#one who appeared only in a couple of flashbacks or dreams
Note
If I remember correctly you created Machete around 2007-2008. But when did you create Vasco? (I'm sorry of this has been asked before, I couldn't find anything)
First finished pictures of Vasco are from 2018, but even before that I had been thinking it would be interesting if Machete had had one (1) romantic relationship in his youth before he was ordained. I just didn't have a name and design for him yet.
In the earliest sketches of Vasco, he first looked a little bit like a bordercollie, then like a spaniel or a setter. He had a darker color palette as well, sort of chestnut brown with white markings, but combined with the overpowering whiteness of Machete he looked kind of impassionate and drab, so I kept making him warmer and lighter until he became the golden boy he is today. The name came later, I just thought Vasco sounded friendly and charismatic. (Also the old finnish word 'vaski' means brass and bronze, and even if it's a tedious connection and doesn't factor into their canon at all, it felt too fitting to me personally and I had to go with it).
#answered#anonymous#he was meant to be an absent character#one who appeared only in a couple of flashbacks or dreams#but the fact he used to be there and then wasn't was something that still influenced Machete#how he viewed love and other people and himself#Vasco wasn't supposed to show up again but he sort of elbowed himself back into the story and into a central position just last summer#really switched up things you could say#I originally imagined him to be more cocky and entitled and thrill seeking#but he mellowed out pretty instantly#I like him a lot better as a genuinely good and sincere person#maybe partially because you wouldn't expect someone that coddled and spoiled to have a sense of empathy and a working moral compass?
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Fictober23 Prompt: 6 - "I can't wait for you."
Fandom: DPxDC
Rating: T
Warnings: Mentions of blood and injury
Danny stared at the stars above his head, sitting on top of Fenton Works. Even after a week his arm still tingled with phantom pains from his accident. In his left hand was a dagger he hadn't looked at in years now. Was it 6 or 7 years? Danny couldn't really remember. He had been too young when he had made his first decision for himself only.
The fingertips of his right hand traced imaginary patterns over the blade as his eyes searched out different constellations in the night sky. 7 years ago, he would have never imagined for himself a future where he was allowed to follow his own dreams. A week ago he had talked about his dream of becoming an astronaut, exploring the vast space that existed just outside of their own stratosphere.
Now after that the lab accident he had he felt like another dream had gotten shattered by the wheels of fate. It wasn't even his past life from before the Fentons that shattered these dreams, in the way he had feared in the first couple of years after coming to live with them. It where times like these when he would dug out the dagger to take it with him to see the stars.
His eyes turned from the stars to the blade in his hand.
It was a special blade his biological mother had ordered when she learned about having twins. The blade itself was only one half. The flat surface of the handle and the blade on one side while the other appeared like a high quality blade and greatly decorated handle, spoke of the missing part. His dagger was only half of a dagger, the other half was with his twin.
This was the only thing he had taken with him when he had left at the tender age of 5 or was it six? His memory was blurry and back then celebrating your birthday wasn't as big of a deal as it was in the life he had gained with Fentons.
At times Danny wondered why he had been the only one to see it. His twin had gone through the same teachings, the same lessons, the same training, the same mission. Yet Danny had been the only one who saw the way their grandfather really was. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the brainwashing. Danny had seen it all and realized it pretty soon and when he had talked with his twin about it?
He had hit a wall. Grandfather knows what he's doing. Stop imagining things, Danyal.
"I can't wait for you. Damian, if you can't see what I do, then I can no longer stay here and wait."
These were the last words he had said to his twin after another argument about their grandfather gaslighting them about a mission result. It was right there and then that Danny decided he needed to leave and that he did.
Somehow, as a five years old he had managed to get all the way to America before they found him again. And when he refused to come back they, his grandfather's mans, attacked without remorse. After all it was better to get rid of loose ends than to let them frail your masterpiece.
But ending up near death in the middle of a forest where the Fentons happen to be camping was his luck back then. They probably thought that he wouldn't make it, that Danny wouldn't have the will to continue barely breathing in his own pool of blood but Danny proved them wrong. He did have the will and he had continued crawling until Jazz had found him.
That was how his life had changed the first time. The Fentons took him in, allowed him to dream and to build a future and family of his own. Now this lap accident was making changes to his life again and Danny couldn't help but think back to his previous life. "I wonder if Damian finally saw what I did or if he still is under grandfather's influence…"
Months later Danny was introduced to an apparent family friend of his parents. One Danny felt was too much of a fruitloop and gave him concerning flashbacks to his grandfather but was still easier to deal with. But following all the incidence of conflicts with the fruitloop was also a moment to which said fruitloop somehow convinced his parents to let him drag Danny to a Gala.
Danny hadn't paid any attention to the guests of this gala, no he had taken the first chance he got to escape the way Sam had advised him before to do, and fled to a balcony. Breathing in the clear night air Danny loosened the tie he was made to wear. He did not notice the soft click of the balcony door behind him.
"Danyal." Danny whirled around and pulled out a hidden blade he kept on his person more out of habit than anything else. He hadn't heard his name spoken like that in years, even the fruitloop and a more American dialect when it came to saying his name.
He froze at the mirror image with green eyes that stood before him. That couldn't be could it?
"Damian?" The other teen nodded and Danny only relaxed his stance ever so slightly. His shoulders were still tense and he was still ready to spring into action or use his ghost powers to escape if needed.
Neither of them spoke a word as they took in each other's appearance and Danny hid a small chuckle as his twin clicked his tongue at his defensive stance, crossing his arms.
"I see, you still have that half of a dagger mother had made for us."
"The only thing I took with me when I left."
His twin clicked his tongue once more before reaching into a hidden pocket and pulling out the other half of that dagger. Showing that he also had kept his half of it throughout all these years.
"There is no longer a need for you to wait, Danyal."
Danny blinked and completely dropped his defensive stance, hearing the unspoken words. He let a small smile tuck his lips upwards. It appears that there was a lot he had to catch up on with his twin.
"I never waited to begin with Damian. I ghosted you right after." He chuckled lightly, knowing his brother wouldn't understand until later.
"Don't lie, Danyal. You took your half of the dagger with you." His brother frowned before smirking at him. "You said you couldn't wait anymore but taking it with you was clearly telling me that you would still do so anyway."
#fictober23#danny fenton#danny phantom#damian wayne#Demon twin AU#dp x dc#dpxdc#crossover#dcxdp#fanfic#Danny has left the Leauge on his own when he was just a child#He saw how manipulative they were#Damian only realized later what his brother saw#they meet at a gala again after years apart#A little angst with a sorta happy ending#Vlad unintentionally helped Danny reuniting with his family#the bats and birds did not know about Danny until then#To Damian's Defense... they never asked#Bruce is going to have another crisis#Damian never believed Danny was dead#he knew his twin best after all#Danny was just waiting for Damian
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okay. so. overall i loved this latest twst update but there were a couple things i didn't 100% love and i'll talk about one of them in this post: the shroud parents being so nice and loving and helpful seriously threw me off last time they appeared because i thought they always seemed so emotionally distant before. both from how idia talked about them on occasion and how they never once appeared in his very lengthy, two-part overblot flashback, not when he was shutting himself in his room for 2 whole years or when he finished creating ortho--the only adults we ever saw were STYX researchers. so like, i'd always had the impression that they weren't necessarily The Worst Parents Ever but that they were just so busy with their work that they forgot to pay attention to their kids. and when they first appeared in book 7, it felt like they were behaving exactly how a lonely little robot boy who knew that he was "replacing" their dead son would want them to act, and even looked that way too with the daft punk helmets giving them a robotic look. it just seemed too good to be true imo.
after that update came out i had read a theory that said maybe malleus was so powerful that he could put even a robot to sleep, and that that was what we were seeing: ortho dreaming of getting to be a hero and save the day, and getting to have this perfect happy family. i loved that idea. i probably should've realized a twist like that wasn't going to happen when we still hadn't checked back in on ortho after so many months, but i just thought, and still think, that it would be so compelling if ortho wished to be loved and accepted so badly that some part of him deep down had become human enough to dream, or at least for malleus to be able to bring out that part of him. if his parents weren't so loving in reality and maybe didn't even fully accept him as their son, so he dreamt that they would--which is a heartbreaking thought, but i definitely would not have put it past twst to do that. i also just like... think it would be neat if the development ortho has been getting in events and vignettes, which heavily focuses on his growing sense of autonomy and how he's started to have his own desires outside of his intended purpose of just Being Idia's Brother, was given a little more focus in the main story.
anyway though. obviously that theory just got obliterated by canon! so i guess the most logical explanation for the discrepancy in the shroud parents' portrayal might be that they were too emotionally distant and focused on their work before, and remained that way for a long time after ortho's death, but eventually they "woke up" and realized they'd never really been there for their sons. losing one of them changed them for the better and now they really are that helpful and sweet. if their behavior seems too good to be true then it could be because they're trying their hardest to make up for the years they wasted, to be a proper family now. maybe they didn't accept ortho for the longest time out of grief and that's part of why they never appeared in idia's flashback, but they later decided that just because they can never truly regain or replace the son they lost, doesn't mean they can't treasure the one they still have and the one that they've gained. and i guess the shroud parents still fully accepting ortho and loving him as one of their own despite the tragedy that led them to become family, and despite the fact that ortho does not have the shroud family blood flowing through his (nonexistent) veins, would parallel the bond that lilia has with silver and malleus... oh. okay. i think i've kinda just talked myself into feeling better about this, actually.
#i originally started writing this to complain about what i perceived as a writing flaw#and now idk if i've talked myself INTO or OUT OF going completely insane#what if i just exploded actually#twisted wonderland#ortho shroud#shroud parents#twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers#twst book 7 spoilers#twisted wonderland liveblog#<- well not really. but putting this in my liveblog tag will make it easier for me to find
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Well…DFF episode 11 was a ride. It gave me fucking whiplash, seriously.
I am still holding onto hope that Non is somehow alive. It didn’t stop me from feeling sick at seeing his supposed dead body, since I really don’t know, but I’m still holding onto hope, even tho I expected his death for weeks. There was something about the way it happened that felt incredibly anticlimactic compared to how the writing has been so far. Regardless, everyone in that boy’s life failed him. Everyone. He didn’t deserve an ounce of his fate.
Tee is such an interestingly grey character, though. He’s involved with his uncle, who he knows is a gangster, yet he’s surprisingly naive to the potential consequences for getting Non involved.
From the beginning of the flashbacks in episode 4, I had wondered if Tee was being setup as the one who wronged Non the most to later give him a redemption arc. What is interesting is how he tried to gain that redemption, with the part time job where he worked extra hard to help Non pay off his debt.
The thing about Tee is that he is ultimately a child with an unfair burden on his shoulders. He’s taking care of his father, who is not really lucid, although ambulatory and unpredictable. Add that to being forced to work for his violent uncle, it’s not surprising that Tee acted out as a bully to Non.
But he ultimately failed his redemption. Non died anyway (as far as he’s aware, because again, clinging to hope Non is alive). Yet Tee somehow found somebody he loves, who makes him want to be a better man.
It surprised me at how I was actually able to enjoy the TeeWhite montage. They are an adorable couple and I love how much of a flirt White is. The circumstances of their meeting (which, lol Internet cafe, not what I expected at all) make it seem less likely to me that White factors into any kind of plans. Which makes me actually concerned that something will happen to White. Their story just feels like it was primed for tragedy, Tee reforming himself because he met the boy of his dreams, only for that boy to be killed by someone with a grudge because of his past wrongs.
I had a feeling we’d end up with Phee pointing the gun at Tan bc he didn’t want to go through with any killing. I didn’t think he would be one to go through with that sort of thing, he only agreed to find out the truth & implicate the group. Love the turn of events with Tan drugging everybody to take control of the situation.
Next episode appears to be full of hallucinations that the group experience. I guess Tan’s plan is to let them experience terror before he kills them? Not that I want anyone in particular to die, but I feel like the setup promised to kill people on par with a slasher flick. I’m ready for the horror film part.
As much as I’ve enjoyed watching week by week and speculating, this is the kind of series where the ending is crucial to whether I say I liked it overall or not. That’s not often true for me. I’m not sure if I’m setting up to be satisfied with the ending, though. One more week to go.
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Sudden question popped in my head: "How old is Gran Torino?"
Dude looks like he's supposed to be 80 or 90 yet he's spry even for anime fighting heavy setting old people.
Note a lot of this is gonna be riddled with a few assumptions based on character design and general character tropes as related to demeanor. The rest is applying math to known or estimated ages.
Also some minor spoilers due to some flashback sequence images used for reference but nothing major.
Now since this is anime and across many many MANY different anime and manga the original artist or artist team tend to make character visual ages weird. I joke semi-often that kids look like teenagers, teenagers look like adults, young adults look like grizzled 40/50 year olds, and anyone past that look like they're in their 90s... unless you have a character who looks like a child. There's also even odds of the "child" being just that or actually being secretly immortal or 200+ years old.
So its possible that Torino's actually younger than he seems (shit ages you and we know he went through it). It'd also play in to his little prank/joke that he's a senile old man. I know people who look older than they really are due to one reason or another (usually stress) and I know some people in my mother's side of the family tend to look younger for whatever reason. (Some of us joke about having a portrait in the attic.)
But first: All Might is like what, 50? 60? We know he has an active career that's lasted long enough to make everyone else feel like he'll always be there. We also know he got OFA, attended U.A. (and presumably graduated), and then Toshinori got shipped off to America for his safety and to put a whole ocean between him and All Might. And since Gran Torino looked very tall at that time that means that we have a fully grown adult there (adding in to that "old people shrink in the wash" height joke thing).
All Might was dressed in a middle school uniform when he first met Nana so that means he would've been between 12 and 15 when Nana was shown talking about him to Sorahiko after Kid Toshi's dream and drive won her over. Now he's TALL but that doesn't mean anything since I remember a couple boys in 4th grade towering over our teachers so he could be a very gangly one. But to make the Izuku parallels more strong we can say that the first meeting he had with Nana was when he was around 14 or 15.
But the only thing we can really know is that Torino would have to be at least 20-ish to have a pro hero license. Dude has the attitude of someone who's been around the block a bit so let's add in another 5 years for experience as that would be long enough to know the field. That said the characters we know best from canon with similar attitudes are in their early 30s or late 30s.
So that'd make him 30-something to Kid Toshi's 14.
But there's another character I can use as a benchmark for his age: Nana's son Kotaro. 32 when he died, when Tenko (at the time) was around 5-6. Tomura is 20 by canon's start, where All Might would presumably be in his 50s. Now I always assumed Kotaro was around 5 when Nana gave him up for his safety as that is generally the age when things go start to shit for characters in the setting. It'd also give Kotaro stronger memories of Nana and better awareness of who she was (a hero) and why his kids wanting to be heroes like her set him off (not that he seemed to need a reason with his apparent temper).
So if Kotaro is 32 when Tenko was 5/6, the man would have been 47 by the time Tomura appeared in canon. All Might - assuming he's in his 50s - would've met Nana when Kotaro was... well, if All Might is 59 at the series start then Kotaro would've been 3, if All Might is 55 then 7, if he's 51 then 11.
You know what? All Might at 55 sounds fair. Kotaro being 7 at that time also means the loss would've been still fairly fresh, explain a lot about how the letter was phrased, and possibly be part of why Torino was a bit leery of Nana picking a kid. All this without it being too close to her unintentionally replacing her son with another around his age.
Series Start Ages: All Might, 55. Kotaro, 45/46. Tomura, 18/19. Izuku, 14-ish/15-ish.
1-A Start ages: All Might, 56/57. Kotaro, 47. Tomura, 20. Izuku, 16.
So assuming all this... Torino could be around 72 to 77 by the time All Might first meets Izuku.
... you can see how crazy I'm making myself trying to make sense of the timeline.
#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#character ages#headcanons#meta post#doing math to make sense of the timeline#once again#overthinking again#gran torino#torino sorahiko#shimura nana#shimura kotaro#shimura tenko#shigaraki tomura#yagi toshinori#all might#midoriya izuku
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♥︎Always been you (2)♥︎
(Part 2 : Back to you )
A Chris evans x singer!malereader mini fic
Here part 1 !
Warnings : a lot of sadness, flashbacks, hurt feelings, Y/N having the best fans ! Sebastian shipping reader and Chris( still not warning but anyway !)
btw y/n has the same voice as Shawn Mendes because i freacking love his but feel free to pick another singer and also has the same energy and style as Harry Styles because that man is everything !
A/N : so so so sorry for the long wait, ive been overwhelmed with work for my school lately and i have sooo many importants exams so yeah, sorry again !!
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y/n's pov third person
Y/n wasn't an idiot, he was many things but naive wasn't one of them. So when David, one of his guitarist, offered him a drink for after their concert tonight, y/n knew exactly what David was referring to.
You see, David had been in love with y/n for years, long before Chris came into his life, so knowing the couple was on the brink was a golden opportunity for David.
Y/n knew it and despite that, couldn't get rid of him like that, the decision wasn't even up to him and moreover, Y/n was careful not to tell him that he was the main reason for the tensions in his couple with the Boston man.
No, he certainly didn't want to give him that joy!
Y/n therefore contented himself with ignoring him and thinking of something more positive, hoping to silence all the negative thoughts that had crossed his mind for 5 months now.
5 long months where he couldn't feel Chris' beard brushing against him while they kissed madly, where he couldn't feel his heart beating every time his lover appeared in the same room as him, of his smelling his body smell after one of their tumultuous sexual activities, leaving them in a most divine state, or simply not being able to catch a glimpse of his beautiful smile and laughter.
He still remembers a joke that had made him and the reaction of his man: "knock knock"
" Who's there ?"
"Who"
"Who who ?
" What are you, an owl ?
Chris laughed while taking hold of his left pectorals and tilting his head back but he quickly regained his senses before looking y/n as if he had done the most monstrous thing in the world.
"How dare you… use my own jokes against me, what a monster you are!
Armed with his strong Boston accent, Chris complained again and again while exaggerating his movements while y/n approached, a teasing smile on his face and wrapped his arms around Chris, this one being 10 centimeters taller than him, and took his gorgeous ass into his hands, causing a small cry in the mouth of Chris who stopped talking immediately and looked in disbelief, y/n who smiled innocently before leaving to their room while rolling his hips.
Y/n knew that his morphology drove his man totally crazy, especially when he used it to achieve his goals.
"So, are you coming sir 'I refuse to share my jokes'? I'll wait for you in the bedroom, hurry up…"
The rest of course being them making love for the rest of the afternoon, leaving them empty of energy for the rest of the evening, and the days to come.
Y/n was now shaking with tears sitting on the floor in his dressing room, he was trying his best to stop but it was so hard! He sincerely thought that he and Chris were meant to end their lives together, he had dreamed of it so much and now he could only do that, dream over and over again, wondering how their lives could have been without this fight.
He didn't have time to lament more than Sebastian rushed into his dressing room and came directly to take him in his arms without asking him any questions.
"Don't worry too much Y/n it'll be fine…I had him on the phone earlier and he's on his way, he'll come to see you and you guys will be able to explain everything together, everything will be like before you'll see!"
Y/n raised his head and was greeted by the devastated gaze of his big brother, sad to see his face flooded with endless tears.
"I send him hundreds of messages…he hasn't even opened them…"
Y/n finished his sentence with a small voice, getting ready to start crying again.
"He's driving, if you want him to come back to you, he better be alive right?"
Sebastian grabbed his brother's chin as he pulled him up and continued, "Listen, I know it might sound easy for me to say this but I think you need to pull yourself together! Your gig is in 2 hours and There are already plenty of people waiting for your arrival! They are just waiting for you and your good mood while you are there depressed…"
"You're right…it is very easy for you to tell me that, it isn't you who has your heart broken into a thousand pieces ! Plus, you're both actors! It's certainly easier since you are used to lying, hiding your feelings, but the only things I excel at are writing and singing…"
Sebastian took a few steps back, a small amused sneer on his face.
" So uhh, to begin with : that's not the job of an actor ! Given the lack of time we are facing, we will have this conversation later ! And precisely ! You are an incredible composer and singer and tonight I don't want you to act like everything is fine because that would be lying to yourself, but express yourself ! Sing until you cry!"
"So...About Chris…are you sure he'll be there..?"
"I can assure you that yes y/n. And to bounce on this story of asset, I may be an actor, I also like to sing!"
Y/n got up from the floor and began to choose the outfit he was going to wear before turning around to get his brother's approval, who gave him a thumbs up and a whistle.
"Everyone knows that you love to sing Seb but it doesn't mean that you KNOW how to sing…" replied Y/n with a small smile on his lips.
"And that doesn't mean that I'm gonna stop, you little jerk!" retorted Seb, throwing a pillow at his brother's face.
"Get out of here! I have to get ready to impress your dear friend"
"You know that even if you dress normally he would still be crazy about you?" Seb asked him while approaching the door of the dressing room
"I know"
Chris' pov third person
Chris was now sure, despite the fact that he loved this city, he didn't want to deal with this kind of situation ever again he was currently facing : traffic jams.
He was even more frustrated because he said to Sebastian that he would be there on time and he wanted on top of that not to disappoint anymore y/n, just thinking about him his heart sank as well as his hands on his steering wheel.
"FUCKING SHIT !" he said, honking his horn with all his might, causing a wave of honking all over the road.
Chris leaned back roughly and sighed, he was at his wit's end, he saw his couple tearing apart in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything concrete but wait.
So he took his phone and started looking at pictures of y/n and him, happy, and without him noticing, tears were running down his cheeks.
He was very sober now and he had the ability to remember some things, like the time he had organized a surprise birthday party for his lover, but it had all almost gone wrong because of his touchiness. :
Chris had gotten up earlier than usual, just to carry out his plan: today was his boyfriend's birthday and he had planned a party for him in a small group but which will remain unforgettable for the young singer .
Chris therefore prepared himself at the speed of light and went down into the basement of their house, all without making the slightest noise, collected the gift(s) he had collected in advance the day before and left for his brother's house to drop everything off.
He then proceeded to continue the course of his day as if nothing exceptional was brewing in Scott's house.
Chris had all day paid attention to y/n's reactions who seemed really sad that his own boyfriend didn't wish him a "happy birthday", but Chris told himself that it was for a good cause and that of course he might getting scolded a bit but that the evening will end with y/n begging Chris to let him cum.
But what Chris didn't know was that y/n, really saddened by this day given Chris' utter ignorance, decided to spend his day at the first bar that came his way.
It was social media that alerted Chris as he tried to figure out where y/n might be. Lots of photos of him, drunk and on the edge of the abyss, were on different types of social networks and even articles with titles like: y/n l/n, all alone and drunk on his 29th birthday.
The evening ended with Chris picking up y/n from one of his bars and driving him home. All the way the singer was just asking Chris why he hadn't wished him a happy birthday.
"You…you left me rotting like a big jerk Christopher.. Why…why did you do that? Ignoring me like that…"
Chris felt the guilt growing inside him more and more, it was not his intention to upset his lover.
" I'm sorry love…I didn't want…I just wanted to give you a birthday party but don't worry I canceled, we're going to spend the evening together with a good old Disney, just the two of us, OK ?"
And that's what they did, just the two of them, they had fallen asleep on each other, y/n not letting go of Chris and Chris not wanting to anyway.
" I love you my baby "
Chris looked up from his phone, tears streaming down his face and as he continued down the road, his phone rang announcing his best friend's name.
Chris sighed and took the call.
" Halo ?"
"Where the fuck are you, the concert is going to start any moment! Don't tell me you preferred to parade Evans?! I'm warning you-
"How is he doing?"
"Chris where the fuck are you, that's my question!"
"And I just want to know how he is! Please…"
Chris heard Sebastian sigh and he spoke again.
"Bad, he's not well at all, I told him to get back on his feet at least for this evening but I realize that it's easier said than done…he wants to impress you tonight you know…"
"It's not up to him to do it but to me…it's me who must redeem myself!"
"I agree there…well I told y/n that the reason you weren't replying to his messages was because you were driving…if he finds out we're talking WHILE you're driving he's going to kill us both, and you know that he can do it…"
Chris laughed a little bit and refocused on the road which had become much clearer.
"I have my reasons, and before you ask me, it's just that I prefer to talk to him face to face"
"maybe but that's not a reason to totally ghost him, you know?"
"I know"
omniscient pov
"Y/N you come on stage in 3…!"
Y/n felt overwhelmed by his emotions, he had received confirmation from Sebastian that Chris was on his way and maybe even already in the stadium but the singer had great doubts.
" 2...!"
He wasn't sure if he really wanted to have this conversation with the actor, he felt broken both physically and mentally and didn't know how he could manage to get over it.
" 1...!"
He wanted to run away, run away as far as possible because he was afraid that his heart would break even more than it already is. But he knew it, it was essential for him as for Chris, if this one had for goal to give up their couple to go forward.
"Go Y/n to you!"
The singer put on his most fake and beautiful smile and entered the stage while hopping and waving his hands for the audience.
"How are you tonight Boston!!"
Screams that could be heard across the country took place and y/n took his guitar specially made for him and started directly strumming the strings on a tune that his fans had never heard before, and for good reason, it was a new song that he had no intention of recording in the studio but that, given the circumstances, was very appropriate to let his feelings speak.
" OK so now, i'm gonna sing a new song that i've writen times ago and i've just finished writing it soo, here it goes !"
He gave the green light to his team and began to sing
Took you like a shot
Thought that I could chase you with a cold evening
Let a couple years water down how I'm feeling about you
Y/n was standing there, standing on the stage and letting his heart speak
And every time we talk
Every single word builds up to this moment
And I gotta convince myself
I don't want it even though I do
he walked even further to the front of the stage and looked over to the VIP area where he could see his brother and a few of his friends but no sign of Chris, Sebastian confirming that by shaking his head from side to side.
You could break my heart in two
But when it heals, it beats for you
I know it's forward but it's true
Those lyrics were probably the most obvious to everyone, that song was obviously for Chris, but he wasn't even there.
I wanna hold you when I'm not supposed to
When I'm lying close to someone else
You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out of it
If I could do it all again
I know I'd go back to you
But what Y/n didn't know is that Chris was right now in the building trying to enter the room but one of the guards was stopping him because he didn't have of a ticket.
"But you know who the fuck I am?!"
"No sir, the only thing I know is that you don't have a ticket and therefore you can't pass."
The security guard remained calm while Chris got out of his hinges, he hadn't spent more than 2 hours in his car breaking his skull on his steering wheel all that to not get in!
"Do a simple Google search and you'll see! I- please just do this search I MUST get inside! My boyfriend is waiting!!"
The guard didn't have time to answer when another guard appeared and asked what was going on.
"Sir please I have to-"
But Chris was cut off by a scream and a huge smile from the security guard who hastened to add:
"Oh my God! I can't believe it! Ms. Evans! A great honor! My son and I are big fans of your character, Captain America, too! I-! Wow!"
"But what are you doing here? You can't re-enter?! Let's go, I'll escort you to the VIP section!"
Chris didn't even have time to explain the situation before he was pulled into an endless corridor with the inscription Very Important Person on it.
After a long time of walking, going up and down the stairs, they finally arrived at their destination, this moment of walking was still very pleasant for Chris who was able to chat with Dan, the security guard turned out to be one of his biggest fan.
"We've arrived Ms Evans and thanks again for the autographs and the photo!"
"No problem! Thanks again Dan!"
Chris walked back into the room and walked straight to Sebastian who waved at him.
"Finally!! Come and settle down!"
"Where is Y/n?"
Chris looked towards the stage but couldn't find him.
"He's just there, interacting with his fans, we'll never change him!" sneered Seb while shouting and encouraging y/n who was now dancing to 'You're the one that i want'
And it was in an instant, a short but powerful instant that Y/n and Chris had eye contact. Despite the distance between them, they could both feel that warm feeling filling their hearts. Despite their differences, they could finally look each other straight in the eye and understand each other.
Chris asking for forgiveness for everything he put him through and y/n for not trying to understand him enough.
Their exchange although short did not pass through anyone, everyone noticed and shouted, Sebastian first!
"Go find him!" he whispered in her ear
"But I-"
Sebastian took his arm and pushed him out.
" Go. Join. Him. He's just waiting for that, can't you see??!"
" I- Yeah what the hell !
Everyone around him shouted with joy and Chris snuck his way backstage as best he could and that's when he ran into Dan again.
"Dan ! Thank God ! I'll need one last favor…"
"With pleasure Ms. Evans!"
------------------------------------
OMGG Finallyyy ! Again sorry for the long waiting but i had really no time to write with everyone goingon with my life ! But here ! Part 2 ! Hope you guys will like it !!
#Spotify#chris evans x male reader#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans#x male reader#singer reader#celebrity#love#angst#sad#gay love#gay men
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quackity lore stream finale (ep.5)
a recap of what happened during quackity’s las nevadas 09/10/22 lore stream finale.
The stream begins with a flashback to September 10, 2020. Quackity meets Tommy and they discuss the upcoming elections and the hope/excitement they both have for the new nation. It immediately cuts to a scene of Las Nevadas, alarms blaring, and on fire.
Chapter 1: Trust
Weeks after the death/disappearance of Slimecicle, Quackity visits a grave he built in his memorial, placing a photo of them together for decoration. The day before he died, he gave Slimecicle a key to Las Nevadas. Before he died, he had told Slimecicle that he wanted him to have Las Nevadas. In the flashback, he mentions that Quackity broke his own rule-- Trust Nobody, but he trusted Slimecicle.
Chapter 2: Open and Closed
It is the grand opening of Las Nevadas-- But there are only three people, Fundy, Foolish, and Skeppy. Underneath the city, Quackity is upset that they could only invite a couple of people because there are tensions due to the war. He misses Slimecicle and how he could always follow orders.
After seeing slimes in the room underground, he comes up with a plan-- He will extract the slime from the ground, grow them in the city, and, using the power of evolution, turn them into human beings.
When the citizens of Las Nevadas are fully created 90 days later, he tells them that their sole life purpose is to serve Las Nevadas. Everyone is their enemy other than him, the one person they can listen to. Their life belongs to Las Nevadas and they will die for Las Nevadas.
Chapter 3: Las Nevadas Down
There is an intruder in Las Nevadas.
In a cave Purpled has been hiding out in, he is approached by Punz. He proposes killing Quackity through torture, mentioning that he tortured Dream for months. He confesses that Dream paid him a hefty amount to investigate and relay the message to him.
At first, Purpled does not believe him.
In a cage, Purpled has Quackity’s one weakness-- Slimecicle. Punz tells him he should him to hate Quackity, and eventually kill him with the help of Dream.
Chapter 4: Death
In Limbo, Ranboo is alone on a single grass block in the middle of a lake of water. Mexican Dream boats to him. Ranboo mentions that he misses his son Michael on earth, and Mexican Dream tells him to get on the boat and they will try to find a way to leave together.
He brings Ranboo to the shore, where El Rapids is. They reflect on their lives on earth. Mexican Dream says that he will bring him to someone (who “used to be a president”) for a party, and maybe he can help him.
He brings Ranboo back to his block. If Mexican Dream can make it back to the mortal realm, is there anything he wants him to tell people? Ranboo tells him to “Remind them of me”.
As Mexian Dream is leaving, he writes in his journal what happened.
Chapter 5: The End of Las Nevadas
In Las Nevadas, Slimecicle is there. Quackity is overjoyed with happiness, and asks him if he remembers what Purpled did to him. Then, Purpled and Dream appear. Quackity tries to run with Slimecicle and hide in the casino, but they break the door open with TNT.
Quackity defends himself, saying.he did what he did to Dream for a reason.
Quackity pulls a lever, which sets off fireworks. Foolish sees them in the distance and goes to Las Nevadas.
Slimecicle puts on netherite armor and confronts him. (“Legacy is what you leave behind, Quackity. So why did you leave me behind?”) He turns on him. (“Im going to dap you up.. With a fucking sword!”).
Foolish sees Quackity surrounded, and pushes a secret button. It lets out his army of human slimes, who flood into the city to come to his aid. They chase Dream out of the city, though he kills most of them. Slimecicle and Purpled chase Quackity to the top of the tower.
Quackity reminds Slimecicle of the lessons and tries to convince him that Purpled is the one who killed him. Slime and Purpled corner him to the edge of the tower, and just as Purpled is going to kill him, Slimecicle pushes Purpled off.
He turns to confront Quackity. He reminds him of the lessons:
Lesson 1: Humans are assholes. (“You showed me that”)
Lesson 2: Politics are the way to power.
Lesson 3: Create no emotional attachments.
Lesson 4: Everything gets destroyed.
Lesson 5: Trust nobody
Lesson 6: Hold your ground against authority.
Lesson 7: Seek successful revenge. If you fail, the consequences will be bitter. (“I will not fail”)
Slimecicle: “We have one thing in common. The same human ruined our lives. Because you are not a good person.”
Lesson 8: Legacy is all you leave behind in this world.
Slimecicle tells him: “I hope you leave behind a good one,” and pushes Quackity off. Quackity dies, losing his second canon life.
Later, in Kinoko Kingdom, the Artic, and Paradise, he leaves them a letter. He wants to end his feud with them and start anew.
He and Foolish are not yet done with Las Nevadas. He has one last chance in life and he doesn't want to waste it.
#dream smp#dream smp lore#quackity#quackityhq#quackity dream smp#quackity dream smp lore#dream smp recap#slimecicle#fundy#punz#purpled#foolish g#quackity lore#las nevadas#las nevadas lore
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182 Days of TPN - Day 182
Epilogue: "Dreams Come True"
I'm gonna be honestly with y'all, no matter how many times I've read through this chapter over the last couple days to try and prepare myself, all my thoughts and comments are still so similar to what I originally wrote two years ago. I doubt anything I say now could top it but I'll apologize in advance if I really do sound like a broken record this time since my feelings regarding this beautiful finale really haven't changed since then. I'll start off with saying that I am a tiny bit bummed that we never got the chance to see the children explore the large city they arrived in, but the second season's ending slideshow sorta filled in that need for me. While the city is definitely a complete contrast to what they were used to living in back in the demon world, I love they all decided to create their own little village around where Emma lives. That'll definitely make her feel more at ease with being somewhere she's familiar with and I'm sure a majority of the kids fancy the wildlife surrounding them too, especially Ayshe and the dogs. Let's not forget how impressive it is that these kids were able to build so many houses on their own as well! And the idea of them taking turns to visit Emma so she doesn't get overwhelmed with so much attention at one given time makes me so happy. Speaking of our girl, she looks so pretty! She definitely looks like the Emma we've come to know and love with that big smile on her face (even if seeing her without her iconic 63194 still upsets me a little) while looking fondly at new photos of her large family. Sure, anyone in this world could've taken the photos, but of course I headcanon that it was Ray who purchased a new camera to do so.
Emma's face here is damn hysterical and Phil looks so proud of himself for surprising her. Seeing these young kids casually riding on top of a plane that large is truly quite a remarkable sight, but she had to at least hear that thing flying closer, yea? No way something that huge can sneak up on someone.
It is so darn cute how the younger kids act like buying a plane that size and flying it everywhere they go is totally normal. Their chill attitude has poor Emma completely speechless. I'm so proud of her for learning everyone's names though, not only by recognizing their faces but their voices too as she knew it was Phil calling to her from outside. Seeing Violet become a pilot is surprising but the job fits Oliver very well since he was typically seen holding onto a plane toy during numerous Goldy Pond flashbacks. Looks like he achieved his dream and I'm happy for him!
I'm even more excited to see Chris feeling 100% better and finally reuniting with Emma! It's sweet how he still loves her so much regardless her lost memories. I'm only noticing now but it appears Jemima even brought flowers for Emma? Ahh, these kids are too precious for words!
It's crazy how they're able to visit so many different places and experience countless new things all in the span of one single day, but I suppose traveling is pretty simple with a plane like that, not to mention how this world doesn't have any national borders to worry about. Seeing Yvette get inspiration and sketch everything she sees is adorable and of course you have Ray being the strict older sibling who makes sure everyone else behaves while out in public. I still wish more of the Goldy Pond kids were invited to join the trip, but I understand how meaningful it is to see all the GF escapees finally live out their dreams which they shared with us at the very beginning of the story.
One of the most ridiculous and funniest things this extra chapter reveals to us and Emma is how Norman became the leading man behind some huge multipurpose company. I know his motive was to act independently from the Ratri clan (which is fair because I wouldn't wanna rely on those bastards either) but at least have the company be a fresh idea in his mind or a little new, not hit us with his total success right outta the gate! I can accept this life for him further into the future for sure, but not at 15/16 years old! You're still a child sir! Dude must have really loved hearing others refer to him as "boss." Vincent would obviously be okay with that and I imagine Ray making fun of Norman each time, or jokingly calling him "emperor" like he did in one of volume 15's extra pages. Speaking of my boy, he looks way too chill and perhaps unbothered about this whole idea, or maybe he's just so used to his friends having crazy idea that he's become immune and knows deep down there's no way he can change their minds once they get this passionate about something. Even though this chapter is primarily focused on the GF children, it's nice to learn more about what Nigel and Sony are up to nowadays with their new roles.
Hearing how Norman was capable of skipping grades and essentially graduating is the most believable thing about this page. I'm sure the schools in the human world were nothing compared to the difficult tests he passed with ease at GF and Lambda. I'm relieved he and the rest of the Lambda crew are healthy as well, but I can't imagine him recovering while simultaneously constructing a large company from the ground up. Perhaps he focused on getting better first and then started on his career path, but then I'd have a harder time believing this boy managed to do so in less than two years, depending how long it took for him to fully recover beforehand. Norman is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Moving onto everyone's wishes now and ooohhh my, the girls look simply gorgeous!! I love each of their outfits so very much! I especially like how often Anna has her hair up in that ponytail too. It suits her and she's beautiful! And it's adorable how she and Gilda pull Emma along with them so they can all take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. Emma looks great in her new outfit too but I very much prefer her previous one, only because it's reminiscent of her GP out a little bit. So happy our little musician was able to witness an opera too. I've been to several Broadway plays and musicals before but seeing an opera is still on my checklist for sure.
I gotta give kudos to all the children because while it's certainly insane how they're hitting everyone's dreams all in one day, not once do they ever look exhausted. They're having the time of their lives and are beaming with excitement no matter if they're fulfilling their wish or someone else's. Some of their wishes are really simple too if ya think about it, like a handful are things us readers could try out for ourselves, but after all the drama they fought through in the demon world, they absolutely deserve to enjoy everything this world has to offer them. I'm once again loving Ray being that caring older brother who makes sure his younger siblings don't exert themselves. Not to mention how damn hilarious it is to see him not even flinch while touring the haunted house. After the traumatizing childhood he lived through and the wacko world of the Seven Walls, nothing should frighten my boy, so I'd like to imagine he only entered the haunted house to look out for the younger child like Rossi and Alicia who are absolutely regretting their life choices. What matters is that Yvette is loving every moment of her wish and possibly laughing at her sibling's expense.
Despite mentioning how we could visit such places ourselves, I have yet to actually go watch an official soccer game, visit a hot spring or eat lunch in such gardens. I mean, I visited such botanical gardens down in the city but not once have I ever had a fancy picnic there! These young kiddos are out here making me jealous for real. I still find it so amusing that Rossi, a child who had fled from actual demons before, is amazed by dinosaurs. I guess it would be interesting to see such creatures whether they're alive or not. As of this previous weekend I can say I finally rode one of those old style trains as well, but Phil is way more excited about the adventure than I could ever be. So glad this moment of his was sorta animated, though he wasn't bouncing in his seat as wildly as he is here.
Everyone has these grand experiences in mind for their wish and Norman is over here just vibing with his two favorite people. It's real definitely simple compared to everything else but with how often the trio was forcefully separated throughout the story I know how much he doesn't wanna feel that pain ever again.
While I love how excited Emma was upon seeing the giraffes, I'm certain her reaction was due to seeing these animals up close for the first time. Of course I'd be ecstatic if our girl would slowly gain back some of her memories over time, they choose to show us the anxieties she probably feels every day about whether or not she's really Emma deep down and if she should act like the girl her family loves so much or just be her new self.
Phil being that one good boy who chooses to focus on Emma and her sudden mood switch while she's battling herself in her head.
I wanna say "oh sweetheart, you're anything but alone," but I know her amnesia makes her feel as if she's isolated from her family by not being able to remember every detail about them, the experiences they shared, or her true feelings. She can imagine this giraffe wish would've made her old self happy, since everyone else's wishes brought such big smiles onto their faces, but that's because they all wished for these kinds of moment their entire lives. New Emma is hearing about this dream for the first time and has no clue on how to react to a wish that isn't truly her own. She's probably even feels a little scared that she won't come across as genuine about the idea and she doesn't wanna disappoint her family by not living up to their expectations of what the original Emma would've done in her situation now. It really breaks my little heart to see her doubt herself so much when she literally has the greatest family in the world who would accept her regardless of what she acts like or feels.
One might think that Emma yelled so loudly to try to convince herself and her family that she's really excited about this wish, but to her surprise, she's rewarded with beautiful laughs. Once they arrived, Emma asked if her dream was to see a giraffe but no one bothered to correct her about how original Emma always wanted to ride one instead. To see this Emma reach deep down into her heart and shout with such confidence about what she really wanted to do is perfect in every way, so little does she know that her reaction was exactly what her family expected of her and they couldn't be more delighted to hear such words come from her again.
I'm in love with her adorable, surprised face and how she's in complete awe to learn that perhaps she and the original Emma are more alike that she's realized.
Aahhh it thrills me to no end that this little joke from all the way back from the first chapter is exactly how this series ends. We're coming fill circle baby!
Favorite panel/moment:
Oh no way, Ray's wish as my favorite? Wow, who could've possibly guessed that? Not to show any dislike towards the Mona Lisa or anything, but I'm very glad the story chooses to show us the kids visiting the Sagrada Familia way better. The architecture of this damn thing is impressive and it's insane how it looks this breathtaking despite it not being completely finished yet.
More importantly, this smile of Ray's is the most precious and beautiful thing I've ever set my eyes on! He's probably filled with so much emotion just by standing in a place he never imagined himself to be. He believe he was gonna die a long time ago but now that all his trauma is behind him and he fought his way to freedom, he's so grateful he's alive to actually see this gorgeous structure actually in front of him and realize that all the hardships he fought through alongside his family was truly worth all the effort. This face of his has absolutely lived rent free in my head these past couple years.
BEST GIRL!! I am so incredibly happy and proud of you that you achieved your dreams!! Truly inspirational and she undoubtedly keeps her top spot as my favorite shonen protagonist.
And with all that, I can finally say: End of series.
Seriously though, thank y'all so much for reading through all this, whether you were here from the very start back in April or ya caught interest somewhere down the line, I appreciate every single one of you! I dunno exactly when these posts went from a couple short comments to full length chapter reviews, so I apologize for all my rambling since I honestly didn't intend to write out such long posts. I literally couldn't help it. The love I have for this series is as strong as ever and I'm very surprised that even after these last couple years I still somehow manage to learn or notice new stuff about this world and these characters. One of the many benefits to reading through this story at a slower pace I suppose, and wouldn't you know it? Today is the perfect day to experience it all over again from the beginning.
(Yes, having the project end today was 100% planned from the start.)
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There Is Happiness (OMORI Kelbrey Fanfiction)
Description: Aubrey hadn’t always been this way. She could still remember a younger, less jaded version of herself who was actually excited about the idea of prom. A happier Aubrey who had used to giggle with Mari over the gowns in store catalogs and dream about all of her friends getting dressed up and going dancing together one day. A more innocent Aubrey who used to spend hours making plans for a future that would never get to happen. Her friends never got to go to a prom, and neither did she…Until now that is...
OR
Nearly a decade after the bad ending of OMORI, Kel and Hero plan a fake "prom" to surprise Sally, drudging up bittersweet memories for Aubrey about her friends--both the ones she had lost and, especially, the ones, who like her, had been left behind to pick up the pieces. Will confronting the past lead her to a brighter future?
Kelbrey Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, & How Their (Functional) Relationship Developed Over Time After the Bad Ending of OMORI. (Note: This is a standalone one shot that is a completely different bad end AU than my other really angsty bad end AU fic).
Relationships: KELBREY (Romantic Kel x Aubrey) CENTRIC (Functional, Healthy, Slow Burn Kelbrey). There are also important platonic friendships discussed & depicted in flashbacks: Aubrey & Hero & Kel friendship, Aubrey & Kel & Sally friendship, Aubrey & Mari friendship, Aubrey & Kel & Sunny & Basil & Hero & Mari friendship [Aubrey & Kel's friendships with Basil, Sunny, & Mari are a recurring & important theme]. Past Romantic Hero x Mari is referenced/heavily implied.
Characters: Aubrey (POV Character), Kel, Hero, Sally, and Mari (Sunny & Basil also appear briefly and are mentioned).
Genre: Slow Burn Romance, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Romance Through the Years, Angst With A Hopeful Ending, Post-Bad Ending, Many Flashback Sequences, Prom
Word Count: 12,748
Rating: T for some heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide).
Warnings: Major Spoilers for OMORI! Heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide). Kissing.
Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another website.
A/N: Unfortunately, I missed Kelbrey Week because I did not know the ship even existed at the time (and had never played OMORI back in the dark ages of a couple of months ago), but I saw the prompts on Tumblr and was really inspired by the Prom prompt. Not only did the idea of "Kelbrey Prom" get a bunch of wheels turning in my brain, it also just so happened to be the prompt on my birthday, so I felt like it was it was just meant to be and I needed to write this story as soon as I had the idea. So I just wanted to offer a word of many, many thanks to @kelbreyweek for the prompt & inspiration for this story. 💕
Story below the cut. Thank you for reading!
Aubrey slammed her foot on the brake. She had lived in Faraway Town her whole life and still forgot about that stop sign. She probably always would.
The intersection was bustling today, and there was far more traffic than usual for a Saturday night. Aubrey supposed that was to be expected seeing as it was their local high school’s prom tonight, and the streets and sidewalks were filled with gussied-up teenagers in suits and poofy, colorful dresses. Aubrey rolled her eyes, conveniently ignoring the fact that she was in a pink prom dress herself—but at the very least it wasn’t that poofy.
Aubrey didn’t understand all the prom hype, especially now that she was trying to drive with teens darting in and out of the road and the straps of her dress uncomfortably digging into her arms whenever she tried to turn her steering wheel. She sighed. She sounded like such a grouchy old woman.
She hadn’t always been like that. The memories were hazy now, but she could still remember a younger less weathered, less jaded version of herself who was actually excited about the idea of prom.
*-*-*
“They’re so lucky,” sighed Aubrey glancing up from her pizza to watch the group of teenagers who had just walked into Gino’s dressed up in their finest suits and prettiest dresses for the prom.
Mari chuckled but patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. That’ll be you too soon enough.”
“It’ll be you sooner,” Aubrey insisted with a widening smile. “You’ll get to go in just a couple of years, right?” She paused, then giggled teasingly. “With Hero.”
Hero’s face flushed, and he grew suddenly interested in his piece of pizza. Mari’s expression softened—something affectionate passing over her eyes as she chuckled at him behind her hand. She shrugged her shoulders then teased, “I don’t know. I might have to think about it,” but she winked at him and the blush in his cheeks deepened.
“Why do you even need a date to the prom anyway? Can’t you just go with your friends?” asked Kel as he practically shoveled pizza into his mouth.
Aubrey rolled her eyes and huffed. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth. It’s so gross.”
“You’re gross,” bantered Kel, sticking his tongue out at her before shoving the rest of his piece of pizza into his mouth.
Aubrey huffed again, but Hero gently interrupted changing the subject. “I think people do go to prom in groups with their friends. You don’t have to take a date like in the movies.” He paused before turning to his brother with a dry, bantering smile. “But if you want someone to take you, I’m sure Kel can.”
“No way! I’m not going to the prom with her. Basil can take her.”
“Wha—what? Why me?” stumbled Basil, bright red in the face.
“Because they always have those flower bracelets at the prom in the movies and you know all about flowers and stuff.”
“That’s called a corsage, moron,” bantered Aubrey. “And don’t worry, I’d rather go to prom with Hector than you.”
With a confused tilt of his head, Kel blinked at her. “Can we take dogs to prom? Awesome!” Kel beamed, and Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I’ll take Hector then, and Basil can take Aubrey.”
Basil’s blush deepened as he twisted his hands. “Well…um…I mean…” He paused, swallowing hard. “Well…maybe Sunny can take you…? He’s probably better at dancing.”
“Sunny will take you,” agreed Mari with a warm smile. “Won’t you, Sunny?”
Sunny pursued his lips together and pensively stared at his hands. Aubrey wasn’t sure but his face seemed a little more flushed than usual. He finally nodded briskly and quietly said, “Okay” though he wouldn’t look up from his plate.
Mari’s smile widened, and she chuckled. “See, problem solved.”
“I don’t understand why we can’t just all go to prom together,” sighed Kel. “You, me, Sunny, Basil, and Hector, and Hero and Mari too even though they’ll be older. We can all just go as friends.”
“That sounds nice,” said Sunny so quietly he was difficult to hear over the low roar and ruckus of the restaurant patrons.
“See!” exclaimed Kel triumphantly. “Sunny agrees with me. We should all just plan to go together as friends.”
“You might change your mind when you get older, Kel,” teased Hero with a dry but affectionate smile. Kel grimaced, sticking his tongue out at his older brother.
“No way!” He huffed then turned to Basil. “You think this sounds like a good idea, right Basil?”
“Wha—what? Oh…uh…yeah okay…” he stammered unsurely.
“Aubrey?”
Kel crossed his arms and glared at her, but Aubrey sighed and conceded, “Alright, but only because Sunny likes the idea. It might be nice for all of us to go as friends, but if I get a date, he’s coming with us too, okay?”
Mari started laughing behind her hand as Kel exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and huffed, “Whatever.”
*-*-*
A bittersweet smile tugged at Aubrey’s mouth. How silly they were then—how innocent. There was a pang in her chest, even now, so many years later as she remembered how they had spent hours together talking and laughing—making plans for a future that would never get to happen. She remembered how she used to giggle with Mari over the evening gowns in department store catalogs, sighing wistfully at the billboards advertising that year’s prom theme at the local high school, and dreaming of the day they’d get to go to one themselves. Aubrey’s chest ached as she sighed. Mari never got to go to a prom, and neither did she…
*-*-*
Tears prickled in Aubrey’s eyes as she glanced over the unworn prom dress still hanging up on the back of the closet door. She would probably feel better if she just shoved it into the back of her closet, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She had worked so hard for that dress—picking up extra shifts at Gino’s to afford such a luxury. She had justified it by reminding herself it was probably the only time in her life that she would get to wear such a dress, and this one was exactly what she had always dreamed: deep pink, floor-length chiffon. As soon as she saw it in the department store, a real, genuine smile had tugged at her mouth for the first time in so long that the sensation had felt almost foreign to her. And when she had finally bought the dress and tried it on for her friends to see, Charlene had quietly said she looked happy in it. She didn’t need to add that Aubrey hadn’t looked happy for a very long time.
A tear streamed down Aubrey’s cheek. She had wanted to wear that dress and go to the prom, but she just couldn’t—not today. Not now. Not without them.
Aubrey sniffled—rubbing her hand across her throbbing forehead. Her headache was so severe that she was actually starting to hear the pounding of her head. Or at least she thought she was until her mother called in a slurred, irritated voice,
“Aubrey! Get the door.”
Aubrey quickly wiped her eyes and scurried downstairs.
“Tell them whatever they’re selling we don’t want it,” her mother added with a dismissive wave of her hand as Aubrey walked by the couch carefully tiptoeing around the empty liquor bottles which littered the ground.
Aubrey wasn’t sure who was at their front door, but she doubted a salesman would be bothering them at this time of night. Still she mumbled, “Okay” as she turned the bolts of the lock and opened the door.
“Hey, Aubrey,” said Kel with a slight wave of his hand and a friendly smile. “How’s it going?”
Aubrey could only blink at him. He was dressed in a nice, dark suit with an unexpected bright pink tie. If she had been feeling better, she probably would’ve thought of a dry quip to tease him about it but instead she just sighed, ushering him out onto the porch before her mother got irritated by the noise.
“Kel, what are you doing here?” she asked through her teeth. “Aren’t you supposed to be at prom?”
Kel shrugged. “I was there for a while, but you weren’t there so I thought I’d come check on you.”
“Sorry…”—Aubrey’s face flushed—“I tried to call you…”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I got your message. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…I…uh…wasn’t feeling up to it.” Aubrey sighed, hoping that Kel wouldn’t read too much into it.
“Oh…are you feeling sick? The pharmacy should still be open. I can run down to—”
“No, Kel,” she cut him off, placing her hand on his arm. “That is…uh…I’m fine. You should go back to the prom. I don’t want to ruin your night.”
Kel’s expression softened, and he smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. The prom was kind of boring without you anyway.” He paused. “You sure you don’t want to—?”
“Yeah,” she cut him off just a little too forcefully, trying her best to frown despite her flushed face.
“Okay…” he said quietly. “Then…do you mind if I hang out here for a little while?”
Aubrey’s face grew warm with guilt and embarrassment. Just because she had ruined her own night didn’t mean she had to ruin Kel’s as well. “You really don’t have to do that.”
“Nah. I want to. I’d rather spend tonight with you than at the dumb prom anyway.”
“Kel, I can’t let you do that,” she insisted, but he smiled at her.
“It’s just a bunch of people dancing and stuff—and sure that’s fun and all but it’s not as cool as everyone acts like it is.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They did hang all these Christmas lights from the ceiling though and that was kinda cool—since the theme is ‘A Night Under the Stars.’” Sighing, Kel took a seat on the porch—leaning back on his hands and looking up at the sky. “But there are real stars out here which are better anyway.”
“Kel…” Aubrey began to argue, but she wasn’t sure what to say. “You can’t just miss your prom.”
“Sure I can,” he shrugged with matter-of-fact nonchalance. “You are, aren’t you? And the prom always mattered way more to you. You were really looking forward to it…” Kel’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Did someone break your heart or something so you didn’t want to come anymore?”
Aubrey stifled a breathy chuckle but shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. I wasn’t even planning on going with a date.” She paused, glancing over at Kel’s pink tie. “Won’t your date be upset that you left?”
“Oh uh…” chuckled Kel awkwardly, fidgeting with his tie. “I didn’t go with one.”
“Really?” The question slipped out before Aubrey could think to stop it, but Kel just shrugged his shoulders.
“Yep.” He paused and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “To tell you the truth, I—I kind of wanted to ask this one girl, but it didn’t work out. Oh well…”
Aubrey paused. While he was one of her best friends, they never really discussed their love lives or lack thereof. She didn’t even know Kel was romantically interested in anyone and couldn’t even begin to guess who it was. She supposed it was none of her business, but if Kel had left prom early because of this girl rather than just to check on her, it would certainly help her feel better about things.
“Is she the reason you left?” asked Aubrey taking a seat next to him on the porch.
Kel froze, and his cheeks flushed. “Wha—what?” he stumbled, more awkward than she ever would’ve expected from the happy-go-lucky Kel. He chuckled lightly but didn’t say no.
“It’s okay if she is. I wasn’t going to tease you or anything. I just—” She stopped. “I just don’t want to you miss out,” she said in a shaky voice. “Especially not because of me.”
“I already said don’t worry about it. I’d rather spend prom night with you, even if we don’t actually go to the prom.” Aubrey’s mouth twitched, she could almost hear the smile in his voice, but she frowned with a heavy sigh.
“But you already missed the last one…”
“Because Basil—” Kel’s voice cracked. He didn’t finish that statement, but he didn’t have to. Basil had died just a few weeks before their Junior Prom and the last thing either of them had wanted to do was go to some big party, especially one that Basil should have been attending himself, and instead they had spent prom night at the spot in the park where they had always had picnics with their friends, then sitting around Kel’s kitchen table looking through Basil’s old photo albums.
Aubrey had never told Kel that she had been considering skipping prom months before Basil’s death anyway, too saddened by the idea of having to go without Sunny and of Mari having never been able to go to hers. Basil’s death and the note he left behind for them was the final straw. She wouldn’t have blamed Kel if he had still wanted to go himself, but he had told her he was just too sad. She could understand that. Back then, it really felt like neither of them would ever be happy again.
But this year… she had been so determined, so set on going and trying to have to good time because she knew her friends wouldn’t want her to miss out on it on their account. Aubrey’s insides twisted, and her eyes burned, tears prickling behind them again.
“Aubrey?” When she turned to look at him, the faint flush of red had faded from his cheeks and his expression had softened but a look of concern quickly passed over his eyes. “Have you been crying?”
Aubrey’s face grew hot, and she swallowed hard as she frantically swiped at her eyes again. How red and puffy were they that Kel had noticed? “You can’t just ask someone that, Kel,” she replied with a shaky, bantering huff, but Kel only blinked at her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, and Aubrey bit her lip. She couldn’t believe him—skipping over the ‘are you sure you’re okay?’ questions and straight to the ‘do you want to talk?’ Aubrey sighed though she felt a blush fill her cheeks and she fidgeted. She should probably expect it by now, given how many deep conversations she and Kel had been having over the past two years ever since Sunny and Basil had passed away. Her chest ached at the thought. Kel was giving her that look now—like he could see right through her, knew something was wrong and knew she was hurting even if she didn’t have the words to say it. She could see his pain too—that hollowness that crept into his smiles, that bittersweet sadness in his eyes. Kel’s eyes reflected the same pain that ached in her chest whenever she thought of Mari or Sunny or Basil. She was sure he could see his own grief in her as well, and perhaps that’s what had led them to find each other in the first place, in the wake of the loss of their friends—clinging to each other like two lost souls, sharing things with each other they could never even begin to tell anyone else.
“You can talk to me,” he gently encouraged her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Aubrey took a deep breath. She didn’t know if she wanted to unpack this, and she certainly didn’t want to dump it all onto Kel. She already felt guilty enough that he had left the prom to check up on her. But the look on Kel’s face was so warm and so kind, and the words, the painful truth was eating away at her waiting to be told to someone.
“You remember how we’d all promised we’d go to prom together someday?”
Kel’s brow furrowed. “Not really, but my memories of everyone are getting fuzzy…” There was a painful sadness cutting through his words as he said them.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t a big moment or anything. We were just at Gino’s joking around about it once, after a group of teenagers dressed for prom came in.” She paused. “You said you wanted to bring your dog.”
“Oh yeah…” said Kel with the slight twitch of a smile. “I remember that now. Mari was teasing Hero about taking her someday, and Sunny agreed with me that it would be nice if all of us could go together as friends.” Sighing, Kel paused—something bittersweet passing over his eyes. “You’re sad you couldn’t go with them, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t really a question.
Aubrey sniffled and nodded, and Kel cut her off reaching out to her. “Oh Aubrey, I…”
“It’s not just that. I was actually planning on going. I wanted to go. I bought a dress and everything. I knew it was going to be a hard day, but I was determined to do this. I knew they wouldn’t want me to miss out—would’ve wanted to me to go, even if I was sad they couldn’t be there with me.” Her voice cracked, and Kel nodded solemnly, understandingly.
“But…but…” she stumbled over her words as her eyes burned. “I was out of hairspray and knew I needed some for tonight, so I was riding my bike down to The Other Mart, and I saw there was a group of kids in the park and…” The tears started to pool in Aubrey’s eyes, and she took a deep, shaky breath, barely managing to choke out, “They were making flower crowns…”
She swiped at the tears that began to splash down her cheeks as she stumbled in the bits and pieces of sentences she could manage despite the panging ache in her chest, “I just—I just froze. I…I couldn’t stop thinking about…I turned around and came straight home and I just haven’t been able to stop crying…” She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I know it’s so silly…to let something like that ruin my whole day, especially when it’s the prom, but I just started thinking about them and how they never got to go to prom and all the things they never got to do and will never get to do and…” Her voice trailed, as her words got choked by a sob in the back of her throat.
“I know,” sighed Kel quietly, giving her a reassuring pat on the back and pulling her into a hug. Aubrey took a few deep shaky breaths as she pressed her chin to Kel’s shoulder.
“It’s so stupid…” she mumbled, angry with herself as she pulled away from him.
“It’s not stupid at all.” He sighed heavily. “You know the other day I was supposed to be picking up a couple of groceries for my mom, and I was in that aisle in The Other Mart where they keep all the soups and sauces and stuff, and there was this lady there with her kids and the one kid dropped this big jar of spaghetti sauce—made a huge mess”—he paused as his breath hitched—”And I remembered that time we all tried to make spaghetti to surprise Hero, and I dropped the jar on the counter and the sauce splattered everywhere—it got in Basil’s hair and… Sunny was blinking at me with sauce all over his face and you were so mad but Mari just laughed…” He paused, swallowing hard. “It was like I couldn’t breathe. I ran out of there—totally forgot about the groceries.”
“Kel…” Aubrey began as she hugged him more tightly.
“I guess the moral of the story is neither one of us should be going shopping at the Other Mart, huh?” Kel chuckled lightly, but he sniffled and Aubrey could feel his shoulders trembling like he was trying not to cry.
They just sat there holding each other for a long time. No words were spoken, but they didn’t have to be. They understood—shared this pain of being the ones left behind. Kel sniffled, and Aubrey wondered if he was crying. It wouldn’t be the first time he had cried in front of her, and she knew—they both probably knew—that it wouldn’t be the last.
“You know, sometimes I think, I’m okay,” Kel managed in a wavering voice. “I still miss them, of course, but I’m not going to just start crying in the grocery store…but then…something like that happens and I just…I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay. Like there was this whole life that I had before, but it’s all over and now I have this new life and even if things get better and it doesn’t hurt as much all the time, that sadness is always going to be there. There’s always going to be something missing, and I’m never going to not miss them.”
Aubrey sniffled and pulled away from him to look in his face, but that deep, indescribable pain in his misty eyes made her forget her words. She supposed it didn’t really matter. There was nothing she could possibly say that would make him feel better—she knew that better than anyone.
“Sorry,” he said hurriedly as he wiped his tears away. “I didn’t mean to make this about me. I feel really bad for dumping all that on you, especially when you were already upset.”
“No. I’m…I’m glad you told me, Kel,” she said hugging him again. “It’s…nice to know I’m not the only one…”
“You’re definitely not the only one—but it really does feel like you and me against the world sometimes, right?”
A kind, bittersweet smile pulled at the corners of Aubrey’s mouth as Kel wrapped an arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Sometimes.”
“Hero too, but…” Kel paused, fidgeting. Aubrey nodded in understanding. He didn’t have to explain. She knew Hero worried especially about his younger brother which made it more difficult to open up to him about all of this sometimes, plus he was away at school and neither one of them wanted to bother him, especially when he was suffering a lot on his own.
“He missed his prom, too, didn’t he?” asked Aubrey quietly, changing the subject. Kel hummed, and she could feel him nod in response.
“But it’s overrated anyway…”
*-*-*
Kel was probably right, and the prom was overrated. That didn’t mean that she didn’t have the occasional regret about not going to hers, however. It wasn’t something she ever really talked about, but if she didn’t know better she would have thought that the fact she had skipped out on hers was part of the reason that Kel had invited her over tonight for the “prom” he and Hero had been putting together to surprise their younger sister, Sally.
Even though Sally was far too young to go to a prom, she was fairly vocal about the fact that she desperately wanted to. Though Aubrey thought it was a little odd to throw a prom for a little kid, she supposed there was no harm to it, and it was sweet that Hero and Kel were always trying to do such nice things for their little sister. She had also offered to help put it all together though she reminded Kel that she had never actually been to a prom so what would she possibly know about it? He said it wasn’t anything too fancy, but still insisted they should all dress up nicely. Just luckily Aubrey had had her unused prom dress from her own senior prom still hanging up in the back of her closet collecting dust. She supposed it was nice to finally get the chance to wear it, even if that meant getting stuck in stop-and-go traffic for half an hour.
Aubrey sighed. There was never any traffic on the way to prom in the movies. The people just got into their car—or their limo—and whipped right to the school without another car on the road. It was more than little unfair. Though she supposed she should know better than thinking of movies, especially teen rom coms, as real life.
*-*-*
“Okay, okay. I know we watch this movie every year, but I still don’t understand: can everybody at this school afford a limo? And where do the limos go when they’re all at prom?” asked Kel between bites of what had to be his third or fourth piece of birthday cake. Hero had been apologizing profusely for the fact it was store bought this year, but they understood he was extremely busy in medical school. They tried to reassure him that Mari would understand too, but Aubrey wasn’t sure if he had believed them. “How do all the limos even fit in the parking lot?”
“I don’t know, Kel,” Aubrey sighed, setting her piece of cake on the coffee table. “Just don’t think about it too much.”
“Listen, I went to prom—well part of it, and nobody came in a limo. Nobody,” Kel insisted forcefully, gesturing emphatically at her with his fork and flinging cake and frosting onto her face.
Aubrey huffed. “Kel!”
“Oh, you’ve got something on your nose,” he teased before playing poking at it with his finger.
“Here’s some napkins,” said Hero, handing her a stack of napkins with that said ‘Happy Birthday’ surrounded by balloons.
“Thank you.” Aubrey nodded at Hero then rolled her eyes at Kel shaking her head, but his attention was transfixed on the movie again, probably still wondering about the limos.
Aubrey sighed. Every year they watched Mari’s favorite movie for her birthday, and every year Kel found something else about it that didn’t make sense to him. Last year, it was how nobody in the school had worn anything even close to the same outfit. The year before that it was how the main character who was supposed to be smart hadn’t ever questioned her love interest’s obviously complicated motivations in asking her to the prom in the first place. This year it was the limos.
Aubrey sometimes wondered if Kel had only started this tradition of chattering away during the movie in the hopes that it would keep her and Hero’s spirits up and prevent them from being too sad that Mari wasn’t there to celebrate her birthday with them. But other times—like now, when she watched him pick up his piece of cake with his hands and shove it into his mouth as the icing squished into his face, she thought it was probably more likely that it was just Kel being Kel.
A smile tugged her lips in spite of herself, but she pushed the thought away. She’d never admit that she was glad Kel was around to ask dumb questions about the movie, and as she watched the small smile in the corners of Hero’s mouth, she was sure he felt the same way.
When the credits began to roll, Hero started cleaning up the cake, plates, and napkins, and Kel started prattling away again. “Why do movies make prom into such a big deal, anyway? They act like it’s the most important thing that will ever happen to you.”
“Well…” Hero sighed, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. “I think they need a climatic moment for the story, and when the characters are teenagers, they can’t have a wedding or something like that so they use the prom.”
“It’s really not as cool as all that though. I was honestly kind of let down.” Kel’s mouth curved into a teasing, lopsided grin before he chuckled, seemingly getting distracted once again by his cake. “This cake was great, by the way!”
“You can thank Aubrey for that. She picked it up from Nona’s.”
Aubrey shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I was in there anyway.” She stopped, not quite ready to admit that she was in that bakery a lot. It was one of her favorite places in their college town, and she liked to treat herself with a pastry every now and again after exams, if she did well on them of course.
“Sorry I couldn’t make one this year…” Hero apologized again with red, apologetic cheeks. “Neuroanatomy is just kicking my tushie.”
Aubrey and Kel broke into raucous laughter. “Your tushie? Really, Hero?” teased Kel.
“What are you—five?” Aubrey bantered.
“You know what I mean,” sighed Hero. Though his cheeks were flushed, he was smiling in spite of himself. “Medical school is hard.” He sighed again. “I’m sure Aubrey understands being in nursing and all.”
“I’m glad I’m going to be a nurse and not a doctor—there’s too much memorizing. I’m not smart enough for that.”
“Don’t say that, Aubrey,” chimed Kel. “You and Hero are both super smart—you know all kinds of medical stuff. I could never do what you do.”
“Well I’m sure neither of us could ever do what you do either, Kel,” Aubrey insisted, and Hero nodded in agreement. “You can fix anything, and I wouldn’t even know what to do with a welding torch if my life depended on it.”
Kel chuckled his face brightening. “I can show you sometime if you want. It’s really not that hard.”
“Says the ‘Welder of the Year,’” bantered Aubrey.
“It was only ‘of the month,’ and…”
“I still have the newsletter hanging up on our refrigerator,” interjected Hero with a proud smile. Kel scratched the back of his neck as his face flushed.
“You can take that down, you know? It’s really not that big of a deal…” He sighed. “I only fix engines and stuff. I don’t save lives or anything like you guys.”
Aubrey sighed, shaking her head. “I’ve never saved a life.”
“I’ve barely even left my classroom,” said Hero. “So you’ve at least got one up on me. You’re in clinicals now, aren’t you?”
Aubrey nodded. “Yeah. I’m trying to get a job as a student nurse too. I just interviewed in behavioral health and psychiatry.”
She stopped abruptly as Kel and Hero’s eyes widened, a certain sadness in them that Aubrey had used to see all the time but which hadn’t been in their expressions in a while. A silence spread through the room, and Aubrey sighed, wishing she hadn’t mentioned it. She was about to apologize for bringing it up and ruining the mood of everyone’s evening, but then she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and a gentle hand patting her back.
“That’s great, Aubrey,” said Kel with a kind smile and soft expression. “I hope you get it and help a lot of people.”
“Me too,” said Hero. “I think you’ll be great at that.”
“Thanks,” Aubrey mumbled, her face feeling suddenly warm.
“Well, I think this deserves a toast.” Kel stood up from his seat and poured some cups of coffee from the coffee maker for them.
Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him. “We’re toasting coffee?”
“Yes,” he answered, completely unphased as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He held up his coffee cup. “To Aubrey, soon to be ‘World’s Greatest Nurse.’”
He winked at her, and Aubrey shook her head but bantered, holding up her own cup, “And to Kel—Welder of the Year,”
“Would you stop it with that?” he teased under his breath as a flush of red filled his cheeks. He shook his head and turned to Hero. “And to Hero—who can do anything!”
“And everything,” added Aubrey as Hero turned away from them blushing a bright red.
“You guys…” he mumbled.
“And let’s toast Mari too,” said Kel. “Happy Birthday, Mari!”
“Happy Birthday, Mari,” Hero and Aubrey replied with kind, bittersweet smiles.
As they took sips of their coffee, Aubrey’s lips puckered, and her face contorted as she resisted the urge to spit hers out. Even Hero grimaced.
“What in the world is this, Kel?” She reached for her water to try to rinse out the taste.
“Oh you’re never gonna believe it, but Orange Joe makes ground coffee now.”
“Why?” groaned Aubrey.
“You really should warn us first,” Hero quipped dryly with a slight smile, but Kel just shrugged.
“What? I thought it was pretty good.”
“I don’t know how you drink this garbage. It tastes like rotten oranges,” Aubrey bantered. “It would’ve been better if we toasted with broccoli juice or something.”
“I have some soda in the pantry. Let’s just use that.” Hero, always the peace-maker, got up from his seat and made his way to the kitchen with a gentle smile. Once he was gone, Kel finished off his cup of coffee and turned to her with a soft expression in his eyes.
“Hey Aubrey?”
“Yeah?” she asked, her brow furrowing.
“I think it’s really great that you want to be a psych nurse and everything.”
Aubrey sighed. “I don’t know if it’ll work out, Kel. I mean I just interviewed so…”
“It’ll work out,” he cut her off with a reassuring smile. “I know it will, and when it does, I know you’re gonna be great. I…”—he paused and glanced away from her—"I think you’re really great—at everything.”
Aubrey’s cheeks grew warm from the compliment. “Thank you, Kel. I think you’re—”
She didn’t get to finish that thought, however, as Kel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an unexpected but welcomed hug. Aubrey pressed her chin to his shoulder and gave him a pat on the back. She waited for him to let go of her, but he held her far longer than usual.
Finally, he whispered so quietly she almost couldn’t hear him. “Do a good job, okay? For all of us…”
Aubrey nodded. She contemplated pulling away from him, but he ran his hand through the ends of her long hair mumbling, “And Aubrey…Uh…I was wondering…”
“Yeah?” she shivered, in spite of herself.
“Uh…” he began again, and she could feel his hands begin to shake as they gently held onto her.
“Do you want diet or regular? I also have a few cherry—” Hero’s voice stopped abruptly. “Oh sorry… I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Kel and Aubrey quickly pulled away from each other. Aubrey could only hope she wasn’t blushing as much as she feared. Her cheeks burned, but she and Kel hurriedly talked over each other, reassuring Hero it was fine, and he wasn’t interrupting anything. Aubrey’s head reeled, but Kel seemed completely unphased, politely declining Hero’s soda and pouring himself another cup of Orange Joe.
As Kel stood up from his seat beside her on the sofa, Aubrey could have sworn that Hero shot her a knowing, somewhat teasing smile that made her stomach twist. She bit her lip and tried her best to push the thought away—nervously, reaching for her coffee cup in an attempt at nonchalance and unfortunately failing to remembered it was still full of Orange Joe until she had actually taken a sip. Aubrey grimaced at the bitter taste, but her cheeks burned as she watched Hero’s mouth twitched in the corners at her.
*-*-*
Aubrey wished she could say that was the last time she ever accidentally tried Orange Joe. It wasn’t, but both her and Hero did get much better at predicting whether or not Kel was trying to pawn the drink off onto them. It had a distinctively putrid citrusy odor that, eventually, made it much easier to identify. If she knew Kel, there would probably be a whole pitcher full of it at the “prom” he was putting together even though Hero had insisted multiple times that Sally was much too young for coffee.
It was nice to hear that Hero was going to get to come tonight, too. He had been so busy with his residency that they didn’t get to see too much of them these days. Even Kel who was his roommate said he was lucky if he occasionally managed to catch Hero as he was heading to the hospital when Kel himself was getting home from his third shift at the manufacturing plant where he worked. Hero promised them that he was happy, just very busy, and they respected his need for rest, even if it was starting to feel a little bit like her and Kel against the world again.
That reminded her, she ought to give him a call about the traffic—letting him know she was going to be late.
“Hey Kel,” she began, but his voice, muffled and staticky from what Aubrey presumed was a bad connection, cut her off.
“Hi Aubrey. What’s up?”
“Well, I’m on my way, but I’m stuck in traffic. You would not believe how many cars are out here right now.” Aubrey sighed wearily. “On their way to prom probably”
“Have you seen any limos?”
Aubrey laughed. “No, Kel. No limos. I really don’t think we even have those in Faraway Town.”
“That’s probably true.” He chuckled before changing the subject. “It’s no big deal if you’re late or anything. Just drive safely, and you can let yourself in through the fence to the backyard.”
“Oh, are you having it outside?”
Kel hummed. “Yeah, it was such a nice night that I thought it would be fun to dance out on the porch and stuff. I’ve been practicing my dancing, and I think I’m a lot better than the last time you danced with me so…”
Aubrey’s face grew suddenly hot, but she took a deep breath, trying and failing not to think of the last night Kel had danced with her…
*-*-*
“Okay, explain to me again how you came to win dancing lessons?” quipped Aubrey, quirking an eyebrow at Kel, but he merely shrugged at her.
“Well I bought a bunch of raffle tickets because I wanted this ceramic chicken.” He paused before adding hurriedly with a sheepish smile, “And, you know, to support the hospital and everything too.”
Aubrey sighed and shook her head, but Kel didn’t seem to notice. It was very nice of Kel to come with her to her hospital’s charity benefit. They were raising money to build a new wing which would mean more beds in the juvenile behavioral health ward where she worked as a nurse. She had told Kel that the gala was mostly for the really big donors, and she was just inviting him for his company so he shouldn’t feel obligated to donate anything. Even so, it was sweet of him to try to buy some raffle tickets for some of the less expensive items.
A smile twitched in the corners of her mouth. It was just like Kel to do something thoughtful like that—especially for a dumb reason like wanting a ceramic chicken he could probably buy for himself half-as-cheap at a local home goods store.
“I was going to put all the tickets in the drawing for the basket with the chicken,” Kel prattled on. “But then some of the other people were giving me these weird looks, so I started to put them in the drawing for some of the other raffle baskets too, and I guess I won the one with the dancing lessons.” With a slight shrug of his shoulders, Kel frowned disappointedly. “Didn’t win the chicken though. I was pretty bummed about that.”
“What would you even do with a ceramic chicken?” Aubrey teased dryly.
“I don’t know, but I’d probably get more use out of it than dance lessons.”
A chuckle escaped Aubrey’s mouth as she barely stifled a laugh—turning back to the stove where she was frying some potatoes as they waited for the lasagna they were making for dinner to be finished cooking in the oven. It wouldn’t be nearly as good as Hero’s, but he was far too busy with his residency to cook for even himself these days. They were making this meal to surprise him when he got home and to celebrate his first weekend off in months.
“Do you want to take them with me?” asked Kel as he absent-mindedly stirred the pudding they were making for dessert.
Aubrey tilted her head at him. “The dance lessons?”
“Yeah. It’s for two people, and I didn’t really know who else to bring.”
“What about Hero?” She didn’t realize how silly that suggestion sounded until Kel laughed.
“Hero is a great dancer already, and he’s super busy right now anyway.”
With a conceding shrug of her shoulders, Aubrey sighed. “Isn’t there someone else you’d rather bring, Kel?”
“Nope,” he replied immediately, clearly not understanding the meaning behind her words. “Why would there be?”
“Well…you know…some people think that dancing can have a more romantic connotation, so I was just thinking that if you were interested in someone you might want to bring…” Her voice trailed as she tilted her head confused and inquisitively at the unreadable expression on Kel’s face.
“Oh…uh…well…” Kel chuckled though he rubbed his hand sheepishly across the back of his neck. “Actually, I’d rather take you, but if you don’t want to come, you can just say...”
“It’s fine, Kel.” With a shrug, Aubrey stared down at the potatoes, put the lid over the pan, and turned the stove down to low heat so they could simmer. Her mouth twitched into a bantering smile. “I just meant, you should probably be careful going around asking other girls to go dancing with you. They might get the wrong idea.”
“Is it really that much of a romantic thing?” asked Kel blinking at her.
Aubrey shrugged again. “It is in the movies.”
“But that’s just the movies. They make everything romantic, especially when it doesn’t have to be. Like how they always make it seem like prom is the best night of your life or when the couple dances together there one time, they’re suddenly desperately in love forever.” Kel laughed, but Aubrey frowned.
“I didn’t mean it like—” She huffed, shaking her head. “And what would you know about prom anyway, you barely even went to ours?”
“I went to enough of it to know that it wasn’t super magical or anything, and yeah, I danced with a few girls, but it’s not like I’m just pining for them forever now.” Kel paused, chuckling to himself, and Aubrey’s face flushed but her brow furrowed. Was he making fun of her?
“That’s not the same thing. For some girls it’s different. They romanticize it in their heads”—she sighed—“not me but…”
“That’s because you’re a cynic,” teased Kel.
“And you’re a moron—especially if you think that another girl wouldn’t take your invitation to dancing lessons in a romantic way.”
Kel just shrugged and admitted, “I don’t get it.”
“Well…what if you had danced with that girl, the one you actually wanted to take as your prom date? Don’t you think that would’ve been special?”
“I didn’t get to dance with her—ever actually, but I don’t think it would’ve changed anything. A dance is just dance, isn’t it?” He tilted his head as a bantering smile tugged at his lips. “You’re acting like if I just started dancing with you right now, you’d—?”
“K—Kel?” Aubrey’s breath hitched as he slipped his arms around her waist. “What are you doing?”
“Proving a point,” he insisted with a shrug.
Aubrey huffed. “There isn’t even any music.”
“Oh.” Kel absentmindedly tilted his head before pulling out his phone, presumably choosing a song to play. As the song’s intro began to play, he set his phone on the counter and held out his hand to her.
“Can I have this dance?” he asked with a playfully melodramatic bow, and Aubrey sighed with a somewhat affectionate roll of her eyes.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Whatever will get you to focus on cooking again.”
Kel smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist again. As he met her eyes, she looked away abruptly—clearing her throat as she snaked her arms around his neck. He was so close to her. Her cheeks felt warm, and she swallowed hard, pushing the thought away. ‘It’s just Kel,’ she reminded herself.
He began swaying—Aubrey shook her head—off tempo with the music. “You really can use those dance lessons,” she teased though there was a certain, uncharacteristic shakiness that seeped into her words. She pursed her lips and mentally kicked herself. What was wrong with her all of a sudden?
She could almost feel Kel’s chuckle reverberating in his chest. “Yeah, well I guess it’s good I won them then.” He smiled at her, and as he met her eyes, Aubrey shuddered in spite of herself.
Kel pulled her closer to him—almost pressing his cheek against hers and began to quietly sing along to the music. Aubrey’s face flushed. Knowing Kel he probably wasn’t even aware that he was singing, but she could feel his warm breath, those affectionate words almost whispered in her ear. For the life of her she couldn’t even begin to guess why Kel had picked what was probably one of the most romantic songs in the universe. The slow crooning of the melody alone screamed romance, but there was so much devotion, so much longing in the lyrics—and to hear them in Kel’s voice... Aubrey inhaled sharply—hoping her face wasn’t nearly as red as she feared.
“How”—her voice hitched, and she pulled away from him—“How do you even know this song?”
Kel just shrugged. “Hero showed it to me. He likes all those old songs, you know? And I thought it would be good for this.” He paused. “Why? Do you like it?”
“It’s fine,” shrugged Aubrey though she found she couldn’t look at Kel for some reason.
When she finally met his gaze again, there was something so warm, so gentle in his expression, and his dark eyes seemed to glisten with an emotion that she couldn’t begin to describe but which made her heart pound all the same. He lifted his hand from her waist and gently pressed his palm to her cheek.
“If this was a movie, this is probably the point when I’d say something corny like…” Kel paused, blinking at her with heavy-lidded eyes before he continued with a gentle sincerity that made her breath catch in her throat, ”‘You are so beautiful.’” He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and as his eyes fluttered closed, he sighed, “‘I’ve wanted this for a long time.’”
Aubrey swallowed hard. She tried to frown even though she was sure her face was bright red from that…that pining underscoring his voice. ‘This is just a game,’ she reminded herself—one that Kel seemed to be getting extremely into, but a game all the same. Still... the way his voice faltered, the earnestness in his eyes made it easy to forget.
“You’ve been watching too many romance movies with Hero…” she quipped, but her voice wavered.
Kel chuckled lightly. “Maybe…”
His hand softly stroked the side of her cheek until the tips of his long fingers began to tangle in her hair. She shivered as she took a long, shaky breath. His lips parted slightly as his mouth relaxed. She bit her lip and watched as Kel did the same.
“Aubrey…” he whispered as she tangled her trembling hand in the hair at the nape of his neck and gently pulled him towards her in slow, deliberate movements that didn’t feel like her own. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered. He was close enough to her now that she could almost feel them against her skin.
Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. He hovered in front of her mere inches away from her face. When he whispered her name again, she realized they had stopped dancing.
As Kel’s eyes fluttered closed, he tilted his head and cupped her face with his hands. His breath was warm against her skin, so close Aubrey could almost taste the coffee and citrus lingering from that awful Orange Joe he loved so much. As she began to lean closer to him, her hand curled around the unruly strands of his hair, and she pressed her palm to the back of his head—pulling him in. Closer. Closer.
He began to lean forward. That space between them was almost non-existent now. Aubrey froze—unable to move, unable to breath. Her heartbeat raced, and she could almost feel Kel’s heart pounding as he stopped, a breath away from her. She gripped the soft fabric of his shirt and shut her eyes tightly. Waiting. Waiting until…
BEEP! BEEP! The sound of the oven timer rang through the living room. Aubrey exhaled deeply though her cheeks flushed. What had just happened?
Kel startled, pulling away from her abruptly. “Oh! The lasagna!” he exclaimed with a bright smile, seemingly, completely unphased by what had just happened, by the fact that they had almost…
Aubrey inhaled sharply, then took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She bit down hard on her lip. It was just a game to him. Of course it was.
“Alright fine, Kel…” she laughed it off with as much of a frown as she could muster as the music stopped. Her racing heartbeat and wavering tone of voice didn’t seemed to get the memo, however. “You’re right.”
His face beamed. “Seriously?” He chuckled, playfully poking her in the arm. “See, I told you that you didn’t miss out on anything at the prom.”
Aubrey sighed—willing that blush she could still feel in her face away. “Yeah… It’s just a dance—nothing necessarily romantic about that. But you know I agreed with you from the beginning, right? So don’t get too excited about it. I just meant a lot of other girls might get the wrong impression.” ‘Especially if you dance with them like that,’ she mentally added, barely managing to stop herself before the words tumbled out of her mouth.
“Yeah, alright. You know, honestly, I actually kinda see your point now too.” Kel tilted his head and chuckled breathily though his expression was unreadable. Aubrey’s heart raced in spite of herself as she tried to push these thoughts, these feelings, whatever they were away for good.
*-*-*
Aubrey let out a long and heavy sigh. She could feel the blush in her cheeks even now just thinking about it. She hadn’t done a very good job of pushing the memory away. Even though they had never talked about that dance, about that almost-kiss ever again, Aubrey had mulled it over in her mind more times than she could count, until she could almost believe that she had been imagining things, that she had just gotten caught up in the music and dancing and that nothing had actually almost happened. But…—Aubrey sighed—the way he had looked at her…
She swallowed hard and pushed the thought away. This was Kel. Kel—dopey, happy-go-lucky Kel who used to eat spray cheese directly out of the can until she and Hero staged an intervention to ask him to stop and who once got a popsicle stick stuck up his nose because he wanted to see if he could touch his brain with it. Granted he was seven at the time, but still… this was Kel, and Kel was…was…
Aubrey sighed. Kel was sweet and thoughtful. He’d do anything to make his friends and family happy, and he loved making people laugh. He could make friends anywhere he went, and he always found things to smile about. And yeah, he could be awkward sometimes, airheaded, oblivious, and occasionally stubborn, but he had a big heart and even if his words didn’t always come out the way he wanted them to, she never doubted how much he cared. He was a great friend—her best friend, probably if she was being honest, but she wasn’t about to waste another minute of her life sitting around analyzing whether she may or may not have almost kissed him once. And she especially wasn’t going to sit around analyzing whether or not she should have or, worst of all, whether she had wanted to.
“You will dance with me again, won’t you?” asked Kel’s voice through the phone. “I gave those dancing lessons to my parents as a gift, but Hero was helping me practice a little bit, so I think I’ve gotten a lot better.”
“Uh…yeah…sure Kel…” stumbled Aubrey trying her best not to think anything of it.
“Okay, great! I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see you soon, okay? Bye.”
“…Bye…” mumbled Aubrey. She let out a long and heavy sigh, shaking her head and mentally kicking herself for getting so flustered about Kel of all people. It was nothing, clearly…given the way he could mention it so nonchalantly like that. She should just stop thinking about it and worrying that it was something that it wasn’t.
She pushed the thought away—trying her best to think about something else, anything else. What was everyone going to wear tonight? Sally would probably look adorable all dressed up in party dress or a costume if she wanted to be an actual princess—though Aubrey supposed Kel had specifically used the word “prom” rather than “ball” so Sally might not want a princess dress. Would Kel and Hero go all out and rent tuxes or just wear nice suits? Maybe Kel would bring back that bright pink tie from their prom…
Aubrey stopped. That tie. She hadn’t thought about it in years until it got brought up a couple of weeks ago when she and Kel were going shopping at the outlet mall with Sally.
*-*-*
“They’re so pretty,” Sally sighed wistfully with a little twirl as they passed some of the clothing racks filled with sparkly prom dresses. “I can’t wait ‘til I’m old enough to go to the prom.” She giggled and squeezed Aubrey’s hand. “What was it like? Did you get to wear a pretty dress like that, Aubbie?”
Aubrey smiled. Sally had given her that nickname years ago when she was a little toddler who struggled with her “r”s, and it made it happy to think that it had somehow stuck all these years. Her smile quickly faded however, as she awkwardly replied, “Well…Sally…I didn’t actually go to my prom.”
“Oh…” Sally’s eyes widened sadly, and she tilted her head. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay,” she reassured her, giving her a gentle smile and a reassuring pat on the head. “Your brother went though—to part of it. He wore this bright pink tie.”
Kel laughed and playfully poked her in the arm. “You remember my tie?”
Aubrey’s face flushed, but she bantered. “It was kind of hard to forget. Why’d you pick a color like that anyway?”
“Oh uh…” Chuckling, he scratched the back of his neck. “I never told you?”
“No…” Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him, but Sally giggled.
“I wanna hear about it.”
“Well, okay, just for you Sally,” Kel’s expression softened, but he shrugged his shoulders. “But I’m warning you, it’s…kind of silly now that I’m thinking about it…” He sighed. “There was this girl…She was really amazing. I wanted to ask her to prom, but I was really afraid she would say ‘no’ so I kind of chickened out. But she really liked pink so…I thought maybe she’d like that pink tie. Kind of silly, right?” He laughed it off, but his cheeks flushed.
“Did she like it?” asked Sally, curiously blinking up at her older brother.
Kel’s mouth curved into a smile, and—Aubrey blushed—she could have almost sworn he glanced over at her when he said, “Yeah. I think she did…”
“You know, you never told me—that girl, did she go with someone else?” The question slipped out before Aubrey could stop it. She had spent years wondering, worrying if she had ruined Kel’s prom with her own problems or if he was nursing a broken heart of his own that had nothing to do with her grief. It was probably selfish to be bringing it up now after all these years, but she couldn’t give up the opportunity to find out for sure if Kel would have left the prom early anyway, even if she had been there.
“Nope,” Kel shook his head with a sigh, and Aubrey swallowed hard.
“Did you get to dance with her, then?”
A smile twitched in the corners of Kel’s mouth—something unreadable but undeniably affectionate flashing across his eyes. “Eventually…”
“Was she a good dancer?” giggled Sally.
“Better than me.” Kel shrugged, but he reached out to take Sally’s hand and gave his sister a little twirl. “But I am getting better.”
He flashed Aubrey a teasing smile, and she shook her head at him as she stifled a laugh. She knew it was a sign that this conversation was over, but it nagged at the back of her brain for the rest of the day as they absentmindedly wandered from store to store, eventually stopping for soft pretzels at the food court and surprising Sally with a bright yellow bow for her hair. There was no more talk of prom.
When it started storming, they decided to call it a day and headed back to Faraway Town. It wasn’t long before Sally fell asleep in the back seat of her car, exhausted from the long and exciting day of shopping. Aubrey dreaded the silence left by the absence of Sally and Kel’s cheerful prattling, but she was grateful for the opportunity to focus on driving rather than on mulling Kel’s words over in her head. That guilt she had been feeling ever since he had had to skip out on their prom on her account was suddenly fresh again, gnawing at her, getting harder and harder to push away.
“Hey…uh…Aubrey? Are you okay?” asked Kel quietly enough so as not to wake up the napping Sally. “You’ve been kind of quiet…”
“Well Sally’s asleep Kel,” she replied with a tilt of her head as she glanced in her rearview mirror.
“Yeah, but I meant before that…Ever since we were in that department store…”
Aubrey took a deep breath and tried to muster a, “Yeah…I’m just…”
She stopped abruptly. Even if she didn’t take her eyes off the road, she could almost picture Kel’s reassuring smile, encouraging her that she could tell him anything. Maybe it would be best to ask him now when she didn’t have to look in his face...
Before she could decide, however, she pulled into the driveway of Kel’s parents’ house. Grabbing a nearby umbrella, Kel got out of the car and gently lifted a sleeping Sally, draping his jacket over her head so her face wouldn’t get wet from his attempts to carry her and the umbrella.
Kel fidgeted until he was shielding Sally completely with the umbrella, getting himself soaked in the process. Aubrey sighed and shook her head with a somewhat affectionate smile. He was going to be sopping wet by the time he got back to the car, but if Aubrey was being honest, she didn’t mind. It was sweet how much Kel cared about his sister. Aubrey supposed that was really just Kel—he always thought about everybody else and how to make them happy. He’d give a stranger his umbrella if they needed it, even if that meant he’d get himself soaked. It was something Aubrey admired most about him.
Her face felt suddenly warm, and she pushed the thought away, watching as Kel handed Sally off to his mom on the porch. She gave Aubrey a bright smile and a cheerful wave as Kel rushed back across yard. Aubrey waved back.
Sure enough, when Kel got back inside the car, he was dripping water. He ran his hand through his sopping hair.
“Sorry, Aubrey. I’ll clean it up when you drop me off,” he insisted with a sheepish smile, but Aubrey waved her hand.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just water.”
Chuckling, Kel’s mouth twitched into a lopsided grin, and he shrugged his shoulders, “Okay, now that Sally’s inside…what’s up? Something’s bugging you.”
“I’m fine,” Aubrey said, but she knew Kel knew her too well to believe that.
He sighed, a look of concern passing over his eyes. “Are you sure? Is it something I said…?”
“No…” She bit her lip. “It’s not you. It’s just…”
“You’ll feel better if you just tell me. I know you will,” he teased with a kind smile.
Aubrey huffed. He was right, of course, but she didn’t really want to admit that.
“Why did you leave our prom?”
Kel’s brow furrowed, and his eyes widened in confusion. “What?”
“You know…was it for that girl you wanted to take but didn’t end up asking or was it for…?” She stopped and cleared her throat.
“Well…actually…” Kel stumbled, his face flushing. Aubrey sighed guiltily. She didn’t mean to fluster him like this—it wasn’t fair.
“I just…I know it’s none of my business, and I feel bad asking but I just don’t want to be reason that you had to skip out on our prom, you know? So if you left because you were heartbroken or…”
“Oh,” Kel interrupted. Clearing his throat, he rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck. “Uh…I wasn’t heartbroken or anything, but…yeah, I did leave because of that girl—the one I wanted to ask…”
Aubrey sighed. She didn’t feel as relieved to hear this as she had always imagined she would. She felt almost…sad…
“Do you regret it?” she asked quietly, staring at her hands. “Leaving her there at the prom?”
“What?”
“You know, you could’ve stayed. You didn’t have to miss out on it, especially not to just waste the whole night sitting on my porch…” She cleared her throat though she twisted her hands around the steering wheel, staring intently at the swaying windshield wipers. “Do you ever wish that…things had been different?”
“I mean…I guess sometimes, maybe, but only to wish that you had been there and that everyone had been there to come with us.” Sighing bittersweetly, Kel paused. “Why? Do you?”
Aubrey sighed, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel even though the car was still parked. “Sometimes…” she admitted. “But for the same reason as you, I guess, and…” Her voice trailed, and she could feel Kel shift next to her.
“And what?”
“I’ve just…” Her face flushed as she took a deep breath. “I always felt guilty for making you miss it. I really am sorry about that.”
Kel chuckled lightly and placed his hand on her shoulder until she turned to look at him. “Aubrey, don’t worry about it. I already told you. I wanted to spend it with you.”
His smile was warm, and the look in his eyes was so tender that Aubrey’s hands began to shake as her cheeks blushed rose. She turned away from him, and he shrugged his shoulders and admitted, “I think about that night a lot, actually…in a good way. I don’t have regrets.”
He gently pushed a piece of hair out of her face, and Aubrey shivered but not from the cold and wet of the rain on his fingers. “Aubrey, I…There’s actually…” He stopped and pulled his hand away from her abruptly as water began to drip into her face. “Oh shoot. I’m sorry,” he stumbled, panicking over the damp streaks in her hair.
“It’s okay, Kel…” Aubrey sighed—politely failing to mention that his panicking over dripping water everywhere was just spraying water and making everything wetter. “Let’s just…get you home.”
“Okay…” Kel nodded, but his face was flushed. Aubrey was sure hers was bright red. She could only hope he wouldn’t notice.
*-*-*
Taking a deep breath, Aubrey parked her car on the street in front of Kel’s house. This was probably the worst possible thing she could have been thinking of right now. Why did she do this to herself?
She sighed heavily, burying her face in her hands before she composed herself, pushing all those thoughts away. She didn’t even know where they were coming from, and even if she did, now was definitely not the time to be thinking about any of that. She could almost guarantee that Kel certainly wasn’t. There was no way he was sitting around wondering what would have happened if the timer hadn’t gone off when they were dancing or if water hadn’t started to drip into her face when he was running his hand through her hair. These were just things Kel did without thinking—it didn’t mean anything more to him than that they were just friends, so why should it mean anything more to her? And…perhaps more importantly, why would she even want it to? Why would she want affection for him that would never be returned?
Her shoes clicked across the pavement as she made her way down the sidewalk and up the driveway to the house where Kel lived with his brother, at least until Hero finished his final year of residency and paid off enough student loans to afford his own place. There was the faint sound of music echoing from the backyard and lights shimmering from what she assumed was probably their decorated porch. As soon as she walked through the gate to the yard, however, she realized she was wrong. There was a beautiful trellis canopy covered in Christmas lights with twinkling icicle lights hanging from the ceiling—underneath it was Hero’s record player, playing classic love songs.
Aubrey froze just staring at it—how it beautiful it was. She didn’t even notice Kel until he chuckled beside her.
“Aubrey, you made it!” He paused, his expression softening. “You look beautiful. I’m glad I finally got to see your prom dress.”
Aubrey’s face flushed, and she curled her toes in her shoes both at the compliment, and at the fact that Kel didn’t look too shabby himself dressed in his dark suit with combed hair and shiny dress shoes. “You look nice too, Kel. I see you’re wearing that tie—” she tried to tease him, but her voice cracked. Kel, however, just chuckled lightly.
“Oh yeah…well, you know…” With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he paused fidgeting with the bright pink tie around his neck. “Do you like it?”
Aubrey somehow managed a playful roll of her eyes. “It’s great, Kel.”
“I got you this,” he exclaimed excitedly, holding out a plastic container with a corsage inside.
“Wow, thank you,” she stumbled as he helped her slip it onto her wrist. “You really did go all out, huh?”
Kel hummed and nodded enthusiastically, but Aubrey’s brow furrowed as she glanced around. “So, uh…where are Hero and Sally?”
A faint flush of rose filled Kel’s cheeks. “Oh. Uh…well…about that. They’re not here.”
“Why not?”
“It wasn’t really a lie,” he tripped over his words. “I was just trying to surprise you, but I…I didn’t do this for Sally…”
As he met her eyes, Aubrey shivered and swallowed hard. Kel chuckled sheepishly. “I knew you were kind of upset that you missed your prom, and so I thought I’d make you your own prom. Surprise!”
Aubrey looked around the yard—at the twinkling lights, the trellis, Hero’s record player, then at Kel, all dressed up in his best suit with his pink tie, the kindest look in his eyes and the brightest, beaming smile on his face.
“You...”—she inhaled sharply—“You did all this…for me?”
“Yeah…Is it overboard? I was worried it might be a little overboard.”
Aubrey could scarcely put coherent sentences together—her head was spinning. Kel…Kel had done all of this…for her…? “Why?”
“Why?” Kel repeated with wide eyes. “Well…because it’s a lot…with the music and the fancy clothes and the decorations…”
“No, uh—” she stumbled. “Why did you do this for me, Kel?”
“Oh…well I thought you were upset about our prom ever since we went to the outlet mall, and I thought maybe a ‘do-over’ prom would make you happy.”
Aubrey’s blush deepened as she stared down at her feet. “You…you really didn’t have to do this Kel. Especially since I’m the one who basically ruined your prom in the first place.”
“Aubrey…” He pressed his palm to her cheek—smiling, waiting until she finally looked up at him. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time. You didn’t ruin my prom—not at all. I wanted to spend it with you. I know I probably should’ve just asked you, but I don’t know, I was just…I had never felt so close to anybody in my whole life, and I thought you were so amazing, I didn’t know what to do with myself…” He paused, chuckling awkwardly with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders.
“Wait…you…you…” she stammered trying to make sense of what she was hearing. He couldn’t have possibly just said…? “You wanted to take me to our prom? I’m the girl?”
Kel’s cheeks blushed red, but he nodded. “You’re the girl.” Aubrey could only blink at him as he chuckled lightly, awkwardly again and joked as he fidgeted with his hands, “You know…if this was a movie, this is probably the part where I’d say something really corny like ‘You’ve always been the girl.’”
As he met her eyes, Aubrey froze. His words may have been corny, but the look in his eyes was so sincere, so…affectionate. She swallowed hard—sure her face must be bright red by now, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t think. She tried her best to take a deep breath and shakily tease him but her voice was wavering, breathy—it almost didn’t sound like her. “Yeah…that’s—that’s really corny…”
“Yeah, I’m no Hero…” Kel chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I’m really not good at any of this stuff…” He bit his lip and looked back up at her with a gaze that made her shiver. “But I really do think you’re great—probably the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I’m sorry for not saying it before.”
“Kel, I…” Her voice hitched. “I had no idea you felt this way…”
“That’s okay,” shrugged Kel. “To be honest, I didn’t even know I felt this way for a long time. It took me a while to figure it out…I was just kind of dense, I guess.” He laughed with a sheepish grin. “When I finally mentioned it to Hero, he gave me this look like ‘it’s about time…’ Then he was the one who was really encouraging me to tell you, but I just never really could figure out how and…then I was worried I was going to mess up our friendship and I didn’t want to make things awkward…But I guess this is kinda awkward, huh? All the movies make it look so easy…”
Aubrey blushed. If one of them should be feeling dense right now, it really should be her. Kel was…Was he really…?
“Listen, uh…you’re really quiet right now. You don’t have to say anything. We can just pretend that I never said anything,” he began to ramble quickly, nervously. “I didn’t want to put you on the spot, I just—I thought that was something you should probably know about me, er, about you, er how I feel about you because I—I really like you and I think you are really great and if you ever talk to me again after this, I would really like to take you to dinner and…”
Aubrey could only blink at him, unable to get a word in edgewise as he let out a long heavy sigh. “And I am totally messing this up…” Sighing heavily again, he ran his hand through his hair, before he met her eyes. “Aubrey…I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be…” Aubrey interrupted, reaching up to stroke Kel’s cheek with her hand. “I know it’s not an easy thing to say…”
“No, but you don’t understand. I tried to practice and everything. I was going to say all kinds of really nice stuff like that you’re probably the most important person in the world to me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. After Mari and Sunny and Basil…”—his voice hitched—”Things were so dark and so sad…it was probably one of the worst times in my life, and I felt so alone, but then, you found me…and you showed me that even if this world without them is always going to be a little sadder than it was, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still good things in it too. And a lot of those good things were because of you—when we tease each other and we’re throwing popcorn at each other or I’m wiping frosting on your nose or splashing water at you at the beach—when we laugh about corny movies or dance in the kitchen or when we just talk for hours and completely forget about the time…or when your face turns all red when you’re trying not to smile or the way your nose wrinkles when you laugh. And you”—he cupped her face in his hands—“You’re the best thing.”
“Kel—I…I…” Aubrey began to trip over her words, unsure what she even wanted to say.
Kel sighed, his face blushing red as he pulled his hands away from her, and mumbled, “I don’t even know if that makes sense…”
“No, it…it does,” Aubrey said with a reassuring smile. “I…I completely…” She stopped. “Back then, I…I never thought I could ever be happy again, but you showed me I could be, that there’s still…happiness…” Her voice trailed, but Kel wrapped his arms around her and pulled into a tight hug.
“Aubrey…I’m…I’m so glad…I…”—Kel’s voice hitched—“I just want you to be happy. I want you to be so, so happy. I just never thought I’d ever be lucky enough that you could be happy with me.”
“I am happy, Kel,” Aubrey whispered, unable to think, unable to breath. Something she couldn’t even begin to describe seemed to propel her forward—her whole body almost moving on its own as she pulled back from him just enough to close her eyes and brush her lips against his.
“A—Aubrey?” stumbled Kel with a look more akin to having been whacked on the back of the head rather than kissed.
“Kel, uh…sorry…” she began staring off over his shoulder. “I just um…”
“No, I’m sorry, I just…I wasn’t ready.” Aubrey’s eyes widened, but Kel hurriedly added, “Ready as in prepared not as in ready like I—I didn’t want…because I—I do…”
A playful smile tugged at Aubrey’s lips, but she was blushing too much to actually tease him.
“I—I…” Kel began to stumble again, and Aubrey could have sworn she heard him mumble, “Oh forget it…” under his breath before he finally just threw his arms around her neck and kissed her. His hands tangled in her hair as hers gripped the collar of his suit pulling him even closer to her. She could taste that sickeningly sweet Orange Joe on his breath, but she didn’t even care.
When they finally broke apart from each other, red-faced and breathless. Kel chuckled teasingly, “I guess I should probably ask you to dance now, huh?”
As that familiar song began to play, Kel wrapped his arms around her, and Aubrey slipped her hands around his neck. They swayed in time to the music, and neither one of them could hold back their smiles.
As Aubrey nestled into Kel’s chest, she could feel him chuckling lightly to himself.
“What?” she asked quietly.
“Nothing it’s just…” Kel pulled away just enough to look at her and meet her eyes as his mouth twitched into a soft, playful smile. “Maybe it really is true what everyone says about prom after all…”
#kelbrey#omori baseball bat#omori baseball#baseball omori#omori kelbrey#cries about kelbrey#kelbrey prom#i want out of kelbrey hell#send help#can acacia actually write romance? let's see...#i can't believe i wrote this#omori spoilers#my omori fanfiction#thank you so much for reading
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I Really Can't Do This Anymore
Edward Cullen x Reader
⚠️: angst,suicide, heartbreak, abandonment and insecurities.
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*Flashback*
-I look at Edward still in shock after his sudden decision- You can't do this to me Edward, not now when I need you most. Please don't leave, don't leave me too, Edward.
-Even after having spent months without shedding tears, at this moment they do not stop, the tears wet my sweater and ruin that makeup that I painstakingly did in the morning in the desire to continue feeling enough for this man who leaves me today. without coherent explanations.-
I just can't go on with this, you have to understand me. - Edward says with a certain sadness in his voice, almost as if he wanted to cry.-
-As soon as he finishes saying that, he turns around with his back to me and disappears among the trees of the forest, he leaves, leaving me in the middle of nowhere, he leaves with my heart and my life in the middle.-
*End of flashback*
-Since that tragic day, 4 months and 8 days have passed. Everything stopped being worth it, everything feels so unreal and foreign to me, the energy left my soul and now I am just a lump between 4 walls. Everything seems to have asked for meaning, since that man was my reason for living, he was the calm in the storm, with him I discovered the world and I discovered myself, he took me to heaven and released me to reality. Without him I am nothing, without him life is nothing, everything that he made me heal now hurts again like before.-
I Really Can't Do This Anymore
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-Today we should have celebrated our first year as a couple, and it is so difficult to assimilate that everything I dreamed of and had for such a short time, left as if it were a season. I really can't do this anymore and I don't plan to. So today, with all my pain and my tears, I have decided to give up on everything, from Edward, from love, from pain... I have decided to give up everything I am and what I have, I must put an end to this pain.-
-With all the courage that I have left and after 4 months, I leave the house and begin my path to that cliff that I had been warned a thousand and one times not to go near. With all the tranquility in the world, I walk to the windowsill and ignoring my fear of heights, I take a breath.-
-My face feels cold, my legs want to give in and my breathing becomes more and more agitated at the idea of never seeing the light again, at the memory of that love that took away my fears and life at its mercy. time. I look at the sky without wanting to think anymore and I let my body weaken as much as my heart, I close my eyes at all times, even when the cold invades my body, that cold that enveloped me physically so many nights when he consoled me and promised me a Better tomorrow, that cold and humidity that I felt countless times as a child when playing with my mother and sister under the autumn rain that fell from the sky, that cold that I felt at night due to my stubbornness of not wearing a sweater on any occasion. Anxiety comes shortly after, but I remember hearing as a child that it was a defense mechanism, which I didn't want to use now. Strangely quickly everything becomes dark and in front of me only all those few happy memories that I had during my few years of life appear. The air leaves my body and along with it...my life.-
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Dude, I don't know where this came from, my therapist must know hahaha BTW I hope you liked it a lot and don't cry as much as I did :)
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It’s time for the Dream Show Challenge 3.0 (*audience cheers*) organized by @singledarkshade
I’ve got this cast for : Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds). Goran Visnjic (ER… sorry I didnt get creative in another nationality but the real one of him), Dina Meyer (DragonHeart), Ice T (Law and Order SVU), Rupert Everett (My Best Friend Wedding), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), Carol Kane (The Princess Bride) and because this is a Rip Lovers Place, imagine who will appear without a request.
CROATIAN STARS
Sinopsis: Evangeline tries to start a new life, and find a new love, a year after her husband passed away. She gets on a Europe Press Tour promoting her new book and getting in dates with not the best results. Finally gets back to London with her former family, a place she really don’t wanted to get back, never… why?
Characters:
Evangeline Reed – Kirsten Vangsness
A writer and journalist. She wanted to stay at his husband country, but Croatia is Nikola, and she can’t bare feeling him in every inch. Allysa, her publisher and best friend, decides that is the moment for a Press Tour of her new book and throw a challenge to her about dating with men again.
Nikola Kerr - Goran Visnjic
We meet him in flashbacks of their marriage. Evangeline remembers him and tries to figure out what he could say and do in most of situations.
Allysa Miller – Dina Meyer
The perfect publisher. The perfect best friend. The perfect adventures companion. Allysa will say yes to everything in the Europe Press Tour.
Donald Sieger – Ice.T
At Amsterdam, they met this suave American guy, and Evangeline decides to taste the yankee love.
Santino Fontes – Rupert Everett
They say that a girl in Italy will fall in love each 5 minutes, but Evangeline gets to the practical side: choose the most handsome, with the finest italian suit at the Editorial Party.
Ernest Reed – Rhys Darby
Evangeline’s brother, who host her little sister back in London. Evangeline is disappointed that passing time with men to get over his husband just managed to make her miss him more, and he push her to one more try.
Dinorah Reed -- Carol Kane
She is old fashioned only in the using of getting his husband family name, but this woman is far from the traditional granny. Ernest kids will get loads of delivery food and 80’s slashers on DVD instead of baked handmade goodies and old rhymes.
Jerome Twight – Arthur Darvill
Evangeline meets this guy singing the same song her late husband used to sing a lot.
Yes, I wrote the song lyrics, and they are cheesy lyrics, because I tought I would get a better development of the plot, using it, and make wordplays with stars and space.
You
And I
Stars crossed
Before beginning of love
As love was created for those bonded stars
In a crossed faith
In an eternal bright
The stars
The stars
Brights of love
Burns of desire
All trough the sky
Night by night
Lovers meeting
Lovers dancing
Lovers brights
Lovers burns
I don’t know how to make poetry, I never did. But I wrote the bloody song and I won’t keep It hidden forever :p
Episode 1.
Evangeline Reed feels his deceased husband everywhere.
At this episode we know how the couple met in flashbacks from places she moves on a normal day.
One night at the University Library, he came to ask her for conversation because they are the only students left in there and he doesn’t want to get asleep.
Surviving the end of semester, they started proper dating.
Back to present, at the end of a normal day she decides to move, and calls her best friend to accept a Press Tour of her new book which publication was delayed when she became a widow.
Episode 2.
Berlin. Allysa makes her best efforts to distract her friend and have fun. But everything makes Evangeline remember Nikola (oh yes the flashbacks).
By the end of the episode, Allyson decides to challenge her friend to get on dates, even without a romantic interest, just for meeting more men than the one in her memories.
Episode 3.
Amsterdam. Evangeline picks the first dude to date: finding him checking the underground movies from the Book Store where she signed books. He is an american tourist using his life savings for a worldwide trip. She has fun for a couple of days, until he has a train to ride.
Episode 4.
Rome. After a deep evaluation, Evangeline decides to pick up the man with the most elegant suit at the Editorial Party, finding that he is the main investor from the Editorial. Santino gives her three days of luxury, fashion, limousine rides, dinners at the best restaurants, just to find that they have zero chemistry when they try to kiss.
Episode 5.
Another round of dates at different cities, where she get fun but can’t stop thinking about Nikola. In the meanwhile, she is trying to persuade Allysa to erase the last stop from the tour or at least set her mind for it: London.
Nope, she don’t succeed, next and last stop: London.
Episode 6.
Meet the Reeds!!! Ernest is the kind of older brother that won’t let her sis to stay at a hotel, because she needs their childhood homemade dinners and a familiar room to pass the night, also her nephews don’t leave her side all day.
Dinorah is the kind of mother that never cooked and survived with delivery and his son cooking after becoming a widow 5 years ago.
Evangeline is happy with her family, until the adults insists that she needs to get out of the house and roam by London as an adult, because she left for University and met London only as a child and teenager.
She founds that the Cafe with her favorite sights to the city is still working, and she sits in there, looking at the early morning, wishing that Nikola were there.
Suddenly she thinks that he gots allucinations or she is still dreaming, because she hears Nikola singing the tune he always sang. She looks around and by the next table, there is a man, singing the same song, and now that she is totally aware of being awake and in the real world… he doesn’t look or sing like Nikola at all.
Episode 7.
The man looks at her, with the “Do I have something at my face?” expression that most of people fix when a stranger is locking their eyes on you.
She apologizes, introduces herself and explains.He also introduces himself: Jerome Twight, who is very happy because he likes her books. They roam the city, talking about how a lot of things had changed and how others stays just the same.
Evangeline is enjoying herself, not even thinking about Nikola, until… it starts to rain.
Episode 8.
Evangeline starts running, asking strangers to let them in their houses for sheltering from the rain that is becoming a storm very quick.
Jerome understands that she is getting a panic attack, and the complete scenario gets to him while she begs in panic to the lady entering her house to let them in, or the man holding her hand will die just like his last husband did.
He finally finds a shelter, a thin roof just enough for them both. Evangeline hugs him, crying and swearing at London and the rain.
This is why she did not wanted to came: Nikola had a weak inmune system and got pneumonia when a little kid from the Croatian Town where they lived went missing, and refused to get back when the rescue groups wanted to stop the search by a storm.Jerome tries to comfort her.
Yes… GETTING IN LONDON AFTER THE RAIN KILLED YOUR HUSBAND was a horror, but after some minutes of making her sure that himself won’t die for just some rain, Evangeline calms herself enough to wait until the rain stops.
She walks her back home, gives his phone number, but she is so ashamed that makes clear meeting again has very very low possibilities to happen.
Some days pass, until Jerome gets a call on his phone, by an Unknown Number.
He picks it up, and the last thing we see is his expression when the voice from the other side is Evangeline greeting “Hello. Do you know the chances of rain for today?"
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Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 16
Pairing: Hangman x Female OC
Word Count: 1682
Warnings: None
Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.
Or so he thought.
Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks.
Chapter Songs: Friday Night No Place Like You
****
Ghost
A drunken patron sang along to karaoke with his comrades egging him on. Annalise watched in amusement from the bar while she waited for her drink. Her eyes drifted to Jake, who stood across the room chatting with a striking brunette. The girl appeared to be devouring every flattering and flirty comment he whispered in her ear. How could she not when the words came from an emerald-eyed God showering all his affection and attention on her?
Not for the first time in her life, Annalise wished she could be the girl in front of Jake, to know what it felt like to have his focus on her be something other than platonic. When the romantic feelings for him arose, Annalise could never place. It'd happened without her even noticing, but they never went away once she recognized them.
Still, Jake would never be interested in her as anything but a friend. Annalise may have been relatively fit, a requirement for any aviator, but she still had some stubborn flab on her stomach, thighs, and arms that refused to disappear no matter how hard she trained or how little she ate. Her body remained a far cry from the models Jake always sought.
Forcing herself to look away, she scanned the club for her other friends: Lydia and Javy. She discovered them in a dark corner making out. It'd taken almost their entirety at the Academy for Javy to finally admit his feelings for Lydia, albeit only because of the liquid courage given to him by the ever-reliable tequila. Now, the couple stayed practically inseparable.
"I hope you're not looking for someone," a guy said, sliding next to Annalise at the bar.
"Oh? And if I am?" she countered, eyeing him up and down to get a feel of the type of person he was. With his slicked-back hair, ice-blue eyes, and too-low V-neck, something about him set her on edge.
"Then consider me heartbroken because you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."
Annalise chuckled wryly. "And how many girls have you used that line on before?"
"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" The man stuck out his hand. "I'm Harry."
"Pleasure," she replied, shaking his hand and purposefully failing to give him her name. "You from around here?"
"Yeah, I live just down the road. Have a beautiful view of the harbor. You can see all the ships coming and going. It's a great place to hang out, chat-" the man stepped closer- too close- to Annalise- "and to get to know someone privately. What do you say we leave the noise and head to my place? Get to know one another?"
Annalise jerked away when his hand trailed up her arm. Her eyes frantically flitted over to Jake, praying he'd take his attention off the leggy brunette for a second so she could send him a silent 'SOS.' Whether God or some other higher being was listening to her prayers, Annalise locked eyes with Jake. It only lasted a second, but she got the message across: Help me!
His gaze shifted back to the girl in front of him, and all Ghost could think was a string of impressive swear words in multiple languages. Returning her attention to the creep in front of her, who again tried to touch her, Annalise said, "Thanks, but I'm going to pass. I need to get back to my-"
"If you say boyfriend-" Harry interrupted, holding up his hand- "then you should look for a new one. No guy should leave a girl as pretty as you alone."
"I can handle myself just fine."
"Yeah, but then-"
"Hey, Annie," Jake greeted, appearing next to her with the most perfect timing. Bearing his hundred-watt grin, he asked, "Who's your friend?"
"Hey, honey," Annalise responded sweetly, wrapping her arm around his waist, which he returned in kind, pulling her flush against his side. "This is Harry. He was chatting while I waited for my drink."
"You still haven't gotten it? I was wondering what was taking so long."
"Yeah, they're pretty busy, but it looks like my luck is changing with you here." Ghost eagerly reached for her drink, which had finally arrived. Taking a large gulp, she sighed happily. "Did you want to go play a round of darts?"
"Yeah, Javy and Lydia are ready, so we were just looking for you," Hangman said, kissing the top of her head. Annalise involuntarily melted into him at the contact, and she hated herself for having such a reaction. Jake was her friend. That was it! They would never be anything more, so why think anything of it? He had come to her rescue and was playing his part to get the creep away from her. Annalise couldn't read anything else into it.
"Keep an eye on her, man," Harry warned, sipping his beer. "She shouldn't be left on her own. She was considering going home with me."
Jake chuckled wryly. "I've known Annie for over six years, and it took five of those for her to say yes to a date with me, so I can assure you it's going to take a lot more than a charming smile and smooth-talking to get her to go home with an arrogant prick like yourself."
Clapping Harry violently on the shoulder, Jake escorted Annalise away from the bar, not letting her go even when they stopped near the dart board. He looked her up and down and asked, "You okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No, just gave me the creeps and wouldn't leave me alone. You came in the nick of time, although I'm sorry I tore you away from that girl you were talking with."
"Don't ever apologize for that. You're more important than any girl I'm trying to hook up with. They're a dime a dozen. You-" Jake sat on a stool and pulled Annalise by her hips between his legs. They were at eye-level with each other, their faces a mere couple of inches apart. "You are irreplaceable."
She clasped her hands behind his neck, grinning. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special. The gig is up, though. You don't need to keep pretending you're my boyfriend now that we're not near him."
"On the contrary, he is still watching us, specifically you. If you let me go, there is a very good chance that I'm going to go teach the guy some manners." Jake's gaze drifted briefly over her shoulder, then to her face, lips, and back to her eyes. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life. Why?"
"I don't think Henry-"
"Harry," Annalise corrected.
"I have another name for him, but I'll keep it to myself. Point is, I don't think he's fully bought our story. We need to do a little more convincing."
"Really? What do you have in mind?"
"This." Jake leaned in and planted his lips on Annalise's, gently but firmly. His hand cupped her cheek before sliding to the back of her head and weaving his fingers through her hair. Annalise stiffened momentarily at the contact, having believed he didn't have the gall to do such a thing, but she swiftly relaxed and melted into the kiss, tightening her arms around his neck.
Annalise swore nothing could top the adrenaline rush of hearing the roar and power of fighter jets caused in her, but in that moment with Jake, she realized there was one thing. She also realized she was monumentally screwed. Annalise had been able to ignore her feelings for Jake for a long time, had even almost convinced herself that they didn't exist at all, but this kiss cemented two things: the romantic feelings she possessed for him were very much indeed real, and they would not disappear any time soon.
"What is going on here?" Lydia's entertained voice queried. Jake and Annalise broke apart sheepishly, staring like deer in headlights at their friend. Javy stood behind her, biting back a smirk.
Annalise gathered her wits about her first. "Some creep was hitting on me, and Jake rescued me by pretending to be my boyfriend."
Lydia wagged a finger at them as she prodded, "And that also required you two to be in a lip-lock?"
"We had to sell it," Jake insisted, standing up and briefly glancing at the other side of the bar. "Especially because he won't take his eyes off of her. He's still watching us."
Lydia frowned in concern. "Should we leave?"
"No, I'm not letting some dick ruin our night. We're here to have fun and celebrate your birthday!" Annalise insisted, grabbing the darts and handing them to Jake. "And if he tries to ruin our fun, then we'll turn him into the dart board."
Jake nodded. "All right, but if you start feeling uncomfortable-"
"I won't. How can I when my boyfriend is here to protect me?" Annalise winked playfully at him, and he cracked a grin. Without another word about Harry the Creep, the friends turned their attention to the game and enjoyed the rest of the night without incident. Still, Annalise couldn't stop thinking about the kiss she and Jake shared. It's not that it meant anything significant to either of them, but God, she understood now why all the girls wanted to sleep with him. Annalise might've thrown her morals out the window to have a one-night stand with him if not for their friendship. She would do nothing to risk it, knowing that Jake felt nothing romantically for her. It hurt, but that was life. After all, not everyone was meant to end up together, no matter how well they got along. Her mom and Maverick were a reminder of that. They pushed each other to be the best they could be and helped each other through difficult times, but they weren't meant to end up together, and now, they didn't even speak.
Annalise couldn't risk that happening with Jake. He was the best thing to ever happen to her, and God forbid if something ever happened to him...
****
Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double- @bradshawsandbridgetons @catsandgeekyandnerd @peachiicherries @multifandomcnova @fandomsstolemylife00 @bookloverhorses @mak-32 @midnightmagpiemama @luckyladycreator2 @ellamae021 @kmc1989
Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16
If you're not on the tag list and want to be, just let me know :)
#top gun#top gun fic#maverick#rooster#hangman#phoenix#bradley bradshaw#iceman#bob#jake seresin#coyote#payback#fanboy#omaha#yale#halo#fritz#harvard#tg2#tgm#top gun maverick#fanfic#jake seresin X oc#pregnancy#grief#foxtrot#alpha
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Pact
9/6 birthday fic for Shin 🧡🧡 (though it's actually part of a backstory fic I hope I can write in full one day)
Characters: Shin (age 6), Hyakutori (OC, Shin's dad), Parduoc (OC, giant otter summoning animal)
Setting: pre-canon, Kusagakure
Summary: good intentions that have accidentally bad results are the worst, aren't they? back in Kusa, it's as rough as it's ever been, even when there's days that suck less than others. (if you notice a pronoun switch between the present and flashback, that's on purpose)
He has no logical reason to ever expect a deviation. It's always business as usual when your summoner calls you forth for whatever pain in the ass matter they're wrapped up in. You get the call, you answer it, you handle whatever task you're given, then you get to leave again. So when that proverbial blowing of the horn comes once more for Parduoc, he prepares himself to be greeted by the tried and true visage of the current contract holder. The sight of the silver haired man might be largely unexciting but at least Hyakutori has never wished harm on any of the otters under his command or treated any of them inhumanely. None of them ever get hit, yelled at, or forced to do errands that he couldn't be bothered to do himself. So, to the ringleader of the semi-aquatic musteline fighting force, this should have just been the standard get in get back out scenario. Until a huge wrench got hurled into every expectation that the giant otter tried to maintain.
"Shin?" Big, almost kelpy green eyes blink in disbelief when the face he looks up to behold is that of his master's only brat instead of the master himself. And then Parduoc looks around to make sure he's not dreaming and finds nothing is meeting his usual expectations. "Where the hell are we and what's going on? Where's your dad?"
"Shh, be quiet!" The six year old pleads with the water weasel before placing one small hand over its muzzle haphazardly. Parduoc looks up at him with a miffed expression as a brief wet feeling accompanies the rough placement of the hand but decides not to continue his statement in case this is an actually serious situation. "They're looking for me."
"Who's looking for you?" The words are muffled by the hand in front of his mouth but he manages to make it decipherable, even with his father gruff voice.
"I don't know. And I don't know what to do." He's clearly trembling with every word he's saying. The full picture is still not cleared up but the obvious details that can be ascertained from all the current clues do not inspire confidence in the large otter. He still isn't seeing Hyakutori either and that is the most worrying factor of all.
Parduoc knows he has to be careful and conservative with every movement just in case they're discovered by the mystery pursuers but he still manages to wriggle away from the loose grip the small child had had on him in order to properly get his bearings. Those swampy hued eyes of his take stock of his surroundings the best he can with what he assumes is limited time and it appears that they're somewhere upstream from where Hyakutori would frequently bring Shin in order to teach him Shinobi life skills in the absence of a formal academy. During a lot of those educational sessions, the former Kiri nin would summon a couple of his contracted otters so that they might provide extra eyes and ears (and teeth, frankly) to keep on hand in case he himself misses a whiff of danger or suspicious activity. It paid to be careful in this part of the Land of Mushrooms because the ruling party in charge of Kusagakure were not known for their benevolent or transparent or fair ways. It wasn't quite lawless out here but sometimes it felt closer to that threshold than it did to one of safety. It was hard enough out here to be an autonomous adult, let alone a child who may or may not have adequate parental protection. Which only fueled the ongoing maybe-crisis paranoia further.
"Can you tell me all of what you know? I just need to understand what is going on." Parduoc takes a deep breath after speaking as lowly as possible. He has to center himself and focus, preparing for whatever information was going to be hastily dumped on him in the next moment. Part of him had the suspicion that his actual summoner was not the one who called for him. And the implications of that were definitely not pretty. Thinking back, he hesitantly relives the moment that may have lead him here, quickly enough so as not to waste precious time.
~~~~~~
"I think that's about enough for today. You did a really good job." That reassuring voice comes from the silver haired man standing on the bank of the stream. He watches his child hop just then, the best she was able, onto the nearest rock once she gets the signal to stop.
But said rock was just a little too slick from the combination of the constant contact with moving water and a little bit of algae that had been growing on it because of said water. Too slick, in this case, for a young child who had not yet mastered the fine chakra control to establish and maintain a proper lasting grip on it with her feet. She struggled to balance and stay upright but quickly floundered a little too roughly in the wrong direction and was bound to fall backside first into the thankfully shallow brook beneath her. Until her father, still watching like a diligent hawk, motioned to one of his nearby summons to jump in and prevent this very minor slip up. Parduoc trotted faster than he had in ages in his attempt to catch Shin before the fall and ended up getting his protruding bottom teeth firmly enough into the bottom edge of her shirt. She stopped falling backwards just enough to avoid a very wet collision with nature.
"Got-tha." It's muffled by the shirt fabric in between his teeth, but the otter reaffirms his success. Though that turns out to be a premature celebration as in the next moment, Shin sighs a little in relief, and the minute movement frees her shirt from the half-assed grip Parduoc has on it after it had loosened ever so slightly from his mumbling. So she ends up in the creek even with the best attempt to prevent it.
Hyakutori slaps a palm to his forehead dramatically and sighs. Thankfully his daughter is tough enough not to be upset to the point of crying, but now he's going to have to wash those clothes again. Clothes that had just been freshly washed yesterday. It's such a petty concern but goddamn he should have swooped in to pick her up as soon as possible rather than trust an otter's grip, thus preventing emergency laundry protocol. "Okay, I THINK we all need to go home now and pick this up another day." He looks first to his summon and then to his daughter. "And it's a bath and fresh clothes for you first then when we get there."
"Sorry dad." She apologizes, but thankfully still seems relatively unfazed. "I don't have it yet."
"That's okay. You will eventually, give it time. Good job today, I'm proud of you."
He steps into the stream, the reasonably temped water running gently over his feet and shins and feeling like heaven, and retrieves his kid from the flowing creekbed. Parduoc waddles out on his own and shakes off. It's not really necessary as he's well adapted to these sorts of conditions but in this case it's probably more him casting off the embarrassment rather than the moisture, and of course making sure he won't be tracking unnecessary muddy wetness into the house. Seaweed toned eyes look up at the much taller adult man as if to confirm one last time that they're all headed home, and he receives an assuring nod. It's the giant otter in the lead all the way, trotting at a comfortable and easy pace in his uniquely musteline manner, returning to the relatively safe (as safe as it could be in these parts, any way) little place they had established in the heart of Mushroom Country. Both know it's not a life of luxury but at this point it didn't need to be. Really, all it needed to be was far from the reach of the Hidden Mist and now of course safe enough to raise a child, and it had fit both points of that bill just fine for as long as they'd been residing here. Hyakutori hopes his luck will hold out for as long as possible and counts his blessings that it's been this easy for this long.
Though he could have just left for his actual home back with his brethren, his job here long past done, Parduoc opts to stay and laze around the Sado-Fuuma home for a while as Hyakutori takes care of both his child and her filthy clothes. It's a comfortable little life for a hard working mustelid and he knows he's earned the break. Hell, he's not even reprimanded for dropping Shin in the creek, so he's got nothing to lament about. Observing from afar, in this perfectly peaceful stretch of time, is far more interesting than whatever was surely waiting for him back with the clan anyhow. Hime wasn't even here right now so there was no way said peace could get disturbed or distorted. The mat he's laying on has practically his name on it and nothing is immediately demanding his attention so he knows damn well he's got it made. Meanwhile, the subjects he's been monitoring, go about their business. The wet pair of pants and less wet but still dirty shirt, along with everything else that touched the river water, are laundered carefully as soon as the man of the house sees to it that his actual child is washed and freshly dressed. All the while he's humming something to himself and seeming to enjoy the simplicity of it all, creating a very reassuring atmosphere that lifts his spirits even higher.
"Do you want to go back out there and work on it some more in a couple of days?" He breaches the question out of the blue just as he's stringing out a small line to hang the clothes from. They will be low enough to run into so he has to make sure not to do that every time he passes it by. Getting tangled up in a clothesline is not his definition of a good time.
Shin, who had been making quick work of some baby carrots for a snack, looks over to him and cocks her head to the side. "Can't it be tomorrow?"
That's when he lets out a little sigh through his nose. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I have a couple of missions to take care of tomorrow. But I promise it'll be the day after. You can hold me to that."
Disappointment briefly crosses her expression but seems to get over it without much fuss. "Thank you, I can't wait." There's no denying the hopeful lilt in those words. Even with mishaps, the process of learning these sorts of life skills seems to bring her joy and she looks forward to it every day. He just hopes it will never come down to her having to use them in any sort of combat scenario or just to get by monetarily. Though...at heart, he knows it's unlikely that life will be as kind to her as he wants it to be. Especially around the Hidden Grass. Experience has taught him that more than once while growing up. Maybe if she ventures out somewhere less unstable she'll have a better set of options to choose from. Though that's still a long way off.
The exchange seems to prompt Parduoc to get up from the mat he's lounging on like a lizard in the sun, moving in his unique weasely way over to Shin, and he examines her a moment before speaking. "Do you think it'll be like today, the next time we go out there?"
A half assed growl and brief baring of teeth is directed at the man. "You're predictable, I know it'll be me you ask for. And you could never replace me. Not when everyone else is the way they are."
Hyakutori interrupts with an edge of humor to his voice. "Who says I'm bringing you next time? Maybe I'll call Poww instead. I'm sure he can hold his grip. I think you gotta earn your spot back as my favorite after today."
He waves it off and finishes hanging the apparel for drying. "You're right. I'm sure he'd be mad at me if I did that to spite you anyway. Your place as the golden beast is safe for another day."
Under his breath, in that gruff voice distorted by his underbite, Parduoc makes an indignant quip. "I'll show you who's a beast. Hmph."
Shin swivels her focus from otter to father and asks him, genuinely. "Would he really be mad?"
He crosses the short distance between them and sits himself down right next to Shin so he can give her his full attention. "Maybe. Poww has a higher standard than all of his comrades. Or maybe Parduoc is just that lazy."
Father and daughter share a good laugh at the expense of their third but said third shakes it off like the water on his fur earlier. "Get it out now so I don't gotta hear it later. Go on, laugh it up. I'm an easy target."
"No, no, I'm done. I promise."
"Fine." Parduoc huffs, breathing out his nose for emphasis. He changes the subject abruptly with his next comment. "Now, kid, I need you to listen to me closely for a second."
"Huh?" She cocks her head in confusion once again. This is not an expected twist though maybe she should have seen it coming since he got up to sit next to her just like her dad had. "What is it?"
"I know earlier wasn't anything that bad but. It makes me think." There is a deep breath in between the statements. "You're too young for an official signature in the contract yet. Way too young. But, if you ever find yourself in an emergency, I will let you call on me once. Call on me and I will do everything I can to help you."
Something about the incredibly bold proposal has Hyakutori too stunned to speak for several beats. It's one hell of a sharp swerve from their earlier lighthearted exchange. Parduoc isn't exactly an unserious creature but he's no liar and no slouch when it mattered either. Such an offer is one he definitely will commit his all to without fail. And though it's a lot of responsibility, it could indeed be the singular safeguard that one day prevents the worst from happening to Shin when her father could not be there to help. His contracted summoning animals have been called an odd choice by some but he stands by the fact that they have always served him well and treat his child with respect and kindness without being asked to. That's all a father, and a Shinobi, could ever want. Harmony between duty and family when such a thing can be so rare. It makes him proud to have such reliable mammals under his command.
Stars light up those dark eyes of Shin's at the thought of such an honor. She doesn't really, fully understand the weight of why Parduoc is offering this but one day when she needs his help, if that day ever comes, she surely will. Even an animal that cannot measure up to the size and strength of a human being could make all the difference in a dire scenario when they need to. She's watched her father work alongside the otters on lots of training days and demonstrations of skills he intends to teach her so she knows at least some of what Parduoc is capable of, knows that he is her dad's favorite for a reason. And that she can trust him no matter what. For all of his slothful and indignant ways when duty wasn't calling, he's a good individual, and will hopefully one day be as good of a summon for her as he has always been for her father. The urge to throw her arms around his neck for a quick thank you hug rises in her chest but she quells it just in time so as not to invade his personal space and bother him. Another time, perhaps, but she knows she should ask first.
"I just need you to know one more thing." His tone is serious but not mean.
"What is that?"
"Other people bleeding may not, but this will be you bleeding."
"Calling on me, or any of us, requires blood. Not a lot, though. Just a little bit. Most ninjas bite their finger but those who don't wanna be so crude use a kunai edge. Can you handle that?"
"Blood doesn't scare me."
"I can do it, no problem."
"As long as you know it might hurt, especially when you're already in trouble, then I think you should be set. Just be careful not to bite or cut too deep. And don't go touching anything that might give you an infection when it hits the open wound." He sounds like a concerned parent but it's sound advice. Adults understood all of this well enough, but it pays to emphasize it to kids who don't have the life experience yet.
"I hope so too." Parduoc agrees. He hopes beyond hope he'll never see the day when the one calling him before signing the formal contract is Shin, because it won't be a low stakes fall in the brook type of day that can fixed with a shower, laundry, and a snack. She may not be his kid but the worry he shares with Hyakutori is very real.
"I just hope she never needs to use this one summon. I don't ask for much, but I really don't want such danger that requires it to happen." Hyakutori chimes in, voice not betraying the fear for his daughter in the worst case scenario. It makes him sound like an even more concerned parent though in his case that's exactly what he is.
~~~~~~
"I saw them." Shin starts again, making sure to keep his voice to a hush. "I saw them looking around the village a few times. Dunno why, or what they wanted."
As he snaps himself out of the memory, another oddity overcomes Parduoc. He can taste something strange lingering on the tip of his tongue and on his lips as if he had licked a foreign almost metallic substance. So he takes a moment to try and focus on what's left of the taste and tries to think of what could have even caused it. Then it hits him like a brick: iron taste equals blood. But he's not bleeding, he's damn sure of that, and it's not like he had had any fresh bloody fish in the past five minutes. Where, then, could it have come from? More gears internally turn until he's arrived at yet another answer. One that he likes the least of all possibilities. This blood came from Shin when he had slapped a hand over the otter's muzzle to quiet him moments ago. That must have been the weird sensation he felt when skin met fur. Which must mean...that was who had summoned him. All traces of doubts were now dead in the water. All those fears from when he proposed the one time summon deal seemed to be realizing themselves in quick succession. Panic wants to set in so badly just then but he cannot afford to be irrational when this could be life or death.
"You've seen these specific people before? Are you sure?"
He nods vigorously, very certain of his brief history with the danger bearing down on their tails now. "Yeah I'm sure. They saw me today...while I was running."
"Shin." Parduoc is a bit louder than he'd hope to be with just that one word. "What are you doing running away?"
Parduoc looks around them again and is stumped, like every time he made it around one obstacle another one cropped up. This is a place Shin never went alone. For all his venturing out solo, he never came this far without accompaniment from his father. And the otter doubts he'd been chased this far without calling on his promised aid until now. Shin wasn't so stupid that he would hesitate to ask for help when he knew how serious the danger was. Some things weren't adding up and the confusion was really bothering the nonhuman mammal. But with limited space and time to grill the child for answers, he had to pick and choose questions to ask in hopes he'd get fed all the necessary information. "Where were you running from and to?"
Now this is when a look of confliction that quickly pivots to guilt is written all over Shin's face. He has something he's not proud to admit but the time to hold back is definitely not now. "Away from home. Dunno where to. Away, I guess."
"Shhhhh. Don't let them know I'm here. Or you. You gotta keep your voice down."
"I know now isn't the time for 50 questions but what you're doing is a very bad idea! What happens if those people catch up to you? You could be hurt or even killed."
"That's why I called you! You said you'd help me!" He gives in to the moment and yells his emotional response, not giving a shit if anyone heard him.
"I said that, yes, but this is still a very bad idea! Kusa isn't safe! This whole place isn't safe to be running around not knowing where you're going all alone!"
All of this commotion spirals without either of them reigning it in and before they know it, they have company. Unpleasant and uninvited company. One man in an animal mask drops down behind Parduoc and the giant otter can feel it in his very bones that danger has descended upon him and his charge. Now is the time to shut up and book it like mad even if neither had any clue as to *where* they had to go to get away. All he knew was run, and by the gods that was what he was going to do.
"Get out of here! Now!" The yell is more like a rough and throaty bark. But it gets the point across. Dignity doesn't matter when your life is on the line.
"Have we...lost them?" Parduoc is nearly panting, hackles still very much up, making him look like a game animal fleeing hunters. He can't afford to let his guard down when that didn't feel too far from being the truth.
Shin is immediately scrambling to dodge the masked man but another stranger immediately comes to the aid of his companion and now it's two against two. Except, the odds are horribly unbalanced, being a child and a relatively compact animal against two fully grown and probably well trained outsiders surely wishing some form of harm on the first duo. Though he barely got a proper look at the men, Parduoc was fairly sure those masks styles belonged to the Anbu coming out of Fire Country's premier center of power, the Hidden Leaf. And Leaf nin were not to be trifled with. They'd be lucky to escape, unscathed or not, if these Anbu has violence on their agenda. Two sets of far too short legs do their best to carry the unfortunate pair as far away from their pursuers as possible until a small amount of distance is put between both parties. The woods transition to a bamboo forest slowly and those plants certainly don't provide the same excellent cover as actual trees did when you really needed to hide. All they can do, when they catch their breaths, is try and continue to follow the river towards safer ground. Even if it meant leaving home in the dust for now. This river runs through most of Mushroom Country and is their only ally now.
"I hope so..." Unlike the animal, the child *is* breathing heavily and would be panting if he was anything other than human. This is putting him through paces that were more common for children 50+ years ago rather than these days. If he gets away successfully, then he's truly the luckiest kid alive.
A metaphorical dark shadow creeps into Parduoc's mind's eye and he can *feel* the threat descend upon them once more. Anbu were no slouches, especially ones from big and strong nations like Konoha is said to be. No wonder they caught up so fast. Sharp musteline teeth are bared in an emergency attempt to at least get the attackers to back off a couple steps. When in doubt, and you're cornered, remind them you're an unpredictable wild animal. He's the largest kind of otter in the world and is prepared to use that for whatever advantage it could afford him. This tactic shaves off about a half second of time as the two seem just slightly confused at the futile effort. That's just enough time for Shin to come up with their next move. Though, it's very much half-assed, as he's probably only a quarter of their individual ages at least. Both of his hands come together in signs he had seen his father preform and all of his might goes into one move that he prays will allow him and his guardian to flee again.
"Suiton." He forces out. "Drown!"
The actual result pales compared to what it's capable of as a Shinobi technique. Hyakutori wielding such a move could easily bring forth a localized flash flood to sweep up someone or something baring down on him. With Shin, it's more like a cold splash that would wake up someone slacking off. Still...it's something. The summoned precipitation drops over the heads of the masked Anbu men and takes them by enough surprise that they don't have time to stop their quarry from bolting like terrified deer again. But they sure as hell shake it off like it's nothing as soon as they come back to reality and resume the chase. The chase, which, won't last much longer because the kid is out of steam and the beast is short of leg and not equipped for serious combat of this magnitude without backup from his clan. They will catch up before either knew it and who knew what would happen then.
On the run, through heavy breaths, Shin calls out to Parduoc. He's running out of options but is still doing everything he can. "We gotta split up!"
"Are you crazy? What if they get you and decide I'm not worth catching too? How will I protect you then?"
"I don't know!" There's desperation in his voice. He has no idea what to do that will actually do any good. Crying won't work...but part of him wants to anyway. At least it seems like what most people would do in this situation. It's the right response, just the worst time for it.
Doubting the proposed strategy but praying it will have merit anyway, Parduoc swerves and banks a hard left. He still tries to keep Shin in his sights as long as possible in case the worst befalls the kid in the next few seconds. He would not be able to face Hyakutori if that were to happen. A decent path through the bamboo that doesn't get him smacked in the face every couple paces thankfully opens up to him and he's miraculously still within earshot of Shin because he can hear him fighting his own instincts to react in a way typical of kids his age: with tears. The poor boy has no damn clue what to do and is running on half formed instinct through parts unknown to him. It feels like the world's cruelest joke played by uncaring gods. A situation no one ever wanted to be in, even in their dreams. Hunted like wild animals by people with unknown but most likely ill intentions. All the guilt that's eating the otter threatens to overwhelm him and trip him up but he's stopped mid thought when there's a yelp from Shin that follows the thud of a person dropping from above. One of the men, or maybe both, have him in their sights. And it's probably too late to intervene. Still...he tries. Draws from his remaining reserves and charges like a rhinoceros on a suicide mission. Head first, teeth on full display, not giving a shit what his own fate would be. If this was his final act, then so be it!
But he's too late. When he gets to the scene of the action, he finds the boy in the hold of the one wearing the owl mask. Parduoc skids to a stop but still trips and tumbles anyway, instilling even more despair on top of some new stinging scrapes. Shin doesn't seem hurt but he's definitely trying to get away with all of his remaining might. There is even a moment where he goes to bite the arm around him, but Owl quickly covers his whole forearm in a layer of stone that would surely shield from any normal weapon let alone weak human teeth. Shin thinks better of it and goes back to struggling. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're putting up one hell of a fight and I think Lord Danzo needs to be the one to decide what to do with you." Owl states with a sneer and looks over to his partner.
The other man, wearing a Hare mask, gives him a quick nod. "Just put him out so we don't have to listen to screaming and crying on the way back."
So when Shin realizes he's doomed, he looks one last time at Parduoc and makes a plea. "Don't tell him, please!"
"Good point." And with that, the stones recede, replaced with pure voltage emanating from the man like he was a live wire. Such versatile skills make it clear why he's in the Anbu. It would not mesh well with an exhausted six year old. One good zap, non fatal obviously, and he would be out like a light.
"Tell who...?" Parduoc is lost, panicking, after picking himself up from the tailspin. Maybe he hit his head because the world feels like it's spinning around him.
"Dad can't know I ran away!"
"But he can come fix this!" Goddamn it is a bleak, hopeless situation they're in but his first thought still goes to Hyakutori. He's a well trained ninja himself. One that could fair better against these two than a kid and an overgrown weasel.
"Please!" He yells, pained. There's a plea in his eyes that Parduoc had never seen before. "Don't tell him!"
This is the hardest thing ever asked of the giant otter. No request before had had him so mixed up and broken and so desperate. It made his whole being freeze, so he did not see it coming when Owl zapped him out cold before also turning out the consciousness lights for Shin with a localized zap. The last thought to trail through his head was how badly he wished he could himself summon Hyakutori to come and turn these horrid tides. Away the two Anbu fled, knowing there was nothing the otter could do against them even if he woke up instantly, back probably to the Leaf. This might be the last he ever saw of his master's child. And worse...the last Hyakutori saw of him, he without even knowing it would be the last time. And with that begging plea not to tell the man about these events, he might never ever find out where his son had gone. The man would be crushed worse than he could have imagined. Despair would coat the household for years to come and guilt would eat Parduoc alive. When Parduoc awoke hours later after the entire violent incident...he had the worst trek home ahead of him. Getting his body to even make the return trip felt like a monumental task. Every step felt heavy and his stomach felt so horrendously sour.
Going in through the dog flap installed just for the otters, into the house he knew so well, the man who was there to greet him was none other than the former Mist nin himself. A curious expression lined his features and he made to inquire about the sudden unplanned visit. "Parduoc...? What brings you here? I didn't call for you."
"I uh..." Parduoc knows he has a hard choice to make immediately. On the fly, he opts to lie, hoping he'll figure out how to confess later. If only to deal with his own feelings. Prolonging the inevitable made him wish that that earlier strike had killed him. "Reverse summoned myself because I wanted to see what's going on with you."
"That's fine, it's good to see you." He shrugs. There's no reason to question it further. Parduoc is always welcome here. "Not sure where Shin is but I'm sure he'll be around soon enough. Hime is out back though. Stay if you want, we can spar or read or whatever you want later."
"I...will...thank you..." All the hesitation seems very suspicious, but his master is not one to pry. If something is eating Parduoc, he'll fess up when he's ready. That's how it always went. But all the mustelid could think was how awful and cruel life had been. And how he was going to have to come clean about it later. Yes, he'd been asked to say nothing, but there's no way he could be held to that impossible request. Hyakutori could do something about this, even though the Anbu men were miles away now, right? Something... anything...right? Otters were not known for their screaming but that's the only thing he wanted to do right now. Start screaming with reckless abandon and not stop.
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Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never really had hope for buddie to be confirmed in the first place. Like I do ship them and if they did I would be happily surprised but really it’s just never something I’ve entertained as a possibility and I don’t know where the people who believe it will happen have been but we just don’t get ships like this imo.Maybe there’s a few exceptions even if I can’t think about this right now but when a character’s introduced as straight or nothing has been said so we assume straight and then fandom ships them with an equally assumed straight person the show and networks and all that don’t want them together because they’re ‘normal straight people’. Like in LS from the beginning TK’s introduced with a bf he wants to propose to, they don’t lose their normal character since that was him from the start. Also if it’s acknowledged that all the buddie moments were building up to a romantic relationship then it sheds light on other similar relationships in other shows or films that we were ridiculed for shipping when really it’s not so different. I really don’t know if I got my point across here and I’m sorry this got so long winded, maybe I’m just a cynic but I think my buddie dreams will have to be contented with fanart and fic.
It's definitely not just you who has felt that way, lol. We hear it all the time, just more aggressively.
To expand on what you said, the biggest piece of "evidence" in favor of this argument is that it's been six seasons and neither one's sexuality has been altered or allowed to evolve in the slightest. And it's not the opportunity wasn't there, right? Maddie and her "boy crush on Eddie" remark or saying she wouldn't want Josh to date her little brother. Then TK (falsely) assuming Buck was being flirtatious. Tim (he was the main show runner those years) could have said any of that meant something moving forward (maybe a "Buck is canonically bi, but we haven't explored that part of his story...we're waiting 'til it feels appropriate"), but the only part he addressed was the TK thing, and he connected to Tarlos since Carlos wasn't physically present.
Compare that to Nancy becoming the first bi character of the 911verse. She came out while in a relationship with Mateo. She is still in that same relationship now. The show isn't trying to "prove" she's bisexual by having her hook up with or date a woman. It's just a part of who she is. And then there's the fact that all four (technically five, with David) queer men of the 911 verse (Michael, Josh, TK, Carlos) are written as gay, not bi. Tim & co. appear to have some *opinions* (thus far) about bi men, it seems. If they date a woman? Straight. Date a man? Not into women (never were).
I will continue to say, though, that people are giving the network too much grief. The canon couples very rarely do anything intimate as the seasons progress, with Henren as the outlier because 6x06 was a flashback, so *if* anyone with influence was concerned about the optics, Tim has an "excuse" not to push things too far - that's not what the focus is anymore.
And even *if* someone at the network was all "idk about this :/" that's still on Tim for dodging the discussion six years in. Get out ahead of it and the message would have been received much sooner - if you're against even one of these guys getting with a dude...this ain't the show you should be watching. Move along.
(Tim has no problem putting LS fandom down, so I don't see why he'd act different with OG. TBH, it's either his own biases about Buck and Eddie as men that is keeping him from making them canon or it's similar to his reaction when the Tarlos fandom "complains" - he knows what's gonna happen if Buddie goes canon; they will dominate the discussion - he doesn't want the fandom giving their opinions or asking for content more than they do already.)
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i think the girl in the final scene was the sex worker he had gotten to know, who first dissed him and then defended him/got punished for it (i think that was what happened? again weird pacing and i don't think what i watched was the full version). i got the feeling she was inspired by beom's character's love for his girl to pull herself out of her situation and we could see that he managed to do some good in someone's life but that's just a guess.
but what i saw of their relationship seemed like a really interesting dynamic, especially contrasted to his idealistic love for the main girl, and i wished that was leaned into more. there were just so many provocative relationships going on in this movie (also with the guys he works with/ends up triumphing over in the end) that beom is 1000% capable of showing the nuances of...and he certainly tried!...if only it were better written.
i also don't know enough about film to say whether it was the direction or the cinematography that sucked but i wished it just looked as aesthetic as it was clearly attempting to be imo. part of that was probably the fact that it was made in 2009 but also if you're trying to make an art house style film, the production team could have tried a little harder.
i hope beom would take a role like this now since he seems to have tended away from movies/melodramatic plots like this but who knows? i just hope he announces a new project soon.
let me know how you're enjoying dream! i'm still on a hunt to find psychometry/gifted hands since i saw park sungwoong is also in it and i've become a fan of his too after hidden identity.
finally, have you seen east of eden?
--kbcu anon
Hmm… though I still don’t understand the significance of the (creepy) smile the tattoo-girl had for the camera in the end. But… that’s one of my milder complaints with the movie that could’ve been a masterpiece if well done. As for him falling so head over heals for the girl - why? That romance, to be honest, felt unrealistic. No guy would invest all he has for a girl he’s spent so little time with. Maybe if they had spent time building that love story, it might have been convincing.
I think I did watch the full version because it had the credits rolling after a flashback scene of happier times of the couple enjoying on the beach. You know, I don’t think 2009 is the problem here. The movie I compared it to came in the 90s and it was brilliantly done! This could’ve been at that level but… we got what we got.
I hope someone would give him such a project again - he’ll knock it out of the park with his talent and screen presence. I’m hoping those rumours about the Indonesian movie he’s being mentioned in context with, is true. That is one character I’m pretty sure he’ll do well.
I’m still waiting for that Enemies-to-lovers thing - something similar to Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. Rang has a lot of Jaime’s personality traits and I can bet all my money that Beom would give us something to remember for long. K-drama showrunners, are you listening?
Dream is mediocre - I’ll be honest. Nothing is keeping me going except Beom and even he’s average in that role. But, as always, his smile lights up the screen and Im not expecting more than that. There’s an unnecessary love triangle with a lacklustre FL (the only actress probably Beom doesn’t have chemistry with) and I’m okay with the way it is resolved.
I am yet to watch Psychometry - waiting for the right day and the right mood for it. I read up long back on East of Eden and… it’s not my cup of tea. Though Beom has been praised a lot for his short appearance. Have you watched it? Is it worth?
How about Law school? Did you decide to watch it or not?
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FP 202
There’s just a couple last thoughts I’d like to spit out before we move to 203, if I can, and this one in particular is something I didn’t get a chance to get to in my last post, one that I think both embodies the overall theme of ILY and I think hints at things to come yet.
“Everyone’s got their own struggles. No matter how good you may think they have it. Remember that.”
Shimhan’s words to Shinae in the hospital are significant because they demonstrate one of, if not the core, message that ILY has been telling us from the start. Even though it looks like some people may appear to have the good lives, are afforded better opportunities than you, even if on the outside everything appears to be well and good, more often than not this is not true. We all have struggles we must deal with, we all have personal burdens that we may not show to others.
In the case of ILY, some of these are obvious. Shinae and Shimhan’s struggles are very overt and open - but as the timeline progresses, Shimhan attempts to keep it all together and pretend that his struggles are not nearly as bad as they really are. To us as readers, but not immediately to Shinae or even his friends, Nol’s struggles are apparent. Though he does a good job of keeping up a facade and hiding it all away, no one really knew just what goes on under the surface, what all he has endured and suffered through.
But moreso, we see it true for all of the characters. Kousuke is a shining example: he has a good job, makes good money, he appears to be the favored son (or at least he certainly is by Yui), he is considered a gentleman and a most eligible bachelor. But Kousuke certainly has his own struggles, though he’s not opened himself up to them and Hansuke is one of the only characters to really key in on it. Kousuke has dealt with a lot of emotional neglect that has absolutely impacted his ability to deal with people and read and understand emotions - including his own. He has a nasty habit of repressing things and trying to compartmentalize things, attempting to apply logic to very illogical matters. The kind of neglect he suffered as a child manipulated the man he’s grown up to become, and he’s been so blinded by his quest for Rand’s favor that he’s unable to see what it’s done to him. Kousuke’s troubles are compartmentalized, shoved away in neat little boxes where he can continue to try to ignore them, but that doesn’t mean he lacks them.
Alyssa, too, lives up to this example, and Shinae actually touches on this. I think it’s something we may see more of, whether or not it’s through introspective Shinae in this flashback, or older and maybe just a little wiser current Shinae. To Shinae, Alyssa had everything she wanted: an intact family with a doting mother who spoils hers, a room full of books and portraits and expensive make up and sheet music and instruments, parents who are so involved in her life they border on suffocating, so many educational opportunities, skills Shinae can only dream of. It’s easy to look at the affluent and go “What can possibly suck about your life?” when they have all the things that could make your life easier. For Shinae, who fees lonely and maybe even neglected by how very busy her father is, the idea of parents who are so involved and so-ever present doesn’t seem like a bad thing, but to be the person who is smothered by a family that leaves you no real chances to try things out for yourself, it’s not a dream. In fact, there’s probably an argument to be made that because they seemed to be so involved in her life and she lacked connections with kids her age, this is largely a reason she isn’t good at interpersonal relationships and cannot deal with confrontation or disappointing people. It was probably born of a fear of disappointing her parents (especially when they make such efforts to meet her interests, which then can lead her to feeling guilty if she doesn’t follow through) that grew and expanded until it became what it has.
But more than that, I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Alyssa and the struggles she’s dealing with. The potential of sexuality especially comes into question here, because what a struggle that is to hide and bury deep down, right? But we also have seen enough hints to know that her home life is not as idyllic as it looks and I am willing to bet that, much like Kousuke, the manner of Alyssa’s upbringing has absolutely affected the way she developed emotionally. Though Alyssa is a clever and intelligent girl, it’s kind of like book smarts vs street smarts. She lacks the experience and understanding to know how to deal with interpersonal relationships and very complex feelings, especially laced with deep-set fears. I think something worth remembering about Alyssa is that the kind of fear she feels isn’t just something casual you can brush off. In the same way that Shinae struggled to open up to people because of the number of times she’s been burned and how hard it was to let her trust and rely on others, I think Alyssa’s fears are also deeply ingrained and are something she needs to work heavily through to deal with. I don’t say this to dismiss her actions and behaviors, but just to reinforce that she is merely a product of her environment, and to reiterate that I think this will be a running theme with Alyssa through the story, when we finally learn more about her. Especially now that Alyssa is entering adulthood and has an idol career, I think we will find a lot more about the struggles she’s dealing with, even though to Shinae, it looks like she has everything and that her life is as neat and tidy as Shinae wishes hers was.
Rand, too, is nothing but struggles. Beyond the obvious Yui vs Rand, we’ve definitely seen it alluded to that Rand has lost a lot of things in life - and many of them seemingly by his own hand. It feels very hinted at that Rand was in love with Nol’s mom, and that his relationship with Yui is much like a prison. We’ve seen moments of him attempting to parent Kousuke, only to be shadowed by Yui who undermined him at every opportunity. I think it was probably Rand’s intention to try to keep Nol safe, but the ways he attempted it were so abhorrently bad he did worse damage than had he maybe sent Nol away. I think in time we’ll find deeper struggles confirmed - that perhaps Rand wanted to be a better parent but it put Nol in danger or something.
And Yui, too, surely has her own struggles. My personal theory remains that love and romance were never really something Yui wanted. I think she ultimately wants to be powerful and in a society that favors men probably disdains the situation she’s in. I still believe at this time that marriage to Rand was meant to provide her the means to be the shadow ruler she really wants to be - the person who is actually in charge, but unable to be in title and name, and because of this she’s taken it out on others. I imagine, too, if we ever learn more about her own upbringing, we will learn of plenty of struggles.
It’s such a simple line, but I think it tells us a lot about how we are supposed to interpret the events of ILY - that nothing has ever been simply what it was at face value to us, that there is always another side of the story. Our own personal struggles and journeys affect our interactions, and we will continue to see that play out in ILY. No matter how good someone’s situation seems, never forget everyone has their own struggles, everyone is saddled with their own burdens, and though it may not excuse their behavior, it will at least explain it.
#ILY#ILY Spoilers#ILY FP#ILY Brainrot#hmmm not quite sure how to tag this one actually lol#it's very rambly about a line that Shimhan says in 202 and what I think is meant to be a lens through which we interpret ILY#essentially nothing is ever what it seems nothing is ever what it is at face value which we already knew but it's nice to see it reinforced#and i think it says a lot about characters whose hands have yet to be revealed - or at least what quimchee wants us to think about them#(if that makes sense)#again i reiterate i don't say these things to try to sway people on characters they don't like lol but just to reinforce the complexity of#all characters and how complexity leads to messiness and people who make mistakes or do the wrong thing or make choices we ourselves wouldnt#what motivates them? what prompts them to behave that way? are they truly bad people or is there a reason that they act the ways they do?#which is why i'm sorry to all alyssa and kousuke haters but yes i continue to talk about them lmao#Shinae Yoo#Shimhan Yoo#Nolan Oliver T. Lochlainn#Alyssa Cho#Kousuke Hirahara#Rand#Yui Hirahara#not sorry but i wanna write more about Alyssa lmaoooooooo she's such a mess and i'm fascinated by her
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