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poopwons · 3 months

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**Break My Heart**-Ft. Jean Kirstein 18+ MDNI!!

Synopsis: You and Jean break up, he doesn't know what to do with himself. Maybe you'll call him? (surprise, you will)

Content: (NSFW), F!Reader, Jean’s POV, post break up feelings, angst, cursing, depressed Jean, pet names, handjobs, fingering, praise kink, Jean has a teensy bit of a size kink, collaring (if you squint), unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, people), cream pie, hair pulling, light alcohol consumption

a/n: I have never written anything this long before, but I got the idea in my head and it would not get out so, here it is. I was literally driving home from work listening to Olivia Rodrigo and Happier came on, so that's what inspired this 🥰 Huge shoutouts to @jeanboyjean and @cowgirlikets for encouraging me through this entire process!💜💜💜 ***also I know absolutely nothing about plumbing, so sorry if all of that is completely inaccurate LOL***

words: 6.9k

Two months, four days.

That’s how long it’s been. That’s the last time Jean saw you in person, talked to you at all. Sure, he’s wanted to reach out, he’s gotten drunk a few times and Connie had to wrench his phone out of his hands when he saw your name on the screen. Jean had yelled at him, tried to push him off, but Connie ended up with the phone, locking it away before helping Jean to bed. All in all Connie was looking out for him more than anyone else. That’s what good roommates are for, right?

Though, Jean is sure that Connie never expected to ever see his friend like this. Hell, Jean never thought he’d be this way; he never even thought of the possibility of the two of you splitting at all. The first week after you told him you didn’t want to keep seeing him, he stayed in bed, blaring awful sad songs, just wallowing in his own self pity. He supposes he still is, even months later.

The days without you have slowed to a crawl. He still thinks about you all the time, it takes all his will power not to scroll through your instagram, wondering if you’re thriving without him, or if you’re just as fucked up as he is. He doesn’t want to know, he’s not that desperate yet. Still, thoughts of you plagued him every moment it seemed like. Who does he make breakfast for now? Making a single serving for himself just seems.. pathetic, pointless, in comparison to making something for you.

The two of you had a great routine, his favorite, he thinks. You’d wake up, curled in his arms, peppering little kisses to his face, trying to wake him up. He’d groan at you before running his hands to your sides to tickle you, calling you a menace for disturbing a man’s sleep. The little giggles he’d pull from you were his favorite sound, he’d never heard anything better. Then he’d get up, make coffee and breakfast for the two of you while you showered. Sometimes he’d say fuck the breakfast and shower with you instead. Hot water cascading down the two of you, the smell of your shampoo in his nose as he kissed the back of your neck while washing your hair. Fuck. He needs to stop. Think about anything else, he curses himself, his brain can’t keep doing this to him, can it?

But, turns out, it can. Who makes your tea the way you like it, muddled with honey and a splash of cream? Who else knows that you only want earl grey when it’s raining because that’s what your mom would give you when you came inside from splashing around in puddles when you were little? That you want chamomile when you’re sick, and coffee most mornings, unless you’re anxious, then you want English breakfast. Who knows the way you order your meals from your favorite restaurants? That you don’t like water chestnuts because “they’re too crunchy without enough flavor”, or that you hate fast food lettuce but will completely devour the caesar salad from the diner downtown because you say the lettuce is always “the perfect amount of crisp and never soggy”? What does he do with all this little information that he’s learned about you, that’s now completely useless to him since you’re not here?

Connie managed to drag Jean out to go have lunch with him and Sasha the next day. It’s the first time he’s been out in weeks for something other than work. He’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, the most he can manage with how exhausted he’s been. The little chain that you picked out for him draped across his collarbones. He likes that memory. You dragged him into a jewelry store, showing him the necklace, saying something about how you thought it’d look good on him. He was never much of a jewelry person, but for you? He agreed, but only if you’d get a matching bracelet, and you did. You said it was your favorite, you loved it so much, and it went on like that, the two of you, in your matching pieces, wearing them everyday…

“Jean,” Connie breaks him out of his thoughts, he wonders if he could tell that he was thinking about you again.

“What,” his tone is flat, nothing like his usual light hearted one.

“Dude, don’t you think you should take that off?”

Jean looks down at his chain, then back at Connie, a frown plastered on his face.

“No, I don’t want to take it off.”

“Look, man, I know you’re still upset, but.. doesn’t that make it worse?”

Jean can’t stand the look of pity he’s getting, he shrugs and doesn’t reply. Take it off? And then what, get rid of it? No. No, he can’t get rid of it, you got it for him. It would be like throwing you away.. and he’s just not ready to do that, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be.

Sasha kicks Connie under the table, the two of them had clearly talked about how to handle today and it seems like Connie is going off script. Jean can’t take it anymore, he can’t stand the way his friends are looking at him, he wants to look anywhere else. So, he does what he’s been trying to avoid. He pulls out his phone, opening up your instagram. You haven’t posted in a while, but there is one new picture. Jean’s heart lurches into his throat when he sees it. Who is that? Why is he with you? He’s never seen this guy before and he doesn’t like it, right down to his stupid green eyes, that idiotic man bun, and that shit-eating smile plastered on his face, like he’s mocking Jean without even trying. The picture is innocent enough, a selfie with his arm around you. But why is he touching you? Why are you letting him? Did you really move on this fast? Did you forget about Jean already? Is this the real reason you ended things with him, for this other guy?

He hears a faint grunt from across the table, then Sasha is talking to him, he hardly hears it, the blood is rushing in his ears. Connie snatches his phone from his hand, Jean can’t even find the energy to snap at him. Connie groans when he sees the screen.

“Shit, man… I was hoping you wouldn’t see that.” Connie practically winces when he meets Jean’s eyes, tears welling up in them. His voice breaks when he finally speaks up.

“Who is that with her?” He sounds like the world has been ripped from him.

Sasha speaks up from her side of the table, having seen the post as well. “I don’t know.. maybe they’re just friends. Don’t overthink it, it’ll be okay.”

He sends a pitiful look her way, it most definitely would not be okay. He takes his phone back from Connie, rising from the table, hell bent on getting back home. His brain is going a mile a minute thinking about you and.. whoever that was.

Two months, fifteen days.

He stays in his room all week. Barely leaving, laid up in bed scrolling through your entire instagram. All the pictures of you and him are gone. He can’t believe you got rid of them, did you delete them off your phone entirely? Were all those pictures slowly being replaced by new ones with this guy? He hates the thought of this stranger taking up camera space that should be his. He knows he shouldn’t.. looking through this idiot’s instagram isn’t going to make him feel any better, but he has to know why you chose him instead.

He swipes through this guy’s pictures, he’s even got a stupid name. Who spells their kids' name Eren? There aren’t a ton of posts, but the few that Jean does see has him rolling his eyes, gym selfies and photos of him playing a guitar, his long hair flowing down his shoulders. Great, so he’s ripped and talented. Jean’s not out of shape by any means, but he isn’t as cut as that, especially since he’s been skipping the gym the past couple of months, unable to find the energy to go, and he definitely can’t play any instruments. Maybe he should learn, would that impress you enough to finally reach out to him? No, that would take way too long, he wants to hear from you so much sooner than that. Maybe he can start growing his hair out.. would you like that? You never complained about his hair before but, this whole thing has thrown him for a loop. He’s questioning everything about himself wondering what Eren has that he doesn’t. Maybe Eren’s better in bed? No, that can’t be it. You never once complained about Jean’s performance, all those pretty sounds you made when he touched and kissed and sucked at all the right spots. No, he definitely knew what he was doing in that department. So, that can’t be it, which almost makes it worse. That must mean Jean failed you in some other way as a partner. Was he not attentive enough, not supportive enough? Did he not make enough time for you? Maybe he should have tried to plan more dates. The thoughts go on and on like this until he finally falls into a fitful sleep, what little dreams he has are plagued with you laughing at Eren’s stupid jokes, of you being happier with Eren than you ever were with him.

Jean is sitting up on the sofa in the living room, Connie had begged him to at least come out of his room so he knows the poor guy’s still alive. Jean is scrolling through yours and Eren’s pages, checking yet again for any more posts.

“Dude, seriously? Are you looking at that guy’s page again?” Connie asks, as he sits down on the couch with a bowl of cereal.

Jean gives him a noncommittal grunt, before shoving his phone in Connie’s face. “I mean, what does she even see in him? He’s not that good looking and he has stupid hair. He probably can’t even play that guitar.”

Connie gives him a sympathetic look, he knows it can’t be easy for Jean to see you with someone else, but it’s been almost three months since you two split. All the same, he’s Jean’s friend, he can’t always tell him what he wants to hear, right? He sets his bowl down with a sigh, bracing himself for what he’s about to say.

“Come on, man. He looks like a decent enough guy. I know this is hard for you, but don’t you want her to be happy?”

“She’s supposed to be happy with me! Me, not this fucker with a guitar, who’s side are you on, anyway?”

“I’m on your side, you know that, but this is nuts, she’s just a chick. You’ve been hung up for almost three months. You need to get back to the shit you used to do. When was the last time you even went to the gym? That used to be so important to you. You should go back, get some endorphins going, that would make you feel better.”

Jean huffs, Connie just doesn’t get it. He gets up off the couch and walks over to the entryway, pushing his shoes on. “She’s not just some chick, dude.” He spits the words out before walking out the door. Maybe a walk would clear his head. He knew in some regards, Connie was right, he hasn’t been taking the best care of himself lately, but his “just a chick” comment has Jean seeing red and he can’t focus on any of the other rational things Connie’s said.

He walks and walks until it gets dark outside, when he finally gets home he scarfs down a protein bar and flops down in bed. Closing his eyes and drifting off relatively quickly, worn out from the walk, maybe he should go back to the gym, he thinks, if a walk has worn him out so much. He doesn’t know how long he sleeps for, but the buzzing from his night table lulls him out of sleep. Bleary eyed and groggy, he picks up the phone staring at the screen. He must be seeing things. Or he’s still asleep and this is a dream. He sits up abruptly, rubbing his eyes, looking at the screen again. Sure enough, it’s your name that’s up on the screen, the phone is still buzzing in his hand as he stares at the caller id. It finally hits him that if he doesn’t answer it’ll go to voicemail and you might not call back. He fumbles to swipe his finger over the answer key, almost dropping his phone in the process.

“Hello?” Jean tries to make his voice sound calm and not rushed, despite the fact that his heart is practically beating out of his chest over something as simple as a phone call, at the prospect of actually hearing your voice for the first time in months.

“Hey, uh, it’s me. Well, duh, you probably know that.” Your voice sounds just as angelic as he remembers and part of him thinks he might cry right on the spot. “um, listen, I didn’t know who else to call, I-I know it’s late.”

“No, no, I’m uh, I’m awake. Wha-what’s up?” He hates how nervous he sounds, but he can’t help it, even his hands are shaking.

“Can you come over? There’s like, a leak in my apartment, and the office is closed, I just don’t want to lose my deposit. I’m sure they’ll find some way to blame it on me and not their shitty plumbing. I mean.. Obviously, if you’re busy, it’s okay, I can figure something else out.”

So, you’re calling him to come help you, not Eren, interesting. Jean feels over the moon, maybe Eren isn’t all he’s cracked up to be after all.

“No, I’m not busy, it’s fine. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Just try to soak up all the water you can.” Jean says as he scrambles off his bed, going to the bathroom to check his hair in the mirror, smoothing some parts that got ruffled in his sleep. He looks at his shirt, cursing silently that he’s still wearing this sweaty t-shirt. He puts you on speaker and quickly pulls the fabric off, throwing it in the hamper.

“Thank you so much, you’re really doing me a huge favor.”

He pulls a fresh shirt over his head, the shirt getting caught in his frantic movements causing him to have to talk louder than normal, so you can hear him over the muffle of the fabric, “yeah, it’s no problem, I’ll be there soon.” He’d do you a million favors if it meant he got to see you. You hang up and he slips on his shoes, rushing out the door to get to your place with his tools.

Jean’s heart is hammering out of his chest the whole drive to your place, it feels like his body is vibrating with anxiety. He’s practically white knuckling his steering wheel, his brain just going and going. He finally gets to see you, he’ll get to see you. He hopes you’re wearing his favorite pair of sweats. He always thought you looked so cute in them, so comfy and cozy. Excitement is starting to bubble in, until he thinks, oh, god. What if he’s there? What if Jean has to see you and Eren together in person, in a situation where he can’t just walk away. Oh, fuck, why didn’t he think about this before? He was just so excited to hear your voice, to see you, that he wasn’t thinking. If he has to see this idiot touch you right in front of him he thinks he might punch him. That would not look good on him, you’d probably even get mad at him, that’s the last thing he needs. He pulls up to your apartment before he knows it, punching in the gate code that he still has memorized, begging and praying to whatever good karma he’s drummed up in the universe, that Eren fucking Jaegar is not in your apartment with you.

He knocks on your door, fussing with his hair a little as he bounces on the balls of his feet, unsure what to do with all this nervous energy. When he hears the lock disengage he pulls his hand away from his hair as fast as he can, trying to look as casual as possible, like he hasn’t thought about you every second of every day for the past three months.

“H-hi,” you answer the door, obviously feeling a little uncomfortable with this whole situation yourself, but he doesn’t know if it’s the same kind of nerves he’s having or something else. But fuck, you look so pretty, so so pretty, with your hair draped over your shoulders in loose waves, the way you always wore it before, wearing a crew neck and some shorts.

“He-” Jean’s voice cracks, it fucking cracks. Seriously? What, is he sixteen again? He clears his throat and starts again, “Hey,”

You let him in, and he gets enveloped in your smell, he practically sighs as he breathes in the familiar comfortable scent of you and your things. He didn’t know you could miss a person’s smell this much. He looks around expecting to see the place how he remembers, but he’s thrown off when everything looks different. You’ve rearranged all your furniture. Thankfully, though, you’re the only one here, there’s no sign of another guy having been here at all. He lets out a little sigh of relief, following you into the kitchen where sopping towels are littering the floor.

“I just came home from work and found it like this. I don't know what happened.” you say, waving your arm to the floor.

“Well, let’s just see. I’m sure it’s just a loose rivet or something,” Jean walks past you, trying his best not to let your proximity as he does get to him, fighting the urge to just take you in his arms and not let go. That’s not why he’s here, you didn’t call him for that. He’s thankful that you called him for an actual task, something for him to focus on so he’s not just staring at you, he’s afraid if he stares too long he’ll snap.

You stand in the kitchen with him while he patches everything up, it’s an easy fix, just like he thought. A baby with a wrench could fix this, so again, his mind drifts back to why you called him and not Eren, not that he’s complaining. He thinks it all feels very domestic, you watching him fix up things around the house. He’d fix everything you asked him too if he could hold onto this feeling. He’s surprised when you crouch down next to him, trying to see what he’s doing.

“It was loose, right here, I’m just tightening it up.” He smiles as he looks at you briefly, he can’t help it, you just look so pretty and you’re right next to him, right where you belong.

You smile back at him and he feels his heart lurch again, turning the wrench a little more, satisfied with his work, he catches your eye, “and that should do it, you should be all set now.”

He stands up, wiping his hands on his pants before offering you a hand up. When you take his hand he bites back a smile at the feel of your hand in his again after so much time, even if it is a harmless interaction. Standing up with him, you don’t pull your hand away right away, lingering there for just a second too long. Did he imagine that? No, no you definitely lingered.

You brush a strand of hair behind your ear and smile at him sheepishly. “Thanks again, I really appreciate it.” God, your smile is the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.

“It’s not a problem, I don’t mind helping you.” Jean runs a hand through his hair, rubbing at the back of his neck, looking away from you, still nervous. He knows the whole reason he came is taken care of now, and he doesn’t want to leave, but he thinks that’s what you might want.

“So, I should–”

“Do you want–”

You both speak at once, sharing a nervous chuckle. Jean lets you go first, giving you a look that says so.

“Do you, um.. Want a drink?” You look nervous, awkward. Surely he’s imagining it, he doesn't want to get his hopes up too high. “It’s the least I could do, calling you over here on a Friday night. I’m sure you had better things to do.” You give him another shy smile and he swears he could melt into a puddle right there.

“Uh, sure. Y-yeah, a drink sounds good.”

“All I have are those hard seltzers I usually get, that okay?” you ask like you expect him to remember, and he does. He wants you to know how much he remembers about you; everything, he remembers everything.

So, just drinks for yourself? No beer, no liquor, nothing he thinks a guy like Eren might drink. Interesting. So far, everything he’s observed has led him to the conclusion that maybe you and Eren aren’t together. Maybe Sasha was right, and the two of you are just friends?

“That’s fine,” He bends down, putting his wrench away, placing his tool bag on your counter. Turning back to look at you, the slim can in your hand as you hold it out to him. He takes it, following you over to the couch where you both take a seat next to each other.

His body feels like it’s vibrating, sitting this close to you. You didn’t have to sit this close, but you did. He pops the tab, taking a drink to calm his nerves, and you do the same.

“So, how have you been? It’s been a while.” You speak so softly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear again, a nervous habit. Are you feeling the same tension he is? Is he making it all up because he missed you so much?

“Uh, good, good.” He lies, what is he supposed to say? That he’s been completely miserable without you? No, if he’s wrong and you have moved on, he has to at least pretend he’s been doing alright. “Work is, well, work, you know. Haven’t been doing much else. What about you?”

“Y-yeah, no, things are, um, they’re okay. I finally got promoted at work.” you smile at him again, before taking another sip. “I’m officially management.”

Pride swells in his chest, he knows how badly you wanted to move up in your job, how much you craved more responsibility. He’s glad your place of work is finally acknowledging your potential.

“Hey, that’s great. I’m really happy for you,” and he is, genuinely. “Is it everything you wanted it to be?”

You give a little snort, “I mean, I guess. Workplace drama is a lot more stressful when you’re actually the one in charge of trying to defuse it, instead of just listening to all the gossip.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re handling it fine, you were always good at that kind of stuff.”

You huff a little laugh again, thanking him before pulling the sleeves of your crew neck up while adjusting your position on the couch. That’s when he sees it, that little glimmer of silver on your wrist. His heart pounds harder as he sees it. You’re still wearing your bracelet. You still have it.

“You’re still wearing that,” Jean points out, his voice coming out little more than a whisper, like he just can’t believe it, his eyes locked on the bracelet.

A blush blooms across your cheeks and Jean is positive it’s not just the alcohol. Fuck not getting his hopes up, you wouldn’t still be wearing something he got you if you didn’t miss him a little bit.

“Oh, yeah..” you fiddle with the bracelet with your free hand, “I um.. I feel a little naked without it, you know?” you cheeks are still flushed as you look up at him.

Jean just smiles at you, “yeah, I know what you mean.” he says as he pulls the chain out from under his shirt. “I got so used to wearing it everyday, it just doesn’t feel right with it off.” It’s not even a lie, just, not a full truth. His nerves are slowly fading away, getting replaced with renewed hope.

“Well, it does still look good on you,” you reach your hand up to run your fingers along the chain, Jean feels a jolt of electricity in your touch that practically lights his skin on fire, and that’s when he really knows. There’s no way you’d be touching him like this if you didn’t miss him, if you were seeing someone else. He’s never felt so much relief in his life. “Suits you, for sure.”

He takes his hand placing it over yours, goosebumps prickling his skin where your fingers dance along the chain. “You..um, you have good taste,” he says, his breath turning a little shallow, he knows he’s not imagining all the tension that’s been slowly building up since he got here. “I never would have picked anything like this for myself.”

Your hand is so small in his, he’s always been bigger than you, taller, more muscular. He didn't realize how much he missed it until now, he was so caught up with missing all the other parts of you that this bit seemed to have slipped his mind. You’re looking at him with your pretty doe eyes, letting him hold your hand, he can practically see the hearts in your eyes, looking at him like you used to. Fuck it, he’s going for it. Drinks completely forgotten on the coffee table as he scoots a little closer to you, just enough so that your knees are touching.

“I’ve really missed you.” He whispers, leaning in just a little closer, he hears your breath hitch in your throat, your eyes flitting to his lips.

He smiles as you lean in too. You want it just as much as he does. “Me too..”

When he finally presses his lips to yours he almost explodes with happiness, he’s feeling giddy, all these pent up feelings pouring out into your lips. He cups the back of your neck as he deepens the kiss, swiping his tongue over your bottom lip, a silent request for permission. He sighs as you grant it, opening your mouth for him so he can glide his tongue along yours, and you moan into his mouth. You fucking moan. He loses any semblance of control he had. His hands move, roaming over your back and the two of you lose yourselves in the moment. Without really thinking about it he pulls you onto his lap, moving his mouth to press hot kisses to your neck, nipping the sensitive skin. It always was one of your favorite spots. His hands run under your sweatshirt, caressing your back, savoring the feel of your soft skin under his palms.

“Missed you so fucking much.” Jean breathes out between kisses, groaning as you grind your hips onto his lap when he kisses your neck again.

“Missed you too. Thought…Thought about you all the time…” Your words are broken up by little gasps. Jean thinks he could die happy, just like this, but then your hands go to the hem of his shirt, pulling it off, running your hands over the contours of his chest and he feels like he’s going to burn out of his skin.

His hands follow suit with yours, pulling your sweatshirt off, discarding it on the floor next to his, drinking in the sight of you, sighing when he sees your bare chest. Running his hands over your tits, kissing his way down your neck and your collarbone before taking one of your nipples into his mouth and starts kissing and sucking, pinching at the other one with his free hand. You arch your back into his touch and he moves his hands back around your waist, pulling you closer to him. He just needs you closer, so much closer.

You just grind against him, he can feel the heat coming off of you, listening to your breath get more and more ragged as you wrap your arms around his neck in order to get closer, pulling his head up.

“I’m sorry. Jean, I’m so sorry.. I never should have–” your voice sounds broken, despite the desire and need coursing through the both of you. It breaks his heart to hear you sounding so sad. You don’t even have to explain what you’re apologizing for, he already knows.

Jean cuts you off with a kiss, running his fingers through your hair, shushing you softly. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He soothes, pressing soft kisses between his words. “Later. We’ll talk about it later, yeah?” He pulls back, pressing his forehead to yours, looking in your eyes with all the love he has for you.

You give him a feeble little nod, kissing him passionately. Your tongues glide together as you taste each other, making up for lost time, and god, does he want to make up for it. With that in mind, his hands move to the plush of your ass, squeezing as you keep your lips on him. As much as he doesn’t want to push you away from him, he needs to touch you. He runs his hands over your bare thighs before hooking his fingers into the waistband of your shorts, pushing you back just enough so he can get the leverage he needs. Tugging them off, you lift your hips to help him. He looks down and sees you clad in lace, one of his favorite pairs. A brief look of surprise as his brain sorts through it. You… you planned for this, at least to some degree. All doubts completely leave his head as a satisfied grin curls on his lips.

“You wear these just for me, baby?” He murmurs into your ear as he nips at your earlobe, fingers already dancing along the sides of your panties.

You give him another nod and a breathy little sound that he assumes, if you were able to form the words, would be a confirmation. He pushes the material aside, running a finger through your folds. Shit, you're so fucking wet for him. He’s going to lose his mind. His finger swirls around your clit, eliciting moans and gasps from you. You’re already starting to squirm for him and he doesn’t let up, still swirling little circles with the pad of his finger.

“J-Jean,” you moan out his name and cling to him, holding his head tightly to your chest.

“‘M right here, baby, I got you. You gonna be a good girl and cum for me?”

��Y-yes, yes, yes, fuck!” He feels your legs shaking on him, still moving his hand. God, he missed seeing you like this.

“That’s it, that’s my girl. That’s my good fuckin’ girl, did so well for me. ” He purrs into your skin, pressing kisses to your neck, giving you a second to catch your breath.

Turns out you don’t even want a breather, your hands moving desperately to his lap, frantically trying to undo his buttons, slipping your hand in and wrapping around his cock.

“Fuck,” Jean groans under his breath, lifting his hips with you still on his lap, so he can shove his pants down enough for you pull him all the way out.

Your hand pumps him, smearing the precum over his flushed tip, causing him to suck in a sharp breath. You keep working him, your hands are always so soft, twisting your wrist a bit on the way up, squeezing the tip just a little. He loves the way he looks in your hands, your smaller ones making him look even bigger. His eyes catch a little glimmer, and he groans again when he sees you jerking him with your bracelet bouncing on your wrist with your movements. All he can think about is that you’re his, you're his, you're his. That one little accessory tells the whole world. Maybe he’ll replace it with a ring. He leans forward, burying his face in the crook of your neck, taking a shaky breath.

“Shit, you’re makin’ me feel so good, but I don’t… fuck, I don’t want to cum like this.” He pulls back to look in your eyes, seeing nothing but how good you want to make him feel and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve you.

He pulls your panties to the side again, lifting you up, lining himself up with your entrance and pulls you down onto him. Jean thinks he’s died and gone to heaven. He has never felt anything better than you wrapped around him like this. You both let out audible moans, as you adjust to him. Without any warning, you start bouncing on him. His eyes roll back as he drops his head to the back of the couch. Your bounces are slow, deliberate, he’s sure he’s in heaven.

“You feel so good. Love how full you make me feel.” You murmur, breathy, into his ear, bracing yourself on his shoulders.

As much as he’d love to just sit here and bask in you riding him, he’s going to cum way too soon if he lets you keep going like this, especially if you keep using that mouth of yours to whisper everything he’s been wanting to hear for the past three months in his ear. He moves his hands back to your ass, grabbing handfuls of you, doing the work for you for another second or two before he wraps his arm around your waist he starts fucking up into you.

“Missed my pussy so much, baby. She’s mine, yeah? That’s what this means doesn’t it?” He growls, taking your wrist, adorned with your bracelet, showing it to you. “That’s why you never took it off? Been mine this whole time haven’t you?”

Your walls squeeze him, as you hear his words, and he groans again. “All yours, Jean.. al-always yours.”

In all his desperation to get close to you, to get inside of you, he didn’t think your panties would cause a problem, but at this point they’re in his way, they won’t stay to one side. He moves his hand, gripping the flimsy garment, and pulls hard, tearing them.

“Jean!” You protest, looking down at where the two of you are connected.

“I’ll buy you new ones,” He mutters before he picks up his pace, finally able to fuck you the way he wants, slamming his hips up into you.

You don’t seem to care so much anymore, as your eyes roll back, and you let out a cry. Your arms are wrapped around his neck, moving to bury your face in his neck. And for Jean, right now, that just won’t do, he wants to see you, wants to see your face contorted in pleasure. He brings his hand to the back of your neck, tugging your hair so you’re looking at him.

“Look at me, baby, wanna see you.” Shit, he already feels close. Not having you for all these months, and finally getting you, getting to see in your face how good he’s making you feel and how much you missed him too. He didn’t think he was going to last long anyway. He brings his lips to yours, kissing you hungrily, all tongues and teeth.

“Ba-baby, ‘m close,” you whine, eyes glazed over, face scrunched up just the way he likes.

“Me too, cum with me, yeah?” His hand snakes between you, finding your clit, rubbing circles on it with his thumb.

He feels you clenching around him, cunt pulsing and god he missed this feeling, missed feeling you come apart just for him. You say his name again and again like a prayer and he just can’t hold back anymore.

“Fuck, baby, I’m shit–” He tries to warn you so you can get off of him, but you just stay put, slamming down on him again and again. He cums hard, painting your insides white.

Still holding onto you tightly, one hand on your neck and the other around your waist, you both just stay locked in an embrace, panting. Each of your heads are resting on the others shoulders, Jean presses little kisses there while he catches his breath.

“God, I really did miss you so much.” He whispers into your skin. “And not just this, all of it. I missed all of you.”

“I know, I missed you too. I wanted to call you or text you, or anything. I just…didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.” Your fingers toy with the hair at the nape of his neck and he just savors the moment.

Neither one of you moves, you just sit there holding each other. You haven’t even gotten off of him yet, his cock going soft inside you, feeling his cum leak out onto his lap, but he couldn’t care less. He just runs his fingertips up and down your back tenderly.

“You really scared me, you know that?” Jean says when he finally feels like breaking the silence.

You lift your head, giving him a puzzled look. “What do you mean? How did I scare you?”

Jean sighs, it sounds stupid now, in hindsight, thinking that you had moved on. “I thought you were dating that Eren guy. You posted a picture with him and I kind of freaked out.”

It seems like it takes a second for his words to register, because you’re quiet for a moment before you burst into a full fit of laughter. Jean just gives you a pointed look. He doesn’t see what’s so funny about that. You’re laughing so hard you practically roll off of him, landing on your side on the couch, your legs still draped over him. He follows suit, cuddling you when he gets onto his side.

“What’s so funny?”

You finally stop laughing long enough to answer him. “Eren? EW.” you manage to get out before you start giggling again. “He’s like a brother to me, we grew up together. I haven’t seen him before that post since he left for school. You really thought I was dating Eren??”

Jean’s cheeks flush, a little pout forming on his face. “What was I supposed to think? He was way too close to you in that picture.”

Your laughter subsides, and you brush some hair out of his face, giving him a soft smile. “He just took me out for the day because I was so sad about you. I felt like I’d made a big mistake, and he just wanted to get my mind off of it for a little while. Besides, even if he wasn’t like a brother, he’s been in love with the same girl from middle school since he was like, twelve years old.”

You look like you have more to say but you’re hesitating. Clearly feeling a little nervous, he just nudges you gently, wanting you to continue.

You take a deep breath before going on, “I am sorry.. I shouldn’t have broken up with you, and for such a stupid reason.”

“What was the reason, exactly?” He asks, he never actually got the full story.

“I just… I liked you too much, things were going too well. I guess I kind of panicked, wondering when the other shoe was going to drop.”

Jean just stares at you, of all the reasons he thought it was, he didn’t think it was this.

“So… you broke up with me, because things were going too well?”

“It sounds stupid when you say it like that!” You bury your face into his chest, hiding your blush. “I said I was sorry.”

“What if there’s no other shoe? What if we’re just good together? Did you think about that?” He asks, no malice or hurt in his voice, just genuine curiosity. He presses a little kiss to the top of your head, trying to soothe you.

“There’s always another shoe.” You mutter, not bothering to lift your head up.

Jean sighs, taking your chin in his hand, pulling you up so that you’re eye to eye with him. “Baby, I promise, I will do everything in my power to ensure that there is no other shoe, okay? You have a problem, just talk to me. Let me be there for you, let me try and make things better. I’m not saying everything will be perfect all the time, but just know I’ll try my damndest for you.” He presses a kiss to your lips, sealing his promise.

“Yeah.. okay,” you finally give him another smile, and he kisses you again, unable to resist. “So, can I be your girlfriend again?”

“As long as you promise not to break up with me for such a stupid reason ever again.” He smiles at you again, pressing another kiss to your forehead before pulling you back into his chest.

“Promise,” you mumble as you nuzzle into him.

Jean’s happier than he’s been in months, with you in his arms, right back where you belong.

Thank you so much for reading! Likes and Reblogs are always appreciated!💖

#jean kirstein #snk jean #jean x reader #aot smut #jean kirschstein x reader #jean kirstein smut #snk smut #snk x reader #attack on titan #attack on titan smut #jean x you #jean x y/n #aot fanfiction #no use of y/n

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wososcripts · 4 months

Text

I've Been Getting Lost In Translation (Part One)

Stina Blackstenius x Reader

Summary: You finally get to meet your girlfriend’s parents, but you aren’t sure they’re aware the two of you are more than just friends.

Word count: (nearly) 5.5k

A/N: Okay so we’re all gonna have to expand our minds and suspend disbelief for this one, especially if you speak Swedish (I do not lol). This idea was originally formulated in German, and then altered - so cut a bit of slack for the author <3 As usual nothing I write is meant to represent or speculate about players’ personal lives in any way, it’s just for a bit of fun.

For context, in Swedish the word for girlfriend is flickvän, or väninna but the latter is a bit outdated and used by older people (according to google, and my one Swedish friend) while friend is just vän. However väninna is also used to refer to a "female friend" not just a romantic partner.

Also, everything written like this in italics is spoken in a language other than English (just not written as such to avoid too many translations)

Warnings ⚠️: none, a bit suggestive in some parts.

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“Söt, it’s time to wake up, we have to be at the airport by ten.” You were awoken by your girlfriend’s soft voice in your ear.

You groaned, wrapping your arms around her and burrowing closely into her chest, ignoring her protests.

“What time is it?” You complained, noticing it wasn’t even light outside.

“Nearly seven.”

You pulled her closer, making your displeasure known.

“Nearly seven? Stina, how long do you think it takes to get to the airport?”

You felt her plant a kiss on your head.

“With you? There’s no telling how long.” She indulged your drowsiness for a moment, rubbing your back softly and pressing her cheek to your hair.

Stina was always more of a morning person than you were, and she was certainly more used to getting up while it was pitch black than you ever wanted to be.

“Okay, I’m getting up now.” She announced, peeling your arms off of her and rolling away from you.

You opened your eyes to get a look at her barely illuminated silhouette, messy hair and strong shoulders stretching before she got up to face the day. Her night shirt hid the muscles that you knew rested beneath, as well as the nail marks you had left a few nights ago that she had scolded you over. Well, if she didn’t want them she shouldn’t fuck you so well, (apparently not a good enough excuse in her book).

You resigned yourself to the fact that there was no going back to sleep and sat up yourself. You checked your phone, making sure you had your boarding passes ready and that the flight was leaving with no delays. The two of you were lucky with the weather this year, and you hoped it would continue. Flying back in a snowstorm wasn’t something you wanted to deal with.

“Are you up?” You heard Stina call from the bathroom.

“Yes, Stina!” You replied, swinging your feet to the floor and grimacing at the cold wood beneath them.

Stina laughed at your unhappy face as you cringed at the light of the bathroom. She brought a hand up to pat your cheek affectionately. You gave her a sarcastic smile and began brushing your teeth.

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

It didn’t take all that long to get ready, double check your bags, and get dressed. Certainly not get-up-before-seven long.

You watched Stina braid her hair from where you were perched on the counter, admiring the concentrated look on her face. Tea was brewing in the kitchen and you had already cut up some fruit for breakfast.

“What are you staring at me for?” Stina teased, pulling a hair tie from her lips to finish her braid.

“I’m looking at you because you’re beautiful.”

Stina shot you a look, already catching on to what you were doing. But the blush still rose on her neck all the same.

“We don’t have time for that, älskling,” she said, though you knew she didn’t have much resolve where you were concerned.

You made a point to check your phone.

“Since you made sure we were up early, it’s only 7:30.” You shot her your best smile, tugging slightly on her shirt.

She moved towards you with little resistance, only an exasperated face for show. But she had no problem following you into a kiss, her hand resting on your jaw and your legs around her waist. Her warmth surrounded you, encasing you like a blanket. You almost forgot there was anything to do today at all other than kiss her.

You could tell Stina was getting turned on by how her hand slipped under your sweater and pushed your undershirt out of the way so she could press against your bare skin. Once she threaded her fingers into your hair and lifted your head so she could move to your neck you knew it was over.

“Are you sure we’ve got time?” You mumbled, putting a hand softly on her chest.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” she replied, lifting you up off the counter with ease.

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

“Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck…” you cursed, downing the last bit of your tea and pulling a brush through your tangled hair.

“Stina!” you called out into the other room where your girlfriend was getting (re)dressed. “Katie is waiting outside!”

You heard the distinct sound of your girlfriend swearing in Swedish and couldn’t help but let out a laugh in disbelief. You shot Katie a quick text that you’d be right out—thanking her again for coming to pick the two of you up. She was flying out later in the afternoon for Ireland, and had suggested carpooling to the airport. Any opportunity to skip the price of parking at Heathrow was a good enough reason for you.

Stina came into the kitchen with her bag in hand, looking frazzled.

“Remind me never to listen to you again.” She grumbled.

“You can’t help it,” you said smugly, handing her a mug of coffee and a wrapped bagel for the car. “Look, I even made you breakfast.”

Stina continued to mumble her complaints as she handed you your jacket and put her own on. You chuckled along, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Katie was on her phone mindlessly as you knocked on the window, making her jump in her seat.

“Fuck, was that necessary?”

You shot her a grin, reaching in the now rolled-down window to unlock the door.

“Good morning to you too, Katie.”

“Sure looks like you’ve had a good morning to me.” Katie laughed, noting the slight warmth to your face. “Stina’s never late.”

As if on cue, your girlfriend appeared outside. Katie greeted her kindly as she put the suitcase in the trunk and settled in the backseat. No mention of your morning shenanigans came out of Katie’s mouth sparing the embarrassment you both know would ensue.

Stina was private. Very private. Of course, once she let someone in, there were few things she found necessary to hide. But for most of the world she preferred to keep a low profile. That meant no social media posts, no PDA, and only a few people on the team were privy to the fact that you two were together. You didn’t really mind it, especially since it seemed like everyone Stina cared about knew. You didn’t think she was trying to hide you—or, at least, no more than she tried to hide the rest of her personal life from prying eyes.

The car ride was mostly quiet, Katie had her Spotify connected and the three of you chatted sparingly over it. She was going back to visit her family for the first time since her nephew had been born, something she was over the moon about. Though it wasn’t a particularly long break—just over two weeks—you were going to miss her and her infectious energy. Even Stina, reserved and introverted, was a bit more gregarious when Katie was around. Everyone joked easier with Katie in the room.

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

Stina hopped out of the car the second the three of you pulled into the lot at Heathrow. You were running a bit late, nothing worrisome, but you needed to get a move on to ensure that you would get on this plane.

“It’ll be fine,” Katie assured you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

She knew you were a bit nervous to be meeting Stina’s parents for the first time. You’d been doing a lot to try and prepare, studying Swedish to try and impress them (and tell if they were talking about you when they thought you weren’t listening), fussing over the gifts you brought, the clothes you picked out. You hadn’t told Stina because it was silly, you knew. Her parents were lovely, they had to be if they had raised someone like Stina. But still, you were a bit stressed about it.

“They’re gonna love you. There’s no way. You treat Stina like she fell from the sky, you’re smart, you’re kind, you have a wicked left foot, what else could they want?” Katie squeezed your shoulder reassuringly. “Just don’t mention you’ve never been to IKEA, that might get you kicked out.”

You gave her a small smile, a bit too nervous to joke back. And you hardly had time to, because by then Stina had gotten the bags and was waiting. You pushed open your door and took one of the bags from her, shooting her a smile. She seemed to know you and Katie had been talking about something sensitive because her eyes searched you with a bit of concern and she laced your fingers together.

Once Katie had paid for parking the three of you were off, ready to embark on your afternoon of traveling.

You weren’t a big fan of planes, but thankfully you managed to sleep almost the entire flight to Stockholm. It helped that you were able to lay your head in Stina’s lap, never more thankful for the size of business class seats and the salary that allowed you to afford it. She played with your hair gently, knowing it was a guaranteed way to relax you.

You came to as the flight attendant announced you’d soon be landing in Sweden.

“Sorry I left you alone for most of that,” you apologized, sitting back up in your seat.

Stina waved you off, giving your hand a squeeze. You suddenly felt quite nervous about this whole ordeal. You were really going to meet Stina’s parents in about an hour. This was a big step, you knew it. What if they didn’t like you? What if they thought you weren’t good for Stina? Was there something about you you could improve so they’d accept you more? What if you just didn’t fit in, plain and simple. You knew that it was mostly your anxiety talking, but it was difficult to quiet the questions in your head.

“Söt,” Stina nudged you, pulling you out of your reverie, “What are you thinking about?”

You shrugged, fiddling with the hem of your crewneck. Stina stilled your hands, her eyes boring into the side of your head until you met her gaze.

“I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all.”

“To meet my family?”

You nodded.

Stina smiled softly, rubbing the back of your hand.

“You don’t need to be. They know how happy you make me, and that’s what matters. You’ve made London feel like home. And besides,” she turned to whisper in your ear, “I like you enough for them all.” She pressed a quick kiss beneath your ear, pulling away before anyone’s eyes could linger on the two of you.

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

Getting off the plane and through security was fairly easy, and before you knew it you were waiting in the arrivals hall for Stina’s parents. Your heart was beating out of your chest, your palms sweatier than normal. Stina was beaming, her head swiveling as she looked around for her family.

Finally, she spotted them.

You hadn’t seen them outside of photos, but immediately you could see the resemblance between them and their daughter. They were tall, much taller than you, and dressed warmly in heavy coats and scarves.

“Mamma!” Stina called, waving her hand to call them over.

Their faces broke into wide smiles at the sight of their daughter, something that made you miss your own family a bit. Maybe next year you could convince Stina to come to Germany for the holidays.

“Stina!” The two of them wrapped her in a big hug, squeezing her tightly.

Once she was given the chance to breathe, Stina pulled back and ushered you forward, introducing you.

“We’ve heard lots about you,” her father said, shaking your hand firmly.

“All good things, I hope,” you joked lightly, still trying to get over your nerves.

“Of course.” Stina whispered as her mother shook your hand too, the both of them giving you polite smiles. Usually Stina would put a hand on your back to reassure you, but it stayed firmly by her side as you did your best to fight down your anxiety.

“Okay, let’s get out of here! Traffic is horrible!”

Conversation in the car quickly dissolved into Swedish, spoken faster than you had ever heard it before. Amanda and Lina certainly didn’t speak with each other this quickly—did they? You did your best to reply to the questions you caught directed at you, and keep up with the rest of the conversation. Words flung around your head as you tried to make sense of them in time for the next.

“Is it too much?” Stina asked quietly, leaning over to whisper it to you, “I told them you had been learning Swedish.” You shook your head, giving her a quick smile.

The house Stina’s parents lived in was about an hour and a half from the airport, outside of Stockholm. It looked like something out of a children’s christmas book: snow blanketing the roof, warm light streaming through the windows, a few strings of lights decorating the railing along the porch.

You were introduced to the rest of the family staying for Christmas: Stina’s half-sister, her brother and his wife, their little boy, Stina’s aunt, and her grandfather who mostly sat on the couch and watched ice hockey. It was a bit overwhelming, but in a pleasant way. Everyone seemed kind, and perfectly welcoming to you, which slowly made your nerves settle. By dinner you felt almost comfortable chatting with her brother about how Eintracht Frankfurt’s season was going (after finding out he was a fan) and listening to the tales of her father’s trips to Germany for work when he was younger. It wasn’t ideal that Stina was seated across from you, and the fact that you two had barely talked all evening, but you chalked it up to her enjoying getting to be with family. Hell, she saw you practically every day.

Once you were all finished with dinner and dessert (a wonderful small chocolate cake that melted when you cut into it) you helped to clear the dishes and wipe the table with Stina’s mother and aunt. Stina had been whisked away by her father so he could show her something new he’d built for the basement, and you were left with a mouthed “sorry” and a sympathetic glance.

You didn’t mind much though, the quiet monotonous task was actually quite soothing after the intensity of the day. You weren’t even really listening to the conversation between Stina’s mother and aunt in the other room where they were cleaning, too focused on your own thoughts until you heard your name.

"Jag är glad att Stina verkar ha hittat någon som är bra nog för henne"

"Ingen är bra nog för min tjej," Stina’s mother joked, "Men ja, hennes väninna är söt. Lite tyst kanske."

"Det är svårt att träffa föräldrarna, släpp henne lite"

You didn’t catch all of the conversation, or even much of it if you were honest. They continued chatting, your name and the word väninna popping up intermittently. You wracked your brain to try and remember what the word was, you’d definitely heard it before, but couldn’t for the life of you remember where.

So you pulled out your phone and sent a text to Amanda asking her what it meant. You probably should’ve been able to understand more, but a headache was beginning to brew behind your eyes and you were well and truly exhausted. It was fairly early, but you were hoping you would be able to excuse yourself from after dinner nightcaps. With a night’s sleep you would feel better.

Your phone dinged, a message from Amanda already lighting up your screen. You wiped your wet hands on a towel and quickly unlocked it, frustrated that you couldn’t remember yourself what it meant.

“Lol It’s like a female friend, not many people use it anymore” The message read. Amanda began typing again. “I hope you’re enjoying Sweden❄️ Merry Christmas!”

Your heart sank a bit. You were confused. Why would Stina’s family be referring to you as her “female friend”? Was this the fifties? You sent a thank you message back to Amanda and assured her that you were enjoying yourself.

You finished up the dishes, unable to stop thinking about the conversation you had overheard. Maybe you had misheard? But then again, the word had come up multiple times. Maybe Stina’s family misunderstood her and thought the two of you weren’t dating? Maybe she hadn’t told them?

The last thought surprised you. You couldn’t think of a good reason why Stina wouldn’t tell her parents the two of you were together, not after almost a year together. Why invite you to Sweden in the first place if not because she was ready for the next step? You thought things were pretty serious.

“Hi älskling,” Stina came up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist.

You leaned back into her embrace, having missed the contact. It helped soothe your racing thoughts a little, having her this close.

“Hey,” you replied, twisting to place a quick kiss on her jaw.

“If you keep doing the dishes I’m not sure my mom will let you leave.”

You chuckled, the sound catching in your throat unexpectedly, sending you into a coughing fit. Stina rubbed your back, grabbing a cup to fill with water from the tap.

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked, stroking your face softly, “You look a little run down.”

“I’m just tired…” you explained, “and I can feel a headache coming.”

It wasn’t a lie. Maybe not the whole truth, but part of it. Your confusion still weighed on your mind.

“It’s been a long day.” Stina agreed. “I think I’ll join you for an early night.”

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

You tried to hide your surprise as Stina’s parents opened the door to the room you’d be staying in.

Two twin beds.

“This used to be Stina and Linnea’s room when they were little.” Her father explained, showing you the pictures of the two of them as young girls that hung on the wall. You smiled at the image of a ten year old Stina in her handball kit. Next to it was a photo of her lounging at the beach, probably seven or eight.

“I thought we were getting Nils’ room?” you heard Stina whisper to her mom.

“And this is Stina’s first football trophy.” Her father continued, showing you the small gold statue that rested atop the dresser. “I said that day, I knew she would be on the Swedish team one day!”

“You did not, Papa. You wanted me to go out for basketball.”

“Well you were so tall—”

You tuned out the rest of their playful bickering, deciding to take a seat on one of the beds and take a look at the room around you. It was kind of sweet, being in Stina’s old room. It was like seeing a different side of her. Old posters still adorned the walls, messy handwriting still littered sticky notes on the desk.

“Well, we’ll see the two of you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

And with that the two of you were alone. You pulled your backpack over to the edge of the bed and found the ibu that you had brought with you, popping one in your mouth and swallowing it dry. You felt the bed beside you sink and a hand run gently through your hair, soothing the pulsing of your temples.

“Come here,” Stina motioned, pulling you into her so you could rest in her lap. “Is it bad?”

You shook your head.

“It’ll be fine in a moment, it’s just been a long day.”

You weren’t sure how long the two of you sat there, her stroking your hair, you listening to the sound of her heartbeat mixed with the noises of her family celebrating outside. The thoughts in your head trickled through every now and then, but Stina did a good job of beating them back just by being there. She loved you, she loved you, she loved you. You clung to those words.

Eventually you both had to get up and get ready for bed. There was an adjoining bathroom that the two of you had to yourself, thankfully, which made everything much easier. You didn’t have to leave the little bubble you’d created for the two of you.

Then there was the problem of the beds. There was no way in hell you were going to sleep on the other side of the room from your girlfriend as a grown woman. Stina suggested pushing them together, which you did with a bit of struggle. It worked well enough, as long as nobody rolled into the middle. Essentially it was still sleeping in two beds, but it was the best you could do.

“Good night,” you mumbled, trying to get comfortable in the small bed. You reached a hand out for Stina’s, managing to find her fingers so you could lace them together.

“Good night, jag älskar dig.”

“Love you too, Stina.”

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The next morning you awoke to the smell of coffee and the sound of the news playing in the other room. Your headache was gone—a small miracle—and your girlfriend’s back was visible next to you along with a mess of her blonde hair on the pillow. You rolled over to see what time it was, seeing that it was barely eight o’clock.

You quietly got out of bed, hoping to let Stina sleep a little longer. You usually didn’t get more than nine or ten hours maximum, but you knew Stina could sleep from 8pm to 9am easily if nobody was there to interrupt her.

You brushed your teeth and used the bathroom, enjoying a bit of peace with your thoughts before you faced the day. Katie had sent you a message, a photo of her with her nephew on her lap. She looked ridiculously happy, the smile on her face threatening to eclipse the rest of it. “You’ve gone soft, McCabe,” you wrote to her, smiling down at your phone as well.

Stina was still sleeping when you snuck out of the room, having changed into more appropriate clothes to face her family in.

“God morgon,” Stina’s mother greeted you as you walked out into the kitchen.

You wished her the same, settling down in one of the chairs at the island.

“Would you like some coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee, please.”

A mug of black coffee and a carton of milk were placed before you, along with the promise of oatmeal in fifteen minutes or so.

“Is Stina still asleep?”

You nodded.

“She’ll probably be up soon, it’s 8:30 already.”

“Here she is,” Stina spoke, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

She kissed her mother on the head and settled into the chair next to you, shooting you a smile as she poured her own coffee. You internally frowned: usually, Stina always gave you a kiss to greet you in the mornings, whether it was at your place or hers. You tried to tell yourself you were overthinking things, but already you could feel the weight in your stomach returning.

“Did you sleep well?” Stina’s mother asked.

You nodded politely, deciding not to comment on the fact that your room had two twin beds. Do you know I’m dating your daughter? As in, we’re romantically involved? As in, we sleep together like grown adults? You imagined yourself saying, but you kept your lips closed.

Slowly the rest of the Blackstenius family trickled in, minus Stina’s brother who was staying with his family at home in Stockholm and would be joining them later in the day. You all gathered around the dining table where a large pot of oatmeal sat, fresh fruit, cinnamon, and sugar adorning the space around it. You sat next to Stina at the end of the table, accepting her offer to serve your breakfast for you.

“This is delicious,” you complimented.

The table was soon full of light chatter in a mixture of Swedish and English. You made light conversation with her sister about her studies, and her decision between going straight to pro or attending school first. You’d done the latter, wanting something to fall back on in case you were injured. But getting your degree while playing had been a difficult task, you warned.

You placed your hand lightly on top of Stina’s where it rested on the table, hoping just to get a bit of reassurance for yourself. But perhaps it was the wrong move, because Stina quickly pulled her hand away, offering her father the bowl of cut apples in front of her for his porridge.

You pulled your hand back into your lap, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Was Stina so worried about what her parents might think that she couldn’t even touch you for more than a few seconds at a time in front of them. You did your best to continue your conversation with Linnea, ignoring the lump in your throat that was forming. Each time you tried to tell yourself you were overreacting, the voice in your head got less and less convincing.

You didn’t meet Stina’s eyes for the rest of the meal, nor did you try to talk to her. There was a bit of you that was angry and indignant. Why would she treat you like this? You knew you didn’t have the full story, and you wouldn’t until you asked her, but it didn’t feel good on the surface. You just counted the minutes until breakfast would be over and perhaps you could have a second to yourself to calm down. Otherwise you weren’t sure how you would cope.

Your chance came not that long after, as Stina offered to help clean up after breakfast with her mother while you got ready. The eight of you were supposed to go ice skating before it got dark, which meant you should leave by 10:30 for the rink.

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You locked the bathroom door behind you and took a deep breath in through your nose and out of your mouth. You knew you were already on the verge of tears. Your head was getting the better of you, and there was only one person (other than Stina) you wanted to talk to right now.

“Hallo?” Laura’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey, Laura.”

“Was ist los?” She replied, immediately sensing your tone over the phone.

You and Laura had known each other for years, having played for the same club and German national teams since you were barely out of high school. There wasn’t much you could hide from her, especially not when she could hear your voice.

“Ich bin in Schweden, zu Stina’s.” You continued in German, not wanting anyone to be able to listen in on you. Even Stina would have a hard time understanding once you spoke quickly.

“Is everything okay? Did something bad happen?” Laura asked you. “Can we switch to video? So I can see your face.”

You switched on your camera, allowing Laura to see your teary-eyed face. You were sure you looked pathetic, especially over such a small thing.

“What happened? Did Stina do something?”

“No, of course not.” You defended your girlfriend, even though you weren’t completely sure it was true. Had she really not told her parents the two of you were together? Was she hiding it, trying to slowly introduce you as a friend first until they got used to you? You just couldn’t make sense of it.

“Then what’s wrong? And don’t try to say it’s nothing, or it’s little, because if it’s making you cry clearly it’s worth talking about.”

Laura always seemed to know the right thing to say. She was fiercely protective over you, no matter the situation. She reminded you of Katie in that way.

“You know Stina is private… and that we haven’t told many people we’re together on the team.” You heard Laura’s grunt of approval, “Well I got here, and it just seems like she hasn’t told her parents we’re together. I would’ve thought since we’re in her parents home she would be a bit more affectionate, like she is at our apartment or when we’re around Katie or Amanda, but we’ve hardly touched the entire day.” You took a pause. “I know it probably sounds silly—”

“Nope, hush with that. It doesn’t, keep going.”

“Well, you know I’ve been learning Swedish for a few months with Amanda’s help and obviously I’m not great yet, but I’ve been practicing so I could try and understand more while I was here… I’m not positive but I think when they talk about me they call me Stina’s friend. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, I probably am, but combined with how Stina’s acting…I just don’t know what to think.”

By this point your breathing was uneven, the emotion you’d been trying to clamp down spilling over. Tears leaked out of your eyes and you swiped at them roughly. Your breath came in shallow bursts, unable to fully fill up your lungs. You just didn’t want to fuck this up. And now you were left questioning where you even stood with Stina—you were okay with some privacy, but not with this. Your parents knew about her, she had met most of your friends, even those in Germany over FaceTime since you couldn’t physically be together. Did you occupy the same place in her life that she did in yours?

“I need you to take a deep breath for me.” Laura said, her voice calm. You tried to follow her directions. “You need to ask her, be up front about it. Otherwise you’re going to drive yourself crazy the whole time you’re there, trying to analyze everything. Just ask. And if she hasn’t told them… then figure out why. Maybe there’s more to it than you think.”

You nodded, still trying to breathe. You got in the bathtub, as you often did when this happened as a teenager, and kept Laura on the line.

“Can you just talk about something for a little while? Anything really. I’m sorry to interrupt your break but—”

“Don’t worry about that. Of course I will.”

So you laid there in the tub as Laura went on about the new coaching staff at Frankfurt, about the train problems that had made her three hours late to her parents’ house yesterday, about her photo book that had just come out and how it was doing. Not long after you felt yourself drifting off, heart beating normally and your tears mostly dry. Laura didn’t let you off the line until you had promised that you would keep her updated, and let her know if she needed to come and rescue you and “take you back home with her”.

The universe’s timing seemed to be on your side, because only a few minutes after you had reapplied a bit of foundation around your eyes and washed your face, Stina knocked at the door.

“We’re going to head out in fifteen minutes, could I get in there?”

You opened the door and gave your girlfriend a smile, beckoning her in as you stepped out. You didn’t quite trust your voice yet, so you stayed silent.

“Is everything okay?” Stina asked, cocking her head sweetly.

You knew if you said anything you’d start crying all over again—and you hated yourself for it. So you just nodded, smiling again before slipping back out into the bedroom. There you threw on a nicer outfit and steeled yourself for the next few hours to come. Everything would be fine, no matter what. You had dealt with worse—more heartbreaking things, more disappointing things, you’d had your heart broken before and you had survived. You’d endured pain worse than anything that could happen in the next few hours.

#merry christmas eve lol #or happy holidays! a festive mood regardless of what you celebrate #arsenal x reader #stina blackstenius #stina blackstenius x reader #woso community #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso #katie mccabe #laura freigang #swewnt x reader #my writing

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lookinghalfacorpse · 4 months

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i think i remember your pandora symptoms fic was in general, canon compliant to ITWALL and tbh i have been curious, has phil ever been "sucked in" into one of dreams nightmares like techno was?? (if the "dreamon chapter is even canon to itwall of course lol)

i forgot about this headcanon! i imagined it as a part of his admin powers that he hasn't mastered yet-- a way to communicate quickly with the players on his server. i think philza would recognize it.

----------

/dsmp /rp

Dream dropped himself into the kitchen chair, letting it creak loudly under his weight. Phil didn't even know he was awake already.

The arctic had settled into a slow, soft routine; Philza was usually first to wake, and he'd start breakfast as Dream and Technoblade joined him at their own pace. This morning, he had deep pockets of purple under his eyes and he seemed unable to hold himself up. His head drifted into his hands as he sat at the time. His hair was a mess.

Philza chuckled at him. The old man hadn't slept too well, either, but he was chipper as always as he tried to make food quickly. He put a kettle on the stove to get Dream's tea started. "Mornin', mate," he said, "I guess Techno really wore you out yesterday, yeah?"

"Mm."

"I'm surprised you didn't sleep in more."

"Couldn't sleep," Dream said as he rubbed a hand groggily across his face. "I'm so sore. I don't wanna look at firewood ever again."

"Ah, nothing a warm bath and some pain meds can't fix. You must've pushed yourself too hard."

Phil continued with breakfast. He opted for bagels that morning-- it was quick and easy, and made up for lost time since he was moving slowly. He also had apples on the stove for some homemade applesauce, and it made the whole cabin smell absolutely lovely. He mixed them occasionally, checked on the bagels, and peaked over his shoulder at Dream. The poor boy was nearly falling asleep again.

He jumped when the kettle started to whistle. Phil prepared an English Breakfast tea for him in his favorite mug, with milk and sugar.

"Thanks," Dream croaked, his thin fingers wrapping around the mug, cradling it delicately in both hands. Phil watched as he raised it to his face, sniffed at the air, and moved his hair aside so he could blow cool air on the surface.

"You didn't tell me that Sam poisoned you," Philza said.

Dream froze, green eyes darting to Phil's face.

"How did you know that?"

Phil turned his attention back to the apples, turning his back. "I had an odd dream last night."

Dream put the mug down, his back straightening. "Tell me what you saw."

"A part of the prison I didn't recognize, with chairs. I saw scraps of food on a table-- all potatoes, I think, but maybe not-- and I heard Sam asking questions. About Tommy. But I-- you-- felt so sick, the room was spinning. Could barely understand the questions at all. Dream, I asked you if Quackity did all of the damage, and you said yes." "And I didn't lie. Sam didn't-- Sam didn't hurt me. Not really. None of these scars are from him." Before Philza could voice a protest, Dream continued, "Listen, I-- I'm sorry. I don't know why I keep doing this. I did it to Techno, too, I-- sometimes I can control dreams on purpose, but more often I just... force people to witness random things that I don't even want them to see. I'm really sorry, Phil. I'll try to stop."

"No, no," Phil started, "I think this explains a lot. I've seen something like this before." "You have?"

"Mm-hmm. You projected a memory to me. If you can harness this, I think you'd be able to communicate to people even when they're awake. Sounds convenient, yeah?"

A way to communicate privately. Dream liked the idea.

Phil continued, "I'm angry about what I saw, don't get me wrong. Pissed off, really. But I'm glad to have discovered this. We can work on it."

Dream ran his fingertips along the handle of the mug. The glaze was smooth and cold, and it fit inside his palms neatly. He saw Phil watching him, waiting to find out if he would drink.

He drank.

#based loosely on the mcc prison roleplay #drabbles #dreblr #gappleduo #itwall #in the wild all lessons last

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sophie-looks-at-stuff · 10 months

Text

Some random modern HotD headcanons :)

Hey y’all! So I kept thinking of some funny, and very specific headcanons for the HotD characters, so I decided to just make it a whole post. This will actually be my first “legit” post on here, lol! Anyways, this will include some headcanons about Aemond, Aegon II, Luke, Jace, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Helaena, etc. But hope y’all enjoy lol! :)

Ok, I am convinced that Aemond has a secret stash of tea hidden somewhere. He's even put them all in a very nice ornate, antique box. It's his guilty pleasure. He probably would have some Earl Gray, English Breakfast, maybe even some lavender mint for the evenings. He'd keep it secret because all the teas he's gotten are way too expensive, and special.

Luke is an avid Minecraft gamer. Like he's basically built Dragonstone, and the Red Keep in his server. He'll play sometimes with Jace, or maybe even Aegon. But he doesn't let them into that world. Aegon would probably blow it all up with TnT.

Speaking of gaming, I think some people are on the same page that Aegon would be some kind of gamer. He'd be up to date on all the new systems and gadgets. He'd be one of the firsts to have the PS5 when it came out. He probably plays a lot of Call of Duty. Maybe even some Valorant when he doesn't wanna fire up the PS. He'd definitely be cursing and yelling at the game, to the point where Alicent threatens to take it away.

While Rhaenyra watches her shows, House Wives, Rupaul's Drag Race, etc. Daemon pretends to be not interested, but really he's super invested. He'd be leaning against the couch, or the wall totally sucked in. And when Rhaenyra tells him to just sit down and watch with her, he's all like, "no no I don't even like this show". But then he'd say things like, "Well maybe if her gown was better made she wouldn't have been eliminated last episode".

Aegon gives me frat boy energy. And I know I'm not the first to say that lol. You already know he's planning all the parties, and picking the themes. I like to think he'd be very invested into picking the themes. They would be things like, dragon night, wear your fave dragon scale colors. Or something like, Dragonstone beach night, wear your swim suits and flip flops.

Alicent likes to knit. Or maybe crochet? It's her stress reliever activity after dealing with Aegon, and the rest of the boys. Helaena is always giving her new patterns or designs to try.

I think Alicent also likes to take the occasional Buzzfeed quiz. "If you were a cake flavor, here's what you'd be based on your star sign".

Helaena runs a very successful tik tok account. She'd post her outfits, and maybe some art or cool bugs she's found.

Aegon listens to a lot of Megan Thee Stallion and Kim Petras. He's blasting Kim Petras' Treat me like a Slut at least 5 times a day. He gets ready to it in the morning.

Aemond will get down to some Amy Winehouse.

Jace works at the local animal shelter as his summer job. He only got the job cause Rhaenyra said he needed to get out of the house. Plus Helaena also works there, so she helped him get hired.

Aemond would be a great bartender. Not with like actually interacting with customers, but he can make some great drinks. Like he's over here coming up with all these crazy cocktails. Although, like his tea obsession he keeps this on the low. He doesn't want Aegon asking him to make drinks all the time. Gods forbid he asks Aemond to bartend at one of the frat parties.

Helaena was a Monster High girl growing up.

Aemond has a motorcycle. It was his one rebellious purchase. Alicent hates it.

Luke can kick Aegon's ass in any game, video or otherwise. You name it, Call of Duty, UNO, Valorent, Go fish...

Rhaenyra has a bit of a sweet tooth, but she has to hide her candy stash, cause the boys will steal it in a heartbeat. Who would have thought Daemon would love lemon drops so much.

I really could go on forever, these are just too fun to write. But I'll leave it here for now lol.

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gallawitchxx · 3 months

Text

weekly tag wednesday!

i was tagged by a ton of cuties -- @darlingian @energievie @deedala @palepinkgoat @crestfallercanyon @francesrose3 @mmmichyyy @lingy910y & @juliakayyy! thanks cuties! i'm smooching each & every one of you on the cheek!

about me

name: bee age: 31 star sign: cancer your first language: english second language: french! i'm fairly conversational favorite lip product: chapstick the best food dish you can make without a recipe: tacos? tacos! if you drink tea, what kind?: english breakfast or mint if you drink coffee, what roast do you usually get?: as dark as dark can be! favorite thing to watch on youtube right now: tbh i don't really watch much on youtube these days? gallavichscenes probably lol favorite thing to watch on youtube in 2012: kiss compilations oops favorite item of clothing right now: a sweatshirt that says "come to the dark side, we have smut" favorite item of clothing in 2012: this hot little red dress that made me look like a bombshell

fandom

three movies you recommend: 10 things i hate about you, elizabethtown, lars & the real girl your favorite concert: my favorite singer of all time, during a snowstorm in nyc. there were only 35 people in attendance & he came down afterwards to say hello & take pictures, even though he's the most shy person of all time - it was amazing! have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?: yes have you ever left a fandom because of the fans?: no the best tv show you watched last year: this one's really hard... it was a great year - either the bear or the final season of succession do you have a fancasting you just can't let go of?: i don't think so? even though i really loved tpz as alex in rwrb, i do wish they'd gone with a biblically accurate height difference & cast someone like michael cimino (love, victor) a ship you've abandoned: i don't think i've ever abandoned a ship! how willing are you to share your ao3 history?: omg it's a mess, but you can peek, sure do you have a fandom tattoo?(do you want one?): i have luna lovegood's radish earrings, an ode to hamlet & my favorite number in doctor who-like tally marks! & the rebel alliance symbol. oh wow, i'm a nerd! what fandom do you wish was bigger?: the last binding series by freya marske! especially hawthorn & ross, aka rawthorn my beloveds has a finale ever ruined a show for you?: same as chani - how i met your mother. terrible shame! also a bit game of thrones. it wasn't ruined, but i wasn't happy.

have you...

swam in an ocean?: yes ever been vegan/vegetarian?: no gone skinny dipping?: yes gone skiing?: no been to a convention?: many!

tagging @thisdivorce @steorie @heymrspatel @whatthebodygraspsnot @whatwouldmickeydo @metalheadmickey @gardenerian @howlinchickhowl @rereadanon @creepkinginc & anyone else who wants to play! xx

#wow i have a lot of fandom tattoos lol #who knew?#tag games #tagged #weekly tag wednesday

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ikeasupremacy · 1 year

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Hiii I love your blog! What music do you think Lockwood and Co listens to at Portland Row?

oh my days hello! thank you so much, this is such a good ask! i feel like, if spotify is around during the problem, they have a group spotify account for sure! but i definitely have a lot of thoughts about their personal music tastes :)

(everything mentioned has the spotify link attached!)

lucy is probably a fan of artists like lizzy mcalpine, phoebe bridgers, taylor swift, olivia rodrigo. sweet hibiscus tea (post by my mutual that i adore) is such a lucy song, as well as iris by the goo goo dolls! her favourite taylor swift album is speak now all the way, and maybe midnights too! when she first met holly she made an angry girl feminine rage playlist about her with all sorts of feral taylor/olivia rodrigo music. she's the kind to listen to pop rock music on full volume in her room screaming every word of it and i am so here for it :D

george would listen to conan gray for sure! he also listens to lizzy mcalpine but he's more of a mitski, arctic monkeys, rex orange county type of listener. kid krow is one of his most loved albums, and his favourite taylor swift album is red! i also feel like he would listen to classical music sometimes, especially george cubbins! piano hits the sweet spot, and he plays it in his earphones while he's at the archives on a case / reading comics while curled up with tea. (RAAHHHH i can imagine it so well somebody write a fic)

lockwood definitely bullies george for listening to classical music, but theres a hc floating around tumblr that he plays piano -> he probably plays a few of george's favourite pieces for him! but as for music taste? he listens to taylor swift (for sure). he claims his fav album is reputation but it's actually 1989. he listens to lana del rey and his favourite album is norman f*cking rockwell or ultraviolence, and he probably dabbles around with the weeknd and older drake music! i feel like he also listens to coldplay!! he probably has a subtly named playlist with songs that remind him of lucy (first song on there is lucy lucy by betcha)! during the famous grocery store incident lore, a shitpost involving a lot of locklyle, one of the many hcs is that he played his lucy playlist instead of the group one time and was just like 😳

the skull probably asks lucy to play peaches by jack black just to see lockwood dramatically leap to the piano and sing along "soulfully" to it, saying lucy instead of peach every time LOL (he is belting awfully and hitting all the wrong notes and it is pissing EVERYONE off)

but as for a group playlist, just a blend of all their music tastes really. a lot of taylor swift, and they would listen to the radio often! (english people will know) they listen to radio 1's morning podcast with greg james while doing up breakfast!

idk that image is so nice to me, quiet mornings at 35 portland row with the radio on, humming to a random song. music is literally integral to so many things imo, and i love the idea that l&co play a lot of it! thank you so much for the ask <3

#renew lockwood and co #lockwood and co #anthony lockwood #george karim #george cubbins #lucy carlyle #locklyle #locklyle brainrot is real #gsi #the grocery store incident #live laugh gsi #peaches by jack black #mayra lore :)

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heyyyharry · 1 year

Text

Deep End - Chapter 18: She Who Rules the Sea

...in which Ezi and Harry go back to where it started.

AU: famous!harry, siren!mc, adult modern retelling of the little mermaid? lol, fake dating, enemies to lovers.

WARNING: MATURE THEMES

All chapters / Synopsis / Moodboard / Playlist

Read on Wattpad

“Good morning, Harry.”

“Oh, Dawson, you’re still here?”

“Harry, please,” Ezi sighed as she carried the plates of steaming bacon and eggs to the table, joining Dawson and Maggie. Maggie was too busy reading the morning newspaper with her cup of tea to pay attention to the weird dynamic between Harry and Dawson, which Ezi failed to understand no matter how hard she tried. Dawson seemed to love Harry even though Harry claimed that it was all fake and that Dawson lowkey prayed for his downfall.

“How was your sleep?” Harry asked as he took a seat beside Ezi, glaring at Dawson, who was sitting on her other side.

“It was alright,” said Ezi. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Do not worry about me. You sit there and enjoy your breakfast, young lady. Dawson?”

Dawson looked up from his plate. “Yeah?”

“Could you make me a cup of tea?” Harry commanded.

“Why do I have to do it?”

“Because you already got your bacon and eggs and I just want a cup of tea?”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit sometimes, you know that?”

“For fuck’s sakes!” Maggie exclaimed and all eyes were on her as she put the newspaper down and got up. “I’ll make you tea, insufferable child. What else do you want? A full English breakfast?”

“Oooh, that would be gre—” Harry’s mouth clamped shut when Maggie shot him a death glare. “Tea would be fine. Thanks, Maggie.”

Shaking her head, Maggie put the kettle on. Harry turned back to Ezi, smiling. “No bad dreams last night, I hope?”

Ezi was just about to answer when Dawson jumped in, “Actually, she couldn’t sleep and went into the kitchen for water. I was there because I couldn’t sleep either, so we stayed up and chatted for a bit. It was nice.”

Harry seemed offended. “Oh, why couldn’t you sleep, Dawson?”

“Strange bed.”

“What are you? Five?”

“Said the one who was still pissing his pants at five years old.”

“Hey, I was four!”

Ezi buried her face into her palm. Oh god, couldn’t Maggie hurry up with that cup of tea? Harry was always unbearable before his morning tea.

“What were you two talking about anyway?” he asked, eyes shifting between Ezi and Dawson, who had this smug look on his face, seemingly happy to have pissed Harry off. Ezi must admit that pissing Harry off was also her favourite past-time, but not the first thing in the morning, when he was the most annoying.

“Oh, nothing really,” she said. “Dawson just had a lot of questions about sirens and all that.”

“Harry, here’s your tea, you little shit.”

When Maggie handed Harry his steaming cup, his face lit up instantly. Breakfast carried on without any more drama. Still, Ezi couldn’t help dreading what was about to come.

Once they were done eating and had cleared the table, Maggie lay out a huge map that took up almost the entire surface, and everyone gathered around like they were in some sort of war meeting.

“Funny how you just have this gigantic map lying around,” Harry said, standing behind Ezi with his chin on the top of her head as if to make sure Dawson got the message. Childish, Ezi thought, but she couldn’t be bothered to tell him off, and she was secretly enjoying it too.

“It’s not like I work in a bookshop or anything,” Maggie said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Anyway, Harry, I would appreciate it if you don’t speak for the next fifteen minutes.”

Dawson let out a low chuckle, and Harry silenced him with a glare.

“Okay, so,” said Maggie, hands on the map, “this is the deepest part of the ocean. The Ginevra palace lies at the bottom of the ocean, and it’s connected to this cave…here.”

“Sorry, I know I’m not allowed to speak, but wasn’t that where we first met?” Harry turned to Ezi, who nodded.

“Yes. Correct. So your beach house was right…here.” She tapped her finger on the map.

“We need to get Ezi back to the palace, and we can do so through this cave,” said Maggie.

“But Ezi doesn’t have her tail anymore.” All eyes shifted to Dawson, who froze. “Sorry, am I allowed to speak? I know I’m new here.”

“No, you’re not allowed to speak.”

“Harry.” Ezi nudged Harry with her elbow and to Dawson, she smiled. “Good point, Dawson. But I think I just need to get to that cave and I can call for my mother or sister to appear.”

“They will know when you’re there anyway. The Sea Queen keeps track of all of her subjects. Besides, they are after this, remember?” Maggie said, pointing at Harry’s chest.

Fear formed a thick lump in Ezi’s throat as she tried to swallow it down. She looked over at Harry, expecting some sort of reaction from him, but his calm expression remained, which troubled her even more. She wondered if he was just pretending like he was fine because he wanted to appear brave and unafraid for her, whilst deep down, he was very much afraid.

“We can use my private jet to get to the island,” she heard him say when she snapped out of her own head. “It’s bad for the environment, but we’re all dying anyway.”

“You’re dying. We still have a long way to go.”

“Maggie,” complained Ezi, and Maggie rolled her eyes.

“He just talks a lot of shit sometimes.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said, sarcastically. “I’m the only one here beside Ezi who has the right to talk shit. The Sea Queen wants to rip my heart out because I’m in love with her daughter.”

“Allegedly,” Ezi murmured, eyes on the map, but she could imagine Harry frowning.

“Whether you like it or not, I love you and your mother wishes to kill me.”

“Can we do this another time?” Maggie interrupted. “Harry, call your ride.”

“Oh, I already did. Niall’s on his way.”

“Niall?” exclaimed Ezi. “You told Niall about this.”

“Well, he doesn’t know you’re a mythical creature. He thinks we’re fleeing the country because everyone thinks you’re a gold digger and I’m a fool. So we’re like Harry and Meghan in a way.”

“What? Who’s Meghan?”

“If we make it out alive, I’ll educate you on the royal family. Ours is even more fucked up than yours. Oh, Niall just texted me.” Harry pulled out his phone and his face transformed into a scowl. “He said he’s stuck in traffic and wants us to take the tube???”

Ezi shivered as she recalled the first and last time she was on the tube. It wasn’t fun as it sounded. “I’m not riding the tube. It’s smelly and hot.”

“Pretty sure there’s a train strike and TFL wouldn’t care if Harry Styles and his friends were on their way to save a kingdom.”

“Or just get a cab?” Dawson finally spoke after being silent the whole time.

Everyone exchanged looks and unenthusiastically agreed.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Ezi didn’t know how they’d done it. The airport was now crowded with reporters with their cameras flashing. It didn’t take them long to surround the taxi like a shiver of sharks cornering prey. Dawson was sitting in the passenger’s seat, calmly guiding the driver through the crowd, while Maggie, who sat beside Ezi in the backseat was bouncing her knee with a horrified look on her face. It was probably her first time in this situation.

“Fucking hell,” Harry muttered when his ringtone went off again. He pressed answer and shouted to Niall, “We’re here. Would you chill, for fuck’s sake?”

Niall’s voice was loud yet muffled over the phone, “I just wanted to warn you that someone overheard me talking to you on the phone, and the paparazzi–”

“We’ll deal with them. Are you waiting at the gate?”

“Yup.”

“Alright. See you in a minute,” Harry said and hung up while Niall was in the middle of shouting something. When he grabbed Ezili’s hand and squeezed, camera lights exploded in his concentrated green eyes, like flashes of memories, and she could see them going back to that night at his mother’s place where he’d saved her from his cousin. “Stay right behind me,” his voice was a whisper.

She nodded, clutching his hand as he opened the door, ducked his head, and stepped out. All around was a cacophony of screams, whispers, camera shutters, and honking of angry drivers trying to make their way through.

“Harry, Harry, is it true that you two are fake dating for PR?”

“Harry, is she your cousin?”

“Lady, are you using Harry for his money?”

Ezi ignored those reporters as she kept her head hung and followed Harry’s guide. She focused on the different types of shoes and their many colours, and for a moment, she felt as if her soul had left her body, and she was just a shell, being moved through the crowd. That was until a hard force shoved her to the side, and if it wasn’t for Harry’s fast reflex, she would have fallen. Her injuries tingled in the worst way, and she bit down on her lip as the pain wavered to her brain. But before she could react, Harry’s voice startled her. One of his hands was holding her shoulder, the other caught the fat man’s collar and shook him hard. “You lay your hands on my girlfriend again, and I’ll smack your head in, you prick.”

The man started apologising to Ezi as two airport security guards showed up and escorted them inside safely.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Maggie didn’t get on the plane with them. Ezi supposed that she didn’t want to relive her trauma by going back, but she wished Maggie was here so she didn’t have to feel so awkward sitting in silence with these men.

Well, with Harry at least. Dawson sat across the aisle and seemed unbothered as he made up some sophisticated lie to Niall about how they’d finally found Ezi’s family, so they were taking her to them. Niall being Niall, didn’t question much and was just enthusiastic to be included. Harry, on the other hand, was sitting opposite of Ezi in silence as he gazed out of the window, chin in his hand.

Fingers fidgeting in her lap, Ezi rolled her tongue a few times before she found the courage to speak. “Thank you,” she said, and his eyes shifted to her. “For…earlier.”

He gave a small smile. “Told you I’d protect you.”

When it came to her mother, however, she doubted he would be able to say that. Still, she appreciated his intention.

“You okay?” she asked when the silence returned. Everyone had been asking her if she was okay, but it was Harry the question should be directed to. It was his heart that her mother wanted…no, his life.

Thoughtfully, he pursed his lips. “Hmmm, I don’t know. Feels weird. On the one hand, I’m glad that I can do something for you. On the other hand, I’m being hunted by the fucking Sea Queen. That’s scary, but also an honour.”

Together, they laughed like they were just discussing a movie and not their reality.

“So you were angry at me for wanting to kill you, but it’s an honour when my mother does it?” said Ezi.

“I was angry because you lied to me actually. It made me wonder if any of it was real.”

“I wondered the same thing when you told me I would never be human.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

She paused. “I know that now.”

“Good,” he said. “Do you want to be human?” he asked. “When this is all over, of course.”

Ezi shrugged. “If only you survived.”

His lips twitched as he appreciated the humour. “I mean, I have no choice. Someone has to take care of my cat, and Niall would be a terrible cat dad.” He locked eyes with her for a beat. “And you, too, of course. I’ll have to survive for you.”

“Deal,” she said, hoping it’d be true.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

This was how Harry died, trapped in this tiny beach cave. Clearly, a death by the Sea Queen story would sound much cooler, and it was the only motivation for him not to die here, at least for now. The entrance of the cave was so small, hardly more than a gap in the rock. Ezi was leading the group, followed by him, then Dawson. They had left Niall at Harry’s beach house and made him busy with the iPad. That wholesome image made Harry feel less afraid as they treaded through the water, with only a phone as a torch guiding the way. Two-thirds of the tunnel was filled with black water, and the other with sand that made his shoes sink with every step, and they didn’t want to risk going barefoot in case rocks or something sharp lurked beneath the surface.

The deeper they went in, the darker it got. The space they squirmed through was damp and smelled like dead things the sea had claimed, and the ceiling came down so close that they had to crawl now. Just when it seemed like the darkness would swallow them up, Harry saw a weak gleam ahead. Now they could stand to his full height once again. They had arrived in an open space that was as big as the size of the dining room in his mother’s manor. It looked like the sort of place pirates would hide their treasure and Greek heroes would come to fight a monster.

In the soft light from the algae growing on the walls, Harry recognised this cave. The first time Ezi had “rescued” him from the storm, she’d taken him here.

“Don’t go any further,” Ezi commanded, and they came to a halt. “The deep end is just right past those rocks. From there, just keep diving and you’ll eventually reach the palace, but I don’t think any of us will manage to get there with our human lungs.”

“So what’s the plan again?” Harry asked.

Dawson, who still seemed appalled by the whole situation, sucked in a deep breath. “Ezi will get into the water as bait.”

“No, they’ll kill her.”

“They have to keep her alive,” Dawson said. “They need the heart of a man who’s in love with a siren. If she died, it probably wouldn’t work.”

“On, please, you just found out sirens existed like five minutes ago. Don’t act like an expert.”

“Harry, you’re just talking out of your arse now–”

“Excuse m–”

“Guys, stop, please!” Ezi exclaimed, her voice echoing within the cave. “I’m going into the water. I know the water environment better than you all. I’ll try to get Mother or Koa to come up here and negotiate.” Harry opened his mouth but she shushed him immediately. “Harry, do you trust me?”

“Ezi–”

“Yes or no?”

The light in the cave gleamed in her eyes, softening his heart.

Forcefully, he nodded. “Alright. But come up as soon as you sense danger.”

As usual, she had this hardened look on her face like she was the toughest person in the world, the undead, immortal, but all Harry could see was a fragile young girl who was very much afraid. He wished he could give her a hug or took her back to his beach house where they could start over from day one. Instead, he watched nervously as she shrugged off her jacket and kicked off her shoes, preparing for her dive.

Suddenly, something grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the water.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Harry was there, then he was gone, swallowed by the black liquid. As afraid as Ezi was of the water, she was more afraid of letting Harry be taken. She rushed forward. Behind her, Dawson shouted, ‘No!’ but she ignored him. It was a good leap and when she broke the surface, it felt like a shock, as if she had been struck by lightning, and her heart would explode.

As she began to sink, she just kept going down, down, and down. The water was cold, cold, cold, even colder than she’d remembered. She thought she might just drown and made no effort to save herself. Her limbs felt so heavy, so sluggish, and it took every bit of willpower she got to gather her wits before she died then and there. She trod water, halted her descent to get her bearings, and stared into the depths below her. She was half-looking for Harry, half-looking for a siren. The liquid was a strange green from here, turgid barely seeming to move despite her thrashing, but at last she saw something below her, a pale blur, struggling weakly, increasingly weakly. She duck-dived, kicked, and pressed further into the icy dark.

Harry seemed to plummet, heavier than he should be, or perhaps pulled but Ezi could see nothing that gripped him. At last, she got a grip of his fingers, his palm, his wrist. Her human lungs were burning. Harry’s eyes were glazing over, the lids beginning to drop.

No, stay with me, she thought, emotions welling in her throat.

Harry’s hair like dark smoke around his bloodless white face as she pulled him hard toward her and clasped him to her chest. He was too far gone to hold onto her, so she had to swim single-handed, kicking like a frog. She wanted to look behind to ensure nothing was following them, but she didn’t. Concentrate, Ezi, said the voice inside her head, come on, up.

It was then that she felt a shudder through the water, like it was shivering from its own frigidity. Something yanked Harry back, dragging Ezi down with him, hard and fast. She spun her head around, panicked. And there was her sister in full siren form, fangs baring.

Koa looked into Ezi’s eyes and said something that Ezi couldn’t hear yet understood.

Welcome home, sister.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles writing #harry styles x mc #harry styles concept #harry styles series

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wakanai · 5 months

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I don't take dinner, only the night before Christmas because I don't have the necessity to eat that much food lol

So I have my breakfast, hours later the lunch, and more hours later I have what in Chilean Spanish is "once" (literally 11) that it's just one drink with bread and it's in the evening

Like, I take strawberry milk and bread with something (paté, avocado, eggs, eggs with sausage, eggs with cheese and more, it depends, yesterday I ate eggs with sausage), my mother drinks tea and bread (mostly with paté)

At first I read it as "once" (as in the number 'one' in English lol) but after I realized it's Spanish, I'm guessing it's pronounced 'once' as in 'ON-SE.' <- random fact lol

but that is so cool!

So basically it's like, you eat dinner but in the afternoon. Like early dinner. Around 4 pm? 5pm?

I'm curious though, why is it called "once" if it's in the afternoon hehe.

🤭.

lastly 👁️‍🗨️👁️‍🗨️

high five, bestie 🖐️

I also like strawberry milk, bread, eggs and sausage 🤩

#thank you for the ask cathy! ❤️#asks #once #chilean culture #chilean #another random thing but I'm curious if you also do siestas? (afternoon naps)#cause it's kind of a thing in the Philippines (for some people) hehe #ty again!#cathy #<3

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the-cat-and-the-birdie · 9 months

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First off, hi! I love Hobie and Spiderverse in general, I've seen it twice and my favourites are Hobie, Pavitr, Mayday and Peter Parked Car! I have several headcanons that od love to share with you!

1) Hobie and Pavitr first bond over their mutual dislike for the British monarchy and government, but admit that the tea is really good.

2) Hobie is literally a Robin Hood to the people of Mumbhattan, particularly in the slums and poorer areas. He also helps May Auntie and he's one of the few people outside the immediate family that she trusts and respects.

3) Hobie and Pav come up with a plan to steal what Britain stole from the museum and to give it back. Its all sorted out; Mayday is the distraction and Peter Parked Car is the getaway vehicle. PPC has a booster seat specifically for Mayday.

4) Mayday has a toy called Spiderspider. He's a spider that was bitten by a radioactive spider and she refuses to sleep without him, even for naps.

5) Hobie is shortsighted and has half moon glasses for reading and sewing. He also loves to sew as a way to relax and he makes Mayday a battle jacket with acab in building blocks on the back

6) Hobie and Pav act like a couple and Mayday is their daughter. They do this without a hint of sarcasm and Miguel is both confused and not surprised.

I love all of these so much!! Especially the fact that you liked Peter Parked Car!!! (Honestly him and Lego-Spider-man are two of the good ones I trust them) and sdfdfkjdsf now I have headcanons of your headcanons!

I love tea and I love the idea that Hobie could be Pavi's 'tea plug'. He brings him all sorts of teas - English Breakfast would probably be something Pavi likes. They both probably have REALLY strong opinions when they learned Miles makes tea in the microwave and not the kettle (don't worry miles i do too)

OOOOOOOOO This is a good one!!! Especially since things are more drastic and somewhat hardcore in Hobie's universe, I could see him really really enjoying helping out in Mumbattan. Bonus points because Mumbattan is sunny. His patrols there probably put him in such a good mood - I bet Mumbattan is one of those universes that LOVE all Spider-people that come through

YOOOOOO THEM DOING THAT WOULD BE CRAZY Especially cause the news would be like 'how did these huge 2 ton statues from India disappear in 3 minutes'? And it's like easy, Hobie just picked one up and walked out. They're that strong that they can steal EVERYTHING back no matter how big. And it's like a modern mystery how like the entire West wing of the British Museum went missing in 15 minutes

SPIDERSPIDER SUPREMACY - I need a real spiderspider so the person it bites becomes Spiderspider-person lol

I love the idea of Hobie doing textile crafts so much because it makes so much since! I bet he does embroidery too, because it helps for patches. People probably think he doesnt wear his glasses out of embarrassment but in reality he probably would like them a lot and not want to damage them/lose them so he keeps them somewhere

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE EPISODE OF SPONGEBOB!! - yknow the one with the baby clam and Patrick and Spongebob!! I need something like that with them oh my goodness - like Pavi walking around with rollers in his hair (only coconut oil, my ass - LIES) and Mayday on his hip. Suddenly Hobie is wearing an all-black robe with patches (doing dad-style WAY more stylishly than Peter), they get super into it and Mayday probably thinks its hilarious

Honestly all of these are so cute!! Especially the Hobie in Mumbattan one I love carefree Hobie Brown. He deserves it so much

(also sorry this wasn't proofread because i am counting spoons today)

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definitelynotshouting · 4 months

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Do not apologise at all for responding late!! Holiday burnout is so real, theres sm to organise so I understand completely 😅. I hope youre getting some rest between xmas and the new year, or that at least whatever you have planned isnt too hard on you :)

I am 100% willing to believe you blessed my flight lmao, hopefully it works on the way back as well :D

Is it weird to say i dont think ive ever had a blackberry before?? Idk i might have had one when i was a kid but when you mentioned the blackberry jam I completely blanked. So um. Hope it was good?

Oh no your cat!! D: Hope he's all better now

YES I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT MALAYSIAN FOOD!! I would show u pics but um 🧍->🏃‍♂️💨. Ur gonna have to google it king LOL. The first day back my dad and I went out to a mamak stall (basically just a restaurant for malay-chinese-indian food), and I had roti canai (a type of flatbread with curry) and teh tarik, which I have missed dearly. I dont typically like normal english breakfast tea so getting to have authentic teh tarik was SO GOOD. Teh tarik (translating to "pulled tea") is made with condensed milk and gets its name from how after the drink is mixed it gets continuously poured over and over from one container to another until it gets super frothy.

I've also been getting reacquainted with my favourite fruits 🥰 that you cant get in Australia like mangosteen and jambu air (ai-yer). Mangos and dragon fruit you can get in australia but. um. Theyre bad. They just taste like sweet water. Also unfortunately for me rambutan i havent been able to find rambutan 😔😔. Those look similar to lychee but they taste pretty different, less tangy and sweeter.

Ive gone out with a friend to have cendol (c promounced as a "ch") which is a cold desert with coconut milk and rice jelly, along with other toppings should you choose it. Im also in the process of convincing my bff to do a 3h road trip with me specifically for food in a city called Ipoh 😭 wish me luck.

AND, im getting one of my relatives to teach me how to make rendang and char kway teow. The rendang specifically because the one she makes i prefer over what's usually made in restuarants. I think it's a state difference in recipes or smtg? So the ones you'll find in restuarants are KL/Selangor rendang and she makes from Kedah. Thats just a theory tho im not actually sure.

🧍 i realise this ask has become like 70% about food so i apologise. But. In my defense you asked >:) /j

ANYWAY. I hope youve gotten a break from the holiday work or at least have one coming up <33 Take care of yourself; indulge in your cheeses :D

-☀️

SUN ANON HELLOOOOOO im so excited to hear you got those desserts, those sound AMAZING...... also i looked up all the foods you mentioned and MAN THESE LOOK GOOD.... im a shrimp lover im gazing so hard at the char kway teow...... 👀👀👀👀👀 also holy shit these fruits look so cool???? Thats WILD ive literally never heard of these before and im having a lot of fun looking them up online and reading about their flavours and stuff!!!! Incredibly curious about mangosteen, i was not expecting it to be white inside when i looked it up and just like, the contrast of the purplish rind vs the white insides is SO neat to look at, like that feels really good on my eyeballs if that makes sense JSDBEKDNMDD also also teh tarik sounds and looks amazing i want to try that SO bad now omg

Its so funny you say that about blackberries bc where i live we have them literally growing everywhere on the side of the road AKDNWKDNKWDN in the summer when they start putting out fruit one of my roommates will sometimes go out and just pick a bunch for the whole household, and they always taste SOOOOO much better than the store-bought ones. Im genuinely not sure how to describe the taste of blackberry other than like. Its very sweet but also very tart (i go for the slightly less ripe ones tbh bc i prefer tart things to super sweet) at the same time, and sorta pops in your mouth a little bit when you chew it. Honestly its one of my favorite fruits i would highly recommend them if you can find em anywhere!!!!

My resolution this year is a bit silly but i wanted to go for a very fun easy one, so its to use every sticker i own this year :] ive already started by putting a few on the creeper minifridge that my roomie got me for xmas 😂😂😂😂😂😂 and i have some scrapbook ideas as well to use my fancier ones that my friends have gotten me!!!! Also you are so valid about the writing-- tbh if you wrote more than expected then it sounds like you succeeded instead of failed, so thats awesome!!! :DDD

I hope you're doing well on your travels, sun anon!! And when the time comes may your flight back to Australia be as peaceful and pleasant as the one you experienced when you left it :]

#shouting speaks #asks #long post #THIS RULES I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT STUFF #i wish i could share more in return!!! at least there's blackberries 😂😂😂😂#txt

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melikedanika · 4 months

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Ignorance is bliss - but it's also a bitch. Am I the only one whose been wondering how all the pieces fit?

►GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Melike Jafrin Danika NICKNAME(S): Mel, MJ LABEL: The Aesthete AGE: 30 DATE OF BIRTH: September 9, 1993 ZODIAC: Virgo Sun, Cancer Rising, Gemini Moon GENDER & PRONOUNS: Female; She/Her HERITAGE: Turkish, Arab, Lebanese SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English, Turkish OCCUPATION: Interior Designer SEXUALITY & ROMANCE: Bisexual; Biromantic

► APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Pinar Deniz HEIGHT: 5'6" WEIGHT: 132 lbs. DOMINANT HAND: Left HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Hazel SCARS: Fingers from being burnt by hot glue gun (barely noticeable) TATTOOS: None.

►PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adroit, Romantic, Loyal, Brave, Compassionate, Passionate, Ambitious, Benevolent, Athletic. NEGATIVE TRAITS: Enigmatic, Guarded, Sensitive, Stubborn, Easily Bored, Perfectionistic, Detached. LIKES: Cafes, the sound of records playing, the smell of a new book and the smell of rain, astronomy, nature, cable-knit sweaters, the city lights, perfectly-done ponytails, old drive-ins, traveling, art museums, Shakespeare, Van Gogh, deep conversations, road trips, poetry, midnight runs. DISLIKES: Being told what to do, confrontation, being the first to show up, being the last to show up, not being taken seriously, someone underestimating her, the cold, feeling rushed, the sensation of being crowded, being called ‘selfish’ or 'ungrateful', restriction of freedom, close-minded people, being talked over, people who sell out, those without passion.

►MENTALITY

PHOBIAS: N/A DISORDERS: OCD ALLERGIES: Seasonal (Pollen)

►BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Adana, Turkey CURRENT RESIDENCE: Queens, NYC, NY EDUCATION LEVEL: BA in Interior Design from University of Cincinnati FAMILIAL CONNECTIONS: - Merjan Danika - Mother, Not in Contact - Ali Danika - 49, Father, Deceased

►FAVORITES

FOOD: Pita flatbread ( margherita style ) DRINK: Chai tea with almond milk MOVIE: The Devil Wears Prada / Black Swan TV SHOW: The Office, The Bold Type, Bob's Burgers BAND: The 1975, The Killers, The Beatles, Lana Del Rey, Smashing Pumpkins SONG: Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins / Zombie - The Cranberries

► EXTRA INFORMATION

JUNG TYPE: ESTP ENNEAGRAM: The Confidant (6w7) TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine MORAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good SIN: Glutton (LOL) VIRTUE: Humility ELEMENT: Earth CHARACTER PLAYLIST

"Am I the only one obsessed with making it all make sense?"

► BIOGRAPHY

TW; Death, family dysfunction

Melike was born to a loving couple. At least, that's how it seemed at the time. Growing up in Adana, Turkey, Mel never felt deprived of anything. If anything, she recalls fondly on a time where she was battling dragons with wooden swords that her father so craftily created for her. Her mother? She was always so hard to reach. Mel took on a sort of balancing act. She could be herself around her father; goofy, loving, foolhardy. Around her mother, the young girl had to put a brave face on and take up some pretty adult like chores. At the age of 4, her father was making her breakfast but her mother believed she could fend for herself. Though she tried to relate and bond with her mother, it just wound up turning into an argument. The only times she could remember her mother smiling was over her grades; Mel then focusing on academics because at least her mother cared when she saw her high grades. Her whole life, she learned to hide pieces of herself away to become enough for someone else. Something her father tried so desperately to stop, but it did become a habit to his dismay. When she was off to university, she received a full ride to the University of Cincinnati. Her mother was the one pushing her to become a doctor and go to Penn State. Mel put the decision on the back burner; her own heart and mind at odds, much like her parents were at one another's throats. Her father's death came a couple weeks following her offer letters. The impact had her mother scrambling, and it wasn't until she attempted to sell Mel to a man in order to be his wife, that she finally put her foot down. She decided to go to the University of Cincinnati and hasn't looked back on her life in Turkey since. Two years ago, the woman took the leap to move to NYC due to a job opportunity. She's still gaining her footing here, but she does love the people and the ambiance.

► PERSONALITY

Mel is passionate and loves art and history thanks to her father. Due to this, she is prone to rambles of Shakespeare, Cleopatra, and good 'ole Van Gogh. She loves to go out and have fun in the night life scheme of things, but she also loves to just throw her hair up into a messy bun and have a Netflix marathon. Mel is a hopeless romantic and is all-in when it comes to relationships and crushes. This is an aspect of herself she's scared of, seeing that her parents were a product of an arranged marriage for financial reasons - she's afraid of someone not genuinely loving her and wanting her for their own gain. This has her a bit suspicious of others, and she can be a tad hard to bond with if you hate someone whose hot and cold at first. She genuinely is a warm character and loves the simpler things in life. She loves to rearrange her friends' houses and surprise them with the new layout. She's also an awesome wingwoman. Can take a joke, but will dish it right back. Loves take out and hiking. Mel is fixated on making everything make sense, since her father's passing still doesn't make sense to her; just a trauma response, ya know?

► PLOTS

The Best Friend: This is someone who was here for when Mel first came to Denver. They most likely showed her the ropes and gave her tours. It would be nice for them to have hit it off and been inseperable ever since. - OPEN

College Friends: Friends who went through the same interior design program, maybe? Or, they could've just met around campus and now it's like 'oh shit - you're in Denver too?' - OPEN (x2?)

The Roommate: I kinda see this as like a FRIENDS type of deal. Very much like Mel is the Monica to someone's Rachel and they are trying to figure out life together. Super soft and cute, ok? - OPEN

But, Do I Suck?: The design testers. These people are who Mel runs her ideas by before putting it out into the world and actually decorating someone's house. This is especially if they are a big client. They could be her genuine friends in the design industry, or maybe they just all love art and met/bonded that way. - OPEN (x2)

Once You Have Me, Will You Want Me Still?: Blind date that turned into a hookup and Mel left before they woke up because she got scared. Ya know, she just doesn't want history to repeat itself. - OPEN

#tw death #tw dysfunctional family #boroughs.intro

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fantasycorrupted · 9 months

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this has been on my mind for a while - my characters rarely drink, even when upset (with the exception of needing a drink to process a beloved’s death, if it happens). what they’d be down for pulling would be a low-alcohol radler (one of those beers with flavor), craft beer, and on special occasions when they just want to have a treat, a cocktail with a bit of gin, or just a glass of gin. and that’s that.

oh and they don’t smoke either. they’re just not interested, and they don’t like the taste. rigmor doesn’t even like the smell of cigarettes, let alone weed, girl is a beer enjoyer lol.

jareth and rita enjoy a glass of whiskey, or a bloody mary once in a while as they like tomatoes, hella is a fan of rosé and white wine, lovisa likes a pale ale on a veeeery rare occasion, and fíann likes liquor, especially in cocktails. also very rarely. they’re just always busy doing things.

they all love tea, though, especially kieran, fíann and ríane. and hot chocolate, and coffee. stefan hates sweets however so he might be seen having english breakfast tea pretty often.

also whatever i wrote earlier is now trash. rigmor does not get high at all when upset. instead she eats a lot, plenty of junk food, too. and if you see her with a beer she’s cracking a cold one in the heat with the girls. when she’s upset she’s far more likely to buy herself treats or even clothes and jewelry to feel better, and savash is this way with books and, oddly enough, colorful socks.

#❥ about rigmor.#//time to edit that bit in her bio #❥ about savash.#❥ about jareth.#❥ about rita.#❥ about hella.#❥ about lovisa.#❥ about kieran.#❥ about ríane.

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stwbrypie · 1 year

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My two dads (pilot)

a breaking bad au where Mike and Walter adopts Jesse as their little son; my English is kinda wonky idk I tried my best. I'm posting this on my lunch break lol, prolly just gonna delete it afterwards

The house was completely silent. Birds chirping could be heard from outside where the sun was shining bright up high. Sun rays were making it very way through the big curtains to Walter's room, who was sleeping comfortably in his cozy bed.

The alarm was still quiet, so it was likely very early in the morning. The man opened his eyes slowly, to check the time: 7:42; A few minutes before he'd be officially shaken awake by the ringing. Walter couldn't recall exactly how he'd make his way to bed, last night was a little blurry in his head, but he was able to distinctly remember something about having a mental breakdown一which happened a lot... an excessively amount of times. But, fortunately, it was getting a tad bit better everyday.一The man then sighed and adjusted himself back to sleep.

"Walter, wake up." A low husky voice called him. "C'mon, your alarm went off years ago." Mike said standing up beside the bed, stretching.

"It wasn't that long ago." Walter said back, realizing only ten minutes passed since the time he's set up before. "Were you observing me?" He asked, chest puffed and a raised eyebrow.

"Get lost." He waved his hands desmisvely. "Oh, don't let me forget to never get lured by your tricks ever again... 'I deserve everything that happens to me', 'I've never felt so miserable' and so on." He scoffed mimicking a high-pitched voice; Walter's voice.

"That is not how I talk." The man rose from the bed making his way to the bathroom followed by Mike. "And that was a completely reasonable reaction, matter of fact." He punctuated.

The older man shrugged. "Anyways. You just lost a cereal sale, it's not the end of the world."

"They're Jesse's favorite!" Walter retorts, almost in disbelief. Mike was sneering at his suffering, like it was nothing at all. "You know what? Just forget about it, I'll make us a pot of coffee." He gestured copiously with both hands, leaving the other man behind, brushing his teeth.

Heavens! No one understands how good that sale was. He whispered to himself on the way to the kitchen. Opening every curtain on sight, allowing the sunlight bursts its way in. Another beautiful sunny day in the good old Albuquerque. Walter loved how the natural light bathed everything around him.

Stopping by the granite counter, the man wore his blue 'let's cook' printed apron (that he got as a gift on his last birthday) over his pajamas. It was rather cute and comfortable.

He started brewing the coffee. They did have a really good and functional coffee maker, but Mike simply liked his coffee handmade, and Walter was more than willing to do so as long as it would earn him a shy smile and a muttered compliment as a 'thank you'一It was good for his ego. After ready, he poured it into a mug and positioned it on the table, next to where Mike always sits; "Papa's place" Jesse named it.

Walter decided on making a delicious light and balanced breakfast. So he peeled various fruits, scrambled some eggs with bacon and also made a few PB&J sandwiches just in case一Ok... Maybe not light nor balanced but undoubtedly delicious!一While setting everything up, he saw Mike passing through him on a bee line to the front door.

He returned not so long after, with the day's newspaper and a few letters, which he tossed aside on the tea table. "Do you really think the Vargas will adopt a ostrich? 'Cause their cat is already making a mess out of my garden." Mike asked, looking a bit worried, even though that was nothing but rumors he heard from the others neighbors. Walter hummed. "...We're gonna have a problem." He finishes, sitting on his place, sipping the hot liquid. "This is great." He compliments Walter's barista skills, who only smiles lightly in recognition.

"About the ostrich thing. I think it's very unlikely that the law agrees to someone having such an animal in a residential area." Walt elaborated his point, chewing the fruits of his bowl.

"I hope you're right." Mike flipped the pages until he got to the best part: crosswords. He fixed his reading glasses before pulling a pen out of his pocket.

"If anything, we can always call Saul and see what he thinks." He said, looking down the corridor where the bedrooms were located. "Jesse's still asleep?"

"Like a baby."

"But it's almost 9! He's gonna be late for soccer!"

"Yeah..." Mike said unbothered, it wasn't the first time Jesse would overslept and it always ended up with Walter waking him up anyway. "He needs to learn how to meet his schedules and-" Walter stood up and left the kitchen, ignoring Mike's speech completely.

Once he got to the boy's bedroom, he slowly and carefully opened the door, entering the so long dark room. He spread the curtains open wide, regretting when he felt like someone just threw a flash bang right on his face. But it did work to make Jesse stir a bit in discomfort.

"Hey Jesse, wake up. It's past time." He said, pulling the blankets off of him, earning nothing but a whimper from the boy, who frowned, his eyes still closed shut.

"Uh, just ten more minutes... I still have time." Jesse mumbled his words, looking as tired as he went to bed last night. But Walter wouldn't budge, not this time, no. "Please..." That soft voice, partially muffled by the pillows.

Walter relaxed. His shoulders slumping slightly. He looked around the room, inspecting. It was surprisingly tidy... Perhaps not as clean as it should be, but clean enough, nonetheless. Excluding a bunch of misplaced laundry and posters from bands that Walter would never even dare listening to, the man felt proud of the boy. Of course Mike was a big part of this, too. Talking Jesse into responsibilities.

The man soon realized he was being lured to a trap and resumed his duty: make the boy punctual at least once this month. His team captain would punish anyone who's late to the training, more specifically, the parents of those who were late. Walter lost the track of how many weekends he and Mike would spent cleaning the benches or cutting the grass, thanks to Jesse and his 'five more minutes'.

"Okay, enough." He clapped his hands together. "You wake up and get dressed now and I won't make you walk two miles to the gym." Walt threatened the boy, shaking his shoulder slightly. "And I ain't joking!"

"Okay, I'm going..." The shaking continues. "Hey, fine! I got it, I'm up! See? Jeez." Jesse stood up, against his own will, his hair was messy and he tripped over himself a little.

"Great! Breakfast is ready." Walter said then, leaving the room after petting the boy's hair, in a caring way, in fact making it messier.

"That was smooth." Mike said ironically, not really taking his eyes off of the news.

Jesse finally showed up a good minutes later. He looked considerably less tired and was already in his uniform, including those knee high socks that made him look so excruciatingly cute一or at least that's what Walter thinks.

"Good morning, Mike." The boy greeted, receiving a side hug and a kiss on top of his head. "Any difficult word today?" He asked about the crosswords, taking a sit and wasting no time eating his sandwiches.

Walter observed astonished at that, glancing between Jesse and Mike, that caught the eyes on him and knew exactly why the man looked so bamboozled, his mouth hanging open.

"You're not forgetting anything, Jesse?" He asked, stroking his mustache and resting his elbows on the table, annoyed.

"Uh... no...?" Jesse pondered for a second and then snapped his fingers. "Right! Where's my cereal?" He asked in a low tone, almost disappointed.

"Unbelievable." Walter gasped, shaking his head and sipping on his coffee, that tasted bitter. He continued after realizing Jesse was nothing but confused. "Not even a 'good morning' to me? That's what I deserve after everything I've done for you?" He sounded hurted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Good morning, Walt. I just forgot..." The boy tried, using his hands to emphasize his words.

"No, it's fine! Totally understandable, you miss one good sale and now you are the worst parent of all the time." He kept the sad persona going on.

"Dang it, Walt! You just showed up on my room and I thought that was good morning enough, I got it mixed up, sorry!" Jesse exclaimed, a bit pissed. He started bitting his sandwich a lot more aggressively. It's not like he was actually mad, but sometimes, he just wasn't interested in having meaningless discussions that could've been easily avoided.

"Hm, there's one: Twelve letters word for dramatic." Mike said after a pregnant pause.

The other two paused for a moment, distracting themselves completely. Jesse grinned mischievously and rose a hand up "I know this one," He said "it's Walt White!" Mike laughed seeing that it actually fitted the space.

"True enough but that'd be two words." He explained.

"Bodacious." Walter answered proudly.

"What? You clearly just made that up." He accused, not truly believing that 'bodacious' was a real word outside Walter's nonsensical mind.

"Yeah, that's right. Thanks, Walt." Mike thanked the man, who was unarguably enjoying himself at that point.

"Yo, really? I'm starting to question if I'm really fluent." Jesse shrugged, finishing his meal.

After cleaning up the table, Jesse was about to be indisputably late, so he packed up everything he would need in his backpack and as quickly as possible he got in the car with Mike, or at least that's what he wanted to do, but Walter was faster, and grabbed him into a bear hug.

"Take care."

"I know! You're crushing me!" Jesse cried, shifting away until he was finally released. "We gotta go."

"I know." Walter sighed. "Hey, I was thinking about ordering fried chicken for dinner, how about it?" He offered when they reached the porch.

"Sounds good to me, very bodacious indeed." He used the day's word ironically, and the elders couldn't help but laugh hard at it.

#breaking bad #BrBa #jesse pinkman #walter white #mike erhmantraut #fanfic?

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redcallisto · 11 months

Note

Oooooh ruby how about crème brûlée, taiyaki and tiramisu

ty for the ask!! <3

this ended up longer than i thought so here's a read more dgvjdfg

crème brûlée ー what’s your current obsession? Specifically this song (big tw for the video. violence+cannibalism). It's been nearly on loop since I heard it only a few days ago 😭 I'm also a big slut for animated MVs

taiyaki ー which anime/manga character do you feel best represents your personality & why? A hard question ;; This is so not a super popular fandom but Taka Alcantara from Pokemon Reborn. Specifically bc of his relatability he was a major (and my longest lasting) comfort character during my teen years bc metaphorically our issues were similar lol I even think Taka's the first case of insane brainrot in me LMAO

After typing this i realize it says anime/manga and doesn't include game, but. fuck. i have no idea. My other option was from another game too dhfvfdgvfg. Maybe I can say I'm silly and a slut like DouMahito and call it there 😂

tiramisu ー your favorite warm drink & favorite cold drink warm drink: english breakfast tea! my life force tbh. Can't go without it~ cold drink: bubble tea! (my fave order is passionfruit lemonade + lychee popping boba).

(ask game)

#ask #ask game #cwgyuutaro #the other option was kaveh genshin impact btw

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pinktwingirl · 1 year

Text

The Mysterious Benedict Society Teleplay Rewrite - Ep. 1: Pencils, Erasers, and Disqualification

Hey, everyone! I made a post a while back asking if people would be interested in reading a rewrite of the Mysterious Benedict Society teleplay, and it seems a decent amount of people said yes! I have the first episode ready to read! (Also I couldn’t help sneaking in a few Kaynie moments to appease my 12-year-old shipper heart lol) Hope you enjoy!

INT. OLD LIBRARY - DAY, 1960'S

We slowly zoom in on a Curtis-Mathes color TV set displaying an interview on the news. Two men, a NEWS ANCHOR and a SENATOR are sitting together in a room. The news anchor turns to the camera.

NEWS ANCHOR

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen. Here with me today we have Senator Larkins to discuss the ongoing crisis many are calling "The Emergency." Senator, can you describe the public concern you've seen around this issue?

SENATOR

Well, John, I think many people out there are scared. They feel as if everything has fallen out of control. Our school systems are failing, crime is at an all-time high, and pollution is rampant in our cities, just to name a few issues. Every day, we're seeing more and more protests outside the capital. People are angry. They're demanding real change, and they're demanding it now.

The news anchor nods.

NEWS ANCHOR

Do you think people are worried about what type of world that they're leaving for their children?

SENATOR

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Our children are our future. The last thing we want is to leave them to pick up the pieces of this crisis. And no matter who you are or where you live... The Emergency affects all of us. It affects our homes, our communities... We need to enact change before it's too late.

(Beat)

NEWS ANCHOR

And what do you think it will take to achieve that change?

The senator thinks for a moment. Just before he can answer, we abruptly cut TO:

INT. STONETOWN ORPHANAGE - DAY

REYNIE MULDOON (11), a young boy with brown hair wearing a sweater vest knocks on a door, holding a book in one hand. We hear a VOICE from within.

VOICE (O.S.)

Come in!

Reynie enters a small office decorated with desi artwork. MISS PERUMAL, an Indian woman wearing a casual dress greets him with a hug.

MISS PERUMAL

I assumed you've already finished your chemistry book?

REYNIE

Three days ago, actually.

Miss Perumal laughs.

MISS PERUMAL

Oh, what a silly question!

We cut to later, where Reynie and Miss Perumal are eating breakfast together at her desk.

MISS PERUMAL

(in Tamil)

Would you care for more tea?

REYNIE

(in Tamil)

Yes, please.

She pours more tea into his cup.

MISS PERUMAL

(in Tamil)

One lump or two?

REYNIE

(in Tamil)

Could I have honey instead?

Miss Perumal smiles as she passes him the honey jar.

MISS PERUMAL

(in English)

Your Tamil's improving. Soon enough, you'll be fluent and then I won't be able to teach you anything else. The orphanage will have no use for me anymore.

REYNIE

(in English)

I guess I should try to learn more slowly, then?

Miss Perumal laughs.

MISS PERUMAL

I think we both know you're incapable of that.

(Beat)

REYNIE

I really couldn't imagine the orphanage without you. I don't know who else I would talk to.

MISS PERUMAL

You're still not getting along with the other boys?

Reynie shakes his head.

REYNIE

Last night, Vic Morgeroff got all the boys at dinner to make fun of me when I said my book was "enjoyable." I guess he thought it was too fancy of a word.

Miss Perumal gives him a sad look. She is about to speak, but pauses when she notices something in the newspaper on her desk.

MISS PERUMAL

Reynie! Look at this! Would you be interested?

She picks up the paper and shows it to him. On the page is an advertisement in bold letters reading: "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?" Reynie raises an eyebrow.

REYNIE

I suppose I might be interested... if you think I would qualify.

Miss Perumal gives him a wry look.

MISS PERUMAL

Don't you play games with me, Reynie Muldoon. If you aren't the most talented child I've ever known, then I've never known a child at all.

(She glances at the advertisement again.)

It says there are several different sessions of the test over the weekend; we may as well bring you to the very first one. It'll be an excellent way to make a good first impression for these "special opportunities."

Reynie smiles.

OFFICE BUILDING - DAY

Reynie is in the testing center, working on his test along with a group of other children. We see him writing out calculations on the margins of a word problem. When he moves on to the next question, we hear a VOICE in his head reading it out.

VOICE (O.S.)

Do you like to watch television?

Reynie frowns and pauses. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly writes "No". He moves on to the next question.

VOICE (O.S.)

Do you like to listen to the radio?

Reynie bites his lip and writes "No".

VOICE (O.S.)

What is wrong with this statement?

Reynie smirks to himself. We hear his voice in his head as he writes the answer down.

REYNIE (O.S.)

It's not a statement at all. It's a question.

He turns to the next page, which shows a chessboard, upon which all of the pieces and pawns are in their starting positions, except for a black pawn, which has advanced two spaces.

VOICE (O.S.)

According to the rules of chess, is this position possible?

Reynie glances at the board for a moment and writes down "Yes". He moves onto the last question.

VOICE (O.S.)

Are you brave?

Reynie stares at the question for a moment. He hesitates and slowly writes down "I hope so". He lays down his pencil and glances around the room. Most of the children are still working. NUMBER TWO, the test administrator, munches on an apple while observing them. She is a thin woman in a mustard-yellow suit with short red hair. She suddenly puts the apple down.

NUMBER TWO

Pencils!

The children jump in their seats.

NUMBER TWO

Please lay down your pencils now. The test is over.

CHILD #1

But I'm not finished! That's not fair!

CHILD #2

I want more time!

NUMBER TWO

I'm sorry you haven't finished, children, but the test is over. Please pass your papers to the front of the room, and remain seated while the tests are graded. Don't worry, it won't take long.

As she begins grading the papers, a boy sitting behind Reynie scoffs.

BOY #1

If they couldn't finish that test, they shouldn't have even come. Like that chess question - who could have missed it?

BOY #2

They were trying to trick us. Pawns can only move one space at a time, so of course the position wasn't possible. I'll bet some stupid kids didn't know that.

Boy #1 laughs.

BOY #1

You're just lucky you didn't miss it yourself! Pawns can move two spaces - on their very first move they can. But whether it moved one space or two is besides the point. Don't you know that white always moves first? The black pawn couldn't have moved yet at all! It's so simple. This test was for babies.

BOY #2

Are you calling me a baby?!

Number Two frowns at them.

NUMBER TWO

You boys there! Stop talking!

Reynie bits his lip in uncertainty as Number Two finishes grading the papers. She suddenly rises from her seat.

NUMBER TWO

I shall now read the names of children admitted to the second phase of the test.

The children glance at each other in confusion.

NUMBER TWO

If your name is called, you are to report to the Monk Building on Third Street no later than 1:00, where you will join children from other sessions who also passed the test. You may only bring one pencil and one eraser. Anything more, and you will be disqualified.

As she pops a handful of peanuts in her mouth, Reynie slowly raises his hand.

NUMBER TWO

Mm-yes?

REYNIE

Excuse me, you say to bring only one pencil, but what if the pencil lead breaks? Will there be a sharpener?

BOY #1

(muttering)

What makes him so sure he'll be taking that test? She hasn't even called the names yet!

Reynie bites his lip and ducks his head.

NUMBER TWO

Yes, if a sharpener should become necessary, one will be provided. Children are not to bring their own, understood?

The children nod.

Number Two claps the peanut grit from her hands and takes out a sheet of paper.

NUMBER TWO

Very well. If there are no other questions, I will read the list.

The room falls quiet.

NUMBER TWO

Reynard Muldoon!

Reynie's eyes widen.

NUMBER TWO

That is all.

The children stare at Reynie in shock.

EXT. OUTSIDE MONK BUILDING - DAY

Reynie is sitting on a park bench, eating a sandwich. As he finishes it, he rises and heads toward the Monk Building. As he walks up the steps to the building, he sees two girls walking ahead of him. One of the girls, RHONDA KAZEMBE, a girl with dark skin and long, green hair wearing a puffy white dress, is flinging her pencil up into the air and catching it. She suddenly misses the pencil, and it falls through a grate on the ground. The other girl hesitates for a moment, then checks her watch.

GIRL

Oh... sorry about your pencil.

She shrugs and enters the building. Reynie approaches Rhonda, who is staring at her pencil through the grate.

REYNIE

That's awful luck... to drop your pencil here, of all places.

RHONDA

You don't happen to have an extra one, do you?

Reynie shakes his head.

REYNIE

I'm sorry. I was told to bring-

RHONDA

I know, I know. Only one pencil. Well, that was my only pencil, and it won't do me much good down that drain.

(After a pause, she seems surprised to see Reynie still standing there.)

What are you waiting for? The test starts any minute!

REYNIE

I'm not going to leave you here without a pencil. I was surprised your friend did.

RHONDA

Friend? Oh, that other girl. She's not my friend - we just met at the bottom of the steps. I didn't even know her name. For that matter, I don't know yours, either.

REYNIE

Reynard Muldoon. You can call me Reynie.

RHONDA

Okay, Reynie, nice to meet you. I'm Rhonda Kazembe. So, now that we're friends and all that, how do you plan to get my pencil back? We'd better hurry; one minute late, and we're disqualified.

Reynie snaps his own pencil in half and hands her the sharpened end.

REYNIE

Actually, we'll just share this one. I'll sharpen my half and we'll both be set. Do you have your eraser?

Rhonda glances at her half on the pencil in surprise.

RHONDA

I never would've thought of that... just breaking it like that... Now, what did you say? Oh, yes, I have my eraser.

REYNIE

Then let's get going. We only have a minute.

RHONDA

Hold on. I haven't properly thanked you.

REYNIE

(impatiently)

You're welcome. Now, let's go!

RHONDA

No, I really want to thank you. If it weren't for you, I couldn't have taken this test, and do you want to know something?

(whispering)

I have the answers. I'm going to make a perfect score!

REYNIE

What? How?

RHONDA

No time to explain. But if you sit right behind me, you can look over my shoulder. I'll hold up my test a bit to make it easier.

Stunned, Reynie hesitates for a moment. He bites his lip.

REYNIE

No, thank you. I'd rather not.

Rhonda looks at him incredulously.

RHONDA

Okay, suit yourself. I hope you know what you're in for.

INT. MONK BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER

Reynie and Rhonda rush into the room and make their way to the desks. Reynie sits in front of Rhonda and glances up at the front of the room, where there is a sign reading, "NO TALKING. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT TALKING, IT WILL BE ASSUMED YOU ARE CHEATING."

RHONDA

That was close.

Number Two enters the room, carrying a tall stack of papers and a jar of pickles. She slams the door behind her.

NUMBER TWO

There will be no talking! If any child is caught cheating, then he or she will be executed-

The children gasp.

NUMBER TWO

I'm sorry, did I say executed? I meant to say escorted. Any child caught cheating will be escorted from the building at once. Now then, are you all relaxed? It's important to be relaxed when taking such an extremely difficult test as this, especially considering how long it is and how very little time you'll have to complete it.

The girl from earlier, who is sitting in the back, groans.

NUMBER TWO

You there! I said no talking! Do you wish to leave now?

GIRL

But I only groaned!

NUMBER TWO

Do you mean to suggest that saying, "But I only groaned!" doesn't count as talking?

The girl's face goes pale, and she says nothing.

NUMBER TWO

Very well, let this be a warning to you. To all of you. From this moment on, there will be no talking, period. Now then, are there any questions?

Reynie raises his hand.

NUMBER TWO

Reynard Muldoon, you have a question?

Reynie holds up his broken pencil and makes a pencil-sharpening motion with the other hand.

NUMBER TWO

Very well, you may use the pencil sharpener on my desk.

As Reynie sharpens his pencil, he notices Rhonda slipping a small piece of paper from the sleeve of her dress. Number Two continues to talk as he makes his way back to his seat.

NUMBER TWO

You shall have one hour to complete this test, and you must follow these directions exactly. First, write your name at the top of the test. Second, read all the questions and answers carefully. Third, choose the correct answers by circling the appropriate letter. Fifth, bring the completed test to me. Sixth, return to your seat and wait until all the tests have been graded, at which time I will announce the names of those who pass.

The children glance at each other in unease. After a moment, Reynie slowly raises his hand.

NUMBER TWO

Yes, Reynard? You may speak. What is your question?

REYNIE

Excuse me, but what about the fourth step?

NUMBER TWO

There is no fourth step. Any other questions?

The children stare at her, utterly baffled.

NUMBER TWO

Very well. You may begin the test as soon as you receive it.

She begins passing out papers. As Reynie glances at the first question, we hear a VOICE reading it in his head.

VOICE (O.S.)

The territories of the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region are disputed by what two countries?

Reynie stares at his paper in disbelief. He glances around the room and sees the other children flipping through the questions in dismay. Some are starting to turn pale. He reads the second question.

VOICE (O.S.)

From where did the common vetch originate, and what family does it belong to?

He flips through the test, which is full of lengthy questions about obscure historical figures and mathematic principles. We see Number Two sitting in her chair, casually snacking on pickles as she watches the distressed children. Rhonda suddenly rises from her seat and passes in her test. The children stare at her in disbelief. As Rhonda returns to her seat, she subtly drops the test answers on Reynie's desk. He glances at it for a moment and eyes Number Two, who is concentrated on grading Rhonda's paper. After a moment, he flicks the answers onto the ground.

We cut to later, where Reynie is still reading the questions.

VOICE (O.S.)

After the fall of the Russian Empire, when a failed attempt to create a Transcaucasian Republic with Georgia and Armenia led to the creation of the country Azerbaijan, which currently disputes with Armenia the territories of the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nargorno-Karabakh region, from what key powers did Azerbaijan...

Reynie suddenly pauses. After a moment, he flips back to the first question.

VOICE (O.S.)

The territories of the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region are disputed by what two countries?

Reynie's eyes widen and he circles answer B: Armenia and Azerbaijan. He flips back to question 22.

VOICE (O.S.)

Despite having originated in Europe, the vine known as the common vetch, a member of the pea family-

Reynie's eyes widen as he realizes the secret behind the test: the answers are in the questions. He grins and begins working on the test.

We cut to later as Reynie turns in his test and returns to his seat.

NUMBER TWO

Pencils! Time's up, children. Lay down your pencils, please.

Defeated, the rest of the children turn in their papers. Rhonda smirks at Reynie from behind as Number Two grades the rest of the papers.

RHONDA

(whispering)

Nice work. You managed it on your own.

Number Two rises from her seat.

NUMBER TWO

I will now read the names of those who passed the test. If your name is called, you will advance to the third stage of testing, so please remain seated and await further instructions. Those whose names are not called are free to go.

Reynie raises an eyebrow.

NUMBER TWO

Reynard Muldoon!

(Beat)

That is all.

She exits the room.

Reynie glances at Rhonda in disbelief as the children exit, looking dejected. To his surprise, Rhonda just shrugs.

RHONDA

Well, best of luck, kid.

She exits, leaving Reynie alone in the room. We suddenly hear a KNOCK at the door, and STICKY WASHINGTON (11), a bald young boy with tan skin and glasses enters.

STICKY

Hello... is this where I'm supposed to wait?

REYNIE

I have no idea. It's where I'm supposed to wait, though, so maybe it is. You're welcome to join me, if you like. I'm Reynie Muldoon.

STICKY

Oh... My name is Sticky Washington. I'm just wondering if this is the right place. The yellow lady told me to come down the hall and sit with someone named Reynard.

REYNIE

That's me. People call me Reynie for short.

He holds out his hand. After hesitating, Sticky shakes it.

REYNIE

Are you here for the third test?

Sticky nods.

STICKY

I've been waiting all day. I had to be here at 9:00 this morning, and the test was over at 10. Since then, I've just been sitting around in an empty room. Lucky I had a pear with me, or I might've starved. I think all the other kids got donuts. Why didn't we get donuts?

REYNIE

I was wondering the same thing. Were you the only one who passed, then?

STICKY

The first test, no. A little girl passed it too, but I haven't seen her since yesterday. Maybe they told her to come at a different time - they've had tests here all day. Was there a really small girl in your group, about half our size?

Reynie shakes his head.

STICKY

Maybe she's coming later. Anyway, as for the second test, yes, I was the only one who passed. Which surprised me because-

He suddenly clams up and glances at the doorway. Reynie raises an eyebrow.

REYNIE

Because... there was a girl who cheated?

Sticky's eyes widen.

STICKY

How did you know?

REYNIE

The same thing happened to me. I think it's a trick of some kind. Tell me, this girl didn't happen to drop her pencil on the way to the building, did she? Out on the plaza?

STICKY

Yes! I couldn't believe anybody would take such a chance! We were only allowed to bring one pencil, you know.

REYNIE

What did you do?

STICKY

Well...

We cut to a FLASHBACK of Sticky helping Rhonda. A few boys laugh at her as she stares at her pencil down the grate. We see Sticky talking with her.

STICKY (V.O.)

I felt awful for her, so I tried to help.

Rhonda holds onto Sticky's feet as she lowers him into the grate. Looking horrified, Sticky tries to feel around for the pencil in the dark, but to no avail.

STICKY (V.O.)

I had her hold onto my feet and lower me down through the grate. It was terrifying, though... I think something even bit my finger, but maybe I imagined it. I can get a little mixed up when I'm scared.

REYNIE (V.O.) You were lucky to find her pencil. It was pitch-blank down in that drain.

STICKY (V.O.)

Oh, no, I didn't find it. But you know what she did?

Rhonda hauls Sticky back up through the grate and pulls another pencil out of her sleeve.

RHONDA

Oh, well, never mind! I have an extra one anyway.

Sticky give her an incredulous look.

We cut back to the present, where Sticky is talking with Reynie.

STICKY

I couldn't believe it! Why would she make me go through the trouble of searching in that drain when she had an extra pencil? Then, to top it off, she offered me the answers to the test, to repay me for trying to help her. Apparently they didn't do her any good, though. I'm glad I refused.

REYNIE

Me too. I think refusing was part of the test. If we'd cheated, they would've known, and I doubt either one of us would be here.

Sticky takes a cloth out of his shirt pocket and begins nervously wiping his glasses.

STICKY

If you're right, it's a little creepy that they're tricking us like that... But I shouldn't complain. They were very nice to let me continue to the third stage even though I missed a few questions...

REYNIE

Wait a minute... How could you possibly have missed any? Did you circle the wrong letters by accident?

Sticky shuffles his feet and stares at the floor, embarrassed.

STICKY

Oh, well, I suppose the questions were easy for you, but for me, they were pretty difficult. Time ran out before I could answer the last three, so I had to just circle some answers and hope I'd get lucky. I didn't, of course, but as I said, they were very forgiving.

Reynie stares at him in awe.

REYNIE You mean you knew the answers to those questions?

Sticky bites his lip and looks dejected.

STICKY

Well, yes, I guess I look pretty stupid, don't I? Like someone who doesn't know anything. I understand that-

REYNIE

No, no, no! I didn't mean that! I'm surprised anybody knew the answers. One or two, maybe, but definitely not all of them.

Sticky smiles shyly.

STICKY

Oh! Well, yes, I guess I do know a lot of things. That's why people started calling me Sticky, because everything I read sticks in my head.

REYNIE

That's amazing! You must read more than anybody I've ever met. But listen, once you figured out the test was a puzzle, why didn't you just solve it that way? It would've saved time - you could've finished it.

STICKY

A puzzle?

REYNIE

You didn't notice that the answers were all right there in the test?

STICKY

Well, I did notice that a lot of information was repeated... but I didn't really pay attention to it. I was concentration too hard on getting the answers right. That question on colloidal suspensions really had me sweating, and I get mixed up when I'm anxious.

(He sighs.)

I tend to get anxious a lot.

Reynie laughs.

REYNIE

Well, you didn't know it was a puzzle, and I didn't know any of the answers, but we're both here now. We'd make a good team.

STICKY

You think so?

(He smiles.)

Yeah, I guess we would!

REYNIE

I'm from Stonetown Orphanage. What about you? Where do you live?

Sticky suddenly stiffens and stares at the floor.

STICKY

W-Well... well-

Suddenly, KATE WETHERALL (12), a young girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and wearing a bucket on her belt bursts through the door. The boys jump.

STICKY (CONT'D)

What's the matter?!

Kate raises an eyebrow.

KATE

What's the matter with you?

STICKY

Well... well, what were you running from?

KATE

From? I wasn't running from anything; I was running to this room. Old Yellow Suit told me to come down here and wait with you two.

(She smiles.)

My name's Kate Wetherall. I'm 12.

Reynie extends his hand.

REYNIE

I'm Reynie Muldoon. I'm 11.

He shakes her hand, wincing at her tight grip. Noticing his pained expression, Sticky digs his hands in his pocket.

STICKY

Uh... Sticky Washington. I'm 11 too.

REYNIE

I think what Sticky meant to ask is why you were running instead of walking.

KATE

Why not? It's faster. Now I'm here with you boys instead of trudging along the empty hallway, and it's much better, isn't it? You two seem nice.

(She turns to Sticky and pokes his arm.)

So, why do they call you Sticky? You don't feel sticky.

STICKY

Um... well, it's just a nickname... since everything I read seems to stick in my head.

KATE

That's so cool! You know, I've always wanted a nickname. I've tried to get people to call me The Great Kate Weather Machine, but nobody ever goes along with it. I don't suppose you boys would call me that, would you?

REYNIE

Well... it does seem a bit awkward for a nickname... it takes a long time to say.

KATE

I guess so... but not if you talk fast.

STICKY

Let us think about it.

Kate smiles and nods.

REYNIE

So, what's your bucket for?

Kate raises an eyebrow and laughs.

KATE

Well, for carrying things, of course!

REYNIE

Yes, I know that, but why do you have one with you? Most people don't carry buckets around for no particular reason.

KATE

That's true... I've often noticed that, but I can't understand why. I can't imagine not having a bucket. How else am I supposed to carry my things?

STICKY

What things?

Kate grins.

KATE

I'll show you.

We see her neatly laying out the contents of her bucket in a row on the table.

KATE

A Swiss army knife, flashlight, pen light, extra-strength glue, slingshot and marbles, fishing twine, pencil and eraser, a kaleidoscope, horseshoe magnet, and rope.

STICKY

That's a lot of stuff to carry.

Kate begins putting her things away.

KATE

It's all useful. Take this morning, for example. Some crazy-looking girl dropped her pencil down a storm drain out on the plaza-

Reynie and Sticky glance at each other.

KATE

-and if I didn't have my bucket with me, she'd have been up a creek without a paddle.

(Beat)

You know, a paddle would be great to have. But no, I guess it would be too big to carry around. Still, it could come in handy-

REYNIE

Did you help Rhonda get her pencil back?

KATE

Of course! I just-

(Beat)

Wait a minute. How did you know her name?

REYNIE

We'll tell you later.

KATE

Well, first, I used my Swiss Army knife to pry up the grate. Then, I tied my rope to a bench and lowered myself into the drain. It was awfully dark down there, so I used my flashlight to find the pencil.

Reynie and Sticky glance at each other in awe as she talks.

KATE

It had rolled down into a crack about ten and a half inches deep, so I put a drop of glue on the end of some fishing twine - that's why it pays to have a pen light, you know, so you can hold it in your mouth and point it when you need both hands for something like putting glue on twine. Anyway, I poked the twine down into the crack until it reached the pencil. Gave the glue a few seconds to dry, then pulled it right out. I couldn't have done any of that without my bucket, now could I?

STICKY

Weren't you afraid?

KATE

Of what? Getting wet? It was perfectly dry down there. We haven't had rain for days.

REYNIE

Wait... how did you know that crack was ten and a half inches deep? I don't see a tape measure in your bucket.

Kate shrugs.

KATE

Oh, I can always tell distances and weights and that sort of thing. For example, I can tell just by looking at it that this room is 22 feet long and 16 feet wide.

STICKY

Are you sure?

KATE

Of course!

Reynie grabs a ruler and measures the room. When he's done, he raises an eyebrow.

REYNIE

22 feet long and 16 feet wide.

STICKY

Not bad...

REYNIE

So what happened after that? Did Rhonda offer to help you cheat on the test?

Kate's eyes narrow.

KATE

You sure seem to know a lot about it. Were you spying on me somehow? If you were, then I guess you know I called her a loon.

REYNIE

We weren't spying, but that's what I figured. So I take it you solved the puzzle? Unless, of course, you knew all the answers.

Kate snorts.

KATE

Who in the world could possibly know the answers to a test like that?

REYNIE

Sticky did.

Kate looks impressed.

KATE

Not bad.

Sticky ducks his head shyly.

KATE

Now what were you saying about a puzzle?

Reynie and Sticky glance at each other.

STICKY

But if you didn't know about that, how did you pass?

KATE

I didn't. Nobody in my session did. To tell you the truth, I think the only reason they let me stick around was because I helped Old Yellow Suit out of a tight spot.

REYNIE

Well, now you have to tell us this story.

Kate laughs.

KATE

Well...

We cut to a FLASHBACK of Kate in a hallway with a group of other kids who are eating donuts set out on a table while their parents begin yelling at Number Two.

KATE (V.O.)

A bunch of parents started yelling at Old Yellow Suit while the other kids were making themselves sick on consolation donuts.

PARENT #1

You're telling me no one passed?! What kind of tests are these?! What kind of trick are you trying to pull here?!

PARENT #2

What are these tests all about?!

As they begin to corner her, Number Two begins casting nervous glances at the exit, but a few people are standing between her and the door.

KATE (V.O.)

I felt sorry for her, you know? I mean, I figured she was only doing her job - whatever it is - and at least she'd given me something interesting to do today, so I decided to help her out.

Kate opens the screwdriver on her Swiss Army knife and pries the doorknob off the door. She then points to the other end of the room.

KATE

I see the man who's behind all this! That's him over there!

The parents begin pushing against one another to make their way to where she's pointing, while Kate and Number Two rush towards the exit. Kate quickly switches off the light and closes the door. They quickly hide in a closet. Number Two smiles at Kate.

NUMBER TWO

(whispering)

I believe you should stay for the next stage of testing.

We cut back to the PRESENT.

Reynie laughs.

REYNIE

That's amazing!

Kate scoffs.

KATE

Oh good grief, it was no big deal. Anybody could've done it. But now that I've told you my story, you have to tell me yours. How did you know about Rhonda? And what's all this about the test being a puzzle?

Number Two suddenly enters.

NUMBER TWO

It's time for the third test.

INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

The children stand in front of an unmarked door. Kate knocks, but there is no reply. She knocks again, and there is still nothing. She scowls and begins knocking very loudly. They suddenly hear a VOICE behind them.

VOICE (O.S.)

That's enough with the knocking.

Startled, the children whirl around to see MILLIGAN, a tall man in a weather-beaten hat and jacket with a sad affect. Kate gives him a curious glance, which he briefly returns.

MILLIGAN

Are you ready to begin the next test?

KATE

But we haven't even met yet!

(She holds out her hand.)

My name's Kate Wetherall, but my friends call me-

She pauses when she sees Reynie and Sticky giving her a doubtful glance.

(Beat)

KATE

Well, my friends call me Kate.

REYNIE

I'm Reynie.

STICKY

Sticky.

Milligan gives them all limp handshakes.

MILLIGAN

There. We've met. Now-

KATE

But you haven't given us your name!

Milligan sighs and pauses for a moment.

MILLIGAN

Call me Milligan.

KATE

Is that your first name or last name?

MILLIGAN

Just Milligan. And no more questions. Now, which of you is George?

Kate scowls.

KATE

Weren't you listening? Our names are Sticky, Reynie, and Kate!

Sticky clears his throat.

STICKY

Uh, well, actually, my name is George. Sticky's my nickname.

Kate raises an eyebrow.

KATE

Your name is George Washington? Like the president?

STICKY

It isn't that unusual. You don't have to tease me about it.

KATE

Take it easy, pal, I wasn't teasing you.

MILLIGAN

Sticky or George, whichever it is, you're first.

He nods toward the door, and Sticky's eyes widen.

STICKY

I have to go in alone?

MILLIGAN

It's alright. It's only a test. The others will be with you soon.

Reynie claps Sticky on the shoulder.

REYNIE

Good luck, Sticky. I'm sure you'll do fine!

KATE

Go, Sticky!

Sticky takes off his glasses and begins meticulously wiping them.

MILLIGAN

Quit stalling. Nothing's going to harm you in that room.

Sticky hesitates and nods, putting his glasses back on and entering the door. Milligan follows him and shuts the door behind them.

KATE

Well, how do you like that? He didn't even tell us what to do, how long it would take, or anything!

REYNIE

Big surprise.

We cut to a moment later, where Milligan re-enters the room.

MILLIGAN

Reynard, you're next.

Kate gives Reynie an encouraging glance.

KATE

See you on the other side... wherever that is.

Reynie enters an empty room. The floor is covered in red circles and alternating rectangle of blue, black, and a few yellow. He reads a sign on the wall that reads "CROSS THE ROOM WITHOUT SETTING FOOT ON A BLUE OR BLACK SQUARE." Reynie glances at the floor, noting the large spaces between the few yellow tiles. After a moment, he laughs and simply walks across the room and exits through the other door, where he sees Sticky and Milligan were watching him through tiny holes in the wall. Sticky gives him a confused look and starts to ask him something, but Milligan interrupts him.

MILLIGAN

You boys can watch, but you need to be quiet.

Milligan exits and brings Kate into the room. She reads the sign and glances at the floor, folding her arms in thought. After a moment, she beams and reaches for her bucket, but Milligan stops her.

MILLIGAN

No outside resources allowed.

Kate sulks as he takes her bucket and rope. She sighs and glances back at the floor. After a moment, she cracks her knuckles and walks on her hands across the room. Reynie and Sticky stare at each other in awe. Milligan sighs when she enters the room.

MILLIGAN

You all pass.

INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - MOMENTS LATER

Milligan is leading the children through a dimly lit underground tunnel. Reynie and Sticky cringe at the bugs crawling on the wall.

STICKY

(to Reynie)

What I don't understand is how you passed that test. I mean, I'm glad, of course, but I don't see how you did it. I crossed on my hands and knees so my feet didn't touch any blue or black squares, and Kate did her acrobat tricks, but you just walked right across the room. You were stepping on dark squares left and right!

KATE

What? You just walked right across? How did you get away with that?

REYNIE

It was another trick. Those weren't squares on the floor; they were rectangles. Their sides weren't all the same length.

Kate's eyes widen.

KATE

Oh, that's true...

Sticky slaps his forehead.

STICKY

I got my pants dirty for nothing? I crawled across the floor like a baby for nothing? I'm so stupid! I can't believe they're letting me go on.

REYNIE

You're not stupid. You're here, aren't you?

KATE

Just where is here, anyway? Hey, Milligan, where are we?

MILLIGAN

Right now, we're passing under Fifth Street.

STICKY

I don't suppose we could walk above ground, could we? Where there's sunlight and the path isn't wet? Where it doesn't smell like spoiled fish?

REYNIE

Where creepy things don't keep falling on our heads?

He brushes away a beetle on his shirt.

MILLIGAN

Sunlight just ahead.

He leads them a set of stairs onto a quiet street with old houses. The children take a moment to adjust to the sunlight. Suddenly, they glance around, realizing the Milligan has disappeared. In his place is a short, portly man wearing dark glasses and a bright yellow cap.

KATE

Who are you?! Where's Milligan?!

MAN

Right here. I'm in disguise.

As he takes off his glasses, the children realize that the man is, in fact, Milligan, who stuffed his hat and jacket under his shirt to create the impression of a fat belly and hunched over to look shorter. They stare at him in awe for a moment.

STICKY

Are you a magician?

MILLIGAN

I'm nobody.

(He points to one of the houses.)

Please go wait on those steps. Rhonda will be with you soon.

REYNIE

Rhonda Kazembe? The green-haired girl?

Without answering, Milligan exits through the cellar.

KATE

Do you suppose we're going to meet anyone normal today?

REYNIE

I'm beginning to doubt it.

The children sit on the steps.

REYNIE

Have you two been able to call your parents? They must be worried about you.

Sticky stiffens.

STICKY

Uh... Y-yes, well... I-I'm sure the pencil lady will take care of it.

Reynie raises an eyebrow. Kate shrugs.

KATE

I don't have anybody to call. My mother died when I was a baby, and my father ran away and left me when I was two.

Sticky's face falls.

STICKY

Oh, I'm... I'm sorry.

KATE

Don't worry, I don't even remember them.

(Beat)

Actually, I do have one memory of my father.

REYNIE

That's one more than I have. What is it?

We cut to a FLASHBACK:

EXT. MILL POND - DAY

We see Kate as a toddler running beside a pond in a bathing suit. She smiles up at a tall man, whose face we don't see.

KATE (V.O.)

Well, there was an old mill pond down the road from our house, and he took me to swim there once. I was only two, but I was a pretty good swimmer. We swam until I was exhausted.

The man picks Kate up.

KATE (V.O.)

Then my father - I can't picture his face - but I can still feel his arms lifting me out of the water - he carried me on his shoulders back to our house. I remember asking if we could swim there again, and he said "Of course we can, Katie-Cat."

We cut back to the PRESENT:

EXT. QUIET STREET - DAY

Kate smiles as she reminisces.

KATE

I remember that... He called me Katie-Cat.

Sticky gives her a sad look.

STICKY

You never went back to the mill pond, did you?

KATE

No... the next thing I remember, I was in an orphanage.

(Beat)

REYNIE

It's strange... Your father sounds... well, he sounds-

KATE

Like a nice man? I know, I've often thought of that. I guess it just goes to show that people aren't always what they seem. Or maybe he just changed. I guess I'll never know.

STICKY

That's terrible...

KATE

Hey, it's okay. That was a long time ago. Besides, I've had a fine life. The circus has been good to me.

Reynie's eyes widen.

REYNIE

The circus?

Kate laughs.

KATE

Yeah. When I was seven, I ran away from the orphanage to join the circus. They brought me back, but I just ran away again, and I kept running away every time they brought me back. Eventually, they agreed that I could join the circus and save everyone a lot of trouble. So that's what I've been doing for the past few years. It's been fun, but I was ready for something different. So when I read about these tests, I said adios to my circus pals, and here I came.

REYNIE

That's quite a life... And has it - I mean, has circus life helped, then? You haven't missed your parents?

KATE

What's to miss? Like I said, I don't even remember my mother, and who wants a father who'll run away and leave his baby daughter all by herself? I'd much rather spend my time with elephants and clowns.

She frowns when she sees how dejected Sticky looks.

KATE

Sticky, what's wrong with you?

STICKY

I... I just feel awful for you... It must be terrible to think you weren't wanted.

Kate lets out a stiff laugh.

KATE

Weren't you listening, chum? I told you, I'm having a ball!

The door suddenly opens behind them and RHONDA steps outside, this time wearing a simple dress and without the green wig. The children jump and turn around.

RHONDA

Hi, kids! Remember me?

STICKY

Rhonda?

Reynie's eyes widen.

REYNIE

You... You're not a kid! You're an adult!

Rhonda laughs.

RHONDA

Well, a very small adult, but yes.

REYNIE

I knew you were hiding something with that funny get-up, but I thought it had to do with the cheating.

RHONDA

No, it was just to call attention away from my age, and to distract you in general.

Kate's stomach growls loudly.

KATE

I have an idea: Why don't you give us some food and tell us what this is all about?

RHONDA

Soon, Kate, very soon. There's one more test, but after that, whether you pass or fail, I promise you all a good supper. Fair enough?

KATE

Deal.

RHONDA

Then let's begin. When I tell you to, each of you will go through this front door. At the very back of the house is a staircase. Reach it as quickly as possible, hurry up the stairs, and ring the bell at the top. Speed is important, so don't dawdle. Any questions?

KATE

Will this test be any harder than the last one?

RHONDA

Some find it quite difficult... But you should all be able to do it with your eyes closed.

STICKY

(quietly)

Will it be scary?

RHONDA

Maybe, but it isn't really dangerous.

REYNIE

Who goes first?

RHONDA

That's an easy one. You.

INT. OLD HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Reynie enters the house to a brightly lit room with pitch black walls. When he turns around, he notices the front door has no knob on the inside and is painted black to blend into the wall. When he enters the next room, he freezes, realizing it looks exactly the same as the previous. He turns around in confusion, looking at various different doors. He is in a maze of identical rooms. On the nearest doorway, he suddenly notices a panel with four arrows all pointing in different directions. One is blue, one is red, one is green, and one is yellow with a wiggly shape. Frowning, Reynie stares at the arrows in confusion for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widen.

REYNIE

(whispering)

"You should be able to do it with your eyes closed"...

He closes his eyes and runs his fingers over the wiggly arrow, which is pointing straight. Opening his eyes, he grins and rushes towards the door straight ahead.

We cut to later, where Reynie comes across the staircase. He rushes up the stairs and rings the bell. Suddenly, Number Two enters, holding a stopwatch.

NUMBER TWO

6 minutes and 14 seconds.

REYNIE

Is that good?

NUMBER TWO

Please close your eyes and stand still.

Reynie stiffens as she blindfolds him. She guides him back to the start of the maze, removes the blindfold, and starts the stopwatch again.

NUMBER TWO

Please go ring the bell again.

We cut to the staircase, where Reynie rushes up and rings the bell again. Number Two enters behind him, stopping the stopwatch.

NUMBER TWO

3 minutes even.

REYNIE

Does that mean I pass?

NUMBER TWO

We ask you to complete the maze a second time to see if you've actually solved it. We need to make sure you didn't just come upon the staircase by luck. If you've discovered the secret, you should be much faster the second time around. Which you were. Therefore, you seem to have solved the maze. Therefore, you pass. Therefore-

She suddenly stops to grab a cracker from her pocket and eat it.

REYNIE

I could have just told you the secret, you know.

NUMBER TWO

You'd be surprised how few children have pointed that out.

REYNIE

You mean, you wondered whether I'd notice that?

Number Two winks.

NUMBER TWO

And now we know, don't we?

INT. LIBRARY - MOMENTS LATER

Reynie sits on a sofa in a small library with books overflowing on the shelves and stacked on the counters. Suddenly, we hear the loud, incessant ringing of the bell, and Number Two guides Kate into the room.

REYNIE

She doesn't have to go through a second time?

NUMBER TWO

(sighing)

No point.

She exits.

KATE

What do you mean, a second time?

REYNIE

I had to finish it twice to prove I'd solved it. But you got through so fast, I guess it would be hard to do it any faster.

Kate grins.

KATE

Not as long as I have my bucket with me.

Reynie raises an eyebrow.

REYNIE

Okay, what did your bucket have to do with getting you through the maze?

KATE

Well, of course I saw right away that I was in a maze, and I knew that I had to get to the opposite side of the house. So I looked around for a heating vent-

REYNIE

A heating vent?

KATE

Sure. And there was one in the floor of the very first room, so I got out my army knife screwdriver, removed the grate, and squeezed down into the heating duct. It was a tight fit, I'll tell you- had to tie my bucket to my foot and pull it along behind me. Those old ducts run all over the house, but the central duct runs more or less in a straight line to the back, so I just followed it all the way there and popped out by the staircase. I sort of had to bend the grate on that last one. I think maybe Old Yellow Suit's mad about that.

REYNIE

I'm sure she'll forgive you.

KATE

Don't you think? It's not like it'll be hard to fix. Only a little one-by-one grate.

She glances at a grand piano in the center of the room.

KATE

Hey, this is a nice piano.

She sits down at the piano and tries to press on the keys, but no sound comes out. She frowns and tries again, but there is still nothing. She and Reynie lift the lid and look inside to see the strings have been removed and replaced with even more books.

KATE

These people sure have a lot of reading to do.

(closing the lid)

Oh well. I only know "Chopsticks", anyway.

She flops down on the sofa and starts sorting through her bucket. Reynie glances at her curiously for a moment.

REYNIE

You know, something's been nagging me. You said you carry all those things around in your bucket because they're useful, right?

KATE

Absolutely.

REYNIE

Then why the kaleidoscope? It's interesting to look through, maybe, but how is it useful?

Kate pauses and gives him a searching look.

KATE

You know... I think I can trust you. I can already tell. Alright, here's the secret.

She takes out the kaleidoscope and pops the lens off, revealing a spyglass lens underneath.

KATE

It's a spyglass in disguise. It's a good spyglass, and I wouldn't want anyone to steal it. The kaleidoscope on the other hand... well, I don't think it would tempt anyone.

Reynie laughs.

REYNIE

That's brilliant!

Kate blushes and laughs as they smile at each other. After a moment, she glances at the clock on the wall and sighs.

KATE

Is Sticky ever going to finish? I'm having a fine time and all, but I'm about to drop dead from hunger.

They suddenly hear a quiet ringing of the bell.

KATE

Do you think he’ll have to do it again?

REYNIE

Probably. But it shouldn't take long. It's easy once you know the secret.

We cut to later, where 15 minutes have gone by. Kate is scowling at the clock with her arms folded.

KATE

So much for not taking long...

Reynie grins at her.

REYNIE

Maybe you should start packing some snacks in your bucket.

Kate snorts.

KATE

You're hilarious.

They suddenly hear the bell ring again, and Sticky enters the room with Number Two.

NUMBER TWO

Congratulations. You all pass.

She exits as the children cheer. Kate frowns when she notices that Number Two is gone.

KATE

Does she expect us to wait again?

REYNIE

Maybe Rhonda's coming for us.

KATE

I hope so. Otherwise, I'm going to have to eat some of these books. Sticky, what on earth took you so long? Didn't you know how hungry I was?

Sticky sulks and starts to polish his glasses. Kate smiles.

KATE

Don't sweat it, pal, I'm only teasing.

Sticky smiles and shrugs.

STICKY

I had to go through twice.

KATE

So did Reynie. But he said there's some kind of secret that gets you through faster. So why did it take you so long the second time?

STICKY

I was a little faster...

(Beat)

What's this secret you're talking about?

REYNIE

The secret to getting through the maze. You know, the arrows.

STICKY

Arrows? You mean the ones on those panels?

Reynie gives Kate an incredulous look.

KATE

Don't look at me. I don't know anything about arrows. I took a shortcut, remember?

REYNIE

That's true. Sticky, if you didn't use the arrows, how did you get through?

Sticky shuffles his feet.

STICKY

I just kept trying one door after another until I found the staircase. It was sheer luck.

REYNIE

And you found it more quickly the second time? That's the really lucky part, I guess.

STICKY

Oh no, that part was easy. I just remembered how I got through the first time.

Kate's eyes widen.

KATE

You remembered every single turn you made? I...

(She shakes her head.)

That's incredible.

REYNIE

(laughing)

You did it the hard way, Sticky!

STICKY

What's the easy way?

REYNIE

Follow the wiggly arrows.

STICKY

Oh...

(Beat)

That would've been useful to know.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

Number Two and Rhonda are leading the children down a hallway.

KATE

So are we ever gonna find out what this is all about?

RHONDA

Of course. We just wanted to make sure you all got something to eat first, but Mr. Benedict is ready to see you now.

REYNIE

Who's Mr. Benedict?

Number Two opens the door to a study.

NUMBER TWO

The reason we're all here.

The children enter the study, which is crammed with books like the rest of the house. As they look around, they notice it seems to be empty.

KATE

I thought you said he was waiting for us.

We suddenly hear a VOICE from behind the pile of books on the desk.

VOICE (O.S.)

And indeed I have been.

MR. BENEDICT, an elderly man wearing a green plaid suit appears from behind the desk. He smiles at the children and steps over to shake their hands.

MR. BENEDICT

Hello, Sticky, Reynie, Kate.

As he leans against the desk, Rhonda and Number Two watch him with intense gazes. Reynie raises an eyebrow.

MR. BENEDICT

First, children, I wish to congratulate you. You have all done exceedingly well today. There is much to explain, of course, but I'm afraid the explanations must wait a bit longer, until we are joined by another.

(He sighs as he checks his pocket watch.)

Number Two, any word from Milligan about our missing young friend?

NUMBER TWO

Not yet. But he said it should be soon.

MR. BENEDICT

Would you please go meet them? I want to be sure she's had a bite to eat.

Number Two gives him an uncertain look.

MR. BENEDICT

I'll be fine. Rhonda is right here.

Number Two nods slowly and exits.

KATE

Did you just call her Number Two?

RHONDA

She prefers we use her code name. She's shy about her real name. For no good reason, if you ask me. It's a perfectly fine name.

MR. BENEDICT

For good reasons or not, we all have things we're shy about.

He glances at Sticky, who quickly begins polishing his glasses. Reynie and Kate exchange a glance.

MR. BENEDICT

I know you have questions, and I may be able to offer some answers now, thought some must come later. What's on your mind?

KATE

I'd like to know who we're waiting for.

MR. BENEDICT

That I can answer. Her name is Constance Contraire, a test-taker like yourselves. I must say, she's given us all quite a turn. A most amusing child. Rhonda, how many pencils did you say she brought with her this morning?

Rhonda laughs and shakes her head.

RHONDA

37. We tell her to bring 1, and she brings 37.

STICKY

How do you know that?

RHONDA

She told me so herself. Remember the storm drain? She stopped to help me, but instead of trying to get my pencil back, she just opened her raincoat. Her pockets were full of pencils. She said, "37. Just help yourself."

KATE

Wasn't that cheating? Why wasn't she disqualified?

MR. BENEDICT

It was certainly taking a risk. However, she refused the test answers Rhonda offered her. The point of the test wasn't to see if you would only bring one pencil, you know. The pencil itself is inconsequential.

REYNIE

Why was she wearing a raincoat? It was sunny outside today.

MR. BENEDICT

You're an attentive listener. That should serve you well - will serve us all well, I daresay. I believe she wore it to conceal the pencils.

KATE

But why bring all those pencils? It's ridiculous!

MR. BENEDICT

If that amuses you, Kate, you might also enjoy some of her test answers. Let me see, I believe I have them right here.

(He shuffles through some papers on his desk and picks up a packet.)

Oh, here's a clever one. Do you remember this question from the first test? It reads, "what is wrong with this statement?" And do you know what Constance wrote in reply? "What is wrong with you?"

He bursts out laughing, and the children stare at him in confusion.

MR. BENEDICT

Here's another. Remember this one? It shows a picture of a chessboard with only a black pawn out of its original position, and it reads, "according to the rules of chess, is this position possible?" And Constance writes in response, "Rules and schools are tools for fools - I don't give two mules for rules!"

He laughs even harder. Suddenly, he immediately falls asleep and slumps over the side of the desk. Rhonda leaps forward and grabs him around the waist.

RHONDA

Quick, one of you, bring me a chair.

Kate jumps to her feet and slides her chair over. Rhonda lowers Mr. Benedict into it. He begins snoring.

STICKY

Is he alright?

RHONDA

Oh, yes, he's fine. He'll be awake any moment. He hardy ever sleeps longer than a minute or two.

Mr. Benedict slowly awakens and checks his pocket watch.

MR. BENEDICT

Only a few minutes, then.

That's good. I would hate to have left you waiting long.

(He yawns and runs his fingers through his hair.)

This is another thing I need to explain to you. I have a condition known as narcolepsy. Are you familiar with it?

STICKY

Sure, it's a disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable attacks of deep sleep.

(He pauses and ducks his head shyly.)

At least, that's what the dictionary says.

MR. BENEDICT

The dictionary is correct. Although the condition takes different forms with different people. In my case, an attack is usually triggered by strong emotion. For this reason, I wear green plaid suits - I discovered years ago that green plaid has a soothing effect on me - and always try to remain calm. However, every now and then, I must allow myself a hearty laugh, don't you agree? What is life without laughter?

The children nod stiffly.

MR. BENEDICT

Now then, where did I leave off? Oh, yes, Constance. I take it you didn't find her answers as amusing as I do. I'm not sure, however - perhaps you laughed while I was sleeping?

The children respond with blank stares.

MR. BENEDICT

I see. Well, perhaps you'll find this amusing: Instead of answering the questions on the second test, she composed a long poem about the absurdity of the test and its rules, particularly about the missing fourth step - which apparently reminded her of donut holes, because these were the topic of a second poem. She is very irritated, it seems, that every donut has a hole. She feels she is being robbed. I remember a particularly felicitous rhyme between "flaky bereft" and "bakery theft."

(He begins flipping through the pages.)

Let's see, where was it? I have it right here...

STICKY

Excuse me, sir? How is it this girl passed the tests if she didn't answer any of the questions? I mean, if she didn't even try?

MR. BENEDICT

There are tests, and then there are tests.

STICKY

I beg your pardon?

MR. BENEDICT

It will all come clear presently, Sticky. Ah, here they are at last.

Number Two and Milligan enter with CONSTANCE CONTRAIRE, a very small girl with messy blonde hair wearing a red raincoat. She glares at Reynie when he stares at her, and he quickly looks away. Number Two helps her into a chair.

NUMBER TWO

Rather than finish the maze, Constance chose a quiet corner and sat down to have a picnic. It took Milligan some time to find her.

CONSTANCE

I'm not apologizing.

MR. BENEDICT

Nor were you asked to. I'm pleased to hear you've had supper. Did you enjoy your picnic, then? Had enough to eat?

CONSTANCE

Quite.

MR. BENEDICT

Very well. Thank you, Milligan.

Milligan exits.

NUMBER TWO

Constance, this is Reynie, Sticky, and Kate.

Constance scowls at them, and Mr. Benedict clears his throat, his face growing solemn.

MR. BENEDICT

Now that we have introductions out of the way, my young friends, let me cut to the chase. I wish I could tell you that, having passed these tests, you are now to enter a pleasant period of education. On the contrary, what I have to tell you is extremely unpleasant, extremely unpleasant indeed.

The children frown, looking confused.

MR. BENEDICT

For years now, I have conducted these tests in hopes of forming a team of children to help me on an urgent project. Some years ago, both Rhonda and Number Two took these tests as well. In fact, a great many children have taken these tests, and yet I have been unable to form a team. For one thing, very few children pass. For another, those who have passed have not done so at the same time, and this, you see, is crucial. I do not simply need a team; I need a team of children. Yet children do not remain children for long, and herein has lain the difficulty. Rhonda was a child only a few years ago, and Number Two a few years before that, but as you see, they are now quite grown up. They have stayed on with me as assistants - and indeed their prodigious gifts have helped me tremendously - but like myself, they cannot form a part of the team. The unpleasant part is this: the project is dangerous. It is a mission - one that may put your lives at risk.

The children stiffen, giving each other uncertain looks.

MR. BENEDICT

Before I continue, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: it is not my wish to put you in harm's way. Quite the opposite; I despise the notion. Children should spend their time learning and playing in absolute safety - that is my firm belief. Now then, assuming that I am telling the truth, can you guess why I would nonetheless involve you in something dangerous?

CONSTANCE

Why should we assume that you're telling the truth?

MR. BENEDICT

For the sake of discussion, let us assume that I am.

REYNIE

If you're telling the truth, then the only reason you would put us in danger is that you believe we'll fall into greater danger if you don't.

Mr. Benedict taps his nose.

MR. BENEDICT

Precisely. And I do believe this. I am certain, in fact, that you and a great many other people are in danger even as we speak, and that this danger will only increase.

Sticky coughs.

STICKY

(mumbling)

I... need to use the bathroom...

Mr. Benedict smiles at him.

MR. BENEDICT

Sticky, never fear, you aren't compelled to join the team. I hope to explain a bit more about it, and then you'll be given the choice to stay or go. Fair enough?

After hesitating for a moment, Sticky nods.

MR. BENEDICT

Now, do you truly need to use the bathroom, or can you wait a few minutes longer?

(Beat)

STICKY

I can wait.

MR. BENEDICT

Very well. Now, in the interest of further explanation, I'll ask you all a question. What is it the four of you have in common?

CONSTANCE

We all passed your boring tests.

KATE

We're all gifted.

STICKY

We're all children.

(Beat)

REYNIE

We're all alone.

Mr. Benedict raises an eyebrow.

MR. BENEDICT

What makes you think that?

REYNIE

Well, for one thing, the newspaper advertisement was addressed to children, not parents, which makes me think that you were looking for kids who might be alone. And then at that first test, there were a lot of parents, but later in the Monk Building, I only saw a handful of them waiting - and I know at least a few kids showed up all by themselves. And now here we are. I'm an orphan, and Kate's mother died when she was a baby and then her father left her, and I'm only guessing about Constance, but as for Sticky... well... I'm sorry, Sticky, but I think you've been hiding something. I think, somehow, you're alone too.

Sticky looks at him in surprise.

MR. BENEDICT

Before you say anything, let me say that I have always had a strict policy against taking on runaways. In light of the circumstances, however, I'm willing to make an exception. When it's time for you to decide about staying or leaving, please keep in mind it won't be necessary to make up stories. And if you decide to leave, Rhonda and Number Two will offer you assistance. I have no intention of letting you go out into the city again with no money, food, or shelter.

Stunned, Sticky stares down at his shoes. Kate raises her eyebrows at him.

KATE

A runaway, huh? You've got more gumption than I realized, pal.

MR. BENEDICT

All of you have answered correctly. You're all gifted children who passed my "boring" tests in one way or another, and you've all shown yourselves to be unusually resourceful. For example, I happen to know that Constance has been living secretly in a public library in a city north of Stonetown, and that she managed to catch a bus, subway, and a taxi to come here. And I know that Kate stole aboard a boxcar in Chicago, while Sticky stowed away on a river barge. You've all shown ingenuity, and yes, in one form or another, you're all alone.

He gives the children a sympathetic look. Suddenly, he falls asleep again and slumps forward.

RHONDA

Oh dear...

She and Number Two catch him and ease him back into his chair.

CONSTANCE

What's with him?

KATE

He has narcolepsy.

CONSTANCE

He steals a lot?

STICKY

That's kleptomania. He sleeps a lot.

Constance folds her arms.

CONSTANCE

Well, I don't like it.

NUMBER TWO

I assure you, Constance, Mr. Benedict doesn't like it either. None of us do. It simply can't be helped.

Mr. Benedict slowly wakes up.

RHONDA

Only a minute, Mr. Benedict.

MR. BENEDICT

Is that so? Very good, then, very good. Thank you, my friends, as always.

(He sighs.)

Usually happens when I'm laughing, but these days, it's often something else. Now then, what was I-? Oh, yes. All alone. Let me tell you why that part matters. For one thing, children without guardians happen to be in a peculiar kind of danger that other children are not - this I will explain later, to those of you who join my team. For another, it would simply be impossible for me to put at risk any child who wasn't alone. No matter how important the cause, parents are disinclined to send their children into danger, as well they should be. As it so happens, however, I now find myself in the presence of the best possible team of children I could ever hope for, and with not a minute to lose. You are our last possible hope. You are our only hope.

The children's eyes widen.

MR. BENEDICT

I need you... to be my secret agents.

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