#welcome to my page I hope you enjoy whatever I post here um yeah!!
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Not so alone at a party for two <3
I have never used tumblr before do I just put whatever here?
Beep boop.
#monkie kid monkey king#sun wukong#monkey king#macaques#six eared macaque#welcome to my page I hope you enjoy whatever I post here um yeah!!#fanart#artwork#digital art
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Commission for @extrasensorious-zoroark, who asked for a Luca and Lance fic. Gotta admit, this one was a little tougher for me, just because we have less than an episode of content with Luca, but overall I think it turned out well.
Set post-Voltron, is otherwise canon compliant (sorry, couldn't think of a good excuse to keep Allura alive within the word limit). Under a cut for length.
~~
When word reached the paladins that Luka hadn’t, in fact, been lost to them like they had thought, it was a stampede to make it to the med bay, with Romelle at the head of the group.
Lance thought Romelle might have felt a bit responsible for Luka’s death – she was, after all, the last one who had spoken to her before Honerva had done…whatever it was she had done to kill her. She’d spent the majority of their time in space looking guilty, and nothing anyone said could snap her out of it.
After Allura’s death, of course, Lance had sat down with her, and they’d done nothing more than just sit silently and cling to each other.
Now, as they gathered outside the med wing in the Garrison, Lance leaned over to Shiro. “How-?”
Shiro shook his head. “No idea,” he murmured. “Doctors didn’t say what changed, just that she suddenly revived right after we left for space.”
“And they didn’t tell us?” Romelle snapped.
Shiro’s hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed. “We had to have our focus elsewhere,” he said, and Lance watched her expression relax.
The doctor appeared at the door, looking weary. “Thank you all for coming,” she said. “I’m Dr. Reynolds. Luka is stable, has been for several weeks, but she still refuses to speak to anyone. With Honerva gone, we don’t believe her at risk for relapsing and suffering as she did prior. We still think it best if familiar faces be let in.”
Her gaze turned to Romelle and then to Lance and he blinked, lifting his hands in front of his chest instantly. “She doesn’t know me, she-”
He remembered, then, the marks on his face, and his gut twisted. “N-No, I’m not-”
Romelle’s hand gripped his elbow. “Please, Lance,” she murmured, her voice cracking. “I need an ally in there. Just in case.”
He slumped, offering a weak smile. “Sure. Sure, I’ll go.”
He glanced back at his teammates as Dr. Reynolds led them inside, and they all gave him sad smiles that did nothing to quell the churning in his stomach.
When Luka laid eyes on the pair, she scowled and flung her pillow at them. Romelle and Lance both dodged easily, and the other Altean hissed at the doctor. “No. Anyone but them,” she spat.
Dr. Reynolds nodded quickly. “Of course. Another time, then.”
Despite not wanting to come inside in the first place, Lance felt his gut sink. He’d been feeling pretty useless since Allura, uncertain, and despite their history, he’d been hoping that maybe, just maybe Luka could’ve been helped. To see that she wouldn’t even try? That hurt.
He hesitated to follow Romelle out the door, setting his hand on the frame as he looked back to her and searched her stony expression. “Well. We’re here, if you need.”
She flipped him off.
~~
He went back two days later, some of Hunk’s fresh gumbo cradled in his hands, and hesitated outside her door. Lance hadn’t told anyone he was planning to come here, so if he got the steaming stew thrown back in his face, he’d have a lot of explaining to do.
Luka was reading something on a tablet when he leaned in the door, tapping his knuckles on the frame and offering her a weak smile as she looked up. “Um. Hey. I brought you some not-hospital food, if you want it?” he offered, holding up the bowl and spoon. “Fresh from my teammate Hunk.”
Luka sneered. “Oh, you mean from the people who only destroyed my home planet? The ones who now keep me imprisoned here? No thank you.”
Lance shifted on his feet. “W-Well if you decide you want it, I’ll just…”
He set it down on the dresser at the end of her bed and gave her what he knew was more of a grimace than a smile before bolting back to the hallway.
When he walked by later, the gumbo was gone and the bowl was outside waiting for pickup with the rest of her dishes.
Lance didn’t know if she’d eaten it or thrown it away, but something like hope lifted in his chest.
~~
“Dr. Reynolds said you liked reading,” Lance said, standing in the doorway of Luka’s hospital room with his arms piled high with Earth books that had survived the war. “I brought some of my favorites from…from before.”
Luka lowered her tablet and frowned. “You keep coming here. Stop.”
Lance licked his lips and set the books down, refusing to be swayed. “This one here is about the Greek gods? They were these ancient gods that people used to worship, a-and the book is about their kids. And this book is about a girl who is a necromancer – that’s like, a person who can raise the dead. And she gets sent to a group home cause people think she’s insane, but actually the whole group home is just teenagers with powers. A-And this one is-”
“Paladin,” Luka snapped, and Lance jumped in surprise. She softened, setting her tablet on her lap. “Stop. I don’t…”
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. Her marks glowed faintly. “Your team…destroyed my home. It doesn’t matter how kind you act towards me, you will always be the people who killed my family. Just…stop. Please.”
Lance winced, thumbing the cover of The Hunger Games absentmindedly. “Luka, I’m sorry. We didn’t do that, though. We never hurt your home. Honerva brainwashed you to-”
The tablet shattered against the wall next to his face with a sickening sound and Lance jolted away, the book smacking the floor next to the broken glass. Luka’s cheeks were bright red and her eyes were filled with tears, the sight of which made Lance's chest ache. “Don’t you ever speak her name, you little-”
Lance threw his hands up, backpedaling out of the room before she could say more. His heart was beating fast, too fast, too hard, and he was back to their paladin wing by the time he realized he was crying too.
~~
Despite Dr. Reynolds advising against it, Lance kept bringing her food. Kept bringing her books, especially when he noticed the slightly dog-eared pages of the ones she claimed to have never touched. He never spoke to her, just dropped off Hunk’s latest cooking endeavor and a new set of books, and then took the read ones back to the library.
His teammates noticed, of course they did, and eventually Lance found Keith at his side, pulling down books at the library and handing them over silently, Pidge knocking on his door late at night with a novel she’d just finished in her hands, Hunk approaching him with more Altean themed dishes. He appreciated the efforts more than they could ever know, more than he could tell them.
Luka was lost, just like he was. She’d lost so much, in such a short span of time, and Lance understood that pain. He just wanted her to realize that there were others in the Garrison who understood what she was feeling. Needed her to realize it.
He’d be damned if he let her spend her whole life locked up here. Not after getting it back.
~~
“Your friend is a good cook,” Luka said as Lance set down the Mexican food Hunk had made that day. He blinked, not having expected her to talk, and looked up. Luka offered him what could only be called a grimace. “He um…knows his way around the kitchen. The Fineom he made the other day…that was an Altean dish.”
Lance nodded, turning to face her. “Yeah. Coran showed him how.”
She pursed her lips. “Coran is…the orange haired Altean, yes?”
“Yes,” Lance confirmed. “Hunk wanted to broaden his cooking horizons, and Coran knows some of the oldest recipes. He’s awful in the kitchen though,” he said with a chuckle.
Luka’s lips twitched in what look suspiciously like a smile, and she looked down at the book on her lap – To Kill a Mockingbird. She’d long since stopped hiding that she was reading the books Lance was bringing her. “Your world is so young,” she murmured, which was a shift in topic Lance wasn’t expecting. “You have dealt with so much that Alteans had forgotten ever happened on our world.”
Lance looked back to the book and hummed. “Yeah. We’ve come a long way. Got a long way to go. Cleaning up after the war is helping with that, shockingly,” he laughed. “Humans were pretty blind to everything outside our solar system – I think finally being able to interact with other planets made us realize how stupid and petty we all were.”
“Pettiness and stupidity occur no matter how old the planet,” Luka said, and her tone was bitter.
When she looked up, her eyes searched Lance’s with a depth he couldn’t fathom. His mouth went dry, and she shut the book. “May I…join you for lunch today? In the canteen? W-With you and your friends? I think…”
She put the book down and clasped her hands together. “I think I’m tired. Of eating alone and being stupid.”
Lance felt his face relax into a smile, and he held out an arm for her to cling to. “You were never stupid. But you’re welcome to join us – I and my teammates would really enjoy that.”
She reached out with a tentative smile and took his elbow.
#my writing#voltron#voltron: legendary defender#writing commissions#my commissions#lance vld#luca vld
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Past Pleasures
GIFS ARE NOT MINE
KAI PARKER X FEM!WITCH!READER (PAST RELATIONSHIP)
BAU TEAM X READER (PLATONIC)
SPENCER REID X READER (BRIEF AT END)
Request: Ohh I'm anxious for misunderstanding part 2! It's sooo good 💚 idk if you're taking requests (sorry if you're not) but i thought it'd be pretty cool if reader works at the bau and is someone from kai parker's past (a childhood friend/crush/whatever) and when the team's called for help in mystic falls, kai's the unsub.. thanks in advance and, again, sorry if you're not taking requests! Take care :)
(Summary: Never in a million years did you think your ex boyfriend would be on the BAU’s radar.)
(A/N: I'm altering the Prison World storyline from TVD for this imagine! Also I’m altering Kai’s storyline to fit this. Lastly some stuff in this story involving the hospital may be inaccurate. Also sorry this took so long to post. I hope you still enjoy it!)
REQUEST ARE OPEN (+ Harry Potter has been added to the list recently!)
“Hotch I’m going to be a bit late this traffic is a pain in the-” I start before I get cut off. “Y/L/N take all the time you need just make sure you get here in one piece.” Hotch’s stern voice says. “Yes sir I will be speeding there right now. Not literally Hotch.” I say before hanging up the phone. I steadily drive over to work and park my car. I enter the building and head up to the unit area. “Hey Y/N/N.” I hear Penelope’s happy voice greet me as I step out of the elevator. “Hey Pen.” I say smiling as I swing open the doors of the bullpen. I head over to my desk and sit down. “Ah don’t get too comfortable my BAU baby. We have a case.” Penelope says strolling past me and up the stairs.I haven’t had coffee yet.I follow her into the room. “Here I heard your commute was very long.” Emily says, handing me a cup of coffee. “Oh what did I do to be blessed with Emily freaking Prentiss.” I say smiling as I take a sip. “Here you go babes.” Penelope says handing us our files. “Okay Mystic Falls Virginia just outside our room. Multiple bodies were sent to the hospital all banged and bloody.” Penelope says shivering at her words.I look at the file pictures and these seem vaguely familiar.“So why are we being called in?” Derek asks. “Because they all identified that it was the same man.” Penelope says.Great it’s serial.“They all said it was a blue eyed, dark brown haired guy.” Penelope says. Oh shit Kai. “Do you have a name yet?” I ask Penelope. “No but, like major but a similar thing was done by a guy named Malachai Parker.” Penelope says shivering slightly. “So why haven’t they caught him yet?” JJ asks, confused. “No one has been able to find him.” I look down to the floor remembering the prison world escape.
“Kai you and I both know she won’t get us both out.” I say snuggling up to him. “Babe have a little faith.” He says kissing the top of my head. “Kai what if we don’t get out?” I ask sadly, remembering my life outside of this world. “We’ve dealt with each other for this long and plus we can kill our way to the top. I’ll consider sharing my coven with you.” He says smiling at me. I smile back at him. “As fun as the killing game sounds Kai I don’t want to hurt people. I want to do what I planned before I got in here.” I say fiddling with my fingers. “The FBI thing?” Kai asks quirking an eyebrow. “Yeah Kai I would’ve been perfect for that.” I sigh sadly. “If you became an agent would you put me away?” Kai asks, grabbing my hands. “I don’t think I can run a coven on my own.” I say smiling up at him. “Good now let’s find our ticket out.” He says clapping his hands together.
——————
“Y/N?” I hear Spencer whisper beside me catching my attention. “Hmm?” I ask looking up at him. “We’re headed to the jet now.” He says shyly, handing me my go bag. “Thanks Spence.” I say smiling as I stand up. We head towards the elevator elaborating on ideas for the case and catching Kai. We step onto the jet and take our seats. “Okay so his M.O is very bloody.” Emily says twisting her pen between her fingers. “He could be sadistic.” JJ suggests turning a page to look at crime scene photos. “Or he can be a sociopath. Or at least showing the signs.” I say as I shrug leaning back. “Why do you think that?” Rossi asks. “It was just a suggestion Rossi I honestly have no clue on how to approach this case.” I say closing the file and stare out the window.
——————
Kai and I enter the back seat of a taxi. “We‘re free baby.” I say laughing giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Where are you guys off to?” The driver asks. “Mystic Falls.” Kai says quickly. “Why are headed back to that trashy town Kai.” I say rolling my eyes. “Old friends.” He says grabbing my chin so I turn to face him. “What kind?” I say smiling at him. “Family kind.” He says placing his hands over my shoulder. “Why are we going to visit your family? They have caused you nothing but trouble. For fucks sake Kai they treated you like shit.” I say shifting to look at his face. “Relax it isn't going to be a fun reunion.” Kai says shrugging. I sigh lightly this most likely won’t end good.
——————
“Tell us baby girl.” Derek says as he puts Penelope on speaker. “Okay so this Malachai guy has a rough history. He was born in 1972 in Portland Oregon. He has multiple siblings which he, oh my gosh, murdered. He has a twin sister named Josette Laughlin and two younger siblings Lucas and Olivia Parker who are still alive.” Penelope says. “Is that all Penelope?” Hotch asks walking over to the phone. “Actually no this is weird. Malachai went off the grid in 1994, like disappeared. Then he reappeared in 2012.” She says, sounding confused. “Isn’t your hometown Portland Oregon?” JJ whispers beside me. “Sadly.” I say. “There’s been a series of bodies that are injured in the local hospital. Malachai was also admitted there but he isn’t seen on the cameras. They suspect he’s still in the hospital. ” The sheriff says quickly entering and exiting the room. We all scramble and put on our vests. Half of us enter one van and the rest in another as we speed off into the hospital.
——————
We enter the hospital with our guns drawn low. “Reid, Y/L/N, Prentiss take the upper area of the hospital. The rest follow me.” Hotch instructs. We all nod in unison and head up the stairs with our weapons still out. We make it to the floor with the victims and the lights go out. “What the hell.” I hear Emily say. “Welcome to Mystic Falls’ Hospital BAU agents. I am Kai Parker, nice to be acquainted with you guys seeing as my ex-girlfriend is on your team. Hello Y/N.” Kai’s voice booms through the hospital speakers. I groan internally at his words so much for being lowkey. I turn on the flashlight on my gun and look around. Great Emily and Spencer are nowhere to be seen. I surprisingly make my way down the steps and head towards the speaker room. No ones in here. “Of course you're the first to be here.” I hear Kai say from behind me. “Don’t make this difficult Kai.” I say turning to him. “Or what you’ll arrest me. Last time I checked you hurt people too. Before this whole FBI thing that is.” Kai says, stepping towards me. “Actually that’ll be kind of hot so I won’t oppose it happening.” He says, smirking at me. I lay my hand out to start inflicting pain on him. “Immobilis.” He says halting my movements. I freeze completely and stare at him as he walks around me.
“You still look the same. You even still have that scar from when we escaped the prison world.” Kai says as he drags a finger onto my cheek outlining the scar. “Does your team even know about me? Do they know you could’ve found me so easily with your magic?” He asks, gripping my arm. He siphons some magic from me causing pain but I can’t scream out. He lets go of me and drops the spell. “Motus.” I say immediately sending him flying out the room. He groans and gets up off the floor. He speeds over to me and grabs me by the neck pinning me to the wall. He grips my neck tightly as I gasp for air. “I won’t kill you because well we dated and you're hot.” He says dropping me. I fall to my knees holding my throat. “Malachai Parker. Put your hands in the air.” Emily says as she appears behind Kai. Kai smirks to me and puts his hands up. “Remember your house in the prison world. I hope you remember what I told you.” Kai says to me. “I love you and always win.” I say looking at him confused. “Ad somnum.” He says, turning to Emily making her drop to the floor. He turns back to me and grabs me by the chin. “I always win baby.” He says kissing me before speeding out of the room. The lights on the floor immediately go back on as he runs away and Emily stands up rubbing her head. “Where did he go?” Emily asked, looking around. “He’s gone.” I sigh sadly. “Guys!” We hear Spencer exclaim. Emily and I scramble out the room towards his voice with our guns drawn. “Oh my gosh.” Emily gasps as we see Kai holding Spencer up by the neck. I place my hand forwards and feel the gust of wind moving around me from the vents. I focus my energy on Kai and think of pain. Kai immediately drops to the floor, dropping Spencer in the process. I step closer to Kai as Emily grabs Spencer moving him to the side. I twist my fingers making the pain intensify as Kai screams out in agony.
I drop my hand and Kai stands up glaring at me. “Mittite.” I say flinging him into the wall. He stays pinned tightly into the wall and I twist my hand snapping his neck. His body drops to the ground lifeless. “Cuff him and put him in the car before he wakes up.” I say to Spencer who nods back at me.
——————
We head back to the station and Kai gets put into one of the cells. “Make sure you call Bonnie and Damon quickly. Kai is dangerous.” I say quietly to Sheriff Forbes who nods in understanding. I nod over to her and walk off to the room where we all set up. “Where is everyone?” I ask, noticing only Spencer in the room. “Back at the hotel.” He says holding his bag tightly. “Oh um well I’ll be right back.” I say opening the door. “Hey Y/N would you maybe want to go out sometime?” I hear Spencer says. I turn to him blushing profusely and nod not trusting my mouth to say actual words. He smiles widely as I exit the room. I walk over to Kai’s spelled cell and look at him tilting my head to the side. “Goodbye Kai. I hope you enjoy the new and improved prison world you'll most likely be sent to.” I say waving him off. I head back to the set up room and grab my bag. I lace my hands with Spencer and we walk out of the station.
#kai parker#kai parker imagine#the vampire diares imagine#the vampire diaries#tvd imagine#criminal minds imagine#criminal minds
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Ask to be unbroken (One Shot)
Bucky Barnes x Reader
Summary: What does it take to break down the walls of a scared, broken heart?
Words: 5.1K
Warnings: Sadness, emotionally traumatized reader, crying, fluffy ending of course!
A/n: I feel this fic on a personal level, considering this reader is loosely based on myself, so I really hope you guys will like it. Feedback is greatly appreciated! x
Originally posted: May 16, 2020
“Will you go on a date with me?”
Out of everything she could have imagined him ask, he went and asked her out on a date. Why would he do that anyway? Why would he want to go out with her? It’s not like she is the most beautiful girl in New York. Hell, she probably isn’t the most beautiful girl inside the small bookstore she owned, crowded with people as he asked the question that literally rendered her speechless.
Her mouth was suddenly dry and despite the fact that she knew it would have probably taken him a great deal to work up the courage and ask her on a date, she had to refuse.
Fumbling with the pages of the book that was currently in her hands, eyes not daring to meet his, she finally managed to speak up enough for him to hear. “I’m sorry, Bucky I don’t think that’s a good idea.” And that’s all it took for him to apologize too, before moving up from the chair he was sitting, right opposite of her and left the bookstore without so much of another word.
It was just another work day at the bookstore, not too many people as there usually were, but enough to keep her on her feet all the time. The little bell that informed her of the door opening rang with it’s usual ring and her attention moved from the young student in front of her to the direction of the door, where a tall, handsome man just entered. She greeted him with a smile as she did all of the people who came in the bookstore, before returning her gaze to the aforementioned girl, continuing to help her with the literature she needed.
Most of the people had bought whatever books they needed and left, leaving inside the bookstore only her with a couple of costumers, an old woman that was sitting in one of the armchairs near the window, reading a novel in peace, and as she looked in his direction again, the handsome stranger that she had seen for the first time in her life and in her shop. She was sure she would have remembered his face if he’d come before. He was moving along the shelves, looking for nothing in particular as it seemed, until Y/n cleared her throat before speaking to him. “Hi there, do you need help with finding anything?” Her voice was sweet and polite, just like every other time she spoke to anyone.
The stranger turned his body slightly in her direction, his eyes - the bluest she’d ever seen in her life, she concluded - meeting her figure. “ I-um.. I was actually just looking.” He spoke, unsure. That was a little weird, she thought, before he spoke up again, this time giving his tone a little more force, trying to sound more sure in himself. “My friend said I need to catch up on literature and I don’t know… Anything that is worth reading?” He finished, trailing as the question left his lips.
“Well, anything you are interested in? What do you usually enjoy reading?”
“I’m not sure…” His eyes drifted towards the shelf of books again as he tried to focus on reading the titles in front of him.
She looked at him curiously, then moved her eyes to the books too, not wanting to seem like a creep staring him down. “Don’t worry, I will help you find something.” She stretched her hand out to pat him on the forearm as a sign on friendliness - she always tried to make people feel welcome and touching was like her way of showing she cared - but as soon as she did so, she noticed him stiffen and take a step back from her, so she quickly retreated her halfway up hand, mumbling out an apology. As he retreated from her, she could notice a flicker of silver shine from the little ridden up sleeve of his hoodie and her mind clicked in recognition.
He could only muster up a half smile and shook his head to let her know it was okay, and they both walked to the front of the shop, where the old lady was still present with her nose buried in the book she was holding in her old, a little shaky hands.
She moved calmly and carefully around the desk that served also as the cash registering place for all the buying and sells and opened a drawer under the said desk, holding two books, that looked, from their appearance older than she was. She straightened her blouse before turning to him again, a small smile resting on her lips despite the awkward situation just a couple of minutes ago.
“Here.” She said and offered the books to him, careful to not touch his hands as he took them from her. He inspected the books, reading their titles in a mumbled voice before looking up to her again, a small smile making its way on his own lips.
“How much are these?” He asked and she only shook her head before responding again.
“These are actually not for sale. They’re first editions and very valuable to me, but I’m willing to lend them to you so you can read them. If you like them you can come back and then buy something else.” She finished, her smile widening more as she spoke, but he only squinted his eyes in disbelief at her action. She was too trusting for her own good, he thought and he couldn’t help the question from slipping past his lips.
“How are you so sure I’ll bring your books back?“Something flickered in her eyes, amusement, glee, he wasn’t sure what was it, only looking at her pointedly as he waited for her to respond.
"Well, I’m no genius or whatever, but I wouldn’t suspect of Bucky Barnes as a book thief.” His eyes widened in shock, for a short second, before he took in a quick breath he didn’t know he was short of. She had recognized him. But that wasn’t the real important thing. She had recognized him and she wasn’t scared of him. A ghost of a smile formed on his lips in wonder.
After that day he had come back to the bookstore again and again. At first, his visits were sporadic and short, long enough only to exchange books with her and then leave, but after the first two months of that he started to visit more often, until after three months, he would stop everyday at the bookstore. He’d spend most of his time there, the small bell informing of his arrival early in the morning, only a half hour after she opened, two cups of coffee in one hand and a paper bag of pastries in the other, their usual breakfast. He’d usually talk with Y/n and help her organize the books on shelves, or when there were too many costumers and she needed to be with them, he’d sit on the purple armchair opposite the old woman - he’d learned her name was Pearl - and read a book of his own.
Whenever he was on a mission, he’d make sure to let her know he couldn’t make it to the shop that day or however long it took and it was 8 months later and he was feeling himself fall a little more every day for her.
She had this calm presence that he almost craved, what with his crazy life as an Avenger, and she was always kind and sweet. And not only to him. She treated everyone she met with the same kindness, always careful when she spoke, making sure each person she interacted with was feeling comfortable in her presence. And he loved her for that. Up until now, their meetings were only limited in the small space of her bookstore and while it pleased Bucky to simply be in her company, he wanted to get to know her outside her shell of a shop too.
Usually, when she closed around 9 pm, he’d be with her to help her until the end, but they always separated their ways in front of the small pink door of the book store, him mounting his motorcycle and riding to the compound, and her walking the short distance of two blocks until her apartment.
That night though, Bucky didn’t want to be separated from her just yet, so he offered to walk her and after a small moment of hesitance, she slowly nodded her head. “I can come back for my bike later.” He said as they made their way in the direction of her apartment.
They were walking slowly beside each other, the sounds of New York City never dying as they tried to hold a conversation. Despite having known him for almost a year now, she still didn’t dare be too intrusive, knowing how he struggled with almost everything after all that had happened to him. And she didn’t blame him at all for that, she could never. She respected him too much for that.
“We have a mission tomorrow.” He said as they walked, kind of out of the blue, considering they had been talking about the drinking habits of Hemingway just a moment ago before they’d fallen in a comfortable silence.
“Oh.” It was the only thing that left her lips. She knew his job as an Avenger was demanding, keeping him away on missions more often than not, but she couldn’t say anything about it. She could only worry in silence.
“Yeah, um, it will probably last a week or two. Depends on how helpful Sam is in this one.” He tried to joke, noticing how she had visibly stiffened a little when he turned his head on the side to look at her. But she didn’t laugh. She didn’t even smile. It was as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Voices shouting, nearing them with each passing second could be heard and Bucky turned to the direction of the noises to assess the situation, his body working on auto pilot, looking around for possible threats. All he was met though were the loud, screeching voice of a woman and the grunts and yells of a man following behind her. They seemed like just another couple fighting so he let them be, not one to meddle in other people’s business as long as they didn’t hurt anybody. People were looking at them intently, eager to follow the drama unfolding before them, but he simply shook his head at the sight and turned to look again at Y/n, only to not find her beside him where she was a moment ago. He was so confused for a second, until he saw her in front of him, walking alone, trying to get away from all the yelling and cursing.
With a few quick strides he was able to catch up with her, his right hand taking a light hold of her wrist, stopping her dead on her tracks. “Y/n?” He turned her to look at him, confused by her behavior. “What happened?”
She didn’t speak right away, only picked up her head to slowly meet his eyes, her own glazed with unshed tears and his confusion turned to worry, he was quick to place a hand on her cheek and caress the soft skin of her face. “Hey, are you okay?” His voice was small and cautious, as if he was scared she’d explode like a bomb if he weren’t extra delicate with her. She only nodded her head and took a step back, his hand falling down from her face while she did so.
“Y-yeah.” She stammered out. “I’m okay, I just need to go home.” As soon as she finished her sentence she turned to walk again, confusing Bucky even more but he didn’t let her go away, following behind her and walking beside her until they arrived in front of a tall building and she stopped. The remainder of the way they had walked in silence, so when she turned to him, looking a little more put together than 10 minutes ago, he let out a small sigh of relief.
“This is me.” She spoke up and he could only offer her a small smile in return, not really knowing what else to say. She didn’t let him too much time to think though, as she spoke again. “Thanks for walking me. Good night Bucky.” Her voice was smaller than usual, as if she was scared of him and he couldn’t understand what happened that caused her change in demeanor, but he wasn’t about to let her go like that. He carefully wrapped his hand around her wrist again, just like he did before.
“I’ll text you when I’m away, okay?” He said to her, a hopeful glint in his eyes despite the timid tone of his voice as he said those words.
“Okay.” She replied, just a simple word before turning to walk towards the entrance of the building.
“Good night Y/n.” He spoke behind her, loud enough for her to hear despite the distance between them as she walked. She only turned her head back to offer him a small smile, before disappearing inside the building. That was all he needed anyway.
True to his word, Bucky had texted her as much as he could during the entire time he was away on his mission. Despite the slightly awkward way they parted the other night, he texted her as if nothing had happened, complaining about something Sam did, as usual, asking about her day, her work, the shop, Pearl, chatting the days away until he’d come back.
It was more than two weeks later that he did come back. 18 days to be exact, but who was counting? Certainly not Y/n. Despite the constant texts they exchanged, she missed not having him there with her at the bookstore. She missed seeing him reading in silence opposite to Pearl, stealing glances her way that he’d thought she didn’t notice while she was talking with other costumers. She missed the way his eyes wrinkled when he laughed at something Pearl said to him, or the way his brows pinched together in concentration when he focused on the pages of the books, the way his tongue poked out slightly, wetting his lips as he changed the pages. He had become a constant in her life, slowly but surely warming his way inside her heart.
When he first entered her shop she didn’t recognize him, but then after the dead giveaway that was his metal appendage she’d scolded herself for not identifying him sooner. She’s have saved herself the embarrassment and the awkwardness of that day. She still had managed to recover the situation rather nicely though.
Now as she sat close to Pearl, talking about no other than one Bucky Barnes, she couldn’t help the feeling of anxiety in her chest. She was starting to feel more than she should for him and it would be recommendable to stop before that went too far.
“I’m not saying that.” She tried to reason with the older woman who was without a doubt the most stubborn person on the planet. “I’m just saying that I’ve had enough of messed up relationships in my life I don’t need another one.”
Pearl scoffed in annoyance at her words. If there was someone she knew almost as well as she knew herself, that was Y/n. For almost five years now, she’d been a regular at the bookstore and getting to know the young woman, she’d concluded she was an amazing person who deserved only the very best of everything life could offer her. But she also had a lot of traumas from her past, relating mainly to the family she was raised in.
Her parents would fight a lot, her house never being a quiet and loving home, never a good enough place and environment to raise a child. Living in a war zone, as she usually called it, for the lack of a better word from her part, Y/n had swore she’d never become the same person as her parents were. When she was 18 and had just graduated high school, she’d left her hometown and moved to New York, alone, not knowing anyone in the city, but she’d made it, almost. 10 years later and she was a whole different person from the emotionally wounded girl she’d been when she had left her house, but no matter how much time had passed, the scars had left their marks. All over her soul.
“Listen to me sweetie.” Pearl started, determined to make her listen, and not only with her ears but also with her heart. “I know what you’re scared of, but you’re nothing like your parents. You’re a gentle soul and you’d never turn out to become like your mother and he is so kind and careful and his eyes shine so bright whenever he looks at you, it’s adorable.” She stopped for a moment to draw in a short breath and then with dreamy eyes, fixed her sight to Y/n, before speaking again. “Reminds me of my darling Rob.”
Y/n smiled at her last words, knowing Pearl’s story with her late husband Robert. It was one of her favorite love stories, but despite everything Pearl had told her, sharing her life with the younger woman in hopes to make her open up her mind and her heart to the possibilities of love, Y/n was still held prisoner of her childhood trauma. A miserable family makes for miserable kids. And miserable kids makes even more miserable adults.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in love, because she did, she just didn’t believe love was for her. A loving family wasn’t in the cards for her. It never was anyway. Not even when she was an innocent child, still unfamiliar with the heartbreak and pain. Her very soul had been broken by the two people who were supposed to never hurt her, but she guessed it was what it was.
She would reply to Pearl again, but she stopped when she heard the bell on the door alert her of people coming in the shop. She turned her head to look at the new company and was surprised to see Bucky, smiling sheepishly at her from where he was standing. She gave a look to Pearl, who was smirking from her seat and got up from her own chair and walked to him, him meeting her halfway.
She held her breath as she took him in, he looked just like the last time she’d seen him, if only more handsome. There was a faint bruise on his cheekbone and she winced as she moved her hand up to brush her fingers lightly on it. “Hi.” She finally managed to speak a little breathless, but he didn’t seem to notice, too lost in her eyes to pay attention to the tone of her voice.
A long minute passed before he broke off the trance he was in and finally managed to whisper back to her. “Hi, doll.”
She was about to say something else, anything really, wanting to ask him about the mission, despite the fact that he wouldn’t be able to tell her much, to ask him if he was okay, if he was hurt, if he had eaten anything, but she couldn’t bring herself to form the words as she stared in his ocean blue eyes. And just after another short moment, the bell of the shop rang again and more people entered, as if Bucky had brought them with him.
They had to move away from each other as people roamed around the place, and Bucky walked to Pearl to greet her with a light hug. She patted his cheek affectionately in return and Y/n swore she caught the hint of a blush creep up his cheeks at the older woman’s gesture, it was endearing. However she didn’t have time to stay and watch them as she was needed to help a kid no more than 12 years old find a book.
After some time, she was finally able to take a breath and sit down, seeing nobody needed her help for the moment, the people around roaming through the shelves and fending for themselves. She walked to the corner Bucky was sitting with Pearl, but the latter wasn’t there anymore. Y/n raised her eyebrow in question as she sat down to the chair she had been previously sitting.
“To the vendor outside.” He pointed outside the window, seeing a street vendor sell hot dogs and cotton candy. She could see Pearl talking to the men and she smiled at the sight, before turning her attention to Bucky.
“How are you? How was the mission?” She asked, sincerity and care evident in her voice.
“Too long.” Were his only words of reply and she only nodded at him. Too long to go without seeing your face everyday , he wanted to say but didn’t dare speak those words.
A long silence stretched between them, neither of them knowing what else to say. They had both missed each other so much but neither was about to admit that out loud. Too scared, too anxious to mess anything up.
After what felt like too long for his liking, Bucky finally managed to clear his throat, as if the very action would help him gain some courage to speak up. “I-um.. I was actually wondering…” He started to speak, so unsure in himself it made Y/n think of the first time they’d met and he’d spoken to her. “Well, I’ve been thinking while I was away, and I wanted to ask you something.” He finally managed to drawl out the words.
He knew there was no turning back after this, once the words left his mouth, things would change between them, but if he didn’t ask he’d drive himself crazy with the thoughts of what ifs. So he steeled his nerves before speaking up again.
I like you Y/n,“ He started again and saw her eyes widen at his confession. "I really do like you, and I was hoping we could go out sometimes, you know…” He trailed, unsure of how to finish, but she didn’t speak so he had to fill the quietness somehow, too nervous to bare the sound of silence. “So, will you go on a date with me?”
He was staring at her, hoping to hell that she said something before he lost his nerve and broke down in front of her. Hopeful eyes were staring up at her own confused, scared? ones and he couldn’t help the panic that rose in his chest, already knowing what her answer would be.
“I’m sorry, Bucky I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her voice felt distant as she spoke the words and he couldn’t stand to be in her presence anymore, too ashamed to even look in her eyes now. He nodded his head - not asking for another explanation, he got his answer - and walked out of the book store without another glance back.
He felt foolish. He had ruined everything because he’d caught feelings for her. He had wanted to tell her he loved her, but he was glad he went for ‘like’ instead, otherwise it would’ve been twice as embarrassing. It was enough that he had killed himself for more than two weeks trying to muster up the courage and let her know how he felt. Now of course she thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to date him. Who in their right mind would want to date him anyway? He knew all too well what was wrong with him, but it didn’t mean her rejection hurt any less because of that.
He almost crashed into Pearl as she was walking back to the bookstore and with a quick apologize to her, he practically ran to his bike, wanting nothing more than to get away from there.
Y/n was inside the shop, face hidden in her hands when Pearl re-entered, confusion written on her features. “What happened?” She asked, sounding almost alarmed, and only then did Y/n pick up her head to look at the older woman, tears streaming down her cheeks rapidly.
Pearl walked to her and placed the food she’d bought on the small table before placing both her hands on Y/n’s shoulder and that was all it took for the girl to hug her tightly, sobbing in her chest like a small child, afraid and hurt.
“Shh.. It’s okay dove.” She reassured, voice calm and sweet as she patted her back softly. If the other people inside the shop saw the entire scene unfold in front of them, they didn’t dare stare for too long, each minding their own business, focused on different books on their hands.
“I think I messed up.” She said in between sobs, loud enough for Pearl to hear.
“What happened?”
“He asked me on a date and I rejected him.” She explained shortly, the older woman urging her to calm her breathing pattern, to stop the heavy sobs and crying. Eventually she did and wiped her face with the back of her hands, releasing her grip on Pearl and moving to sit on the chair next to hers.
“It’s okay.. Everything will be okay.” The woman kept repeating until it became some sort of a mantra to both of them.
It had been nearly a week since the day he’d asked her out and she said no, and ever since that day, he never came back to the bookstore again, never texted her or called her. Y/n could understand his reasoning. He had every right to cut her off, after the way she’d let him down without so much as an explanation. Not that she owed anyone any explanation for simply saying no, but this was Bucky she was talking about. He deserved anything she could give him and then some more. But she’d been scared, and honestly she still was. The emotional trauma she’d experienced from her parents relationship was still scarring her, but she wanted to put an end to it. She wanted to break free from that. She wanted to be able to love Bucky and have him love her in return and be happy with him. It could happen, couldn’t it?
She had tried to pull herself together and text him or call him and ask to see him again, but every time she picked up her phone to do so, she’d lose the nerve and throw it carelessly away.
After the long day she had, leaving her exhausted not only physically but also emotionally, she finally managed to wrap things up for the day, ready to close the shop and call it a day. Outside the rain was pouring down like crazy, it wasn’t even normal considering it was almost the end of spring and she was wondering how’d she get home in this weather without an umbrella. It wasn’t raining in the morning when she had left her apartment anyway.
She was placing the large notebook where she kept her records of the shop in the drawer under her desk, ready to take off when the too familiar ring of the bell was heard and without looking up, she answered in auto pilot, voice polite as always, but a hint of tiredness was evident in it. “Sorry, I’m closing up now. You could come back tomorrow.”
She picked her head up to look at the new presence in the shop and when her eyes met his figure her breath hitched behind her throat. Bucky. There he was, sopping wet, droplets of rain dripping from his hair and his clothes to the floor, making a puddle around him. He carefully pulled out a book from inside his jacket and walked towards Y/n, placing the book on her desk.
“I just came to return this. I’m gonna leave now.” His voice was thick with emotion, as if he was trying to hold back tears or something and Y/n couldn’t help but feel guilty for that. It’d been her fault that he seemed so sad, so… miserable.
Yeah, miserable she thought. Miserable people only make other miserable people. But as she saw him turn around to leave, just like he had the last time she’d seen him, she decided right then and there that she was done being a miserable person. She was done being scared, she was done closing her heart off, done running away from her feelings.
“Bucky…” it escaped her lips almost in a hurry, afraid if she lost another second he’d leave again, but he heard her and he turned around instantly, as if he had waited for her to call him. She walked around her desk and towards him, her steps slow but sure as she closed the distance between them both. He could only stare at her in disbelief as she neared him, too scared to move as if she’d disappear if he did anything uncalculated.
Without so much as another word, she placed both of her hands on his wet cheeks and hesitantly placed her lips on his. She kissed him sweetly, but she broke the contact way too soon, seeing he hadn’t returned the kiss at all.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just…” She let go of his face, trying to take a step back but he didn’t let her, his hands finding her waist and keeping her still there. He kept looking at her, waiting for her to say something else, his hands squeezing her waist in a silent encouragement for her to speak again, so she did. “Ask me again, please?” Her voice was small as she said those words but Bucky didn’t miss it, a ghost of a smile creeping up his lips.
He waited a bit before parting his lips to form the words. “Will you go on a date with me?”
Her eyes fluttered closed and she couldn’t suppress the smile that bloomed on her own lips upon hearing his voice. “Yes Bucky, I would love to.” She replied sweetly with the words she should have said the first time he asked her. His smile widened at her response and this time he was the one to lock their lips in a kiss, hesitant at first, then confident but always sweet and gentle.
As Bucky kissed her lips, she could feel her walls crumbling down with loud thuds and echoes inside her soul, but she could tell she was safe with him. She had a long way to go before she could be 100% free of every insecurity and past pain, but being in his arms, there was no doubt she’d ever be broken again.
#bucky barnes x reader#bucky x reader#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky barnes one shot#bucky barnes fic#bucky barnes imagines
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Bad Hair Day (Stony/Superfamily)
Hey, guys! I posted this on my AO3 page, but decided to post it here on my tumblr as well. This is my attempt at writing more fluffy Stony stories since a lot of mine are full of angst. I tagged it, but just to warn you, mpreg is implied here. Just briefly mentioned. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it!
*******
Having a child was a life-changing experience, but having a daughter was another experience all on its own. They had no clue how to be parents, especially when starting a family was something they never considered. They were Avengers and in their job, a baby just didn’t fit in the equation.
That all changed and they welcomed their baby girl, Morgan. She was everything they could have hoped for and more; she was their pride and joy; their entire world.
But nothing could have prepared them for raising a daughter. Before Morgan was born and before they learned they were expecting a baby girl, Tony had been hoping for a boy. He knew how boys worked, having been one himself at one point in his life. Boys could be difficult but their actions made sense. Steve on some level agreed, but if he was being honest, he didn’t care as long as their baby was healthy.
Then Morgan was born and everything changed. There was no disappointment or regrets; she was perfect in every way. She mostly resembled Tony with her dark hair and dark eyes to match, but there were bits of Steve in her as well. Where else did her stubborn attitude come from?
Like all new parents they struggled. The early morning feedings and lack of sleep were the hardest, but it had all been worth it. Morgan was the most important thing in their lives.
It got easier as she grew up. Whatever fears and doubts they had about raising a daughter began to diminish. They knew how to comfort her when she was scared or angry; they knew what made her laugh and smile. It became second nature.
But despite all of the things they got right, there was always going to be something to screw up on. They had just anticipated it would be later in Morgan’s life.
It’s a quiet afternoon in the Stark-Rogers residence, something that rarely takes place. Usually their private quarters were filled with some type of noise, whether that be from the sounds of Morgan playing or Tony working on a new project.
The silence is nice and for a change, Steve and Tony are able to enjoy their afternoon. For once they’re not needed to save the world. Morgan is quietly playing in her room, while Tony works on his Starkpad and Steve sketches.
“You know what tomorrow is, don’t you?” Steve asks, not even looking up from his sketchbook. Tony hums in response. One look his way has Steve rolling his eyes. “Tony, did you hear me?”
“Hmm?” Tony gives up on the schematics he’s working on, head snapping up at the sound of his husband’s annoyed tone. “Wait, did you ask about dinner because you know I can’t cook.”
Steve sighs in annoyance. “Tomorrow? Ring any bells?”
“Oh picture day! Yeah of course I remember. How could I forget?”
“Just checking. You almost missed her birth.”
“I said I was sorry!” Tony cries out. Steve can’t help but chuckle at the outburst. Although it had been five years since that day and all has been forgiven, Steve still liked to give his husband a hard time.
“I know,” Steve smiles and he leans over to press a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “I still love you.”
“I won’t screw up again,” Tony promises. They both know it’s a promise that can’t be kept. Screwing up was going to happen sooner or later.
“Daddy? Papa?” Comes the soft voice of their daughter. Morgan pokes her head out from the hall, almost as if she’s afraid to approach. Tony and Steve share a look.
“Come here, Maguna.” Tony waves Morgan over, smiling when she runs into the room and plops into Tony’s lap. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Tony asks, gently pushing back a strand of dark hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
“I want to look good for school tomorrow,” Morgan says, her words only confusing her parents even more. They had spent a majority of the weekend getting everything prepared for her first picture day. Now they’re starting to wonder what they did wrong.
“What do you mean?” Steve is frowning now. He remembers Morgan already picking out her outfit for tomorrow. “Honey, didn’t you pick out something?”
“You picked the suit I made you, right?” Tony asks, getting a glare from his husband. “What?”
“She is not wearing the suit,” Steve warns, then his voice is taking on a much softer tone when he speaks to his daughter. “Morgan, what’s going on?”
“I just want to look good. I really liked the way Auntie Nat did my hair and I want…” Morgan pauses, glancing down at her lap and wringing her small fingers together in a nervous fashion. She mutters something both Steve and Tony don’t understand.
“What? Little Miss, say that again,” Tony tells her and Morgan lets out a small sigh.
“I want you to...do my hair…” Morgan glances up, brown eyes darting back and forth between her parents, nervously waiting for their response.
Steve clears his throat and speaks first, “Oh...um yeah. Yeah, honey we can...do that. Tony?” Steve turns to his husband for back up, nudging him in the knee with his own when Tony refuses to catch on.
“Yeah! But if Auntie Nat did such a good job on it last time maybe she can-” Tony is cut off when Steve shakes his head, clearly not impressed with the answer. “I mean, yeah we can do that.”
“Really!” Morgan’s face lights up and she wraps her arms around Tony’s neck. “Thank you, Daddy!” She pulls away to press a big kiss to Tony’s cheek.
Tony smiles. “No problem. I think Papa needs some love too.”
Morgan agrees and she jumps out of Tony’s lap, rushing into Steve’s open arms and planting a kiss similar to the one Tony received on his cheek. “Thank you, Papa!”
She runs back to her room with a huge smile on her face. Steve cranes his neck, watching as she disappears down the hall, and when he hears her bedroom door close, he turns toward his husband, a small frown showing up in his features.
“What?” Tony questions. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“We can’t do her hair!” Steve hisses.
“Why not? We just told her we would.”
“Do you know how to do hair? Because I don’t!”
“I think you’re overreacting. It’s just hair. We’ve done it before.” Tony shrugs casually and leans back in his seat.
“Yeah once! Tony, there’s a reason Nat does the hair thing,” Steve reminds him.
“Okay well maybe it’s time we do it. I mean, we’re Morgan’s parents. How hard can it be?”
“Yeah,” Steve sighs. “Maybe you’re right.”
Turns out, doing their daughter’s hair is much harder than they anticipated.
With picture day literally hours away, there is no time to be wasted, and the once peaceful afternoon shifts into one of utter chaos. Maybe that was too dramatic, but that calmness that was once surrounding their home disappeared the moment they sat Morgan down in the bathroom and attempted to do her hair.
She had been so excited to have her daddies do her hair. Ever since Steve failed miserably when Morgan was two, it was always Natasha doing the styling. That was going to change, though. At least, that’s what everyone thought.
“Ow, Papa that hurts!” Morgan cries, squirming in the chair that had been set up for her to sit in. Steve sighs harshly, cursing under his breath when the brush he was using refuses to untangle from his daughter’s hair.
“Sorry, sweetie. It’s..a..little...stuck…” Steve says while trying to pull the brush free. He tugs a little too hard and Morgan cries out again.
A chuckle on his left reaches Steve’s ears and he turns toward the bathroom entrance, finding a very amused Tony lingering in the doorway. “Need help?” Tony asks, another chuckle escaping him when Steve glares.
“No,” Steve replies firmly, and he turns back to the task at hand. “It’s fine. Her hair is just super thick. Dammit, Tony this is your fault!”
“Are you referring to the idea or the hair? I did have thick hair as a kid.”
Steve sends another glare his husband’s way. “Shut up. Can you…” He gestures at the mess he’s made of their daughter’s hair, a sigh of frustration escaping him.
Not needing to be asked twice, Tony steps into the bathroom and comes closer to inspect the damage. “Yikes,” he winces at the mess Steve had managed to make in less than five minutes. “How the hell did you get it stuck?”
“It’s stuck!” Morgan cries, turning her head to try and see for herself.
“No, no!” Steve assures. “It’s just a little...Tony, do something,” he hisses.
Tony smirks. He goes in as gently as he can; his goal is to get the brush untangled from Morgan’s hair without hurting her or ripping any out in the process. “Damn,” he says through gritted teeth. “I did not know your hair was this thick.”
Morgan emits a whimper when her head is repeatedly tugged in every direction. “Ow, Daddy!”
“Sorry,” Tony apologizes. “Blame your Papa.”
Steve rolls his eyes. It’s tempting to fire back with a snarky reply, but Steve bites his tongue. He’s too focused on his daughter and the guilt of putting her in this situation.
“Almost got it,” Tony announces after a few more minutes of fighting with the brush. There’s a loud rip when Tony pulls a little too hard, and Steve’s eyes are widening at the sound. Tony, too absorbed in his victory, fails to notice that he had taken some of Morgan’s hair out along with the brush. “Aha! Got you!” Tony holds the brush up proudly, then he’s noticing the dark wad of hair attached to the brush. “Shit!”
“What!” Morgan’s eyes go wide and she scrambles to turn in her seat. Steve quickly steps in, rushing toward her and spinning her back around.
“It’s nothing, sweetie. Daddy is just...that’s just his favorite word,” Steve tries to assure, knowing that he’s failing miserably. Their daughter was no idiot.
“Is it gone?” Morgan asks, using one hand to reach behind her to feel for the brush. A small smile forms over her face in relief when she realizes it’s no longer stuck to her head. “Thank you, Daddy! You fixed Papa’s mess!”
“Sure did, Maguna,” Tony tells her, shrugging when Steve narrows his eyes at him and gestures angrily at the brush. “Let me try and comb it now okay? I’ll be gentle.”
And by gentle, Tony means cautious as hell. He goes as slow as he possibly can, praying each time he brushes through the dark strands that there’s not another repeat. It goes well, and soon Morgan’s hair is no longer resembling a rat’s nest.
“There! All done!” Tony leans down and rests his chin on his daughter’s shoulders, watching her reflection in the mirror. “Looks good right?”
Morgan frowns and their eyes meet in the mirror. “You didn’t do anything. It looks the same.”
“Actually, it looks better. You should have seen what your Papa-”
“Okay,” Steve intervenes, growing tired of the constant reminder of his screw up. “But Tony, she wanted it…” Steve pauses, turning toward his daughter. “Morgan, what did you want?”
“A French braid. Like Auntie Nat does sometimes.”
“What the fu-I mean what is French braid?” Tony asks, the question more so directed at his husband.
“It’s a really pretty braid. Auntie Nat did it for me one time,” Morgan smiles. She reaches up to play with her hair, oblivious to the confused looks her parents are sharing behind her.
“I think we better get Nat-” Steve begins to suggest, but Tony is quickly shutting that idea down.
“No way. We can do this French braid thing. Now hand me the brush.”
Steve sighs and grabs the brush, placing it in Tony’s hand. “Please don’t mess up,” he mutters to himself.
Tony of course messes up in the first couple of minutes. Luckily the brush didn’t get stuck again, but the hair ties were becoming an issue. Morgan cries out whenever Tony ties it too tight or when it gets tangled in a few strands of her hair. With a huff, Tony steps back.
“You give up?” Steve asks from his spot on the edge of the tub.
“Nope! I just need something,” Tony explains, then he’s rushing out of the room.
“Don’t get the suit!” Steve calls out, then he’s groaning and burying his face in his hands.
“Papa?” Morgan’s scared voice captures Steve’s attention and he’s snapping his head up in her direction. “Daddy isn’t going to be Iron Man when he does my hair, right?”
“God I hope not.”
Tony returns a few minutes later, thankfully not dressed in the familiar red and gold suit. “Needed my tablet.” He holds it up for a second before propping it up on the sink and typing something on the screen.
“What are you doing?” Steve grows curious when another voice fills the room and he comes over to investigate. The video Tony has playing shows a girl with a bubbly personality demonstrating how a French braid is done. “Does this work?” Steve asks, gesturing toward the screen.
“It’s supposed to. People watch tutorials all the time,” Tony answers, then he’s turning his attention back to the video. He watches the full thing, then he’s shutting it off, feeling confident that he can pull off the same look the woman demonstrated.
“That’s it?” Steve asks when Tony immediately jumps back in at styling Morgan’s hair. “You’re not going to watch it again or keep it playing and following the steps?”
“Honey, I got it. I’m a genius, remember? I only need to watch it once.”
Tony could not have been more wrong. He had felt his confidence surging within when he first started working on Morgan’s hair, but little by little it was starting to diminish, leaving him feeling that he was doing a worse job than Steve.
Separating the strands had been the easy part, but when it came to twisting and forming those strands into the pretty braid shown on the video, that’s when Tony lost it.
“What the hell?” He grumbles to himself, gritting his teeth in frustration when he fails to get Morgan’s hair just the way she wants. Morgan whimpers when he tugs too hard and he quickly apologizes.
“Daddy, maybe we can call Auntie Nat,” Morgan is starting to sound like Steve. Tony doesn’t know how many times Steve had suggested the same idea during the past ten minutes.
“Nope. Daddy’s got this, sweetheart,” Tony assures. “Give me another thing,” he gestures toward the sink.
“Another thing?” Steve questions, brows drawing together in confusion. “What thing?” he asks, when he fails to understand what his husband is referring to.
“The thing! The-the little tie things!”
“A hair tie!”
“Yes!”
“Daddy…”
“I got it,” Tony promises. He takes the little pink hair tie Steve offers and carefully ties together the strands of hair. “I think it’s working.”
“You think?” Steve is skeptical, craning his neck to get a better view of what his husband has been doing for the past thirty minutes. He frowns at the results. He doesn’t remember that from the video. “Tony, are you sure that’s right?”
“Yeah,” Tony sounds so sure of himself. He takes a step back to examine his work, humming as he takes in the final result. “Looks good to me.”
Steve frowns. “I thought she wanted a long braid. You have…” Steve counts silently to himself. “Three...four braids? And this one isn’t even. It’s-”
“Do you want to try?” Tony snaps. “Go ahead, Steve try! See how difficult it really is!”
“Maybe Auntie Nat-”
“No!” Steve and Tony both say simultaneously.
“Move,” Steve growls, nudging Tony out of the way. “I’ll do it.”
*************
The last thing Natasha expected was to hear her doorbell ring. It wasn’t terribly late, but no one rarely came to her door in the middle of the night, unless it was of course an emergency. She frowns as she makes her way toward the door, the confused expression only growing when she opens the door and reveals her two best friends and niece.
“What is going on?” Natasha asks, then she notices the state her niece is in. “Oh my God what did you do to her hair!”
Morgan whimpers, bottom lip jutting out and trembling and tears in her dark eyes. The hair atop her head is a complete disaster, twisted in some areas and tangled in others, colorful plastic ties decorating each strand of the dark locks.
“We tried,” Steve is the first to explain. Tony holds up the brush that they had been using, and Natasha’s eyes widen at the large hairball the brush had collected.
“Tried what exactly? What is this!” Natasha reaches outs and examines one of the failed braids. “Do you hate your child?”
“What? No! Of course not!” Tony exclaims. “Can you just help us out? We obviously suck at this hair thing.”
“Obviously,” Natasha says, then she’s directing her attention to Morgan. “Hey, sweetie, I’ll fix it okay? Go into the bathroom and I’ll be right there.”
Morgan sniffs and nods her head, then she’s disappearing down the hall toward the familiar bathroom.
“I swear we tried,” Steve tries to explain when Natasha is sending them another disapproving look. “It’s just...we’re…” He looks at his husband for help.
“We’re guys and we’re stupid. Please help us before our daughter really does hate us and wants to move in with you,” Tony says.
A smile breaks across Natasha’s face. “She doesn’t hate you. Though after tonight, she might want to live with me. I’ll convince her that she’s better off with you two morons.”
They’re invited in and they make themselves comfortable on the sofa while Natasha attends to Morgan’s hair down the hall.
“I think we think we’re horrible parents,” Steve says.
Tony hums in agreement. “I know we’re not perfect, but damn I thought we would get this right. This can’t be the worst thing we’ve ever done, has it?”
“I don’t know.” Steve tries to think back to anything they’ve ever done that could top this. “I don’t think so. Just wait, though. Something worse will come along.”
“Jesus,” Tony groans and he leans forward, burying his face in his hands. “Wait till she’s a teenager.”
Just that thought alone makes Steve sick to his stomach. “Oh God and boys. And other things I really don’t understand.”
“You’re dealing with that one!” Tony points a finger in Steve’s direction.
“I don’t want to think about it. She’s still our baby.”
“She’ll always be our baby.”
“Yeah,” Steve agrees.
A few minutes pass before Natasha and Morgan are entering the room. Both Steve and Tony jump to their feet when their daughter approaches them. She no longer has tears running down her face, and instead she’s wearing a bright smile.
“Look! Auntie Nat fixed your mess!” Morgan spins around to show off her perfect braid.
“How the hell did you do that?” Steve asks and Natasha rolls her eyes.
“Seriously, it’s not rocket science.”
“You’re right,” Tony says. “Rocket science is much easier to understand.”
“You look beautiful,” Steve smiles down at his daughter. Morgan throws her arms around his waist in a tight hug.
“I know you tried,” Morgan stares up at him. “I still love you.”
“Hey. What about me?” Tony fakes being hurt and Morgan giggles, rushing toward him to give him a hug. Tony picks her up and she hugs him tightly.
“I love you 3000!”
“Hear that?” Tony says. “She loves me more than all of you.”
“Go home,” Natasha teases and she walks them toward the door. “You know you can always ask me for help, right? I don’t mind doing her hair. It’s fun.”
“We know,” Steve says. “We just wanted to give it a try.”
“Well, come by tomorrow and I can show you boys how it’s done.”
Natasha opens the door and Steve steps out first, but Tony lingers in the doorway. “Oh! Since we’re on the topic of help, can you help us with another issue?” He asks.
“What is it?” Natasha raises a questioning brow.
“We’ll let you know in seven years.”
#stony#stony fic#morgan stark#stevetony#implied mpreg#not canon#wish it was#posted on AO3#AO3 fanfic#ao3#fluff#stony parents#superfamily
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Audition Day
Genre: college!au, slice of life, slight fluff, slight angst
Word Count: 3,554
Summary: Serena, Jasmine, Katherine, and Melanie find themselves auditioning for the Sing In May a week after the White Day Festival and even happen to run into several NCT members as well.
Day Festival masterlist.
Warning: semi-proofread.
whoo! hi. i’m on a roll at the moment and i hope it won’t fade away so fast. my mental health has seemed to improve lately and work isn’t as stressful as it used to be. also i can work on my stories without being so drained and uninterested. anyways, since i’m in the mood here is another snippet for that NCT story series of sorts. have no idea what to actually call it, but they’re pretty much standalones lol. but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~
A week later the quartet found themselves in the school's auditorium at eight in the morning. They were informed by Gina to arrive early for the auditions and if they did then they wouldn't have to go to any of their classes, but could still receive the attendance and work for missing them. So here they were all comfy in sweats and hoodies awaiting for further details along with all the others auditioning for the showcase. Anyways, for the past few days the quartet have been practicing a few songs just in case another participate was doing the same song and didn't want to clash. So they prepared backup songs although they wondered if they should've even bothered as they didn't voluntarily sign up in the first place.
"This is still so early, bro." Serena said in-between a yawn while slouching in her seat. "Why do we need to be here so early though?"
"Gina said the auditions will be all day as oppose it to being a three day auditioning due to last minute changes." Jasmine stated as she also let out a yawn and was slouching in her seat.
"What's up with the last minute changes this year?" Melanie asked to no one in particular.
"I know, right." Katherine agreed. "I just hope they have snacks."
"If not, then I'm leaving to get bubble tea." Serena remarked.
"You and your unhealthy obsession with bubble tea."
Jasmine eyed her friend as Serena shrugged.
"It's addicting."
"By the way, what's the name that Gina gave us for this?" Katherine asked remembering something.
"I think it's Lady Rose or something." Jasmine replied as Melanie went through her friend to double check.
"Ah, it's Roseate Bloom now. It was Lady Rose."
"What about our stage names?" Serena inquired interested in the topic all of a sudden. "Is it similar to what we used in the past?"
"Um," Melanie continued to scroll through her phone before answering, "Yeah something like that."
Melanie showed the trio their new stage names as the twins sighed while Serena chuckled.
"I guess Gina had as much fun as I did."
"True."
Soon the group of four looked about them as they noticed that the auditorium was quite filled up save a few seats here and there. They continued talking as they wondered how many acts were actually going to perform and if the ones in charge of the event was going to be picky or not.
"Hello everyone and thank you all for joining us this morning for auditions."
Haji, the overall person in charged of Sing In May, stood on stage to welcome the participants getting the attention of everyone present. She then motioned for several more people to join her.
"This year joining me in the selection for those to participate in Sing In May are Daeyoung, Lina, Jenny, Sulhee, Aaron, Dohyun, and Ray. So please be mindful of us and we'll be mindful of you."
The other seven introduced themselves before walking off the stage and down the area where several tables were set up like booths as Haji continued speaking.
"Anyways, I'm going to divide you guys into certain sections before you audition. When I call out your name and or the group you're with, please make your way to one of the seven booths quietly and without disturbances led by one of them."
Haji explained while holding several pieces of paper and motioning to the tables.
"Please pay attention as once you move over to your assigned area where Ray, Sulhee, and the others will hand you your name-tags and other information. When everyone is settled the auditions will start at nine."
"I still can't believe we have to wear these until auditions are over." Serena complained as she adjusted the straps of her large name-tag.
"It makes us seem like real trainees having one of those monthly evaluations." Katherine mused. "I kinda like it."
"Of course you would." Melanie remarked with a laugh as she got done adjusting her name-tag.
"Anyways, I'm just glad that we don't have to wear any costumes for this."
"I know." Jasmine agreed.
"But if we make it in for the showcase I'm sure Gina got something in mind for us to wear."
Serena sighed upon imaging that.
"So true. Anyways, I'm just mad that we're in the late afternoon. I would rather get it done and over with."
"Maybe Gina will do something later on about it." Katherine reasoned with a laugh. "I wondered how many they're gonna accept this year."
"Depending on how the acts goes today we could have at least like twenty." Jasmine answered.
"That's roughly like an hour." Melanie calculated. "Wasn't it like two hours or three hours last year?"
"I think so." Jasmine recalled. "But last year was a competition and not a showcase so there were quite a few rounds or something like that for last year's Sing In May."
"Oh yeah, I remember that now. Gina told me that the whole competition was a mess to deal with due to everyone not being on the same page. Both the staffs and the contestants" Katherine recalled remembering what happened last year. "Anyways, so they're doing a showcase and I think it's gonna be at least thirty to get in as many people as possible."
"What are they trying to get with the funds from this showcase for?" Serena asked once she was satisfied with her name-tag placement.
"It's going for the All-Star Sports competition." Jasmine answered. "Gina mentioned they wanna add an actual obstacle course which fell through last year."
"Oh really? That'll be cool." Melanie said with a nod.
"Anyways," Katherine directed the conversation elsewhere. "Just like what Serena said earlier, let's get some bubble tea."
"Aight then. Let's go."
Serena cheered happily at the prospect of a boba run.
"What flavor did you get again?" Katherine asked Serena upon seeing her drink.
"Rose."
She offered the drink towards her friend.
"Do you wanna try?"
"No thanks. I'm good. Wintermelon is all I need."
"Let me try that mochi waffle you got." Melanie asked her sister as Serena handed one of them over to her. "Is it any good?"
"I dunno. I saw a post about it online and wanted to try it." Serena answered with a chuckle. "It looked good and smells lovely."
The group of four were casually heading back to the university after buying their snacks and drinks. They were enjoying themselves and taking in the sunshine until they ran into an ex-friend of Serena's just outside the entrance of the university. He was with two other males.
"Oh ho. Look who we have here." The ex-friend exclaimed as he and his two buddies blocked the quartet's path.
"Must be fate bringing us together, Serena."
"You wished that was true, Sammy." Jasmine stated as she instinctively moved to put a barrier between the male and her friend.
"Why don't you buzz off?"
Sammy cast her an annoyed look.
"This doesn't concern you, Jasmine."
"It does when you keep on bothering her when she ended the friendship two years ago."
Sammy scoffed.
"That's what you think."
"It's not what we think. It's what we know." Katherine clarified as she, too, joined her twin in blocking the male from Serena.
"Besides, what are you even doing over here?"
"I can do whatever I want, Katherine." He answered with a snicker.
"Seriously, dude, why can't you just leave her and us alone." Melanie told him off. "There's no reason for us to associate with one another."
Sammy cast his eyes onto Melanie with a hard stare.
"Hey, if we happen to cross paths, then who am I to deny that."
"Right." She motioned to the school. "Just outside the university like that?"
"Well, it is what it is. So what are you gonna do about it, Melanie?"
The girls didn't like the way he had said Melanie's name. They also didn't like the way he stood with his friends behind him. The quartet became cautious and wary when they noticed that his friends almost surrounded them a second later.
"Look, Sammy. We're no longer friends so just leave me and them alone." Serena reasoned with the male as she stood before him now.
"You really think you're all that, don't you, Serena?"
Sammy scoffed as Serena remained firm.
"I do if I have to. Please just stop doing whatever it is you're doing."
Before Sammy could say or do anything else, two other voices intervened from behind him.
"Is there a problem here?"
"Ling Shuang?"
The whole group turned their attention to the newcomers and the quartet recognized the two as Kun and WinWin with WinWin calling Serena by another name.
"No, there's no problem and no you don't need to bother. I'm just having a chat with my girlfriend and her friends." Sammy answered trying to coolly play it off.
"I'm not your girlfriend." Serena clarified with a firm tone. "And we were not having a chat."
Somehow the two males made their way over to the group and eased themselves in-between Sammy and his friends and the quartet.
"I'm sure these ladies have ended their interaction with you fellas." Kun said in a calm tone while shooting Sammy a smile, but his eyes said otherwise.
Sammy looked between the two males and the females before glancing at his own friends.
"Psh, whatever. She's not even worth it." Sammy said while backing off.
He motioned for his friend to get out of there.
"Let's go."
Sammy and his buddies took off with Sammy not even glancing back. The quartet let out a breath of relieved as they hoped this was the final time they would see him.
"You good?" Melanie asked her sister with a worried look. "I think we should put a restraining order on him."
"I'm fine and I think so, too." Serena answered before turning to the two males. "Thank you and sorry that you guys had to get involved."
"No worries. Gotta help people when things like that occur." Kun brushed it off in good-nature.
Meanwhile, WinWin cast Serena a stern look.
"Ling Shuang."
"Sorry, WinWin. I thought he wouldn't appear after you told him off last time."
WinWin sighed, but nodded.
"It's fine. Just, be safe and don't go anywhere alone. Okay?"
"I will. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Are you sure that she and WinWin have nothing going on between them?" Jasmine muttered to the other two, but Serena overheard her.
"We don't." Serena clarified.
"By the way, Serena, why does he call you by another name?" Katherine inquired a moment later.
"I came up with a Chinese name for myself when I first met him and it stuck since." Serena explained as Melanie laughed.
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Kun happened to noticed their name-tags.
"Ah, are you guys participating in the Sing In May, too?"
"Auditioning." Jasmine corrected. "We don't know if we'll actually be in the showcase."
"Well, good luck. Our other friends are also participating, but with different teams. Why don't we head back together?"
While heading back to the auditorium, Serena had to keep her friends and sister in check as they kept pushing her to walk alongside either boys to tease her. Both males noticed, but didn't comment as Serena just shook her head to indicate that it was nothing while later glaring at the trio to stop their little antics. They didn't.
"There's actually a lot of good acts auditioning here to be honest." Katherine commented after watching a soloist belt out notes like no other.
"Do they really need us then?" Serena asked skeptically. "I mean, honestly there were some real good ones that could definitely bring in some interests."
"Even if we wanna leave, Gina would not let us live it down." Melanie reasoned with a yawn. "Has Gina responded back yet?"
"Not yet. We still have less than half an hour left." Jasmine informed her. "Besides, Gina was gonna message us when to be back there."
Upon returning to the auditorium, the quartet were informed by Gina that their time slot had actually been moved up earlier than previous as well as the list of songs the others auditioning were performing to. It made it easier for the quartet which song to audition with and to get it done and over with as well.
"This is so annoying." Serena commented as she slumped into her seat. "At least it'll be over soon."
The trio turned to look over at Jasmine who let out a suppressed squeal. They follow her line of sight and noticed that she had spotted Johnny in the distance. He was speaking with the rest of his Nu Chi Theta members. They wondered if all or some of them were going to participate in the Sing In May.
"Hey, you should've confessed when he met up with us earlier when we arrived with WinWin and Kun." Serena teased as she nudged Jasmine who nudged her back.
"No way I could do that on my own. I would need someone with me."
"Hmm, maybe Serena can help out by asking Taeyong on a date." Katherine mused as Serena frown with a shake of her head.
"Then how about Melanie asking Jaehyun out then?"
Katherine looked over at Melanie who shot her a knowing look.
"Or you can be a good sister and ask Taeil out and then the both of you could go on a double date instead of Serena and I."
"Anyways, let's go." Katherine responded instead dodging the topic. "Gina just messaged us to head backstage to prep."
"One, two," Jasmine started the greeting like always whenever they were a performing group before finishing as a team in a cheerful tone, "We are Roseate Bloom! Hello!"
The quartet quickly introduced themselves with the stage names that Gina had designated for them with the meaning of flowers in the order of Melanie, Katherine, Serena, and Jasmine.
"I'm Jin Dalrae"
"I'm Jang Mihwa."
"I'm Han Songyi."
"And I'm Min Deulle."
Roseate Bloom bowed as their were some applause. Jasmine spoke again.
"We'lll be performing We Are A Bit Different so please watch over us kindly."
"Thank you." Haji thanked them as she motioned for them to start. "Whenever you're ready to go."
The group went into formation as they waited for the music to start. Despite their earlier complaint they found themselves once again enjoying it. When the song came to an end did they remain in their ending poses and waited a few seconds before dropping it and awaited what Haji and the others had to say.
"Alright, thank you so much for your audition, Roseate Bloom." Haji thanked them with a smile while writing on the clipboard before her.
She then glanced at the others.
"Would you guys like to say anything?"
Lina nodded before looking over at Serena with a smile.
"Han Songyi." She announced as it was quiet for a moment.
Jasmine nudged Serena that it was her that Lina had called upon.
"Uh, yes?" Serena answered as she looked at her curiously.
"Where did you buy that strawberry cat hoodie?"
Serena relaxed upon hearing Lina's question and answered with a small smile.
"Ah, it was a gift from a friend back home. I don't know where he bought it though."
"Ah, if you find out, then will you let me know?"
"Of course."
The others laughed as Haji went back on topic.
"Anyone else have something to say?"
Daeyoung raised his hand as he looked at them all.
"Jang Mihwa, could I request you sing a little something right now?"
"Uh," Katherine stalled as she slightly panicked while glancing at the other three.
"Oh, that song you sang this morning when showering." Melanie suggested in a whisper as Katherine nodded feeling less nervous.
"Yeah. I can do that."
Daeyoung smiled as everyone else anticipated what Katherine would sing.
~Let me sing a song for love, I wanna sing a song for love, let it be a song for love, and you can hum along, and someday you'll find it, the way to sing your song for love, song for love, song for love, maybe someday you'll find it, the way to sing your song for love~
Katherine sang the chorus for Song For Love and sheepishly cast a smile afterwards.
"Thank you so much, Jang Mihwa." Daeyoung thanked her with a clap. "I'm good now."
Haji chuckled before looking at the rest of the judges.
"Anything else?"
Ray raised his hand this time while looking at the quartet.
"Min Deulle, I'm assuming you're like the leader of Roseate Bloom?"
"Uh, yes." Jasmine answered with a sheepish laugh. "De facto leader."
"Nice. You give off that vibe to me. How do you feel about having that role?”
Jasmine shrugged as she answered nonchalantly.
“I don’t mind, really. I’m just glad to know that I have a wonderful team to stand by me and help me lead.”
“Ooh, good answer.”
Ray chuckled before asking another question.
“Anyways, are the names listed on your name-tag your stage names, perhaps?"
"Mmhmm. For Sing In May purposes."
"I see. Is it related to your group name that's why?"
"Yes, it is."
"Very nice."
Ray looked at Haji with a satisfied smile.
"I'm good here as well."
Haji chuckled once again and asked once more if anyone else had anything for Roseate Bloom with Sulhee raising her hand and directing her attention onto Melanie.
"Yeah, Since Jin Dalrae hasn't spoke yet, could you sing a little something for us right now?"
Melanie's eyes went wide at being caught off guard just like Katherine until Katherine suggested a song for her to do, too, just like what Melanie had done for her.
"Sure." Melanie answered before singing a snippet of All To U.
~Imma give it all to you, and baby it’s so true, I’m gon be insane that when I’m lying next to you, I’ll give it all to you and baby it’s so true, I’m gon be insane that when I’m lying next to you~
"Ohh, lovely." Sulhee praised with glee. "Thank you so much, Min Dalrae."
Sulhee nodded at Haji who once again asked if the others wanted to commented before facing the quartet again after receiving head shakes.
"I think that's it for now, ladies. We'll notify if you're in the final line-up within a week. Have a good rest of your day, Roseate Bloom."
"Thank you."
The quartet thanked them as they bowed once more before walking off and handling all of the items back to one of the student council members as another group walked past to perform.
"Oh!"
"Serena! Melanie!"
"Watch our stage!"
"Yeah. Watch us!"
"And let us know how we did afterwards."
The male quintet spoke as they walked by the quartet as they addressed Melanie and Serena while waving politely at Katherine and Jasmine.
"Oh yeah, sure. Serena and I will totally be cheering for y'all!" Melanie informed them as she nudged Serena playfully.
"Cool! Thanks!"
The quintet ran off to prepare while Jasmine stared at them with a shocked face.
"You guys also know Chenle, Jisung, Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun, too?"
Jasmine playfully smacked.
"Girl, y'all had the connection this whole time and could've helped me out with Johnny."
"We're just mutual friends through Ten, Jasmine." Melanie clarified. "It's not like we actually hang out with them. Besides, just confess already."
"Yeah, for real. Confess." Serena chimed in with a sour face not directed at her friend. "If we did announce our friendship, then we would be stalked by their dumb fangirls. They're so obsessive, so possessive, and even beyond rational. It's kinda mind-bogging."
Jasmine nodded upon hearing those words.
"Oh, true. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. My bad for sounding like one."
"It's okay, sis, and you’re not that bad as them, but just go through the natural way and not be a stalker that would make them hate you even more." Katherine advised before looking over at the other pair of sisters with a cheeky expression.
"By the way, I think it was bound to happen one way or another."
"Why do you say that?" Melanie asked with a puzzled gaze.
"Well, the way I see it we're all gonna be crossing paths more since we all have a crush on a Nu Chi Theta member. Another thing to note is that you and Serena are actually on friendly terms with several of them already."
"This isn't a drama, Katherine."
Serena pointed out with a suspicious look.
"So don't go jinxing it or whatever."
"It's bound to happen, Serena, whether you like it or not."
"Shut up."
The other three laughed as their attention soon went to the quintet as they performed their rendition of No.1. Serena ran off once the song ended leaving the other three to make excuses on her behalf. Anyways, barely a week later the quartet received news from Gina personally that Roseate Bloom had been chosen to participate in the Sing In May without her actual doing as the judges really enjoyed their stage and personality. The twins were excited while the other sisters were just going with the flow. More Melanie Serena, as Serena wondered if life really wanted her to go through some drama-like life.
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ASKS 16
haha remember in July when I said I was gonna answer stuff every month... yeah me neither 🙈🙈 anyways lots of stuff under the cut
Anonymous said: You should get along with other Simblrs and start a new cc group now that PTS is disbanded, your hairs and clothes are always amazing! :D
Firstly thank you! Most of the clothing in AxA is 99% ayoshi with me going in after and cleaning/adding some stuff. So I give him props for the clothes :P As far as a ‘new PTS’ style group idk, there are a lot of amazing creators on simblr but I think the reason PTS was such a special thing is because the bond they all had. I feel that when working on collabs with some of my really close friends (such as the one coming out this month with @dogsill and @ayoshi) because we have known each other for over 2 years now. A group of friends built only for collabing purposes would be more of a hassle than an enjoyment imo. <3
Anonymous said: HELLLOOOO! just curious bc why not but what is your favorite creation that you have made??
It varies every month to be honest lmao. If you asked me to pick a favorite hair from each month? Easy, always the last release of the month. But favorite hair ever? Awwww shucks 🤠 lmao I would say my Madison Hair is one of my favorite hair releases, I am planning to revamp it soon to work with my Mia ombre accessories and tidy the mesh up some.
Anonymous said: hello, when will this collection be free for public download please? /post/186706149526/patreon-08-19
That came out in August luv, go to my downloads page and click AxA 2019
Anonymous said: Hi! Idk if you do wcif!!!! But if you do, wcif the freckles on the girl with the short hair on the BOP AHOOB collab?? If you know! Thank you much in advance!!!!!
Hey! You’ll need to send Bowl-Of-Plumbobs a message for that WCIF, that was his Sim otherwise I would link you. Sorry hun
@lumalinrose-sims said: Not a question, but you are like so cool I can't even--
thank you lmao I appreciate it, your profile pic it pretty cool :P
@ang3lba3 said: sarah is so pretty!!! is there a way to download how she looks in its entirety, or no? (sorry if this is a silly question im pretty new to the sims)
not silly don’t worry :P the Sarah hair is for download on the post, the sim can be downloaded here but she is a bit outdated as I have changed her somewhat since then.
Anonymous said: Hihi just stopping by to tell you how much I love your hairs!!
thank you so much! I appreciate the love<3
Anonymous said: hi! i just wanted to say that i love your cc so much i and always look forward to your posts! you make the cutest cc ever and honestly you're probably my favorite cc maker. you also seem like such a chill and genuine person we truly stan.
fgvhbjn thank you lmao I am literally TOO CHILL irl lmao I let people run over me so much but it’s whatever. Thank you again for the super sweet message. Have a great day if you’re reading this :)
Anonymous said: Heeeey we have the same name
Austin club :P great name til you’re trying to sign something and it looks awful (at least for me I can’t do my signature for shit)
Anonymous said: the collab with bop is so boring and dull it’s drier than a cracker it’s a no from me
well not everything is going to be someones cup of tea lmao I’m sure there is someone that enjoys it which counters you’re negative view <3
Anonymous said: Hi I love your cc! I have almost all of it in my game and I love your tropical punch palette so much I was wondering if you would ever consider releasing the palette.
If I ever make an ombre accessory tutorial video I will release a set of actions for the palette. If you wanna use the palette feel free to grab the hex codes from S4S.
Anonymous said: How did you become a ea game changer? Was it through Tumblr or youtube?
About a year ago SimGuruKate was the community manager and had applications for Tumblr Game Changers, I applied and got accepted. Follow SimGuruFrost on Twitter to stay up to date on when new applications are open.
Anonymous said: Are you going to upload the hair you made on your livestream? I literally love your work and am a Patreon subscriber!!!
Hey! The hair will be in my October voting (I think) and if it wins, release will be November. If it doesn’t win I will put it in November voting and so forth til it wins. Also thank you for watching the stream and supporting me on Patreon
Anonymous said: hello!! i just wanted to see if knew is there’s anyway i can save my cc and save files somehow where i can download them again if my computer breaks so i don’t have to download it all again.?
zip your Sims 4 folder and upload it to Google Drive/SimsFileShare/OneDrive. Then when you install Sims 4 again you just replace the folder made in Electronic Arts in your Documents.
Anonymous said: what face do you make when your in love with a bee?
this is an old anon so I doubt they’re gonna check for this, and I can’t find the joke on Google so.... anybody know it?
Anonymous said: i love these collab sets they are honestly gifts from above
mhmm gifts from above for every collab except those in October... those are from below 👹 😳
Anonymous said: the pack is sooooo cute i love everything omg!!!! The male stuff is so adorable i can’t wait to download
Anonymous said: you guys are the only ones i go to for packs i would love to see build buy items in the future we don’t get a lot mm stuff like that
Anonymous said:i just want to say thank you for putting in so much time and hard work and dedication to creating cc for us. i hope there's never a moment when you feel unappreciated, and i want you to know we all love you!
@primadonnaliferiseandfall said: all hail you and ayoshi for the cc pack its so pretty omg!!!!
Anonymous said: omg the kings have delivered!!
Anonymous said: since we got axa 2019 and 2018 will there be an axa 2020? 👀
Anonymous said: Great job on the pack! Everyone's items look gorgeous! Thank you for making this, you talented human being.
Anonymous said: ilysm! that’s all 💓💫
Anonymous said: just wanted to let you know that your content is absolutely amazing and i love it all :) sending love from the uk👍
Anonymous said: would you and ayoshi consider sharing the psds for some of the stuff in your collab? please?
thank you guys so much! Me and Ayoshi were super super happy with the AxA 2019 release and we are so happy with how many people have liked it. AxA 2020 will be a thing, yes. Also I have been working on PSDs that are super easy to navigate. I will get those up soon hopefully.
@graphicpickles said: Hey um, I dont know if you were aware of this but your discord link is broken ^^"
hey! this is super late sorry, discord link should be working now. If not:
https://discord.gg/CtQR9tb
Anonymous said: Why would you include a cc hair in a preview for a cas review
because I liked the hair and wanted to use it 😗
@goddesssimmerina said: I just stopped by to tell you how much I LOVE your content. *_* I just went through and downloaded soooo much! xD I actually just switched to using MM hair and i'm so glad I did because I'm finding so many of you amazing creators and I thank you all sm! :*
awe thank you!! I appreciate it. Welcome to MM hair world :P
@moonbrightsims said: whats ur origin id?
AHarris00Britney
Anonymous said: how are your photos/screenshots so high quality? seriously, do you use a mod for it or idk editing? or maybe your settings?
Ultra Settings, and I use SRWE for HQ pics.
Anonymous said: if you don’t answer this ask you’re straight
It has been answered. I am no longer straight. Was a hard two months not answering this 😔😔😔
Anonymous said: Hi, would you mind teaching us how you make the LoDs of your hairs? I opened one of them in S4S and found out your LoDs are great looking. I use decimate tool in blender and they look really bad.
I edge split everything before I decimate in Blender, I also delete the hairline and extrude the mesh inside the head before decimating as well. Really confusing to explain in words sorry. Might make a tutorial.
Anonymous said: omg ur cc finds blog has apink namjoo as icon and header. i'm.. sCREAMING. austin knows royalty
yes ma’am now where is the comeback
- it was at this point I realized I have caught up with my last asks post and have answered 4 things over again from Asks 15. Well... I guess that’s it folks
see yall in asks 17 in 2 months.... maybe the end of October idk
#asks#nonsims#saviorhide#i dont even know why i decided to answer stuff tonight it is 1:32AM now and i started an hour ago#let me go be productive and do something like lay in bed playing Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for 2 hours til I pass out#actually let me post a teaser idgaf its 2am but when else am i gonna post it
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Quirkless AU Part Two
Gonna post this before going to bed. I finished part two finally!! If you haven’t already read part one, I linked that part below for you to go back and read it. Hopefully you Enjoy this part. I’m excited for what will happen in the next couple of parts. As always, feedback is welcome. Please let me know if the link to Part One doesn’t work if you try to use it. This is the first time I have linked something on here so I’m not sure I did it right.
Read Part One Here
--------------------------------
The week after his first support group meeting went similarly as it always does. Izuku was still at his middle school and still facing the ridicule from his classmates. Every day, Izuku would face someone at school who would either engage in emotional or physical bullying. Izuku once hoped that after constantly going through emotional and physical pain, he would eventually become numb. That one day the pain from the words and blows would just disappear and leave Izuku an empty shell. However, this never happened. Izuku felt every word and every physical blow. They crumbled what little self-esteem that Izuku had left, filling him with negative thoughts and self-doubt.
This only became worse since the crushing failure of the U.A. exam. At least before, Izuku was able to hold on to a shred of hope, but that hope disappeared when he failed the exam. Now every cruel word said to him and every punch thrown at him are like concrete bricks hooking on to him and dragging him deep down into despair.
Although Izuku didn’t want to go to the support group, he was at least a little curious about if the other kids felt similarly as he did. So when the day of the support group arrived, he wasn’t as resistant getting in the car as the week before. Inko dropped him off and left him to walk inside by himself. He slowly made his way inside and down the hall to the room. Walking inside, he saw that he was the first one there. He sat down in the same seat, pulled a notebook out of his backpack, and began doodling on the pages. His notebooks were once the home for notes on every pro hero that he could use to help him become a great hero. However, Izuku didn’t see the point anymore. Instead, he filled the pages with little doodles when he was bored.
“Broccoli boy! You’re back.” Y/N called when they walked through the door. Izuku looked up from his notebook and nodded his head.
“I am and my name is Izuku.” He retorted back at them. They rolled their eyes before plopping into the seat next to Izuku.
“I like broccoli boy better, so that’s what I’m going to call you.” They said, folding their arms and giving Izuku a look. Izuku stared back at them for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders.
“Fine. Whatever.” Izuku mumbled, turning back to his drawings. They sat in silence as other group members trickled in through the doors. He could feel Y/N’s eyes on him, but he refused to look up. After a few more minutes, the group counselor arrived and started the meeting. After the usual introductions of everyone in the group, the counselor had them all go around the room and share how they felt when they found out they were quirkless, and how they felt now. Izuku rolled his eyes at how cliche the exercise was. This is stupid. It’s not going to help anyone. He thought to himself.
“Izuku! How about you go first today?” The counselor called cheerily. Izuku looked up at her, his face flushed.
“Oh, u-um. Okay. Well, I remember feeling like my dreams were crushed when I found out. I was four and all I ever wanted was to be a hero. However, after feeling crushed briefly, I went back to believing that I would be a hero. That was all crushed again recently after the U.A. exam. Now I just feel… angry and sad.” Izuku explained, looking down at his hands. He looked up at the end of his explanation and saw the counselor staring at him with a soft smile.
“It’s okay to feel those things. You’re going through a grieving process. It’s as if you’re grieving a part of you that was lost after the exam. It will get better with time. Thank you for sharing. How about Y/N goes next?” The counselor moved her stare to focus on Y/N. Y/N groaned, but started sharing as well.
“I was sad when I found out when I was five. I remember blaming my parents a lot and thinking that they did something to get rid of my quirk. Now I’m not as sad. I’m pissed that I don’t have a quirk. How is it fair that there are asshole people out there that get to have these awesome quirks and we are stuck without one. I’m pissed that I have to be stuck doing a lame-ass job because I can’t become a hero without a quirk.” Izuku could see that Y/N was getting angrier by the second and the counselor quickly jumped in.
“I completely understand how you’re feeling. You’re right. It’s not fair. But there are still some awesome jobs that you can do even without a quirk. Thanks for sharing Y/N. How about we have Kyo go next?”
“Doubt it.” Y/N grumbled under their breath as the counselor moved on to the next person. They glanced up at Izuku before turning slightly in their chair to stare out of the window. Izuku tried to pay attention to the other kids in the group and what they were saying. A lot of the kids talked about similar feelings as Izuku. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was nice knowing that there were other people out there that felt similarly as he did.
After having to engage in multiple exercises the counselor thought would help them to work through their feelings, the counselor dismissed them for the day. Relieved, Izuku quickly grabbed his backpack and walked outside. Unfortunately for him, his mother was not here yet to pick him up. He sat on the front steps outside of the building and pulled out his phone.
“Do you also feel like this support group is bullshit?” Izuku looked up to see Y/N standing above him. Y/N sat down next to him on the steps.
“On some level, yes. But I also know that it’s supposed to help us.” Izuku answered. He slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“I don’t know how continuously talking about how we are mad or sad about being quirkless is supposed to help us.” Y/N grumbled, picking up little pieces of gravel from the sidewalk and rolling them down the steps.
“I agree. I guess it’s supposed to help us not feel alone.” Izuku offered, shrugging his shoulders. Y/N huffed but didn’t say anything. They both sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching the cars pass on the street.
“Do you ever feel like just running away?” Y/N said quietly. Izuku looked up at them, concern displayed on his face. “Sometimes I feel like if I run away, I could start over. Yes I would still be quirkless, but I wouldn’t be surrounded by the assholes I am now. I could change my story; I could still be a hero.”
“How? Without a quirk we can’t be heroes.” Izuku said in confusion. Y/N rolled their eyes at him and rolled another small piece of gravel down the steps.
“Pro heroes maybe, but we could still be other types of heroes. Ever heard of a vigilante before?” Y/N explained, looking over at Izuku. Izuku remembers hearing about vigilantes and their groups in the past, but doesn’t have extensive knowledge on them.
“I’ve heard of them, just don’t know a lot about them.” Izuku muttered. Y/N rolled their eyes before leaning back and looking up at the sky.
“Vigilantes are the next best thing to heroes in my opinion. They do all the same things that heroes do, just aren’t as in the spotlight.” Y/N explains, still looking up at the sky. Izuku glanced over at them and studied their face.
“And they don’t get paid” Izuku stated. Y/N laughed softly and nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right about that. But I didn’t want to be a hero just to get paid. I wanted to help people.” Y/N added softly, picking the frayed strings on the holes in their jeans. Izuku nodded his head in agreement.
“Aren’t vigilantes illegal though?” Izuku asked, curious. He remembered seeing news articles discussing the laws on vigilantes and how it can impact the work that heroes do.
“Technically yes, but there are many vigilantes out there that are able to do hero work without getting caught.” Y/N said, looking over at Izuku.
“Yeah, but I bet they all have quirks that help them out.” Izuku mumbled, looking at the ground. Before Y/N could respond, Inko’s car pulled up to the curb, the horn honking loudly. Izuku grabbed his backpack and stood up. “See you next week, I guess.” He said, looking over at Y/N. Y/N gave a small smile and a nod.
“See you.” They said. Y/N stood up and started walking down the street. Izuku climbed into the car.
“Did you make a friend Izuku?” Inko asked, staring at Y/N’s retreating figure. Izuku looked out of the window at Y/N as well.
“I think so.” Izuku answered. Inko clapped her hands together before pulling away from the curb.
“Oh good! I’m glad you’re making friends sweetie!” Inko said cheerily, smiling over at Izuku. Izuku smiled back before looking out of the car window. His mind flashed back to his and Y/N’s conversation after the group. Vigilantes were an interesting concept, but Izuku knew nearly nothing about them. He promised himself that he would do some research about them over the week before the next support group.
#mha#bnha#bnha midoriya#mha midoriya#midoriya izuku#midoriya x reader#my hero academia#boko no hero academia#bnha fanfiction#bnha imagines#mha fanfiction#alternate universe#bnha deku#mha deku#new writer#feedback welcome
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The MFackenthal Show and @maxattack-powell!
banner by @whenyourheartskipsabeat
Hello all! Welcome back to the MFackenthal Show! I am so glad that you are here today. If you’re new to the show, I encourage you to go here to find past episodes. There are only a few.
The MFackenthal Show has officially been green lit for more episodes! We used to only be able to afford to run the show every once in a while, but the people have spoken - they want to see the show more often! The funding came through and we hope to give the people what they want! Do you want to be on the show? Do you have someone that you want to see on the show? If so - reblog or comment or send a message to let MFackenthal know! We’ll see what we can do! We have this show and two others lined up for you!
I could not be more excited to bring you this next guest. She has been with the fandom for quite a while. She was one of the first people I started communicating with on a regular basis. She has talked me up, supported me from the beginning and though she hasn’t written much lately - when she does drop a chapter - it’s long and it’s worth it! Please welcome to the stage @maxattack-powell!!!!! (Insert Cheering here!)
(Megs greets Max with a hug - which means that Megs essentially runs and leaps into Max’s arms. Max is fairly tall and Megs is barely 5′3″)
Megs: Max, I am so happy that you are here! Can you believe that you’re here today?
Max: Haha, yes - I can. But I am honored to be here.
Megs: Max, sit with me. For those in the audience who may not know you, tell us about when and why you joined the fandom.
Max: Yanno, I always made my best guess at this before, but I knew you were going to ask me this - so I looked it up. Did you know that now there’s this Official Tumblr blog called @memories, and it knows down to the minute when someone joined? Let me go check it… *digs through the blogs posts* Okay, it was apparently 07/31/2017 at 1:17:15 PM, which means it must have been on the weekend because of the time of day haha.
As for why ... hmm, well… I found the Choices app one day, when it only had like… three series I think! Anyone else remember that time?
Megs: I do! Because I was playing Hollywood University I think I downloaded choices the day the app came out.
Max: Awh! Well, I fell in love with The Freshman Series. Mostly because of Chris Powell and Zack Zilberg, and a long time ago I was in another fandom that had tons of fan fiction/art… so I googled “Choices Chris Powell” and any other combination I could think of looking for possible fanfiction. The fandom was almost non existent at the time. There was actually one person, who has long since left the fandom due to fandom dramas - we all know the kinds I’m talking about - but a few others had started posting their works as well… and I got hooked. Eventually I felt the bug to write how I felt TF should play out as well, and here I am *looks back at the “joined tumblr timestamp”* uhh… 20ish months ago! Haha!!
Megs: LOL, when you put it that way it doesn’t sound like that long ago ... lets call a spade a spade - that was almost 2 years ago! That’s amazing! You have to have seen so much in this fandom! What is it that keeps you around?
Max: There are so many awesome people in this fandom, in this world we’ve all created for our pixelated loves lol. Soooo many creative minds to follow and enjoy. The content people share, original or repost… it’s great.
... Unfortunately it is also a double edge sword ... the drama, the jealousy, the rumors, the hate, etc. I’ve sadly seen far too much and it comes in so many forms… it’s unnecessary.
Megs: I couldn’t agree more! If you could tell the fandom one thing - what would it be?
Max: It would be that we’re all here because we want to have a good time. No one came here to get ridiculed, to be scrutinized or chastised for their opinions, their likes or dislikes. Real life has enough of that going on. We are all individuals - if you want to be treated nicely, fairly, etc. you must also do the same to others. There is no reason someone must agree with you or anyone else. Live and let live. Embrace our differences as it makes us who we are. Most of the issues I see stem from a simple difference in opinion. That is ridiculous. Everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts. We must build each other up, not tear one another down. No one here owes anyone anything, now go have some fun.
(The room stands up in applause!)
Megs: You should definitely stand up and take a bow, Max!
(Max does just as Megs suggests - but she also makes Megs stand up and do the same. Laughing, they both sit back down.)
Awh, Max ... okay, let’s get back to you. We know that you’d fight anyone for the position of The Chris Powell Appreciation/Fan Club. And for those who don’t know, Max has been retelling the full The Freshman series, interweaving dialogue and plot from PB but also adding much of her own content. MC and Chris get a backstory. Chris gets best friends from back home. What is your favorite piece that you have written?
Max: Oh geez hahaha. Um… can I just say The Freshman Chronicles as a whole? I’ve written for different fandoms, and I have original WIPs but I’ll stick to the Choices fandom for this answer. I’ve put a lot of time into TFC. Tons of additional story work, research on characters and their backgrounds, PBs and my own OCs. You should see my file folder setup haha. It’s crazy… I have so many docs, pictures and gifs. Most organized by location (Hartfeld, Boston, New Haven, Cherryfield, etc.), then by character… and on some I get more detailed and split them by emotion and situation.
Megs: By what again?
Max: Emotion and Situation ... Yeah. I warned you it was crazy! *laughs* TFC was the reason I joined tumblr really. Instead of staying a Nonny and only reading others posted works. I wanted to comment, like and reblog what I enjoyed, while I also worked on my own contribution to the fandom. I had a vision for Chris and MC that had more than the game could give, and I wanted to see if i was still any good at writing since it had been years and years… it’s funny to see how different my current posts are from my first over a year ago. Makes me want to go update a few because they could use a little help *awkward laugh*
Megs: I’m sure we can all relate to that! Hmmm ... I’m starting to get a feel for this, I think, but what is your writing process?
Max: Lots of planning, mostly in my head. When I feel like I have a decent concept I might type out some notes or work it into my outline (another crazy thing I have going for TFC because it’s so big haha). But usually, once I hatch out a basic plan on where I’m going… I just start typing. Keeping the general plot and main points I want to hit in mind, I simply start typing… keeping it as organic as possible. It usually works out well.
Megs: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Max: First, and most importantly… do it because you enjoy it. Don’t do it for likes, reblogs, popularity, etc. If you’re having a good time dreaming things up and typing them out, that’s what’s important. The rest is just an extra bonus. Also, don’t give up. It’s easy to become discouraged, frustrated, distracted and more… but remember - your creative cells can’t be running all the time. They need to rest just like your body. Take breaks… go read, play games, hang out with friends/family, watch a movie… whatever. Just do something to help you relax, to reset and you’ll very probably find inspiration and/or motivation to continue. Remember, this is for fun. *wink and finger guns*
Megs: So what do you do for fun?
Max: I actually have a few things I do regularly. A big one is making costumes/props for conventions, small productions, etc. I also train and show horses. I do the same with my dogs, but more for competitions and not really any shows. I’ve always drawn, sculpted, painted since I was old enough to hold things with my hands… and about a year ago I started learning how to do it digitally as well. I run (not at all for fun haha) and play hockey (totally for fun), follow comics and watch anime. I've restored houses, cars and old furniture. I like to read as much as I can - that’s an important one. I also play video games. Something I’ve done since I was young… I've even competed, and won, a few gaming tournaments.
Megs: You don’t know how to be bored do you?
Max: LOL, Megs. Yeah, um, so there’s a “few” *makes air quotes* of my never ending list of interests haha. Gives me a lot to talk about with people, eh?
Megs: Not that I can understand how you’d have time for this ... but what do you do to help pay for your many activities?
Max: Oh like, my job? Well that can be a simple answer… like “I work in software” but the more interesting way to say it is I use my MBA, experience in business, the financial industry and technology to improve and stabilize my customers environment through technological solutions that fit their specific needs. *presses lips together* I solve problems by designing solutions. Bored yet? Hahaha.
Megs: No! That sounds wonderful! Who doesn’t want their stuff to be designed better? Any chance you could start working for tumblr? Some of us have a few complaints ... tags ... mobile losing our work ...
Max: I’m not sure they could pay me enough to help them with all of their problems! But, tumblr, feel free to send me an offer!
Megs: Seriously - send her a 6 figure offer!
Max: Okay, Megs, well now I have a question for you.
Megs: Uhhhh, Max, that’s not exactly how this is supposed to go.
Max: Yeah, don’t care. Your fans need to know ... Hoooow do you find the time to read and review so much?! And I know that’s just in this fandom. I know you read books and you may read for other fandoms!? Seriously, it’s awesome. We need to clock your page flipping speed haha.
Megs: *blushes* Oh my gosh, you have to stop! Here’s the key to how I do it ... I wake up at 5:30am and read for about 30 minutes. Then I workout and start my day. I read in line at the grocery stores. I read on my breaks at work.
Max: Oh my gosh - you’re such a nerd and I love that! Okay, nerd, what is your favorite thing to do, besides reading all the things of course?
Megs: This show, of course! And, of course, getting people to do silly things on this show with me. For instance - with as athletic as you are, I hear you can’t jump?
Max: Megs, shhhhh. You told me you weren’t going to bring that up.
Megs: I did no such thing! (Meg says while laughing) I said I might not bring it up.
Max: Uh huh.
(Kris Kross’s “Jump” starts playing in the studio)
Megs: Come on - show me what you’ve got!
(Megs starts “singing” along and jumping along with the song. Max stays seated. Megs finally pulls Max up into a standing position. Max plays along and “jumps” next to Megs - getting no air at all.)
Oh, come on Max - put some real strength in to it. Jump! Jump! Jump!
(Max jumps and gets the smallest amount of air time.)
Max: *laughing* Megs - I’m tall! I don’t need to jump to reach things!
Megs: *laughing* That must be nice. I got good at this type of jumping because I had to learn to jump up and gently grab things from the grocery so I didn’t knock everything down.
*continuing to jump around the audience - getting everyone to join her* And that’s all for the show today today, folks! Thank you for watching!! Have a great night!
#The Mfackenthal Show#With @maxattack-powell#Official show number 3#But the 4th interview#Ellen has nothing on me#Oh who are we kidding#I wish I were half as cool as Ellen#She gets paid to do this#I do this for free#But I love it!
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[Translation] Growth Drama CD Vol. 4 - Track 2
I will introduce this drama track with two words. That is, “Mamoru” and “guppy”.
Also, we get introduced to a new character, Mimira-kun who, albeit being faceless, is still part of the TsukiPro world~
Thank you again to Deea for sharing before I got my own CD~!! Please don’t ask her for them as per her request, thank you ^^
※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^
Under the cut, enjoy!
Track 02:
[ご機嫌な涼太くん]
“Ryota-kun in a good mood”
[0:00]
(pages flipping as Koki reads)
RYOTA: Hm? (giggles)
KOKI: Hm…? (giggles)
KOKI: Ryo, is something wrong?
RYOTA: Eh?
KOKI: It’s just, you’ve been looking over here all this time that I was wondering if you needed something.
RYOTA: Ah… I… I was looking at Kou…?
KEN: AH!!! You weren’t aware?! You were staring! Totally staring!
MAMORU: I-it’s somehow… Like you two were transported to a world of your own…
MAMORU: Please remember that we’re here, too! We’re here too, Ryo-kun!
RYOTA: Huh? Obviously. We’re here as Growth, aren’t we?
KEN: Y-you say that but it’s like we were just air, y’know? Right, Mamoru!?
MAMORU: Yes, Ken-kun! Ryo-kun and Kou-kun were just staring at each other, giggling, and it was like we were intruding in their atmosphere!
RYOTA: You’re pretty noisy for someone who understands the situation.
RYOTA: I noticed that, too, you know.
KEN: Ah… Someone who was just smiling and giggling looking at Kou’s face is this cold when it’s towards us.
MAMORU: It happens a lot, I know, but Ryo-kun’s difference in treatment is killing the guppy in my heart slowly!
KEN: Don’t die, Mamoru’s guppy!!
KEN: Ah, by the way, a “guppy” is the name of a tropical fish. It seems like there’s a chance that they’ll die if you change the temperature just a bit and change behaviour by the intensity of its environment.
MAMORU: Ken-kun, thank you for the explanation!
KOKI: (chuckles)
KOKI: Um… Ryo, is there anything strange that’s going on?
RYOTA: Eh?
RYOTA: No, not at all. (smiles)
RYOTA: That white top suits you well~
RYOTA: The black jacket on top of that looks good, too, huh?
RYOTA: It emphasizes your waist well and I think that it looks pretty and elegant.
KOKI: Thank you. Then, maybe it’s my hairstyle…?
RYOTA: I really like that part of your bangs that stray a little bit when tucked behind your ear.
RYOTA: In one word, I’d say it’s “noble”. It suits you well~
KOKI: R-really…?
RYOTA: Yup. (smiles)
KOKI: U-um… Thank you.
RYOTA: Yeah~
MAMORU: THIS DIFFERENCE IN TEMPERATURE!! AHHH!! MY HEART’S GUPPY! MY GUPPY!!!
KEN: Don’t die, Mamoru’s guppy! SOMEBODY!! SOMEBODY, PLEASE SAVE HIM!!
RYOTA: Ah, I see.
KOKI: Hm?
RYOTA: I figured out why I was unconsciously staring at Kou.
MAMORU: And what exactly is that?!
RYOTA: It’s because Kou is shining today.
KEN/MAMORU: Huh?
RYOTA: You all know this, don’t you? That I like beautiful things.
RYOTA: Music, pictures, scenery, people, or whatever.
RYOTA: It’s fun looking at beautiful things, isn’t it?
RYOTA: It makes the heart at ease, doesn’t it? It’s even better if there’s a sense of cleanliness, too.
RYOTA: In that way, Kou is my ideal. Just that.
KEN/MAMORU: Ah…
RYOTA: Yes… Yes, that’s it.
RYOTA: Kou really hits every single one of my targets, huh.
RYOTA: I wonder why? Maybe it’s better if I didn’t have something he can target?
RYOTA: What’s this feeling of being targeted even though there’s nothing to target…?
RYOTA: Really… It’s getting scary. But his existence is healing.
RYOTA: (sighs) I’m so glad that Kou is Growth’s leader.
MAMORU: Ryo-kun is unusually in an interesting mode, huh…
KEN: In any case, you made it clear that Kou hit all of your “targets” today.
KOKI: Is it okay to think of it as a compliment…?
RYOTA: Of course! I’m aware of how much I love or dislike someone after all.
RYOTA: I think that it’s a great thing that I can notice that, too.
MAMORU: Well, that’s true.
KEN: You’re right.
KOKI: (chuckles) Well, Ryo’s shining to me, as well.
RYOTA: I’m… shining…?
KOKI: Yeah.
RYOTA: Well, that’s because it’s part of our job to present ourselves to people. I’m careful about my appearance.
RYOTA: Of course, I’d be in my best manners, too.
KOKI: True. In a way, it could mean like that. The reason why I look pretty to you might be because of the same reason.
KOKI: (smiles) But—
RYOTA: But…!?
KOKI: For me, you sparkling isn’t just limited to your outward appearance.
RYOTA: Eh…?
KOKI: Ryo is—
(someone knocks on the door)
STAFF: Pardon the intrusion! We’re so sorry for the wait, Growth.
STAFF: The studio is already prepared so please get ready to move.
KEN: Ah, yes~!
KOKI: Ryo, let’s continue this talk later.
RYOTA: A-ah—Y-yeah.
MAMORU: Alright~! Let’s do our best for work today then!
KEN: Yeah~!
RYOTA: Wait!
RYOTA: You two were just sitting around, weren’t you?
RYOTA: Your clothes are all wrinkled.
KEN: AH! Really?!
RYOTA: Really. Look right here and over here, too.
KEN: It’s true…
KEN: Oh, man. I hope it doesn’t stand out.
RYOTA: Why don’t you ask the costume department if they can lightly steam it for a bit?
KEN: You’re right. Thank you, Ryo. I’ll do just that.
RYOTA: Mamoru, too. Your necktie’s crooked. I’ll fix it for you. Come on.
RYOTA: Stand properly.
MAMORU: Ah, yes!
(Ryota starts fixing Mamoru’s tie)
RYOTA: Hm?
MAMORU: Ryo-kun… Right now, you were thinking that it’s similar to fixing the collar on a dog, weren’t you…?
RYOTA: Wow! I’m amazed you figured it out~!
MAMORU: I wish you denied that part though~
RYOTA: (chuckles) I’m just kidding.
RYOTA: I know that both you and Ken do your best so, if you only keep in mind what people think about you, it’d be a waste, you know?
RYOTA: There are people who look up to Growth’s Ken and Mamoru, too, you know?
RYOTA: You’ll do it properly, won’t you?
MAMORU: Yessir!
KOKI: (chuckles) We’re all ready, aren’t we? Now then, shall we go?
[06:35]
STAFF: Now then, we’ll introduce today’s guests!
STAFF: First up are these people! With their unique world view and individualistic songs, harmony is their power.
STAFF: Please welcome everyone from Growth!
KOKI: Good afternoon!
Growth: Good afternoon.
STAFF: Hello! Welcome to Count-up TV!
STAFF: I think we’ll all be able to hear about their processes of music today.
KOKI: Yes. It’s a pleasure to be here.
STAFF: It’s a pleasure to have you here.
STAFF: The next guest is this person!
STAFF: He’s pretty famous with middle and high schoolers!
STAFF: He’s the frightfully amazing 16 year old who writes and makes his own songs, Mimira-san!
MIMIRA: Good evening~! I’m Mimira!
MIMIRA: I normally do net broadcasts so this is my first appearance on TV~!
MIMIRA: I’m very nervous but, I’ll do my best~! It’s nice to meet you~
STAFF: Yes, welcome! Alright then, let’s have a quick commercial before we proceed with the talk.
(catchy music plays)
MAMORU: (sighs) It’s finally… over… somehow…
RYOTA: (exhausted) Really…
RYOTA: I’m so glad that it’s somehow over…
KEN: I understand why Mamoru, the composer, is tired because it’s a music show where we talked about the song processes but, why is Ryo so tired, too?
RYOTA: I think it’s because of the nervousness about whether Mamoru would say some weird things…
MAMORU: Ah… (laughs with a very tired manner) I’m so sorry for making you worry.
MAMORU: It’s true that a TV broadcast has a different sort of nervousness from lives and events, huh…?
MAMORU: I somehow managed not to slip up because I kept looking at Ryo-kun next to me who was glaring at me.
MAMORU: That’s… what I want to think!
KOKI: (chuckles) No, I think you managed to talk about it properly rather than just “managing it somehow”.
MAMORU: Eh?! Really?
KEN: Yup, yup. I think so, too. I think the song’s themes and their highlights were pretty easy to understand.
KEN: I think we managed to show fine team play during this recording. I think we also managed to make people laugh at the appropriate times, too.
KEN: Good going, Mamoru~
MAMORU: I-I’m so glad…!
KOKI: (smiles) Great job, Mamoru.
KOKI: You did well. Didn’t he, Ryo?
RYOTA: You’re right. Well, I’d say it’s a passing mark.
MAMORU: Oh…! To think that the day Ryo-kun would say that would come…!
MAMORU: I’m so glad that I did image training of this moment with the Arainu-kun three days ago!
RYOTA: …!
KEN: I’m somehow torn between wanting to see you practice talking with a stuffed toy or if I’m glad that I didn’t see it.
RYOTA: It’s obviously gross so you should be glad you didn’t see it.
RYOTA: Ah, but, I guess it’s too late to say that since he talks often with the pachira.
KEN: That’s true.
MAMORU: Onii-san won’t hide his distress since I’m aware you see me do that often…
MIMIRA: Ah, Growth-san! Thank you very much for today!
MIMIRA: I’m Mimira, who was your co-guest today!
KOKI: Ah, likewise. Thank you very much to you, too.
MAMORU: Thank you very much!
RYOTA: Thanks.
KEN: Thanks for the hard work~!
MIMIRA: Thank you for your hard work, too!
MIMIRA: Uwah~ You’re all so beautiful up close! Your face is so small!
MIMIRA: Real celebrities are totally different, huh~!
MAMORU: Eh? Eh!? Eh…?! WHAT!!??
MIMIRA: Was it Koki-san and Ryota-san?
MAMORU: AHHH! Figured it was those two…! That’s obvious, huh…
KEN: (laughs)
MIMIRA: If it’s okay with you, can I take a picture with you to commemorate this day?
MIMIRA: Can we do a two-shot?
KOKI: Yeah.
RYOTA: I don’t mind.
MIMIRA: Yay~! Then, please excuse me~ There.
(Mimira approaches Ryo and Koki)
MIMIRA: Okay~ Please come closer.
MIMIRA: Say cheese~
(Mimira takes the picture)
MIMIRA: Woah~! It looks good! What do you think?
MIMIRA: Would it be alright if I uploaded it online later?
MIMIRA: I could edit or enhance it before I do though but…
KOKI: Ah, it’s no problem at all.
RYOTA: It’s fine with me, too.
MIMIRA: Yay~! Thank you very much!
MIMIRA: Alright~ I’ll add this to my memories of today just like with my first broadcast~
KEN: Ah, um… Mimira-kun?
KEN: That broadcast channel’s called “Mimira Channel,” isn’t it?
KEN: I’ve watched it before.
MIMIRA: Ohhh!! Really?! Thank you very much!
MIMIRA: I’m happy that you saw one of my videos…!
MIMIRA: Ah, can I ask you for your impressions? How was it?
KEN: It was interesting!
KEN: The episode I saw was the episode where you went to the bath house for the first time since you were born.
KEN: I’ve never been to one before, too, so while I was going “Oh~” when watching, I totally laughed a lot while holding my milk bottle.
MIMIRA: (laughs) That’s the one I uploaded the day after I went to the bath house, right?
MIMIRA: Compared to the organization of a TV broadcast, I usually do the filming and even editing on my own.
MIMIRA: I don’t even have a great script to follow and I mess up talking sometimes, too.
MIMIRA: Well, that kind of thing is one charm point, too~! Ehehe~
KOKI: That’s amazing. You think of the material and do the editing on your own?
MIMIRA: E-he~ Is what I’d like to brag but, the computer software really does help a lot.
MIMIRA: It’s not as difficult once you get used to it, sir.
MIMIRA: Doing things we love as long as we can is good, isn’t it~?
KEN: You’re light on your feet because you do it alone, too, huh.
MIMIRA: Yes, yes! It’s great that I can just do something interesting the moment that I think of it~
KOKI: I think that kind of behaviour is admirable, too.
RYOTA: After all, if you don’t know how to use an editing software, it really is meaningless, too.
MAMORU: Right, right~? I mean, even I can make a lot with just a music software, too.
MAMORU: Mimira-kun does the filming, recording, and editing, too. On top of that, you make music and you sing, too, don’t you?
MAMORU: You’re so talented, huh~
MIMIRA: (flustered) A-ah, no…! I- I just feel shy if you flatter me like that…!
MIMIRA: But… Thank you very much!
STAFF: Ah, Mimira-san! Your escort’s here already.
MIMIRA: Ah, yes! It’s that time already, huh…
MIMIRA: I’ll be on my way then. Thank you very much for today!
KOKI: Yeah, let’s meet again somewhere.
RYOTA: Someday for sure.
MIMIRA: Yes, surely! Thank you very much for the picture, too!
(Mimira leaves)
[13:23]
KOKI: (chuckles)
RYOTA: That was quite a storm, huh~ Though, there was nothing bad in it.
KEN: Oh, the picky Ryo is saying something unusual~
RYOTA: Shut up.
MAMORU: That just shows how great Mimira-kun is at communicating and talking.
KOKI: Music, videos, and now even talking, huh.
KOKI: He’s really talented.
MAMORU: He called Kou-kun and Ryo-kun “pretty~!” but, Mimira-kun’s pretty good looking himself, too~
MAMORU: Man~ Popular people sure have it all~
KEN: I felt he can handle it though~ To borrow Ryo’s words, he was “shining,” too.
MAMORU: I thought so, too! Maybe it’s the youth~
MAMORU: I feel like I was showered in sparkling beams just by talking to him.
MAMORU: His smile is sparkly, his aura is sparkly~! Ah~! So dazzling! Or something?
KEN: Exactly.
RYOTA: Kou’s not losing when It comes to being sparkling though.
KOKI: Me?
KEN: Why are you always so quick to turn it into a compliment competition?
RYOTA: That’s because you two kept complimenting him with “amazing~ amazing~” without restraint.
RYOTA: Kou’s beautiful, he can sing and dance, he’s smart, he’s good at cooking too so, he won’t lose.
KOKI: Ryo, I’m happy that you’re praising me but, I don’t think there’s any point in deciding “winners and losers.”
KEN: Exactly. In the first place, we weren’t comparing Kou and Mimira-kun anyway.
RYOTA: I know that but…
MAMORU: (chuckles) I guess we all just acknowledge that that’s how much you love Kou-kun.
KEN: Yeah, we do. It’s true that Ryo has been keeping an eye on Kou from the beginning.
MAMORU: Oh, really?
KOKI: But, I won’t really call it a friendly mood.
MAMORU: Eh?!
KEN: Oh~? Kou-sama felt that, too?
KOKI: (chuckles) How naïve do you really think I am?
KOKI: Of course I’d notice when I’m being loathed that much.
KEN: Oh, that’s right. I’d say it was more of a rivalry than a friendly feeling.
MAMORU: WHAT?!
RYOTA: W-wait, you two… Are you really bring that up here and now?
KEN: Isn’t it a topic that should be brought out now so that we can have a laugh at it together later~?
RYOTA: That’s true and all but…
MAMORU: Eh? Eh, what? I’m curious! I wanna know~!
MAMORU: Speaking of, I don’t think I’ve ever heard how Kou-kun and Ryo-kun met before.
MAMORU: Though, I’ve heard before that the difficult to approach “Aloof Prince” Kou-kun was approached by Ryo-kun and Ken-kun.
RYOTA: You remember that well, huh, Mamoru.
RYOTA: It’s exactly like that. Ken and I were the first to approach him.
RYOTA: I was curious about what kind of guy it was that they were giving special treatment to.
RYOTA: If I were to confess, I did it mostly with ill intent.
MAMORU: Ill intent…?
KOKI: I was an enemy to you then, huh?
RYOTA: I think you already know without my saying it but, it’s different now, okay?
RYOTA: But, in a place where the tickets to actually debuting were so little, seeing someone the agency treats so specially without hiding it really gives you a bad feeling, doesn’t it?
KEN: I still remember it even now.
KEN: How you glared—No, looked at Kou. I told you that you should try talking to him if you were that interested.
KOKI: Is that so?
RYOTA: You stood out after all. Even if I tried not to worry about it, you just plainly enter my sight.
RYOTA: That’s one reason why you were so special, too, though.
RYOTA: Well… I guess kids wouldn’t understand.
RYOTA: In any case, Ken told me that and I finally decided to talk to Kou.
==END==
※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^
#tsukipro#growth#drama cd#growth translations#my translations#SAVE MAMORU AND KEN 2K19!!#this drama cd basically just said kouryo rights in my face#but it's foreshadowing to what i otherwise think will be something that will make me cry
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made of stone || chapter 01
⇥ synopsis : when you return after years apart to pursue a divorce from your husband, Mark, you fall back into a contentious relationship because your partner still refuses to give up his dangerous fighting career...
⇥ warnings : this story in its entirety includes but is not limited to strong language and dialogue, descriptions of blood and violence, alcohol or drug use, and explicit sexual content, and is intended for an adult audience only!
Busan was everything you remembered and more. The crisp ocean air welcomed you home with open arms and the spray of sea salt tangled in your hair. The sun fell toward the horizon while the sky darkened with not only the threatening of nightfall, but of storms as well.
As you drove, tears pricked at your eyes. You had forgotten the love you had for Busan and how well the city had loved you back. A pang of guilt manifested deep in your chest, throbbing at the memory of how you had turned your back and run away from your home the way you did.
The rickety house was just a short walk from the water and given its precarious location on a slope, there was no driveway. You parked in the gravel alongside the garage and stepped out on shaky legs. The place you had once affectionately called home was a bittersweet sight. Trees overhead rustled with the impending wind and rain. You kept your eyes peeled on the front door, listening to the pebbles crunching beneath your boots.
Your gaze fell on the black motorcycle parked beneath a small overhang. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you continued toward the house.
The seconds passed like hours as you strode across the porch and finally lifted your hand to knock, but before your knuckles could collide with the wood, the door swung inward and there stood Mark.
“Um, hi,” you stuttered, taking a step back in surprise.
“Long time no see, Mrs. Tuan,” said Mark, as if nothing had happened between you and him. His steps were loud as he strutted across the front porch, causing you to match his movements in the opposite direction. If you didn’t know any better, you would think he was a polarizing force.
Sporting a simple black tank top and jeans that were riddled with tears, Mark carried himself like a man with nothing to lose anymore. A snapback covered his head, holding back the dark brown hair that had grown long enough to stray into his eyes.
You took a breath, gathering your strength for whatever confrontation would follow.
Striding even closer and still flashing that massive smile of his, Mark asked, “What finally brings you home?”
You narrowed your eyes and replied bitterly, “Mark, I want a divorce.”
The grin on his face vanished, seemingly slapped away by an invisible hand. The light in his eyes died and he murmured sternly, “I hate to disappoint you, baby, but I didn’t take those vows lightly.”
“I didn’t either when I said them at the ripe age of eighteen,” you smarted, pulling the papers from your purse.
Mark chortled and countered, “I was just a kid, too. I still knew what they meant.”
Extending the papers until they unceremoniously smacked his firm chest, the two of you stared at each other in an icy cold stalemate, but Mark showed no intention of taking the pages from you.
“Mark, I’m serious,” you insisted with exhaustion. “I’ve been serious every time my lawyer mailed these papers to you.”
Mark bobbed his head as he listened to you, then nonchalantly replied, “And I was absolutely serious every time I set them on fire. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m very busy.”
To your surprise, your husband brushed past you and strode leisurely toward the rocks along the water's edge. He was avoiding a confrontation, you knew that without a doubt. Ironically, Mark hated fighting with you.
“Mark,” you called out with bitter emotions weighing down your voice, charging after him and navigating the steep terrain with your boots.
“Yeah?” he replied without so much as a glance over his shoulder.
You grumbled and whined, “I’m not going home until you sign these.”
Annoyed, he chastised, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, sweetheart, but this is your home.”
“Mark, just stop for a second and listen to me,” you pleaded.
Mark turned, sporting a look of sheer dissatisfaction.
“I don’t want to fight anymore.”
Your husband scoffed and grumbled, “Fighting is all we were ever good at.”
You recoiled and chided, “Mark.”
Your mind tore you back to a time that was safer, devoid of the anger and resentment you and your husband bore for each other now. Of nights spent in a hammock beneath the trees a short distance from the water. At the memory, you stopped and searched nearby, noting the hammock had unraveled to shards of rope, undoubtedly battered by the storms.
The symbolism of it weighed heavily on your heart. Your face tensed with the threat of oncoming tears and Mark turned to see where your glassy eyes had fallen. When his attention landed on the heap of knots, he released a deep sigh and rounded on you with sympathy.
“Didn’t survive the storms,” he said morosely.
“Neither did we,” you replied, trembling.
Mark bristled with anger at the surrender in your words, that you had obviously given up all hope when it came to your feelings for each other. “Not for lack of trying,” Mark finally asserted, his tone harsh and unforgiving.
“Mark, please,” you exhaled, your voice lowering in defeat.
Your husband melted at the pout on your face and you stared him down.
With a long, agonizing breath, Mark waved you forward and relented, “Come inside and we can talk about it.”
“Thank you,” you replied in relief, following him to the porch.
The loud chiming of a phone echoed through the air and Mark stopped in his tracks just shy of the front door. With a heavy groan, he turned to face you with his head down, bringing the phone out of his pocket and answering, “Don’t tell me.”
You furrowed your brow at his shift in mood, studying his face as you watched the tension gather across his features.
“I’m still game,” he said coolly. “When?”
Those words were all too familiar. You rolled your eyes and shook your head in disapproval, angling away and folding your arms angrily.
Mark kept his gaze fixated on you, noting the changes in your body language as you filled to the brim with wrath. With a sigh, he murmured, “Yeah, you couldn’t have worse timing, but yes, I’ll be there.”
The moment Mark ended the call, you stomped toward him and exclaimed, “You still fight?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Unbelievable,” you hissed.
“Baby, you know me better than anyone,” Mark chided, his voice growing huskier with impatience. “I don’t know how to do anything else.”
“And me walking out wasn’t enough of an incentive to learn an actual skill apparently,” you muttered under your breath, on the verge of crying out your frustrations.
Mark put his hands on his hips, bare arms flexing and bulging with muscle. Narrowing his eyes, he scolded, “You left to push me to give up fighting. That just made me want to do it more.”
You knew he was saying that to get under your skin and it definitely worked. “Spiteful asshole,” you spat with vehemence.
“Fighting is the most primal skill we have, babe,” Mark sang with a smile, stepping into the house briefly to grab his jacket. “And I’m very, very good at it.”
“You’re very good at taking hits to the face, too,” you insisted, recalling the sight of his swollen, bruised skin. “One of these days you’re gonna get hit so hard you’ll never get up again.”
That was your greatest fear, but your husband never gave the possibility any mind.
Mark pulled on his leather jacket and flashed you an arrogant grin. “Are you coming or not?” he asked.
“What?” you exclaimed.
Mark pulled keys out of his pocket and strode toward the bike. The motorcycle was an old friend. Frankly, one you had missed dearly. Nothing compared to late night drives with Mark, clinging to him for warmth as the chill of the sea raked against you.
“You are welcome to stay here until I get back if you want,” Mark spoke coyly, knowing you would hate being left alone to wallow in boredom. “I mean, legally it is still your house, too.”
“You annoy me,” you retorted.
Approaching the bike, Mark grabbed the spare helmet and extended it toward you, adding, “No one has worn this but you.”
You watched him straddle the motorcycle, still offering the helmet to you. Fighting was the sore spot of your relationship with Mark Tuan. Two kids from the streets had to find ways to survive and this was his. He may have acted like he didn’t understand your animosity, but you knew better.
Your eyes met and you mumbled in defeat, taking the helmet and pulling it over your head. Mounting the bike behind him, you wrapped your arms around his firm waist and could practically feel him grinning as he revved up the engine.
“If you wanna put your hands a little lower, I won’t mind,” Mark flirted.
“In your dreams,” you snarled.
Mark chuckled and whispered, “Oh, baby, my dreams are much dirtier.”
You rolled your eyes yet again, but holding back a smirk of amusement was impossible. Then, the motorcycle took off with a roar, kicking up gravel, and you cried out in surprise as your husband drove toward the city.
chapter 01 ⇥ chapter 02
Hey there, beautiful! If you enjoyed this, please leave a like or reblog or follow me! Or maybe buy me a coffee so I can keep writing? Or check out my masterlist here for more stories! Thanks for reading :) - Katya
This work is fictional and for entertainment purposes only, but is licensed and protected under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. Any instances of plagiarism will be dealt with accordingly. Do not re-post or translate without my permission.
{ copyright 2018-2020 © ahgaseda // all rights reserved }
#got7 fanfiction#got7 drabbles#got7 scenarios#got7 imagines#got7 reactions#mark tuan fanfiction#mark tuan drabbles#mark tuan scenarios#mark tuan imagines#mark tuan reactions
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You’re Killing Me, Swan - Chapter 3/3
This is it, the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who has given it a read. Thanks again to the @fallforcs project for giving me the opportunity to write this monster and experiment with being posted anonymously. I’d absolutely participate again! Thanks to my beta, @theonceoverthinker, for dealing with 60 pages of fluffy baseball-themed Captain Swan falling in love. Thank you to @sailingcaptainswan, who created the poster I know we’ve all enjoyed seeing for this story. It is seriously too cute!
And now, the last chapter.
Rating: G
Also on Ao3
The team didn’t have a game today. Even the sandlot crew couldn’t play baseball everyday. So with no game tying up the day, Killian invited Emma over for the whole day. She got up early so she could walk over and maximize the amount of fun they could have before she had to go home for the night. After throwing on a tank top and an oversized plaid shirt and jean shorts she can’t really wear for playing ball, she ran downstairs to walk to Killian’s. Ingrid and Arthur had already left for work, and they knew Emma would be headed to the Jones’ for the day. She grabbed the house key from the end table near the front door and practically bounced out the door, only to run into someone on the porch. She apologized as she bent down to pick up the key, only to find the other person had beat her to it.
“Thanks,” she took it, her gaze finally landing on the other form. “Killian? I was just leaving to go to your house.”
He scratched the back of his right ear. “I thought I’d walk you.”
“How long have you been here?” She turned to lock the front door before pocketing her key.
“Not long. Few minutes maybe.”
“We never agreed on a time.”
“I would’ve sat here until you were ready.”
“Really?” She gestured in front of them as a cue to start walking as they talked.
He shrugged. “It’s a nice morning.”
The two walked in silence for a few feet before Emma spoke up, looking at Killian as she did. “You know, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen you without a baseball cap on other than that time at the pool.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Ah, well, no game.”
“No jersey either.” He was wearing a teal t-shirt and jeans. It was a change from his usual baseball jerseys and black athletic shorts, but not an unwelcome sight.
“They’re in the laundry.” Emma chuckled. Killian smiled. “How long can you stay?”
“Ingrid said to be home by 10:30 since it’s still summer and I don’t have to be up for school or anything.”
“We can work with that.”
“What are we going to do today?”
“Whatever we want.”
“Great!” Emma linked her arm with Killian’s as they walked the rest of the way to his house sharing jokes and laughter.
-----
“So, Swan, where would you like to start?”
“Um, could we use your swing set? I’ve never had a swing set before.”
“As you wish.” He led her to the backyard, and Emma sat on one of the swings. Killian sat on the swing to her left. Emma found it so easy to just talk to Killian about absolutely nothing as they swung side-by-side. And after they decided they’d had enough swinging, they played pirates with the monkey bars and the little shelter above the slide. Even Liam came out to play with them a little. Emma and Killian hid out near the slide while Liam approached their “ship” from above the monkey bars, and they took turns dueling with foam swords Liam found in the basement, all while making sure Liam didn’t fall between the bars. They didn’t care how stupid they looked or sounded, they were just so happy to be playing.
By the time Liam had to go to work, it was only a couple hours before lunch time. Killian brought Emma up to his room where he shared his pillowcase secret stash of Apollo bars with Emma. He stocked up after he found out they were her favorite. They sat on his bed eating their respective chocolate bars.
“Your room is so cool.” Her eyes studied the baseball wallpaper and his huge baseball card collection on his dresser. Even his lamp was baseball-themed. His bed sheets, however, were pirate-themed with little skulls all over them.
“My mum let me pick out everything.” He glanced around his own room, smiling.
“I hope I get to decorate my room like this one day.”
“You will, Swan.” She met his gaze. “Especially with Ingrid and Arthur. I think they’ll be it for you.”
“I have some pictures up on my wall, but nothing like this.”
“How do you want your room to look?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe something with books or art supplies. Maybe Ingrid would let me paint my own room.”
“I think she would.”
“And Starry Night sheets. That would be cool.”
They sat in comfortable silence as the chocolate bars disappeared. Killian threw their wrappers away and grabbed something from his bookshelf.
“Here,” he handed her two books.
“What’s this?”
“These are my favorite books. I think you’ll like them.”
She read the titles: Peter Pan and The Princess Bride. She hadn’t read either before.
“Thanks, Killian. I’m excited to read these.”
“I want to know what you think.” Emma nodded in acknowledgement. She was always excited at the idea of new books. “So what do you want to do now?”
“Does Liam still have the Nintendo hooked up in his room?”
“Aye.”
“MarioKart?” She smirked.
“You’re on, Swan.”
-----
Over microwaved chicken nuggets and fries, Emma decided to tell Killian about her unwanted visitor last week.
“Killian?”
“Yeah,” he got out with a mouthful of fries.
“Neal came over the other day.”
Killian froze.
Emma shook her head. “He asked me to join his team.” She sipped her lemonade as she waited for Killian to react. He just blinked.
“I said, no, obviously.”
“You did?”
“Does that surprise you?”
Killian put down the chicken nugget in his hand. “Well, no. But he gave you the chance to play on a real field.”
“I like the sandlot.”
“His team can make you better.”
“You make me better.” Killian blinked rapidly again. “I wouldn’t even be playing if it weren’t for you.”
“You’re good, Swan. You just needed a push.”
“You guys are my friends. I don’t abandon my friends.”
“I - thank you, Swan.”
“Neal and his friends aren’t the kind of friends I want.”
“Don’t tell Liam I said this, but Neal’s a bloody wanker.” They both laughed. “I can’t believe he tried to steal you.”
“He’s just bitter I stole home when he could never.” Killian bit his lip to keep from laughing too hard.
“Seriously, Swan, you could have said, yes, if you wanted.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to. I’m happy where I am.”
“Good.”
-----
Emma and Killian continued playing until Killian’s mom and Liam came home from their respective jobs. Together, the four of them helped make potato chip-crusted chicken, asparagus, and mac and cheese.
“Ms. Alice, this is so good,” Emma complimented the dinner she was trying very hard not to just inhale like a vacuum.
“We all made it together, love. It wouldn’t be as delicious if you didn’t help.” Emma smiled at the red-headed mother of her best friend. “And,” Alice leaned in closer to Emma, “you are more than welcome to come over for dinner any time you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Emma said, really trying to make sure how much that meant came through her voice.
“Any friend of Killian’s and Liam’s is alright in my book, especially if there’s another woman to balance out all this testosterone in this neighborhood.”
Liam and Killian looked at each other. Emma laughed.
“Do you cook together every night?” Emma looked between the three Joneses.
“Sometimes, but mostly on special occasions.” Liam looked between Killian and Emma as he took a large bite of mac and cheese to hide his smirk. Alice saw through that and elbowed her son lightly, eliciting a snort from Liam.
If Killian knew what was going on, he pretended not to. “My mum is a fantastic cook.”
“Yeah. She is.”
“Thank you, you two. Emma, if you can stay a little longer, I can make Killian’s favorite fudge brownies for dessert.”
“I just have to be home before 10:30, Ms. Alice.”
“Perfect. When you and Killian are done eating, you can go hang out more while I make the brownies.” Emma and Killian nodded their agreement.
“Thanks so much.”
“Any time, Emma. I’m glad to have you here.”
“Well,” Liam starts, “I’m finished my dinner.”
“Great,” his mom smiles, “you can do dishes so Emma and Killian can enjoy themselves.” Killian tried to hide his laughter as Liam frowned. Emma took another bite of chicken as she took in the family in front of her.
Both Killian and Emma rushed to finish eating so they could have more time to hang out together. When they finished, Emma offered to do her own dishes even though she knew Killian’s mom would never let her. When, as predicted, Alice said “absolutely not” to her guest, Killian grabbed Emma’s hand and brought her to his backyard.
“What are we doing out here?” They were still holding hands.
“It’s a clear night. It’s dark. We should get lots of fireflies.”
“Fireflies?”
“Have you ever caught fireflies before?” He asked her, tightening his hand on hers.
“No.”
“You’re killing me, Swan. Okay, I’ll teach you.” He glanced around his yard until he found a group of fireflies under a tree. He led her over there before dropping her hand.
“They’re so pretty.” Emma took in the sight before her, dark blue sky, bordering on black, with balls of yellowish-silver lights flickering and flying all around the space in front of her.
Killian leaned down to the base of the tree and grabbed a jar. “Can you hold this while I show you what to do?”
“Sure.” She took the jar and he adjusted her hands so the opening was facing him.
“Okay, Swan. You have to come up to one gently with one hand,” he said quietly as he demonstrated. “Then, when you’re close, bring your other hand to the other side of the firefly quickly so it doesn’t get away. But don’t clap your hands or you’ll squish it. Cup your hands together.” He brought his closed hands closer to her so she could see the light peeking from between his fingers. “And then,” he stopped talking as he guided the bug into the jar Emma held, covering the top with his hand. He held the jar up to show Emma.
“Wow.”
“Can you grab the lid?” She knelt down to where he got the jar and picked up a lid with lots of holes poked through it. Killian put the lid on the jar carefully. “When we catch more, the jar is going to be full of them. And then when we’re done, we let them go.”
“Can I try catching one?”
“Of course!”
Killian held the jar as Emma came up to a firefly with one hand, and brought her other hand down quickly. She caught one on the first try, but she immediately let it go as the light crawling feeling freaked her out. She was happy it was dark so Killian couldn’t see her blush.
“It takes a couple tries.”
“Yeah,” she barely got out.
“Try again. You can also come at one with both hands if you’re gentle. Nudge it into your hands.” She nodded as she took a breath. She knew to expect the crawling this time, but she missed her first firefly as she clasped her hands too slowly. However, Emma was a fast learner, and it only took her one more try to get one and keep it between her cupped hands. “Well done, Swan!”
“That was so cool!”
Killian approached her with his hand covering the top of the jar. “Put it in here.” They worked together to get the firefly in the jar without either of the two escaping, and Killian was fast to get the lid on. “Look at that, Swan. We have two now.”
“This is amazing.” She was mesmerized by the flying lights.
“The closest thing to magic.” Emma chewed on her bottom lip as she looked back to the group of fireflies.
“Your turn.”
“Go ahead and get another one. I can wait.” Emma nodded and moved closer to the bugs. Between the two of them, they caught 14 fireflies before the small jar became crowded. They spent about 15 minutes watching them move around the jar, lights going on and off throughout the small glass container, before Alice called them in for brownies.
“We should let them go before we go in.” Killian nodded in agreement.
“Would you like to do the honors?” He held out the jar to her.
“Yeah! Thanks!” She took it and positioned the opening toward where they caught the bugs. Making eye contact with Killian once more, he nodded to cue her to open it. She carefully worked the lid open before watching the fireflies pour out to fly free once more. Emma thought they looked like little stars in the dark night. They were little stars they could catch and hold. She put the jar back at the base of the tree and walked with Killian to the back door. “Thanks, Killian. That was…”
“Magical,” he finished for her.
“Yeah. Magical.”
-----
The group only played one night game a year, and it was on the Fourth of July.
They could only play this night because the sandlot had no lights. But on the Fourth of July, the field was lit up as the entire town of Storybrooke lit fireworks to celebrate.
They played their best then because they all felt like the big leaguers under the lights of some great stadium. Emma was willing to bet that Killian felt like that all the time. They all knew he was gonna go on to bigger and better games because every time they stopped to watch the sky on those nights like regular kids, he was there to call them back.
However, no kid could really resist the draw of fire in the sky. Emma sat on the ground and rested her head on her knees as she stared up into the sky absolutely mesmerized. She smiled as she took in the bright red bursts, followed by the golden weeping willow pattern. It was easy to lose track of time as she gazed up into the dark sky, which for this night was a perfect canvas for the colorful explosions of fire.
When Killian could no longer keep his team from being distracted by the blinding lights in reds, blues, whites, and greens, he gave into the magic himself. But this Fourth of July game was special. When his team turned their attention to the sky rather than the game, he ran over and grabbed Emma’s hand, to which she responded with a barely noticeable gasp in surprise.
“Come along, Swan,” he whispered into her ear as he tugged on her hand.
“But everyone else is here. Shouldn't we stay?” In reality, she just wanted to watch the fireworks with her friends. She'd never seen a fireworks show quite like this.
“You're killing me, Swan! Just trust me.”
Looking back at her teammates all ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the fireworks, she turned back to the kid rubbing unconscious circles onto the back of her hand and let out a quiet “okay.” He grinned. She smiled in return and followed him as he ran out of the sandlot and to his own backyard.
“Follow me.” He let go of her hand as he started climbing the biggest tree in his yard. Emma was right behind him. He crawled into a treehouse. Emma paused outside. “What’s wrong?” Killian poked his head out the hatch that served as both entrance and exit into the small dwelling.
“It says ‘no girls allowed,’” Emma pointed to a sign just above where she would climb up into the treehouse as she tried not to laugh. Even in the dark, she could sense the tips of Killian’s ears turning pink in embarrassment.
“I think I can make an exception.” He extended his hand for her. She took it and climbed into the structure. Killian scratched behind his ear as Emma looked around. “I haven’t been up here in years. Apologies for the sign.”
“It’s fine, Killian. I get it.” She pretended not to feel the sigh of relief that he let out against the back of her neck. “But it doesn’t feel particularly sturdy.” Emma shifted slightly and felt the whole structure shake a tad.
“Maybe, but I promise the view is worth the risk.” He crawled carefully to a small and crooked window cut out of the paper-thin wall. “I spent my first Fourth of July up here. The view of the fireworks is the best.”
Emma crawled over and peeked out the tiny window next to Killian. “Wow.”
Even without looking, she knew he switched to watching her instead of the fireworks.
“I didn’t even notice this when I came over.”
“It’s pretty high up. And the leaves tend to hide it. No one would see it unless they were looking for it.”
“Yeah.”
“I meant to bring you up here when you came over, but I thought I’d wait for the fireworks. It’s worth it.” Neither of them said anything for a while as they watched the fireworks. “You know, the rest of the team doesn’t even know this treehouse exists.”
Emma turned to look at him. They didn’t have much room since the window was so small. They were both overly aware of their movements and those of the other person. “Really?”
“Liam and I built this together when we got here. That’s why it’s not-so-sturdy. But he never really came up here. It was mine. I came up here to be alone and think.”
“It’s nice for that.”
“It is. And I want you to share it, too. You’re welcome any time. If you ever need some time to yourself, just know it's here. You don’t even have to ask.”
“Thank you, Killian.” She hoped that thank you said much more than just the simple words themselves; she really hoped her true appreciation for the gesture came across. Emma was happy with Ingrid and Arthur, but it could still be overwhelming sometimes. She wasn't used to the whole family thing, and it could be a little suffocating never really being on her own anymore. And when school starts, she could picture herself coming up into that shaky treehouse to read or do homework. Emma looked at her friend to find he'd turned his attention back to the fireworks. She followed his lead, jumping in surprise slightly when he spoke again.
“And I’ll get rid of the sign.” They both laughed and watched the fireworks together. Emma felt entirely content sitting there with Killian. She was comfortable with his company. Something about the fireworks made her time with Killian in that treehouse even more special that night.
And if Killian intertwined his fingers with Emma’s, well, he could say he was caught up in the magic.
-----
“Okay, guys, last game of the summer. Make it a good one.” Killian glanced around the team huddled in a circle around him. The expressions on all their faces were somber, though they all seemed to be doing their best to hide it. It was the last day of summer before school started up, and while this was far from the last game they’d play even that week, the mood just changes with the start of school.
Killian nodded for the group to break and head to their spots on the field, and they did on his cue, like clockwork. “Swan! Over here. You’re batting first today.”
Emma stopped in her tracks. “What?”
“You improved our team this summer. You should bat first in the last game of summer.”
“Go for it, Swan.” Will gestured toward home plate. “It’s an honor. Jones doesn’t let us bat first in a game like this.”
Not finding the words, Emma nodded and switched places with Killian, who gave her a wink as they passed each other.
Emma took her stance at home plate and adjusted her new baseball cap to block out the sun. She pulled the bat up over her shoulder and braced herself for the pitch. Emma focused on the feel of the bat on her shoulder, the tight grip she had on the bat, and the ball headed her way. She heard the crack of the bat before she registered she hit the ball, and she looked in her hands to find the bat had shattered. The ball fell as the team stared.
“Whoa, Swan,” Will came over to inspect the bat himself.
“We’ve been playing with the same bat all summer. I mean, it was bound to happen,” Emma stared at the frayed wood. She looked up to find Killian running over.
“That is pretty cool, Swan. Major league players do this to their bats.”
“I mean, it’s an old bat.”
“Nolan.” David jerked his head up to look at Killian. “Run home and grab your extra bat.” David nodded, dropping his mitt and literally running off the pitcher’s mound. “Swan, you should keep it.” He put his hand on hers on the bat.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.” They lingered in each other’s space for a moment, until Killian cleared his throat and let his hand drop back to his side.
“Um, yeah. Okay.” She put the bat behind home plate and off the field.
“Alright, guys,” Killian addressed the rest of the team. “Break until Nolan gets here with the bat.” The boys left their places to talk amongst themselves.
“Killian,” Emma started. He raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to come over after the game? I want to show you something.”
“Sounds great, Swan. I’ll tell Liam.” Killian ran over to his brother, then immediately back to Emma. “It’s a-go.”
“Cool.”
“Any clues to what you’re showing me?” His eyebrows bounced up and down with excitement. She laughed.
“It’s not that exciting for you. More for me.”
“It’ll be exciting for me then.”
Emma shrugged. “We’ll see.”
When they looked up, David was running back to the field, bat in hand, nearly out of breath. He handed the ball to Killian.
“Swan needs to run the bases first. She did get a home run after all.” Killian nudged Emma toward first base, and she flashed him a smile before taking off. It was a great start to the last game of summer, and the momentum lasted the whole game. They were even more carefree than usual, and the kids all played their hearts out.
-----
When the team was sweating, partially sunburned, and could no longer keep the sun from their eyes, they called it a game.
“Well done, mates. Play this weekend?” Killian’s question was met with nods all around. Sneezy sneezed. “Have a great start to school, guys. Wish we could all be in the same classes.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sneezy added.
“Yeah,” Grumpy chimed in gruffly, kicking the dirt at his feet.
“Liam’s in his last year of school, you lucky bastard,” Scarlet slapped Liam on the back.
“Careful what you wish for, Scarlet. Senior year means college applications and SATs and AP classes. I might not be able to play as much as I could this summer.”
“Oi, don’t talk like that, Liam.” Killian’s voice was more defensive than he probably meant it to be.
“We’ll see, little brother.”
“Younger.” The team laughed.
“See you guys around?” Emma looked at her group of friends, not wanting to separate from them for the school year.
“We all go to the same school,” David told her, “so we’ll probably run into each other.”
“Cool.”
“Alright, guys. Go get ready for school.” Killian was anxious to get some time with Emma before they would be separated by grades at school. The boys all walked - not ran, for the first time all summer - back to their houses. Emma grabbed her shattered bat in one hand and Killian’s hand in the other and took him to her house.
She said a hello to her parents before taking Killian up to her room.
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“Ingrid and Arthur let me decorate my room, just like you said they would!” She was grinning ear-to-ear.
“Swan, that’s incredible! I can’t wait to see it!”
“Okay,” she bit her lip to keep from smiling even harder. “Here it is.” She opened her door to reveal her newly decorated room. She put her bat down behind her door and shifted her focus to her guest.
She got Starry Night sheets, just like she wanted. She had some pictures she drew framed and displayed across the walls, and her desk was covered in art supplies. The balls from the game they went to together were proudly sitting on Emma’s windowsill by her bed. But the coolest part of her room was the one wall in her room with no closet, no door, and no window. On that wall, she drew the sandlot. All her friends were represented. Killian stared in awe, eyes wide.
“Swan, that’s amazing.”
“I drew and painted it myself.”
“You’re so bloody talented. I knew you liked to draw, but this - this is something else.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the mural. Emma glanced over the details. She saw the moment Killian realized where he was in the painting. He was at home plate, hitting a home run, wearing a major league jersey with “Jones” written across the back. She had made his number his birthday. “I can’t believe this.”
“Well, you are the best one on the team. It’s pretty accurate.” She shrugged even though he was still looking at her wall.
“How long did this take you?” He finally pulled his attention off the artwork and looked at the artist.
“I stayed up way past when I should have. I’m pretty sure Ingrid and Arthur knew, but they let me. I wanted to get it done before school.” She sat on her bed and watched Killian get closer to the wall to examine the details.
He laughed. “This is going to be on your wall forever.”
“I hope so.”
He turned around and joined her, elbows knocking together gently. He still could barely peel his eyes off the wall.
“This was the best summer of my life. I want to remember it.”
“You should be an artist.”
“I like keeping my art for fun.” He nodded in understanding.
“You’re…” he let out a breath “...incredible.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Love it, Swan. I love it so much.”
“Thanks, Killian. This summer never would have been so amazing without you.” She looked at him. He was still looking at the wall.
“No, Swan.” He turned to look at her. “You’ve made this the best summer for me. Thank you. I found a best friend.”
“We both had pretty great summers, huh?”
“Aye. The best.”
“The best.”
-----
While the group played together for many summers, Emma's first summer was the most magical. But as they continued their game for years, the kids grew up along the way.
David met a girl his first day of school that year, and the two of them started dating almost immediately.
Liam was working full-time while looking at colleges, but Emma could sense that he wanted something else.
The young teenagers grew into older teenagers, and the gang all got together for games even when school and jobs tried their hardest to separate them.
And Emma and Killian grew inseparable. As Killian got older, his brown hair darkened into black. He started to grow facial hair, which made him look much more his age as he matured. Emma loved the way his scruff was still brown, lighter than his hair, and she loved the red peeking through. But as she got closer to Killian and developed clear feelings for him, she knew she could never tell him and risk breaking up the group.
For Emma, after having been sent back from foster homes one too many times she thought it was because of her, and Killian, whose father left his ailing wife and two sons to avoid criminal charges, the group was a comfort. This group of boys (and Emma) was solid. There was no danger of abandonment on the sandlot. They were a family. And to risk messing that up over a teenage crush just wasn't worth it in Emma's eyes.
------
The group spent a few more summers together, but eventually, they did all move away from the sandlot. Emma and Killian were the last to leave, actually. And this time, every time someone moved away, they didn't replace them. There was a permanent empty space where that person had been. The group remained a group, even after circumstances forced their separation.
Squints got contacts, so he no longer had to squint all the time. He actually ended up marrying Ariel, the lifeguard from that pool day. Turns out she admired the bravery of a teenager willing to do anything just to kiss her. They had a little girl and a little boy, and they spent every weekend at the pool.
Grumpy and Sneezy became miners, finding a group of five other men to work with even past retirement age. Grumpy ended up with a girl named Astrid, but they never married. It didn’t matter. She countered his grumpiness, and she called him Dreamy. Sneezy eventually found allergy medication that took care of his excessive sneezing, but the nickname followed him into mining.
Robin became a businessman at Mills Inc., eventually marrying his CEO, Regina. The two adopted a kid together, who Robin taught to play baseball, sandlot-style. Regina was dubbed “the Evil Queen” by Grumpy, a name that stuck with the rest of the group - as long as Robin wasn’t around, anyway. Roland Locksley is still young, but Killian claims he’s going to be an MLB pitcher one day.
Will stayed solo for much of his life, enjoying the single life until he became infatuated with a librarian who was tricked into coming to the bar Will frequented. After settling down with Belle, his life calmed down, too.
Liam joined the Navy - a lifelong dream. He rose to rank of captain before taking leave to spend time with a girl he met overseas. Liam, Elsa, and Killian spent every holiday together. Killian was there for every naval medal ceremony, and Liam was extremely highly decorated, so he and Killian saw a lot of each other despite the overseas distance between them.
David married his high school sweetheart. They got married their freshman year of college, and they had a baby not long after graduation. While Mary Margaret stayed home with their son, David went to the police academy and became an officer. He and Liam lorded their power over the group every chance they had. David's life ended up being fairytale perfect, and his son was Killian's biggest fan when, as predicted, he became an MLB player. Killian’s first team, the Mets, assumed he had a son because the wallpaper on his phone was little Leo Nolan, proudly wearing an official MLB Jones jersey.
Drafted right out of college to the Mets, Killian Jones moved to the city to play the game he loved. He and Emma had gotten close over the summers playing ball together. In fact, when Emma got into NYU, she and Killian decided to become roommates, seeing as NYU was exactly 24 minutes from Citi Field. Emma spent her days in journalism and sports management classes, and she attended every night game to watch Killian play baseball. It was Killian who encouraged her to take up journalism after reading one of her creative writing assignments - a written account of that first summer she spent with the group. In the big leagues, Killian started in left field, then moved to second base. Emma made signs and everything when she went to the games. And Killian made sure she kept drawing, letting her design their shared apartment.
The whole team went to every wedding, and they reunited every few years to play the occasional game of baseball in the sandlot, always picking up right where they left off. These games got larger and larger as all their families grew, and the sandlot became a place for everyone to catch up. Leo and Roland became friends, starting their own sandlot game with Eric and Ariel’s kids. They would all say the thing they were most proud to pass on to their kids was that sandlot.
------
Emma was terrified things would change when Killian got traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been slowing down in the game and striking out more, so the Mets were happy to trade him. And the Pirates were happy to sign him. However, PNC Park was way more than 24 minutes from where Emma and Killian shared an apartment.
But Killian had a contract, so with unshed tears threatening to spill, he hugged Emma goodbye in the airport with promises to “see you soon,” and, “hit lots of home runs for you.”
Unable to hold back her own tears, she responded with a shaky, “you better,” and she kissed his cheek before they both turned away and went in opposite directions.
They had both known what was happening between them over the years, but they both individually decided that emotional involvement would hurt the game, so to speak. And both knew that if they turned back at this moment in the airport, they could never find the strength to walk away again. So they both went on, not looking back at the other.
-----
He came to her graduation. He sat with the Swans, the foster family that decided to adopt her. After hugs from her parents, she turned to her best friend, both of them wearing matching beaming smiles.
“I'm so proud of you, Swan.” They moved in simultaneously to hug each other, the reunion long overdue. Between classes, a job, and her internship, Emma didn't even know what free time felt like anymore. And Killian was busy as part of the main lineup for the Pirates, as well as with his nice promotion to shortstop, where he excelled. But between home games, away games, training, practice, and workouts, he spent his free time sleeping. He never got used to switching time zones so often.
But all that was forgotten as the two hugged outside NYU’s stadium. Diploma in one hand, Killian took Emma's other hand as they walked behind the Swans to their car before a celebratory dinner in Emma's honor. And throughout the night, she just kept thinking how much it felt like old times.
-----
“And up to bat is Pirates number 2, shortstop Killian Jones. He may be new to the Pirates, but he’s already changed the way this entire team plays. No other man could take a near-last place team and turn them into a World Series contender. What a huge loss for the Mets, trading the league’s star player when he was only in a bit of a rut.” Emma smiled to herself, proud of her best friend for everything he’s accomplished. He looked up at the media suites as he exited the dugout and practiced a couple swings. She knew he couldn’t see her, but the fact that he knew she was there made her borderline giddy. She would swear she saw him wink her way as he strutted to the left side of home plate. “And the man himself steps up to the plate,” Emma announced.
The pitch was thrown, and Emma watched Killian jerk backwards to avoid being hit by the 94-mile per hour fastball.
“And the pitch will be taken as a ball.” Emma let out a sigh of relief as she looked down and confirmed he wasn’t hit. Away from the microphone, she muttered, “jeez. You don’t have to try to take him out.” The radio reporter next to Emma laughed at her murmuring, sending her a knowing look. Emma flashed the reporter an appreciative smile as she sat up again to reach the microphone.
“And the second pitch,” she paused as Killian hit the ball impossibly high, but into the stands behind him, “will be taken for a foul. Strike one.” Sitting back as the pitcher and Killian prepare for the next pitch, she whispered to herself, quieter than before as not to be overheard again, “c’mon Killian. You’ve got this.”
When Killian stepped back up to the plate, Emma straightened her posture and got ready to get back to her job.
“The score is 4-3, the tying run is at first, two outs, and the count is 1-1 at the bottom of the 11th. A place in the World Series is at stake. Jones steps up to the plate, and this pitch is again taken as a foul. The count is now 1-2 for Pirates’ star player, shortstop Killian Jones.”
Killian took another step back and took a few practice swings. Emma held her breath as the next pitch soared straight into the zone, only to be met by Killian's bat. He followed through on the swing and watched as the ball flew.
“Jones hits the ball. And it's going, going, still going, gone,” Emma screamed into the microphone. “Goodbye home run!” Emma smiled and laughed along as the entire media suite cheered. As Killian finished rounding the bases, she took her seat again. “And Jones gets both the tying and winning runs home with an impressive home run. That's the ballgame. The final score is 4-5 Pirates after 11 innings of gameplay.” She paused so the excitement could build. “And the Pirates are going to the World Series!”
The crowd had been cheering consistently since Killian's home run, but the idea of a World Series run made the people in the stands scream even louder.
“Thanks for joining us at PNC Park tonight. We hope you'll see you soon. Drive safely everyone.” And with that, Emma's job was done. She sat back in her swivel chair as Killian signed some baseballs, mini-bats, and hats from some fans in the stands before heading to the locker room to, no doubt, shower. Emma couldn't go without seeing him, so she checked her phone while fans filed out of the stadium. The radio and tv announcers around her all left before her, and she acknowledged each of their departures as they left.
Hoping she wouldn't get kicked out for being there so late, she snuck down to the field and wandered over to home plate. Standing next to the plate, she took in the night sky in front of her, the stadium’s blinding lights still on.
“So, Swan, first woman to announce a Major League Baseball game live. I knew you could do it.”
Emma jerked around when she heard him. She couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face.
“Although, I don’t know why you went to university for journalism all those years when you were perfectly capable of calling a baseball game at 15.” He paused for a moment before adding, “still impressive nonetheless.”
“Well, I’m no shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates.” Emma watched Killian’s tongue dart out to wet his lips. Her gaze dropped to her shoes in the dirt as she pretended not to be affected.
Apparently, he had the same goal in mind. Avoiding the topic on both their minds, he said “I know I made you work extra tonight. Sorry about that, by the way.” He adjusted the strap of his gear bag.
“Yeah,” she fiddled with the ends of some of her hair that fell over her shoulder. “You know I don't get paid extra for extra innings, right?” She teased. He laughed.
“I really am proud of you, Swan. They started you on a really high-stakes game.” He paused. “And they really should pay you extra for those two innings.” They shared timid smiles, making it known to each other that they were both aware of their connection and both unsure whether to acknowledge it.
“I could never have gotten here without you. All those years ago, you took a chance on a teenage girl who didn’t even know how to play catch.”
Killian shrugged, but the meaning behind his words was anything but casual. “I just introduced her to the greatest game in the universe. She did the rest on her own.” Emma could see the pride in his bright blue eyes - pride for her.
“You know, PNC Park is a lot bigger than the sandlot.”
“Aye. That it is.”
“You certainly seem right at home.” Killian shrugged again, the tips of his ears tinged light pink. “Think you’ll stick around on the Pirates another season?”
“I hope so. I like it here. And I quite fancy the Pirates’ new announcer.” He scratched that spot behind his ear, just like he used to do when they were teenagers. It was in this moment - looking at Killian and seeing the same kid from the sandlot - that she made her decision.
Emma smiled and replied, “good,” before reaching up and removing her baseball cap, tossing it behind her. She tangled her fingers in Killian’s hair, still wet from his post-game shower, and pulled his face to hers, though pull may have been an overstatement, as he went right along with it without complaint. The moment their lips touched was magical. It was better than playing baseball with fireworks as a light source. It was better than stealing home. It was better than hitting a grand slam. They pulled away for air, but they kept their foreheads pressed together. Her eyes were closed as he opened his and brought his fingers up to his lips, which were still tingling.
“That was…” Emma interrupted herself with a short laugh. She opened her eyes and her green ones met his blue ones. She bit her lip as he sighed in contentment and disbelief. Killian brought a hand to her cheek, caressing her face so his thumb landed in the dimple in her chin.
Finally, he spoke. “You’re killing me, Swan.”
#fallforcs#fallforcaptainswan#fallforcs 2018#you're killing me swan#the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt#classiczebra#captain swan#cs ff#cs fanfic#sandlot au#theonceoverthinker#sailingcaptainswan#thank you everyone#i hope you loved it
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Sugar Daddy Hanzo
I WROTE 14 PAGES OF THIS BULLSHIT AND IT’S ALL BASICALLY SETUP!!!! No sex, no full kisses, just some light tension that will hopefully make you say, ‘Just bone down already!’
Fuck me. Sorry, y’all. 6,500 words of Hanzo reader-insert. I hope you enjoy! Break in the middle cause it’s long AF.
EDIT: OMFG I’m the worst friend ever!!! This whole business world AU is based on my bud @watch-your-grammer ‘s post here. She’s glorious and so is her work.
The rest of the story: pt two, pt three, pt four, pt five
“This place is packed,” you muttered to yourself, squinting at the beautiful restaurant around you, “but I had no idea there were going to be this many people here.”
“Oh stop being a baby,” your friend Lori snapped, rolling her eyes at you and shoving you toward the party. You glared back at her.
“What, I’m not allowed to be surprised,” you grumped.
“You were complaining,” Lori said, letting out a dramatic sigh, “as usual. Being a crabby bitch because you’d rather be hiding at home than out at an amazing party. As usual.”
Ever fiber of you wanted to snarl something fierce back to your ‘friend,’ but wouldn’t that just prove her right? And besides, you were better than her jabbing bullshit. Most of the time. Instead, you just took a deep breath and headed to the bar.
“Yeah, go get a drink,” Lori snorted, “we all know you can’t do anything social without liquid courage.”
“Yup,” you sighed, wrestling down your anger, “you know me. Just a complete booze addicted social shut-in. It’s not like I have a job in which I interact with people every day and drink responsibly on the few occasions where I do drink.”
“What was that,” Lori said, evidently not quite hearing your snarkiness.
“I said, uh, look, isn’t that your man over there,” you lied.
Loir perked up, grinning as she saw her sugar daddy, Hanzo. “Damn right that’s my man,” she purred.
“Uh-huh. So you going to go hang with him or – “ Poof! She was gone without another word. “Thank God,” you grumbled.
For the next few hours, you were a good little party goer, making a point to chat with everyone you knew and even managing to meet a few potential colleagues – Overwatch had some of the most remarkable people working for them! What you wouldn’t give to be involved . . . A night basking in the glow of this incredible company would have to be enough, though. For now.
While in the midst of a conversation with an interesting British woman and her lovely girlfriend, an announcement was made that the first course would be served soon, making everyone scuttle about to find their seats. You were tucked toward the back with the rest of the lower-tier guests, which was just fine, but much to your surprise, Lori and her impeccably dressed beau were already there waiting for you. The striking man looked up as you approached, but your friend couldn’t be bothered as you awkwardly sat beside them. Could she be any more . . . handsy? Even Hanzo seemed a little off-put, gently pushing Lori into her own seat and off his chest.
You nodded and gave your best smile as Hanzo straightened his tie. He dipped his head in response.
“Way to interrupt,” Lori pouted at you.
“Um,” you said with a raised brow, “sorry I didn’t want to just be standing around as they served the salads?”
“Whatever. So selfish,” she said, putting her pointy nose in the air and crossing her arms. Hanzo gave her a slightly confused look.
“Is this woman not a friend of yours,” he asked.
“I mean, I guess. Sorta,” Lori replied, seeming a bit surprised by his question.
You were taken aback. Sure, the two of you weren’t besties, but hearing Lori say that was still hurtful. You’d bailed her out of work mistakes a million times, you had sat through hours of her ridiculous sympathy-earning stories, and you had taken looked after her in the midst of hangovers or Plan B store runs too many times to count. That had to be more than ‘sorta’ friends, didn’t it?
Or you were just her doormat friend.
That seemed most likely.
You squirmed sheepishly as you realized just how much Lori had been using you, Hanzo watching you all the while, only making things worse.
“Either way,” he said standing up, “a bit of candor would do you well. You treat people like shit, and you are likely to end up alone. I would know.”
Hanzo turned and began to walk away, Lori scrambling to grab his arm before he got too far. “Babe, wait! Where are you going? Aren’t you sitting with me?”
“No,” he said flatly, pulling away from her tight, desperate grip effortlessly. “This is a business function, and I have much to attend to. Should I have a moment to spare and the desire to spend it with you, I will let you know.”
His stride was long, powerful, and purposeful as he crossed the room to one of the front tables – right in the limelight. Despite his appearance and grace, you couldn’t quite understand why Lori was so infatuated with him. The guy was kind of a dick. A vaguely disapproving expression came to your face as you watched him walk away.
“The fuck is that look,” Lori hissed, making you jump in your seat.
“N-nothing,” you faltered.
She had a ferocious glint in her eyes. “You shouldn’t even be looking at my man, but especially not like that!”
“Look, Lori, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” you said scooting away from her.
“That man is a god, you got that? Perfection! Do not look at him like he’s anything less than that,” she seethed. Christ, you’d really pissed her off.
You tried not to laugh, you really did, but you couldn’t help it. “A ‘god,’ Lori? Seriously? That’s just weird. And unhealthy. Putting anyone on a pedestal like that is . . . a lot. Too much. Unhealthy, even. Maybe you should think about this thing you’ve got with Hanzo.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Lori growled, grabbing your arm so hard you winced. “You don’t have the fucking right to even speak his name! Never talk about him like that again! Never!”
“Okay, okay,” you said softly, eyes wide, trying to calm her down before even more people started to stare at you. “I will never say anything like that again, honest. Just, take a breath, will you?”
“Fuck you,” Lori growled, nearly dislocating your shoulder as she tossed your arm back toward your body.
The salads and main course came painfully slow, you staying silent the whole time as Lori fixated on Hanzo like an addict. All the other patrons at your table were giving the two of worried glances, and you gave them tenuous shrugs in response.
“Leave it to Lori to ruin my night. Again,” you whispered. Once people began to mill around for another round of drinks before dessert, you were quick to hop up and avoid Lori. Thankfully, no one else seemed to be dwelling on your friend’s outburst, and you were able to settle back into a more relaxed mood. Sipping a mint julep helped, too.
While the night was going better, you were still feeling drained before long, as if the crowd of people had sapped the life out of you, but there was some kind of dark chocolate torte coming so, of course, you were going to stay. You just needed to hide somewhere quiet for a few. That should help.
Hopefully.
It took a bit of looking, but you managed to find a little hallway in the back of the restaurant with a fancy loveseat. The spot was probably meant for storage space, but you didn’t mind. The music wasn’t so loud here, and a large fern kept you shielded you from anyone who might be passing by. As you sunk into the firm seat, a soft hum slipped from your lips. “God bless alone time,” you moaned, absentmindedly running your fingers along the velvet of the small sofa.
You weren’t sure how long you had been sitting there, and you couldn’t care less, but then a sudden flash of movement in the corner of your eye made you look up. Hanzo stood a few feet away from you, scanning the little room carefully, his posture the same as a child looking for a place to hide a broken vase.
To be honest, he was a kinda cute like this – slightly disheveled and sorta shaky. It was nice to know he wasn’t always so composed and presentable.
The moment he saw you, Hanzo jolted and quickly straightened his back, but his face wouldn’t cooperate, a slight pinch stuck in his strong brow.
“Forgive me,” he said with a tense bow, “I did not mean to disturb you.”
“You haven’t,” you said with a small smile. “I didn’t mean to catch you off guard.”
His frown grew, and he cleared his throat. “You did not, I assure you,” he said curtly.
You covered your mouth in an effort to hide your smirk – probably best not to anger the newest Overwatch partner. Hanzo ran his fingers through his hair and shifted his weight to his other foot. He looked a little like a lost puppy, unsure of what to do next.
“Were you looking for a place to avoid everyone, too,” you asked genuinely.
“I, well,” Hanzo fumbled, his body somehow going even more rigid as you watched him.
“No judgment if that’s the case,” you said leaning against the wall and taking a drink from your glass. “That’s why I’m here. Being in a room with that many other people always starts to grate on me after a while.”
“I shall leave you be then,” Hanzo said understandingly, moving back toward the party.
“No, no! I didn’t mean it like that,” you said, a flush coming to your face. “I didn’t mean to sound rude. I’m sorry. You’re more than welcome to join me if you need a break. There’s not a more secluded spot here – I checked.” You patted the seat beside you and scooted closer to the wall so there would be a more acceptable distance between the two of you.
There was still a hefty amount of hesitance in Hanzo’s appearance, but after a moment he rolled his neck and joined you. He all but flopped onto the seat, rubbing his face and letting out a deep sigh.
“Are, uh, are you alright,” you asked after a few minutes of silence, Hanzo merely sitting there with his eyes closed and his body almost frighteningly still.
“I will be,” he huffed, streching and giving you a momentary glance. “It has been a long time since I was at a gathering like this and it seems I have lost my ability to . . . endure this sort of thing.”
“Understandable,” you said with a small nod, taking a drink from your glass. “I felt the same way when I got this new job in public relations. Went from a quiet little cubicle to schmoozing. Ugh.”
Hanzo turned to you as you made that disgusted noise, chuckling at your grimacing face. “If you do not like the position, why did you take it?”
You shrugged. “It was upward movement, and isn’t that supposed to be a good thing? Besides, it’s not like I loved the cubicle gig. I guess I’m trying to test the waters, see what fits and what doesn’t, what I like and what I don’t. Unfortunately, it seems like I’ve been finding a lot more of the latter recently, but good lordy I’m rambling,” you laughed, brushing back your hair. “Sorry. You came back here for a reprieve from the socializing and here I am yapping at you.”
He shook his head and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “There is no need to apologize. I asked, after all. Your answer was not all that long either. In truth, I appreciated the honesty it in. If I had asked anyone else here that same question, they likely would have launched into a lengthy description of their resume and career goals in an effort to obtain a better job. Your admittance that you are unsure of what you want is . . . refreshing.”
A wily smile crossed your lips. “You get a lot of brown-nosers?”
“Brown-nosers?” Hanzo’s thick brows were pressed into a long, furry line. Ah hell. He was pretty damn handsome – not handsome enough to warrant Lori’s obsession, but still. Damn.
“Yeah,” you said, forcing yourself out of your momentary stupor, “brown-nosers. Have you never heard that term before?” He shook his head, and you smacked yourself in the forehead. “Whoops,” you giggled, going bright red.
“What is it,” Hanzo pressed, clearly intrigued.
“It’s just a stupid saying.”
“It seems like the colloquialisms will never end,” he muttered. “Go on, tell me then.”
“Um,” you wavered, “it basically means someone who tries to sweet talk you, saying and doing little things to make you like them.”
“Like when someone tries to ‘butter you up,” Hanzo asked, taking the whole conversation way too seriously.
“Yes, exactly,” you smiled, hoping that would be the end of it.
“Why ‘brown-nosers’ then?”
Dammit.
You groaned, biting your lip to keep from smiling any more. “It’s vaguely vulgar.”
Hanzo scoffed. “I am not a young man, miss, I am sure I can handle whatever this is.”
“Alright,” you snickered. “Ever heard the expression ‘he’s kissing your ass?’”
“Yes,” he said slowly, still not making the connection.
“Son of a – okay. So let’s say you go to literally kiss someone’s ass, can you imagine where your nose might go? And how it might get, well, brown?”
“Good lord,” Hanzo sputtered, his whole body twisting away from you as the visual took form in his mind. He grimaced, maybe even shuddered, and you burst out into laughter.
“Holy cow, I’m crying,” you coughed out, still trying to stop giggling.
“Well I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Hanzo said in a somewhat pouty tone.
“You shoulda seen your face,” you giggled.
The man’s head slowly turned, revealing a glare that probably should have been terrifying, but the red tint in Hanzo’s cheeks was precious, so you just grinned back.
“I tried to warn you.”
He kept glaring, but his shoulders softened a bit. “I suppose you did.”
“You basically insisted! Was I just supposed to say ‘no’ to the fabled Hanzo Shimada? The man, the myth, the legend: Hanzo Shimada? I think not.”
A devious smirk suddenly crossed Hanzo face, and you took in a sharp breath. He was both frightening and alluring, looking at you like that. Mostly alluring. “What a little brown-noser you’ve become! A filthy habit. Quite unbecoming of a young woman such as yourself.”
Was . . . was he joking with you? Well, that was flattering as fuck! You beamed, shaking your head and snorted in amusment.
Hanzo was chuckling too, which you took to be an immense compliment. It was probably wrong to be feeling this giddy around your friend’s sugar daddy, but she was a shitty friend so . . . too bad?
As if on cue, Lori’s fanciful dress came fluttering into view. Sloppily.
“Oh no,” you whispered, your face falling flat. She was drunk. Very drunk.
“Lorelai,” Hanzo said, pursing his lips.
“Hey schnook’em,” Lori cooed, tripping over to his side and tumbling into his lap. Hanzo recoiled as her bony body hit a particularly sensitive spot.
“What are you doing,” he growled, setting Lori onto the seat in the middle of you.
“Looking for you, sexy,” she said groping his upper thigh. Hanzo instantly slapped her hand away. Lori slumped, rocking backward involuntarily and noticing your presence. “Uh, what the actual fuck are you doing here?”
“Just chatting,” you explained, knowing Lori would jump to the worst case scenario, “nothing more.”
“Why do you got to say ‘nothing more,’” she seethed.
You rolled your eyes. “Look, I’ll just go, how about that?” With a strained smile to Hanzo you stood and began to walk away, but Lori grabbed your wrist.
“Oh no you don’t! You are going to tell me what the shit you’re doing sitting by my man. And gimme that drink,” she spat, tearing the glass from your hand.
“Perhaps you have had enough, Lorelai,” Hanzo said with an annoyed drum of his fingers on his shapely forearm.
“What’s one more,” Lori shrugged, trying to lean in for a kiss, but she was only greeted with empty air as Hanzo stood up to get away from her.
“It’s just cranberry juice,” you explained to him, “it’s probably a good thing for her at this point.”
“Thank goodness someone still understands the concept of responsible drinking,” Hanzo said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Lori barked.
The frustration in Hanzo’s voice was palpable as he stared down at Lori. “You’ve gone too far, yet again. At a company function, no less.”
“Fuck this company bullshit,” Lori scoffed, “let’s go back to your place, have a little fun!”
She leaned directly for Hanzo’s crotch, and your eyes darted to the ceiling uncomfortably, but you could still see Hanzo jump back.
“Enough,” he snarled. “I have told you time and time again that is not what I want from you! Just go home, Lorelai, and try not to embarrass yourself any more on the way out.”
“I’m not leaving yet,” she snorted, “I’m having a great time! And you haven’t even danced with me yet.”
“Nor do I have any intention to, especially when you’re like this,” Hanzo said.
Lori’s attention went back to you. “Are you trying to get with my man?”
“What,” you gaped, “no! Lori, of course not! I’m not like that. I know how much you like him.”
“You lying sack of shit,” she growled, “I’ll fucking kill you!” Lori’s manicured nails were suddenly coming at your face with incredible drunk accuracy.
“Calm down, Lori,” you begged desperately, wrangling her arms to her sides. Rather quickly, she lost her strength and began crying weakly into your neck while Hanzo looked on in stunned horror.
“She’ll be fine,” you mouthed to him. “Now that she’s crying she’ll be out in like half an hour. It always goes down like this.”
“You say that as if you have seen this before,” Hanzo said quietly, angry lines forming on his forehead.
“I have,” you shrugged, patting Lori’s back halfheartedly. “You want me to take her home?”
“No,” Lori whined, trying to wiggle away from you, “I don’t wanna! And I’m mad at you! Stay away from my man.”
“But if I take you home, I’ll be away from Hanzo,” you said sweetly, toying with Lori’s alcohol-riddled mind. She fell for it, nodding weakly and letting you sling her arm over your shoulders so you could walk her out.
“What a mess,” Hanzo sighed as you tired to steady your wasted companion. “You should not have to be the one to look after her.”
“I got it,” you said with a half-smile. “Not the first time, won’t be the last. It was nice meeting you, though. Hopefully you won’t end up remembering me as just your sugar baby’s party mom.”
“That will not be the case, I promise you,” Hanzo said, reaching into his jacket. “When you get her home, please let me know. I should be the one to be dealing with her, but . . .”
“People to see, business to do,” you offered, slipping his shimmery card into your purse.
“Yes,” he said with a guilty look. “I appreciate you doing this.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you said heading toward the nearest exit, “no sweat, she’ll be fine and back to . . . whatever it is you two do soon.”
You could feel Hanzo’s eyes on you right up until the restaurant’s door swung close behind you, which was somewhat disconcerting, but you had little time to dwell on it, what with having to take care of Lori. Flagging down a taxi and shoving in an angry drunk woman inside was such a pain in the ass, almost as bad as hauling her up to her apartment and dragging her into bed while she tried to fight you. Again. The whole escapade took over an hour and a half, leaving you tired and salty afterward.
“I hope those stupid glittery tights give you a rash, Lori,” you muttered, walking back onto the city’s bustling streets and pulling out your cell. Calling Hanzo at this time of night seemed strange – inconveniencing or inappropriate, but leaving the man’s request unfulfilled seemed just as wrong, so you dialed his number shakily.
“Please don’t be there, please don’t be there,” you whispered. “Just let me leave a voicemail so I don’t have to – ”
“Hanzo Shimada speaking.” He sounded just as formidable over the phone. Of course he did.
“H-hello, Mr. Shimada. I’m just calling to let you know that I got Lori home safe, no need to worry. She’s asleep and not going anywhere.”
He sighed, and his voice was a bit gentler the next time he spoke. “Thank you for keeping me informed, it is much appreciated.”
“Not a problem,” you said, bouncing on your heels. “I’ll let you get back to the party now. Take care.”
“Just a moment,” Hanzo said hurriedly, “I am no longer needed here, and I would like to . . . discuss something with you, if you have a moment.”
“Oh,” you said timidly, trying to understand why on Earth this man was bothering with you. Had you done something wrong? You had probably done something wrong. Or maybe he just needed to threaten you into keeping the sloppy antics of his sugar baby quiet? That kinda made sense.
“Forgive me, I just looked at my watch. It is dreadfully late, perhaps I should just speak with you tomorrow,” Hanzo said after your long pause.
“No, no, that’s fine. I suddenly find myself wide awake,” you huffed, massaging your temple.
“Is something wrong,” he asked slowly. “I do not wish to bother you.”
You laughed through the tension building in your gut. “Oh, you know, it’s just not every day you go to a swanky party, meet a mass of important people, haul your unappreciative wasted friend home, and then start up a chat with one of the biggest names in the business world. Hell of a night. Hell. Of. A. Night.”
Hanzo chuckled at your frazzled tone which really did not make you feel better. “I do believe Lorelai’s behavior cost you your dessert course. Allow me to make it up to you. Where are you?”
“Um,” you hesitated, “still by Lori’s.”
“Wonderful,” he said, his voice becoming much more casual, “meet me at Leone’s Confections. I will be there as soon as I am able.”
The line went dead, and you were left staring at the touchscreen in disbelief. “The fuck have I gotten myself into?”
While it wasn’t exactly a short walk to the little candy shop, the trip flew by as your imagination began to race with possible scenarios for the rest of your night. You couldn’t help but think about the rumors about Hanzo – the missing competitors, the arson suspicions, the ruined lives of those who spoke against him. Not to mention his brother. No one knew for sure when had happened to him, but you had seen the younger Shimada for yourself, patched back together with circuitry and metal.
You were scared.
Surrounded by the heavenly scent of sweet flavors, but scared.
Maybe you’d at least get some good chocolate before you were blackmailed and forced to leave the country?
A small bell dinged, and Hanzo strode through the door of the otherwise empty establishment, exchanging a friendly greeting with the old man behind the counter before coming to join you at the small table.
“I hope I did not keep you waiting,” he said sitting across from you and crossing his leg over the opposite knee.
“N-no,” you said, the word crumbling in your throat.
Hanzo’s head tipped to the side curiously. “Are you feeling alright? You are shaking.”
“Fine, sir, fine,” you lied, clamping your hands together to keep them from twitching with nerves.
“Sir?” Hanzo seemed almost offended, but then he looked at the empty table and glanced at the shop owner and sighed. “Leone, this is not that type of meeting, no need to be inhospitable. Turn on the music, get the woman a drink.”
“How was I supposed to know,” the other man grumped, “most of the time when you bring people here in the middle of the night it’s not for pleasantries.”
Classical music began to float from the speakers and Leone brought you each a cup of water, convincing you to relax just a hair. As Leone set down your glass, he leaned in to whisper, “Usually he’s here threatening gents and smackin’ people around. There’s a reason Mr. Fancy-Pants-McGee wears black gloves, little lady.”
“Leone,” Hanzo warned with a scowl.
“They don’t show the blood stains,” Leone explained. Your eyes went wide, and you couldn’t think of anything to say in response, especially when the old fart winked at you.
“LEONE!”
The man burst out laughing and walked away as Hanzo put his head in his hands miserably.
You were going to beat Lori’s skinny ass for getting you into this.
“That is not true,” Hanzo said once he looked up and saw your terrified face. “Well, somewhat true, but – chikushō! I am not here to hurt you, I promise, and please, do not be frightened of me. You are safe here, I assure you.”
Hanzo’s face was oddly . . . sad, as if your fear was a terrible scolding. “Alright,” you said with a deep breath, “it’s just, well, this is a lot to take in. I’m not used to being around people of your, I suppose, rank. Alone. In the dead of night.”
“You apprehension is understandable,” Hanzo said softly, smiling at you in a way that made your heart race, “but I hope it will dissipate.”
“Not gonna lie to you,” you said with a small smirk, “chocolate would help.”
His rolling laugh was loud enough to fill the whole room and warm enough to give you the shivers. “When does chocolate not help? Leone! Put your finest blend on the stove for me, will you?”
“It’s already bubblin,” the old man replied, “want it doctored up tonight?”
Hanzo looked back to you. “How do you prefer your cocoa? Minty? Topped with cinnamon? Extra rich?”
“Is kicked in the ass with chili pepper an option?”
“Oh, I like her,” Leone snickered.
“An excellent choice,” Hanzo agreed with a grin.
A few moments later you were breathing in the scent of perfectly spiced cocoa and marveling at the impeccable taste dancing along your tongue. Your eyes were closed in reverence and for a second or two you for all about the situation around you.
“Ara ma-a,” Hanzo murmured softly, making you jump. He was staring at you, something like shock on his face.
“What is it,” you asked, wiping your nose in case you had whipped cream on it.
“You are beautiful. Incredibly so. I could not help but notice at the dinner party, but seeing you here, like this – perfection.”
“I don’t know what you say,” you admitted, face red as a rose and innards twisting like old roots.
“Perhaps I was wrong,” he said slyly, “seeing you flustered is somehow even more immaculate.”
“Oh, now you’re just trying to rile me up,” you scoffed, laughing at your own embarrassment. “Rude, sir. Very rude.”
“It needed to be said,” he insisted, still ogling you.
“I’m sorry,” you said shaking the timidity from your mid, leaning forward onto the table and looking Hanzo right in the eye, “don’t you already have a girl on your arm? My friend, even? It’s downright dishonorable of you to be showering me with flirtations and stealing glimpses of me in this low cut dress like that.”
“What,” he gulped, jolting back and looking at you disbelief, “I was not – I would never do such a thing! Yes, I may have been . . . forward with my compliments, and I apologize if that was too much, but I swear I was not ‘stealing glimpses’ of – ”
You let out a loud snort as you started laughing again. “Got you good, didn’t I, Mr. Shimada?”
He frowned at you, face pinched as you giggled and drank your hot chocolate. “You were joking.”
“Yes,” you nodded.
“Trying to frazzle me as I frazzled you.”
“Yup.”
“Hm,” he grunted, slowly crossing his arms and looking you up and down, “not many are brave enough to do such a thing.”
“You’re the one who started it,” you muttered, peeking out from behind your mug.
A smile bloomed on his face again. “It was not my intention to upset you! I was only – ”
“Only saying crazy flirty stuff that would make any girl stammer!”
He set out a loud scoff, but shrugged in agreement. “I suppose that is true. Please accept my sincere apology. It has been a long time since someone had the nerve to call me out on what I say and it seems I may have lost touch with conventional social guidelines.”
“Well at least you were saying sweet things,” you replied, “it’s not as if I mind too much. I hope you weren’t too offended by me messing with you. Couldn’t help myself.”
“No offense was taken at all. Maybe I need more of that, in fact. I have not felt this . . . normal in ages.”
There was a weariness in Hanzo’s eyes that was undeniable, as if there was far too much weighing down on the man.
“Hey,” you said gently, “are you alright? I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”
“You have not,” Hanzo said with a wave of his hand, “I did. It seems my mind is swaying into darker places all of a sudden, even in such pleasant company.”
With one last gulp, you finished the last of your drink and set it aside so you could scoot closer to Hanzo. The bags under his eyes were heavy. “Why don’t you tell me why you asked me here so you can go home and rest. You look exhausted.”
“I am,” he sighed, staring out the window, “and the exhaustion never seems to go away.” After a lengthy pause, Hanzo’s gaze shifted back to you with a thin smile. “What a terrible host I am, lapsing into pensive silences and forcing you to stay up so late. I am not usually this thoughtless.”
“At least the drinks are good,” you teased lightly, “now, tell me what else you need from me before you pass out in that chair.”
“Right,” he huffed, gloves running through his long bangs, “I mostly wished to compensate you for any trouble Lorelai may have caused you – the cab fare, things of that sort.”
“No need,” you said, “I may have grabbed her credit card out of her purse and used it to pay for the ride home.”
Hanzo chuckled, “I can hardly blame you.”
“I wasn’t going to, but then she went and tore my favorite coat,” you said examining the mangled seam of your jacket. “Guess I was feeling a little petty.”
“You should have seen me after she vomited on my bed. I was irate,” Hanzo grimaced.
“Ugh,” you said with a shudder, “that’s disgusting!”
Again Hanzo lingered, as if he didn’t quite want to leave his seat despite the budding sunset.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Shimada?”
“Yes, yes ther is. Just one more thing, something that I will likely regret asking, but must nonetheless. Are you, by any chance, available? I have dismissed Lorelai from my employ and am looking for someone to take her place. I would very much like it to be you.”
“O-oh,” you blurted bluntly, shocked by his offer.
Hanzo was on his feet in a flash, taking a step back from you. “Forgive me, I should not have – ”
“It’s okay,” you said quickly, heat radiating from your cheeks, “I was just surprised is all! I didn’t mean to seem unappreciative or – ”
“There is no need to explain,” he said, his voice abrasive and cold all at once.
“But I want to,” you said desperately, standing in front of him with your hands over your heart. “It’s not that I’m not flattered – I am – but I’ve never done anything like that before, being a sugar baby or whatever you want to call it! I’m not from a wealthy family like Lori is, I don’t know fancy table manners like she does, heck, I was terrified to go to this party tonight because I was afraid everyone would know what a cheap dress this is. I’ve never owned anything designer-y in my life! You’re a refined man, and you should have someone equally refined on your arm.”
“Refined,” Hanzo repeated, inching closer to you and sitting on the table, his arm close enough to touch if you just extended your fingers. “I have been with refined women most of my life, some very unrefined ones as well, but I am alone yet again. None of them have ever been what I needed. You, however.” He took your hand, turning it over in his own. “I have smiled more with you in the last half hour than I have in years. I do not care how you were raised, what cutlery you use, or what brand you wear. I simply want you. As you are. To see if this feeling of ease you have given me can last.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to date normally. My past is . . . complicated, and I will not burden anyone with the mess of a man I have become. Should you be interested in spending some time with me, I would happily pay you. I would prefer it that way, honestly. This sort of arrangement allows me to see someone with enough distance to – Forgive me, I don’t know how to explain it. I simply feel better like this, with a clean cut exchange of services, odd as that may seem.”
“I understand,” you said thoughtfully, “well, maybe not entirely, but enough. The payments makes you feel as if there is a more proper trade, and if something goes wrong, things can be cut short with less drama. Hopefully. But I guess there’s always a Lori or two out there to complicates things.”
“True,” he laughed, rubbing his eyes. “On all accounts. I believe that is why the ‘sugar daddy’ relationship appeals to me, at least for now.”
You took another moment to think, but in all honesty, your mind was already made up. Hanzo was a fascinating, handsome, captivating man, and you couldn’t deny the attraction pumping through your body. And life in this city wasn’t cheap. Maybe you should try something new, something you craved for the sheer unusualness of it all.
“I’m free tomorrow,” you said leadingly.
“Really,” he asked, brows high.
“Sure am. You might have to be patient with me, though. I’ve never done anything even remotely like this before.”
“You have my word, I will never force you into anything you do not wish to do,” he said, squeezing your hand before letting it drop.
“Sounds good then,” you smiled.
Hanzo stood, and you automatically swayed closer to him. Good god, he was doing things to you . . . Things the world had taught you to be ashamed of. Things that felt wonderful.
“I am overjoyed to have you to accept,” he said, “but I should warn you.”
“What,” you groaned worriedly.
He smirked. “I usually start arrangements of this nature with a kiss. A way to test the waters, if you will.”
“Oh is that so,” you said doubtfully. Hanzo only shrugged, his grin widening. You pretended to think it over for a moment, something in the sweet shop’s glass case catching your eye. “I’ll let you kiss me on the cheek,” you said firmly, “but that’s all I’m comfortable with tonight.”
“I will happily take what I can get,” he hummed, putting his hand on your waist and pulling you closer. His kiss was incredibly tender and lingered just long enough to make you want more. Fuck. He might be too good.
“Are you sure that is all you want,” he asked, fingers winding to the small of your back.
“Yes? Yes! For now.” You returned his kiss with a quick peck on Hanzo’s cheekbone. “Bribe me with some dark chocolate raspberry truffles, and I’ll probably let you have a proper smooch. Maybe.”
“I will keep that in mind,” he laughed.
“I swear I’m not a sellout,” you said awkwardly, embarrassed by your own offer.
“Do not be ashamed of this, my beauty, or you will not enjoy it, and I would hate for that to happen,” Hanzo said, releasing you.
“I’ll do my best,” you said, feeling a bit lightheaded. He walked you to the street, waving down a taxi and paying the driver in advance.
“Thank you, Mr. Shimada,” you said through the window, the cabbie more than willing to let you chat another moment as he counted out his lofty tip.
“My pleasure, but we will have to discuss this “Mr. Shimada’ matter next time we meet.”
“Would you prefer I call you something else?”
He stroked his jawline carefully. “That will depend on the nature of our relationship. Usually, Mr. Shimada is fine, but perhaps not for you.” He leaned onto the metal of the car door, a scheming look in his eyes. “In time, I will likely allow you to call be Hanzo in private, possibly even in public if this goes well. But,” he leaned in closer, “if this goes very well, I will hopefully be able to convince you to call me ‘master,’ at least when I have you strung up above my bed.”
In an instant your whole body was flushed red, stunned and hungering for more, your mouth stammering uselessly.
“Into the kinky shit,” the cab driver said, ruining the mood, “nice.”
Both you and Hanzo glared at the man in perfect time.
“Do not make me come in there,” Hanzo growled, “I imagine it would be quite hard for you to do your job with all ten of your fingers broken.”
“And sitting in a car all day after surgery for a broken urethra isn’t real fun either,” you snapped.
The driver’s eyes went wide, and his mouth clamped shut.
“Good choice,” you mumbled, turning back to Hanzo for a quick good night, but he was staring at you with a dumbfounded expression that made you laugh. “Okay, so, once upon a time in college I may have kicked a misogynist in the crotch so hard I broke his dick. It was an accident, but not one I really regretted.”
“Wa-o,” he sputtered, melting into laughter so strong he had to wipe tears from his eyes, “you are a marvel. Go, now, before I change my mind and beg you to come home with me.”
“Okay,” you giggled, thankful you hadn’t scared him off. “Take care, and get some sleep, alright? You look you could keel over.”
“I will,” he promised you with a warm smile. “Until tomorrow, my beauty.”
@watch-your-grammer @collinssie
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Beach Sunrises: I Don’t Even Know Your Name
Author: @cynicallystiles
Warning: Homophobia, slight gay-bashing, use of the words f*g & fairy, slight sexual harassment and physical harassment, and lots of LEGAL drinking. (Always have a DD)
Pairing: Shawn Mendes x Reader
Abbreviations: DD = Designated Driver
Summary: While on tour one day, Shawn sees a woman watching the sunrise by herself. Thinking that he’ll never see her again, he tries to forget as he goes on with the rest of his day. But, serendipity seems to have other ideas…
Notes: Things are finally starting to happen!! PLEASE REBLOG OR COMMENT if you like it! I always welcome messages and asks about my work! Enjoy!
Masterlist
Series Masterlist
Part 1 Part 3
Words: 5,374
First P.O.V.
As the wonderfully emotional and vulnerable song comes to an end, I lower my arms and look around at my friends. Xander didn't seem to notice my moment as he and everyone else is still engrossed in watching Shawn perform. I realize that the venue has gone rather quiet for a place packed with hundreds, no thousands, of people. So, I follow their lead and look back up at him on stage.
Weirdly, he seems focused on something in the crowd. Something in the direction of my friends and I. I tap Xander on the shoulder as several people are still chattering excitedly, waiting for him to close the show. "What is he doing? What's he looking at?" I ask curiously as I swivel my head trying to find what he could have noticed. Xander does the same.
"Y/n, I think he's looking at us..." He whispers to me in a concerned tone.
I break out into an amused smile. "Yeah, right. He's probably just spaced out while he catches his breath," I logically surmise. I look back up at him on stage. Actually, Xander has a point. He is looking in this direction, but there's no way to tell at who.
After clearing my throat briefly, I circle my mouth with my hands to let out a very loud "Woo!", and begin clapping. This causes everyone to join in an uproar again. Shawn smiles bashfully at this second wave of cheers. He seems to have come out of his daze as he clears his throat and finally speaks into the mic.
"Oh...wow. Thank you guys so much for all the love," he says as he puts fingers from both hands to his lips and blows a kiss out to everyone. Everyone cheers raucously. Xander and I roll our eyes at how he milks the crowd, but we cheer nonetheless. "This has been a blast, you guys! And as you know, I'll be doing one more show in town in a few days before moving on with the rest of my tour..."
He pauses as he lets the cheers take over the airwaves and he laughs. Once it's gotten relatively quiet, he interjects again. "So, I hope to see you all there! There's a meet and greet the day before, and I'll be signing autographs! Details are posted on my pages," he says enthusiastically. How does he still have so much energy after all that? "Thank you all again, and have a wonderful night!"
Cheers, screams, and claps sound as he walks off stage. My friends and I included. I turn to Xander after Shawn has fully left the stage. "Alright! Which one of you is taking me back to the hotel?" I ask over the noise.
"What do you mean the hotel??" Xander screams back. "We're not done celebrating your birthday!"
I laugh disbelievingly. "Xander! What else could you possibly have up your sleeve??" I try to mask my uneasiness with enthusiasm as I didn't plan on being out all night. After all, I do still have huge assignments due tomorrow night that are only half-finished.
"You'll see!" He says as him and Anna drag me out of the venue and to his car. Once in the car, I begin my questions.
"Isn't everyone else coming?" I ask worried that all of my friends don't know about whatever is happening next.
Xander waves his hand dismissively. "No, no. This excursion is just for the Three Musketeers! Us!" He says, referring to our original group of just the three of us.
"How many times do I have to tell you that no one calls us that??" I say with a laugh. He shrugs. "Well, where are we going?" I ask impatiently.
Anna sighs heavily as she leans to the front from the back seat. "You'll see when we get there. Promise, you're gonna love it!" She squeals excitedly.
"Fine, but I gotta be home by-" I freeze in the middle of my sentence as I reach for my purse. "Oh...my...god..." I say slowly, my heart beginning to pound furiously.
They look at me worriedly. "What's wrong?" Anna asks.
"No. No, no, no..." I say as I turn the dome light on and begin looking under the seats and having no luck. "I think I left my purse in my seat!" I say incredulously as both hands fly to grip either side of my forehead. "I can't believe this..."
Anna and Xander's eyes widen as they look at each other and then to me. "Y/n, relax. Breathe. I'm gonna go back in and find it," Xander says calmingly and reassuringly. "Anna you stay here and lock the car doors after I get out. Who knows what kind of freaks are out there." Just like that, he's exited the car and Anna locks the doors.
I turn the dome light off. Not wanting to draw attention to the two of us sitting in a car by ourselves at night. "It's gonna be fine. Xander will find your purse and then we will be off to the second half of your birthday party!" She says cheerfully. I smile slightly at her, my heart almost returning to normal.
"Hand me my backpack, would you? I'm gonna get some studying done while we wait," I tell her quietly. She does as I ask and soon I'm reading the beginning of a very long chapter in my textbook.
She retrieves her phone from her own purse and scrolls through it mindlessly as we wait. Every few seconds she'll reach the phone up front to show me pictures or videos people took of the concert we were just at. I sigh and pretend to look each time. I love her but she's being distracting as hell.
After the fiftieth time, I close the book loudly. "You know if we're gonna sit here, can I use your phone to check my accounts? Just in case I have any important emails or something," I say as I raise my eyebrows at her.
"Of course!" She says as she quickly hands me her phone. Glad to have gotten the phone away from her, I begin checking my accounts. I start with email, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and then I move on to Instagram.
Upon logging into my account, I have a few red notifications. A couple of likes on some photos and one post notification. I click on the post and Shawn Mendes' recent post comes up. I have my IG set to get notified when he posts so I don't miss any music news.
I read his comment on the vid he posted before looking at the video. Yeah, I know I do things backward. Anyway, the comment says, "Such a beautiful city, with such beautiful locals. Lucky to have witnessed this moment." Okay, interesting. What did he witness? As I scroll up to look at the full video, my mouth drops.
Third P.O.V.
Xander hurries back into the venue, not wanting to waste any time that could be spent on y/n's next surprise. A security guard stops him at the entrance. "My friend left her purse in there and I need to get it. Look here's my ticket, she was right next to me. I'll go in and be right back out," he babbles rapidly.
The guard eyes him up and down while Xander holds his arms up to show that he has absolutely nothing on him. Determining that he was no threat, the guard allows him back into the venue. "You have 15 minutes before I send someone in to bring you out," he says intimidatingly.
"Yes, sir," Xander gulps as he sprints through the doors and down the amphitheater-styled rows. Reaching the row they were in, he darts over to the number on the ticket and begins his frantic search. As it wasn't in any of the seats, he immediately gets down on his hands and knees to be able to look under them.
The floor was absolutely disgusting. There were workers floating about, sweeping and mopping up the mess but they apparently hadn't gotten to this section. Not that any of the mess was theirs because they didn't bring anything but water into the show. As Xander reaches further under the chair to feel for the purse, he's startled by a sudden voice. So startled, that the jump causes him to hit his head on the underside of the chair.
"Is there something specific you're looking for?" Xander hears a kind voice ask over the speakers. He freezes where he his, not wanting to turn around for fear that he's probably dreaming.
He decided to risk it and slowly stands back up, rubbing the back of his head. As he looks at the source of the voice, his face is taken over by shock.
"Um...you good, dude?" The man asks again. It's Shawn Mendes. Shawn Mendes is talking to him through the still-connected microphone. Sounding like an angel. Xander was absolutely fanboying over this moment.
He opens his mouth to respond, but all that comes out are half-stutters and strange noises. He nods rapidly to signal that he is fine but barely remembers the first question.
Shawn chuckles as he descends the steps from the stage and makes his way over to Xander. Upon making it to a proximity of about 20 feet, he stops. "What's your name?" He asks curiously. This is the same man that he saw from the stage and felt was familiar.
"Uh...Xander. Yup, my name is Xander. That is my name..." He fumbles as he responds and stands there awestruck.
Meanwhile, Shawn finally remembers why he's familiar. "Oh, Xander!" He's says relieved that he's finally cracked it. Xander looks confused and ecstatic that Shawn is so excited to meet him. "You work as a concierge at the hotel I'm staying at. Right?" This also makes Shawn realize that the girl next to him was the girl from the beach.
Xander's eyebrows furrow, having no idea what he was talking about. Surely, he would've noticed if Shawn Mendes were staying at his hotel. As he continues to stare intensely at him, he finally sees it. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god! You were the guy in the hoodie and the sunglasses!"
Shawn laughs bashfully at his outburst and nods. "Yeah, I am. I'm actually surprised that disguise worked," he confesses.
"Well, it was early in the morning and I hadn't had coffee. So, we'll chalk it up to that," Xander jokes, finally settling down. "Wait..." He says slowly.
Shawn raises his eyebrows as he sticks his hands in his pockets. "Yeah?"
"That means you were the guy asking about my friend," Xander realizes with a dumbfounded tone.
Shawn nods with a small smile. "Yeah. And that means that your great birthday present was my concert?" He asks with a small chuckle.
"Well, yeah. The first half of it was. Unfortunately, we won't be getting to the second half unless I can find her purse..." Xander trails off remembering that he was looking for it.
"Oh, I know where it's at," Shawn says with a shrug. Xander raises his eyebrows expectantly at the famous boy. "Right! It's up on stage. I saw her leave it and I kind of..."
"Stole it?" Xander deducts flatly as he crosses his arms.
A look of panic crosses Shawn's face as he explains. "No! I didn't want anyone else to steal it so I was gonna take it back to the hotel. Since she was there...” he trails off as Xander begins laughing.
"Dude, I'm messing with you. But, I really gotta get that purse and go," he finishes slightly serious.
Shawn jogs back to the stage to retrieve the purse. When he returns, he hands it over to Xander who tucks it under his arm protectively.
Shawn stands there awkwardly staring at Xander just as he did at the hotel. "So...where are you guys-" He begins only to be cut off by Xander.
"I'll tell you if you can answer one of my questions," he propositions. Shawn nods eagerly and Xander stares him down intimidatingly. "Why are you interested in my friend?"
Not totally surprised by the question, Shawn thinks about an answer. Why was he interested in this random girl he's never talked to? A girl he's never even seen up close?? So many answers popped into his head, but only one seemed like an honest one. "I have no idea..." He confesses.
Xander squints at him. He knows that Shawn is not shy about having one-night stands. That he always flirts with all of his fans. It's his brand. So, he doesn't care if he's famous. He will not allow this guy to mess with his best friend. Before he could open his mouth to say all this, Shawn continues speaking.
"I have absolutely no idea what her name is. What she looks like up close. What her voice sounds like. I know absolutely nothing about her..." Shawn smiles to himself as he shakes his head. "Except that she can stand on a secluded beach before the sun even rises and be content. Except that she feels music with the deepest parts of her. Except that she will feel what she wants to feel with no regard to how anyone else looks at her. And all of that makes me need to know everything else.”
When Shawn comes back from his moment, Xander his staring at him weirdly. "Soo..." Xander starts off cautiously. "We're gonna be at Midnight Metro," he says with a smile.
"What's that?" Shawn asks confused.
Xander rolls his eyes. "It's a small karaoke club. You know 'Metro' like 'metronome'? Anyway, it's not a big, popular place. But...we go there a lot to blow off steam," he explains.
"That sounds cool," Shawn says sincerely. "Would you...would you guys mind if I came?"
Xander's jaw drops. "Dude, That would make her whole surprise better! Yes, you can come! Can you figure out how to get there?" He asks excitedly.
"Yeah, I'll figure it out. I gotta work some stuff out, but I'll be there in a bit," Shawn says happily.
Xander starts walking backward as he says one last thing. "Don't take too long! She's not gonna be there past 2!"
Shawn gives a thumbs up as he turns away to get ready. He can't believe that he's actually getting a chance to meet this girl.
First P.O.V.
I log out of my account and hand the phone back to Anna. Pretending that I didn't just see what I saw. I mean...did I really see that? Did I really see a video of me posted on Shawn Mendes' Instagram account? I thought I was alone this morning. Which means...oh my god, Xander was right! That guy from the lobby was staring at me. And that guy was Shawn Mendes. Shawn Mendes is staying at our hotel.
I suppress all my flurrying thoughts, not wanting to get ahead of myself. Taking deep breaths, I begin to chill out. So, what if he took a video of me and posted it? It's not like he really knows who I am. He just saw something he thought was cool and posted it. Yeah, it happens all the time. Don't get carried away. But, he was looking in our direction at the concert. Does that mean he saw me? What is happening?
I jump as a banging on the window draws me out of my thoughts. Xander is back. I unlock the door and he hops in, handing me my purse. "You're a lifesaver!" I say clutching it to my chest.
"Yeah, you'd die without me," he teases as he restarts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. "So, what did you ladies get up to while I was gone?"
I stay silent, not wanting to make a big deal out of my discovery. Anna, however, chats away. "Oh, just y/n commandeering my phone because she thought I was distracting. You're such a stick in the mud! Why are you trying to study on your birthday night out?!"
"Maybe because I didn't expect to be out tonight and have school. Life doesn't just stop because you make surprise plans, Anna," I giggle at her theatrics.
She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek hastily. "Well, sorry that we love you and wanted you to have a great present. Oh, wait...I'm not," she giggles as she buckles her seatbelt.
"Love you, too," I say into the rearview mirror. I settle into my seat and roll down the window as we blast the radio on our way to the mystery destination. All the while, Xander is being uncharacteristically quiet as he drives. A huge smirk living on his face.
We pull up to the destination, and I immediately recognize it. Midnight Metro. Our little home away from home and local karaoke club. After showing our id's at the door, we find a table with elevated chairs to sit at. Someone finishes their song on stage as I take off my purse and hang it on my chair. I look around and it's the usual friendly people with a few newcomers.
A server walks by and Xander flags him down. "Yeah, we'll start off with three margaritas!" He says as he smiles charmingly. When the server walks away, I address him.
"Xander, what are you doing? I can't get drunk, I have to work tomorrow and do homework!" I say disbelievingly.
He puts on a face of mock surprise. "You don't want to get blackout drunk on your second night of being 21??? I'm shook," he teases me.
"I'm not saying I won't drink, I'm just saying I don't wanna have a hangover!" I can't help but laugh at his antics.
He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Okay! Okay! But, I told you I had our shifts covered so you don't have work tomorrow. You can spend the whole day studying to your heart's content," he explains.
"And what about your car? If we all drink, then none of us can drive home," I observe.
Anna speaks up. "Oh! I'm DD tonight! Don't worry about that," she says chipperly.
"Then, why did he order 3 margaritas?” I say as I laugh.
Xander speaks again. "Oh, the third one is for mwah. I'm not trying to impress anybody," he jokes. He smiles wryly and I shake my head, unable to suppress the smile forming.
"I guess it's all planned out then," I say calmly. They nod in agreement. The server comes back with the drinks and slips a napkin to Xander. "That's his number isn't it?"
He nods as he fans himself with the napkin and takes a sip of his drink. "Maybe I will try to impress someone tonight," he chuckles.
"So whose singing first?" I ask.
Anna shoots her hand up. "Me! Me and you are going first, y/n!" She giggles excitedly as she runs off to put our names down on the list.
"Yeah, I'm gonna need more drinks," I laugh as I flag down the server again. "Four shots of whiskey, please," I with a dainty tone.
Xander looks at me with eyes wide. "Please tell me half of those are for me! Jeez, barely 21 and already an alcoholic," he jabs at me.
"Hey! I'm just getting in the party mood," the server comes back and sets the shots down. He leaves with a wink at Xander and I roll my eyes.
Anna comes bounding over. "Okay so guess what, I just reserved the rest of the slots on the karaoke machine for us!!! No one else wanted them, I checked!!" She claps excitedly as she delivers her news. "C'mon, y/n. Let's go!"
"Bottoms up," I say as I raise my glass to Xander's and down the shot before Anna drags me toward the stage. "So, we are starting with the greatest duet we've ever done right??"
She looks at me with a knowing stare, as if I didn't even have to ask. We head up on stage and I'm not even buzzed yet. But, I'm about to kill this. We both take a microphone. I hold mine in my hand and she lets hers rest in the stand.
"Hit it!" She says as I point at the DJ.
The notes begin and Anna starts singing Rihanna's part in "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem. All the regulars cheer, knowing what's about to go down. I dance a little to the beat and then it's my turn. Eminem's part comes on and I rap that entire verse perfectly. Xander is losing his shit, just like he does every time I rap. And I can't help but laugh in between my words, still trying to complete them. The whole song goes like that and eventually, it ends. We get a standing ovation as usual but it's Xander's turn.
I see him take his second shot before he leaves the table. As we pass each other we high-five, sort of like wrestlers switching partners. Once I'm at the table, I see that all of his first margarita is gone. I sip on mine as we watch him begin his first song of the night. Of course, he starts off with "Despacito."
Anna and I stand next to the table so we can dance but still have our drinks. She leaves to go to the bar for a soda. I hold my shot up to Xander as he sings in Spanish. He sings the word slowly and I roll my body to it. As soon as the music picks back up, I down the shot and begin dancing some weird made up dance to it.
I laugh as I dance around. That's the thing about this club, no one judges you. We're all here to have a good time. None of us are particularly great singers, but none of us are straight up awful either. When we came here before, I used to have a red band saying that I was underaged because 18 and older are still allowed in. But, I have a green band and I wave that sucker at Xander excitedly as he comes back to the table.
"Someone's feeling that second shot," he chuckles as he sips his second margarita.
I set my empty one down. "Nah. That stuff ain't even strong! Been drinking it since 17 so it doesn't really do anything bad anymore!" I dance as Anna goes up and sings "Can't Stop The Feeling!" I let out a cheerful "woo" as encouragement.
Xander seems distracted as he doesn't cheer her on. I notice that he keeps looking at the entrance. "Expecting someone??" I question him and he looks back at me surprised.
"What? No! Oh, look! Anna's almost done! Better get another drink before your turn!" He exclaims weirdly.
I turn and head to the bar. I lean on it, my butt sticking out slightly. Just after I order a tray of Melon Balls, a man I've never met speaks into my ear at a surprisingly close distance. "Hey, sweetheart. Why don't you let a real man buy you some drinks? I'm much better company than that fairy you've got over there."
"No thanks," is all I say as I stand up straighter. Not wanting to be provocative.
He brushes my hair over my ear and leans in again, his breath dripping with an acrid smell. "Oh, don't be like that. Everyone knows that a pretty girl don't get all dressed up and go to a bar just to dance with a fag," he says disgustingly as his hand drifts lower down my back.
The bartender comes back with the tray, so I pay quickly and grab it. As I turn to leave he grabs my elbow. I pull it out of his grasp, trying not to spill the drinks. I'm sick of this guy. "Oh, sweetheart. Everyone knows that pretty girls don't go home with men like you," I say my voice dripping with disdain. Before I leave I turn around one more time, "And that fairy, as you called him, is ten times the man you will ever be."
I hear him curse as I continue to walk back to the table, tray shaking in my hands.
Third P.O.V.
Shawn spent the better part of a half hour in his dressing room trying to decide what he should wear to this club. He wanted to look good when he finally meets this girl, but he also didn't want to draw too much attention to himself since he wasn't going to take his bodyguards in with him.
He decides on a pair of nice jeans and signature boots, finishing off the look with a perfectly fitted dark blue button-up with rolled up sleeves. Satisfied with his look, he grabs a leather jacket in case it gets cold and hops in the rental he had gotten for this city. Before taking off, he looks up the club and finds the address. As soon as he enters it in his GPS, he leaves the venue.
Before long, he's pulling up into the semi-full parking lot of the karaoke club. The name of it above the door in rainbow lighting. Shawn takes a deep breath as he looks in the mirror one last time. He grabs his jacket and makes his way into the club. At the door, the guard checks his id and gives him a red band.
The further he travels down the dimly lit hallway, the clearer the music gets. Right now it sounds like someone is in the middle of singing a JT song. Shawn nods his head appreciatively as he finally reaches the doorway to the club.
He hovers at the entrance, taking in the crowd and the atmosphere. His eyes roam to the stage where a pretty blonde is singing the JT song he heard from the hallway. Then, he begins to scan the crowd as he looks for Xander as his head bops to the beat. He would look for the girl, but he still doesn't know exactly what she looks like.
Finally, he sees Xander at an elevated table singing along to the song as he watches the girl onstage. With a relieved smile, Shawn begins to make his way to the table. Before he can get very far, he happens to glance over to the bar. This is where he sees a girl leaned over the bar making her order.
His eyes casually roam to her ass, which is sticking out slightly as she waits. Unfortunately, his eyes are not the only ones looking. Shawn watches horrified, as a middle-aged man who is clearly drunk begins to make a move on her. His grubby hands play with her hair and almost grab her backside. Before he does, she stands up straight and uncomfortably shrugs him off.
It's when she tries to leave with her drinks and the man grabs her arm that Shawn begins to make his way to the bar to help. Although, his help was not needed. He watches as she confidently tells off this scum. Damn. He thought. That guy's ego probably just took a terrible hit based on the look on his face right now.
Refocusing on his mission to get to Xander and meet this mystery girl, he turns back towards their table. To his surprise, and his excitement, the feisty woman from the bar sets down her tray of drinks next to Xander. Upon her return, Xander exclaims something and hugs her. They exchange a conversation that looks much like Xander trying to convince her to do something she's obviously skeptical of.
After another brief exchange, they each eat the ball of fruit from a toothpick and down the contents of the shot glass. With a giggle and a shake of her head, she walks towards the stage just as the other girl finishes. They high-five as they pass each other.
Shawn tears his gaze away from the woman and looks back at the table to find Xander looking in his direction. He jumps up and down enthusiastically as he waves Shawn over to the table. With a nervous laugh, he heads over to the table.
He's greeted with a clap on the shoulder from Xander and a very shocked expression from the girl. "Uh...hi. I'm Shawn. It's nice to meet you," he introduces himself as he offers his hand to the girl. Awestruck, she slowly takes it and gives a weak shake.
"I...I'm...Anna. And you're Shawn Mendes," she blurts out nervously.
He lets out a laugh as he rubs the side of his neck up to his hair. "Yeah. That's me."
She immediately turns to Xander who is as calm as ever. "How do you know Shawn Mendes. Why is Shawn Mendes at our club? Is this actually happening? Are you actually here right now?" She looks back and forth between the two.
It's Xander who lets out a laugh now. "Can you believe that she's the sober one?"
Shawn just smiles, not wanting to make Anna feel bad about her behavior. "I met Xander when he came back looking for a purse. He kindly invited me to come hang out with you guys," he explains calmly to her.
Her face lights up immediately. "Oh, my gosh! I can't believe you somehow topped yourself with surprises! I mean, only you could get Shawn Mendes to hang out with us after his concert," she gushes.
"Actually..." Xander begins with a sly grin. "I think it had less to do with me and more to do with her..." He finishes the statement as he slowly turns and points subtly at y/n.
She pulled a bar stool up onstage and is adjusting the mic stand to a comfortable height. As she leans over to mess with the lever, her hair creates a thin curtain between her face and the table.
Shawn immediately turns his attention towards where Xander points and gazes at the woman onstage. She's so lost in her own world that she doesn't know he's here yet. She finally gets the mic where she wants it, she sits up straight and flips her hair over her shoulder.
Finally, Shawn can see her face. His breath catches in his throat as he takes in all of her features. The dimples at the corners of her mouth when she gives a small smile to the crowd. The crinkle of her nose as she laughs at something the DJ says.
He especially admires the way her eyes light up with a spark of something he can't quite pinpoint. Is it excitement? Nerves? Is it that she's just having a good time? Or is it maybe that she knows just how amazing she is? That spark could be anything. Shawn knows instantly that he'd do anything to know what that one little spark inside of her comes from.
Shawn continues his admiring gaze as she finally tells the DJ she's ready for her song. His gaze does not go unnoticed. Anna sits quietly and glances at Shawn. She knows that look on his face. He is here for y/n. And that makes her uneasy.
Just when Shawn thinks that this girl couldn't possibly get any more wonderful, he hears the first chords of the song. It strikes him with a sense of familiarity. But, it's not until she starts singing that he realizes why. She's singing one of his songs. More specifically, she's singing "I Don't Even Know Your Name." Shawn looks over at Xander.
He has a smug grin on his face, and Shawn now knows that the conversation he saw earlier was him convincing her to do this song. "I thought it would be hilariously accurate if she sang this song," he confesses.
Shawn laughs as he looks back to her. "You're right about that. It's right on the nose. But, not for long..." he promises as he bobs his head to her singing.
#cynicallystiles#cynicallystiles series#beach sunrises#shawn mendes#shawn mendes x fem!reader#shawn mendes x reader#shawn mendes fic#shawn mendes series#shawn peter raul mendes#shawn being an adorable fuck#shawn mendes imagine#idekyn#i dont even know your name#shawn mendes songs#beach sunrises series#part 2#part 3 in two weeks#probably#cute lil crush#secret love#jealousy#fluff#fluffy#PURE FLUFF#fluffy imagine#shawn mendes fluff
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Universe Falls Chapter 51
SURPRISE BITCHES!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAH GUESS WHO WROTE AN ENTIRE ORIGINAL CHAPTER OF UNIVERSE FALLS PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY UNDER WRAPS! YEAH THAT”S RIGHT FUCKIN ME! AND WOOO BOY IS THIS ONE A FUCKING DOOZY TOO! ARC 6 OPENS WITH ANGST AHAHAHAHAH But yeah this one is like... completely original and it kinda is mostly a bunch of character interaction, going downward from the last chapter and whatnot,, yadda yadda whatever whatever. Either way, I hope you enjoy it because its time for some BOMBSHELLS AHAHAHAH WOO BABY!
Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/172209617169/universe-falls-chapter-50-part-2
Chapter 51: Lost and Found
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A teardrop splashed onto the page, staining it as the hand writing the letter stilled. A tug of grief pulled at the writer’s heart, grief that prompted even more tears as they continued their letter.
“I should have told them.”
Their script was flowing and elegant, but their message was sad and solemn, though hard to make out through their pressing tears. Still, it was a message that needed to be relayed all the same, even if they weren’t sure their intended recipient would ever receive them.
“If I had just let them know about the danger we were facing from the beginning, then maybe none of this would have happened…”
They sighed, pausing to shake their head remorsefully. It seemed as though regrets of the past never really died, no matter how much time and healing passed.
“But I did what I had to… for them… for us…”
The very act of writing the letter itself was becoming almost too painful to bear, given the nature of it, but they had put this off long enough. If they didn’t finish this now, then chances are, they never would.
“If you were still here, then I know you’d understand…”
The letter was nearing its end now, but even so, it still felt incredibly incomplete. After all, there was so very much to say that a simple handwritten page couldn’t ever hope to contain it all.
“But you’re gone… and its all my fault… just like everything else…”
Another tear slipped down their cheek, just one more do add to the almost endless flow that had begun even before they had ever sat down to write this letter. A letter that could only ever serve as a forever insufficient, eternally empty way of reckoning with the wrongs of the past.
“And I’m so, so sorry… for everything I’ve done…”
Steven awoke with a gasp, his eyes wide as soon as they opened as his mind reeled from whatever it was he had just dreamt about. By all accounts, what he had just seen made no sense to him whatsoever, but what made even less sense was the fact that his cheeks were damp with tears. Apparently, the very same tears he seemed to have shed in his unexplainable, context-free dream.
Yet that wasn’t all. As the young Gem slowly pulled himself up out of bed and wiped his face dry, he couldn’t help but feel weighed down by a wave of immense guilt, guilt that he couldn’t really pin the source down for. After all, the only things he had fallen asleep with last night had been worry and uncertainty given everything that had happened the previous day and all that had been uncovered, but for once, he had been relatively free of any tangible guilt. So then why did he feel like he had done something so horribly, unforgivably wrong?
For a moment, Steven simply sat on the edge of his bed, trying to sort these mysterious, almost random feelings out, quite alarmed by just how heavy they seemed to be. And yet, his focus was soon diverted away from his own confusion emotions as he overheard quiet voices coming from the front porch. Steven’s brow furrowed as he recognized these voices to be those of the Gems, and given just how shaken they had all been the last time he saw them the previous night, he couldn’t help but tiptoe down from the loft and press against the wall near the door to listen to what they were saying.
“There’s no denying that he was close to Rose,” Garnet said, leaning against the railing as Pearl hung close to her, though Amethyst was oddly somewhat distanced from them. “The journals alone are proof of that.”
Steven quickly realized that the Gems had to be talking about Ford based on this mention of the journals, and even though he felt somewhat bad for eavesdropping on them, he couldn’t resist. Especially given the apparent and now forgotten camaraderie between them that the young Gem still wanted to know more about.
“W-well even if they do, that doesn’t mean we can just take everything he told us yesterday at face value,” Pearl huffed crossly. “For all we know, he could have been fabricating any given part of all that just to… to save face or something.”
“As far as I can tell, he’d have no reason to lie,” Garnet shook her head, her manner seemingly calm, though there was still some uncertainty beneath it. “And the evidence does add up: our gems on the portal, what happened in the bunker and with the Society… Everything points to the fact that there was indeed a time that we worked together with Stanford. We just don’t remember it.”
“And that’s exactly the problem!” the white Gem moaned impatiently. She paused for a moment, anxiety filling her features before she spoke up again, her voice even softer as she clasped her hands together tightly. “G-Garnet? I… I know this is ridiculous to even bring up but… what Stan said yesterday about Rose knowing something regarding our memories… you don’t think-?”
“H-hey! Ste-man!” Amethyst suddenly spoke up with a tightly forced grin upon noticing Steven standing on the other side of the screen door. The young Gem flinched, having wanted to remain discreet, but still, he emerged from the house nonetheless somewhat sheepishly as Amethyst continued greeting him. “H-how ya feeling? You somehow manage to get some shut-eye after, uh… everything that went down yesterday?”
“Y-yes,” Pearl chimed in, offering her young ward a placating smile. “We know that a lot happened yesterday, what with the agents, the portal and everything else, s-so if you feel like you need to talk through any of it, t-then we’re right here to listen.”
Steven frowned as he took in the warm, but ultimately fake smiles each of his guardians were offering, smiles that were merely serving as masks for much deeper, underlying dread and apprehension. “Uh… I think I’m ok…” Steven said evenly enough, though this wasn’t entirely the truth. For much like the Gems, he too was quite concerned by the accusation that his mother had some knowledge of what happened to their missing memories, an accusation that, by all accounts, he didn’t want to believe just as much as they didn’t. Still, he didn’t bring this up just yet, at least not so directly. “But um… i-is there anything you guys wanna talk about?”
The Gems exchanged a surprised glance at this, but even so, Amethyst played it off. “Uh… like what?”
“Like…” Steven bit his lip, unsure of where he really wanted to go. After all, there was so much to talk about in light of what happened in the past 24 hours alone that it felt like he’d never truly be able to cover it all. Still, he figured he’d start with at least one of his pressing curiosities. “Like, are you guys… mad at Mr. Ford for… well, for what happened back when Mom was still around?”
“Steven, we don’t remember what happened back then,” Pearl sighed, glancing away. “And even if we did, we’d be hard pressed to forgive Stanford based on everything he told us about that disastrous machine of his…”
“Well, to me it seems like he just made a mistake…” Steven said somewhat sympathetically. “And he made it sound like it was a mistake that he was pretty sorry about and that he did just about everything he could to try and fix.”
While Amethyst and Pearl didn’t share this sentiment, Garnet couldn’t help but smile somewhat at this as she placed a gentle hand on top of her young ward’s head. “Maybe you’re right, Steven,” she said, catching her teammates off guard somewhat. “But there’s only one way we can know for sure: we need to find our lost memories, once and for all. There can be no more putting this off. As of right now, it’s the only way we can finally learn what really happened for ourselves and why.”
“But how are we supposed to do that?” Amethyst asked hesitantly. “We still got like, no clues about what happened to them. Well, unless you wanna believe what Stan said,” the purple Gem scoffed harshly upon mentioning the conman, her ire towards him over his betrayal still quite apparently. “Which I sure as heck don’t.”
“Neither do I,” Pearl asserted firmly. “There’s no way Rose had any involvement in what happened to our memories. More likely than not, that was just another one of Stan’s countless lies and after everything we’ve seen and heard yesterday, I’d say he’s just about the least credible source of information out there!”
“Well… what about Mr. Ford?” Steven suggested thoughtfully. “I mean, he seems like he’s really smart; he did write the journals and he built that portal, so… maybe he might be able to help us figure this out.”
The Gems were hesitant about this idea, to say the least, their expressions alone conveying that none of them were really too keen on asking the author for help in this matter. Still, given the fact that they had essentially no leads, none of them could deny that the assistance of a proven genius would be rather welcome in solving this long ongoing mystery. Or at least getting somewhere closer to the truth than they had ever been before. Which was why, when Pearl and Amethyst looked to her for the final verdict on this plan, Garnet simply shrugged, showing that she was every bit as clueless as they were for a change. “It’s worth a try.”
A great deal could change over the course of 30 years; this was something that Ford was well aware of, largely since it was a matter of common logic. But what exactly had changed during his absence was what the author hadn’t been able to anticipate, and as he reacclimated himself to his native dimension, he was quick to find that some changes were much more alarming than others. For example, the discovery that he now had a great niece and nephew was fitting, welcome even given that he had never really had the chance to be much of an uncle prior to the portal incident. The revelation that Rose was no longer around and the Gems bore no recollection of him, however, was much more shocking and much more disheartening, to the point that he was still largely trying to process it all himself. But at the moment, the change that Ford found the most appalling and offending was what Stan had apparently done to his home over the past 30 years, both cosmetically and functionally.
What was once his proud and stately research base had been transformed into a tacky, homely tourist trap dubbed the “Mystery Shack”, of all things. Ford scoffed to himself as he stood outside of it, sketching the changes to its exterior out in his third journal as a form of venting his frustrations. It was bad enough that Stan had embezzled his name, but to turn his property, his home into a tawdry, fabricated sideshow for mindless vacationers to pass through and sink their money into was perhaps the most disrespectful slight his brother had made against him yet. Which was why Ford had absolutely no qualms about sending Stan the harshest glare he could muster upon noticing the conman emerge from the shack a moment later.
“Mornin’, Sixer,” Stan greeted casually enough, even though he was still aware he was essentially walking on eggshells with his brother now. Which, of course, was far from what he had wanted after finally saving him after 30 years, but even so he had no choice to accept the tense state of things between them. For now, at least. “What are you up to? Makin’ up for lost time by writing more ‘nerd notes’ in those ‘nerd books’ of yours?”
Ford’s glower deepened somewhat upon hearing this teasing, teasing that he would have laughingly accepted from Stan back when they were kids, but now only saw with contempt and bitterness. Much like how he viewed his brother in general at the moment. “Two things,” he began coldly as he shut the journal. “One: my journals are not so-called ‘nerd books’. They’re important, highly detailed chronicles of my research of Gravity Falls, and after wrongfully using their knowledge for the past 30 years now, I’d think you’d have finally come to understand that, Stanley.”
“Yeesh, I almost forgot how annoying you are when you get into one of your little ‘genius’ rants,” Stan rolled his eyes at Ford’s sour scolding. Still, the author paid his callous remark no mind as he continued.
“Two: care to explain the meaning of this?” he nodded to the Mystery Shack, his expression alone conveying that he was far from supportive of it.
“What’s there to explain?” Stan shrugged. “Like I said yesterday, I did what I had to do to keep things up and running here. It gave me a way to keep your bills paid so I could stay here and keep working on your dumb portal. When you think about it, the Mystery Shack pretty much saved both our butts, whether you wanna admit that or not.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn’t want to be saved?” Ford asked sharply. “That perhaps I was willing and ready to sacrifice my own wellbeing for the sake of protecting the entire universe by wanting the portal to remain deactivated forever?”
“Ugh, you sound just like Rose used to with all that self-righteous garbage,” Stan remarked dryly. “No wonder you two were such good friends; you two are probably the some of the most pretentious know-it-alls the world’s ever seen. Well, you and Pearl.”
Ford’s reaction to this was much harsher than Stan had been expecting as he took a step closer, his expression fierce with genuine fury. “Say what you want about me, but you will not disrespect Rose Quartz like that,” he growled bitterly. “She is—was one of the closest and most trusted friends I’ve ever known, even despite everything that regrettably went wrong between us. In fact, Stanley, I’d even say that she’s done more for me than you ever have.”
It took every ounce of willpower Stan had in him to keep himself from punching his brother square in the face upon hearing this. Because how dare he uphold the honor of the Gem who had stubbornly tried to keep him trapped in another dimension for thirty years as opposed to take the side of his own brother who had risked so much and worked so hard to save him. But even if he didn’t intend to physically harm Ford, that still didn’t stop Stan from lashing out and grabbing his brother by the collar of his sweater and sending him an incredibly harsh glare. “Listen here, Sixer,” he began, his tone chillingly hostile. “You’re kidding yourself if you think that stupid pink broad was some kinda perfect saint, because she was just about the exact opposite of that. She was nothing but a lying, stubborn, selfish bi-”
“Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Ford?” Stan instantly cut himself off upon hearing Mabel’s confused questioning. The brothers starkly turned to see their nibblings both emerging from the shack, Dipper a good bit behind Mabel, though neither of the kids seemed to be in really high spirits as they looked to their uncles questioningly upon seeing how Stan was holding onto Ford rather threateningly. “What’s going on?”
Stan was quick to release Ford after a beat of somewhat awkward silence and both brothers readily scowled away from each other, giving the younger twins a pretty good impression of what was going on, despite their uncles’ attempts at playing it off. “Uh, n-nothing!” Stan remarked with a forced, fake smile. “Me and your Grunkle Ford were just, uh… we were…”
“We were just… catching up,” Ford finished, sending another critical glance Stan’s way before he turned to address his nibblings with a much softer expression. “Anyway… Good morning, children. How are you feeling? Neither of you are suffering from any sort of portal radiation from yesterday, are you?”
“Uh, no, I don’t think so…” Mabel said, innocently shaking her head. “But I am going through a bit of a sugar rush from the baker’s dozen of super chocolatey chunk cupcakes I had for breakfast!”
Ford took pause, looking to his niece with apt concern upon hearing this, though he didn’t get much of a chance to ask Stan about her nutrition habits before Dipper cut in. “Don’t worry, Mabel’s pretty much on a perpetual sugar rush,” he said dismissively, ignoring his sister’s flustered scoff as he perked up while addressing the author. “B-but anyway, Great Uncle Ford, I was just wondering… Did you really take on a Gremloblin on your own? What do you think the secret behind the bottomless pit really is? Have the Gems ever told you any huge secrets about the war or Homeworld? Do you think there are any ghosts out there above a category ten? Did you and the Gems ever try to find a way to fix corrupted Gems? What did you do when-”
“Ah, s-slow down, my boy,” Ford interupted with something of a bemused chuckle at this round of rapid-fire, curious inquiries. “Based on all those questions, it seems as though you really weren’t kidding yesterday when you said you read my journals.”
“Oh, several times over, at least,” Dipper said with clear pride over this fact. “Well… to be honest, the only one I’ve really gotten the chance to read is the third one, but it’s still super informative!”
“Hm…” Ford duly noted, raising an eyebrow as he flipped through the later pages of the journal still in his hands. “So I would be correct in assuming that you were the one who made all these… additions to this one, then?”
Dipper’s excited manner faltered upon noticing that Ford looked less than pleased about the notes he had compiled on his own within journal 3 throughout the summer. “Um, y-yeah, I… sorry…” he muttered, glancing down sheepishly as he realized his unintentional slight against the author. After all, he could have never even considered that when he first began recording his findings on the journal’s empty pages, but now he wished he had never written anything on them at all in light of the disapproval he had apparently garnished from his longtime unknown idol.
Mabel was the first to pick up upon her brother’s newfound fretfulness, but as soon as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, Dipper was quick to pull it away with returned bitterness, refusing to so much as even glance over at her. Proof that he was still just as upset with her as he had been last night, something that only served to make Mabel feel even worse about it all.
Stan readily noticed the shared, silent despondency of both his nibblings, and he was quick to blame Ford for it as he sent him a sharp, almost furious glare. The author himself didn’t really notice that though as much as he did his own tactlessness towards his nephew in particular, but before he could make an attempt to apologize for it, the informal family gathering was suddenly interupted.
“Hey, Mr. Pines!” Soos exclaimed with a cheerful grin as both him and Wendy showed up for their shift. “And hey, Mr. Pines!” the handyman greeted again, this time to Ford as he passed him by.
“’Sup, Stan Two?” Wendy nodded to the author sardonically, already well informed of his arrival thanks to Soos’ thorough recounting of the tale. “Nice turtleneck.”
While Ford was rather confused by the pair’s arrival, Stan spoke up with something of a relieved sigh, glad that his employees unknowingly broke through the ongoing tension. “Glad to see you two are actually both on time for a chance,” he remarked, crossing his arms. “I don’t expect any customers today, but as you can tell, the shack is kinda torn up from yesterday’s fiasco, so get to work and make this place look a little less like a sci-fi portal exploded underneath it, ok?”
“You got it, Mr. Pines!” Soos grinned with an eager thumbs up as him and Wendy headed off, though he didn’t hesitate to express his excitement to his coworker in a frenetic whisper. “See? I told you, Wendy! There really are two Stans around here now! Isn’t it great?!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Wendy remarked dryly, pulling her phone out of her pocket and disinterestedly texting away. “Of course, it would’ve been better if you hadn’t kept me up until 3 AM last night telling me about it.”
“Oh yeah…” the handyman frowned briefly, though he hardly let this dim his innocent elation over it all. “Sorry! Next time we have a bunch of huge truthbombs drop on us, I’ll only keep you up till 2 AM to tell you about them!”
“…Gee, thanks, Soos,” Wendy deadpanned, rolling her eyes as the pair went about their respective tasks for the day.
“Stanley,” Ford began as soon as the cashier and the handyman were out of earshot. “Who are those two… young adults?”
“Uh, my employees, poindexter,” Stan said. “You already met Soos yesterday, and the sarcastic one is Wendy. Might as well get used to seeing them around here, just like the Gems. Speaking of which…” The conman let out an aggravated sigh as he nodded ahead to the Gems and Steven as they came down for the temple, their expressions all rather tense and uncertain as they approached the Pines, who returned their gazes just as stiffly.
“Uh, h-hey, you guys,” Steven greeted them with a small, but genuine smile.
“Hi, Steven,” Mabel said just as awkwardly, though her smile faded as she glanced to the rest of her family. Dipper still stood alongside her, but he refused to spare either her or the young Gem another glance, Stan’s expression was still set in a cold scowl away from just about everyone, and Ford was clearly apprehensive and anxious as he gave the Gems only a terse nod of greeting. One that none of them made any sort of effort to return.
“So… um… h-how is everyone after, uh… yesterday…?” Steven asked unsteadily, rather concerned that the Gems hadn’t stepped forward to address Ford concerning their memories yet, like they had previously planned.
“We… could be better…” Mabel noted, rubbing her arm as she looked over to Dipper once more. “R-Right, bro-bro?”
Of course, Dipper didn’t bother giving her any sort of response as he instead turned away from her even more, his arms crossed as he let out a small, almost bitter sigh. Steven and Mabel exchanged a silent, worried glance at this, realizing that he was still clearly upset with them from what happened yesterday. Though exactly why he was still carrying this grudge so heavily and adamantly was beyond either of them.
Even so, a bout of general uneasy silence lingered between both the Pines and the Gems, none of them quite sure of what to say in the aftermath of all that had unfolded, mostly as a result of no one really knowing where they stood with each other now. Things between the kids alone were shaken and soured, but then there was the tenuous, largely forgotten ties between Ford and the Gems, not to mention the distain still very much present between Stan and Ford themselves. Really, it was as though they were all on unstable ground with each other, friendships fractured, relationships ruined, and everything else left in just as many shambles as the shack standing before them currently was.
Still, that didn’t mean there could be no attempt at fixing at least some of it.
“Hey, uh… Amethyst?” Stan spoke up, looking to the purple Gem apprehensively as she finally spared a glare in his direction. “I, uh… um… I was thinkin’ of blowing off some steam after everything that’s happened with a good ol’ Revenge Trip tonight. Are you along for the ride or what?”
“I dunno,” Amethyst muttered, her arms tightly crossed as she scowled away from him. “I think I’m gonna be busy doing just anything but that.”
Everyone was rather taken aback by the fire in the purple Gem’s tone as she said this, especially Stan as he flinched back, as if her harsh words had actually hurt him, which in a way, they did. Fortunately, they didn’t linger in the air for too long before Ford cut in, collectively addressing all of the Gems, though not without clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly. “So, h-how are you three doing? Have you happened to recall any of your memories of our… time together?”
“A-actually…” Pearl began, averting the author’s gaze as she spoke tightly. “That’s… why we’re here… we… w-well, we were hoping that… we… you-”
“We need your help,” Garnet finally finished where Pearl was unable to out of pride.
“Oh, r-really?” Ford asked, somewhat surprised by this request. “With what?”
“With finding our lost memories,” the Gem leader continued just as evening. “At this point, we’re not sure who else we can go to aid us with this, and so we have no choice but to ask you.”
Ford took pause, both confused and somewhat offended by the Gems’ apparent hesitance to seek his assistance, something that Steven in particular noticed and quickly made an attempt to clarify. “Uh, I-I think what they meant is that we think you could really help us figure all this out, Mr. Ford,” he said with a warm, hopeful smile. “Your journals already proved to us how great you are at solving mysteries, so this one’s bound to be a cinch for you!”
The author finally grinned at this, clearly glad for this vote of confidence as he began to exude the very same confidence himself. “Ah, yes, well in that cause, I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can, just as I said I would yesterday,” Ford said, adjusting his glasses as he offered the Gems a genuinely friendly smile, one that none of them returned, though their expressions did soften somewhat. “Now, I suppose the best place to start would likely be… Oh! I know! The memory gun! Back when Fiddleford built that infernal contraption, I had always doubted that it would be able to work on Gems, but seems as though it could be the very thing responsible for stripping you three of your memories!”
“Uh… yeah, we already figured that,” Amethyst huffed, rolling her eyes.
“And that wretched Society of the Blind Eye didn’t have our memories in their archives,” Pearl added with a frown. “So where exactly are they? And who would dare to even take them in the first place? And why?”
“…Those are all very good questions…” Ford noted thoughtfully. “We have the answer as to how, but everything else is still up in the air… Which means that we’ll need to look into a variety of possible scenarios that could have resulted in the loss of your memories. Its bound to be a lengthy process, given how many sheer possibilities there are, so we’ll have to be patient and hope for the best in analyzing each of them.”
“Ugh, we’re tired of waiting!” Amethyst groaned hotly. “We’ve been waiting to figure this junk out all summer! We want our memories back now!”
“That’s… understandable…” the author remarked, trying his best to remain tactful amidst the Gems’ mutually thin patience. “But relatively unlikely. I’m sorry to say this, but to me it seems as though finding the key to restoring your memories could take quite some time, if we can even find it at all.”
Despite their shared disappointment upon hearing this sum of probability, the Gems didn’t get to voice it as a familiar horn blared out, followed by the arrival of a familiar van. Greg sped into the shack’s lot, slamming on the breaks as he stuck his head out the window rather frantically. “Steven! Thank goodness you’re ok!” he cried, jumping out of the vehicle to rush over to embrace his son. “I wanted to come check on you as soon as I saw that huge explosion of light on this end of town, but the road here was blocked off by this huge tree and they only just cleared it out this morning! Heck, it took so long to get over here that I even managed to pick Connie up along the way.”
“Steven! Dipper! Mabel!” Connie called as she hopped out of the van herself and hurried over to her friends. “Are you guys alright? I haven’t been able to get in touch with any of you since the other day! What’s been going on!?”
“I think the better question is what hasn’t been going on…” Dipper remarked somewhat dryly.
“Connie! You’ll never believe what happened!” Steven exclaimed. “We just-”
“Wait! I wanna tell her!” Mabel excitedly cut in. “So it all started when Grunkle Stan got arrested by these government agents-”
“And they tried to take me and the Gems away too-” Steven interjected before Mabel carried on.
“So we tried to prove his innocence only to find out that he-”
“That he had all these fake IDs and this huge machine under the shack-”
“Which turned out to be this crazy powerful portal that his long-lost twin brother came out of-”
“And he wrote the journals and he used to work with my mom and the Gems years ago but-”
“But they kinda hate each other now and everything’s all awkward and weird and confusing-”
“But we’re trying to sort it all out by finding the Gems’ lost memories by thinking about all the ways they could have lost them!”
“Pretty intense, huh?” Mabel finished this rapid-fire tale, one that left Connie aptly confused as she tried and failed to catch up with it all.
“Uh… what?”
“Long story short,” Dipper cut in much more calmly. “Is that Grunkle Stan’s been hiding an interdimensional portal under the shack all summer that he opened up again to bring his brother back here.”
“Ohh…” Connie mused in understanding. “That makes much more sense! Well… kind of. The whole ‘interdimensional portal’ thing is something you guys will definitely have to fill me in on later.”
“Would you believe that’s hardly even the craziest part of it all?” Dipper asked with a small, but growing smile of excitement as he dropped down to a whisper. “The craziest and the best part is that Stan’s brother, our Great Uncle Ford, just so happens to be the author of the journals himself!”
“Wait, what!?” Connie gasped, completely stunned upon hearing this and knowing full well just how baffling this mystery had been to them all for the entire summer. “You guys finally met the author?! And he’s your uncle?! No way!”
“Way!” Mabel chimed in brightly. “And you gotta meet him too, Connie! Come on!” Before Connie could really even respond to this, Mabel and Steven were pulling her over to where Ford was still in the midst of conversing with the Gems, largely not paying much mind to the two new arrivals as the continued discussing matters of memory. Or at least they were until Mabel blithely interupted. “Grunkle Ford, this is our friend, Connie!”
“I-it’s an honor to meet you, sir!” Connie said with an amazed smile as she shook the author’s hand. “Your work is so fascinating! Honestly, if it wasn’t for your journal then we probably wouldn’t have made it out of half of what we’ve been through this summer alive!”
“Oh, well… that’s… good to hear…” Ford noted, unsure of what to really make of that, though he offered Connie a small smile all the same. “What’s really fascinating (and rather concerning) though is just how many children seemed to have read through my research over the course of this summer alone…”
“Uh, we probably shouldn’t tell him that Gideon had his second journal then, should we?” Steven whispered somewhat awkwardly.
“Wait a second,” Greg interjected, having overheard the conversation. “I-I can’t believe it… You’re him!” The former rock star’s jaw was dropped as he approached the author, clearly in a state of disbelief that nobody else really understood. “You’re Stanford!”
“Um… yes?” Ford raised a confused eyebrow, unsure of what the former rock star’s apparent amazement was all about.
“Wow! This… this is incredible! I never thought I’d ever get the chance to actually meet you myself!” Greg exclaimed with an incredulous chuckle. “After all, Rose said you were basically gone for good but then again, Mr. Pines has been working on that portal to try and bring you back all these years, so I guess it’d only make sense that he’d finally get it up and running eventually.”
“Yeah, Greg,” Stan deadpanned, not noticing the Gems’ growing expressions of absolute shock beside him over what Greg was divulging. “Told ya I’d figure it out.”
“Heh, well, I’m sorry for ever doubting you, I guess,” the former rock star grinned, flusteredly rubbing the back of his neck before he turned back to Ford. “But man, if only Rose were here! She’d be so happy to see you again! Well… happy and maybe a little upset about the whole portal thing but still, she’d-”
“Excuse me,” Ford interupted rather stiffly. “But… who are you exactly?”
“Oh, right, sorry!” Greg laughed again as he shook the author’s hand warmly. “I’m Greg Universe; Steven’s dad.”
Ford was silent for a moment upon hearing this as he looked between the former rock star and the young Gem, his brow furrowing and his expression largely not changing as he put the pieces together. “So you and Rose were… I see…”
“Y-yeah, she… used to talk a lot about you,” Greg remarked, still grinning slightly. “In fact, she even-”
“Greg!” Pearl’s very sharp exclamation interupted the conversation, prompting the young rock star to glance over at the Gems. All three of whom looked simultaneously dumbfounded and outraged all at once. “You knew about the portal?!”
“I, uh… oh!” Greg gasped, his eyes wide as he looked between the angry trio in newfound fear. “D-did I say portal? I-I… I meant, um… I didn’t know anything about any… w-well, you see, I-”
“Forget it, Greg,” Stan remarked, rolling his eyes at his former employee’s hectic attempt to explain. “The jig is up. They already know about everything.”
“No, we don’t!” Pearl scoffed, completely appalled. “We don’t know a thing about what’s happened to our missing memories and we certainly don’t know why Greg, of all people would know more about all this than we do!”
“D-Dad?” Steven spoke up apprehensively. “You don’t… y-you wouldn’t know anything about what happened to the Gems’ memories about Mr. Ford and the portal… would you?”
Greg froze up at this, this question completely catching him off guard, especially as he looked to the Gems starkly. All three of them were silently demanding answers, answers that he had no idea how to give, even if he could. So instead, he went with the easier alternative. “N-no,” he shook his head, his voice shaky as he tried to sound as convincing as possible. “R-Rose… Rose never told me anything about that. I’m sorry…”
“What do ya mean Rose never told you about that?!” Amethyst spat harshly. “Seems like she sure had a heck of a time telling you everything else!”
“Everything she didn’t bother telling us…” Garnet added, clearly hosting a glare underneath her shades.
“W-wha—no!” Pearl exclaimed hotly. “You two can’t be serious! Rose couldn’t have known what happened to our memories! It makes no sense!”
“What doesn’t make any sense is that she would have told Greg about all of this and not us,” Garnet remarked, adjusting her shades as she tried to remain as calm and as rational as possible.
“M-maybe she just never got the chance to?” Steven offered anxiously. “L-like… maybe your memories were erased right after I was born.”
“But that wouldn’t make add up,” Dipper interested, shaking his head. “Grunkle Stan said something about their memories being erased almost 22 years ago.”
“Well, I mean, as far as I know,” Stan said with a small shrug, unwitting eliciting ire from the Gems with such a remark.
“And how exactly would you know that?” Pearl asked, glaring coldly at the conman. “Unless you happened to have some hand in all this yourself, Stan!”
“Ugh, seriously, with this whole accusation thing again?” Stan scoffed. “I already told you, I don’t know anything about what happened! And even if I did, why would I keep something like that hidden from you three for so long?”
“Oh gee, I dunno, Stan,” Amethyst growled sharply. “Maybe for the same reason you kept that dumb machine hidden from us! Or those fake IDs! Or every other stupid secret you’ve been sitting on for years now without even thinking about being honest for a change!”
“It seems as though you would have a pretty good motive,” Garnet nodded. “With us not knowing about the portal, that likely made it easier for you to work on it without us trying to stop you like Rose would have wanted.”
“A-and for all we know you probably recruited Greg back when he used to work here to help you keep all this under wraps,” Pearl huffed angrily, shooting a fierce glance over at the former rock star as well. “Both of you were in on this for all these years! You must have thought that you weren’t going to get caught, but you are, so you might as well just admit it, Stan, and tell us where our memories are already!”
“I ain’t admitting nothing because I didn’t do anything!” Stan protested adamantly. “Even if I did keep this whole portal thing under wraps from just about everyone else, I never went after your memories to keep you three from getting in my way! That’d be just stupid!”
“Well, then it sounds like it would be exactly your kind of plan, Stan,” Pearl remarked crossly.
“Oh I’ll show ya what my kinda plan is!” the conman exclaimed, beyond infuriated by these groundless allegations to the point that things quickly devolved into an all-out shouting match on both sides. With both Stan and the Gems as outright outraged as they were, they held nothing back as they argued brutally, all of them acting off emotions rather than any real logic as they held their grounds against each other. The others were all rather surprised to see things heat up so aggressively, especially the kids as they stood on the sidelines, watching in dismay as everything seemed to explode in absolute fury all at once.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Gems so mad before…” Connie muttered, her eyes wide in alarm.
“Me either…” Mabel agreed stiffly. “But I don’t get it. Why do they think Stan got rid of their memories? He’d never, ever do something like that!”
“Yeah, just like he wouldn’t run an incredibly dangerous portal underneath the Mystery Shack, right?” Dipper asked, his tone quite dour as he crossed his arms and largely dropped out of the conversation.
“Uh, w-well, either way, we’re not gonna figure out what really happened to the Gems’ memories with everyone arguing like this,” Steven said earnestly. “Come on, you guys, we have to do something!”
Mabel and Connie were quick to follow after the young Gem, intent on trying to make peace between the conman and the Gems. Dipper, on the other hand, hung back somewhat, his hands shoved into his vest pockets as he instead glanced over at Ford, opting to discreetly listen in on the conversation that was just striking between him and Greg.
“Hey, uh… M-Mr. Pines?” the former rock star began rather awkwardly.
“Please, call me Stanford.”
“Oh, um, ok, Mr. Stanford,” Greg continued, still being as respectful as he could. “I just, uh… W-well I know the Gems aren’t really in the mood to hear this right now, but I didn’t… I wasn’t-”
“You didn’t have anything to do with what happened to the Gems’ memories?” Ford finished presumptuously, glancing the former rock star up and down. “Well, I figured that much, considering how you and Rose were apparently… ahem, together. At the same time, I also don’t think Stanley was responsible for this either. My brother may be a lying, unscrupulous cheapskate, but despite his many faults, it seems highly unlikely that he’d do something as lowbrow as outright take a person’s—or Gem’s, for that matter—memories . Then again, I suppose there really is no way to know for sure until we figure this mess out once and for all.”
“Um, yeah, about that…” Greg took in a somewhat unsteady breath. “I… Well, Rose, she-” The former rock star cut himself off, dropping his voice down to a serious whisper. “Look, she missed you… a lot. Heck, almost every time she brought you up, she’d end up blaming herself for what happened to you.”
“But it wasn’t her fault,” Ford said, his tone softening quite a bit upon hearing this.
“Well, of course it wasn’t,” Greg agreed. “But you know Rose; she always felt so much for everyone, especially her friends.”
“That she did…” the author remarked with a fond smile in the pink Gem’s memory. “And our friendship was one I always valued very highly. I only wish… I wish I could have had the chance to speak to her one last time, even if it was only for the sake of saying a proper farewell… I still can’t believe she’s really gone…”
“A lot of the time, neither can I…” the former rock star glanced down sadly. “But, she always wanted one last chance to talk to you too, which was why… right before she had Steven she sat down and wrote everything she never got the chance to say to you out. She said she didn’t know if you’d ever make it back here, but if you ever did, then she wanted you to have it. So she gave it to me to hold onto, just in case, and now that you actually are back, well, you might as well have it.”
Ford was rather surprised to hear that Rose had apparently left him some sort of note, but all the same, he followed Greg over to his van, where the former rock star dug around the back of the vehicle for a bit before finally finding what he was looking for. “Aha! Here it is,” he grinned as he pulled a light pink envelope out and presented it to Ford. “And here you go. To be honest, nobody’s ever seen what it says before. I just… didn’t think it’d be right to read something that she only meant for you, you know?”
The author was silent at first, his eyes wide as he held the envelope, apparently the last message Rose Quartz herself had left for him, as though it was the most precious and fragile thing in the entire world. And given just how much the fact that it existed at all meant to him, it very well could have been. “I… T-thank you… Greg,” Ford said, absolutely genuine in this sentiment.
“You’re welcome,” the former rock star said warmly, nodding his affirmation before stepping away to give the author some privacy as he opened the envelope up. Ford wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, even as he initially glanced over the lengthy page Rose had written for him, but even so, it was as though he could hear her lovely voice saying every word to him as he read it silently to himself.
Dear Stanford,
If you’re reading this letter, then that means that you’ve finally made it home, back to Earth and back to Gravity Falls, where you truly belong. A part of me, a part that dismisses all of the danger this world would be put in if such a thing ever did happen, has spent the past 16 years hoping this day would come, and that I’d be there for it, to welcome you back with open arms. But… I know I’ll never get that chance… I’ve made a choice… I want to do something that no Gem has ever done before, to create something that this world has never seen before… But the only way I can do that is at the expense of myself… A sacrifice not too dissimilar to one you were willing to make the last time we met.
But even so, if this letter has found its way to you, then I’m no longer around, or at least I’m not around in the way you were used to. Because in a sense, I’ll forever be a part of the child I’m about to have, a child I hope you’ll hold nothing against, even despite everything that went wrong between us.
Speaking of which… I feel as though I owe you another apology for, well, everything really. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret how hard and fast our friendship fell apart… Even before you fell into that portal, there had been so many times when I wanted to go down the hill and pour my heart out to you, but I never ended up working up the nerve. Funny, isn’t it? How I had all the courage in the world to stand against my former home and fight for this planet until the bitter end, but I didn’t have enough to walk a few feet and simply tell you “I’m sorry”?
You need to know that if there had been another way to bring you back, even if it was just for a second, I would have taken it. But the portal was far too risky; I knew that. That’s why I did what you asked and kept the third journal hidden safe and sound, even from your brother (You never told me you had a brother, by the way). I tried everything I could to right our wrongs and fix our mistakes…
And in the process, I only ended up causing so many more.
Its much too… risky to divulge everything here, but… something happened several years ago. Something that none of us were prepared for, though I should have been prepared. It was a threat I knew, a threat we both knew… a threat swept through our lives and nearly took everything away in the process. And I wasn’t able to do anything to stop it.
I Can only myself to blame for what happEned that awful night. I should hAve told them. If I had just Let them know about the danger we were faCing from thE beginning, then maybe none of this would have haPpened… But I did what I had to… for them… for us… If you were still hEre, then I know you’d undeRstand… But you’re gone… and iTs all my fault… just like everything else… And I’m so, so Sorry… for everything I’ve done…
I need, need you to know that, Stanford. I need Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to know that. I need my child to know that. I need everyone I’ve wronged because of this to know that. I never wanted to hurt any of you, I promise that. I just wanted to save you, my friends, this planet, everything I truly care about. But it seems I’ve only managed to hurt them all instead. Which means I suppose the key to healing them lies not with me, but with whoever comes next… And I have the upmost confidence that they’ll succeed where I have failed.
There are so many more things I want to say to you, Stanford, but I know there would never be enough time to write it all out. I had thought to offer you one final apology but that just didn’t seem right, as sorry as I truly am. So instead of lingering on the shadows permeating our past, I’ll leave you with a reminder of the light that once shined through it instead.
Do you remember the first time we met? Amethyst had pointed out your six fingers to the rest of us, and at the time, I had thought that was the most spectacular thing about you. Little did I know that I’d quickly find out that there was so much more to be amazed when it came to you, Stanford. Your intelligence, your determination, your passion, all these things and more made me realize that you were by far one of the most special humans I’ve ever had the privilege of getting to meet, and believe me, I’ve met plenty. There were times when I saw it: you underestimating your own brilliance and abilities, but those were things I never once doubted. Which is why, despite how impossible things might seem right now, I encourage you to hold onto the words you wrote at the start of the journal you entrusted to me years ago, words that I hope will inspire you and comfort you, even when I can’t:
“Ad astra per aspera”: To the stars through difficulties.
Yours truly,
Rose Quartz
Ford had never been one to get too emotional, but he was unable to stem the silent flow of tears as he finished reading Rose’s final words to him. Up until that point, the author hadn’t put too much thought into the pink Gem’s absence; of course, he knew that she wasn’t around anymore in place of Steven existing, but some small, irrational, yet persistent part of him still wanted to believe that it wasn’t true. That Rose would make her long-awaited appearance and that everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. And yet, upon reading her last message intended for him himself, the truth of it all finally sunk in once and for all: Rose Quartz really was gone, most likely never to return. Even after 30 seemingly endless years of longing and remorse, he’d never get to speak to her, laugh with her, apologize to her, to simply see her ever again. It was a crushing reality, to the point that it was almost unbearable, to know that he’d be forever separated from one of his closest and most cherished friends, left with only a page of ultimately unfeeling letters to remember her by.
Yet at the same time, three of his other most invaluable friends were still there, still present and still alive and well. The only problem was they held no recollection of the bond they used to share, the camaraderie they used to uphold. A deep sense of loneliness filled Ford as this wave of realization washed over him yet again, a kind of loneliness that he hadn’t even ever felt traversing the empty voids of the multiverse. The author truly wanted to help restore the Gems’ memories to them, to the point of near desperation almost, but if he was perfectly honest with himself, even he didn’t know where to start with such an arduous task. By all accounts, the chances of things ever returning to even a shadow of how they used to be seemed incredibly slim, to the point that Ford was beginning to lose hope that such a thing was even a possibility at all.
Despite the still-ongoing argument between Stan and the Gems, Ford paid none of them any mind as he looked down to Rose’s letter again, its ending catching his attention in particular. “Which is why, despite how impossible things might seem right now, I encourage you to hold onto the words you wrote at the start of the journal you entrusted to me years ago, words that I hope will inspire you and comfort you, even when I can’t: “Ad astra per aspera”: To the stars through difficulties.”
“To the stars through difficulties…” Ford muttered to himself, taking in a steadying breath. It was a Latin phrase he had always been very fond of, one he had heard during his college years and kept close to his heart throughout his studies, both academically and in Gravity Falls. He had always seen it as a call to greatness, an affirmation of aspiration, no matter how daunting circumstances might seem. But now, the author began to realize that perhaps it held another meaning as well; perhaps it wasn’t just a message of upwards inspiration. Perhaps it was also just what Rose had said: a message of hope, of comfort, a promise that even though the road ahead seemed dark and uncertain, the stars of something better could still be reached regardless if one only worked hard and persevered enough to get to them. And while this was only a mere small spark of hope, it was one Ford decided to hold onto nonetheless, as the final piece of encouragement Rose had to offer for him. Encouragement that could perhaps at last lead them towards the answers they were all looking for.
Ford couldn’t profess to understanding everything concerning what Rose had spoken of in her letter, but several parts of it came across as somewhat bizarre to the author, to the point of being downright cryptic almost. Ford had never known Rose to be so indirect; the pink Gem, with her relative lack of understanding when it came to human subtlety, had always been very literal and forward in her conversations with him. Yet the vagueness in her letter threw the author off, especially when she sparsely described whatever apparently disastrous event had transpired quite some time ago. Certainly there must have been a reason that Rose hadn’t just written it all out if it was so significant and horrific; because instead of transcribing it all, the pink Gem had left only clues, breadcrumbs really to something that already seemed to lead to something so much more.
“I’ve only managed to hurt them all instead. Which means I suppose the key to healing them lies not with me, but with whoever comes next… And I have the upmost confidence that they’ll succeed where I have failed.”
“Whoever comes next…” Ford read once again, initially confused by what this meant until he happened to finally glance up from the letter and over to the still-brawling group just a few feet away. Or more specifically, towards Rose’s son, Steven.
The author was somewhat hesitant, knowing that he was really just working off mere conjecture alone as he approached the young Gem, Rose’s letter still in hand. In truth, Ford was still rather confused about exactly how the pink Gem had managed to reproduce at all, much less with a human, but his curiosity about Steven’s no-doubt bizarre hybrid biology would have to wait. After all, a far more pressing question needed answers now.
“Excuse me, um… Steven, was it?” Ford addressed the young Gem, placing a hand on his shoulder to pull his attention away from the ongoing fight between Stan and the Gems. Despite the tension behind them, Steven offered the author a friendly smile and a nod of patient confirmation, prompting him to go on, even as the other kids took notice of this almost random interaction. “Rose—I mean, your mother left this letter behind for me before she-” Ford cut himself off tightly; just because he had accepted the reality that Rose was gone didn’t make it any easier for him to admit it out loud. “A-anyway, the nature of this note implies something that I’m rather unclear of, something that she made it sound like only you can figure out.”
As Ford handed the letter off to Steven for him to see it, the quarrel between Stan and the Gems gradually fizzled out as they glanced over to the exchange between the author and the young Gem. An exchange that just about every single one of them disapproved of on some level, especially Stan. “Ford, what did I say about-” the conman’s sour callout was interupted by his brother, who put a silent hand up before patiently turning his attention back to Steven. The young Gem himself was focused on his mother’s letter, his eyes wide as he skimmed over it and tried to make sense of its more mysterious parts, though he did glance back up at Ford as he slowly knelt down to his level.
“Steven, this-” Ford stopped short, his brow furrowing, almost as if he wasn’t entirely sure how to put this, though he continued on a moment later anyway. “I should be honest… I have reason to believe that this letter might hold our first real, tangible clues about what’s happened to the Crystal Gems’ memories.”
Upon hearing this, Pearl was more than ready to speak up in heated protest against it, though Garnet quickly stopped her. “Wait,” she urged, keeping her sights trained on the conversation unfolding before them, one that could prove to be very helpful in their most pressing cause.
“Which is why I feel compelled to ask…” Ford continued, hesitantly but earnestly. “Would you be willing to help me decode the clues your mother left behind and uncover the truth behind this mystery once and for all?”
Steven didn’t answer this right away, instead taking a moment to glance back at his guardians somewhat apprehensively. Amethyst’s expression showed a general sense of apathy towards the situation at large, while Pearl intently shook her head in staunch disapproval over such an idea. Garnet, on the other hand, looked to the young Gem expectantly, with a air about her that told him that this was his choice to make alone. And as Steven turned to the author once more and took in his sincere, solemn, almost sad even, he found that it wasn’t that hard of a choice to really make.
“W-well, I’d love to help, Mr. Ford, I really would,” Steven said with a small but fretful smile. “But… I’ve never met my mom before. She stopped, uh… being around when I was born, so I didn’t get the chance to really know what she was like which means I might not be the best person to figure out what she tried to say here…”
“Oh…” Ford’s expression fell in slight disappointment as he rose to stand. “Well, I suppose that… does make things complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Well… even if I don’t know a lot about Mom myself, that still doesn’t mean we haven’t figured anything out about her,” Steven ventured, taking a glance over at Dipper, Mabel, and Connie. “In a way, we’ve… kinda been learning more about her all summer in some… pretty crazy ways.”
“Yeah, that’s right!” Mabel spoke up brightly. “Like the time we found her light canon out here near the shack and used it to blow that Red Eye to smithereens!”
“Wait, you… you kids found the light canon Rose asked me to hide away years ago?” Ford asked, aptly surprised.
“Yeah and we’ve been to hear healing fountain,” Dipper added intently.
“And her hidden armory,” Connie said with a nod.
“Heck, we even found her sword and its scabbard!” Steven’s smile widened with confidence. “And we’ve solved a bunch of other huge mysteries too!”
“And that’s why they call us the Mystery Kids!” Mabel chimed daringly.
“So I think that between the four of us,” Steven went on. “Maybe we can figure out what the deal with Mom’s letter is and if it has anything to do with the Gems’ memories!”
“Oh… well, are you sure you kids are really up for a task this… daunting?” Ford asked, not entirely convinced of their merit.
“Oh believe us, we’ve been up against plenty of daunting odds this summer,” Connie assured with a bit of an ironic laugh.
“Yeah, nothing stumps us as long as we’re working together!” Mabel boldly proclaimed. “Right, you guys?”
“Right,” Steven and Connie affirmed with clear resolve, though Dipper was noticeably silent as he glared away from the rest of the group. The young Gem in particular took notice of this, his heart sinking a bit as he realized that part of his impromptu plan still wasn’t working; the Mystery Kids were still fractured in some way, and as long as they were, then chances were, they wouldn’t be getting anywhere to any degree. Including fixing the past and moving forward into the future, things that all needed to be done sooner rather than later, as far as Steven was concerned.
“Uh, Dipper?” he began with a small, anxious smile. “You’re on bored with us in this too, aren’t you?”
Of course, Dipper didn’t respond to this right away, instead looking to the young Gem with a rather incredulous scowl, one that said everything that words didn’t really need to about how he was feeling about both him and Mabel at the moment. In truth, the pair was surprised that he was carrying this apparent grudge out for so long, neither of them really understanding why the decision they had made in the heat of the moment before that blinding portal still upset him so much. But at the same time, it was something of a small relief when Dipper let out a relenting sigh, even if his manner didn’t lighten up at all as he made it very clear on where he stood in all this. “Fine, whatever,” he complied sourly. “But only until we figure out what happened with the Gems’ memories.”
“Well… i-it’s a start…” Mabel said to Steven as Connie looked between her three friends in confusion, not knowing where this apparent tension between them all really came from.
“Uh… what’s going on with you guys today?” she asked with a concerned frown.
“It’s a… long story…” Steven whispered to her. “We’ll fill you in later.”
“Well,” Garnet spoke up, her hands on her hips and a hint of a coy smile on her face as she looked from her teammates to the kids. “I don’t know about you two, but for me, there’s no one I’d rather trust with a mystery like this than the Mystery Kids themselves.”
“Yes, well then,” Ford said, still somewhat uncertain about this plan of action. “Reasonably the best thing to do first would to be to carefully analyze Rose’s letter for any of its more subtle, possibly leading details. Then depending on whatever we uncover, we can work from there to-”
“I said,” Garnet interjected, crossing her arms. “We were going to trust the kids with this one.”
“Oh …r-right…” the author cleared his throat as he backed off, somewhat flustered as he let the kids investigate the matter on their own.
“Uh, well actually, Mr. Stanford’s plan seemed like it’s a pretty good one,” Connie shrugged, reading Rose’s letter from over Steven’s shoulder.
“Yeah, there does seem to be something off about this letter…” Dipper noted, putting his bitterness aside as he became invested in this mystery himself. “Like this paragraph right here. Some of the letters are just… randomly capitalized for some reason. Why would Rose do that?”
“Well, normally she wouldn’t,” Pearl cut in pointedly. “Rose’s handwriting was impeccable, just like everything else she did.”
“So… that probably means she had a good reason to do that,” Steven mused. “And in only this part of the letter too… weird…”
“Maybe she was just really tired when she wrote that part?” Mabel suggested, though even she didn’t really buy into such a theory too much.
“Or maybe…” Dipper trailed off as a newfound idea came to him, one that he was quick to act on. “Quick, someone write this down!”
Connie was quick to do so, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen as she recorded all of the letters that Dipper read out, each one of them bizarrely and improperly capitalized within Rose’s letter. Everyone else watched this work with baited breath, hoping that perhaps it would lead them to some kind of answer, though by the time they were done, the results they had gotten were… less than conclusive.
“Ok, so it all adds up to… CEALCEPERTS…?” Connie read, raising a baffled eyebrow as she did.
“Uh… I’m pretty sure that’s not a word…” Mabel frowned before quickly perking up. “Though it does kinda sound like seal-experts! Oh! What if Rose wanted to tell everyone that she was secretly a seal expert!?”
A beat of doubtful silence passed at this bizarre limb before Steven went off on another one. “CEALCEPERTS…” he repeated, looking to the letter once more. “Does that mean anything to any of you guys?” he asked both Ford and the Gems collectively.
“No,” Ford said, equally confused by this odd clue.
“Not at all,” Garnet remarked as the other two Gems shook their heads.
“Dad?” Steven ventured, hoping that perhaps the former rock star might have some kind of idea.
“Sorry, kiddo, I got nothing,” Greg shrugged. “What about you, Mr. Pines?”
“Ugh, heck if I know,” Stan rolled his eyes impetuously. “I think I’ve had enough of dealing with Rose and her little ‘mysteries’ for one day. I’m takin’ off. I have a feeling you nerds will be just fine without my ‘help’.”
And with that, the conman turned on his heel and headed for the shack, not bothering to spare another glance back at either the Gems or at Ford as aggravated as he was with them both. “Just as well,” Ford scoffed, rolling his eyes at his brother’s attitude. “Stanley wouldn’t have been much help in this anyway. Or much help in anything else, really.”
“I heard that!” Stan shot back crossly, though he didn’t bother to stick around and protest it any further.
“Hm… what if this CEALCEPERTS thing isn’t really a word…?” Connie theorized, tapping her pen against the page thoughtfully. “What if it’s… something else?”
“Oh yeah!” Dipper exclaimed in realization. “For all we know, it could be a message written in code, or an acronym, or heck, even an anagram!”
“What’s an anagram?” Steven asked curiously.
“It’s when the letters of a word are all mixed up and out of order,” Connie explained, sitting on the ground so she could work properly. “Like, for instance if we took CEALCEPERTS here and tried to turn it into something else using just the letters it has in it.”
“Oh I think I got one!” Mabel said, looking over the bizarre word once more. “Maybe this is supposed to be two words? Like… CASTLE CREEP?”
“Or… LACE SCEPTER?” Dipper tried, though he was quick to denounce the result. “No, that can’t be it…”
“Um… what about CREPE SELECT?” Steven guessed with a shrug.
“Or it could be ELECT RECAP…” Connie mused. “But none of these make any sense… There’s got to be one that-”
“Wait,” Dipper interupted, his eyes wide with realization as he worked through this in a different way. “PACER… PLACER… PLACE… It’s some kind of place… And then what’s left makes… ERECTS or…” he trailed off with a stunned gasp before revealing what he had uncovered. “SECRET… SECRET PLACE! That must be what its supposed to say! Secret place!”
“Secret place?” Amethyst asked dubiously. “Uh… like what?”
“Maybe its talking about some place that was a secret to Mom?” Steven purposed thoughtfully. “Like… oh! I know! Mom’s secret armory!”
“Steven!” Pearl quickly chastised upon mention of the pink Gem’s hidden sanctum. A sanctum that she would much prefer to keep the relative secret that it was.
“Oops… sorry, Pearl…” the young Gem rubbed the back of his neck. “I kinda forgot about the whole secret part of it…”
“Wait… Rose’s armory…?” Ford asked knowingly. “The one buried under the town cemetery? I’ve been there before. Rose took me to see it years ago after I asked her about advanced Gem weaponry. It’s really quite impressive!”
“What?! She took you to—oh… that’s right…” Pearl grumbled, crossing her arms with a scowl as she recalled the journals’ mention of the armory.
“Armory?” Amethyst asked, confused. Confusion that Garnet mirror as well. “What the heck are you guys talking about?”
“Well… why don’t we all just go there together?” Mabel suggested. “After all, it does sorta seem like it’s the place that anagram thingy in Rose’s letter is talking about, so its probably worth checking out, right?”
“Wha—no!” Pearl protested adamantly. “We can’t all just go to Rose’s private sanctum like its some kind of… field trip! It’s already been defiled by far too many intruders already! We should just leave it well enough al-”
“Pearl,” Garnet interjected calmly, placing a hand on her frustrated teammate’s shoulder. “We know this place, whatever it is, was special for both you and Rose. But if there’s anything there that could possibly lead us towards the whereabouts of our memories, then we have to go investigate it.”
“B-but…” the white Gem’s argument weakly fizzled out as she realized Garnet was right. If Rose’s letter indeed pointed towards any leads in particular, then the armory was most likely the exactly that. And as much as she wanted to preserve that special place’s sanctity, she wanted to reclaim her and her teammates’ lost memories even more. “A-alright…” she sighed reluctantly as she began to lead the way towards the cemetery, feeling as though she was breaking something important and cherished between herself and her former liege as she did. “Then… let’s go…”
Since there was no warp pad leading to Rose’s armory, the collective group of the kids, the Gems, and Ford had to walk across town to get there, in a trek that was spent mostly in stiff, awkward silence. Along the way, however, Steven, Mabel, and Dipper all managed to fill Connie in on more of the details of what had happened over the past two days, each of them telling her disconnected accounts that both confused her and allowed her to understand the newfound division among them at the same time. A division that, for all intents and purposes, she found wise not to take a clear stance on, lest that create even more of a rift between them all than there already was.
Things were still in a relative state of silence even as the group ventured into Rose’s armory, the vast, cavernous hold still just as pristine and stately as ever. And while the kids, Pearl, and Ford were largely unphased by its familiar, sparkling interior, Garnet and Amethyst were quite amazed by it, seeing as how they had never once step foot into this secret sanctum that belong to their longtime leader.
“Well, uh… here we are,” Steven announced as he stepped up onto the central platform. “Mom’s armory.”
“Incredible…” Garnet murmured, adjusting her shades amidst looking around the cave.
“Seriously…” Amethyst agreed, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. “Why didn’t Rose ever tell us about this place? Its not like we would have went and blabbed about it to anyone.”
“M-maybe because it was just… really special to her,” Steven ventured with a bit of a reassuring smile.
“Then why’d she show it to these two?” Amethyst nodded over to Pearl and Ford.
“Well she showed it to me because I was her most trusted confidant!” the white Gem proclaimed with a proud smile that quickly disappeared as she glanced over at the author. “Or at least… I thought I was…”
“Rose brought me here purely for the sake of historical research, I can assure you,” Ford clarified conclusively.
“Oh, right, research…” Pearl scoffed coldly. “Research about her private sanctum that you went and liberally recorded in those infernal journals of yours for the entire world to see, right?!”
“T-that was never my intention!” Ford protested earnestly. “I only wanted to-”
“That’s enough,” Garnet interupted staunchly as she wisely stepped between the pair. “We are not getting into another argument today. We need to focus on finding answers, no matter where and what they might be.”
“Well then, this is as good a place as any to start looking,” Steven said as he tapped his hand down onto the central switch, which instantly lit up the moment he made contact with it. Ford and the Gems all watched in apt amazement as the young Gem cycled through each of the weapon collections the armory had to offer, with Mabel and Connie both helping him out by poking him in the right places to get them to appear. However, none of the armory’s contents seemed to point towards any further clues, from the Armor of the Fallen, to the Axes of Ages, to the Heretic’s Anguish, to even the Quatizine Trio. Even some of the collections the kids themselves had never seen before were ultimately fruitless in anything that told of missing memories or untold secrets, aside from the existence of the armory itself. And by the time they had been through everything, the majority of the group was starting to get quite frustrated by the lack of any real, tangible hints they were still facing.
“Ugh, this is stupid,” Amethyst groaned impatiently as Steven began going through the weapons once more, just to make sure there wasn’t anything they had missed. “Wherever our memories are, its pretty obvious they’re not here, so why are we still wasting our time doing this?”
“Because Rose’s letter pointed towards a secret place,” Garnet reiterated. “And, given the fact that so few actually knew about this armory, I’d say it was exactly that.”
“W-well even if this place was a secret, I don’t see any reason why our memories would have been stored here anyway,” Pearl said pointedly. “Especially since, as we’ve said multiple times, Rose had nothing to do with their erasure!”
“No, of course she wouldn’t have,” Ford agreed with complete sincerity as he looked over the pink Gem’s letter to him again. “However, she did imply that she might have known what happened to them after they were taken. Which means that the leads she’s offered for us are the best we have to go off of for right now.”
“If those leads are even pointing towards our memories,” Pearl countered. “Which, for all we know, they not be at all.”
Based on this bout of speculation, a round of heated debating broke out between Ford and the Gems, one that wasn’t quite an argument, though given how on edge they all were, it could have very well been mistaken for one. The kids watched in unanimous dismay as the adults bickered, knowing that such contention seemed to be a running theme today, one that didn’t show any signs of breaking any time soon.
“Ugh, more fighting…” Mabel sighed with an exasperated frown. “How are we ever gonna figure any of this stuff out if everyone just keeps getting mad and yelling at each other?”
“I guess its because everyone’s just a little tense…” Steven noted sympathetically. “Especially the Gems; they won’t really tell me a lot about it but… its sorta like everything’s just been turned upside down for them and they don’t understand why or how. It can’t be easy for them.”
“Well… do you think finding their memories will really fix that?” Connie asked worriedly.
“I…. don’t know… Maybe?” Steven replied, honestly. “I think what’s bothering them the most right now is the chance that Mom might have actually known about what happened to them, but… that doesn’t make any sense… Why would she keep a secret like that from them for all those years?”
“Well, she did keep this whole armory thing a secret from Amethyst and Garnet for a whole bunch of years, it sounds like,” Mabel pointed out.
“Yeah, but… this is different,” Steven frowned fretfully. “This armory was hers’. But the Gems’ memories belonged to them. If she knew all this time, then why would she keep something that’s theirs hidden from them, especially something this important? Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were her best friends, so why wouldn’t she trust them with their own memories?”
“Oh gee, I don’t know, Steven,” Dipper spoke up, his tone quite cross and sardonic as he glared at his sister and the young Gem. “Why wouldn’t Rose trust her friends on something really important? Then again, its not like you and Mabel really know anything about putting your trust in the right people, now would you?”
“Uh… what are you talking about, bro-bro?” Mabel asked, exchanging a confused, but still concerned glance with Steven upon hearing this.
“Are you serious?” Dipper asked in harsh disbelief. “You guys still don’t get what the problem is here?”
“W-with the Gems?” Steven guessed, though even as he said it, he knew that wasn’t the focus of this conversation anymore.
“No, with us!” Dipper exclaimed in unbridled frustration. “With what you guys did yesterday! You two saw what the journals said; that portal could have torn the universe apart and killed us all! And you both were in the perfect places to put a stop to it and save us all but you just… didn’t!”
“B-but everything turned out fine!” Mabel protested, not understanding her brother’s perspective on this. “We’re all still ok and now we even have Grunkle Ford around! Aren’t you happy about getting the chance to meet him seeing as how he’s the author you’ve been just about dying to find all summer?!”
“Well, of course I am!” Dipper snapped, his hands in tight fists at his sides. “But that’s not the point! The point is that you guys knew something really bad could have happened, and who did you decide to trust about it in the end? Not me, you know, your twin brother, one of your best friends? No, you decided to trust Stan, a literal conman who we just found out had been lying to us about basically everything all summer!”
“Dipper, we didn’t decide to trust Mr. Pines over you,” Steven clarified gently. “It was just a really intense, heat of the moment sort of thing and we were being pressured on both sides and things just sort of… happened.”
“Things just ‘sort of’ happened?” Dipper repeated with a cold scoff. “Oh what you mean like how you guys ‘sort of happened’ to go have a little ‘chat’ with Peridot even after the Gems and I told you not to? Or, Steven, like how you ‘sort of happened’ to keep me trapped in a fusion with you just so you could feel good!? Or, Mabel, how you ‘sort of happened’ to not help me with the laptop which left me with only a psychotic, sadistic demon to turn to for help!? Or how you guys just ‘sort of happen’ to always do stuff like this! You always have to do what works for you guys, what you guys think is right. Well maybe what’s right for you two isn’t always right for everyone else, did you ever think about that?! Oh, well, of course you didn’t because you two just hate thinking about anything even remotely unpleasant, don’t you!?”
“Whoa, hold on-” Connie attempted to intervene upon seeing how heated things were getting, though Mabel quickly, angrily interupted her.
“Dipper, none of that is fair and you know it!” she exclaimed sharply. “I thought we already settled all this! What happened with the invasion or with Bill is none of our faults and neither is what happened yesterday! Don’t you get it?! If we had shut down that portal yesterday, then Grunkle Stan would have never gotten to see his brother again! He wasn’t trying to destroy the world; he was trying to save his family! I totally would have done the same thing if you were the one trapped in some nightmare dimension like Grunkle Ford was!”
“Would you have, Mabel?” Dipper asked dubiously. “Because if we’re being perfectly honest here, I don’t think you would. After all, I’m always the one who has to end up sacrificing the things I want and need for you, not the other way around! If Bill was right about one thing, it was that. And you pretty much just proved that completely yesterday by not hearing me out about hitting that shutdown switch! The one time I ask you to do something that could have potentially saved the entire world and you don’t even listen to me!”
“Dipper, I—we wanted to listen to you!” Mabel argued back intensely, and by now, Ford and the Gems had start to take notice of the effective shouting matching that was unfolding pretty much between just the twins at this point. “But your problem is that you think way too much with your head and never with your heart! Because me and Steven went with our hearts yesterday and they turned out to be right! Why can’t you just accept that!?”
“Because you didn’t trust me!” Dipper reiterated fiercely, clearly upset enough that he was almost to the point of tears, though he held them back nonetheless. “How many times do I have to say it?! A few weeks ago you guys made such a big deal about how important it was that we stand together and listen to each other, but then you two turned around and did the exact opposite of that! Do you guys even know what that felt like to me? It was like you guys just… shut me out, like you-”
Steven suddenly interupted with a sharp gasp of realization upon hearing this, his eyes growing wide as he finally hit what very well could be a breakthrough in everything. “L-like what Mom did to the Gems…” he muttered, his eyes wide as he stared up to the nearby pink platform.
“Steven?” Connie frowned in confusion, the twins doing the same as they wondered how any of this related back to the argument at hand.
“Pearl,” Steven began, looking to the white Gem as he started to work of this realization. “You said that Mom used to keep a lot of secrets because she wanted to protect everyone?”
“W-well… yes…” Pearl nodded, unsure of where her young ward was going with this. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, if that’s true, then that means Mom didn’t keep secrets from you guys because she didn’t trust you…” Steven continued, pacing around in the shallow water of the cave as he continued thinking thins out. “She did it to keep you guys safe from… something…”
“Something…” Amethyst repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Like… what?”
“I… don’t know…” Steven shook his head. “But I don’t think that’s the important thing here anyway. What’s important is that she did trust you guys, and she trusted you too, Mr. Ford, didn’t she?”
“W-well, I’d like to think that she did,” Ford remarked, glancing down in slight shame. “For a time anyway…”
“Well, she trusted you enough to show you armory, and a bunch of other things too!” Steven assured thoughtfully. “But… what if there were things that she still kept secret from everyone, things that she didn’t ever tell anyone about ever, because she wanted to keep her friends safe from something really bad.”
“Well what kinda secret would that be?” Amethyst asked, hands on her hips.
“It would be something like… hm…” the young Gem had to take pause from his ongoing line of reasoning here, knowing that he was still missing one essential piece out of this growing puzzle. A piece that had to be something that neither the Gems nor Ford had any prior knowledge of. A piece that could very well lead to the answers they were all still so desperate to find. A piece that, as it finally dawned upon Steven in another burst of sudden realization, was much more pinker and fluffier than he thought it would be. “Lion!”
“Lion?” everyone save for Ford asked rather incredulously, all of them now completely lost by the young Gem’s newfound, bizarre conclusion.
“We gotta get back to the temple, right now!” Steven implored, splashing loudly through the cave as he ran towards its exit, the others all curiously following after him. “Come on!”
No one really understood what Steven had in mind for his impromptu plan as they arrived back at the temple, save for the fact that it apparently involved Lion. Almost as soon as they all stepped inside, however, the young Gem wasted no time in frantically rushing forward and urgently calling for his pink pet, knowing that time was of the essence in solving this longstanding mystery now.
“Lion!” he shouted, glancing around for the pink beast as the others filed in behind him. “Lion! Come on out! We need you to-”
The young Gem was interupted as the pink beast suddenly leapt down from the loft above, nearly knocking him down in the process. As Steven re-steadied himself, he let something of an exasperated huff out upon seeing his comforter draped over his pet’s head. “Ugh, Lion!” he groaned, pulling the blanket off of him. “How many times do I have to tell you!? My bed is for me to sleep on, not for you, even when I’m not here!”
“By Tesla’s coil…” Ford muttered in amazement as he stepped forward to take a better look at the pink beast. “T-that lion is pink!”
“Uh, yeah, tell us something we don’t know,” Amethyst rolled her eyes.
“What a scientific marvel!” the author continued with an impressed smile. Lion sent him an unenthused glare but surprisingly didn’t growl at him as he curiously approached him. “And he’s so tame too! Certainly, he has to have some sort of magical or supernatural origins! Where on earth did you find him?”
“In the desert, a few months before this summer started,” Steven replied, stroking his pink pet’s fur. “But… he has this huge tree inside his mane, i-it’s a little hard to explain, but there are a whole bunch of stuff in there. Stuff that I think used to belong to my mom… Its where we found her sword and this tape she left for me, and there’s a lot of other things in there too. A-and…” he turned to the Gems as he briefly paused, clearly nervous as he purposed his latest idea to them. “Maybe it’s the ‘secret place’ Mom’s letter talked about. Maybe… its where your memories are.”
“Oh, Steven, don’t be ridiculous,” Pearl scoffed. “The chances of our memories being hidden inside Lion’s mane are even lower than them being at the armory.”
“It’s a good guess,” Garnet assured, placing a hand on her young ward’s shoulder. “But it just doesn’t seem very likely.”
“No!” Steven protested, pulling his shoulder away. “Garnet, you said that we have to investigate anything that could lead us to where your memories are. Well I really do think that whatever’s inside Lion’s mane could at least help us get closer to finding them! Please, just… trust me on this, ok? It’s worth a look, isn’t it?”
The Gems said nothing to this, instead exchanging an uncertain glance before they all backed off to allow Steven the room to do what he needed to. The young Gem himself took in a deep, steady breath as he nodded to Lion, who simply tilted his chin up, granting his master access to the pocket dimension tucked away inside his pastel mane. And, taking in a deep breath and letting go of any reservations about what he might find, Steven jumped right in.
The grassy fields of Lion’s mane were just as calm and peacefully silent as Steven always knew them to be, though unlike the countless times he had visited them before, this time, something felt… different. It was as though the very atmosphere, or lack there of rather, that covered the seemingly boundless space was filled with something ominous and unsettling, almost as if it knew what he was there looking for.
And it wasn’t happy about it.
Even so, Steven forced himself to ignore the growing dread in his own heart as he pressed forward through the tall grass, the large, pink tree still afar off in the distance, though it loomed closer with each step he inched towards it. As he ventured closer, his breath dutifully held and his eyes focused on his destination, the young Gem couldn’t help but think about his mother. Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems, who saved so many and gave so much. Who harbored so many secrets, both big and small. Who had left so much confusion and uncertainty behind. Who, the more he learned about, the more he seemed to know nothing about at all.
“She was more than just nice,” his father had told him with a warm, earnest smile of deepest affection and love. “She was sweet, and selfless, and funny, and brave, and beautiful, and amazing…”
“Your mother always believed that trust was something that shouldn’t be given away so easily,” Garnet had said, but Steven couldn’t help but question that supposed belief now, in spite of it all. “She believed it was something that should be earned, and that everyone should be given the chance to earn it.”
“I don’t know what kind of sweet, little fluffy lies the Gems have been feeding you, kid, but your mom was far from the amazing, perfect, flawless goddess those three thought she was!” Stan had harshly criticized, with a kind of disdain that the young Gem now understood the reasoning behind. Disdain that, in a way, he even saw as somewhat reasonable, at least from the conman’s perspective.
“She was always, always thinking of humanity, of the earth, of her fellow Crystal Gems over herself,” Pearl had said with a loving sigh of adoration, one that perhaps, Steven started to realize, carried some biases to it all their own.
“I was always able to bear my secrets to her, just as she often entrusted her own secrets to me,” the journal had read and Ford still echoed his sentiments of deepest respect for the pink Gem even now. Sentiments that, much like the Gems’ refused to be shaken. “I can only hope she’ll understand. She has to understand. She’s the only one I still completely trust…”
“Then again, I’m hardly surprised,” Bill had said during a moment of such high intensity that it had barely even registered again in Steven’s mind until now. “After all, your mom did the exact same thing way back when before just making everybody forget about it later on!”
Steven had to take in a sharp gasp of realization upon recalling this callous remark, to the point that he was forced to stick his head outside of Lion’s mane ever so briefly to catch it. He didn’t even bother sticking around to answer anyone’s pressing questions as he quickly shoved himself back inside, his mind absolutely reeling by what the dream demon had said several weeks ago no. There was no way, no way Bill could have been right about that; certainly it had to have been just another one of his infamous lies and deceitful ploys. The idea that Rose had known where the Gems’ memories had been all this time was bad enough; but the implication that she had been the very one to take them in the first place was something else altogether. Certainly, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Because…
“Take care of them, Steven…” Rose had said herself to him in a tape made years ago. A tape filled with so much warmth and love and sincerity that it usually pushed all thoughts of his mother’s shadowed secrets away. But not this time. Because as Steven scaled the hill leading to the tree, the only thing left in place of that warmth was a bitter chill, in place of that love was fear, in place of that sincerity was doubt, more doubt that he had ever really felt before. She had entrusted him with the Crystal Gems, with the protection of the earth and everything upon it. Those were burdens he could handle, burdens that were heavy yes, but manageable. But she had also left him with her secrets, with the ghosts of her past still unreckoned in the present, with all the horrible mistakes she might have made. With all the things that he knew he wasn’t strong enough to carry, even if he wanted to.
And as he finally reached the tree and happened to peer just beyond the chest resting near its base, he found just about the heaviest burden she could have left him with.
His heart sank with a feeling of absolute woe as he caught sight of it: an unassuming glass tube, the very same kind the Society of the Blind Eye had once horded en masse. It lay gently in the low grass, a label pressed to its side that bore a very simple designation written in a deceptively beautiful script:
“Crystal Gems’ Memories”
Steven’s hands were shaking as he reached down to pick the tube up, grasping it ever so gently as he pulled it into his grasp. Tears had started to well up in the young Gem’s eyes as the realization crashed down upon him all at once that it was all true. That Rose really had been keeping this momentous secret from her teammates, from her friends all this time. That she had barred them from the truth, truth that they had agonized over missing for so very long now, truth that she could have very well stolen away from them herself. Truth that he had finally, finally found, and truth that he had every intention of returning to who it rightfully belonged to.
Something that his mother had apparently never bothered to od.
Since he was starting to run out of air, Steven quickly bounded down the hill, practically leaping out of Lion’s mane and back into the house as he landed on the floor clumsily. As tense as everyone was, no one really bothered to give him too much of a chance to catch his breath as they all crowded around him, eager to hear his findings.
“Steven, are you ok?” Mabel asked with concern upon noticing the tears streaming down the young Gem’s face.
“Did you find anything in there?” Connie asked, equally worried as Steven slowly pushed himself up to sit.
“Uh… y-yeah…” he muttered morosely, looking down to the memory tube held tightly in his arms. “I… I think I did…”
Steven let out a sad sigh as he held the tube up for the Gems to see, a unified gasp of shock escaping them as they realized what it was. The young Gem had always imagined this to be a moment of immense relief and joy for his guardians; the long awaited reunion with their lost memories should have been exciting and liberating. But instead, it only felt like a betrayal of the absolute worst kind.
“T-those are… they can’t be…” Pearl whispered, wrapping her hands around Garnet’s arm tightly.
“T-they are…” the Gem leader said weakly, not even hiding the dismay in her tone.
“B-but… but why were they… in there all this time?” Amethyst asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
Garnet took in a deep breath, steadying herself for her teammates as resolve filled her expression. “There’s only one way to find out,” she said, looking to the memory tube first, and then to her teammates. “Gems?” she offered, though neither Amethyst nor Pearl seemed very keen on taking the initiative. “Alright then, I’ll go first.”
The others all watched in tentative silence as Garnet took the tube, placing her palms against both of its end tips. However, the moment she did so, a spark of energy rushed from the tube to the two gemstones making contact with it, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the Gem leader as she went rigid and still. For a moment, her expression only conveyed shock; her jaw dropped and her eyes unreadable underneath her shades. No one else had any idea what she could have been seeing, what memories she was recalling, what secrets she was learning, but in the end, it all proved to be too much for her as she let out a sharp, distraught cry, her hands flying away from the tube as she stumbled backwards. The tube itself nearly shattered on the ground, but fortunately, Pearl managed to catch it just in time as the others all looked to the compromised Gem leader in concerned alarm.
Garnet said nothing as she backed against the far wall, her shades disappearing to reveal her trio of eyes, all huge with terror and oncoming tears in an expression of unabridged fear that none of them had ever seen on her before. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, a hand pressed tightly against the side of her head as she shook it repeatedly, as sign of how unable she was to comprehend what she had just seen.
“G-Garnet…” Steven asked, taking a small, hesitant step towards her. “A-are you… ok?”
The Gem leader didn’t respond, her eyes darting downward as she remained in her state of silent, frantic panic, completely unresponsive to everyone else around her. Pearl and Amethyst in particular were quite stunned to see their usually steadfast leader so shaken, and as they looked to the memory tube again, they were both left wondering if reclaiming what she just had was even worth it at all. “W-what did she see just now?” Amethyst asked quite apprehensively.
“I-I don’t know…” Pearl said, warily eyeing the tube once more. “Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been that bad, right?”
Amethyst simply shrugged in response to this, something that Pearl took with a readying sigh as she began to lift the tube up to the gem on her forehead, knowing that was how Garnet had absorbed the memories contained therein. And much like Garnet, Pearl’s expression went completely blank as she touched it to her gemstone, though it only took a moment or two for the same kind of horror to fill her eyes as she let out nothing short of a scream of anguished fear. The white Gem practically threw the memory tube away from her, though Amethyst managed to nab it with a well timed stretch of her arm before it could hit the wall. All the same, Pearl let out another heartbroken cry as she quickly collapsed to her knees, choking on several sobs all the while as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.
“H-how could we… w-we were tricked, we didn’t… what have we done?!” she cried miserably, her voice rising in yet another agonized shriek before she broke down into the same, tearful, inconsolable state Garnet was still in. The kids, Ford, and Amethyst could all only watch their absolute breakdowns with apt alarm, none of them having the faintest idea about what apparent horrors their previously lost memories could hold. The purple Gem in particular looked down at the tube anxiously, knowing that if she were to gain those memories herself, then she’d likely fall apart just as her teammates had. And yet…
“Amethyst, wait,” Steven stopped her as she began to pull the tube towards the gem on her chest. “Y-you don’t have to…”
The purple Gem’s expression turned grave as she heard this, shaking her head solemnly as she spared another pitied glance towards Garnet and Pearl. “Yeah… I do…” she muttered despondently, taking in a deep breath before she placed the tube against her gem. Just like her teammates, it took a moment for Amethyst to really respond to whatever secrets the tube held inside it, but when she did, her reaction wasn’t one of shock or grief. It was anger. The purple Gem let out an appalled gasp, her eyes igniting with furious fire as she ripped the memory tube away from her, letting out a fierce shout as she slammed it hard into the ground, shattering it into hundreds of irreparable pieces.
“She lied to us!” Amethyst practically screamed with fury, her fingers tightly knitted into her messy hair. “All this time! All these years and she couldn’t even bother to tell us anything just so she could hide her own mistakes!? How could she do this to us?!”
“Do what?” Ford asked, both immensely concerned and immensely curious as he addressed all three of the Gems. “What happened? What did you see?”
As soon as the author asked this, the Gems all snapped their gazes over to him, each of them wearing some variation of a hostile scowl, something that Ford was genuinely caught off guard by. “W-what did we see?” Pearl began coldly, wiping her tears away and replacing them with anger as she stood. “I’ll tell you what we saw! We saw-”
“Pearl,” Garnet quickly cut in, still against the wall, though her expression had hardened somewhat. Her shades were still gone as she sent an intentful glance towards the kids, silently telling her teammate that what they had witnessed was something that didn’t need to be discussed in front of them.
The white Gem heeded her leader, though all the same, she turned to Ford briefly, whispering only two words that none of the kids were able to hear, though they left the author completely in shock. “W-what?” he stammered, hoping he had heard Pearl wrong, though she didn’t bother to repeat herself as she abruptly turned on her heel and marched towards the temple, letting out another remorseful, bitter sob as she did. Amethyst followed soon after, grumbling hotly to herself as she stormed into her room, not even sending another glance back at the stunned group behind her. Garnet lingered just a moment longer, her three-eyed sights fixated on the broken remains of the memory tube on the ground before her, as if it held any of the answers she was failing to find.
“G-Garnet?” Steven spoke up apprehensively, taking a step towards the shaken Gem leader. Garnet briefly glanced up at him, her eyes filled with pain, regret, fear, and a million other things at once as she prepared to speak to him, only to end up saying nothing at all. Instead, she simply summoned her shades once again, standing upright as she too retreated inside the temple, unable to even begin describing the horrors her and her teammates had just seen.
“W-wait!” Ford called after her, rushing up to the temple gate just as it closed. “Please, just tell me what happened! W-what did he—what did Rose do to…” The author trailed off, stilling his knocking on the door as he let out a defeated sigh and hung his head in shame, knowing that, based on the incredibly small amount of information he had so far, he couldn’t help but blame himself for it all.
“G-Grunkle Ford?” Mabel spoke up anxiously. “Are the Gems… ok?”
Ford hesitated in turning back to face the kids, but when he did it was with a small, largely fake smile of reassurance. “Ah… um… t-they will be. There’s no doubt that whatever memories they just recalled were… somewhat intense. It’s understandable that they’d need a little time to… adjust, so to speak…”
“It was Mom, wasn’t it?” Steven asked, his back turned to everyone else as he instead stared at the portrait of his mother rather coldly. “She was the one who erased their memories. That’s why they were hidden in Lion’s mane; she put them there. Like Amethyst said, s-she lied to them…”
“I-I… I’m not sure if she… M-maybe she just… She…” Ford stammered, clearly unsure of what to say as he looked to the serene portrait of the pink Gem himself. The author knew there was much that he could have said, not just to the kids, but to the Gems, to himself really, in a moment like this. Unspoken regrets, unkept promises, unabashed guilt; but in the end, he said none of it, opting to take the same route of silence as the Gems had by making a swift retreat of his own. “I… don’t know…” he mumbled to the kids as he passed by them, his tone and his manner both low and remorseful. Yet all the same, he did stop briefly as he began to step outside, offering the kids something of a bittersweet smile as he left them with a few genuine words of affirmation. “You know, despite how everything turned out, you kids really did come through and figure this conundrum out, and that’s something to be proud of. The four of you really make quite an impressive team.” Ford let out a small, somewhat sad laugh as he finally left, though not before muttering one final, wistful statement to himself. “Just like myself and the Gems did back in the day, I suppose…”
And with that, the author departed, leaving the kids alone in a state of heavy silence as they all tried to wrap their heads around everything that had just happened. There was no doubt that something significant had changed with the restoration of the Gems’ memories, but exactly what that something was was largely unclear. However, Steven hardly even thought of this apparent change as he instead continued staring at the picture of his mother, his hands slowly clenching into tight fists at his side as his despair started to grow into frustration. Which in turn, quickly grew into a rare kind of anger he was powerless to control.
“I can’t believe it…” he began, quietly at first, though his volume quickly rose as the others all looked to him in confusion. “All this time, all this time we’ve been trying to figure out what happened to the Gems’ memories, and the answer was always right here! Mom took their memories! They were her friends and she stole from them without even thinking about how much it might hurt them!”
“Oh, Steven…” Connie frowned, wanting to comfort the young Gem amidst his upset anger. “M-maybe she had to erase their memories. Whatever the Gems saw… it looked like it really scared them. Maybe that was her way of helping them deal with that.”
“But why couldn’t she think of another way?!” Steven exclaimed, distraught as he began to intensely pace back and forth. “Why did she have to go and take something that was so important to them and just… just hide them for so long without telling anyone?! She didn’t give them a choice or anything, she just did it to try and fix whatever happened, but it didn’t fix anything at all! It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t right! It’s just like-!” The young Gem cut himself off with a sharp gasp, his eyes widening as he realized he had no right to be upset with his mother for such a momentous mistake. After all, he had nearly done the exact same thing to one of his own friends just a few mere days ago.
Steven’s eyes welled up with tears, a guilty sob escaping him as he looked to Dipper, who, up until that point, had only been watching the young Gem’s outburst in concerned alarm. However, his surprise only grew as Steven suddenly rushed towards him, pulling him into a tight, sorrowful hug that admittedly caught Dipper completely off guard.
“S-Steven, what-”
“Dipper, I-I’m so sorry!” the young Gem cried morosely. “I finally understand why you were so upset with me and Mabel about what happened yesterday! Its because we didn’t trust you! B-because I didn’t trust you, a-and that’s why I almost erased your memories back when we were dealing with the society! I thought you couldn’t handle it all but I was wrong! I was only thinking about how bad I felt then, about how scared I was yesterday that I didn’t even t-think about how… about… about anything else! You’re right… I-I… I’m selfish… Just like my mom was…”
Dipper had to take pause upon hearing all this, still lost in surprise as he felt the young Gem sob miserably while still maintaining their embrace. For the first time, he couldn’t help but feel guilty himself for the grudge he had been holding onto so tightly ever since that portal blew open. A grudge that, in light of everything they had uncovered and everything that they had been through together, seemed far too petty and unimportant to really hold a place in his heart any longer.
And yet, before he could let it go, Mabel spoke up, her tone shaken yet sincere as she managed to join in on the hug between the boys herself. “Dipper, I… I’m sorry too…” she said, much softer than Steven had, though tears were starting to fill her eyes as well. “You were right… we really did shut you out. We broke our promise to stick by each other and be a team, and then we—I guess I just thought that things would get better on their own, so I didn’t even try to make it right… J-just like I always do, right?”
“Mabel, no…” Dipper protested softly, gently pulling himself out of Steven and Mabel’s shared embrace. “Y-you guys didn’t… I was just…” He trailed off, trying to focus everything he wanted to say to them both down to something concise, meaningful. And once he did, he couldn’t help but do so with a remorseful sigh. “I… I was wrong. About Stan, about the portal, about… well, just about everything. In fact, when it comes to the big things this summer, there’s probably about only a handful of times when I’ve actually been right. And I guess I was just so tired of being wrong about everything all the time that I wanted to blame it on someone other than myself so… maybe I sort of just… pinned it all on you two. Which is something else that’s wrong, when you think about it, because you guys totally don’t deserve that. You did what you thought was right. And… in the end, it turned out for the best. I mean, it brought Great Uncle Ford back to where he belongs, it led to us finding the Gems’ memories—for better or worse—it gave us the answers to so many of the questions we had this summer. So… I’m sorry for holding it all against you guys. What happened yesterday… it changed pretty much everything. But the one thing that it shouldn’t change because of any of it is us.”
“And it won’t,” Mabel assured with a small, but steadily growing smile. “Remember what we talked about last night? About not getting all stupid like Stan and Ford, and heck, even the Gems did? Well, we’re not gonna turn out like them. We’re better than that, all four of us are!”
“That’s right!” Steven agreed as they welcomed Connie into their quickly developing group hug. “Because we’re…”
“The Mystery Kids!” they all chimed in together, laughing warmly as they all pulled together, both physically and symbolically. The past few days, the past few weeks really had been tumultuous for all four of them, through trials ranging from Homeworld invasions to battles against demons both external and internal to even interdimensional portals and hidden memories sealed away. But even despite all the strain it had been put under, their bond was a resilient one, built to last under the pressure stacked against it without crumbling apart. What was lost between the kids had been found, and as long as they kept sight of it, so it would remain.
And yet… even despite the comforting assurance of their newly-secured friendship, the kids still had their worries. Worries of the past they still knew nothing about, about the mistakes and terrors laying dead but not buried somewhere years before any of them were even born. Anxiety about the present, about how things were now as shaken and shattered as they were in light of everything they had learned.
And most of all fears of the future, of what they’d find as they moved onward into the unsteady, uncertain darkness ahead, where literally anything or anyone could lie in wait.
Next:
#AHAHAHAHAH ENJOY KIDS#universe falls#jen writes#crossover#au#gravity falls#steven universe#steven#dipper#mabel#ford#garnet#amethyst#pearl#connie#stan#wendy#soos#rose quartz#greg#lion#mystery shack#crystal gems#angst and shit#keyword is deal#fanfiction
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Sincerely Me
Welcome to my fic that is using a title that is overused! Anyways, this is based off a set of one-shots I posted, originally, on my other account.
Enjoy!
Read on AO3
Evan kept his head down as he walked to the school’s computer lab. He had to quickly finish his ‘self-help’ letter before his mom picked him up for his therapy session with Dr. Sherman. Slowly, Evan pushed open the door to the lab and shuffled over to a computer on the right side. Silently, he logged into the computer, found the google chrome search logo, clicked on it, and signed onto his google drive account. He moved the cursor over to the google doc containing his letter. After he clicked on it, he watched as a new paged popped up, and his letter loaded onto the screen. Evan quickly read over the letter, and noticed that he left off with:
Maybe if I could just talk to her. Maybe, nothing would be different at all.
He silent thought for a second, tapping his fingers on the table. Eventually, he began to type out the last part.
I wish everything was different. I wish I was a part of something. I wish that anything I said mattered to anyone. I mean, let’s face it, would anyone even notice if I just disappeared tomorrow?
He stopped typing briefly. Evan knows this isn’t what his therapist had in mind for him to write. These letters are supposed to say the good things in life, but when there aren’t any good things, why make it up? Why not just tell the damn truth? No one would even care anyways.
Sincerely, your best and dearest friend, me.
Suddenly, his phone began to ring. Evan fumbled with it in his pocket. He quickly checked the caller ID and was relieved to see it was his mom calling him.
“H-hello?” He asked. Evan has always hated phone calls, can't stand them. Even though it was just his mom calling, he still stumbled on his words.
“Evan, I’m not going to be able to bring you to your appointment. They needed extra help at the hospital and I was the only one on duty. Also right afterward I’m going to class, there are leftovers in the fridge for dinner.” Heidi Hansen rushed her words as if she really needs to get back to work. Which, Evan assumed, she probably does.
God, Evan thought, I'm such a burden, she wouldn't need to work so hard if I wasn't around. I have so many problems. She has to spend too much money on my pills and therapy, I hate it.
"O-okay, yeah, I’ll ea-t that.” Even while he says this, Evan knows he won’t.
“Did you finish your letter sweetie?" Evan knows that all his mom wants is for him to get better. However, he also knows that she knows she'd have a better life without him.
“Yeah, I just pr-printed it n-ow.” He says, clicking on the little printer button on the top right of the screen.
“That’s fantastic sweetie. I’ve gotta go now, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Totally fantastic. Except for the fact that his letter basically states that he wants to just disappear and never come back.
Evan nods his head but then realizes she probably couldn’t even see him. Stupid. “Okay, love you.”
“Love you too honey.” And with that, she hangs up the phone.
Evan sighs once again, and then, he stands up to go and grab his letter. Before he can even take a step, Connor Murphy appears in front of him. Oh great. Evan really hopes he's still not mad about this morning. Connor had thought that Evan laughed at him, and so he shoved him to the ground. However, what had really happened was that Evan didn't laugh at him, He would never laugh at him. He would never laugh at anyone really. Evan was just nervous, and so he let out a nervous chuckle. Because of this, Evam have a mental freak out moment. He still didn’t know if Connor’s here to yell at him some more or what but he was absolutely terrified.
“Evan? Right?” Connor asks, looking Evan up and down, then into his eyes. Evan shivered slightly and nodded. Evan didn't shiver because Connor was scary, he's actually really pretty. Like his sister, Zoe. Wait, not the time Evan. Shut up. Evan looked back at him, and he noticed something. Connor seemed like he was trying to tell Evan something, but then seems to think better if it and instead says, “How’d you break your arm?”
It was an easy question to answer, Evan had practiced the answer many times, but he still stuttered.
“Oh, uh, I f-fell. Out of a tr-tree.” Evan stuttered out, picking at the hem of his shirt. Evan hates lying, but he didn't want people to see how broken he really was.
“Well, that’s the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. Oh my god!” He laughs out.
Oh, how wonderful. Evan thinks. Now I'm an even bigger loser.
Evan nodded, “Yeah, uh, yeah.”
Connor glances at Evan’s cast, and he seems to notice no one has signed it.
Shit, now I not just a loser, but a friendless loser. Evan doesn’t know how this could get any worse.
“No one’s signed your cast.” Connor points out as if Evan hadn’t already realized no one liked him.
“Yeah, uh, I kn-know.” Evan just wishes he could stop stuttering, dammit!
“I’ll sign it.” Connor offers, probably pitying Evan. Defiantly pitying him. Most people did.
“Oh, you, you don’t have to.” Evan mentally hits himself, what is he doing? He needs his mom to think he actually talked to people. Why is he telling him no?
Connor ignores him and He holds out a hand, expecting a sharpie. Thank God he's persistent.
Evan nods his head and then stuffed his hand into his pocket. He pulled out the unused sharpie and handed it to the taller boy.
He grips Evan’s hand and tugs it towards him. “Ow,” Evan mumbled.
“Sorry,” Connor seemed to have pushed it out. As if he's not used to saying sorry. Connor quickly scrawls out his name, filling up half of the blonds cast with it.
“Oh, thanks,” Evan said, with a kind of sarcastic, sort of thankful, and a bit of wanting to get the hell out of there asap tone of voice. Thankfully though, Connor doesn’t seem to notice and smiles at the shorter boy. However, it’s more of a grimace. He then takes a piece of paper from his bag and lifts it up.
“Is this yours? I saw it at the printer. ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ You're last name is Hansen, right?”
“Uh, yeah that’s mine, um, th-thanks.” Evan reached to take it, but Connor pulls back.
“Because there’s Zoe? What the hell,” He whispers this, seemingly confused, and Evan begins to freak out. Once again.
“C-connor, please give that ba-back.”
“You did this on purpose!” Connor’s yelling now, Evan hopes he can maybe calm him down?
“What?” Very good Evan, ask a fucking question. This is super helpful.
“Yeah, you saw I was the only other person in here so you printed this wanting me to see it.” Evan knows that Connor is totally misunderstanding the situation. Evan also knows that he has no clue on how to deal with this.
“No, I-”
“You were hoping I’d freak out right? So you can tell everyone what a fucking freak I am?”
“No, please-”
“Well FUCK YOU!” The long-haired boy pushed past Evan and runs out of the computer lab. All Evan can do is stare at him as he runs, forgetting that he still has his letter.
“You what?” Jared asks from the other side of the phone, clearly enjoying the situation that Evan had gotten himself into.
“I-I printed my letter out at school and Co-connor saw it. He thought I wanted t-to get him ma-mad! He saw that I me-mentioned Zoe, and-”
“Wait, so he read some crazy sex letter you wrote about his sister? That’s messed up.” Evan starts to really hope that Jared stops laughing soon.
“It wasn’t a sex le-letter Jared! It’s for my therapy-therapist.” Evan is trying to explain this the best he can, but Jared doesn't like to listen. He never listens.
“You write sex letters to your therapist? That's kinky.”
“JARED!”
“Whatever man, but why are you telling me this?” Evan can imagine that Jared is probably lying upside down on his bed, playing video games. He's definitely not paying attention to their conversation at all.
“Because you’re my cl-only family fr-friend.” That's all they’ll ever be because Jared knows that Evan is too much of a weirdo.
“Yeah, okay, I gotta go dude. Good luck with that sex letter!”
“IT’S NOT A-” Before Evan can finish, Jared hangs up the phone. Evan groans, tossing his own phone onto his bed.
How the hell is he supposed to convince Connor Murphy that that letter was meant to cause no harm.
Also, how is he supposed to get it back from him before he tells the whole school? And, once the school knows how will he live through the taunts? No, wait, forget the jokes. Connor is probably gonna kill him.
God Dammit.
Connor stared at the orange bottle in his hand as he sat on his bed. For once it was made, he wanted to feel productive for his last few hours alive. He also had a box filled with all the stuff he had taken from Zoe over the years placed on his desk. He has about an hour before Zoe gets home from jazz band practice, and his mom won’t be home for another two. Connor isn’t sure when his dad will be home, but it’ll probably be late, as usual.
Connor uncaps the bottle and empties all the pills into his open palm. With no more thought, he downs all the pills and lays back onto his bed, waiting for the effects to kick in.
Zoe Murphy usually considers herself a lucky girl. She’s lucky because she made jazz one as a freshman, and sits in the first chair. She’s lucky that she is smart enough to be in most senior classes. She’s lucky that Alana Beck actually considers her a friend. She’s lucky that her brother doesn’t follow through on his death threats.
Zoe Murphy is also lucky that she got out of jazz band earlier than usual. A lot usual. AT least, according to the doctors, she is. Is she had called the ambulance not even five minutes after she had, her brother would have had no chance of survival.
So yeah, Zoe Murphy is a lucky girl. Luck apparently just comes naturally to her, and even though her relationship with Connor has been torn to shreds years ago, she’s glad that she’s luckier than most. Really fucking glad.
“Yo, Evan, did you hear what happened to Murphy last night?” Those are the first words Evan hears out of Jared’s mouth on the second day of school. Evan shuts his locker and looks at his family friend. Jared is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, gripping the straps of his backpack.
“N-no, what happened to-to him?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but you know Calvin Ferrell? Well he lives across from the Murphy’s and he told Kelly Petie who told Kyle Gold who I overheard telling Kevin Lakes that an ambulance showed up at their house around five last night, and Calvin saw Zoe Murphy running out with paramedics pushing a stretcher with Connor laying on it out of the house and into the ambulance. Calvin doesn’t know what happened to him but Connor isn’t at school and neither is Zoe. So obviously it was something really big right? I mean why else would paramedics be there?” Jared is much too enthusiastic about this.
“J-jared! Why do yo-you seem so, so ex-excited? Wh-what if he di-died. That wo-would be te-terr-terrible!” Evan whisper yells.
“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it, I mean so what? No one likes him anyway.”
“Jared th-that isn’t nice! You sh-shouldn’t say, say things like that!” Evan remembers how alone he felt this past summer, and knows that whatever Connor was feeling is probably ten times worse than what he feels. He hopes Connor isn’t dead, he decides that if, no when, Connor gets back to school, Evan will try his best to try and brighten the brown haired boy’s day.
“Whatever tree boy, I’m going to class.” Jared shrugged his shoulders and left Evan standing in the hallway by himself. Evan sighs. He knows Jared fakes a lot of how he acts. He just wishes Jared was like he was when they were younger, his actual friend.
Dear Connor Murphy,
I heard about what happened the other week and I want you to know I failed as well, over the summer. You’re not alone.\
Sincerely Me.
Connor stared dumbfounded at the letter in his hands. It was his second day back after being out of school for three weeks, and he had no idea as to why a letter had fallen out of his letter. He was even more confused when he realized the letter was addressed to him and not whoever owned the locker next to him. Then after reading the two sentenced note, he felt something inside him. It wasn’t happiness at being recognized, it was more like relief. Someone out there, though he had no idea who knew in some way how he felt. And who wouldn’t get the smallest spark of hope after realizing that?
Evan watched from around the Corner as Connor neatly folded up the letter and placed it in his hoodie pocket. Then he saw the brown haired boy give a small smile, and Evan couldn’t help but smile as well.
For the next month, Evan continues to write letters to Connor. He writes the letters on Monday and Wednesdays after his homework, then on Tuesday and Thursday mornings he shoves them through the cracks in Connor’s locker. Evan know’s that Connor doesn’t check his locker until after third period, so he knows that he won’t be caught.
Sometimes the letters contain personal information as Evan knows that Connor doesn’t know it’s him, so he’s not worried, for once, about being taunted. Sometimes they just include small things that happen over the week. Usually, the Tuesday letters are the long ones, informing Connor about Evan’s weekend, the Thursday ones usually remind Connor how great he is.
Evan’s noticed that Connor is usually happier on the letter days. He’s also noticed that Connor skips school a lot, but he’s always there on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Connor has gotten a total of six letters so far.
The second one was almost as short as the first, giving Connor one simple tip on calming down.
Dear Connor Murphy,
Counting down from ten is always a great strategy to calm down, in my experience at least. Also, my mom, she does it a lot, especially when my dad tries to contact us. He’s very inconsiderate when he does.
Sincerely, Me
Connor felt like punching this guy’s dad after reading it.
The third letter talked a lot about trees, as did the fifth letter. The fourth told Connor that the mystery guy has a crush on a girl in junior year. He wondered if Zoe knew the girl as the letter never mentioned her name. The sixth letter was longer than usual. It seemed as though Letter Guy, as Connor now calls him, was stressing about something and just couldn’t stop talking. It started out about a math test the kid had, then there was a paragraph on why trees are so important to the environment, then two sentences wondering if Connor liked trees as much as he did, and it ended with five sentences of the guy apologizing as to how long the letter was. Connor thought it was hilarious, and kind of adorable. He kept that letter on his bedside table.
After the next two letters come, and Connor finds himself wondering who the guy is, he realizes that he might actually sort of like him. But he tries to ignore it for two reasons. First, why would this guy like him back, especially since he already likes someone else? Second, Connor doesn’t even know who writes the letter, how can he like someone he doesn’t know. However, Connor does know the letter guy, very well from all the information he writes down. He just doesn’t know his name or what he looks like.
Evan sits behind Connor in math class, which Evan actually quite enjoys. Math is fourth period, which means Connor comes in right after reading Evan’s notes on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. This also means that Evan gets to see the small smile on Connor’s face due to the letters that he receives.Evan always enjoys seeing that smile. It tells him that he was once again successful in making Connor happy. Evan knows that it isn’t a permanent fix, but he also knows that it works for at least an hour. And an hour is better than nothing in his opinion.
After Thanksgiving break, Evan realizes that he hasn’t thought, or written, about Zoe in a month. This really confuses him, how can he go from fawning over the guitar player to never even thinking about her? He isn’t entirely sure.
That is, at least, until the first Thursday of December and Evan catches himself staring at the older Murphy all of math class. At first, Evan tells himself that he was just making sure his letters were still making Connor happy. It wasn’t until Evan was in his room, trying to go to bed while still thinking about the long-haired boy that he shoots up, now fully awake.
“Fuck I like the school shooter.”
Which then leads to Evan actually slapping himself.
“Dammit Evan, stop listening to Jared.”
Evan continues to mutter to himself about the fact that he has just figured out that he is bi. However, he isn’t just bi, no, he’s really really bi for the kid he writes letters to, to make him feel better.
That’s when his mother, Heidi Hansen, Knocks on the door.
“Sweetie are you alright?” She asks, concerned that her son is mumbling to himself at eleven at night.
“Yeah, I’m fine!” Evan shouts back, quickly laying back down.
That night Evan falls asleep with only the thought of Connor Murphy on his mind.
The next letter Connor received he was surprised to see that the mystery writer told him he wasn’t into the junior girl anymore. At that, Connor walked to his math class with a small spring in his step. He knows that the letter boy might not be into guys, but he doesn’t like the junior anymore, he has a slight chance now.
When he gets to math, the kid that sits behind him, Evan Hansen, already has a notebook out. Connor remembers in middle school when he had a small crush on the blond haired kid. He can’t help but hope that Evan was the mystery writer.
Connor spends all of math wondering what Evan’s hand in his would feel like.
When Connor walked into math, Evan couldn’t help but blush at Connor’s happy gait. Evan can’t help but hope that it’s because Evan doesn’t like Zoe anymore, and maybe Connor likes him back. But that’s insane, who would like the wallflower anyway?
Evan spends the rest of the class wondering what Connor’s hair would feel like with Evan’s fingers combing through it.
The week leading up to winter break, Evan can’t stop thinking about what he should get Connor for Christmas. Sure, Evan is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah, he knows that Connor celebrates Christmas. He only knows this because he overheard Zoe asking Alana to come over on Christmas Eve, as Zoe’s parents apparently want to meet her.
Evan wasn’t sure on what to get Connor until he was at the store with Jared because apparently he needed knew flannel and his mom thought he was ditching Evan. Which, he usually does, but Mrs. Kleinman doesn’t need to know that. Evan had seen a couple black hoodies and remembered that Connor’s were all worn out and faded. Then as he was walking up to the cash register, money already in hand, he saw a bowl full of nail polish and quickly plucked out a black bottle. Connor usually as his nails painted, sure they were almost always chipped, but they were also always black. Black seemed to be his signature color.
Wednesday night, Evan wrapped the gift for Connor, taping his note to the present.
Connor Murphy didn’t go to bed until one am that night. Usually, he’s asleep by 12 on Mondays and Wednesdays, but this time he stayed up. He needed to get it perfect. Sure there was a chance that Mystery Writer didn’t celebrate Christmas, but that’s why Connor is signing the card Happy Holidays instead. It doesn’t need to be a Christmas gift. Just a thank you gift.
Thursday morning, when Evan went to put the gift outside Connor’s locker, he was surprised to see it propped open, and not shut like normal. Curiosity was digging at him, so Evan carefully opened the locker and was even more shocked to see a small wrapped item on the bottom of Connor’s locker. He picked it up, and then he noticed the card, which was addressed to him. Well not him exactly, but it did say To: My Mystery Writer and who else would Connor be calling a mystery writer?
Evan felt a small smile grow on his face as he placed the gift he got Connor on the bottom of his locker, and quickly put the one Connor got him in his bag. He then swiftly shut the locker and made his way to his first class.
After third period, when Connor got to his locker, he was glad to see that Mystery Writer took the gift, he was also happy to find out that he was left a gift as well.
Throughout math class, Evan couldn’t focus. He just stared at Connor’s head. Which probably wasn’t a good idea in hindsight as Finals is the week he gets back from spring break, and he really should be paying attention the review they’re doing. But at that moment, he really didn’t care.
The first thing Evan does when he gets home is putting the gift Connor got him under the small house plant he has on his desk. Even though he doesn’t do Christmas, maybe this one time he can pretend.
When his mom gets home and sees the gift on his desk, she asks where it came from.
“O-oh, well um. There’s this b-boy, C-connor Murphy, and earlier this year he wa-was in the hos-hospital? So, um, I decided to, uh, write him letters. I-I wanted to ma-make him feel good. So, uh, I gu-guess he got me-me a gift?”
“Oh honey, that’s so kind of you! I’m so glad you have another friend!”
Heidi was so excited to see the excitement in her son’s eyes as he talked about Connor.
Evan didn’t have the heart to tell his mom that Connor didn’t know it was him writing the letters, which is how he ended up baking cookies with his mom the day after Hanukkah ended. As soon as they were done, Heidi had already left for work, and Evan was tasked with the job of bringing them over to the Murphy’s place.
Before he left, he found a pen and a piece of paper to quickly scrawl out a note.
Cynthia is a bit confused as to who would be ringing her doorbell at nine at night. She is even more confused when no one is at the door, and she looks down to see a plate of cookies with a note taped to it. She leans down to pick up the plate, walks back inside and shuts the door. When she gets to her kitchen, she plucks the note from the plate and reads it.
Dear Connor Murphy
Have an excellent Christmas
Sincerely Me.
Cynthia can’t help but grin at the fact that Connor has a friend. She can’t remember the last time Connor even talked about a friend. Cynthia places the note back onto the plate, then proceeds to pick the plate up and carry it upstairs to her son’s room.
She knocks twice on the door, and the music that was blaring from inside is turned off. She hears heavy footsteps and then the door opens, revealing her son who seems to not have gotten dressed today. Instead, he is in sweats, a tank top, and has an apron covered in paint over his pajamas.
Cynthia doesn’t fail to notice the hard glare on her son’s face, and so she just holds up the plate.
Connor glances at it, and noticing the note, he picks it up and reads it.
Cynthia also doesn’t fail to notice the small smile and slight blush that Connor suddenly now has, as he takes the plate of cookies and ducks back into his room.
Cynthia can already tell that whoever this new friend is, is a good fit for her boy.
Christmas morning comes, and Evan figures that now is a good time to open Connor’s present. He brings the gift over to his bed. He tears open the wrapping paper and finds a book with a note covering the title.
Dear Mystery Writer
You always talk, or write, about how you love trees, so, here.
Evan flips the paper over and sees a beautifully drown Oak tree on the back. Evan knew Connor drew, as that’s what he does for most of math, but he never knew he could draw so, realistically. Before even glancing at what the title says, Evan gets up to pin the tree to his headboard, smiling proudly at it, before looking at the book.
Evan laughs when he sees it’s the Encyclopedia of Trees.
Connor also sits on his bed as he opens Mystery Writer’s gift. First, he looks at the note that was taped to the gift.
Dear Connor Murphy,
Your sweatshirts seem to have a lot of holes, I didn’t know if it was for comfort or what but I got you a new one. Oh, and I really like your nails so here’s some more polish.
Sincerely me’
Connor can feel the blush already beginning on his cheeks.
He unwraps the gift and instantly notices how soft the two hoodies are. He also decides that he will be using the new nail polish until it ran out. He can also feel his blush deepen and nearly scolds himself for feeling and acting this way. He shouldn’t start to like someone he doesn’t know the name of. He really shouldn’t. But then again, when has he ever done something he should do?
A week after school is back in session, the Kleinmans come over to the Hansen’s place for dinner. When Jared enters Evan’s room, he instantly notices the tree that’s still pinned up, and as Evan was gathering snacks downstairs, it felt only reasonable for Jared to see if he could see who drew it. It certainly wasn’t Evan, as his art skills were no better than Jared, who could only draw cartoon cats and nothing else.
When Jared is close enough to read the signature, he would have spat out his drink, if he was drinking something. Why would Conor Murphy draw Evan Hansen a tree?
When Evan walks back into his room, Jared plays innocent and asks his family friend who drew the tree.
When Evan blushes and says that it’s from Connor Murphy, Jared demands that Evan tells him why Connor drew him a tree.
After Evan is done explaining the letters, Jared can’t stop laughing.
“So first, you write sex letters about his sister, and now you’re writing sex letters about and for him?”
“No! Th-they’re not se-sex letter Jared! An-and I only wro-wrote about him on-once!” Which, was the wrong thing for Evan to say as it throws Jared into another fit of hysterics.
For the next month at school, Jared starts to act differently when he’s around Connor, and Connor severely hopes that Jared isn’t the letter guy as that would mean Connor has a crush on Jared, and he really hopes that isn’t the case.
However, for a slight second Connor is relieved when Jared tells him who the writer is.
Connor was casually reading one of the letters when Jared pops up and says “I see you have another love note from Evan tree boy Hansen.”
At that Connor watches as Jared's eyes widen and he quickly leaves. It takes a second for the brand new information to kick in, but then Connor realizes that the cute dorky kid that sits behind him in math. The kid he’s always had a small crush on. The kid he silently hoped was the mystery writer, is actually the mystery writer, and Connor doesn’t remember the last time he was this happy.
Evan was just about to walk out of school when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. He turned to see Connor Murphy running to catch up with him.
“Evan, can we talk? Now?”
Evan isn’t sure why Connor wants to talk to him, but being who he is, he gives a simple nod and lets Connor lead him to the tree that he usually sits under during lunch.
“So, uh, Jared told me you were the one writing letters to me. Is, uh, is that true?” Connor seems nervous and a little hopeful. Evan isn’t sure why.
“H-he told yo-you?”
Connor nods.
“OhgodI’msosorryIprobablywasn’tthepersonyouwantedtpbewritingyouletters. Sorry.”
“Uh, could you repeat that.”
Evan takes in a large breath of air before repeating his previous statement. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, I probably wasn’t the person you wanted to be writing you letters. Sorry.” Evan’s nervous that Connor hates him now, and really doesn’t want that. He wants to be friends with him, especially since that’s the closest he can probably get to Connor liking him back.
“No! I’m glad it’s you. You’re probably the nicest kid in school, anyone else I would think was making fun of me. I just wanted to say thanks. So, uh, thanks.” And with that, Connor dashes away from Evan.
The next day at school, Evan is surprised to see a note flutter to the ground after opening his locker. He bent down to pick it up and is happy to find that the letter is from Connor.
From that day onwards, Evan and Connor correspond with letters for each other. They both want to talk outside these letters, be friends in real life as well.
In February Connor finally lets himself fall completely in love with the blond haired boy. However, he doesn’t tell anyone, especially Evan. Either way, Evan likes someone else. Sure, they have some of the same features, but there are plenty of kids at their school with brown hair. And the way Evan describes his crush? Definitely not him. One letter Connor received was all about this crush. Apparently, he has beautiful brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes with a small bit of brown in the left, and a face that was crafted by God himself.
Sure, Connor has brown hair, but so does half the student body. And yes, Connor has a bit of brown in his left eye, but so does Jared Kleinman and this other kid in his AP lit class. And Connor’s face was most definitely not crafted by God. No way in hell.
So yeah, Connor accepted that he likes Evan. Like, a lot. But he’s also accepted that Evan will never like him back. And that’s okay. Or so Connor tells himself.
It isn’t until mid-March that Evan asks Connor if he wants to go grab ice cream on Friday after school.
Connor replies back with a no shit and his phone number.
After school, Connor drove Evan to A la mode, his favorite ice cream place, and they hung out at Evan’s house until Connor left at eleven at night, running into Heidi Hansen, who was thrilled to finally meet the boy her son speaks so highly of. She then asked Connor for his mom’s number so she could talk to her.
Both moms were ecstatic to hear about their sons hanging out.
They were also happy to talk to each other about them.
Both boys had a blush on their faces for an hour afterward.
And both of them fell asleep with the other on their minds, once again.
For the last two and a half months of school, Connor and Evan are practically attached at the hip. Evan was at Connor’s house for Easter since Evan doesn’t celebrate it and his mom was working. Then, they skip prom and just hang out at Connor’s house watching 80’s movies. They fell asleep on the couch, Evan’s head on Connor’s shoulder, and Connor’s head on Evan’s head.
At the end of senior year, Evan informs Connor that he didn’t apply to any schools so that he could take a gap year and save up for school for a while longer. Connor decides then and there to just not go to college until Evan goes. Connor doesn’t want to be alone, he’s not good at making friends, and to get through life he just really needs one. He got lucky with Evan. He doesn’t think he will get as lucky again.
Evan gets a job at the Pottery Barn, and Connor works at the Michael's next door. They always share their lunch breaks together, and they carpool to work as Evan doesn’t like to drive, and Connor does. Plus it means more time being together, and neither of them will pass up that opportunity.
That winter, Connor, and Evan were at Evan’s house. Heidi was at work, taking on the night shift and wouldn’t be home until early the next morning. The boys took advantage of that situation and broke out a bottle of bourbon to share as they watched Lord of the Rings.
By the time they were on the second movie, both of them had a pretty good buzz going on.
And both boys were a little Childish when drunk.
“Hey, hey Evan.” Connor whispers, giggling.
“What?” After there’s a slight pause, Evan asks again, “Co-connor, what?”
“Oh! Oh right! I wanted to tell you something.” Connor isn’t giggling anymore, but he still has a large smile adorning his face.
“And?”
“It’s very important. I’ve know for a while now. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was nervous. Haha, I’m kind of nervous now, but like, less than usual. You know?”
“Co-con, just to-tell me. Please?”
“Oh right! I haven’t said it yet! Well, I like you!”
“I know th-that Con! That’s why we-we’re best fri-friends!”
“No! I mean I love you! Like, I want to date you and kiss you! All the time. But I don’t cause I don’t think you’d like that.”
“Well, th-that’s not true Co-con! I want to kiss you all the time too!”
“Really?” Connor’s very surprised, but also extremely happy.
“Ye-yeah!”
“Then, can I kiss you?”
Evan answers with a swift nod and Connor grabs Evan’s shirt collar and pulls him in for a sweet kiss, that’s long overdue.
When they pull back, neither of the boys have their eyes opened all the way. They’re both smiling, and they’re both still gripping onto each other.
Evan goes in for another kiss, and they fall back onto the couch, kissing lazily until they fall asleep, Evan on top of Connor, arms, and legs tangled, smiles still on their faces.
When Heidi comes home, she promptly ignores the bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. Instead, she grabs a blanket from the basket by the TV and spreads it over her son and his new boyfriend. She smiles as she takes out her phone to send a picture to Cynthia, telling her that she expects the twenty bucks the next time they go out for coffee together.
She also decides that she’ll talk to the boys about the bottle after she congratulates them.
#connor murphy#evan hansen#Heidi Hansen#Cynthia Murphy#connor x evan#evan x connor#Connor#dear evan hansen#evan#tree bros#jared kleinman#alana beck#zoe murphy#zoe x alana#alana x zoe#This took a really long time#but I like it#I hope y'all enjoy it#One-shot#short fic#fanfic#deh#deh fanfic
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