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multiplefandomwritings · 1 year

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self-made now you're self-paid with your own plans

pairing: Charles Leclers x female!storeowner!reader

warnings: none really

request by @rebelwrites: Hey hun any chance I can request a fic for Charles Leclerc, so basically the reader is his girlfriend and just a normal girl who runs her own small business but is struggling to make ends meet and doesn’t tell anyone because she doesn’t want the world to know she’s struggling and doesn’t want to people to think she is using Charles. So, she ends up picking up a second job eg parcel delivering or something she can do as a self-employed person and she has little time to breathe let alone fly out to races ect and that’s when Charles realises something isn’t right with his girl so he does something to surprise her once the season is over because he hates seeing her so down and stressed

notes: feel free to leave comments and/or feedback. likes and reblogs are always appreciated! also, feel free to send in requests!

disclaimer: english is not my first language, so please excuse any mistakes 😊

word count: 3.4k

Monaco is a beautiful, beautiful country. You were born and raised in the colorful and busy streets of one of the richest places in the world. Your family definitely wasn’t poor, but you also didn’t play in the league that many other people living in Monaco reigned in. You are not a movie star, a singer, an actress or a star athlete. No, you are just you – and you mean that in a way to put yourself down. You are just unapologetically you, and you are really proud of that.

While most of your friends at the elite school you visited decided to study business or law or finance at some prestige university in Monaco or even overseas, you decided to turn your passion into your profession. While taking some evening online classes on how to open a business, you opened your own little store in one of Monaco’s busy vendor streets. The store combined your many crafting abilities. You offered the materials, but also the finished products. You crotched and sewed unique pieces of clothes and bags, as well as pillowcases, stuffed animals, and other items. Self-made jewelry and hand painted mugs are gracing the shelves of your little store. In one corner, different kinds of flowers are presented from which costumers could decide which flowers they wanted for the little bouquets you loved to make. In short, the store offered everything if one was on the lookout for a special and unique present.

This was also what brought the famous Charles Leclerc into your store. Looking for a present for his mother for Mother’s Day, he had walked into your store. You greeted him with a little paint stain on your cheek and a messy bun, yet he somehow fell head over heels for you. He adored how down to earth and hardworking you were. That day, he left with a present that made him his mother’s favorite child for a while, and your number in his phone.

He insisted to organize the first date and took you out for a fancy dinner. It was nice, to be part of Monaco’s high society for a night, even if it was just for a few hours. But it didn’t matter, because Charles made you feel like royalty, like you were special at any given moment. You didn’t need to be part of high society if you were with him because he treated you like you were a queen.

Of course, you knew who he was, as he was part of Monaco´s finest. For a while, you were afraid that the two of you wouldn’t work out, as your lives were so different, and you were afraid that you simple weren’t enough. But that changed when on your third date the two of you sat on the floor of your atelier for hours, painting on canvases and mugs and Charles not once was afraid of getting his hands dirty. He never did, actually. When he wasn’t away, he even came and helped you out at the store sometimes, standing behind the cashier and advising costumers. One time you came out of your atelier to find Charles gushing to some costumes about your crafts, and it left you with a very warm feeling in your chest.

However, it wasn’t always easy. While most of the other drivers had girlfriends that could made space in their schedules to fly out and visit, you barely could do that. The weekends were essential to your income and being gone from your business for more than two days wasn’t working for you. You still tried as much as possible, sometimes flying out for a day only to see him race on Sundays and fly back home immediately. It made you and Charles equally unhappy, but he understood and supported you, nonetheless. He couldn’t be prouder of you and your achievements that you worked hard for, more often than not working long and tiring hours. He knows that you are not like other wags - that you don’t have as much time to come and visit him at races. Sometimes he selfishly wishes that you had more time, but he knows that he would rip you away from the thing you love the most – your little store and your arts and crafts.

At the moment, it is especially hard. Charles is gone almost every weekend, sometimes not even coming home in between because he doesn’t have the time. You understand that, you really do. And you are also insanely busy right now. Still, it isn’t nice to only see your boyfriend for few days every three weeks. You make it work though, your love and commitment for one another as strong as ever. You call whenever you can, even though there is a time difference in most places where he currently races. Most nights, he is afraid to wake you up, but usually you are still up working, even when he calls in the middle of the night. It worries him, sometimes. But he knows that arguing doesn’t help with your stubbornness, so he usually just asks you to make sure that you stay healthy and get enough sleep. You nod, knowing that you certainly do not get enough sleep at the moment.

Times are hard for your business right now. You feel like just your store isn’t enough anymore, you need an online presence. It is inevitable in current times. You don’t have the money to hire someone, so you decide that it couldn’t be that hard to set up a website by yourself. Turns out, you are naïve, and sleep is overrated. After a week of hard and dedicated work you have managed to set up a website that lives up to your perfectionist standards. You are, after all, an artist. An Instagram account follows soon after. You refrain from following Charles, because you don’t want to appear like you use him for the cloud.

You sadly had to let go of your assistant just recently, as the owner of your building had increased rent. You would’ve looked for another place, but the location of the store was just too good to be given up. Furthermore, the fact that your apartment was located just above the store made many things easier for you. So, you had no real other choice than to suck it up and pay the much higher rent. Letting go of your assistant however meant that your workload increased drastically. You had to take orders over the phone, take care of the deliveries yourself. You still produced most of the stuff in your store yourself, but you had to order materials as well as some products that you offered but didn’t craft yourself. In short, it was a lot of work, and you felt increasingly stressed about it.

The good thing about all of it is that Charles is just as busy as you, which means he doesn’t realize how stressed out you actually are. He usually isn’t there much more than two or three days in between the races, and you can afford to close the store one of these days. The others, you work a little less, only 6-8 hours, not the 16 hours you normally have on your clock on a long day.

Today is an especially shitty day at work. You take a moment to catch your breath. Why on Earth did the elevator have to be out of order in this particular building with 15 stories? And why did your client wanted something delivered to the highest floor? You utter a short but very heartfelt “fuck” when you catch a glimpse of your own reflection. Quickly, you brush the strands of hair that stick to your slightly sweaty forehead out of the way, trying to look somewhat representable after all. You walk to the door of the apartment on the address and wonder for a moment, why everything looks so familiar in this building. You ring the doorbell and when the door is opened, you know why you recognize the building. A soft “oh” escapes your mouth before you catch yourself again and smile at the man before you. “Hey Daniel!” “What are you doing here, y/n?”, Daniel asks you, confusion etched into his features. You hold up the packages in your hand. “Bringing your delivery?”

“That is your store? I never knew, my girlfriend loves your stuff, and some of the best presents I have ever gifted are from there!” You smile shyly. “Yeah, I ask Charles to not tell anyone, I don’t want it to come off as I am using him to push my business!” Daniel shakes his head. “Y/n, you have been with Charles for what now, four years?” You nod your head. “Well, not once have I heard you trying to use Charles for anything, so don’t you worry about that! Especially because you don’t need Charles for that, your store is a fucking lifesaver and just generally amazing!” “Thank you, Daniel!”, you smile at the man before you and then look at your watch, “I would love to chat more, but I need to get back to the store. How about we meet for dinner with Heidi and Charles soon?” “Sounds great, have a good day!” You bit the Australian goodbye and make your way down the stairs.

Later that day, when it is already dark outside, your phone rings. Charles is calling from overseas, tired after a tough day at qualifying. For half an hour you chat until your respective day, exchanging some loving words, just enjoying each other’s presence. “Daniel told me you delivered his order personally today. Is your assistant sick?”, Charles suddenly asks, and your heart drops down your knees. You had prayed that Daniel would not mention it, that he would just forget about it. For a moment you are angry at the Australian, but then you remember it is not his fault. He possibly didn’t have any foul intentions when he told Charles. You take a deep breath. “She´s okay, but I –“, another deep breath, “I had to let her go.” Charles perks up, you can see him straighten out in his chair. “My landlord raised the rent, and I simply couldn´t have afforded the store and my apartment anymore if I had kept her.” Charles brows furry in concern now and your heart drops a bit further down. “Why didn’t you tell me, mon amour?” You sigh, and your face falls.

He doesn’t sound mad; he sounds concerned and worried and a bit hurt. You sigh. “I am sorry, Charles. I just didn’t want to bother you with that, you have so much on your plate already!” “Please, my plate could be filled to the brim and there would always be space for your problems as well!” “Thank you, love”, you tell him. For a moment, Charles just looks at you. “You know that it is okay to ask for help, right?”, he tells you and you sigh. “I know Charles, but I want to manage this by myself.” He nods. “I admired that you want to do this by yourself, I am just saying that I am here for whatever you need me for.” The two of you continue to talk for another hour, before Charles is tired and needs to sleep. You look at the clock and groan when you see, what time it is. You will have to get up in just a few hours, even earlier than normally, to pick up fresh flowers from the market.

The next weeks fly by in a blur. You haven’t really seen Charles for a while now, which is hard. Now, you are excitedly looking forward to the next week though because you had decided to fly out to Charles last race of the season and go on some well-deserved time off right after. It would only be a week and a half, but it was the first time you had some sort of vacation for a long time. And you get to spend that time off with Charles, which makes it even better.

The weekend goes surprisingly good, Charles landing on the podium. You claim it is because he is a great driver, he claims it is because you are his lucky charm. He kisses you in front of all the media and you don’t mind. You keep your relationship private, but not secret. After the race, you join him and the other drivers for the celebrations. You know most of them, you are even friends with a few. You also talk to the other wags, even though you usually feel a bit out of place. It is not like they give you that feeling, it is more because their lives are so different. They are all amazing and talented and so, so good looking. You admire them and have only positive feelings towards them – just sometimes it is hard to find a topic to talk about.

The celebrations run long, and the next morning Charles and you sleep in until midday. He treats the two of you with breakfast in bed ordered to your room, and afterwards you get ready to head back to Monaco. The plane trip is long, and you spend most of it sleeping. The two of you have decided to spend your time off in Monaco, using the time to also catch up with friends and taking out the yacht a few times. Towards the end of your time off, you get a bit anxious, nervous about all the work surrounding your store. Charles picks that up and tries his best to ease you out of it. He gives you a lot of reassurance and takes you for some spa treatments.

You are significantly more relaxed by the end of your vacation, and dread going back to work a bit. However, when you step into the store on Monday morning, you are happy. You missed your store and once again realize that this is your passion. The next week is full like usually, but you have found the fun behind all of this again. Charles keeps you company, sometimes he just sits next to you when you crotched a new stuffed animal. Also, he runs errands for you when you need it and just tries to help where he can.

Which is also why you give in when he asks you to take another day off. He had asked your best friend if she could take over the store for you and obviously, she says yes. Charles and you spent an amazing day – well, an amazing first half of the day until your friend calls you in the late afternoon to tell you that one of the pipes is leaking all over your store.

You almost lose your mind – if the damage would be bad, it would mean your entire store, your entire living was gone. Charles immediately drives you over, parking the car as close as possible. You rush out, and in your panic, you don’t even realize the tables and chairs that surround your store. Maybe a new coffee shop opened next to you? You rush in. The store is dark, and when you turn the light on, it blinds you for a moment. You scan for damage, but instead you are met with an orderly store, so clean it is almost shining. New lights have been put in, perfectly illuminated the different shelves of your store. There are balloons and decorations you haven’t seen before. In one corner, a buffet is built up and you are beyond confused.

Before you can ask Charles a question, someone knocks on the door and enters. You are even more confused when you see Daniel standing there, smiling widely, Heidi right next to him. “Hey!”, the Aussie greets you, “I am sorry if I am a bit early, but Heidi was so excited to attend the event in honor of your Social Media launch!” You are honestly flabbergasted. “Uhm…”, you say, “Welcome guys!” Then you turn to Charles. “Could I have a minute?”

You pull him by the sleeve of his shirt into the atelier of the store and look at him puzzled. “What is going on here, Charles?”, you inquire. He nervously scratches the back of his hand with one hand. “You were so stressed out these past months about your store. When I realized that you made an Instagram account and didn’t tell me, I was worried and confused. Then you told me about the increase in rent and how you were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to pay it anymore. I know you would never accept my money and I admire that, so I came up with a plan: I organized a launch event for you – which by the way starts in 45 minutes – and invited all our friends.” For a moment you debate whether you should be angry at him, but the puppy eyes look he gives you makes you realize that he only tried to help you.

“I… Don’t know what to say…”, you tell him, and he gives you a tiny smile. “I am sorry for not telling you, but you would never have allowed me to do this if I had asked. I just wanted to tell you that it is okay to ask for help, especially the people we love. And I finally want to show everyone how proud I am off you and of what you have managed to achieve. You truly are an artist, and I want the world to see that I have the most talented girlfriend!” His words have brought tears to your tears, which you try to swallow down. Instead of saying anything, you take a step forward and throw yourself into Charles arms. “Thank you!”, you mumble into his chest. Charles pulls away and looks at you. “Anything, and I mean that, anything for you, my love!” He presses a gently kiss to your lips and then pulls you into another hug.

“By the way”, he says when you pull away, “You look absolutely gorgeous, but there is a dress hanging in your bathroom upstairs. Lando is coming to take pictures for your Instagram account, so in case you want to change.” You shake your head and laugh. “Charles Leclerc, you really are incredible!” You race upstairs to change in the gorgeous dress Charles bought you. It is in your favorite color and matches the colors present at your store. It fit you perfectly, and when you came back in the store, Charles eyes were immediately on you. He comes over to pull you in a hug and a sweet kiss and you almost get lost in the morning, until you hear the shutter of a camera click. “Lando!”, Charles scolds the man, and he lifts his hands in mock defense, “We were having a moment here!” You laugh and Charles smiles, so all of you know it is not serious. You move in to hug the man who is your friend as well and are just about to say something, when someone puts an arm around your shoulder.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but Heidi desperately needs your help and guidance with some of your pieces!”, Daniel says and already pulls you with him. You are more than happy to help and immediately engage in a conversation with his girlfriend. Soon after, the store is flooded with people who chatter happily, and are in awe with the store you call your own. You yourself are beaming with happiness, almost flying around on cloud seven. When you check your phone, your Instagram account has reached many more followers, and most of the drivers have tagged your store in their story. People keep on pouring in for hours, until way into the night. By the end, your store looks almost plundered.

Only your close friends are still there, helping you clean up the mess. You look at the empty shelves when Charles finds you, wrapping his arms around your hips from behind. “Thank you, mon amour”, you whisper, gratitude embedded in every fiber of your being. “There is only one problem now: I will have to work on a lot of new stuff the next week!”, you laugh and so does Charles and for now it seems like your life is pretty damn close to being perfect.

#formula 1 imagine #formula one x reader #f1 imagine #formula 1 fanfic #charles leclerc #charles leclerc imagine #formula 1 #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc fluff

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anonymoushouseplantfan · 9 months

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“And I agree she should be going to a class or a spa or something more song those lines.” I thought when they came to the US a few years ago that this is what she’d lean into outside of the NF and Spotify deals. She claimed to be into yoga before because there were pap shots of her in Toronto with a yoga mat. I thought she’d go back to that but elevate it by merching high end yoga/exercise clothing or athleisure and it kind of fits with that oat latte stuff she was plugging a few years ago. I thought she’d do “new money busy mom of young children” aesthetic which is what she is but she tried to be “I’m still royal philanthropist, CEO, HW elite” instead and that’s not what she is.

I thought so too. I guess that’s why I like it.

But that’s where the branding went wrong, I agree. That’s also why I don’t think she can do this new brand right. She doesn’t want to be “hard working mom juggling kids and work and using patches and smoothies to balance it all,” bc that’s not aspirational for her. She wants to be the Hollywood superstar Duchess CEO dabbling into philanthropy.

But that doesn’t sell. First as you guys say, that’s not who she is so people don’t buy it. Second, she’s competing with Gwyneth who actually is Hwood royalty. Third, she’s in freaking Montecito.

Ironically, she’s back where she was in 2018 when she was seen (and liked!) as the hardworking feminist princess in the messy bun, but she wanted the elevated “superstar princess” position that was already taken.

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ihavemanyhusbands · 1 year

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Honey Bun (18+ Series)

(Aaron Hotchner x Stripper!Reader)

Part 1 // MINORS DNI

This first part is dedicated to @ssahotstuff for inspiring me <3 and to @hausofwhores who I first talked to about my idea hehe <3 <3

WC: 2.1k Words

Song Inspo: Gold Satin Dreamer - Nicole Dollanganger

Series Warnings: Eventual smut, bit of an age gap (placing reader at around 25-26), cursing, alcohol consumption, formalized sex work (Stripper/Pole Dancer), occasional angst, drama, and that's all I can think of rn but lmk if I missed anything!

A/N: Short and sweet intro! Things are gonna get very uhhh interesting from here on out ;) Enjoy some flirty Hotch, let me know your thoughts on this first part! I'm super excited to be writing this!!!! :)

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“Need a little sugar in your life, gentlemen? Well, get ready to make it rain on our sweetest girl, Honey Bun! Just remember, you may feast your eyes, but no touching!”

—————

Thursdays weren’t always so busy. Sure, there were a couple of party animals who liked to start the weekend early, but rarely at such capacity.

At least you were glad that Josephine was working with you that night. She made busy nights at the Duchess Tavern much more bearable. When you first started working there, she immediately took you under her wing, teaching you all the ropes.

She had a certain matronly quality about her — probably attributed to the fact she was twenty years older than you — but she was a real tough cookie, too. On countless occasions, she’d helped you deal with rowdy customers and drunk assholes. She rarely ever needed help from the bouncers to break bar fights, she cursed like a sailor, and she also made the meanest Long Island Iced Tea you’d ever had.

You were certain that if it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have lasted a week being a bartender.

“You’re lucky you’re off on weekends,” Josephine said as she poured a row of shots for a group of college-aged girls. “This here is light work compared to a Saturday night.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll be getting a lot of rest…” you countered. “Dealing with the same sort of customers, too.”

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting too old for this shit,” she sighed heavily.

“Oh please, pigs will fly before the day good ole Josie O’Donnell actually retires.”

She laughed heartily, smacking your arm in a playful way. You couldn’t help but admire how hardworking she was. She’d been at this business for years, and it was certainly no easy place to be. She inspired you to stay driven, even when you felt at your lowest. She was the only one in this place you trusted with the knowledge of your other job. Not everyone was so understanding, and plus, it wasn’t really their business anyways.

Working two jobs was in no way easy, but it was definitely necessary. Especially considering you liked living a certain way. You barely had any free time to hang out with friends outside of work, much less meet people and go on dates. Though it’s not like you didn’t get hit on, at both of your jobs, but you just weren’t interested in any of them.

Rarely could anyone keep up with your schedule, especially considering your line of work. It was unsurprising, but you weren’t really phased by it anymore.You didn’t give yourself the time to feel lonely, and you had enough interactions during the day to compensate.

As the initial swell of patronage died down, you began wiping down the bar, absently humming to yourself. Def Leppard’s ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’, one of your favorites, was playing on the speakers.

An older looking gentleman slid onto a barstool then. You offered him a drink menu, but he waved it off and ordered a scotch, neat. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh, and his shoulders slumped as he crossed his arms over the bar top.

“Long day?” You asked, pouring his drink.

“You could say so,” he nodded wearily. “You know, I’ve always wondered, are bartenders required to ask that whenever they see a haggard-looking patron?”

You chuckled, sliding it towards him. “Only if we think we can help.”

A ghost of a smile was on his lips at that. You studied him more closely, trying to be subtle – He was strikingly handsome, with dark hair and thick dark eyebrows. He had a strong nose and a sharp, clean shaven jaw. His eyes were a piercing dark brown, and they drew your attention the most.

He took a sip of scotch, and there was something analytical in his gaze as he took you in, as well.

“Well, I guess you could say I’m a little bit of a workaholic,” he said.

You nodded in understanding. “A common affliction these days.”

“You, too?” He raised an eyebrow, and you shrugged as if to say what can you do?

“No offense, but I can’t imagine you love spending more time here than you need to.”

You raised both eyebrows at this, only half amused. He was wearing a nicely tailored suit, had an expensive watch on his wrist, and wasn’t ordering cheap drinks. The Duchess didn’t really seem like a place he’d hang out at, and yet…

“Hmm, well, I suppose the same could be said about you,” you countered, nonchalant.

“Touché,” he acquiesced with the smallest chuckle. “But I don’t know, maybe I should give it a chance. It’s…”

“Charming?” You offered.

“Yes, exactly.”

You excused yourself momentarily to attend to another customer. He looked around, but was clearly uninterested in talking to anyone else.

Josephine caught your eye and gave you an impressed look. She wagged her eyebrows suggestively and mouthed ‘get it’.

You rolled your eyes playfully, shaking your head a little. He was certainly very good looking, and flirting was pretty fun, but you weren’t sure if it should go any further than that.

When you returned, you refilled his glass, since he’d already polished off the first one.

“So, what’s your name?” You asked. “Or is it more fun to keep it anonymous?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

You thought about it for a moment, but then you relented, telling him your name.

“Some call me Honey, though,” you added.

He extended his hand out to you. “I’m Aaron Hotchner. It’s nice to meet you, Honey.”

You shook his hand, his long fingers basically engulfing yours. Something stirred low in your belly at this, your mind going straight to the gutter. As if he could tell, a smirk tugged at his lips.

“Boy, do I feel lucky to be the one getting your attention tonight,” he said.

“Why do you say that?”

“Those guys over there have been ogling you for some time now. They’re almost panting and salivating like dogs.”

You glanced in the direction he gestured towards, momentarily meeting two hungry gazes. You shrugged it off, so used to that sort of lascivious attention that you didn’t notice it anymore.

“Well, you approached me the right way,” you said, busying yourself by wiping down some glasses. “Some think it’s flattering to be looked at like that, but it’s really not.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he sympathized. “I get what you mean.”

“Oh, it must be so hard being so attractive, hmm?” You teased jokingly.

“So you think I’m attractive?”

You gave him a look that said are you serious?

“I mean, I don’t want to stroke your ego but… Yes, you really are.”

Aaron’s smirk only grew, perhaps feeling more bold now that he was on his second drink.

“For the record, I think you are very beautiful, but I am a man who knows who to appreciate beauty without needing to take some of it for himself.”

You looked back up at him then, momentarily stunned. Then you chuckled in slight disbelief, but also totally enthralled. Just who was this man?

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d held a conversation — less so one so genuinely riveting — with a single patron for this long. At least at this job, and especially for free.

You were even beginning to consider giving him your number, should he ask for it. But that was yet to be seen.

“I’m serious,” he said.

“Oh, I believe you,” you smirked in return, not letting on if you meant it or not.

The two of you held each other’s gazes for a charged moment, trying to get a better read of each other in the low light. You saw both mirth and earnestness in his eyes — but no trace of anything that should raise any flags — and you found yourself getting just a little more comfortable.

It was easy to talk to him, but he was still very much a stranger. You didn’t want to let yourself get too excited, but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t continue testing the waters. After all, he’d been pretty well behaved so far, and you always liked to reward good behavior.

Once more you had to pull yourself away to attend to someone, but at least the place was getting emptier as it got later. You could feel his gaze trailing you this time, and you glanced over your shoulder to send a wink his way.

“Psst,” Josephine hissed in your direction. “Why don’t you take fifteen? I’ve got things handled here.”

You hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” she scoffed. “Go on now, have a little fun.”

You waved her off, but smiled appreciatively. On your way to the other side of the bar, you grabbed yourself a beer and then plopped down on the stool next to Aaron’s. He turned to face you, his knees barely grazing yours. The small contact was innocent enough, but you still felt the smallest tingle down your spine. You clinked your bottle against his glass in a little toast.

“You were right, you know?” He said, looking at the side of your face as you drank. “You really are helping me feel better.”

“Aw shucks, that means I’m good at my job,” you said teasingly, which made him playfully roll his eyes.

“Tell me more about you. Why is it that they call you Honey?” he asked.

“Aren’t I sweet?” You pouted, pretending to be hurt.

He chuckled. “I think you are. Is that the whole reason?”

You nodded, omitting the fact that it also happened to be your stage name – Honey Bun. Sticky sweet; All satin and glitter and softness. Of course, that wasn’t the same you that was sitting across from him now.

“I think you have a very pretty name, too,” he leaned against the bar, resting his temple on his fist. “Is it too forward of me to ask to call you by it? Unless you prefer…”

You waved him off. “How can I decline when you ask so nicely?”

The two of you lost track of time as you continued talking and joking and teasing each other. Laughter seemed to come so easily around him, and there were virtually no awkward pauses between the two of you. It was almost too good to be true.

You told Aaron about some of the wilder things you’d witnessed working at the Duchess, looping Josephine into the conversation at one point. You never even noticed she didn’t call you back from your break, too absorbed in letting loose for once. Even if it was only for a little while, and not entirely.

Much too soon, last call was announced, and you realized that it was nearly two AM. Most people had left, and someone was sweeping as the tables were being stacked.

“Oh, wow, closing time,” you remarked. “I guess time does fly when you’re having fun, huh?”

You got up from your seat to start helping out, giving him a small, almost sheepish grin. You’d had a really nice time, but he was still a customer and couldn’t stick around as you wrapped up for the night. You tried to think of the nicest way to kick him out… even if a teenie tiny part of you didn’t want him to leave.

Aaron looked around as if coming out of a daze. He glanced at his watch and stood, gathering his things. “So it seems.”

“The Duchess just has that effect on people. I should have warned you.”

“I have to say, I think this place is growing on me,” he admitted. “Would you mind if I visited more often?”

“It’s a free country, you can do whatever you want,” you smiled, and in your smile there was an invitation— or perhaps a dare?

And in his, you could see that he was ready to take it.

Still, to your surprise and slight chagrin, he did not ask for your contact information. Perhaps it was his way of continuing to be respectful. Or maybe, this encounter had merely been a reprieve from the day to day for both of you. Nothing more.

For a moment, you wondered if things would have gone down differently had you met in the Crimson Lounge instead of the Duchess. The thought made a small thrill dance in your chest, but you tried not to chase it further. Of course things would have gone down differently. You probably wouldn’t have talked nearly as much.

So you took what you could get, blowing a flirty kiss in his direction as he departed. It was better not to get attached, anyway.

#aaron hotchner #criminal minds fanfiction #Aaron Hotchner series #aaron hotchner x fem!reader #aaron hotchner x stripper!reader #aaron hotchner angst #minors dni #ssa aaron hotchner

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writing-appreciation · 13 days

Text

Helluva Ball

Word count: 10029

Paring(s): LuciferXAngel!Reader, AlastorXAngel!Reader (if you squint).

Warnings: Hazbin S1 spoilers!! Vox being pushy, innuendos, Angel!Reader, haven't written something in a hot minute, so go easy on me.

Synopsis: After the newly rebuilt Hazbin Hotel is officially opened for business again, Lucifer organizes a ball with hellish higher ups to promote the Hotel and acknowledge the hardwork of the Hotel team.

I watched cautiously as my right hand was held by the man standing directly in front of me.

"Man" may not the best word to describe the quite literal mythical being present.

"(Y/n), you look as striking as ever." He said whilst giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

I opened my mouth to respond, but his eyes quickly darted behind me, and his smile somehow grew even more.

"CHARLIEE!" He exclaimed and quickly ran past me.

Before I could even turn around, I heard Charlie greeting her father and the sound of her being brought into a tight embrace.

Once I did bring my attention behind me, I caught a glimpse of the rest of the Hotel crew. They were all significantly more polished than their normal day to day looks.

Charlie, despite constantly wearing her infamous red suit, had switched to a dazzling red, floor-length dress. Her hair was gathered into, from what I could see from this angle, a braided bun. She also appeared to have a hairclip that resembled Keekee.

Vaggie, attached to Charlie, who had now been released from her father's hug, was wearing a black and grey pant suit, but a slash of a red was seen in a necklace Charlie had gifted her, coupled with her well known red bow. Their outfits were clearly chosen with their partner's outfit in mind.

Angel and Husk immediately made a b-line to the bar, so I did not get a chance to process what they were wearing.

I heard Nifty running around, but I could not see her.

There was one particular demon that was missing from the group.

A small frown pulled at my face when I could not see him. Although a hell ball hosted by Lucifer isn't exactly the Radio Demon's scene. Then again, I never thought it would be my scene either, but here I am. Just an Angel, going to a hell ball hosted by a fellow fallen Angel.

"(Y/n), there you are! How did you beat us here?" Charlie asked while approaching me.

"Well, simply put, I didn't have to wait for Nifty and Husk to begrudgingly get into the limo."

She and I laughed together.

"Yeah, it was not an easy task." Vaggie joined the two of us.

"So, I see Alastor won't be joining us?" I asked.

"I hope not!" Lucifer added from a few feet away.

This received a laugh from everybody in the foyer.

"Well, are we all ready? I have a helluva lot of overlords that want to meet the infamous Hazbin Hotel team!" Lucifer said, approaching the immaculate double doors, accented in gold.

"Hell yeah, I have about 5 shots in me, and I am ready to get this socializing over with." Angel slurred as he joined from the bar.

"Angel! How are you drunk already? We've only been here for like 5 minutes!" Vaggie chastised as she annoyingly rubbed her forehead.

"He was pregaming back at the hotel, and it started to catch up to him." Husk's monotone voice chimed in.

"Guys, we're supposed to be on our best behavior today, remember! My dad got the best overlords AND the sins to be here! With the new Hotel built, we are all set to get the word out for new patrons! Can we try to take this seriously?" The last of Charlie's request seemed to be directed mostly to Angel.

"Yeah, no. We're all going in there sober." Lucifer said with a snap of his fingers.

"Heey! Make me drunk again!" Angel frowned, all signs of drunkenness dissolved immediately.

I smiled at the gesture. This is important to all of us, Charlie, above all. This is Lucifer trying to help her as much as he possibly can.

After another minute, we all decided that we were all ready to meet the crowd beyond the door. Lucifer grabbed both of the handles and just as he was about to open the doors, the air became dense, and a subtle static entered the room.

"Now now, you all weren't going to join the Hazel Hotel party without your gracious facilities manager, were you?"

We all turned when Alastor's voice echoed through the room.

"Alastor!"

"Oh greaat."

"You're late, Smiles."

"I need a drink."

I looked at the radio demon standing 6 feet away. Nobody else said anything about it, but it was definitely noticeable. He looked very dapper.

His signature red, now replaced with a much darker maroon. His hair was also neater, though it was mostly covered by an older looking, but well-kept hat. He was wearing a black over coat that was longer than his typical suit jacket. The accenting stripes were still present on the suit. However, they seemed to make a pattern that I couldn't quite make out in this distance. His cane was a different one, more similar to his studio microphone. I made a mental note to ask him if this was the inspiration for it. The cane was also taller, with small, nearly invisible voodoo accents peppered throughout the main parts. This one was a gold and black color scheme. Something very different than his normal look, but somehow still accenting his personality.

"Go on, you were about to open the doors, don't let me distract you." He said, ignoring everybody else's reactions to him being here.

Charlie and Vaggie were the first to enter the room, escorted by Lucifer.

After them, I finally caught a glimpse of Nifty as she darted into the ballroom.

Husk and Angel were next, who before entering the room both took a swig from a flask Angel had produced from his fur.

And that left Alastor and I. How fitting, the two most unsocial, left last.

"Shall we, my dear?" He asked while extending a hand to me.

I looked at his hand apprehensively. He almost never willingly allows people to touch him. I think he could see my apprehension as he spoke once again,

"Really, dear, a gentlemen will not let a lady escort herself into a party. Especially one as heavenly as yourself."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his choice of words.

"Fallen Angel implies not really heavenly anymore." I laughed.

There was a moment of silence, not awkward, but comfortable.

"I guess the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can get out." I finally spoke up, beginning to approach the now closed door.

A record screech stopped me before I could open the doors.

I turned around to see Alastor holding his hand out again, looking at me expectingly.

"Wow, you take this gentleman thing seriously, huh?"

He didn't respond, he only took a step towards me. I reluctantly accepted his hand, which was much colder than I thought it would be. Angels are notorious for being cold to the touch, so I only assumed demons would be hotter.

"Jolly, I just hope they won't play any of that modern distasteful music." He said with a noticeable grit in his voice.

Once I did not respond, I believe he once again caught on to my anxieties of the night.

A few nights prior, Alastor happened to see a different side of my otherwise clam demeanor.

It was maybe 2 hours after Lucifer stopped by to inform Charlie about his idea for the ball to get publicity for the Hotel. The notion was originally something we were all excited for, but doubt slowly crept over me as I realized this meant I was accepting my new position as a fallen Angel.

After a few drinks, I spilled the entire story to Alastor when I drunkenly ran into him on my way to bed. Being the gracious gentleman he is, he did help escort me to my actual bedchambers as I was too drunk to find my room on my own.

-----

It started fairly innocent enough. Emily came to me after the meeting Charlie had with the heavenly council. She and I were both impressed by Charlie's passion when she described her project. I was particularly interested in seeing more examples of how exactly she was planning to redeem more sinners.

According to Emily, Sera would not hear her requests to take Charlie's project more seriously. Moreover, Sera refused to explain the whole extermination ordeal. This is something I also wanted to know more about. This is what we three were talking about when a blinding light, even by heavenly standards, emerged in the room we were in.

"What? Where am I." The new person asked.

I looked at this serpant looking man, immediately recognizing him from the hotel. Emily looked ecstatic, while Sera looked horrified.

"hello." I said cheerily and flew to him.

He took a fearful step back.

"No, no, I'm not going to hurt you." I said and put more distance between us.

I looked to Emily and Sera for help, but Sera still looked shocked.

"You may not recognize me because this is my heavenly form, but I visited the hotel weeks ago. I am (Y/n), hell ambassador."

This title was new to me, so it felt weird to use it.

His demeanor changed immediately,

"Ohhh, Misss (Y/n), wait, that meansss I musst be in..heaven??" He asked.

I nodded, "This is usually Saint Peter's job, but Welcome to Heaven." I smiled.

Sir Pentious looked around the white room.

"It iss more white than I thought it would be."

"Emily, why don't you give him a tour?" Sera finally spoke up.

Without hesitation, Emily pulled Sir Pentious by the hand and escorted him out of the room.

"This is bad." Sera said as she began to pace around the room.

"How is this bad? This proves Charlie's hotel works! This is a much more humane way to handle hell's overpopulation! We need to tell the rest of the council!" I said excitedly.

"No, not yet. We need to figure out how to send him back. "

I was taken back.

"What do you mean, send him back? He redeemed himself!"

Using my powers, I manifested the event of Sir Pentious' death on the screen in the room.

"A truly selfless act." I remarked as I watched Adam destroy the contraption that Sir Pentious was piloting.

"He was trying to kill Adam."

"Sera, he was trying to protect his friends. Adam was leading an attack on them. He got what he deserved." I said bitterly as I changed the events in the screen to Adam and Charlie's fight.

"Are you questioning your superior?" Sera asked, now standing taller.

"Sera, I am not questioning anything. As Hell's ambassador, this is something that I have been following closely." I manifested multiple examples of the Hotel working on the screen. Everything from Angel's act of protection of Nifty from his abusive boss, Valentino, to Husk opening up to Angel in a moment of connection, to Cherri helping defend the hotel despite not being a guest herself.

"You are always quick to mention being hell's ambassador. The only reason you got that position was because Lucifer only gets along with you." She spat back bitterly.

I had to be cautious with what I chose to say next, I knew that Sera isn't above casting angels down to Hell. She has the power to do it on her own.

"Sera, I don't claim to know why the extermination was chosen as the method of overpopulation control. Perhaps it was the best option when it was made. However, we are being given another option, a much more humane way to help them. This is giving sinners a second chance to be good. Who would we be if we did not believe in second chances?"

Sera did not respond. She only left the room.

I stood there, rethinking about what I said, trying to analyze if there is anything I said that could potentially make Sera cast me out.

After 10 minutes of waiting, and still being a heavenly host, I decided I was safe for now. Now, I had to go down to Hell and inform Charlie of the good news.

Needless to say, Sera did not like that I shared the news with Charlie. This "act of defiance" is what she used to cast me out. However, since I was already in Hell when I was cast out, there was no actual fall I had to endour. Which Lucifer said I was lucky for since the fall, according to him, was one of the most painful things he has ever experienced.

"(Y/n), my dear, are you alright?"

Alastor's voice brought me back to the moment. He was looking at me, infamous smile ever present. Yet his eyebrows seemed furrowed. Was that concern?

"Yeah, I just still feel a bit out of place here. Especially at a party that I don't feel like I earned." I confessed.

He looked at me quizzically.

"Nonsense, you have been very helpful! Coming down to inform us about the successful redemption of a former guest, being our voice in Heaven was your part in all this." He paused for a moment.

"They may have gotten rid of one of their best Angels, but us at the Hotel gained a valuable friend."

Halfway through his mini monologue, I noticed I was still holding on to his arm.

"Alastor, listen, I appreciate you listening to me the other night, and I am sorry for being a drunk nuisance.." Before I could continue apologizing to him, Alastor had shushed me by trying to close my mouth.

His powers weren't stronger than mine, seeing as light does overpower dark most times, but I did feel the force trying to stop my talking.

"Heyy, are you two gonna come in here or what?" Husk had peaked his head into the foyer we were still in.

"Yes."

"Yes Husker, we will be right there."

We both responded.

Husk turned back around, and the doors closed behind him.

Alastor had cast two shadows that went to reopen the doors for us.

"Shall we?"

"We shall." I respond as my hold on his arm tightens slightly.

He leads us into the main ballroom, and I am met with several new and unfamiliar faces.

Eyes quickly fell on the two of us. Shocked expressions littered almost every Demon's face. Whether they were shocked to see an Angel present or at the fact that said Angel was attached to the Radio Demon's arm, I could not tell.

"Alastor? Oh, Alastor, you made it! I was worried you weren't going to show up!"

Rosie, overlord of Cannibal Town. I enjoyed her very much. Alastor's smile seemed to get even bigger when she approached us.

"I'm going to go get a drink. Would you like anything?" I asked lowly before Rosie could fully be in our presence.

"No, no, my dear, I will get us drinks." He seemed almost offended that I was going to get my own.

He began walking in the direction of the bar, which I could see Husk sitting at by himself.

"Oh, (Y/n), look at how nice you look! I could just eat you up!"

I laughed awkwardly not only at her comment but at the eyes still gawking in my direction.

I was frustrated. The point of having a demonic form was to make me blend in, but it only seems to make it worse.

"Thank you Rosie, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find Charlie." I politely excused myself.

The room was full of different species of demon I have not seen before. Everybody seemed to be dressed very well. Clearly, an invite from the King of Hell himself was a big deal.

"Excuse you!"

I directed my attention to the rising commotion I was near.

"C'mon Ozzie, he's not worth it." Said a jester looking demon I learned later was called an "imp" pleaded with a very tall, three-headed, almost rooster looking demon.

There seemed to be tension between another jester themed, but Spider like demon clad in a green and black suit. He was wickedly smiling at the pair.

"Fine Froggie, but if I hear this CLOWN say anything else tonight I am going to-"

"Woah, fellas fellas, may I remind you we're here to celebrate my daughter and her friends, so try to get along." Lucifer's voice cut the man off before he could finish the threat.

"Manmon, Oz, can we talk?" Lucifer began to walk away, the two Demons now following him.

This left the much smaller jester on his own. He looked out of place. I watched as he wrapped his tail around his legs, seemingly anxiously. I couldn't help but approach him, he seemed like he needed a friend.

"Hello," I said as I came into his line of sight.

"Oh, uh hi?" His voice sounded more gruff as I got closer.

"Oh shit, you're that Angel." He took a few cautious steps back.

"Yes, I am. Former Hell ambassador." I chuckled to myself.

"Wow, how do you lose a job like that?"

"By rebelling apparently."

"Oh, so you're not that different from the rest of us stuck down here?" We both laughed at his comment.

"No, apparently not. My name is (Y/n)." I held my hand out to shake his.

"Fizziroli, but my friends usually call me Fizz." He accepted the hand shake.

Suddenly, a similar looking demon came barreling out of nowhere and immediately put space between Fizz and I.

"Listen here bitch, I may not have Angel killing weapons, but I will still fuck you up!"

"I'm sorry?"

"Blitz!"

"Sir!"

"Boss!"

Fizz and my response overlapped, but we were joined with two new voices.

"What, Oz hired us to protect him and his boytoty at this fancy stuffy hell party, and I don't think the big chicken would want an Angel talking to him." Blitz, as I just discovered his name was, explained to the two smaller demons trying to hold him back.

I cringed, knowing a crowd was beginning to form around us.

"Um, I'm not here to hurt anybody. I'm here to promote the Hazbin Hotel." I spoke quietly.

This response did nothing to calm the man in front of me.

"Excuse me," Charlie's voice, followed by an upsetting microphone feedback filled the room.

I followed her voice to see her, Vaggie, and Alastor standing on the stage.

"Uh, sorry." She said trying to fiddle with the microphone.

Alastor, clearly fed up with the more modern microphone that was causing Charlie feedback issues, offered Charlie his cane.

"Um, hello, I'm Charlie, as all of you know, I just wanted to take this opportunity to express how grateful my team and I are that you all were able to come out to celebrate the re-opening of our Hotel!"

I smiled at her, immediately beginning to make my way through the crowd, to stand with the Hotel team that were now at the front of the crowd. I stood next to Angel, who had Nifty lifted on his shoulders so she could also see Charlie.

"We all have poured so much time, effort, passion, and trust into this Hotel. We all have made sacrifices in order to give sinners a second chance. And thanks to our inside sources, we now know the Hotel works."

An outbreak of murmurs spread though the crowd, things if disbelief and denial spread like fire.

"How do you know!?" A loud voice shouted from far into the crowd.

Charlie looked nervous, but quickly regained her composure when I gave her subtle nod.

"I think it's best to let her explain." She said with a wide smile.

"Wait what?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Go on toots." Angel gave me a not so gentle nudge forward.

"Uh okay?" I slowly made my way up the stairs and stood by Charlie. She eagerly handed me the microphone she was formerly holding.

"Hi, I'm (Y/n), former hell ambassador from Heaven.." I began. But I couldn't tell you what I said after that. My attention was too busy looking into the crowd of demonic overlords, and hellborns alike. They all shared one thing in common: a hatred for Angels. Fallen, or not.

Eventually Lucifer noticed my discomfort and intervened, telling all the guests to have a good time, that the bar will be open until we all go home, and that any violence will be strictly not tolerated.

Upon hearing the bar is open, many people rushed to the bar to get a drink, Husk included.

"Well that went better than I originally thought." Said Alastor, handing me a champagne flute filled with an unfamiliar blush pink tinted drink.

"What is this?" I asked, bringing the drunk closer to my nose to investigate the smell. It smelt like..

"It is a hibiscus champagne, one of my specialties." Lucifer spoke up, giving a prideful grin.

This seemed to irritate Alastor. "Oh, I'm sorry dear (Y/n), you would probably want a different drink. Allow me."

Lucifer frowned dramatically, but, following his own warning about violence, he did not give Alastor the reaction he wanted.

"No, it's alright." I said, bringing the glass to my mouth, "Hibiscus is actually one of my favorite flavors."

This drink was a prime example why. The floral notes of the hibiscus flower made the drink taste like a warm summer night. Not too overly sweet, but not as bitter as I have had champagne in the past. It was quite literally perfect. Moments like this make me wish I had a human life to experience these things, a summer night, with a cool drink in hand, possibly swimming in a lake.

"Yeah, dad's champagne is about the only one I like to drink." Charlie said, also taking a sip of the glass I just now noticed she also had.

Lucifer's ego was obviously being inflated by the compliments he was getting, which seemed to annoy Alastor. However, it seemed like Alastor was trying his best to play nice tonight as well.

"Well, I must say, I am pleased with your music choices so far. Nothing distasteful has played yet."

We all looked at Alastor in shock. Sure, not a full compliment, but this is probably as close Alastor will get to giving Lucifer a compliment.

"Well, Charlie, we haven't been to a hell ball in ages? Wanna do your ol' dad a favor and have a dance with him?" Lucifer held his hand out to his daughter, which she gladly accepted.

Vaggie, not being much of a dancer, opted out of the dancing for the night and took her place as a nearby table, which Husk had now also joined her at.

"Well, toots, that leaves us. Care for a dance?" Angel asked me, now offering me a hand.

As I said yes, Alastor looked as if he wanted to add something, but he did not, and simply disappeared in a black shrowd.

Angel and I walked to the main dance floor.

Angel has become a quick friend to me. He has frequently told me I remind him of his sister, Molly. Which is quite ironic seeing as Molly, when I was in Heaven, would say I reminded her of her brother, Anthony.

"Ugh, I know short king chose the playlist to be music Freaky face wouldn't complain about, but it's boring as hell. How the hell am I supposda get down to this shit?" He dramatically threw his hands up in defeat.

I laughed a bit at his nicknames for the King of Hell and The Radio Demon.

"C'mon Anthony, didn't you also grow up with this music? Besides, it's not so bad." I pleaded as I began to lightly dance to the upbeat swing music playing around us.

He couldn't help but join in, trying anyway he could to, as he called it, sexify the dancing.

"So, what's uh, goin' on with you and Smiles lately?" He asked, as we where halfway through a dance in which he spinned me around.

"What are you talking about? He's my friend." I said, now spinning back in an opposite direction.

"Coulda had me fooled. Besides, he doesn't have friends." He added as the song winded down.

"Anthony, come on, aren't you one of his friends?" I asked, playfully.

"I don't know know what he considers us. Just be careful. I still don't full trust him."

"Anthony, I am an Angel. I was told, from creation, to never trust a demon. But, trust is what got me to believe in the Hotel. You got to have a little faith." I smiled.

He looked at me, not sure what to respond. He just shook it off, and we continued to dance.

After a few more dances, Angel had finished his drink and excused himself to find another one. I caught a glance at him at the bar, now joined with Cherri. I decided I also needed a break from dancing, and decided to join Vaggie at the table.

"The boys leave you already?" I asked, setting my drink down and taking a seat next to her.

"Ah, well Husk is ordering drink number 4, and I have no idea where Alastor went."

There was a silence in our conversation. Vaggie and I may both be Angels, but our training was wildly different. This made some interactions between the two of us a little awkward sometimes.

As I discovered what the Extermination was, I poured myself into learning exactly what was happening in hell. Though, Adam was a difficult man to talk to, Lute was a simple yes-man for him so she refused to talk, no other Angel on the council knew about it, and Sera refused to acknowledge it. The only way to learn was to actually observe extermination day.

Exorcists are brutal. Adam really taught them to murder in cold blood first, then worry about the consequences after. They were quiet. The type to only speak when spoken to, a rule I'm sure Adam ingrained into them from Day 1. They are disinclined beyond any heavenly host I have met. They are a type of Angel to be feared, respected.

My training, much like any ordinary Angel, was much more relaxed in comparison. Second chances, righteousness, but fairness, honesty, divinity. Above all, kindness was our mantra. This one word encompassed what it meant to be an Angel, at least that is what I believed until the deception and evil became more visible.

Things only became more strict when Lucifer had asked me to be a voice for hell. It was shortly after Lilith had been reported missing from Hell. At first the Seraphim were not keen on letting another Angel risk falling to have them become intertwined with Hell. However when Lucifer specifically mentioned myself, the Angelic Council evaluated me to be fit. They deemed me "low-risk to be subjunct to corruption." In simpler words, they thought I was too Angelic to be ruined. How wrong they were.

"What are you thinking about over there?" Vaggie's question pulled me from my thoughts.

"Pretty much everything." I breathed out, slouching in my seat. The comment earned a laugh from her.

Suddenly a clearing of a throat made Vaggie and I both direct our attention to the now present man in front of us.

"Oh, hey Vox." Vaggie said, under-enthusiastically.

"Ladies, can I say you both just look ravishing tonight." He said, a smirk plastered on his screen, eyes on me.

Vaggie hid a not so subtle laugh.

"(Y/n), can I have a dance? I have a much better song queued up. Something actually danceable." He grited.

Not wanting to be rude, I accepted his offer, much to Vaggie's surprise.

As I sat up from my seat, that Vox had pulled out from the table for me, Husk had returned from the Bar, two drinks in hand.

As he set one by Vaggie, which she quickly picked up and began drinking, he noticed Vox and I beginning to walk away.

"Woah, are you about to dance with him?" His monotone voice caught my attention before I got far.

I hear Vox make a glitched sound, but he doesn't turn around like I do. I don't see his face, but it is clear he is annoyed.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Alastor would not be happy." He added, now almost begging me with his eyes to not dance with the Television Demon.

Again, not wanting to be rude seeing as Vox is one third of the Vees, which Valentino can take out any anger on Angel, I didn't see a way I could say no.

"Husk, it's just one dance. It'll probably be so quick Alastor won't even see." I smiled at the anxious looking man.

"I don't know about quick, I tend to take my time on..certain things." Vox lowly said into my ear.

I immediately blushed, quickly understanding what he meant with this innuendo.

"This is gonna be bad." Husk said, now downing his drink and muttering about needing another, stronger one.

Vox laid his right hand on the small of my back, and lead me to the dance floor. A gesture definitely not needed, but to not be rude, I allowed.

As the current song winded down, a much more upbeat, techno, notably modern song came on. The song did get more demons to join the dance floor than were previously on it.

The dancing started quite tame, no actual touching, but eventually, he got more cocky. Grabbing my hands, at first, moving them erraticly to match his dancing. At some point, he was grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him. I could easily get out of this, I could win against him instantly. But for Angel's sake, I faced the awkward moments.

Once the song was over, I thanked Vox for the dance and tried to get away quickly, but he pulled me back to him.

"Oh, come on, one more dance baby, you're too much fun for just one dance." He grazed his hand on my cheek, dragging it lower to my neck, I pushed his hand away before he could travel further down.

"Really, Vox, I think I'm all danced out for right now." I said, trying to keep an Amicable conversation, but made my voice firm.

"(Y/n), sweetheart, unruffle your feathers. One dance won't kill you." He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm.

"Vox,I said n-" I began to reject him again, about to pull my arm back, but was cut off by the clearing of a throat.

"Vox, please get your hands off of one of our honored guests."

Lucifer, looking particularly irate.

The grip he had on my arm immediately dropped, and Vox scurried away, to the corner where Valentino was sitting in, almost disappearing in a cloud of red smoke.

"Are you alright?" Lucifer asked while taking a step closer to me.

"Yes, thank you. Is he always that pushy? I get this is Hell, but no still means no here, right?"

He let out a small laugh, which in turn made me laugh with him.

"So, are you actually all danced out, or, and I don't play this card very often, can you entertain the King of Hell with a dance?" He slowly asked, watching me for a reaction.

"I would love to." I said and grabbed his hand, leading him to the main part of the dance floor.

As soon as we reached an empty space, other demons made comments under their breaths.

"Look, Lucifer is dancing with that Angel."

"Oh, look, who's dancing."

"Oh wow, holy shit."

"The King doth seem in higher spirits this day."

Suddenly, aware of the attention we were getting, I let out a breath and looked lowly at the ground, trying to tune out the attention.

Lucifer seemed to catch on to how I was feeling.

"Y'know, you look really beautiful /n)."

My eyes shot up, I was puzzled, glancing left and right to try to find the source of the compliment.

A small chuckle from Lucifer brought my gaze back to him. Without a response, he simply picked up my hand, formerly at my side, and interlaced it with his. His other hand fell to my lower back, and he pulled me in slightly closer.

"Crazy isn't it? Being able to talk to somebody without even opening your mouth."

I had finally caught on, and with a smirk I began to converse with the man in my head. As a slow waltz began.

"Yes, majesty, it is quite crazy. And Thank you, you look very handsome, Lucifer."

I couldn't help but notice his cheeks appeared more flushed as I gave him that compliment.

It wasn't long into our dance that my eyes started to wonder to the now gathering circle around us.

"Hey." Lucifer's voice echoed in my head once again.

I focused my attention on him and his wide smile.

"Focus on me, pretend it's just the two of us." His thumb drew soothing circles into my lower back.

"I can't, they are all just so.." I furrowed my eyebrows, unable to find the word I was looking for.

"Demonic? I know. Let me help."

Suddenly my peripheral vision blurred out the demons watching us. One by one they seemingly faded away. Until I was only left with the man in front of me. Why did Heaven belittle him so? I understand I am in Hell, but he is one of the most loyal, passionate, and kind souls I have met. This is not a man that, despite Heaven teaching me otherwise, I am not afraid of.

"Thank you, Lucifer, truly. I don't know what I would do without your generosity." I smiled at him.

"I-"

His statement was cut-off by a loud eruption of applause.

Lucifer dropped his hold on me and smiled and waved to the crowd around us.

I instantly felt empty once his hands left my body.

Almost immediately after our disconnect, many women demons swarmed the King. I naturally found myself guided away from him, but his eyes, never left mine.

"Haha, sorry Lucifer looks like you have other dance partners waiting for you. Good luck." I thought the words and smiled at the man who was now several feet away from me.

He looked rather unamused at the requests, or more accurately demands, to dance with him.

I guided myself further away from the crowd, and eventually found myself on a balcony. There were few other demons out, admiring the sky. In particular there was a very tall Owl looking man in a cloak. He stayed, but the other demons, upon realizing I was now also on the balcony, had retreated indoors.

The constant red-tinted skies seemed more dynamic here at the Palace. If I looked long enough, I thought I could even see tones of orange begin to peak through the horizon. We were far enough out of the city that the sky almost seemed to have stars as well. I made a mental note to ask Lucifer about this later.

"It is quite beautiful is it not?" The remaining demon asked, eyes not leaving the sky.

Initially, I was shocked a demon was willingly speaking to me. When almost every other demon I have met thus far has been too afraid to initiate a conversation.

"Yes, it is. I can almost see the stars from here." I commented, and hesitantly added, "or a form of stars. They don't actually look like white specs in the sky."

"Yes, quite. They look much more colorful and enchanting." He said, now speaking while looking at me.

"Something more like this." He flicked his wrist, and this purple aura was sent into the sky, and the higher the glowing purple trail traveled, the more true night sky began to manifest.

Beautiful swirls of blues, greens, pinks, yellows, purples, and reds filled the sky above the Palace This was the true cosmos: a never ending painting that often felt too beautiful to be real.

"W- what? How did you?" I questioned, eyes never leaving the scene above me. I was afraid if I looked away, I would lose the beautiful sight.

He cleared his throat before answering, "I am Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia. It is my duty to observe the cosmos and search the skies for prophecies. It comes with some perks." He smiled, genuinely, but still seemed somehow sad in a way I can't explain.

"How fascinating, do tell me more." I leaned on the railing.

"Oh? You're interested?" He now dropped his hand, and the visions disappeared.

"Of course, when I was much younger, the archangels would tell stories about our prophecies, not to mention being in Heaven, we had a much clearer view of the true skies. I was always captivated by its beauty."

This sentiment seemed to please him, as he clapped his hands together and said there was much to talk about.

"Well, we do need somewhere to sit now, don't we?" Another flick of his wrist manifested a cozy set of armchairs.

"How about something to drink?" I asked.

"Ah yes," He added a small table in between the two chairs. "What were you thinking?"

"Allow me, Stolas." I snapped my own fingers and made a hot teapot appear with all accompanying tea fixings. "And just in case, as I suspect, parties are not bearable whilst sober," I snapped, and a bottle of bourbon appeared.

"You, my dear, have just made a good friend. Please, have a seat!"

We talked for what felt like hours. Comparing our understandings, opening one another to new ways of thinking, we had even talked about our more personal lives. I learned about the type of father Stolas was, he raved about his daughter at great length. He mentioned his ex-wife in passing and remarked her as 'the most evil and foul thing to exist in Hell.' I even learned that he has a rather... involved relationship with the Imp, Blitz, that had yelled at me earlier in the night.

Yet, eventually he had to excuse himself for the night. This made me sad as he was a pleasure to talk to. Before he left, he did give me his mobile number and said we must get together more often.

And so there I was, finally truly alone at this party. I stayed in the chair Stolas conjured, planning on taking in the red horizon for just a bit longer before I threw myself back into the social scene.

"Well, well, what do we have here? No lady should be left unaccompanied."

And with that a dense, yet familiar and almost calming, radio static joined me on the balcony.

"Hello, Alastor." I said, still looking out.

"Ah, could tell it was me before even seeing me? What could have given the mystery away?" He asked dramatically, now sounding closer.

"Well, you do generate a very specific.. aura." I commented as I turned around to face him, still seated.

"Hmm, I will decide to take that as a compliment, dear."

He walked past the chair, and leaned on the railing of the balcony. He seemed to also be enjoying the sky. His shadow seperated from his corporal form, and began to sniff around the tea that was still laid out.

"Oh, would you like a cup?" I asked, I its direction.

It looked back at me, confused, but in a moment it responded with a deep smile and an aggressive nod.

I poured a hot cup, and noticed the shadow pointing to the sugar cubes on a dish.

"Oh, does someone have a sweet tooth?" I asked, tying to observe its movement.

Before it could make any response, Alastor had finally turned to face the scene.

"Dear, are you making a cup of tea for my shadow?" He crooked his head, eyes flickering between his shadow and myself.

"Uhh... no?" I asked, not sure if I gave him a response he wanted.

"Oh, dear, you are precious. My shadows are an extension of myself. Apparently somebody here decided to ask for tea on my behalf." The second part of his sentence was said with grited teeth and directed to the shadow which traveled back to Alastor's side once he had finished the statement.

"Oh, well would you like a cup, Alastor?" I asked him, looking up at his standing form.

"Why yes, I would be delighted! Four cubes for me please my dear. And a splash of the cream." He sat himself in the chair Stolas was previously in.

"Oh, so you do have a sweet tooth?" I smiled and made his cup per his request.

"Haha, yes indeedy. I must admit indulgence in sugar might be the sin that landed me down here." He laughed and sipped his tea, humming in satisfaction.

"Lovely tea, what is this blend?" He asked, now taking a moment to smell the tea.

"It's this tea from a shop in Heaven called 'DiviniTEA.' The leaves are infused with some of original flowers in Eden."

"And you can still acquire this tea?" He asked, looking quizzical, yet his ever lasting smile still present.

"I was one of their best customers, they specially send me a box of goodies every month." I whispered in a hushed voice. "Don't tell anybody, I don't want them to get in trouble."

"Oh, how rebellious. You really are falling into your stereotype as a fallen Angel." He laughed.

I smiled sadly at hearing this. I truly didn't want to encourage any other falls, especially Emily's. I am afraid one day I am going to see her down here and I would be beside myself with guilt.

"Forgive me, I believe that joke might have not been appropriate." He said, placing a hand on mine, which was sitting on the table.

"It's alright Alastor. I'm just tired I guess. I don't know." I said, now absent-mindedly stirring my tea.

"Well, dancing with his, short, majesty must have been exhausting." He bitterly said.

"Oh come on, Alastor, he's not that bad. We had a rather enjoyable waltz. Especially in comparison to Vox. Ugh, he was awful to dance with. Very grabby."

Suddenly an intense flicker of the lights just inside the Palace drew my attention away from Alastor.

"Ha, what did you say?" His voice sounded broken, angry.

I pulled my gaze back to Alastor, whose eyes were now shaped as small radio dials and he looked notably upset.

"Uhhh.. yeaah. Vox asked for a dance."

He didn't respond, he just continued to stare at me. Almost through me.

"And I didn't want to upset him, yknow for Angel's sake with Valentino, so I gave him a dance."

Still no answer.

"Just the one!" I quickly added, hoping that would calm him down slightly. "And then I tried to get away from him, but he kept insisting on another dance, and making all these creepy innuendos, and he wouldn't let go of me, but before I could do anything Lucifer stepped in and got him to let go of me."

Somehow he seemed more angry.

"Alas-" I began.

"Are you okay?" He interrupted.

"I a- yes, Alastor, I'm fine. Annoyed with him, but fine." I said, now taking my hand from under his and placing it on top, in a gesture of peace.

"Jolly good then, because I will kill him if he touches you again. Or if you would like me to. Just say the words, darling."

Shocked. Just shocked at the words. I knew of Alastor's past earth life, and what he did to be considered a sinner, but this was almost maniacal.

No, it is. So quick to violence.

"I am serious, (Y/n), if he so much as looks in your direction again, or worse, upsets you, I will tear his soul into a million pieces and take pleasure as he begs for a mercy he will never get."

"Uhh..thank you Alastor?" I said, not intentionally in a questioning tone, but I just simply did not have a response.

"But how about we put that on the back burner for now?" I added, reaching to pour myself another cup of tea.

"No, no, allow me." He held his hand up to stop me from grabbing the pot. I pulled my hands into my lap. "I just want you to know, I have no issue protecting you." He said, now pouring my tea.

"Thank you, truly Alastor, I appreciate it; but believe me, I can protect myself." I said calmly.

"Oh yes, I have no doubts about that, my dear, but I will not simply stop where I believe you would. Sugar?"

"Yes, 2 lumps, but what do you mean by that?"

He hummed in acknowledgement, and responded, "I only mean, you are still an Angel. Fallen or not, you, my Angelic darling, will only go so far to.. take care of your problems."

I paused, watching him as he stirred my tea. To an extent he was right. I still want to be good. It is in my nature to see the best in people and try to help them see that in themselves. Trust, I have often been told, is my greatest weakness, and will be my downfall.

There was a thick silence on this balcony. Alastor scared me, but I also admired his fierce loyalty. I often found myself trying to find the best way to say something to him. A simple conversation with him is like a chess game. One wrong move, a sloppy play, a careless thought, could end the game.

"It's getting late. I think I'm going to head back to the Hotel." I quietly said, finishing up my tea.

"Do you need an escort?" He asked, now standing.

"No, thank you Al. I'm just going to fly back." I said as I shrugged the cardigan I was wearing off and stood up.

"If you insist, but that does allow me to go to this Party Rosie is hosting later in the night. She always has the best finger foods." He laughed.

"Very funny, I'm going to find everybody and let them know I'm heading home, goodnight Alastor." I smiled at him, I held up my hand to wave goodbye at him, but I was instead met with him gently taking my hand in his.

"Yes, goodnight (Y/n), I will see you tomorrow." He removed his hat with his other hand, bowed, and gently brought my hand to his lips.

He placed a gentle peck on my hand. Chaste. Gentlemanly. Respectfully.

I blushed at this display, it's not every day you see the Radio Demon being this gentle, or bowing. From his slightly bent position, he raised his head, just slightly, to meet my eyes. His signature smile seemed bigger somehow. And with that, he disappeared in a black shadow.

I shook off the weird feeling I had after he left and returned into the Palace. One by one I found my fellow hotel occupants and told them I would be going home. Nifty had expressed a want to go home as well, so I agreed to fly her home with me. On my goodbye rounds, I wasn't able to find Lucifer anywhere. I made a mental note to text him once I got home, thanking him for a helluva ball.

"Alright Niff, you ready to go?" I looked down at the fiesty woman who was clinging on to my leg.

She only nodded eagerly.

I led us to the balcony, and once I reached the railing, I set my hands on the cold metal.

I unfurled my wings and gave them a good stretch before asking Nifty to jump into my arms.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

I turned to see Lucifer, leaning on the frame of the balcony doors. Nifty, ignoring his presence and immediately falling when I didn't catch her, hit the ground with a thud.

"Oh bless it, Niff are you okay?" I immediately crouched to her level.

"Yay, pain¡" She said, face still smushed into the ground. She then proceeded to climb up the railing and throw herself the few feet off the railing.

Lucifer and I shared a look of confusion but shook it off.

"Wow. I have never actually seen your wings, (Y/n), they are immaculate." His words entered my head.

I smiled at the compliment Lucifer sent me, but subconsciously, I curled my wings in.

"Well, in my defense, I couldn't find you." I said to him. "Probably too busy dancing with every demon in there." I nodded my head toward inside the Palace, which a small crowd began to form, waiting for Lucifer to exit. Probably ready to jump to his side and ask for a dance, or some type of favor.

"Do I detect a bit of jealousy in your voice?" He approached.

"In your dreams, morningstar." I said, unmoving.

"Well, I sure hope to see you in my dreams."

My eyes widened, but I quickly realized he had sent this thought into my head and did not actually say it out loud. He laughed out loud at my shock, but quickly spoke again.

"Well, I won't keep you two for long, thank you both for coming. I will see you..when I see you." He said, his attention shifting between Nifty and myself.

"Thank you. Sorry I couldn't stay longer, I am just a bit out-socialed." I slightly bowed to him.

"Believe me, so am I." He said lowly.

I laughed at this. He really does hate the lime light. He gave me one last smile and a tip of his hat and returned into the Palace.

"Alright Niff, let's get out of here." I grabbed her as she jumped off the railing again, she expressed displeasure once she did not hit the ground.

I began to flap my wings to become airborne. This caught the attention of a few demons inside the Palace. Suddenly, the balcony was swarmed with demons, watching me take off.

Before I began the journey, I turned and gave all those gathered on the balcony a wave. I noticed bright flashes of light, cameras undoubtedly. I didn't stay long, I really just wanted to get home and curl into bed.

Once I arrived back with Nifty, she ran off to do whatever it is she does. I never know with her. The newly remodeled hotel included a landing zone for Lucifer, Vaggie, and I. And I stayed there, atop the roof, for a minute. Looking back in the direction of the Palace, I could make out the faint image of red and white wings circling around the Palace.

"Huh, jealous much?" I laughed to myself. I made my way to the stairs, leading to the elevator of the Hotel.

Once I found myself in my bedroom, I sank into my bed. My shoes were the first thing to be kicked off. I wanted to take those things off the moment I put them on a few hours ago. I laid with my feet dangling off the edge for a moment, simply enjoying the peace.

'Bzzz' 'bzzz'

My silence was interrupted by my phone going off with a text.

I had several new ones, informal ones from Stolas and Fizz both introducing their phone numbers. But the one that stood out was from Lucifer.

'Hey you. I had noticed your wings are in desperate need of preening. And I realized mine probably need it too. Wanna make a deal with the Devil?'

Almost immediately the three dots, signifying he was typing a new message popped up.

'The Devil being le. Not Satan. I woulldt recommend talking to him.'

I laughed, and as soon as that text appeared, another came,

'He is baf. And not evwn in a fub way.'

I cringed at his typos. And typed my response out despite the fact that he appeared to be typing another message.

'Luci, are you flying and texting? What would the elders say??'

'Nothing I haven't heard before I'm su5e.'

'Open to your window'

Puzzled, I dragged myself off of my bed and drew back the curtains to reveal my fellow fallen angel with a bottle in his hands.

I immediately unlocked and opened the windows and allowed him in.

"Hey, do you make it a habit to just ditch your own parties?" I laughed while snapping the window closed.

"Yes, actually. I actually lasted longer than I usually do tonight. Let it be known the King of Hell is an early sleeper." He said the last part dramatically.

"What's the bottle for?" I asked, now realizing he had two glasses with him.

"Oh, well, am I glad you asked." He teleported to the mini fridge I had in the corner of my room.

"It's a gift for you, my champagne. I grabbed one out of my collection since you seemed to enjoy it." He said shyly. "And uh, the glasses are a gift as well." He set them down gently.

"Thank you, Lucifer, we can enjoy a glass when I eventually preen your wings." I suggested.

He sighed dramatically. "Ohh, yes. Thank you. You know how hard it is to reach some of these feathers, and it would be weird to ask my daughter's girlfriend to do it, since, you know how.. sensitive they are." He rambled.

I paused, so he doesn't think it's weird for me to do it. Huh, usually it's considered so intimate, Angel's mates usually do it for them. Either that or the spa treatments for our wings.

"I think that's what I miss the most from Heaven, the wing spa days. They were wonderful." I commented, now returning to my bed. In talk of wings, I felt the need to stretch my wings out, so I did.

Lucifer stood there, looking, no admiring, my wings. Compared to his, I really didn't see much to admire. They are just the standard white wings, but I have silver feathers hidden in some creases. Emily often said I had a blueish tint to the heights of them, but I could never see it.

"Wow." He said breathlessly, approaching almost reaching out to touch my wings. But he immediately pulled his hand back.

I don't know what possessed me to grab his hand before it was too far away, but I did. He also seemed shocked at this move. But he didn't pull away. He seemed to lean into the touch.

"Thank you for tonight. I appreciate you hosting the party and for helping me get more comfortable." I smiled at the man standing in front of me.

"Oh yes, u-any time. You live here now, I want you to be as comfortable as you can be." He raised his other hand to my cheek.

I held my breath, but leaned into his hand. This small action caused a bright smile to take over his face.

"Also, if I'm going to continue to allow DiviniTEA to send you these packages, you're going to need to start sharing with your king." He smirked, I believe more at my reaction to him revealing that he knows about my inter-dimenional tea shipping.

"Oh, sweetness, I'm kidding. You don't have to share with me, I'm happy to give you anything I can. And that tea is the best ever made." He laughed, rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

"Thank you." I smiled.

A sudden circus theme startled both of us, and he, in particular, jumped a couple feet away from me. He pulled out his phone and rolled his eyes, and shook his head upon reading the contact. He sighed, annoyed.

"Yknow, I can make us a pot of it. Share a quick cup?" I suggested, trying to lighten his sour mood he just found himself in.

"As much as I would love nothing more than to just sit in the parlor and have tea with you, I suddenly have some matters to attend to." He rubbed his temple in frustration.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I stood, now walking towards the frustrated King.

"Perhaps eventually, but right now this is something I have to deal with on my own." He reached for my hand.

This seemed almost instinctual. Like he was used to reaching put to somebody for support.

"Okay, just let me know. I know I'm not some big important Angel, but I'll always help any way I c-" I was cut off by Lucifer quickly wrapping his arms around me. His arms were cradling my head, and I felt his wings extend and envelope me into another embrace.

"Please don't doubt your importance. I trusted you and you alone to be Hell's ambassador, and I would trust you with that in a thousand lifetimes." He created some distance, just enough to look me in my eyes. "You are pure hearted, kind, incredibly smart, and strikingly beau-" His eyes went wide, and he cleared his throat, "..dutiful. You're very dutiful. That's what I mean. Not that you're not beautiful. You are (y/n), you are heavenly. But what I mean is, I thin- you are just so.." He shook his head again and curses himself under his breath.

I blushed at his choice of word and our closeness. His phone going off again interrupted his franticness. He pulled out of the embrace and apologetically answered the call.

"What?!" He exclaimed into the phone.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on the phone all, I made my way to the glasses he had set on my counter. My jaw dropped when I saw them.

They were both champagne flutes, but the designs were what was so captivating. One was a baby blue, almost so light, I could barely tell it was blue, tinted glass, etched with intracint silver patterns along the lip and base of the glass.

The other was a very light tinted red. It was clearly red, and not pink. Something hard to accomplish. Often lighter reds, just look pink. This did not. The accenting color on this glass was white. White etching on, again, the lip and base of the glass. Upon further examination, the patterns in this glass looked like.. Lucifer's wings.

I gasped and grabbed the blue glass and traced the silver etching with my fingers, I now noticed the pattern resembled my own wings.

I turned around to see Lucifer still on the phone. His eyes met mine. I smiled at him and held the two glasses up.

"Yes. Yes, I'll be here soon. Just calm down. We're going to figure it out." He sighed into the phone. "I have to go. See you in a minute."

"Oh to be king."

"These are beautiful."

We both started talking simultaneously.

"Oh, you think so? Just something I threw together before I decided to pay you a visit." He shrugged, checking his watch.

"You can go, Lucifer. Please don't feel like you need to stay." I said, snapping my fingers to open my window.

"That's just the thing, I want to stay with you." He muttered that last part.

"Now now, I can't keep the King of hell to myself. What would the papers say?" I dramatically threw my hand over my forehead in exaggeration.

"I don't care what they say. Listen, I don't have time right now, but there's so much I want- no I need to say to you." He grabbed my hands and pulled them close to his chest.

"Lucif-"

"Please, just let me take care of some things, and I will tell you everything after." He hushed me.

"Okay," I nodded, not seeing anything else I could add to the conversation.

"Okay." He said and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

He gave me one final look and a wave before he took off.

I closed my window and sat on the bed, confused, excited, exhausted.

So much has happened today, and I have ended the day with more questions than I started the day with.

Who knows what is next. I guess only time will tell.

#hazbin lucifer #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin angel dust

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126dvtn · 2 years

Text

— love along the street.

summary : various romantic shop aus with the genshin men! (spoilers: they have a crush on you.)

cw : gn!reader ; nothing else to note!

genre : modern!au ; fluff

characters : diluc, albedo, thoma, kazuha

diluc ragnvindr ; a busy coffee shop.

diluc doesn't know when, but he's started looking forward to your visits. through all the hells of customer service, he's managed to find a heaven in you- in you, and your voice, and your enchanting smile. there are days when your orders are to-go. for those, his feelings seep into the way he packs your drink. a napkin neatly folded; an uncharacteristic cupsleeve note.

and for the days you eat in, he ensures to bring you a plate of brownies; "it's a slow day," he says, when the day isn't slow at all. just today, for instance, a long line snakes at the counter. but diluc still approaches your table with the usual arrangement of brownies- slipping an unassuming napkin under the plate. not unassuming enough, however, for it catches your attention like nothing else. so you unfold it, seeing a note in the most diluc handwriting you've ever seen:

"would you care to join me for dinner tonight?"

albedo ; bookshop encounters.

albedo's first meeting with you is etched into his mind. he was skimming through a book, wondering if it was worth a purchase, when you suddenly approached him. "that's a great book, you should get it!" and somehow, your smile was inebriating. his mind, usually bustling with thoughts, went blank. "uh- yeah. thanks, i will." and he'd realised, upon meeting you time and time again, that he enjoys your presence. that he enjoys you.

today would be the one year anniversary of your first encounter. he decides to buy you a gift; what would be more fitting to commemorate the memory than a book? so he presents you his favourite novel with an messy note sitting atop it. his gaze drifts away in a bashful spell. and as you read it, with all its verbose expressions of gratitude, an uncontrolled red creeps up to your cheeks. albedo's eyes revisit your face- and he is stunned.

"you're blushing," he whispers in awe, "it's cute."

thoma ; hardworking bakers.

thoma finds it hard to imagine working in his humble bakery without you there to work with him. your presence is an asset to the shop- and a treasure to him. he loves seeing you out in front, ruthlessly dealing with customers who don't know any better. he loves closing up shop beside you, dancing to your favourite songs while cleaning in the nightly ambience.

and most of all, he loves baking with you- especially on days like today, when business is running slow and there's time to pass by. you've suggested trying out a new recipe, and he agreed. as usual, a youthful conversation erupts as you start kneading and filling. you're busy washing stray utensils when thoma calls you to try one of the trial buns. and when you tell him you're busy, he comes up behind you with a sneakily innocent grin. his face is dangerously close- such that you're almost sharing breaths.

"look here, i'll feed you."

kaedehara kazuha ; a late night flower.

kazuha's always taking the closing shift. it's not like he doesn't have a choice- he just wants to pass by you, who routinely walks past right as the sign on the door flips "closed". his greeting to you is a smile more gentle than the wind. your smile back is his gratification; an encouragement for him to go to work the next day. and this becomes such a habit that when he doesn't see you on time, he worries.

today, he is uneasy as he locks the store door. you're nowhere in sight. he considers flipping the sign painfully slowly- hoping you'd appear when he's done like a superhero answering their call. when you don't do exactly that, he waits- not minding the hour that passes, until he hears your distinct footsteps. the look of shock is a new one for him, and he's happy to witness another one of your many expressions. "kazuha...? you're still here?" a smile. "yeah." kazuha fishes a rose from his pocket.

"i was waiting for you."

#genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #albedo x reader #thoma x reader #kazuha x reader

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shepherds-of-haven · 6 months

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Who/how is the personality of the newspaper editor? And what do they think of the shepherds and MC?

Hi there, I won't say too much about the editor of the Haven Herald, Kortela Prym, because you actually get to meet her in person in certain routes, but I'll copy-paste what I wrote about her when we were deciding her name on Patreon!

If you've read the newspaper on your days off at all, you know that she's a bit... "prejudiced" is a nice way of putting it. "Abrasive, inflammatory muckraker" might be a harsher one. She's a vocal critic of the Shepherds and is your typical pretentious, nosy middle-class citizen who has a not-so-subtle condescension towards Diminished people, though she does a decent job of reporting non-Shepherds-related news with a good amount of coverage and accuracy. So she's not totally corrupt, just opinionated and small-minded in her views (but also incredibly hardworking). I think of her as sort of self-righteous, like a hypocritical churchgoer who seems holier-than-thou in public but who also spreads malicious gossip and judgment about others (particularly "non-believers" or "heathens") without even realizing the contradiction between her beliefs and her own behavior. I think of her as having dark hair put back in a bun, a stark, bony, bird-like face with a large nose and narrow, beady eyes and a defiant jut to her chin.

So she's... pretty much Blest's version of a Karen, entitled and opinionated and self-righteous, but not necessarily outright villainous! She was basically a bored housewife who looked around and was outraged by all of the stuff that the existing newspapers were not covering, and decided to start her own paper herself (mostly for the control and prestige aspect of it, like someone who gets way too into managing their kids' PTA ). She's actually quite good at running the newspaper as a business and quickly pulls a staff together, so she's no longer the sole writer (as she was in the first few issues that you can read), and the Herald is popular for covering things locals care about and not being outright state propaganda... but that's all I can say for now!

#Shepherds of Haven #Kortela Prym #the Haven Herald #newspaper #spoilers #mild

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diamondcrownacademy · 6 months

Text

DCA Info Part 34: Meet Perrine Bousquet 🐸

Perrine Bousquet (ペリーヌ・ブスケ, Perīnu Busuke) is the dorm leader of Lagniappe. She's a cheerful young lady and very skilled cook who’s food can bring a smile to anyone's face. She's also known to experiment with various flavors and ingredients.

History

Perrine was born and raised in Marshland Port. She is the second eldest daughter of Elva and Jeremiah Bousquet, the younger sister of Theodore Bousquet, the older sister of Ida and Dixie Bousquet and the granddaughter of Hattie Bousquet.

She and her family used to live in poverty until her parents decided to start up a catering business. Words of praise quickly spread about the Bousquet family's cooking, which in turn resulted in them gaining the funds to open a restaurant. This eventually inspired others to start their own businesses too. Their community became a popular tourist spot because of the shops and restaurants that are connected to the houses.

However, with business comes rivalries, and rather nasty ones at that. After Theodore became the new owner of their family's restaurant following his parents retirement, a restaurant owned by a rich but greedy company opened up across the street from the Bousquet's and the owners frequently began to harass the family, even threatening an impossible debt on them. This makes Perrine fearful as she doesn't want to lose the community she cherishes so dearly.

Personality

Perrine is a cheerful and happy-go-lucky young lady who harbors a deep passion for cooking and is always open to trying new foods.

She is a hardworker but doesn't ask for help even when it gets tough, as she feels like she's not capable if others see her struggling, which is a bad habit of hers.

Appearance

Perrine is a young lady in her late teens. She has brown skin, green eyes and pale peach orange hair that's commonly worn in a bun.

2020 School Uniform

In her first school uniform, Perrine wore a green dress shirt underneath a light green peplum blazer with pale yellow green trim, a bow near the bottom of the blazer, two gray gem buttons on each side, and green cuffs with the same gem buttons as before. She also wears a two layered skirt, with the first layer being dark green with clover patterns on it and the second one being light green with various yellow green spots. For footwear, Perrine sports a pair of gold heels, that appear to be a fusion of kitten heels and mary janes, with light green soles and light green ruffles within.

Perrine accessorizes with a silver tiara with the center part being triangular and has a green oval shaped gem on top, while the sides of the tiara are swirled, behind the tiara is a crown of leaves and she has a gold ribbon wrapped around her bun. Other accessories include a yellow bow necktie with her brooch and a pair of black leggings.

2021 School Uniform

Like many others, Perrine revived some cosmetic adjustments to her design, though they're fairly minor.

Perrine's hair is now in a high bun and her bangs have a slight curl to them. The only major cosmetic adjustment is the skirt, the first layer is now transparent and turquoise in color while the second layer is a solid green. She also accessorizes with a pair of silver pearl earrings.

School Statistics

Perrine is a 17 year old 2nd year student. She is classified as Student #7 and is in Class 2-E. She is a member of the Roleplay Game Club and her best subject is Party Hosting. Her favorite school subject is Music due to the fact that her hometown always has music playing so she grew up with it as well as it being a nice reminder of home. Her least favorite school subject is Magic History because she has trouble with knowing when the events occurred and she keeps miswording the names, if it's not common knowledge like the great seven or the princesses.

For her idol performances, Perrine has a very strong voice that can capture an audience with how upbeat and loud it sounds. Sings pop and song covers from musicals.

For her choreography, Perrine favors jazz dances with a mix of street dance. There's a lot of light shows whenever she performs.

Relationships

Family

Perrine has a good relationship with her family and greatly follows their mottos of hard work and sharing pride of accomplishments with others.

Pet

Perrine has a pet tomato frog named Big Tom. He's an unusually big frog who looks like he's staring at your soul which might unnerve people. He often is on Perrine's shoulder or head.

Fellow Students

Perrine is known to go ingredient searching with both Cerule and Elu, though the former does question her tastes.

Night Raven College Students

Perrine is shown to have a close relationship with Ruggie, who is very fond of her cooking and she even personally delivers food she made just for him. She's also shown to cook alongside Trey.

Romance

Perrine would love someone who she could dance to jazz with but also she wants someone who is family oriented. Someone who cherishes their family like she does.

Powers and Abilities

• Magic: Much like her fellow students, Perrine can use magic. She mostly learns spells used for cooking so she has a great control in heat and cooling magic. It's a spectacle to watch her cook with magic.

• Culinary Skills: Perrine is known to greatly excel at cooking. She even has a talent for quick cooking.

• Strength and Stamina: Perrine surprisingly displays a vast amount of strength and stamina, often carrying heavy loads with little difficulty.

• Animal Taming: Due to growing up near a bayou, Perrine has a talent for taming dangerous animals, especially reptiles.

Unique Magic

Perrine's unique magic is called "Dancing Dolls" (小さな蛙の行進/ダンシング・ドール, Danshingu Dōru; lit. "March of the Little Frogs"). She can summon little dolls that follow her command. She mostly uses them to help in the kitchen.

Voice

According to her bio, Perrine would be voiced by Yūki Takada, who is known for her roles as Rin Kurosawa in Aikatsu! and Aoba Suzukaze in the 2016 anime television series New Game!

Trivia

• Her birthday is on December 25th, making her a Capricorn.

• She is 164 cm tall.

• Her favorite food is Beignets while her least favorite food are Frog Legs. She dislikes it when food is cooked wrong and messing with occult stuff.

• She enjoys playing jazz instruments.

• Her preferred Styling Jewel Outfit Styles are Classical, Quirky and Cool.

• For her casual attire, Perrine would mostly wear one piece dresses with a bolero jacket and some low heeled shoes.

• Her favorite colors are Blue and Magenta.

• She is dubbed "Little Catfish" (ナマズちゃん, Namazu-chan) by Floyd due to catfish residing in wetlands much like Perrine's homeland. They're additionally freshwater fish and is likely a reference to "Down in New Orleans", the main theme of The Princess and the Frog.

• Perrine enjoys playing jazz and experimenting with recipes in her spare time.

• Perrine’s Overblot would occur if her family business and other stores are threatened by rich business owners and are done dirty by having an impossible debt thrown on them.

• Perrine would be a restaurant manager in the future.

• Perrine loves all kinds of desserts but she especially loves ones with powdered sugar.

• Perrine would maybe smell like something that reminds her of the spices she uses.

• Her signature scent would be savory smells that stuck to her from the kitchen.

• Perrine fears losing her community. She doesn’t want to see the neighbors who have family-owned businesses that have become close with her family, leave because of some rich investor’s greed.

• Perrine keeps bottles and containers of spice in her room the smell is kind of overwhelming to those who are not used to smelling spices, Jinlong and Vidya are the only ones who can stay in her room longer because they're used to the smell back at home.

#perrine bousquet #DCA info #meet the dorm leaders #diamond crown academy

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justinewt · 1 year

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London, Punk Capital - MONEY HEIST: KOREA Chapter One

[MONEY HEIST: KOREA MASTERLIST]

Next Chapter (SOON)

Summary: When Jin-sol, a promising young sportswoman decides to send her whole life away, going as far as faking her suicide to get under the radar, and crosses paths with the Professor, she finds herself involved in the plan of an ambitious heist that reveals her true colors. The target: the Mint of the Joint Economic Area.

Words: 5k

Warnings: Money Heist: Korea season 1 (episode 1), 1st person pov, mention of suicide: FAKE suicide (no blood etc), loss, backstory, screams, hostage-taking, tauting, guns

DECEMBER 2023

At only 18, the path I was going to take was already mapped out. Plans to major in Sports studies and have a brilliant career as a combat sports athlete. I practiced Taekwondo since I was 6 years old, and it was my dream to become a professional in this sport. My dream, to represent South Korea at the Olympics one day. If I had been born in North Korea and lived in poverty, like my mom did, I wouldn’t have had so many opportunities and options but ultimately, I chose to throw away one of the only things I was good at and end it all and give up the life of freedom she risked hers for. Years ago, my mother, a hardworking but private woman, died of overwork and left me in the care of my uncle. I was 10 years old. Nobody had ever told me anything about my biological father, even though she had known him quite well and my uncle was the closest thing I had to a dad anyway so after I found myself orphaned, he adopted me and I started to call him dad because I wanted to feel like my peers, who had their parents. But he died too, and not that long ago. He was a college professor and taught in the department of business and economics at the Seoul National University. This smart and caring man was the last family I had. Losing everyone just made me realise an honest life wasn’t always worth it.

The wind was blowing that night. I let my bag fall on the floor of the Mapo bridge sidewalk and took off my jacket, making sure my identity papers and suicide note were in the pockets. It was actually not my plan to take my own life. My only wish was to completely disappear from the radar screens and let life surprise me with whatever it could come up. I heard my grandfather died in a robbing, in the 90s. Maybe I could do that too, without the dying part obviously. This new life choice was a complete turnaround, but it was my choice. Living an underground life in the guise of a dead person wasn't just anything. I was calm as I tied my hair in a bun above my neck, staring into the distance. Cars drove by but no one pulled over to come and stop me and that was for the best. The bridge was notorious for suicides and dozens of telephones and signs to deter people from commiting were set up along both sides. Glancing around, I leaned on the railing, lifted my leg and tipped my body over to the other side, resting my feet on the ledge. I didn't even really want to kill myself; it was just to give the illusion of it, and despite the fact that it was good that no one was bothering me, I wanted someone to witness my fall so that they could then confirm to the authorities that I was the person who jumped. I was not yet such a famous sportswoman, few people would be sad to hear the news, maybe my old friends from middle and high school but that was all. Everyone would forget me, ultimately.

I tried taking deep breaths. Despite the bright lights all over the bridge, the water looked dark beneath my feet. After a minute of staring down at the Han River, I heard someone calling out to me. This was my cue. I didn’t even look at the person trying to talk me out of it, closed my eyes, held my breath and let go of the railing. My body fell forward, and I plunged into the water. For a brief moment, I forgot my plan and let the water carry me away but eventually, I swam. I swam all night long and hid under another bridge, far from the one I jumped off of. The police would check the bag and jacket I left, get a testimony from the witness and quickly rule it out as a suicide. They would try to find my body but after a few days of being unsuccessful at doing so and with no one stepping forward, like a family member or something, they would stop searching and I would be fine. I just needed to lay low for a bit. I hid in seedy hotels and dyed my hair red. On my ID, I had bangs and black shoulder-length hair. It was now quite different, and it changed my appearance a lot. I left Seoul and went where the wind took me. And the wind took me to Mungyeong where I joined an illegal fighting ring. I ran into some cool guy who became like a brother to me. You’ll meet him eventually. He is not especially sharp-witted but he's fun, I'm sure you'll like him. Just so you know, I’ll refer to him as 오빠 “oppa” most of the time. It’s Korean for brother.

We would fight at every illegal fight club we could find and never lost. He eventually beat up the gamblers who had bet on us and we left. He had told me his father was constantly in and out of prison and he was the last person we expected to see. Gamblers had lost lot of money because of the both of us and had sent their dogs after us. He played with them while I tried to fight them off. So much so I always had to urge him to keep moving. I was way younger but the most serious of the pair. We had slipped between two buildings, which roofs we were running on just a moment before, trying to escape them but we got stuck. These guys were above and below us. A few cursings came out of our lips as the wall exploded. We protected our faces and looked to the side. A man was sticking his head out of the hole made by the explosion. It was his dad. He helped us get out of there and we ran away. That’s when we were introduced to a man calling himself the Professeur, 규슈 “guyshu”. When I met him, the first thought that went through my head was that he reminded me of my uncle, but it wasn’t what this meeting was about. He needed us to join his plan, which was to rob the Mint in the Joint Economic Area. We were in. He had assembled a whole team of people like us, and he brought us together to where our hideout was. The place where we would learn all about his plan until the D-day came around.

I had no idea how he found this place. A whole hotel complex, abandoned. Perfect for us. As we walked down a tree-lined path to reach the disused resort, I looked at the faces around me. We were 10 in total. For the first day, we settled in the hotel swimming pool. The professor had set up a whiteboard and we sat around it, in an arc. I sat on a cube with the number 6 on one side and next to me was a stern man in a suit. I wasn’t in such fancy clothing, just wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt with BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER in red writings, a faux leather skirt, a pair of pantyhose and combat boots. There was this little thing I hadn’t left behind when I faked my own suicide, and it was a gold ring that my mom gifted me. It was a ring she had herself been gifted, by her older sister for her 18th birthday. She had written in the letter she left me, that when triplets are born in North Korea, boys get silver daggers and girls get gold rings, as a gift from the government. Until I read this, I had no idea my mother actually had three older siblings. The 50-year-old ring hung from a thin cord tied around my neck.

“Before we start, I wanna make this clear.” The professor started speaking. “From now on, regardless of age or where you’re from, we’ll all speak informally. We’ll use code names to call each other instead of using real names.”

“I can do code names, but what about respect?” Oppa’s dad raised his hand. “What’s the reason for that?”

“It’s safer that no one knows. It’s out of serious precaution for each other’s identity. How about we use city names?” He walked over to a small table and grabbed a globe from it. “It can be a city you wanna live in once the job’s over or a name that you like the sound of. It’s up to you, so pick one.”

Gyushu sat down and the first of us that stood up was the other youngest of the group. W ewere called the “maknae”, literally meaning the youngest. He turned the globe and put his finger on the city of Rio de Janeiro, sketching an excited smile, chuckled and moved his body like he was dancing the samba. That guy who looks like your typical K-pop idol is Rio. He’s a horrible dancer, but apparently, he’s an amazing hacker. Then came oppa’s turn. I already told you, his story.

“Denver. I’mma go with that one since it’s near the Rocky Mountains. You guys know Rocky. It’s, uh… It’s my favorite movie of all time.” He punched the air, making the sound effect to accompany his gestures. Faced with his little show, his father seemed quite embarrassed.

“Just so you know, that movie is set in Philadelphia.” The professor's intervention caused Denver to stop, and he awkwardly brushed the hair from his face.

“Oh- oh, really? Philadelphia. Phil… That’s a bit long. Denver sounds a lot stronger, right?” His father then picked Moscow as his alias. I did say he was in and out of prison in the years prior to this day but he also used to work in the mines, so naturally he’s a digging expert. That’s why he’s here. And where was here? The dead-end that was his life.

“Has anyone here ever been to Africa before? The cradle of civilization. Words can only try to describe. Did you know the area’s famous for diamonds?” This woman who introduced us to her ass as she chose her alias was Nairobi. A pathological liar. A forgery master, claiming to have been a part of every major crime, but I didn’t take her word for it. She was probably nothing more than a con artist. She went back to her seat and two fellows walked towards the globe, squabbling over its use, pushing each other around. That jolly pair was Helsinki and Olso. Fixers from Yanbian. Word had it that they wiped their entire gang and left. Next was the man in the fancy suit sat in the chair next to me. He went up to the globe, his hands in his back and picked it to take a look at it. Berlin. He had this gift for making people nervous, but he didn’t intimidate or scare me. He was from the Kaechon camp in the North, where only the dead are free. How he got here is a mystery that made him the most wanted man in the history of North Korea. I hopped on my feet before he even came back to his seat and crossed his gaze when he handed me the globe, stepping away. His eyes lingered on me as I turned the globe and put my finger.

“London.”

“It fits you.” I nodded, giving the professor a smile as I returned to my seat. The last to take an alias was Tokyo. She had come down here from the North after being discharged from the army.

“Out of all the places, why pick Tokyo?” Denver enquired.

“Because we’ll be doing bad things.” Some of us chuckled at the remark. I sketched a smirk.

“Yo, that’s really smart.”

“She’s right.” The professor stood up and she walked past him to go back to her seat. I leaned on my knees, listening to him. “We will be doing bad things. We are going to pull off the single largest heist in history. The North opened up its economy, and every Korean was promised that they’d benefit from this, but in reality, only the rich got richer. It’s time for us, the ones left with nothing to claim what’s ours. This is why we’ve formed this team. I’m going to make this clear. Not a single person will get hurt. Our goal is to steal four trillion won and then we’ll disappear. We’re giving the public the best show they’ve ever seen, live and in their faces. And they’ll have no choice but to root for us all.”

“There’s no way that’s possible.” Rio said.

“Okay, let’s say it is possible. Where are we gonna find that much money?” Nairobi wondered.

“The target for our heist… is gonna be…” He marched to a table covered with a red fabric behind us and pulled it off. The others stood up to see while Berlin and I just pivoted in our seats. “… The Mint.”

FIVE MONTHS LATER

We all had to stick to our roles to make this plan work. I was one of the only ones to have no real decision-making power, but I was fine with it. It had been decided that Berlin would be the on-the-ground chief of operations, so I had to follow his orders and those of the professor to the letter, but my job did not end there. I didn't have a mere supporting role in the heist. What I had to do was a lot more vicious. We knew that there would be We knew that the hostages would not only be Mint employees, but also students from Myeongseong Foreign Language High School, where the US Ambassador's daughter was studying. She would be our key hostage. The most valuable of all. And what I was to do, prior to the heist, was get close to her and in order to do so, the Professor had provided me with a whole new identity to join this school, and more specifically the class she was in. I assumed a new name and wore a realistic wig that really gave the illusion that I had bleached my hair, but not to the point that it was white or platinum, but kind of straw blonde, with blunt bangs falling right above my eyebrows. It really changed my face. I wasn’t really into the whole going back to school thing, but I had to do it. At first, I was in school for about 90 percent of the time but once the professor brought us all together and we started working on the plan for the heist, I didn't go there as often anymore. One obvious excuse was that of the so-called chronic disease from which I suffered, or rather from which the student I played suffered and that I had to go abroad for a long time.

At the same time as preparing for the robbery, I was doing homework remotely and chatting with the classmates I had “befriended” to keep up appearances. I must have been very convincing in this role since I had totally succeeded in my mission and Anne Kim really seemed to consider me a friend. She was one of the people who texted me the most, often asking how I was doing and if I would be back in time to come with them to visit the Mint.

“It’s great you’re doing better.” Anne said as she was taking selfies in front of the Mint. I looked to the side and watched the students getting off the bus and nodded with a soft smile.

“It was hell having to stay in the hospital.” A group of girls then came running towards us, disrupting our quiet conversation and one of them grabbed my shoulder to bring me closer to them and take a picture of us. Right after the camera click shuttered, they ran back to the group of students. I stared at them. I couldn’t wait to take off that wig and stupid school uniform and take my place among the robbers. This little role-playing game had gone on long enough.

“Um, later can you send me the photos?” Anne and I turned our heads as we heard a classmate's voice rise near us. I hadn't even noticed he was there while we were taking the group photo. “You have insta, right?”

“I don’t.” Anne looked him up and down and took my arm to bring me with her to our classmates, standing two by two in line in front of the entrance to the Mint building. I was really getting tired of having to act like a 17-year-old teenager, but I played along and stood with her as the teacher invited us to follow her inside. With a quiet sigh, I looked behind us and saw two women standing by a tree. Nairobi wore a purple wig and was smoking, and Tokyo wore a light blonde wig. As I climbed the stairs, I held her gaze before walking into the hall and looking ahead. They now knew that Anne Kim and I entered the building, and surely told the rest of the team.

“Please stay in line as you follow me.” A lady greeted us at the entrance and guided us into the Mint, walking us down the monetary exhibition hall, telling us about the story of South and North Korean’s currencies. I wasn’t exactly paying attention to everything she was saying but rather waiting impatiently for when I would finally be able to swap roles. For now, I kept that jaded expression on my face and walked beside Anne. She stopped in her tracks to take a photo of a politician with a Snapchat filter on. The teacher reminded her not to take pictures and wait until the tour was over. We continued to follow the group and I saw Anne take a turn in the direction of the toilets. Glancing at our comrades, I slipped away, wanting to keep an eye on this precious hostage. I quietly opened the door to the restrooms and heard Anne speaking in English in one of the stalls. She was on the phone with someone, complaining about school, her uniform and her dad. Rolling my eyes in annoyance I turned around and the moment I let go of the door, I heard gunshots ring out. I was taken aback and jumped but quickly, a smirk appeared on my face, and I walked with a determined step while everyone ran and screamed around me. Nobody paid attention to my behavior, far too poised for such a situation. My fellow robbers were finally there, threatening the students and employees with their guns. When I found myself among the students, I started acting scared and let out a few screams of terror. I saw Tokyo arrive, she took off her wig and looked around. She held her gun against her shoulder, the barrel pointed in the air. When she met my gaze, she grabbed my arm and dragged me away. I cried out.

“Where’s the girl?” She spoke in a scolding manner, raising her voice and I did my part.

“In- In the restroom.” My body was shaking so much that I struggled to line up those three words and my voice broke into a sob as I answered. Tokyo looked at me with great surprise, eyes widened. She tightened her grip on my arm and looked me down, trying to hide that she had been unsettled by how intense but realistic my acting was. she let go of me, pushing me away unceremoniously before going to get Anne Kim. I lost my balance and the teacher caught me and brought me back to her and the students, asking me if everything was okay but I didn't answer, pretending to be so shaken that I couldn't answer, but on the contrary, her fear was very real. The robbers, dressed in red boiler suits and masks inspired by traditional Hahoe masks. Only Nairobi, with her purple wig, had yet to put the outfit on. As agreed, Berlin was leading the group. Despite the masks, I also knew very quickly which one was Denver since I saw him out of the corner of my eye wanting to approach me when he saw this distress on my face, and I also saw his hair tied in a bun. He had let himself be deceived by these artifices, but Berlin had prevented him from approaching me while they put blindfolds around the eyes of the hostages, lined up in two groups facing each other.

I was the last to be blindfolded and Berlin stopped in front of me, without a sound. I couldn't quite look him in the eye, but I stared at him anyway and all that fear I was faking was gone. His fingers lingered on the thread of my necklace and after holding the ring between his thumb and index finger for a hot second, he slowly lowered the blindfold over my eyes. They could have left my sight, but Tokyo had not yet returned with Anne, and it was important that the illusion remain intact for a little while longer, until the real moment of the reveal. Only then would they raise the curtain on the fact that I was one of them, and not a hostage. The latter were also shaking with fear and beyond this noise pollution, I heard footsteps coming towards us and I immediately thought of Tokyo. I didn’t need to see to have the confirmation that she had brought Anne. I heard the latter grunt when Tokyo pushed her after blindfolding the teenager. Berlin’s voice then rose as he took a few steps.

“Hello, everyone. I’m the one in charge here. I apologize for the invconvenience, but you are our hostages.” They whimpered, holding hands, shaking, but I stood still and listened to Berlin as he walked in front the hostages. “We each go through all sorts of moments in life, both good and bad. During the bad moments, it feels like the sky is falling down, but after some time, you’ll realize it was nothing. Each of you will have that experience, as long as you follow our orders. Many years from now, this will be an exciting adventure story that you can wow your grandchildren with. But in case any of you are thinking of causing trouble, let me tell you just one thing. I truly love when that happens.”

“Empty your pockets.” Moscow then ordered. The two hostaged that were holding my hands let go and I let out a sigh while they gave their access cards and cell phones, which were being put away in a box when suddenly, one of them rang, or so I thought but I quickly realized it wasn't a cell phone ringtone. I lifted the bottom of the blindfold and saw a landline phone on the reception counter. It was this phone that was ringing so loudly. I could also see that my fellw robbers had taken off their masks and Berlin was looking at all of them when the director of the Mint raised a shuddering hand.

“What is it?”

“That could be from headquarters.” He told him, trembling. “If we don’t pick up, th-th-they’ll know something’s going on.” The woman standing next to him gave him a shy blow with her hand. Berlin must have seen it but chose to act as if it was not the case.

“You know, I like your face. I feel like I’ll grow to like you. Answer the phone.” His voice suddenly grew harsher, and he grabbed the woman’s hand. She whimpered as he led her to the phone and was panting. He got her to calm down and take a deep breath and put her hand on the phone.

“This… This is the Minting Bureau.” Berlin and Denver exchanged a look. “We’re experiencing network difficulties." The woman's voice rose, taking on an aggravated tone. She told them off before hanging up abruptly. Berlin sketched a smirk as he properly replaced the phone on its base and took her hand.

“So, was it important?”

“It’s, um… it was nothing.” He looked at her and nodded with a large, drawn smile. His hand on her shoulder, he led her back to her place among the hostages.

“It wasn’t important. We won’t have any problems now, will we?” The woman and the Mint’s director nodded nervously. Berlin clapped the latter on the shoulder, and he whimpered, sticking to his secretary in fear. He then walked away from them and gave me a look as he passed in front of me. The blindfold he had put over my eyes was now up on my forehead, but obviously, since I wasn’t an actual hostage, he didn’t really care and waved at me to follow him. I smiled, knowing that I was going to leave this high school uniform. When they would remove their blindfold, Anne Kim would probably start to panic when she saw that I had disappeared, and she wouldn't recognize me behind my mask. She had no idea I had been wearing a wig for several months and that I was this red-haired robber. We would leave her the surprise and the pleasure that her good friend never actually existed. As we moved away from the hostages, Denver, Moscow, and Rio left the lobby and headed for the Mint vault. I watched them as I took off my blonde wig and let go of it into the bag from which I had retrieved the red suit, boots and Hahoe mask I was going to wear and walked to the nearest restroom. I had taken an earpiece as well.

It would probably take a few minutes for the three others to take care of getting the vault open. I quickened my pace as I walked down the hallway and pushed open the bathroom door and dropped the stuff on the floor before taking off my skirt and blazer. Once the suit was on, I pulled up the zipper to the waist, put on the combat boots and tied my hair in a low bun before washing my face. Without this light makeup, I looked more mature already. In front of the bathroom mirror, my eyes fell on the ring hanging from my neck, the one that had caught Berlin's eye as I stood among the hostages. I stared at the reflection holding it between my fingers and after a few seconds, I sighed, put my arms through the sleeves of the suit and put the mask on my face. I then shoved the uniform into the trash can and grabbed the bag to tie it before heading back into the hall. Berlin watched the room from the central stairs and glanced at me as I returned. I grabbed a gun and slung the handle over my shoulder, finally taking on my role as one of the robbers. The hostages were shaking like leaves as the rest of my peers walked across the room carrying bags filled with banknotes retrieved from the vault opened by Denver, Moscow and Rio while I was gone off to the restroom to change. Berlin pressed his earpiece, and I heard him in mine speaking to the professor.

“Professor, we’re going out now.” Behind my mask I watched him slowly descend the stairs. Moscow and I walked beside him. An alarm went off and the thud of the main door opening echoed all the way to us. Seeing the director lifting his blindfold and sneaking a peek around him, we came to a halt and upon realizing that we had seen him, he jumped and looked down. This man was such a coward but what happened was a perfect example as to why I had to keep my mask on for now. To keep the element of surprise. Berlin smiled and looked at Moscow and I and while he slowly walked up to him, I looked at Anne Kim. She was just a couple feet away. I didn’t feel bad for lying to her all those months, but I was well aware that somewhere deep inside me, she had become my friend and I hadn't had one in a long time. I did an immediate head turn when I heard him rip the blindfold off the director's head. The latter was shuddering. He leaned forward and whimpered, squinting his eyes really hard.

“I didn’t see anything. I swear.”

“You can look. Mmh? It’s okay, mm? I said open your eyes.” Berlin grabbed the man’s head and held him in place. “Do you wanna know what we’re up to? Is that it, huh?”

“No. I swear!” He whined, keeping his eyes shut in fear. I was watching him with a jaded expression on my face. I found him to be of a really irritating and annoying character. One time, he acts as if he thinks he's master of the world and there he is, shaking and yelping like a wounded dog. “I know absolutely nothing, and I don’t wanna know anything—”

“No, no. I like you, my friend, so let me tell you exactly what we’re doing right now.” He patted him on the shoulder and took a step back, pulling out his handgun and aimed at his head. “We’re going to have a gunfight with the police, and people are going to die, like in movies.” The director opened his eyes and looked at the weapon, scared for his life. “BANG!”

He fell to his knees, yelping and whimpering and the other hostages clamored at the loud noise made by Berlin, while he chuckled. I would have laughed with him if I didn't have to make sure that Anne Kim wouldn't hear and recognize my voice, but the situation was, from my point of view, very funny. This moment of Berlin having fun terrorizing the hostages was really setting the tone for the whole heist, and I couldn't wait to see what was next. Everything had been carefully planned, down to the smallest detail. The Professor was prepared to any eventuality. He had emphasized from the beginning that it was important no one gets hurt or dies. Killing or hurting people wasn’t the plan. We tackled the subject during one of those study session in the swimming pool of the abandoned hotel complex where we had established our headquarters. As always, we were seated around him, in front of the whiteboard covered with maps, a model of the Mint on a small table next to it. Arms and legs crossed, seated between Rio and Berlin, I was slumped in my chair, fiddling with the ring around my neck as I watched and listened attentively to the Professor.

“When the police arrive, act as if you’ve been caught while trying to flee, and shoot at them, and retreat back into the building to hide…” He moved his hand towards the model of the Mint. “…like a rat caught in a trap.”

“But why exactly do you want us to fire into the air?” Denver wondered.

“I told you. Our plan is to not kill or hurt anyone.”

“But it’s not like anyone plans to die.” Nairobi stated, followed by Rio, backing up her words. My eyes went from one to the other without really turning my head.

“She’s right. Who knows what’s gonna happen? Couldn’t we just kill a few if the situation calls for it?”

“Absolutely not. This is crucial for our plan to work.” I heard Berlin laugh behind me.

“Our plan? Sounds like your morals are getting in the way.”

“What’s with all the comments?” Tokyo spoke, and he didn't seem so amused anymore, staring at her. She looked at everyone and let her gaze fall back to Berlin, raising her eyebrows. “Our job here is to execute the Professor’s plan. If you can’t, then leave.”

And I agreed with her. Which is why, like the brothers and Moscow, I was among the few to not say anything during the lesson. I was not to question the Professor's words and orders. I had promised. Because it didn’t matter the reason, when the Professor told us to jump, we asked how high. From the hall, where only Berlin, Moscow and I had remained with the hostages, we heard police sirens in the distance, a brief silence and then gunshots. The hostages gasped and screamed, as usual. The police were firing back at them and we heard from our earpieces that something had happened in Rio but we couldn’t see what was going on. In the following seconds, they must have pulled back inside the building since the closing of the door was engaged. Now that news of an armed robbery over the Mint would spread, the real heist could begin. Officials from the North and the South would scratch their brains really hard to find the best way to resolve the situation. The Korean Peninsula, the only divided country on earth, was soon to be unified after all. An unprecedented situation was unfolding inside a unique zone called the JEA. Short for Joint Economic Area. Korea’s neighbors weren’t the only ones paying attention… the whole world was watching.

Bags full of red suits and masks were lined up on the floor. The rest of the team was back in the room after the exchange of gunfire with the police a couple of minutes ago. I stood next to the two brothers, near the bags. I was slightly behind, my face still hidden. The surprise would soon be revealed to my dear school friends.

“My dear hostages, please take off your blindfolds.”

“Come on, everyone. You can take ‘em off.” Denver raised his voice, urging them to do so while Berlin walked in front of them. They eventually took them off, hands shaking. My eyes were on Anne Kim who was just taking notice of her surroundings after removing her blindfold. She would quickly notice my disappearance, and most likely comment on it.

“It’s so good to finally speak with you all face-to-face. There’s no need to be afraid. We are all trapped inside the same building together, which means we have to work together, hmm?” He sketched a large smile and nodded at us to bring the bags. Standing beside Moscow in front of the stairs, he watched the others proceed to give red jumpsuits to the hostages. Anne Kim was looking around her, frowning.

“Where is Park Ho-Yeon? What did you do with her?” She demanded answers. Berlin smirked and turned to her, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. Back to them, I continued to give suits to hostages right in front of her.

“Who?” Berlin asked her, acting as if he didn’t know what she was talking about which he wasn’t supposed to so she must have mistaken his tone for mockery regarding her concern for her friend. He was, in a way, actually mocking and taunting her like he did with the director. Faced with his intimidating gaze which she held, she repeated herself.

“Where is my friend? The one with the blond—”

“What friend?” When she heard my voice, she went silent, probably not knowing what to think anymore. Time stopped for a few seconds. As I swiveled towards her, I slid my mask over my head and discovered the look of profound stupor on her face. She was shocked. Mouth open, she couldn't hide her shock. I took a few steps towards her.

“Ho-Yeon, you’re… with them?”

“My name’s not Ho-Yeon.” Berlin walked up to us, laughing and patted my shoulder, looking at Anne Kim, with a broad, amused grin on his face. This look of betrayal I saw in her eyes followed me as I walked towards the stairs with him.

“We have no intention of hurting any of you, trust me.” He then declared; hands clasped. He spoke with a smile. “Each and every one of you will return home without a single scratch, as long as you fully cooperate with us. I give you my word. Let’s just have some fun.”

Soon, the first day of this unprecedented robbery came to an end and night fell. We had been occupying the Mint for over 11 hours already and the whole world was kept in suspense, looking at us, wondering what was going to happen next. But people weren't the only ones racking their brains to figure out our next move. Even the task force was most likely confused. The one with the true upper hand was not the North or the South. It was the Professor. He developed plans and factored in everything. Like I said, he had planned everything, down to the smallest detail. The Professor came up with solutions for every possible situation and then a backup plan for each of those possibilities. I found it all very impressive and to be apart of it was beyond great and exciting. It had all just started earlier this day and I was already having a blast. All those months invested in preparing for this heist had been worth it. I was sure of that.

“They’ll be there very soon. Proceed as planned.” We were warned by the professor over the phone, that a military raid was coming to get us. We talked about this situation during our classes, which would happen if the North took over in the Task Force and they would never agree to negotiate with us. They would try to suppress us no matter what, and they would try to do so in secret.

“There is a total of five entry points. The main gate, the rooftop, the underground garage, the emergency exit on the side, and last but not least, the loading dock. If you remove the main gate and the rooftop where they’re likely to be seen, they’ll use the other three to enter.” Berlin raised his hand.

“Okay so let’s say we know when they’ll enter, thanks to the information from that woman.” I might have forgotten to mention it but yeah, the woman in question was the negociator, Seon Woojin. When I said the North took over amid the Task Force, I omitted that it would happen if she was sidelined. “How do we stop the Special Operations Unit when they have so many points of entry?”

“Well, that’s a good question.” He had this calm and collected look on his face, like he had it all figured out, which he had. I remember he asked us what we thought was the best strategy when we’re surrounded by enemies. We were only 9 robbers, but we had plenty of people at hand to repel the soldiers, without even having to fight. We outnumbered them, thanks to the hostages disguised as robbers. What they would see, no matter where they tried to get in from, would be masked people in red jumper suits holding guns towards them. With Rio in the office, watching the cameras, we were all with different groups of hostages turned into robbers for the subterfuge and the soldiers would never be able to tell a real robber with a gun from a hostage with a fake one. They would be forced to retreat. And it’s exactly how it happened. We handled the situation exactly how the professor told us to and everything went like clockwork. Everyone was then led back to the main room where there was a heavy silence among the hostages. Berlin, towering above us from the top of the stairs, broke the silence. I stood with my peers, on the other end of the room, right across the stairs.

“Now, my dear comrades, take off your masks.” He smiled as he watched them do as he said but quickly regained his seriousness. “Thanks to your cooperation, the police completely aborted their mission to raid the building.”

“Yes!” Moscow cheered and Denver and I chuckled.

“I want to applaud you all for being courageous and for your exceptional teamwork. We could not have done this without you.” He sketched another broad smile and slowly clapped his hands as he descended the stairs, and we joined in, walking in front of the hostages, mocking them with our smirks. We clapped strongly and eventually, one after the other, the hostages clapped along, and I laughed, meeting Berlin's gaze. We were both all smiles. The hostages didn’t look as happy as we did, obviously but how they felt went flying over my head. You can call me insensitive and self-centered, which I don’t think I was, but that still was the last thing I cared about. I did what I was asked to do, follow the Professor’s orders. I did my part and was satisfied. We had successfully prevented the raid, and the Task Force would be forced to recall their negotiator and forget about the use of force to enter. And with one of the hostages happening to be the daughter of the US Ambassador to Korea, that was no longer a possibility at all.

[To be continued…]

Next Chapter (SOON)

Published (03/25/2023) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405 @kika64

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xhanisai · 2 years

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Perform

AO3 / FFN

Pairing - Adrinette

Prompt - ��Perform’

Summary -

Adrien didn't even know where to look! His curious and almost hypnotised eyes tried their best to follow the movements of the incredibly talented and hardworking girl before him. From the elegantly patterned movements of the bright red ribbon being painted in the air like a flame dancing in the darkness to the exceptional choreography that his beloved Marinette performed. The familiarity that struck him from the start of the performance burst back into his being and Adrien couldn't help but note that he's definitely seen these moves before recently.

~(x)~ . . . Entranced. Mesmerised. Enamoured. There were no words in the French dictionary that could ever explain the feelings that Adrien felt exploding like thunder within his chest as his emerald greens sparkled with both pure amazement and absolute awe. His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the rails that surrounded the stage, never tearing his eyes away from the beautiful, wonderful, amazingness that continued to perform before them all. . When Alya originally came into class with a smile that could counter even his alter ego's most cockiest, devilish smirk, the model expected outright mischief or even the latest scoop regarding whatever could possibly be going on between her favourite heroes of Paris. He was too busy moping and pouting over his Princesse's umpteenth registered absence in le collège that week to notice the way her best friend practically vibrated throughout the whole day like a five-year-old on a sugar rush. "Babe? Did you drink a bunch of energy drinks or something in the morning?" "Heheheheh..." "Alya...?" By the time the lunch bell rang, both Adrien and Nino found themselves simultaneously grabbed (or kidnapped) by the enthusiastic journalist and were sped away at unholy speeds to the Porte de la Chapelle Arena without a single word. Everything was just a hazy blur for the feline in disguise. From Alya babbling that they were best friends of one of the trainees inside the building to the sudden whiplash of bright lights and then a dimness as they were brought into one of the training halls by the staff members. . And it was then that Adrien was met with the most beautiful sight he's ever seen in his entire lifetime. .

Adorned in a gorgeous sparkling red costume that accentuated her long, slim legs and her sleek frame, her body poised in a stance that spoke volumes of her flexibility (much to his libido's delight!) as well as familiarity (much to his heart's bigger delight), hair tied up in a simple but effective bun and princess fingers handling the handle of the ruby shaded ribbon was none other than... Marinette. . Suddenly, a loud beep ricocheted within the hall and then the music began to play. As if she did this a thousand times in her sleep and a thousand times in her dream, Marinette began to perform. . Adrien didn't even know where to look! His curious and almost hypnotised eyes tried their best to follow the movements of the incredibly talented and hardworking girl before him. From the elegantly patterned movements of the bright red ribbon being painted in the air like a flame dancing in the darkness to the exceptional choreography that his beloved Marinette performed. The familiarity that struck him from the start of the performance burst back into his being and Adrien couldn't help but note that he's definitely seen these moves before recently. Her long legs were up in the air in a perfect split (just like the move his Lady pulled in order to avoid the lethal maws of the dragon during the last Akuma battle). Her frame repeatedly twirled in the middle of the floor as she spun the ribbon-like the most ethereal ballerina that's ever come to existence (and like his Lady who used that move whilst skating on the ice that the Akuma before the dragon one created, her strong hands using the salt that her lucky charm provided to spray around her all according to her brilliant plan). The fire red ribbon trailed around her being with super speed and outright elegance (which mirrored the ribbons that his Lady wore in her hair as she happily parkoured through the city during yesterday's patrol with him by her side). All the while to the beat and hum of the music, as if the watchers were being taken on a magical journey and the girl herself was the storyteller who painted every single detail with the flick of her dainty but powerful wrist. Exactly like the way his Lady would wield her bandalore. Agreste junior couldn't fathom the scene and his thoughts at all as the two brilliant girls he loves and cherishes more than life itself became one with the brilliant golden spotlight following her every move and allowing her to sparkle miraculously. But, it got better. It got so much better. As soon as the cymbals clashed within the music dramatically, the neat bun on Marinette's head unravelled instantaneously, transforming into a sheet of midnight that virtually sparkled like stars under the brilliant lighting and matched her gorgeous ensemble. She is a living, breathing piece of art. She is his love, his Lady, his Princesse, his amour, his everything. And Adrien found himself wanting to embrace every part of her and never let go. . Soon, the music ended on a very slow yet quite sombre note. The stretch of the violin's chords seemed like it was orchestrated from the dancer's actions rather than being played on the speakers. Marinette's movements became the calm surface of an ocean, the gentle breeze that caressed the sakura blossoms, the tender sunlight that peeked through curtains. The tender caresses that cupped Adrien Agreste's heart. And then, it was the end. . The audience erupted with a mighty applause, everyone cheering and whooping with excitement and joy, the three friends being the loudest of them all. The trio managed to gather Marinette's attention, her shocked and embarassed face clearly indicating that she didn't expect to see them at all. After all, this was merely one of the last training sessions before she participated in the final performance in a few days time. An event she wanted to invite her friends over as a surprise. So seeing them surprise her instead made her heart skip many beats with fondness. When Adrien cocked his head to the side and smiled wider, never losing momentum with his applause, Marinette finally sent a shy grin back to him and then bowed to hide the rose that bloomed in her cheeks. 'And this is why there can be no one who's fit for the Ladybug mantle other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng,' Adrien mused to himself affectionately, eager to get to her as soon as possible and let his Lady know... ...That her Chaton has found her. . . . ~(x)~

#my fanfiction #my writing #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #my art #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #adrinette

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rockislandadultreads · 1 year

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Nonfiction Thursday: Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Biographies

Both/And by Huma Abedin

The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood—and work—with wisdom, sophistication, grace, and clarity.

Abedin launched full steam into a college internship in the office of the First Lady in 1996, never imagining that her work at the White House would blossom into a career in public service, nor that her career would become an all-consuming way of life. She thrived in rooms with diplomats and sovereigns, entrepreneurs and artists, philanthropists and activists, and witnessed many crucial moments in 21st-century American history—Camp David for urgent efforts at Middle East peace in the waning months of the Clinton administration, Ground Zero in the days after the September 11 attacks, the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States, and the convention floor when America nominated its first female presidential candidate.

Abedin’s relationship with Hillary Clinton has seen both women through extraordinary personal and professional highs, as well as unimaginable lows. Here, for the first time, is a deeply personal account of Clinton as mentor, confidante, and role model. Abedin cuts through caricature, rumor, and misinformation to reveal a crystal-clear portrait of Clinton as a brilliant and caring leader, a steadfast friend, generous, funny, hardworking, and dedicated.

Eat a Peach by David Chang

In 2004, David Chang opened a noodle restaurant named Momofuku in Manhattan's East Village, not expecting the business to survive its first year. In 2018, he was the owner and chef of his own restaurant empire, with 15 locations from New York to Australia, the star of his own hit Netflix show and podcast, was named one of the most influential people of the 21st century and had a following of over 1.2 million. In this inspiring, honest and heartfelt memoir, Chang shares the extraordinary story of his culinary coming-of-age.

Growing up in Virginia, the son of Korean immigrant parents, Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment, isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood. After failing to find a job after graduating, he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant. Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews, culinary awards and before long, Chang had a cult following.

Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life, despite the adversities he had to overcome. Over the course of his career, the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards. In Eat a Peach, Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia, self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles, failures and learned lessons.

Stay True by Hua Hsu

In the eyes of eighteen-year-old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken--with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity--is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes 'zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn't seem to have a place for either of them.

But despite his first impressions, Hua and Ken become friends, a friendship built on late-night conversations over cigarettes, long drives along the California coast, and the textbook successes and humiliations of everyday college life. And then violently, senselessly, Ken is gone, killed in a carjacking, not even three years after the day they first meet.

Determined to hold on to all that was left of one of his closest friends--his memories--Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he's been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging.

The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines

"The only way to break free was to rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen stopped: it was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together.

We all have a story to tell. This happens to be mine--every chapter a window into who I am, the journey I'm on, and the season I'm in right now. Because this is my story, maybe you won't always relate, or maybe it will feel like you're looking in a mirror. Whatever we have in common and whatever differences lie between us, I only hope my story can help shine a light on the beauty of yours. That my own soul work will stir something of your own. And that by the time you get to the end of my story, you're also holding the beautiful beginnings of your own.

A story only you can tell. And I hope that you will."

- Joanna Gaines

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cheshirette · 1 year

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a nice little reminder for myself! see what i wrote below!!!! i'll probably add more as time goes on (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

if people are busy, it does not mean they hate you! they are as busy as yourself. which is ok! people have jobs, and lives to live!

never trust your thoughts after 7PM (.. or is it later?????)

people love you even if they don't say it!!! think a cute lil admirer from afar, cheering you on (that's me!)

rest is important, take plenty of rest!!!!! oh and drink water please

your efforts were never meaningless, you are hardworking and great and sexy and handsome

hey btw did you know that you're sexy and handsome and beautiful and amazing and-

you are doing your best! you are a good bun today!!!!!!

its ok to change your environment to suit your needs! take care of yourself!!

you are worth it! your art is worth it!

REMBER TO TAKE VITAMIN EVERY DAY AT 12PM

#cheshii diary #cheshirette

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mspmonroe · 2 years

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“Love is horrible and will cling onto your heart like a freaking leech but, believe it or not, it’s also going to save us all in the end.”

ABOUT.

Name: Piper Monroe

Nicknames: Pi-Pi, Pipes, & Morbid Monroe

Age: 31 Years Old (April 21, 1991)

Species: Human

Gender: Cis Woman — she/her

Sexual/Romantic orientation: Pansexual & Demiromantic

Place of Birth: Thtonlum, Nova Pangaea

Neighborhood: North Valley

Occupation: Social Worker

PERSONALITY.

On the surface, Piper is an ambitious, persistent, and hardworking woman. She tries to meet every problem in her life with optimism, no matter how hopeless things may seem. She is willing to be manipulative as she has to be to get what she needs as a career woman. Piper thrives on being an independent individual who can help others with their problems. However, she has difficulty allowing people to help with her own personal issues. Behind her working woman façade with the cheerful voice, Piper is an eccentric yet reserved person obsessed with all things morbid and otherworldly. She is capable of discussing vulnerable topics with others but being vulnerable isn't something she has gotten used to yet.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

She has bronze skin, round brown eyes, thick eyebrows, body hair all over, thin lips, and dark brown loose curly hair with a white streak on the left side of her hair due to poliosis. She stands tall at 5'8 ft with a slender figure. She has several piercings on her body; ears, chest, and nose. She has a low, monotone voice but uses a perky voice whenever she is at work.

Professionally, she often wears minimal makeup, hair tied up in a bun, and business casual attire with bright colors. She does this to aid herself with networking for resources and appear more approachable with her clients. On her days off, she puts on a more gothic look with heavy makeup, fishnets, black platform boots, black round sunglasses, and silver jewelry. She would describe her fashion style as "vintage gothic bohemian".

BACKGROUND.

Adopted as an infant by Wesley & Dorothy Monroe, who raised Piper with love and adoration. Wesley is a werewolf and Dorothy is a vampire.

Grew up in Thtonlum, Nova Pangaea, and developed her gothic lifestyle as a teenager.

Moved to Astoria for graduate school at Astoria U and decided to stay in the city after graduation.

Worked with the VSP (Vampire Social Program) at Astoria's Blood Bank for the past three years.

Volunteers at the North Valley Home twice a week since she used to do her internship there during graduate school and believes in their cause.

#about.

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kaes-super-hot-ocs · 2 years

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Haishita Ayaka

Haishita Ayaka, also known as Picasso, is a 17 year old girl who attends UA in Class 2-B. She is mixed between Ghanaian and Japanese, and lives with her parents and little brother.

Appearance

Ayaka has dark skin and long, curly, bright pink hair with orange stripes in half up, half down space buns with yellow bows and clips in it. Her eyes are a hot pink color, and her eyelids are colored blue. Her right hand, in order of thumb to pinky, is white, red, orange, yellow, and green, and her left in the same order is black, blue, indigo, purple, and magenta. Her fingers have nozzles at the tips. She is about 157 cm tall and has a curvy figure.

Personality

Ayaka is a bright and bubbly person. She is very friendly and extroverted, making at least an effort to make friends with everyone. She is often described as happy and sweet, and likes to make people smile.

Ayaka is a funny girl who is very sociable. She is excitable and often gets carried away with little things. She can sometimes be an annoyance, but she always brightens the mood.

Ayaka can be unruly in battle, having a lot of fun with her Quirk and being creative in ways to utilize it. She is tactically smart, and trains hard to bring her Quirk up to its full potential.

Relationships

Family

Ayaka's family is a very hardworking group. Her parents both have busy jobs, and she usually babysits her little brother while they're away. When the UA dorm system is implemented, her parents take some of their work home so her brother isn't alone.

Ayaka believes she has a fine relationship with her brother. But what she doesn't know is that her brother is secretly jealous of her. She was given a Quirk which didn't seem very useful, but she's on her way to becoming a pro hero with a Quirk such as hers. By comparison, he feels like his own Quirk is less than useless, and he feels ashamed.

Friends

While Ayaka considers everyone she's had a positive interaction with her friend, her absolute best friend is Kannou Kokoro. Ayaka thinks she's an amazing, interesting person with a lot of potential to be seen more widely as such, but simply lacks the confidence to do so. She tries to help Kokoro come out of her shell, and has formed a deep and strong bond with her.

Quirk

Basic Function

Ayaka's Quirk is Paint. This gives her the ability to shoot paint out of nozzles on the tips of her fingers. Her right hand, in order of thumb to pinky, makes white, red, orange, yellow, and green paint, and her left in the same order makes black, blue, indigo, purple, and magenta paint. The colors come pigments in her fingers, which show on her skin. Her paint is normally acrylic, but she can make water and oil based paint from the fluids in her body, which will take more energy.

Special Moves

Slip N' Slide: Ayaka shoots paint onto the floor underneath her feet, allowing her to slide on the paint to help her move faster.

Blind: Ayaka shoots paint into her opponents eyes, which works as a good distraction and gives her time to think of a plan.

Limitations/Weaknesses

Ayaka's paint will only shoot out about 1-1.5 meters away from her fingers. Using her Quirk uses up the pigments in her fingers, which can run out after extended use like an empty paint tube, leaving her fingers the same color as the rest of her skin. It takes 3 hours to fully replenish her finger pigments after they’ve been drained. Creating non-acrylic paints drains her body's oil and water reserves.

Trivia

Ayaka doesn't have a favorite color, simply because she can't choose.

Ayaka can speak Japanese and Twi.

Ayaka loves going to the beach and jumping with the waves.

Ayaka's name means art, color and luck.

#ayaka

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hiraethenthusiast · 3 years

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The Hollandairé | t.h.

pairing: ceo!tom x ceo! reader

word count: 16k+

synopsis: exes cross paths on a big event. will they be able to forget each other's mistakes?

warnings: language, sexual innuendos, mentions of an anxiety attack (if you squint), talks about miscarriage, my favourite angst.

a/n: well, well, well im back from a very shitty writers block! look at me, writing angst with exes? oof. can you tell that i absolutely love angst and makeouts in the end? i was somehow inspired by 'idfc' by blackbear to write this fic lol. it took some time and ofcourse i went overboard with it, so hope you enjoy! don't forget to like and reblog! (i even made a moodboard kinda thing uwuwu)

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"Conan I won't hesitate to knee you in the crotch if you don't stop pulling me off this sofa right this second" You tell your roommate, who is desperately trying to get you to go to a gala with him. Being a CEO brings its pros and cons. Pros being, you have a private jet, you're your own boss and you can shout at people with a reason. Cons being, annoyingly nice roommates. You had just shifted to a penthouse in downtown London with your friend Conan, because you refused to stay alone in this bigass house. (You tried living alone once, you were bored to death)

"Conan leave me alone yoo!" You said whining and hunching back into the sofa.

"Get the fuck up and get ready for the launch dude you promised me you wouldn't leave me hanging" Conan shouts over the voice of the t.v. blaring in the background. You pull you hand away from his grip and reach for the remote to shut off the t.v., focusing back on this tall red-headed figure in front of you.

"You know I don't like fancy shit." You grumble.

"It's YOUR fancy shit, get up Y/N." He says and reaches for your arms now, finally making you stand.

"Call Laura, I really don't want to go." You say pulling your phone out from your back pocket and handing it to him.

"If you haven't realised, your manager is the one who forced me to force you to attend the introduction of your fashion line" He fights back.

"- and Y/N. Hey, look at me. You've dreamt of this for how long? Almost all your life. And if you miss the chance to see your empire expand, it's gonna be devastating. You'll obviously miss the fashion show who's got the actual Rudy Pankow walking on a ramp, you'll also miss the opportunity to see people happy with YOUR work. Now get your ass up and get ready." He says and leaves the room, to get ready himself.

It's not that you don't want to go, you really do. Afterall, all of it is your hardwork. But the reason you're not going is because of that asshole. That asshole with whom you used to go out with once, the one who's current goal is to bring you down. The one and only, Tom Holland. You two used to date at some point, the ones who were in love actually, but the rivalry you two have got going on now has lead to you two knowing too much about each other. More than you know about yourself, the other knows it all. Small arguments turned into big ones, that eventually lead to the two of you leaving each other alone. You don't want to go because whenever you meet him, it all turns up into a big mess and your night is typically ruined, and you weren't in the mood for that, atleast not today. He's just a narcissistic bitch who thinks of nothing but degrading you. And that's the reason you don't want to go. Because you know if you talk to him one more time, these banters will persuade you.

But you do realise that you have to go. You have to go because you haven't gone to the last two launches for your perfume and swim line as well, and if you don't go today, Laura will actually end you.

So you just chug all your tea, leaving the kitchen with a grunt to go get ready.

"Hey Marco, can you send in that pantsuit I got done the other day? Look over for modifications if possible, although it looks great in just the solid colour, and please get it drycleaned." You tell your designer over the phone, to which he agreed and you go into your room to get your hair and makeup done.

"Wear a dress to the launch of your fashion line when it gets famous, yeah?"

"Pantsuits all the way Holland, you know I hate dresses."

"I know you do."

You remember the faint memory from over two years ago, that dream actually coming true, just without the person you dreamt it with.

You put your hair in a low bun with a middle part, giving you a classy formal look, and you do a almost non existent makeup look, only your eyes bold to accent with your outfit. Marco drops off the forest green pantsuit at your house, you giving it a twist with wearing a lace corset beneath the blazer.

"I look hot." You told yourself.

You and Conan leave for the event, you fidgeting in between 15 minute durations, Conan reassuring you that he'll be with you until the night ends.

That didn't last long. You lost Conan as soon as you entered the venue, so you occupied yourself with having conversations with other company owners, hearing how they're doing in the industry, blah blah blah.

"Do I look like I care?" You say to yourself.

You move ahead, only to cross paths with the one and only. He was wearing a cherry coloured perfectly tailored suit, adding a hint of Tom with the glasses. He looked good.

"And what do I owe this pleasure, Ms. Y/N?" He says, twirling his champagne glass in his hands.

"Look Holland I really don't have time for this shit, please take a goodie bag on your way home" You say with a bit of sass and start to move away, only to get your arm held back, making you bump in his chest.

"I see you wore the pantsuit you always wanted to wear at your event, angel " He says, making you pull away from him.

"Don't ever call me that again, and this is a warning." You were about to continue further with your answer, but you were utterly shocked to see the person in front of you.

"Is that the Y/N Y/L/N, in person, the one who's way too busy to answer my phone calls?" He says, making you laugh a bit.

"Jaeden?" You say, laughing heartily.

"In the flesh, tigeress." He says, doing grabby hands at you as an indication to pull you in a hug. You oblige and walk towards him and give him the biggest bear hug you've given anyone in two years. You pull back just to hit him on the chest once, playfully ofcourse.

"Tigeress. Oof haven't heard that in a while" You keep your conversation going on with Jaeden, while Tom is absolutely dumbfounded about whatever just happened in these past few seconds.

There's this hot guy named Jason or whatever, who calls you 'tigeress' and you aren't pestering him for calling you with a nickname but you definitely were ready to give Tom a piece of your mind when he called you 'angel'? Who is this guy?

Tom goes off to find Conan, who was situated at the bar downing a shot of tequila.

"Hey who's that guy Jason?" He asks him, pointing towards you and Jaeden in the middle of the hall.

"You mean Jaeden?" He says, biting onto a slice of lemon.

"Yeah whatever who is he?" Tom asks again, turning towards to bartender asking for a glass of whiskey.

"Why do you want to know?" Conan shoots back.

"Just curious. Can you just fucking tell me now?" Tom tries again, getting frustrated now.

"Chill dude. Jaeden used to work with Y/N a long time ago. He had this crush on her for like forever, but then Y/N went in for entrepreneurship and they were just not in contact with each other." He says.

"Crush huh?" Tom says, gripping onto his glass so tight that his knuckles almost turned white.

"Why do you look like you're about to murder someone?" Conan asks, getting concerned.

"Because I might." Tom says, grinding his teeth while forcing a smile.

The night goes by pretty smoothly, for you. You and Jaeden were clinged to each other almost the whole night, and then Tom watching you both from a distance, trying not to snap hard at people. He just took enough of it, he had to do something. He wasn't really sure why was he jealous, 'maybe because you love her' his heart said, but his mind crossing paths with a 'no you don't' in the middle. He was in a dilemma, but was mostly leaning towards his heart's side. He finally got up from his seat and walked towards you.

"Y/L/N." He says, keeping his composure.

"Yes?" You turn around to come face to face with him, laughing on something Jaeden had said.

"Board of Directors want to meet you on third floor. I was going that way only, wanted to inform you." He says.

"Oh okay. Jaeden I'll be back in a few. And tell me about that Mario Kart incident." You say, your laughter dying as you walk towards the elevator, motioning Tom to move as well. You both enter the elevator and you click the button for third floor.

"So Jaeden's a long lost friend, I assume?" He tries to small talk, failing miserably.

"Yeah, I used to work with him a long time back. Why do you ask?" You say, being the nicest you've been to Tom in two years.

"Just making small talk. So, exactly how long ago, you used to work with him?" He tries again.

"A really long time ago." You tell him.

"When we were dating?" He says, hesitating.

The elevator dings and you reach third floor, both of you moving into a very empty hallway.

"Why do you care Tom?" You say, making him frustrated even more.

"Because you're my fucking ex-girlfriend whom I'm worried about because that asshole has a mega crush on you" He says, making you jerk your head towards him.

"How many whiskeys have you had?" You ask him, because he was sounding oblivious that's for sure.

You turn around to open the meeting room to find it empty, making you glare at Tom once again.

"Why the fuck did you bring me up here Holland, where's the meeting?" You say, narrowing your eyes towards him.

"There is no meeting Y/N, the Board didn't show up this year, remember?" He says moving and fidgeting around the room.

"Then why did you bring me up here, dumbass?" That put him over the edge. He starts walking towards you making you take a few steps back, finally cornering you in the room.

"Because that guy is fucking flirting with you Y/N. That guy has been roaming around the whole night with my girl, touching and hugging my girl in front of me and you expect me to keep my calm? Huh? I don't fucking care okay? You're supposed to be mine and I was a jerk who let you go. I can't stand seeing you with other people. What the fuck is wrong with you Y/N, why did you leave me?!" He shouts at you, making your blood boil even more.

You push him back and stand in front of him, glaring as if you were going to rip his head off.

"No Tom, YOU left me, alright? I cried almost every night after that day when you left, and you didn't even have the empathy to give me a call. You, are too self-absorbed, and not me Tom. It was all you. I haven't been to even one of my launches just because I know you'll be there, you'll be there to put me down again. And why the fuck do you care about whom I talk to huh?" You shout at him.

"Why would I come to every single one of your launches Y/N?! To see you! To see the person who understood me more than I did, just to fucking see your face and calm my nerves!" He shouts back. He moves towards you and holds you chin to put your eyes at his eye level.

"Look at me Y/N. Look at me. Did we mean anything to you? Did I mean anything to you? Look at me in the eyes and tell me you never loved me. Tell me I meant nothing to you and I'll leave this second. Tell me that this was all a lie." He says, making your eyes water.

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Then why do you keep hurting me Y/N?! You hurt me so much! You left me when I needed you the most! I wanted you and you weren't there-" He shouts again.

"SHUT UP TOM, SHUT UP! Stop it! Stop! Please. Stop." You're crying hysterically now, hunching up in a corner trying to calm yourself down. Tom immediately sees it and runs towards you holding your hands and cradling them.

"Hey, hey Y/N. Look at me, look at me baby. It's Tom. Hey baby. I'm here, yeah? I'm here. Stop crying come on babe, please. Love, look at me. I'm here." He says, now running his hand over your cheeks wiping your tears.

"Go away. Go away from me." Is all you say, which makes his ears perk and brings water to his eyes.

He stands up and moves out of the room, closing the door just to hear you crying again. He sits down on the floor with his back on the door now, crying, waiting for you to say something.

"Please, open the door." He says, bursting into tears and hugging himself with his arms, wishing it was you.

Fifteen minutes pass by and you still haven't said anything. Tom misses you so much, and it was so fucked up of you to leave him like this. He was hurt, but he could never stop loving you. Ever.

"Losing you would be a nightmare that I'd beg to be awaken from everyday." You say opening the door, your eyes blood red, hair disheveled making Tom look at you, whose eyes were blood red too.

"What?"

"I was pregnant, Tom." You tell him, making his eyes widen and holding your hand for comfort.

"The day-" You clear your throat "The day we fought is when we lost the baby. I was going to tell you I was pregnant that day, but then that happened." You were crying a bit more now, but still held you composure so you can handle Tom from now.

"The argument gave me too much stress and, and it was affecting the baby so as soon as you left, um, my stomach started aching really badly and, and yeah we lost our baby then. That's why I left." You say, you were crying on his shoulder now, intentionally ignoring his reaction because you knew it would hurt him.

"We, we- lost our baby?" He says, a bit shocked but choking on his tears. You remain silent.

"Hey, hey. Listen. It's okay. It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have fought with you. You were already really worried and I just added onto your pressure. I'm so sorry baby I'm so so sorry." He was full-on crying now, he sniffled in your neck because he was too afraid to show his emotions.

"It wasn't your fault Tommy, it was ours." You say, running your hand in his curls. The way you missed his chestnut curls. It was all good again, well atleast you hoped.

Tommy. That always brought butterflies in his stomach.

You talked everything out in the bathroom, while washing your faces and cleaning up. You both understood that everything was going back to normal, just like the old times. One conversation lead to another, and you spent two hours on the bathroom floor just laughing and having gossip.

"It's been a while." You say laughing, looking at your watch.

"Yeah."

"Why did you say 'my girl' Tom?" You ask him directly.

"Hm?"

"You called me 'my girl' in the conference room. Why?" You tell him, and he instantly remembers that he did do that.

"You're in my head almost everyday Y/N. Even when you're not supposed to be. It shouldn't have been this hard letting go, but it was. I still love you, even if you don't." He says, taking some tissue paper off the counter.

"Who said I don't love you?" You say, making his eyes widen.

"Wha- wh- what are you implying here?" He stumbles upon his words, making you laugh.

"I still love you, you goof."

"Y/N you have to be serious you're making me want things I can't have." He says wholeheartedly.

You say nothing but grab him by his collar and kiss him with full force. After two years, you felt those soft lips on yours again, reminiscing every moment you had missed in these past years. They felt the same, soft and plump, just as if they were made for you. They fit in with yours like a puzzle, that was meant to be solved by these two hearts which were tangled, but now, in a right way. Tom kissed back almost immediately, feeling your lips was like a dream come true. A recurrent dream in his mind. You both pull back to see red and puffy lips and give out a light laugh. He doesn't stop, he keeps leaving peppery kisses all over your face mumbling sweet words again and again.

"I missed you so, so much angel." he says leaving a kiss on your nose.

"I missed you too bubba." you say leaving a small peck on his lips.

"Let's go now, we've been here for almost two hours." You start to move towards the door, but get pulled back by your waist.

"Tell Jaeden to maintain distance, yeah?" He says.

"Or what?" You say in a playful tone.

"Babygirl, I think you've forgotten what I'm capable of." He says, kissing your neck.

"I think I have. And stop kissing me I look shit." You say, laughing.

"I really don't care. You still look hot and I'm trying not to kiss you senseless right now." He says leaving another harsh suck on your skin, which can hopefully be covered by your blazer.

"Are you going to eyefuck me all night or are you going to do something about it?" You say, now kissing Tom's sweet spot.

"Finish this event in the next half an hour. I'll see you at my house babe." He says leaving one last peck on your lips.

You both reach downstairs after fixing your makeup and hair, you reach upto the stage and and hold onto the mic.

"Thankyou all for attending the event. We look forward to having more business with you! Don't forget to post something about our line 'The Hollandairé' on your social media platforms and don't forget to tag us! We are, The Y/L/N's thankyou have a good night!"

He listen to you and smirks to himself, because you do do what you say.

"I'm going to name my first fashion line 'The Hollandairé' " You say making a banner with your hands.

"And I'll be right with you then baby" He says, kissing your cheek.

Looks like he kept his promise too.

tagging some friends whom i think would like to read!:

@hollandslittlekoala @hollandsmushroom @leafy-holland @tomsoxytocin @scarletspideyy @t-lostinworlds

(pls do tell me if you don't want to be tagged further on!)

don't forget to reblog!

ilysmmmm. tpwk y'all!

#tom holland #tom holland and reader #tom holland fluff #tom holland gifs #tom holland smut #tom holland angst #tom holland x reader #raya writes #raya is a mohmaya #q #smut #angst #fluff #makeout #jealousy

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