#I hardly ever talk about it but he calls me Renny and it makes my heart WEAK like it’s so cute and familiar and I love it… | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thundershadowfox1324 · 3 years

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CHAPTER 2 - you can also find this on my Wattpad under Shadowfox1324 if you prefer that.

Three months have passed since I decided enough was enough and bolted. It has not been easy what so ever but the world feels different, well everything does because I'm not being fed lies. yes I grew up the the cold walls of the palace and don't know the world, but I am learning for myself real horrors. The world is defiantly cruel and I can't let my guard down but I like the metaphorical freedom.... even if I am being robbed every 10 minutes.

I unfortunately had to ditch Renny early on so it would be harder to recognize and connect the dots to my identity. I hope the farmer I handed her off to is taking care of her.

3 months has been hard on me, an unprepared "sheltered" 15 year old but I have learned much.

I'm currently located just inside the kingdom itself but I'm far from the main city. I somehow found myself in a nice cozy little town. Not much to see really. I am looking at buying some supplies from a merchant stand when I see the guard enter. I throw my dark hood up in an attempt to blend in better. They are calling for attention and holding flyers. I know for a fact it's my reward poster. I've seen it myself, took a whole week for father to realize I'm not returning and for him to care. The reward itself isn't all that much money wise. I don't have any doubts that he secretly hopes I don't go back. To bad I'm the only one to continue his blood line or his legacy is lost to time.

The guard is getting closer and I can feel the world start to spin, I have not come this far to be caught. I refuse to think of the consequences for leaving.

I politely excuse myself from the stand and make my way down the street. The guard is just behind me, I need to get out of sight. I turn a corner and press myself to the wall and slid down trying to breath and keep the impending panic attack at bay. Clutching the sides of my hood tightly and holding it close to my eyes blocking out the world. The fluff of my light blue hair brushing my cold fingers. It tickles but it's taking my mind off the people just around the bend asking about me. A few moments pass, still tense, I peak around the side of the wall. I still see the lavender colored armor of the castle guard. I settle back down to wait when I realize I'm not alone in the ally way.

There's that moment, when your stomach drops, the feeling of being caught by a stranger, and your both stuck in some suspended reality. Me and the older gentleman are both hidden away, starring into each other's eyes. No words. The other man tilts his head. I can feel my earlier panic flair again at having been watched this whole time. He saw my moment of weakness. That's how people get killed out here. I can see two swords strapped to his dark clothing.

My ears are ringing, and I have no clue what to do, or what is happening. The other man, who is crouched behind some storage crates, seems to be observing me. I can't move my eyes away until I here the armored footsteps move close to the ally opening and the other man reaches over, grabs my black hoodie sleeve and tugs me behind his crate. It's more out of view to the opening. He pulls me close to him. I'm way to out of sorts to understand or really fight back but I keep quiet and hardly breathe.

We both sit there in silence for a while, so long that I have come back to my senses. I'm not calm per say but I'm now at least aware. The strange man stands and starts to walk away. I'm still on the ground watching him, slightly dazed. He stops and looks back at me and moves back over to grab me by my shoulders gently and leads me to my feet. I have no choice but to follow.

He leads me just outside the town, to the boarder of the woods. He whistles sharply three times and another man steps out. This one seems a bit older and dressed in black and purple. He is wearing a mask that obscures most of his face. They switch, and the dark quiet man disappears into the shadows. The other stands there watching me, making me uncomfortable. Soon the shadow man and another of similar age but with some sort of replacement arm walk out. They seemed closed off, but the new unfamiliar face is hiding excitement poorly. I take a nervous step back, realizing I'm not the safest, with 3 older men looking me over and all carry a weapon of some sort....how could I have been so stupid. It's not that I trust them, but I had hoped they wouldn't take advantage of me. It's not like I had a chance of escape but I should have tried. I'm panicking again. My chest is tight and I can't breathe. I don't understand what is happening and none of the strange people have said anything.

The man with the magic arm, his lips are moving, saying something but I can't hear over my own erratic breathing and static filled mind. Frozen to the spot unable to move before I feel a hand on my shoulder and a light breath in my face. The sharp mint smell snaps me a bit into awareness and the man that brought me here is taking exaggerated slow breathing and I try to match. I recognize this as him trying to calm me down. I assume that he's mute or antisocial as he has yet to speak to me. Once I take a deep sigh and look up from the ground I see the other 2 having a conversation paying me no mind. Almost like they are giving us space or something. I still have the thrum of unease stringing through my system but I ignore it best I can to face these strange people.

The man in the purple from before notices that i seem to be done and heads over with the other following him. The man with the strange arm speaks and as he does I take in more details from each now that my head has cleared a bit but ever still buzzing. He says "well hello there sorry if we scared you" he smiles and glances to the tall one still beside me. Not really knowing what to say I stand there awkwardly hands fidget with a loose string in my black pull over hoodies pocket.

The one who found me wore dark leathers with 2 swords fashioned to his belt. He has short white hair and a face full of scares that probably told story's. His expression seemed ever locked in intense disinterest but seemed kind enough. The happy one with the missing arm had some sort of device attached to his stump that allows the mage hand spell to operate in its stead. He wore a bow on his back to accompany the arrows and dressed in a cloak of dull blues and greens. His dirty blond hair swept to the side and had a nice beard going on. The third kept his face hidden with his dark coat and a face cover all adorned with purple accents. He had a quiver attached but instead of arrows, seemed to be filled with all kinds of weapons and swords. The mute white haired man started signing, only able to pick up a few words from my study's. 'Kid hid and follow being the only things I could catch. The purple coat turns to me and hums as the one with the missing hand starts to talk to me. "Sorry if this is all confusing for you" he turns to white hair "you know max is not gonna like this right? Ahhh who cares I'm already attached" the man in purple sighs and talks to me "sorry bout these two, randsom over there is the embodiment of an excitable puppy. Creed is the dark and mysterious one and as you could probably tell doesn't speak much, he has damage to his vocal cords so it hurts him to talk." He leans in close to whisper to me "He seems pretty scary but he's soft just don't let him know I told you that" he laughs to himself like he told a funny joke and leans back into a normal posture. "I myself am X/R, not my real name obviously but I like this more. Let me explain a bit, from what I understand creed over there found you freaking out and hiding away from the authorities. He happens to have a huge soft spot for kids so he brought you to us. We don't know what's gonna happen to you but I promise we are not gonna hurt you." I stand there in mild shock and confusion. These are probably some of the weirdest and dumbest people I have ever met. X/R continues speaking "we have 2 more members to our little group here and they will be back soon, they are on a scout run, the girl is phyzee (pronounced sighzee) psy has a few screws loose but I think we all do as well" he chuckles to himself again, I just stay silent and stand there awkwardly. "Max is a bit more intense, he's the one you gotta watch out for. He hates us all but we follow him anyway. I don't know but he has this huge protective streak in him. He probably won't like you being here but we can convince him otherwise. He won't hurt you unless you give him a good reason though so you got that going for you. Hey if you don't mind me clarifying something, you don't want to be found right?" I simply nod in response. "I see, well if you want we can put on a good word for you to travel with us, we could certainly use them extra set of hands, and not to be offensive but your kind of pathetic" I cringe and blush out of embarrassment, I know these people for a few minutes and they think I'm hopeless just like everyone else, so much for hoping things would be different.

At that moment a 20 year old girl wearing red ragged looking monk clothes with really fluffy light hair and another guy. He's wearing very simple clothes, like black tee shirt and jeans kind, and looks to maybe be in his early 30s but he almost has this homeless look about him, the long wavy dark red hair not helping to lessen the vibe. The moment he sees me he stops and looks very unhappy. He directs his speech to the man in purple - X/E or something and the man with the ghostly prosthetic-

Randsom I think? I don't know but he's mad "what did you two do? You.... Why?! Argggh" he throws his hands up in Frustration and starts to pace a bit "we seriously can not keep anymore of your strays" randsom pipes up kinda shyly "actually this one is on creed, found him in an ally way nearly passed out from fear of something" max without skipping a beat "and that's our problem how? Guys you know we can't afford to have another mouth to feed. At least your smart enough to not take him to camp" starts rubbing his temples and directs his attention to me "hey kid do you have somewhere to go?" Realizing that all attention has now been directed to me by the question I freeze up. Wide eyes and whole body shivers that are really annoying take over. I try to shake my head but my whole consciousness is off kilter and I just want to hide away. Max groans and rolls his eyes "fine we can take him in for the night, he's not gonna survive if he's like this but In the morning we leave and he stays here, it is not our problem."

X/R and Randsom high 5 and catch the girl up on what's happening. Creed is off to the side of me keeping watch on the perimeter. I sink to the ground and try to collect myself, I can handle this I can do it, cause if I can't then I'll never stop being some loser who freaks at a leaf.

#chaos hero’s #dnd5e #original story #writing

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weeklyfangirl · 4 years

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Frat Boy Pt. 21

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 (1), part 7 (2), part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13 , part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19 , part 20

HI LOVIES. Please enjoy a Friday update on the Frat Boy universe. This one is a bit of a breather after the TUMULTUOUS ANGST of the last chappie. Shorter than my usual, but it’s all the chapter needed. Tons more y/n and Harry interaction on the way in the next! Have a safe and happy day loves xx

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Things I want:

Live a life that helps others

Financial freedom

Experience a great love

Visit the the Pincio Gardens in Italy

To have more dreams and fewer nightmares

Doodle more

Acquire a first edition book, either because an old friendly man who owns an antique bookshop decides to give it to me in a bonding moment, or because I have accomplished #2 and I am celebrating being a Boss Bitch

To be happy

Please note: not necessarily in that order

It was taped above my desk, waiting for me to bring it in to the next session. I hesitated to write number 6. It was a dream I hardly entertained after committing my scholarly life to pursue medicine. I used to love to doodle. All the time. Since elementary school. I doodled so much my mom dedicated a wall in the house to my illustrations. She hung a sign above it that affectionately said “Y/N’s Doodles.” Seriously, you couldn’t get me to stop. Even if it was gross sappy sketches of my crush Billy who I would NEVER show on the playground at recess.

My doodling stopped how these things normally do. Because life grew busier than anything else, and the sketchpad and easel my dad had bought for me at a garage sale became ignored, collecting dust in the corner of my room. At some point, it’d become a year since I’d drawn anything, and then it was two, and three, and by this point I’d realized I was the one who’d need to create her own stability in life and medicine was the more logical fit. It wasn’t that I didn’t see the value in drawing anymore, I just had other things take up my time. It became a comfort just knowing I used to draw. Paul had paved his way, and now I was on my way to do the same. At least with medicine, my soul felt fed. It was almost comfort enough.

“oH WE GOT A ROGUE ONE.”

A flying toenail hit my eye.

“WHAT THE-” I flailed my arms, as though there were a thousand more coming. Renny’s mouth opened in shock, her guilty body hunched over her bent leg. Clippers in hand.

“Sorry!!” Renny burst up laughing.

“oH MY GOSH CAN YOU DO THAT OVER A TRASH CAN OR SOMETHING?!”

“IT HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN!!” she screamed back.

I blinked rapidly, my left eye watering up and spilling painless tears. “Well I’m going to have conjunctivitis at the studio later. Or I’ll be stumbling in blind.” I wiped it away.

I heard another clip and she put up her hands with another giggle.

“All done. And you won’t stumble, I’m going to be there.” Renny extended her leg, her perfectly trimmed foot nearly touching the ceiling.

“You’re just going to solicit Zayn to be his next subject.”

“Maybe,” her grin grew devious. “But also because I want to see if he captured the angelic beauty and complex nymph nuances of my best friend.”

I put a hand to my chest, still aching from uncertainty. “Honored.”

“Want to watch another episode until it’s time to go?”

This whole lazy morning had been an OC Housewives bingefest. She’d seen it on my homepage and had a complete spazz, twitching whilst proclaiming but i’ve been trying to get you to watch this show for YEARS!! When she saw the old season I was on, though, she didn’t have to question why her pestering had miraculously worked. She didn’t mention him aloud besides giving me a pointed look. And so, we watched it, even though I wasn’t really in the mood to see anything about Harry right now. It’d hurt more than I thought to walk away from him last night, and to see how sad he looked when I did.

After last night, he hadn’t posted anything to social media. He’d called, twice, but I knew he was drunk, or worse, and I was tired, and whatever he would say he could tell me in the morning. Even though I knew he wouldn’t.

And he didn’t.

And therein lay the problem.

It hurt to see his family on my little box of a computer screen, weird to see his life and get glimpses of his childhood. I felt like a hacker spying on home videos. But then I reminded myself that thousands of people had already done the same. At this point, it was just… morbid curiosity.

“Nah, I don’t know if I can handle any more of that right now. Dr. Rhinecuff is going to yell at me if I don’t return these scanned copies to him by Monday.”

“Ew, he smells like meat.”

“RENNY!!”

“I’m just saying. That one time I went with you it smelled like pastrami in his office. He has a PhD, but isn’t with-it enough to buy air freshener.”

“He likes pastrami sandwiches, let him live.”

She scrolled on her phone, not bothering to respond, and my gaze turned to the window.

“Hey Renny?”

“Hm.”

A bird flew close to the glass, halting just before it hit it, then zooming off in the opposite direction. “What’d you do when your parents were fighting?”

“Ummm…” I knew the question registered in her mind when she stopped scrolling, suddenly concerned. “Are your parents okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, kind of.” I glossed over it, not caring to get into the bitter details. “I was just curious.”

“Uhh..” She plucked at the soft cotton of her cotton candy pajamas that were fraying at the knees. “I lost my virginity to Zach,” she half-laughed.

“Zach? Neighbor boy Zach?”

Renny nodded. She always sounded a little sad when she talked about him. Zach was the hot college boy who shared a backyard fence with Renny, the girl who may or may not have used her kitchen stool to peak over and see him workout on the grass every summer he came home. I’d known they’d slept together. I just didn’t think he was her first.

“I just tried to be out of the house as much as I could,” she said. “Found my true love Mary J.”

“Oh.”

“It was shitty, but I’m glad I got it over with.”

“The divorce or your virginity.”

“Both,” she chortled. “Why what’s up? Are you sad or something? I have a j in my drawer.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Mostly I was just wondering what it must be like to feel so sexually liberated. In my house sex wasn’t talked about. At all. The inevitable sex scene in every other movie would result in my dad blaring out “WHAT KIND OF MOVIE IS THIS!” in an attempt to make it less awwkard, but having it backfire and only make it horrendously more awkward. I wasn’t saving my virginity for anyone in particular, but after all those romance novels, I wanted it to be… something. I wanted to feel something towards the person where it would justify something I’ve kept to myself for so long. I wanted it to be intense. I wanted it to be like the books. Like a Frank Sinatra song that swept up your heart and transported you back to a time of gentlemen and cigars and women in long evening gowns with fur coats and martinis.

“I wish I could just get it over with,” I confessed. One half of me screamed YOU’RE IN YOUR TWENTIES HAVE ALL THE SEX while the other half said YOU’VE WAITED THIS LONG DAMN IT HOLD OUT A LITTLE LONGER. I didn’t know which part of me was compromising more.

Renny leaned in, quick. “Would you do it with Harry?”

Like the flip of a switch, I remembered the sensuous heat of his body against mine, wrapping me up and pressing me against him where we just fit. And I couldn’t imagine how much better it’d feel to be even more connected to him.

“Maybeeee…?”

But then there was last night.

I cringed. No matter how with me he’d seemed… he couldn’t have been present after mixing whatever the hell he took and a handle of alcohol. Did I really want someone like that? Someone who could only give a shell of themselves?

“No, I wouldn’t. Or- ugh, I don’t know. I don’t know if it could ever mean as much to him.”

Renny nodded. “I mean, don’t let him pressure you, obviously. If he does, I’ll kick his baby maker smack into his prostate. Prostate. See, anatomy. You taught me that.”

“Haha, no, he’s not like that.” My brows stitched. I was confused why he wasn’t more like that, actually. We’d known each other for several months now and he hadn’t even put a finger in me. When I thought about it, it actually frustrated me. Don’t pressure me to do anything, but I wanted to be pushed to do something. I was never the bold one in areas like this.

Not that I should be so willing to do anything with him anymore anyways. Something shifted in me when I’d seen him last night. It wasn’t a shift I could easily describe, but it’d set me a foot apart from my heart. A bit of me was shocked that it had happened so suddenly.

But this shift was new, and my heart still wanted what it wanted. I knew that if I watched any more OC Housewives with Harry’s toddler curls and surfer tan, I’d be sucked right back into speculating about what our future kids could look like. And if I saw him?

You were right, Harry. You are fucked.

I cringed again. That was harsh. That was very very harsh.

I didn’t know if I’d have the courage to apologize. What if my pheromones went berserk and magnetized me to his side??

Renny was right.

I needed therapy.

The clippers were tossed back on my desk.

“Thanks,” she said. “Have you started on your DG Double P yet?”

DG Double P = Renny Speak for DG Pretty Please.

I groaned. “No. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, honestly. I have to-”

“NO!!! Don’t tell me. We’re not supposed to tell each other.” Her hand extended in panic.

“Fine. I can keep a secret.”

I was getting a little too good at that lately.

She moved onto her belly, splaying her arms out in a dramatic fashion, face squished against the comforter. “Isn’t it just killing you inside.” She was dead serious.

“Yeah, more than you know.”

And I was serious, too.

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I wasn’t expecting people to dress up as much as they did. Donned in my only pair of yoga pants and a chunky white sweater, I walked arm-in-arm with Renny past girls in cocktail dresses and guys in button-downs.

Something that sounded like a baby’s cry filled my ears, but it was gone as soon as we walked through the doors to the on-campus gallery. .

“Woah did you hear that?”

Renny nodded, tossing her head back. “There’s a baby somewhere.”

It reminded me of the bodiless screams in my nightmare. In my chunky sweater, I shivered undetectably.

The on-campus gallery rotated exhibits throughout the year, but this time, student sculptures were on pedestals, nightmarish portraits hung on the walls, and red and orange tapestries swooped down and across the ceiling in a cirque-du-soleil moment as if to secure us beneath fire. Some students had separate booths, but other pieces of work trailed seamlessly into the next.

A tree made from photographs and newspaper took up the center of the space. Zayn had been so adamant about his muse having life, I wondered if that was the focus of this exhibit - to capture natural life. But I suppose all art did.

“It’s the circle of life exhibit,” Renny stated, as if reading my thoughts.

“How’d you know that?”

She held up a pamphlet she must’ve grabbed from the entrance.

I quickly scanned the room, hoping to find Zayn quickly so I could skip out just as quick.

Several of my professors were here, including Dr. Rhinecuff. When he saw me, I raised my hand, but he raised his cup of red wine awkwardly and looked away.

My hand wavered.

Odd.

Zayn was standing by the tree, speaking with an older woman. Her skin was a rich brown, short hair hidden beneath a chic scarf. The man beside her looked around the same age with graying facial hair, a pocket hanky, and beaded bracelets. Art professors.

I caught his gaze, and he gestured me over.

“Y/N, these are my instructors. David and Ebony.”

Their eyes lit up in recognition. “He did you a great justice,” David said, gray moustache twitching with the words.

Ebony beamed. “Oh yes, a piece was already sold. He’s going to be the next big wig before he graduates,” she gushed. “Zayn, I’m sure you’ll be splitting the profits with the heart of the piece.”

She gestured to me and his smile widened, but my stomach sank faster.

“I didn’t know these pieces were going to be sold.”

Ebony sensed my concern. The wine in her glass swirled. “We thought allowing the pieces to be shown and auctioned was a good way to replicate what many of them should be doing once they graduate. The whole department gets involved, and these kids put in a lot of work, and the reputation of starving artists isn’t something we want to buy into here.”

I nodded. “I mean, that’s great. That’s… really amazing.”

Zayn couldn’t meet my eyes. He knew. He could sense my hesitance, too.

“Now he can finally afford a nice dinner to take you out!” David proclaimed.

We were all quiet for a minute. “You know, for a thank you dinner,” David covered up. Zayn’s brows scrunched and he shook his head a bit, not knowing where David’s comment came from.

“Do you do this regularly?” Ebony asked, steering the conversation away from an awkward moment.

My ears pricked up when I realized she was looking at me. “Excuse me?”

“Well I was just thinking…” a light laugh lifted as if her idea would be outrageous. “Would you mind sitting in for one of my classes on Monday? Our model had a sudden death-”

“My God,” David proclaimed.

Ebony waved her hand. “-in his family. I haven’t called to replace him yet.”

It quieted as they looked at me, waiting for a response. “Oh, I don’t… I don’t usually do this. At all. It was a chance thing.”

“Luck be the artist.” David raised his glass.

Ebony followed suit, looking at my empty hand. “You just going to let her stand there without a drink?”

“Yeah, Zayn. What kind of treatment is this?” I teased.

He did a slight bow. “Apologies. We’ll walk to drinks, immediately.” He pulled us away, leading us further into the showroom as his head dipped low to my ear. “Renny just passed us to meet Felix and them. They’re through here.”

We stepped under an archway that led into a darker-lit room, but his hand stopped me beneath the nook. “Did yeh notice anything?”

Yeah. I was noticing how close we were in this archway. He saw my eyes start to squint in thought and he turned me around to face the room we’d just left.

“Look closer.”

My eyes roamed the crowd, trying to find some sort of person, or pattern he could be referring to. With a brief seize of my heart, I expected to see somebody from the gang.

“Look at the artwork, Y/N.” His breath warmed my skin.

The paintings all seemed to be bright, though sticking to red, orange, blacks, and grays. Wait, forget a pallette pattern. The next painting had blue and purple, too. One sculpture looked like a writhing ghost, twisting and reaching for something above. Or maybe it was an unearthed tree root. Despite all the bold colors, there was something off-putting about how bright they all were. It wasn’t a soothing brightness. It was almost violent. The orange and red writhing tapestries warped the ceiling into something hot.

“Is it hell?” I chortled, but quickly quieted. I expected him to take offense, but his hand went lightly around my waist with a small smile.

“Could be. See-” his arm extended out to scan the perimeter “-all this art is supposed to represent death, but challenge the notion of it through color.”

“How so?”

“Yeh know it’s usually your blacks, and your grays, s’depressing shit. But we’re born from death. Before life, there was nothing, but something. It’s bold and necessary and there, and no one really knows whatever comes before. Or after.” He looked at the room, taking a sip of wine. I watched as he swallowed, and I imagined the wine running down. “What is death but an uncertain existence.” He said the thought almost happily, looking at me with a slight smirk. “Could be anythin’.”

He took a deep breath, letting his hand touch the top of the archway. It was then that I noticed it wasn’t just plain drywall. A collage of photographs ran all along the inside.

He wasn’t as tall as Harry, but his hand still reached the top, scuffing across a picture of an African landscape taped over a toddler eating fruity pebbles.

“They’re pictures. Everyone donated one,” he said.

A strand of words were painted over the collage, running from one end of the archway to the other, and I tilted my head back to read it. “Things... that…. make... m..e …...feel alive.”

“Everyone was able to design their space in order to control, to some extent, how their art was perceived. Everyone was a part of the transition space.”

“Very nice,” I noted, slightly put-off. I hadn’t been expecting this art show to be so… professional. “Zayn, this is amazing. Like, really, truly, professional-grade stuff is happening. The presentation, the pieces, everything.”

His smile grew wider, putting cool hands over my eyes. I flinched, but let him.

I felt him come closer.

“Listen now,” he urged.

I listened, but I wasn’t sure for what. There was the familiar busy rumble of people mingling, parents visiting their kids, and professors droning on about the talent of their students. But it was chatter. I couldn’t make out one conversation over another. I shrugged up against his other hand that was atop my shoulder.

“Sometimes you need to change where you’re planted to understand.”

I hoped he could see my cross expression because I couldn’t tell if he was bullshitting me right now. It’d been a day. It’d been a night. And I wasn’t in the mood for more philosophical ramblings - especially about death. “I don’t know what you mean,” I sighed.

“Meaning I have to move you closer to the speakers.” He let out a breathy laugh. “Jus’ keep your eyes closed, okay?”

I nodded. His hand moved, tilting my head to its side. Eyes still closed, I became self-conscious imagining people trying to move past me, and here I was, planted, eyes closed in the middle of the archway. My cheeks heated. It was unnerving knowing people could see me when I couldn’t see them. And anyway, I must’ve looked ridiculous.

“What do you hear?” he urged.

“I hear a lot of people talking,” I griped.

But right when I was about to open my eyes-

I heard a familiar chirping through the chatter.

“Birds?” I opened my eyes.

“Observance can be taught, sometimes.” Zayn leant back, looking mighty proud of himself.

“Why are there birds?”

“We’re entering life,” he smiled, backing into the space. I tipped my wine back, several long gulps lightening my step as I followed him. Immediately, I noticed much more natural, earthier tones. For being a room of life, it was surprisingly darker than the prior room.

Renny, Felix, and Andre were huddled in the center where a makeshift wall-on-wheels covered in vines divided the room in half.

My eyes widened, trying to adjust to the dimness. “It’s a lot darker in here.”

“All intentional. They decided to play with light in here. People usually think of life being bright ‘n that, but it’s also when we experience varying degrees of darkness. There’s a balance to things and the trouble is finding it.” Understanding laced his voice as his dark eyes bore into mine, almost completely black. One look from Zayn and I was reminded of all the weight I’d been carrying. I fidgeted, uncomfortable seeing myself in his eyes.

“Y/N, get over here!” Renny called. My shoulders visibly relaxed. My saving grace. “You didn’t tell me you did this,” she said lowly as soon as I got close enough, shocked excitement barely contained. Her giddy smile gave it away though. “Miss sexy secret keeper over here.”

“What do you mean?”

She playfully poked my sides, but Andre and Felix avoided my gaze. Something wasn’t right. And it stirred my stomach, my body already knowing, somehow.

I turned in slow motion, the charcoal drawings in my peripherals stopping me in place. Framed amidst the vines, my face was etched onto paper, scrunching and twisting in various expressions. But my body was attached and twisting, too. And it was bare, bent over, spread out, laying down… My eyes scanned over them a dozen times in a second.

I was naked.

In all of them.

One was titled “21st Century Love.” In this one, I faced the viewer, but looked past them, sorrowful eyes, brows furrowed, breasts I’d never shown on full display. A hickey or two on my neck. A painful sting gripped my chest. I looked sad. I looked so sad.

Tunnel vision, a blurred Renny rushed down to the floor, and a distant part of me registered something wet splatter on my feet.

The wine had dropped.

I’d dropped it.

I was trapped in a shell. My body was numb.

“Babes, you okay?” Renny asked, her voice somewhere far away. Somewhere outside the shell, her voice drowned in the busy rumbling, with the birds, with the watchers. People were watching me now. I was being watched. “Felix, grab some towels!” she barked.

I looked horrified, towards Zayn, but changed my mind just as fast. I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t even breathe.

He didn’t know me at all. He could stare at me for a thousand sessions and paint every crevice, sunspot, blemish, and mole and still not see me. How was an artist this blind? How could he not know that this was the last thing I could ever want? How could he picture me so… intimately?

The paintings seemed to swirl into one before bouncing back out into their separate exposees.

Because that’s what it was.

An exposure.

A stranger could pay to have me in their home.

The floor spun, vision spotting.

My lungs tightened, tearing me away from Renny, from Felix, from Andre. From Zayn, the artist who painted a confused girl so unashamed. So honestly. Savagely and Unabashedly.

“I didn’t want this.”

And it was when I was halfway out the door that I realized the voice had come from me, a mantra pushing my shell all the way home.

part 22

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blackhakumen · 4 years

Text

Mini Fanfic #391: To Make it Official (Super Smash Bros Ultimate X Persona 5)

One night at the Leblanc Café in Shiyuba, the owner of the coffee place, Sojiro Sakura, was about to close it for the day, when suddenly a Giant Golden appears out of thin air, showing two ladies causally walking out of it.

Sojiro: (Chuckles Lightly once he saw a familiar face) Well I'll be.... It's been a while, Cereza.

Bayonetta: (Smiles Brightly) Sojiro, darling! It's so nice to see you again.

Palutena: (Shyly Waves at Sojiro) Hello, sir....

Sojiro: (Noticed Palutena Walking Behind Bayonetta) Ah. You must the goddess girlfriend Cereza told me about. It's nice to finally meet you in person.

Palutena: (Smiles Softly) Likewise. (Frowns a little once She Noticed the Café was empty) Oh no. Is the place already closed for the night?

Sojiro: It was. But since the both of you are here now, I suppose I can stay here a bit longer to serve you two ladies on the house.

Bayonetta: (Finds Herself a Seat) Many thanks, dear.

Palutena: (A bit Unsure) Yes. Though, you really don't have to give us coffee for free if you don't want to.

Sojiro: Nonsense. Any good friends or family of Ren's is a friend in my book. Speaking of which, how is the boy doing there anyways? He isn't causing you two any trouble as of late, has he?

Bayonetta: (Smiles Sincerely) Hardly, Sojiro. Your dear nephew has been so wonderful to be around.

Palutena: (Smiles Softly) Yeah. We love him already.

Sojiro: (Chuckles Lightly) I'd figured you would say that. Ren's been talking about you ladies non-stop to me whenever I call him in the weekends.

Bayonetta/Palutena: ('GASPS') Really?

Sojiro: Oh definitely. He looks up to the both of you so much that you practically mean the world to him at this point.

Bayonetta/Palutena: (Hearts Begins to Melt in Definitely) Ohhhhhh Our Baby Boiiiiiii~

Sojiro: (Burst out Laughing at the Couple) Oho man. The boy wasn't kidding when he said you two would like doting mothers to him.

Bayonetta: (Pouts at Sojiro) Well it's not we can help ourselves, you know?

Palutena: (Blushes while Pouting at as well) Yeah! We in the Smash Family love each of our babies all the same. And Renny is most certainly no different.

Sojiro: I know. I know. (Smiles Softly) Still, it's nice for the kid to have someone to look up to besides me, of course.

Bayonetta: Us too. Which reminds us..... Sojiro?

Sojiro: Hm?

Bayonetta: (Look Towards Palutena Before Nodding at One Another and Holding each other's hands) This might be coming out as shock, but.....

Palutena: ...... We're actually thinking about adopting Ren officially.

Sojiro: (A bit Surprised) Really now?

Bayonetta: (Nodded) Yes. I know it's a bold move for both of us to make, but we really mean it when we said we adore having Renny around with us. So much so that...we really want him to be part of our family.

Palutena: That's right. But we want to tell you about this first before either of us would do anything. You're the closest thing to he considers to be his actual family.

Bayonetta: That's why we came here. So hear you thoughts about this...and to see if you approve, of course.

Sojiro: ..........Huh. You really are taking this whole mother thing that seriously, huh?

Palutena: (Nodded) That's right. Like we said before, we love each and every one of our babies equally. We would do anything for them. Even Ren.

Sojiro: (Thought About the Ladies' Request Before Finally Coming up with what to say) I'm not entirely what Ren would say about this. But if you honestly want my opinion on this.....(Smiles Softly) I, for one, think it's admirable of you two to go this far for him.

Bayonetta: You... really mean that?

Sojiro: (Nodded) Of course The kid been through a lot since he first got here. So it's nice to hear he has people he could look up to as parental figures. Especially after everything he been through after his arrest....('Sigh') Not to mention how his former parents literally disowned-

Palutena: (Starts Growling and Gritting her Teeth in Anger) !!!

Bayonetta: (Gently Squeezes her Lovers' Hand to calm her down) Calm yourself, darling. Please.....

Palutena: ( Takes one Good Look at her Lover before Sighing Heavily while Calming Herself) You're right.....(Turns to Sojiro with a Frown on her face) I'm sorry for sudden change of mood, Sojiro. Just the mention of them alone got me on edge......

Sojiro: Don't be. I....take it that Ren already told you about them?

Bayonetta: (Frowns Firmly) Yes. He has. And let's just say we each have very..... very few choices of words to say about them. None of them are positive in the slightest.

Sojiro: I don't blame you there, sister. To this day, I still can't believe they disowned him like that....and for a crime he didn't even once commit!.....Then again....(Frowns a bit Sadly) I wasn't any better to the kid either.....

Bayonetta: (Frowns) What are you saying, Sojiro darling?

Sojiro: ('Sigh') The first time I met Ren, I treated him like a common thug like everyone else in his home town. I didn't even cared if I'd kicked him out or not.....(Look on the Floor in Shame) Guess you can say that I'm really no better than these poor excuses of actual parents, huh?

Bayonetta: Well, we, for one, don't think that at all.

Sojiro: (Eyes Widened) You don't?

Palutena: Of course we don't. Ren told us a lot about you ever since he moved into the mansion. He told us how you would always take the time to teach him how to make good coffee and curry, how you would actually spend some quality time with him and your daughter whenever neither of you three are busy, you practically raised him as your own, even after you found out he was a Phantom Thief.

Sojiro: (Couldn't Believe What He's Hearing) He.... really told you that much about me, huh?

Bayonetta: (Nodded) That's right. You're one of the few people in his life that means the world to him.

Sojiro: (Smiles Softly to himself) (Damn....that knucklehead might actually make me cry here tonight......)

Palutena: Sojiro, are you okay?

Sojiro: ............................ Alright.

Bayonetta/Palutena: Hm?

Sojiro: You two said you want to adopt Ren, right? Well, you're really serious about doing this......(Smiles Sincerely) You have my fullest support and approval.

Bayonetta: ('GASPS') Oh my Gosh! Really?!

Sojiro: (Happily Nodded) After everything Ren told me about you ladies and how serious the both are on being his mother figures....I honestly couldn't think of anyone else better care of him than you two right now.

Bayonetta: (Already in Tears of Pure Joy) Oh Thank you, Thank you, Thank you so much, Sojiro!

Palutena: (In Tears as well) We promise we'll do whatever we can to love and protect him.

Sojiro: (Chuckles Lightly) That's great and all. But what would you two do if Ren declines the offer?

Bayonetta: Then we'll just look after him like we normally do. Though, we really hope he accepts our offer.....

Sojiro: Judging on how much he brags to me about you two, I'm sure he'll say yes. Just have a little faith in that, alright?

Bayonetta: (Nodded with a Sincere Smile on her face) Yes, darling. We will.

And with that, Sojiro and the lovely couple enjoys the rest of the night drinking coffee and catching up with one another with a casual conversation until it's time for each of them to come back to their own homes.

@keyenuta

@26shann

@miki-13

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

#super smash ultimate #persona 5 #sojiro sakura #bayonetta #palutena #ren amamiya (mentioned)#friendship #bayonetta and palutena are best moms #sojiro is best coffee dad #palutena x bayonetta #adopting the phantom thief #have to edited it again to make it perfect. sorry about that

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