more launching power and each dodge she does generates winds that hurt the foe.

Governor John Ratcliffe (Pocahontas): The main villain of Pocahontas, this greedy scoundrel will do anything to claim what he believes is rightfully his. He has a sword and uses his position of power to call his men into the fray. His Special Attack would have his men charge like in the movie at the opponent. His Musical Finale "Mine, Mine, Mine" prevents the opponent from interrupting his attacks and tripping over any gold sticking out of the ground.

Quasimodo (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame): The hunchback of notre Dame himself and quite the sweetheart, he just wishes to see the outside world. His job as the ringer of the bells comes in handy to stun them, swing bells at them, his talented acrobatic skills and surprising strength. His Special Attack would have him reenact the Festival of Fools and have the opponent be caught up in all the chaos. His Musical Finale "Out There" turns all of his bell attacks, into soothing sounds, that heals him.

Esmeralda (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame): An outcasts, like many other outcasts of Notre Dame, she's picked up on a multitude of tricks to evade capture. Such as illusionary tricks to trick opponents and various circus acts from the Festival of Fools. Her Special Attack has Phoebus teleport out of a field of smoke and beat the opponent. Her Musical Finale "God Help The Outcasts" plants multiple pillars of light over the stage, that burn the opponent and heal Esmeralda.

Judge Claude Frollo (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame): Someone whom believes only he can purge the world of evil and that all he does is for the greater good. Frollo, due to his old age mostly uses his sword, his horse and his 'fears' to end the opponent. Those 'fears' being cloaked figures that defend Frollo and burn the sins of his opponent. His Special Attack burns the stage, with the opponent caught up in the flames being tied to a stake. His Musical Finale "Hellfire" burns the opponent every time they hit and touch Frollo.

Arthur (Sword in the Stone): The rightful king of England, proven by pulling the sword in the stone, Arthur is ready to be king. Merlin's apprentice is armed with the sword of legend: Excalibur and his mentor Merlin is there to provide some magic aid by turning Arthur into various animals and predict the opponents attacks with foresight. Arthur's Special Attack has Merlin turn into a germ to infect the opponent. Arthur's Musical Finale "Higitus Figitus" grants Arthur increased weight, almost as if he's the sword in the stone and making him harder to launch and knock away.

Hercules (Hercules): The son of the Greek God Zeus, Hercules goes to prove himself as a true hero and this brawl may be his greatest trial yet. With his power as a Greek God, granting him immeasurable strength, agility and endurance. And his pet Pegasus shows up for aerial attacks. His Special Attack has his father Zeus come in and hurl his thunderbolt at the opponent. His Musical Finale "Zero To Hero" increases his durability each time he pulls off a combo, making him immune to attacks at times.

Hades (Hercules): Greek God of the underworld and lord of the dead, Hades will claim victory. In addition to mastery of fire and smoke, Hades can shift between generally calm and collected, to angered and enraged, which affects the range and power of his attacks. Pain and Panic also shapeshift to provide some help. His Special Attack has the Titans show up and attack the opponent. His Musical Finale "My Town" floods the stage withdead souls that slowly deplete the health of the opponent.

Mr. Incredible (The Incredibles): One of the greatest superheroes whom ever lived, in spite of an unneeded early retirement from the government. Robert "Bob" Parr, known to the public as Mr. Incredible, has his moveset revolve around his superstrength and invulnerability, also being able to use the environment to his advantage like uprooting trees. His Special Attack calls in the rest of The Incredibles; Dash, Violet, Elastigirl and Jack-Jack to help take down the opponent as a family. His Musical Finale "The Incredibles" has his attacks all release shock waves that occasionally make debris hit the opponent, like it's the intensity of a comic book.

Syndrome (The Incredibles): You better catch him while be monologues as he does not play around! The wannabe superhero uses zero point energy to toss the opponent and send objects flying their way. His Special Attack calls in the Omnidroid to make short work of the opponent. His Musical Finale "Kronos Unveiled" forces the opponent to not stand still for too long or repeat the same attacks, or else the Omnidroid will fire lasers at them almost as if their being analyzed.

Mulan (Mulan): From lying to save her father's life, to saving all of China to joining other famous Disney heroes on the field of battle, Mulan has been through a lot. She has a sword, fireworks, a staff and a fan to best her foes. Mushu tags along, spitting fireballs at the opponent and tricking them into attacking smoke illusions that resemble Mulan. Her Special Attack has fireworks hit a snowy mountain, crushing the opponent under an avalanche. Her Musical Finale "Reflections" has Mulan disguise herself and blend in a crowd that slowly came onto the battlefield. The opponent attacking a random person will have them retaliate and hurt them.

Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas): The pumpkin king and the patron of Halloween, his title comes with a wide array of pumpkin bombs, a flexible and detachable skeleton body. His Special Attack would have him trap the opponent in a series of giant pumpkin bombs, before his pet dog Zero lights them up. His Musical Finale "This Is Halloween" plants a series of tricks and treats all over the stage: treats for Jack that heals him and tricks that leave the opponent in a scared state. They take more damage while scared.

Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas): A literal burlap sack of nothing but bugs, Oogie Boogie has those very same bugs come out and harm the opponent. From spiders that tangle them up, to tarantulas that poison them to flies that hoist them up, he's as gross as sounds. His Special Attack would have him inhale the opponent and let his bugs do the work. His Musical Finale "Oogie Boogie's Song" increases his luck of landing higher damage, by also hitting a dice on the stage.

Tarzan (Tarzan): A man raised by apes, Tarzan has the strength to even keep up with apes and survive in the forest. In addition to his amazing strength, Tarzan can also swing from vines, use his impressive smell and hearing to counter attacks and a spear. His Special Attack has him command an army of apes to beat up the opponent. His Musical Finale "Son Of Man" puts fruits on the trees he swings from that he can heal himself with: since the opponent is not Tarzan the same fruits either poison them or make them dizzy.

Yzma and Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove): The former advisor of Emperor Kuzco and her most loyal henchman. Kronk does the fighting with his astounding strength and Yzma will be in the background, occasionally throwing potions on the opponent. Kronk will pull the lever, that will do a variety of things such as drop a bust of Yzma, a giant rock, a vase, etc. Their Special Attack has Yzma yell 'PULL THE LEVER KRONK!' sending the opponent and Yzma down a trap door to below the stage. Leaving it up to interpretation what happens, as Yzma casually walks back to the stage with a crocodile biting her leg. Their Musical Finale "Snuff Out The Light" replaces Yzma's potions with singing that prevents the health bar from going any lower.

Milo J. Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire): An orphan that grew up to be quite the cartographer to even finding the lost city of Atlantis. Since he's not much of a fighter, the friends he made on the trip will do the fighting for him. Vinny plants explosions, Mole digs holes and attacks from the ground, Sweet heals Milo and boosts his durability, Audrey sends vehicles at the opponent and Cookie leaves food for people to trip over. He's even picked up on some Atlantean magic from Kida. His Special Attack has him pilot an Atlantean cruiser, shooting lasers at the opponent. His Musical Finale "Where The Dream Takes You" reverse the opponents controls, every time Milo lands a hit, almost as if their lost without a map.

Kida Nedakh (Atlantis: The Lost Empire): Princess of Atlantis and the current Queen, Kids is armed with a spear and a connection to the Heart of Atlantis, granting her forcefields and runes that dish out the ancient city's might. Her Special Attack summons a giant tsunami with the opponent being hit as Atlantis sinks. Her Musical Finale "Kida Returns" has the stage covered in runes, as the guardians of Atlantis will hit the opponent if they step on a rune.

Stitch (Lilo and Stitch): Experiment 626, also known as Stitch is an alien that befriended the kind-hearted Lilo Pelaki. Stitch is indestructible, has four plasma blasters, can roll up into a ball and lift up to 3000 times his own weight. His Special Attack calls in his cousins to each hit the opponent once, before Stitch himself smacks them with a car. His Musical Finale "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" doubles the strength of any attacks timed with the music.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean): Captain Jack Sparrow comes to the battle with his signature sword, musket and flintlock pistol. His Special Attack has the Black Pearl ram the opponent and shoot cannonballs at the opponent. His Musical Finale "He's A Pirate" makes him impossible to KO, he can still take damage though.

Sulley and Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc): The dynamic duo and best friends, Sully and Mike fight with the former scaring the opponent and the latter being pulled from the background, used as a ball to hit opponents. The more combos they land, the more scare is generated as energy: this energy being used to power machines to attack the opponent. Their Special Attack has the stage be overloaded with scare energy, to the point of canisters bouncing all over the stage and hitting the opponent, much like in Monsters University. Their Musical Finale "If I Didn't Have You" makes the opponent laugh each time they hit Sulley, generating energy and leaving them open to attack.

Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet): Jim Hawkins, someone with the 'makings of greatness' according to Captain Silver has a chance to prove that here. With his solar surfer to pull off some amazing tricks, a knife and a blaster, he can hold his own just fine. His Special Attack would simply be Treasure Planet blowing up, with the opponent caught in the explosion, as he flies away on a ship. His Musical Finale "I'm Still Here" gives him the markings of greatness, in the form of stat boosts everytime he pulls off a trick on his solar surfer.

Captain John Silver (Treasure Planet): The fearsome pirate cyborg and only real father figure to Jim Hawkins, Captain Silver is ready to use those pirate skills from over the years to claim his treasure. As a cyborg, he has a wide selection of tools and weapons, such as lasers, a cybernetic eye, guns, a sword, a cleaver, a battering ram, the list goes on. His Special Attack has the opponent fly into space, while he leaves on a pirate ship. His Musical Finale "I'm Still Here" fills the stage with comets that can freeze the opponent if they come into contact with them and increases the strength of Silver's lasers if they pass through.

Merida (Brave): The Scottish princess and daughter of Queen Elinor and King Fergus, enters the battle with her archery skills and swordsmanship to win the fight. Her Special Attack has her ride in on her horse Angus, delivering a series of arrows to finish off the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Touch The Sky" makes all her arrows hit the opponent, without fail.

Kenai and Koda (Brother Bear): The bear brothers, one born a bear and the other cursed to turn into a bear. Kenai and Koda fight as a team of bears from claws to wilderness skills they picked up. Even the Great Spirits watch over and protect them, by influencing nature to protect the brothers. Their Special Attack has the spirits of Sitka and Koda's mother come in to protect them and deal with the enemy. Their Musical Finale "On My Way" increases the range of their block, with the Great Spirits protecting them.

Tiana and Naveen (The Princess and the Frog): A hardworker that believes the only way you can make it in the world, is through hardwork. Even if that meant kissing a frog. Tiana has a wide assortment of cooking utensils to win. With Naveen distracting them with singing and dancing. They can switch to being frogs, where they use their tongues to tangle up the opponent and hop off lily pads. Their Special Attack has Mama Odie turn the opponent into a series of animals, before sending them away with her Voodoo magic. Their Musical Finale "Almost There" gives Tiana a golden glow that greatly increases the range of their attacks and distracts the opponent with golden glows.

Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog): The Shadow Man himself and one whom turned Naveen into a frog, Dr. Facilier fights with his cane, Voodoo magic, shadows and spell casting. His Special Attack has him pull the opponent into a deal, as their dragged down by the Voodoo Spirits. His Musical Finale "Friends On The Other Side" let's him take a gaze into the opponent's future, turning all of his attacks into counters, if they hit the same time as the opponent's attacks.

Rapunzel (Tangled): The lost princess of the Kingdom of Corona, blessed with magic hair and has quite the efficient frying pan. Her hair can not only heal herself a bit, but can be swung from, tie up the opponent and makes for a surprising whip. Her Special Attack has Flynn and Maximus ride in, with Rapunzel hitching a ride, as the three take down the opponent. Her Musical Finale "I See The Light" fills up the stage with lanterns, that can blind the opponent if they touch any.

Hiro and Baymax (Big Hero 6): The child genius and the helper robot turned fighter have become quite the crime fighting duo, that honor Tadashi's wish of wanting to help people. Baymax does the fighting, with Hiro on his back, such as martial arts, rocket fist, an energy blade and sonic blaster. Their Special Attack calls in the rest of the Big Hero 6, as they teamup and take down the opponent. Their Musical Finale "Immortals" assuming they get the rights to the song has Baymax dodge every attack that comes, without needing to move the controller and slowly heal up.

Judy Hopps (Zootopia): A young bunny from Bunnyburrow that came to Zootopia to pursue her dreams of being cop and help people. Her bunny physiology grants her enhanced hearing, quick agility, high jumping and she has trained herself to take down foes much bigger than her. Her Special Attack has her do her job as a cop and arrest the opponent, with the entire police force joining in to help. Her Musical Finale "Try Everything" plants tourist attractions all over the stage, that can hurt the opponent and heal Judy.

Elsa (Frozen): The Queen of Arendelle and the Ice Queen herself, forced to conceal don't feel, don't let them know. But she'll be doing anything but that here! Elsa has ice powers to freeze the opponent, create pillars of ice, ice slides, ice skates etc. Her Special Attack calls in Marshmallow to deal with the opponent. Her Musical Finale "Let It Go" allows her ice powers to come to life and aid her in battle.

Moana (Moana): Moana of Motuni, whom has sailed the sea to return the Heart of Te Fiti with Maui. She has a harpoon and an oar, along with the ocean helping her and watching over her. Her Special Attack returns the Heart of Te Fiti to Te Fiti, whom fully heals Moana, temporarily boosting her attack. Moana's Musical Finale "How Far I'll Go" covers the stage in water that has boats to hit the opponent and granting Moana faster speed.

Maui (Moana): The Maori Demigod of the wind and sea, with quite the number of feats from over the years. With his magic fish hook, he can shapeshift into a number of animals, his most common being a hawk. His Special Attack being lassoing the sun into the opponent. His Musical Finale "You're Welcome" makes all damage to Maui, take longer to leave an impact.

And that's that. A LOT longer than I thought it would be. Now your probably thinking, what about all the other Disney media? It's an idea for the first game, so other characters (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Scrooge McDuck, Goliath, Kim Possible, etc.) would appear in a potential sequel.

Or DLC, since every game these days has it.

Thanks so much for reading all this and taking the time to do! I would love to hear some thoughts and feedback! I had a blast making all this and would like to see if you're interested in hearing more video game ideas.

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yawnjunie · 3 years

Text

so you’re the artsy type, huh ❦ cbg (1)

Genre: fluff, university au, crack (get ready for a bad take on comedy)

Pairing: broke artist!reader x art sponsor!beomgyu

Word count: 7k

Summary: After spending way too much time chasing after an impossible dream, you weren’t too sure you wanted to continue with your lifelong passion— art. One eventful day at the museum steered you onto a road full of twists and turns, and you unexpectedly found yourself wading deeper into murky water with your new employer.

A/N: a huge thank you to @noiaeu and @halohyuka for being my beta readers! anyways here is a long overdue fic that was a 20k+ word monstrosity but is now a series. happy reading!

— blu and struz

You tapped your feet absentmindedly against the grimy tiles of the cheap burger chain as you waited. The atmosphere that usually felt bustling and welcoming now felt stuffy as your stomach churned each passing second. The waitress walked past your seat as she served the customers behind you, the fragrant aroma of the burgers on her tray prompting a vicious growl from your stomach. Sighing, you checked the time on your phone: 8:52pm. Scrolling past the inactive conversations with your “friends” (you didn’t really know what to call them because you tried to ask them out and got rejected; you’d kept those conversations anyway because you were too attached to them), you sent a quick message to a number you wish you didn’t need to text today. Without a second thought, you picked up your belongings and left the small burger shop.

Thank goodness, you knew just the perfect place to drown your sorrows in.

You called for the nearest taxi to the small food shop by the name of Mrs. Lee’s Mandu House.

“What happened this time?” A stout lady with an apron asked, peeking her head out of the kitchen, setting down a large bowl of dumplings in front of you. She made her way to the condiments shelf. “Kimchi?”

“Yes, please. I got stood up again.” You grumbled, stuffing a large dumpling into your mouth ravenously. Then, speaking through mouthfuls of food, you continued. “Maybe I should just stop trying altogether. Change my major to agricultural studies and move to the countryside while I’m at it.”

Food had never tasted so good! The savory filling of the dumplings literally melted in your mouth, and soon the blaring sound of the old AC and the sound of the kdrama from the TV had just blended into the background. It was nice not having to listen to anything.

“Aw, don’t say that.” The woman replied as she set down a pot of kimchi and a plate of kimbap on your table. The friendly ahjumma took her seat across from you and set down a bag of melon seeds. “Trust me, it’s going to be hard. You’re just in your first year of college! You’ll get there someday.” Then, she continued on to tell you about other people she knew who had it harder than you, but all that faded into the background noise, along with the AC and the TV. That sentence was the only thing you heard, and although there weren’t any lemons in the soup, everything that you ate suddenly started tasting sour. Sometimes, even the best food cannot drown out the bitterest words.

You’ll get there someday.

Foomp. You flopped onto your bed with a small grunt as your back met the soft mattress. Throwing off your glasses to the side, you massaged your eyeballs and then looked at the ceiling. It was grey. The same grey that you saw before going to sleep at night, the very same grey that greeted you when you awoke in the morning to another unexciting day. The more you stared at it, the more the popcorn ceiling looked just like a grey mass with a few monotone specks here and there.

You were always told to look to the future and stop dwelling on the past. And that was a long shot, given that all you saw in front of you was a blurry ceiling.

What is this feeling? You let yourself sink a little deeper into your mattress, lazily shifting your gaze to the left, where you saw your huge Gabriel Garcia Marquez poster taped to the wall. Solitude. Looking back, you supposed that was how you’d been living your life thus far.

Doing jobs here and there, never really achieving anything big.

Single as hell.

It was days like this that made you feel not quite sad, but just really demotivated. A reminiscent smile flickered on your face as you turned your head to stare at the wall, unto which the light that peeked through the overcast sky cast a faint shadow. Words like “lonely” and “outcast” didn’t mean a thing to you. The fact of the matter was, you didn’t have anyone, and the universe sure didn’t put an effort to sugarcoat that fact.

Rolling lazily to the edge of the bed, you finally sat yourself up. You walked over to your desk, pulled out the wooden chair, and turned on the lamp. Then, you took a moment to tie up your hair before looking down at what was lying under the spotlight of the lamp.

Amidst the blizzard of eraser shavings and the familiar scent of freshly shaved wood stood the lead outline of a girl. Shoulder-length hair up in a high ponytail, a soft, rounded nose, chapped lips, and blank, unsuspecting eyes with dark circles hanging below them. Looks like she’s never seen a day of joy in her life. Looking into the mirror standing to the left on your desk, a very tired girl with a dark face stared right back. Dusting off the eraser shavings into the trash bin next to the desk, you commended yourself for the superb self-portrait.

At the insistence of the tightness in your right wrist and the crick in your neck, you set the pencil down and extended your arms to stretch your back. When your eyes fell upon the drawing once more, a wave of disappointment washed you back onto the shore of frustration. Yet another addition to the ever-growing pile of wasted white paper. A part of you argued that art was not a waste, which was true enough. Art made by you, however, was a different story.

What happened to me? All that time, effort, and energy never really amounted to much. After all, you’d only seen the world in black and white. It was as if someone took a giant paint tube and squirted an awful lot of grey paint everywhere.

After all, who’d ever heard of an artist who couldn’t tell orange from blue?

–––

Even the song playing in the background mocked you with every word.

♪ I see trees of green,

red roses too ♪

♪ I see them bloom,

for me and you ♪

♪ and I think to myself

what a wonderful world ♪

You glanced around tiredly as you saw your classmate’s boyfriend carry a stack of canvases for them. For someone who, one: saw the world in grey, and two: had never gone on a date, the world was anything but wonderful. You felt your eyelids drooping despite the hard, wooden stool jutting into your buttcheeks. Drowsily, you turned your gaze to your art pieces. Noticing the other students coming in to set up their pieces, you straightened up your back and set your bag down on the stool. You took a deep breath and swung your arms nervously in an attempt to garner a sense of purpose and hope. You got this! You whispered encouraging phrases to yourself under your breath, smiling at the students who bothered to greet you first.

Today was your first time participating in a student exhibition. Although it was quite unconventional for first year students to be showcasing their work in the advanced exhibition, your teacher had been nice enough to make a spot for you. Well, it was more like you practically begging her to consider you, because of your current family situation. You terribly did not want to sound like that broke college student™, but sometimes, a little bit of courage to fight against the stone cold reality was useful. And of course, Ms. Kim, being the benevolent soul she was, granted you special rights to participate.

This year, the exhibition was being held in the empty room at the Museum of Modern Art. Attendance of the students was optional, but a good handful of them came, hoping to get a professional review, or even a sponsor for their art. The moment you walked in, you held your breath—the entire room was empty, all six surfaces painted white. It was the brightest room you’d ever been in, yet the temperature seemed to drop 100 degrees.

It’s fine. This time, things will be different, you told yourself in an attempt to shake off the dread that settled in the pit of your stomach. Fifth time’s the charm, after all.

It may have been your first time participating in a college exhibition, but you’d participated in countless art competitions as a kid. You were like a wildfire, and there was no award for a competition you entered that you didn’t win. Now, it felt like you were back to base one. After all, who has that easy of a life? Those days of your easy childhood life were long gone.

You tried not to think much as you sat uncomfortably next to your paintings. For the first hour or so, you made a point to look each passing person in the eye, a wide smile plastered on your face. The second hour, the corners of your mouth started to twitch beyond your control. By the third hour, you found yourself staring at people’s shoes more often than their faces. As the minutes ticked by, you kept your eyes trained intently on the floor, mouth pressed firmly closed. Glancing around the room, you tried to take your mind off of your worries. But you couldn’t help but be envious of your classmates, who were getting noticed by the professional guests.

That’s okay, there’s always next time. Guess today just wasn’t my day.

It was beginning to feel like no day was your day. A warm sensation pricked at the corners of your eyes when a voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

“Ma’am, excuse me.” A woman in a worn out blue outfit approached your stand.

Being as desperate as you were, you hastily wiped away your tears from all the yawning and slapped a smile on your face, mustering up the peppiest voice you could manage. “Hey! How can I help you? As you can see, I work exclusively in grayscale, and I mostly do portrai–” “Miss–” the lady interrupted, “it’s closing time. Could you please pack your things?”

Upon processing the sight of the tattered mop in her hand, realization hit you like a truck, and not just any ordinary truck— it was a Belaz 75710 filled with 496 tons of rocks and sharp glass. That was a fun fact you stumbled upon while scrolling on Instagram; the fact that you somehow retained this useless information made you silently curse yourself. Your smile was frozen in place as you gave a series of curt nods. “Oh. Okay, I’ll start packing.”

The kind woman nodded back and started to walk away, but stopped and turned just a few steps away. “Don’t feel too down. Sometimes, life just doesn’t go the way you want it to. It’ll get better, trust me.”

“Yeah.” You replied coldly, not bothering to mask your sadness. Attempting to muster a small smile in gratitude for her kind words, you gave her a thumbs up before she left the room. It kind of hurt, getting pity from the janitor. But in a way, you felt a little comforted. At least you knew you weren’t the only person struggling. Robotically, you placed the canvases onto your utility cart one by one, then started folding up the easels. When the janitor’s footsteps had faded away, the only thing disrupting the silence was the rain.

Plip. Plop. With the accompaniment of the beating of the raindrops on the rooftop that rang in your ear like a dull symphony, it only seemed natural for your tears to fall. And this time, there was nobody to interfere with your sob session.

And on that afternoon, in the empty art hall, you cried your heart out. There was only one question that gnawed at the back of your mind relentlessly, like a famished dog on a bone twice its size. Should I just give up on art? The thought of it just made you cry even harder. Art was your everything.

From the moment you’d grasped the thin body of the paintbrush on your doljabi, you’d fallen in love with art. Throughout your childhood, you’d spent your days drawing. From drawing on plain computer paper to painting entire murals on your bedroom walls - you did it all. Everyone was sure you’d become an artist when you grew up. You’d even kept a money jar by your bed, which you’d used to store money for new art supplies and eventually, art school. You were happy. You had a good eye for color.

Thunder crashed outside as that memory resurfaced in your mind. Back then, you drew like there was no tomorrow when you could see colors. Until the world became dark when your colors, your precious colors were taken away. And the world remained dark ever since. They all pitied you, sending a sigh your way in condolence for your loss. You didn’t need or want their pity, of course. All you’d ever wanted was an answer, a reason to why they left your eyes.

You wanted to blame it on something, but what could you do? Every night you prayed, praying desperately for your colors back. But every morning, the ceiling remained grey. So did the sky when you walked to work. Pushing your shabby cart with a loose wheel down the hallway full of eccentric art pieces, you didn’t even spare a glance at them. Well, other than to avoid being noticed by the few people who were still in the museum, to which you hid your swollen face in the opposite direction and choked back your sobs. Well, what can you do now, y/n? It’s not your first time participating in an exhibition anyway. There’s probably someone out there having it harder than you, so suck it up! Everything will be better once you get back home…

Just when you were nearing the entrance of the museum, you heard a different pair of footsteps from your own behind you.

“Hey.” You jumped out of your skin at the tap on your left shoulder. Caught by surprise, you found yourself stumbling backwards into your cart. You lost your footing and down crashed your rear end. By attempting to hold onto the cart handle for balance, your art pieces now seemed to fall in slow motion, the cart suspended in the air as your mouth hung open in horror. You reached out to grab it, but unfortunately, you were an aching 2 centimeters short of saving your artwork. The cart toppled on top of your canvases with a comical crack, wooden splinters flying everywhere. The empty utility cart squealed defeatedly as it toppled to its side, a loose wheel still spinning.

You felt your head spin even faster, as you grew increasingly frustrated by your inability to comprehend what had just happened. Holy shit.

Strewn across the floor, battered and broken, lay hours upon hours of your time, your hard-earned money, along with the last strains of your hope of becoming an artist. F*ck!

Eyes wide and mouth agape, you turned to face the perpetrator of the tragedy.

This is the part where he apologizes and promises to make it up to me, then gives me his contact info and we go on a date and he falls for me and we live happily ever after. Or so you hoped, you thought. The thought was so ridiculous that you could have burst out into laughter if it hadn’t been for the fact that the fruit of your blood, sweat, and tears was now a bunch of broken wood and torn cotton on the floor. F you and your last brain cell, y/n. Get yourself together and snap out of it. You were convinced that you were so sleep deprived from your K-drama binging session this morning at 4am that you’d convinced yourself that you were living the next episode.

Chances were low that the two of you would get together and live happily ever from an offense like this, but even so, he would have to compensate for the damages somehow. Now that you came back to reality, you realized that you couldn’t even make out what the guy in front of you looked like. “Okay, but what if he’s like, your next patron or something.” You don’t know if you muttered that out loud, but your odd behavior was really annoying you today. Shut up, it's not like he's Song Kang! Stop it! Nevertheless, you bet on the Balenciaga slides that he was wearing that he would pull out a business card the next moment.

You stared into the boy’s eyes expectantly and he met your gaze. You felt your pulse quicken as he opened his mouth to speak, eagerly awaiting your compensation. Hello hello, my next patron. This is the moment that marks my upgrade to a better life.

“I am so, so sorry about this.”

“You should be.”

As he spoke, the boy pulled his cap lower and threw on his hood. “Not just about me breaking your paintings, but also this.” Dammit, what have I gotten myself into?

And then he bolted.

🏃 💨

“Wha– hey! Where do you think you’re going?!”

He slammed his body against the glass door and ran into the rain while you followed in close pursuit. However, after a few wobbly steps, it occurred to you that you weren’t exactly dressed for the occasion, so you took off your heels and continued the hunt barefoot.

Still, even under normal circumstances, you weren’t much of a track star. Wearing a blazer with suit pants and no shoes wasn’t helping your chances either, and the weather didn’t seem to plan on making things any easier.

The two of you ran through the heavy rain like cat and mouse. Clenching your teeth and your fists, you chased after the boy. He ran about two blocks before you caught up to him. As your calves grew sore, you considered hurling one of your heels at him.

The boy slowed down for a couple of seconds, looking around frantically. Mr. Kim.....! I told you to wait for me out here—!

Heaving a sigh, he turned around and began to run in another direction. And although he'd hate to admit it, today was one of the days where he had no choice but to admit that his choice of footwear today was a fatal flaw.

Somehow, despite the odds against you, you weren’t the one who ate the pavement. The boy tripped over the curb and slammed into the sidewalk, bellyflopping straight into a gargantuan puddle. Those Balenciagas did not help him run through the rain very well. You laughed in triumph and squatted next to his almost-lifeless body.

“Gotchu now, you jer–”

Boom! The world went white for a second, illuminated by the blinding clap of lightning. In an instant, the downpour increased tenfold, the raindrops now feeling like bullets against your skin.

“Okay, maybe this isn’t the best place to have a conversation.”

–––

The two of you trudged through the rain—or, more accurately— you dragged the boy through the rain, your grip on his hoodie sleeve iron-tight. When you finally reached your car, you opened the passenger door and he went in obediently. From an outsider’s point of view, you might’ve been mistaken as an undercover cop. In fact, you were sure feeling like one as you apprehended the criminal.

You went around to the back and opened up the trunk, where after rifling through months' worth of empty bottles, fabric bags for shopping, and a variety of other car junk, you finally found your stash of somewhat clean clothes. After careful consideration, you chucked a worn hoodie and the swimming shorts you’d worn to the beach last year over the seat. Just in case, you also tossed your first-aid kit over. You threw your heels in and swapped them for a pair of nylon flip flops before slamming the trunk closed.

You went back to the passenger’s side and opened the door. Taking in the figure of the drenched and bleeding boy, you kind of felt sorry for him. Which was stupid, considering he had just wrecked your life’s work and made a run for it. You tilted your head back and sighed, trying to sort your thoughts out.

With all of your best art pieces now reduced to splinters, it was a cold, hard fact that you weren’t going to get a sponsor. Besides, even before they’d been smashed into smithereens, nobody had been willing to give you a chance. The probability of you finding a sponsorship was like the graph of the height of a ball thrown from a cliff at sea level, or the number √-1. It was not just in the negatives, but it was also imaginary.

Taking a sharp inhale, you talked as quickly as you could. “Listen. I’m going to go get what’s left of my art from the gallery. Just change your clothes and patch yourself up, then you can leave.” You paused to dig out a few crumpled dollars from your wallet, which you promptly threw at him.

“Here, take this to get a taxi. I don’t know how far you live, but that’s all I have. Don’t get me wrong– I still think you’re a massive schmuck. And there’s nothing you can do to fix the damage you’ve caused.” Despite your best effort to remain composed, your voice cracked a little at the end. You stopped talking before you were to break out into tears again.

Without waiting to hear what the douchebag had to say, you slammed the door closed and strode through the rain back to the gallery, where your pieces still lay broken on the ground where you’d left them. A part of you was hoping that maybe, by some magic or miracle, the whole thing had been a dream, and nothing really happened.

But reality was as cold as stone, and you were powerless to change it. So, as you always did when confronted with the unchangeable, you picked yourself up and carried on, struggling against the current.

By the time you wheeled the broken canvases back to your car, the boy was long gone, all traces of his presence vanished except for the dampness of the left side passenger seat. You buckled on your seatbelt and tuned into your favorite radio station, then sped off into the summer storm. The storm, your artwork, it was all so out of the blue– well, in your case, grey.

The situation on the freeway was like a stuffy nose: irritated and congested. In fact, it would’ve been faster to moonwalk down the road. To make matters even worse, instead of music, the radio station was streaming ad after ad. Is this even legal? Exasperatedly, you tuned into a different station, then another one, but to no avail; all of them were on ad break.

It was frustrating enough that the gallery was a complete flop, not to mention that your best art was demolished in a hit and run and that you were sitting soaking wet on a leather seat stuck in the middle of traffic. Now, even the radio had turned against you. You shut it off and sat in silence.

Thump. You sighed and leaned your head back against the seat, willing the migraine that was building up in your head to f*ck off. After craning your head to check the backseat one more time, to your vexation, you found that the asshat hadn’t even bothered to close the first aid kit.

Muttering obscenities under your breath, you reached for the kit, cracking your inflexible spine 4 times in the process. You rummaged through its contents, straightening them out, counting how many were left, and you were about to slam the lid closed when you saw the note.

XXX-XXX-XXXX

“Well, gee, that’s REAL helpful.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes at the ten numbers scrawled on the note. Your half a brain cell told you to quit being stupid and toss that note out the window.

The rest of your stupid self told you to call it. I mean, why not? You cursed yourself for how your brain worked– or rather, didn’t work– sometimes.

You licked your lips in brief contemplation before punching in the numbers in. The person on the other end picked up immediately.

“Hello, welcome to Papa John’s Pi–”

You hurled your phone into the backseats and ripped the note up, throwing the scraps into the air like confetti before continuing the wearisome ride down through the rain.

–––

It took an eternity, but you made it back to your apartment, where you promptly crashed onto the couch. As per usual, you spent the rest of your waking hours scrolling through baking videos, even though you had neither the ingredients nor the time to be making any of the confections. At around 8pm, exhausted from crying and the events of the day, you dozed off without having a bite of the frozen pizza that’d just finished baking in the oven.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Your dreamless slumber was disturbed by the vibration of a string of text notifications and the glow that lit up the dark ceiling. Still half-asleep, you blindly felt around for your phone and attempted to read the message through bleary eyes.

It was from an unknown number.

Rubbing your eyes to clear out the nasty gunk, you sat up and read the message again, this time with clearer vision.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] Hello, sorry for ruining your paintings today. I will make it up to you.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] Thanks for bothering to call, let’s meet at this address to talk about your compensation. My parents can’t know that I did this so it would be great if you could keep this a secret :(

What the f*ck. You muttered under your breath, eyes half shut. Did I call anyone? In your half-asleep state, you didn’t bother to recall. For a second, you considered blocking the number. But just in case this was just one of your dumbass friends who changed their number, you decided to give that person a reply.

[You] hello? is this papa john’s?? i would like a cheese pizza

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] oh sorry the voicemail was a prank for someone else

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] i’m the guy from the art museum earlier, remember

[You] okay why do you have my number

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] because you called me

[You] right. okay, what do you want

[You] unless you want to pay me back for all those damages back there, no i am not interested in anything else sry i’m a very busy person you know

You hesitated a second before pressing the send button. You’d just sent a lie; in fact, you weren’t really that busy. Apart from your part time job at the boba shop, you were actually quite free most of the time. During the summer, at least. In fact, your screen time had gone up by 42%, your daily average now totaling to a whopping 12 hours. After a minute or so of silence, you threw your head back onto your pillow and let out a loud sigh of relief. Peace at last! It also made you quite happy that the person who texted you was in the least, not some weird scammer.

Ping! You celebrated too soon. Reaching for your phone groggily, you read the new message.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] okay then i was going to ask if you were free tomorrow

Am I being asked out? You squinted at your bright phone screen in the dark. You might have been nearsighted, but you weren’t illiterate in pick-up lines.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] i want to return the clothes you lent me

[You] it’s fine, you can keep that

Oh good, he was talking about the clothes, not anything else. Your millisecond of relief ended quickly when he sent another message.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] oh also it would be great if we could meet up anyway? i want to talk to you about something that i had been meaning to say for a while

Oh, god. I knew it wasn’t just about the clothes. Lonely as you were, you would shoot yourself in the foot if you got into any relationship without landing a stable job or having any money. Scoffing amusedly, you stared at the screen as he continued to type. But dating someone like this? Never in a million years. Turning over to your other side, you thought about the many ways you could reject him.

[You] no sorry :(

[XXX-XXX-XXXX] we should set a date at the cannoli restaurant to talk about your compensation costs. i’m extremely sorry for ruining your beautiful artwork, and i know that my apologies will do nothing to change your current situation. since this is my fault, i’m willing to pay any amount you request (and i’ll pay to the best of my capabilities)... i’m assuming $50,000 would be enough to cover the costs for most of the damage? if monetary compensation doesn’t work for you, we can discuss other forms of compensation as well.

[You] i know it may not seem like it but i’m actually caught up in too much work to have time for dating anyone. you see, it’s just that i have lots of work on the side so i can’t really spare time at the moment. please don’t take this personally haha i’m sure you’ll find someone,,, like i don’t know how to say this but yeah…..you don’t wanna be w someone like me, it’s me not you

Huh? Just as you sent your message, another message popped up before yours. And if your life had a background narration, this very moment would have been “and in that moment he knew. He fvcked up.”

Fml.

With just one single message, you perhaps have ruined the only god-given opportunity to turn your life around ever. He’d just offered you money to cover the costs of your broken paintings... now that you thought about it, he could even be your patron! You couldn’t even get a patron even if you went out of your way to look for one on Craigslist, pestered Ms. Kim for any news from the Art Teacher’s Association, or even begged random people on the street in hopes one out of the million people would be willing to promote your art. Now, someone was asking to compensate you with tons of money, and you’d just rejected him in the most embarrassing way possible.

[You] oh shoot

[You] i mean wrong chat, uh can you please stay on hold, i will get back to your compensation offer, yeah i will see you at the restaurant sometime thanks

XXX-XXX-XXXX is typing…

You did not bother to see what he had to say. Hurtling your phone onto your carpet, you let out a guttural scream of “I AM SUCH A DUMB@$$$” before pulling the strings on your hoodie tightly. And for the second time that day, you cried.

———

Leaving behind the upsetting events from a couple of days ago, you listlessly shuffled through the entrance. It was Saturday morning, and that meant groceries. The local Asian market was one of your favorite places to be; breathing in the familiar blend of spices that hung in the air was a cathartic feeling. The corners of your lips were turned slightly upwards as you bent to grab a basket.

First stop was the meat section, where the bugged-out eyes of dead fish followed you as you walked down the aisle. Cooking raw animal flesh wasn't really your thing, so you simply picked up a package of pre-cooked chicken and went on your way.

Next came the produce section where you felt up all the tomatoes, only bagging the ones that felt the right amount of firm and soft. You also added a pack of bok choy and mushrooms, perfect for cooking up a lazy soup.

Now that you were nearing the end of your expedition, it was time to head into the best part of the store: the snack aisle. Sometimes, when you were feeling more down than usual, you would blow the whole sum of your weekly grocery savings on off-brand shrimp chips and chocolate banana Pocky. One by one, you were doing all the things your mom had told you not to do when you moved out, from coating the entirety of your insides with nothing but sodium and sugar to shifting your sleep schedule by 15 hours.

What was next, the-no-dating-boys-until-you’ve-gotten-your-Master’s-and-have-a-7-figure-job rule? You scoffed and rolled your eyes. Even if your stomach was totally trashed and your sleep schedule was nonexistent, you would never let yourself fall that far.

As you stepped foot into the chips aisle, you beheld the holy grail. From Hello Panda to rice crackers, wasabi peas to Yan Yan sticks complete with a chocolate dip, cream wafers to dried seaweed, you were in a sea of temptation. Being that broke college student™, you just gulped and kept walking. I can just feast on these goodies with my eyes.

Your initial plan had been to just walk through the aisles to admire and drool over snacks you knew you couldn’t afford, but you were stopped in your tracks when you reached the instant noodles section.

At the end of the aisle, the shelf was bare except for a single lone pack. Even from a distance, you recognized it, all right; there was no mistaking the outline of your favorite instant ramen brand. 신라면. More like 神라면 (it’s more than just spicy noodles— it’s noodles made by the gods) you thought, eyes already tightly clutching at the packaging from 5 feet away.

From many a sleepless night of binge-watching third-rate rom-com dramas (though you cringed thinking back on it, this was an integral phase of your dark “past”), you knew where this was going–– but you weren’t going to sit around and let yourself fall into some overused trope. You gripped your basket tight as you swiftly made your way over to the shelf, just about setting a world record for speedwalking with a basket.

Sure enough, if you had been one second slower, you would’ve been ensnared in a sticky situation. Just as you were snatching up your prey like the pterodactyl you were, another figure was rounding the corner. Another broke college student™, it seemed, judging by the state of their hoodie, which was pulled over their messy hair, the strings tied in a bow to make sure the hood wouldn’t fall. Even though their face was concealed by their hood, you could see their reaction as they connected the dots from the bare shelf to the ramen pack in your hand.

“Hey–” they started, reaching towards you, but you promptly dropped the pack into your basket, spun on your heel, and noped out of the aisle before you could be confronted. You felt sorry because you could sympathize with their situation, but you were in no place to be kind to others. Not in this dog-eat-dog world. To survive, you’d have to stay on top of the food chain.

You were about to fall in line when you remembered that you were all out of Sriracha sauce. You could deal with giving up your Pocky and shrimp chips as long as you had your favorite condiment in stock; no matter how down you were, scrambled eggs with a heaping squirt of Sriracha always took you up to Cloud Nine. If you were going to leave something behind, it would never be the Sriracha sauce.

After grabbing a bottle from the condiment aisle, you scanned the checkout desks for the shortest line. Luckily, a new checkout desk had just opened on the left, so you scampered over and placed your basket onto the counter. The clerk was a kind-looking old woman, but was surprisingly agile for her age. As you waited for her to bag the large span of items that belonged to the grandpa in front of you, you opened up your phone to check your budget. You eyed the message app with two unread messages temptingly before going into your bank app. This was a lucky trip~ thankfully ramen isn’t too expensive. Even if it wasn’t on my grocery list, a few cents won’t make too much a difference. I think I can spare enough to get a Pocky next time.

At long last, the grandpa shuffled away with his cart filled with some veggies, a thick stack of newspapers, and an unusually large stash of rice crackers. While the clerk scanned and bagged your items, you continued to fiddle with your phone until she cleared her throat.

“Would you like a single receipt, or two separate ones? Because there’s a divider between your items.”

“Excuse me?” “You and your boyfriend. By the way, you guys look really cute together, especially with your hoodies~ are you on a date?”

You spun around only to come face to face with the broke college kid from the ramen aisle. Well, that’s awkward. The cashier must have been blind or deaf (or both) because you didn’t even interact with that boy. You stole glances of the customer through your peripheral vision, trying to see what he looked like. Hmm, do I know him? He looked uncannily familiar. Just then, another realization dawned on you. A terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad one. Your expression quickly changed from one of confusion to one of pure shock.

Surprise, surprise. It was the douche from the art gallery. And he was wearing your old hoodie.

“I-I don’t know him.” Before he could open his mouth to say anything, you quickly looked away, feigning ignorance. Unfortunately for you, the old clerk had seen much in her day and your little ruse wasn’t going to slip past her that easily.

“From the flushed look on your face and the stammer in your voice, I’m pretty sure you do. And I’m sure he would agree, wouldn’t you, lover boy~?”

And… cue to the horrified look on lover boy’s face. The conflict that was playing out in his mind showed on his face; he knew that if he answered this wrong, he would be facing your wrath.

“Uh, well, the thing is…” He shot you a nervous glance, but your features were stone cold. At a total loss for what to say, the boy just trailed off and turned his eyes to his basket. Following his gaze, you looked over his items and immediately recoiled in disgust.

Not a single leafy green (grey) in sight, no meat, no rice, not even one of the food groups necessary to sustain life. Strawberry ice cream mochi, Taiyaki, strawberry Melona bars, Choco Pies, strawberry Hi-Chew, strawberry Chocorooms, strawberry Pocky–– it seemed that strawberry was a recurring theme among his groceries.

Even though the sheer amount of sugar made you gag, a pang of jealousy flashed across your face. That was the life you’d longed for ever since you finished high school: living off of nothing but sugar and carbs, looking like a bum and not giving a damn about it, just chilling.

Unfortunately, with the number of failures and setbacks that stained your past, a carefree life was something you could no longer afford.

“Yeah, okay, we’ve met,” you cut in, saving the boy from the tricky situation. Skeptic, the clerk stared into your unblinking eyes for what seemed to be a solid 15 seconds before shrugging and handing you your groceries. You snatched up your fabric bag and went on your way, walking fast. The color in your cheeks was probably the same as a tomato. Your least favorite fruit.

Why him, of all the places? Why, universe? Where did I go wrong? You were about to drop dead from embarrassment. As you closed your eyes, you could see your tombstone: “Rest in Peace y/n, died alone and patron-less.”

However, what you didn’t know was that your day was about to get worse. A whole lot worse. It all started when you felt a familiar tap on your left shoulder. I swear– You took a deep breath in and let it out slowly to compose yourself and answered without turning around.

“What in God’s good name do you want. And why are you wearing hobo clothes.” My clothes, you realized, a tiny bit weirded out.

“They’re comfy,” he pouted, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his newfound hoodie as if to show off. “Anyways, how come you didn’t check your phone earlier?

“Oh, uh,” you felt the pressure in your head rising as you recalled how you threw your phone down in embarrassment and cried. “Sorry, I was feeling kinda down because a certain someone sorta trashed my life’s work and my only chance of being successful in the industry, sooooo yeah. My bad.”

Sniff. You looked up, startled, only to find that the boy in front of you had tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. His mouth was clamped closed, but his bottom lip was quivering and his eyebrows were turned up, resembling a small child trying to keep himself from bursting into tears after falling and scraping his knee on the pavement. “I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

Well shit. There were two ways you could go about this: one, let your superego do the talking like a good person and prevent the boy from having a total meltdown in the middle of the sidewalk. The second was letting your id run rampant, taking full advantage of his feelings of remorse and overall just being a jerk. Maybe you could be distant and lacking in empathy, but you weren’t an asshole because you wanted to be one.

“Listen, I’m sorry for calling you a schmuck. A schmuck would not have bothered to keep in contact and a schmuck would not be on the verge of tears out of guilt. ...I accept your apology.” You were going to say that what he did was unforgivable, but you decided no to say that. After a pang of guilt jabbed into you, you bit your lip and softened your tone.

“I know you feel bad, but you don’t need to cry; there’s no way to turn back time. So instead, let’s move forward and keep looking up. I’ll start.” Smiling slightly with a tilted head, you held out your hand. “Hi, my name is y/n. I know that we’ve technically met, but this is the first time we’ve met met. So, nice to meet you.”

He wiped his tears away with the butt of his palm and tried to return the smile, though his was more watery. “Nice to meet you, y/n. I’m Beomgyu.” You noticed the corners of his lips curl upwards in a small smile as he took your hand, shaking it firmly.

There was a pause of awkward silence as you let go of his hand, wiping your sweaty palm on your sweatpants. Well that was the most awkward introduction I’ve ever had in my life. Clearing your throat, you spoke again to clear the tense atmosphere.

“About my compensation.”

#moacabin #txtarcadianet #txt fanfiction #txt scenarios #txt fluff #beomgyu #choi beomgyu #beomgyu fanfiction #beomgyu scenarios #beomgyu fluff #okay this is ... awkward #it's been an eternity since i first started writing this #i don't even think this is that good of a fic LOL it's just lots of crack #but anyways i hope you enjoy this story so far !!#it would be great if i could get some feedback about how it's going so far haha

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duchessfics · 4 years

Text

Business and Pleasure Part 5

(https://alainashuffman.tumblr.com/post/66522632737/sarah-paulson-in-piggy-piggy)

Billie x Fem!Reader

Warning(s): NSFW, D/s Dynamics, Semi-Public Sex, Fingering, Some Language, Praise Kink

Summary: It’s finally the day you and Billie fly to New York City. But you’ve got a full day of work to do beforehand. So inevitably you find yourself once more trying to work out how your relationship interchanges between work and personal. And you get a good time with Billie out of it too.

Word Count: 8805

A/n: Here it is! Part 5! 🙂 I hope ya’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Part 4, Business and Pleasure Masterlist

A self-made breeze brushes against your face as you rush through the Buzzfeed filming studio and dodge between different people and objects with Billie’s usual Starbucks iced coffee and McDonald’s sausage biscuit concealed in a Starbucks bag. While you intended to get here earlier, packing for your trip last night took longer than you thought. As a result, you stayed up far too late and when your alarm went off this morning the thought of a couple more minutes of sleep was too compelling. But when you hit snooze you overestimated how fast you could get ready and ended up practically running out the door. Luckily the studio is smaller than yesterday’s and you find Billie within minutes.

The glamorous blonde is perched at a makeshift makeup and hair station and you can tell she sees you because her face lights up in recognition and she gives you a smile before purring, “Good morning, sunshine.”

The warmth of her greeting compels your cheeks to warm up also and you return a small smile, shyly replying, “Good morning. Sorry for getting here so late, but I got your usual.”

Her smile widens as you give her the items and after she looks in the bag to confirm it really is the sausage biscuit, her mouth waters at the sight and she looks to you once again while moaning, “Oh sweetheart, I could kiss you right now. This looks so amazing.”

Your eyes widen and you feel the hairs on the back of your neck rise in awareness as your whole body warms at her choice of words. But you attempt to brush past the comment like anyone else would and lightly clear your throat to conceal the silence before you stutter, “I-I’m glad you like it. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Immediately you close your eyes regretting how you phrased that as ‘anything.’ And sure enough you open them up to see her shit-eating grin as she teases, “Do you really mean anything? Because I can always think of something I need.”

Do not spur her on. Think of a neutral reply. Anything.

Trying to maintain eye contact feels like trying to climb a mountain and any resilience left is used to keep your voice neutral when you slowly reply, “Anything in terms of filming. My employment services only go so far.” Billie’s eyebrows raise in mock surprise at your words, but she keeps that smug look on her face when she murmurs, “Of course I was speaking about filming…but it almost sounded like you have a little crush on me, y/n.”

If there is a time for the ground to open up and swallow you whole it’s now.

Your eyes widen at her forwardness and your whole body burns to the point of breaking into a nervous sweat while you shake your head and stutter, “N-no, Miss Howard. I didn’t—I-I never meant to—”

But she shushes your squeaky, incoherent plea and chuckles as she soothes, “I’m only kidding, darling.” I just wanted to see how you would react.” Fiery adrenaline that somehow simultaneously feels like icy shards shoots through your veins and you must look shocked because even the artist doing Billie’s makeup giggles and tells her, “I think you got her pretty good.”

If you two were alone, you would totally scold her for taunting you like that. But right now, she’s your boss. So you meekly nod and reply, “Oh. Well—um, do you need anything else before filming?” The medium gives you a knowing smile and wink before answering, “Not at the moment. But I appreciate the offer.” So you take her trash from breakfast and throw it out while she finishes with hair and makeup.

For today her manager lined up a gig with Buzzfeed LA where they will film Billie answering questions from twitter about being a medium. And in the process she’ll also promote her own show. After getting Billie placed, the crew makes last minute adjustments, and someone brings over a glass bowl with slips of paper that have questions on them. They set it on a wooden stool that is tall enough for her to draw from while standing, but it doesn’t get in the way of their filming shot. Today the blonde is dressed a little more on the casual side but still looks elegant, wearing glossy black heels, high waisted, freshly pressed black palazzo pants, and a silk, dusty rose button up blouse that is stylishly tucked into her trousers to flatter her hourglass figure. And, to your delight, she also has her notorious string of pearls on with earring studs to match.

Today you’re closer to Billie when she films so she can actually see you. But you stay back to keep out of the crew’s way, and she can stay focused. Once they call out action, the blonde looks to the camera and puts on her perfect smile before speaking in her smooth as honey voice,

“I’m Billie Dean Howard, medium to the stars, and today I will be answering some questions from twitter about what it actually means to be a medium.”

Then they cut and the director looks over the footage. And in that one minute, Billie is able to look away from the camera and flash a small smile just for you. The special attention from her is undeniably flattering and before you are conscious of it, you give her a small smile back before she’s called to attention once more.

At 12:30 pm they decide to break for lunch. When Billie begins to walk in your direction some of the Buzzfeed staff call out and ask her to join them for lunch. At first, she glances at you as if silently asking for permission. The questioning look confuses you since she is your boss, but you give her a reassuring smile and say, “I’ll get you a plate.”

The medium smiles back and murmurs quiet enough for only you to hear, “You’re such a dear to me, sweetheart.” Her soft praise makes your cheeks heat up and you give a small nod of acknowledgement before stepping away from her over to the lunch spread.

After gathering a small selection and making sure there is enough protein and nutrients to sustain your employer for the afternoon, you walk over and set down the plate, silverware, and cup full of water on the table. Everyone else keeps partaking in their lunchtime conversations however Billie pauses to look up at you from her seat and murmurs, “Thank you, y/n.” And once again, she shows you her genuine expression beneath the usually smooth exterior.

The thought that she is willing to even give you a glimpse of that side of her makes your insides flutter and you grin at seeing that special part of her again while replying, “You’re welcome.” But the intimate moment is broken by someone saying Billie’s name to speak with her.

So you back up from the group and grab a small lunch for yourself, sitting off in a side area as you work on your phone, emailing and calling different people to confirm Billie’s schedule in New York City in between bites.

Because they all started eating before you did, you still eat when they resume filming and listen to Billie continue to show her wit and sassiness with each answer. And by the time Buzzfeed wraps for the day, you’ve called Jared to make dinner and made sure housekeeping has her luggage all set up to head out the door.

As you end the phone call, Billie sneaks up behind you and murmurs in your ear, “Let me ride home with you.” You gasp, whipping around to face her. And at the same time, you check to see if anyone else is close enough to hear, but there’s no one around.

So you meet the medium’s gaze and whisper, “I-I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t.” She chuckles and leans in before whispering with a wink, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

There is no way you can think rationally while keeping eye contact with her.

Your eyes look down to your well-worn, scuffed up work shoes and your teeth worry your lower lip in thought, drawing Billie’s attention.

“Come on,” Billie playfully pouts, prompting you to lift your eyes enough to take in her glossy lips when she continues, “Live on the edge a little, sweetheart. I’ll make it worth your time.” Her low, husky voice that somehow remains honey-like melts your last shred of resolve and you hesitantly relent, “Ok…you can ride with me.” The medium smiles and when you meet her eyes again, her pupils are dilated in lust.

Without thinking she leans in closer to you almost like she’s going to kiss you. But you can’t go that far in public. Before you can even say anything, a look of recognition crosses her face and she backs away, venturing to look around and fading back into her casual demeanor prior to asking, “Shall we?”

By now your breath is caught in your throat and your eyes are misty in a mixture of shock, arousal, and shame at your conduct. But you avert your gaze and clear your throat to conceal the turbulent thoughts whirling around in your head and rasp, “Yep.” before leading Billie to your car.

The car ride to Billie’s house is relatively quiet, save for the couple words exchanged between the 2 of you and the radio softly playing in the background. But the silence is nice after being in a bustling studio without any real quiet moments in addition to what transpired before you left. As usual you drive with one hand on the wheel while leaning the other arm on the central console and because you’re focused on the road, you miss Billie taking small glances at you, noticing how your fingers tap to the beat of the music.

Today she is the one who desires to hold your hand that seems so close to her own. But unlike you in the car ride home yesterday, she initiates action and smoothly takes your hand, intertwining her warm fingers with yours. While your eyes remain on the road, your body automatically opens to her touch. However, you’re still a little shaken up by the whole—almost kiss in public—situation, so you stay quiet.

Billie notices your silence but assumes it’s from the long day of work. To break the stillness she gives your hand a light squeeze while commenting, “Your hands are freezing, sweetheart. Are you cold?” You smile at her observation, but keep your eyes on the road and reply, “My hands are pretty much always cold. But I’m alright.”

Your employer lets out a hum of understanding, however she silently brings her other hand up to sandwich your cool one between her two warm ones. The heat of her touch does help to melt away some of the insecurity from earlier.

After a couple more minutes of not speaking, Billie softly admits, “I missed sharing lunch with you today, y/n.” Immediately flames of doubt burn at the knots of anxiety in your stomach and you can’t help but ask, “Really?” You even give her a quick side glance to see she looks down at her hands that cradle your one hand.

However you look back to the road and don’t see her face when she lifts her head to look at your profile and honestly answers, “Y/n, I always enjoy spending time together.”

You know you should walk away from this whole thing and make it clear you aren’t just some person to use. But there’s that genuine, heartfelt voice again and you find yourself quietly admitting, “I-I enjoy it too.” Both of you go quiet again, but it’s a more comfortable silence and as she delicately caresses your hand your uncertainty ebbs away once more.

After you pull into her driveway and park your car, you finally look to Billie and she says with a smile, “Thank you, sweetheart.” Your core warms at her words and you softly reply, “You’re welcome.”

Now you squeeze her hand like she did with you earlier. The action prompts the blonde to look at you with an even bigger smile and you smile back at her, glad to be alone. However, you both know you’re short on time. So she brings your now warm hand to her lips and presses a kiss to the top of your knuckles before releasing it.

You reluctantly take your hand back and tell her, “Jared should have dinner ready, but I’ll have him keep it warm while you change into something more comfortable.” Billie nods in understanding before murmuring, “You’re the absolute best, y/n.” Her compliment prevents reality from completely crushing the moment and you find your cheeks feel tight from smiling so wide, but you avert your eyes and try to reply in a demure tone, “Thank you.”

Then the medium surprises you when she brings a hand up to cup your cheek. The intimate touch prompts your eyes to flick up and when you meet hers, her thumb brushes against your cheekbone. “You’re more than welcome, sweetheart.” Billie purrs with a smirk.

You both step out of your car and walk into her grand home. Then she ascends the elaborate staircase to go to her bedroom. You can’t help but watch her hips sway as she goes. She must realize you continue to watch her walk up to the second floor because before she disappears from your sight, she looks back to flash one more smile. After she’s gone you shake your head to clear your thoughts and go to make sure all of her luggage is loaded into the car she’s taking to the airport before placing your own luggage in and going to her chef to tell him she’s ready to eat.

After you’ve spoken with Jared you sit at the breakfast nook and a short time later, Billie meanders in, warmly greeting him. The medium now wears charcoal gray tapered sweatpants, an oversized, mauve-colored sweatshirt, and her black ugg moccasin slippers that always look so cozy and warm. But you can’t justify paying so much for shoes when your paycheck mainly goes to paying for rent. You don’t see her in lounge clothes often, but even in these clothes without any makeup on, Billie manages to maintain a distinct elegance that is both attractive and admirable.

Jared says hello back and dishes up her dinner while explaining what the meal consists of. The blonde carefully listens; however she can’t help but smirk when she notices you looking her over out of the corner of her eye. Once he has the meal on two plates and finishes his description, Billie thanks him before taking both plates and bringing them over to the breakfast nook where you sit to eat the meal. Then her chef begins to wash dishes like last night while you both eat.

Because he no longer looks on, Billie leans closer to you and purrs in your ear, “I noticed you checking me out. Do you like what you see, sweetheart?”

Of course she spotted you checking her out.

Your cheeks flush in embarrassment and you can’t help but duck your head a little as you squeak, “Yes.” Her low chuckle fills your ears and you feel her hand sneak around your waist low enough that it can’t be seen by the cook if he turns around and looks back at you both. Rather than pulling you close to her like last night, she merely uses the contact to maintain her intimate presence while murmuring, “Oh I am going to thoroughly enjoy our little trip to New York City.”

‘Our trip?!’ This isn’t your trip. Yes, you’re going…but it’s to serve Billie.

Her choice of words draws you to your senses and you turn to face her, inches from her lips when you whisper, “You’re gonna have interviews and pr for your tv show—”

But she cuts you off by assuring you, “Oh I’ll find time for you, honey.” Her eyes focus on your lips when she speaks, and you find yourself partly terrified and partly desperate for her to kiss you. However, the loud clanging of dishes in the sink snaps you out of your daze. Immediately you stiffen up and whip your head down to look at your plate.

The blonde is more subtle but makes a similar action. Even though she no longer looks at you, her arm remains around your waist as you both eat on the bench you christened just last night. After finishing your meal, you check to make sure Billie has everything she needs before heading out to the car and riding to the airport.

When you get to Los Angeles International Airport, the driver helps both of you unload your things and you and Billie walk in. Once you check in your suitcases so all you have to carry is your purses, walking around is much easier. Inevitably some paparazzi see Billie and come up to take pictures or ask questions. However a security person keeps them back by escorting you to the VIP lounge and the medium just puts on her sunglasses to dim the flash of the cameras.

The only reason you are even allowed to look into the inside of this lounge is because of Billie. You are all too familiar with the crowded, less than comfortable airport environment with harsh fluorescent lights and suspicious smells. But this exclusive waiting lounge it’s a completely different experience. There’s no one else around at the moment, every single seat is a leather recliner like the ones in fancy movie theaters with corresponding cup holders and charging outlets. Even the lighting is dimmed and orange based rather than blue so it’s less jarring. And all of the food and drinks are complimentary so you can basically order whatever you would like and someone will bring it to you. Basically this lounge takes the stress out of traveling and if you had the money to pay for a membership like Billie does, you would too.

Billie struts in first and a server immediately scurries up while inquiring, “Good evening, Miss Howard. Do you need anything at the moment? Can I interest you in something to eat or drink?” Your employer lets the straps of her purse slide down from the top of her shoulder to the bend of her elbow and removes her sunglasses as she replies, “I’ll take…a coke with lime slices, extra ice, and whatever she wants.”

The addition to her order makes your eyes widen and even the server’s brows furrow at you being acknowledged to order. Meanwhile Billie looks down to her purse while rummaging around for something. So you look to the server and clear your throat, but still sound hoarse when you stutter out, “Um…I-I’ll just take a water please.” The staff member gives you a cursory smile before replying, “I’ll be right back with those.” And they speed off.

Your gaze turns in Billie’s direction when she exclaims, “There it is!” Then she pulls out her lip balm and you watch her apply the deluxe chapstick to her lips. And as she does, she playfully wiggles her eyebrows and teases, “Gotta make sure my lips are still kissable.” Automatically, you scan the room for witnesses, but it is empty. And the medium just chuckles and muses, “Always so shy, y/n.” You look back to see her smirking as her eyes slowly trail over you.

“Here are your drinks. If you need anything else, please tell me.” The unexpected voice of the server behind you causes you to jump out of your skin making Billie grin as she takes both glasses and looks to the staff member before smoothly replying, “We will. Thank you, honey.”

At the moment your stress levels are off the charts. If your heart was beating any faster, it would fly right out of your chest. When the staff member walks away, you let out the shuddering breath you inhaled and the medium says with a smirk, “Shall we?” You’re still too flustered to speak so you simply nod and follow her to some of the more secluded leather seats.

Billie lets you sit first and once you’re seated, she holds out your water while murmuring, “Here you go, sweetheart.” You take the cup with a meek thank you and make yourself drink a generous sip as your heart rate slows and Billie’s eyes feel like embers on your face while she closely observes every move you make.

After the liberal sip, you set your cup down in the holder and look to your employer. She gives you a devious smile and asks with a raised eyebrow, “Comfortable?”

How could you not be? You don’t need to rush off anywhere and you have a gorgeous woman by your side who seems to enjoy your company as much as you do hers.

Her eyes continue to rove over you to the point that it feels like you lay bare before her and you find her cheeks warming as you reply, “Y-yes. Are you?” You see her beautiful smile expand. “Almost,” Billie begins before reaching out to take your hand and intertwine her fingers with yours. Her petite hand gently squeezes yours with her deep inhale and when she exhales, her grip relaxes and she lets her head rest back against the head cushion and sighs, “Perfect.”

The medium’s hand feels so soft and supple from the luxury hand cream she uses religiously and find yourself once again looking down at her neatly trimmed, light pink nails.

There’s no way you’re just a one-night stand deal. Not with how she is acting towards you. Of course you’ve never had sex with an A-list celebrity, but you know the start of a relationship when you see one. This isn’t your first rodeo. Should you pull your hand away from your boss’s? Probably. But are you really going to withdraw from her warm and gentle embrace? Not at the moment.

So you try to mimic Billie’s relaxed position and lean back against the plush seat.

Rather than trying to do anything else, you close your eyes, allowing yourself to just relish in the blonde’s touch. Billie looks over to see your eyes flutter shut similar to when you’re about to orgasm from her touch. The way you so easily relax into her hold warms Billie’s insides in both lust and endearment. But she also understands you have a life beyond serving hers and doesn’t want you to feel held back. So she gratefully takes any affection you offer, but manages her expectations. You’re young. Someday you’ll find someone to settle down with and they’ll be lucky to have you.

Even though your eyes are closed, you sense Billie watching you as her thumb strokes small circles over your knuckles. You give her hand a small squeeze and open one of your eyes to peek at the blonde. The cat-like action makes her chuckle and murmur, “I don’t know how you can look so cute all of the time.” That compliment makes you open both of your eyes and look behind yourself as if checking to see if someone is behind you before looking back to her and coyly replying, “Who? You mean me?” Her eyes narrow at the self-deprecation and she playfully admonishes, “‘Do I mean you?’ Of course I mean you, darling. You’re always cute as a button. And I will continue to remind you of that until you believe it yourself.”

Billie thinks you’re cute as a button.

Her promise of repetition captures your attention and you bite your lip before softly replying, “You always look beautiful too, Billie.” So beautiful. But the moment is interrupted by a couple people walking into the lounge. Shit.

You move to jerk your hand away to your own lap, but Billie gently shushes you and soothes as they order food and drinks, “They won’t notice, sweetheart.” But your anxiety keeps you stiff and worrying your lower lip between your teeth while you watch the strangers. So she leans in closer and murmurs, “Hey.” Her unusually soft voice gets your attention and you look to her warm, chocolate brown eyes.

The concern etched on her features takes you back to the time you were sure she was going to fire you after having sex on her kitchen counter. God that feels like a lifetime ago. You can tell she must sense you’re nervous, however, like before her demeanor remains calm when she soothes, “It’ll be alright, darling. And if they do say something, I’ll take care of it. Ok?” While your instincts tell you to pull back, her genuine expression of concern wins out and you force yourself to relax a little as you nod and respond, “Ok.”

In the end, the people who entered sit in chairs on the other side of the lounge and can’t even see your hands. So there’s nothing to worry about—as usual. Once they’re settled and talking amongst themselves, the medium gives you a wink with a reassuring smile and you let out the breath that was caught in your throat because of the strangers, but also your own issues.

You know that you have problems with trusting others and it’s led to a couple of your past romantic partners walking away in frustration and bewilderment. But Billie doesn’t seem to get upset and that’s a huge relief in itself. So you slowly lean back against the chair as you were. In response Billie gives your hand a small, reassuring squeeze while murmuring, “Good girl, y/n.” And of course, her words of affirmation make you feel much, much better.

Now that you’re both resettled, you fish the book you brought to read while traveling and ask the blonde, “Would it bother you if I read a little bit?” The timid question in your meek, little voice prompts her to chuckle and reply in an amused tone, “It wouldn’t bother me at all, sweetheart.” You give her a smile and thank her in return, but before you can open the book, your phone lights up. So you pick it up and gasp when you see who messaged you. Their message is unexpected since you haven’t talked in months, but always welcome.

In her curiosity at your noise, Billie can’t help but sneak a glance over. However she just as quickly chastises herself for being nosy and picks up her own phone to occupy her wandering eyes. You both don’t speak to each other for the next hour, but the medium doesn’t miss your small laughs or smiles at whatever this mysterious person is sending. And to her own surprise, Billie feels the smallest twinge of jealousy and possessiveness over you and your shared relationship. However you’re not exclusively with her so what can she expect?

Before boarding the plane, you put your book away while asking, “Do you mind keeping an eye on my things while I run to the restroom?” Billie shows off her trademark smile and replies, “It’s no problem, honey.” So you set your purse on your seat with your phone on top so it doesn’t get lost while saying, “Thank you, Billie. I’ll be back in a minute.” Then you make the short trek to the lounge restroom which, like everything else in this exclusive section, is considerably better than the public restrooms everyone else uses.

While you’re in there, Billie hears your phone vibrate and before she can stop herself, the medium sees it’s a message from someone whose contact name is Taylor. And the message itself says, I wish I could go there with you, but we can keep in touch over messaging. I’ll miss you. 💜 The words provoke her flame of jealousy and possession once more.

Did you lie to her about being with someone? You probably didn’t mention this person because you thought your job would be in jeopardy. Maybe she’s just been projecting her own feelings on this fling the whole time.

“Ready?” Your voice calls out, bringing Billie back to reality. Her fingers flick nervously in her desire to bite her nails, but she puts on a confident smile and smoothly replies, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” You grin at her response, but don’t miss the nervous tick of her fingers. Something seems…off. However you don’t have time to ask about it. So you pick up your purse and phone and both of you are escorted by security to get on your plane to New York City.

Of course Billie has a first class seat so you do as well and once again are amazed by the discrepancy between these spacious, luxurious seats compared to economy seating. There is an ample amount of space for you both, but you still elect to be close. And the moment you even mention feeling chilly, an attendant is there with a fresh cozy, microfiber blanket just for you that’s warmed from being stored in a heated cabinet. Billie watches you snuggle under the blanket and secretly slip your shoes off, so you only wear socks and you scoot a little closer to her, longing to get some of her radiating warmth. The subtle movement makes her smirk and purr, “Do you need some attention, sweetheart?”

You could always use some attention from Billie. And judging from that damn smirk on her face she knows it too.

Your eyes lower as you softly admit, “Maybe a little bit.” Then you venture to look up and see her smiling and opening herself up to you even more as she purrs in that intoxicatingly low voice, “Well, you have my full attention, darling.” Your heart flutters at her sweet as honey demeanor, but you can’t help but question, “Are you sure? I was just being dumb—”

However your boss presses one of her fingers to your lips, effectively silencing you, and assures, “Y/n, I don’t mind giving you my full attention. Don’t you give me your full attention most of the time?” Billie pulls her finger back enough for you to answer, “Well…yeah. But—”

“Ah,” Billie says, placing her finger on your lips again before continuing, “No buts. I can assure you that it is my pleasure to give you attention. Ok?” You hesitate for a moment, but nod and softly answer, “O-ok.” The answer seems to be sufficient for the blonde, so she withdraws her finger. Then she pulls back the arm divider so nothing is between you both and you scoot as close to her as you can with your seatbelt on to lean against her side, letting out a sigh as her familiar scent of jasmine and smoke envelops you. To any onlookers you only seem a little closer than usual, but nothing overly affectionate.

About that time, one of the flight attendants comes up and says, “Good evening, Miss Howard and Miss L/n. Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink?” Immediately you go to move away, but by now Billie has her arm wrapped around your waist under the blanket and keeps you close as she casually replies, “I’ll take a red wine and…” Then she trails off and both sets of eyes looks to you. So you squeak the first thing that comes to mind: “Ginger Ale—please.” The attendant gives you both a smile, missing your internal panic, and chirps, “Of course! I’ll be right back with those.” And walks away.

When you’re alone again, you look to Billie and ask, “Do you think she noticed?” The question prompts her to giggle and softly soothe, “No I don’t think she did.” Then she leans close to your ear and presses a small kiss before murmuring, “Let me take care of you, sweetheart. I promise I’ll keep you safe.” Her warm words do help and you can’t help but get upset at yourself for always worrying.

You really are constantly a buzzkill and can never seem to relax. Before long Billie will get tired of you being a worry wart and leave—

The medium saying your name draws you out of your vortex of anxiety-driven thoughts and you look over to see Billie watching you closely with furrowed brows. Her look of concern makes your cheeks warm in shame and you can’t keep eye contact as you mutter, “I’m sorry. It’s not you—it’s me.” Billie notices your faltering gaze and to her it makes no sense why you are always so hard on yourself. So she tries to encourage you by saying, “Y/n, this isn’t anyone’s fault. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

You venture to meet her eyes after her reassurance and it feels like her darkened, intuitive orbs can see straight to your soul as she observes, “You’re pretty hard on yourself aren’t you?”

Finally, someone sees how hard you try to fight off these feelings of anxiety. It’s not that’s you’re unaware.

Your eyes automatically get misty at her recognition of your struggle and you bite your lip, attempting to keep your emotions in check as your nod.

Of course it’s at that moment the flight attendant returns and gives you your requested beverages. Both of you politely thank her, but even she seems to pick up on the current mood and merely says, “We’re just about to take off, but if you need anything once we’re up in the air please don’t hesitate to ask.” Billie gives her trademark smile and replies for you both, “Thank you so much, sweetheart.”

When the attendant is gone, rather than trying to push the conversation further, the medium loosens her hold on you to take the remote synched with your personal tv. Then she hands it over to you and murmurs, “How about you pick out something for us to watch?” You’re thankful for not having divulge all of your emotions in this moment and carefully take the remote to flip through the choices until you find one of your favorite movies.

When you press select, Billie lets out a soft hum and muses, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before.” Those words make you gasp and you look at her while squeaking, “You haven’t—how have you not seen this? Now we have to watch this so you can see what you’ve been missing.” Your employer chuckles at your shock and horror, but leans closer to you while purring, “Enlighten me, sweetheart. I’m ready.” By then the cabin’s lights are off besides the strips to illuminate the walkway and a couple random personal headlamps on to read or write. But you’re basically shrouded in darkness with only the glow of the tv providing any direct source of light. And after watching the short video on safety, the movie begins.

Once you’re fully up in the air, Billie slides the partial door closed so you have a little more privacy and the moment the seatbelt light turns off, you both unbuckle your respective ones and you curl further into her side. In response the medium wraps both of her arms around your middle to keep you close, only shifting once and awhile to sip her wine. By now you have your legs tucked up underneath you and let yourself melt into her warm and welcoming side. The luscious notes of sweet vanilla with undertones of heat and ash bring you a sense of contentment only she can provide. You haven’t felt this blissed-out since this past Sunday night after she ‘allowed’ you to be the dominant one and held you close afterwards.

After the blonde takes her last sip of wine, instead of going to her previous position, she removes her arms from you, leaving you feeling exposed, and slips her hands out from under the blanket. The movement gets your attention and she holds her hands out in front of you both as she kisses the sensitive skin behind your ear and purrs, “You were right, darling. This pink does look lovely.” The sensation of her hot breath on your neck makes you shiver and slowly twist around to face her.

Once again, your lips nearly meet each other and you close the gap, leaning down to press a small, shy kiss on her lips. When you back up, she smiles and her dark eyes stay on yours as she returns a small kiss before lowly murmuring against your lips, “Oh come on, y/n. I know you can give me more than that.”

You smile and lean in to recapture her lips. While she does love the feeling of your lips on hers, the medium can’t help but notice you slightly tensing up after kissing longer than a couple moments. And she doesn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. Well…too uncomfortable. Fortunately, a splendid idea comes up in her head that should make you less tense. But she needs to draw out your own desire before making her move.

When Billie pulls back from your lips, your brows furrow.

You know she likes longer kisses than that. And her all too familiar, shit-eating grin is enough to know she’s up to something. With Billie—who knows what’s she has got up her sleeve.

However she makes no move except to sit back in her seat where she was and innocently say, “I apologize for interrupting your movie, darling.” Your eyes narrow as you look her over, but there’s no sign of mischief besides her little smirk. What does she have planned? You skeptically settle back in beside her and she wraps an arm around your waist to keep you close like before.

You continue to watch the movie and Billie doesn’t speak, however her teasing touch underneath the fluffy blanket definitely distracts you. In the beginning her thumb slowly strokes your side however as time goes on you feel her get bolder in her caresses and she ghosts her thumb over the outside of your breast. In fact a couple times she shifts a little closer and you’re sure she’ll brush over your nipple that’s already peaked in arousal. But then she barely skims past it. When you react by squirming and letting out the softest whimper of desire, the medium has the audacity to chuckle against your neck and rile you up even more

By the end credits, Billie has effectively aroused you to the point that you’ve gotten even closer to her and nearly gasp in need. Meanwhile your employer just laughs at your desperation and lowly inquires in your ear, “Have you heard of the mile-high club, sweetheart?” Oh, you know exactly what her plan is now. This is a legitimate thing? You’re about to find out. You look to her face with wide eyes of both fear and anticipation and whisper, “Y-yes.” Of course, that just eggs Billie on and she purrs with a smirk, “As a member myself it is my pleasure to induct you into this exclusive group.”

Your lust-filled eyes focus on Billie’s darkened one’s and she has a wicked grin as she taunts with raised brows, “You mean you’re not going to tell me this is wrong or that it’s too risky?”

At this point Billie has worn your resistance down to the point that if she slammed you back against the wall and fucked you, you wouldn’t say no—consequences be damned.

However the comment does bring you back to a sliver of reality and you hesitantly reply, “Y-you won’t get us in trouble…right?”

Your soft, timid question fuels Billie’s fire and she watches you with hooded eyes as she answers in an overly innocent voice, “That’s entirely up to you, sweetheart. The louder you get, the more likely it is that someone will come over here to check on you.” Automatically, you listen to see how loud the plane is, and the only constant noise is the low hum of the engine with variable sounds from the TV and a few conversations around you. But there really isn’t that much to conceal your noises.

But surely Billie wouldn’t try this if she didn’t think it was possible—right? You can do this. And even if you can’t—your desire is strong enough to cloud your judgement.

So you give her a firm nod and say, “Ok.”

By now another movie is starting so she leans in and purrs, “How about we watch another movie, hmm?” Whatever the movie is, it’ll provide more sound coverage and you’ll take all you can get. Rather than voicing your agreement, you go back to sitting like you were and relax into the medium’s soft and warm embrace. Meanwhile, she leans in close to your ear and kisses the sensitive flesh right behind it. And as she does you feel one of her hands under the blanket move from around your waist to the front of you. Then she cups your clothed mound in a possessive manner with her hand, making you gasp and watch her hand move under the blanket. However, your attention returns to her words as she purrs, “Keep watching the movie, darling. We don’t want you to look suspicious, do we?”

Her low, commanding voice leaves your mouth feeling dry and you know that even just all of this toying around has your core dripping in arousal. But you pull yourself together enough to rasp, “No.” And there’s that low, seductive chuckle which has an angelic ring to it again. You listen to her instructions and slowly look back to the tv, but your whole body remains focused on the distinct feeling of Billie’s fingers undoing your pants while her lips lazily tease your earlobe. And when she slips her hand into your pants and under the waistband of your panties, your legs slightly spread of their own accord.

Then you feel her slender digits slide down to dip into your core. The soft touch makes you whimper, “Billie—”

But she softly shushes you before purring in your ear, “Oh, honey, you like all of this a lot more than you let on.” That’s when you feel how truly soaked your pussy is. There’s no way you can just ‘watch the movie.’ So, rather than looking to your lap where Billie’s fingers lazily spread your arousal, you turn to look at Billie’s face. She backs up a little to make eye contact and softly jests, “I’m starting to think you want to get caught.” Then her fingers find your already sensitive clit and you bite your lip to stifle your whimper.

If there is anything you don’t want to happen, it’s getting caught.

So when she starts to rub vicious circles on your pearl, your thighs clench up and you take short breaths to prevent yourself from moaning. And without intentionally planning it, your one hand reaches out under the blanket and clenches the top of Billie’s thigh to keep rooted.

Fortunately Billie’s fingers leave your clit and allow you to take a deep breath. But she’s not done with you yet. “Is that what you want, hm? You want the flight attendant to come over here and see how desperate you are to be fucked, sweetheart?” The medium whispers and eases a finger into your tight hole. You instinctively clench up at the intrusion, but she’s there for you, brushing the pad of her thumb against your neglected clit.

“Y/n…I asked you a question and expect an answer.” She murmurs in a soft, sing-song voice as her finger begins to slowly pump in and out of you. Your lip feels sore from biting on it so hard to keep quiet. But you release your lip from your teeth and whimper, “No.”

Billie leans a little closer and places a kiss on your nose while inserting another finger into you. “No?” She mockingly whispers as her digits fill you oh so perfectly. Your back arches as much as you can in the limited space and you lowly moan, “No.” The blonde chuckles at your state of being and you whimper her name, pleading for her to start going again without spelling it out. But she shushes you with a brief kiss and her free hand comes up to cup your cheek before she soothes, “I’ve got you, darling. I’ll take care of you.”

You look into Billie’s warm, chocolate colored eyes and the moment her fingers within you begin to speed up again, you gnaw on your tender lower lip to keep your sounds contained. However you capture the medium’s thigh in a steel grip and your teeth can’t completely silence your high-pitched noise of pleasure when she strokes that sensitive spot within your depths. The TV conceals some of your groan, but your noise is distinct enough to hear over it and you see the silhouette of the flight attendant right outside of your frosted glass door.

Shit, shit, shit.

Your whole body stiffens up as she passes by. Meanwhile Billie continues to fuck you with her fingers and makes a soft shushing sound right beside your ear. Fortunately the attendant doesn’t stop walking and you bury your face in the bend of your employer’s neck to muffle your moans as she continues to stroke that sensitive spot.

Billie grins at your state and tuts her tongue before reprimanding, “Don’t think you can get loud now. You just about got caught already.” But her words don’t register with you and you keep one hand on her thigh and bring the other up to cling at her shirt while whimpering, “I’m about to cum.” no longer caring to ask permission. The blonde notices and purrs, “Oh really?” You merely nod in response and feel your whole body warm as those intense pre-orgasm twitches flow through your body.

However her hand slows and Billie asks, “Aren’t you forgetting something, darling?” You nearly sob at the torture of being edged in this circumstance. But you settle for whispering in a voice thick with emotion, “Please let me cum. Please, I need it, Billie. Please.” By now you are just about in her lap and cling to her for dear life. The medium begins to speed up her movements once more and she whispers in your ear, “Go ahead and cum for me, sweetheart.”

You don’t know if it’s the public setting, the teasing beforehand, or the way Billie strokes your sweet spot, but you end up experiencing one of the strongest orgasms you have ever had. Thank god you are biting down on her shoulder to stay quiet and she holds you close with her available arm so that any sounds that escape are muffled.

Thankfully she doesn’t push you to another orgasm and lets you settle back down from your high as she takes her hand away from you to lick off all of your essence on her fingers. Once your breathing regulates, you realize that you still keep a vice grip on the blonde’s leg and sweatshirt. So you release your hold and briefly smooth her clothing out while clearing your throat. Then you resettle back into your own seat and let your head fall back against the head rest as you close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Holy shit you can’t believe that just happened.

That’s when Billie’s giggle fills your ears and she teases, “Congratulations. You, my dear, are now an official member of the mile-high club.” On one hand this all almost feels like a cosmic joke that the universe is playing on you after wanting Billie so long. But on the other if this isn’t reality and is some vivid dream you are not complaining at all. You can’t help but let out a breathless laugh at the absurdity of it all before replying, “How exciting.”

At this point you finally open your eyes to look at the blonde. Her mauve sweater still looks a little scrunched up from your hold. But besides that she radiates an aura of effortless perfection. You don’t know how she does it, but any time day or night you swear Billie has her hair perfectly set and her face even without any makeup looks glowing with a perfect sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. You can only dream to look that good.

As you stare, the medium’s luscious lips form into a smirk and she leans towards you. Her hand comes up to give your cheek a small pinch as she teases, “Take a picture. It’ll last longer.” It’s only then that you realize how long you’ve been gawking at her.

Pull yourself together.

You automatically look down and shake your head as you mutter, “Sorry.” However, Billie takes your chin between her thumb and pointer finger and guides you to look at her face. That’s when you see the blonde’s reassuring smile. “Hey, who said I didn’t want that? Sweetheart I am made for the cameras.” She soothes with a wink. You let out your higher-pitched, schoolgirl-esque giggle at her confidence and for the first time you aren’t embarrassed or ashamed by the noise.

For a moment you share eye contact and watch Billie’s eyes shift from her charismatic, fiery warmth to a softer brown that reminds you of the molasses cookies your mother makes for Christmas each year. Then she leans in and gives you a light kiss before whispering against your lips, “Without you being so close I’m getting a little chilly. Do you think you could help me out, sweetheart?” And to add onto her smooth as honey voice, the medium tilts her head so she looks up to you through her long lashes.

Billie Dean Howard is going to be the death of you. But hey—at least you’ll die happy.

You return a small, shy smile and scoot closer to her while answering, “I’ll try to help.” The blonde chuckles at your response and wraps both of her arms around you. When you’re snuggled back into her side the same way you were cuddled before while watching the movie, you partially nuzzle into Billie’s silky locks and she lets out a hum of pleasure and amusement before murmuring, “Oh sweetheart, you’re helping so much already.” The vibration of her voice helps to warm your entire body and you’re grateful you have another hour on the plane as you softly reply, “Good.”

By the time you walk up to the check in desk at your hotel, it’s just past 2 in the morning. Luckily since you’re used to Pacific Standard Time it only feels like 11:00pm. However, you have to wake up at 6:30 this morning which will feel like 3:30 in the morning to you.

3:30. You are going to need more than 2 cups of coffee to keep you going.

The luxurious, 5-star hotel lobby is empty except for a couple of staff members so checking in is a breeze. Then the hotel concierge hands Billie her room key before giving you one to your room and they ask with a pleasant smile, “Would you like any help bringing your luggage up to your room?” On your part, you only have one rolling suitcase as well as a small purse. Billie has a large suitcase and purse, so you look to her for direction.

She looks to them and gives her trademark smile as she murmurs, “I think we’re good. Thank you, sweetheart.” So they wish you a goodnight and you make the short walk to the elevators.

Once you’re inside one and ascending to the 27th floor, Billie asks, “Can I see your room key for a second?” Without thinking you reply, “Sure.” And hand it over. However you quickly recognize your error when she tosses it into her bag and says, “We won’t be needing that.” Your eyes widen at her action and for a moment you are stunned into silence. However you make yourself speak up and stutter, “Wait, Billie, that’s—that’s the key for my room.”

The medium chuckles at your words and teases, “Would it really be that bad to stay with me? I mean—I can look for it in my bag…or we can just share my room?”

That little minx! She isn’t wrong though. Sleeping with Billie for a couple nights? That is a dream come true.

So you let out a sigh and tiredly relent, “We—we can share your room.” She gets her Cheshire cat grin and as the elevator door opens, she purrs, “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” You let her step out first and as she leads the way you can’t help but wonder what your boss has in store for you for the next couple days.

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Part 6

#Business And Pleasure #AHS #ahs imagine #ahs fic #ahs fanfic #ahs billie dean howard #billie dean howard #billie x reader #billie dean howard imagine #billie dean howard x reader #ahs sarah paulson #sarah paulson #ahs sarah paulson’s characters #ahs murder house #AHS Murderhouse #ahs hotel #ahs apocalypse

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