#she HATES plain chocolate ice cream or strawberry ice cream with actual strawberries in it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stilemawillow · 2 years

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Evidence Acquired [Thug! Levi | Reader | Modern AU!]

evidence: i - enough / ii - needed / iii - acquired

Carrots, milk, apples, ham, cheese, bread.

The list went on repeat every time you'd turn into a different aisle. The supermarket was big and new so you were having trouble finding everything, not to mention doing it fast. So far you'd already picked up the carrots and apples, and were currently hunting down the milk and cheese aisle. You'd passed by shelves full of tea and coffee and had to hold back ever so desperately as to not buy any since your budget hardly allowed it. The unhealthy snacks aisle didn't really help you - you got out with a pack of jelly beans and nothing else.

From afar, you gazed upon a row of freezers and quickly pushed your cart forward, eyes lighting up with excitement. Normally, you didn't like shopping but lately it had turned into a very good way of exhausting the bottled-up energy in your body. You still didn't have friends, your graduation ceremony had been just half a month ago and now you were a free woman applying for different colleges in the area with low tuition and looking up scholarships every chance you got.

It had been a month after your last encounter with the charming foul-mouthed thug whose name turned out to be Levi and you dared say you wanted to see him again. You had, in actual fact, less than two weeks ago, but it had been very brief and included nothing past a plain greeting. Maybe it was mostly due to the fact he was running away from a police car and you happened to bump into him round a corner. He'd caught you, graced you with a mildly surprised expression and nodded in response to your muttered 'hey' before rushing off once the sirens got a bit too close for comfort.

You hadn't seen him afterwards. Of course, mentioning the fact you kept his torn up shirt was unneeded - who refused a free comfy pyjama nowadays? It was also useless to mention that the aforementioned piece of clothing and your creepy act of preserving it sometimes prevented you from sleeping calmly these days.

Were you acting creepy? Totally.

Would the male ever find out? No.

Would you let him? Over your dead body.

In conclusion, did you have to fret over it? No, but you still did occasionally when your conscience felt especially guilty and in the mood to make you feel like you were socially retarded, which, maybe, you actually were.

The wheels of your cart wheezed as its front hit the line of freezers and your shoulders jumped. You woke up from the trance your thoughts had gotten you in and frantically looked around for a carton of milk. Once it was acquired, you put it in your cart and started hunting for cheese. You needed something cheap that didn't taste like trash and wouldn't mould too fast. High quality and a low price, you were one with high standards that were rarely met.

On your quest, instead of cheese, you encountered a freezer full of ice cream. Of course, you stopped pushing your cart forward and started wishing it could push you instead before you made a bad decision and bought yourself a bunch of frosty treats. There was chocolate, vanilla, chocolate chip, strawberries, mint, even caramel and cheesecake. They were in boxes and cones and on sticks. And you were drooling at them longingly, as if letting them see how pathetic you were being would make them jump inside your cart and erase their cost once you drove them to the register. It took you a while to realise you weren't alone in your desperate endeavours.

Next to you stood a short girl with a pair of pigtails and an expression of longing on her face. The ice-creams in the freezer were a childhood friend, her emerald eyes spoke, and she desperately wished for a play date like before. You wondered if your eyes gave out the impression of the ice cream being like a first love that never faded away. Your attention usually wouldn't have wavered further but then you noticed the book in the girl's hand.

Hate Comes Easier Than Murder by Frederic T. Harper. You gasped. Loudly. The girl's trance was broken and she looked at your excited face before following your gaze to the book in her hand. Her expression, previously defensive, turned soft and elated as she met your sparkling gaze.

"Lonia or Logaret?" Was the whisper that tore itself from her lips like a death threat. Her grip on the book tightened as her emerald eyes narrowed. To the question, your pupils dilated and your mouth formed a disgusted grimace. It seemed like an answer enough, but you needed to provide a vocal clarification of your opinion as well - this was your duty as a fan.

"Who the fuck even ships Logaret anymore? Lonia forever. It's canon." You awaited a reaction. The girl might've been a Logaret shipper instead - meaning Logan and Margaret got together in some crazy universe where Silvania didn't exist because that was what it would take to make Logan fall in love with her biggest rival instead of her. The girl in front of you however only grinned.

"Of course it's canon. Fred Harper ships it, so any sane person who's read the book should too." Her statement came forth, determined and curt, and at that moment you knew - you liked this girl. You could probably talk about the book with her for hours. Maybe until the supermarket closed its doors and security came to shoo you away.

"Favourite chapter?" You questioned with twinkling eyes and an excited smile. Her face immediately lit up.

"Pray Tell Who Killed The King." The answer was immediate and you gaped her way before clapping your hands together.

"Mine too! I loved the kiss at the end, it was kind of unexpected." You were getting familiar and your cart was leaning against your way as a reminder of what you were supposed to be doing instead. But you couldn't help it - you rarely met people you could connect with so fast, not to mention on grounds that were ever so familiar to you both.

"But very much needed. If those two hadn't gotten together soon everybody would've gone bonkers." She lifted a knowing index finger in the air and you nodded your head affirmatively.

"Sure as hell they would've. It's the ultimate OTP we're talking about here."

"I'm guessing Logan's your favourite guy?" She lifted a brow and inspected your face suspiciously as if she already knew the answer. You tried to calm yourself and not jump into an overly excited discussion about that since you might've actually met him in real life and it didn't really help that you were literally in love with him as a fictional character.

"Sure, he's cool. I like how he's a complete asshole and still gets what he wants, it kinda breaks the cliché good guy in the role of the protagonist image." You explained leisurely, making the girl in front of you huff whilst nodding in agreement.

"The fact he's based on an actual person makes it all the better - you could literally meet him in real life, wouldn't that be great?" Her face and her voice weren't as excited as they should've been, you told yourself as your shoulders went rigid. Sure as hell it would've been great, only, you didn't meet him at a convention, he pressed a knife to your throat and then lent you his hoodie. And a month later you almost kissed, twice. To say it was a 'great experience' wasn't something that easy. A lot of other words suited the situation better.

"... yeah." Your voice seemed awkward and choked up. A normal fan, moreover a female one, wouldn't have wavered in their fangirling, but you literally seemed to go tense with awkwardness. The girl in front of you noticed that. "It'd be superb, but wouldn't it be kinda weird? You know a lot about him and he doesn't know shit about you, and you're all over him. I doubt it'll make you the best of friends."

"Maybe it won't." She admitted slowly, her eyes had narrowed considerably at you. Your gaze suddenly averted.

"Anyways, I guess I should be resuming my cheese hunt already or it might mould waiting for me." There was a small smile on your face as you started pushing the cart in the opposite direction. You were looking down, staring at the things on your list you'd already gotten and repeating the ones left in your head once more. And then you heard him.

"Isabel, I told you so many fucking times, stop running off. You're always in the ice-cream aisle in the end anyway." He grumbled and before either of you could look up, your carts collided and made your shoulders jump. Then you came face to face with Levi, the live version of Logan. And behind you was his little sister - Isabel, who you'd spent the last few minutes talking to.

"Hi." You wheezed with a wavering smile as his eyes widened in mild surprise. Obviously, he hadn't expected to bump into you at the supermarket of all places - you two usually tended to meet up under circumstances that endangered your physical health, it was almost like a tradition at this point of things.

"Hey." His voice sounded no less awkward than yours had despite the look on his face not managing to help the overall impression. You pulled your cart back just a bit and then Isabel stepped forth, small pigtails swaying and emerald hues glistening suspiciously.

"You two know each other?" You and Levi snapped out of your respective dazes only to look at her and the book she kept clutching in her hand. The book didn't make only your shoulders stiffen, you realised upon glancing in the raven-haired thug's direction.

"We've met... once." The pause wasn't convincing but you figured only the second time counted since the first was more of a trespass and a bunch of threats that might've escalated into a knife versus elbow fight. You felt Levi looking at you as you rubbed the back of your neck in supposed discomfort. Maybe you had to get on with your cheese.

"Twice." He added coldly, making you shrug as you glanced at his sister.

"Sure."

"And?" Her eyes were big and curious exactly like a child's despite the fact the male had previously stated she was fifteen years old. That meant high school? So basically she was just three years younger than you. That kind of made you question his age. Was he younger? The same age as you? Maybe even older by a few years? He certainly didn't look like a guy in his twenties though.

"Nothing." You answered curtly, hoping not to have the raven jump in and explain everything that had happened between you two. If she just read specific chapters of the book she was holding she'd acquire a very decent idea of how your relationship with her big brother was going. Your eyes strayed from her emerald orbs to his shoulder. "How's the wound?"

"A scar." He managed a calm answer but that totally didn't mean he didn't look bothered. It was like a strange reunion that might've been filled with sexual tension and smug nicknames only if his little sister wasn't also there.

"I hope your arm overall's fine?" Your hands fidgeted over your cart and he nodded briefly, shooting Isabel a look you were unable to decipher.

"It is, you managed to bandage it properly."

"Wait!" The teenage girl's eyes widened in shock as she looked at you and then Levi wondrously. "Is this the girl who bandaged you back then?! So then she's the one who you were telling me about all this time!" A certain set of words caught your attention, along with the constipated expression on the thug's face right after his little sister's exclamation.

"Isabel, shush it." His earrings flashed in the fluorescent lighting as his head snapped in her direction, features contorting in a sharp scowl full of reprimand. The girl shrank back into herself but then you spoke up, gathering both's attention with your cocked eyebrow.

"All this time?" You echoed, a smug undertone sneaking into your voice. You gave Levi a pointed look and huffed wondrously at how the tables had turned. Maybe Isabel's presence at the scene wasn't such a deterrent as you had first deemed it. "Am I sensing some familiarity in here, bad boy? Last time we talked I remember you telling me how we didn't know each other."

"It's nothing of the sort. I mentioned you once. Isabel's memory tends to exaggerate things." His gunmetal hues were on yours in their normal way but behind the wall of grey you could almost see the flicker of tension go on and off in the span of milliseconds. His eyes didn't move away from yours, not even when you moved your hands to your hips.

"No, it doesn't! I'm turning sixteen in three months, my memory's just fine!" Isabel's defiant exclamation put a stop to your staring contest. You nodded slowly in her direction, a hum purring at the back of your throat pointedly. Yes, well, certainly the girl with the pigtails knew exactly what to say to protect you and embarrass him. You did like her.

"Hmm." You shot Levi a smug look before redirecting the topic ever so briefly. "Okay then, opinions visibly clash in here. So this is your sister?" You threw the aforementioned sister a small smile which she warmly returned as your shoulders relaxed from the lack of tension in them. You felt more comfortable knowing you weren't the only one thinking (or talking, in his case) about him, it brought you a bit of confidence.

"Obviously." He snorted before gesturing for you two to get on with the official introductions. His sister rolled her eyes at him as you stepped forward and reached out a hand. She took and shook it before you started talking.

"(Y/N), yes, I know who you are. I didn't really expect us to meet like this." Isabel announced after cutting you off. Your eyebrows raised as you glanced at Levi but he only shrugged his shoulders.

"Then how?" You asked curiously, making her snort and shoot her big brother a pointed look.

"When my brother introduces you as his girlfriend once he gets the balls to ask you out maybe." You could literally see the way in which every single muscle in the male's body stiffened. His eyes widened and his mouth curled downwards. Levi stepped forward from behind his cart and Isabel lifted the book in her hand in front of her face as to shield herself from his glare. You, on the other hand, cut off his incoming rage with a loud fit of nervous laughter. The siblings looked at you in surprise as you tried to balance your breathing and wheezed uncontrollably.

"Sorry, it was just unexpected and I tend to laugh in all the wrong situations. I'm sure it wasn't an actual invitation, just a joke or something." Your gaze bounced between the two, making them slowly back down as they had time to calm themselves. There was a small uneasy smile on your lips. Your mind might've been filled with a bunch of indecent thoughts about the raven, but you surely hadn't considered him ever asking you out. "Right?" There was a high-pitched end to the short question that only proved you were seriously hoping for a 'yes' because you wouldn't know what to say if you heard a 'no'.

"I'll go pick up a few boxes of black tea. Maybe you should sort this out." Isabel had left a second after that, quick as the wind and almost as soundless. Contrary to your former thoughts, now you dreaded the moment you and Levi were left all alone - what miracles a simple set of twenty seconds of dialogue can do. Your hands started playing with the hem of your shirt as your previous confidence made its way to the depths of your body almost as fast as you liked to end conversations with people who weren't your reflection in the mirror... or Levi. Said male was silent and still looked like he wanted to punch something.

"I like your sister." You blurted out suddenly, having thought of nothing else to say that would make this conversation less awkward for both of you. The raven-haired thug, already used to how you handled uncomfortable situations, settled with regarding your statement and ignoring everything else his little sister had told you two to 'sort out'. There was nothing to sort out here. Nothing that needed sorting. Was there?

"I don't." He grumbled darkly, glare arriving at your averted eyes. You were eyeing the products in your cart because that way you didn't have to look at him. You didn't know exactly why you didn't want to look, but you were sure it would spare your poor virgin heart not to face him and his attractive frown directly.

"Certainly not when she embarrasses you, but she's cool." You put some emphasis on your opinion for her since that seemed to make him react the most and though you were intimidated by the idea of looking at him, you wouldn't mind for this conversation to last some more.

"You're saying that only because you don't live with her." Levi rounded his cart and picked out a carton of milk from the freezer you'd been standing next to just mere minutes ago. The fact he probably did that just to avoid this whole interaction in some way made your shoulders tense.

"Maybe." You muttered in agreement, not adding anything that would keep the discussion going. You looked down at your cart.

Carrots, milk, apples, ham, cheese, bread.

No, scratch that second one.

Carrots, apples, ham, cheese, bread.

It was somewhat soothing not to think of Levi and how uncomfortable you felt at the moment for a few seconds. Maybe you could get out by saying a plain 'bye' and resuming your adventures in this maze of a supermarket, and if you truly got lost at one point during your food hunt you wouldn't regret it one bit because the siblings would've already gone past the register and that would leave you alone and not socially pressured one bit.

"Do you always quote Silvania when you don't know what else to say?" The thug's question brought you back to reality from the not-so-distant future you kept imagining, only to slap you across the face with its bluntness. Your head whipped in his direction promptly and your fingers clung to the handle of your cart tightly.

"No! I do tend to laugh in all the wrong situations." Your voice had lowered in volume by the end of your sentence, but the protest at the beginning was heard by a number of oblivious bystanders who just wanted to pick up their dairy products. To avoid total humiliation and simultaneously free yourself of the binds the restless question had grounded you with, you mustered all your courage and spoke of something you thought you'd never come to address. "By the way, I think it would be best to be frank and just ask, so..." There was a small pause where the internal struggle was most intense, but then it came - like a cork flying off a champagne bottle, but with less grace. "Are you the person Logan's character is based on?" There it was, out on the open at last, the question that had been tormenting your everything since the very beginning of this little adventure of yours. Levi looked like he hadn't even heard you talk, but his clenched jaw and the additional hostility in his glare were indicators enough of the exact opposite - oh, he'd heard loud and clear.

"I certainly didn't expect that." His voice sounded bored, but his eyes were downcast. And they never were. He never looked down and he most certainly never looked like he was pensive enough for it to bleed through his stoic expression. You were suddenly wary - what if you said something that would trigger a negative reaction? And, in order to ease the tension off your own shoulders, you started explaining yourself in great detail.

"Well, all descriptions are either close to the truth or match perfectly and let me tell you, I've spent quite a few years picturing Logan and..." It came to your own self as something like a shocker - the brick wall you finally walked into. "... and you're exactly how I pictured him." Your voice had grown softer, its pace was slower and you were making direct eye contact with Levi during the exchange.

"The secret's out I guess." The sigh, along with the few fateful words, tore itself from his lungs in defeat, but his orbs didn't leave yours. Your eyes had widened briefly as you processed the notion - you'd been right the whole time. All those similarities you'd noticed weren't ironic, they were natural for him. And fate for you.

"So you actually are...?" You trailed off questioningly, expecting a more detailed explanation. He couldn't just tell you 'yes' and not give you a proper backstory. Levi sighed again, getting a hand through his ebony locks. The piercing on his left eyebrow reflected the fluorescent light into your eyes before his bangs hid it from sight.

"I am. My uncle is friends with Harper and he told me he'd write me into his new book if I had nothing against it. I said fine as long as he doesn't turn me into a total Prince Charming or something I wasn't, but I didn't know I'd be the biggest jerk of a protagonist of a whole-ass book." The explanation wasn't what you'd expected, but it sounded like something that could happen. You couldn't believe your favourite fictional character was created because a simple teenager had nonchalantly agreed to something that usually required the presence of a lawyer.

"Wow." You breathed out, awe coming off your body in waves. Waves that obviously couldn't reach the ebony-haired thug, since he just scratched the back of his head in mild discomfort and let his glare travel from your face to the cart by your side.

"Kinda ruined all that jazz you got going on with it, right?" His question greatly stunned your very soul, mostly because you were looking at him as if you were a star-struck five-year-old and he was suddenly the awkward guy who might as well be blind with how oblivious his act was. You were somewhat offended - he could never ruin the book for you. Not with how cutely he shifted from being smug to being awkward, how caring he appeared to be and how he'd never once wanted to include you in the dangerous stuff he did. You being completely and utterly incapable of saying that to his face was beside the point.

"... no. You made it better. Believe me, I've never imagined this," your hands gestured to the space between you as a way of conveying the oddity this whole acquaintanceship was, "happening, so meeting you has been like a dream come true, though maybe this is the first time we've seen each other when I don't have a knife pressed against my throat." A small smile had settled on your lips, but Levi just wouldn't stop acting like he was at fault for the global warming or World War II.

"Sorry about that." His arm fell to his side but his eyes never once left your cart. You figured that maybe it wasn't his own thoughts making him uncomfortable - maybe it was you. And as a person who wasn't used to being vocal about their thoughts in the least, you assumed that was the only acceptable option.

"Not a problem." Your smile had fallen and your fingers were clutching the handle of the cart like it was the only thing stopping you from literally sprinting away from the scene. Your gaze was on the purchases in the cart, not daring to move, and Levi was suddenly aware of the subtle change in the air. "I should continue shopping. A bunch of cheap products are waiting for me to sweep them off their shelves." You forced a half-assed smirk, but your voice was small and you wanted to disappear altogether.

"Until next time." Levi decided not to pry, but he'd seen the downcast eyes and the furrowed eyebrows.

"Maybe the register." You muttered, pushing your cart past him, careful not to bump into somebody in the process. That would bring you a big amount of first-hand embarrassment you didn't exactly need at the moment.

"Maybe." Levi's response sounded after you'd gone down the aisle, but he wasn't really talking to you anyway. He was talking to himself whilst mentally chasing down the stupid part of his idiotic brain with a sandal and a gun. Each would come to its respective use during his process of self-castigation.

"Yep, the register." The mumble was almost inaudible as you looked back at Levi and Isabel, last in line, while the grumpy cashier bagged your purchases and you paid for them. You glanced back at the duo and this time Isabel noticed you, suddenly nudging her big brother's ribcage as the line moved forward and you fled to the side to count your change. The raven next to her glared down at her.

"So did you ask her out?" The redhead inquired eagerly, emerald orbs trailing all over her big brother's face for a reaction she could read. Unfortunately, before that could happen her eyes were forced to look at the floor due to the slap the ebony-haired thug had placed at the back of her head. A small 'oof' escaped her lips at the violent behaviour. He only hit her when he was really embarrassed. Which meant...

"Shut up, Isabel." He scolded harshly, immediately turning to face the tea boxes by his side as if they would help him with his little sister. The independent teenager scoffed knowingly prior to making her way to the free space on the other end of the line. You felt a tap at your shoulder which made you jump and drop the coins in your hand on the ground. You turned to look at the intruder and breathed a sigh of obvious relief once being met with Isabel's emerald gaze. You crouched and started collecting the shiny coins before somebody else got to them as the girl spoke.

"Hey, (Y/N), you know you're a lot like Silvania?" Had you been drinking something you would've spit it out all over the decently polished tiles.

"I'm more of an opposite." You stated with a small voice, trying to focus your mind on detecting the shiny pieces of metal on the floor rather than the girl's words. Your fingers clung to each newfound one like a sinner clung to the spider's web which would lead him out of hell.

"Actually you talk like her. And act like her." The determined girl had put her hands on her hips cockily, like she knew better than both you and Levi combined. She was also obviously very very set on making you stutter or at least blush in public. The fact you had less than three people as a direct audience was beside the point.

"Don't have nearly as much sex appeal, though." You looked up, hand full of coins you probably had to stuff in your pocket as to prevent a second spillage. Your smile was twitchy and you were very well aware you were nowhere close to being like your ultimate female role model so getting compared to her was very underwhelming. Silvania was tall, intelligent, strong and independent. She had a silver tongue and a smirk that made Logan's mind go blank. And you, well, you could never be anything like that.

"Well, Logan doesn't like her because she's pretty." Isabel argued as you carefully slipped the coins into the pocket of your jeans one by one after making sure you'd collected everything from the tiled floor of the supermarket. A snort escaped your nose as you grabbed your purchases in hand and finally met the emerald-eyed girl's gaze.

"He likes her because she doesn't let him get what he wants just because." You smiled, knowing Silvania wasn't your usual girl. She fought to the death for what she considered important, she didn't whine when she broke a nail and she preferred thinking to reacting emotionally to things. All you did was jump to conclusions and spare your voice the waste. If mental excuses to leave a social setting were crackers you'd be a thousand pounds.

"She's a challenge." Isabel added with a determined gaze. "She can talk her way out of things as well as he can, she just doesn't flaunt it. He's the only person she trusts enough with her vulnerable side." Yes, Silvania was admirable. You were nothing in comparison. The redhead's irises bore into yours and you tried not to look away. "You remind me of her." The sentence made your shoulders slouch in slight guilt.

"... thanks." You mumbled with a small smile, eyes back to the ground as if you still had coins left to pick up with your hand clutching the plastic bag's handle so hard your knuckles turned white. Levi was closer to the end of the line now, but Isabel didn't pay attention to that - or all the warning glares he threw her way when you weren't looking.

"So has my idiot of a big bro asked you out?" The girl cocked a curious eyebrow your way, eyes narrowing slyly up at your figure and its suddenly tense shoulders. Frank was good for Isabel - it was the best course for people who were so dense they couldn't see attraction even if it slammed an actual book in their face.

"No." Your curt reply sounded more like an inquiry of sorts, but the thug hadn't asked you out. Not that he ever would. That was a faraway dream you couldn't allow yourself to have for the sake of... well, everything.

"Would you say yes if he did?" She questioned slowly, almost softly so. She was prodding at the tip of a topic you didn't really want to discuss, but if you didn't answer she'd keep asking and you realised that. So, betting on the fact she knew very well her brother had no romantic feelings for you whatsoever and would respect that, you opted for being honest. Maybe for the first time in quite some months.

"... I don't know. I guess." You licked your lips and bit down on the bottom one in uncertainty, not daring to glance upwards and look at Levi. You shrugged your shoulders in an attempt to seem nonchalant, but all it did was show you how rigid your whole body felt. "Maybe if it doesn't involve us using knives and running from the police."

"Really?" Isabel's eyes, contrary to your expectations didn't narrow in suspicion and overprotectiveness. They widened abruptly and shone so brightly you were taken aback by the pure enthusiasm her hopeful expression oozed. You blinked at her for a few short seconds, considering your answer. Then reconsidering it. And then reconsidering it again. Who knew a simple 'yes' or 'no' question would faze you this much. Then again, the answer options didn't matter as long as the topic was a matter of inner conflict. And in your case, it was a full-on mental civil war that would most likely end in genocide.

"... yeah." It was a choked up mumble but you were sure it was the truth. Your eyes were on your feet and you contemplated facing Isabel and telling her you'd been joking. When you did you saw Levi over her shoulder and a gulp slid painfully down your throat.

"Are you two talking about the book again?" He asked with a bored expression though his glare was quite successfully attempting to pierce his sister's very skull. She only grinned and snatched the plastic bag from his hold.

"Not exactly. Hey, big bro, you know what? I'll take these and call Farlan and maybe you should walk (Y/N) home since it's getting late." Isabel winked at you and set off towards the exit, pigtails bouncing as her big brother called out to her with furrowed eyebrows. "Grow a pair!" She exclaimed before the sliding doors closed behind her back, making quite a few people turn at the vulgarity and check who it was directed to. Isabel rarely said things without some ulterior motive, though. It might've not considered you this time because Levi seemed to get it - whatever it was. He clicked his tongue and stared after her, feet rooted to his spot. His eyebrows had visibly relaxed.

"You can run after her, you know. I can go home on my own." Your voice was considerably smaller than it should've been around him but you couldn't help it. You still thought your presence made him uncomfortable and the fact his little sister had purposefully left you two alone made you overthink things a bit too much.

"With your luck, you might get mugged." He returned coldly but the amused flicker in his hues had returned due to some very strange reason. You snorted and started walking to the exit, subconsciously switching the hand with which you held the plastic bag of purchases so it could now stand between your bodies. You guessed it was just your defence mechanism at work.

"There's always the possibility of making it back safe, too." You argued softly, not attempting to make eye contact that would only embarrass you further. You were outside the supermarket and the light wind brushed against your faces, making you sigh ever so simultaneously.

"Too late for that bullshit, I've already started." He stated, hands stuffed in his pockets since he had nothing to carry and he seemingly didn't want to make you feel like a damsel in distress by suggesting to carry your bag. "What were you talking about?" The question came, sudden yet slow, and it made you realise Levi wasn't looking at you either. You decided to pin it on the discomfort you made him feel and leave it at that. It was easier to create an excuse and not bother with explaining something you didn't understand.

"Stuff." You blurted out, dead set on never admitting you'd talked about how you'd say 'yes' without a second thought if he were to ever ask you out. It sounded ridiculous in your brain so you needn't imagine how big a fool it would paint you as if you ever said it aloud.

"Us?" Levi cocked an eyebrow in your direction but you only scoffed and waved your free hand around in so supposed dismissal.

"No, no. Isabel's just worried you're lonely." Your eyes were following your feet and the steps they made. You compared them to Levi's, you counted them - anything to make you not think of this particular conversation you were having. You noticed Levi was walking rather slowly for a man with that big a stride. Then you realised he was purposely matching it to yours and the tips of your ears burned a crimson shade.

"Bullshit." The male spat accusingly, not seeking any more information yet. You walked in silence for another half a minute, crossed a boulevard and stepped onto the cemented curb with your right foot. "What did she really say?" His voice was softer this time, like he would settle and stop asking if you didn't answer him honestly once more. You swallowed and felt your fingers playing with the plastic handle of the bag you were holding.

"She didn't say. She asked. If you'd asked me out." The statement came short and steady, but it didn't prevent the awkward atmosphere from suffocating you ever so efficiently. Levi scoffed and took a breath.

"I haven't." You could almost picture the way in which his jaw would flex because of self-restraint. He didn't want to say more and you understood that perfectly well.

"That's what I said." You piped, attempting to fix the heavy mood that had befallen your shoulders and head. Maybe it was storing itself in your plastic bag, making you lean more to your left.

"And?" He prompted some more, knowing fully well Isabel wouldn't waste her time asking you two the same question and not taking things further when she received a certain answer. Your stride seemed to hasten, as did your breath had it not gotten caught in your chest first.

"She asked something else." You spit it out like a nasty piece of food and he looked at you with curious eyes. You were nervous to admit it because it would lead to more questions. Then why were you admitting it at all? Why were you putting yourself in a situation like that? "If I would say 'yes' if you did." Your gaze was pointed forward, in the direction of your apartment complex and the window on the first floor that equalled the protection of your safe haven.

"No." Levi's one-syllable answer to a question you never asked confused you until you got the gist of the fact he was supposedly answering for you in that situation. It made you face him for the first time after you'd started your walk together and this time he was the one looking at the front like he actually had something to observe. "You don't like me, princess, I kinda doubt your virgin highness would pick me for your first date." His sharp canine dug into his bottom lip in a way that almost made you trip and you found the gesture strangely attractive in a situation where you probably had to stick to your usual 'teenage lacking hormones' behaviour and mindset.

"Why do you think so?" You asked in return, trying to mask your surprise on the matter. He actually thought you disliked him - just great. It meant he'd never ask you out for real.

Fuck. The sentence sounded like you'd actually hoped he would. Hormones were, as understood by your shy self the hard way, something you were better off without. Especially around male specimens named Levi with teeth you'd imagined biting into your shoulders and lips you'd vividly pictured moulding together with your own. Oh, no. This was so inappropriate. How did normal people think such stuff without fainting? Did normal people even think such stuff? Did being this indecent mean you were a freak? Goodness, you were a freak!

"Am I wrong?" The ebony-haired male's husky baritone snapped you out of a near panic-attack experience and you thanked him inwardly prior to scoffing at his face as to pretend you were totally okay emotionally. Which you weren't. And he was the one to blame for that.

"I'm just asking why you think you're right." You stated plainly, making him hum.

"You're the one always pointing out we never meet under normal circumstances." He started, making your eyebrows furrow in offence as your mouth opened to object.

"And you're always the one pointing out we don't know each other." You attempted to wound his pride, but it was a futile thing to do.

"That was just last time." He argued, making you scoff as you looked at the destination of your walk, five feet away from where you stood.

"Anyways. We're here. Thanks for walking me home even though you didn't need to. Now, since we're strangers I'll go inside and not invite you to come in." You stated with newfound confidence and a diminutive smirk. You stepped to the side, not waiting for Levi to react, but when you felt his fingers grasp your wrist your whole body froze up.

"That's cool with me as long as you give me a bonus minute of your time." His words had suddenly pressed the 'worry unnecessarily' button on your control panel and your sweat glands were just waiting for the command to start producing buckets worth.

"Why?" Your voice was squeaky and suspicious, and you thanked God you weren't part of a suspense novel because you'd ruin every scene you were present in. Levi stood in front of you, wearing yet another hoodie that let his neck tattoo show and trying to make himself look suave and cool. You saw under the composed layer a male who was ready to break out into a sprint. Why, though?

"Because I fucking hate my sister but she has a knack for these things and I'm guessing she obtained enough information before giving me the 'go'." His words made no fucking sense whatsoever to you. You thought he'd say something stupid or something profound or something offensive. You'd mind any of those less than the confusion that made your eyebrows furrow at the moment.

"What are you talking about?" Your nose scrunched up and the male got his hands out of his pocket with a strangely sharp sigh. It almost sounded like the sigh you let out when you were nervous about something you wanted to say.

"Since it wasn't painfully obvious, I'm asking you out on a date, princess." His voice was harsh but it died out at the end as if he didn't even know how to finish his sentence. His eyes weren't on yours and you probably had to get your ears checked. Your mind was the living embodiment of the phrase 'blank canvas'. There wasn't even the usual little Loading... icon in the middle, there was nothing. Then Levi spoke up again in a hushed voice you found barely recognisable. "There's... no other way for us to get to know each other after all." Silence settled between your bodies as he waited for an answer, his patience thinning. You had a long way to go if you wanted to actually accept the fact you'd just heard him ask you out on a date. "So?" He pressed once the last string was cut and you exhaled a shaky breath with an unbelieving expression.

"I really don't know what to say." You blurted out slowly, feeling small and weightless in a world so big and full of wonders. Levi's eyebrows had furrowed as per usual and his eyes were all over your face, looking for a messenger of rejection your features might've sent out. There wasn't one, though.

"If this were scripted I would've helped by mouthing a 'yes' at you." He stated, awkward yet supposedly composed, and you suddenly felt like chuckling. The notion was still getting processed by your brain, but, as cliché as it sounded, your mouth knew exactly what each and every other part of your body wanted.

"Okay." The word hung in the air between you like a death sentence, but in the good way. It had finality you thought of no other way to voice.

Then Levi had stepped closer to you, hand warily moving upwards to cup your face. Had you had the chance to observe his features in the afternoon sun you would've come to the conclusion he looked exactly like he had that time in your kitchen when you'd finished treating his wound. Soft, almost confused so. You didn't know each other, he'd argue with himself - but since the first time he laid eyes on you he knew such a moment was on its way. Strange, your stomach was now constantly doing those pleasantly unpleasant flips when he was around. It didn't annoy or weird you out anymore. Maybe if you actually went out on a date with him you'd just have to get used to it.

"Okay what, princess?" You could see the blue specks as his whisper sent a pleasant shiver down your spine. Your free hand's fingers had latched onto his hoodie, set on stabilising you whatever it took them because the look in his gunmetal hues was quite successfully making your knees give out.

"Okay, I'll go out with you, bad boy." You murmured, a pout at the corner of your mouth before the thug in front of you smirked, lips ghosting over your own in a way that drove you crazy. Press them against mine, your hormones would scream and you'd agree ever so eagerly, let me get a taste of that tea you've probably drunk earlier.

"It’s Levi." He warned lowly, slender fingers making you lean into his gentle touch. A smile graced your lips and you uttered his name prior to making the first move and pressing your lips to his. Black tea, just as expected, and you melted into him. You heard a hum bubbling at the back of his throat. It vibrated against your mouth and he pulled your face closer, stealing the breath from your lungs. All blood you had in your body decided to move and temporarily reside in your face when his teeth nibbled on your bottom lip - a long-awaited fantasy finally coming to life.

Your knees briefly buckled but he used his other arm to steady your body and press it flush against his with the smallest (and sexiest) of chuckles. You were having a hard time processing the situation still, but you knew one thing for sure - finally, after months of research and theories, the case was closed. It was official now - it was evidence acquired.

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman fanfiction #reader insert #isabel cameo because i love her #also the only reason he gets the ball to ask yn out soooooooo/#3rd part up this is the end of the trilogy so enjoy the happy open ending #also thug levi keeps hitting different in a trivial envinronment

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atlasifyllm · 2 years

Text

Food HDCs

- Ruby eats pizza in the shower. This has been canon for at least 3 years and I'm still not changing it

- Cobalt used to be a picky eater, but started growing out of it later on. Jay is still picky though

- Cobalt hates pepperoni pizza, but usually buys it because he knows pizza is Ruby's favorite. He especially buys Ruby pizza on her birthday. They make it a game to share Cobalt's leftover pepperoni with Shiro

- Cobalt's favorite food as a kid was any variation of chicken strips and fries, in middle school/early high school it was rice. Sometimes he'd eat just plain rice

- Amethyst wants to explore nore food after being a forest hermit and amnesiac for 3 years, and her first favorite food is mac and cheese

- Rose infamously loves sweets. Her favorites are nutella crepes or cakes

- Rina is usually the only Paladin whose house the others love to eat at, mostly since Rina's the best cook out of Prism Prison since she lives alone

- Jay loves jasmine tea, hot or as boba teas. They introduce it to the rest of the Paladins

- Blaze, Ruby, and Turqbalt frequently get into random food contests. Turq is infamous for being immune to brain freeze and having an unfortunate experience with gummy sharks. Blaze can handle spice like a champion, though her and Ruby still have yet to best each other in a milkshake race

- Turqbalt doesn't notice when he's hungry so he tends to pack snacks like crackers whenever he can

- Because she's immune to spice, Blaze tends to review spicy foods on whether or not they taste good or are just spicy for the challenge

- Jay's favorite food is tacos, though they're grateful for anything that doesn't trigger their sensory issues

- Jay's commonly known for making instant ramen

- Jay despises oranges; Cobalt however loves oranges and loves lemon/lime/citrus-y flavors

- Blaze and Safira constantly send each other chocolate strawberries

- Amethyst's favorite fruits tend to be apples or berries

- An inside joke within Prism Prison is Rina being associated with watermelons, since she's a green soul with pink hair. Funnily enough, Cobalt's not too fond of actual watermelon

- Jay loves mint chocolate chip ice cream

- Rose loves sweets but also LOVES french fries, and believes the saltier the better. The Paladins get concerned over the amount of sodium she enjoys

- Bonus HDC -> Oriole loves making hotpot

#atlas speaks;#dots danger rally text;

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orangepeelers · 4 years

Text

it’s you

my boys go to the beach and are a little very slow on picking up hints

***

Remus awoke to a text from Sirius.

As he saw his name on the screen, excitement bloomed in his stomach and made his toes curl. He felt elated for a brief moment, before forcing himself to punch the feeling down into the recesses of his mind. He couldn’t feel that way about Sirius. He wouldn’t feel that way about Sirius. He’s just your friend, he reminded himself.

His heart didn’t really get the memo.

Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced over at Peter’s sleeping form. The four of them were staying at the Potters’ beach house, spending the hottest days of the summer eating ice cream on the boardwalk and swimming in the ocean. He hated that despite the fact that Sirius was in the room next door with James, a text from him could still have such an effect.

He unlocked his phone to read the text, anxiety and excitement mingling in his chest. Hey Moons. I woke up a little early today. Proud of me?

Remus grinned and rolled his eyes. Sure I am Pads. Of the four of them, Remus was the only early riser, a fact which he never let them forget. He found Sirius’ gesture endearing, if a little strange. Waking up early was so out of character for him.

His legs jiggled nervously as he awaited a response. He couldn’t help but wonder whether his waking up early was for a specific reason. Running through his head in an attempt to tamp down his overactive imagination was a constant stream of shutupshutupshutupshutupshut-

Wanna go for a run on the beach?

Remus’ fingers moved of their own accord. Sure. Breakfast at 3 Broomsticks after?

Of course!! See u in like 2 seconds. Love u Moons

At the last three words, Remus’ heart did a little skip rope routine. He knew it was just Sirius being Sirius, but the words still found the nooks and crannies of his brain and filled him with warmth. They stoked the fire of false hope he had burning in his mind, like vodka on their weekly beach bonfires.

He got dressed quickly, overthinking between his choice of old t shirts before settling on one from some event his parents had organized. Taking care not to wake Peter, he crept to the door and stepped into the hall, easing it shut. Sirius was already in the living room, long hair tied up into a ponytail. Black strands framed his face, bouncing against his cheekbones as he turned to look at Remus.

He flashed the grin that Remus had pictured so many times while trying to fall asleep. “Moons! Ready for our run?”

Remus smiled back. “Shocked that you have this much energy this early.”

Sirius shrugged, still smiling. “I was just in a mood today. C’mon!”

The two walked out the door into the oppressive humidity of the east coast. The orderly streets full of pastel-colored beach houses were quiet in the early morning, the people inside still sleeping off the previous day of swimming and sunbathing. Sirius immediately stripped his shirt off, tucking it into his waistband.

“Fuck, it’s hot.”

Remus pretended to shake his head in disapproval, but his eyes were tracing the sloping lines of the other boy’s biceps, wondering how it would feel to wrap his hands around them. He swallowed the thought before also stripping his shirt. Sirius grinned cockily.

“And I thought you were judging me.”

Remus mock-bowed. “Why, never!”

They started running, following the unpopulated streets to the beach. It wasn’t too far, and when they got there the sandy plains were mostly empty except for a few people walking. A bubble of laughter and conversation surrounded them, disrupting the early morning silence. They ran along the beach, listening to the waves lap against the shore as they sun came up. By the time they got to the Three Broomsticks, they were soaked in sweat and panting hard.

Sirius pushed his hair off of his forehead and mopped the sweat with his t shirt. “Hell, I’m never waking up early again.”

Remus laughed. “Hey, what about Belgian waffles?”

Sirius considered the waffles for a moment. “Hmm... You do make a very valid point. Maybe I’ll do it once more. As a treat for you, of course.”

They laughed before slipping their shirts on and going inside. The Three Broomsticks was Remus’ favorite restaurant on the boardwalk. The inside was quaint, with blue-checked tablecloths and pictures of patrons and vintage posters lining the walls. Natural light streamed in through the big windows facing the beach as a few other early customers ate and chatted. The brunch rush hadn’t started yet, so they were able to get a table close to the big windows.

Remus studied the boy sitting across from him. His eyes were gray and studious as he read the menu, with a hint of mischievous humor, like he might order blue eggs and burst into laughter before the waiter could say anything. Dark hair fell across his face before he pushed it back, still reading through the list of pancake varieties.

Sirius glanced up before Remus could look away. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something in my teeth?”

Remus just smiled, hoping the flush of embarrassment would be written off as a result of their run. “Just wondering why you’re reading this more intently than anything else I’ve ever seen you look at.”

“Hey, I take my breakfast very seriously, Moons.” He pointed a finger at him, pretending to be stern. “And you should too. It’s an important part of the growing boy’s regimen.”

“Okay, okay.” Remus put his hands up in surrender. “But I know you’re just going to order what you always do.”

“I also like routine, Moons.” Sirius said, shaking his finger before returning to the menu.

A waiter walked over and introduced himself before taking their orders.

Sirius pretended to think. “I think I’ll have... Chocolate chip Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.”

Remus shook his head at him. “I’ll have the same.” See, told you so, he mouthed. Sirius just rolled his eyes and smiled.

The waiter took their menus and walked away. Sirius turned his full attention to Remus. “So, Rem. Lily tells me you have a little summer romance up your sleeve.”

Remus’ heart beat double-time. He’d confessed his crush to Lily, because he just had to tell somebody and he trusted her to keep her mouth shut. Technically, he supposed, she hadn’t told Sirius, but his legs bounced nervously like his deepest secret had been discovered.

Remus laughed awkwardly. “Well, I guess you could say that.”

Sirius cast an analytical look before sinking back into his chair. For a moment, Remus swore disappointment flickered across his face. Impossible, he reminded himself. Silence hung in the air thickly.

“Well, not quite a romance. More like useless pining.” He amended. He met Sirius’ gray eyes, and for once, they were unreadable as he studied him across the table.

“Well, I think anyone would be lucky to have you.” Sirius said sincerely. “You should tell them. Who knows? They might feel the same, and you can have an actual summer romance.”

Remus smiled, a little sadly. “Yeah. Maybe.” He studied the tablecloth intently, a heavy layer of quiet laced with tension settling over them. They each pretended to be very interested in the cloth napkins.

Sirius cleared his throat, a little awkwardly, trying to break the tension. Thankfully, their waiter arrived with two plates stacked with thick waffles and glasses of fresh, bright orange juice. The arrival of food dispersed some of the binding silence and conversation flowed again as they dug into the hot, crispy-yet-soft waffles.

They finished up their meal and paid the bill, setting out to walk back to the house. It was about nine, which was still relatively early in beach time. A few people were laying out towels and umbrellas on the beach. The sun was properly up, beating its hot rays down on the morning and dispersing the dew. Sea breeze carried the scent of salt as it ruffled their hair and scattered their laughter.

As they got onto the more quiet streets, their conversation turned, once again, to talk of summer romances.

Why does he keep bringing this up? Remus thought. The last thing he needed was a reminder that the person he wanted most in the world was unattainable. The constant thought hung about his head like vines in a jungle, and he didn’t want to see those words personified as Sirius rambled on.

“I was really hoping this summer would finally be the one where I wasn’t afraid to speak my mind.” Sirius’ clear voice led Remus back to their conversation.

A lump formed in Remus’ throat as he nodded. “Me too, honestly.”

They walked side-by-side, spilling out a little onto the lawns of the houses. Remus saw Sirius glance over, almost nervously, as he continued. “Yeah, I’ve sort of had this major crush on someone for a while. But I’ve never been able to tell them.”

Remus laughed, a little bitterly. How ironic that they were each in the same situation, yet Remus knew that Sirius could get anyone he wanted. He probably hadn’t told this mystery person because he wanted to see how long he could drag it out. Not that Sirius was cruel, but he couldn’t see any situation in which he simply couldn’t tell somebody he liked them. It just didn’t make sense.

“Well, I think you should tell them.”

“Yeah?”

Remus swallowed thickly. What matters is that he’s happy, he reminded himself. All the useless pining in the world didn’t give him a right to impede Sirius’ happiness, or decide who he dated. “Well, if you’ve liked them for a while, then either they’ve figured it out or they’re too stupid to realize. Either way it would be a push in the right direction. And, you’re Sirius fucking Black.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Remus pushed him lightly and smiled. “You know what it means, you egoistic dolt. Like you told me, anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Sirius smiled faintly, as if adding Remus’ words to a mental list. They continued walking until they were about a block from the Potters’. By now, Peter and James were probably being woken up by Mrs. Potter opening curtains and humming. Remus smiled to himself at the thought. He looked over at Sirius, who was deep in thought, brow furrowed. He wished he could see what the other boy was thinking.

All of a sudden, Sirius stopped. He grabbed Remus by the hand and pulled him so they were facing each other. Their chests were bare inches from each other, which Remus was hyper aware of as he looked down into his face. He was a few inches taller than Sirius, and being so close made that feel like a few feet. He could feel his soft breath as they looked into each other’s faces.

Sirius’ gaze was intense as he took a deep breath. He was still holding onto Remus’ hand and he gave it a subconscious squeeze, as if trying to gather confidence. They stood like that for several seconds until either of them remembered to talk.

“What-”

“Rem, I-”

They laughed a little breathlessly. Remus seriously thought that his heart would explode. All he wanted was to close the distance between them. But he restrained himself and settled for saying, “You first.”

Sirius hesitated a moment, before resolve hardened in his eyes. “It’s you.”

“What?”

“You’re the summer romance person. You’re the person I’ve liked for a while.”

Remus blinked. The words floated around his head before he was able to string them together. All he could do was stare back at Sirius, unable to believe what he was hearing. He felt like a fish gasping on a dry dock, unable to suck in air to form words. “I- um, I-”

Sirius stared back, expression alert as Remus floundered for words. Finally, he was able to peel the letters from his throat and force the sentence out. “It’s you too.”

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, as the realization of their words settled around them like snow. Slowly, Sirius placed his hands on Remus shoulders, the around his neck, fingers tracing the muscles there gently. His hands shook Remus out of his stupor and he pulled Sirius closer, hands on his waist.

Then Sirius kissed him.

The kiss was everything a kiss should be. Deep in his stomach, Remus felt the same excitement from earlier in the morning return a hundredfold. Sirius’ mouth was soft and sweet from the waffles. They were so close, bodies pressed together despite the summer heat. He felt like a body of stars, constellations blooming on his skin wherever Sirius touched him. Adrenaline raced through his body as Sirius pulled back to look at him.

He smiled, softer than Remus had seen him before, a smile just for him. “I’d say this is my summer.”

Remus smiled back, hands intertwining behind his waist. “I’d say so too.”

#wolfstar #moony wormtail padfoot and prongs #Moony #Padfoot #Sirus Black #remus x sirius #Remus Lupin #the marauders #beach au #harry potter #WOLFSTAR FLUFF #wolfstar fic #wolfstar oneshot #mlm fic

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

Text

Survey #437

“you get what you pray for / you don’t get anything”

Do you tell your mom and dad everything? No. Who was the last person you talked about something that was bothering you with? Most likely my mom. What’s your favorite musical? I don't like musicals. Who did you last share a taxi with? I've never been in a taxi. If you’ve ever tried drugs or alcohol, what was your reason for first trying it? I've never done drugs, but the first time I drank was actually an accident. I'd come in from a long, hot walk, and I desperately needed water, and Mom offered me what I thought was just pink lemonade. Turns out it was a Mike's Hard Lemonade and I CHUGGED it before everyone around me was like "NOOOO!" because it was alcohol lmaooo. If you were far from home and needed to sleep for the night, would you choose to rent a crappy motel room for $60 or sleep in your car for free? I'm sleeping in my car. I'm afraid of things like bed bugs. Is there a situation where you caved into peer pressure and regretted it? I don't think so? Have you ever rolled off your bed in your sleep? Pretty sure no. What is your favourite planet? Saturn! Do you enjoy Mario games? Not really, honestly. They're just not my style. Mario Kart is fun every now and again, though. What flavor fruity drink is your favorite? Strawberry, in most cases. Ever done a keg stand? No. Who is the last person you lent money to? My mom. Do you have any health problems that are unusual for your age? I have carpal tunnel in my wrists from typing so much, but I'm not sure how "unusual" that is for young adults nowadays... I feel like there's something else, but it's evading me right now. Do you bite your nails? No, I pick/peel at them. :x What’s the longest nap you’ve ever taken? Oh god, hours. To the point it no longer really qualifies as a "nap." When people ask you about school, what is your usual response? Do you enjoy talking about school? Why or why not? I get all awkward and just reply that I gave it numerous shots, but my mental health couldn't handle it. I hate talking about school because I feel like a failure. Do you know how to fill a car’s tire with air? Have you ever had to do it? No to both. Do you like your best friend’s parents? Why or why not? Omg I LOVE them. They are spectacular people with massive hearts. I especially am drawn to her dad, whom I find incredibly inspiring. Both her parents are just great. I miss 'em. What do you like in your hot cocoa - marshmallows, whipped cream, candy canes? Do you even like hot cocoa? I loooove hot chocolate. I really just prefer it plain, but you can toss a few marshmallows in there. Which do you have a problem with: over-eating or under-eating? I'm way more likely to over-eat than under-eat. A girl likes her food lmao. The last boy you kissed, good-looking? He's by no means ugly, but I wasn't physically attracted to him personally. Do you love him? Not romantically, but definitely platonically. Do you like cherry Pepsi? I like cherry Coke. I don't like Pepsi. When was the last time you were given flowers? Ummm... I want to say the last time was many years ago when Tyler visited for the first time when we started dating. What do you want to name your children? I don't want kids. But hypothetically, Alessandra and probably Damien. Would you ever write a letter to someone you haven’t met yet, like your future spouse? No. I'd probably get too emotional anyway. Do you carry a mirror in your purse? No. Do you believe that there is beauty in everything? I've always thought this was such a stupid idea that tries to make reason out of life and its tragedies. Like yeah, cancer, rape, murder, etc. are definitely "beautiful." There is absolutely no beauty in a vast plethora of things. The first time you smoked, did you cough like a fool? I've never smoked before. When you were younger, did you have a Neopets account? Oh, yes. I loooooved Neopets, but not quite as much as Webkinz. I've actually remade a Neopetz account multiple times because I'd forget my info, ha ha... Who was the last person you got in a fist fight with? I've never been in a physical fight. Did you and your mom ever have a big fight that caused you to move out? Not "move out," no. We did, however, have a fight where I stayed with Dad for I want to say a week, maybe a bit less. Do you dislike anyone? Why? Well, yes. I don't know anyone who doesn't dislike somebody. There are a few people, in my case, that I'm not going to spend time going through and pointing out what I don't like. Do you think you will be in a relationship 2 months from now? No. Do you always feel like you’re making mistakes? Like constantly. Does your animal sleep with you? Roman usually does, yeah. Do you have any baby pictures of yourself on your computer? No. Mom has those in photo albums. What kind was the last chip you ate? I want to say traditional Lays? It was at my nephew's bday party. Do you eat onion rings? No, I'm not a fan. What was the last thing to disgust you? I think it was some thumbnail I saw on YouTube, even though it was (weakly) blurred. Where do you see your ex in 5 years? "The" ex, I don't want to think about it. Probably somewhere great for him, but would break my heart if I knew. Do your parents swear? Dad swears big time, while Mom tries to hold it back. You won't hear her say something like "fuck" unless she is SERIOUSLY upset. Do you ever drink warm milk? Warm milk sounds literally disgusting. Would you be really upset if Facebook ceased to exist tomorrow? No. I literally just came back from my break from it, so it'd be more funny than anything. The universe's way of telling me "nah, son." Who do you know that wears the most makeup? My friend Summer, but then again she's a cosmetologist. Have you ever had bronchitis? No, thankfully. Jason had it BAD once and I will neeever forget that cough, good Lord. Do you like to wear makeup? I hate applying it more than anything. Like, I love that it can help me feel prettier, but I pretty much never wear it because it's just a pain to put on, especially by myself because I have bad tremors in my hands. How many times have you been to the ER? Way too many times for being suicidal. How often do you feel lonely? Honestly, pretty much always. When are you most uncomfortable? I dunno, man. I'm always uncomfortable about one thing or another. Has anyone ever revealed a secret about you? Not that I remember... Have you ever revealed anyone else’s secret? No, that is such a shitty thing to do. Have you ever had a family member/friend that was hospitalized? Yes. Have you ever been in trouble with the law? No. Is there anything you want to experiment with? I mean, nothing that quickly comes to mind. There are things I want to try, but nothing major. What do you hope happens to you after you die? Mixed feelings. Sometimes I hope there's some sort of nirvana-like state we experience, I think it'd be wonderful to be reunited with loved ones, but I also sometimes think it'd be best if we just... stopped existing. Consciousness just stops. I dunno. I'll find out eventually. What is the most disgusting thing you have seen in person (not on TV)? Probably a maggot-infested deer corpse that I faintly remember from where I used to live. I thought it was the sickest thing ever lmao, in both senses. What is something others make fun of you for? Always holding some sort of technology. Just don't fucking comment on it. It makes me self-conscious as hell. Is your life turning out like you pictured it would? QUITE THE FUCKING OPPOSITE. Do your initials spell out a word? No. Has anyone ever given you roses? Yeah. Last baby you held? My older sister's youngest daughter. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or groomsman? My aforementioned sister's. What is something you would never do to your body? I mean, there's a large number of things. There are certain piercings and tattoos I wouldn't dare to get, I plan on taking care of my hair as best I can to avoid ruining it despite wanting to dye it a lot... *shrug* Stuff like that. How are you planning to decorate your house for Halloween? I don't know if we'll decorate. We haven't really for a few years now... I don't have the motivation to do it myself, and now that it's just me and her and I'm grown up (I know, I'm laughing too), Mom doesn't really bother with doing it. I know I DO want to carve pumpkins this year, though. Dunno what, but I'll figure it out. Ever lived in a trailer park? No. Do you like salsa that has fruit in it? NOOOOOOOOOOO Can you count in binary? No. Do you like hard or soft pretzels better? I'll eat both, but I have a strong preference for soft ones. When was the last time someone kissed you on the cheek? Who was it? I'm sure that was either my niece of nephew when I was leaving their house when I last visited for Ryder's birthday. What kind of ice cream did you eat last? Where’d you get it from? It was chocolate. I had a scoop at the aforementioned birthday party. Do you like flowers? What is your favorite kind to receive? I love flowers. I don't have a favorite to receive, really. Have you ever unblocked someone that you blocked before? Yes. Has anyone slapped you across the face before? If so, why? No. Do you prefer to have more or less in common with your significant other? I like to be pretty similar. Would you take a shot of heroin for a million dollars? No. I don't fuck with that, even for that much money. Why don’t you talk to your ex anymore? He wants nothing to do with me. Do you think it is okay to drive while high? Obviously not...? Do you find Halloween or Valentine’s Day more exciting? Halloween. Has anyone you know ever had serious surgery before? Yeah; my mom immediately comes to mind in both instances she had cancer. When she had kidney cancer, the tumor was larger than the kidney itself, and she lost the entire organ. When she had ovarian cancer, she had to have a complete hysterectomy because the cancer was EVERYWHERE along her reproductive system to an almost fatal degree. My mom's pretty metal. If you had the last person you kissed’s Facebook password, would you go snooping through their stuff? Why or why not? No, because that's a violation of privacy? You don't do that shit. Have you ever fainted? If so, when was the last time? If not, have you ever came close to? Yes. The only time that I remember was maaaany years ago, like, maybe '14. I've nearly fainted plenty of times since then for various reasons, but mostly just from low blood pressure. Ever take a keyboarding class? Do you type using the skills you learned in that class or how you used to before you took the class? Yes; I believe one course was mandatory in middle school. I type the proper way, yeah. Ever cut your hair (the entire thing – not just the bangs or a little part) yourself? Noooo. Would you ever open your own business? If so, what kind of business could you imagine yourself having? Well, I'd like to be a freelance photographer, but to be real, I'm starting to loosen up on that dream. It's been too long, I just don't see it happening anymore. Baby steps are one thing, but I've barely managed any of those in forever. Ever meet and talk to someone from an online dating site? No. Would you date someone you weren’t physically attracted to? Why or why not? Yes; I've done it before. I just care way more about emotional chemistry. Besides, historically, me liking someone for their heart has made each person a lot more attractive to me as a whole. Last person to hang up on you? I dunno. What’s your favorite scary movie? The Blair Witch Project. The second one is great, too, plus The Crazies. Which urban legend is your favourite? Oh man, you can't ask me this. I LOVE cryptids and conspiracies 'n shit. Are any of your fears completely irrational? Yes, like whale sharks. A whale shark ain't gonna hurt u boo but I see that mouth and am like no thnx Where is the light switch in your room? Funnily enough, I don't have a light switch; there isn't a ceiling light in this room. I instead have two table lamps that I can turn on on either side of my bed. Would you make a good lawyer? Hell no, I cry when I argue lmao. It's funny tho because I remember in TWO instances, in-depth surveys recommending jobs for you brought up me being a lawyer, and each time I was just like,,,,, no???????? Why did your family decide to live where you’re living now? It was more necessity than anything. Our old house had a LOT of issues to it, and with Mom's cancer diagnosis, she needed the cleanest environment possible, and that was NOT our old place. The house we live in now is owned by a family friend, and when the previous owner died, the timing just... kinda worked out to where that family friend I mentioned helped us pay our way into here. We really don't like this place because of the location, but it had to work. What was the best pet you've ever had? All things considered, I have to hand it to my boy Teddy. That dog was someone special. Very, very special. If you were allowed one murder without punishment, would you do it? Nah. Name one song you can play on an instrument, any instrument! I can probably still slam out "Hot Cross Buns" on a recorder. \m/ Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle? Noooo, I'm scared to. On the opposite sex, do you prefer muscles, average size, or scrawny bodies? It depends on the person, ig. I can be attracted to any of those. Just not EXTREME muscle. Not my thing at all.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''thoughts & prayers" by motionless in white

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curewhimsy · 3 years

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I wrote a parody of Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day but with Ritsu Namine, who is actually 6 years old in this

The grammar is completely awful on purpose.

Written on a complete whim

AO3 link

———

Once upon a time My name is Ritsu and last night I fell asleep playing Pokemon and the dog gone battery went out and I didn’t save the freaking game and now I have to play the mother father game all over again so I threw my stupid stupid Nintendo DS at the wall and it broke so I yelled and stomped down the stairs and mom gave me a time out and didn’t let me eat my favorite Coco Krispies so instead I had to eat WHEATIES.

I knew it was gonna be a terrible, horrible, no-good very bad day.

At breakfast Ruko found an awesome 65 neon blue race car in her cereal box and Taya found a real cool pair of 3D sunglasses and all I found in by stupid freaking dumb wheaties box was stupid boring awful wheaties.

I think I will move to Korea.

In the school bus I had to sit next to stupid Tei the devil and I hate her because she calls me names and never lets me sit next to the window and since I was already ticked off I said a really bad word and I expected her to cry like a baby chicken but instead Tei got really excited and told the bus driver the word and I had to sit in the stupid time out seat in the back that smelled like donkey butt and was hot and always made me feel like puke.

I really could tell it was going to be the most terrible, horrible, no-good very baddest day ever.

At school Mr. Hiyama said he liked Uta’s boring picture of a spaceship better than my masterpiece of a dinosaur eating Tei’s head off. Mr. Hiyama said it was not a very wholesome picture. It made me feel very insulted.

At singing time he said I sang too loud! At counting time he said I left out 39. But who needs 39. 39 is a stupid number and it reminds me of stupid spoiled divas. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

I could also tell today was SUCKY because Teto said she wasn’t gonna be my best friend anymore. She said that weird ugly girl Uta Utane was her best friend and that stupid wimpy Momo Momone was her second best friend and that I was only her third best friend!

I hope you step on a flaming Lego brick, I said to Teto! I hope the next time you get a double-decker strawberry ice cream cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Korea.

There were two Rice Krispy treats in Uta’s lunch bag and Momo got a cupcake with extra icing and Teto got a big ice cream sandwich with both strawberry and chocolate ice cream! Guess whose mother didn’t even pack them any dessert?

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

That’s what it was, because after school my mom took us all to the dentist and Dr. Bruno found a cavity just in me because I’ve been eating Cocoa Krispies too much and brushing my teeth not too much. Come back next week and I’ll fix it, said Dr. Bruno.

Next week, I said, I’ll be in Korea. SeeU later.

On the way downstairs the elevator closed on my hair and while we were waiting for mom to get the car out in the thunderstorm Ruko made me fall where it was muddy because they’re a big tall gigantic meanie head and then when I started crying because of the mud Taya scoffed like the smug face he is and said I was a crybaby and while I was punching Taya in the mouth for saying I was a crybaby my mom came back with the car and scolded me for being muddy and fighting and told me I should be a gentleman like Taya. I would rather eat my foot than become like Taya.

I am having the terriblest, horriblest, no-goodest, very baddest day of my entire life. I told everybody. Nobody even answered.

So then we went to the shoestore to buy some sneakers. Ruko chose black ones with blue streaks. Taya chose blue ones with white streaks. I chose red ones with black streaks but then the shoe man named Shuu said, We’re all sold out. They made me buy plain old white ones, but nobody can make me wear them!

When we picked up my dad at his office he said I couldn’t play with his copying machine, but I forgotted, and I ended up using all the paper on the picture I drew today of Tei getting her head eaten by a dinosaur and now apparently me and my dad have a bad reputation whatever that means. Dad also said to watch out for the books on his desk, and I was careful as could be except for my elbow. He also said don’t fool around with his phone, but I did and I think I called Korea. My dad said please don’t pick him up anymore.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

There was spinach for dinner and I hate spinach. Taya and Ruko got to eat delicious chicky nuggies, but not me, because I was still in trouble for this morning.

There was kissing on TV and I hate kissing.

My bath was too hot, I got soap in my eyes, my marble went down the drain, and I had to wear my clown pajamas. I hate my clown pajamas.

When I went to bed Taya took back the pillow he said I could keep and the Pokemon Squirtle nightlight burned out and I bit my tongue SO I SCREECHED LIKE A PTERODACTYL AND WOKE UP THE ENTIRE HOUSE.

It also ended up scaring away the cat.

The cat wants to sleep with Ruko, not with me.

It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Korea.

——————————————

References fo Ritsu’s (and others’) official bio:

His official age is 6 years old. I made him (and the rest of the characters) an actual 6-year-old, in personality and all.

Ritsu is said to like Cocoa Krispies so I incorporated that.

He also is supposed to “Hate Japan, but love North Korea.” I made it just “Korea” in this story, however.

He is often depicted as very hot-headed.

Uta is said to like rice, so I made her dessert Rice Krispies.

Ruko’s shoes were “black with blue streaks.” Reminds you of their hair?

#namine ritsu #my writing #spoof #alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day #utau #vocaloid #ritsu namine

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cynicalrainbows · 4 years

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The Next Best Thing Chapter 15

Catalina arrives early, when they’re still finishing the last of the birthday pancakes.

Anna is spreading Nutella with a surgeon's precision to ensure it covers her pancake right to the edges; Anne is running her fingers through a maple syrup puddle on the table and licking them. Baby Catherine is chewing on a bit of plain pancake in her highchair and Mary is putting the pan in the dishwasher.

She’s only eating the strawberries but she aims a cuff at Anne when Anne asks if it’s because she’s on another diet and tells her to mind her own business.

Anne subsides with a giggle and steals a spoonful of Nutella straight from the jar, whispering that Mary couldn’t fit into her new jeans when she tried them on last weekend. Mary’s face goes redder than the strawberries and she looks crosser than ever- but they’re interrupted by the doorbell.

Cathy abandons her own pancake-face (with a Father Christmas beard of snowy white whipped cream- it looks excellent even though she’s not really that fond of the taste of whipped cream) when she hears Catalina’s voice in the hall doing the boring grown up Garden’s looking lovely, traffic, parking, price of petrol stuff that all grown ups seem incapable of not saying when they meet each other.

(She’s glad that when she sees Anne and her other friends, they can just jump right into talking about interesting things like books and television and whether rubbing two jelly aliens together and putting them in the freezer makes then make a tiny alien baby, and is it murder if your tamagotchi dies because you weren’t allowed to get down from Sunday Lunch to feed it, and is it true that if you swallow chewing gum, it ties up your stomach and kills you, and how it is that the chocolate in the bottom of a Cornetto manages to taste so much nicer than normal chocolate, and why is it that sharpening your pencil is boringboringboring when you’re in the middle of drawing a picture but really satisfying and fun when it means you get to stop doing handwriting practise to do it, and is it true that there was a boy in Year Four who stuck his whole finger into the teachers special electric pencil sharpener on a dare and had the tip of his finger sharpened away to nothing?)

She doesn’t quite have the courage to interrupt- but when Catalina sees her hovering in the doorway, she interrupts herself and stops agreeing with Anne’s Mum that the price of petrol is extortionate nowadays and gives Cathy such a big hug it lifts her right off her feet.

‘Mija!’

She lets herself cling tight for a moment and then lets go- she isn’t a baby after all, although there’s a little bit of her that wishes she was Kitty’s age so she could be picked up and cuddled properly.

‘How are you?’

She nods. ‘I’m ok.’

Anne’s Mum does a bit lipsticky smile like a lady in an advert and asks if she slept well and she nods again. ‘Yes thank you.’

She hopes Catalina has mostly forgotten last night and doesn’t bring it up to Anne’s Mum.

(She knows grown ups can be so sneaky like that sometimes, sharing your secret things with one another and pretending they’re doing it for your own good.)

She especially hopes that Anna won’t say anything- she hasn't yet but you never know, and even though Cathy doesnt think she’d say anything on purpose, she might just by mistake. She can’t even ask Anna to keep quiet because then Anne will hear and want to know what it is that Anna is meant to keep quiet about.

And Anne is terrible with secrets.

Not with keeping them, she’s actually very very good at withstanding all sorts of secret-spilling torture, even Chinese Burns, but with wanting to know other people’s. Once she knows them, she’s always perfectly happy to not tell anyone else, on pain of death- but Cathy still doesn't want to have to explain everything about last night to Anne. She doesn’t want Anne to think that she didn’t enjoy her birthday after all.

Anne’s Mum says that Catalina would be welcome to stay for a cup of coffee- or a Cappuccino or an Afogato even- but that the Photographer will be arriving soon. She says the word like photographer should have a capital letter.

Anne bobs up out of nowhere, licking Nutella from her fingers and asking what photographer and can’t Cathy and Anna stay to play a bit longer.

Anne’s Mum hisses at her not to be silly, of course they can't stay and of course Anne knows who the photographer is, she’s told her all about it.

‘It’s for the birthday photoshoot.’ She adds to Catalina and Catalina nods politely and says it sounds lovely.

‘But it's not my birthday.’

‘Well, it'll be like a second birthday.’ Anne’s Mum’s smile is still there but it’s looking a bit forced now.

Anne seems to perk up a bit at the idea of a second birthday, and Cathy is just wondering if she’ll be allowed to have two birthdays two if this is now a Thing, when Anne pauses.

‘But then Cathy and Anna have to stay or it won't be a proper party!’

Anne’s Mum gives an impatient little sigh. ‘Of course it isn't a proper party! I do wish you'd listen- it's a photoshoot, like I said.’

‘But you just said it was my second birthday!’

‘For goodness sake Anne! I shouldn't have to explain every little thing to you- you’re eight now, you're not a baby!’

Anne scowls.

‘You’re going to say goodbye to Cathy nicely and then go and have a shower so you can be ready…. With any luck, your friend’s parents will be here soon too before the other children get here.’

Cathy wonders if Anne’s Mum has forgotten Anna’s name.

‘But if there are other children anyway, why can't I have Anna and Cathy?’

‘Well it's only fair!’ The smile falters and is hurriedly replaced. ‘They’ve come to the sleepover so we thought it would be nice to spread things around a bit and let your other friends be part of the photoshoot!’

It’s uncomfortable and horrible listening to Anne get scolded: it feels like there is something sad and grey making the air heavier.

Anne’s mum is scowling like she’s really really annoyed and she’s so glad that Catalina is not like Anne’s Mum and doesn't get cross when she asks questions- she knows if she was suddenly told she was having a photoshoot, she’d be asking even more questions than Anne.

Actually, she’s glad Catalina is not like Anne’s Mum, full stop.

‘Which other friends?’

Cathy wonders if maybe Anne has got some other girls from their class coming to play once she and Anna are gone, and it’s not a nice thought, but then Anne’s Mum starts saying names and she doesn’t recognise any of them.

‘-and Ingrid and Patience and Harriet-’

‘But I don't like them!’

‘Of course you do!’

Anne does an experimental single stamp of her foot; it’s like a challenge. ‘I hate them-’

They don’t hear the rest, because at that moment, Anna comes into the hall, looking confused at all the commotion, and Anne’s Mum sighs and seizes Anne by the wrist and tugs her further down the hall.

It’s all a bit awkward. Catalina is asking Anna how she is and if she had a nice time at the sleepover but she can’t listen properly, because really, all she can pay attention to is the cross sound of Anne’s Mum’s voice as she hisses things in Anne’s ear while she Anne squirms and whines and tries to pull away.

When they come back, Anne has stopped arguing.

‘What do we say?’

‘Thank you for coming, Cathy.’

She hates how Anne looks now, all sad and crumpled and flat. It's not at all how you should look on your birthday (or even the day after your birthday) and she has to hang onto Catalina’s hand tightly to stop her stomach from squeezing uncomfortably.

She can only manage a little ‘Thank you for inviting me’ in response, which doesn’t really feel like a good enough response considering it was her first sleepover ever, but Catalina squeezes her hand and then smiles warmly at Anne.

‘I hope you had a lovely birthday, carino. A photoshoot sounds like it will be lots of fun- im sure Cathy will be very excited to hear about it on Monday. I'm certainly interested in hearing about it!’

(She might be annoyed, at any other time, at Catalina calling Anne one of the names that’s really just for her- but she isn’t now. She just wants Anne to go back to looking normal and happy like she usually does.)

Catalina squeezes Cathy's hand again, and bit more firmly this time and she realises she’s meant to add something.

‘It'll be like being a celebrity…’ She’s not sure if she sounds very convincing so she tries harder. ‘You’re so lucky, Anne! Everyone at school will be so jealous!’

Anne’s Mum gives an approving nod and beams at her, and she turns her head so she doesn’t have to see it. Anne gives a very small reluctant smile. She doesn't say anything but she looks a tiny bit more cheerful as she goes up to shower, Anna trailing behind her.

They say another goodbye and thank you to Anne’s Mum and then they’re out onto the pavement.

She’s still holding onto Catalina’s hand but Catalina doesn’t seem to mind, she swings their joined hands between them.

‘So how was the sleepover? Did you have a lovely time mija?’

She nods.

‘What did you do? Did Anne like her present?’

‘She loved it. She said it was her second best favourite present.’

‘What was her first?’

Cathy describes the heelies and Catalina laughs. ‘Thank goodness! I was going to ask if you girls had had a fight, to get those bruises-’

Cathy twists her arm and notices for the first time the purply blue bruises blooming.

‘It’s ok, they don’t hurt. I only fell over a bit. Anne fell over much more but that’s because she was trying to do a jump like the ice skaters on tv.’

‘Well I'm glad she liked her presents so much. Poor little thing.’

(Cathy isn’t sure why Catalina calls Anne poor- everyone at school, even the teachers, know that Anne’s parents have more money than sense. This means they’re rich.)

‘Anna thought my present was really good too. She said her present was really boring next to mine and she’d have to think up something more interesting next time.’

‘What did she get Anne?’

‘Jewelry making set. You can make earrings that you can wear even if you don’t have pierced ears.’ She hopscotches along the paving stones- it doesn’t really work like proper hopscotch though because they’re too close together. ‘Although Anna has her ears pierced already.’

(She’s a tiny bit jealous of Anna’s tiny gold studs- they look very cool. They’re not enough to make her want holes punched in her ears though, even the thought makes her feel a bit sick. Anne thinks she’s silly- she’d LOVE to have her ears pierced.

She’s not allowed though, because ear piercings are one of the few things Anne’s Mum and Jane agree on, albeit for different reasons: Jane thinks Anne is much too young, Anne’s Mum says it’ll make her look common.

Anne doesn’t think she’s too young, and she says that she doesn’t care about looking common because she wants to look cool...but neither Jane nor her Mum will budge.)

‘Did Anne like it?’

‘I think she did. She said that we could all make jewelry for the Inca Princess next time Anna and I came over to play. And then Anna cheered up a bit. I think she was worried Anne wouldn't like her present.’

Cathy doesn't feel like saying that she was also worried Anne wouldn't like her present. It feels funny also to be talking about Anna and not talking about the night before….but hopefully, it maybe means that Catalina has forgotten all about it.

She doesn’t bring it up on the walk home anyway- Catalina listens with great interest to an edited version of the story of the little attic girl, giving very appreciative gasps in all the right places and not interrupting even once to ask silly questions about whether or not the little girl has a swimming pool.

‘That was an excellent story mija.’

‘Really?’ Catalina looks like she means it.

‘Wonderful- very imaginative. Makes me glad we don’t have an attic!’

Cathy giggles. ‘Anne said the little attic girl would come to my attic tonight and I reminded her that we didn’t have one and she said that next time, she was going to make up a story about a little girl who lived in a flat. Anna said it didn’t sound very scary.’

‘I suppose you’ll have to wait to hear it to know if it is or not.’

‘Anna said I should make up another story for next time.’

‘Well, I hope you’ll tell me if you think any more up, I’d love to hear them.’

‘Ok.’ Perhaps she’ll make up a story specially for Catalina- a special grown up story that has grown up things in it, like when they play Soap Opera in the playground and everyone plays that they’re having cancer and babies and cocktails. ‘It might be scary though.’

‘That's ok, mija. You have to let the muses guide you when you’re creating.’

Cathy knows all about the muses already- they’re spirity things that give you ideas and imagination when you’re doing art or writing, they’re what Catalina blames when she’s having trouble phrasing an idea for work.

(Not only are the muses very friendly to Artists of All Kinds, they are actually rather useful when it comes to the resultant mess of artistic endeavour.

Catalina introduced her to the concept on The Muses on her second week, the first time she’d tried painting in her new bedroom and coincidently the first time she’d made any actual serious mess there.

It hadn’t been her fault that the paint had spilled like it did and it hadn’t spilled much, but it had been enough to make her ponder what it would be like to see her godmother Properly Angry.

She hadn’t, until that moment, considered what a Properly Angry Catalina would look like. As she thought about it- and it wasn’t a terribly nice thought- she also realised that whatever form it took, there was nothing she could do about it. There wasn’t anywhere else for her to go.

She wondered if, seeing the paint, Catalina would think about that too. She wondered if it would make her regret having to be the one to take care of her.

She’d never been scared of her godmother, but she was when Catalina saw the paint.

‘Ay dios mio, what IS that?’

She tucked her chin down into her chest. ‘Paint.’ Her voice is very small.

Catalina fanned her face. ‘I thought it was blood, I thought-’ She shakes her head hard, like she’s shaking thoughts away, then touches it and frowns. ‘It’s dried. Why didn’t you tell me before, it would have been easier to- Oh mija, it’s alright, don’t cry-’

She started looking guilty rather than annoyed.

Once Cathy was settled in her lap, scrubbing her sore eyes with a tissue and only hiccuping a little bit, Catalina had very nicely explained that while it was technically Cathy’s fault for spilling the paint, it was also her own fault for not telling Cathy to put down newspaper before she started painting and that maybe having a cream carpet was just asking for it, whatever that meant.

‘So perhaps it all balances out, querida.’

‘Are you really cross?’

‘Do I look really cross, mija?’

She considered. ‘No.’

‘Good, because I’m not. I know it wasn’t on purpose. Let’s just both try to remember the newspaper next time, ok?’

‘Ok.’

‘And we’ll blame the muses for this one.’

Once Catalina had explained about the muses, she’d said that they should probably get on with cleaning it up ‘before someone else sees it and thinks you’ve got a body hidden under your bed.’

She’d still felt a bit wobbly, when she thought about the stain. Catalina had given her a big cuddle and said that a little paint wasn’t the end of the world and that it would probably come right out. It turned out though that Catalina herself wasn’t really sure how to get paint out of carpet, so she’d gotten out her phone to check- ‘There’s no excuse for not finding things out nowadays, mija’- and she’d even let Cathy type the question into google herself.

The paint had come out on the second attempt, and Catalina had made her promise to always tell her right away if anything like that ever happened again.

So everything had worked out alright after all, even if she still hadn’t seen Catalina really, properly angry yet.)

Going back to the flat feels funny because it feels like coming home but everything also looks a little bit different- Catalina reassures her that it’s just how things feel sometimes after a trip.

‘It’ll go away mija’

Cathay still cant help looking around though. ‘Why are the books different?’

‘What’s that?’

Cathy points at the bookshelf- the spines are different colours.

‘Just felt like it was time for a little shuffle around, it makes me remember which books I haven’t looked at for a while.’

This makes sense.

It’s the middle of the morning: Catalina has a mug of the dark, rich coffee that she buys in little paper sacks from the special food shop in town. Cathy likes the smell but not the taste, although she hopes that will change when she grows up because coffee seems to be all that grownups drink. Coffee and wine, except she isn’t sure if she likes wine yet- Catalina lets her sip at her coffee when she asks but she hasn’t yet given in over Cathy’s requests to be allowed a taste of her merlot.

(‘Maybe when you’re nine or ten, mija. I just don’t dare any earlier, the harpies would tear me to pieces.’

Harpies is what Catalina calls the other mums at school; Cathy isn’t allowed to tell anyone that though, even Anne, on pain of every unpleasant torture, mi vida.

‘A glass?’

‘A sip. A very little sip. And not until you’re older, like I said.’

‘I could just not tell anyone.’

Cathy is quite good at not telling people things, she’s good at keeping secrets- which is why she doesn’t even give Catalina a list of some of her best, most well kept secrets to prove it- like how Anne spilt blue nail polish on the carpet in Mary’s bedroom and blamed it on Kitty even though it wasn’t exactly a lie because Kitty had been playing with it too and it really could just as easily been her and honestly, it would have been fairer, all things considered, for Kitty to be the one to spill it, considering she’s only little.

Catalina is shaking her head.

‘But I’m very good at keeping secrets!’

‘I know, mija-’

‘I didn’t tell my teacher that you did the last sum for me on my homework.’

Catalins gives her a stern look. ‘Good because as I recall, that was a deal we made so that you would go to bed and stop worrying about it.’

‘And I didn’t tell her. So you could let me try and I wouldn’t tell anyone.’

‘But wouldn’t it be a bit pointless if you couldn’t tell anyone? Wouldn’t you want to tell Anne?’

This is true- it’s actually a bit pointless if she can’t even tell Anne, although Anne surely doesn’t count as anyone- but she doesn’t want to weaken her position so she shakes her head steadfastly, and Catalina laughs and says she’ll be a wonderful lawyer when she’s older and gives her a kiss on the top of her head rather than a sip of wine.)

They have fancy twisty pastries with apricot jam and Cathy has a mug of warm frothy milk with a tiny bit of coffee in it, a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkling of brown sugar. It doesn't matter that it’s not real coffee- it's much nicer than coffee anyway.

The coffee milk in the special china cup with her name on it, even though she’s already had one breakfast because Catalina had said she hadn’t eaten yet and did she think she could manage elevenses even if it wasn’t quite eleven?

She thought she probably could, having not finished her pancake and she was right. The apricot pastries are delicious; she thinks it’s what sunshine would taste like sunshine was spreadable. Catalina says that’s the best description of apricot jam she has ever heard.

She’s reading one of her library books- the last time Catalina had visited her, back when her parents were alive, she’d brought one of the series with her and read it aloud while they were waiting for lunch to be ready and she’d quite liked it, but now reading it for herself, she doesn’t recognise all the characters.

Catalina had read her a story about Juliana and Diane and George (who was really Georgina) and Anne and Timmy the Cat, who were cousins and had adventures on an island- but when she tries to read it for herself, the names are different and the children are different and it’s a dog not a cat, who keeps on licking everything and barking and it’s just not as good as before.

(She has no idea why the children decided to swap lovely clever Timmy the Cat for a horrible barky, licky, bitey dog. She thinks it was a bad decision.)

She wonders if maybe she picked out something different.

Catalina has a big thick book that looks dusty.

‘What are you reading?’

‘Mmm?’ Catalina looks up and then nods as if she’s had to replay it in her head. ‘Oh!’ She says something in Spanish and then adds ‘But it’s called something else in English, of course.’

‘What’s it about?’

‘A little boy called Pip and all his adventures.’

‘What sort of adventures?’ She’s wondering if it will turn out that they’re the sort of adventures the children are having in her book and Catalina smiles.

‘No island, mija, you’d be disappointed. He meets an escaped prisoner out late one night and he helps him to cut off his chains and run away. And later he goes to a big old beautiful house, which has a room all ready for a wedding that never happened.’

‘That’s strange. If it never happened, then it’s not anything, so how can she have a room for it?’

‘They had everything ready but the groom didn’t turn up so the lady sits in her wedding dress next to her old cobwebby wedding cake all covered in dust and thinks about how sad she is.’

‘Oh.’ That sounds spooky but also interesting- she thinks maybe there’ll be an old cobwebby cake in her next scary story because for some reason, the idea of something that’s meant to be so happy being all forgotten and abandoned makes her feel shivery and she’s sure Anne and Anna will feel just the same way. Then she thinks of something else.

‘Why was he out at night at all? Not the prisoner but the little boy.’

Catalina looks uncomfortable for some reason. ‘I think he was just playing.’

‘But weren’t his parents worried about him?’

There’s a little pause and then Catalina says ‘He didn’t have any parents, querida.’

‘Oh. How old was he?’ Maybe the boy is nearly grown up, like in Secondary School.

‘Seven.’

She isn’t quite sure how she feels about that but she doesn’t feel like asking any more questions so there’s a little silence before Catalina says that she’s just finished the chapter.

‘I think I need a little break from reading.’ She puts her book down on the floor, face down. ‘Want to come and keep me company, mija?’

Cathy nods slowly and puts down her own book, except she uses a bookmark because she knows that’s the proper way to treat a book.

(Catalina is hopeless with bookmarks and always refuses Cathy’s offers to lend her one.

‘I’d lose it in a moment mija, and then I would have so much guilt! But thank you, all the same.’

Cathy has big plans for when her class starts their textiles projects, in which Catalina’s poorly treated books AND her sad, bookmarkless state, feature quite heavily. But she’s keeping this a surprise.)

She hasn’t finished her own chapter but she doesn’t like the way that these strange new characters keep telling George she isn’t allowed to do things because she’s a girl. She supposes it’s nice that Anne is allowed to cook- cooking on a real fire outside sounds very exciting- but she wonders if she ever gets tired of it.

‘It’s not the same as when you read it. They’re really horrible to George. And they don’t even have a cat anymore.’

She climbs up onto Catalina’s lap and Catalina wraps her arms around her.

‘I might have….changed some bits when I was reading it to you. I thought it would make the story better.’

‘It DID make the story better. Now it’s boring.’

Catalina considers. ‘I could try reading it to you my way if you like, querida.’

‘That’s ok. I think I’m going to take a break from reading too.’

‘Ok.’

Catalina cuddles her closer and for a while they just sit like that. She thinks about the little boy meeting the prisoner out at night, with no one to worry about him, but it’s not too bad to think about when she’s got Catalina’s cardigan tickling her cheek and Catalina’s chin resting on the top of her head.

Maybe she’ll include a prisoner in her next story too. Maybe he could even team up with the little attic girl and they could go around scaring people and sewing up mouths together.

‘Did he have a godmother?’

‘Who?’

‘Pip. Oh- no, he didn’t. He had an older sister, he lived with her instead.’

‘Like Anne and Mary.’

‘Anne still has her parents, mija, you know that.’ But Catalina doesn’t sound so very certain when she says it.

There’s a little pause, and then Catalina quietly asks if she’d like to talk.

‘About what?’

‘About last night mija.’

‘What about last night?’

She's being deliberately annoying but she can't help it because maybe if she carries on, Catalina will change her mind and they won’t have to talk about anything.

She wouldn't even mind Catalina getting really cross (she doesn’t think), whatever really cross is for Catalina (because she still isn’t sure), but she doesn’t, just puts her book down and takes another sip of naslty bitter black coffee.

‘About the phone call we had.’ She pauses. ‘There's no need to look so worried querida- I promise you're not in trouble, I'm not going to tell you off- and we don't have to talk now if you really would rather not. It’s just that last night, we talked a bit about some of the things you were worried about. And about your mum and dad. I think it would be a good idea to talk about some of those things properly- not because i think it will fix them but….maybe it will make them a bit more ordinary to talk about them. And perhaps less scary. I don't know.’

She actually sounds a bit anxious, much less self assured than usual. Usually, Catalina talks like she knows exactly what she’s saying and why. Now she keeps stopping and starting, like she’s worried she’ll say something wrong.

‘I want you to feel like you can tell me anything- that there isn't anything you have to keep secret unless you want to. And you can always always talk to me. About anything you want. Ok?’

She nods. She wonders if Catalina really means anything- anything.

‘Good, bad, sad, happy, whatever. And you can ask me anything, I don't want you to ever feel like you can't ask a question.’

Cathy thinks. ‘What if you can't tell me? What if it’s secret?’

Catalina smiles. ‘Then I will explain to you why I can’t tell you. But I won't be cross with you for asking, that’s the important thing. And I will always try to answer, if I can, alright?’

She nods again. ‘Will you tell the truth?’

‘Yes. It doesn't seem fair to ask you to be honest if I won’t be honest myself. And we do need to be honest with each other, mija. It's the only way.’

‘The only way for what?’

‘The only way to….keep our family going. Going smoothly, I mean. We’ll be a family whatever happens, of course, smooth or not.’

‘Are we a family?’ It’s a surprise to her- she’d sort of assumed that wasn't a word that applied to her any more, like Mother and Father and Parents.

‘Yes i think so.’ Catalina looks serious. ‘You and your Mum and Dad are still a family, of course. But you and I are a family too. At least I like to think we are. If that's ok with you of course.’

Cathy thinks about it. ‘If we’re a family, does that mean I have to call you Mum?’

Catalina looks shocked. ;Oh no! No, definitely not querida, I promise I'd never want to try and take your Mum’s name or place. I never at all meant that. I'm still your godmother- your Mum will always be your Mum. Not all families have a Mum and a Dad.’

‘Like in the story about Tango the Penguin.’ It’s a book she had when she was very little, but she can still remember the story.

‘Exactly.’ Actually, she thinks maybe Catalina sent her the book in the first place.

She could ask more questions about it- some that she’s mildly curious about, and some that she could probably make up if she felt like making this bit of the conversation stretch out longer...but she decides not too because Catalina is looking all anxious now and it's making her feel a bit guilty.

It’s alright- the thought of her and Catalina being a family is ok. She’d rather have Catalina for her family than anyone else, if she can't have mum and dad and she knows that she can't.

She wriggles into a more comfortable position in Catalina’s lap.

‘Ok. We can be a family.’

‘Good.’ Catalina smiles like she’s really relieved. ‘Good.’

After a while, she says, ‘There’s something I thought you might like to look at mija. I’ve been meaning to for a while and then last night, I thought of it.’

She stiffens slightly. She isn’t sure how she feels thinking about last night- one minute, the scary feeling seems very far away and all she can think about is stupid things like how babyish she must have sounded crying into the phone, and then the next, she can remember it very very well and it makes her feel shaky and sick, like she’s standing somewhere high and looking down.

She buries her face into Catalina’s cardigan and then has to come back out because the fluff is making her sneeze and Catalina laughs and slides her gently off her lap and says she’ll be back in a moment.

She wraps both arms around her tummy, hugging herself and wondering what The Thing will be.

When Catalina comes back in, she’s holding an old shoebox.

#six #six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six fanfiction #six fic

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thesorrowoflizards · 4 years

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ezra i’d love to hear your thoughts on desserts? what are your faves and stuff you dislike the most? (yes it’s daydreaming about cooking and baking for the murder bois hours)❤️💖💜💙

god cooking is fun but im bad at it but im actually not terrible at baking and desserts--other than breaking eggs, which i still have to ask someone else to do because im a garbage baby

but Y E S ok desserts are, great. i admit i actually like cooking them more than eating them a lot of the time? especially most cake

although i do love strawberry cake,, my local grocery store’s generic bakery does this strawberry cake with whipped cream icing that tastes SO GOOD especially chilled. like idk bro that shit is good

chocolate cake is overrated but not disgusting (if its like Moist And Dense its pretty good especially with the right like, fudgey icing?) and vanilla is fine. better in cupcake form

as for like pie, i like pecan and certain kinds of chocolate pie a lot, i like apple and rhubarb but i might pick out some of the filling like a loser, pumpkin pie and coconut cream i can stand in small amounts bc unique flavor but not great texture. key lime and lemon meringue i ADORE in concept but in practice always seem to fail me. peach and cherry i just dont like im sorry :( i mean cherry is good if i just eat the cherry juice soaked crust like a heathen but pretty sure that doesn’t count

fglkhjfgh im trying to think of other desserts... spotted dick is TERRIBLE, had it once, i hate it. all bread pudding sucks im sorry

cookies,,, chocolate chip is boring unless very fresh and gooey and a little underdone so its like warm cookie dough but not dangerous, shortbread is great if done right but needs something with it, anything with raisins is trash, sugar cookies are only good if they’re those weird soft lofthouse ones, double choc is fine, white choc macademia nut is fine.... i can’t think of any others rn

apple turnovers? the shit. cherry turnovers? suck. those strawberry cream cheese ones the walmart near me has sometimes? delicious. i love fake strawberry shit ngl

same with fake blueberry shit like blueberry muffins or waffles with like, the weird processed blueberry stains that aren’t really blueberries? good blueberry flavor without the texture i hate

TARTS. LEMON TARTS AND CREAM CHEESE TARTS GOOD.

uhhhHHHHH im sure im missing so many more desserts i know. some random other ones i’ve tried--churros (had some really good ones at one place and some really bad ones at another), sopapillas (always good but i somehow always make a mess), ice cream in general (strawberry and mint and superman are the best, chocolate sucks, and generally, i like frozen yogurt better. all good with caramel and like, turtle sundae kind of things), brownies (easy to get wrong but if right THE BEST), monkey bread (pretty good), doughnuts (almost all garbage), zeppoli (i liked the strawberry one, surprise surprise), uhhhhhhh im running out of desserts i can think of tbh fuck. uh, fudge, i like a lot of fudge, tbh, but in small amounts. don’t think i’ve had any i straight up hate although the maple nut one was kind of meh. (we used to go to this fudge shop on summer vacation to this same place because of like, family reasons, and we always got fudge so i tried a lot of different fudge. i even made some once!), cheesecake (good! i like it. my mom had a really good recipe for the plain stuff but she hates cooking so i never eat it), those french cream puff things? (nasty, flavorless, weir texture), those little cakes i used to get at my local chinese buffet that i don’t think were actually chinese but were very tasty (very tasty!! they sometimes had these little strawberry ones--I KNOW I KNOW STRAWBERRY LOOK IM A SLUT FOR IT OK), anything banana flavored that isn’t actually a sliced up banana (ew), custard (generally not that good?)..... that’s all i got for now i can’t think of anythng else but if you had any other specific ones in mind hmu (or if theres one i probably haven’t tried but you like you can tell me about it!)

#grembospeak #biconicfinn #asbox

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bobasheebaby · 4 years

Text

Kuebiko- Monsters chapter 2

Pairing: Liam x Olivia; Emma (MC) x OC

Word count: 1,895 Warnings: abuse, Evil Liam, Evil Olivia, Dark fic, manipulation Summary: Liam and Olivia meet Emma. A/N: More evil Liam. This one is severely twisted. This is a collaboration with @sirbeepsalot, so hang onto your seats.

Series warnings: Evil Liam, Evil Olivia, child abuse, character death, abuse, knife violence, blood, unhealthy sexual situations, NSFW content to come. By asking to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let one of us know if you want on or off the taglist.

Disclaimer: We only own our OC’s, the rest we are just borrowing from PB.

Kuebiko: A feeling of physical and mental exhaustion that happens after acts of violence takes place.

“I thought we talked about this Emma! You can’t go around flirting with every fucking guy you meet or they’ll get the idea that they can fuck you.” His fingernails dug crescents into her freckled skin. “But they can’t, can they?!”

Emma glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one from work was witnessing her talk with her boyfriend. “Please, Trey, we can’t talk here. I’ll lose my job if my boss finds us again.” She tried to pull her arm from his vice-like grip but instead cried out in pain as his nails dug deeper into her skin.

“I can do whatever I want whenever I want,” Trey growled as he yanked her arm. Her small body flew into his chest; to anyone watching, they appeared to be holding each other in a loving embrace. “You are mine and only mine.”

Emma let out a pained whimper. "Only yours, Trey, I belong to only you." Her breath caught as she noticed a flicker of light flash behind him. She exhaled when she realized that it was the redhead she had been servicing for the last two hours smoking a cigarette and not a coworker. Their eyes met briefly before Trey jostled her to get her attention. She lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“Now go back to that table and tell them that you are taken, understood?” He shoved her backward and released her, her petite body stumbling as she tried to steady herself.

“Yes,” Emma nodded, her eyes trained to the ground. She knew better than to try to make eye contact when he was this upset.

“Good. Don't you ever behave that way again.”

Olivia nodded towards Emma as she slid back into the booth after finishing her cigarette. "She has a Constantine," she murmured as she picked up her gin and soda. Liam nodded, his face even. If he had his way, all abusers would feel a blade twist in their chest.

"How are we doing over here?" Emma asked as her hands nervously tucked a strand of her short strawberry blond hair behind her ear. Liam noticed her voice was friendly but she averted her gaze when speaking with them.

"Everything okay?" He asked before taking a sip of his scotch, "You seem different since we last saw you."

Emma's green eyes darted to Olivia. Her heart started pounding in her chest as Olivia lifted her brow, her eyes confirming that she knew all about her confrontation with Trey. "Oh, everything's fine,” she quickly responded as she prayed they’d drop it. “Now, can I interest you in our dessert menu? Our pastry chef makes a chocolate lava cake to die for."

"There are very few things in life worth dying for," Olivia cooly stated before watching Emma's face whiten.

Liam shot Olivia a quick glance. "Do you have vanilla ice cream?" He smiled at Emma before taking Olivia's hand, his fingernails digging into the flesh of her palm.

"Vanilla bean and Madagascar vanilla. Made in house. Can I interest you in a scoop?"

"One of each. Everyone thinks of vanilla as plain, but I find it quite exquisite. I like to think I appreciate the small things that others overlook. Isn't that right, Olivia?"

Olivia took a slow sip of her drink as she formulated her thoughts. She held her glass up to shield the grimace spreading along her lips. "Emma, tell me, does your Trey often visit you at work and accuse you of trying to fuck your patrons?"

Her throat grew tight. Please don’t make this a big deal. If Trey finds out it will only make things worse. "I should go get your dessert—"

"Emma," Olivia's voice was tender with a commanding bite.

Emma paused and turned back to the table and pasted a smile on her face. "I'm sorry, did you want to order dessert too?"

"Oh, God no," she laughed. "I just want to know if you're happy."

Emma subconsciously shook her head and left to fetch Liam's ice cream. People like me don’t get happy.

"Olivia..."

"What Liam?” She spat. “I’m sorry, I saw her with her partner—she’s in a shit situation. It’s worth a shot. After all, didn't we come to the states to find someone? She seems like the type who is easily manipulated."

"I know," he murmured as he gently massaged the abused flesh of her palm. “I'm just sour that things didn't work out with Juliet. She was such a tender thing."

"I never expected things to work out on the first try."

Their words were cut short when Emma returned with Liam's ice cream. Two different vanillas garnished with a tiny strawberry.

Emma’s eyes flickered from her last table to the clock on the wall. Leave, please leave. She needed to finish cleaning before she closed up and, at this rate, she would be stuck well past when Trey wanted her home.

Come on, come on. You’re making this worse.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she envisioned Trey waiting for her drunk in the dark. He was always drunk when she got home late. He would accuse her of cheating, again; since he had already warned her that night the beating she faced would be even worse. She would be thankful if she blacked out after the first few blows. If you actually cared about yourself you’d leave.

The couple had been nice enough and made her laugh--that had been her mistake. Now, they were going to be the reason for his violence tonight without realizing it. I have to get them out of here, she thought as she threw the damp rag onto the bar top and smoothed her shaking hands over her apron. She hated tossing patrons who stayed past closing because she hated confrontation and making others angry, but she knew she would contend with far worse at home. She smiled as she approached their table, trying her best to make it believable when inside she was thinking about how each additional minute she was late would increase Trey’s anger even more.

“I’m sorry,” Emma said, trying to keep her voice even, “We’re closing up for the night.” She glanced at the clock as Liam slowly took his credit card from his wallet.

“I’m sorry we kept you late. We were having a wonderful evening and lost track of the time.”

Emma took the card, nodding quickly as she spun on her heel to process his payment.

Olivia’s gaze shot to Liam, her brow raised in silent question. It was clear she was terrified, others might miss the subtle changes, but they could read them. They used to live that fear.

Liam nodded imperceptibly. Olivia was right—they couldn’t let her return to that scumbag. Even if she wasn’t the one they were looking for they couldn’t allow her boyfriend to continue to abuse her.

Emma returned shortly and handed Liam his card and receipt to sign. He smiled as he took it, giving Olivia a nod as he started filling out the receipt.

“Emma,” Olivia said, her voice far softer and kinder than it had been all evening. She reached out her hand, gently touching Emma’s. “We can help you.”

Emma pulled back her hand at her touch. It was warm and inviting but she couldn’t think about that; she needed them to leave. “You can help by leaving.” Her voice shook. “I’m sure you understand that it is late and my boyfriend worries when I’m late.”

Olivia stood in front of the restaurant with a cigarette while Liam watched the back. They needed to get her alone in order to talk to her. They knew what she would face when she got home and they needed to prevent it from happening. She noticed the lights inside flick off as Emma walked to the front door. She sent a quick text to Liam and watched as she locked the door before approaching her.

“Emma,” Olivia said as she slowly approached. “I know you might be wondering why we are persistent to talk with you. We want to help you. I used to be in your situation, having someone who thought they owned me, who felt they could do whatever they wanted to me whenever they pleased.” She tapped another cigarette from her pack. “Cigarette?” She kept her tone even and devoid of emotion. Inside, she tensed and felt rage at what she used to endure, what others still did.

“I don’t smoke. But really, I know you think you understand, but it’s different. He—”

“What, Emma? He loves you? He cares for you? That’s not love.” Olivia took a long drag before slowly blowing it out. “Love isn’t fear. Love isn’t living until the day he delivers the deadly blow.”

Emma stood quiet. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, alerting her to someone behind her. She turned her head quickly and relaxed once she saw it was not Trey. She blew out a breath of relief. Had it been him she may not have survived; being seen with the objects of his anger again, after closing, would have made him angrier than ever.

“You thought I was him?” Liam said softly as he stepped next to Olivia.

Emma blinked back tears as she nodded. For the last hour, all she wanted was to get home. Now, she felt like her time had expired. She knew she was fucked.

“We’ve helped people before—ourselves, others in your situation—removed certain stressors from their lives.”

“I don’t have anyone else,” she whispered, “Trey is the only one I have.”

“And you won’t have him for long because he will kill you. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday.”

“We have done this before. We’re good. Let’s pay Trey a visit and then we’ll help you get back on your feet. We are actually visiting from our home in Europe,” Liam said. “If you couldn't guess from our accent we are Cordonian.”

“You could come back with us. We have a private jet and no one would know. You just--poof--vanish.”

“How is that possible? How can you do … things … and get away with it?” Emma's mind swirled at the possibilities being offered.

Liam and Olivia exchanged smiles. “Should we show her Liam?”

“I think we should.”

Emma’s brow furrowed as she watched Olivia open her bag and pull out two passports. Two diplomatic passports. “We are both rather important people in Cordonia. We are also very skilled at what we do.”

Emma’s heart pounded in her chest at the possibility of being free. On one hand, she went home and took what was coming, continued going down the path that would someday end in her death. On the other, she took action, took their offer, and reclaimed her life.

Tic toc

Time moved slowly as she examined her options from every angle. She wanted to be certain before she made a choice. Either way, there would be no going back, no do-over. She would have to accept the fate she chose.

“Okay,” she slowly nodded. She couldn’t live in fear anymore. She needed to be in control of her destiny no matter what tomorrow would bring.

Olivia softly hooked her arm with Emma’s. “Let’s make a plan.”

Feedback fuels us, please like, comment or reblog to let us know how much you like it. We can handle the screams, so scream away.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

Taglist will be reblogged.

#liam x olivia #mc x oc #evil liam #evil olivia #king liam #olivia nevrakis #trr au #dark trr au #dark fic #the royal romance #the royal romance au #choices the royal romance #monsters #tw abuse

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