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artificialqueens · 3 years

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On The Ground (Rosénali) - Moonshot

A/N: So… Guess who is back after a year of not writing fics? Yours truly! What can I say? Rosénali is that powerful of a ship. As always, I hope eveyone enjoys this fic. Feel free to let me know what you think… Who knows, there might be a follow up to this little fluff in the future! Little side note: this is a lesbian au where most of the s13/s12 girls appearing are cis-female, however Mik is still a trans man in the fic.

Summary: The diner girl!Denali x street singer!Rosé AU based on Blackpink’s Rosé’s solo music that nobody asked for!

ao3 link https://archiveofourown.org/works/30267687

Denali stared at the round clock above the entrance of the diner.

4:57 PM.

Three more minutes until her shift was over.

Three more minutes until the girl who had been a fixed character in her dreams would come from around the corner, set up her guitar, greet the passersby before starting her set for the evening like she did every Wednesday.

“So, gorge, are you going to ask the champagne girl out today, or are you just going to keep on creepily staring at her from afar?”, her coworker, Kade - or as everyone called him, Mik - appeared next to her with an empty tray.

“Her name is Rosé, not champagne girl!”, Denali rebutted, “and also, for the record, I don’t just… stare. I just happen to like appreciating her set without bothering her! It’s not like she was flirting with me that one time”.

“Did I just hear our Nali denying her crush on that pink-haired singer, again?”, Olivia, who was busy running the cash register, chimed in.

“Girl, I think we should start betting against her and maybe we’ll make more money than what they can pay us here!”, Mik joked as he washed some of the dishes in the sink.

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes, ignoring her two best friends and focusing on the performer’s much-anticipated arrival.

Denali didn’t believe in love at first sight but after the first time Rosé and her guitar had shown up on the other side of the road from Tamisha’s Diner, she couldn’t think about anything else.

There was just something about the other girl that had the Alaskan girl enamored.

The first - and so far only - time she had talked to Rosé was out of necessity as the other girl and who she assumed were her two best friends - the diner girls had dubbed them ‘Pastel Powerpuff girls’ - had decided to dine in just as Denali’s shift at the register had started.

“Hi! Did you enjoy our diner?”, the skater had put on her best smile, not quite able to meet the gaze of the taller girl as she typed out the receipt.

“Oh, sure, the skating gig is cute, the food’s great, and the service… isn’t too bad either,” Denali could see from the corner of her eye the smirk on the pink-haired girl.

“Rosie! Quit flirting with every cute girl that breathes and hurry up or Jan and I are leaving you here, the Uber is going to be here in 2 minutes!”, the blue-haired girl went on with the other girl in the friend group while ‘Rosie’ rolled her eyes at them.

“Sorry about Lagoona, she has the tact of an elephant on rollerskates,” the taller girl joked.

“O-Oh, no problem. So, your total is 20,04$, will you be paying in cash or card? Also, are you splitting the bill?”

“Since dumb and dumber over there already left, I’ll just pay everything with my card,” she replied taking out her purse and taking out her credit card, “here you go, angel”.

Denali tried her best not to blush at the sudden pet name, maintaining her on-the-clock persona as she brought out the card reader. She quickly finished up the operation and handed the pink-haired girl her card back with the receipt, “I just need a quick signature here and you’re free to go to your friends”.

‘Rosie’ scribbled down her signature - she learned her actual name was Rosé, classy yet slightly worrying - and left a tip for her.

A 10$ tip for her.

“Gorge, she left you a 10$ tip, she was basically asking for your hand in marriage”, Mik reminded her, his eyes darting around the half-empty diner.

He nodded his head to his left where Denali saw another one of her co-workers sharing a milkshake with her girlfriend, giggling like teenagers, “I’m just saying. If Utica managed to end up dating that self-proclaimed ebony enchantress over there, you got a chance with wine girl”, he ended with his trademark L.A vocal fry.

Denali knew Mik had a point, but as she was about to reply, she heard the familiar sound of a guitar starting a new song. Her eyes glanced back at the clock.

5:14 PM

Damn, she had missed the beginning of the set.

The Alaskan girl didn’t lose any more time as she clocked out, skates still on her feet as she zoomed out of the diner.

“Aaaaand she’s gone!”, Olivia commented, turning her head to Mik, “Do you think this time is the good one?”

“Well, if she doesn’t finally go after her, I might as well go after her myself!”

Denali reached the usual crowd that had already formed around Rosé, trying her best to blend in and not be seen by the singer while still getting a good view of the set.

“Well, aren’t you guys a lovely crowd!”, the pink-haired singer smiled as she got ready for the next song, “I’ve got one last song for today and this is going to be the first time I’ll be performing it, so, don’t hate it too much!”, she chuckled as she checked her guitar before turning her head back to the mic stand, “This is On The Ground, I’m Rosé and I hope you’ve enjoyed the set! Feel free to drop your tips in the guitar case!”

Denali couldn’t take her eyes off Rosé when she heard the guitar’s first chord paired with the honey-like vocals.

My life’s been magic seems fantastic

I used to have a hole

in the wall with a mattress

It’s funny when you want it

Suddenly you have it

You find out that your gold’s just plastic

The black-haired girl quickly pulled out her phone, opened her voice memo app, and hit record. She wanted to treasure the magic Rosé’s voice brought.

What she failed to notice while she was so into the song was a pair of hazel eyes settling on her as the song reached its climax.

A couple of days later, Denali had just finished with her teaching job at the local ice rink when she spotted Olivia on the railings.

“The suspicious lack of a certain pink-haired girl makes me think that you still haven’t asked her out” she heard the younger girl say as she skated her way to her.

“You’ll never let it go, won’t you, Liv?”

“Not when I see that you like her and, from what I’ve seen, she is at least interested in you. Mik tried to ask her out yesterday after your shift was over,” the other girl replied.

Denali furrowed her brows, “Wait, he was serious about asking her out? I thought he was just joking!”

“If you don’t act on your cute pink crush, you can’t expect everyone else to stop for you,” Olivia reasoned, “if it’s of any help, Mik did say that, and I quote ‘she didn’t want a piece of this fine ass’”, she finished, air quoting their co-worker.

“To be honest, the dude’s barely got an ass compared to me,” Denali muttered, but her best friend managed to catch it.

“Well, as Symone said, you do have a fat ass,” Olivia commented, causing both of them to laugh out loud.

She continued, “Point still stands though, you gotta do something or you might just end up regretting not doing anything about it”.

The dark-haired girl sighed, “I know, I’m just… scared to get hurt because she seems so cool and unreachable, and I’m just so… me?”, she confessed, resting her arms on the rails.

“Give it a chance, Nali,” Olivia replied, laying her hand on the skater’s arm and giving it a gentle squeeze, “And just in case, if she fucks you over, we’ll just unleash Kandy on her!”, she added, making Denali chuckle.

“Girl, if she knew you said that…”

“She would do absolutely nothing because she’s too busy chasing after that Joey guy”, she didn’t miss a beat with her reply, giving her a knowing look, “Almost forgot to ask, are you coming later to the club with the others?”

Denali shook her head, “No, sorry. I don’t feel like clubbing today, I’ll just skate a bit more and then go home to watch some Netflix”.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, “You do you, girl. But think about what I said, okay?”

She gave her best friend a small smile, “Thanks, Liv. See you at work?”

The younger girl nodded and left Denali to her thought as she exited the room. The black-haired skater turned her head back to the rink, noticing that only a few people were left on the ice.

She took a deep breath, putting her earbuds back in and looking through her phone to decide on what song to use for her last routine of the day. Her eyes fell on the voice memo app, immediately reminding herself of the recording she had taken just a few days prior. She hadn’t even listened to it since she had recorded it.

It wasn’t a clean recording, she could hear the sounds of the city and the people around her, but she closed her eyes and focused on Rosé’s voice, letting it guide her.

The music fully took her over as she performed her usual stunts.

I’m way up in the clouds

And they say I’ve made it now

But I figured it out

Everything I need is on the ground

She found herself in the center of the rink, the bridge of the song was blasting in her ears. She smiled to herself as she started to spin, gradually picking up speed while Rosé’s high notes were all she could focus on.

Just drove by your house

So far from you now

But I figured it out

Everything I need is on the

Everything I need is on the ground

The recording stopped abruptly, she remembered how she had to bolt away, almost missing her bus home.

Denali could hear her heavy breathing, suddenly aware again that she wasn’t alone. But she had made up her mind.

She was going to talk to Rosé the following Wednesday.

That Wednesday the diner was busier than usual, giving Denali barely a moment to think, let alone realize she was missing Rosé’s set outside.

She glanced at the clock.

5:26 PM

Shit.

She turned her head and looked outside the diner’s big windows and saw that the pink-haired girl was starting to gather her things.

“Miss Iman just left, go to her! We’ll cover for you and we are not letting you get back in unless you got a date!”, Olivia said quietly enough for just her to hear.

Denali couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face. She grabbed some of the tips that she had made before she bolted outside, faintly hearing the cheering of her friends.

As she reached Rosé on the other side of the road, the singer’s back was facing her, she didn’t seem to have noticed Denali yet.

The black-haired girl took a deep breath, just like she had done on the ice rink, and let the tips fall into the still open guitar case.

The noise of falling change was what made Rosé turn around, a surprised look on her face as she registered Denali’s face.

“Denali?”

Gosh, she could hear the other girl say her name all day.

Wait.

“How do you know my name?”, Denali asked slightly confused.

Rosé didn’t reply but simply pointed at the waitress’s chest.

Oh, right. The nameplate on her uniform.

“That and also I tend to remember a pretty face when I see one,” she added, now her attention fully on the shorter girl.

“Oh, yeah, right”, she fidgeted awkwardly, not knowing where to look, “Uhm, I just wanted to say that you have a really beautiful voice. You can consider me your first fan when you make it big”.

Rosé smiled at her and Denali couldn’t help but notice how beautiful of a smile she had.

The singer turned back to her stuff, shuffling things around and leaving the brunette to her thoughts. She wanted to ask the taller girl out but felt all her courage leave her body.

Way to go, Nali.

“Well, Uhm, I think I should-”, she started but she was stopped by the pink-haired girl, who had finished packing everything up.

“Here, this is for you”.

It was a jewel case cd, a picture of Rosé in a very 80s inspired attire on the cover with pink marker writing across the front.

‘To Denali

My first (and hopefully not last) fan

Rosé xo’

It was signed with a small rose doodle next to Rosé’s name and, much to Denali’s surprise, a phone number along with the phrase ‘put it to good use’.

She looked up to find the other girl staring at her, her guitar case strapped on her back. She gave her a wink and started walking towards the subway.

Denali stood there for what felt like forever as she watched Rosé disappear in between the crowd of people roaming the streets.

She looked back down at the cd, committing the number to memory. She turned around to look at the back, her eyes were drawn to the tracklist.

She smiled when she saw On The Ground.

Finally, she didn’t have to listen to a shitty phone recording to enjoy it.

“Wait, what? You had recorded it all secretly and shady, mama?”

Rosé’s laugh filled the room as Denali tried to hide her face on the other girl’s bare chest.

“You’re an ass! I just wanted to use it for one of my skating routines”, she muttered, causing her girlfriend to laugh even harder.

“I find it cute that I’m not even famous and my music has already been pirated!” she commented, “I’m already halfway there to stardom, baby girl,” she added, kissing the top of Denali’s head.

The shorter girl groaned as she hid the increasing blush on her cheeks, rolling her body so that she was on top of the pink-haired girl.

“Well, miss Rosé, is it pirating if it was for personal pleasure only?”, Denali teased, running her hands upwards on the naked skin, slowly lowering herself until her face was inches away from her girlfriend’s.

She felt Rosé’s hands take a firm hold of her behind, “Oh angel, I’ll show you personal pleasure,” the singer replied, eliminating the little space left between their lips as Denali brought her hands to cup the older girl’s face.

Rethinking about those lyrics Rosé had written months prior, Denali knew she was right, she did have everything she needed on the ground.

It was to be right there with Rosé.

#rpdr fanfiction #denali foxx #rosé #olivia lux #gottmik #rosnali #fluff #lesbian au #diner au #s13 #moonshot #submission

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valwrite · 4 years

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hopscotch; daveed diggs

masterlist.

summary: daveed diggs can’t keep his feet on the ground. (a sequel to leap frog, a prequel to hide & seek)

warnings: fluff, two nervous idiots, rafael casal almost getting murdered again.

fic type: drabble

word count: 2907

author’s note: i’ve decided to turn this into a mini-series. this is the second out of three parts. the last one will be released within the next few days. all feedback is appreciated! it’s 5:52 am and i’m too tired to check for any spelling errors again.

It was official. Daveed Diggs was going to murder Rafael Casal.

Sure, he had a lot to thank the man for because, truthfully, if he hadn't spilled the beans on Y/N's crush, Daveed never would have made his move. That was where Rafa's helpfulness ended, however, as he'd somehow managed to reduce Daveed into a panicking mess. He was pacing back and forth within the other man's apartment, every so often wiping his hands against his trouser clad thighs to get rid of his own nervous sweat.

He'd been completely calm and confident no less than five minutes ago, before he'd stepped into Rafa's home. But Rafael just had to open up his big, loud mouth and ruin that, didn't he?

“Did she even actually say yes to your date?”

No, no she had not. And, as much as he thought he'd been feeling prepared to take her out, was he really? What if the date shattered whatever image of him she'd created and she suddenly didn't feel the same way? Or, worse, what if it ruined their friendship? That was if she even agreed to their date.

“Daveed?”

“What?” His question had come off more harsh than he'd expected, the act of being pulled away from his own thoughts shaking him slightly.

“It's seven, dude.” From his spot on the sofa, where he'd sat and watched a pacing, panicking Daveed for just over ten minutes, Rafa flashed his phone screen where, sure enough, it read 19:00. “Go get your girl.”

One door slam, two deep breaths, three steps, four knocks later and Y/N was stood in front of him. The first thing he noticed were her eyes- they'd held him captive since the moment he'd first met her -, the second being her smile and, lastly, the shoes on her feet and the purse hanging from her shoulder. Surely, he figured, that must mean the date was happening.

Okay Diggs, now would be a good time to say something smooth, try charm her.

“My hands are really sweaty.” Are you kidding me?

“Are they, now?” Y/N- whether out of pity or discomfort, he couldn't quite tell - let out an airy laugh. She stepped out into the hallway, closing her door behind her. As she turned to lock it, he caught a scent of her perfume and felt the blood rush to his head, a lightheaded feeling taking control of him.

“I,” He paused, waiting for her to turn back around and, when she did, he found himself fixated by the way she was gazing up at him, amusement dancing on her lips and kindness lighting up her eyes. She truly was the most intoxicating drug he'd ever gotten addicted to. “did not mean to say that, shit. Sorry. What I meant to say was hello, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She very noticeably ran her eyes up and down his body, forcing Daveed to try straighten out his posture. He was already ruining this date and they hadn't even left for the destination of the evening. “Eh, I've seen you look better. Bold of you to go with the whole hair-tied-back look.”

“Say the word and the hair tie will be dumped.” His hand shot up to grab at the small bun his curls had been forced into.

“I'm only messing with you, D! You look handsome, as always.” As she spoke, she readjusted the strap of her handbag. “For the record, my hands are sweaty too. Wanna mix sweat?”

It took him a moment to realize what she meant, to notice her hand was outstretched and just waiting to be captured by him. As his hand took hold of her's and fingers threaded together perfectly, even with the contrast between his larger hand and hers smaller one, Daveed felt the nerves evaporate from within him. He'd been drifting off into his own paranoia, so concerned that something would go awry, and she'd grabbed a hold of him, anchoring him back down in the reality where he remembered he didn't need to worry because this was Y/N. This was the girl he'd watched eat her weight in nachos; who he'd witnessed get chased by a bee; the girl who's hair he'd held out of her face as she emptied the contents of her stomach into a toilet bowl no less than a month ago.

This was Y/N and, no matter how much his brain tried to tell him otherwise, Daveed knew that things were just easy with her, life made a little more sense when she was around.

“Okay, let me get this straight.” Y/N sat on the wooden bench directly in front of him, one leg pulled up as she tightened the laces on her shoes. “You can't rollerskate, and neither can I, so you thought bringing us to a roller rink would be a good date plan? That somehow seemed like a good idea to you?”

“Listen,” With his right skate safely tightened and tied, Daveed began working at the left one. “learning a new skill together is a great bonding experience!”

“Mhm. Bet you say that to all the girls, don't you?”

“Yeah, I call it the Diggs Deluxe Package.” The two had now tied both their skates and, hands gripping on to anything in sight, they both rose from the benches. She wobbled and panic shot through Daveed only for it to subside once she was standing straight and cautiously moving over to his side. He caught a hold of one of her arms, gently tugging her over till she was safely gripping on to something. “Just be glad you weren't my last date, I took that one skydiving.”

“At least buy me dinner first before you start telling me about your package, D.” Laughing, Y/N bumped her shoulder against his own, only for them to both loose their balance momentarily and grab on to one another.

“Here, you hold me and I'll hold you, okay?”

“Won't that just lead to us both falling over?”

“Yes, but at least we'll fall together.”

“It's a good thing you're cute, Diggs, because your flirting game is pretty morbid.”

Laughter on both their tongues, united they stepped into the roller rink and prepared to face whatever challenge lay ahead. Surrounding them were people of all ages- children, teens, adults - and all levels of skill; some people were zooming around the rink at an unmatched speed, others were gliding effortlessly while others were gripping on to the barriers and very slowly making their way around the arena. A disco ball was spinning from the ceiling and, paired with the dimmed lights, the neon accents and the old disco tracks playing through the speakers, it created a nostalgic feeling for a time in history neither of the two had experienced.

Y/N was the first one to fall.

They'd done a few loops with the safety of the barrier at their side, having deep discussions about whether or not water had a flavor and if there was a chance aliens were on earth, but it was time for the two to venture out into the actual rink, no more safety net to keep them afloat. If anyone had been counting, they'd have noticed how her feet slipped from under her and she fell on her ass within a matter of four seconds after letting go of the wall.

“Help me up, Diggs, or I'll tell Rafa about the time you let me paint your toe nails.” Through fits of laughter, Daveed helped her back onto her feet and nearly fell back himself in the process. “Stop laughing, you big bully! That really hurt my ass.”

“Aww, need me to kiss it better for you?”

“In your dreams, D.”

From there onward, much to Daveed's own shame, Y/N had gotten a hell of a lot more steady and comfortable on her skates whilst he'd wound up returning back to the safety of the wall after falling a sixth time.

“Oh god, I wish someone had been filming that!” She said, clutching at her sides as she laughed. “You kept hopping from foot to foot like you were playing hopscotch. And then you just fell!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, L/N.” Even if Daveed tried to act irritated with his eye roll and crossed arms, he couldn't bite back the smile tugging at his mouth. If it had to be at his own expense, he didn't care, he just liked to hear her laugh.

“Oh, I used to love this song!” She suddenly perked up, eyes widened in excitement as she looked over at him. She skated a little closer to him, stopping and taking a hold of both his hands. Giving up control, he watched as she turned her back to him and lay his hands to rest on her hips. “Hold on and I'll pull you along!”

With that, she glided back out into the mass of people and Daveed allowed himself to be dragged behind her. He was enjoying the feel of her hips in his hands, the smell of her shampoo, the soft humming along to the song leaving her. He probably looked like a mad man to any on lookers from the size of his grin.

At some point, they'd both lost count of how many songs they'd skated to like this. Daveed had managed to get a little more comfortable working the skates yet he made sure to keep one hand holding on to his anchor at all times. Whether it was his hands on her hips or a hand on her shoulder or their hands intertwined, it made no real difference to the fact he just wanted to hold her. She gained more skill and had began even skating backwards, allowing Daveed the chance to watch how her face lit up in joy.

“There we go!” Y/N cheered him on gently. She'd convinced him to let go of her and test out skating by himself. She'd started out close enough for him to still grab on if needed but, after a few minutes of him safely moving, she'd skated a little further away from him. Her eyes had yet to leave him though, which pulled a blanket of comfort over him. “See? I told you you could do it!”

And as he continued moving his own feet, he was fixated by the way Y/N was gliding ahead of him, her back facing him. “Yeah,” He agreed, enjoying the praise she was giving. “I actually think I'm starting to-”

Crash!

“Daveed?” Confused, Y/N spun back around only to see Daveed hunched over on the floor, a group of younger kids moving around him and laughing at the fact he'd fallen over. She joined in on the laughter but not for long because Daveed was not attempting to stand up and, as she approached his side, she could hear the hisses of pain coming from him.

Sat with his legs spread out in front of him, Daveed was clutching his right arm to his chest and willing himself to get over the pain and just stand up. He was finally on a date with Y/N, goddammit, there was no way he was going to allow one pain in his wrist stop him from enjoying it.

That's at least what he thought, but he was wrong.

“Oh my god, D, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have taken my eyes off you-”

“I do like it when my girl only has eyes for me.”

“This is not the time for your awful flirting, Diggs!” She scolded him but he saw right through her, amusement hidden in way her lips twitched slightly and her cheeks flushed a light shade of red.

When the two had tried, and failed, to stand him back on his feet, a helpful stranger had offered to assist Y/N with getting Daveed back up off the floor, one of his arms flung over each of their shoulders. The man only left after Y/N reassured him she could handle Daveed from there, which translated into her tightly holding on to his left hand and, with extreme caution, dragging him over to the exit of the rink and back to the locker area.

It was only once she'd removed her skates and gotten her trainers back on that she noticed Daveed was struggling to get even one skate off. There was already some purple bruising forming on his wrist and, each time he so much as moved it, a hiss flew out of him. After having to remove his skates for him, Y/N more or less informed him they'd be going to the hospital, whether he liked it or not. She had driven and he had sulked over the fact that the date was very much over at this point.

Hours later, Daveed found himself laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip and with some outstanding pain killers coursing through his bloodstream. Meanwhile, sat just outside his room on the uncomfortable plastic chairs, were Y/N and Rafa. She'd called him mostly out of concern for Daveed but partly out of the boredom of waiting in the hall by herself, slowly getting high on the potent smell of fresh bleach.

“Excuse me.” The duo had bolted up straight in their respective seats at the sound of a woman's voice, no longer relaxing against each other as she dozed in and out of sleep and he scrolled through his phone. “Are you guys here for Mr. Diggs?”

“Yes.” Rafael answered as Y/N nodded her head, rubbing at her eyes and suppressing the yawn that was begging to be freed.

“He's ready for visitors.” At that, Y/N was suddenly wide awake and ready to stand up. “But, he just got out of surgery and might be feeling a bit lightheaded. I just thought I should warn you.”

Y/N had stood up and been well on her way to entering his room but stopped mid-step and turned back to Rafa. Verbal communication didn't seem necessary as Rafa signaled for her to go ahead without him. If she wasn't so desperate to see Daveed, she would have said thank you.

When she finally arrived at his room number, she found it with the door laying wide open and Daveed, sat up in his bed with the softest looking pillow against his back, a cast wrapped around his right arm and a pudding cup in his left hand. As he struggled to open it with his mouth, Y/N couldn't stop herself from giggling and made her presence known.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” His question was innocent, like the smile he wore.

“We never got to finish our date, I couldn't just leave.” Making her way over to his bedside, she gently stole the pudding from his hand and opened it in one go. When she spotted the plastic spoon left on his bed tray, she picked it up, dipped it into the pudding and brought it up to his mouth. “Open up, buttercup.”

“Nothing says date like a romantic, spoon fed dinner in a hospital.” Despite his verbal complaint, he still welcomed the pudding in happily and opened his mouth for more.

“So,” Y/N said, stealing a spoonful of pudding. “is it too soon to say I told you so?”

“Your lover is mortally wounded and that's all you can think of?”

“You're such a drama queen.” One more spoonful found it's way to his waiting mouth. “And since when are you my lover? You've yet to woo me on this date.”

“Don't need to woo you, you've been whipped for me since we met.” He was smug; and annoying; and arrogant; and, obviously, correct. “Don't forget, babe, Rafa filled me in on all your raging hormones and mushy feelings you've been hiding from me.”

“I do not have raging hormones for you!” She playfully shoved his good arm and he caught a hold of hers, pulling her closer to him. The angle wasn't the best, with her having to awkwardly hover over his hospital bed and him tilting his head up at her but neither of them attempted to move away.

“That's a shame, 'cause I have plenty for you.”

She wasn't given the chance to reply as Daveed had already closed the space between the two of them. She'd always imagined his lips to be soft, pillowy and, most of all, nice feeling against her own. All of that was an underestimation to reality. Shifting himself further up the bed, he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, nothing but her clothes and his hospital gown between them. When he was sure she wasn't going to pull away, or turn out to be some figment of his imagination, he deepened their kiss as she placed a hand on his cheek, her other resting on the bed behind him.

It was pure bliss, like a dehydrated man finally getting a glass of water or a tired woman at last getting some sleep. They'd both been needing, wanting, waiting so long for it to happen that, with the time now come, neither of them wanted to pull back and end the kiss. Luckily enough, neither she nor he would have to worry about doing that.

“That is for sure violating some kind of health code.”

Y/N could only laugh as Daveed through his pillow right at Rafael Casal.

#daveed x reader #daveed diggs #daveed diggs x reader #daveed diggs drabble #daveed diggs fanfiction #daveed diggs oneshot #daveed diggs imagine #daveed diggs scenario #daveed diggs fluff #daveed diggs hamilton #daveed diggs clipping.#valwrite #daveed diggs x y/n

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nerianasims · 3 years

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Billboard #1s 1971

Under the cut.

Tony Orlando & Dawn – “Knock Three Times” -- January 23, 1971

Lounge lizard smarm. Coming on to a neighbor who doesn't even know you is not going to end well, especially when you're bugging her by note in her own home.

The Osmonds – “One Bad Apple” -- February 13, 1971

Gah, another little kid singing a love song. And one that would be sleazy if it were sung by an adult. "I can tell you been hurt/ By that look on your face, girl/ Some guy brought a sad evening/ To your happy world." Or maybe she has indigestion. Or maybe that look on her face is because you're being a total creep at her. Go away, shut up, and grow up. This song is terrible.

Janis Joplin – “Me And Bobby McGee” -- March 20, 1971

Janis Joplin finished recording this song three days before she died. Always the good ones. In this case, a great one. This is one of my favorite songs.

The Temptations – “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” -- April 3, 1971

The narrator is in love with a woman he doesn't know. Whether the woman even exists is an open question. He's dreaming of finding a love to have a nice life with, "a little home in the country." The background strings give the song a fitting dreamy quality. Brilliant and moving.

Three Dog Night – “Joy To The World” -- April 17, 1971

I've loved this song since I was a little kid, and it's easy to see why. "Jeremiah was a bullfrog! Was a good friend of mine!" My favorite part now is "If I were the king of the world/ Tell you what I'd do/ I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the wars/ Make sweet love to you." It's a song I have to dance to (while sitting nowadays), and is another of my favorite songs.

The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar” -- May 29, 1971

Whoo boy. Okay so. I didn't know what the lyrics were to any part of this song but the chorus until a couple years ago. Mick Jagger was capable of singing clearly, but he chose to pull the marbles in the mouth technique on this one, and you can see why. If people had had the internet to look up the lyrics easily in 1971, would this have been a hit? I'm not qualified to say anything else about it.

The Honey Cone – “Want Ads” -- June 12, 1971

Her husband is cheating on her, so she plans to advertise for a replacement, specifically a "young and single and free" one. It's Motown, but not the best type. The chorus is memorable, and the song is fun, but it's nothing too special.

Carole King – “It’s Too Late” -- June 19, 1971

Carole King, with her husband Gerry Goffin, was one of the biggest songwriters of the 60s. By 1971, she'd divorced her husband and released one of the most successful albums ever, Tapestry. I've got the CD. It's a song about a breakup, but not heartbreak. They tried to make it, but it's over now. It's a resigned, adult song about some very tired people. It's not my favorite song on Tapestry; that's "I Feel the Earth Move." But it's a really good song.

Paul Revere & The Raiders – “Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)” -- July 24, 1971

Well, it's progress since "Running Bear" and "Custer" anyway. It's well-meaning, probably. And that's the only good thing I have to say about it. Moving on, as quickly as possible.

James Taylor – “You’ve Got A Friend” -- July 31, 1971

This is another Carole King song, and her version's on Tapestry. I prefer hers. It's a little faster, and I don't like James Taylor's voice.

The Bee Gees – “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” -- August 7, 1971

Speaking of voices I don't like. This is before the Bee Gees got into disco. I think the song itself is probably pretty okay. But the way the Bee Gees sing it is too slow and overly mannered. At least there’s no falsetto.

Paul & Linda McCartney – “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” -- September 4, 1971

Um... what? I think this is Paul apologizing to what the Baby Boomers would later decree was the "Greatest Generation." Sort of. There's a bit of "sorry not sorry" about it too. It hardly feels like an intentional song at all though. More like Linda and Paul were screwing around in the studio.

Donny Osmond – “Go Away Little Girl” -- September 11, 1971

Seriously? Okay, Donny Osmond is a little boy, and a little boy telling a "little girl" to go away is more odd than creepy. But also, he's already in a committed relationship and so doesn't want to be tempted to cheat when he's what, twelve at most? Sheesh. People's taste is a mystery to me.

Rod Stewart – “Maggie May” -- October 2, 1971

UM. An older woman lured a young man away from home. A really young man. A really, really young man. Not a man, but a boy. He's obviously supposed to be under 18 -- I'd guess 16 at most. The lyrics are very much about grooming. It's musically good. And the lyrics don't excuse Maggie or anything. But it's not a song I want to listen to a lot either, considering the subject matter.

Cher – “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” -- November 6, 1971

I had no idea "gypsy" was a slur until a few years ago, or even that it was connected with the Romani people. I think most Americans probably still don't know. And they really didn't know in 1971. The narrator probably is not Romani, but who knows. The point of the song is that she's part of an underclass that's insulted and abused, but then "every night, all the men would come around and lay their money down." A 21 year old man seduces her when she's 16 and now she's pregnant, and he's nowhere to be found. What else is an underclass for, after all? Cher sings the hell out of it. So that's two songs in a row about an adult sexually exploiting a teenager.

Isaac Hayes – “Theme From Shaft“ -- November 20, 1971

Some levity is welcome. Especially when it's this good. Damn right.

Sly & The Family Stone – “Family Affair” -- December 4, 1971

This song has a slow funk beat. Slow for funk. It's also kinda repetitive. As for the lyrics, I don't know what's going on. It starts seeming like it's going to be about how kids in a family can turn out different, but they're still family so everyone's gonna love each other any way. Then it veers off into newlyweds who are still checking each other out. I think. And then... I don't get it. The song sounds good though, whatever it's about.

Melanie – “Brand New Key” -- December 25, 1971

Roller skates used to have keys. My mom liked Melanie, so she had an album with this on it, and so this song is how I learned about that. Also, I'm pretty sure this song is about sex. "I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates/ You've got a brand new key/ I think we should get together/ And try them out you see." It's a bouncy, fun little song.

BEST OF 1971: "Me And Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin WORST OF 1971: "One Bad Apple" by The Osmonds

#billboard number ones

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badlypostedeverything · 4 years

Text

Playing Dress Up

read part one here

tw: Vomit, Panic attack, Knife

July 10th 2016

“Level two, you’re here,” Jack announces, letting the doors slide open.

The hero hasn’t spoken since his request for a pair of glasses back in the control room hallway, gripping the rail with white knuckles. Angus doesn’t know what to say so he doesn’t say anything at all. Expertly avoiding his eyes, a feat made easy by the fact Jackieboy’s are fixed on the floor, he stays silent all the way out into the hallway, where it becomes too awkward.

"This is level two, rooms and stuff. I’d guess you can take one of the empty ones.”

“Shut up,” Jackieboy whispers, still staring at the floor, fists balled. Angus frowns.

“What, did I do something wrong?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know? I just need you to leave me alone,” he spits through clenched teeth. Angus surveys him, coming to the realisation that he resembles a scared animal.

“Hey, are you okay, I know you’re probably pretty scared right now but-”

“Please, just leave me alone. Let me out of here,” Jackieboy takes off down one of the hallways, throwing himself through a door and letting out a sob. Against his immediate instinct to follow him, Angus decides to leave him alone for now. He doesn’t have to imagine how crazy it is to wake up on a spacecraft, but he never went through being told you were a brother, being told your life wasn’t real and that some guy had created you, only to throw you away. Angus had had time by himself to work it out, asking Jack where he needed clarification. Jackieboyman had been woken up to the full truth. It’s a lot to take in, especially for a kid.

Angus stands in the hallway for a while, unsure what to do. Finally, he hears a series of retching noises coming from the room and decides he’s waited long enough.

“Hey,” he peers around the doorframe. Jackieboy is sitting curled up in the corner of the bare room, clutching at his torn off mask and taking shallow, shaky breaths in between sobs. He looks up when Angus comes in, wiping his nose with the clean part of his sleeve. “Do you need to talk about it?”

“Leave me alone,” Jackie rubs his throat, shaking.

“Listen, I know this is probably pretty weird for you-”

“Go away.”

“But I’m right here and we’re going to get through this together,” he squats down, avoiding the sick and reaching out a hand to rub Jackie’s shoulder.

“Get out!” Jackie throws his mask at him, turning his face away. “I just want to wake up.”

“Wake up?” Angus stands back, not knowing whether to keep trying to comfort him or not.

“This has got to be a dream, right? I’ll wake up and we’ll never have even met, and, and I won’t be in a fucking spaceship,” he spits, pulling his legs closer to himself.

“So you’re pretty stressed about being up here, huh?” Angus, against his better judgement, sits down beside his brother, placing an arm carefully around him. He doesn’t resist. “Maybe we can pretend you aren’t then. What if we just said this is a big sci-fi replica and we can leave anytime we want.”

“We. Can’t.”

“I know that. You know that, but maybe we can unknow that?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He either laughs or coughs, which is still an improvement on hyperventilating.

“I mean what if you and me went out there and pretended we were just in a normal place. We can get you cleaned up and find some glasses if you want.” Jackie considers for a minute.

“This doesn’t mean I like you,” he reminds Angus, attempting to stand. “I hate you and this place, and the sooner I can’t see either, the better.”

“Fine, and I’m just helping you out so I don’t have to smell puke every time I get out of the elevator,” Angus keeps his hand firmly around Jackie as they move slowly to the door. Jackie’s legs are still getting used to being able to move in the real world, a feeling Angus can still remember. He guides him down the hallway and into the bathroom, pressing a button in the side of the wall to activate an unlocking mechanism for the airing cupboard full of towels and flannels.

“Thanks,” Jackie huffs reluctantly.

“I’ll stick around outside. Yell when you’re ready,” he walks out into the hallway, hoping for a pleasant response. Behind him, he hears the door slam and the water start to splatter onto the shower floor. Sighing, he turns down a different hallway and into the chill room.

“Jack, can you redo room seven as a clothing storage?” Angus asks, pacing the length of the area. The first time, he’d asked for room seven to be turned into a hunting equipment bay but he hasn’t been back in since sometime last year. Looking at the rows of gear only makes him wish for a real place to use them.

“Transformation pending, captain,” Jack informs him. “Do you want anything kept from the old room? There are plenty of things which suit your interests.”

“But you know what doesn’t? This spaceship,” Angus reminds him. “Wipe it all out and give us a good selection of clothes.”

“Oh, so you’ve finally realised that a t-shirt over a polo shirt looks shitty. Good, I’ll prepare you some valid selections.”

“Shut up,” Angus protests. “I bet if you had a body you’d dress worse.”

“On second thoughts, I think I’ll keep the hunting knife in this room for you, captain. For the fond memories of the first time I talked to you, and you threatened to skin me with it.”

“Bastard,” he laughs under his breath. “Let me know when you’re finished.”

“Roger that, cap.” Jack’s vocal program goes offline as he begins to evaporate and regenerate the contents of the room down the hall. With that sorted, Angus walks to the kettle, switching it on. He pulls a loaf of plastic wrapped bread out of the cupboard and butters a few slices, setting them down on the workbench for Jackie before turning back around to wait for him in the hallway, dreading the inevitable confrontation once he emerges from the shower.

“Hey,” Angus greets him when he finally appears. “Feeling any better?”

“I guess,” Jackie holds both of his towels close to himself, one around his waist and one around his shoulders. Angus thinks he sees a patch of purple spreading from his upper arm, but he can’t be sure. Besides, now isn’t exactly a time to pry.

“So you’ll follow me down here?”

“I guess,” Jackie repeats.

“I think you’re gonna like this one, captain,” Jack tells them. Jackie recoils, clinging to Angus without realising.

“Who was that? Are there other people here?”

“Nah, just you and me. That’s Jack, he’s the sentient computer.”

“Hello, Jackieboyman,” Jack offers.

“Uh, hi?”

“Come on, this way,” Angus gestures for him to follow. Jackie lets go of him but follows along anyway, face setting back into it’s scowl.

“Opening room seven,” the door unlocks. Angus pushes it open and stands back, letting Jackie be the first one to view it’s new contents.

“So, what do you think?” He grins, proud to be showing off the ship, even if it is to someone who seems to hate him.

“Wow. Just wow,” Jackie replies, awestruck. Angus takes a look himself. The room is split into three levels of height, all leading up to a big mirror in the center, as well as a few bean bags lying around. “So I can take any of this stuff?”

“Anything you want to wear,” Angus assures him. Despite the offer, Jackie stays pressed against the wall, looking unsure of himself. “Come on, see look!” Angus takes a leap up onto the second level, pulling a yellow floral dress off of the rack and holding it up against himself. “What do you think of this? Does it bring out my eyes?” He can tell that Jackie is trying not to laugh.

“Mmm,” he tries to keep up his annoyed attitude.

“Oh, I know what would go with it, hold on,” he dives into the rack, scrambling around long enough to find what he is looking for. He emerges in a feather boa and a large straw hat, looking ridiculous against his unshaved face and outdoorsy clothing. Jackie cracks up. “No? Not a good look?”

“No, not really, and that’s coming from someone who can’t see.” Angus pretends to frown.

“Alright, now will you come and choose something?”

“I don’t really remember what I like,” Jackie admits.

“Well, what do you like doing? Dance? Rollerskating? Why don’t we find you something you can move around in. What kinda colours do you like?”

“Red,” he says quietly, allowing himself to be guided up to the third level. “And dark blue.” “Any of this catch your eye?” Angus asks, gesturing around the jeans and bomber jackets, all of the stuff he’d imagine a teenager to wear.

“Can I get something softer?”

“Oh, sure! Like any of these?” He brings him over to a rail of sweatpants, hoodies, and sweaters. In the end, he picks out some grey track pants, a pair of basketball shorts, plain blue t-shirts, a bright red hoodie, and a maroon sweater. Angus promises he can take another look once he’s figured himself out a little more.

“What next?” Jackie asks, finally comfortable in Angus’ presence and changed into his new clothes, plus a springy pair of blue sneakers.

“Well, there’s one more thing for you,” Angus shows him over to a blank panel of wall. “Now I want you to repeat after me. ‘Jack, open glasses case for Jackieboyman.’”

“Could you call me Jackie? I feel kinda weird going by a superhero name.”

“Alright, sure. Now ask him.”

“Jack, open glasses case for Jackie,” he addresses the ceiling awkwardly.

“Coming right up,” Jack replies, letting a panel of the wall slide open. Inside are two lenses in a glass box, as well as several different styles of frames. Jackie immediately picks out a perfectly round rose gold pair, slotting the lenses in and pushing them up his nose.

“How do I look?”

“Better than me in a dress, I’d say.”

“No, seriously. Do I look like you? Like him?” He pushes his still damp hair into the way their creator wears it. Angus ruffles it back into it’s lime green mess.

“You look better. Like my brother.”

“So we’re good?”

“We’re good. Come on, I’ll make us a sandwich before we find you a room,” Angus lets Jackie leave first, following close behind. He still isn’t sure what they’re supposed to be as a team, but at least he’s glad that whatever it is, it isn’t enemies. Maybe having a brother will turn out okay.

#spacestation au #log set 1: failings of brotherhood #tw knife #tw vomit #tw panic attack

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 7 years

Text

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 25

(aka the royalty AU story)

Huh, these are some adorable characters we’ve got here, right? It would be a shame if something... happened to them... >:D

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24] [AO3]

The summer holidays began, and most of the students returned to their home countries for the long break. Kim left with Marinette and went to Cheng, and Max and Alix took the ocean liner to the northern port before going their separate ways.

It wasn’t that the journey made Alix feel irritable and tired, since she had taken that journey before and it wasn’t even that long. Perhaps it had been the fact that she hadn’t yet caught up on the sleep she missed the other night, where her brain had kept her awake for hours trying to think of how to let Kim down as gently as possible.

Considering this was the first year of her life she’d actually had any close friends, she had found herself more terrified of losing Kim’s friendship than she had realized. In fact, if he hadn’t run off immediately after confessing to her then she probably would have just agreed to be his sweetheart on the spot, just to keep him around. At least she’d had more time to think it over and trust that he hadn’t just been using their friendship to get close to her. No, he was a good friend, he understood that she didn’t feel the same way and was fine with it. Thank goodness for that.

The entourage of guards and press that turned up at the airport for her arrival did nothing to help her rather sour mood. Once she got home she was greeted by her family, then thankfully allowed to do as she pleased for the rest of the day. She decided to go rollerskating, hoping that would make her feel a little better.

She was just stepping out into the corridor from the throne room when it hit – a sudden surge of emotion, so strong she wasn’t even sure what it was at first. Anger? Fear? Helplessness? It felt like a mix of all three, so powerful she felt dizzy.

“Are you alright?” Jalil asked her. “You look really ill suddenly… really pale…”

Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. Maybe this was a panic attack? She had heard of those. But then again, nothing seemed to have caused it… was that possible?

“You should take a nap,” he continued. “I’ll wake you up before dinner if you want.”

Alix nodded, unable to speak. She went down to her room and lay on the bed, not really expecting to be able to fall asleep considering how she was feeling, but her lack of recent sleep managed to overpower it within seconds.

She should have known that her sudden bad mood would be an indicator that her dreams were going to turn into those creepy, haunting ones again. This time it wasn’t ambiguous at all – it was a nightmare, and not just any nightmare, but the most vivid, realistic nightmare she’d ever had in her life. Bolting upright, tears streaming down her cheeks, she could only remember one thing.

Her snake beheaded.

The poor innocent queen cobra, its head having been cut off and lying beside the rest of its body.

Dead.

She scrambled out of bed and climbed into the snake enclosure, practically blinded by her tears but not caring. She just needed to find her snake. The nightmare couldn’t have been real, surely that couldn’t have happened, her snake couldn’t have been decapitated–

Oh thank goodness, there it was. Dropping to her knees, she picked it up and hugged it as best as she could. Kim the First was alive and well, head firmly attached to the rest of its scaly body. Seeming to sense her terror, it curled up around her reassuringly.

She couldn’t help breaking down into tears. It was only a dream, she knew that, it wasn’t real, but for some reason the emotions she felt were just not going away. She was just so scared, so afraid of what would happen if her snake really died, especially as brutally as that, so angry at anyone who would potentially do something like that, so upset and not knowing what to do…

At some point Jalil came into the room, expecting to wake her up from her nap in time for dinner, but he instead discovered her sitting in the snake enclosure, clinging onto her pet snake for dear life and still sobbing all over it.

“I h-had a nightmare,” she said before he could ask. “Snake… beheaded…”

Her eyes were still burning with so many tears that she could hardly see, but it looked like her brother was climbing into the snake enclosure too. Sure enough within a few seconds she felt him hugging her, just like he used to do when she’d had nightmares as a little kid.

“It wasn’t real,” he reassured her. “It was just a bad dream.”

“But… what if…”

“Shhh, don’t dwell on it. You’ll forget about it soon enough. It was just a nightmare.”

“Or a vision!” She stroked her precious pet’s scales, vowing silently she would never take it for granted ever again. “It was just… so r-realistic… I’ve n-never had a dream like that before! I’m s-scared!”

“It’s okay. It seemed like you were ill earlier, maybe that’s why you had such a weird dream. You just need more rest. It’ll be alright.”

“But snake lifespans! Shorter than h-humans… he’s gonna… he’s gonna d-die someday and I just… I can’t… take that… I’m gonna break, Jalil! I can’t live without this snake!”

She burst into fresh tears, fairly certain she had never cried this hard before in her life. Why was she even feeling so irrationally terrified over a nightmare? Normally she was never afraid of anything!

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Jalil said. “For now at least this snake’s here to stay, okay? I promise. Everything will be fine.”

It sounded so hollow to her somehow. How did he know everything would be fine? He didn’t, that was what! He was only saying that to make her feel better, and it didn’t work whatsoever. Terrified, upset, angry, exhausted… she was filled with so many emotions it felt like she was going to burst. Had she ever felt this bad before? Not that she could remember.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to dinner,” said Jalil, “since you’re feeling so unwell. Just stay here for now and I’ll have some food brought in for you, okay?”

“Okay…”

He patted her on the back and then left the room, leaving her alone with the snake. She tried to stop her tears but nothing seemed to work, like her brain had gone into shock and completely refused to listen to her.

Hopefully she would forget about this nightmare soon, right? She would get over it, and in a few days she would look back and laugh at how silly she had been. That would happen, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it?

Imperial Prince Adrien returned home to find his governess Nathalie standing at the top of the big marble staircase above the entrance hall, looking down over him with a much more serious expression than usual.

“Adrien, did you bring all your possessions back home with you?”

“Yes, why?”

“You may unpack them all fully. You won’t be needing to take them back to school.”

The porters at his side immediately began opening the various boxes of luggage, hauling things out.

“Why?” Adrien asked again.

“Your father, His Imperial Majesty, has decided it is best for you to remain here in Agreste from now on. In September you will not be returning to school, nor ever again.”

The words took a few seconds to sink in. He wasn’t allowed back to school…? Ever? It was like a sudden punch to the gut.

“Why can’t I go to school?” he asked, shocked to hear his voice cracking a little. “I love it there! I have so many friends, and I’m learning so much, and–”

“I’m afraid it’s not up to me,” Nathalie said, not looking him in the eye. “It is your father’s decision. You know he never wanted you to leave Agreste in the first place.”

“But what’s wrong with school?”

“During the most recent holidays your father noticed that your attitude seems to have changed. He does not think it a good change. If you stay here, away from the nobility and the riff-raff of lower ranks, you can learn to be… more like him.”

“But it’s not fair! Why didn’t he ask me? Or tell me earlier? I want to stay at school, I like having some freedom, I–”

“I believe this is what the emperor meant by your attitude having changed,” she said, looking down at the ground by her feet. “This carefree, spirited attitude, wanting to rebel and have your way all the time...”

Adrien glared up at her, wanting to yell at her, but he stopped himself. It was not Nathalie’s fault. She was just the messenger, and it didn’t look like she was happy about this outcome either. Anyway, hadn’t this same thing happened to Kim after the spring holidays? Perhaps Adrien could get out of it with some persuasion too.

He took a deep breath and then said, as clear and commanding as possible, “I would like to speak to my father about this.”

“Your father is abroad at the moment, directing the troops in the 7th region. He may not be back for some months yet, and he has already made sure to inform me that no amount of clever debating will change his mind – you are ‘grounded’, as the commoners put it. No leaving the palace. Do not even enter the palace grounds without permission, or you will have to stay in your room until your father deems you fit to leave.”

Grounded? Grounded was for people who weren’t being forced into living up to a duty that was thrust upon them, just because they wanted some friends and an education that wasn’t just propaganda. This was on another level entirely.

But wait… 7th region? In the colonies?

“What’s father doing in the colonies?” he asked. “He’s not taking over more land, is he?”

“…I’m not sure.”

That meant yes.

“But he should be back within the year,” she continued. “There are some issues in the region that he wanted to see to personally, so he went there himself.”

“What issues? Kim said that region’s too dangerous, that’s why he can’t go back home right now, so isn’t it too dangerous for father too?”

Nathalie shuffled on her feet nervously. “It may be more dangerous for citizens of Lê Chiến in that region than of Agreste.”

He felt his heart sinking. “What’s going on, Nathalie? What is father up to? Kim says there’s increasing hostilities between Agreste and Lê Chi��n, is it because father did something?”

“The information is classified, so I really don’t think I should–”

“Please! Kim’s my friend, I have to know! I want him to be safe!”

She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. “Fine. I don’t know everything about it, but there were plans for peace between the two nations. The emperor was going to return a part of the 7th region. However, the leaders of Lê Chiến were unhappy because upon inspection, all the natural resources of that area had been stripped, leaving it essentially worthless and unable to even be used as farmland.”

“You mean we took their land, wasted it all up until it was unusable, then tried to give it back to them under the guise of a peace offering?”

“It does sound rather harsh when you put it like that, but yes. The leaders of Lê Chiến have been asking for a piece of land that is not completely barren, but our empire cannot afford to give any away. Your father is directing troops to find more land, especially since much of the area is filled with jewel mines which would be good to have under the empire’s control.”

“So he is taking more land,” Adrien muttered through clenched teeth. “And what about Kim? Why is it unsafe for him to go back home?”

“There have been skirmishes at the borders,” Nathalie said, looking uncomfortable. “Ever since the troops have been stationed in the area, there has been an increase in raids and attacks on merchants and traders carrying supplies in and out of Lê Chiến…”

“The troops are trying to stop trade from getting into Lê Chiến? Please tell me father’s gone to stop them.”

She looked even more uncomfortable now. “Well actually, I highly doubt he disapproves of their behaviour… he might indeed be encouraging of it…”

“You know what, I’m not even surprised,” Adrien snapped. “It’s no wonder no one at school liked me at first, when our empire goes and does things like this without me even knowing.”

“Adrien, running an empire is a matter of strength, and–”

“Oh come on, I know you don’t really believe that. You’re just saying that because my father made you say it!” He began stomping off towards his bedroom.

“Wait, Adrien! You have a schedule to attend to!”

“I don’t feel well. Leave me alone!”

Storming away into his room, seething, he realized that was the first time in his life he’d had an outburst of anger like that. Maybe he had grown a backbone at school, surrounded by others who were not afraid to speak their mind. It felt… freeing.

But that did not solve any problems. He was still stuck at home indefinitely, and Kim was still in danger. Not to mention Kim’s kingdom, which would soon end up Agreste territory if he didn’t do something soon. But what? How could he do anything when his own father refused to let him leave the palace?

Meanwhile, Kim himself was not having a much better time. Cheng was absolutely lovely, he had been there before and was welcomed with open arms, but so many things were playing on his mind that it was hard for him to enjoy himself here like he usually did.

“What’s the matter?” Marinette asked him, finding him leaning on a balcony railing one day, watching the royal guards at their practice. “You seem so weirdly distant.”

“I miss home,” Kim mumbled. He stared off into the distance, the rolling hills fading away into the horizon. Lê Chiến was in that direction. So close, yet so far. “I wish I could go back, I don’t even know when I can… and I’m worried about its safety…”

Marinette put a comforting arm around him. “That’s understandable. It’s been a long time since you’ve been there, hasn’t it? I’d miss home so much too if I was away that long. And I don’t know much about the safety situation at all, that must be stressful to think about. But I’ll do my best to make your stay here as fun as possible in the meantime. Is there anything in particular you need me to do?”

“Nah, it’s fine, you’re already being awesome… so is your family…” He looked back down at the royal guard practice. “Hey Mari? Who’s that one who’s delivering the food? That one in the corner with the basket…”

Marinette peered over the balcony edge. “Oh, him? It’s just Bluebell. One of the servants. Why?”

“Huh? No reason…” He rested his head on his arms and continued watching the practice. Or rather, watching the servant handing out fresh fruit to everyone. Bluebell… what a cute name.

“I think there is a reason,” Marinette said, smirking. “If you want me to set you up with Bluebell you can just ask.”

“W-what? Haha no, I’m not… I just…” He sighed. “Okay, yeah, he’s kind of cute. And I guess that means you probably noticed somehow that I like guys. But… it’s not like I know anything about him, and… I just… I’m trying to get over someone else, and… well…”

“Kim, the truth is I saw you and Adrien kissing at the winter party – you’re both so tall that the chairs didn’t exactly hide you. So yes, I guessed you like guys. And I can also guess who you’re trying to get over, considering how much you’re always drooling over Alix like some kind of… anyway, I know you like her.”

“Yeah, well it’s not happening, so I’d better fall for someone else quickly so I can carry on being her friend without feeling like a total creep.”

“Aw Kim, you’re not a creep! It’s okay to have a crush on a friend. Nino has a crush on me, and I don’t think he’s a creep. You’re only a creep if you be creepy, and you are definitely not doing that. It’s clear you care about her a lot as a friend. That’s a good thing.”

Kim smiled at her. “Thanks, Marinette. You always know the right thing to say.”

“Noooo, I so don’t! I can’t even speak a full sentence around Adrien! I’ve just known you since forever, that’s why it’s easy to talk to you. You’re like… like a cousin to me. Or some kind of long-lost brother. And I’m going to help you feel better if I can. So, want me to set you up with Bluebell? He’s really nice from what I know of him!”

“I don’t know, he’s a boy so I don’t think that would go down well…”

“And he has a twin sister who is also really cute, for the record.”

“Really? Okay. I’ll… I’ll just meet them then. That would be cool.”

“Nice!” Marinette held out her fist for a fist bump, and Kim happily obliged.

Over the rest of the summer holidays things had not improved at all for Alix – in fact they had just gotten worse. The nightmare about her snake was still haunting her almost all the time. Whenever she closed her eyes she could see the image of her poor decapitated pet, like it was branded onto the insides of her eyelids, forcing her to relive it over and over again. She took her snake with her everywhere for its protection, refusing to let anyone else touch it. There was no way she was taking any chances.

Her odd moods did not improve either, and though she tried her best to shake it off as normal teenage mood swings, it was clearly something else entirely. What was wrong with her? It was like she was steadily feeling more and more unstable, confined, impulsive, exhausted…

It made her so ill she ended up being let off her pharaoh duties many days, just because she looked so tired. On these days she would take her skates and leave the palace, just needing to get out for a while and clear her head. Why was she feeling so weird closed in, anyway? It wasn’t like she was grounded or anything, she could do what she wanted.

Over the weeks she found herself spending more and more time with her brother, for some reason feeling like she missed him even though he was clearly right there. It was somewhat nostalgic, in fact. Just like things had been when they were younger. She had hoped maybe it would make her feel better, but it really didn’t at all. Her mood just continued to deteriorate.

At some point during the holidays Max had come to visit with some trade shipments. Alix had told him everything, about the horrific dream and the way it still made her feel ill even all these weeks later. He suggested it might be school stress catching up to her, or a spell of anxiety disorder, or something like that – but that there was probably nothing to worry about, and queen cobra lifespans were long enough that the snake would be around for at least another 15 years or so. That didn’t really reassure her.

The weeks passed, and things just got worse and worse, until one fateful night very near the end of the holidays. She had a dream that she couldn’t remember exactly, but it was definitely something to do with the snake pond where she had adopted her pet snake from in the first place. Being asleep, dreaming about that place, that wasn’t so bad. The trouble started when she suddenly woke up in the quietest hours of the night.

Her hand… it felt like it was burning. As if someone had stuck a hot needle into the back of it. She sat up and squinted at it in the darkness, but there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with it. Lying back down she tried to go back to sleep.

The pain in her hand suddenly tripled in intensity, shooting up her arm like there was lava in her veins. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She sat up again and looked back at her arm, but there was still nothing there. Rubbing her hand and trying to get the pain to stop, she felt violent tingles running through her arm all the way up to her shoulder, so painful it made her stomach heave.

She held back a sob and pushed herself out of bed. It felt like her feet were made out of lead, and her ears were ringing so much it was like she was going to faint. She managed to crawl into the snake enclosure where her beloved snake was already waiting for her, having sensed that something seemed to be very wrong. It slithered over to her and wrapped itself around her, hissing soothingly as she clutched her stinging arm, struggling to breathe through the pain.

She hoped whatever it was would have stopped by now, but it continually increased. Spikes of pain kept stabbing at her arm, making her feel sick, making her wish she could just tear her whole arm free of her shoulder socket just to get away from it. Minutes passed, and still there was no end in sight. It hurt so much she curled up into a ball and bit down on the skin on her knees, hoping it would distract her. Surprisingly she barely even felt it. It was nothing compared to how excruciating the pain in her arm was, after all.

What was even happening? Had she done something to her arm without realizing? She couldn’t even remember now, not when her brain was so fogged up and her entire arm felt like it was on fire. Maybe she should go call someone for help, but the prospect of getting up, actually moving, needing to speak… it was too daunting. She was immobilized, paralyzed, completely overcome with fear and pain. The only thing she could do was cry, feeling terror overwhelm her every time the pain kicked it up a notch, like the very blood in her arm was curdling and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Of course she was no stranger to pain. Living an active lifestyle meant she’d had her fair share of injuries. But she had never, ever suffered anything nearly as bad as whatever was happening now. And every time she thought it couldn’t get any worse, that surely it had to stop now, it somehow managed to exceed itself.

How had she not passed out yet? Or thrown up yet? Or died? Surely she was going to die. No human being could ever go through something so horrendously agonizing, for so long, and live to tell the tale. No, she was definitely going to die, not even knowing the reason why, not even caring at this point. All she wanted was for the pain to stop.

It did not stop. For what felt like hours, days, years, it continued. She gave up trying to fight it and just lay in the enclosure with the snake, crying. No one deserved to come to such a painful, torturous end. No one.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain finally subsided. It went away as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving Alix confused and exhausted. She wiped away her tears and lay back down, falling asleep right there in the snake enclosure.

Thank goodness she was alive. Whatever that had been, she never wanted to experience it ever again. Or any pain at all, for that matter. It hadn’t left a visible mark, but she was certainly not going to be able to forget that in a hurry, much like the nightmare about her snake being beheaded that she’d had right at the start of the holidays. It was probably going to haunt her forever.

Was there any possible way to ask Master Fu about this at the oracle session? She needed answers. But the students could not ask him questions about the past, it had to be about the future. Surely, though, there had to be some way she could find out what was going on?

She would just have to think about it.

#yessss i finally updated this. told you it would get more serious from now on #me @myself: YOU RUINED A PERFECTLY COOL CHICK IS WHAT YOU DID #LOOK AT HER. SHE'S GOT ANXIETY #(well kinda) (i swear all the weird spooky stuff will make sense soon)#you can always tell which characters are my favourites by how disproportionately mean i am to them #i love Angst and Pain and Suffering #royalty au #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #le chien kim #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alix kubdel #random stuff #the misadventures of prince kim #aish writes

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