local teen communes with birds, is slightly off-putting to strangers in the woods. (Nim and Dulcedram’s introduction to the party, after failing spectacularly at stealthily eavesdropping)

The Cult Girl (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 13

Hello friends we have come to the end of Cult Girl. Thank you all for hyping me up throughout this story and giving me the confidence to actually post my work. Y/n and Hannibal throw a dinner party.

The sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the entire kitchen in that homey mid-morning glow. You were enjoying your coffee and scrolling through an article on your phone.

"Senator Hatch reportedly coughed up his late wife's toe on the floor of the precinct." You read out loud. "Huh. Wonder how that could have happened."

You side-eyed Hannibal, who was contentedly sharpening his knives. Placing a rather large meat cleaver to the side, he met your gaze. "I have my ways."

You finished off your coffee and brought the mug to the sink. "There was no way Theresa was going to survive that night, was there?"

"Clever girl." Hannibal praised.

"You were going to kill her if I didn't, were you?" You felt a smile coming on. "Did everything turn out as expected?"

"Darling, this all went much better than I could have ever hoped for." He smirked. "See, I had the whole evening mapped out. I was hoping you'd be the one to deliver justice and kill her, but I had to prepare for the possibility that you wouldn't."

You folded your arms and leaned against the island. "Is that why I was so sick that day?"

You could have sworn you saw some hesitation in Hannibal's face. Maybe even a touch of regret. "Yes. You needed an alibi. It was as easy as removing a single birth control pill from your packet. You'd see it was missing and think you'd already taken your medicine-"

"So I'd neglect to take my focus meds." You cut in. "Yeah, I knew something was off."

"By the end of the day, you'd be experiencing full withdrawal symptoms." Hannibal nodded. "I don't take any pleasure in upsetting the delicate balance of your brain chemistry, and for that I am sorry. I did what I had to."

"Yeah, don't ever do that again." You ordered, no disarming smile in sight. "I need those meds to function."

"I promise you, darling," Hannibal said, sincerely. "I would never keep you from being anything but your very best. I was just looking after you."

"I suppose now that all this is out in the open, you won't need to pull any shit like that again." You muttered. "But I'm still going to keep my pills at my apartment."

"That reminds me." He said. "Would you like to invite your roommates for dinner tonight? I've prepared a wonderful Spanish-inspired menu that's perfect for entertaining."

"I'd love for you to meet my friends, but, they all keep such weird hours I doubt they'll all be free tonight." You shrugged. "I'll give them a call though."

"Wonderful." He smiled. "You make arrangements while I prepare the kitchen."

You stepped into the office and called up Pilar. She answered within the minute.

"[F/N]!" She near shouted. "Holy fuck, how are you doing?"

"I'm actually doing..." you looked back into the kitchen, watching your beloved Hannibal in his element. "Really well."

"I heard about your cousin." Pilar cut in. "One down, two to go."

You snorted. "No fucking shit."

"Sorry, was that okay for me to say?" She apologized. "I know you said Theresa was a bitch, but it's your trauma and I-"

"No, you're fine." You laughed. "She was a bitch. Hey, do you have any plans tonight?"

"Uh, no. I don't think so." She answered. "Why?"

"Hannibal wants to invite you all for dinner tonight." You said with an audible smile. "Y'know, to celebrate the bitch's death."

"Yo! Steph!" Pilar shouted across the room. "Wake Randy up! We're having dinner at [F/N]'s rich boyfriend's house!"

You could make out Stephanie's voice in the background. "It's about damn time. We've been waiting for her to redistribute the wealth."

"She means thank you for the invitation." Pilar corrected.

"It's not like I had to twist his arm or anything. It was his idea." You chuckled. "He loves having guests. And excuses to dress up."

"Oh so we're getting fancy, huh?" Pilar's voice turned up in excitement.

"Hey [F/N]!" Randy snatched the phone from Pilar. "Text me the menu for tonight. My girlfriend'll steal a nice bottle of wine to pair. She's a pro, she works over at Cavatappi's wine and spirits."

"Much obliged, Randy." You said. "I'll see you guys at seven."

You returned to the kitchen with a smile. "They're coming."

"Well, we don’t have a moment to lose, then." Hannibal placed something wrapped in butcher paper on the counter. "Come now. Let me show you how to properly prepare a heart.

You and Hannibal spent the rest of the morning and the whole afternoon preparing a bountiful meal. You reveled in the irony of finally finding a space for Theresa in your life. That space just so happened to be on the stove.

Seven came far too quickly, but your friends were always a welcome sight. You greeted them at the door with hugs, Hannibal watching with stoic adoration.

"Guys, this is Hannibal Lecter, my partner." You introduced. "Hannibal, this is Pilar, Stephanie and Miranda."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, ladies." Hannibal greeted. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

"Here you go, Dr. Lecter." Randy handed him a bottle of wine. "Thank you for inviting us."

Hannibal examined the bottle. "Yes, this will pair quite nicely with our meal. Thank you very much. [F/N], could you show our guests to the dining room?"

You nodded and accepted the bottle, given the extra responsibility of pouring. You led your friends to the dining room and wasted no time distributing the alcohol.

"A toast." Stephanie rose her glass. "Too many of history's worst have had the privilege of dying on their own terms. Today, we celebrate the death of one who didn't: Theresa [L/N]."

"She will join her sisters Nancy Reagan and Madame Nhu in hell tonight." You concurred, tapping your glasses together with a series of satisfying clinks.

"Okay, you need to spill." Randy scooted her chair up and leaned towards you. "How the hell did you get away with it?"

"Well, it helped a lot that her husband was already a felon." You teased. "If I didn't kill her, he was going to eventually."

Pilar made a face. "I can't believe it took actual murder to get that latter-day lump thrown in prison."

"Well, the LDS church is a very influential organization with a stronghold on all of Utah." You explained. "There's a long history of legitimizing sex abuse there."

"We know, cult girl." Stephanie laughed. "You remind us every time your pedophile cousin-in-law comes up. Relax and take your victories where you can get them.” 

“Ladies,” Hannibal entered. You rushed to his side to help him with the dinner plates. “Have we ever tried organ meat before?” 

Everyone’s eyes found Pilar. 

“Braised liver is delicious and you guys are just cowards.” Pilar protested. “I will die on this hill.” 

Hannibal smiled and presented your friends with their plates. “You are a woman of good tastes, Pilar. Our first course is Riñones al Jerez.” 

“Kidneys.” Randy translated. “Who’s kidneys are we eating today, Dr. Lecter?” 

He tilted his head. “Theresa’s, of course.” 

“I don’t care whose organs you harvested.” Stephanie said, her eyes rolling back into her head. “This is delicious.” 

You and Hannibal shared a glance and a smile. 

You and your roommates devoured the Riñones al Jerez, then dug into the next serving of heart stewed with chickpeas and olives. You finished off the evening with natillas de leche and a bottle of Sauternes Hannibal just happened to have lying around. 

“This is the first time since like, Keith Raniere got sentenced that I’ve seen [F/N] happy-drunk.” Stephanie observed.

“Or even just... happy." Pilar said, looking at Hannibal. "I'll have some of whatever she's having, please."

"My pleasure." Hannibal poured her another glass of wine.

Your phone began to buzz on the table, capturing the attention of your guests. You didn't even need to look at the caller ID to know who it was. Nobody else in the world had such horrid timing.

"Shit, you've got to answer it here!" Stephanie pleaded. "So we can all give her a piece of our mind!"

You looked over to Hannibal, who you knew was just as curious.

You dragged the answer icon across the screen and put it on speaker. You gestured for your friends to be quiet. "Yeah?"

"Well look who finally decided to pick up." Grandma said. "Thank you for gracing me with your attention. I know you have so much going on right now, you're just too busy to pick up the phone and talk to your grieving grandmother."

"For your information..." you stumbled over your words. "I was interrogated by the police yesterday. I think that counts as having something going on."

"Are you drunk?" Her voice was laced with a disproportionate level of disgust.

"I'm grieving too, Beatrice." You counter. "What, suddenly you're the only one who can drink the pain away? That's not very democratic of you."

"In your state, you shouldn't even be thinking of alcohol!" Grandma scolded. "You of all people should know the effects alcohol has on an unborn baby."

You smacked yourself on the head. Of course Theresa would plant a seed to fuck you over one last time. "Did Theresa actually tell you I was pregnant?"

"It was her last message to me, actually. Anyway, you're coming home." Grandma said, without so much as waiting for a response. "I won't have my great grandchild living in that dangerous city that your cousin was killed in."

You exchanged looks with your friends, who were going through the same combination of emotions as you were. Grandma's words just seemed to fade out as you shared an entire nonverbal conversation with the people around you.

"And you're leaving that terrible, terrible man."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow and looked at you, waiting to see how you'd respond. You knew what you had to do. It was finally time. You did something you should have done a long time ago.

"No." You said, your nerves loosened by the wine.

"What?"

"No. And I mean it." A big smile crossed your lips. "Theresa lied to you. I'm not pregnant. And you have to live with the fact that your granddaughter's last words to you were a blatant lie."

Hannibal looked at you with pride and your friends began to silently gas you up with encouraging gestures. "

"...And that you're the only one to blame for her deception." You continued. "You raised her in your own image."

"This is why I refuse to let you raise my great grandchild with that man!" She wailed. "He's twisted your mind against me! He's made you cruel!"

"Hannibal made me see clearly that you made me cruel." You said with absolute certainty. "You'll never see me again."

"Don't be like your mother, [F/N]." Grandma snarled. "Don't cut people out for trying to help."

"You'll never see me again." You repeated and decided to leave it at that. You ended the call and blocked the number, joined by an eruption of excitement from your friends.

It was finally over. Your life could truly begin.

‘Loki’ Breakout Sophia Di Martino on Loki’s Coming Out and Tom Hiddleston’s Famous Lecture | Variety

When Sophia Di Martino first auditioned for the Disney Plus series “Loki,” it was in September 2019. A working actor since 2004, the British native has appeared on several British TV series, including “Flowers” and “Election Spy,” and she had supporting role in the 2019 film “Yesterday,” but she hadn’t ever quite landed the breakout role that could move her career to a larger stage.

Enter Sylvie. Introduced at the end of Episode 2 the Marvel Studios “Loki,” she is a “variant” of Tom Hiddleston’s beloved god of mischief, someone who had the same inception point as Loki but whose life unfolded much differently. In Episode 3, Sylvie and Loki spend pretty much the entire hour getting to know each other — and making clear just how critical Sylvie is to the larger story.

Naturally, this kind of role is a massive opportunity, which made how Di Martino ultimately landed it even more shocking to her.

“It was the shortest casting experience I think I’ve ever had,” she says with bewilderment. “I did an audition tape with a very short scene. I wasn’t asked to do it again, and I couldn’t meet anyone because I was heavily pregnant at the time and I couldn’t travel. Tom was in the U.S., everyone else was in the U.S. So we didn’t get to screen test or anything. So I just got the job on the back of this tape, which never happens, and especially with a job like this! It was extremely quick and quite surprising to all involved. Me and my agent were both like, ‘Really? Are you sure? This is crazy? Okay, fine! We’ll do it! We’re in!'”

Once she got the role, however, Di Martino stepped inside Marvel Studios’ vibranium-clad cone of silence. And while she says she’s good at keeping a secret, finally getting to talk about the experience is a massive relief.

“I got this job in September 2019 and only today is the first day I can talk about Sylvie,” she says. “So it’s been quite hard!”

Sylvie really does not see herself as a “Loki.” So how much did you draw from Tom Hiddleston’s performance in his role as Loki when shaping your character?

I looked at his performance, but I try not to be shaped by it too much. Sylvie has had a very different backstory to Loki. She’s a different person, and that was really important to us right from the beginning. When [director] Kate [Herron] pitched me the idea when I finally got the job, and she was able to tell me a bit more about it, it was very clear that Sylvia was Sylvie. And she’s not Lady Loki from the comics. I mean, the show is inspired by the comics, but this is a brand new backstory in a brand new story. And so I wanted to make her my own.

You will see, at times throughout the series, that Tom and I do very similar things, like our physicality is similar or when we choreographed fight scenes, we’ll mirror each other. And that’s all purposely done. And then the rest of it I’ve kind of just made up as I go along.

Tom Hiddleston conducted his famous Loki lecture in advance of the show — did you have a chance to go to it?

Yeah, I was there. It’s one of those things where you can say, ‘I was there!’ It was super interesting and important for me to listen to. He knows so much about the character. He’s been with that character for 10 years. He knows that character unlike anyone else in the world. And to hear all of that information and be able to ask him any question was just really, really important and fun. Like, what a great way to start a job. It got everyone really excited about the show.

How did you and Tom and Kate Herron talk about the scene in which Loki comes out — to the audience, anyway — as bisexual?

I remember Kate being really passionate about it, and that she wanted that to be represented in the show. I think people have been waiting a long time for it. The comic books allude to it and even the Norse mythology, I think. It’s been around for so long, and it was really important to her to have that in the show. But we tried not to let that affect the way we were playing it, you know. We’re just playing it like it’s quite natural conversation between two friends — well, two acquaintances, at that point. So we tried not to give it too much weight, but we knew in the back of our minds how important it was to a lot of people. And I’ve got to say how happy it makes me that people are happy to see that.

A lot of people noticed that the lighting on Lamentis-1 was reminiscent of the bisexual flag. Did Kate take about that being on purpose?

I can’t remember her actually talking about being on purpose. But I know Kate Herron, and I think it probably it was. I think she was probably like, this is gonna be purple, pink and blue, guys! I mean, it looks beautiful.

Tell me a little about yourself. I’d read that you had always even since you were young been really keen on acting?

Yeah, I was one of those annoying kids who’s always like trying to get my sister to do plays in the living room, and always casting myself in the better part and having her play like the Cinderella character. I think it was just an excuse to boss her around. [Laughs] I was one of those really bossy kids. I’ve always I always enjoyed acting at school — I didn’t really know that acting was a job that I could do until I was a little bit older. I wasn’t the kind of kid who would say I want to be an actor, because I think my parents would have just laughed at me. A ridiculous idea! No one in my family is in that world, and it wasn’t really within my grasp. So it was always a little dream that I kept to myself, really. And then I’ve just been quietly chipping away at it for the past 25 years, and here I am!

Owen Wilson has talked about how he was aware of the MCU, but not necessarily the most super knowledgeable person about it. Where do you fall in your awareness and knowledge of of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Kind of similar to Owen. I’d seen a few movies, and I was aware of it. And a few of my friends are really into it. And I know that a lot of people are, but I didn’t know that much, to be honest. I’ve learned a lot more being on the show. And from Tom, who is very knowledgeable.

How much of the role did you get to do before lockdown?

I don’t want to get this wrong, but I think it was like three or four weeks of filming. It wasn’t very much at all. It was enough just to start getting in the flow of things and just to start enjoying it before we had to shut down.

In that sort of time period where we were all just sitting with our own thoughts and contemplating the world, did you think more about Sylvie and anything else that you wanted to do with the part?

It was a really great time for letting what we’d already shot sit and percolate. I know Kate and the writers did a lot more work on the storyline when they’d seen what we’d done, you know, cut together so far. From a personal perspective, it was great just to have a little bit more time to think about it. Because the beginning of the shoot, everything happened so quickly. I carried on training with my stunt double, Sara. We would meet up once or twice a week on zoom, and that was really helpful as well, just to physically get into the body of the character. So I had a lot more time to get fit after having a baby.

Part of the pandemic experience for a lot of people has been thinking about the road less travelled, which in Sylvie’s case is the most extreme example — of this person who shares some similar essence with Loki but lived a completely different life. Did that resonate at all for you while playing her?

It’s so interesting to see two characters who are so similar and so different. It was really important to me to reflect the kind of life that Sylvie has had. The costume reflects that as well with the broken horn and the slightly disheveled costume. And little things like keeping more of my regional accent, and not trying to sound too posh or too well spoken, because it just wouldn’t suit the experience that Sylvie’s had. All of those things were were parts of creating this character and this relationship between Tom and I.

So how does how does one audition for a particularly physical role while pregnant?

Well, luckily, the scene that they gave me, I think, ended up being the scene on the train when they both sat down having a conversation. So I didn’t have to stand up. It was just head and shoulders. So you would never know just by looking at the tape. And then I don’t exactly know how it happened. I think it was just lucky that it wasn’t a super physical scene that I had to act out. Trying to do stunts or something, that would have been terrible!

When you got this role, what really were the parameters of who you could talk to, and who you couldn’t, before today?

I can talk to Tom and I can talk to Kate, but I just wasn’t really supposed to say anything else to anyone else. And I’m really good at keeping secrets, so I just didn’t talk to anyone else about it. Tom and I would just call each other and be like, ‘Oh, we need to say all this stuff, because we’ve got to say to anyone else! Ahh! What about this scene and this bit and this bit?!’ And you know, we’d meet up with Kate and do the same thing. So it was kind of just the three of us.

Destiny | Park Jimin

pairings: park jimin x oc

summary: having a green thumb is a blessing that you didn’t seem to have, the working theory was that plants hated you and tending to your aunts garden seemed to prove that but maybe the handsome young man that keeps finding his way into your aunts garden can help you whip it back into shape

word count: 2.9k

warnings: unedited, language (of course )

author’s notes: it’s another portion of my spooktober story collection, i was kinda of excited to write this one but still and yet very nervous as always i hope you all enjoy it :)

You trudged on your worn out boots ,letting out a sigh you ran back your plan you set up for your day. Weeding out the garden, checking on the hydrangeas, and planting the tomatoes. You thought back those three things over and over again. Feeling like you were forgetting something. 

Over the few weeks you had been watching over the garden, your aunt's garden to be exact it seemed like everything managed to go straight to shit. Your aunt had fallen sick and with you two being each other’s only remaining family you went back to her house to watch over her until she got better and watching over her meant her house also… and the garden. It just seemed as though the soil underneath you hated you. Trying everything you could find on the internet, talking and singing to the plants, using special growing techniques and tools that promised growth, but nothing happened. When your aunt finally gets better and sees that her beloved garden had just about washed down the drain you didn’t know how she was gonna react.

You had to figure out something and figure it out fast.

Resting back on your knees you wiped away at the sweat above your brow. Something was wrong with the hydrangeas, something new that you couldn’t exactly place what it was. Or even where to begin attempting to figure out the problem at hand. Letting out a breath in frustration you chucked the small gardening shovel out of your hands. 

“Fuck!” you shouted, shaking your head. You dropped your head, when you heard a small “ow”. You looked up and you were faced with one of the most beautiful men you had laid eyes on. You jumped up to your feet quickly, you realized the man that seemed to have a glow around him (most likely from the sun) was a few inches taller than you, soft brown eyes met your own and a cute button nose and plush full lips curved around his smile. He was a slender young man dressed in all white, the dirt from the shovel you threw caused a small brown scuff mark to appear on the toe of his fresh white shoes.

“I am so sorry I didn’t mean to hit you at all. I didn’t even know you were standing there.” you quickly apologized. The man threw his hands up, causing you to pause your rambling. 

“It’s okay.” his voice came out smooth and deep. “It’s nothing that can’t wash away with a little bit of soap and water.”

“I just..I didn’t see you there. I’m getting so frustrated with these flowers and this garden I just don’t know what to do.” you rambled, dropping your hands down to your sides. The man took a step closer to you, tilting his head to the side examining the purple hydrangeas that seemed to wither further the way you stared at them. 

“I’m sorry how rude of me I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Jimin, I live next door. I’ve never seen you around here before.” he stated. 

“Oh I’m just here watching over my aunt while she’s on bedrest. I have to take care of the house” you threw your hands up gesturing to the various plants that surrounded you two. “and subsequently the garden too. I’m convinced the flowers saw me coming and just decided to die on the spot just to do something different besides growing nice and pretty for my aunt.” Jimin let out a cute laugh, eyes crinkling up into crescents.

“You seem very frustrated as if the shovel against my foot wasn’t enough indicator.” Jimin said.

“I just” you sighed. “I have no clue what I’m doing and my aunt loves this garden so much that I just don't want to let  it fall apart in her absence but I’ve tried everything to get this garden together.” Venting your frustrations to this stranger, Jimin came easy and made you feel better in the process. But still and yet the garden itself was a hot mess. You loved a challenge but hated feeling incompetent. Tending to the garden made you feel dumb as a rock. As if the garden was trying to communicate to you but you both were speaking two completely different languages.

“Well I have a garden of my own that I tend to and I think it’s coming along pretty well. I usually come over and sit with your aunt while she works around here. We have many of the same plants too. I can help you if you want.”Jimin offered, smiling again. You thought about it briefly. Your aunt hadn’t mentioned Jimin to you before and she normally told you all of her daily happenings and people she ran into. But Jimin seemed to have an air of comfort around him, maybe he knew what he was talking about.

“Sure, but my phone is in my pocket so no funny business or I’ll call the cops.” you stated sternly pointing a finger in Jimin’s direction.  He smiled, kneeling down in the dirt in front of the hydrangea. He didn’t seem to care about his white slacks getting dirty. You watched as he examined the tools and Miracle Gro you had sitting out and then the flower. He held one of the flowers from the bush in his hands, softly rubbing his thumbs over the petals. Jimin seemed to be talking to himself as he looked the flowers over. He picked up a handful of soil, leaning in and spreading it around the bottom of the bush. Then reaching for the watering can, sprinkled water over the top. Then back to the soil at the bottom and patting it down, he sang as quietly as he seemed he could. He stood up dusting his hands clean of the soil.

“All done!” he exclaimed. You made a face of disbelief at him. 

“That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna do? Really?” you put your hands on your hips.

“Didn’t you just see all that? The hydrangea is gonna prosper and grow now.” Jimin pouted.

“You didn’t do anything more than I did!” you shouted.

“Well you just wait. Give it a few hours and when you come out here in the morning, you’re gonna see all of what I did. I just have a certain touch and a language that speaks to the plants.” Jimin said.

“Jimin, I’m not gonna lie to you this seems like a crock of bullshit in all honesty.” Jimin’s lips parted.

“Alright, I see. I’ll be back in the morning. If nothing happens then nothing happens. But if my methods worked. I want a glass of iced tea.” he stated.

“A glass of iced tea?” you asked, cocking up an eyebrow. Jimin made a face as if he was thinking

“You know what?” he snapped his fingers. You waved your hand signaling for him to continue. “I want it sweetened. Extra sweet, with sugar cubes on the side. Maybe a lemon if I’m feeling a little zesty.” he said, turning to walk away. 

“I mean it,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” You looked down at the hydrangea that remained in the same screwed up condition you found it in this morning. The nerve of that guy. Never trust a stranger, you thought to yourself, returning to examine the floral bush in front of you.

The next morning when you woke up, repeating the same routine you had been settled in for the past few weeks. You trudged out to the garden again completely ready to accept defeat against the flowers and various vegetables in the garden. Morning sun beaming down at you, forcing you to pull your floppy hat down further. Walking up to the hydrangea bush your lips parted in shock. The bush that was there yesterday, browning and withering instead, was lively, the purples and whites bright. You knelt down on hands and knees staring at the bush as if you were attempting to find a hidden camera of some sorts. 

“What the fuck?” you mumbled under your breath.

“Well I see it worked.” immediately recognizing the voice from behind you belonging to Jimin. You hopped up, dusting off your overalls. Jimin stood cocking his head to the side with a slight smile on his face. The outfit he wore was different than yesterday, all blue instead of all white he wore a soft baby blue, his brown hair framing his face perfectly, parted down the middle. 

“I.. I don’t know how you did it, this is crazy. What’s your secret?” you asked. Jimin threw his head back, shoulders shaking from his laughter. 

“I can’t do that. There’s no way to.” Jimin smiled. You felt your brows furrow in. A look of confusion was probably making itself home on your features at this point. 

“What do you mean? You literally didn’t do anything I didn’t do.”  you sighed. 

“That’s what it seemed like?” Jimin feigned like he was thinking. You shoved him playfully. 

“I guess I owe you some iced tea.”

“With the sugar cubes on the side please.”

You and Jimin returned to your aunts back porch looking over the garden placed in the far left corner of her vast backyard. He sipped on his iced tea that turned into sweet tea after he dumped half the container of sugar cubes in it. Taking his first sip inside at the kitchen counter, relaxing into a closed eyed smile. While your face turned up in disgust at the sight. 

“So what are you?” you questioned, breaking the silence. Jimin choked on his sweet tea, spluttering and ending with a cough. 

“What are you talking about?” Jimin squeaked. 

“You must be a botanist or something. Right?” you asked, confused about Jimin’s reaction. He hesitated before answering, as if the cogs were turning in his head he snapped his fingers.

“Right! Sorry about that, the tea went down the wrong pipe. I own a flower shop with my best friend. I just love plants so much. They’re so easy to maintain and care for. It’s so easy to pour love into them and reap the benefits of it. It’s the best way to physically see love you know?” Jimin smiled yet again. His smile was pretty, it seemed to make him glow, you almost felt like you were being spoiled by getting to see him smile so much. 

“I get it. Plants seem to hate me, but I remember once when I was a child my aunt took me to these botanical gardens and the flowers were just so beautiful. I wish I had a green thumb like she did. I feel like it would better my appreciation for them.”

Jimin scoffed, placing his glass down on the bannister. “The plants don't hate you. Look I know this may sound crazy but plants sometimes can be selective to who they bloom for. You have to be able to understand them and them understand you. It’s a hard language to speak, but everyone has to learn it. You have to have a certain touch” he reached out gently grabbing your hand that was resting at your side. “You have to have the correct amount of gentleness and a subtle warmth to your hands. It’s having a good balance of peace and harmony. They have to feel that.” You looked down at your intertwined hands, a slow heat creeping up on you as you looked up catching Jimin’s glance. Your phone started ringing loudly from your pocket. Jimin broke his hand away from yours first as you stammered trying to reach for your phone. Your aunt was calling you, asking you if you could bring her a snack. 

“I’m sorry” you apologized to Jimin. “I have to go real quick, my aunt wants me to get her something. I’ll be right back if you can wait.” Jimin threw his hands up, waving them. 

“That’s alright. I have something I want to give to you. I’ll be back this evening with it.”

“Is it a diamond?” you joked. Jimin looked at you confused. “It must be a big diamond.”

“I can assure you it’s not a diamond. But something worth that if not more.” he grinned. 

“Well now I don’t know what to expect but it must be something grand. My hopes are up now, Jimin. Just so you know.”

Instead of it being later that day Jimin ended up returning a week later, with you seeing him but without him returning with whatever it was he wanted to give. With a wheelbarrow in tow hauling a small tree in the soil. You stopped the rocking chair you sat in, jumping up out of it you ran over to Jimin, who had pulled the wheelbarrow into the right corner of the backyard. 

“What is that?” you asked, walking around the wheelbarrow. 

“A cherry blossom tree. I just loved them so much, I had to give you one from my shop.” he stated. 

“Jimin a cherry blossom tree can’t grow here. You have to do so much work before planting them. I thought you would’ve known that. It’s gonna die.” you said with a frown.

“It’s not. I promise it won’t. Don’t worry you’ll see.” he smiled. You glanced at Jimin feeling worried. The garden had seemed to start coming back to life with Jimin’s help but the tree? Far away from the soil of the garden had you feeling anxious. You didn’t want your aunt to see the tree failing either.

“Cherry blossoms take forever to grow.” you pouted. Jimin walked over to you wrapping himself around you from behind, rocking back and forth.

“Y/n” he said in a sing-songy voice. “I said don’t worry.” You could hear the smile in his voice, it felt contagious you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling.

“What are you gonna do? Work some more of your Jimin magic?”

“Something like that.”

You sat back and watched Jimin plant the tree. Moving slowly with patience. Every so often he would hum a tune or sing a little bit as he worked until he was finished.

“So that’s it?” you asked as Jimin stepped back to look at the small two foot tree in the ground.

“That’s it!” he clapped. You looked at the tree sideways, then up at Jimin who had his arms outwards pointing at the tree, the glow that settled around him seemed a little brighter than the last time you saw him.

“I-“ you hesitated. “you’re very odd. You come around here with your crispy clean monochromatic outfits and glowing skin and gardening secrets. I don’t get you and I don’t think I will.” you sighed. Jimin looked at you searching your face for any trace of emotion. Then you broke out in a big smile that he returned.

“Actually I have a confession to make.” Jimin admitted with a drop of his shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” you perked up, sitting up straight.

“I’m gonna be going back.. into the city permanently. This might be the last time I see you. That’s why I wanted to gift you the cherry blossom tree.”

Your lips parted into a “o” shape. “You’re leaving?”

“Business is booming and Taehyung can’t handle it all alone.” Jimin spoke as if his words were rehearsed, coming off a little flat. “the tree will always give you something to remember me by.”

“Jimin” you scoffed. “if you’re just going to the city this shouldn’t be goodbye. We can visit one another and you can give me more introspective gardening tips.” Jimin shook his head.

“It’s much deeper than that. It’s far too much to explain. I’m sorry.” he said. You looked into his eyes and they seemed glassy almost as if he was gonna cry. You didn’t understand why Jimin didn’t want to visit you anymore. The city was only a 45 min drive away. It didn’t have to be permanent.

“I- Well- Maybe-“ you stammered. “I guess, Jimin. If you say so. Never say never our paths can intertwine again.” you smiled. Jimin gave you a solemn smile, before looking back to the tree.

The next morning after Jimin’s departure you woke early that morning, like there was something tugging you out of your deep sleep. You groggily headed down to the kitchen preparing your coffee. You glanced out the window briefly, something huge and pink doing a double take you looked harder out the window squinting at the sight of the cherry blossom tree Jimin planted the evening before. It now stood tall and huge, blossoms covering every branch as if it had been there for years. You ran outside to the tree, running your hands along the bark as you walked all around it. It just didn’t make any sense. It was actually quite impossible that the tree grew that rapid overnight. You were shocked, no proper thoughts coming to mind to wrap your mind around the tree. How was you gonna explain this to your aunt? You stood back from the tree before noticing a folded sheet of paper at the base. Bending over you picked it up unfolding it.

“Hopefully destiny will cross our paths again

-Jimin”

Introducing: Moves Like Jagged

So, back when I made the Marinette and Jagged BrOTP headcanon list a few people were like “Omg, someone write this” and at the time, I had already written this chapter and had this idea for a while which I explain in the notes, but it’s a thing that exists now! I already have chapter 2 ready to post next month as well, so I don’t have to worry about this for a hot minute. But this fic is going to be lots of shenanigans and tomfoolery, and I hope you all enjoy it because I’ve been plotting it with my discord babes for several months now, and I’m very excited to finally share it with you all!

Also, thank you to @the-dark-black-angel for coming up with the title in discord. It’s beautiful and I love it.

FF | AO3

Chapter 1

After such a long day, Jagged Stone should have fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, and yet, he laid awake in his hotel suite with Fang curled up beside him. He stroked his rough companion absentmindedly as he tried to pinpoint the source of his insomnia. Something inside him felt off, but he couldn’t quite place what exactly. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Penny had been akumatized that afternoon, but those teen superheroes had taken care of that in no time. It could have been his hotel dinner, but he shared that with Fang, and his beloved beastie slept beside him perfectly fine.  

Yet something in the pit of his stomach just felt off, and he couldn’t quite ignore it. He felt as if there was something he needed to do, and he felt that familiar itch in his finger tips that he got when he felt stressed. He needed a guitar, so he kicked off his sheets and retrieved his axe from the case on the floor then stepped out onto the balcony. As he strummed the strings, his mind recounted the events of the day. The reality show gig, his favorite little designer and her little crush…

That was it!

Ever since he’d been in Marinette’s room, he couldn’t get over all of those pictures of that kid on her wall. Marinette had done so much for him, and she bled raw talent. In all honesty, Jagged felt a sort of kinship with her because she just got it, so maybe it was that bond that made him feel like there was something he should do for her. To pay her back for saving his album from Bob’s hipster clutches and helping him maintain his authentic rock n roll image, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He was going to help her land a date with that little blond boy on her wall.

“Rock n roll, baby!” He called into the night, strumming a riff enthusiastically. He had work to do.

The next day, Marinette returned home from another day at school. Everyone was talking about the reality show catastrophe, and frankly, she was surprised by how few individuals pointed out her Adrien wall. Still, she couldn’t even look at Adrien all day for fear of backlash, but she knew she’d have to face him eventually. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. Maybe she could play it off somehow, and he wouldn’t think she was some crazy obsessed stalker fan. As if she could be that lucky.

“Hey, Mama, Papa,” She greeted, entering the bakery and pecking her mother on the cheek.

“How was school today, sweetheart?” Sabine asked while Tom shifted pastries around in the oven.

“Hectic, but I made it through,” She replied with a weary sigh.

“Is everyone talking about the show yesterday?” Tom inquired over his shoulder.

“Yeah. I’m sorry things got so out of hand. I didn’t anticipate any of…that to happen,” She said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Oh, it happens. Don’t worry about it,” Her father ruffled her hair, and she gave him a grateful smile before stretching up to kiss his cheek.

Just as she turned to head upstairs, a certain famous rock star burst through the front door, jingling the bell as he entered. Tom’s shoulder’s tensed a little as he removed his sunglasses and strutted up to the counter.

“Perfect, just the little lady I was hoping to see. You got a minute, Marinette?” He asked, and she glanced over at her parents who wore concerned expressions.

“Uh, sure?” She said, shifting her gaze back to him, and before she could process what was happening, he took her wrist and led her out to the café next door, plopping her into a seat at a table. “Is everything alright, Mr. Stone?”

“Marinette, you know me well enough, poppet. Call me Jagged,” He insisted, patting her shoulder.

“Okay…Jag-ged, um, what can I do for you?” She glanced between his hand and his face nervously, wondering just what he could need from her at this point. A new album cover? A new outfit to wear on stage?

“Not this time, Marinette.” Jagged shook his head. “This time, I’m going to help you.”

“Uh, with what?”

“I’m gonna help you get a date with that blond boy all over your wall,” He said with a cheery grin, and Marinette felt her stomach drop.

“You’re going to what?”

“You heard me. That Agreste kid from all the perfume ads. You’ve got some crush on him, huh?” He said with an amused grin. “I’m gonna help you tell him your feelings.”

Marinette stared at him, dumbstruck, before her chest began to heave rapidly. “No, no, no! I can’t tell him.”

“What? Why not?” Jagged’s eyebrows furrowed but then a knowing smile curled on his lips. “Oh, I see what’s going on here. You’re nervous, but don’t worry, girl. Jagged Stone is here to help.”

Marinette covered her face with her hands, a low moan rumbling in her throat. This was not happening. She knew Adrien was going to find out eventually, and she knew Jagged only meant well, but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet! Especially not after yesterday!

“I’m feeling a song coming on. Tell me about this boy. What do you like about him?” He said, taking out a pen and notepad.

“Um, well, he’s sweet and smart and perfect at everything,” She replied, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

“When did you realize you liked him?”

“Well, the first time I met him, I actually didn’t like him very much. He was friends with a mean girl at my school, and I thought he was just another spoiled brat. But after school, it was raining, and I had left my umbrella at home, and Adrien came by and told me he’d never been to school or had friends before, and he gave me his umbrella. I realized then that he wasn’t mean or spoiled at all, just the opposite…I’ve had a crush on him ever since.”

Jagged nodded as he scribbled down notes while she spoke. When she finished, he set the notebook down and picked up his guitar. “Oh, yeah, girl. I’m gonna write a killer ballad to capture your feelings. How would you like to help?” He asked, and her eyebrows raised.

“You want me to help you write a song?” She repeated for confirmation.

“Well, it’s about your feelings. Whatdya say?”

“I-I don’t know. I’m not a song writer. You’ll be better at it than me,” She said, biting the nail on her index finger.

“Suit yourself, love. I’ve got to go to my secret garden of inspiration. We’ll regroup tonight and go to his house.”

“What? Tonight?” She gasped, but Jagged was already gone.

“What just happened?” She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Oh, come on, Marinette. You were going to have to tell him eventually, and you have the Jagged Stone to help you,” Tikki whispered encouragingly.

“That’s what worries me,” Marinette sighed. “Jagged is an amazing rockstar, but he can be a little…extreme.”

“Have confidence, Marinette! Adrien thinks you’re amazing, and he’s a Jagged Stone fan.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said dreamily, leaning against her fist with a distant gaze. “But I haven’t had time to talk to him after the reality show snafu, or, well, I purposefully avoided him today, but still. What if he thinks I’m a total stalker now?”

“Then it’s up to you to convince him otherwise!” Tikki cheered, and Marinette slumped a little.

“I need to find a way out of this.”

Day 36 (6/23)

AS IF TODAY COULD HAVE BEEN SOMEHOW BETTER THAN YESTERDAY. Wow. My day started with me waking up at 5:30 to watch the sunrise from our porch. At 5:30 the sky was already light, but the sun hadn’t yet appeared over the hills in the East. I put on Jacob’s flannel that he graciously lent me and stood leaning on our porch railing for 45 minutes watching every step of the sunrise. Last night I fell asleep to the sound of crickets, cicadas, and an owl (even a rat at some point), and this morning I woke up to so many more sounds. At 5:30 it started with a symphony of bird and bug sounds with a new creature joining in every few minutes. At 5:50 I started hearing human voices and saw a few people walking through the fields way down in the valley to start the day’s work. At about 6:00 the goats started when they were also released into a different field further to the south. During all of this time the sun was rising steadily, causing the sky to become first bright pink, then orange, then blue when it was finally in its position it would hold for the day. The sunrise was so breathtakingly beautiful, and the moment with the noises and the fresh sweet morning air was so beautiful that I felt an urge to share it with anyone that I could. So I used what little service was available and sent a picture with the caption, “sunrise in Rwanda!!!” to Mom, Lyra, Lilah, and a bunch of friends from Yale, just to share what a pure moment I was having and let them know I was thinking of them. Often when I’m having a moment of that much pure happiness, all I can think of is people who I love and who I’m grateful for, and I always want to text them and let them know. So I did! At 6:15-ish Zodi and Jacob woke up and came down, and we all did sun salutations on the porch (can you believe that this life is real?! I certainly can not….) before going to get our breakfast at the main house. Last night at the fire a worker came to take our order for breakfast, so it was waiting for us at the same open picnic table. We all got a Spanish omelet and fruit salad, and while we were eating our driver for the day, Valence, introduced himself to us and then left to wait for us while we ate. After eating we made sure we had everything from our beloved lodge, paid for the night, picked up our packed lunches from the kitchen, and were on our way. Our first stop was the Akagera Visitor Center to pick up a guide to ride in the car with us. While our driver sorted everything out with the guide we got to look around the gift shop where I bought beeswax chapstick and a pin that says “Ubumuntu” which means selflessness and humanity, and in the context of the genocide refers to people who gave their lives to save or help others. After looking around the gift shop, we met Anastas, our guide for the day. Our driver was still figuring some logistics out, so Anastas walked us through the gallery of bones collected from the park and gave us a brief history of the park’s geography and relationship with poachers who are now very strictly prohibited. Finally we were ready to go!!!!!!!!! At the ripe hour of 8:00 AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anastas and Valence sat in the front of the car, and Zodi, Jacob, and I sat in the back with our windows down. The very first animal we saw in the park was an antelope, followed quickly by a group of zebras, which were the first of the Big 5 that we saw. Eventually we actually saw so many zebras that we stopped taking pictures! Can you believe that!?!?!? We saw baboons, water backs, bush backs, warthogs, lots of birds, monkeys, more small hooved animals, and then… A GIRAFFE. We turned a corner and then suddenly there was a giraffe about 100 meters from the car eating from a tree. We stopped and took so many pictures (even Valence and Anastas were taking pictures, because giraffes are their favorite safari animal) and then we kept driving. Which is good, because a couple hundred meters from that giraffe was another that wasn’t even 100 feet from the car. And it just stood there and posed!!!! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. It was entirely surreal to see giraffes just existing and walking (did you know they walk with both legs on the same side, side by side?) and posing and observing us. Actually insane. And we learned that the darker the fur color is between the patches, the older the giraffe is! We must have driven right into a herd of giraffes or something, because every turn we took we saw more giraffes, including a baby giraffe lying down with its cute little head sticking out of the tall grass! After the giraffes we saw a bunch of buffalo, and learned that when male buffalo get older they get crankier and stop hanging out with the herd, so they hang out alone a lot, and are more dangerous because they need to defend themselves all alone. So we saw a lot of lone older buffalo, and even drove close to a herd that all ran away except for one old buffalo who couldn’t be bothered to run, so just walked away very slowly it was pretty funny. Further along in the safari we actually saw a hippo in some trees a few kilometers from the lake shore! Hippos can graze up to 7 kilometers away from the shore, but their skin needs to stay protected from the sun, because it’s very very sensitive. Unfortunately Anastas pointed out that this hippo’s back was covered in red patches which meant that its skin had been too exposed to the sun, and that it wouldn’t make it back to the water alive… so that was sad. But it seemed pretty unbothered as it continued to eat leaves. We stopped at a picnic spot halfway through and ate our vegetable sandwiches and fruit salads before leaving for the second part of the park. We went down a very long road to the shore of the lake where we unfortunately didn’t see any crocodiles or hippos up close, but I think it was mostly to stretch our legs. After that our goal was to find an elephant so I could send a picture to Suli, so Anastas promised we would see one. After kilometers of driving with no elephants, we FINALLY spotted one lone female elephant eating leaves on a hillside. IT WAS SO CLOSE!!! But because it was in some trees it was difficult to get a good view, so Valence said that I could get out and stand on the car as long as I didn’t leave the vehicle. AND YOU BET I STOOD ON THE CAR IT WAS SO COOL. The elephant was using her trunk to eat leaves which was awesome to watch. Female elephants lead the herd, so it’s common to see them off on their own eating and keeping an eye out for predators. That also meant that the herd was nearby! But we didn’t see any more… I did get a lot of pictures and a video for Suli though, whose current favorite animal is an elephant. After that we drove through a vast open savannah hoping to catch a glimpse of a lion, but didn’t. We did see a ton of other animals though. Because the space was so open, we could see many different animals at once which was so so cool. At the other end of the savannah was our last stop of the tour where we just got out at a very scenic clearing literally RIGHT next to zebras who of course quickly ran away, but it was still cool. We took a lot of pictures and just took in the view and the insanity of being in the middle of a national park in Akagera. Even Anastas seemed entirely blissed out which I LOVED. When we were driving, I think he was smiling the entire time. He would spew out random facts about everything that we saw, and point out the smallest bird. When we drove close to any bird or mammal he would reach his hand out just to be closer to it somehow, he was a really really awesome guide whose energy was entirely contagious. Unfortunately the tour had to end eventually, so Valence drove us to the sign-out center where we were able to stretch our legs and use the bathroom before driving back to Kigali. Anastas was being dropped off halfway between Akagera and Kigali, so he drove back with us halfway and then said goodbye to us, still smiling, when we dropped him off. I slept for an hour of the ride back, I was so tired from the day of sun and excitement. When we got back to Kigali we had to stop at an ATM to take out cash and pay the driver, and then all went back to our apartment to shower before going to dinner. We were all quite literally caked in dirt from the moments on the tour when another car was in front of us and all of the dust came in our windows. After showering and changing we moto-ed to a Greek restaurant, Hellenique. I got vegetarian dolmades which were delicious and garlic fish which was equally delicious. The view was beautiful, the night lights of Kigali, and their swimming pool. We definitely have to go back one weekend during the day and take advantage of the pool. We also asked after Cyril, who works there, and were told that he usually works during the day, so in a last ditch effort to track him down we plan on calling him tomorrow at work. I had a moment on the moto on the way to the restaurant that was a bit surreal, as I tried to process the fact that this morning I woke up to the most serenely peaceful sunrise I’ve ever experienced, then saw so many animals on a safari in rural Rwanda with an awesome guide, and now was riding a moto through busy Kigali at night. It was surreal. We talked about it at dinner, Jacob and I both agreed that we would need about a week of just staring at a wall to process everything that we did this weekend! After dinner we walked a bit until a moto came up and I motoed home without Zodi because it was a pretty residential street, and it would have been a long wait for another moto. Ananya got back to the apartment just a few minutes after me from the Marriot where she stayed this weekend while we were away. When Zodi got home he came into my room to talk for a bit and then went to bed. None of us got to fill each other in on our awesome weekend, because we were all exhausted, so hopefully we’ll do that tomorrow at lunch. Now I’m in bed struggling with coming to terms with the fact that I have work tomorrow. What is this life!!!!!! AAH!!!!

Peace!!!!