I want to draw i want to draw i want to draw so bad but i want it to be good right now without the hard work part i want to draw

CW// dom!kuroo, fem!reader, outside sex, petplay?? (kuroo calls reader, kitten) choking, wine and tipsy sex. daddy kink, both reader and kuroo receiving oral, unprotected sex

Glancing next to you briefly you can see Kuroo is no longer focusing on your words, his gaze has landed on your chest, lips parted slightly as he stares. Giggling to yourself you call out to him “Hey, earth to Kuroo? hellooooooo” He quickly comes out of his gaze, forcing his eyes away from the sight of your boobs filling out the bikini so perfectly. “Sorry, sorry. What were you talking about?” Another sip of wine meets his lips as you stare at him, gulping. “Hey... what were you thinking about?” You question, tilting your head to get a better look at him.

It had been months since you and your husband had been able to escape from your busy lives. His job required him to work late nights and early starts, most mornings you haven’t even rolled out of bed before he’s dressed and out the door with a quick kiss to your cheek and a mutter of “see ya later.” You supposed that this is what marriage is like... pushing through the hard times and celebrating the little victories in any way you can. Though lately it just feels like you’re constantly stuck in the hard times, barely seeing your husband has taken a toll on your relationship. Thats why you weren’t expecting him to surprise you with a weekend away to a secluded log cabin in the woods North of your city. The smile beaming on your face was more than enough to let Kuroo knew he did a good job, the sudden embrace around his neck, nearly suffocating him, also told him that.  A few weeks later and you’re rolling along a quiet forest path, the blur of greens and browns whooshing past the window mixed with the gentle music coming from Kuroo’s car speaker making you feel at peace. You couldn’t help but stare at your handsome husband. At the way his hand gripped the steering wheel, veins prominent and bulging slightly as he adjusted his grip, his other hand landing on your thigh and rubbing his thumb gently against the flesh that hides under your dress. You can feel the heat raising to the surface of your cheeks, knowing it’s flushing with blush you dip your head, giggling softly . “You okay there, Angel?” he chuckles, the low rumble emitting from his chest makes you take a deep breath and gulp. “We’re nearly there princess, just a lil while longer” You gaze up to see him grinning at you, his hair no longer in his classic bed head style, instead it lays messy atop his head, you have to fight the urge to run your hand through his locks and kiss his cheek. “He’s driving Y/N...” You mutter in your head, shaking your head to rid the thought. He really does dazzle you.  Not long later you’re dragging your bag inside the most beautiful log cabin you had set your eyes on, it was something straight out of a fantasy movie. The cabin was surrounded by trees hundreds of feet tall, drowning in green and meeting the blue sky, making you feel tiny in comparison, it took your breath away every time you looked up. Kuroo’s arms found their way around your waist, dwarfing you even more against his broad frame. The years of volleyball doing his muscles tone wonders, his best friend being a professional volleyball player keeping him on top of his gym game helping his beautiful body stay even more in shape. You nuzzled into his chest before peaking around him at the surrounding area, your eyes ran over the ground and the trees before landing on the hot tub thats been hiding itself from view by rocks and bushes “oh wow... we gotta try that out,” Tetsuro chuckles and drags you inside “not before we eat some food, I bought wine” That makes you roll your eyes. Wine drunk Kuroo is a sight to see. 

Hours pass, you’ve finished off a bottle of wine and your bellies are full. “Baaaaaaabe,” you whine out “how about we try the hot tub, it looks so cosy!!” You skip to the bedroom, digging through your suitcase to find the bikini you packed, theres not much to it but its only your husband who is seeing. The red fabric adjourns your body and you grin, running out to find your husband already sat comfortably in the hot bubbly water. “Oh hi there...wow” he mutters under his breath, eyes travelling up and down your body, before holding out a glass of wine for you to take. When the bubbling water surrounds you, you muscles instantly soften, and you settle next to your husband. As though it was a normal night you start to rant and ramble on about how work is stressing you out, how your manager can drive you absolutely mad. Glancing next to you briefly you can see Kuroo is no longer focusing on your words, his gaze has landed on your chest, lips parted slightly as he stares. Giggling to yourself you call out to him “Hey, earth to Kuroo? hellooooooo” He quickly comes out of his gaze, forcing his eyes away from the sight of your boobs filling out the bikini so perfectly. “Sorry, sorry. What were you talking about?” Another sip of wine meets his lips as you stare at him, gulping. “Hey... what were you thinking about?” You question, tilting your head to get a better look at him.

“Well, baby, I was thinking about your tits” he gulps “so soft... I just wanna-” You cut him off, tugging him in and pushing your lips against his own, hands finding their way to the hair at the back of his head. Wine glasses are quickly discarded to the side. It doesn’t take a while before your husband is sliding you into his lap, groaning at the feeling of your crotch against his, your warm core pressed against his hard length. Hands landing firmly on you waist as his lips find the soft skin of your neck, making you whimper. Hips twitching as you grind against his, “What are you thinking about now?” you manage to choke out as he leaves splotches of blue and purple to flower against your skin. “Thinking about your warm pussy Angel.. wanna be buried inside, god...” He basically moans as you grip his hair tighter, hooking your legs around his waist as he stands up, placing you down on the edge of the hot tub “bikini, off. Now” It comes out basically as a growl, helping you unclasp the bra and watching you pull off the thong that pairs with it. A groan made its way out of Kuroo’s mouth as he saw the glisten of slick against the fabric as he tosses them to the side “So wet for me already huh kitten? You want me that bad?” The questions making your head spin as he pushes your legs apart, long, thick fingers gliding through your soft folds, parting your lips gently. He swallows your whimpers as he kisses you “want me to taste you? Do you want me to eat you out? Beg. Beg right now if you want to cum” Tetsuro mutters against your lips, slowly lowering his lips to your chest and collarbones, fingers never stilling against your pussy. “please... ah!- please Daddy, I’ve been so good, so good for you! Please... please please” You’re suddenly thankful that nobody else is within listening distance as the words fall out of your mouth, face heating up as you imagine somebody over hearing. You’re suddenly snapping out of your thoughts once Kuroo wraps his lips around your clit, sucking gently as he watches your eyes roll to the back of your head and a strangled moan escapes your lips. “fuck daddy...” As you whimper, your hands find their way to his messy locks, encouraging to do more. Tongue swirling around the bud, lewd sloppy noises filling the air “taste so fucking good kitten” he groans out against your wet lips. The air is taken out of your lungs as he pushes two fingers inside you, pressing against your soft, spongey walls soon finding the spot that makes you see stars and blurs your eyesight. Your back arches suddenly as he prods against it, smirking to himself. “Is that is huh, Kitten? Gonna cum all over my fingers? Do it, make daddy proud” The mixture of his expert tongue against your swollen clit and the constant stimulation inside of you, tips you over the edge. The coil in your stomach snapping, spreading throughout your whole body as you gush all over his fingers, his lengthy fingers abusing your sensitive cunt. 

“Fuck Kitten, you’ve gotten me all riled up!” He chuckles as he pulls away, surrounding you with his bulging biceps, kissing you deeply. Your hands find their way to his crotch, his hard cock pressing so desperately against his shorts, craving attention. You whimper when you think about it filling you up to the brim, fiddling with the waistband “Use you words kiitten, you want daddys cock?” He forces you to look up at him as he hooks a thumb under your chin, your glassy eyes meeting his blown pupils, nodding speedily “wanna taste you daddy...” you whisper out, causing Kuroo to gulp at your words. “You know what to do” he encourages you to pull off his shorts, chuckling at the gasp that escapes your swollen lips when you see it slap against his abs. Your eyes meet as you stroke him gently. You give a few kitten licks to the tip, collecting the pre cum thats beaded against the head, plump lips wrap around his length and slowly push down, taking in as much of his cock as you can. Hands finding your hair and knotting, fists pressing against your scalp as your head bobs up and down. Squelching and gagging sounds surrounding you both as his hips buck up to meet your face. His face looks like something out of a porn, lips pulled in by his teeth and eyes blown out wide as he watches his cock disappear in and out of your soft mouth. Eventually he pulls you off, strings of saliva and pre cum connecting between his cock and your lips. If Kurroo could take a picture of your fucked out face he would but he has other things on his mind. Those things being buried inside of your cunt. 

“Turn around, Kitten. Gonna fill you up now, make you cum all over my cock” Without hesitation you’re bending over in front of your husband, resting your forearms on the side of the hot-tub. Kuroos cock slapping against your ass a few times before pulling your pussy open, his cock pushing inside you easily, stilling once his hips are flush against yours. “so full...” you moan out, gummy walls clenching around him and slick leaking out against his shaft. Starting with a few soft thrusts turn into hard, powerful ones. Your body lurching every time his hips come back to slap against yours. “Such a good kitten, taking my cock like a good little slut” he grunts out, broad hands landing on your ass over and over again. “H-harder daddy!” you mewl out. You think it’s impossible for him to go any harder as he pistons in and out of your soft pussy, but he manages to. He leans over your back, tongue poking out to lick at your jaw and earlobe, nibbling gently as a strong hand winds around your throat. He pulls you up so your back is pressed against his heaving chest, being forced to look up at him as he kisses you hungrily “I want you to cum all over my cock kitten, be good for me?” His hand squeezes your throat, his other hand adjusting your leg so its propped up on the edge of the tub. “yes daddy, yes yes yes” You chant out, leaning into him as the rough thrusts start again. eyes crossing as he grunts against your shoulder.  A strong hand finds it’s way to your core, two fingers rubbing quick little circles against your clit. He revels in the way your mouth hangs open, eyes crosses but so desperately keeping eye contact with him. Drool drips down your chin and onto your chest and if Kuroo could have you like this forever; he would, he’s sure of it. Suddenly you’re tightening around his length and he can feel your body shaking under his strong arms “daddy! daddy daddy daddy ah!” is this only thing you can choke out as you cum once again, your vision going blurry as he works you through it. “Daddys gonna cum now okay, Kitten? Fill you up with my cum yeah?” Grunts and groans fall from Kuroos mouth as he holds you up, hips chasing his own release, quickly finding it. One, two solid thrusts before he’s throbbing inside you, your insides are being painted white, the warmth inside you addictive.

Panting and heavy breaths are all that can be heard as he pulls out gently, cooing at the protests you give him, clinging onto him desperately as he picks you up gently. “shhh, shhh I got you,Angel” the soft words encouraging you to finally give in to your body begging for sleep, nuzzling his chest as you’re being carried inside. 

“I got you” 

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@honeyxtrap​ tagging you bby, enjoy! (ik its not ushi or dai but heheheh oops) 

No Return

Note: so this is not a new fic. i actually posted it back in 2017 (but deleted all my smut from this blog about a year afterwards haha we love being impulsive). but i’m over myself now, so i’m reposting! a lot of you have been asking about it, so... here you go. posted for all of y’all to enjoy again.

Word Count: 4.7k

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x Reader

Warnings: smut. cursing.

Summary: Diggs loses a bet which results in him owing you a lap dance.

Parties at Rafa’s place were always the best; the drinks were great, the music was amazing, the atmosphere was never dull, but the best part about them were the incredible people that made up each one; you were never bored. There was always something to do whether you were talking to people, dancing, playing drinking games, or just drinking in general. And that’s why whenever you were told that there was going to be a party at Rafael Casal’s apartment, you never turned it down...even if you ended up showing up late.

“Well, look at who finally decided to show up.” You heard a familiar voice say as you walked through the door to Rafa’s place. Daveed grinned widely at you before he slid an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him as you walked deeper into the apartment. “My favorite!”

Daveed was one of your closest friends and if you were being honest, it would have been a lie if you said you didn’t want him to become something more than that. The two of you often flirted and were constantly together (these occurrences happened so often that there were many times people believed you were dating), but neither of you had made a real move. You knew how you felt toward him, and he was giving you signs that he felt the same way, but no true actions were made by either party. So that’s why it stayed the way it was between you two: just close friends who often flirted with each other.

“Aw, I’m your favorite?” You asked, raising your voice so he could hear you over the loud music that was pumping through Rafa’s speakers.

“Uh, yeah,” he stated as if it was obvious, “but don’t tell anyone else. It’s a secret between you and me.” He whispered in your ear as you entered the kitchen.

Yeah, he had definitely downed a few drinks before you got here.

“Diggs, I’m pretty sure everyone heard you when you shouted it.” You laughed as you plucked the cup half-full of alcohol from his grasp, draining it of its contents. He pouted at you once you handed him back an empty cup.

“Y/N, hey! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” Adrienne said from beside Rafa who was pouring out a few drinks.

“Hey!” You pulled away from Daveed’s grasp to give her a hug. She’d been away in Canada for the last few weeks shooting for a new project she was working on. “I’ve missed you! Why’d you have to leave me alone to deal with these boys for so long?”

Adrienne laughed while Rafael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Oh, so you didn’t miss me? I see how it is, Y/N, I see how it is.” He feigned hurt, before pushing a couple of newly filled cups towards you and Daveed.

You rolled your eyes at him. “We had lunch a few days ago, Cash, it hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.”

“But so much has changed since then.”

You chuckled before taking a sip. “Like what? Did you finally finish that song you’ve been working on?”

“No.” Rafael replied before he smiled at Adrienne beside him. “Unlike Diggs, I am no longer a single and lonely Bay Boy.”

Daveed’s eyebrows furrowed as he cocked his head. “Yo, who said I was lone—?”

“You guys are finally together? Oh my god, congrats!” You cut in with widened eyes.

They both grinned at each other before Rafa leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“Aww,” you gushed, “you two are couple goals already.”

A few seconds passed before you felt Daveed’s arm drape around your shoulders again.

“You know, we could be couple goals too.” He said, looking down at you with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes, pushing him away. “Ha, you wish, Diggs.”

You laughed it off because you knew he was too tipsy to be serious. He always flirted with you like this, but why did this time feel so different?

A few drinks later, you were beginning to feel the familiar light-hearted, buzzing feeling course throughout your body, giving you a boost of energy. You had drifted away from Daveed and Rafa to roam through the house and catch up with people you hadn’t seen since your Hamilton days. You were talking with Adrienne and Ari when you heard your name being called from behind you.

“Aye, Y/L/N!”

You turned your head to see Daveed standing next to a table a few feet away. 

“Diggs!” You responded in the same playful tone.

He grinned at you before waving you over. “Come play Flip Cup with me.”

“Really?” You quirked an eyebrow. “You lose every time you play against me, D.”

“I’m feeling confident today. I’ve been practicing.”

You tried not to laugh as you rose from your seat and approached him. “Practicing?”

“Bruh,” Rafa snickered at his friend from the other end of the table. “You played a few games before this and won two in a row. That ain’t practicing.”

You let a smug grin show up on your face as you glanced back up at your best friend. “Daveed, I am the queen of Flip Cup, okay? You can’t beat me. Nobody ever has, and nobody ever will. That’s a fact.”

“I’m pretty sure I can beat you today, Y/N.” He said bluntly. Wow, he was forward when he was drunk. “I have a good feeling about this.”

“Ha,” you huffed out a laugh, “wanna bet?"

“What do you propose, oh mighty Queen of Flip Cup?”

You thought for a second. What was something you knew would make him think twice about challenging you? Something that would make him step down from this newfound cockiness he embodied.

When the idea formed in your head, you sent him a sly grin. “Winner gets a lap dance from the loser.”

You distinctly remembered an earlier conversation with him where he stated that he couldn’t dance. You knew it was untrue due to the times you’d seen him dance at the club or during some of the numbers in Hamilton, but you also knew that the wager wasn’t something he’d necessarily jump on (despite the confidence boost the alcohol had supplied him).

Rafa led the mini crowd that had formed around you in a chorus of “ooo”s.

“Deal.”

You looked up at Daveed in surprise. You hadn’t expected him to agree to the terms so easily.

“Diggs, that means if you lose— sorry, when you lose, you have to give me a lap dance.”

“I know.” He said seriously.

“And you’re good with that?”

“If it happens, which it won’t because I’m gonna win, then yes.” He stated, his mouth forming into a confident smile. “I’m good with that.”

Fine, he wanted a challenge? You were going to give him one.

“Alright, then.” You said, narrowing your eyes at him. “Game on."

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Daveed lost. Badly.

So badly, in fact, that you actually felt bad for him. So you tweaked it so it was the best out of five games...and even then, he still lost.

Oh well, it’s not like you didn’t warn him.

When the third game ended and Daveed realized his defeat, he threw his head back and groaned.

“Aww, don’t be such a sore loser. You lost fair and square, Diggs. ” You teased with a smile, wrapping your arms around his torso to hug him from behind. “I warned you. I told you I was the queen of Flip Cup, but you didn’t listen.”

“Those cups were rigged, Y/N.” He stated, turning around in your grasp so he could hug you back.

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Say whatever you want to make yourself feel better. Nothing’s gonna change the fact that you owe me a lap dance.”

He was quiet for a moment before he murmured something. “You know I can’t dance, right?”

“First of all, yes you can. And secondly, lap dances are different, Diggs.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Yes they are. And if you don’t think they’re different, you dance at parties all the fucking time. You should be able to handle an easy lap dance.”

He lifted his head back up from your shoulder to look down at you. “But Y/N...”

You let out a laugh before you patted his cheek lightly. “You dug yourself into this hole, loser. Guess you’re just gonna have to figure it out because you’re not getting out of this one.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

The next day you woke up to someone knocking on your door. In sweats and an old t-shirt, you made your way over to unlock it, squinting your eyes to adjust to the bright light. The slight hangover you had wasn’t really helping you get out of your groggy state.

“Daveed?” You asked, realizing who your visitor was once your vision adjusted. “What are you doing here so early?”

He was dressed in a yellow Oaklandish tank top that showed off his toned arms/shoulders and dark blue jeans with a brown belt buckled just enough to let them sit loosely on his hips. You also noticed that he decided to rock his glasses today.

You snapped your eyes up to his and away from his figure that left you breathless. You totally had not just checked him out.

“If your definition of early is 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I think you may need to reevaluate some things and consider fixing that sleep schedule of yours.” He replied with his lips turning up into an amused grin.

“Shut up, I had a late night last night.” You mumbled, turning around to walk away, leaving the door open so he could let himself into your apartment. “And you did too. I’m surprised you’re not asleep right now.” You glanced back at him to see him shrug.

“I had to meet Bill and Jon at the studio at 10. I’ve been up since, like, 9:30.”

“Damn, Diggs, you’re gonna have to teach me your ways.”

“Caffeine.” He chuckled, putting on his signature grin. “It works miracles.”

You returned the smile, before sending him a curious look. “So, why are you here? Not that I mind or anything, it’s good to see you, but you haven’t been over in like a month and a half.”

“Exactly! It’s been awhile since we’ve hung out alone, so I thought it’d be dope if we chilled and watched movies or something.” He replied before he went to ramble on. “I mean— only if you want to. If you’re really tired, I can leave so you can get some more sl—”

“No, no, it’s fine! That sounds great.” You cut him off and placed a hand on one of his toned arms to reassure him. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah!” You responded. “Just let me take a quick shower and we can start in like 20ish minutes.”

“A 20 minute shower counts as a quick shower?” He questioned with a teasing look.

“Yes,” you said, “or would you rather it be 45ish minutes?”

“20ish minutes is good. Have fun with your quick shower. Though, I think it would be more fun if I joined.” A tiny but noticeable smirk made its way onto Daveed’s face.

You laughed when he sent you a playful wink, dropping your hand from his arm to walk towards your room. “You wish, Daveed Diggs.”

“You have no idea.” He mumbled under his breath (inaudible to your ears) before he let his eyes follow your retreating figure.

“Maybe you could set up the movie in the meantime? It’s your turn to choose. The remote’s on the coffee table and you know where the popcorn and shit is in the kitchen. I’ll be out soon. If you need anything, yell.” You said before closing the door to your room.

Daveed sent a thumbs up in your direction even though he knew you couldn’t see it before he made his way to your living room.

Little did you know, Daveed had something else planned.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When you emerged from your shower, you quickly dried yourself and combed through your now damp hair. After that, you exited your room and entered your living room to see that it was completely dark. Confused, you surveyed the room to look for your best friend, but there was no sign of him at all.

Did he leave? If he did, he didn’t text you or anything to let you know.

“D?” You called out, walking further into the room.

With each step you took, the more you realized how this seemed like a scene from a horror film. You weren’t a fan of them, but a few months back Daveed and Rafael had pretty much forced you to have a scary movie marathon with them.

“Daveed Diggs, I swear to God. If you’re trying to scare me right now, I will—”

You squeaked when a pair of arms snaked their way around your waist from behind. Daveed’s voice had come seemingly from out of nowhere. “You’ll what?”

“Kick your ass.” You glared at him, quickly turning around to push him away. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

He laughed, smiling brightly. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“No, you’re not.” You grumbled, moving to sit on your couch. Daveed followed you.

“You right. It was so worth it.” He grinned at you, causing you to roll your eyes at him. You tried to stay mad at him, but it was damn near impossible when he was looking at you like that.

“We’re not friends anymore.” You stated, crossing your arms.

“What, why?” He asked, his grin dropping into a pout.

“You were mean to me, Diggs! How dare you scare me in my own home!” You were laughing internally.

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry for real this time. What can I do to make it up to you?”

When he asked, you contemplated it for a few moments before you looked up at him with a smirk.

“What?” He asked.

“Well, you still owe me that lap dance…”

He groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back on the couch. “I thought you forgot about that.”

“Nope.” You said, your smirk forming into a smug grin. You had the upper hand now. “How could I forget you losing a bet against me, resulting in a lap dance from the great Daveed Diggs himself?”

After a couple of seconds, he sighed, opening his eyes and tilting his face towards you. “If I do this now, will I win back your friendship?”

“I’ll think about it.” You said, causing him to give you a deadpanned look. You laughed before you spoke again. “Yeah, I guess we could be friends again. But it has to be good.”

Daveed sighed again before he straightened himself up. “I don’t even know how to give a good lap dance, Y/N.”

“Improvise. C’mon, D, you’re great at improv. Treat it like you treat a freestyle. Just go with the flow.” You smiled widely at him.

“Fine.” He said, getting up from his spot next to you. “But I’m only pulling through with this because I like you.”

“Aww, you like me?” You asked teasingly to mask the actual feeling that was coursing through you. You continued to grin at him as he pulled out his phone to scroll through his music library. When he finally settled on a song by The Weeknd, he turned to you once he pressed play.

“Do I start now?”

“Yes,” you laughed. “C’mon, you know how a lap dance works. You’re not a novice when it comes to these things, stop fucking around.”

You could see him smile and rub his arm before he looked away for a second. When he started to slowly sway to the beat of the song, it was extremely hard for you to stifle your laugh. Your best friend was about to give you a lap dance and you could not take him seriously.

He continued to dance to the beat for a bit as he stared you down with a smirk. He was doing this shit on purpose. He was joking around until you couldn’t contain your laughter any longer.

“Diggs, I can’t take you seriously like this. I can—” You wheezed. “I just can’t.”

Your laughter and the slow, sexy beats of the music were the only audible things in your apartment until Daveed spoke again. 

“Are you ready for me, Y/N?” His smooth, low voice washed over you.

You let out yet another giggle. “Don’t make it sound so sexual.”

“It's supposed to sound sexual, Y/N, it’s a fucking lap dance.” He chuckled, now standing directly in front of you.

“Alright, show me what you got, Bay Boy.”

You continued to laugh at him as you watched him, but the moment he straddled your lap, you stopped. His arms were on each side of your head, using the couch to steady himself over you as his hips began to slowly grind against you. That’s when the atmosphere in the room completely changed.

Your eyes widened slightly when you saw him bite his bottom lip in concentration. When you envisioned Daveed giving you a lap dance the night prior, you didn’t think it would be like this...it was flustering you more than you thought it would. Before you knew it, you were struggling to control your movements. Your fists were clenching and unclenching as you so desperately tried to keep them anchored to your sides.

As if he had read your mind, Daveed murmured, “You can touch me, Y/N. Don’t be afraid.”

If you weren’t turned on before, you definitely were now. His gravelly voice paired with his hot breath right next to your ear caused you to shiver, making goosebumps appear across your entire body.

Then, you finally let your hands wander. They traveled up his chest to rest on his shoulders, then back down again to move under the hem of his tank top so you could feel his bare and strong torso. Sure it was a bold move, but the more and more Daveed grinded on you, the less and less you cared. When his tank top rode up to the point where you could see all of his abs, he paused to stand up and quickly get rid of the article of clothing before he came back to straddle you again. 

Your heart was beating wildly in your chest as you looked up at your best friend. He looked undeniably attractive when he was on top of you shirtless and with his glasses on. Every feeling you had ever felt for him came crashing down on you at that moment and that’s when you just about lost your self-control. Part of your brain was screaming at you, saying that you were about to cross a line that you could never cross again...but at the same time, all of your cares had disappeared.

You used your newfound courage to cup Daveed’s face in both of your hands and pull him into a deep kiss. He gasped softly, surprised at the sudden contact, but quickly eased into it. 

You had just passed the point of no return.

You didn’t know what to expect when you decided to kiss him, but it was better than you could have imagined. When you pulled back, his mouth was slightly dropped in awe and one of the sides slowly twitched up into a soft smile. (It was kind of adorable.)

“Daveed, I like you.” You blurted, short of breath.

His face broke out into a full grin. “I like you too, Y/N.” 

“No,” you shook your head, moving your hands from his cheeks down to his shoulders. “I mean like— like like you.”

“I know,” he chuckled. “I mean, I figured given what just happened a few seconds ago. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

You shrugged, breaking eye contact with him. You subconsciously traced one of your thumbs across his collarbone. “I was afraid of rejection, I guess.”

“Are you serious?”

“What?” You asked, sounding offended.

Daveed caught your gaze again, pushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Y/N, I’ve had like the biggest fuckin’ crush on you since Ari introduced us.”

“Wait, really?”

“Mhm,” he hummed. “I’m actually really surprised you didn’t notice.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your crush earlier, Diggs?” You voiced, giving him a pointed look.

He gave you a shy smile when he moved off of you to sit beside you, still facing you. “Same reason as you.”

“You know what? I’m not even mad about not knowing sooner.” You said. “I’m glad we found out like this.”

“You’re just happy I gave you a lap dance with my amazing skills.” He teased with a laugh of his own.

You laughed again, and pushed at his chest so he could lay on his back and let you crawl on top of him to straddle his waist. “Not gonna lie, I didn’t think you had it in you, Diggs.”

His jaw dropped completely as he looked up at you. “But you said that I could do a lap dance when even I said I couldn’t!”

“That’s true, but to be fair, I never said you couldn’t do a lap dance. I just didn’t think you’d do as well as you did.”

Your response brought yet another smile to his face as you leaned closer to him. “I’mma take that as a compliment.” He said softly.

At this point, the song Daveed had chosen had ended a while ago and the lap dance was long over.

“Good.” You responded before you kissed him again.

This one was different from the first. It started off soft, but quickly turned passionate and heated. As your mouths moved against each other, Daveed’s hands moved from your hips up to the hem of your shirt, his fingertips grazing your bare sides, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The only word you could use to describe this feeling was just complete bliss.

When you reached down to Daveed’s belt buckle, he shivered, causing you to smile against his lips.

Then he pulled away, panting. “Y/N…” he breathed. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to— fuck.” He cursed as you pulled back completely to unbuckle his pants. “I don’t wanna push y—” 

“Daveed,” You said, before pausing quickly to put a hand on his scruff, tenderly moving your thumb to caress his cheek. “I’m absolutely sure about this. Now please, shut the hell up so I can blow you.”

You smirked when you saw his eyes widen and when you crawled off of him to go in between his legs, you heard a quiet, “Okay.”

Wasting no more time, you removed his jeans and boxers to free his erection. You could see Daveed’s chest begin to rise and fall quicker when you took his length into your hand and pressed a kiss to the tip of it.

“Oh, shiiit.” He drawled softly when your mouth wrapped around him, slowly sucking your way down as far as you could. As you began to bob your head up and down, Daveed’s breathing increased with each suck and occasional flick of your tongue.

Now, he was fully panting. He lifted his head up to look down at you, causing him to groan. After a minute or two, he brought a hand down to move some strands of hair out of your face.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he babbled, “I...I shouldn’t...oh God, I shouldn’t be this fucking close.”

You slowly pulled off of him and he brought you back up to kiss him again.

“You,” Daveed breathed against your lips, “are way too fucking good at that.”

You grinned.

“And,” he continued, “this clothing situation is a bit unbalanced, don’t you think?” 

His thumbs grazed the waistband of your sweatpants. When you nodded, you pulled them down along with your underwear. You moved off of him to take them off completely and remove your shirt and bra, leaving you just as bare as he was.

You climbed back on top of him, straddling his washboard abs, when he ushered you to move up. You obeyed, moving forward an inch or two, but Daveed shook his head and grabbed your thighs, moving you himself.

“Daveed, what are you doing?”

“Returning the favor.” He said simply, bringing you over to his face.

“Oh,” you breathed when you felt his tongue lightly touch your clit.

The man’s mouth worked miracles from between your thighs. Daveed kept you still above his skilled tongue, occasionally giving your ass a squeeze.

“D-Daveed,” you gasped, your mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ as his tongue lightly circled your clit before he brought fully into his mouth to suck gently.

This was the best head you’d gotten...well ever, actually. He wanted you to feel the best you’d ever felt and he definitely achieved that.

Before you knew it, you were reaching your high, climaxing as you shouted Daveed’s name, not caring how loud it echoed throughout your apartment. When you crawled back down Daveed’s body, the two of you shared a sloppy kiss as you both breathed heavily.

Although you just came, you weren’t completely satisfied. You still wanted him... needed to feel him inside you.

You moved to position yourself above his cock, but he made you pause before you could do so.

“Y/N, stop,” Daveed panted. “Condom.”

“Don’t need it.” You replied quickly. “I’m on the pill.”

“Oh, fuck yes.” He replied, releasing you so you could resume what you were about to do.

You breathed out a laugh before you slowly sank down onto his length, making both you and him release a groan. 

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he gasped. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this.”

Your fingers ghosted along his stubble-ridden jaw. “I think I have an idea.”

When you adjusted to his size, you began to bounce and he helped you, meeting each of your thrusts as he guided your hips onto him.

Your lips met Daveed’s yet again and you captured every moan that fell from his mouth, he did the same for you. As your pace quickened, so did each grunt, pant, and moan. You felt your pussy begin to clench again like it had when you came before.

“I’m gonna come,” Daveed said quickly against your mouth.

“Fuck.” You groaned. “Me too, D.”

“Come for me, sweetheart.” He breathed, bringing a hand up from your hip to cup your cheek. “You can do it.”

And you did.

Your walls clenched around him and you gasped, letting your orgasm wash over you in waves. Daveed came shortly after you, and continued to thrust, riding the both of you through your highs.

As you came down and pulled yourself off him, you collapsed, exhausted, halfway leaning on him and halfway laying on your couch. You moved a hand up to rest on his chest again, closing your eyes in bliss as you relaxed against him.

After a minute or two of silence, Daveed broke it.

“Wait, so...does this mean we’re friends again?” 

You looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He was still on that? Wow, what a dork. “After this? Everything that just happened?” You asked bewildered. “God, I hope not.”

“Fine,” he said letting his signature bright smile show up on his face, still breathing heavily. “More than friends?”

Your heart fluttered in your chest and you grinned widely back at him. You leaned up to softly kiss his jaw before you gave him your answer.

“Way more than just friends, D.”

Come On Over Baby

Summary: continuation to "Keep Bugging Me". Dosan gets a new apartment and everyone has mixed reactions.

Author's note: I have so many ideas about this fake world I created and I'm just going to live here for a while 🤷🏽‍♀️ I want these things to happen but the show just keeps waking up and choosing violence when they could choose hugs and kisses, it's a damn shame. Anyway if you wanna live in ignorance with me here you gooooooo. 💞💃🏾 Am I back to naming my stories after cheesy songs? Hmmm nobody can prove it *Hums Christina Aguilera* 

It's not a easy decision, no chance at that when his mother stares at him like he admitted to killing puppies but he knows that he needs his own place. His phone calls with Dalmi are getting progressively more heated with them not able to get a moment alone since the event that must not be named.

The first time she asks him what he's wearing he looks down at his cable knit sweater and tells hers, "It's one hundred percent cotton. My mom bought it for me last week. It's very warm." Her silence and subsequent laughter makes him feel as if he's missed something important despite answering her question. With a giggle she replied, "You are really sweet Dosan. You're too good for this world." And he blushes immensely feeling hot under the collar at her excessive praise.

The next time, she simply sends him a message that causes his brain to go offline.

I miss your taste.

There's no way to misconstrue that statement and his brain supplies vivid images of what they did in this very room.

Gasping.

Slurping.

Moist.

He hurries to lock his door before letting his hands stray, her wet mouth filling his thoughts. Embarrassment isn't enough to deter him and her messages following make it clear she knows exactly the affect her seemingly innocuous message yielded.

So he starts looking for an apartment with Dalmi's help, she will be over a lot and it only makes sense that she should have some input. Her smile is honey sweet when he asks for her help, grinning at him with glee as she sips her iced Americano.

"I would love to help Dosan-ah."

The ordeal takes longer than expected but within weeks he finds a place, a mere twenty minute drive from his parents house and thirty minutes from Dalmi. They share identical sunny smiles as he signs the lease and buys their his new apartment. He has to repeatedly remind himself that he can afford this place regardless of the exorbitant amount of zero's. He's come a long way indeed.

Telling his parents about his move is uncomfortable to put it lightly, his mom is nonchalant and sulking in equal terms. Wailing that her only son is abandoning her for a pretty young thing, he's just thankful that Dalmi isn't around to hear her new nickname. His father on the other hand is over the moon, slapping him on the back and shouting about the strong will of Nam men. He fears he'll suffer from chronic back pain as a result of the thunderous pounds.

"Don't skip meals. Call if you need anything. You're always welcome to come back. " His mom promises, reaching out to smack his father as breezes by boasting on the phone that he has a free room in the house now and promises that they can use it for gatherings.

"Yes, yes! Bring the soju we should have a drink!"

But when it's time to bring all his belongings to the moving van, manned by Chul-san and Yong-san both parents are eying him with wet eyes from the doorway. He tries to keep his tears at bay but they all end up weeping in front of the gate, Chul-san screaming "They grow up too quickly!" Patting his mother compassionately on the back. He tries the same with his father but the dead glare stops him in his spot.

After a long day unpacking boxes, mostly his computer and tech supplies he collapses on the floor exhausted. With a dopey grin Chul-san is the first to leave, after Saha sends him a message complaining that she's bored and if he wants to hang him he better be there in ten minutes. Chul-san smiles like she sent him a love letter, he shakes his head but he's done trying to understand their relationship.

He waves goodbye to his friend, thanking him for his help and with then it's just him and Yong-san, who immediately starts to interrogate him about Dalmi and their relationship.

"How are things going?" Yong-san asks laying on the wooden floor with him as they both stare out the giant windows, the sunset is a majestic spill of colors.

His lips slide into an instantaneous grin, "I'm happy. Happier than I was in San Francisco."

Yong-san doesn't reply but he reaches across to squeeze his hand and wrap an arm around his shoulder.

They sit like that for a quiet moment.

Until his phone disrupts the gentle silence, the woman in question appearing on his phone. After a nod from his friend he answers the call.

"Hello?"

"Dosan-ah! Did you finish moving? I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Are you hungry? I can bring you food." Dalmi's voice is music to his ears, the rumbling of her engine vibrating in his ears.

He answers honestly, "Yes we finished, Chul-san and Yong-san helped me. It's okay I know you had to work today. I am a little hungry, fried chicken?" He knows now that he doesn't need to pretend to want fancy food, they both love fried chicken and its delicious simplicity.

She groaned knowingly, "I had a feeling you'd want chicken on a day like this. I already got some from that place you like. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He smiles, nuzzling into Yong-san's shoulder contently before answering, "Okay. I'll see you soon."

He begins to lower the phone but then her voice rings out stopping him "Dosan-ah one more thing!" He immediately brings the phone back to his face humming to show his presence.

"I miss you. I love you."

His heart flutters never tiring of hearing those three words. If he could bottle it up and listen to it daily he would. He's addicted to her love.

"You too. I love you too."

Then they finally hang up cheesy smile etched in his handsome face.

"Wow. I see it now. You really are cockroaches in love. Gross but captivating." Yong-san teases pushing Dosan's head off his shoulder as he gathers his things. He temporarily feels a tinge of guilt, Yong-san is the only one in the group who doesn't have someone. He doesn't want his friend to feel like the fifth wheel.

His thoughts must play on his face because Yong-san mushes his face before sticking out his tongue, "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine we can't all be gross and in loveeee. I'll be stuffing my face with premium beef instead."

They both chuckle as he walks his friend it the door, saying their goodbyes with a quick embrace.

His nerves overtake him when he's alone. He checks his phone but there is nothing there to keep his attention so he starts at the spot where you would have a TV, then he realizes he has nothing here. What will he do with Dalmi? He contemplates texting her to let her know she should probably just go home. In the end his desire to see his girlfriend overwhelms his selflessness. They can be bored together.

Minutes pass and he buzzes her in, body twitching now from her nearing proximity. When she knocks at the door he all but races to answer the door, unshamed.

"Hi."

"Hey."

They stare at each other starry eyed before he moves out of the way and lets her in. Placing a pair of pink house slippers at her feet, at her curious look he explains with a shy shrug, "I bought them for you."

She smiles widely, thrusting the fried chicken at his broad chest.

"I come bearing gifts too."

The enticing aroma of the fried delicacy fills his senses and he takes the proffered bag, thankful that she thought to bring plastic plates and little plastic cups.

"I don't have anything to drink." He apologizes holding up the cups.

Pulling a bottle out of nowhere she then offers him a bottle of wine, deep red with a golden label. He is no connoisseur but it looks expensive.

"You didn't need to bring me wine."

She shrugs, "I wanted to. You're pretty cute when you're drunk."

He reddens remember that embarrassing night so many years ago, his first time sleeping at her house.

"Maybe we shouldn't drink that much."

She laughs loudly at his warning, pulling a bottle opener from her purse. He absently wonders what else is in there.

She pours the liquid into the plastic cups, handing it to him first and instinctively he leans in to smell the beverage. His nose dangerously close to the liquid before he realizes what he's doing and he hurriedly pulls away.

"Ummm... I-"

"Is that what you're supposed to do?" She asks before leaning in and sniffing her own wine loudly and without any grace. If he wasn't already in love, he would be falling right now.

They both sniff their wine gracelessly and munch on the crispy sweet meat, the dissonance of the meal doing nothing to stop their consumption.

Dalmi hums sweetly as she sits on the floor looking gorgeous with chicken grease on her lips.

"What?" She questions, licking her fingers clean.

He feels his throat tightening. Parched.

He looks at the ground, avoiding her eye as he downs his wine.

"Nothing. Just thinking. How was your day?"

And he listens as Dalmi tells him all about her long day complaining about her sister and how demanding she is, Dosan pointedly does not mention the fact that she's smiling or the fact that all of Injae's "annoying" habits sound like things that Dalmi herself does all the time. It didn't take him long to realize just how similar the sisters are but god forbid anyone mention that.

He smiles when she starts playing with her hair, thankful to be the one she shares her days with.

When he stands up to collect their garbage, walking into the spacious kitchen. She suddenly stops speaking droning off at the end of an incomplete sentence.

"Dalmi-ah?"

After throwing the garbage in the bin he washes his hands and wonders back over to his silent girlfriend, who is glaring at...the ground?

He calls her name again recapturing her attention.

Peering down he notices that she's staring at his phone. Which has a message notification.

Twisting his lips in thought he crouched down again rejoining Dalmi on the smooth glossy floor.

"I didn't mean to look. It was just right there." She's bites out taking a big gulp from her cup.

He has no idea what could possibly have her so worked up and he picks up his phone to see the answer.

I miss you stranger. Call me soon.

He gasps as soon as he sees those words on the screen: Han Ji Yoon.

He knew it wasn't mature but he'd never actually cut things off with her, he'd just slowly stopped calling her and answering her messages. Some might of considered it ghosting but he called it awkwardly disappearing, he'd never broken up with someone before so he just didn't know how. So he'd hoped she would get tired of him and stop trying to see him, it had been working until this message.

"Dalmi-ah I can explain."

He expects more of a fight but she looks at him, waiting. Expectant and glowering. Fire in her eyes.

"Okay. Go ahead."

He blinks at her stare and gulps when she scoots closer to him, invading his personal space. Not knowing how her proximity renders him useless at the best of times.

So he stutters out how he was too pathetic to tell the girl the truth and instead he'd ignored her and thought she got the memo.

Dalmi doesn't say anything at first and when she finally speaks her words make no sense and he wonders if he's drunker than he thought.

"Does she follow you on social media?"

He nods yes and before he knows what exactly is happening Dalmi is dragging him by his arm to the window and mashing their faces together to take a selfie on his phone.

"Stop looking nervous. Look natural. Smile. Dosan-ah."

She snaps away until she's satisfied and he watches in amazement as she posts the picture to his story with the caption, "New apartment with my love." She puts a little red heart and then decides against it.

"There you go. Now everyone will know that you're taken."

His chest is brimming with emotions and he finds his hands curled around her little chin, she leans into his touch easily swaying as if hypnotized.

"You're jealous."

Her lips pull into a sneer but something in his eyes kills her denial, her face breaking as she wraps her thin arms around his waist.

"Don't look so proud. I have people texting me too you know?"

And immediately he squints at her words, staring hard at the indent of her phone in her pocket as if to read said messages.

"Let's post that picture on your social media too." He demands feeling the fiery blaze of jealous lick at his heart.

Her eyes widen before she erupts into laughter, dragging him the rest of the distance between them pressing her joy into his mouth.

He sinks his fingers into her thick hair, swallowing the rest of her laughter allowing Dalmi to back her into the cool glass of the window. All his shyness melts away as he kisses her, emboldened by her moans and buckling of her knees. He catches her before she can fall, hoisting her up his long torso until he feels her legs latch around his waist. They kiss until his lips are sore, his tongue deep in her mouth as she nibbles at his mouth. The flavor of chicken and wine explode on his tongue as he licks deeper, intoxicated on Dalmi and her addicting lips. 

She teases the rim of his ears, breaking their kiss with a wet smack as they gaze into each other's eyes.

She looks as dazed as he feels. Eyes blown wide as she pants in his arms, almost boneless in his hold as she lets him take the full weight of her body. he barely notices, he has carried her too many times to count. It has become something of a habit. He’ll never recover from the spark in her eyes everything he lifts her, the faint blush on her cheeks. One of the only times that he can make her shy. 

"Dosan-ah."

He hums fighting to pay attention with Dalmi looking so breathtaking in his arms stroking his hot ears.

"We need to get you a bed. Very soon hmmm?"

This time he knows exactly what she means and he groans hiding in her shoulder as she rubs his head.

Bed. Yes. Getting that immediately. Maybe stores are open. He should go get it. 

Right now. 

somehow I’ll still love you more (kitra fic sneak peak)

so this is a scene from my upcoming fic somehow I’ll still love you more, which at is core is going to be a kitra/baby fic. However, there’s a lot I want to say about this (you know me, can’t keep that word count down) so this fic will be nothing if not a full course meal.

The fic is told in a nonlinear fashion. This particular scene I wanted to share with you guys because I believe it touches on a lot of what the fic is going to be about. It’s set between the episodes White Out and Light Spinner in Season 2. Enjoy! (this has not been beta’d yet)

“Scorpia,”

“Hmm- huh?”

“Stop doing that.”

“Stop doing what?”

Pulling up the hand brake, Catra stopped the speeder in its tracks before whirling around, her left eye twitching like the movement was the only thing keeping her eyeball in place. “That- that thing you’re doing with your mouth. That noise you’re making under your breath.”

“Singing?” Scorpia raised an eyebrow. 

“You call that singing?” Catra scoffed at her inferior. Look, Catra got that growing up in the Horde meant there weren’t any private music lessons (even if that was in Shadow Weaver’s job description she’d just relegate that responsibility off to some tone deaf Force Captain so she’d have more time to make Catra’s life a living hell and dote on Adora on the side) that all those half-witted princesses definitely got growing up, but it was like Scorpia was trying for the same sound her pincers made when she dragged them down slabs of concrete. 

Catra’s hand squeezed the brake handle until the pressure hurt the bones in her hand, her left eye still twitching. It was like Scorpia was trying to tank Catra’s recent promotion as Hordak’s second in command by being as annoying as she could on purpose. But who wasn’t trying to derail all of Catra’s hard earned progress these days?

“Oh um, I could stop. If you want.” Scorpia muttered, her face falling into an expression that gave Catra the urge to both scream, puke, cry, and beg for forgiveness at the same time. And lately, every action, every word, every little breath that any took in her direct vicinity set off a domino effect of violent emotions in Catra, every single one too enormous and too consuming for her body. 

Good thing Catra didn’t have time for any of that. 

“Just-” Catra’s breath faltered when Scorpia refused to look at her (what? Now she was the bad guy just because she needed focus or Hordak would have her sent to Beast Island? Or worse?!), “- just don’t do it right now, okay?”

This earned Catra an enthusiastic nod, and she was too fucking tired to do anything but figure that was going to have to do, given the time crunch, and not mention, the insane amount of pressure she was running under. Clicking the brake, Catra pushed the handle down, fucking ecstatic to be driving the speeder the rest of the way in peace and quiet. Finally. Scorpia didn’t say another word, didn’t make another noise, until Catra was pulling up to the edge of Dawn’s Pass and activating the brake again.

That was good enough for Catra.

Just as Catra moved up to the edge to take a watchful stance of the town, Scorpia opened her big mouth. “Uh, boss? Not that I don’t love these recon missions with you lately, but I gotta ask: why are we staking out this village again? The Horde’s occupied this place for the last twelve years, and this isn’t exactly what I pictured when you said we were going to start hanging out over work? I mean, unless Dawn’s Pass has a mean bowling alley. Does- does it?”

“No,” Catra’s tail twitched in irritation. 

“Oh.” 

A cadet, waving his baton in a steady motions, stood at the broad brick wall that blocked off the town as his shift replacement approached from the west, whistling a tune through their helmet so ear shattering it put Scorpia’s new little song to shame. Keeping her eyes trained on the two of them, Catra braced herself for the metallic scent of magic to hit her nose. There was the quick swish of her claws unsheathing, and then, a pregnant silence. 

If they’re going to strike, Sparkles and Rainbow and- and Adora, or any of the other dopey Princesses- are going to strike now.

But Catra watched unfold was a typical exchange between Horde Cadets: a simple salute, a complaint about standing for ten hours, and a wish for good luck during the dull, boring night shift. No Princesses. No magic. No threats anywhere in sight.

Nothing. Just like Dawn’s Pass went from being a primary target to just another boring occupied village and Catra’s paranoia had wasted another night. Grimacing, her claws digging into her forehead, Catra actually found herself hoping Hordak would be too busy wasting pleasantry on the Princess who sat at (or on it, literally, because Entrapta just thought she was the shit and that she could waltz into any room) his throne to speak with her tonight. Her lengthy string of failures was getting harder and harder to choke her way through excusing.

“So um,” Scorpia started up again, sending Catra’s ears laying flat up against her head. She exhaled a hot and irritated sigh, but the Horde’s hostage/princess stayed true to her inability to take a fucking hint, “when you said we were going to start hanging out after we came back with all that tech from the the Northern Reach, I just- I just didn’t picture us, you know patrolling.”

An angry pulse ran up Catra’s back at the mention of their tech victory- Entrapta’s tech victory- back in that shitty winter wasteland she almost froze her tail off in. “Scorpia,” her voice was thin, “I told you a thousand times, I don’t have time. Just take what you’re given and try not to complain.”

Wow, did she just sound like Shadow Weaver right then. Whatever, Catra turned her head away from Scorpia, in no mood to deal with the fallout of seeing her sort-of-friend’s expression, maybe the Old Crone was right about some things in the end.

“Can I ask why we’re here? Like here, here? What makes a place with no bowling alley so interesting?” The second Scorpia let up, Catra let her forehead hit the rim of the speeder and didn’t even blink at the ringing pain. Ugh, Scorpia just never gave up. How many times did Catra have to ask for some damn silence so she could think? 

Running her claws down her face- again- Catra grunted, “Dawn’s Pass can’t fall into the hands’ of the Rebellion. If we lose it, or if they’re conspiring with the Princesses, we’re going to lose the Horde’s longest occupied village and we’ll be giving up the tactical advantage it gives us against that flower Princess’s kingdom.” And I will have another failure under my badge. If I lose another town, I can basically kiss my Force Captain badge goodbye. And maybe my life.

“Ohhhh…” Scorpia trailed off. At this point Catra was going to end up with a bitch of headache just from rolling her eyes at the other Force Captain. “Yeah, that makes sense. This’ll be fun! Patrolling the occupied territories with my bestie!”

Catra made a noise of disgust, but it wasn’t enough to stop Scorpia from pushing herself onto the front seat and almost pushing Catra out of it. Leaning the exoskeleton covered parts of her elbows onto the rim, Scorpia let out a contented sigh, her ditzy gaze trained on the town as Catra struggled- yipping and yelping to no end and scratching up the dinged up leather of the seat- to get her tail out from under the other woman’s butt. 

Do the words “personal space” just mean absolutely jackshit to her? Catra, gripping her freed tail, growled under her breath and turned away from Scorpia. The seat was practically hers now! Looks like kneeling on the floor would have to do! It’s like I’m wearing a sign on my forehead that reads “what’s mine is yours, including the air I breathe!” Ugh, of course Hordak doesn’t listen to me, nobody does! Not even Scorpia! Everyone is too busy with their own heads up their asses to see what I’m trying to accomplish, or to give me enough space to let me do it! And she wonders why I don’t wanna “hang out after work,” or whatever.

Maybe bringing Scorpia as her backup belonged up there with some of Catra’s worst ideas; not like she didn’t have a pretty impressive tab of those wracked up already. Whatever, the universe wasn’t exactly open to responding to any of Catra’s actions with anything other than another round of punishment, so it wasn’t like acting on her impulsive or emotional notions were really going to be her undoing. Not with Hordak out for her neck, her badge no longer wielding the protective force that came with having real authority. 

Catra was an idiot to think that power would’ve actually lasted her longer than a week, that now that she’d taken out Shadow Weaver and left her to her rotting self in a cell that there wouldn’t be another player on the board that could take her shield of Second in Command away from her. Well, that’s what she got for letting Entrapta into their vents. Helping them win the war or not, Horde or not, their resident techwhiz was still a Princess.

And princesses weren’t good for anything other than being annoyances that stood in Catra’s way.

“Are you seriously humming again, Scorpia?!” Catra yelped out, the volume of her voice loud enough to scare several birds from off the town’s wall. Her split eyes had been trained on the town as she crouched at the bottom of the speeder, the only entertainment the angry spiral echoing in her brain, tailing the action of a family and their wagon of sparse supplies as they approached the gate when the grating sound smacked her upside the head. The resulting intensity of her fury was almost enough to give Catra the strength to put her fist through the wall of the speeder.

Scorpia retreated into herself. “Sorry.”

Holding back a response, Catra just scoffed again and turned back to the previous subject of her attention. Watching one of the men of the family reach the gate and request entrance into his town was better than directing a full on meltdown at her inferior, kicking her out of the speeder, and forcing her to walk her way back to the Fright Zone. Catra wasn’t so far drowning her rage to something that idiotic, yet.

It was big yet. Catra knew that as she tried to shift her position, rolling her head on her shoulders and squeezing her fists, breathing only through her nostrils despite understanding that there was no sitting with an anger this encompassing. The feeling pushed and pushed and pushed at her physical walls until it was practically promising that Catra’s building fury would end one mesmerizing explosion, one that would take her, Scorpia, the family, the Horde Cadet, the entire town, all of it, out with a bang. 

Now if only Scorpia had the brains to know that when she started her singing up again.

Catra peeled her blue eye open. The sun was beginning to set, and it had bathed the surrounding forest in shades of soft pink and orange, a scene so painfully ordinary it meant they couldn’t be anywhere else other than reality. Underneath the shadow cast by the stone wall, Catra took in a breath as she watched the first man continue to negotiate his family’s entrance into their own town.

Okay, so she’d hadn’t blown them all to fiery simtheriens- not the speeder, not the wall, not the little girl watched over by another man stumbling barefoot in the grass, letting out happy babbles as she pulled out clumps of grass and started sticking them in her cloth diaper until her father got down on his knees just to get her to stop. Guess Catra could count that as victory that her emotions hadn’t ended in an explosion that ended a child, a baby. Catra figured that given the fact that each step the little girl took on those chubby little legs of hers was a leap of faith that she probably wasn’t even a year and a half old.

The other man, the one that had chosen to forgo the customary negotiation in favor of watching the little girl experiment with walking near their wagon, moved from his kneeling position to pick her up. Something about the way the villager held her with a grip firm enough to keep his child from falling, yet not with so much strength that he hurt left a series of psychosomatic bruises up and down Catra’s ribs. She watched as the man ran a hand bigger than his daughter’s entire head through her soft and downy mauve hair, careful to avoid the tiny stumps in her head that would eventually become long enough and pronounced enough to match the horns of her father’s head. Catra let out a breath she was holding just to suck in another.

“Dada!” Even from the faraway vantage of the speeder Catra’s ears still picked up on the sound of the little girl recognizing her father. Because the universe was both impartial and cruel. Right as Catra realized she had stuck one set of claws in her mouth and she was chewing on them- who was she?! Adora?! Out her biting her freaking nails ‘cause something had the nerve to make her uncomfortable?- the baby stuck her tiny, chubby little hand into her father’s bright orange beard and yanked without mercy.

Now that guy’s screams scared the rest of the birds away.

As the family’s head negotiator rushed away from the Horde Cadet to tend to his husband’s facial hair, their daughter laughing up a riot at their combined reactions, Scorpia leaned over to where Catra sat on the floor, her tail twitching back and forth. “Uh boss?” she started but Catra didn’t turn away, her hand clutched into the fabric that rested above her sternum and not on her Force Captain badge for once. “Should we do something about these guys?”

“Why? They’re not Princesses.” They’re just a normal family trying to get into the place they live, so they can take their daughter home and have a dinner together that’s not mush, and then tuck their daughter in, tell her bedtime stories, be there in the night in case she has nightmares and needs them.

The fathers joined in on their daughter’s laughter.

“Well, that is true.”

A new feeling crept up Catra’s spine, but this time around the discomfort didn’t bring to her the edge of explosion. Implosion, actually. It was the same heaviness that settled in her lungs and crawled up to her throat, a slow and destructive effective infection of Catra’s self, when Hordak shut down her ideas to let Entrapta speak. When the Princesses left a trail of glitter behind running, tripping over themselves to follow She Ra’s lead. When Shadow Weaver cupped Adora’s face and showed her with praise for the simplest fucking task. 

Yeah, Catra knew it made her the world’s biggest idiot to keep her eyes on the seemingly indifferent family and the happiness that radiated off them. She was aware of the damage she brought on herself by not turning away, the risk she ran by letting her emotions run her. So why couldn’t she look somewhere else, anywhere else?

“I can’t wait to be a mom.” Scorpia said out of nowhere. Ears flying straight up, Catra blinked before turning to gawk at her. 

“Wait, really?” A mom mom, as in a  person who takes care of and looks after her children? 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s something I’ve always wanted.” Scorpia shrugged, somehow rubbing her neck with those big pincers of hers. “Why, do you think that’s a bad idea?”

“Scorpia, we’re in the middle of a war,” and that was putting it bluntly, “Besides, Hordak doesn’t even allow fraternization between his soldiers, much less-” her sputtering stops, Catra’s brain still tripping over the word fraternization, “having a family!”

“Well, we’re not going to be at war for the rest of our lives, Catra. Once we get the rebellion to surrender, I kinda wanted to set down roots, do something other than be a Force Captain, not that I don’t love doing that. I’m sure Hordak will loosen up about the whole fraternization thing as soon as we win! I mean, you’ve seen how he was with Entrapta!”

At her words, Catra came close to all out hurling over the speeder’s edge. It was crappy enough of Scorpia to bring up how Entrapta and Hordak were getting closer every day and shoving Catra out of the position she worked her ass off for, but then she had to go and frame it like that? 

Look, Catra got that Entrapta wasn’t the most socially aware princess, but yikes. That didn’t mean she didn’t have some sort of standard.

“What about you, Catra?” Scorpia continued, “What do you- um, what do you see yourself doing after the war?”

Catra met Scorpia’s eyes, only to regret it. “I- I-” she stuttered, looking away and forcing her eyes closed. Pfft, after the war? After the war? How the hell was Catra supposed to picture an after when her entire life, her entire purpose, every goal she’d ever had, was only because there was a war to begin with? 

The Horde conquers the rest of the planet, sends the Princesses running, puts She Ra in the ground, and what, Catra was just supposed to have a plan for after that? What… what was Catra supposed to do when they did win, when the Horde pulled off everything she worked for?

Even though she was expecting to find an emptiness, a blank space, a new start for the after the war when she tried imagining it, all Catra could picture was blonde hair tied up in a tight ponytail, melodic laughter accented by brief snorts ringing in her, the bluest eyes cutting through the longing. The same longing that plagued Catra when she forced her eyes open and saw the two fathers talking to their daughter in gentle yet bright voices, explaining to her that the soldiers had processed their papers and they could go home now.

“I don’t know.” was Catra’s quiet response. 

There wasn’t any promise Hordak would keep her alive that long anyway, or if there would be anything left to live for by the time Catra got Adora down her knees and ended it all- by giving into that implosion that lived deep down in her core, letting it rip right through her and seeing to it that her love for Adora severed the universe in two, creating black hole that would suck them all in eventually- right then and there. Like it always promised to.

A part of Catra tried to push beyond that implosion, tried to picture the future Scorpia envisioned in her mind of setting down roots and birthing legacies. Was there a part of her, beyond the pain and the brokenness, that wanted what Scorpia wanted, too?

Watching that family tonight had been the only part of her mission that hadn’t felt the same as downing a vat of acid down her throat. And as hell bent as Catra was on obliterating any princess that dared to mess with this town’s occupation, there was no animosity in her heart towards that little girl.

She was kinda cute, in the mischievous, funny kind of way. And almost fun- for a baby, that is.

But when Catra closed her eyes once more to picture that little girl and her happy, innocent smile, all that was waiting for her was the image of a shriveled shadow, locked and rotting away back in the Fright Zone.  

(lovely anon) i'm so happy to finally be answering this oh my goodness hi gorgeous human being i feel that it has been too long 🥲 SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE LAST TIME I'VE WRITTEN ONE OF THESE HOW HAVE YOU BEEN

to answer the things you have said most recently- i'm so mad that spring break is over bc now i have to go back to life??? like dancing and school and shit that feels so unnessacry 😭 and like i can't just do nothing anymore? i was so used to it and now...... ugh. i STILL haven't played sims (i think it's because ✨depression✨ be hitting sometimes) lol but MWAHAH IM SO HAPPY FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR!AU AND THAT THEY HAD LITTLE BABY LEO!! i feel the name thing.. i just come up with something that sounds nice? i think leo is a nice name, it makes me think about lea michele and the fact that her son's name is Ever Leo but anyway. i don't name my sims after what i want to name my children irl either... idk why though. (i don't know why i'm telling you this but for boy names i love Liam🥰 and if i had twin boys i think i would do Liam and Peter though i am not married to the name Peter.... anywho)

LMAOOO the therpaist coming made me laugh thank you :)) i hope it's helpful? this may be tmi but i've only really had negative thoughts recently and not many healthy outlets so i'm hoping crossing one thing off this sad list will make me feel better :') i think during spring break my anxiety and my depression really spiked? idk, it comes in episodes but yeah THIS GOT REALLY SAD

i think a lot of things when i read your posts but i never say them hahaha so imma say it now: i googled what bon appetit meant ( i also just had to google how to spell it ) but ur right, i feel like bone apple tea makes more sense than bone apple teeth.. the "th" is throwing me off bc how i say it bone appa (like app-a) teet (like you're saying tit but teet lol) so bone apple tea makes more sense to me lol

i never know really know the time difference for anything lmao but est to germany (that's not gmt is it?) is like 6 hours wOAH so it's like 9pm while it’s 3pm here? wowee

i feel mega weird after watching this show called hollywood (darren criss is in it, so is laura harrier and a bunch of other people) but i don't like it💀 i feel really icky rn and idk why but reading your last response to my ask (?) always makes me feel better :')

i am doing what you said btw, i'm typing this on my computer first then gonna transfer it to my phone's tumblr lol but when you said a digital detox, it's interesting cuz i feel like i've been having one since tom's new project was announced? gOD i don't wanna get into it bc i get so triggered but i've been off of instagram since then bc instagram stans literally stand by tom through whatever even when something ain't right- i’m just gonna leave it there bc i’ll continue the rant, but yeah so i took a break lol

also heard abt your driving lesson thing (?) was it that bad? i can't find the old post but someone asked if you hooked up with your lesson person and i was sOOO CONFUSED LMAOO LIKE OK ARIA GET SOME BUT UHH HUH?

now to address the actual response HAHA the way you touch my heart :') by :') bringing :') up :') halle :') being ariel :') (i honest to God don't remember if i brought this up first, forgive me if i did, it's been a minute lmao) i'm always talking about it and i'm pretty sure my family is so tired of me talking about it lmao, but YEAH when i found out they weren't twins i was so surprised but idk why i always thought they were twins? but YOU ARE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE WITH THE DISNEY TALK- everyone is always like "tiana is my favorite princess" and yea she's strong and stuff but...... she was a frog. for almost the whole time. it's about time we got another one!! i do agree with some people on the fact that disney should just make another black princess but halle is adorable and i was ariel on stage so it's already really special to me :')

yeah lol there are good times with my brothers but they make me mad for a good portion of the time (there's the 12yo vincent and the 7yo daniel but vincent??? psshhh he is a piece of work and i'm not sure how much longer i can put up with him HAJAH AND YES VINCENT IS THE ONE WHO WAS 👁👄👁WHEN I CRIED AND THE ONE WHO DOESN'T LISTEN TO MUSIC- writing this now makes it sound like vincent is awful. which he isn't... we're working on him ig. not to add to the awfulness but no, he listens to obnoxious loud VIDEO GAME MUSIC and won't stop when we ask him to stop... he gets beat up a lot) anyway i imagine being an only child is really calming.. like you have time to yourself and its just you and your parents 😌

yeah let me know if you end up watching it (wandavision)! i think it's great but if you like it lmk!! tfatws is sooo good like PHEW i am honestly loving it. sidenote: j*hn w*lker makes me wanna jump through the screen and choke him to the ground. i was thinking right, and the falcon and the winter soldier (THATS SO MUCH EASIER FAJHKDAH) would techinally be like a 10 hour movie right? because every episode is an hour long and there'll be 10 episodes? like wow. i get what you mean though, abt the racism in the show etc, like looking forward to it but not like..... no i get what you mean i will not try and give another example lol but you make me wanna learn more languages like really badly (bc of what you said about the german to american translation) & if you end up watching hamilton PLEASE LMK ABT THAT TOO HAHAHA i love it so much, same thing with lion king lmaoo

speaking of germany, i was at lunch on saturday with my mom and her friend and we were talking about my schooling and like-- she planted this idea in my head lol like what if i just got my GED and went around the world (to england probably) to get a theatre experience??? and i think it sounds so cool but no where near practical lol, it's just..... the dream haha and i would then try and learn a language 😉

uh yes we absolutely should order basically a resturant meal at a cinema, how about burgers, chips (fries), and a large drink? any time next week works for me, should i pick you up?

also about cherry (which i still haven't watched yet lol) i got the timestamps from tumblr😌 i couldn't find them anywhere else, but i agree, i probably wouldn't even look twice at cherry if tom wasn't in it? like i liked tdatt a lot, but it's not a movie i would be itching to see ya know?

HAHAHAHA THE 24 HOUR NOTIFICATION- i think i have around 1030 hours on sims? but i've had it since 2019 lmao (reading the screenshots, yes u are 100% a genuis, i take screenshots too but on anon you can't upload them so i just read them and retype what i wrote lmao) i think the university experience in the game is fun, but time consuming and it's all work imo. idk why i do it so often tho 😭😭😭

and agreed!! when you're making good money in the game you have to find other ways to make it interesting. my cousins who play it just continously do "motherlode" and i'm like.... then what do you do in your game?? it just sounds boring to me... my current sims household, i had a famous comedian sim, her name was dylan, aND SORRY IM LAUGHING SO HARD WHILE WRITING THIS BC ITS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE UNI THING UNLESS IM JUST DUMB, she went to college for communications when i wanted her to be a comedian and when she graduated i realized that degree did nothing for the career 🥲 so yeah, i think i'm just dumb. but she had a kid in college, guy didn't stick around and she was pretty broke HA but then she got married to this (great) guy named steve, made good bank, had 5 more kids (two sets of twins and one more lol) but then she passed. uhm... yeah that's still an open wound . lol i'm kidding, but when you get rich like that, you have to find a way to make the game interesting and i chose a million kids.

(this was one giant paragraph until i broke it up uhh yeah) i seriously don't pay attention to the sims prices and just end up spending way too much money and not being able to finish the rest of the house😭 but then again, i'm so used to having sims live in apartments... if i end up building a house FIRST OF ALL it'll look like what you explained before lmao but i'll tell you if i actually end up building a house HAHA & planning out your sims game is so fun to me lol, did enisa and michael take in his daughter yet? i may be thinking too far ahead lol and i love that they fucked woohooed (i say woo woo lol) in celebration HAHA but when i was playing with this one couple i had them woo woo every night hoping the dude would have horrible pull out game and they would concieve, but one night they were too tired and i was like why? get back in there man. if i was in college and lived with my partner we would be fucking every night homie. be grateful. i have been talking a lot about sims, and like you said: enough 💀 i just love this game a lot 😭😭

SORRY LAST THING i think the sims romantic and sexual stuff is so nice bc its what i want?? LMAO IDK like the whole hot tub thing you're talking about- puh lease ITS JUST NICE TO SEE OKAY

i'm reading the german section over again and i said aloud "my german friend is so cool" lol (i was saying that to my brothers & i know they don't care LMAO) (& i'm glad the uni zoom call went well!!) so on a form, in german, it could possibily say Einführungsveranstaltungsteilnehmer because you would be a participant to an introductory event? i swear german sounds so cool 😌 but i love reading your german lessons!! it's really interesting, most of the time my brain can't comprehend it tho?? like that word makes sense to you, but i need a translation. like to be able to look at that and know what it says.... its just appealing and seems so cool lol i kinda wanna write something out in german but i feel that google translate will fail me. während googeln "google übersetzen" mein Computer war so verdammt langsam und es fühlte sich einfach wie etwas Gutes auf Deutsch zu sagen. ich bin nicht sicher, welches Wort ist "fucking", aber ich mag es lmao (did it fail me like i thought it would??)

LMAOOO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP JUSTIN BC WHILE AT THE RESTURANT THEY PLAYED A JUSTIN SONG AND I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF YOU AND THIS STORY😭 lol i was thinking it's depending on your age but not even that either... i really don't know.... but tom's fans are hollanders💀 i would consider myself one? he's the only person i'm really into like that (like a lot lol) so idk lmao (directioners 💔💔the pain is real)

LMAOOO (both of these paragraphs started off with “lmaooo” smh) "i like my men when they look like they are on the brink of death" PLEASE, i don't like pete's blonde hair... i just don't. i'm not sure if i wasn't watching the most recent snls but yea. my mom thinks he looks like trash, but i think he's okay? like he said staten island people just look like trash LMAO and I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN KING OF STATEN ISLAND GIRL I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! now i'm gonna make plans to watch it lmao, & yes agreed i find pete hot, don't ask why i really couldn't explain it to someone he's just .

my favorite songs from rex are from pony oh my goodness 🥺 anywho i'm gonna go eat cereal (i ended up eating bun and cheese instead) and listen to the Stormzy songs you recommended... aria. aria aria aria. i would like to thank you for introducing me to stormzy i- i don't have any words or any emojis to express HOW GOOD STORMZY IS. i hope he's popular in germany/the uk because i haven't heard of him but GURLLLL

one second - delicious i love it. it's really good. it’s not my favorite from the album, but its great.

superheroes - at first i played the non-explicit one (on accident) and wondered why the words weren't playing but i was reading them in the lyrics??? THIS ONE THOUGH??? IS THE BEST SONG I THINK I'VE EVER HEARD. i am so SO SO into black people empowering songs (like brown skin girl by beyonce) and this song???? PHEW I CRYYYYY ITS SO GOOD.... i was gonna quote some lyrics BUT THERS TOO MANY I LOVE, "i am young, black, beautiful, and brave" "black queen, you're immaculate, it's coming at the world, they ain't ready for your magic yet, and that was never your fault" THAT WAS NEVER YOUR FAULT- I ALMOST CRIED THIS SONG IS SO BEAUTIFUL (i played it twice lol)

lessons is another beautiful one, like its slow and it feels intimate and nurturing and just OO chefs kiss, beautiful . like you can feel the apology and the regret... it’s so good

own it - OWN IT OWN IT OWN IT IS AMAZING!! swear you would catch me dancing to this song, this song is so fucking good i cannot comprehend like this one might be my favorite for real... "it's the way you wind up your waist, i'm so in awe, you never have to worry abt nothing, you know its yours, you know you own it" 🥲 i played it two or three times honestly

rachael's little brother - YES I DID LISTEN TO IT LMAO AND YES I LIKE IT, its a very complex song and it's very layered in terms of emotions i think and i really like that about it. i probably won't listen to it that often, but its really good. i would recommend this song to my "older brother" bc he would just absolutely love this

shut up - i was taking this song seriously (also very good) until i heard him say shu-T up LMAO, this one is good, i probably wouldn't listen to it 24/7 like rachael's little brother but honestly its still fire

before listening to blinded by your grace and vossi bop, i know you brought up the religion bit, i definitely don't mind that, especially because i'm Christian lol and i actually liked that he brought up God in some of his songs like idk i just like it🥰🥰

(i then went to bed after that lol but first thing in the morning i listened to superheroes and... that song is probably my favorite tbh, i was gonna write MORE quotes that i loved from it but, yeah no there's too many. if you want i'll tell you lmao but this is already so long i would just be quoting the whole friggin song)

VOSSI BOP IS A BOP (lol) I CANT EVEN LIE, i love a song that hypes up a dude's girl so the line- i love that my phone decided to fail to load the lyrics, lemme google it, okay the lyric "looking at my girl like what a goddess" i was like AYEEE its honestly just really good. and no one in america says "sauce" like "i've got the sauce" but now i do (thanks to love island and Nas from last season) and now stormzy so (also im gonna watch the music video for superheroes bc it looks great so 😛)

(because this is already so long i feel like i shouldn't finish the rest but . no i'm gonna do it)

now for blinded by your grace pt2 idk why i’m nervous lmaoo PAUSE I'M NOT EVEN DONE WITH THE SONG GIRL THIS SONG IS *chefs kiss* no words, speechless PHEW y'all gon make me start jumping around. why did i not know about stormzy before, he is amazing i- ok yeah i finished the song, all i have to say is that Stormzy is immaclucate. period. i am literally sending his music to all my friends he is..... amazing

you want my song recommendations 🥺🥺 hmm uh okay lol i listen to a lot of old music, whitney houston, marvin gaye, queen, celine dion, i love "more than words" by extreme uhmm okay, but for actual music i listen to on the daily? (this is a lot of different music like.... they do not go together lmao so be prepared) a song about being sad by rex orange county, betty by taylor swift and lover by taylor swift and... most of that album lol, treasure by bruno mars lmao, OOOO and versace on the floor by bruno as well, lazybaby by dove cameron, creep by tlc has been on repeat lol, deja vu by olivia rodrigo (i saw what you said about drivers license and AGREED LMAO but i like deja vu a lot more haha) and two albums that i listen to in general, rare by selena gomez and ungodly hour by chloe x halle 🥰 you don't have to listen to all of them or any of them lol but that's a sense of what i'm into :) so basically everything haha, i'm into literally every single kind of music really so i wasn't too surprised that i enjoyed stormzy :’)

HAHASBSJHAHA your h20 story cracked me up,, like "wow these actors are so dedicated, learning german just for us" 😭 the beauty of overdubbing

once again, math and maths, in my mind maths makes sense because its mathmatics, but saying maths doesn't feel right to me lol, like if i said maths i feel like everyone would look at me like ??? and yea i was taught it as math so its just more natural for me. but yes math/maths is disgusting, easily one of my least favorite subjects so .

mkay. i- the first time i read this i could not contain my laughter when you said the only pollen you know is sex pollen LMAOKOOSHBABJFAJF STOPPP I'M EVEN LAUGHING WRITING THIS,, anyway. wow! that's interesting, my dad (<<< mostly anything else) gets migraines from the sun and the heat and stuff, yesterday (sunday, i was outside for like hours watching my brothers play football, the american kind lol) i was in the sun for like ever and i got a headache😔

summer clothes🥲 i need to go shopping fr fr. for my birthday my mom and dad got me a giftcard like dedicated to a shopping spree and we've yet to go so..... i should bring it up to my mom lol, but!! i went bra shopping (ended up returning literally all of them cuz they honestly didn't work for day to day work? its a long story) and if i could i would walk around in this new "summer bra" i got, i would. it's so fricking cute and its really light fabric (which isn't perfect for my nipples but still) so i don't get hot in it, but that bra and some shorts would be perfect. its the closest thing to being naked so

IS THE BIRD STILL BOTHERING U ARIA, TELL ME NOW ISTG, i laughed really hard that the bird isn't stupid and is really trying to torture you LMAOO like i was rolling, it wants you to suffer, badly

when you said "mensus" it was still close to mens!!! latin speaking queen 😌😌

okay STORYTIME i was reading back your response and started (fake) crying bc i love you lol and my youngest brother (daniel) gon say "oh man, catherine's crying about something we don't care about, again" I--- i swear when i tell you about them they sound awful, but they aren't that bad, just the stuff i say about them is sounds really mean LMAO

but the thing you said about being kind, same, what i always say is: don't be the person that makes people say "i hate people" ya know? like there's no reason to be a jerk or anything.... but its true 🥺🥺🥺🥺 you are really kind and every time i talk to you i would like to personally fly to germany and give you a hug 💖💕💞💗💓💝💖💘

& i'm gonna show my stretch marks some love bc of you 🥺😭 i really hate how men have basically everyone conditioned that you can't love your own body </3 fuck them, y'all beautiful :')

also thanks for what you said :')) you literally are the kindest, sweetest person i think i've ever spoken to and i love you 🥰🥺🥲💓💗

READING YOUR TAGS HAHAHHAHA the spelling errors makes everything so much funnier. once again, i like your german lessons & yea!! i'm gonna play sims after writing this hahah

#catherine's tags are back #i don't think i've told you my name before?? #anyway it's catherine🥰🥰🥰 #i'm typing this on my computer (without emojis) and if i didn't edit this you would be reading shit shite like #heartface and pout and cry LMAO #yeah abt the tattoos #some stuff with my parents i'm like deal with it??? lol #my mom tells me "if there's something you enjoy or you like but i don't have the same opinion on it... why would my (my mom's) opinion matter? #and i love that #like i'm not gonna go and do whatever i want #but if my mom doesn't like that i swear (which isn't true just an example) #its like okay.... #but whatever #and your tattoo ideas sound really cute!! #and yeah @ your parents, i mean you aren't getting something wild #and the tattoo album>>> #i'm gonna look up ariana's butterfly tattoos just so i know what you mean lol #but i'm guessing you don't want something so incredibily simple, but not super like over the top? #correct me if i'm wrong lol #LMAO the tags were in order don't worry ! #and yeah lol ily2 <33 #and once again, again, sorry for this post JSHJS ITS A MESS AND LONG AS HELL #and you don't need to go in order of my post its literally longer than your german compound words #u're fine #also !!! while writing this the birds were chirping outside and i was like 😳 #and one of your fics (i’ve read all of them, i don’t remember lol) that valentine’s day one where y/n had lingerie on (the pancake one lol) #inspired me to buy lingerie #like when i look back on me “growing up” #that fic & basically you lol really helped with that #that made no sense and i don’t know how to make it make sense... but... yeah. like ily

hiiiiiiiiiii <3333

Dear catherine, 😌

(you have said your name before, but it wasn‘t like an introduction or anything i think you were talking about .... was it possibly the incident at the cinema??? And you said something like ‘calm down catherine‘ like you were telling yourself to calm down idkd dkdkkdkd anyway i didn‘t mention it cause i wasn‘t sure if it was an accident or not dkdjd but now i know 😌❤️ Catherine is such a cute and lovely name btw omg and so are your brothers‘s names 🥰

Sorry that I‘m answering this so late, it‘s been an emotional rollercoaster for me since last week but i‘ll get to that in a second lol

Sksklssk girl i haven‘t played sims in like 2 weeks now ekejdkdlldld ok that‘s not that long at all actually but i keep wanting to play but then i end up not playing for whatever reason, so no news about my sims game 😔 but i love the names Liam and Peter and for twins!!! That sounds really nice actually

okay i‘m trying to answer your ask in chronological answer even though i wanted to wait for the depressing stuff and write it at the end or something OKAY so. i thought that i‘d feel so good when i start uni and that i‘ll like... have a purpose in life again and just be happy (cause in the last year i didn‘t do much and i was depressed like half of the time lol).... anyway i kind of feel even worse now? 😭 i think it‘s because in my brain it‘s like: university!!! that means your life will change and it‘ll all be so exciting. and don‘t get me wrong it is exciting butttt..... idk the online thing is so weird cause you‘re not meeting any new people (i‘m introverted anyway but still lol) and it doesn‘t feel like you‘re listening to/talking to actual people cause it feels the same as just watching a video?

also i thought i‘d be busy again but i only have one lecture (90mins) a day and theres one day where i dont have any lectures at all and just one day where i have 3 hours but.... idk i mean i shouldn‘t complain about having so much free time but i just don‘t know what to do all day and in a pandemic there really is nothing to do but i also can‘t relax bc it‘s like during the week and i know i have uni the next day and .... yeah.

There‘s also this one assignment i had to do that took me AT LEAST SIX HOURS AND IM NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING????? so that was the only thing i‘ve been doing besides “going to“ lectures. for this one course we have to read two (really really long) texts (like it literally took me 3 hours to read them) and we‘re supposed to post it on this website that all the professors in our uni use. So after 5 days of anxiety (✌🏼) i posted mine this morning bc last night i realised that i didn‘t even know why i was having anxiety so i just posted mine today. The deadline is tomorrow at 12 and no one except me has posted theirs yet........ so i have anxiety again 🥰 cause idk if i‘m the only one who did it or if i even did it correctly

Edit while i‘m rereading this: my anxiety about uni is a lot better and i‘m not as d*pressed anymore maybe it was just hormones? idk but i‘m better so that‘s good

(I started writing this like 5 hours ago and then i randomly completely forgot lol)

I‘m in a better mood now though so let‘s move on from that (oh wait also, i think i‘m gonna see if i can find a psychiatrist bc with my anxiety symptoms (long story) i need to go to a psychiatrist, and so far i‘ve only gone to like psycholgists and it didn‘t help but i think that‘s just bc i was meant to go to a psychiatrist and not a psychologist so dldjdjsj

n e ways but yes you‘re not alone, ily, things will get better and yes i love you (i‘m not good at this type of thing🥲 but i‘d hug you right now if i could <3)

Yess i think the time difference between est and me is 6hours but gmt is uk time i believe? i think mine is called.... cet? For central european time? I could be completely wrong though lmao

Oof i completely forgot about hollywood, i remember when laura kept posting about it on instagram but i never actually watched it and i definitely won‘t now lmaodkdksjsn

Okay my driving lesson LEBDJDKDK I DID NOT HOOK UP WITH ANYONE AKSJSKSMMLM especially not my 40 or 50 year old driving instructor lol i like her but NOT LIKE THAT, the lesson was really really really good actually and i think i‘ll have my driving test soon, but i don‘t even remember why the anon would have thought that??? Oh wait now i remember okay KEKSKDLDL so during the lesson my instructor was like do you mind if i turn on some music? AND THIS WOMAN TURNED ON ONE DIRECTION I LOVE HER so i made a post about it and i said something about the song up all night and i guess i phrased it in a .... idk in a dumb way 💀 so the anon made a joke that i stayed up with my driving instructor all night and NO. No.

Wait did i read that right? YOU WERE ARIEL ON STAGE? SIALDBDJDKSLMSBDKDMDMDKDJSLSMDJFJJEDMBFEKLEFBJDLDVSIDLESKSKWKDKDJDOWNYUEKWNDUWLNSUFLWVSUDLEHDOENSIDBEISBEHENJELBSIEMWUDNRIW KB WOBE JO ON SBEUU HIII S HWS LV W ICH US KB okay this keyboard smash is getting out of hand but uh please do elaborate on that 💘😌???? Like you can‘t just drop that information and not say more??? I forgot if you‘re in like your school‘s drama group (is that a thing? lol idk anything about acting) or in an independent group? Either way - ARIEL that is so fucking cool

Your brothers loooooool, no i get it though obviously you love them and stuff but esp at their age children are so annoying so good luck with them 😭😭😭lmao

Yeah “anyway i imagine being an only child is really calming.. like you have time to yourself and its just you and your parents 😌“ yeah just me and my parents who constantly fight 🥰 lmao no i like being an only child, like i cannot imagine having siblings but i feel like if i had siblings i would be saying that i can‘t imagine being an only child so? but i do think it‘s quite different like i‘m trying to imagine having siblings and WHAT that‘s just so different omg i‘ve never really thought about it like properly ???

I saw a tik tok the other day that was like “sometimes i forget that my siblings have a life of their own. like i see them as side characters in my life“ and even though i can‘t relate obviously i felt that. lol, like i can really imagine how it feels idk what i‘m talking about like shut the fuck up, daria

(also my actual name is daria not aria but i dont like it, and also i wanted to be more anonymous on tumblr so now i‘m aria lmao. pls don‘t mention it though cause no one knows except for you and mel (peterbenjiparker) dkdkdkdnkdnd. but i‘m starting to identify with the name cause everyone keeps calling me that looool😭😭😭 (but i like the name, more than daria anyway? well it also depends on the accent, cause the way germans say daria is okay. the was Americans say it is also okay, but some of my family in England are from the north of england and i don‘t like how they say my name 💀 no offence to them(?) but yeah pls don‘t mention the name in your ask cause the chance of people seeing it is higher then (or if you want to say something about it just send a separate ask and i just won‘t post it (IDK what you‘d want to say about my name but yeah just in case slsldlldmsndnsns)

I‘m loving falcon and winter soldier so much but when i was watching an episode the week before last week (?) my laptop broke😭😭😭😭 during the scene where the dora milaje came at the end my laptop just shut down? And it had these lines all over the screen and i had to bring it to the shop where i bought it and they said it‘ll take 6-8 weeks to repair 💔💔💔 but at least it‘ll be for free, cause if i brought it back to apple it would cost like 400€ (i think that‘s nearly 500$) so yeah. but it sucks cause now i‘m “going to uni“ on a really old rusty laptop and on my phone which kinda sucks. oh yeah and also i can‘t watch anything on there 😭 i definitely want to watch wandavision but it‘ll have to wait🤧

Yessss you should def get your GED! I googled and I‘m still not entirely sure what it is dldks but from how you described it- YES!!!!!!

Idk if you know this? Like no idea if I‘ve told you this already (hmmm wait i feel like we talked about it actually?) anyway i was originally gonna go study in England, but for loads of reasons I ended up staying in Germany and I‘m def happy with my decision, but I definitely want to go to England sometime even if it‘s just for six months or maybe for my masters or something? And (obviously everyone is different) but i think everyone should go abroad and live in a different country once in their life, no matter if it‘s for school or what, and even if it‘s just for a few weeks. But i think that‘s something that you‘d never ever forget! And combining that with your acting/theatre??? You really would be living the dream 💘💘😌

how about burgers, chips (fries), and a large drink? any time next week works for me, should i pick you up?— sounds good see you soon 🥰🥰🥰

i used to be one of the people who‘d just do motherlode motherlode motherlode and just... what did i do? Why did i do that??? But not anymore lol. Like I said i haven‘t played sims in a few weeks but i‘ve been watching a few legacy challenge let‘s plays and usually i play with the aging off. So my sims just don‘t age 💀 but i could (should) turn aging on so that it stays exciting and i have limited time and everything. and once i get bored with my current sims i can just make them have kids and continue playing as their children when they get older- like recently i remembered that i haven‘t played the acting career in ages? and i haven‘t had a shop in ages? and i think you can even become a vet right??? like those are definitely some things i want to do in the next weeks!!! Also yes sksksjs i have a few hundred hours on sims as well (if not thousands 😭) it was just that one household that i‘d been playing with for 24hrs

AND GIRL SSKSKJD THE UNIVERSITY THING HAPPENED TO ME TOO, it was a while ago so i don‘t remember what degree and what job it was about but i made my sim study something for aaaaaages so she‘d get a better job from the beginning (you know what i mean like get in at a higher level)...... and i apparently studied the wrong thing cause i didn‘t get any benefits from studying and still had to start at level 1 and shit 🥴🥲

Oh also (this was like 2 weeks ago) Enisa and Michael did take in Michael‘s daughter and i think Enisa currently even has a higher/better relationship with the daughter than Michael but um💀💀💀 also i was hoping (since michael and enisa married (in their back yard i think lol) that the daughter (i forget what her name is😭) would have enisa as her step mom? Like you know how you can see the relationship and it says daughter or son or sister.. and i was hoping that it would say step mom but it doesn‘t say anything 🥲 but in my mind (and if the sims had proper family relations) she is her step mom😌 also Leo is a teenager now???? I mean I aged him up lol dkdk he was being too annoying as a toddler but i don‘t like children so i aged him up twice in one day and now he‘s a teen, but that means he can look after his half sister when she becomes a toddler which is good (the game recognises them as siblings tho even if they‘re just half siblings? why can‘t they have step family members in the sims🥲) okay i‘ve annoyed you enough with sims ✋🏼

I‘ve been a bit sick these past few days and now i‘m getting a headache so i have to finish this response tomorrow 😭😭😭 </3

.

It‘s not tomorrow, it‘s 3 hours later but i‘m better lol

oooff when sims are ungrateful and won‘t woo woo (lol i like that) cause they‘re too tired like?? Be grateful that you‘re not living with your parents anymore 🙄 no okay dkdkdkdl idk if you play with mods (i don‘t) but i know there is a mod (or it‘s part of a mod idk maybe wicked whims?) where you can adjust the percentage of how risky a normal woo woo is, like you still click woo woo (3dksksks okay i‘ll say woohoo again— wait is that what’s it called? 😭) but there‘s like a 25% chance that your sim can still get pregnant just like in real life there‘s always a chance of getting pregnant even if you‘re using protection (just not 25% lmao) but yeah i personally don‘t play with mods sksk and you can always just click try for baby but it would be cool if you could add stuff like risky woohoo to the game without mods (i have no idea how to download mods and i play sims on a really really old laptop and sims is literally tje only thing that works on it anyway so—) i repeat my words from earlier: okay i‘ve annoyed you enough with sims ✋🏼

okay i‘m so sorry i‘m gonna watch fast & furious 1 now cause i need to watch f&f 1-5 until the 30th of april cause they‘re only on netflix til then (i mean i could watch them somewhere else but the quality is never as good) so i will finish this tomorrow after all😭

it is now 1 am, i finished the film, can feel a new obsession coming up again (i always have these f&f obsessions for six months before and after a new film comes out)

THE GOOGLE TRANSLATE wkekdjdj tbh it sounds like someone is speaking with some kind of foreign accent i guess that‘s probably because it just is a direct translation and so anyway slsjsj i don‘t know if you asked me what the word fucking is in german? like idk cause the translation is a bit weird but in case you asked lol sidjsjs theres not really a good translation like we just say fuck for fuck lmao, i don‘t know if you typed in fucking in google translate and it came out as verdammt? cause that means damn (or damned sksjjs) ummm yeah idek if/what you asked so imma move on🤧

I‘m not gonna comment on what you said about every stormzy song cause you already said all the important things but SKSKSJSJSKNSNDBDUDOENWBSLSKKHSULSLSKSBSJSKSK I WAS SMILING SO HARD WHEN I READ YOUR RESPONSE FOR THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH finally i know someone who loves him as much as i do 💘💘💘 also since you brought it up, i‘m pretty sure he‘s considered the most successful UK rapper or if not then at least top 3 so he‘s defffffffffinitely big in the uk, in germany more and more people are listening to uk rap too but not as much stormzy cause theyre dumb apparently 🙄 but anywY i‘m sooooo sooo happy that you like him. i think hith came out end of 2019 (i could be wrong but i think it came out on the 13th of december so (in a european way) you‘d write the date: 13.12 and obviously i don‘t KNOW this but i can definitely imagine that he chose that date because ACAB and yes, Michael. Yes. But he hasn‘t made too much music since then so i hope he‘s working on some new stuff 🤞🏼

Also i ordered the stormzy poster😌 also a nicki minaj one bc i decided i‘m gonna have one wall with red-ish posters (i already have two kinda red ones) and one with blue/green-ish posters (already have two) and i can add stormzy to the blue one and nicki to the red one, but i think that‘s it cause if my walls are tooo full it could look cluttered? I‘m not sure how that type of thing works lmao but my room is generally untidy so i don‘t want the walls to look unorganised too so i think that‘s it for now

I really want to finish this now but my brain is getting kinda slow and i need to sleep soon so this will have to wait till later after all 🥺🥴 (not that it makes and difference to you bc you‘ll see this whenever i post it buttttt i wanted you to know that i want to talk to you again but with my slow brain i‘m just taking too long to do it in one day😭😭😭 and i‘m so busy tomorrow hmm but i‘m sure i‘ll have 30 minutes to finish this then <3)

Okay wait I‘m so dumb I didn‘t realise I‘d nearly answered everything i could have posted this yesterday 😭😭

Oooohh that summer bra sounds so nice like if i was confident enough i literally would just wear a top that resembles a bra (or really is a bra lol) cause my tiddies always be looking amazing i‘m just insecure about my stomach sometimes 🙄🙄🙄 but recently i‘ve been loving myself more and more tbh 😌

also i hope you can go shopping for some nice clothes soon ✨😌

I‘ll be honest I haven‘t listened to your song recs YET but only because i wanna take my time with them and i‘ve been so busy and slso AJ tracey‘s album came out last week and I haven‘t listened to that one yet either so ekdkdj (he‘s also a uk rapper like quite popular and successful as well, but i feel like i‘m not gonna like his album cause whenever i‘m looking forward to an album it ends up being really bad and the albums where you weren‘t expecting it turn out to be bangers.... so yeah but i‘ll let you know when i listen to your songs!!!! :)

Omg i keep having to scroll up all the way to see the next thing you said so sorry if I completely miss some of the things you said😭😭

So when you sent this the bird was still bothering me oh my FUCK DKDLDMMDMDMD but now i‘ve been going to bed at like 1-2am so the bird is probably still asleep lool

Okay and for the rest of your ask my response is: 💘💖❣️💚❣️💛❣️💛💕💞❤️💓💟💞💕💕💖💘💝💟💟🧡❤️🧡💞💛💚💓💚💚💚❣️🧡💖💘🧡💝🧡💕💘🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥺🥺🥺🥰🥺🥺💘💘💘💘💘 (okay that looked cuter in my head i don‘t really like the green hearts dldkkdksndnd)

23:28 11/05/2021

sooooo uhhhhh,, its chewsday innit.i have no idea what my life is anymore. like what do i even do?? i have no idea how i would describe myself to someone else and thats sort scary yk. like how am i supposed to like myself if i dont know who i am? n e way enough existentialismmmmmm ice gotten more unconditional uni offers which im dead proud of like who wouldve thought I wouldve been able to do this. if only i couldve seen myself like 4 years ago i would be shocked. i mean most of it would make sense but like i didnt even think id live this long tbh. i dont think about that enough the fact i couldnt see myself getting older and doing 'grown uo things' because i thought i would never get through the present. that sounds real sad wow. 

lets talk about something else, perhaps how i believe myself to be far too impulsive for my own good and never thinking anything through twice. like ive just tried to revamp my whole room coz i was unhappy with it. i tried to chalk it up to just wanting a better desk and suddenly ive thrown away half my furniture and my room looks empty affff. but its ok since it already looks kinda better everything's cleaner now too. 

i went into my backgarden today and i picked all the uhhh my laptop almost died on me there i realised my things at full brightness anyway yes i went and picked the uh dandelions? the yellow chucky ones and some daisies and i made some flower chains and stuff and hung them in my room even though theyre gonna die idrc becuase they still look kinda cute, i keep patching my uni prep class becuase icba going but i still need to set up student loans and shit and actually confirm my choice for uni too omfg so much work and also need to start teaching msyelf the theory sruff for my driving thingytghing 

i was just looking back at another post before i started typing this and i was talking about how i dont really espress myself all too well through my apppearance and things i can personalise to me and i feel like ive gotten a lot better at that coz i recently chucked away a lot of clothes i dont wear and my mum bought me new stuff and im dead chuffed coz im far more confident in them and theyre far more comfy too :) ive also stopped wearing bras with wires and padding in them coz fuck all that shit i no longer care if people see my nipples becuase its not worth the actual pain from and improperly fitting bra which all of them are on me ............................................  

ive been listening to some NEW music lately just from my discover weekly stuff and its been pretty fuckign spot on with the shit i wanna listen to but i wish itd let me save each week as like a diff playlist but ive just been adding my favs to my other playlists feel like ive been piecing myself together bit by bit after not having the right pieces for years. 

anyway future me or whoever listen to 'them changes' by thunder someone or other because i think im a little bit obssesed atm hehehehehhehehehesjnjndkb LJBSCLVJBs jbs c' CKJBDKjkbckj  sh. i feel a bit like a fraud tho ngl like as tho im waiting for the other shoe to drop and find out im actaully lying about being a functioning human being for longer than like 5 days in the past 3/4 years. did that make sense idk im justsaying i feel a bit fake and that next time i feel a bit d y s f u n c t i o n a l its gonna hit really fucking hard and its gonna take a lot to get over it idk maybe im just being pessimistic or smth have a tendency to do that. 

also ive completely given up with school i have less than a month left and i cannot be fucked doing any more work than is necessary to pass ie only doing the test things and pretending to know what im doing in class no studying no homework none of that bs i would rather break my toes ..  

ive wrote like 3800 characters thats like maybe 800 words isssshhh idk man considering ive wrote w shit like wbsihizjbk ziSJNlcjb alknfbv ajn jankbdv. you know , . i dont really know what im rambing about anymore nothing has realliy progressed that much do idk what to say ill come back maybe when im at uni :O beye

A new partnership 44 and last chapter

Chapter 44

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26109937/chapters/70992534

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13681547/44/A-new-partnership

https://www.wattpad.com/1015101708-a-new-partnership-moving-on

Inside of the hospital in the patient room, Adrien stood along with Nino in front of the bed where his mother lied still in a comatose state. Adrien held his hand over his mother's hand, which lied on the mattress, and watched his mother with a sad face at her status.

„Oh mother, all this time you were under our house. All these months I thought you were dead or gone....Father should have said me something or even Nathalie, not just keep it a secret as if what he was doing was a great thing,"

Nino watched Adrien glance at the mother lost for more words, then he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to comfort him.

„It's not easy to talk to someone who's not here," Nino commented, then someone knocked on the door and Nino left his friend to open the door, afterward Alya Césaire got into the room embracing the boyfriend which smiled at the girl's affection. Alya walked along with Nino to Adrien, which stood by his mother, then Alya held her arms out for the blonde to hug her.

„I'm sorry for what you have been going through," Said Alya earning a nod from Adrien. „What will be about you now with your father now gone?"

„As long as my mother is here I will be in London with Aunt Amelie as I was before. Tonight she will arrive to look for me and her. She will also see if it is possible to relocate her to a Londoner hospital. So we're able to visit her," Adrien said looking back at his mother then caressed her on the cheek. „So we're able to see her often and hope she will wake up from the coma,"

„Have you thought about if she doesn't? Or worse, she's declared for death?" Questioned the girl making Adrien shrug his shoulders.

„Nope, but I will proceed that there's a 50/50% chance for anything of this to happen. I've heard of cases where such thing happened after ten years or more,"

„Yeah, but remember if you need someone to talk about it, we're here. We may not know exactly how to talk with you about this, but we're able to listen," Offered Alya earning a nod from Adrien, then he looked up at his mother,

At the school, fewer students were around due to the afterschool activities in the classrooms and Luka was together with Marinette, Marc, and Ivan watching a group of girls act along with Myléne Hapréle and Lila Rossi.

„We fought hard to get here sir. If you just treat us like trash there's no way you're going to find people who are as worth as us!" Lila announced looking at Mireille Caquette, which wore a fake mustache.

„Well Mrs. Tak I will see, what I can do," Mireille said, then the girls turned around to the audience bowing down making the group, that attended the play to applaud.

„Wow, Marc you were right. Acting really suits Lila as well," Marinette commented looking at Marc, which held the camera of his smartphone at the group.

„Yeah, I'm quite surprised at how quickly she learned to improve herself during the times she was here. She's the one who learned it quicker as the ones who are longer here," Ivan mentioned earning a nod from Marc.

Lila sat along with Myléne between Marc and Ivan, then Marinette gave Lila a thumb up making her smile.

„I didn't expect to see you here," Lila mentioned. „Did I any good?"

„You did great. You really should in future stay in this area if you enjoy it," Marinette commented making Lila smile.

„Thanks. You're kind of cool when getting to know you better,"

„I feel the same about you. Mostly the real you," Said the blue-haired girl earning a smile from the brunette girl, then Luka waved at Lila to get her attention.

„Hey since you're fond of acting, I've been thinking about asking you to play in a music video for a music of my band. You get to play the secondary character, which is a girl, which has two boys interested in her. A nice, shy boy and an overly confident one. Only the girl and the shy boy aren't taken yet. If you're interested, you could take part in it,"

„This sounds like a good idea Luka. I will think about your offer,"

„Great take your time and report it to me when you're sure about it," Luka replied earning a nod from Lila.

Onyx stood in the patient room in front of Nathalie Sancoeur looking at the woman drinking a drink with a powder listening to the superhero, which spoke to her.

„You've been doing all that, because of love?" Onyx questioned bewildered at the story of the woman. „But you know if this all had worked out in the end he would have chosen his wife over you?"

„Yes. I know it was wrong, but we assumed it would end up well for our side, but.....you heroes kept leading and leading the situation. Even now as it seemed we had a bigger chance it still......it still wasn't worth it. I never meant to hurt anyone with it. I just wanted to help Gabriel get his wife back"

„Yes, I see. You know you cannot really get out of this issue here. You still acted negligently and will need to face justice after you're free from here. No one's going to expect you to know the exact whereabouts of Gabriel or his further plans, but if you assume your guilt and show you regret you may have a shorter stay in jail,"

„I will do what is right....Onyx I don't really know how I should say this, but....I'm grateful that you've risked your own life to save me, giving me the chance to improve myself,"

„Don't mention it," Responded Onyx back, then made his way out of the patient room passing by a security agent, which stood there in front of Nathalie's room. „I'm done," Onyx said earning a nod from the man and the boy made his way along the corridor, then stopped in front of a foreign patient room and glanced into it to spot Hydra standing in front of the bed of Nathaniel shaking his hand. Onyx got into the room approaching the boy's bed, then placed his hands on the board on the end of the bed.

„Hey how are you doing?" Onyx questioned watching the redhead glance at the raven-haired superhero.

„I'm better now," Nathaniel answered. „I heard Nathalie and Gabriel were behind all these schemes of Hawk Moth. Is that right?"

„Yes it seems so," Onyx added in response to the redhead. „Soon as Adrien found out about it he tried to find us to inform and he helped us with your miraculous again to defeat the few akumas. Hawk Moth managed to escape in the end as we fought him inside his hideout.....You know the fight could have worked out better if we had more space and acknowledge about it,"

„We will catch him next time then. We all know at least Gabriel Agreste is behind all this and we caught Nathalie. It will be easier for us to deal with him in the future....hopefully, it will,"

„I know what you mean Nathaniel. For now Paris will be safe for a while until Gabriel decides to try out his akumas. The other question will be how will we figure it out when he's in a different hideout,"

„You're right," Recited the dragon miraculous holder.

„Hey now that you two are here, what is that reunion all about which Ladybug had set on the day I leave the hospital?" Questioned the redhead patient.

„I think she wanted to ask us all if we wanted to show each other our identities and further talk about how we are going to move on after we lost Hawk Moth," Onyx responded.

„Well half of the team already know my identity. It sort of would be fair for me to know you too," Nathaniel pointed out making Hydra chuckle.

„You're right or to be aware of civilian life situations that could ruin or relationships with certain persons," Hydra added walking at Onyx, which sank his head a little tragic remembering the moments he needed to lie to the friend about his identity.

„You know I'm happier now to know I don't have to lie to you about our superhero duties," Onyx enunciated watching Hydra place her hands around his arm to gaze up at the boy.

„You did that for a good reason. Don't blame yourself for performing your duty correctly," Hydra reminded the boy, which nodded and embraced the girl to peck her on the forehead.

„Please get out of here, if you wanna make out," Nathaniel ordered feeling abashed from seeing the two in his room, which began to laugh at his comment.

A few weeks later Marinette was in her bedroom fiddling around her treasure chest she had in her room with beside her Tikki sitting on top of the miraculous box.

„Are you sure you don't want to wait for the boys to help you out?" Tikki asked watching the girl have her arms in the box trying to screw something inside it, then she groaned as she had let fall down a small wooden board into the box with its one edge to the ground and the one corner was attached with a screw into the wall of the chest.

„Are you kidding me?" Marinette complained picking out a few screws, then she held the board up in the middle of it, then pointed at the nails for Tikki to take them and she flew into the box again, then gave them to Marinette to place it into the holes of the hinge. Behind her, the door got opened up and Luka looked up, followed by his friend Jin, which checked the bedroom out and both boys got into the room, then Luka went down on his knees to greet Marinette.

„Hey Marinette," Luka greeted shrieking Marinette, which jumped afterward she sighed in relief to see her crush Luka there.

„Oh hey Luka. Sorry, I was distracted," Marinette droned, then watched Luka stare into the box and hold the board up for the girl.

„Here I help you," Luka offered making Marinette smile, which watched Tikki hold a screw against the hole so Marinette could screw in the bolt.

„Are you okay with it or do you need a third hand?" Jin asked making Marinette shake her head.

„For now it's fine Jin, thank you," Marinette responded then Jin sat down behind them and noticed under the table of Marinette several wrapped up presents making him curious then he took out a pack to see it. Marinette watched Luka take out another hinge to place it inside the chest and Marinette shrieked as she noticed Jin holding one of the presents Marinette's past self wanted to give Adrien to his birthday in the future. „Jin! Get your hands off it! They're not yours!" Complained Marinette turning red.

„Oh really?" Jin asked looking at Marinette. „It said for the most handsome boy. I thought it was for me," Jin joked making Marinette fake a laugh.

„Very funny Jin," Marinette quipped then Plagg reunited with Tikki to look at the box they're working on.

„Don't worry, Babyface knows he's not the prettiest one in this city," Plagg mentioned making Jin chuckle.

„You're saying that because of the way I decided to leave my hair, right?" Questioned the Chinese boy.

„No not really," Plagg responded.

„Are you sure no one won't recognize you with that hair?" Luka asked holding his hand inside the chest so Marinette could screw the bolts into the box.

„I don't think this will happen that easy," Jin responded putting the gift back.

„Don't worry Luka. Adrien already got dressed once as Cat Noir, yet no one figured out he and Cat Noir were the same person," Assured the cat kwami, making Luka shrug his shoulders.

„I think we almost got it, Luka," Marinette stated earning a nod from the boy, then Plagg flew around the bedroom of Marinette landing on the desk of the girl, where she had a plate of cookies and he took one to eat. Behind the keyboard of the computer, he spotted a key attached to a keyring, making the kwami left his right eyebrow and he took it out to check it.

„You have kept Master's keys?" Plagg asked watching Marinette hit her head on the open door of the chest, followed by Luka caressing her on the head making her smile and she got up to meet the kwami.

„Yes I did," Marinette responded. „He gave it to me after he lost his memory and.....yeah,"

„Yeah...." Plagg stated neutral, then Jin got up to look at the key while Luka placed his arm around Marinette to comfort her.

„We saved Paris on that day and weeks ago we saved Nino and discovered Hawk Moth's true identity. It won't take more time until we get his miraculous back," Luka said to Marinette, which nodded.

„We brought back Adrien's mother. She's in coma and all, but who knows with the time she might come back and we will be able to know more about what happened," Jin added then Plagg dropped the keys on Jin's hands, which looked at them. „What sort of keys are they? They resemble the ones they have for lockers,"

„Why would he walk around with a locker key?" Luka asked making Marinette widen her eyes and approach Jin to see the keys.

„I think they must be from a locker," Marinette said watching Jin hold the key up by its ring.

„Probably from the train station," Jin mentioned watching Marinette grab it. Marinette looked at it to encounter a number on it and she realized that the keys Master Fu left was to help her out in the future.

„Jin, Plagg you're are geniuses," Marinette complimented making Jin smile while Plagg frowned at Marinette's words.

„Hey, I'm the one who found it," Plagg objected. „The only thing Jin found was one of your future presents for Adrien Agreste,"

„Can you all please stop picking on my past behavior?" Marinette asked. „It's hard to not think about that every time I see these presents,"

„It would be a good thing to get rid of them," Jin suggested. „Or give them to someone else," Jin suggested picking up a flat gift making him look bewildered. „What the heck is in here?"

„A vinyl record of the mighty king of rock," Marinette commented grabbing the present away from Jin. „One of my dad's favorite singer, which Adrien apparently seemed to like too according to Nino,"

„Okay," Jin responded looking at the rest of the presents, then Marinette picked out one present with the number 2 and gave it to Jin.

„I've bought this at the jewelry store down at the park. Your bracelet here says I love you. If you want, you can give it to Yi or exchange it at the jewelry store," Marinette offered making Jin nod.

„I think she might like it," Jin mentioned „Thank you,"

„No problem and now excuse me, we have to finish the box before we leave," Marinette announced and took the last board to install in along with Luka inside the chest while Jin sat there watching the two work.

Adrien stood holding his baggage waiting along with his Aunt, Amelie to catch their bus on the outside of the train station of the English capital. Adrien gazed down at the ground neutrally, then his aunt placed his arm on his chin and moved his face at her to check his mood, then Adrien rolled his eyes away from the woman.

„It was a quite shock for you to know what had been going on in your house the entire time am I right darling?" Amelie asked making Adrien nod.

„This all could have been different if I just had searched for the facts why my father was always absent in my life and wanted me so bad to give him the miraculouses instead. He wanted all that to bring mom back home, but......Ladybug said it wouldn't be a good idea to do so,"

„I know what you mean. Now forget what happened back there. Try to focus on today and your future. Your mother is now here with us in the hospital. Who knows maybe when life allows us, we may be able to talk to your mother again,"

„Or even not. I.....I even feel that knowing mom is in a coma feels way worse than knowing she's dead or vanished,"

„That is terrible my darling, but don't quit visiting your mother the many days you promised. Haven't you heard of people from coma reacting to the voices of their loved ones? I'm pretty sure there is at least a chance of 50% for your mother to react to your voice," Amelie comforted the boy which nodded. A red double-decker stopped in front of them to let several people out with their baggage, then Amelie entered into the bus along with the blonde boy, then moved along the corridor, and at the end of the corridor, a trio of students jumped up excited at the sight of the two blondes.

„Welcome back, Adrien!" The trio shouted surprising Adrien, which wasn't expecting to see his English schoolmates.

„Aja, Felix, William? What are you doing here?" Adrien asked and William got closer to the blonde placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

„We heard what happened back in Paris and wanted to make sure you feel good," William told earning a nod from Felix.

„I always knew your dad was a jerk, but.....If I have to be honest him being Hawk Moth was the last thing I would expect. I know this doesn't make you feel better, but I thought you could need to listen about this from more people,"

„It's fine Felix, thank you," Adrien responded sharing a hug with his cousin. Adrien moved on to Aja, then grabbed her hands giving her a little smile. „Hey," Adrien spoke quietly.

„Hey Adrien, I'm really sorry to hear about what happened in your home city. You can always talk to me when you need to. If you need someone to be with you in the hospital around your mother, when you don't feel well in going alone. I want you to know that,"

„Thanks Aja," Adrien responded, then received a peck on his cheek and saw the trio sat down on the back, afterward Adrien sat along with his aunt on a row in front of the students waiting for the rest of the passengers to take sit inside the bus before it left for downtown.

„As we grow old, we realize life doesn't always give us all the gifts we hoped it would. I would have loved to tell you all this in person, Marinette, but if you're reading this, it means I've already lost my memory. But you mustn't be scared, and you mustn't be sad. As I was telling you at the beginning of this letter, experiencing loss is a part of life, but it doesn't define it. Because what really matters isn't whether you win or lose. It's the ability to accept changes in ourselves. It's accepting that even if life doesn't always give us the gifts we're hoping for, the real gift is the life itself. You're not alone in this, there's Cat Noir and every other member. I feel that you fear your responsibility now as the new guardian. I can comprehend it. Take advice from your friends, accept their help whenever you need it. I know that soon or later you'll be able to master this situation and get back Hawk Moth's miraculous. I believe in you with all my heart,"

Marinette arrived along with Master Fu in front of a train with the destination Genève Airport. Wang Fu took one look at his flight ticket, which had the destination of the Nepalese capital and he gazed up at the blue-haired girl, which smiled at the man.

„Well.....I guess this is it," Marinette spoke earning a nod from the man. From the train a elderly woman in a brown jacket left making the senior stare at her in awe, making the woman smile enchanted and she let Wang take his hands looking down at the eyes of the shorter man.

„Hehe....It's incredible. I only met you and my heart is beating crazy as If I have known you for ages," Wang Fu said earning a nod from Marinette.

„You should always trust your heart," The woman spoke making the senior smile, then Marinette approached the couple and showed them a box filled with macaroons colored in various colors making the senior smile.

„This is for your trip, sir," Marinette explained giving it to the man.

„Thank you, young lady. I will never forget you," The man said making Marinette smile sad, then watched the couple enter into the train and the three waved at each other, afterward, the couple disappeared into the train and Marinette turned her back around sighing sadly at the goodbye, then watched the train puff beginning to tax slowly out of the station. Marinette walked off, then Tikki flew out of the girl's purse and patted the girl on the shoulder comforting the teenager.

„Don't worry Marinette. Ms. Lenoir knows where to go with him. He will be safe," Tikki explained earning a nod from the blue-haired girl.

„Life goes on. Whether you chose to move on and take a chance into the unknown. Or stay back locked in the past thinking of what could have been. Life is like a book and you're the author. You may have every little detail of your life planned, but as the story goes you notice many things moving differently than what you have planned. You believe to not like it at first, but soon you figure out it works out well,"

Jin and Yi stood together looking at André the ice maker making for the two an ice, while waiting Yi gazed back at Marinette, which stood there in queue with Luka.

„That's a fact. Where did you get that quote from?" Luka asked, then Marinette pointed down at Marc, which stood in the middle of several classmates of Marinette's class. „Okay,"

„There you go you two. Dark chocolate with coffee and strawberry for the young man and dark chocolate with peanut butter and blueberry for the little lady," André said handing the two his ice, then they walked together to the stairs waiting for Marinette and Luka, which were the last ones.

„Why didn't Kagami come?" Jin asked making Yi shrug her shoulders.

„Kendo practice," Yi responded. „But she promised she would somehow get here on her own,"

„Okay, that's good," Jin said, then stove his hand into the pocket of his pants, then took out two bracelets and showed them to Yi. „Yi I'd like to ask you personally.....would you be interested to be more than just friends?" Yi chuckled at Jin's comment making him grin a little embarrassed at the question, then Yi spoke to him again.

„You're meaning it?"

„Well, I thought about asking you if you would be okay if....I was your boyfriend and you the girlfriend," Jin stated showing Yi the bracelets with the love message. „You don't have to answer now. You have time,"

„You kidding? I would love to be your girlfriend," Yi answered making Jin smile, then he took the red bracelet and placed it around Yi's hand. Jin then put the blue one on his pulse and showed Yi a half-circle on his bracelet and Yi saw on hers that she had hers too, therefore allowed Jin to attach his circle on hers.

„Now people will know we belong to each other," Jin mentioned making Yi smile enchanted at the boyfriend and went on her tiptoes to kiss him on his lips.

Luka and Marinette walked downstairs along with the Chinese descendant childhood friends and walked beside the canal of Saint-Martin and all sat down in pairs. Jin and Yi sat between Nino with Alya and vice versa to them Luka took the place together with Marinette, which looked at Jin, that gave her a smile.

„Thanks for everything you've done at the beginning of our.....other life," Marinette mentioned earning a smile from Jin, then she looked at Luka, which was adjusting his guitar, that lied next to him while on his other hand he had his ice cream.

„Were you before at the train station?" Luka asked earning a nod from the girl.

„I went to see Master Fu one last time before he would leave Paris. I'm still scared of what future awaits me as a guardian, but with you two and the rest of the team around I feel safer than I did before,"

„Jin and I will always help you out no matter what, Marinette. You're never alone," Luka promised seeing Marinette lie her head on his shoulder, then rolled her eyes down at his guitar.

„Will you play something?" Marinette questioned, then Luka looked at the other couples and friends eating and he gazed back at Marinette.

„What exactly?" Luka asked making Marinette shrug her shoulders.

„Anything you want," Marinette said earning a nod from Luka, which handed the ice cream out to Marinette, so he could pick up his guitar, while he adjusted it he observed in the middle of the circle Nathaniel which had his crutches lying behind him and he held his legs down at the canal and his left pant was folded back revealing his injured leg with a metal fixture on the outside, which he had to keep for a few more weeks. He sat between Marc and Lila laughing about something, then Nathaniel raised his ice cream in the air and the two friends leaned their ice on Nathaniel's doing a similar pose to the musketeers and after they removed their ice Nathaniel's ice cream dropped down only leaving a big, green ball on his wafer making him wide his eyes in surprise and the two friends got embarrassed at their little accident.

Nino and Alya were sharing Nino's smartphone listening with one pair of earplugs to music. Besides the two were Kim and Ondine eating ice and joking with each other, next to them Alix and Max were alone eating their own ice colored after themselves. Max lifted up his smartphone to check a message, then showed it to Alix causing her to laugh. Nino also took out his smartphone to see a message he received and he began to laugh as he saw a photo of Adrien pretending to be a guard at the palace in London with a strange mimic on his face and he showed it to Luka and Marinette which began to laugh at the image.

„Too bad Adrien can't be here with us," Luka mentioned. „But with the sort of father he had, he is at least safe for now," Luka mentioned earning a nod from Marinette, which smiled watching Nino put his phone back and she looked at Onyx's alter ego Jin, which smiled lovely at his girlfriend, then placed his hand under her chin and leaned his forehead on hers. Marinette smiled glad about the boy's happiness and she wrapped her arms around Luka's, which smiled at the girl and began to play on his guitar.

Marinette smiled listening to the boy playing the melody of a country song, then Luka smiled watching Marinette close her eyes as he continued to play the song. The sporty couple and the artistic trio watched Luka playing the guitar, agreeing to enjoy the talent of the raven-haired teen. The guitarist plucked on the strings, making Marinette chuckle and close her eyes to enjoy the music just like the cat-themed superhero's alter ego was doing, then Yi noticed it and leaned her head under his chin making Jin smile and lie it over her. Luka continued performing the Melodia, then observed Marinette getting lost into the music, then he leaned his mouth near Marinette's ear to whisper making her wide her eyes turning red at his words, then she moved her face to the boy, which was smiling at the girl and Marinette nodded turning redder than before, then she pecked the boy on the cheek which continued playing the song for everyone around them.

Inside a garage building in another part of Paris, a vehicle with a garage license was parked on the spot for electric cars, afterward, a rented family van appeared and parked beside it, then opened its window from the driver side and so did the other vehicle on the other side of the car. Inside the white vehicle sat the fashion designer Gabriel Agreste and on the other side of the vehicle sat a brunette woman with a tan skin complexion.

„I've heard in the news. You're the monster, that has been terrorizing everyone including my daughter" The woman argued earning a nod from the blonde.

„I know your daughter well. She was really unstable after her first akumatization," Gabriel spoke. „Mostly after this time she always was alone at home. No one could try to help her out of this situation only one person,"

„How could you do that to such a young girl?" Mrs. Rossi asked. „And everyone else in this place?"

„Your daughter was after her akumatization really frustrated what happened to her before with Ladybug. Forgiving Ladybug's indelicate behavior never was an option to her and I wanted to make sure it would never get to that and used every thing I could to pull her strings hopefully making it to create a bigger chaos to Paris, which worked well,"

„You're lucky you were able to escape from the superheroes' hands. Otherwise you would be under the earth right now!"

„Wow I've always heard Italians women were really temperamental. Now I see where Lila has got it from,"

„I'm warning you, if you put a finger on my daughter again with or without the miraculous I will personally take care of you life!" Warned Mrs. Rossi making Gabriel laugh.

„I like you. What do you think of we making a deal," Gabriel offered. „I leave your daughter for good and you help me get the miraculouses of Ladybug and Onyx. When I really need someone to use the peacock miraculous this is where I was thinking about adding you to. If we manage to get the miraculouses, I will leave you and your daughter, Lila, for good and I will use the miraculouses to bring back my lovely wife back from her coma,"

„Your wife?" Mrs. Rossi asked earning a nod from the man. „That works?"

„Yes, but it's not as easy as it sounds. There's a price for it I'll have to pay. But that will be with me," Gabriel explained watching Mrs. Rossi look down at the steering wheel. „Do we have a deal or do you want to think about it?" Gabriel questioned watching Mrs. Rossi think about it.

„And you will leave us in peace?" Mrs. Rossi questioned again earning a nod from Gabriel, which held his hand out to the woman. Mrs. Rossi frowned and put her hand out to shake the hand of the man. „You can count on me, Mr. Agreste" Affirmed the mother of Lila making Gabriel smile.

„Wish you a pleasant evening," Gabriel wished turning the engine of the family van on and left the diplomat back, which placed her hand on her face in regret at the step she had just done.

„Don't worry, it's all for your daughter's safety," Mrs. Rossi commented putting the engine on to leave the parking spot too heading to the outside of the garage.

The End.

FINALLY! I'm not sure if this took longer than Super Nathan 1 or 2 did or if I'm just feeling like it was a long way to go here. Well, when I worked on this fic I feel like I was taking it ten times more serious than usual, mostly when it came to trying to work on character redemption in here. Seriously the NYC special killed my brain at some points of the movies while others were alright. Serious the writers should stop or sink Marinette's creepy behavior. Yeah, she's in love and all that, but I don't think any girl in real life acts THAT weird. (Well this now refering to other awkward moments) But well I know many others that didn't like her behavior improved her in fanon better than the writers and I tried to do the same to her here. The idea was something else, but now as I had Jin to use the cat miraculous I thought he should be to Ladybug like an older brother to help her grow and understand that some issues that in canon she never gets called out for have a reason to be called out. Rest in peace English....Sorry for the last sentence...

Okay as you see I left an open ending, which means later at some point I will make a sequel. What else it will be about remains unknown for now. It will also be the last one for now as when I wrote this crossover I wasn't expecting it to be well, usually crossovers I don't tend to be that good, but hey if this one went well I can jump and make a Snow Queen & Miraculous crossover with a more awkwardly ridiculous lovesquare xD I mean the idea is hilarious, but if I can manage the logic in it is the other question.

Upcoming fics you wonder? I'm thinking about part 4 of the Adventures of Super Nathan, but I don't have a lot of ideas for the plot. We'll see soon, what it will be.Thanks for sticking with me in this fic. I really adored working on this crossover and exploring the relationship between the characters from both fandoms. Feel free to leave a comment, kudos or anything.See ya around!

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Thirty-Six: An Obstacle ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Itachi, Hyūga Neji ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

It may sound odd out of context, but Sasuke’s glad they’ve finally given up. No more invasive surgeries or trial medications. Finally, Itachi can get some rest, and put all that behind him. True, their parents still fuss over him, but it’s no longer badgering about some new procedure. At last they’ve accepted that Itachi’s blindness is - at least, with current technology - incurable.

He was getting so tired of his brother being dragged to clinic after clinic, hospital after hospital: all chasing some false hope they both seemed to know would pan out to nothing. But Itachi was willing to let his parents run out their options, if only to give them hope.

It’s quite the obstacle, but...he’s been working on reviving an old passion. While his assumed path into a business degree isn’t impossible now, his prior offers of scholarships and careers when he was nearing the end of high school have all vanished. Too much time was taken in his endeavors to be cured, and they’d rather give such opportunities to those without Itachi’s impairment.

At first, it flared Sasuke’s temper like nothing else. But Itachi, as always, took the poor news in stride.

The last surgery had kept him in the specialized aftercare clinic for two weeks. During that time, Sasuke had seen the pair from before - Neji and Hinata - fairly often. Hinata’s recovery was slow, but going well. She often mourned that Itachi was not as fortunate.

“I will make due,” the elder brother had assured her. “But I thank you for the sentiment, Hinata. I’m simply glad you’re doing well. Some good news, at least.”

Before they’d left, Hinata had insisted on exchanging contact information. Apparently she’d enjoyed her time conversing with the brothers. “I won’t be able to use a screen for a few more w-weeks, but...well, when I can, we’ll have to talk!”

“Yeah...sure.”

With Itachi moved safely back home, things slowly settle back into normal. Eyes paler than his family’s with blindness, Itachi can at least move around the house fairly well, given his lifelong memorization of its layout. More often than not, Sasuke’s startled to find him somewhere, going about his business.

It’s when he has to leave that problems arise.

“May I ask you a favor?”

“Of course. What do you need?”

Itachi opens his mouth, pauses...then asks, “Do we still have that keyboard I got for Christmas when we were younger?”

“Uh…” Sasuke has to think. “I...have no idea. It might be in the basement…?”

“Would you look for me? And if we do, help me set it up in my room? I’d like to try something.”

“Sure.” Curious, Sasuke takes to digging around in old boxes of packed away things, coughing a bit in the dust. Eugh, when was the last time anyone got into these?

Opening some flaps, there’s a pause as his phone vibrates in his pocket. Retrieving it reveals he has a text.

It’s...from Hinata.

He blinks. Then it clicks. “Oh, shit!” Opening the message, he finds a general how-do-you-do, asking what he’s been up to since they left the clinic. Apparently she can’t use her phone too much yet, but she wanted to check in.

A small smile lifts his lips. “Doing all right - keeping tabs on my bro. Trying to find his old keyboard atm”

A little more digging, then another message.

“Oh, a keyboard? Like piano?”

“Yeah, he used to play when he was in school. Guess he’s feeling nostalgic.”

“Maybe he wants to start playing by ear!”

Sasuke considers that, finally finding the right box. He forgot how big this thing really was.

“Yeah, maybe.”

Hauling the thing upstairs, Sasuke asks, “You really want this thing in your room? It’s huge!”

“Yes, please - did you find the stand?”

“Yeah. Hold on.”

It takes a few minutes to set it up, a chair swiped from the dining room for him to sit on. Hands run lightly over the keys, and Sasuke watches a small smile lift his brother’s lips.

“...remember how to play?”

“I suppose we shall find out. I believe it’s much like riding a bike. You just need to get the feeling again.” A moment passes as he tries to recall a melody. Fingers position over the proper keys, and then tentatively begin to play. Every so often a sour note breaks through, and the pair of them flinch.

“Ah...oops.”

“No, keep going.” Slowly, Sasuke lets a grin grow as Itachi trudges on, completing a little ditty before returning hands to his lap.

“...do you...think I could do this?”

“You just did.”

“No, I mean…” A small sigh. “...perhaps as...a hobby. Or I could...attempt a career. I considered putting the music online.” A wry smile curls his lips. “Perhaps I could have a nice clickbaity title about a blind man playing piano.”

Sasuke can’t help a small snort. “I mean...you can try. Do they make music in braille?”

“I believe so. For now, I thought I would just try to teach myself a few things by ear. See if I can make this work.”

Lounging on his brother’s bed as he keeps playing small snippets of songs, Sasuke picks up his conversation with Hinata again, explaining Itachi’s thought.

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Is it...going okay?”

“Yeah. Here, one sec.”

Knowing Itachi can’t see, Sasuke sheepishly records a short video of his playing, sending it to his acquaintance.

“Wow, that’s really good...how long has it been since he played?”

“I dunno...4, 5 years? He played in a music class in school, but...not since...all this started.”

“...I’m glad he’s getting back into it. I’ll have to come hear him play!”

That earns a lift of his brow. “Yeah, sure - I’ll ask him.”

Itachi, of course, approves in an instant. “I would enjoy seeing her again. And I’m sure you would as well.” A pause, then, “...well, perhaps see is the wrong word.”

Sasuke just rolls his eyes. “I’ll let her know.”

A week later, they turn plans into action. Sasuke helps move the instrument to the living room, and Neji drives Hinata over. She’s confessed to being nervous about cars after her accident - he’s one of the few she trusts to drive her.

“You know, we’re r-really not that far apart! I live like...twenty minutes from here!”

“No kidding? Small world.”

Neji just gives a curt nod in greeting that Sasuke returns.

Seated at the keyboard, Itachi looks up as they come back inside. “Hello,” he greets jovially. “I do hope you’re ready to be disappointed.”

“Well, I only played the flute for a few years - I’m sure you’ll still do f-far better than I ever did,” Hinata laughs.

“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”

To most, Itachi seems perfectly calm. But Sasuke can see a small tell in the way he moves his hands. It appears he’s nervous.

There’s no sheet music as of yet - just something he’s been teaching himself by ear. A pause, and then he begins, playing a bit slower than Sasuke’s heard him doing on his own. But there’s no missed notes, the three of them listening quietly as he goes along the melody. The younger pair clap loudly as he stops, and the tips of Itachi’s ears go pink.

“That was l-lovely!”

“Thank you. I hope to get some proper sheet music soon, though...I will have to learn the braille equivalent.”

“I’m sure it won’t take you long.”

Both Hyūga remain for a few hours, having lunch and chatting. Even Neji seems to relax a bit as they reacquaint after their time apart...not that he’d been overly friendly at the clinic.

“I’m glad to see that your sight isn’t an obstacle for your music,” Hinata offers, smiling.

“Well...perhaps in a way. But obstacles are meant to be overcome.”

“I might have to pick my guitar back up,” Sasuke murmurs, sipping his soda.

“I would enjoy that, Sasuke. Perhaps we could play together.”

“You still outclass me.”

“That’s what practice is for.”

“M-maybe I’ll dig out my flute! I haven’t touched it since middle school, though,” is Hinata’s sheepish offering.

“I would be thrilled to hear it nonetheless. Music is a wonderful thing. Don’t you agree, Sasuke?”

Giving his brother an unseen questioning glance, he replies, “...yeah, sure.”

As their guests prepare to leave, Hinata promises to keep in touch. “I’m t-trying to limit my screen time for now, but I’ll text when I can!”

“Your eyes come first,” Sasuke chides. “You could just call me.”

“O-oh...I suppose I could.”

He chuckles at her hesitation - he’s not fond of it either. “...whatever you wanna do.” Both brothers wave as the car pulls away, and then Sasuke looks to Itachi. “So?”

“That was pleasant. Hinata is a lovely soul. Neji is...well, he’s a bit quiet to know quite yet.”

“Stick in the mud,” Sasuke mutters, grinning at his brother’s pointed look.

“...will you really start practicing your guitar again?”

“Yeah, I think I will. Might be fun. We can start a band: a keyboard, a guitar, and a flute.”

That gets Itachi to laugh out loud. “I’ve heard of stranger things, I suppose. But it would be nice if she came around.”

A brow perks. “You got a crush.”

“Oh heavens, no.”

Sasuke lets a grin grow. “Still pining over your nurse?”

“...I am not pining. I simply thought you would enjoy her company.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Even without my eyes, I could see the glances you kept giving her,” Itachi teases with a smirk of his own.

“W-what? I didn’t -”

“I’m merely giving you a hard time, Sasuke. But you two did seem to get on well. I know you’re not the most social type, so...I thought it prudent.”

Sasuke’s cheeks puff with a pout.

“Well, let’s get back inside. I’d like to practice a bit more tonight.”

“...sure.”

     Okay so this is a MAAAJOR throwback: all the way back to day fifteen! That one was about Itachi's degenerating sight, and Hinata's accident that left her temporarily blind. The four of these babbs got to know each other a bit, and now they're getting back together!      A very random connection, I know, but it happened to jump to mind xD Until then I was rather stuck on what to write for today. Some prompts are just a little stumpy, lol      Anywho, that's all for tonight - I'm off to bed! Thanks for reading n_n

Perfume: English Translation of the Interview on Ongaku to Hito 2018.09 (vol.2)

Vol. 2 

A personal interview for Kashiyuka

Interview: Kashiyuka  

Since I've been through so many things until here, I feel like I'm invincible, or I'm not scared of anything, I should say.  I simply enjoy the present time so much, LOL!

- First thing first, can I ask you about your impression of the album?

K: I was surprised by the very bright atmosphere.  When I received the master sound source, he wrote a message to us saying "First, I would like you to listen the whole album without looking at the music order.  Do not read the music order before you listen"

 - I guess he wanted you to face the album as neutrally as you can.

K: Moreover, "Listen through the audio system of the highest quality you can get. No PC is allowed"

 - So he was pretty particular about the acoustic elements.

K: And furthermore, "If you don't have a nice audio system, then don't listen to it", LOL!!  I thought like, hey what kind of sound source is that?  I was surprised that Nakata-san said things like that.

 - If I were told things like that, I would feel pretty nervous when I press play, LOL!!

K: I hadn't received any requests or orders like that before, so I thought "I see, this is something"  I was pretty conscious when I took the first listen.

 - I know, you must have been very curious what would the complete album be like.

K: Therefore, I started listening without reading anything.  So I didn't know he put an instrument track "Start-Up" for the 1st song.  The moment I listened to it, I felt as if I started to walk toward a new world, just like the beginning of a story of a fairy tale.  I was so thrilled by that.

 - I know what you mean.  Unlike the 1st tracks of your last albums, it doesn't have that magnificent kind of atmosphere.

K: Then, what came next was "Future Pop"  I was pretty surprised like "What? Did he bring this for the 2nd track?"  But when I listened to it, I felt so glad that I was moved to tears.  In the past, I had goosebumps when I listened to a cool song, or got moved when I listened to a song that made me wistful inside.  But for this time, I somehow felt delightful. I felt as if I was told "You'll have bright future waiting for you from now on"

 - That might be true.  Personally, this album seems to cuddle to the past and the future of Perfume.

K: The world view of "COSMIC EXPLORER" was full of powerfulness and a sense of tension of breaking new ground in uncharted universe and future.  It was so magnificent, you know?

 - And it could be identified with Perfume of that era.  It seemed as if the album encouraged the 3 of you who were about to step into an unknown world, including the world tour.

K: This album is totally opposite of that magnificence.  It's so soft and gentle, and filled with happiness, I felt.

 - That's true.  It might be close to a view the 3 of you watching right now.  The lyrics are pretty real and it seems as if it's for the girls who are about to reach the next big-zero, or the start of the new chapter I should say...

K: Aha, you're talking about us turning 30's? LOL!!

 - ...It seems as if it tells these ladies like "You've come this far, and you can go even further from now on"

K: Yeah, and I'm so glad about that.  If you listen to each singles separately, you can sense that coolness and wistfulness. But when you listen to the whole album, even those songs are dragged to the bright world view this album possesses.

 - That's what is different from the magnificence of "COSMIC EXPLORER"

K: I felt as if the album lightly ran through us without losing its brightness at all.

 - The other thing I noticed, the number of sounds used in the album is pretty limited, right?

K: Yes.  Moreover, in some parts of the tracks, some nostalgic sounds are used.  You can tell if you listen to new tracks recorded in the album.  If you are a longtime fan who knows old Perfume songs, the sounds used behind the melodies would make you feel like "Oh, it sounds kinda nostalgic"  And for younger generations on the other hand, it might sound as a new sound.

 - I thought Nakata-san sent Perfume a message on that point as well.

K: When we started to perform Techno Pop for the first time, all we could say about the music was "It sounds like a sound of video games"  But after experiencing so many things, now I feel nostalgic and my heart twinges when I listen to this kind of sound.  Somehow I can feel warmth within the sound.

 - And you feel it in digital sounds that are supposed to be impersonal and cold, right?

K: Exactly. It's strange, but really amazing.

 - In "Future Pop", you sing "The future is bright"  But in the album, the path you 3 have walked is also illustrated, not only the future.  That might be the reason you felt so.

K: Soundly accepting our past when we move forward, rather than cutting it off, I see.  So for me, this album is pretty close to "Reframe" we performed the other day. Reconstructing the elements we have possessed for a long time and adding our latest elements into them to create something new.  I really, really enjoy doing it.

 - Wow, you sound so confident.

K: How should I say...?  Since I've been through so many things until here, I feel like I'm invincible, or I'm not scared of anything, I should say.  I simply enjoy the present time so much, LOL!

 - LOL! I know that's the mindset you 3 have right now.  So let me dare to ask you, what's the difference between the present and the past?

K: In the past, everything was a challenge for us.  And we also had a stronger sense of vocation and pressure to be accepted and get more people to listen to our music.  But now, we have arrived at the state of mind like "If people with whom we can understand each other understand us, we're just happy"

 - But does that mean you go defensive and play it safe?

K: Oh, I don't think so.  It's pretty difficult to update a vivid impression of a thing you felt when you met it for the very first time, no matter what you met.  It's same for us and people might get confused to see us doing something different from ourselves of that time.  And some people would definitely feel that our music doesn't fit their taste anymore.  I also feel things like that toward other bands sometimes.  But in any field, you just can't keep doing the same stuff and you've got to make changes.  I'd like to create something that we can proudly say "This is what we enjoy most and makes us happy", even if our change is not accepted.  I'd like to tell that to others and it would be my pleasure if we could understand each other.

 - Extremely speaking, you prefer sharing deep understandings with people who have love for Perfume, rather than getting unstable acceptance from many and unspecified audiences?

K: Hmm..., maybe?  I'm not sure. I feel really strange.  As you know, we've been working for a long time since we were young and back then, we thought the longer we continued our activities, the bigger our anxiety would grow.  We also believed that it would get more and more difficult to import elements of newer generations while maintaining our original policies at the same time, but actually we find it's getting less and less difficult to do so. We had never imagined us greeting like "3 of us together, we are Perfume!" at the age of almost 30 years old, but we actually do it, LOL!!

 - LOL!!

K: It's getting more and more fun.  Even if what we do get old, we think we can present the fun of the oldness.

 - That means you think you don't necessarily have to be cutting-edge?

K: People around us can judge whether we're cutting-edge or not, LOL!!  Now we can proudly express "What we enjoy most, what gets us excited most right now is this!"

 - In the early days, I saw you struggling to meet the expectation of the surrounding, rather than pursuing what you'd like to do?

K: We don't have that kind of difficulties anymore nowadays.  It would be our pleasure if we could get more people to listen to our music and we would love to meet the expectations.  But our feeling behind it is more like "We'd like to make your life bright with our music", rather than "We'd like to get more people to love our music"  So, it's more like we'd like to cuddle to everyone's lives, not that we'd like everyone to understand us.

 - Now I see that your perspective has changed.  This is something I told you in the joint interview, the girls in the MV...

K: Oh, you mean "Let Me Know"?

 - Yes, exactly.  In that MV, there are small girls who look like the projections of your old selves. It indicates that you're already in a position to pass something onto those people.

K: Like, this is how we have been through until now, and I believe you can do it, too, right? It's our pleasure if I could be a little help for those people..., hey, isn't it amazing that I can say things like this?  LOL!! Wow, people can change!  LOL!!

 - Yeah, I've heard you saying like that for recent 3 years, LOL!!

K: Right. So, it's never too late in whatever you do.  Nothing can get started if you just give up and say things like "This is who I am so..."  And once you get started, you'll notice a more important thing.

 - The more important thing?

K: Yes, once you get noticed about that, you can start to think things more lightly like "Alright, let's just give it a try!" even the things you feel pressure and anxiety to do and hesitate to try.

 - Hmm, that's true.

K: I thought I was a kind of person who lacked an ability to take action, and was nervous and tended to get distressed over so many things.  But recently, my friends tell me like "You know what, Yuka-chan?  You're pretty active", LOL!

 - LOL!

K: Yeah, and I actually became more active.  For example, last year I heard my friends talking "On this weekend, I'm going to go and ride on a drift ice", and I immediately went like "Ah, I'm free on this weekend!  I wanna go, so, I will go, too!" LOL!!  I've gained the instantaneous force, or activeness I should say, to follow a friend who is up to something I can never imagine doing.  Taking fancy ideas like that into action can make your life more enjoyable.

 - Such attitude might influence your mindset toward Perfume, I guess.

K: It did, actually, in a good way.  Now I don't take things too seriously.  After my teenage and 20's, the big 3-zero is just ahead of me right now.  Since I've spent my most sensitive ages working on a job like this, I have a tons of anxieties and sorrows I felt in those days. But now I feel all of them were beneficial for me and none of them were a waste.

 - That's so true.

K: When I look back from now, I can understand that A-chan and Nocchi were feeling the same back then.  But the time helped us forgive each other and we become even closer than we used to be. I really love the 2, not only their good part but including everything such as tough things and sad memories. As we had so many obstacles to get over, we became much closer now and the bonds between us became much stronger.

 - I feel your growth like that is projected to this album.  As if it's trying to tell us what you have been doing has not been mistaken.

K: I feel this brightness the album possesses is the answer for it.  I'm really delightful if Nakata-san actually senses that.

 - From my point of view, Nakata-san always senses things like that.

K: Isn't that amazing?  We only meet when we have recording or the meeting for the album releases.  We never see each other unless the CD release or recording is confirmed.  But still, he sensitively gets a scent of each members or the changes of Perfume. He must be genius!

 - That's simply because of his pure love, I believe.

K: He started to explain his music by words more and more, like he did when we released "If you wanna"  Now I believe he regards us as people who can communicate, LOL!!  In the early days, we were like "We won't miss any single word coming out of his mouth!!!", LOL!!  But recently, he speaks us more about music and I think that's because now we can have casual conversations.

 - That means you became a grownup.

K: I guess I took one step toward the grownup.  Now I don't think about "I wanna be a grownup, I don't wanna be a grownup" and things like that.  I felt "Ah, I actually became a grownup" since I quit categorizing things as "child" and "grownup"

 - I see.

I realize my motivation in life is to be needed by others, regardless whether they're children or grownups.  If I'm wanted, I can work harder for it.  So, it's like, now Perfume doesn't belongs to the 3 of us alone.  Perfume is more like a living system we create with various people, LOL!!

 - LOL!! A living system named Perfume!

K: Therefore, each one of them affects Perfume and helps it transform.  Though it might be the 3 of us who announce ourselves as Perfume, it is the living system created by our staffs we've worked with, our fans, friends and so many other people, LOL!!

 - And it will transform itself by taking the feelings of so many people into considerations, I see.

K: Even things like that are not definite.  Now it's becoming something without fixed shapes or styles.  And that's exactly why I feel we can do anything now.

Tiny Dancer part 5

here’s part 5 after a billion years it’s a million words long

Thank y’all so much for waiting, @fucking-petticoated-swashbuckler and I hope you enjoy it!

Read Part 1 here!

Read Part 2 here!

Read Part 3 here!

Read Part 4 here!

A beeping noise woke Race up with a start. Blinking his eyes open and groaning, he rolled into his side to grab his phone.

A text from Spot. At 8 am. Wonderful.

“what time will you be at the nye party?”

Beep.

“I don’t wanna show up too early.”

What he wasn’t going to say was that Spot Conlon could show up to any party at any time and not be questioned.

He looked back at his phone and typed a message. “probably about 7:30.”

Oh god, Spot was typing. A few agonizing seconds passed before he got a response. “I’ll stop by on my way there?”

Showing up to yet another party together. Yeah, sure. That sounded great. It seemed like one more time, and their friends would start to think they were dating or something.

Race had imagined that possibility before. But the closest real life had come to that was a week ago. On Christmas. When they’d hugged more than once in a single day.

He shook his head to clear his mind before typing out another text. “sure. see you then.”

He set his phone back down and rolled back onto his side, falling back asleep almost immediately.

The next time Race opened his eyes, he looked back at the clock. 12:47. PM. He had slept for almost thirteen hours, but he supposed it made sense after all the choreography work he had done the day before. He debated staying in bed a little longer; after all, he had nothing to do until Spot came over before the party. Oh, wow, Spot was coming over before the party. He checked his messages again to make sure the exchange wasn’t just a weird dream he had had, and sure enough, there it was. Race felt a little jolt in his gut, like what happened sometimes when he was nervous.

Wait. Was he nervous about this? Spot was just dropping by. They were just going to the party as friends. Huh. Friends. Yeah, sure, Race was pretty sure he had a crush on Spot - no, scratch that, he was definitely sure he had a crush on Spot, but it wasn’t like Spot liked him back. Maybe-

But then his stomach growled, interrupting his rapidly spiraling thoughts, and Race sighed, .

Oh, yeah. Humans needed food to survive.

Since it was almost 1 now, Race deemed it an appropriate time to have leftover pizza for breakfast. He heated it up and scarfed down a few slices while he watched a few episodes of Friends.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Another text from Spot. “be at your place 5:15? we can hang before we have to leave.”

He paused before answering. “yeah, sure.”

Race glanced at his watch. 3 o’clock. Just over two hours until Spot would arrive. Before he realized what he was doing, the couch and coffee table were against the walls. He plugged his phone into the speakers, selected a random playlist, and began to move.

Yo-Yo Ma, playing The Swan. Saint-Saëns.

The more he danced, the more his ballet movements turned to lyrical, though it took a lot of concentration to completely let go of his ballet technique.

Arabesque to penché. Enveloppé to retiré. Double fouetté, double fouetté, land in arabesque.

Not caring about the steps, Race focused only on matching his musicality to Yo-Yo Ma’s phrasing.

Chassé derrière, rond de jambe à terre, fondu rond de jambe en l’air, chassé devant to attitude.

Allongé, cloche to tendu devant. Cambré derrière, close to fifth.

Rond de jambe en dehors to one knee. Révérence.

Race lost sense of time; all he felt was the music coursing through him as he moved gracefully around the living room.

He didn’t know how many pieces he danced through, but when Race glanced at his watch again, he was surprised to see that a little more than an hour had passed. 4:07.

As he looked down, his legs and abs began to burn with soreness, and his clothes stuck to him with sweat. Exhaling loudly, he filled up a large glass of water and downed it quickly before making his way to the bathroom.

Race turned the faucet on the bathtub about three-quarters to “hot” and let the water run while he went to his bedroom to lay out clothes for the party. It wasn't that he cared that much about what he wore tonight, but he knew Spot liked to look nice for stuff like this, and they were showing up together, after all, so it would be good to look presentable.

He spent an embarrassingly long time choosing an outfit, but finally Race decided, and when he had laid everything out on his bed, he was proud. Black skinny jeans, a white button-down, a dark blue bomber jacket to go on top, and his black high top converse.

By the time he walked back into the bathroom, the bath was mostly full. Race poured in half a bag of Epsom salts, turned off the water, and undressed before sliding into the tub, sighing in relief when the warm water hit his sore muscles. He grabbed his phone from where it sat on the toilet and selected another playlist, and soon the sounds of Debussy were floating through the air. Race sank deeper into the water, finally able to relax and let the bath do its job. Sometimes he hummed along to the music or tapped his fingers against the rim of the tub, but mostly he just sat there, head back, listening.

Race wasn’t sure how long he was in the bath, but he must have nodded off at some point, because the next thing he knew, the sound of knocking at the front door cut through the music and startled him out of his relaxed haze. Drying his hand and reaching for his phone, he turned it on and checked the time. 5:18. Shit.

Spot had arrived.

Starting to drain the tub, Race stood up, quickly grabbed his towel, wiped off his upper body, and wrapped it hastily around his hips.

He felt his whole face turn red as he opened his front door to see Spot Conlon- wide-eyed, eyebrows raised, and beginning to blush as well before Race caught Spot’s gaze flit down for the smallest instant before meeting his eyes again.

Wait. Did Spot look flustered?

If so, it was probably only because Race was half naked and soaking wet.

Race inhaled deeply before breaking the silence. “I… uh, fell asleep. In the bath.”

Spot’s face relaxed, and he raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “... I see.”

Race bit his lip momentarily before gesturing inside his apartment. “I’ll just… get dressed? You can come in.”

“Alright, then.” Spot did just that and sat on the couch. Race closed the door. All he wanted to do was get dressed as soon as possible, but maybe it was the continuous prompting from Davey to “be a good host” that made Race hesitate.

“Do you, uh...want something to drink? I have water...uh, soda-”

“I can grab it,” Spot said, cutting him off and grinning. “You just worry about gettin’ some pants on.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. Uh...be right back.” Race hurried to his bedroom and shut the door, releasing a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. Did he really just try to offer Spot Conlon a drink, while wearing nothing but a towel? Race pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment and sighed. He really was hopeless, wasn’t he?

Race shook his head, trying in vain to forget that the past couple of minutes had happened, and went to his bed, where his clothes were lying. He got dressed, tucking in the shirt and slipping the jacket on over it, then went to the bathroom and ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times until it looked decent. Race looked at himself in the mirror and couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

I look pretty damn good.

As he walked out of his room, Spot nodded approvingly before standing up and walking over to Race.

“Ya look great. Ya just… look like a lawyer. Here.” Race held his breath as Spot reached up to his collar and proceeded to undo the two top buttons. “’S a party, Higgins, not a job interview.”

Race laughed genuinely, but still trying to conceal his awkwardness.

“You always did know how to dress for a party,” he said without thinking and immediately felt his face flush in embarrassment. Smooth, Race.

But then Spot laughed, too, and Race relaxed just a little bit.

“Ha. Thanks.” Spot bit his lip as he smiled, which Race couldn’t help but think of as endearing.

They sat in silence for a minute before Race spoke. “You know what? Let’s just go upstairs now. You’re Sarah’s best friend anyway; it’s not like you’re not always there.”

“I mean, yer not wrong,” Spot said with an amused grin. “Maybe Sarah and Kath still need help settin’ up.” He walked to the door, opened it, and gestured dramatically. “After you.”

Race laughed a little as he walked past, turning back when he was in the hallway to lock the door as Spot stood beside him. They walked up the stairs together, and soon they were at Sarah and Katherine’s apartment, just two floors above Race’s. Spot knocked on the door and after a few seconds, it swung open to reveal Sarah, still in a t-shirt and shorts, but with her hair up in a loose bun and secured with a gold clip.

“Hey, you two,” she said with a grin, throwing Spot a (not so) subtle wink. Spot rolled his eyes, but Race thought he could see the tiniest flush in his cheeks. “Come on in. I’m glad you’re here, actually; Kath and I could use just a little help.”

Race nudged Spot as they followed Sarah inside. “Looks like you were right.”

He giggled a bit as Spot nudged him back. “I always am, Higgins.”

Sarah disappeared into her room, and Katherine waved at Race and Spot from the kitchen, an oven mitt on her hand, when they entered the living room. “Hey, guys. Glad you’re here. Could you do me a solid and move the furniture so we can have some room for dancing?”

“Sure thing, Kath,” Race replied. He and Spot got to it, and he realized that they worked well together, even if it was just moving the couch and a couple of armchairs to strategic locations. They didn’t have to say anything; both just seemed to know where everything should go and how to move it there, and soon there was a sizable space in the living room, plenty big enough for dancing.

“How’s that?” Spot asked. Before Katherine could reply, Sarah emerged from her bedroom, now dressed in a short-sleeved, slightly sheer black top and sparkly skirt, gold heeled sandals on her feet. She grinned at Spot and Race.

“There’s so much room now!” She exclaimed, walking into the middle of the space and doing a little dance. “Tonight’s gonna be so much fun.”

“Sarah!” Katherine called. “You have time for dancing later. Come help me in here.”

Sarah rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Coming.” She glanced over her shoulder at Spot and Race, who were still standing next to the couch they had just moved. “You guys can chill. We just have to pour some drinks and stuff.”

Did she wink at Spot again before disappearing into the kitchen? Race couldn’t tell.

Spot’s cheeks turned the slightest shade pinker. She definitely had winked at him. Race had no time to think on that, however, before becoming intensely conscious of Spot placing his hand on the small of Race’s back and walking with him to the couch, sitting down almost a little too close to be platonic. Was this Spot’s way of nonverbally flirting?

The two sat for a while, avoiding eye contact but still stealing glances in the other’s direction. Spot finally opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but before he could, they both heard music drift in from the kitchen.

“Come on, babe, why don’t we paint the town… and all that jazz…” Sarah appeared in the doorway, lip-syncing along to the music now playing from the bluetooth speaker, Katherine was behind her, red-faced, laughing, and miming playing a trumpet.

“Question,” Spot interjected as the music continued, Sarah’s dancing getting more outrageous by the second. “How much have the two of you had to drink already? Sarah, this is normal for you, but Kath?”

“Hey!” Katherine tried to look offended, but she was still laughing too hard. “I like to have fun...and I’ve only had a glass of wine. I’ll be right back.” She backed out of the room, leaving Sarah still dancing, and hurried back into the kitchen.

Spot laughed and shook his head, glancing at Race before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the middle of the floor. “Come on, Higgins. If Sar’s going to dance, we might as well join her.”

“Spot, the party hasn't even actually started,” Race tried to protest, freaking out a little at the thought of even more physical contact with Spot.

“Hey, it's never too early to party,” Spot said. “Besides, we can't leave Sarah all alone, can we?”

Rolling his eyes, Race raised the hand Spot was holding. “Fine. Twirl!”

“What?” Race grinned. “You heard me.”

Now it was Spot’s turn to roll his eyes, but he did as Race said, twirling quickly and trying to hide his smile. Then he turned to Race. “Now you.”

Race dramatically twirled, making it graceful even when he had to duck a little to fit all the way under Spot’s arm. He grinned. “You’re too short for this, Conlon. Maybe you should be the designated twirler.”

“Fuck off, Higgins.” But Spot was laughing now. He even twirled again just for fun, and Race’s face lit up. They danced a bit more, and the song was just ending when Katherine came back out of the kitchen, looking frazzled.

“Sarah, shit, we forgot to get ice,” she said. “And there’s not much time till everyone gets here, and I haven’t finished making the-”

“Kath, it’s okay,” Sarah interrupted, already grabbing her coat. “The store’s not far.”

“Change into your running shoes,” Katherine said. “You don’t want to get blisters before the party even starts.” “You’re right. Thanks, Kath.” Sarah grinned at her and slipped off her heels before pulling on a pair of sneakers that were sitting by the front door.

“Spot, could you go with her?” Katherine asked with a sheepish smile. “I know it’s not far, but people are crazy on holidays, y’know?”

Spot nodded immediately. “’Course.”

“Gee, thanks, Mom.” Sarah’s tone was sarcastic, but there was still a grin on her face. “Race, you wanna come, too?” “Actually, Race,” Katherine said. “I need some help putting up lights if you’re okay staying here?”

Race swallowed his disappointment at being separated from Spot for even a few minutes and nodded. “Sure, Kath. No problem.” She smiled at him. “Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.”

“We’ll be back soon.” Sarah was out the door then, and Spot squeezed Race’s shoulder for the briefest second before following her and closing the door behind him.

Race turned away from the door and spent the better part of the next forty-five minutes helping Katherine string up some extra lights inside the apartment.

“So, Race…” Katherine handed him another string of lights to put up. “Sarah’s mentioned it more than a couple of times...how about you and Spot?”

Race nearly fell off the stool he was standing on to be able to reach the place where the wall met the ceiling, and he did drop the string of lights. Katherine caught them and handed them back. “I guess that means there’s something going on, then?”

“Um… no? Not yet at least.” Race shook his head. “Wait, I didn’t mean- Kath!”

Katherine rolled her eyes as she fought off a laugh.

“It’s not like he even likes me back.”

Race narrowed his eyes at Katherine as she burst out laughing this time, trying to catch her breath.

“Race.”

“What?”

“Race,” she said again, her voice trembling with mirth. “Sweetie. I’m going to need you to think about what you just said.”

“About Spot?” Race frowned. “But, I mean, it’s true-”

“No, it’s not!” Katherine was still grinning, but her tone was exasperated. “Haven’t you noticed? You’re both head over heels for each other and too stubborn to admit it. For goodness sake, Race, he came over to your place two hours early just to be with you.”

Race just stared at her as he struggled to process this. Spot couldn’t like him back, he just thought of them as friends...right? But then Race thought about all the little touches, the jokes, the laughter, every single interaction they had had over the past few months. And Spot had asked to come over early. Very early.

“Holy shit, does Spot like me back?”

“Took you this long.” Katherine smiled and shook her head, reaching to touch Race’s arm. “Hey, if you play your cards right, you might have a new year’s kiss.”

Race sighed a little and looked at her. “You really think so?”

“Definitely.” She winked at him. “Okay, but first, help me finish putting these up.” She gestured toward the remaining strings of lights. “People will be arriving any minute.”

“Oh...oh, yeah! Sorry.” Race grabbed the lights and put them up quickly, then stepped off the stool and put it back by the counter. “Alright, you need any more help?”

“Um…” Katherine glanced around the living room, then shook her head after a moment. “Nope, I think we’re done.”

“Cool.”

The front door opened then, and Race and Katherine turned to see Sarah and Spot walk in, Spot carrying a couple of bags of ice and Sarah carrying a bottle of margarita mix.

“What?” She said innocently at Katherine’s raised eyebrow. “I didn’t want us to run out in the middle of the party.”

“Uh-huh.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “Go put it in the kitchen, you alcoholic.”

Sarah laughed and hurried into the kitchen, beckoning for Spot to follow her so he could put the ice down. They came back out a couple of minutes later, and Spot made a beeline for Race and nudged him playfully with his shoulder. Race grinned and nudged him back.

“How was your adventure with Sarah?” He asked. Spot laughed.

“I wouldn’t call it that; it was nothin’ compared to some of our other exploits,” he replied, but didn’t elaborate. After the talk he had had with Katherine, Race couldn’t help but wonder if Sarah had subjected Spot to something similar.

“Hey, you wanna sit down for a while before more people get here?” He asked. Spot nodded, and they went back to the couch. And this time, Race made sure to sit a little closer than perhaps was strictly necessary, and his heart soared when Spot didn’t scoot away.

Sarah grabbed her heels and sat down on the couch next to them to change shoes again. When she was done, she stood up and tossed her sneakers back against the wall near the door.

“Alight, I’m ready to party,” she said with a grin. “When’s everyone getting here again?”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Katherine went to answer it as Sarah pulled up a playlist on her phone and started it. Music blasted out of the speaker again, echoing around the apartment.

Katherine pulled the door open, and let in Jack, Specs, Davey, Crutchie, and Les.

“Happy New Year, Kathy!” Jack exclaimed, grabbing her in a tight hug. She laughed and hugged him back.

“We still have a few hours till then, Kelly,” she said.

“Yeah, but we can start celebrating now!” Jack let go of Katherine, then he grabbed Specs and dragged him into the middle of the living room to dance.

“He may have had a beer or two before we left,” Davey said, and Katherine laughed. She pulled Sarah into the middle as well.

Within the hour, everyone else had shown up, and soon the apartment was filled with people and laughter and music. Tearing his gaze away from his dancing friends, Race turned his head to glance at Spot, who was standing by the TV on the opposite side of the room. He was leaning against the wall, a cup in his hand, and he was bobbing his head to the beat of the music. After a few seconds, Race’s feet began to carry him in Spot’s direction until he arrived next to him.

“Party's fun.” Spot commented, turning his head toward Race. “Surprised you’re not dancin’.”

“I mean, I did a bit of dancing earlier,” Race replied, “before you came over. It wasn’t much, just some improv...anyway, I guess I’m still a little sore from that. I might dance later.

Spot nodded, and they stood there next to each other for a few more minutes in comfortable silence. Race opened his mouth to say...well, he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to say. But he didn’t get the chance, because Led Zeppelin’s Thank You started playing, and Spot noticeably perked up.

“Oh, I love this song,” he said.

Something in Race’s brain clicked, and before he could stop himself, he grabbed Spot’s hand.

“Spot Conlon,” he said with a cheesy grin. “May I have this dance?”

Spot couldn't hide a grin of his own. “Yeah, Higgins. You may.”

Race made a few failed attempts to control his racing heart rate as Spot tenderly placed his hands on Race’s hips. He put his own on Spot’s shoulders, and they began to sway with the music. “So we haven't had really a whole lotta time to talk today,” Spot said. “What with the decoratin’ and me havin’ to go with Sarah to get ice.”

“So…” Now that they had a chance to actually talk to each other, Race couldn't think of anything to say. Thoughts were flying around in his head a million miles an hour, and he just concentrate when he could feel every one of Spot's fingers gently touching his hips, his back, his waist. Was it his imagination, or did Spot pull him closer, just slightly?

As he focused back in on reality, he could hear Spot quietly singing along.

“If the sun refused to shine, I would still be lovin’ you…” He glanced up at Race, who immediately blushed. After a second, Spot stopped singing and turned just the tiniest bit pink as well. Race could barely wrap his mind around it - he was at a party, dancing with Spot Conlon to a love song. And there was a very good chance Spot was thinking the same thing about him.

“You're...you're a good singer,” Race said and immediately mentally kicked himself. Was that seriously the best thing he could come up with? But Spot just laughed a little.

“I'm alright, I guess,” he replied. “Far from the best. There's a reason I mostly just stick with playing the piano.”

“And dancing?” Race glanced over. “You were one of the best dancers in our classes in high school. I haven’t seen you dance in forever.”

“You know, I haven’t really danced in forever. Aside from, ya know, this kinda thing.”

“You should,” Race said. “I could...I mean, maybe we could do something in the studio after class one day. Um...dance, I mean.”

Spot grinned. “I’d like that...the dancing, I mean.” He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Race laughed despite the heat he felt in his cheeks.

“Cool,” he replied. “Then it’s a date.”

“That it is.”

Jesus. A date? Really?

As the song ended, Spot turned his head toward the kitchen. “Do ya wanna get some food?”

Race nodded. “Yeah, I’m famished.”

Spot let go of Race’s waist, but immediately grabbed his hand. They passed Katherine and Sarah, who were dancing to the next song, and Katherine flashed Race a grin and a thumbs-up. The kitchen was blessedly empty; everyone else was still in the living room or on the outside balcony, though Race couldn’t imagine how they managed it with the snow that covered every inch.

Race went to the counter, where there was spread of refreshments laid out, and put a little bit of everything on his plate.

“So.” Spot’s voice made Race turn his head.

“So?”

Spot smiled a bit. “I dunno, I was hopin’ you’d have something ta talk about.”

“I, um…” Race grabbed a few crackers from his plate and stuffed them in his mouth in an attempt to stall for a few seconds. But Spot just continued to smile at him. God, why was he being so awkward?

This whole thing was harder than he’d imagined.

Fuck it. Time to dive in.

“We’ve...we’ve been hanging out these past few months. It’s been really fun, Spot. Every class is more fun with you there playing the piano, and-” he paused to take a breath. “And I’m just really glad you came to be my accompanist because now we’re friends again and we see each other every day-”

“Yeah, Higgins. Me too.” Spot stole a cracker from Race’s plate and ate it with a smirk. “It’s fun playin’ the piano for your dancin’, too. You’re really good at it. It’s beautiful to watch.”

“I can’t be much better than you were ten years ago.”

“You sure about that?”

Race laughed a bit before responding. “You were always the best dancer at our studio. In every style, except maybe not tap.” He smirked. “I think I had you there.”

Now it was Spot’s turn to laugh. “I think you’re right.”

“I wish I could see you dance again.” Wait, did Race just say that?

“You’ve seen me dance,” Spot replied. “Out there in the living room a few minutes ago.”

“That wasn’t dancing and you know it. It was more...swaying than anything.”

“It fuckin’ counts, Tony,” Spot retorted through laughter.

Race blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow. “Did you just- you didn’t call me by my last name.”

Spot’s face turned the slightest shade of pink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, no, it’s fine.” The corner of Race’s mouth turned up as his head lowered, allowing his eyes to focus on his feet, or the floor- anything but making eye contact with Spot. “No one’s really used my first name in forever, nickname or otherwise.”

“I get that.” Race felt Spot put his hand on his shoulder. God, why did his heart race every single time Spot touched him? What would happen if he just kissed him right here?

Spot’s voice brought him back to reality. “Is it...is it okay if I call you by it? If you don’t want me to, it’s fine-”

“I’d like it if you called me ‘Tony’ more,” Race interrupted. “It’s...it’s nice to hear it again, especially coming from you.”

Spot grinned. “Okay then, Tony. You want another drink?”

“Sure.”

Spot grabbed a pitcher that sat on the counter near the food and poured some of the reddish liquid into their empty cups. He handed Race’s back to him. “Gotta love Sarah’s mixed drinks.”

Race laughed and took a sip, grimacing just a little at the taste. “‘Mixed’ is a strong word. I think there’s more tequila in here than anything else.”

“It has margarita mix in it. But yeah, I guess you could call it ‘flavored tequila.’” Spot chuckled, then put his arm around Race’s waist and briefly rested his head on his chest before Race returned the hug. Wow, that’s gay. Or… bi, I guess.

Race raised his right arm, checking his watch. “It’s about nine. What do you wanna do for three hours?”

When Spot lifted his chin to look Race in the eye, Race could see the faint shadows Spot’s eyelashes cast onto his high cheekbones. “I dunno. We could-” He grabbed Race’s hand, pulling his torso to face him. “-dance some more?”

Race giggled slightly, grinning. “In here?”

Spot shrugged. “Why not? We can hear the music, we don’t hafta be around all those people...”

“Alright.” In a move more forward than he thought he could be at the moment, Race grabbed Spot by the waist and pulled him close. “Let’s dance.”

Race didn’t know how long they ended up dancing. All he cared about what was the way they inched closer and closer to each other, until finally Spot had his arms wrapped around Race’s waist, and his head was resting on his shoulder. Race’s heart skipped a beat when Spot pulled him closer by the waist, seemingly unknowingly.

The kitchen door opened abruptly, pulling Race out of his trance. Sarah poked her head through. “Few minutes ‘til midnight. You two planning on watching the ball drop? Or you just gonna hide out in here…alone?”

Spot smiled, turning his head toward Sarah, still keeping his hands on Race’s waist. “We’ll be out in a sec, Sar. Give us a minute.”

“Alright, whatever you say.” As Sarah slowly closed the door, Spot looked back at Race.

Race inhaled slowly. “What was that about?”

“Tony.”

“Yeah?”

Spot took a deep breath. “Tony, I-”

“Thirty! Twenty-nine!” From outside the door, they could hear everyone counting down.

“We should go out there.”

Race nodded. “Yeah.” His heart sank, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. Spot grabbed his hand, almost dragging him out to the living room.

“Nine! Eight! Seven!” Spot and Race joined in the enthusiastic chanting.

“Three! Two! One!”

Everyone cheered, clamoring to see the ball drop as each couple paired off.

Race glanced down at Spot before pulling him close. “Can I-”

Before Race could finish, Spot reached up, sliding his hand over the back of Race’s neck and rising onto his toes, pressing his lips to Race’s. Race’s eyes widened before slipping closed, and he returned the kiss in kind.

They pulled apart to cheers from the others.

“It’s about time,” Sarah called, leaning on Katherine. Race grinned at them, and when he turned back to Spot, he saw that he was grinning, too.

“Happy New Year, Tony,” Spot whispered before pulling him in for another kiss.

everything is easier when you’re home

OKAY SO that little fic I posted a while back got an AMAZING response like WOW you guys are the best!! So why not go all in and write a full AU, right?? This is like the beginning, an introduction, a prologue, whatever you wanna call it, of what’s going to be a neighbors AU

A huge massive shoutout to @peraltiagoisland and to @elsaclack for yelling ideas with me you guys are the absolute BEST (Em, you can take this as a birthday present of sorts ILY) and to @the-pontiac-bandit and @startofamoment for reading this through and making super nice comments you guys are the best too

(title from When You’re Home from In The Heights)

ANYWAY I’m shutting up now, here’s the thing.

Amy Santiago loves her new apartment. One bedroom, one bathroom, good neighborhood and decent rent. One thing she does not love? Her neighbors. More precisely, whoever lives in the apartment that shares a paper thin wall with hers.

She has been living there for less than three days, and, in that short period of time, they have managed to infuriate her. And what makes everything even worse is that they are messing with her carefully planned sleep schedule. She probably would be just annoyed if it wasn’t for that.

The very first night, after a long day of unpacking, she was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and a long lost book she had found while putting everything away, when she was interrupted by music coming from the adjoining apartment. And it was loud. She checked the time. 10:04 pm. There were still 26 minutes before she would go to bed, and she was sure that the music would have definitely stopped by then. No one listens to music that loud at such hours. So she tried not to think too much of it at first and continue with her things. Focusing on the book was impossible, though. She was completely distracted by what had started as rap and then morphed into Taylor Swift (her neighbors definitely had an odd taste in music).

As 10:30 neared, she started to think that maybe it would not stop anytime soon. And that was going be a problem. Even if her room was on the other side of the apartment and none of its walls were shared, she could still hear the music from there - not as loud as from the living room, but loud enough to prevent her from sleeping.

Still, she got into bed in an attempt to fall asleep at her regular time. She had the next day off, but there were lots of boxes left to unpack, so sleeping in was not an option.

She considered complaining about the music right then, but she would be making a terrible first impression. And maybe her neighbors weren’t actually inconsiderate, maybe they thought the apartment was still empty. She would go the following morning, introduce herself, and ask them kindly to never play music this loud again.

It was almost 9 pm when she started hearing movement in the other apartment the next day. She had knocked on the door across the hallway from hers in the morning, but no one answered. She supposed there was no one in the apartment, it was Sunday after all, so she would try again once she heard something.

But she was already wearing her pajamas, and she was comfortable sitting on the couch and watching an incredibly interesting documentary on jellyfish. She decided to go only if it was completely necessary. Luckily for her, there wasn’t much noise, only the muffled sounds of a TV and the occasional beep of a microwave.

That was until the moment she rested her head on the pillow. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she guessed that the TV was suddenly on full volume (how else would she be able to hear it from her bedroom?) and some kind of action scene was on.

If she hadn’t been in bed, she would already be knocking on her neighbor’s door. But she was tired, and her bed was warm and comfortable, and whatever they were watching would be over eventually, right? She sighed deeply after she heard a loud explosion coming from the TV. This was going to be a long night.

That is why she fell asleep way past midnight, why she drank six cups of coffee during the day, and why right now she is knocking on her neighbor’s door (she knows they are home, Orinoco Flow has been on repeat for the past hour).

After knocking for several minutes, louder and louder each time, she finally hears the music stop and just a couple of seconds later the door opens. She is not really sure what she was expecting, but for some reason it definitely wasn’t a grown man of about her age. She’s taken aback for a moment, the words she had carefully planned suddenly forgotten. Confusion is clearly written on his face, and a moment passes before either of them says anything.

“I, um,” Amy starts, “I just moved here.” She points at her door. Maybe it’s because she is sleep deprived, or maybe the insane amount of caffeine running through her system is messing with her thoughts, but she finds her neighbor mildly attractive (okay, very attractive), and she doesn’t want the first thing she says to him to be a complaint.

At her words, the confusion on his face changes to surprise. But he doesn’t say anything, just nods slightly.

“I’m Amy.” She extends her hand towards him. He stares at her hand for a beat, his eyebrows rising even more, but he shakes it anyway.

“I’m Jake.”

She wants to start talking, to say all the things that have been bothering her since she moved, but she can’t find the words. Instead they stare at each other, and Amy is sure she’s never felt this awkward in her entire life.

“Look,” she beings, carefully measuring every word, “I’m sure you are aware of how thin these walls are.”

He nods.

“So,” she continues with more confidence, “you know I can hear the music that you’re listening to.”

He stays still, but she can see the moment he realises where she is going with this. A small smile forms on his face. “So you’re knocking on my door to tell me how impeccable my taste in music is?”

“What? No! First of all, you’ve been playing the same song for the past hour-”

“A great song.”

She rolls her eyes. “And second, I’m here to complain. You have everything at full volume even when it’s late at night, and I can hear it all the way from my room and it won’t let me sleep. First the music, then the TV and now-”

“Wait, wait. When did you move in?”

“On Saturday.”

“Oh.” His smile disappears instantly. Even though she met him literally five minutes ago, she can clearly tell that he’s feeling bad about it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

His words are honest, they make Amy’s anger dissipate. She sighs. “It’s okay, but please keep the volume down from now on.”

He nods, and, slowly, a smile reappears on his face. “You know, Mrs. Stevens never complained about the noise.”

“I’m assuming Mrs. Stevens lived here before me?”

“Yeah. She was the best. She was old and I think she couldn’t hear properly so I could have my music as loud as I wanted to and at whatever time I liked, she never said anything about it,” he sighs dramatically. “But she’s gone now.”

“Did she die?”

“What? No! She just moved. Geez, you have dark thoughts.”

She rolls her eyes again. “Okay, well, she’s not living here anymore, I am, and I can hear what happens in your apartment and you can hear what happens in mine. So can we just please agree to keep the volume down, especially at night?”

He strokes his chin pretending to be considering his answer. Amy sighs deeply. She’s tired; she knows he is doing this to annoy her, and she’s not sure how much longer she can take it (although she may have had to hold back a smile at some point in their conversation, and his thinking face is actually cute).

“Fine,” he finally says, just as dramatically as she was expecting.

Bodies: Chapter Three

Or read it here on Ao3

The trip to Hay took a few hours. Cas noticed the way Dean didn’t speed or even seem concerned with getting there. He just drove, window down, music playing. They didn’t talk. Sam had questioned the trip, even seemed interested in tagging along. Dean somehow made the trip sound like it wouldn’t be much fun for him though, and Sam seemed to pick up on the fact that Dean did not want him to go for some reason. The trip would certainly have been different with Sam along.

They got into town at 11 pm on a Friday night, and things were still lively enough in town. It was a college town after all, and most of the population knew what it was to pull all nighters and live life like a party. Dean picked out a bar a little ways from the college. The crowd was young, too young for them. Cas thought that Dean seemed bored nearly from the start.

“Wanna hustle some pool?” Dean nodded over to one of the tables in the corner. The group that was playing seemed happy and maybe a little drunk.

“Maybe we don’t hustle them. We could just play a few rounds.” Cas took a sip from his glass. Dean had bought him a whiskey instead of a beer. It was different. A lot of things were different lately.

“You think they’d beat us?” Dean asked.

“No, they just seem nice,” Cas replied.

“How can you tell? They just look like some college guys, probably from a fraternity or something. Those kinds of guys roll in the money, and they’re usually douche bags.”

Cas waved casually at the one end of the pool table. “Those two guys are a couple.” He waved at the other end of the table. “The other two are thinking of starting something up, but they’re worried that the other is not interested.” Cas took another sip of his drink and added, “The guys in the middle are friends and live on the same floor as the two other pairs. They all arranged the outing tonight because Tim, the one guy in the middle, got dumped by his long term girlfriend. They’re trying to distract him.”

“How do you know all that?” Dean asked.

“I was listening to all of the conversations in the bar to pick up on anything of interest, people of interest.” Cas gave Dean a pointed look, then turned away from him as he continued, “One of them made a comment about us, so I poked at their thoughts.” Cas glanced at Dean again but didn’t hold the gaze.

Dean took a moment to seemingly process all of that. “What’d they say about us?”

“The two on the end thought that you were good looking.”

“The couple?” Why it mattered to Dean was a mystery.

“No, the other two. I think that the one was a little jealous. Regardless, they quickly moved on to other things.”

“Like what?” 

Cas looked at Dean again, “Classes mostly. Everyone in here is rather young.”

“Yeah, I’m not seeing anyone I’m comfortable hitting on, to be honest.” Dean glanced over at the bar. “Bartender is the only person in here that’s maybe even in his thirties.”

Cas wasn’t sure why Dean would bother noting the bartender since he was a man. “Should we go elsewhere?”

“Nah, this is fine.” Dean elbowed him and added, “Unless you wanted to find someone.”

“We staying here for the night or going back to the bunker?”

Dean looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. “We could stay here, get a room or something if you want to.” Dean looked away.

“It would be a waste of a trip to head home now.” They stayed a bit longer, nursed their drinks, then drove into town for a room.

Dean undressed and got into bed the moment they got into the room. He’d grown quiet. Cas took a seat at the motel table next to the window. “Cas?”

Cas turned to him. “Yes, Dean.”

“You ever wish things were different?”

“Different how?” Cas moved over to the bed next to Dean’s. He sat and waited for Dean’s answer.

“I don’t know, just different. Like would you ever want to settle down somewhere or go back to heaven? You know change the way things are.”

“I have no place in heaven. I can’t imagine settling down in the way you mean it.”

“How do you think I mean it?”

Cas considered poking at Dean’s thoughts, but didn’t. “I don’t think that finding a place to pass the time in like Ramiel did would suit me. I’m not interested in fishing, or taking up pointless hobbies. I like doing what you do. It is more fulfilling.” 

Dean watched him for a moment. He looked almost peaceful. He licked his lips a little and left a little sheen on them. Cas wanted to move closer, press his own lips to him. “Do you ever poke at my thoughts like you did with those guys?”

“No.” Cas folded his hands in front of him.

“Okay, just checking.” Dean rolled over and faced the wall. “Night, Cas.”

“Night, Dean.” Cas got up and went back to the table until Dean fell asleep.

When Dean got up the next morning, he didn’t check out of the motel. Instead he paid for another night. “You never know. We might get lucky.” He winked at Cas and moved ahead of him toward the little diner next to the motel. Cas didn’t know what to make of the trip, and Dean didn’t seem to be trying so hard to find someone to help with his tension. 

Cas figured they’d try another bar that night, or maybe they wouldn’t. It was hard to tell what Dean was thinking. He'd done his own research though, not that it'd matter if Dean had his own plans. After a huge breakfast that included every kind of meat, some pancakes, and a skillet full of eggs, Dean declared himself full. Cas made a point of not commenting on the name of the feast, the “Lumberjack Special.”

They left the diner and Dean didn’t lead them back to the room or the car. “Where are you going?”

“Just thought we’d walk around a little.” Dean turned to him and asked, “Is that okay?”

“Of course.” Cas moved to Dean’s side and walked with him toward the campus. He wasn’t sure what the point was. They’d established the night before that co-eds were way too young and unappealing. It made Cas settle on a different question though, one that had nothing to do with conquests. “Did you ever want to go to college?”

They took a meandering path around the perimeter of the campus. It was nice. Cas tried to picture Dean there as a student. “College was never for me.” He let out a little breath and added, “That was always supposed to be Sammy’s path.”

“Couldn’t it have been a path you both took?” Cas’ hand brushed the back of Dean’s hand with each step. There was warmth radiating from him. Cas focused on the sound of his heart beating steadily. 

“Then who’d hunt monsters and teach angels how to human, Cas?” Dean elbowed him a little as they walked. Cas smiled at him. Dean smiled back. “I suppose I wanted that life at one point. It would have been nice to have just spent my days studying and taking tests. I wouldn’t have been good at it, but it would have been better than a lot of the things I ended up experiencing.”

Cas raised his hand up and settled it on Dean’s shoulder as they walked. Dean’s pace altered a little, almost like he’d stumbled when Cas put his hand on him. “The world owes you a great debt. You are a real hero, Dean Winchester.”

Dean shrugged him off and ran ahead a little, only to turn back and face him as he walked backwards. “Ah, shucks Cas.” He laughed. “Don’t go getting all sappy on me now.” 

“I’ll do my best.” Cas came back to his side and they walked between a couple of buildings toward a central area on campus. It was stunningly green with lush trees framing the walkways between buildings. The quad area was filled with students, making their way to classes and just generally lazing around. “Should we wander through a building?”

“Sure.” Dean stopped and looked around at all the buildings that framed the quad. “Take your pick.”

“Maybe that one with the dome.” Cas pointed to their left. “I read a bit about the campus last night while you slept.”

“Yeah, what’d you learn?” Dean asked as they made their way into the building. They have two telescopes, very large, and a cadaver lab that is impressive.”

“Wow, romantic,” Dean said with a smirk.

Cas said, “Didn’t realize romance was a requirement.” Cas smirked back. “The campus also has a building with a forge and a department that practices making both medieval weapons and art.”

“Well, you lead with that, Cas. Let’s go see that.” Dean looked excited, and Cas wanted to indulge that.” He set a hand on Dean’s elbow and directed him toward the building with the forge.

They spent too much time watching students work. Dean didn’t seem like he had any intention of leaving or even drinking the water Cas brought him. He was transfixed. Eventually though, Cas mentioned lunch, and Dean’s stomach grumbled out a corresponding complaint. They headed out to the quad again and found the commons area with all of its food offerings. It was actually more like dinner time than lunch, but they hadn’t exactly taken the time for that meal.

“This place is great. We should put a forge in the bunker. We could make our own swords, and maybe even incorporate some etchings that strengthen the weapons. There’s potential here, Cas.” Dean was babbling as he devoured his burger.”

“Forges are hot.” Cas was thinking of the way that the temperature would affect the overall climate of the bunker.

“Well, whatever turns you on, buddy.” Dean laughed a little.

“I mean,” he sighed, “never mind. Eat your burger. Maybe now you’ll let me check out the telescopes.”

“Oh, you were really interested in that?” Dean finished off the last bite of his burger.

“I am. I have always enjoyed looking at the stars, the vastness of the universe.” A little smile tugged up at the edges of Cas’ lips, but then he suddenly looked a little sad.

“You ever miss it? The freedom of just popping off to all of that whenever you wanted.” Dean waved a hand at the ceiling.

“Sometimes. Moving about untethered, not tied to a vessel is a wholly different experience, one I can’t explain. You feel vast though and maybe even a little endless. Because of it, though, I’ve learned to appreciate smaller things more. It is funny that in all the infinite universe, I would choose to love such a small place as this.” Cas waved a hand in a circle, signifying everything.

“Earth?”

“Yes, and even smaller spaces than the whole planet. The bunker, the back seat of the Impala, the kitchen in the bunker even. I’ve come to appreciate the intimacy of small spaces, the joy that they can bring.” Cas glanced at Dean then back down at his hands. “The people too. They, you, make it better here.” He glanced at Dean again. Color rose into Dean’s cheeks.

“Finish eating your burger and I’ll take you to your damn telescope.” Dean rolled his eyes. “You do know that we have a telescope back at the bunker?”

“This one’s bigger.”

Dean’s brows came together. “Oh, so you’re a member of the bigger is better camp I take it.”

“In this case yes.” Cas reached over and stole one of Dean’s fries from his plate. 

“And in other cases?” Dean was drilling a hole through the table with his staring. 

“You sound as if you might be concerned about something specific. What are you worried about?” Cas tipped his head a little in an attempt at making eye contact.

Dean hastily wiped his mouth and got up. “We should get going if you want to see your stars.”

Dean was already ten feet ahead of him, before Cas got up.

Cas had done more, the night before, than just researching programs that the school had to offer. He had explored all of that, but he’d also explored the faculty pages. That was how he came across Joan. She worked in the science department, but she had an all consuming love of astronomy in particular. She’d written a few books on the subject. He knew she’d be near the telescopes given what she’d written on her current focus. She was working on identifying an uncharted star.

What first drew Cas to her was her appearance. She looked like the kind of woman that Dean would gravitate toward. In her picture, and now standing in front of him too, she had rich dark brown hair hastily swept into a messy bun on top of her head. All of her biographical information listed her as single. 

Cas introduced himself as a professor from some west coast college. She accepted it. He said that Dean was his assistant. She was kind, and she even showed them her research. Cas could tell that she wasn’t showing them the calculations that mattered. That would have been foolish. It was her discovery to make.

Some hours later, and Cas had somewhat forgotten to pay attention to Dean. Joan’s work was just that interesting. She let him peer through the telescope, and she talked about stars and charting them like it was all that mattered. When Dean finally spoke up, it startled both of them. “MInd if I wander off for a bit?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dean,” Joan said. “I feel like we haven’t been including you nearly enough here.” She set a hand on his shoulder. She smiled warmly. 

“It’s not that. I’ve just had a long day. Figured I’d stretch my legs a little.” Dean smiled in that charming way of his, and Joan let her hand fall from his shoulder. 

“We could go if you want.” Cas didn’t get up though.

“No, you stay. If I don’t come back right away, just assume I went back to the motel.” Dean gave him a little shoulder pat as he walked past and out the door.

“He seemed a bit unhappy,” Joan said.

“He’s been hard to read lately.” Cas turned from the paper he was looking over. “Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s sad or angry or just bored.”

“Or jealous,” Joan offered.

“Pretty sure it’s not that.”

Joan just looked at him for a second and said, “Well, you’d know better.”

Cas redirected, “Your calculations here are a bit off.”

Joan came over to his side and took a seat. “Oh really?” Her tone was mocking.

Cas picked up a stray pencil from the table and rewrote her equation. Joan’s face went through several changes. “This should show you what you’ve been looking for.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said as she pointed to one part of Cas’ calculations. “If you go with this number, you’re assuming more gravitational pull in this region than there actually is.”

He was assuming that with good reason. “There’s another star there that hasn’t been discovered yet.”

“What’re you talking about? How would you know that?” Her eyes glinted with excitement though.

“It’s new. Well, it’s new by human standards. The light from it hasn’t reached this planet yet. So it makes sense that you wouldn’t have calculated for it. However by not calculating for it, you’re missing key information. Feel free to use my numbers.”

“But how?” She still looked surprised and perplexed. “I’ve been working on this for years.”

And this was the moment Cas chose to confess. “I’m an angel.” Then he showed her with a gentle glow of grace. She nearly fell from her chair.

“I, oh God.” She got up and moved back from him. Cas got up and sent out a calming wave of grace toward her.

“Fear not.” He laughed a little at how many times in his existence he’d had to say that. “I’ve come with an odd request.”

She moved slowly back toward him, reaching out a hand to touch him. “I knew something was different about you. You were mesmerizing. I felt like I needed to be near you.”

Cas hadn’t noticed that. He had picked up on some level of attraction that she was feeling for him, but her words held a different sort of intensity. Her hand dragged up his chest. “I need to be getting back to Dean.” He took a step back from her.

“I could go with you,” She stepped back to him, touching his arm.

Cas wondered if it was right, asking her to do this. It had been his intention, but she was clearly drawn to him, not Dean. He thought of Dean though, and the desire to touch him again, to feel his body pressed to his own, that desire won out. “Would you be willing to let me occupy your body for one night?”

Her brows came together as she processed his words. “Is that a fancy way of asking me for sex?”

“A little. I’d like for us to return to the motel and be with Dean.” It was almost funny how much easier it was to just say what he wanted when he spoke with complete strangers.

“So, we go to the motel and just see what happens?” She was still figuring out the arrangement. 

“Actually, I’d leave this body and occupy yours for just tonight. Then I’d walk back to the motel in your body.”

“And I’d be where exactly?” She sounded skeptical. 

“With me, in your body.” She seemed to still be processing it all. “You would be able to cast me out at any time. You would still have awareness and such.”

“This is odd. I suppose everyone has their kinks.” She leaned in and kissed him. Cas didn’t fight her. He didn’t quite know what to do. After all, he was asking for a lot, and their intimacy would be much more than this if she said yes. “Yes,” she whispered as she ended the kiss.

Cas smiled and left his body.

Cas didn’t leave the building right away. Instead he stood in the room a moment first and breathed from within this new body. He moved his own vessel to a small office. Joan told him that it would be safe there. It was one of the few coherent things that she said once he was occupying her body. She was mostly rambling on about the information he was feeding her concerning stars and distant universes. He made a slight adjustment to her telescope so that she’d see something new when she returned to this place, a little thank you for what she’d given him.

He shut off the lights and made his way out of the building. It was late, much later than he’d realized. Cas noticed the way that the campus seemed rather empty. The darkness, the emptiness, chilled him a little bit. He came down the steps and made his way toward the quad. “Hey there.”

Cas turned mid step. “Dean.” 

Dean moved to his side. “It’s late. You shouldn’t be walking alone this late.”

Forgetting for a moment how he looked, Cas said, “No one here could pose any sort of danger for me. I would easily smite them.” Dean looked at him funny. “Well, incapacitate. Smiting might be a bit extreme.”

“Smiting?” Dean let his hand brush the back of Cas’ elbow to direct their walk. “Hardly a word I’d expect to hear from an astronomer, Joan.” He almost seemed to add the name as an afterthought. 

“Guess you just don’t know me that well yet, Dean.” Cas smiled and leaned into him a little. ‘Perhaps we should change that.” Joan actually told him what to say there, and he was grateful for it. 

They walked together, but didn’t seem to be heading for the motel exactly. “Where to?” Dean asked as they continued their walk. Cas really had no destination in mind. Neither did Joan. He’d assumed they’d go back to the motel, but they just didn’t. 

“I don’t know. Where would you like to go?”

Dean seemed to think about that for a bit before answering. “Cas was saying that he had come to appreciate small places more since he came here.” Dean let his arm slide around Cas’ waist as he spoke. Made me kinda appreciate those spaces a bit more too.”

Cas stopped walking a moment and reached up to Dean’s cheek. He was taller than Cas was currently by a fair amount. Cas pulled him down into a kiss. Dean went along with this willingly. He was gentle with Cas. He stroked his back as he deepened the kiss. Cas soaked in all of the little details. Dean seemed to pour kindness into each small movement. When the kiss ended, Dean just held him close, even rested his chin on top of Cas’ head.

“I’d like to go to the Impala, I think,” Cas said.

Dean let him go a little. “We can do that.” It didn’t occur to Cas that Joan wouldn’t have known about the Impala. Their scenario was flimsy. They knew what was real. They knew and they continued to lie to themselves and each other. 

The Impala was in the student parking lot. Dean must have moved it there while he and Joan had been alone. “You certainly parked it far enough away from the other cars.”

“Wouldn’t want her damaged by some careless college guys.” Dean opened the door for him. Cas looked at him funny, then went to the other door, the one to the back seat.

“Why’d you drive the car over?” Cas asked as he sid into the back, making room for Dean to join him.

“I,” Dean started as he slid in. “I was going to go to a bar or something. Wanted to give you both some space if you wanted it. Then I just came back here instead.” He looked off out the side window and added, “To lick my wounds or something.”

“Lick your wounds?”

He still wouldn’t look at Cas. “Yeah. I thought you’d both made a connection that was more of a private thing. I was sort of a third wheel so to speak.”

Cas sat there motionless for a moment, before Joan spoke up in his head. He’s in love with you, ya know. Might make sense to kiss him through this moment or you know, something more. She painted a little picture for him with her thoughts. Cas moved into Dean’s lap. “You’re never the third wheel.” Not the most romantic thing he’d ever said, but it seemed to move Dean.

“I was jealous, and I’m pretty confused about what this all is.” Cas leaned in and kissed him just below his jaw. He gradually moved his lips down to his neck where he nuzzled in a bit. 

“It’s love,” Cas whispered near Dean’s ear. “It’s meeting someone where they are, and finding happiness in moments.”

“You barely know me, Joan,” Dean said.

Cas moved off Dean’s lap and in an economy of moves, pulled Dean down onto his back on the seat. He lifted Dean’s hips and removed his pants. “I know you. And I  am meeting you where you are, because I love you.”

Dean sucked in a breath and seemed like emotions were overtaking him. So, Cas dipped down and kissed him low on his stomach. Then he peppered Dean’s hips with kisses. Then he ran his hands up over Dean’s legs to part them more. Cas knelt in the small space he had in the foot well behind the driver’s seat. 

He leaned in slowly and took Dean into his mouth. He could feel Dean shaking a little beneath him. When Cas looked up, he noticed that Dean’s eyes were closed. He was gripping the seat beneath him with one hand, and the other had found it’s way to the back of Cas’ head. The taste of Dean on his tongue, the feel of him writhing about a little beneath him, was enough to make him happy.

Dean was thrusting a little now. Time had passed, but it felt like nothing to Cas. He wanted more of this. He wanted the kind of time that was years and days and he wanted it all with Dean. Cas let him go with a pop, and climbed back onto Dean’s lap before he could complain. Dean’s eyes were still closed. Even as he slid into him, Dean did not open his eyes. His breathing just hitched up.

Cas leaned down and kissed him quick. Dean wrapped his arms around him, and they moved together, slow like they had all the time in the world. The smell of the Impala’s leather filled Cas’ nose. The warmth of Dean beneath him was everything he wanted. Dean’s mouth was open as their hips rolled together quicker now than before. And words were tumbling out of him as Dean’s thrusts became more frantic. “Cas, Cas, Cas.” There was no mistaking the words Dean had said. He didn’t open his eyes. 

Cas felt every muscle in this body that wasn’t his, quaking with the orgasm that was reached. This was what it was to fall. This was what he wanted. If only it were easier. Dean didn’t open his eyes. He just ran his hands over the bare skin of Cas’ back. Eventually he laid his head down on Dean’s chest and listened to his heart beating beneath him.

Coming Home Chapter 8 (Shalaska) - Jem

Summary: to be young and wild and free

Chapter 8

Sharon and Alaska were both out, and Violet had the whole apartment to herself. She was pretty sure Sharon was working, and Alaska had said something about visiting a couple friends for dinner, but she couldn’t remember exactly. She was just appreciating her alone time when her cellphone rang and she didn’t recognize the number.

“Violet?” She hadn’t known who to expect but it certainly hadn’t been Matt.

“How did you get my number?” She couldn’t remember ever giving him any of her contact info.

“Trixie gave it to me.”

“Oh ok.” Violet said. “What’s up? Have you recovered from New Year’s yet?” He’d been pretty piss-drunk, but it had been a few days.

“Can I come over?” Matt ignored her question, sounding a bit desperate.

“Um…” Though rationally she knew she was allowed to have people over, it seemed a little weird that Matt might be the first of her friends to see her house.

“Please?”

“Yeah, of course.” She obliged.

He sounded really distraught, and Violet wasn’t a horrible person, so she could at least be sympathetic. She texted him her address and patiently went to wait in the living room.

Matt arrived only about 20 minutes later, and he must have walked or taken the bus because Violet never saw a car pull up.

“What’s going on?” She asked as soon as she let the boy in.

“I just needed to get out of there.” He didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so Violet didn’t push him. She could relate to not wanting to talk about a shitty home life. That had been her trying to make conversation most of her life. She had sensed there was something rough with Matt’s family pretty early on. Not that it was an excuse for him being kind of shitty sometimes.

“C’mon in.” She invited Matt to take off his shoes and brought him into the living room. Violet couldn’t help but be a little self-conscious as he looked around the small space, inspecting every surface carefully.

“These your foster parents?” He asked. He’d found a photo on the mantle of Sharon and Alaska. It looked like it was a couple years old. Sharon’s hair was bleached nearly white, not it’s current black, and she smiled at the camera as Alaska was giving her a kiss on the cheek. It was sickeningly cute, if Violet was being honest.

“They look pretty young.”

“They are.” Violet agreed. “Sharon’s thirty or so I think. Alaska is a couple years younger maybe.”

“I guess that’s the perk of not having biological children. No teenage pregnancy but you get to be a young parent.” Matt remarked.

“I guess…” It wasn’t weird for Matt to ask awkward questions, especially when it came to parent things, but he seemed particularly upset today. “Matt, are you ok?”

“I’m fine.”

She invited him to her room after offering him something to eat or drink–he declined. Violet tried not to be awkward, but she’d never had any friends over to her house. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed, really. She loved Sharon and Alaska’s little apartment even though it was small. It just felt really personal to have anyone in what had become her safe space.

“Tell me more about your foster parents.” Matt didn’t look at Violet as he sat down on her bed. He seemed to want a distraction, and normally Violet wouldn’t have obliged, but they’d become almost friends?

“Um… Well they’re adopting me, so they won’t be my foster parents much longer.”

Matt leaned back on the bed, getting comfortable, so Violet continued.

“Alaska is an artist, and she has a studio next door and everything. Sharon has an office job during the day but I think she sings or something at a bar downtown too.”

“They sound pretty cool.” It was nice to hear that Matt was being better about the whole, lesbian thing.

“They are.” Violet agreed. “Like, they’re both pretty young but they seem to have done a lot in their lives already; travelling, school, different jobs. Sharon even won a pretty big pageant quite a few years back.”

Matt was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again, and Violet wasn’t sure if he was really listening to what she was saying. He seemed very lost in his own head.

“Are your parents dead, or were they just shitty?” He asked out of the blue.

“My mom’s in jail. My dad could be dead for all I know.” Violet answered even though he was being unfair. He knew she didn’t really like to talk about her past. “Matt, are your parents abusing you?” She asked outright. Violet had been through enough in her life that she didn’t feel like beating around the bush.

“I don’t know.” He answered, and that worried Violet. “No.” He continued, more surely this time.”I just suddenly feel like I’m questioning everything they’ve ever told me because they can’t be right with what I know now.”

“What do you know now?”

“That everything’s not black and white. Not people, not feelings, not anything.” Matt elaborated. “I’m sorry, we should have fun. I need to stop.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a joint and a lighter. “Wanna share?” He asked, lighting it and passing it to Violet.

She nodded and took a puff. As Matt began to smoke, his mood seemed to improve. Violet could feel her anxiety melting away too.

Somehow, Matt convinced her to look through the kitchen cupboards for some alcohol. They found a half-empty bottle of vodka and did shots out of a plastic IKEA cup. Violet allowed herself not to worry about drinking; she was literally in the safest place to be doing it. Besides, she was starting to have fun, and Sharon and Alaska were probably going to be out until late.

She allowed herself to be a little bit reckless, and it wasn’t like when she’d been in some of her previous homes. She’d been really angry and rebellious for a long time and had caused her fair share of trouble. But she’d never gotten to be a kid, or even a teenager really, and it was nice to be a bit more free now that her life didn’t revolve around rebelling against the foster system and its fucked-up nature.

Her and Matt talked for a long time, and he suddenly got an idea once they were both past tipsy.

“You said Sharon won a pageant, does she have, like, a crown?”

“Yeah, it’s a big shiny silver thing that probably weighs like a good ten pounds.”

“We should take it.”

“And do what?”

“I don’t know, put it on and take photos or something?” Matt seemed excited. “Oh my god wouldn’t that be so funny?”

“I don’t know Matt….”

“C'mon Violet, we’ll put it right back after.”

The two snuck into Sharon and Alaska’s closet.

“Ooh la la, look at this!” Matt squealed, grabbing something from the back of the closet. As he turned, Violet saw that he was holding a pink, transparent negligée over his body.

“Oh my god, put that back!” Violet hissed at him.

“Come on Vi, it’s pretty.”

“I don’t want to think about either of my foster moms wearing that, ew.” Violet squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget the image that had popped into her head.

“They’re both kinda hot, even if they are a bit old for my tastes.” Matt continued to dance around in the offensive garment.

“Ew ew ew, please stop talking right now.” Violet couldn’t even look at him. “Let’s just get the crown and get out of here.”

Matt finally dropped the lingerie on the ground. “It’s here!” He yelled. He stood on his toes to reach the shiny silver headpiece, pulling it down to Violet’s eye level.

“Wow.” Matt gasped, in awe. It was strange almost to see the boy enjoying things that seemed so feminine, and it was nice that he was actually enjoying himself and admiring something so beautiful.

Violet felt the same way. It was a really beautiful and ornate crown. It had such a power to it, especially due to its towering size. It was hard to imagine anyone wearing such a thing, especially Sharon “spooky mom” Needles.

Violet danced around while they got ready for their impromptu photo shoot. She did some quick makeup and put on the highest heels in Sharon and Alaska’s closet. This wasn’t about looking polished; it was a chance for her and Matt to subvert all the conventions that had been set for them in life.

“I don’t know where would be a good place for photos in here.” Everywhere she looked around the apartment seemed too domestic, covered in tasteful beige and white that was very honey, but not glamorous.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Matt asked. “I have an idea.”

They walked about twenty minutes to a part of town Violet had never visited before. She complained the whole way because she was carrying an array of clothes to change into, and some of that stuff was fucking heavy. Matt lead her around the back of an old, worn out building, and she didn’t question him when the lock was clearly already broken. They found themselves in a basement filled with mannequins, clothing racks, and a bunch of full length mirrors. It was the right amount of grunge and glamour for this shoot.

“Ooh, bitch, this is perfect!” Violet exclaimed as she looked around the room. “What is this place?”

“I think it must have been an old costume shop or something.” Matt said rather nonchalantly. She didn’t bother asking how he’d found the abandoned shop; at this point she was too excited to get started.

Violet went to the back of the room, where there was a closet/dressing room of a sort. She changed into an outfit and touched up her makeup in the mirror. When she got back out, Matt had turned on the battery operated lamps around the room, and was taking a swig straight from the bottle of vodka they’d stolen from the house.

Feeling confident, Violet took the booze from his hands and did the same, barely noticing the burn now. She slipped on her heels, and posed a bit unsteadily, wearing Sharon’s crown. She put on some music on her phone, and was glad when Matt began to dance with her. They took turns taking some shots of each other, and they were just shitty iPhone photos because neither of them had a proper camera. Somehow, that felt right. Matt seemed so much more free now, and he added some lipstick and a pearl necklace to his look once he was more confident. Violet didn’t question it for a second. She could barely stand up straight (a combination of the alcohol, the heels, and probably the giddiness) and she basked in the feeling of not having a care in the world. This is what being young was all about, and even though there were only too of them there, the room was full of energy.

The world spun and suddenly, they were together in the dressing room, and the music was still blaring and there were clothes strewn out everywhere and Matt was standing really close to her. Before Violet could do anything his lips were on hers, smudging her dark lipstick as she was pressed up against the shaky wall.

“Matt.” She mumbled through the kiss, feeling weird and confused. He didn’t seem to hear her. “Matt!” She yelled, pushing him off her a little too hard.

He hit the opposite wall with a thud, and it was like the haze cleared.

“What the fuck, Violet?” He asked her. “I thought you liked me.”

“I don’t know.” Violet was feeling panicked. “I don’t know what I like.” She stood there shaking for awhile, not knowing how to elaborate. Matt stared her down for a few seconds, waiting, before breaking eye contact.

He left the small room in a huff, and Violet felt like she was floating and not in a pleasant way. Everything was just so confusing and for the first time in awhile she didn’t know what she was feeling about anything. Did she like Matt? She didn’t know… it’s like she thought she did, but his mouth felt weird on hers. She was a lot more drunk than she really liked to be anymore, and she began to see how not-in-control she was of this whole situation. They’d just broken into an abandoned building to take photos, with stolen booze and a stolen crown, and fuck, how could she have been so stupid?

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash, and Matt’s voice saying: “shit.”

She got back out into the main room to see Sharon’s crown in pieces. Neither of them moved or breathed for a second and then Violet collected herself and spoke as calmly as she could. “I need you to leave.” She told Matt as she gingerly reached for the shattered pieces of metal all over the floor. Who knew something so grand could be so delicate?

“Violet, I’m so sorry, I’ll help you.” Matt sounded guilty, but at this point she couldn’t deal with everything happening around her, even if it wasn’t really his fault.

“Please, Matt, just go.”

She cleaned up the stuff as much as she could, but the place looked trashed and there was no hope of collecting all of the crown, let alone fixing it. So she wiped the makeup off her face and did the only thing she could think to do: call Alaska.

“Violet?” Alaska’s voice sounded worried, and Violet wasn’t sure how late it was but it was dark outside and everything was a mess.

“Mom?” Violet found herself close to tears. “Can you come get me?”

Basketball Court

By Ash

There is only one hoop. It's old and rusting, with the net of the basket frayed and halfway off. It stands over cracked pavement that's still somehow safe to play on, and surrounded by an old, vine covered chain link fence. A single wooden bench sits on the edge, its wood starting to rot and its metal pieces rusting. The small basketball court is hidden in a grove of trees, which surround the court on all sides. The court is old and forgotten, a secret clearing in the center of the trees. Every day, a single girl comes to the court, jumping the fence to get inside. She always holds the same small, black backpack, which contains a basketball, her phone and headphones, and a set of journals and pens. Every day she places her bag on the bench, takes out the basketball, and starts practicing alone. The ball swishes through the hoop periodically as her headphones blast music into her ears, the phone held steady on her arm by a specially made band. And at exactly two hours after she arrives, she stops playing and sits on the bench, her pen scratching on the page of one of the journals. Another two hours later she gets up and leaves, always returning the next day. It's a long, continuous loop that continues whether rain or shine. And one day, the loop is broken. ~~~~~~~~~ “What's your favorite sport?” The boy tilts his head, considering as he signed the album set before him. “I love basketball,” he decides. “Ah! Basketball is fun, isn't it?” The girl beams at him. He smiles, tilting his head. “Do you play?” “Not on an official team, but I play on this abandoned court a few minutes outside Seoul,” the girl replies with a smile. “It's in the middle of the woods, near where some old abandoned school was. I play there pretty much every day!” “Ah, that's cool,” the boy says with a smile that is no longer forced for fan service. But before the conversation could continue, the girl must move on, and she heads on her way, handing her album to the next boy. The black haired boy considers her for a moment before turning to the fan now before him. ~~~~~~~~~ Leaves crunch as a pair of shoes walk over them, their owner muttering incomprehensible words as he walks along. He stops abruptly, and stares ahead of him. An old, vine covered chain link fence sits before him. Behind it is a basketball hoop, cracked cement, and an old bench. On the bench sits a black bag. It is open, but the boy can see nobody in the area. Then the boy hears the echoes of a bouncing ball, and does a double take as he sees a girl on the court for the first time. She had [h/l] [h/c] hair, and she seems vaguely familiar, but from where he couldn't place, yet he swore she wasn't there a moment before. The boy jumps the fence, and the girl pauses, staring at him in disbelief. “Hello,” the boy greets. The girl removes her headphones, eyeing him with a guarded expression. “Hello,” she replies warily. “Do you mind if I'm here?” He asks. She is silent a moment, but shakes her head. “Not at all. This place isn't owned by anyone.” She smiles at him, her eyes taking in his blue-streaked black hair, loose clothing, and posture, her brow creasing as she watches him. The boy sits on the bench, and pulls out a notebook. He begins to write as the girl practices in the background, and he listens to the clang of the rusting metal as the ball hit it, the swish of the fraying net as the ball passes through it, and the echo of the ball as the girl dribbles across the court. “Wanna play?” The boy looks up at the sudden offer. “What?” The girl is smirking. “One on one. Come on, let's play half-court. Since there's only one hoop anyways.” The boy sets aside his things, becoming competitive as he sees her confident look, drawn in by her taunting. “Bring it on.” ~~~~~~~~ It quickly becomes a tradition. Once a week, or sometimes more, the girl and the boy would meet at the court and play a few rounds of different basketball games. They wouldn't talk much - they would just play. But finally, one week the girl was sitting down when he arrived, and she gestured for him to sit as well. “What's your name?” Was the first thing she asks. The boy smiles. “I'm Min Yoongi. And you are?” “My name is [Y/N] [Y/L/N], pleased to meet you.” There is a pause. “You're in a band, aren't you?” [Y/N] asks after a moment. "I recognize you from somewhere. On a website for music, I think." Yoongi nods reluctantly. “Yeah, I am.” “That's awesome. I was part of a band once, but it kinda all fell apart. Long story very short, I quit. I still write music, though.” She loosely gestures at her bag. Yoongi smiles. “Writing music is fun, isn't it?” [Y/N] nods. “Easier than actually producing it, I dare say. I can't transfer what's in my mind onto paper. And I can't read music sheets.” Yoongi tilts his head. “I might be able to help with that. The actual music, not the lyrics. If you want.” [Y/N] considers him, a smile tugging at her lips. “I would like that. Thank you.” Yoongi nods. “No problem. Now, wanna play?” [Y/N] takes out the basketball and smirks, the same confident look she had the first time she stood before Yoongi and challenged him to a game. “Of course.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Woah…” [Y/N]’s mouth drops open as she listens to the music blasting through the headphones clamped over her ears. “You like it?” Yoongi asks, a little nervous at the reaction that could be either positive or negative. “Like it?!” She stares at Yoongi with wide eyes. “I LOVE it!” He smiles, relieved at her positive reaction to his music. “Thank you. I worked hard.” “You sure did! This is awesome!” [Y/N]’s grin doesn't fade as she moves her head to the beat, beaming. Yoongi watches with a smile, a feeling of pride welling up in him as he sees her enjoy the music he created. “Wow. When you make more music, you have to show me,” [Y/N] announces, removing the headphones. “Should we play now?” Yoongi smiles, setting aside the headphones and phone. “Yes.” [Y/N] pulls out the basketball and tosses it to him, grinning. ~~~~~~~~ Weeks pass, then months. Without fail, [Y/N] is there when Yoongi arrives. Be it midnight or noon, she is always there. It was almost as if she never left. [Y/N] chats away with Yoongi as they play one on one basketball matches, most of which end in ties. They learn everything about each other, and become the closest of friends. Yoongi becomes accustomed to her not knowing recent songs and slang, often teaching her and bringing new music every time. He never questions anything she says, knowing that she just doesn't listen to much music nowadays… or, at least, that's what she claims. It was strange to him, a songwriter not listening to recent music, but Yoongi doesn't question it. Her phone is several years old as well, and she admits when asked for her number that the messaging and calling doesn't work at all, as she couldn't afford to pay the bills. Slowly but surely, Yoongi falls for her. He often finds himself in a daze when she talks, not focusing on her words but rather the sound of her voice. Her smile makes him smile. He spaces out during practices, and instead of dancing he'd be thinking, which would result in him getting scolded by the others and being told time after time to pay attention. [Y/N], on the other hand, grows just as fond of Yoongi, but forces herself to not become overly attached to him. As she'd learned previously, all good things must come to an end. So she allows herself to befriend Yoongi, but not once letting herself blurt out words she was dying to say, knowing he would end up being hurt by it in the end. At last, a year passes since the first meeting on the old court. And [Y/N] is acting strangely. “Earth to [Y/N]!” Yoongi waves a hand before her face, and she jumps. “Sorry,” she says sheepishly, looking down at her feet. “I spaced out.” “It's fine,” Yoongi replies, knowing full well what it was like to space out on others. “You're lucky we weren't playing - I could've scored a dozen points by now!” She laughs, but it sounds forced. “Feeling alright?” Yoongi asks, a little worried by her strange behavior. “Yeah. It's just… a year has passed since we met. Can you believe it?” [Y/N] asks, smiling. “Wow. It's been awhile, huh?” Yoongi grins. “I'm glad I met you, though.” “Me too,” [Y/N] replies. “Hey, I have to go early. Is that alright?” “Yeah, it's fine,” Yoongi nods. “I have to run sometimes, remember?” “Yeah. ‘Bye, Yoongi!” [Y/N] grins, waving at him cheerily as she scoops up her bag. “See you,” he replies, waving as well and beginning to head in the opposite direction. “Oh- [Y/N]-” Yoongi turns, intending to speak with the girl, but she already vanished. Yoongi blinks in confusion, knowing she couldn't have jumped the fence and hurried off that quickly. “[Y/N]...?” ~~~~~~~~ All that is there is her bag. Yoongi frowns, a little confused and slightly disappointed. Why wasn't she here? Where was she? He approaches her bag, and discovers a note pinned to it. A note addressed to him. He pulls it off, his eyes scanning over the words written in messy handwriting. Hello, Yoongi. Thank you for always coming whenever you could to play basketball with me. It was a lot of fun, and I very much enjoyed it. However I won't be coming back anymore, for many reasons. But I left this bag here, for you. It's yours, and so is everything in it. The phone passcode is 1993. Oh, and one final thing. I'm sorry. -- [Y/N] Confused, Yoongi opens the bag, taking out everything inside. The bag contains the basketball, three journals and an assortment of pens, a phone and its charger, and a folder of newspaper clippings. Yoongi sits on the bench and opens the folder of clippings, flipping through them as his heart drops to his stomach. The popular girl group from XYZ Entertainment loses a member as their lead vocalist quits. Former girl band member sues XYZ Entertainment. Former XYZ Entertainment lead vocalist loses her lawsuit. [Y/N], the ex-lead vocalist of XYZ Entertainment’s girl band, dies in a car accident. Yoongi’s heart nearly stops beating from shock and disbelief. He leafs through the clippings, desperately searching for dates on the articles. Dec. 15, 2012 Feb. 26, 2013 April 5, 2013 Jun. 01, 2013 Head spinning, mind unable to fully comprehend what his senses are saying, Yoongi sets aside the clippings. He pulls out the first notebook. It is a bright, beautiful green, and on the cover, in neat block writing, are written the words “song lyrics.” He opens the notebook and flips through, staring at the lyrics that were painstakingly written, edited, and finalized. He can almost hear the music in his head, and imagine the choreography for each and every completed song. The second notebook is the same, but this one had a white cover. While the first book had happy, upbeat songs, this one was somber. The lyrics are more deep and dark, and the beats of the songs that he can imagine were slow and steady. The final notebook, however, is a diary. The cover is black. Yoongi reads into the mind of the girl he played basketball with, seeing a side of her he didn't see before. The dates are all old, from at earliest 2009, and the age stated for the girl in that year was sixteen. As the dates grow older, Yoongi reads as she goes through her life as a trainee than an idol, watching as she becomes angrier and angrier with her company until she finally has enough and storms from the building, declaring that she was quitting. He reads as she struggles to dissolve her contract and sues the company for overworking and poor treatment of their trainees. He reads about her loss of the lawsuit. And he reads the final entry, on the date stated on the newspapers as the day of her death. June 01, 2013. I lost. I'm still in shock. I've been going into the woods daily now, to write here, on this old abandoned bench. I think they should put a basketball court here, so I can play. I love basketball. I've been watching my old band work, despite the fact that they all refuse to speak with me anymore. They're doing well. I've also watched new bands be created. There's one being made by Big Hit, the company I almost joined and regret not joining. It's a group of seven boys, and they're all amazingly talented. I will watch their debut and growth with happiness, and hope that they don't end up like me. Bangtan Sonyeondan, fighting! I hope you are loved by fans all over the world! I'm off topic. After I'm done here, I am going to go and head home. I have my small bag - my pens, my journals, my basketball… they need to put a court here, I swear. I would pay for it. Hell, I can see it. That old twisted tree could be a hoop; the bushes could be a fence; the ground filled with roots could be pavement. This old bench could be restored, and the area made into a secret basketball hideout. I would pay for that. Ah, but I can't. I have no money. My company was my only job, and I regret that. Long hours, grueling practices, next to no pay, and more… I couldn't take it. Plus, it sounded like we would never debut. I was so shocked when the band actually debuted last year. If anyone ever reads this, never join that company! It is hell! Don't do it! Go to YG, or Big Hit, or even JYP! Just don't go to XYZ! Maybe I'll go to Big Hit. I have songs I would like to produce, but they need more than one person… maybe I can find a new band. Ah, those songs… I would love to see them done and released to the public. But I might never see it. Oh well. Well, it's getting late. I'm going to head out. I'll return to this place tomorrow. Like I always do. Be back soon, little clearing! -- [Y/N] Yoongi’s hands shake as he finishes the final entry. She never returned to the clearing the next day. She died in a car accident on her way home. He had been playing basketball with a ghost. His hands shake so violently, he could barely turn to the final page. The final page of the last journal holds a note, a note addressed to him and written in fresh ink. Dear Yoongi: Thank you. You helped me a lot. You put my mind at rest and let me move on. I was stuck in the same loop, repeating my last day over and over again. You helped me break the loop and eventually move on. I promise that I'll see you again someday. Somehow. This isn't the final goodbye, but a simple parting of paths for a little while. Thank you for letting me finally rest in peace. With love, [Y/N] Yoongi sits silently, staring in front of him at the rusting basketball hoop. Two droplets of water land on the paper before the notebook is closed and slipped back in the black bag sitting at Yoongi’s feet. The old basketball court is falling apart. And as Yoongi watches, the hoop fades into an old, twisted tree, the cracked concrete becomes a dirt ground riddled with roots, and the chain link fence dissolves into bushes and old, weathered tree stumps. All that remains is the old, rotting wooden bench he sits on, the metal pieces of which are rusting. He stands, shoulders the black bag, and leaves the area, refusing to let the forming tears fall down his cheeks. ~~~~~~~~~ The clearing is old and forgotten. But every few days, a single, black haired boy will visit, sit on the rusting bench, and stare. Stare at the area which used to be a basketball court that gave him some of his most precious memories. Most times an open notebook will be before him, his pen scratching across it as song lyrics write themselves. Occasionally, he will rap along with what he's writing. And sometimes, if you look just right in the light, you can see a girl sitting besides him, her head resting on his shoulder as they stare at nothing together, faint music playing from the old phone that always sits besides them. ~~~~~~

Seojun & Petra [Prologue]

Seojun thought back on the fight that a certain duo had gone through earlier, as he had the moment to just sit down and let his thoughts wander for a bit.  While it was rather unorthodox and childish to have been fist fighting at a time where they needed to cooperate with one another, he could understand why.  Tensions were high; especially since you didn't know who these people were.  Perhaps, he should check on the both of them.

He went over to Petra first.  Why?  It was a good question, but she did mention that she liked Jazz, and not in a meme-kind of way.  While he liked it both ways, hearing that she was a Jazz Singer caught his eye.  She felt familiar, and even though he knew they never met, he's felt like he's heard of her somewhere.

Tapping on her shoulder, he offers a polite smile.  "How're you holding up, considering the odds?"  Not the best starter to a conversation, but not the worst, either.

As she always was, Petra was in a rather sour mood. This whole situation was beyond infuriating and the people were easily, easily the worst part. Approaching Petra in general was a poor idea, but approaching her when she was at a whole new level of annoyed? That was a worse idea.

"Obviously fucking NOT, you idiot," Petra scoffed. "In case you haven't fucking noticed, that freckly bitch punched my in the goddamn face, so now not only am I trapped in a cramped room with a bunch of fucking idiots, but now I've gotta deal with my face throbbing. So you tell me, how do you think you would be doing?"

Wow.   Wow, okay, now that was a bit explosive in itself, and he hadn’t even tried to annoy her yet.  Damn, she really was a mega-bitch.  Normally, this would be the point where he walked away and just told himself “fuck this shit, i’m out”.  Considering that she was in a pretty bad state though, it was almost bound to happen, so he stayed a little longer.

“I’d probably bitching everyone out like you are right now, honestly.”  Seojun took a seat next to the red-head, letting a sigh pass his lips.  “There’s too many big personalities in such a little space, and there’s still a couple knocked out.  With no way out...yeah, bad timing, I know.”

“But since I’m here, I wanted to know a bit about you.”  He turns his head towards her, raising an eyebrow.  “You mentioned that you were the Ultimate Jazz Singer, right?”

Yeah, 'too many big personalities in one place' was a bit of an understatement. Just replace 'big' with annoying, and you've basically figured out exactly what Petra was thinking.

"Well thank fucking god you're using your logical reasoning skills," Petra snapped and rolled her eyes.

"So you want to know about me, huh? Yeah, I'm the Ultimate Jazz Singer. Do you want me to sing you a fucking lullaby or something?" Petra asked. "Why do you even care? Are you a musician or something?"

Actually, she was sort of hoping he was. She really hoped the only other musician here wasn't that blue-haired guitarist.

Well...

“Ahh...Yes, and no?  I do sing, but even though people have told me I sound like some kind of mix between Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble, I know I’m not on an Ultimate level of skill like you, or that guitarist over there.”  His answers were ended by a shrug of his shoulders.  This would probably displease her, but what else could Seojun do?

“As for why I care?   You might be surprised by this....or you might not be, who knows.  But, I’ve listened to some of your work, Petra.”  A smile dawned upon his lips once again, as he flicked his hair to the side.  “You are definitely worthy of your title, I’ll just put it that way.”

Ah yes, a compliment. As if she’d never come across those before. It was pretty common for people to shoot her a compliment in hopes she would suddenly warm up to them. It usually didn’t work.

“You know what? Normally my standards wouldn’t be this low, but thank fucking god someone here actually knows what Jazz is. I thought this place was just full of moronic heathens, but I guess you managed to be a step above every other idiot here,” Petra said with a cruel laugh.

“Well obviously I’m worthy of my title, I worked my fucking ass off to train my voice,” Petra said. “But enough about me, you still haven’t even mentioned your fucking name.”

Technically, he did, but he supposed that she wasn’t around to hear what it was with all of the commotion going on.  He was rather shell-shocked to hear that he managed to be tolerable around her, but when she asked for his information...oh dear, he was definitely going to sink back to the bottom, knowing her personality.

“Right, I haven’t, have I?  The name’s Seojun Tsoi.  My talent is, uh...”  He gave a laugh himself, facing away for a moment, before facing back towards her.  “If I’m a step above every other idiot here now, then you don’t wanna hear my talent.”

“Regardless, an introduction is an introduction.  I received the title of the Ultimate Internet Troll.”  Aaaand here comes the onslaught.

Petra.exe has stopped working. She honestly, for a second there, completely blanked out. Did this guy really just say his talent was being an Internet Troll? Did he actually say that with sincerity, no joking?

She let out a loud laugh. She could already feel tears coming to her eyes as she held onto her stomach for dear life. Oh my god, this was rich! She couldn’t breathe!

“Y-You seriously mean to tell me that Hope’s Peak seriously have you the title of ‘Internet Troll’? What the fuck? That’s gotta be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!! What the fuck!!!” She honestly couldn’t stop laughing. There was no way to tell if it was real laughter or not.

“Oh my god, you’re a fucking joke,” Petra said and wiped tears away from her eyes. “How the fuck do you even get a talent like that? Make incel jokes on reddit all day?”

As soon as his title came out of his lips, Seojun knew that he was in for a helluva roasting himself, by someone that he respected over the sound waves of her music.  He had to admit, some of these insults that she gave out were harsh as hell.  He braced himself for the worst.

And, it was bad.  It truly was, especially the part with the incel jokes.  The Internet Troll knew he wouldn't be taken seriously as soon as his talent was exposed.  That was the irony of it all; he'd have to impress everyone because of his disadvantage of a useless title.

Was it useless?  Who knows.  "I'll give you this; the incel jokes are probably saved for the "men are stronger than women" guy known as Takuma.  Making incel jokes is low, and aren't witty at all." A smile dawned across his face, though it almost seemed forced.  Seojun stared down at his hand for a moment.  "I told someone here that it's like being a stand up comedian; it takes luck, wit, and the right words to say.  If you've ever seen some of these Twitter accounts nowadays, think of something like that."

"Yeah, I know it's a dumb talent on the surface.  Hope's Peak really fucked me over in bestowing such a title, but I'm not that much of an asshole...I think."

“Well Jesus Christ, don’t you wish Hope’s Peak had given you the title of ‘Social Media Personality’ or some shit?” Petra snorted. “God, Internet Troll, that’s gotta be the worst talent I’ve ever heard. It’s even worse than that stupid shit like ‘Ultimate Fortune Teller’ or other bullshit supernatural talents.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulder. It was still a bit tangled from when that bitch grabbed it.

“Hey Troll Doll, I’ll stop laughing at you if happen to have a comb I can use on you,” Petra said.

Seojun couldn’t help but let out a slight snicker himself.  These insults may have been directed towards him, but something he learned was that if he laughed them off, they won’t bother him as much.  “To be honest, I believe there could be much, much worse.  I’ve heard people were accepted as magical girls at one point.  Cute, but...I don’t see how that’s a talent, you know?”

“As for a comb, I usually keep one on me, but since I can’t find most of my things, I can’t hold too many promises.  Still, I’ll check.”  With that, he checks inside all of his pockets.  Jacket pockets, pants pockets, even the pocket inside his button up shirt, which was under the blue and red one.  Any luck on finding a comb?

After a while of searching, he felt something in his shirt pocket.  "....Ah-"  Quickly, he snatched, and flung it out.  Indeed, there was a black comb ready to use.  A smile grew onto his lips, before made a small "a-ha" sound.  "It's your lucky day, Miss Sakai."

He held this new item out towards her, in case she wanted to take it.  "Now, do you want me to comb it out, or are you good?"

Petra snatched the comb from his hand.

"What am I? Four? I'm not a little kid, I can comb my own hair," Petra scoffed. She removed the bow from her hair and began to comb it out with the comb so graciously provided by Seojun. Ah, better already. She carefully combed it through a couple of times and continued speaking, "For the record, magical girls is a fucking stupid ass talent too and Hope's Peak needs to get its act together...but as promised, I'll stop laughing at you and your weird talent."

She finished combing and fixed her bow back in place before tossing the comb back for Seojun to catch.

"So you like Jazz. Any favorites?" she asked, referring to both artists and songs.

As the comb was snatched out of the man’s hands so quickly, he couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle, listening to her rant about the various talents that were considered to be unacceptable upon her standards.  As she tossed him back the comb, he caught it with his left hand, giving a thank you in response.  Hearing her question, though, that sent him chuckling.  That was always a hard question, you could say.

“I figured you’d ask this.  I do have some favorites.  Frank Foster’s ’Here and Now’, Julia London’s ’Cry Me a River’...There’s also Kurt Elling and his music in general, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald...And how can I forget about your music?  Like I said, I’ve listened to some of it before.”  He paused for a moment, thinking back on something.  “...Though, I’m not sure if ’Late Nights and Heartbreak’ would also count.  That’s a really good one.”

“Your turn.  Any favorites you may have?”

"Hm, not bad," Petra replied, particularly his mention of Ella Fitzgerald. Complimenting Petra's muse was a good, quick way to get her to consider to be less of a demon. Less of, not stop entirely.

"You really shouldn't try so hard to kiss my ass. Am I really supposed to believe my two fucking original songs were life changing enough to be put on the same level of Ella Fitzgerald. I'm not gonna fucking kid myself and you shouldn't either," Petra said. "Late Nights and Heartbreak has Jazz influence, so I'll give you that one. But that's it."

Her favorites? "I'm impartial to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. Obviously Duke Ellington is fantastic as well and Miles Davis. A Night in Tunisia is a song my parents would often play in the house during their murders, so I have some strong fucking memories associated with that one."

Kissing her ass?  He was just being honest - he was kind of a sucker for jazz, and even though he loved rock, hip-hop, and other genres, there was something about the old fashioned music that had him captivated.  "Ah, I'm glad that I wasn't wrong about that song."  Oh, and Duke Ellington was quite a talent himself as well, how could he forget about-

Hold on.  Rewind.  Did Petra just say...?

"...Ah, don't mean to be invading your privacy or anything, but..."  Seojun blinked rapidly for a few seconds, as if he was making sure the information was actually registering properly.  "...Can you explain what you mean by...their murders?  And why they played A Night in Tunisia for that?"

Petra just examined her nails as though this whole thing was the opposite of a big deal, as though she was used to explaining it.

“Valentin and Alena Voronov were my real parents. You might not have heard of them if don’t have an interest in true crime, but they were the Honeymoon Killers,” Petra explained almost...eagerly, as though she was deeply excited to discuss this. “Basically, they were famous serial killers. They used to blast Jazz through the house so  the neighbors wouldn’t hear the victims scream. They were particularly fond of playing rowdier Jazz such as bebop for their murders. I think it got them more excited.”

She grinned, waiting for any reaction out of him. “Satisfied with that answer, Troll Doll?”

He seemed to have been stunned for a moment, after hearing the full explanation to the melodious vixen's mention to the murders comment.  Seojun definitely...was not expecting to hear some horror tales in this room today.  The blonde ran a hand through his hair, still processing all of this information.  Finally, his eyes darted to meet with her hazel, and let's just say they were wide as saucers.

"...God, damn."  He hissed out, nervously laughing.  This was a little intimidating.  Turns out, someone that he's listened to was the daughter of the Honeymoon Killers.  "...Uh...Did they ever...y'know...get caught?  That's gotta be some...pretty dark shit right there, Petra."

Petra began to pick at her nails. Yeah, she definitely needed a fresh coat of paint.

“Obviously they got caught,” Petra scoffed. “Why the fuck do you think my last name is Sakai and not Voronov? I’d still be living with them if they hadn’t been found out. What? Do you think they just abandoned me or some shit to live a life on the run from the cops? Fat fucking chance.”

She stopped looking at nails to grin at him. “You’re not the first fucking person to freak out so much about this. It’s not even a big deal. They’re not even fucking alive anymore.”

Damn.  She took it all like it was some kind of joke, and the reason why was a big fat mystery to Seojun.  "I didn't mean that they'd do that to you."  The man reassured lightly, giving another sheepish smile back towards the Jazz Singer.  At the mention of her parents not being alive anymore, he couldn't help but shift his gaze slightly, scratching the back of his head.

"In regards to that last part...Well, looks like we sort of have something in common, huh?"

He stopped.  Shit, this wasn't his moment to be revealing parts of his own past.  Not right now.  He turned back to the red-headed vixen with a smile, laughing once again.  "Sorry.  Forget I said that.  I guess I don't usually hear something like what you told me every day."

“Yeah, dead parents, isn’t that a fucking trope?” Petra snorted. “Its a fucking stupid one, anyway. I dunno how your parents died,  but I’m guessing people don’t at least spit on their graves.”

She sighed and shook her head, something strangely pensive about her expression.

“Whatever. I’ll ‘forget’ what you said even though I don’t really care that much,” Petra said. “Whatever, though, find someone else to troll for a bit. This has gotten boring.”

Petra gave him a lazy wave before walking away.