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achitka · 1 year

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Doors (Chapter 39) Tiempo Para Algo Diferente

Time for something different

This is what happens when you think you're done with change for the day... nope. Anyway... Tears of the Kingdom drops tonight... I need to finish this - gonna be a challenge that.

The Empanadagist

Bubo watched Tuli and Antonio as they ran around with nets, trying to catch the fireflies that would blink in and out of sight. Neither was having much luck, so he waited for them to finish and sit down near a waterfall. He walked up to them and said, “Hi kids, how’s the firefly catching going?”

“Not too good,” Antonio said, “They’re so fast.”

“You want to know a trick, my abuelo taught me?” Bubo asked in his best conspiratorial tone.

Antonio nodded and came closer.

“First… shake out your hands.” Bubo did this, then said as he held his hands together out in front of himself, “Next, you need to stand perfectly still, like a tree and…” after a few moments, a firefly landed on one hand, and he used the other to cover it. He sat down next to them, and both kids leaned in when he lifted his thumb a little, so they could look inside. The glow stood out, and the kids moved closer still. “This little lady is a Lampyridae and is a member of the family of elateroid beetles,” Bubo said, then looked at the blank stares he was getting and added, “it’s a forest firefly.”

“She’s so pretty. Can we keep her?” Tuli asked.

“No, it’s better if we let her go. She probably only landed on me because she thought I was a branch. The girls will do that, so they can get a better look at the boys,” Bubo said and slowly took his top hand away. “If she sees one she likes, she’ll call to him.” The firefly did not fly off. Instead, it walked around on his hand, lighting up a few more times before taking off.

“Wow,” Antonio said, “you sure know a lot about bugs.”

“Insects, Toni, that’s what he goes to school for…to be a … uh… empanadagist.” Tuli corrected, and Bubo smiled.

“Why would he study empanadas?”

“No, I said it wrong… what’s it called Bubo?”

“Entomologist, it’s a branch of zoology.”

“Yeah that.”

“Whatever, Tuli, I want to try the arm thing!” Antonio shouted and jumped to his feet.

“Don’t be so loud!” Tuli shouted, then realized she was shouting and whispered, “You’ll scare them.”

“It’ll be fine,” Antonio said in a more normal tone, arms out in front of him.

Tuli glomped onto Bubo’s arm as she watched. Bubo used his free hand to indicate she should try. Tuli pushed a smile onto her face as she let go of his arm and moved closer to Antonio. She very tentatively held her hands out, and Antonio giggled as fireflies landed on his hands and arms, flashing. Tuli was watching the fireflies land and was biting her lip, it seemed, in an effort to not laugh.

“It worked!” Antonio shouted, and he bounced, causing several of the fireflies to take off. He watched the bugs on his hands for a few minutes, he frowned then said, “They don’t talk… Bubo, how come they don’t talk?”

Bubo tilted his head. Why don’t they talk? Then he remembered what Antonio’s Gift was. Insects were technically animals and said, “They do, just not the way we do. Their bodies don’t work like that. They breathe through their thorax and-”

“Their what?”

“Their tummies, the part on the ends that glow,” Bubo said as he pointed.

“Oh, cool,” Antonio said, and the firefly flashed. He focused his attention on that end and the firefly flashed again. “Still not hearing anything. Did you just make that up?”

“No,” Bubo replied, and felt mildly offended. “Insects talk in their own way, Antonio.” The beetle set off a series of flashes and Bubo said, “This firefly is talking right now, actually.”

Antonio gave him a suspicious look but returned his attention to the beetle. He noticed the flashes then and said, “Oh wow, they talk so fast.”

“Can you really tell what it’s saying?” Tuli asked, coming closer. Her hands had a number of fireflies on them.

Antonio didn’t answer, he was very focused on the firefly in front of him until he frowned. “Nope, I can’t, it’s too fast,” Antonio concluded. “Why do they talk so fast, Bubo.”

“Perhaps it’s because, compared to people, they lead very short lives. Once they reach this stage, they only live for a few months.”

“That’s it?” Antonio asked.

Bubo nodded but added, “When they are a larva,” Bubo paused then said, “When they are babies, they live on and underground for about a year, and they don’t have wings like they do now.”

“That makes sense. They need to get everything done in a hurry. Guess I’ll have to practice.”

“Hey, Toni,” Antonio looked over to see his brother, and Camilo asked, “You got a minute hermano?”

“Sure,” Antonio said and gave his arms a shake. Fireflies scattered in all directions, and Antonio waved for his brother to follow him. “Can go over to the other tree? It’s really cool over there and there was something I wanted to show you.” Camilo nodded, then waved to Bubo and Tuli as he followed Antonio to the bridge that was not too far off.

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Orden del Caos (Order from Chaos)

Bruno growled as the sponty started. Isabela helped him sit before the full force of it hit him. He took an almost breath and felt Isa pull up his hood. She sat next to him and took his hand. She began to hum a song that wasn’t a song and Bruno realized Isa was using her Gift, and it seemed to be affecting the flow of the vision. He could smell lavender and something else he couldn’t quite identify, but was sure it was some kind of mint. This sponty had started as the glimpse variety that were always the most difficult to understand. As Isa sang it shifted, smoothed out and showed him those glimpses in a more coherent way. First was Isabela and Tuli looking up at the great oak in the plaza. This shifted to Mirabel walking with Camilo, Bubo and Luisa. That dissolved to show José Márquez speaking angrily to Bubo. That morphed into Mirabel reaching out, while Luisa had a hand on her shoulder. It dissolved again back to Bubo and José, but the anger was gone from their faces. Returning to Isabela and Tuli by the tree.

Bruno blinked as the sponty ended, and he reached to pull the bottle from his pocket. He paused. His hands weren’t shaking. He slowly returned his hand to his lap and looked over at Isabela. This was new.

“You okay, Tío?” Isabela asked.

Bruno took off his hood and said, “Yes, I’m doing pretty good, actually. Isa what was that song?”

“Well, it wasn’t an actual song,” Isabela blushed and looked at the floor. Several dandelions popped out of the grass and aged.

“Really?” Bruno asked.

“Yeah, kinda more of a feeling I sent to the nearby plants. Just something I was trying… you know to help strengthen them and I, ummm, asked the plants to help you… wow, that sounds really dumb now that I’m saying it out loud.”

Bruno lifted an eyebrow. Even when she was small, he’d rarely seen Isabela struggle with anything. The fact that she saw this new thing she was trying as ‘dumb’ was not like her and explained some of her behavior of late. Since the magic came back, Isabela seemed to question more if what she was doing was what she should actually be doing. That, in and of itself, was not a bad thing, and under normal circumstances he wouldn’t worry, but the vine sleeves now creeping slowly down her arms gave him pause.

Bruno reached out and gently touched his sobrina’s knee and said, “You know, I’ve noticed that you’ve been having a little trouble finding your place in our family. Believe me, I know how that feels. You’ve lost confidence in yourself; think you haven’t grown with your Gift. That you’re somehow failing at all this.” Isabela frowned and gave him a small nod. Bruno noted the vine sleeves, that had made it to her elbows, were now sporting tiny thorns. Isabela didn’t even seem to notice it happening. Bruno took her hand and gave it a squeeze and said, “I think maybe you’re focusing on the wrong thing, Isa.”

“What do you mean?” Isa asked.

“Whatever you just did, it was remarkable. You say you asked the plants to help me, and I felt your song... and damned if it didn’t push some direction into that sponty I just had. For the type of sponty it was, that has literally never happened before. Look at these hands… not even a twitch.” The thorns retracted as she focused back on him. “Grant yourself a little bit of Grace to learn, time to try and most important, permission to fail. I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told your mother when it was clear she wanted something other than what had been laid before her.” Bruno made sure she was looking at him and said, “Your whole life has been dedicated to doing for others. Let me remind you… It is not selfish for you to want something for yourself. Follow your heart, Isabee. Let it be your guide. Do what feels right for you because in the end, it’s your happiness that matters.” The vine sleeves dissolved, and Bruno patted her arm.

“Thanks, Tío.”

“Anytime, Isa.”

Isabela’s attention went back to the path Bubo had taken, and she said, “You think they’re alright? It’s been a while. How long can it take to tell someone that someone they hate is dead?”

“Well, maybe it’s not the hate that’s the problem, but more the fear Santiago inspires in Tuli. Fear will trump hate every time and is harder to counteract. Whether it’s a reasonable fear or not. You should probably go check on them soon, and for the record, I like that boy, so unusual. Not at all what I was expecting.”

Bruno felt the beginning of his agitation as his neck muscles tightened slightly. He sighed; he really didn’t want to deal with this right now. Something in that sponty had triggered this. He just wasn’t sure what. “I need to talk to your mother. Not about any of this, mind you. If I leave you here, are you gonna behave yourself?” he asked and waved toward where Bubo had gone.

Isabela returned her attention to him. She shrugged but at least was no longer frowning as she answered with a small smile, “Maybe, Tío. Maybe.”

“Good answer,” Bruno said and smiled as he got up.

Camilo and Antonio rounded the corner, and Antonio was carrying Little Parce on his shoulder. One of the stuffed jaguar’s eyes was missing, so they were probably headed for Mira’s room. Antonio stopped only long enough to give the actual Parce a hug. The jaguar didn’t move more than to twitch his ears, and Bruno joined them and said, “See you in a bit, Isabee.” She nodded and sat back on the swing.

Once in the hall, he watched his sobrinos head toward Mirabel’s room. Once they entered, he asked, “Casita, can you let Julieta know I need her… and to bring Pepa as well?” There was an affirmative clatter and Bruno headed toward his room. Bruno went in as he closed the door he said, “Doli, please make my room off limits for the time being, my thanks in advance, Corazón.”

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Tristeza (sadness)

With Antonio gone, Bubo noticed that Tuli once again became nervous as she smoothed her skirt and took a deep breath. She was trying so hard to show she was happy around him that it worried him. She was locking away her fear and sadness, just like she did when her mother was killed. When her hand went to the locket, Bubo asked, “So other than riding jaguars, what have you been up to today?”

“I got to meet some of Antonio’s friends,” Tuli said, and let go of the locket as she sat down on the grass. “Alejandra and Cecilia are really nice. Alejandra is really loud; she yells a lot when she talks, and she introduced me to a bunch of other girls. Cecilia is super pretty. She has a straw hat with flowers on it.”

“Do you know what kind of flowers?”

“Forget me nots,” Tuli replied then added, “blue ones. She said they have bunches in her backyard. You would never know she and Alejandra almost got killed the day before when they were playing.”

Bubo noticed that the fact that people were being killed or almost killed was becoming a reoccurring thing in Tuli’s world view. It made him sad that she didn’t even seem phased by it, just another day. This was the incident that caused the meeting to be delayed the day before. The fact that they thought the weakening of the roof was intentional had shaken him some. But people were people, and there would always be some that were not great at being human. He hadn’t been able to find out more than the fact that the Madrigals were responsible for the rescue ending well. “Yes, I heard about that. I understand they were playing in a house that wasn’t finished being built.”

“Yeah, and the roof broke,” Tuli continued. “Juancho said it was lucky they found them, cause he said it was getting hard to breathe, and he only sort of remembered when Camilo helped get them out.”

“Who is Juancho?”

“He’s another one of Antonio’s friends. He was with Alejandra and Cecelia when it happened. He said it wasn’t their fault. He said they got invited, and he drinks a lot of coffee,” Tuli said this then added, “I miss coffee. Do girls drink coffee here?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she asked, “You know what the best part was?”

“No, what?” Bubo replied.

“Alejandra said I wasn’t a boy,” Tuli said and smiled a genuine smile.

Bubo grinned and said, “She sounds like she’s a smart girl.”

“I don’t know, Bubo, they were talking about wearing pants like girls should be doing that.”

“Oh no, I smell controversy,” Bubo said, waving his hands under his nose.

“Do you think girls should wear pants, Bubo?”

“Tuli, girls wear pants all the time at home.”

“This is my home now.”

“Fair enough,” Bubo said and nodded, “However, is that something you should be deciding for someone else?”

Tuli looked down at her skirt, smoothing it. “I guess not,” Tuli said and shook her arms, so the remaining fireflies would take off. She sat next to him and said, “Do you really think it’s going to be okay, Bubo. What if Tío says I have to go back to Bogotá?”

“I don’t know, Tuli. He can be pretty stubborn. But I’m sure he cares about us. Tío wouldn’t have come this far if he didn’t. He also doesn’t know you are safe with me.”

“I hope he never runs into Santiago,” Tuli said and had her skirt bunched up in her fists, “If he tells him what… that I…” Tuli stopped and closed her eyes and tried to force that smile back on her face. She was not very convincing as she had her hand on that locket again, now staring at something he couldn't see.

“Tuli, do you remember the promise game Abuela taught us?” Bubo asked and held out his hands. Tuli blinked and again tried to put that fake smile back into place. She nodded and came a little closer. She let go of the locket and sat in front of him and took his hands.

Once Tuli looked to be comfortable, Bubo said, “I’ll go first. I know you’ve been deeply hurt, and I want you to know that if you want to talk about it, I promise to listen. No judgement. And if you do not, that’s okay too.”

Tuli's grip on his hands got a little tighter, and she said, “I promise not to run away anymore.”

“I promise,” Bubo said, “regardless of what our Tío says, I’ll stay with you.” Tuli almost smiled and though he really didn’t want to spoil her day… “There is one other thing I needed to tell you,” Bubo said, “Everyone’s come back safe from the mountain and Santiago is-”

“Santiago is here?” Tuli asked in a low hiss, and she immediately pulled away as she got up and backed away.

Bubo was not surprised by her reaction, but her assumption that the smuggler was here was telling, and he said, “No no no, Tuli, he’s not here.”

Tuli knotted her hands up in front of her, “You’re sure? He’s really sneaky…” she said in a whisper, looking around.

Bubo went closer to her and as he knelt down, he turned her to face him and said, “He’s dead, Tuli. He died on the mountain.”

Tuli blinked, she was still breathing heavily and asked in the same fearful tone, “He still died?” Her whispered voice was full of pain as she grabbed hold of his vest and added, “I saw... but you didn’t… you’re really sure? He told me he couldn’t die…”

Tuli was not making a whole lot of sense, but it was her tears that broke Bubo’s heart as his guilt reared its head again, and he said, “I’m really sure, Tuli. He can never hurt you again. Do you understand?” he asked. This surely wouldn’t have happened if he’d gone to see Tuli in Bogotá. At the same time, he realized it was his Tío’s insistence that she be sent to the Jesuits that had sparked Tuli’s flight. With no one to talk to or see things from her perspective, Tuli’s isolation must have been profound. She’d acted out of fear and Bubo had to face the fact that nothing would have changed; she would still have left with Santiago and Bubo wouldn’t have even known about that if not for, as Mirabel said, the fact that she landed here, where he was. Chance? Mariano did not seem to think so, and Bubo wondered at the circumstances that had brought him to the Encanto and what had kept him here.

Was he even doing the right thing? Eventually, Tuli would become an adult, what then? He did not have answers to that… People were people… and not everyone in the Encanto was as understanding as the Madrigals. As he thought on it, it was unlikely that his Tío would have sent Tuli anywhere near the Jesuits. He loved the Church, but was not particularly fond of that brand of Catholicism. Perhaps that is why he was in the mountains now.

Tuli released his vest and plopped down in his lap. She had hold of her locket as she curled up. He put his arms around her and Tuli whispered, “He was a bad man.”

“Yes, as awful as they come,” Bubo agreed and kissed the top of her head. “You’re safe now, Tuli. It’s going to be okay.” Tuli was crying softly, and Bubo was not sure how long they remained there, but eventually, he looked around to see Isabela standing nearby. He looked down and noticed Tuli had cried herself out and was now asleep, still clutching the locket.

“Need a hand?” Isabela asked as she came closer.

“No… I’m,” Bubo went to stand and then immediately decided against it as he replied, “Yes, actually.” He shifted Tuli, realizing one of his feet was almost asleep.

Isabela bent down and easily lifted Tuli, then carefully deposited the sleeping child in the hammock that Casita provided. She took off her shoes and tucked the blanket around her. Isabela removed the daisy crown off Tuli’s head was thoughtful as she examined the flowers that still had a sparkle to them, and Bubo wondered what had brought on her melancholy smile.

“I take it your sister is well?” Bubo asked, and stood up and shook his leg to wake up his foot. His knees also hurt from being in that kneeling position for too long.

“Yeah, like you said, she is a very resilient person. Are you okay? I can get Mamá.”

“Oh no, no need, just too long in a bad position,” he said, “foot fell asleep. It’s fine.”

She nodded and said when she noticed he was looking around, “Toni went to Mira’s room a little while ago with Camilo. Little Parce needs eye surgery and since you’ve been gone for a while, Tío Bruno suggested I come check on you two.” Isabela looked at Tuli, “How’s this one, is she doing alright? Take the news okay?” Isabela asked as she gently pushed the hammock.

“She’s still pretty scared,” Bubo said, coming up next to her.

“Even with Santiago being dead?”

“Yes. I am not sure if she actually believes it, and I think the real problem is that he’s alive in her head.” Bubo’s previous anger returned, and he almost regretted not going to find the smuggler. “It’s just gonna take time. I’m actually a little afraid to leave her here by herself,” Bubo said, “Since her mother was killed, she’s been prone to nightmares.”

“Well, why not just stay here with her. I’m sure Abuela won’t mind if you stay tonight, given the circumstances. There’s a guest room downstairs. I doubt she’d want you to have her stay in Señor Aguilar’s storeroom. Oh wait, Doris and those other kids are here now as well,” Isabela paused, and she tapped her chin, “Toni’s probably still in Mirabel’s room.” Isa looked at Tuli and said, “Doli, if your Mamí or Papí are nearby, can you send one of them to Antonio’s room?”

Bubo wondered what on earth she was doing and then remembered what Dolores’s Gift was and thought, well, that was easy. Bubo sat back on the grass to wait for whatever to happen, and he went very still when Isabela sat right next to him. She was close enough that he could smell her, and he thought, get a grip, Bubo. She pulled her knees up under her chin and she had a slight smile that was making him almost anxious and needing to distract himself, he said, “I meant to show this to you earlier. You did say if I ever found another…” and he realized his hands were shaking slightly as he reached into his vest pocket. He pulled out a small box and slowly slid it open.

“Oh, is that the wood beetle you showed to Mira?” Isabela asked as she leaned in.

Bubo swallowed but managed, “Ummm, yes. This is an Euchroma gigantea…” he stopped and realized he was over explaining again, and added, “it’s a metallic wood beetle.”

Isa’s smile grew as she held out her hand, so the beetle could climb from the box to her fingers. She wasn’t the least bit put off by its size, and she said as she moved it closer to her face, “Mira wasn’t kidding, it’s adorable.”

Isabela's look of fascination seemed so incongruent. He’d been so sure she would never have been willing to sit and just talk to him, let alone talk to him about insects. Mirabel had been right when she said he had grossly underestimated her. Bubo again reminded himself that Isabela Madrigal was clearly so much more than he let himself believe. He also decided he would need to be cautious of what he said about Isabela or any of the Madrigals to others. He knew they’d be listening, waiting for some random bit of information to try and use against them.

It was a wonder to him, but it did not appear that Isabela had many close friends outside of her family. None of them did, except Mirabel. She knew most people and was not shy about finding out who people were. A very insular group for sure. He’d generally only seen Isabela in town with her sisters or her prima Dolores. When she wasn’t with them, he’d heard she was working in the fields and talking to some of the farmer’s wives. Some viewed this as a fall from grace. Señorita Perfecta was the name the townsfolk used when he’d asked about her. Some in a kind way, others less so. But all agreed she had been the Madrigal Golden Child, at least before the breaking. Jealousy was an ugly part of human nature that Bubo disliked more than most things.

A few in town had claimed the status of ‘good friend’ and those tended to openly mock his lack of height just because he’d asked about her. Mariano had never done that; he would only smile and say she was her own woman and not to pay attention to the rumors. One of the reasons he volunteered to watch over the river was because Mariano started dating Dolores and was no longer around very much. With more time on his hands and his worry for Tuli prodding him to return to Bogotá, Bubo decided it would be better to be somewhere else.

He returned his attention to her when she asked, “What sort of wood does it eat?”

“Well, pretty much anything plant related, mostly softwoods, leaves, and they do love pollen.”

“It’s funny when I think of how many flowers I’ve made over the years, would have been a regular fiesta for these little guys.” She tilted the beetle and a small fuchsia colored flower appeared between her fingers in front of it. The beetle immediately made for it and began munching. She smiled as she watched it for a bit, then asked, “Why does it look so dull? Mira said it was shiny.”

Bubo adjusted his glasses and leaned in for a better look at the beetle, “It’s because it's a newer adult, kind of like it’s a teenager in the insect world. It will lose that waxy look as it gets older.”

"Oh, that's fascinating," Isabela said and smiled at him.

Bubo smiled back and thought, yup... I’m doomed alright.

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Brujas

Julieta came into the guest room, where Pepa and Esteffi were helping Doris and the kids settle in. Inez was in the bathroom with the three youngest, giving them a bath and getting them ready for bed. The two older children, both girls, were already cleaned up and changed into nightgowns. The dog was on a folded blanket and had gone to sleep in the corner after a meal and good brushing. The girls had their heads together and were whispering furiously. Julieta smiled and thought back to when she and Pepa would do that, dragging Bruno into their gossiping because they could. Julieta set the tray she was carrying on the only table in the room. It had small cups of warm soup with chicken tamales, and she brought a cup of broth to Doris.

“Oh no, please feed the children first.”

“There’s plenty for everyone, Doris, and I insist you get something into yourself.”

Doris opened her mouth to say something and noticed she was being watched intently by the children on the bed. She rolled her eyes as she took the cup and thanked her. Julieta, however, waited until Doris took a sip and was satisfied when the bruises that Doris had gained when she ran into Isa’s vine earlier faded to nothing.

Inez returned with the three small boys, and they joined the girls on the bed. Julieta gave each a cup, and the boys drank the broth quickly. She handed a cup to Inez, who hesitated until Doris nodded. She, too, thanked her and took some small sips of broth. Doris noticed the cuts on Inez’s arms heal, and she pointed at Inez as she looked accusingly at Julieta and said angrily, “¿Es eso algún tipo de brujería?”

Everyone stopped moving. Pepa’s cloud was back and there was a peal of thunder, but it was Esteffi that spoke next. “Of course not, child,” Esteffi said as she stood straight. Doris was tall, but Esteffi was actually taller, and much broader. She put her hands on her hips and said in an exasperated tone, “Los disparates, show some gratitude. That’s just Julieta’s Gift. She can heal people with food. Brujería? Honestly, we already explained to you about Pepi’s Gift,” she said and added, “Don’t act so surprised that her sister would have one as well.”

Doris gave the older woman a sour look but nodded and said to Julieta, “I apologize, Señora Madrigal. We’ve run into several less than generous people of late. Thank you for helping our little ones.”

“You’re most welcome, and no offense taken. This is a lot to take in,” Julieta said.

Doris turned and smiled at the kids. All had been healed of their physical hurts, and were now eating small chicken tamales. Inez was busy wiping their hands, so they wouldn’t get any food on the sheets.

“These are really good, Tía,” one of the girls on the bed said, “You should have some.” And she offered up her half-eaten tamale.

“No, Lucia, you finish that, but thank you mi vida.”

Julieta set about collecting the cups and plates and said, “We’ll let you all get some rest.” Esteffi and Pepa finished setting out the clean clothes and proceeded Julieta into the courtyard, and Julieta said as she closed the door. “Good night.”

As they reached the center of the courtyard, Esteffi turned and said as she hugged them in turn, “Good night, mis queridas. Such an eventful day we’ve had. Juan Pedro!” she said just short of shouting, and her husband appeared from the kitchen, “Let’s go home, mi amor.”

Juan Pedro smiled, and Casita opened the door for them. Esteffi was laughing as she told him about Doris calling Julieta a witch. The door closed, cutting off the rest of the conversation. The sisters walked into the kitchen, and both started laughing. Their husbands, who were on the patio, heard the commotion and came inside, asking what was so funny. Casita clattered a few tiles near the window, interrupting their conversation, and Julieta said, “I'm sorry Casita, what was that?”

The tiles shifted again. Julieta sighed and said, “Okay, we’ll head there now.��

“What’s happening, Juli?” Agustín asked.

“Bruno wants me and Pepi to come to his room.”

Agustín sighed and said to Félix, “Looks like we’ll have time to finish our chess game. Hope Pá didn’t clear the board yet.”

Félix snorted and said, “You only say that because you were winning.” And together they left the kitchen.

Pepa’s cloud let loose a rumble of thunder as she tugged on Julieta’s arm and said, “No explanation, just ‘come to my room’?”

Julieta turned her sister around and said, “The longer we stand here, the longer this will take.” And gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. They reached his door and knocked once before they went inside. They found their brother alternately sketching and twisting his shoulders. The sisters paused. When they were young, Bruno would do this when he’d seen something in one of his spontys that terrified him. Not the sketching, that was new, but what could it possibly be if the smuggler was already dead? A full on vision was pulling at him, and he always pushed those down with his whole self because he believed if he gave in to that urge there was no way to get back from it. It did not appear that he’d heard them come in, so Pepa asked as she touched his arm, “Bruno? What’s going on?”

Bruno turned and looked surprised they were there, then gave himself a shake and got up from the desk. Julieta could see his hands were trembling a bit as he sat on the chair and waved for them to come sit on the sofa. They did, and Bruno hastily opened the sketchbook to his most recent effort as he said, “It’s essential that Mirabel and Luisa go with Bubo tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Julieta took the sketchbook from Bruno, and she and Pepa flipped through the pages. Pepa’s cloud was back, and it was drizzling. Julieta closed the book and noticed Bruno’s twitches were getting worse, she was clearly a part of whatever was happening and said, “Okay, that should be fine, I’ll talk to Gus.”

Almost immediately, his hands settled, and Bruno relaxed a little, took a calming breath and said, “Bubo has to be the one to ask for that too. At breakfast maybe?”

“Surely, he’s gone home by now,” Julieta said.

“Oh, he’s still here. He’s sitting with Tuli, Isa was going to go check on them,” Bruno said, and as he did, his voice evened out and Julieta could tell his panic level was dropping quickly. “She said she would behave herself.”

Julieta rubbed her temples and Pepa just snorted then she let out a squeak, and said to no one, “Okay mi vida.”

She looked back at her siblings and said, “Isa just asked for me to come to Antonio’s room.”

“Perfect! Then we can ask him tonight… but we can’t tell him why… only that it has to be him and maybe ask him to come with us to Bogotá,” Bruno was rambling now, so Pepa got up.

“Nice, okay, hermanito. Meet me outside Antonio’s room,” she chuckled and said as she went to the door, “We’ll shanghai him there.”

Julieta wanted to shake her brother but instead, picked up the nearest pillow and tossed it at Bruno’s head.

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“Hello, Isa, Bubo. Dolores said you needed to see me?”

Bubo pulled back, realizing just how close he was to Isabela, and both got up, leaving an arm’s length space between them. Isabela still had the beetle on the back of her hand and held it up for her Tía. Her Tía backed away and said as a dark cloud appeared with her hands up, “Isa, mi amor, you know I don’t do bugs.” She was smiling, but there was an accompanying low peal of thunder.

“Oh right, sorry Tía,” she said and turned back to him. Bubo knew he was getting flustered as he took the beetle from her and put it back in its box with the flower. Isabela turned back to her Tía and said, “I just… ummm, never mind, that is not important. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you thought it would be okay for Bubo to stay here tonight with Tuli.” Her hands were waving about some as she continued, “He's worried Tuli will end up having nightmares because of… well, you know… the smuggler. And I mean with Doris and Inez and the new kids in the guest room... and since he’s going up to meet his Tío tomorrow… and …” she trailed off seeing her Tía’s smile, and she put her hands behind her and finished by asking, “So, what do you think?”

Her Tía’s cloud had winked out, as she listened to her sobrina with that smile that told Bubo, this was not how Isabela ‘normally’ did things. Her Tía looked from Isa to him, then back to Isabela. That knowing smile never leaving her face as she said, “I’m sure that will be fine. Isa, mi vida, just in case Tuli wakes, can you stay with her for a bit?” she didn’t wait for an answer before she said to him, “Bubo, can I talk to you privately?”

Bubo blinked and nodded. Isabela gave him a nervous smile, and he wondered if he’d done something wrong but said, “Of course.” He followed Tía Pepa out into the hall and was very surprised to see Isabela’s mother and Tío Bruno there. Julieta Madrigal was giving him an appraising look, but did not look angry, and Bubo felt a little relieved. He followed as they walked in silence over to a series of doors that had pictures of the triplets, and they stopped in front of the one that had Bruno’s name and likeness on it. Pepa was now whispering something to her sister, and Julieta almost laughed as she covered her mouth, so he wouldn’t see her smile.

“We’re going to let Mamá know what's happening, and I need to make sure Antonio has gone to bed. That boy’s been up since dawn. We’ll come by after that, Bruno,” Pepa said as she took her sister’s arm and walked off. Heads together, clearly in full gossip mode.

Bubo and Bruno went inside, and Bruno indicated he should have a seat and Bubo sat on the sofa, hands on his knees, fingers rhythmically tapping. Bruno then went to the large desk and began removing various items and the bag that Bubo remembered held the sketches from the meeting. Bubo was feeling very nervous and wondered if there was something that wasn’t covered.

Bruno set the stack on the ottoman and sat in the high backed red velvet chair across from him. Several rats scurried to him, and he smiled as they arranged themselves in his lap. Fura, Bubo had noticed, was asleep on a pillow nearby with a tiny blanket tucked around her.

“Relax, Bubo, you’re not in any kind of trouble,” Bruno said as he pulled out a small sketchbook. “I need to ask a favor, but before that, I want you to look at this sketch,” he said as he rifled through the stack of larger sketches and handed one to Bubo and tapped the sketch. “Dolores heard a conversation between these two. She thought she heard someone hit this other man hard enough to knock him out. That group then left him out there.”

Bubo looked at the pair. The taller was definitely his Tío and Bubo stared at the other. He did not like the look of that one at all. “Do you know who the other man is?”

“That, is Santiago.”

“Santiago? He is dead, yes?” Bubo asked as he stared at the sketch. His anger welled up all over again.

“Oh yes, there’s no doubt about that. Agustín says he’s being slowly digested by an unusually large anaconda. Probably gonna give the poor snake indigestion. I have a feeling Antonio had more to do with that than anything else. Just not going to find snakes that large in the mountains.”

Bubo looked at the sketch again and though he could see the anger on his Tío's face, he knew he wasn’t the one doing the hitting. His Tío abhorred violence and when things started going wrong in Bogotá he came to see Bubo in his dorm. He gave him not only money, but a pack stuffed with various other items. Telling him that if it did come down to it, he should leave the city for a while. He was aware of Bubo’s political leanings and said it was better to be late graduating than dead. He’d often said that Bubo could never imagine how much a dead man weighs, reminding him there was no greater burden a soul could carry than to have killed a man.

Bruno then opened the sketchbook and showed him the sketches of the visions he’d had while at the church. The first two were of things that happened earlier. The first was him seeing Tuli across the plaza, and the other was of Tuli standing in front of him in Casita. Bruno indicated he should move on to the next one when the door opened, and his sisters came in and quietly sat in chairs near their brother. Bubo flipped the page, and stared at it. The sketch showed him standing over a very dead looking Santiago. Bubo paled as he looked over at Bruno and said, “But this never happened. I never left Casita.”

“No, no you did not, and I know that since you were with me,” Bruno said, “No one was more surprised than me when you turned up in Antonio’s room.”

“Pardon my saying so,” Bubo said, “but more than a few people in town have said that if you’ve seen it, it’s going to happen.”

“There’s the rub, Bubo. In the past, that was unfortunately very true. My Gift was incredibly reliable. Almost to the point of being unbearable. But the circumstances then were different than they are now. Look at the next page. I had this particular sponty just before I brought Fura up to Tuli.” The sketch showed Fura sitting in someone other than Tuli’s lap. Bubo looked over at the sleeping rat and almost smiled. He needed to thank Mirabel for stopping him earlier, and Bruno indicated he should look at the next page. Bubo did, and it showed a smiling Isabela standing in front of him as he dangled, wrapped up in vines. Well, that’s embarrassing, he thought.

“So, what is it you need from me?” Bubo asked as he handed the sketchbook back to Bruno.

This elicited a smile from Bruno, and he set the sketchbook aside, but it was Julieta who spoke next, “We want you to take Mirabel with you tomorrow. She’s been itching to help out, so I thought this would be a good experience for her.”

“That’s it?” Bubo asked, trying not to sound skeptical.

“Yes,” she answered and added, “Luisa as well. Isabela will look after Tuli.”

“Don’t forget to ask about going to Bogotá,” Pepa said, nudging her sister.

“Oh right, Pepi,” Julieta nodded and said, “We understand you were a student at the college and that there are dorms for the men, but we need to find out what sort of accommodations are available for young women attending school there. How much things cost and the like.”

“But going to Bogotá will take weeks,” Bubo said, feeling more nervous and confused by the minute, as all three smiled at him in just the same way.

Pepa said, “Don’t worry about that part of it, Bubo. We have a solution for that.”

Bubo recalled then that Bruno had said it had something to do with magic and that Mirabel had said that her sisters were thinking of going to school there, and he said, “I feel I’m under qualified for this. Señor Aguilar, for example…”

“Nope, it has to be you, Bubo,” Bruno said.

“Okay? I guess. Can I at least ask why?”

“No.” All three said at once.

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Una Necesidad de Saber (A Need to Know)

Dolores was sitting by the window in Mirabel’s room, admiring the stars after watching Mariano and his mother head home, when she heard her Tío Bruno say (Doli, please make my room off limits for the time being, my thanks in advance, Corazón.) Dolores squeaked. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to her. This, of course, only served to make Dolores ten times more curious. She went to Mira’s door and poked her head out. When she saw her Mamí and Tía coming off the stairs, she backed up and waited. It was almost killing her to not listen to what was going on in her Tío’s room.

Isabela (Doli, if your Mamí or Papí are nearby, can you send one of them to Antonio’s room?) Odd request since Antonio was here jumping on Mirabel’s bed while she rummaged through a small tin of stray buttons. She shifted her focus to Antonio’s room and listened briefly, realizing Isa was talking to Bubo. He was still here? Then sat lightly on the floor and relayed Isa’s request to her mother.

A short while later, she heard her Tío’s door open again, and she wanted to look but could tell from the footfalls it was her mother and she was headed toward Antonio’s room. She heard her brother’s door open, then close. No one said anything about not listening to her brother’s room.

Mamí (Hello, Isa, Bubo. Dolores said you needed to see me?) pause (Isa, mi amor, you know I don’t do bugs) Dolores smiled at the accompanying low peal of thunder.

Isabela (Oh right, sorry Tía, I just… ummm, never mind, that’s not important. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you thought it would be okay for Bubo to stay here tonight with Tuli. He's worried Tuli will end up having nightmares because of… well, you know… the smuggler. And I mean with Doris and Inez and the new kids in the guest room... and since he’s going up to meet his Tío tomorrow… and) there was another pause and Isa asked (So, what do you think?)

Mamí (I’m sure that will be fine. Isa, mi vida, just in case Tuli wakes, can you stay with her for a bit?) then (Bubo, can I talk to you privately?)

Bubo (Of course.)

Her mother then left her brother’s room, and Dolores realized there were additional people waiting there for her mother. She wasn’t paying attention, so she wasn’t completely sure who they were, since no one spoke. Dolores said goodnight to everyone in Mirabel’s room and moved to the door, but only in time to see her Mamí and Tía walking toward Mira’s room. They had their heads together and both were laughing about something. Bubo was gone, so she assumed he’d gone into her Tío’s room. She grunted, realizing she could not listen in. She slipped out and went toward her room, but didn’t enter. She watched until her Mamí and Tía went into Mira’s room, then Dolores ran back to Antonio’s and slipped inside.

She paused and heard Isa humming a tune, problem was, Antonio’s room was very echoey. Isa must be using her Gift somehow as her voice seemed to resonate within the surrounding plants and Dolores decided to just walk up. She couldn’t be too far ahead. Fireflies flitted in front of her, and Dolores felt compelled to follow them.

She found her prima sitting in the grass, softly humming and gently pushing the hammock Tuli was sleeping in. Dolores was a little surprised that the air smelled of lavender and vanilla. It took her back to the days before their Gift ceremonies, when Isa’s mom would tie lavender bunches she’d soaked in vanilla water in the nursery to help them sleep. Isa looked up at her and smiled, then stopped humming. She yawned mightily as she continued to push the hammock gently. The smells tapered off, but did not disperse, and Dolores realized that it was Isa who was making the scents that filled this little forest area of Antonio’s room.

Dolores came and sat next to her and put an arm around her and said, “Isa, you’ve learned something new, and it’s such a wonderful new thing.”

Isabela nodded as she leaned on her and mumbled, “Thanks Doli… do you think,” she started, then closed her eyes for a moment.

Dolores could tell Isabela was not okay, she’d clearly overdone it today. She needed her bed. She heard the door open and shortly after that Camilo appeared with Antonio asleep in his arms.

“Hey Sis, wanna pull off his shoes for me?” Camilo asked, and Dolores leaned her prima against a nearby tree and took off Antonio’s shoes. Camilo placed their brother in one of the empty hammocks, covered him with a blanket and settled Little Parce under one of his arms, then said as he turned to Isabela, “She’s not looking like she’ll make it to her room.”

“That’s what I was thinking, but Luisa’s already gone to bed.”

“Mira too. You know I can probably get her there, it’s not like she's heavy,” Camilo said and made himself a little bigger. He lifted Isabela and turned to go and stopped when his mother appeared.

Since Antonio was in his hammock, she looked at the now sleeping Isabela and said, “Ay, no. She’s overdone it, for sure. Come on, mi vida, let’s get her to her room. Dolores, can you stay here until your Tía comes?”

“Yes, Mamí,” Dolores replied and watched them go. Once they were gone, Tuli began to whimper in her sleep. Dolores went over and rocked the hammock. Tuli settled back into her restless slumber, and Dolores understood now why Isa had been using her gift. The door opened a few minutes later, and she heard her Tía and Tío come in. There was a third set of footsteps she was not familiar with and was a bit surprised to see Bubo following along behind them.

He was carrying several items, but Dolores could tell what they were. Her Tía said, “Isa’s gone to bed?”

“Yes, she was all but asleep when I came in,” Dolores replied.

Her Tía nodded as she turned to Bubo and said, “I’ll help you put up the lavender. It’ll help her stay asleep.”

Dolores wondered why her Tío Bruno was there and realized he was indicating that she should follow him. Her Tía only looked over and nodded, so Dolores followed her Tío into the hallway. They went to her room, and he opened her door and indicated she should go inside.

“Doli, I need you to keep an ear on Antonio,” he said.

“What do you mean? Why?” Dolores asked.

“Camilo mentioned that Antonio has been… what’s a good way of putting this… making things happen.”

“Like what?”

“He showed Tuli my sketchbook, that he conveniently borrowed from me.” Bruno opened it to the page showing Bubo standing over a not so alive Santiago. “This didn’t happen, do you know what that means?”

Dolores shook her head.

“Look at the next page. They’re in the order I had them, and this was after Antonio borrowed the sketchbook too.”

She flipped the page and realized that it was Bubo with Fura sitting in his lap. Her Tío indicated she should continue, so Dolores did, and she smiled at the picture of Bubo hanging in Isa’s vines. She flipped back to the sketch of the dead smuggler and said, “So has your gift changed?”

“I think in a lot of ways, my Gift is the same as it’s always been, however, when I had the sponty on the next page, Antonio was holding my hand. He was already planning something. Camilo told me that his little brother had given him a that whistle that led Parce to him on the mountain. I’m assuming you knew about that as well?” Dolores nodded and her Tío continued, “Camilo told me he thought it was for Doris’s dog. He didn’t realize he was guiding Parce until he saw the jaguar with him in the tree.”

“So, Antonio sent Parce to… ”

Bruno shrugged. “Probably not that, since all Parce did was hold the man down and lick his face. The fact that he had a heart attack or whatever made the other sponty moot. Santiago was going to die one way,” he said as he tapped the sketchbook, “or the way he did.”

“But why?”

“I have two new rats that have joined my little group, but only since Tuli arrived. Camilo told me, Antonio’s been talking to the forest rats because they tell the best stories, almost since he got his Gift back.”

“Are you saying he’s been,” Bruno nodded, “that little shit,” Dolores said, “Does Mamí know?”

“Your father does. He figured it out when the anaconda showed up on the mountain. He asked me if I’d had any spontys with regard to any of that. Something your father has never done before.”

“So what am I listening for?”

“Not sure. I’ve been having a lot of conflicting spontys the past few hours, so he’s likely up to something. Guess we’ll find out at breakfast tomorrow.”

“Okay Tío.”

Her Tío left then, and Dolores got ready for bed. She hadn’t been actively listening to Antonio because most of what he said to the animals in his room was nonsense kid stuff. She got into bed and Casita blocked most of the external noise and the cricket sounds increased. She really loved crickets.

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Notes:

No one pays enough attention to what the youngest of the Madrigals is up to...but they're starting to.

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gifted-burnout-archive · 4 years

Text

The Other Side of Hollywood

Part Eight: The Finale

Word Count: 8.6K+

Author’s Note: thank you for reading my nonsense. Tuly, thank you.

Warning: the usual.

If this is the first post you’ve seen, links to the rest of the story (+ masterlist and moodboard) are as follows:

- One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Masterlist - Moodboard -

Los Angeles, California. 1995.

“Good morning City of Angels, this is Josh Fern at 106.7, bringing you your daily dose of pop tunes and the week’s biggest hits! We’ve got your sunshine while the clouds stay over our hometown, though they should be gone by the weekend. The time is 6.31, and this is our fan favourite of this week, Waterfalls by-”

The voice was cut out with a bang, a hand coming from under a mess of pillows and comforter to shut off the radio alarm clock. The nails were short, partially bitten away and partially trimmed, the fingers tips calloused and the black nail polish on them chipped away. The arm that followed had a collection of bracelets and wrist bands around it, a catalogue of the last year of events and gifts from friends. It disappeared back amongst the fluffy warm of the grey sheets, its owner hoping for another half hour of sleep.

A loud clatter sounded from just beyond the door, and the bed’s inhabitant sat right up, jumping out of bed, and slipping on a pair of fuzzy blue slippers before running to their door.

“Shit, shit…” A voice muttered outside, and the door was swung open to reveal their mom, trying to clean the fluff off the bacon and eggs she seemed to have dropped on the way to their room. Orange juice pooled on the breakfast tray, and their mom looked up quickly. “Oh! Honey! Y/N, baby. I’m sorry, I tripped over my shoes… This was supposed to be breakfast in bed for my birthday girl.”

“Oh, mom…” the pair embraced over the mess of spilled breakfast, sharing a smile as they began clearing it up together. “Well, why don’t I get dressed, we go to Ruth’s before the breakfast rush?” Y/N suggested, taking in her mom’s appearance. She was already in her scrubs, hair pinned back and her badge hanging from her pocket. “When’s your next shift start?” She asked, and her mom pressed a kiss to her forehead before picking up the tray.

“Cathy is covering me for the next two hours, and I should be back around 4.” Her mom said quickly, walking down the apartment’s hallway and quickly binning the dusty bacon and eggs, running the tray under the sink to stop it becoming sticky. “You get ready, Ruth’s sounds great.” She assured, and Y/N jumped back to her feet, rushing down the hallway after her mom and pressing a kiss to her cheek from behind while grabbing a damp rag and a bottle of carpet cleaner from below the sink.

“I’ll get the orange juice out the rug first.” She smiled, walking back to the stain of yellow on the cream carpet, dropping to her knees to quickly scrub it out of the flooring before it became permanent.

“Are you taking the cello to school today? I can drive you in if you are.” Her mom called the offer down the hall as Y/N brought the last of the OJ out of the carpet, walking back down the hall to store the cleaning products away.

“That would be great. Mr Johnson wants to restring it for me, I’ve been playing so much he’s worried they’ll snap any day now.” Y/N smiled at the thought, and her mom rested a hand on her cheek, rubbing her thumb on the rosy skin.

“You know, I’m so proud of you sweetie… I tell you, I never thought I would be lucky enough to have a daughter like you.” Their foreheads pressed together. “Just think, next year you’ll get me as your college roommate!”

“I still need to audition for USC mom. I’m not going to college yet.” Y/N reminded with a smile, glancing at the wall clock. “I’ll go get ready, could you take my cello down to the car?” She asked with her hands clasped, her mom laughing.

“Of course, birthday girl. Go, get ready. Leaving in 15.” Her mom called after her as Y/N ran and swung herself round the doorframe into the bathroom, quick to jump in the shower and wash herself, and even quicker to rush back to her bedroom and get herself dressed. By the time those 15 minutes had passed, Y/N was grabbing her backpack and Walkman, clipping the latter to the waistband of her tartan skirt as she rushed out the door, double checking she had everything she needed for school as she hurried out to her mom’s car.

“And I am right on time.” Y/N said with a heavy breath as she sat down in the passenger seat, her mom pulling out their parking spot, the car’s clock reading 6.59.

“I phoned ahead to Ruth’s; she’s got your pancakes already cooking.” Her mom replied, letting out a happy sigh as they turned onto the main road, turning on the radio as Y/N slipped on her headphones, quickly opening her Walkman to identify what CD she had on before closing it and pressing play, the pair enjoying each other’s silent company as they headed for their favourite diner.

They arrived a few songs later thanks to LA traffic, Y/N jumping out as her mom parked up to find Ruth, the diner owner, setting out her and her mom’s meals on the bar counter: pancakes with syrup and banana, and a strawberry and vanilla smoothie for each of them, plus a cup of black coffee by her mom’s usual seat.

“There she is: the birthday girl!” Ruth came round the counter, pulling Y/N into a tight hug that forced the breath out the girl. Ruth was an older woman, about an inch shorter than the teen, and stout, but stronger than three of Y/N combined, with her greying hair in curls and tucked under a soft blue hat that matched her waitress uniform. “Now I know we shouldn’t talk work, but can I ask you to come in Sunday morning?” Ruth asked Y/N as she ushered her to her seat, and Y/N’s mom came through the door.

“Of course. Mom, will you be working Sunday?” Y/N asked as they both took their seats, Ruth walking back round the counter. Y/N stopped for a moment, appreciating the ‘17’ that had been made with banana slices on top of her pancakes.

“Got a double at the hospital. Why? Ruth got you working overtime again?” Her mom raised an eyebrow at Ruth, who just cackled.

“Sami, sweetheart, that girl’s my best waitress.” Ruth scolded Y/N’s mom, who shook her head with a smile before starting on her breakfast, and Y/N did the same as Ruth walked further along the countertop to help another customer.

“So, what’s the schedule for today?” Sami asked her daughter, who looked up with half a pancake hanging out her mouth, causing them both to start laughing.

“Well…” Y/N started, swallowing down her food as her mom sipped on coffee. “School, then the pier with Rosalee and Evelyn. Then home, cake… And my bed?” She suggested, earning a roll of the eyes from her mom.

“It’s your seventeenth birthday, Y/N! You need to be out having fun, maybe finally decide to join Rosalee’s band?” He mom suggested with a wiggle of her eyebrows, earning an elbow in the side. “Hey! Girls in rock bands are the new super models. You’ll have all the rocker boys at your feet.” Her mom teased, and Y/N went bright red. “Speaking of which… Happy birthday.” Her mom reached into her hand bag, pulling out an envelope and sliding it along the counter.

“Mom, I thought we said no presents this year…” Y/N reprimanded her, but her smile was too bright to be angry.

“It’s a joint present. Rose and I, nothing too expensive, though that girl will have gotten you something else as well, no doubt.” Sami explained as Y/N licked her knife clean and slotted it under the envelope flap, slicing the paper open.

“No… No way…” Y/N muttered, shaking two concert tickets from the letter, covering her mouth as her eyes watered a little. “Mom…”

“You’ve been raving about those boys for the past year now, Y/N, and with Rose’s discount to Orpheum shows… They’re playing in a few months, we couldn’t resist.” Her mom said with a smile, and Y/N jumped from her seat, wrapping her arms around her mom, happy tears staining her mom’s scrubs. “Hey, hey, it’s alright.” Sami lifted her daughter’s face to wipe away the tears. “You’re my little superstar, Y/N, you deserve some time off.” She informed Y/N, who nodded. “You finish up, you can finish the milkshake in the car, and if you decide to cut school today, just make sure you’re not missing anything important… Knowing Rose, she’ll drag you out before you can get a word in edge wise.”

The pair were conscious of the time, finishing up quickly and bidding goodbye to Ruth as they hurried for the car. LA traffic always had to be accounted for, but they managed up the beach front and reached Los Feliz High with ten minutes to spare. Y/N quickly kissed her mom’s cheek, grabbing her bag and pulling her cello from the backseat, waving her mom off to work as an arm rested across her shoulders, another set coming around her waist.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Evelyn and Rosalee shrieked into Y/N’s ears, causing the girl to jump and try and wriggle away as her cousin and best friend, respectively, pressed kisses to her cheeks and locked her in an embrace.

“Jesus! I swear you both want to kill me.” Y/N recovered quickly with a nervous laugh, her cousin taking her cello for her as Rosalee pulled her closer by the shoulders, Y/N’s hand coming around the taller girl’s waist. “But thank you. For the yelling and the tickets, Rosa.” She directed the second half to her friend, having to pause for a moment to blow her friend’s hair away from her face, the dark curls tickling her nose.

“Hermosa, it was the least I could do. You’ve been in love with them since last year’s homecoming. Lo juro, fue el regalo más fácil que he comprado.” Rose promised her friend, the pair walking after Evelyn into the school building, headed for the music department.

“So… I took the liberty of checking your class schedule.” Evelyn spoke up as they reached Mr Johnson’s classroom, Y/N’s cello, and piano, teacher. She rapped the door twice, turning back to her little cousin and Rose. “None of us have anything major to do today, we have friends and study partners in all our classes willing to share notes, and your cello is out of use all day.”

“Indeed it will be.” Mr Johnson spoke up, the girls glancing down the corridor at the older teacher. He was a cheery looking fellow, maybe about fifty years old, with a round belly and a love of suspenders. He was also the best teacher Y/N had ever had. “I need to restring and tune and break it in for use, you’ll get it back Monday. Now, I hope you girls aren’t planning on skipping school for Y/N’s birthday, as a teacher I could never condone such a thing…” He said as he unlocked his room, beckoning the three in, the trio following. “Of course, if you were to leave, you should be going through that fire escape at the far corner of my classroom, and heading to the bus park. No teachers patrolling there this time of day...” He winked, and Rose took it as a sign to run over to the door, Evelyn following quickly. Y/N waited behind for a second, taking a step towards Mr Johnson’s desk. “Y/N, you deserve a day off. Happy birthday.” He said with a kind smile, opening his desk and pulling out a small, thin box. “For my brightest student, and for a life of signing autographs. The past five years of teaching you have been my privilege.” He prefaced as she opened the box to find a white marble pen, her name engraved along the side.

“Thank you, Mr Johnson…” She smiled softly, closing the box over once more and putting the present into her backpack.

“Go, be safe, be stupid to the limit of safety… I don’t need my student breaking her wrist a month before her USC audition.” He warned, and Y/N nodded fast, turning on her toes and starting for the door Rosa and Evelyn had left through. She broke into a run as she headed for the bus park, quickly catching up to her friends and falling into step with them, headed for Sunset Boulevard.

The girls often found themselves on the strip, and on days like that one they could walk all the way to the coast line and back, window shopping as they went. While it was colder than usual for LA, the thick cloud layer blocking out most of the sunshine, the whole strip was alive that Friday.

However, it seemed like Rosalee and Evelyn had a plan for Y/N, each looping their arm with Y/N’s as they started on a march down the strip, headed to an undisclosed location. They didn’t stop to window shop as per the usual, didn’t stop for smoothies from the place Evelyn got discounts in because she flirted with the cashier, they didn’t even hesitate when passing the cineplex the three frequented at the weekends when they weren’t all working or studying.

Instead, Rosalee and Evelyn stopped on the other side of the road from Rose’s job, at the Orpheum.

“I thought that concert was a few months away, Rosalee.” Y/N said with a raised eyebrow, not sure what her friends were up to.

“Oh, no… That’s our second stop…” Rose turned Y/N’s head slightly, focusing on a building two down from the music venue. “We’re going there first.”

“Tattoos?” Y/N’s eyes widened, looking over at Evelyn to see if it was real, but by the smile on her cousin’s face, they were serious. “Ev, your mother will kill you. Auntie is far from… Tattoo-friendly.” Y/N reminded, and Evelyn shook her head.

“Oh, I know. But Aunt Sami? She’ll be thrilled you’re doing something stupid. I’m pretty sure you being the clever one in that house isn’t fair.” Evelyn said with a grin, and Rose leaned over.

“We cleared it with her, you’re all good to go… So, you’re getting a tattoo, Y/N…” She said, and with a glance to Evelyn, the pair locked their arms tight around Y/N’s and marched her across the road and for the tattoo parlour.

“Guys! Guys! This is ridiculous, you realise that?” Y/N asked with a nervous laugh, gulping as they pushed her through the door, Rosalee pulling a slip out of her leather jacket’s pocket.

“Hello there. We have an appointment booked for today at 10?” Rosa asked at the desk, Y/N looking back at Evelyn, who winked: the pair had planned this a while ago, she could tell.

“Parental consent is required?” The receptionist asked, Rosa handing over the slip of paper. The employee glanced over it, shrugging and nodding. “What’s your name kid?”

“Y/N.”

“Well, Y/N, we’ll get you set up in the chair. Do you have a design in mind?”

“Actually, we’ve picked something out for her.” Evelyn spoke up, pushing Y/N further into the shop and sitting her down on the tattoo chair. “I emailed it over last week, to Francis?” She asked, and the name caused shuffling from behind a curtain.

“Evelyn, right?” A beautiful woman, probably a few years older than the girls, came through the curtain. Her arms were covered in tattoos, shown off by the cut tank she had decided to wear, the band on it matching the one Y/N’s shirt repped. “Ah, so this is my rock child kin. Francis, you can call me Fran.” She introduced herself with a hug, first Evelyn, then Rosalee, and finally Y/N, each girl hugging back. “So, ladies, do we want the tattoo to be a surprise?” She asked, and Evelyn glanced at Rose then Y/N, both nodding.

“I mean, why not?” Y/N conceded, to the grins of her friends and tattoo artist, who took her dominant hand and flipped it over, rubbing down her wrist with sterilising solution. Y/N was nervous, sure, but the excitement was dulling the worry a little.

“Y/N, can I get your Walkman?” Rosa asked, quickly unclipping the device from her best friend’s waist before given an answer, and removing the CD. She walked over to the front desk, chatting with the guy who had greeted them as Fran set herself up, making sure her needle was inked and working well. Y/N gulped at the whir of the tattoo gun, the anxiety rising up…

When a familiar song came over the shop’s stereo, and she let out a laugh.

“Go on, you know you want to.” Evelyn encouraged, Y/N’s favourite band beginning to play and sing on the radio.

“It’ll help you relax… Go for it.” Fran said with a nod, slipping on a pair of gloves and her glasses, the tattoo gun whirring up again, and coming in contact with Y/N’s skin. The pain was sharp, and sudden, and she gasped, deciding to follow the advice.

“… ‘til we blast open the top. Face first, full charge, electric hammer to the heart.” Y/N called out, her eyes squeezing shut as she sang and laughed through the pinching on her wrist. “Clocks move forward but we don't get older, no. Kept on climbing till our stars collided. And all the times we fell behind were just the keys to paradise.” She began to sing properly, the pain seeming to dull when she focused on it, Rosalee and Evelyn watching on in awe. Her voice was so unique, so special, something Rose had been trying to convince Y/N to use for years. “Don’t look down, cause we’re still rising up right now. And even in we hit the ground, we’ll still fly. Keep dreaming like we’ll live forever, but living like it’s now or never!”

Y/N sang her way through the seven songs on the demo album twice through in that tattoo parlour, Rosa and Evelyn joining in on the catchy choruses: it made sense why Y/N liked the band, they only hoped she would like the tattoo.

“My masterpiece is finished.” Fran announced, prompting Rosa to run over and shut off the CD player, collecting Y/N’s disc and slipping it back into the girl’s Walkman. “Do you wanna look?” Fran asked her, removing her glasses and gloves with a smile, and Y/N sat up, looking down at the tattoo on her wrist.

“A sunset?” She whispered, glancing up at her friends with a smile.

“My idea, would you believe?” Evelyn said, Y/N getting off the chair and pulling her and Rose into a tight hug. They quickly bid goodbyes to Fran, heading back outside onto the strip, this time with the destination of the Orpheum.

“So, best birthday ever?” Rosalee asked Y/N, who nodded, still admiring the tattoo. It was a reference to her favourite band, her friends knew her well, and reflected their logo quite nicely. “Well, since we’ve been amazing to you… I’m going to ask again.” Rose said as they entered the Orpheum, and Y/N smiled ruefully.

This was their thing, her and Rosalee. Every week, Y/N would once again be asked to join her best friend and her cousin in their band, Rose and the Petal Pushers, and every time they asked she said no. She was a classically trained cellist and pianist, she was auditioning for the USC conservatory program in a month, and even if Rose had been the one to encourage her into playing again after the one time when Y/N was 10 and embarrassed herself at a concert so bad she refused to touch her cello for three weeks, Y/N couldn’t see why a girl rock band needed her in it. Evelyn, Rose and the girls were quite phenomenal without her.

“Why do you need me?” Y/N decided to ask this time, instead of just refusing, a bit more open to ideas since it was her birthday. Rosa and Evelyn shared a glanced, shocked, before pulling her through to the main concert space and jumping up onto the stage, dragging Y/N along with them.

“Have you ever heard a cello in a rock song?” Evelyn asked her, the three looking out at the space, standing in the places where legends had stood before them.

“Not really… No.” Y/N admitted, looking over and fixing one of the butterfly themed clips in Rosalee’s hair.

“That’s exactly why we need you, Y/N. Diversify the genre, bring classical technique to punk rock!” She pitched, taking her friend’s hand in hers. “Plus, you can sing, you can play piano… You have a gift that needs to be shared with the world, Y/N.” The words gave Y/N reason to pause, to consider. She had, after all, done crazier things before, she had done crazier things that day, the ink on her wrist catching her eye. “Go on… Sing something, see how it feels.” She urged, and Y/N sighed, entertaining her friends as her eyes closed.

“God!” Y/N let the note hang for a moment, and Rose grinned: it was something she had written, that Y/N had overheard her practicing at school the week before. “God only knows, what I’d do… If I, if I couldn’t love you…” She sang softly, her eyes opening to look out, to feel the rush of adrenaline hit her. She bit her lip as she smiled, understanding exactly what Rose meant. “If I do this…” She began, cut off and Rose and Evelyn hugged her tight, squealing in delight, jumping up and down with her.

“That’s a yes! You finally said yes!” Rose cheered, and Evelyn jumped down from the stage and rushed over to the bar, pulling out a small box she and Rose undoubtedly store there the night before, sat atop it a party hat.

“To celebrate your joining the band…” Evelyn opened the box, a frosted cupcake inside, and handed it to Y/N while fixing a party hat onto the girl’s head.

“Ah! Ewan!” Rose called as a kid around their age walked in, ready for a shift that night. He was a year older than the girls, had gone to school with them, and knew far too much about all of them thanks to Rose. “Can you get a photo? Y/N’s finally agreed.” She explained, pulling a disposable camera from her school bag and handing it over to him.

“You really agreed?” He asked Y/N, who was eating her way rather quickly through the cupcake: though to be fair, it was her favourite flavour. She nodded in response, earning laughs from her three companions, and she just shrugged as she swallowed.

“After… Two years of pestering, it seems only right that I final give in. Rosalee sure wasn’t going to be defeated.” Y/N laughed, taking one last bite of the cupcake before wiping her mouth, swallowing the food as Rose and Evelyn wrapped their arms around her.

“Say… Petal Pushers!” Ewan called, taking a photo as the girls laughed through the words, a smile on his own face as he handed back the camera. “You guys really ought to leave before the boss gets back.” He reminded, gesturing to the side door, and the three girls took a second before nodding, rushing out the side exit as the staff started filing in for the night’s events.

Y/N didn’t feel the eyes on the back of her head as she left the Orpheum, barely registering the whisper that passed by her ear, planting the first seed in her mind of something terrible.

That night, after cake with her mom at the apartment and plans made with Rosalee and Evelyn to meet the rest of the band that night for their first practice, Y/N began travelling towards the address Rosa had given her earlier that day, a hum on her lips as she stepped of the bus near the coast line, near her favourite place in the world, one her and her mom found years ago.

She had wrapped up warm, unusually cold air had set in that night, prompting her to borrow her mom’s thickest jacket as she left the apartment with calls of ‘I love you’ shared between a mother and daughter.

You’ve got nothing to lose…

The words floated in Y/N’s head for a moment, and she shrugged, deciding a five minute detour to the beach wouldn’t do her any real harm. It would be nice to have a few moments alone, to soak in the day so far, before she went on to that night and the upcoming festivities.

Her feet hit the sand, whisperings of a song floating through her head, a shadow of a man in formal wear further along the sandy shores…

Suddenly, morning, and Y/N was woken up at her favourite spot on the beach front by a scream. She shot up, rushing to see what had happened, no time to register her lost memory from the night before.

Only the scream wasn’t on the beach front. Y/N turned to find her mom and Rose holding one another, over a body, dressed just like Y/N.

“Mom…” She asked, looking down at the girl who lay on the rock, by her side.

Looking down a face so familiar to her, though she wasn’t sure why. The body was rigid, washed of colour, lips that should have been red a tinged purple blue.

And then, Y/N screamed…

Los Angeles, California. 2020.

They all came back at once, a barrage of information filling Y/N’s head, finishing its upload to her brain in an instant. Of a life she never got to live, of a mom who loved her so dearly, of a father who never appeared, of friends who loved her unconditionally and guardians who wanted nothing more than to see her thrive.

Of that man on the beach, of the songs she had sang for 25 years by his side…

A distinct memory of Caleb calling her death a recruitment, of him asking her to play for his house band once he found her, of him becoming furious at her upstaging him on her first night at the club... It all finally made sense to her:

She was dead because of Caleb.

And she had lost music, family, everything, because Caleb took it from her.

Y/N’s eyes stung with tears as she pulled herself to her feet, the pain of the jolt still coursing through her and forcing her to lean against the wall as she made her way to the stage side. She watched as Alex, Reggie and Luke played for Caleb, who sang and scatted his way through their third song of the night. None of the guys looked happy, of course they didn’t… They were enslaved by a man who wanted their musical talent and nothing else, just like he had wanted Y/N’s 25 years ago.

As the song came to an end with a drum solo by Alex, Y/N managed to muster up the physical strength to walk onto the stage, steely-eyed as a plan began to form in her head.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please let me welcome Y/N Y/L/N to the stage!” Caleb was quick to notice her, sending a smile and the audience’s applause her way as she walked along the band stand, taking a seat at the piano without a word said, without another person looked at. Her fingers spread over the keys, the sheet music for one of Caleb’s songs in front of her, but instead her hand moved down and hit a different chord.

She let it sit in the air, holding it over the whole room, getting everyone’s attention, including Caleb, including the guys… Including Luke. She had to do something, anything, and her mind travelled back to that night at the party, when she had spent hours resting against Luke, flicking through his song writing journal as the room shared jokes, shared anecdotes… Her memory focused on one moment, when she had scanned over the chord progressions and lyrics to a song Luke had asterisked and labelled ‘ANTHEM-WORTHY’ in his near illegible handwriting.

The idea quickly formed, Y/N getting the gut feeling to hold off for one more moment before pressing down on the chord once more, and beginning to play the melody and bass line of the song she remembered on that page with as much emotion as she could.

“Don’t blink, no I don’t wanna miss it… One thing, and it’s back to the beginning.” Y/N singing wavered a little, her voice taking a moment to come into its own… But she remembered now, what she was good at, what she was capable of… What she was able to create with Luke wasn’t a fluke, it was real. It was the girl who wanted to study music, who wanted to join her best friend’s band, who got a tattoo and played cello and loved her mom with her whole heart.

For the first time in 25 years, Y/N knew who she was, and didn’t shy away from it.

“Cause everything is rushing in fast. Keep going on never look back.” She continued, the boys quickly realising what was happening, knocked out of the daze they had found themselves in. Alex was the first to join in, taking on his drum line with a smile to Y/N, a thank you, that warmed her heart. Then Reggie, getting used to the bass strings again, no longer feeling the urge to play what Caleb demanded.

“And it one, two, three, four times that’ll I’ll try for one more night.” Y/N went on the harmony line as another voice filled the room, startling the audience and performers with its power, its beauty. Some sort of connection had been made, just like when Y/N had played with Luke the day before, and Julie’s solo performance from the Orpheum was being broadcasted to the room as Y/N played, and Reggie and Alex played. As her hands left the piano, Julie’s own playing taking over, her eyes looked up at Luke, slowly coming to from his own trance. “Light a fire in my eyes, I’m going out of my mind.” She sang along, a smile on her face as Luke’s eyes cleared of the fog that had settled in them, and his hands began to play.

“Stop it! Stop them!” Caleb yelled as the crowd started to cheer, to dance along, Julie’s voice filling the room and drowning out any shouts Caleb tried to make as the chorus came into play.

“Whatever happens even if I’m the last in it I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall. Whatever happens even when everything’s down, I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” Julie sang, the boys playing along, all of them visualising the Orpheum, where they were supposed to be as waiters came up onto the stage and grabbed Y/N, pulling her away from the piano. “I gotta keep on dreaming, cause I gotta catch that feeling. Whatever happens even if I'm the last standing I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall.” The damage was already done, Alex and his drum set disappearing into thin air, leaving a gap in the stage. He could still be heard however, now playing with Julie from the Orpheum.

“Right now I'm loving every minute. Hands down can't let myself forget it, no. Cause everything is rushing in fast, keep holding on, never look back.” As Julie continued, Y/N wrenched herself from the waiters, Reggie disappearing as she made her way across the stage. “And it’s…”

“Y/N.” Luke called to her over the music, his eyes worried as he watched the staff grab her arms and pull her back again. He began to fade, starting to disappear and join the band where he was meant to be, at the Orpheum, but then having to leave Y/N behind as a result. She would be facing off Caleb, alone. And after she saved him, saved everything, how could he let it happen?

“See you on the other side, Luke.” She shouted back, a smile on her face as she was pulled away by the waiters, a nod of her head promising everything would be ok. He vanished, his eyes opening as he finally appeared in the Orpheum, smiling over to Julie as he finally materialised.

“I’m going out of my mind.” Luke sang, earning a cheer from the crowd. “Whatever happens even if I'm the last standing I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall.” He sang, a wave of relief flushing over him when he didn’t flicker again, Julie dancing alongside him.

“Whatever happens even when everything’s down, I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” Julie joined in, Luke switching to the harmony line. “I gotta keep on dreaming, cause I gotta catch that feeling. Whatever happens even if I'm the last standing I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall.” Julie beckoned Reggie over, the pair walking to the front of the stag, surrounded by the crowd as they went back to back. “Like I'm glowing in the dark. I keep on going when it's all falling apart. Yeah I know it with all my heart. Ooh, ooh.”

“Never look back!” Luke called out with a final strum, looking back at Alex as they were left with only Reggie on bass.

“Whatever happens even if I’m the last standing, I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” Alex stood up as he sang, earning screams and cheers.

“Whatever happens even when everything’s down, I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” Reggie continued, nodding to Julie, who harmonised with him.

“Stand tall.”

“Stand tall.” Luke and Alex joined in.

“Stand tall!” A final voice sang out, the familiar high and airy sounds of Y/N harmonising perfectly with the band, holding a high harmony line as they went into the last chorus.

“Whatever happens even if I’m the last in it I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall. Whatever happens even when everything’s down, I’ma stand tall, I’ma stand tall.” The five voices sang together for the final chorus, Julie leading Luke down to the front of the stage with her mic as the paired shared. “I gotta keep on dreaming, cause I gotta catch that feeling.” Reggie and Alex followed them down to the front of the stage, mics in hand as Luke played them out. “Whatever happens even if I'm the last standing I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall.”

For a moment, as they held that last note, Julie and the Phantoms could see Y/N amongst the crowd, before she disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving the band to take their final bow together.

It was only once Julie and the Phantoms had finished their last performance that the club went quiet, all eyes focused on a smiling Y/N, who had sung alongside the band in their closing lyrics. The arms that held Y/N back were replaced with a single hand on her shoulder, Y/N following the arm up to look at Caleb, who looked at the band and with a flick of his hand, had them playing again, performers dancing, waiters serving food like nothing had happened.

“You and I need a little chat.” He said softly, leading Y/N towards the bar, the pair sitting on bar stools, and the waiter placing down two glasses of champagne. He was silent for a moment, taking a sip of the cool beverage as Y/N watched on: she wasn’t able to wipe the smile off her face. She could hear them in her head, she could see them performing, she could see Flynn and Ray and Carlos watching Julie with love she held for her own family. “Was this your plan all along?”

“No.” Y/N responded honestly. “But after I fulfilled my side of the deal, once I got the boys to the club, I got my memories back. Willie was freed… And now you have nothing over me, but I know who you really are Caleb.” She took a sip of her own glass, the pair setting them down at the same time.

“Oh? And who am I, Y/N?”

“A collector… A narcissist… The person who killed me. Take your pick.” She said softly, and Caleb’s face fell. She finished her glass, passing the crystal back to the bartender before getting up, running a hand through her hair and shaking it out into waves.

“I don’t lose Y/N… You know that. I will destroy you.” He reminded, and she glanced back at him with a smile.

“I’ve been dead an awful long time, Mr Covington. I’m going to die knowing I saved my friends, knowing who I am… That’s all I need. I have my redemption.” She replied, thoughtful in her words before walking towards the exit.

“So be it.” Caleb smirked, another jolt running through Y/N’s body as she vanished, leaving the echo of pain in her wake.

When Y/N opened her eyes, she was back on her beach, on her boulder, the waves crashing around her and the night sky full of stars. She collapsed, a delayed reception of the jolt administered, only this time the pain didn’t fade like usual. Instead, it radiated through her, settling as a dull numbness through her body.

She pulled herself to her feet, trying to envision Julie’s house in her head, knowing she needed to find Willie, to explain the boys got to cross over, that they were safe: to tell him she was sorry. However, every time she tried, her head became heavy, foggy, and after a few attempts and another jolt coursing through her, Y/N saw no choice but to walk.

It was slow going, the girl having to stop every few minutes as another jolt hit, the pain building up with each blow she took. She decided at about the halfway mark to ditch the heels she had been wearing all night, and by the time she reached the Molina residence, she fell to the patio, the sound of Julie’s dad pulling in to the house welcoming to her ears.

“Y/N?” A voice asked from the shadows, Willie emerging from his hiding spot and rushing over at the sight of his friend curled up on the concrete, holding her stomach as another jolt hit her.

“Willie I…” Y/N coughed, groaning in pain and taking deep breaths. Before she could continue, Julie rounded the corner, having heard the voices from the front door, stopping in her tracks at the sight. “Julie.”

“Oh my God, Y/N…” Julie rushed over, her and Willie sharing a glance, a mixture of confusion and worry: there was the question as to why Julie was able to see the skater boy Alex had been falling for, when the night before she had watched Alex, Reggie and Luke discuss plans to air, but it wasn’t the time for it now.

“I’m so sorry. For everything, everything I did to you both…” She tried to pull herself up, Willie quickly helping her to her feet and holding her upright. “Willie, I didn’t have a choice, I swear and…” Y/N’s words turned to sobs, and Willie held her tight to him.

“Hey, hey… I know you did right by me…”

“And the boys too… They crossed over.” Julie added, Willie looking over at the lifer with an eyebrow raised.

“How?”

“Y/N.” Julie just answered. “She sent them to me… Now can I ask the question of what we do to save you?” She directed her question to the girl in green, who shook her head quickly. “My mom wouldn’t want you dying again.” Julie said, leaving Y/N confused until she pulled a photo from her jacket pocket, Y/N’s eyes widening at the memory.

“Rosalee…” She whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek. “Your mom… Oh my God…” She muttered, the realisation tinged with an overwhelming sense of grief: not only had they all lost the guys, but Y/N had only just remembered her best friend, and now had to discover she had passed on as well.

“What do we do, Y/N?” Willie asked, receiving a shake of the head from his best friend.

“I’m ok… Going like this. I just wanted to say goodbye… To see you one last time… To be somewhere happy.” She whispered, and Julie wiped her eyes.

“Then we’ll say goodbye together… All of us.” Julie decided, beckoning Willie to follow after her as she walked to the studio doors, walking into the space with Willie and Y/N coming to either side of her. “I…” She stopped, swallowing for a moment. “I know I already said this but, uh… Thank you guys.” She said softly, looking to Y/N, their hand reaching out and passing through one another as they looked on the dark space with Willie to their left, a final goodbye appropriate for sending them off properly.

“… You’re welcome…” Reggie’s voice came from nowhere, followed swiftly by a groan from Alex, and Julie rushed to turn the light on. With the flick of a switch, the three boys were revealed in a pile on the floor.

“Dude…” Luke groaned, blinking a few times to adjust to the brightness of the room as Alex got to his feet, Reggie sitting himself up. “Y/N…” Luke’s eyes focused on the girl, who had gone back to leaning on Willie for support.

“I… I. What are you doing here? I thought-” Julie started, cut off as a jolt ran through the boys and Y/N, her eyes welling up. “No… No! I thought you crossed over, why didn’t you cross over?”

“I guess playing the Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business.” Alex muttered, looking up to see Willie, the worry etched on the happy boy’s face sending aches to his heart. With a nod from Y/N, who found herself a comfortable leaning position against one of the support beams, Willie made his way over to Alex, their hand linking as the blond found his footing.

“Point Caleb.” Y/N muttered with a painful laugh, waving her fingers over to Reggie, who smiled weakly and waved back.

“We wanted you to think that we crossed over, so we pretended to.” Luke explained. “We just… We had nowhere else to go.” He shrugged.

“We thought you’d go straight to bed.” Reggie added, leaning himself against a chair.

“Yeah, well,” Alex started, holding on tight to Willie for support. “I knew she was gonna come out here, but nobody listens to-” Another jolt ran through the four, earning a chorus of groans and whimpers.

“You have to save yourselves, all of you… Go to Caleb’s club, we can make this right, you can play with him… It’s better than not existing at all.” Julie pleaded, looking around the five ghosts, hoping her pleas might work. “Please, please just go! Poof out! Do something… Please, do it for me.”

“We’re not going back there.” Reggie shook his head, and the others knew why: compared to being free, a life at Caleb’s club felt like becoming a shell of yourself.

“Julie…” Y/N spoke up, smiling at the girl who had become her friend, whose mom had been like her sister. “No music is worth making, if the Phantoms aren’t making it with you.” She said softly, and Julie turned back to the room as Reggie and Luke got themselves up from the floor.

Julie couldn’t stand it, couldn’t imagine life without them, and in a moment of desperation, she threw her arms around Luke and Reggie hugging them close, a final goodbye. The boys held her tight, arms wrapping round her back, around one another, as they shared the moment.

“I love you guys.” Julie whispered softly to them, Alex holding on to Willie as they and Y/N watched the scene unfold.

And then it dawned on them all that Julie wasn’t meant to be able to touch them, and Julie pulled away to see Luke and Reggie both glowing.

“How can I feel you?” She asked softly, holding onto one of their hands each, so used to seeing her body pass through theirs. Neither of them could answer, but it gave Julie and idea. “Alex, Willie, Y/N… Come over.” She beckoned, Willie helping Alex over as Luke walked past Julie to hold out a hand to Y/N.

Y/N glanced at it for a moment, looking up at Luke to make sure he was certain: he had barely been within six feet of her since the party. Luke took her hand, helping her to her feet and leading Y/N back to the group formed in the room’s centre, the six joining together in a hug.

Suddenly, the glow that covered Luke and Reggie spread to the other three too, Julie’s grip on Y/N’s back beckoning firm, the dress fabric smooth and soft against her fingers.

“I feel stronger…” Luke muttered in disbelief, the group breaking the hug to look between one another. Suddenly, they all looked healthier, happier, brighter.

“I… I don’t feel as weak anymore.” Reggie agreed.

“Me neither.” Alex added, clearing his throat when he glanced at Willie by his side. “Not that, you know, I was ever that weak.” The six shared a laugh, Y/N lifting up her wrist as it began to tingle, the boys quickly feeling the same thing.

Just like what had happened at the club with Willie, the stamps lifted off their wrists, breaking apart in a small beam of light before vanishing completely.

“What does this mean?” Julie asked, looking up at the guys, who shared a smile.

“I this this means the band is back.” Luke said with a grin, the group pulling close again for another hug.

Aster a minute or so of jumping and tears of relief as they all held one another, Willie pulled Alex to the side, and in a split second decision, the pair locked lips, Willie’s hands holding Alex’s face as the blonde’s arms pulled the skater closer by the waist. It was quick, both coming out blushing as three faces smiled at them when they came back from their moment in heaven, the fourth set of eyes still focused on her wrist.

Y/N watched in awe as the final remnants of Caleb’s stamp dispersed from her wrist, 25 years of servitude broken with a single hug, and in place of the stamp a tattoo appeared: the tattoo she had gotten the day she died.

The five other eyes watched for a moment, hearts swelling to see the pure joy on Y/N’s face, their own quickly turning to disbelief when the tattoo came into full view.

“Y/N…” Luke said softly, the girl’s eyes darting up. “The reason you don’t like Trevor Wilson?”

“He…” She stopped, looking down at the tattoo the three boys had their eyes fixed on, and back up at Julie, who had a smile on her face. “He stole all his songs from my favourite band… Sunset Curve…” She explained, and Reggie let out a yell, throwing his arms in the air as Alex let out a laugh alongside Julie, leaving Y/N looking at Luke for answers.

“Maybe we should step outside, Y/N…” He suggested, holding out a hand to her and, after their fingers had interlocked, leading her out onto the patio, lit up by soft string lights and the stars above.

“Am I missing something here?” She asked with a worried voice, and Luke nodded quite seriously, closing over the studio doors for some privacy: though it didn’t stop Willie, Alex, Reggie and Julie from watching through the windows.

“This Sunset Curve… You never saw them perform live, did you?” Luke asked, running a hand through his hair, and Y/N nodded in agreement with his statement, trying not to focus on the guitarist’s flexing arms: for all of Caleb’s many faults, he had styled Luke perfectly, showing of his arms with a sleeveless tux.

“I had tickets for their show at the Orpheum, my friend… Julie’s mom, used to work there.” Y/N smiled at the memory captured by Julie’s photograph. “I died before I got to go. And when they had played the homecoming dance, I spent most of the night listening to the from the bathrooms because my cousin ate a bad hot dog… And then I got to the afterlife, and despised Trevor Wilson for no reason I… I figured it out when my memories came back: he stole my favourite band’s songs…” Luke let her ramble on, unable to contain the smile as she slowly found her way to a conclusion. “You know, he even stole a song called ‘My Name is Luke’, which was written by the band’s lead guitarist, in fact he wrote all their… music…” She slowed, and Luke took a step closer.

“Dreaming like we’ll live forever, but living like it’s now or never.” He sang softly to her, Y/N covering over her mouth in shock.

“You…” She began, laughing at her own stupidity. “You, and Reggie and Alex… You were Sunset Curve… How…” She took a few steps back and laughed again. “How is it possible that I accidentally like the same guy dead that I had a crush on alive?! How does that work? I swear this is Rosalee’s twisted way of finally getting me to that conce-”

“So you do like me, then?” Luke interrupted, Y/N falling silent, her cheeks tinted pink from the heat rising to them. “You know, I was kind of getting mixed signals with the whole working for the bad guy thing.” He took a step closer to her, and another, until their toes were inches apart.

“Was Crooked Teeth about Reggie?” She asked, giggling after hearing the bassist shout ‘hey!’ from the other side of the door, which cause Luke to chuckle and nod in response. “Sorry about the whole bad person thing… I haven’t been myself for… The past twenty five years?”

“You know… If you aren’t otherwise engaged.” Luke smiled. “I think the band could definitely use another Phantom.” He offered, their eyes travelling to the windows to see Julie and the guys vigorously nodding in agreement.

“Do you really want me around?” She asked, hearing ‘of course!’ being shouted from inside, and she grinned. “If I said yes…” She began, but she already heard Julie cheering, and knew the decision had been made for her, not that she minded. “Luke?” She asked, looking up into his eyes as he smiled down at her.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Do you want me around?” She asked, this time referring to Luke instead of the band.

In response, Luke pulled her close by the waist and pressed his lips to hers gently, answering her question quite definitively. Her hands pulled him closer by his shirt, rising to her tiptoes to meet his lips. As they broke the kiss, breathing heavy for a second, Luke lifted her up in his arms, pressing his lips to hers again as she laughed, the pair spinning the warm glow of the patio string lights.

As Y/N and Luke were joined by their band mates and Willie under the stars, and as Julie hugged, really hugged, Y/N for the first time, everything felt right in the world again. They all knew this was only the first hurdle they’d face, all aware that danger lurked around every corner. The group’s trials were far from over, but that night, it didn’t matter.

Looking up at those stars, knowing somewhere Rose was watching down on all of them, they all knew that no matter what came their way, they would face it together rather than alone. As Alex pulled Willie close, as Julie and Reggie hugged each other, and as Luke’s hand laced itself with Y/N’s, it became clear that whatever was waiting for them next...

They would face it as a family.

Tags: @im-a-writer-right @elioelioeli0 @jenjen889 @walkingonshunshine @parkeret @lolychu @leahstypewriter @j-mar-memester @sunsetcurve-h @musicconversedance @gracefulpenguin @shae-is-not-ok @talksoprettyjjx @smol-book-nerd @lord-of-the-fried @siennanoelle01 @deadpoolgirl23 @theatricalfangirl @deepsleepnat @hhyunj1n @lovesanimals @oswin05 @ifilwtmfc @crappy-unicorn @eries45 @noncannonships @tenaciousperfectionunknown @theorangestofjuices @oopsiedoopsie23 @elephants-bubbles-brachosauruses @aesthetic-lyss @voguesir @michellebarista @caitsymichelle13 @bellero @marinettepotterandplagg @delicatelukepatterson @avengersgirllorianna @cordeliascrown @wtfkie @aberette13 @xpolinax @kaylinfayezink @carleywhittaker @mightnight-dream

#luke patterson #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson x y/n #jatp luke x reader #jatp luke #jatp #julie and the phantoms #fanfiction #fanfic #jatp au #reader insert #the other side of hollywood #luke patterson fluff #fluff #fantom

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thatpanbastard · 3 years

Text

Dear Theodosia Reprise

Fives/ reader

Part 1

Warning: major character death

Your holo rang. A soft smile graced your face as you picked it up. You turned slightly to check on Tuli.

“Hey soldier you on your way home?” You asked turning back to face him. He looked at you solemnly. His thick curls shaved away.” Fives what’s going on?”

“I’ve got to do something. I don’t think I’m going to make it back. I wanted to see you two again.”

“Fives what are you going to do?” Tuli wobbled over and grabbed your legs

“Da?” You watched Fives solemn expression drop.

“Hey ik’aad you behaving for mommy?” You scooped her up and onto your hip so he could see her.” Tuli can you do something for me? I need you to take care of mommy.”

“Fives-“

“Mesh’la let me finish please. Promise my baby you’ll take care of mommy for me.” Tuli giggled and nodded. You adjusted her on your hip.” Y/n I love you I always will. If I can make it back I will I’ll call you I promise. I love you two.” You blinked back tears.

“I love you too don’t do anything stupid. Tuli wave bye bye to daddy.” You smiled slightly. Tears ran freely down your face.

“I love you. Don’t forget it.”

“I love you too.” The call clicked out and Fives faded away. You clung to Tuli like a life line. She squirmed in your grip.” Sorry baby.” You set her down and she wobbled back to her toys.

You took a few steeling breathes and wiped away your tears. You couldn’t afford to fall apart right now. He’s not dead. Yet a voice nagged in the back of your head.

You paced around the apartment. The voice nagging at the back of your head. An hour ticked by then another.

There was a knock at the door. Your heart dropped Fives promised he’d call. You opened the door and stared back at Rex. His eyes were rimmed red.

He was gone. Your husband was gone. The father of your child was gone. The realization hit you like a ton of bricks.

“Y/n-“ you cut him off.

“What happened? What I why?”

“Tuli is?”

“I put her to bed an hour ago she wanted to wait for Fives. Now what happened?”

The two of you took a seat at the kitchen island. He took a few steeling breathes.

“I sent him to Kamino with Tup. He had killed General Tiplee and was having memory lapses. Fives came back ranting about conspiracy. He attacked he attacked the Chancellor.” He choked on a sob.” Y/n I’m so sorry. I promised I’d keep him alive I promised and I failed.”

You struggled to comfort him. You sat with him in silence. He shuddered slightly.

“Do you think I could get his armor? And the ring?”

“I’ll put it in the system i I’ll see if General Skywalker can get it sent through faster. Y/n I’m so sorry.” You nodded slightly.

“This isn’t your fault Rex.” He scoffed lightly.

“Take care of yourself y/n.” You nodded as he closed the door behind him.

——————————————

There was three swift knocks on the door. You frowned slightly you didn’t have anyone stopping by today.

Your fingers curled around the blaster you kept by the door as you opened it. 4 men clad in red and black armor stood in front of you.

“Can I help you gentlemen?”

“We’re looking for y/n l/n?” The one with a skull tattoo said.

“Who’s asking?” You took stock of there weapons. An assortment of knives and at least two blasters each.

“Clone force 99.” The shortest one piped up he had a pair of corrective goggles on.

“You can call us the bad batch.” The tallest puffed up slightly.

“That’s thrilling but I don’t know you. Please leave.” You shifted slightly giving yourself a better vantage should they start firing.

Another man walked up. Frankly he looked like death.

“I’m a little hurt you forgot me. I doubt Fives would’ve let you.” He smiled. A low growl built in you throat.

“You don’t know anything about Fives.” You leveled the blaster at his chest.” I asked nicely before but I don’t know you leave.”

The thin man put his hands -well hand- up in surrender.” Y/n it’s me it’s Echo.” He placed his hand on your shoulder.

“Echos been dead for two years. Get the hell away from me.” You snarled. He dropped his hand. The batch looked at each other awkwardly.

“When you had morning sickness you’d have Fives pick you up the greasiest thing he could find at Dexs. When we became arc troopers he started a series of videos when he had children.” Your breathe caught in your throat.” You two were going to make me the god father to your little girl.” It can’t be. The only people other than Rex and Fives who knew about that was Echo.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“It didn’t stick.” He smiled.” Its good to see you again.” You lowered the blaster and pulled him into a hug.” Rex told me about Fives. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t make it to see you return. You look like shit Eyayah.” You laughed wetly. The bad batch looked around awkwardly. You pulled back and smiled.”I’m sorry about that come in please. A friend of Echos is a friend of mine.”

He faltered looking at Fives helmet hanging on the wall. You took his flesh hand and led him inside.

“Are they feeding you enough?”

“Mothering me already. I’ve been here for less than Five minutes.” He smiled.” How’s the ik’aad?”

“Stay put.” You walked back into Tulis room. She looked up at you with a smile.” What are you doing sweetheart?”

“Mm playin.”

“You want to go see Uncle Echo?” Her head perked up slightly.

“Eyayah?”

“Yeah Uncle Eyayah is back.” You laughed.” Come on sweet heart.” You picked up her and her stuffed tooka.

You watched Echos eyes light up as he looked at Tuli.

“Momma says you got booboos. You think Five will make better?” She held out the tooka to Echo.

“I think it will ik’aad.”

“Echo meet Tuli Eyayah l/n.”

“Eyayah” he blinked back tears.

“We’ll give you three some space.” The tattooed clone coughed awkwardly. He got up. The other three followed him.” Echo we will be outside. Have a good day ma’am.” You nodded slightly and handed Tuli over to Echo.

“Thought it would be wrong not to name her after her favorite uncle.” He laughed softly as Tuli used Five to give kisses.

“All better.” She smiled

“You and Five make wonderful medics ik’aad.”

#starwars the clone wars #star wars #swtcw #arc trooper fives #bad batch #clone trooper fives #arc trooper fives x reader #arc trooper echo #sad boi hours

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hlizr50 · 3 years

Text

Unveiled

Spoilers for From Blood and Ash

Poppy is unveiled to her new guard. Alternate POV.

Read on AO3

Everything had gone according to plan.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. But the end goal had been accomplished.

Swift booted footsteps echoed down the hall as Casteel and his “commander” made their way to the Duke’s office. Jansen had been explaining how the meeting would proceed; the Maiden would be escorted in, Duke Teerman would explain the need for a new guard with the Rite coming so soon, some prattle about why they chose Hawke Flynn to be that guard, the Maiden’s unveiling, and the fealty oath…

He would see her. Finally. No ridiculous veil, no mask. He would see the puzzle complete, how the eyes as green as spring, the full pink lips, the soft creamy skin all fit together. He was sure she would be beautiful, if what he had seen and touched and tasted were any indication. He had a goal in mind, to be sure. But she had intrigued him. He wanted to see and know more of her.

And he always got what he wanted.

“Hawke. Are you listening?”

He turned his amber gaze on Jansen. “I’m sorry?”

“Do you remember the oath?”

“Of course,” Casteel rolled his eyes before reciting. “’With my sword and my life, I vow to keep you safe Maiden, the Chosen. From this moment to the last moment, I am yours.’ Quite melodramatic if you ask me.”

“Keep your voice down,” the commander growled softly. “You are a dedicated guard of Solis swearing fealty to the future of the kingdom, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Casteel sneered. “I haven’t forgotten. And it would do you well to remember who is leading who, Commander.”

“Of course. My apologies.”

The prince knew that Commander Jansen was on a very precarious ledge. Being a Descenter in the heart of Masadonia was dangerous in the best of times. In a position of power, Jansen could pull a lot of strings and make a lot of things happen. But he had a hand in a number of plots, and if just one person was found out or turned against him… his own demise would be the least of the consequences. It could be catastrophic to the schemes they had put in motion years ago and set back the resurrection of Atlantia for literal decades.

The arrived before a heavy wooden door flanked by two of the Duke’s personal guard. Jansen greeted them by name and Casteel gave each a nod. Then they pulled the door out, opening up the room to the pair. This was the beginning of the end.

So it hadn’t gone completely to plan. The prince knew he needed to get close to the Maiden, so he could steal her away right from under the thumb of the Ascended. That had meant an opening needed to come available for one of her personal guards – it wouldn’t do to just work in the castle. Jericho had been tasked with taking out her guard during her almost-daily evening walks.

And he had done it.

But then he’d tried to go ahead and take the Maiden, and that had gotten him into trouble. He hadn’t known she would be armed and dangerous, and when you cross a wolven with pointy things it’s bound to get a little messy.

And Jericho wasn’t known for being calm, cool and collected on a good day.

The Maiden had gotten in a few good strikes, but she had received quite the blow as well. He’d seen the angry swelling around her mouth and jaw at Rylan’s funeral. He only imagined the bruising extended far under the veil, over her cheek and temple.

That was unacceptable.

He hadn’t enjoyed cutting off Jericho’s hand. But he would not allow Penellaphe to be hurt. And to teach a lesson you had to be firm. Unyielding. Deadly, if warranted, and definitely a bit unhinged. Just to keep everyone vigilant.

“Commander Jansen,” Dorian Teerman greeted them. “And you must be Flynn.”

“Your Grace.” Casteel bowed to the Duke, something it almost physically hurt him to do. But he was playing a part, and he could spend more time later creating enticing scenarios in which he destroyed Teerman in any number of ways. “I have summoned the Maiden. She and her guard should be here shortly.”

The Duke hadn’t bothered to introduce his wife, Duchess Jacinda Teerman. Casteel wondered if he even acknowledged her existence much of the time. He didn’t know much about Duke Teerman, but he seemed self-absorbed, self-righteous, and cruel, which was not much different than any of the Ascended he had encountered. Their unyielding refusal to “petition the Gods” so the Tulis family could keep their third son, when their first two had already died so young, was only further proof of their evil. Of course, those first two hadn’t been lost to a “blood disease”, but to the Ascended’s bloodlust – they had been fed upon until there was nothing left. And yet the Duke and Duchess would only insist on taking the third as well. Had it been one of them who had bled those poor children dry? It made his stomach twist to stand with Jansen, making small talk with the pale blonde Duchess as they waited for the meeting to start.

It wasn’t long before the door swung open again. And there she was.

This was how he had expected to meet the Maiden. Veiled, so he could only see her lips and chin. Hair pulled back so it was not visible beneath the veil, either. That was a shame. Her hair had unlocked something in him that night at the Red Pearl. It had been so unexpected. And then there was the ridiculous, frilly, white lace and pleats of a dress that covered everything from her neck to her wrists to her ankles. Surely a garment such as that was an affront to the Gods, sleeping though they were. This was the Maiden, pure and docile and silent. It was a stark contrast to the woman who had snuck into his room not so long ago. In a brothel, no less.

“Please. Close the door Vikter,” the Duke nodded as he sat behind the black painted desk. Casteel looked toward the older guard with the sandy blond hair as he pulled the doors closed. He knew more about Vikter than he should for his supposed station, but what was most important was his closeness with the Maiden. Penellaphe. He would need to be thorough in his dedication to win over the seasoned soldier.

“Thank you.” Teerman nodded. “Please, sit, Penellaphe.”

He watched the Maiden as she lowered herself to the bench. Gods he hated that dress. It was such a pity to hide the curves that he knew were underneath. It was an effort to keep himself from smirking. If only those in this chamber knew what she had been up to.

“I hope you’re feeling well, Penellaphe,” the Duchess spoke, a sickeningly sweet voice that felt practiced and false. The veiled Maiden nodded. “I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried that attending the city council so soon after your attack would be too much.” Casteel had watched the Maiden through the entirety of the meeting, trying to decipher anything from the full lips and curve of jaw that he and the rest of the world were allowed to see. Had he seen her skin flush while the Tulis family begged for their son’s life? What had she been thinking as her keepers were tearing yet another family apart?

“What happened in the garden is why we’re all here.” The Duke’s voice was cold. “With the death of… what was his name? The guard?” It made the prince angrier than it should, that this beast could not even be bothered to know the name of the man who had given his life to protect their precious Maiden.

“Rylan Kiel, your Grace,” Vikter answered.

“Ah yes, Ryan. With Ryan’s death you are down one guard… Again. Two guards lost in one year. I hope this isn’t becoming a habit.” What that a joke? Was he trying to imply that this girl could have stopped it? Casteel had to contain a sneer. The guards would continue to fall, if it meant getting his brother back and burning Solis to the ground. Nobody would stop him – not the Maiden, not the Teermans, not Vikter, not the Blood Queen herself. “Anyway, with the upcoming Rite, and as you draw closer to your Ascension, Vikter cannot be expected to be the only one keeping a close watch on you. We need to replace Ryan, which - as I’m sure you realize now - explains why Commander Jansen and guard Flynn are here. Guard Flynn will take Ryan’s place effective immediately.”

“I’m sure this is surprising, as he is new to our city and quite young for a member of the Royal Guard. There are several Rise guards in line to be promoted, and bringing on Hawke is no slight to them. But the Commander has assured us that Hawke is better suited to this task.”

And so the diatribe began about why he was just so good at what he did that he was the next natural choice. Fresh eyes to see new threats. An impeccable record on the Rise and experience beyond it, which would naturally come in handy if the Queen summoned the Maiden earlier than anticipated for her Ascension. It could happen. Teerman Castle had been compromised more than once in the last week. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Queen Ileana determined that they were no longer capable of keeping the Maiden safe here in Masadonia.

If only they knew.

If only they knew that his sense of hearing and smell made him aware of an enemy’s presence long before the enemy knew he was there. If only they knew how much he had to dumb himself down to appear to be a mortal man, counting seconds so he wouldn’t move too fast or relaxing his muscles so he wouldn’t seem too strong. If only they knew that their Commander was a Descenter himself and was planting Prince Casteel himself – the Dark One – into the role of Royal Guard Hawke Flynn. If only they knew that today they were delivering the Maiden into the hands of the most dangerous creature in their nightmares.

“The Descenters and the Dark One are not the only things to fear out there, as you know,” the Duchess had been speaking. Gods they were making it terribly difficult not to laugh. They were so ignorant. The pale blonde Ascended turned to Casteel now. “As a member of the Maiden’s personal royal guard, it is likely that a situation may occur where you will see her unveiled. It can be distracting seeing someone’s face for the first time, especially a Chosen, and that could interfere with your ability to protect her. That is why the Gods allow this breach.”

“Commander Jansen, if you will please step outside,” the Duke gestured toward the door and Jansen took his leave. Casteel stood alone, now, looking toward the veiled young woman now standing before him. Oh, had he been looking forward to this.

“You are about to bear witness to what only a select few have seen: an unveiled Maiden. Penellaphe, please reveal yourself.”

She was too still, and Casteel could tell that her breathing was shallow. What could she be thinking? He was sure that part of her was anxious that she’d be found out.

“Penellaphe. We do not have all day,” the Duke cut out and his wife tried to soothe him.

“Give her a moment, Dorian. You know why she hesitates. We have time.”

Why did she hesitate? Of course, she was concerned about being recognized, but he couldn’t imagine the Duchess would know that. And why did the Duke have that glib smile plastered on his face? Casteel returned his gaze to Penellaphe as her lady’s maid assisted with the chains on the headdress before it fell from her head.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were dark as her gaze remained pinned on the Duke. He could only see the right side of her face as she glared at Teerman and from the corner of his eye he could see the Duke’s expression fall into icy stone. Then she took a breath and turned to face Casteel, lifting her chin slightly.

Gods. She was stunning.

Those lips, her jaw, those eyes as green as Atlantian spring. He was ready for those things, had seen them that night at the Red Pearl. He’d known even then that she was beautiful, and now with her stony gaze it was only confirmed. And then there were the scars. Two scars tracked down from her temple, one over her cheek and toward her nose and one down through her eyebrow. Where had those come from? Who or what had done that to her? He gazed at her, taking in every detail of her face before meeting her eyes. Those eyes. They were dark and stormy, betraying the lack of emotion on her face. It was as if she were steeling herself, although he didn’t know what against.

“She’s truly unique, isn’t she?” She flinched as the Duke spoke again. “Half of her face is a masterpiece, the other half a nightmare.”

That bastard. Her arms tremored slightly, and Casteel realized what she had been hardening herself to feel. He knew that this moment, where he could make Penellaphe feel small, was why the Duke had that slimy smile upon his face. Appearance was a fickle thing, and beauty and perfection were highly touted by the Ascended. The Maiden, chosen but scarred, was being raised and educated under the thumb of a man who likely took every opportunity he could to tell her what a shame it was that her face could never be pleasing to any of them. She was a pawn, a possession to them. But he saw her here, just as he had seen her in the Red Pearl. She was a person, with feelings and desires and insecurities. She was Penellaphe.

He made an oath to himself that he would only treat her as such.

“Both halves are as beautiful as the whole,” he stepped forward then, wishing he could see the Duke’s face when he said it. Her sharp intake of breath made him want to smile for her. She hadn’t been expecting that, and that was the nightmare – that she was not aware how truly lovely she was.

He gave a shallow bow and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe, Penellaphe. From this moment until the last moment I am yours.” Bowing to Duke Teerman had been torturous, but bowing before her was almost natural. So was swearing his fealty to her. The ease with which he did so kindled something inside of him. He had come here to play a part and set into motion the resurgence of Atlantia, and that was exactly what he was doing. But those emerald eyes, lush red lips, and two pink scars were already threatening to unravel him.

And he wasn’t so sure that he was going to fight it.

#fbaa #fbaa fanfic #from blood and ash #poppy balfour #hawke flynn #casteel da'neer #alternate pov #ao3 #fanfiction

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scolopendress-tag · 3 years

Note

How many legs? Also how many eyes? Just 2? Are they compact like flies?

Legs!

Centipedes vary in leg number, but the constant is that they'll always have an odd number of pairs, so they never actually have a hundred legs! And they only have one leg per segment as well, where as millipedes have two, as a quick way to tell them apart if you're ever unsure.

The actual number can be between 30 and 354, depending on species. 30 legs, or 15 pairs, you can see on house centipede species. Genus scolopendra (my namesake and what tend to be referred to as the 'giant centipedes') tend to have 42~46 legs or 21~23 pairs. Soil centipedes, or geophilomorpha are a large order, but they seem to boast the pedes with the most legs- they practically look like worms!! It's and easy bet to say these guys are the ones boasting the grand title of 354, or at least one species is, finding info on them can be tough! I'll probably read up on scientific articles later and add to this if I find the specific culprit!

And! It's worth nothing you want to include the terminal legs - that being the final, usually long or unusual looking leg pair facing straight back on the end of their bodies - and the forcipules - or fangs - in your leg count, should you try to count yourself! Both are modified legs, the forcipules in particular being specialized for venom delivery!

Eyes!

Like legs, centipedes eyes vary as well from species to species. Plenty of species don't have eyes at all, usually the itty bitty guys which makes up most centipedes. Those that do have 'eyes' (ocelli) have a varying number of them, and they do infact cluster together to form compound eyes in some cases! They're all still pretty much blind though, and can only really discern light and dark. They use other means to navigate their world!

If you look at close up pictures of house centipedes, they have your classic compound eyes. Scolopendra species, such as dehaani or gigantea, have a small amount of individual ocelli, but no true compound eyes, usually 3-5 on either side from what I've observed. They're not arranged around the head like you may see in things like spiders or scorpions and stay in one area, clustered right behind the antenna.

Photos under cut to spare scolopendraphobes

A house centipede, soil centipede, and scolopendra centipede (actually my late pede Kulo, RIP!). The difference in leg number is pretty clear, along with body type!

Variations of terminal legs. They have interesting varying functions of their own!

Forcipules open, you can kinda see how they are modified legs. (Pic is my first ever and also late centipede girl Tuli. She was drinking water off her enclosure wall after I gave it a good misting which is why she is a little wet lol. I do try to avoid getting them wet though. She was thorsty after hurricane evac.)

Eyelsss soil centipedes and compound eyes on a house centipede

A good look at the distinct multiple ocelli on scolopendra. (These kinds of pics are my favorite bc they're so cute. The first one looks like it has a little cat mouth :3 help. Also the little spiral way they'll hold they're antennae sometimes I 🥺🥺🥺🥺 ...lil mustache)

#all the pede pics i take are so shitty im sorry #theyre old bidnisinsin #centipede #bug tw

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siriusinmynerves · 3 years

Text

EVERY MOMENT IS A FRESH BEGINNING

- a fanfiction on Harry and Sirius father-son relationship.

CHAPTER 1-

31st OCTOBER 1981 (THIRTY-SEVEN YEAR AGO)

"Yes i did it" a young twenty one year old Peter squeaked out of happiness because he completed his first magical painting which is for James and Lily though they ordered Peter for the painting for two reason first that Peter paint really well and second because if unfortunately James and Lily die somehow so Harry can talk to them whenever he needed.

"Wow its beautiful, i am pretty sure that Lily would love it" Sirius told Peter who was astonished by Peter's hidden talent and he went upstairs to write his journal because he was feeling uneasy. his heart was saying that only family: James, Lily and Harry is in danger. so he wanted to clear his heart out.

October 31st 1981,

Dear diary,

As i have mentioned already that today is 31st of October and its Halloween, my Harry's first halloween, but poor lad can't even go for trick-and-treating thanks to that shitty seer's prophecy and that noseless git who is afraid of him. although he call himself dark lord but still afraid of a mare child. anyways i really miss him its been almost one month since i have met him and his father. I don't know why i am getting some dirty feelings that my family is not safe, but as wormtail is their secret keeper they are safe. but still today i am worried for some unknown reasons. their is also something which made me uncomfortable about Tuli, she's been acting weird these days. its about yesterday when she suddenly screamed while holding her left wrist and when i asked her what happened she didn't replied instead she changed the topic. maybe i am wrong but their is something that she is hiding from me these days. merlin please make me wrong and i can't came to an conclusion because the last time i suspected anyone, i ended up accusing my own best friend and since i haven't seen him. Remus i miss you buddy please came back soon.

After writing he still was not feeling any better, he went downstairs and found Tulip sitting on the couch of the living room. she was admiring Peter's painting her eyes popped out when she saw the painting.

"Wow its beautiful, i am pretty sure that Lily would love it" Sirius told Peter who was astonished by Peter's hidden talent.

"Peter can you paint me and Sirius on our wedding day?" Tulip asked who just entered inside the house out of nowhere. Tulip Evans twin sister of Lily Evans and fiancé of Sirius.

Tulip is nothing like her sister. neither she have red hair and green doe eyes nor she was in Gryffindor, she was the adoptive twin sister of Lily. She is 5'6 in height and had thick black hair, with greyish-blue upturned eyes with gullwing lips, dark, heavy-lidded eyes and pale skin color. From her sixth year she start wearing descent wizard clothes, even at her house she didn't wore any muggle cloth. When sixth year end she didn't stay at home very much, nobody knows where she goes everyday. One day she break her limits, she didn't return to her house, her parents ground her and on the very next morning when Lily and her older sister were on a double date with James and fat pig Vernon some unknown death eaters killed their parents and surprisingly her little finger wasn't harmed.

''Tuli what the hell are you doing here! shouldn't be you at your home. have you forgot that you-know-who is after so many muggles and according to sources his black listed muggle list also have your name!", Sirius scolded her angrily.

"Oh come on Sirius do you really think that i came here without any thought of my security? i came here through the hidden ward in the basement of my house. I know that you are worried about me, but i was missing you badly", she said this and throw herself on Sirius. Sirius hold her and start kissing her passionately. Peter mimic Sirius and make fatigue faces. Sirius smirked at Peter. "I think we should prepare lunch otherwise i will faint of starvation." said Peter.

"You won't have to do that i bought some self made kidney pie. do you want some Peter?" Tulip offered to which Peter agree and they all eat together, after eating an idea came through her mind.

"So i think we should bake some pumpkin pasties, Halloween themed sugar cookies and cup cakes for my little nephew?", Tulip suggested. Sirius and Peter both agreed and after an hour of huge mess created by Sirius and Peter finally an edible outcome of treats like pumpkin pasties, sugar cookies and cup cakes was ready. After eating Peter was wailing to meet her girl Mary because they haven't seen them in the last few months.

"Peter please wait for two days you'll be able to meet her after two days. Mark my words.", Tulip said that strange thing but but everyone ignored her as Sirius decided to play a match of chess. suddenly an owl came flying through the window it was James's owl Bulger who sent him Lily special handmade pumpkin pie and two photographs of baby Harry who was wearing a pumpkin shaped dress and a picture of James and Lily. this made Sirius smile. He showed the photograph to Tulip and Peter. Peter was crying because of Harry's cuteness and Tulip was smiling in a strange way, but Sirius ignored that too and he hugged that picture.

"So boys i am going to my house because its already seven thirty. goodbye Siri and Wormy", She said with an evil smirk and apparate from the basement of Sirius's house. Sirius was feeling a little bit better after seeing his godson's photo, but not much so he decided to talk to James through two way mirror.

"James?" he called James.

"Hey mate how you're doing? why are you looking so tensed is everything alright?",James asked.

"Everything is not okay James nothing is okay. how do you expect me to live happily when my only family is in danger. i am fed up with this now please someone end this. we don't know when we get die, when our heart stop beating and you are asking me why i am tensed. that noseless git is after everyone we love and i can't live like this anymore. I want our perfect life back like we used to live happily till last year and ever since you and Lily went into hiding and Remus has left my life because my dumb mouth accused him after that incident where death eaters came to hidden Potter Manor to kidnap a pregnant Lily. I lose most of my friends, i lost my brother and my life have become an misery.", Sirius stopped talking because he was on the verge of tears.

"I know how you feel but no one can do nothing until someone defeat the ruthless killer and i know that day will come soon, so you don't worry everything will be fine and okay and don't worry about Remus he returned to London today, he visited us. now change the topic and tell me have you tasted the pumpkin pie that I have made specially for you?" asked Lily who kicked James out of the way like a queen.

An idea struck into Sirius's mind. "I am coming right now to meet you both and my little Bambi and if you dare to deny my decision i will surrender in front of that noseless git you understand Lily Potter", Sirius said fiercely and a miracle happened Lily the boss didn't even tried to deny. Then without any nonsense he went to the living, he wore his travel cloak when he was about to leave the house Peter called him. "Where are you going?" asked Peter. "To James's.",he simply replied.

"Wait padfoot i wanna come too." said Peter. "Peter how you can come with me? have you forgot that you are Lily and James's secret keeper. You have to hidden until James and Lily's life will be spared.", Said Sirius. "Me? secret keeper? didn't Tulip told you that James and Lily swapped their secret keeper again?",Peter frowned.

Confusion ran through Sirius's mind. "N-no one told me that. neither Tulip nor James or Lily. Peter when did they changed their secret keeper and why no one told me yet?!!" Sirius said loudly which make Peter frighten. "T-they ch-nged their secret keeper a month ago and we didn't told you because Tulip was supposed to tell you this. They change their secret keeper because Tulip somehow convince them to do so .",Peter squeaked in fear. Then something ran in Sirius's mind.

"Wormy do you remember last year when some death eaters halfway kidnapped the pregnant Lily from Potter manor and a female death eater fled, and when Lily was taking Harry to bath someone made that water boiling hot. one time when Lily was feeding Harry apple puree a mice ate that and it instantly dies thanks merlin Lily didn't feed Harry that puree?" he asked Wormy.

"Yes i remember every single incident so what?" asked a confused Peter.

"So Peter have you ever thought in every single incident Tulip was there, when Lily was kidnapped we cannot found Tulip but suddenly we found her faint in the closet where she was wet with water and do you remember on the same time it was raining. obviously she didn't go outside for some rain dance. In the second incident when the water was boiling hot it was Tulip who prepare the bath for Harry and in the third time it was again her who prepared the apple puree for Harry. Till this date she didn't tell me about the secret keeper swap and have you noticed her strange behavior lately she even cover her arm.", Sirius said grimly.

"OH NO!! THIS MEANS THAT-

"This mean that my filthy little mudblood adoptive sister is in danger along with her scumbag byproduct and that filthy blood traitor. it took you a little late to figure this out but you do. now its your turn to die, so who decided to die first huh?", Tulip said evilly. Sirius was rooted to the spot, his love of his life, her Tuli she betrays her own sister. His heart broken into thousand pieces he wanted to know why she betrays him. he loved her with his full heart but she did this to him.

"I know what you are thinking but to be honest i never loved you, you were good to use. but i don't have any choice other than using you. for the first fifteen year of my life i lived with those filthy mudbloods and they spoke too much, well then i put them into silence forever. now its their turn to put their mouth shut, but first i wanna shut yours." she said

Sirius shocked, he never expecting this from her not from his love. "w-why d-did---

"You don't have to stammer because I'll tell this to you on my own and don't call me with that filthy name, what was that? ohh yeah Tulip Evans because i don't want that filthy muggle man's surname or his given name because my real name is Cassandra Lestrange. i am the daughter of Polaris Lestrange and Leta Lestrange III they leave me in the muggle hospital and put a spell on me so only muggle family will adopt me in which a magical child is born who is the younger twin of mine but unfortunately only one magical child was born on that day who happens to be Lily. Poor Lily. I tried every single thing to kill the boy but he was too arrogant to die just like his father but today will change everything because they both will die soon, i think the dark lord have done his job." she said and began to laugh like a maniac while Peter was drained out of blood because of what he hear and Sirius wasn't sure what to do he wanted to kill her and cry his eyes out and suddenly his legs passed out and he fell on the ground his eyes were red with anger and pulse high.

"So who wanted to die first. i think Sirius you so I'll do that for you AVADA-- PETRIFICUS TOTALUS-- someone petrify her from behind. Sirius who was in the way to his death was not surprised that someone save him, it was Remus who heard all the conversation.

"Peter i am going to check on Lily and James and you do something to this bitch, if she stayed anymore second in front of me i swear to merlin that she will die in this petrify state of her and Remus will you come with me?", Sirius was filled with rage and mind with horrific thoughts, without any waste of time he went to the garage he pulled out his flying motorcycle and start the engine Remus on the other hand didn't dare to speak to Sirius anything because he know the anger of Sirius Black. the journey from his house to Godric's Hollow was filled with dead silence like no one in this Earth was their expect Sirius and Remus, not even a fly or an owl. Sirius's was flying with full speed and soon they reached Godric's Hollow and their worst nightmare came true. horror stricken Sirius and Remus were pale and eyes widen when they saw the sight of house with half blasted roof which was of Harry's nursery. Without any delay Sirius and Remus entered in the house and saw the worst sight they ever wanted to see.

James Potter, laying on the floor, eyes wide open with horror but without any life and light. pale and ice cold body. Remus couldn't believe that this man is James Potter because James Potter is no James Potter without his mischievous grin and smirk. Sirius break down when he saw this horrific sight of his brother, he wanted to die, have nothing to lose anything anymore because he already lose Reg, now his whole family: James, Lily and his godson Harry. all because of that bitch. He started laughing like a maniac because he didn't know what to do with his life because all his happiness now ended with James.

"Padfoot get up we need to find Lily and Harry.", Remus said sadly but Sirius didn't want to go upstairs only to found the dead bodies of his sister and Harry, but a voice said in his mind which said "GO SIRIUS, GO UPSTAIRS. DON'T GET HOPELESS NOW" Sirius get up and rushed upstairs and found Lily Potter's lifeless body. her beautiful green doe eyes were not filled with anything except from horror and lifelessness. now he lose hope he wanted to cry, he wanted to die. With a guilty heart he started blaming himself for the death of his family, but suddenly he heard some crying, Remus rushed toward the baby cot and he squeaked with a bit happiness when he found a crying Harry.

"Sirius look we haven't lose our family Harry is alive look, your godson is alive.", Remus said happily. The candle of hope which was then blew off now found a way to save its light.

without any waste of time he lift up the crying baby and tried to sooth him, when he remove the messy mope of hair from his forehead he saw a lightning bolt mark.

"We have to take him out of here Sirius", Remus suggested to which Sirius agreed without any hesitation. "Remus take the keys and flew and I'll sit in the sidecar with Harry. Take us to Dumbledore i need to talk to him about Harry's future. five minutes after they flew away Hagrid also came to see the horrific sight.

Thanks to Sirius's motorcycle which have a magical ability to locate anyone they wanna visit soon they unexpectedly came to NUMBER 4 Privet Drive where Lily's vile excuse of a sister lives with her husband. What on Earth Dumbledore is doing here at this late.

"Aah Sirius you i didn't expect you with Mr.Lupin i was expecting Hagrid with little Mr.Potter, now you are here so hand him over me and bid a goodbye for few year until he became illegible to go to Hogwarts." Dumbledore said this and the marauders didn't understand what is the old man talking. so Remus decided to ask, "Why Albus? why we have to bid a goodbye to him where he is going?" asked a confused werewolf to his old headmaster.

"well you all know that Lily's older sister Petunia is the only family he have left and it is--- so you want Harry to live with Lily's vile excuse of sister who didn't even bother to attend her own sister's wedding and calling her names which shatters her heart. NO IN THE BLOODY WAY HARRY IS GOING TO LIVE WITH THESE MUGGLES, NOT UNTIL I AM ALIVE!!!!" a heart broken Sirius with a lot of loss roared before his old headmaster could complete his words.

"But Sirius try to understand, its for Harry's own safety" Dumbledore tried to explain Sirius but the future auror didn't wanna hear a word from his ex headmaster. "OHH BY KEEPING HIM IN A HELLHOLE WITH TWO MAGIC HATER FOOLS, I DON'T WANNA TELL YOU ANYTHING HARRY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY NOT YOURS OR NOT ANYONE BUT MINE. SO LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR DUMBLEDORE HARRY WILL BE LIVING WITH ME ALL HIS ETERNITY AND YOU ARE NO ONE TO TAKE DECISION FOR HIM. YOU ARE NOT HIS GODFATHER I AM." Sirius roared again so that his throat get sore. their was a utter silence for a minute then Minerva open her mouth to speak.

"Sirius is right Albus, i have watched these muggles everyday and they are the worst sort of muggles i have ever seen. Harry's well being is with Sirius, in the wizarding world." she explained.

"Minerva you also? i just don't want to make his head swell with fame and i want to let him safe that's it" Dumbledore said.

"OHH SO YOU WANT TO LET HIM LIVE IN A HELLHOLE RIGHT SO THAT HIS HEAD DIDN'T SWELL WITH FAME", this time a silent Remus burst out on Dumbledore.

"And of his safety, i am sure that Sirius will make him safe so that on one can ever harm him." McGonagall said this with pride in her eyes and she did something unexpected. She hugged him and hand over Harry to him. Dumbledore didn't have any options left so he also have to agree.

After that they all apparate from there and call an order meeting.

"Peter betrays us. i cant believe that Peter can do such things", Minnie said.

"It wasn't Peter, it was always Cassandra aka Tulip that bitch killed my brother and sister and I'll kill her too, I'll make her life hell until she begs me to kill her but i won't show any mercy on her and still torture her until she dies. she will pay for this, Sirius said with full hatred.

"Sirius please don't do any stupid thing, there is no use of Harry in azkaban and i will make sure that she'll rot in azkaban", Dumbledore assured him.

"Wait will someone tell us who is this Cassandra lady?", asked a confused Mary who was now relieve that his Peter is innocent. Then Remus told all about Cassandra. everyone gasped when she heard that and asked him what is he saying. Remus then explained everything to his ex headmaster and house head. Minnie's eyes were filled with tears and after a long silence Sirius spoke.

"It's all my fault if i haven't swapped my place with Peter so she couldn't convince them to swap her to Peter's place but i was a fool who make Peter their secret keeper, it's not Peter's fault its mine and i didn't even get to say a goodbye. I don't know what to do Moony please make this pain to an end please or I'll die of remorse. My life is filled with black clouds, it feels like dementors suck out all my happiness, i don't have anyone in this world.", Sirius said and one speak a word.

After a long pause Alice Longbottom open her mouth to speak who was sobbing on her husband's shoulder.

"So what happened to Voldemort?", she asked.

"He is gone for good and now our wizarding world is safe until he came back to power and-- Dumbledore pause and pick up Harry from his cot and raise him into air and continue to speak "and he is the boy who lived."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE MY BEST FRIEND IS GONE.", Marlene sobbed.

Dumbledore said something which make Sirius a bit cheerful, he said that:

"Ms.Mckinnon remember never pity on the dead, pity on those who never received love and every moment is a fresh beginning"

#tumblr #harry potter #sirius black #remus lupin #wolfstar #james potter #lily evans #wizarding world #albus dumbledore #purple

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rampararams · 4 years

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my comfort movies (not in particular order)

Berikut adalah filem yang w tonton berulang-ulang sampe hapal dialognya. Beberapa mungkin belum masuk list. Nanti kalo inget akan w update. Random aja urutannya.

5-star rating for each (personal rate). I highly recommend you to watch these movies. I’m not really good at writing—especially writing reviews—but I’ll try my best to give a small review and why I put them on this list. And, I’ll try my best to not give any spoiler in case you haven’t watch it. Ya kalo w sudah kehabisan kata-kata untuk me-review, w tidak akan tulis apa-apa ok.

1. The Imitation Game

“Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes… hollow”

IMDb: 8/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Merupakan sebuah kisah nyata dari matematikawan Enggeres bernama Alan Turing yang diperankan oleh om Benedict Cumberbatch. Lalu ada pula matematikawati (?) yang menjadi heroine dalam film ini yaitu Joan Clarke, diperankan oleh mbak Keira Knightley. Udah ga diragukan lagi ya kualitas acting mereka berdua. Sampe sini dah paham? Ok.

Just imagine yourself making a machine to break the unbreakable machine called Enigma; how you build the trust between your team and the gasps when your machine is really breaking the Enigma. That thrilling sensation and remarkable dialogues.

Alurnya rada muter-muter so please prepare yourself for little confusion.

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel

“Rudeness is merely the expression of fear. People fear they won't get what they want. The most dreadful and unattractive person only needs to be loved and they will open up like a flower.“

IMDb: 8.1/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Jika kalian mencari ketenangan batin melalui keindahan visual dan jalan cerita yang ga terlalu berat, makan tontonlah filem Wes Anderson. Really. Suwer. I’ve watched some of his works but this one is my favourite.

Starring Voldemort Ralph Fiennes as Mr. Gustave and Toni Revolori as Lobby Boy. Alurnya mundur, menceritakan masa kejayaan hotel ini dan yang terjadi pada saat itu. Ceritanya tertata rapi dan bener-bener enak buat ditonton. Ga ada alasan khusus buat suka film ini kecuali visually pleasing and simple story.

3. Black Swan

“Perfection is not just about control, it's also about letting go.”

IMDb: 8/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Genre thriller tapi dikemas dengan sangat indah alias cantik banget. A story about Nina (Natalie Portman)—the fragile girl who trying to portray both withe and black swan. She can do the white swan perfectly, but black swan is different. She need to letting go and loose the perfection within herself.

4. Never Let Me Go

“It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed. If I'd known, maybe I'd have kept tighter hold of them and not let unseen tides pull us apart.”

IMDb: 7.1/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 70%

Filem sedih favorit gue. So far. Trigger warning for those who have anxiety and thanatophobia (fear of death), perhaps?

Scoring-nya bagus banget. Bener-bener tipikal filem sedih yang akan gue suka sepanjang masa. Filem ini ga bikin gue nangis. Ga setitikpun. Namun berhasil bikin gue nyesek di dada dan bengong setelah nonton sambil bilang “hah? anjir?” dalam konteks kesedihan (?). Berasa langsung bolong ada yang hilang. ‘Cuma’ dapet rating 7 di IMDb dan RT.

Agak sedih because I think they deserves higher rate? Yaudah gapapa. Yang menilai jauuuuh lebih mumpuni daripada eug.

5. Midnight in Paris

“I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving, or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know, or Belmonte, who is truly brave. It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds, until it returns, as it does, to all men. And then you must make really good love again.”

IMDb: 7.7/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Filem ini ga bisa ditonton buru-buru. Apalagi buat lo yang suka skip filem. Emang banyak scene yang diem doang ga ada dialog, gue ngerti kalo lo bakal bosen. Yet please, I beg you to not skip any single second in this movie because the musics in Midnight in Paris can make you feel like you’re really in Paris.

6. Gone Girl

“I'm the cunt you married. The only time you liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this cunt might like. I'm not a quitter, I'm that cunt. I killed for you; who else can say that? You think you'd be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby! I'm it”. (not really a ‘cool quotes’ but it’s from one of my favourite scenes).

IMDb: 8.1/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Main kejar-kejaran dan petak umpet di level yang berbeda. You will find Rosamund Pike’s voice is so magnetic to hear. Kalo gue review filem ini gue kayaknya harus pake template selebgram review makanan:

“Ga ngerti lagi sebagus itu!” “Gila woy kalian harus coba!” “Rasanya mau meninggal!”

7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.”

IMDb: 8/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Bener-bener bikin kangen masa SMA! Soundtrack-nya enak dan memorable. It can show you both bright and blue feelings. Terlebih lagi karena tokoh di filem ini mengidap PTSD. It shows you how Charlie (Logan Lerman) cope with his mental illness (I guess... (?)).

8. The Danish Girl

“I can feel myself getting better when I listen to your pencil. You've always sketched me better than I was. But what you draw, I become. You made me beautiful. And now you're making me strong. Such power in you.”

IMDb: 7.1/10 // Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Kisah nyata juga nih. Menceritakan tentang Einar Wegener yang diperankan oleh om Eddie Redmayne dan Istrinya, Gerda Wegener, yang diperankan oleh mba Alicia Vikander. Gila ga tuh?! Anw, per tanggal posting ini, filem The Danish Girl menjadi trending karena ada yang merekomendasikan di TikTok. Sekadar curhat personal, rasanya pengen teriak, “Lo kemana aja woy?!11??” it’s hella five years since it’s official release date. Tapi yaudah lah nanti w disangka sok superior lagi huhu.

Filem sedih banget (ga sampe bikin nangis sih) dan penuh dilema. Lo diajak buat ngerasain gimana sedihnya Gerda dan pencarian jati diri Einar. Scoring dan sinematografinya cakep banget. Again rasanya gue pengen naikin rating IMDb dan RT :”)

#the imitation game #the grand budapest hotel #black swan #never let me go #midnight in paris #gone girl #the perks of being a wallflower #the danish girl

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urmomsstuntdouble · 4 years

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if you’re okay with hetalia! I would love anything with the nyo!nordics they are absolutely my guilty pleasure. it can be shippy or familial or whatever else. I’m partial to stupid AUs like “they all work at the mall but don’t match their stores at all” and “iceland is into vocaloid” but you could also go the complete opposite direction and I’d be just as happy with high fantasy or whatever inspires you :)

here ya go i guess. sorry this took so long, i sort of got carried away with it and now it is Lorge. is it good? in character? who knows. anyway, i hope you enjoy :)

December 19, 20XX

After five years of living together, there were certain things Ylva had come to expect of her roommates. Harassment at work was nearly a given when one of them had a problem, whether it was Runa needing a place to sleep for the night or Maija needing to workshop material for her latest gig. Thankfully, Ylva worked at a Color Me Mine instead of a bank or something serious. And today was no exception to the Workplace Harassment Rule. At 7:32, Maija burst through the front door and charged over to where Ylva was filling bottles of glaze. If she were any other customer, someone might have something to say about it, but by now, every staff member was acquainted with her and found her charming. Some had even been disappointed to hear she was taken, though Ylva couldn't imagine why. Her girlfriend was a fucking nightmare.

“I need to paint some mugs,” Maija demanded, tossing the end of her scarf over her shoulder. Ylva didn't look up, didn't even take her headphones out of her ears.

“Cool.”

“For Tuli and Astrid. For Christmas.”

“There have been enough Color Me Mine presents circulated within our apartment already,” Ylva said. The bottle of glaze had been filled, and it was time to move on to the next one. It was butter yellow, almost the same shade as Maija’s hair.

“Okay, you’re not wrong, but if I order on Amazon, it’s not gonna come on time. Also, you’ll get paid this way.” Maija moved a clump of hair away from her forehead with delicate fingers, as though it were made of glass. Ylva snorted, cracking open the yellow glaze.

“My knight in shining armor,” She said, “It’s not like this place is going under.” Quite the contrary, in fact. This close to Christmas, the place was packed as people scrambled to make gifts for their loved ones. Dumbasses. When they rushed the place, it was nearly impossible to get everyone’s stuff through the kiln in time for Christmas.

“Okay, well, have you considered that I’m your girlfriend?” Maija said, giving her best puppy dog eyes. Ylva rolled her eyes, trying to suppress the warmth she felt inside, and shrugged.

“I’d like to not pay rent next month,” She said, “Make that your Christmas present to me. Instead of paying my share of the rent, I get to pay off my student loans.” Maija rolled her eyes, but shifted closer to Ylva.

“Done, if I can make them mugs.”

“Fine.” Ylva glanced up at Maija. “Your hair looks cute today.”

“Oh, thanks! I’ve actually been wearing a hat all day, so I was worried it would look ugly, but…Anyway. So, I sent Runa some tickets to my show on Saturday, but I haven’t heard back from her. Do you know if she’s, like, alright?” Once again, Ylva had to shrug.

“Runa’s a big girl, she can handle herself.”

“I know, but I get so worried about her. Like, what if some handsome boy seduces her and she runs away from home, and-”

“My sister? Run away with a boy?” Ylva had to laugh. “Are you high?” Of all the reasons Runa had to run away from their mother’s house, a boy was not one of them. She’d be more likely to start her own brand of sweaters or write a TV show for Netflix, but never once had Runa talked about boys.

“Whatever. Is she doing okay?”

“I think so. I’ve been sending her money for a couple weeks, so I know she’s not starving.” Ylva had to take comfort in that. The truth was, she hadn’t heard from her sister in a while, and it was becoming unnerving. But if she got anxious about it, so would Maija, and an anxious Maija was no fun to deal with.

“Besides, when has she ever missed one of your shows?” Runa made it a point to go whenever one of them had a gig. She was always in the front row when Ylva’s band, Lithium, was playing, and always somewhere in the room when Maija was doing “comedy.” Cringing along with the rest of the audience.

“That’s true. I just wanna make sure she’s safe, you know?” Ylva nodded. It was a feeling she knew all too well. Looking after Runa defined her middle school career.

“What sort of mugs do you want?” She asked, changing the subject. She was tired of talking about her sister, tired of thinking about all the ways Runa could end up dead in a ditch. Or dead some other way, like drugs or if she ate scallops, which she was allergic to, or if she got too close to some birds while trying to take a picture and got hit by a car.

“Oh, um, I think Tuli likes the round ones.”

“All mugs are round,” Ylva snorted. Her manager probably wouldn’t notice if she wandered away to paint mugs with Maija. She stopped pretending to fill bottles of glaze and stowed the refills under the table, where they usually lived, and guided Maija over to the selection of paintable ceramics.

“This is what I mean,” Maija said, grabbing a mug from the top shelf. Ylva enjoyed the way her hoodie moved, how the fabric straightened against her waist while she rose to her toes. The mug in question was wide at the bottom, but the sides slowly curved up to the top, not unlike a sugar pot. It was cute, and exactly the sort of mug Tuli would like.

“Oh,” Ylva said, “That’s cute. I think Astrid would like that one.” She pointed at another mug on the top shelf, and took pleasure in watching her girlfriend stretch to reach it. Over the next few hours, Maija painted the mugs. Her efforts to be artistic were sincere, but it was clear she didn't have the attention span. As always, Maija never stopped rambling and never stopped making jokes out of everything. By now, Ylva was immune to most of it, although she did laugh at the occasional joke while picking bits of clay dust out from under her fingernails. Once most of the customers had left, she kicked up her boots on the table, which was mostly an excuse to show off her fishnet leggings to Maija.

“I think I’m done,” Maija said a couple hours later, paintbrush between her teeth as she stared down at her work. Both mugs were sloppily painted, but Ylva could see what they were supposed to be. Astrid’s was a reference-less portrait of her dog on one side, with cherry blossoms covering the rest of the mug, and Tuli’s had a rainbow painted along the handle and a bunch of Pokemon adorning the outside. Well, Pokemon via the brush of an ill-experienced painter. There were some that erred more to the side of horrific than cute, but Ylva knew what Maija was going for.

“They look like shit,” She said, “They’re gonna love them.”

“Hey!”

“You can’t tell me this is supposed to be Eevee,” She said, tapping what looked like a bear on the side of Tuli’s mug. Maija’s face fell, a pout gracing her lips.

“It was supposed to be a Pikachu.”

“That’s talent, I guess,” Ylva said, “Or lack thereof. Don’t worry, you’re talented in other areas.” She tacked on at the end, when Maija’s pout increased.

“Well, that’s rude. Can we go do the glaze now?”

“They’re already glazed,” Ylva said, “The next coat is just to protect them when they go in the kiln. But you can come.” The pair stood up, and made their way to the back room, where Ylva removed her fishnet gloves and dunked each mug in the pre-kiln glaze, then set them aside to dry. Before she could put her gloves back on, Maija snatched one of her hands.

“I need my hand,” She complained, but allowed Maija to press a kiss to her knuckles and pull her into a hug. It was nice, after a day on her feet, to lean against someone she loved.

“This is nice,” Maija murmured, breath warm against her neck. Ylva shivered at the feeling, and though she wanted to rub her face further into Maija’s shoulder, she couldn’t walk out of the back room with smudged eyeliner, so she stayed put.

“How was your day today?” Ylva asked, her voice muffled somewhat by the hoodie.

“Long,” Maija said, “Feels like yesterday was years ago, and I didn't do anything the whole time. You?”

“I’ve been at work,” Ylva said, closing her eyes. She could almost ignore the ache in her feet when she focussed on how warm Maija was and the pressure of arms on her back.

“Mm,” Maija hummed, “When do the mugs go in the kiln?”

“When they’re dry,” Ylva mumbled, swaying slightly. She missed this. Even though she was done with school, no one else in the apartment was. Finals week was almost done, though- Which reminded her, Maija really needed to be studying. She had a test tomorrow. Eh, she’d already spent two hours painting mugs. A few more minutes spent hugging wouldn't hurt.

“That’s annoying,” Maija said, her voice high and soft. Her sentence was punctuated with a yawn, and Ylva was glad her face was hidden, because how dare someone make a sound so cute. The smile on her face would become a target for mockery, and go straight to Maija’s ego.

“My shift ends soon,” Ylva said, clenching her fingers in the back of Maija’s hoodie.

“Yeah.”

“The car’s not far.”

“Thought Tuli took the car to school today,” Maija mumbled, straight into some of Ylva’s hair.

“Astrid got them an Uber,” Ylva said. This was where it was at, even though Maija was insufferable most of the time. Conversations that meant nothing, hugs, and the comfortable familiarity of someone she’d loved for a long time. But, technically, she was still on the job. So she pulled away, gave Maija’s hand a quick squeeze, and left the back room feeling energized.

December 20, 20XX

“Do you think I should dye my hair?” Maija asked, leaning heavily against the shopping cart.

“Mm. It could look cute. What color are you thinking?” Tuli asked, not pausing in her examination of the supermarket’s selection of spices. Maija clicked her tongue, and ran her hand through some heavily gelled hair.

“Oh, you know. Blue and pink are the classic colors, but what if I got, like, green or something? That would be pretty neat.” Tuli plucked something from the shelf and returned to the cart.

“But: Are you biased to dye it green right now because green is a Christmas color?” Hm, that was a good point.

“I don't think so?” Maija said, “I mean, green’s a nice color.”

“That it is,” Tuli agreed, and laid a hand on the shopping cart. “What else did they tell us to get?” Maija pulled a crumpled up list of ingredients out of her back pocket, and read over them. From the looks of the shopping cart, most of it had already been gathered.

“Uh, craisins. And…those sprinkles that are actually eyes?”

“Oh!” Tuli smiled, “I put that. I wanted to put them on cupcakes, but then I didn't really plan anything else, so…I guess I’ll just end up eating a bunch of eyeball sprinkles. Or maybe someone else will do something with them.” Tuli shrugged, and brushed some hair out of her eyes. “So. Craisins.”

“Craisins ahoy,” Maija replied, though she wasn't sure what Craisins ahoy actually meant. To her knowledge, most Christmas meals did not include craisins, but when Ylva and Astrid were in the kitchen, she did not question them. They were magicians of the culinary persuasion, except for when Astrid tried to say that bananas on pizza were good. No, Maija hadn't tried it, she would not try it, and it was not good. End of discussion.

“Craisins,” Tuli agreed, and turned away to search for them, leaving Maija to follow behind with the cart. Though they were out for craisins, both of them had a habit of picking up interesting foods, sharing it with the other, and deciding if it was actually worth buying. Jalapeno chocolates? Yes, but we can't tell the others it’s spicy. Mango flavored tea? Not actually that interesting, but the box was pretty.

“Hey, Tuli,” Maija asked while they were waiting in line at the checkout.

“Mm?”

“Do you like Pokemon?”

“Oh, yeah! I was super competitive on the Pokemon scene in middle school. I was one of, like, three kids who actually knew how the card game worked,” She said.

“I didn't know I was in the presence of royalty,” Maija teased. Tuli gave a soft laugh, and adjusted her hoodie.

“Plot twist,” Tuli said, “I’m actually both Jessie and James, smashed into one body.” She laughed at her own joke, though it wasn't funny. Maija gave her a pity laugh though.

“Oh, move the cart up,” Maija said, and Tuli did, pulling the cart after her. The store was super crowded today- Probably not the wisest idea to save the shopping until this close to the holiday, but oh well. At least Maija had gifts for everyone this year. She was rather proud of that. It was worthy of straightening her bow tie- If she had been wearing a bow tie, that is. She should get more of those. Insufficient bow ties was an excellent description of her wardrobe. Unfortunately.

All in all, the trip to the store lasted about two and a half hours. Not too shabby for a pre-Christmas haul, if Maija had anything to say about it, and soon enough, they were back home. Ylva was out at work, and Astrid was busy working on her thesis, so the pair set about to silently put all the new groceries away. Once that was done, they traipsed off to their respective rooms. Maija knew she had to work on her new set, but couldn't think of anything funny. Literally, hours went by and she was still staring at the same blank screen. How fun.

Eventually, she got bored and sent Astrid the link to a YouTube video called i sword fight my ex gf in a denny’s parking lot with the caption omg this is so us!!1!. A couple minutes later she was rewarded with the word Blocked, despite not actually getting blocked. Love you too bab <3. No response. At least Ylva thought she was sort of funny. Or at least, funny enough to go to her shows. Did Ylva actually think she was funny? As if they hadn't had that conversation before. But, Ylva was on her mind, so Ylva she would text. babe. A couple minutes passed before the response of what.

am i funny

You’re the courtiest of court jesters. i lose my spleen laughing every time i go to one of your shows.

Though Ylva still had her spleen, the message was reassuring.

should i dye my hair

Idc, its not my hair. A pause. also i got your dumb mugs

yay!

Ah, punctuation. Noice. Ttyl. Maija sighed at that, and returned to staring blankly at her laptop. Maybe she could write some jokes about her weird, not-quite-rivalry with Astrid. Or her relationship? Something didn't sit right with her about mocking her girlfriend on stage. It was only funny when Ylva could mock her back. And that was how Maija wound up watching clips of various comedians until the evening rolled around and Ylva came home.

“Hey,” Maija said, “Tell me what to write about.” Ylva paused for a second, taking off her coat and boots.

“How girls always dye their hair blond but do it so you can see their roots.”

“What?”

“‘Cause they’re, like, into beauty but half ass it when it comes to their hair,”

Ylva said, “It’s irony or whatever.” Maija didn't think the idea was that good, but stowed it away in her mind, just in case.

“Thanks, luv,” She said in her poshest English accent.

“Nobody with that accent says luv,” Ylva told her, “It’s not an upper class Londoner thing.”

“Upper class London can suck my dick,” Maija mumbled, “And thanks. Love.” Apparently saying the word “love” in her regular voice was enough to tinge Ylva’s cheeks pink. That was cute.

“Whatever,” She muttered, and brushed past Maija into their room. Ylva crashed on their bed, face down.

“Tired?” Maija asked, and she nodded.

“But the M-U-G-S are in my backpack.”

“That word is too short for you to spell out like that.” Ylva only stuck out her tongue.

“I’d fuck this bed if I could,” she mumbled, “So soft.”

“Consider yourself kinkshamed,” Maija said, taking a seat beside her. She wound one hand into Ylva’s hair, combing it out with her fingers. Ylva had such pretty hair. It was already blond, but with a liberal application of dye, she was silver-haired. Except for the side of her head that was shaved, where little golden tufts reigned supreme.

“There are worse kinks to shame, but alright,” Ylva said, “But I don't need to tell you about that.” Maija choked on her breath, heat rising to her cheeks.

“I- What?! What are you trying to say?” Ylva tilted her head to the side. Somehow she was both exhausted and playful, and the combination was not doing great things for Maija’s heart.

“Oh, nothing,” Ylva teased, kicking one leg in the air. “I just know you, is all.” Maija withdrew her hand and gave Ylva a light shove, only for Ylva to drag it back.

“No, just…Just stay here,” She mumbled, so Maija did, though not without workshopping her material until Ylva was no longer in the mood to fuck the bed. Although she could feel Ylva getting annoyed, at least she was laughing.

December 21, 20XX

Tuli scanned the room once again, wondering if she had gone to the right place. Maija’s shows were always at the same comedy club, but what if things were different this time? What if she made a mistake by ordering a cocktail? If this was the wrong place, it was probably too late to make it to the actual one. Would Maija be mad if she missed the show? Probably not, right? Yeah, it was just a simple misunderstanding. She checked her phone again, and it sure looked like she was in the right place, but what if-

“Tuli,” A voice said from behind, and when she glanced up, she was relieved to see Astrid behind her.

“Oh, Astrid! Sorry, I didn't see you come in.” She stood up, and pulled a chair away from the table for her wife. Astrid flashed her a tiny smile, and sat down, though she scooted herself in.

“There’s nothin’ to be sorry for,” Astrid said, her voice rolling over Tuli in a calming wave.

“Yeah. Anyway, do you want something to drink?” Astrid shook her head, causing her long hair to shimmer in the low light. One of her jobs was modelling, and for her most recent shoot, pink hair had been in order. Where her hair was usually a pale golden shade, it was now a faded bubblegum color at the ends, and Tuli loved it. She had suggested dying all of it pink, but apparently that was more than Astrid was willing to do. It was a bit of a commitment for someone with hair as long as her’s. Still, her wife looked cute enough with pink hair that Tuli was considering dying her own blond locks.

“Not two nights in a row.” The previous night, Astrid had attended a Christmas party for work, and had more to drink than was wise.

“You’re such a grandma,” Tuli teased, running one foot up Astrid’s leg under the table. Astrid’s slight shiver made her smile, though she tried to hide it by taking a long sip of her drink.

“Hey,” Another voice said from her other side, breaking the soft air between the two women. Ylva had arrived, it seemed, decked out in leather and fishnets, with only the most extreme eye makeup on.

“Hey, how are you?” Tuli greeted her with a warm smile, though Ylva did not return it.

“I’m alright. Don’t really want to see Maija embarrass herself again, but it seems to be her passion.”

“Oh, don’t say that!” Tuli gasped, “She’s not that bad!”

“She’s not that good either,” Astrid mumbled, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hand.

“You guys are so mean!” Tuli said, mocking offense. In her heart, she knew Maija wasn’t particularly good at delivering a joke, but she didn’t want to be rude about it in a space where Maija could hear.

“I’m allowed to be mean to her, she’s my girlfriend,” Ylva said, and kicked her legs up on the table. Tuli rolled her eyes, letting the meanness thing slide.

��You should be wearing pants right now,” She said, “You’ll freeze!” Though she wore knee high boots, fishnets and red denim shorts couldn’t protect her from the cold.

“I drove here, it’s fine. Relax, mom,” Ylva said.

“Okay, but if you get too cold-”

“It’s a great time for you to get preachy,” Astrid mumbled. Tuli blushed, though she wasn’t wrong. Her dress was better suited for the warmer seasons.

“I have a flannel in my purse,” She mumbled.

“That’s gay,” Ylva deadpanned, scrolling through her phone. Tuli rolled her eyes. At least one of them had the sense to dress for the weather. Astrid had on knee high boots that looked like they belonged to a high fantasy video game, olive green jeans tucked into her boots, and a gray sweater dress that hugged her narrow frame. She was lovely, or at least Tuli thought so.

For the next couple minutes, the three sat in relatively comfortable silence. Tuli had to wonder how Ylva was comfortable sitting with her knees in her chest, but she let it go. Astrid pulled her laptop out of her backpack and got started on some of her homework. Tuli had always liked the idea of grad school, but after seeing the toll it took on her roommates, she began to second guess it. Astrid would be paying off her student loans for the rest of time, and Maija would be saddled in debt after the heat death of the universe. At least the loans made for good comedy on occasion.

By the time the lights dimmed and the first comedian took to the stage, Tuli had grown bored, and was watching Astrid work over her shoulder. She was working on her thesis. It wasn't due until May, but she’d already started over from scratch twice since she started. When the lights went down, Astrid paused her typing, then lowered the brightness and started typing. She worked all through the first comedian’s set. He had some funny things to say, and some things that were more offensive than humorous. Overall, Tuli was more invested in her drink and checking over her shoulder to see if Runa was there yet.

When Maija came on, as the third act of the night, Astrid moved her laptop away from herself on the table, paying more attention. While Ylva didn’t set her phone down, she did look up from it.

“Has she already done this set in public?” Astrid asked, and Ylva shook her head.

“No, it’s fresh. She calls it a Christmas special. Must be why there’s so many stupid Santa jokes.”

“I like the Santa jokes,” Tuli said, though she wasn't really paying attention to Maija. She was listening, but tracing circles in the condensation on her glass.

“She might just be bombing,” Ylva said, a slight upturn in her lips. “You suck!” She shouted, interrupting the show. Maija paused, the smile dropping from her face as she looked out at the crowd. Her eyes were wide for a minute, then when she noticed Ylva, a smile crossed her face.

“Says the emo in the corner. Hey, did anyone tell you it’s not 2006 anymore? My condolences, but My Chemical Romance is dead.” That brought on a couple laughs, and Maija launched into a whole spiel about Hot Topic, all while staring straight at Ylva. Tuli shook her head- The whole thing was ridiculous. How Maija was funnier when she was improvising, how she needed Ylva’s help to do that. But Ylva didn't seem to mind, as she hugged herself and grinned up at the stage, saying nothing as her girlfriend dragged her through the mud. Not long after Maija began to deviate from the emo jokes, someone stomped over to their table and plopped down in an empty seat, then buried her shaved head in her arms. Ylva’s attention was immediately diverted from the stage, and onto the girl next to her.

“Runa?” She whispered, and laid her hand on the girl’s arm. The girl looked up, and holy shit, it was Runa. Tuli tried not to eavesdrop when they began speaking in hushed whispers, but couldn’t help but overhear a couple things. Failure, mother, homeless? And also college, driver’s license, weed. All that set her heart racing, but she tried to pay attention to Maija anyhow. Astrid, who was also peering over at Runa, took her hand, and gave a comforting squeeze.

When her set was over, Maija gave a dramatic bow and tipped her hat, then scurried off the stage. She returned a moment later to put the microphone back on it’s stand, which got a couple laughs. Tuli wondered if that had been on purpose. Shortly after, Maija made her way over to the table. She spun around the last empty chair and sat down, crossing her arms over the back.

“Hey guys,” She said, a little breathless, “How’d I do?”

“No better or worse than usual, I think,” Astrid said, pushing her glasses further up her nose.

“You were fine,” Ylva said, reaching across the table to pat her arm. The table was too wide, though, and her arms were too short, so she only managed to swipe at the air.

“Thanks,” Maija said, “Hey, Runa, glad you could make it.”

“Oh, yeah,” Runa said, her voice tiny. She had her arms crossed, and seemed to shrink in on herself a little. “You were cool.”

“Cool.” Maija smiled, “How’re you doing? Haven’t seen you in a while. And you cut your hair!” Runa shrugged, one hand coming up to her head, almost as if to tuck some hair behind her ear before she realized it was no longer there.

“Yeah, I guess I wanted a new look.”

“Well I like it,” Maija said, “It’s cool.”

“It’s a little messy,” Ylva said.

“Someone else is on stage, guys,” Astrid piped up, gesturing forward. All five of them looked up, dumb expressions on their face. They were, in fact, talking over someone’s set.

“Shit,” Maija said, not lowering her voice at all, “Do you guys wanna get out of here?”

“Can we?” Runa asked, looking hopeful.

“But we just got here,” Tuli complained, “Wouldn’t it be rude to-”

“Well, as we have just noticed, we are talking over someone’s set, so I think we should have this conversation in the lobby,” Ylva said, and that was something they could all agree on, so the group packed up their things and left the main area of the comedy club.

“Sorry to make you guys leave,” Runa mumbled, balling her fists in the ends of her sleeves.

“It’s okay,” Ylva said, “I can drive you home if you want.”

“I don't want to go back to mom’s house,” Runa said.

“Well, you’re always welcome at our apartment,” Maija said, playing with a piece of hair that had fallen into her face. “Can I ask who cut your hair? It’s so cute, and-”

“I did,” Runa said, “Thanks.” Though Maija was entertaining her with discussions of her hair, Tuli couldn't help but worry. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and began typing out a message to Astrid. Do you think she’s ok? Astrid glanced down at her upon checking her phone. Idk. No way for me to know. She paused for a moment, then began typing again. Also, I watched you type that. Tuli shifted so she could get a better look at Astrid, and sent her a goofy expression. She was rewarded with a smug smile and a hand on her shoulder. Tuli shifted closer to her, until they were almost touching, with the hope that Astrid might put an arm around her shoulder, but to no avail. That was what she got for not asking, but it didn't seem appropriate with Ylva and Maija vying for Runa’s attention.

“I’ll talk to her later, okay?” Runa said, “I just need a place to stay for Christmas, and after that I’ll be out of your business forever.”

“I never said I wanted you out of my business forever,” Ylva said, her voice betraying some anger.

“Okay,” Runa said, though the indication of her tone was that it was not, in fact, okay.

“Okay,” Tuli butted in, “Runa needs a place to stay, and we have one, so that’s the problem solved. Let’s go home, I can make dinner, and-”

“‘S my turn,” Astrid said, “I’ll make dinner.”

“Sure, whatever,” Ylva said, “Is that okay with you, Runa?” Her sister shrugged, but nodded, in the ultimate mixed message.

“Dope! Alright, so you guys wanna go?” Maija said, gesturing to the door. As that was the general consensus, the group began to make their way out. Just as they were on their way out, a man came up to the group.

“Hey, I saw your set,” He said, talking only to Maija. “Maija, right?”

“Yep, that’s me!” She said, putting on a voice eerily similar to Tuli’s customer service voice.

“Well, you’re really funny, and I was wondering if you might like to go out with me sometime.” Maija’s face went a deep red, and her fists clenched at her sides

“Um, thanks, but-”

“Have you ever heard of a straight woman with a rat tail?” Ylva asked, and threw her arm around Maija’s waist.

“If you have, I’d actually like to meet her.” Neither of them noticed, but Runa seemed to wince, pulling her arms even tighter around herself. Her cheeks had gone red, but the door hadn't been open long enough for it to be attributed to the cold.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, uh, you don't look gay.”

“I’m-” Maija sputtered, “This is my girlfriend. But I’m sure you’re- You’re very sexy to some. Thanks- Thanks for coming to my show, bye!” Tuli felt bad for laughing, but Ylva clearly didn't. She cackled, in fact, as they filed out the door and away to their car.

“But you should really get rid of the rat tail,” She told Maija, and Tuli couldn't agree more.

“It’s a part of my look!” Maija whined, running a hand through her hair. Though she had employed copious amounts of gel to preserve a coiffed look, it was mostly falling apart by now.

“Yer look is…You should change it,” Astrid said snidely.

“What’s wrong with it?” Maija asked, walking backwards so she could face Astrid, although she kept one hand firmly in Ylva’s.

“The rat tail, f’r one. Yer hair’s a mess, clothes never match, and-”

“We can't all be models, Astrid.”

“She’s got a point,” Ylva said.

“You’re all bullies!” Maija whined, turning back around. “I can't believe my own lover would betray me like this.”

“I said what I said,” Ylva said, seeming unbothered, though she yelped when Maija attacked her with a side hug.

“You guys are so loud!” Runa whined, hands now in her pockets.

“It never ends,” Tuli warned, though her tone was jovial, “You’re lucky Ylva’s already graduated.”

“Don’t remind me,” Astrid said, her cheeks paler than usual. Tuli chuckled softly at the memories- Ylva was probably the worst student out of the lot of them, and college had been a stressful time for her. Where Tuli wanted to rip out her hair sometimes, Ylva actually had. It was actually concerning how many times someone had found Ylva crying with fists full of blond hair. Not that college hadn't been stressful for all of them. Tuli was set to graduate in May, and her experiences had made her question grad school.

Though she was only a year younger than Astrid, she was further behind in school, due to her gap years. They had known each other for a long time, and had been together since high school, but Tuli had never seen Astrid more stressed out than when she was applying to PhD programs. Stress remained simmering ever since, but Tuli wasn't sure if she was willing to put herself through that. She would probably be fine getting a job at a museum or something, given her major of theology.

The group reached the car, only for Ylva and Maija to break out into an argument over who would drive home. Both claimed the car to be theirs, even though it was actually Astrid who paid for most of it. Ylva won out in the end, and she continued arguing with Maija the whole time. Runa seemed mortified by the whole ordeal, but Tuli didn't want to prod. Once they got home, Astrid fulfilled her promise of cooking dinner, and they enjoyed a round of extremely loud conversation, as was typical of their household, before Maija started drinking to celebrate her set. Though the air in the room was jovial, everyone was tired, and they somehow managed to get to bed before the time became ungodly.

December 22, 20XX

Saturdays. There should have been more stuff on Twitter, given that it was a Saturday. More people- Ylva, Maija, Tuli, Astrid- should have been out, given that it was a Saturday, but no. Weren’t you supposed to go out and party every night when it was a Saturday night? Four college kids sitting around the living room drinking wine and knitting and watching TV wasn't what Runa had expected when she crashed with Ylva. Weren't there places to go, things to do?

Instead, she had a pillow under her chest and her phone clenched in her hand as she laid on the floor, watching the nth consecutive episode of Sense8. How was there so much of a show that only went on for two seasons?

“So wait, is he actually there?” Maija asked. Ylva sighed, and paused the show to explain every detail of the situation. That was how, Runa thought. She turned her face into the floor, scraping her nose against the rug. Her neck thanked her for relieving it of the odd position she had been in previously. As Ylva prattled on about the ins and outs of Sense8, Runa brought a hand up to stroke her newly shorn head. She couldn't stop touching it- Although she sort of wanted to, it was getting greasy. Her hair had never been so short, and she didn't know what to think of it. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but she didn't know how to feel now that her hair didn't rest against her shoulders.

But it didn't matter. Her hair didn't matter, right? All that mattered was that she got into Princeton. She was smart, and she was going to Princeton, and she had a place to stay until Christmas. What am I doing? Sleeping on her sister’s couch while avoiding her mom wasn't something to be proud of, but it was all she had. But a song she liked was part of the soundtrack, so she turned onto her side, and watched the show. Maija was right, it was really confusing, but at least the soundtrack was alright.

Eventually, Runa redirected her attention to social media, blindly scrolling through various apps until there was nothing left to scroll through. Finally, she resorted to scrolling through her own Instagram page. She only had twenty posts, and eleven of them were of birds, with eight of those being pictures of her pet parakeet, named Puffin. Ylva teased her about it when they were kids, but it wasn't her fault puffins were the only bird she knew. Fortunately, since then, Runa had become more educated on the dopeness of birds. Scrolling through her own page didn't help, though. She was only reminded of how Puffin was dead. Maybe she could get another bird when she was at Princeton, if they let students have birds.

“Runa?” The sound of her name caught her attention, and she jolted into a sitting position. Ylva stood at the end of the couch, staring down at her with a blank expression.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Maija’s in the shower, and we’re out of toilet paper, so Tuli went to get some. Astrid’s right there.” Astrid was, indeed, right there. She sat cross legged in an armchair, brows furrowed as she worked on some knitting, though there was a half empty glass of wine next to her. As if on cue, Astrid looked up.

“Hi, Runa,” She mumbled, and went back to her knitting.

“Hey,” Runa said, “What’s up?”

“Can I talk to you in the other room?” Ylva asked, by which she meant her bedroom. Runa couldn't really say no, so she got up and followed Ylva to the bedroom.

“Are you okay?” Ah, the age old question. Would she ever learn how to answer it in a way that didn't launch a whole discussion? Experts remain puzzled.

“I guess,” Runa shrugged, “I had a fight with mom. But it was really stupid,” Runa mumbled, and it really was. Things hadn't been going her way lately was all. She was eighteen, and every day her mom dropped hints that she’d be kicked out soon. But apparently, being eighteen didn't mean she could smoke weed or hug a boy- Even though she wasn't sure she even liked boys. And then she got to learn that her best friend was moving to a whole different country, because apparently it was Oxford or bust for her mother, and she was leaving over break- Everything was so much. And, as any responsible adult could tell you, sex won’t solve any of your problems. So why did Runa think it would work?

“I don't care how stupid it was. You’re my little sister, I care about you.” Runa couldn't help but cringe at that.

“Half sister,” She reminded her.

“Half sisters are still sisters. What happened?” Ylva pressed, crossing her arms. She adopted a stern look, and even rose to her toes to appear more intimidating.

“It’s really nothing-”

“Bullshit, tell me the truth.”

“I just- I did something stupid, and…Will you hate me?” Runa asked. It felt irrational, but what if her sister saw her as some sort of…traitor? She wasn't even sure what she was scared of. Why did Ylva’s approval even matter? Even if Ylva decided she hated her, Maija liked her enough to let her stay…Right?

“I am legally not allowed to hate you,” Ylva said, and though it was meant to be a joke, Runa didn't feel comforted. The law was just a bunch of words, after all.

“Well, um. Mom and I got in a fight. I did something, she didn’t like it. I guess I knew she’d be mad, but I didn't think she’d be that mad. I deserved it, but-”

“Until I know what you did, it’s going to be hard for me to have an opinion,” Ylva said, finally coming down from her toes. Runa supposed she was right. It would probably be better to say something, but she didn't know how. Would it even be safe? Who knew.

“I smoked a lot of weed…”

“Everyone smokes weed.”

“I, um. Please never repeat this,” Runa asked. Once again, her arms came up to hold her body. It was almost protective. Ylva nodded, and reached out to grab one of her hands. She refused to be okay with limply holding Runa’s hand between her own, and squeezed so hard that Runa had to squeeze back, as a form of revenge.

“Um. My friend and I were smoking, you know, and…In the basement. And I sort of, um. I sort of did...” She paused, remembering. “You know.” Ylva’s eyes went wide, and she started nodding. That, coupled with what she’d just confessed to, had Runa’s cheeks burning.

“Alright. Getting it, that’s cool.”

“No it’s not!” Runa yelled. Absolutely none of it was cool. “Our friendship is over! Mom said she’d leave us alone, but then she came downstairs, and we were just- She wouldn't stop yelling, and I was- I was still on the floor, and, and-” She could feel tears welling up in her throat, but refused to acknowledge them. She wouldn’t cry. She hadn't cried when her mom was yelling, or during any argument since then. Or before it, for that matter. No, Runa Stelisdottir didn't cry. Except now she was, and Ylva was watching her.

“I hate Mom.” Runa wiped her nose, because she couldn't cry over this.

“Me too,” Ylva said, and it really ticked Runa off how calm she could stay about the whole thing.

“You don't get it,” She said, though she despised sounding like a teenager.

“You don't understand! Your life is so perfect, with your girlfriend and your apartment-”

“My life isn't perfect just because I have a girlfriend and an apartment,” Ylva said, but Runa wasn't listening at that point.

“Mom was always so nice to you, and- And you have so many friends! You don't get it, you can't get it, and mom’s not gonna let me come home, and I don't have anywhere to go, but you won't-” Runa hiccupped, and she couldn't. She started crying harder, sobs shaking her body.

“Runa-” Ylva’s hand came down on her shoulder, and though her touch was gentle, it was even more unnerving.

“Don't touch me!” She shook Ylva’s hand off her shoulder, and ran. Her hiding place seemed to be the laundry closet, where the washer and dryer hummed away in their neat little stack and color coded baskets- Blue, yellow, black, and red- almost filled the rest of the room. Runa sank to the floor, phone clenched in her hand. It wasn't her fault, she told herself. It was all her mom’s fault. If she didn't want her daughters to act out, she should’ve raised them not to.

Knowing that didn't stop her from crying, though, and cry she did. She was an embarrassment, having a temper tantrum like a little baby. But eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Uncomfortable, cramped sleep, with her neck resting at an unnatural angle against the dryer, but sleep nonetheless.

She woke hours later to the faint hum of the dryer and the muffled sound of hushed voices.

“I think she’s depressed,” said one woman. Ylva.

“Really? That’s pretty bad.” Maija.

“Yeah. I mean, she’s got parental issues out the ass and doesn’t even trust me when I’ve been more of a mom than our literal mother.”

“Well, I mean, maybe that’s part of why? And it doesn’t automatically mean she’s depressed.”

“She’s on her phone all day. And I know, I know I sound like a boomer, but that shit’s not good for you. She doesn't talk to anyone, and…you know, maybe you were right about her running away with a boy.”

“I thought she was, you know…”

“I did too, but I guess not.” Runa choked at that, pressing her ear against the door. Was this a regular occurrence, that they just- just gossiped about her?

“Eh, it doesn't matter. I just hope she doesn't get into anything harder than weed.”

“You know that thing about weed being a gateway drug is bullshit, right?” Maija said, “They just say that to scare kids out of doing drugs-”

“Is it really that bad of me to want her sober? I mean, I’m not, like, saying you should never do drugs, but-”

“No, it makes sense. It would really suck if she got arrested or something.”

“Yeah,” Ylva murmured, and the conversation seemed to pause for a minute. “I just- Why wouldn't she tell me about the shit she clearly has going on?” Runa cringed at that, and she wanted to cover her ears, but there was something inside her that demanded she keep listening.

“Well, you said yourself that she doesn't really trust you,” Maija said. Runa wanted to rip her hair out. No! That wasn't it at all- Did they really think that poorly of her? Of course she trusted Ylva! It was Ylva who didn’t trust her, and only played the sisters card when things were going badly.

“She doesn't,” Ylva agreed, “And I sort of get it, ‘cause high school sucks, but since she doesn’t talk to me, I have to assume the worst.” Oh, come on. She talked to Ylva plenty.

“Yeah,” Maija hummed, “Do you think-”

“Runa doesn't care what I think.”

“I’m sure she does. But I’m not Runa.”

“It would be pretty weird if you were,” Ylva said, then paused. “I’m glad you’re not.” At that point, Runa couldn't keep listening. Her hand came up to the doorknob, and she was about to open it when Maija spoke again.

“Hey, it won't be that long before she’s out of your hair.”

“Yeah.” Ylva sighed, and the tone she said it in made Runa shiver. Like she was a temporary form of entertainment, or an obstacle, or- “At least I’ve got you.” She burst out of the laundry closet to find Maija sitting on the counter, one arm around Ylva, both with mugs in hand.

“Stop talking about me!” Runa shouted, and took a moment to relish in their surprise before she spun around and ran out of the apartment- A terrible idea, since she didn't really know the area. Her wallet and phone charger were in her backpack, which she had left behind. But she wasn't here to make good choices, apparently. No, she was there to anger her sister then leave all her shit behind after she had pissed off her mom.

Runa made her way into the lobby of the building, ready to leave, but the snow falling from a pitch black sky made her pause. Maybe she could find some storage room to spend the night in. According to her phone, though, she'd already spent most of the night in Ylva’s laundry room. And it was technically Sunday, so most people probably wouldn't be up and about for a while. So Runa set about wandering the first floor of the building- Not that there was much to wander- until she came across a door labelled T. It housed a dumpster and a recycling bin, both of which were empty. Sure, Runa thought, I can stay here. Besides, she was tired, and what harm was there in sitting down for a couple minutes? So she did, hiding behind the dumpster. Eventually, she managed to fall asleep, although her new position was no more favorable to her neck than the last.

December 23, 20XX

There was a certain sort of silence that came the morning after a heavy snowfall. It was a silence that Astrid found very peaceful, when accompanied by the correct lighting. Unfortunately, this morning was not one of them, which made waking up a lot easier. Though it would be more fun to stay in bed all day, there were things to do. Okay, she was getting up…now. Now. Okay, hug Tuli a little tighter, then…Awake! She reached across Tuli, still asleep, and felt around the nightstand for her glasses. Once she grabbed them and shoved them up her nose, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. There, Astrid combed her fingers through her hair, contemplated braiding it, but ultimately decided she could do that later, and rolled out of bed.

Upon emerging from the room she shared with Tuli, she spotted two things. One, the couch was empty, and two, her knitting basket was out of place. Instead of dealing with either of those things, though, she meandered over to the kitchen and pulled some mugs from the cabinet. She liked her own coffee black, so she didn't touch it before pouring her own mug, but for some reason, her roommates liked theirs with all sorts of flair. She left the remaining mugs on the counter and leaned against the sink. While she waited for her coffee to cool to a drinkable temperature, Astrid removed the filter from the coffee maker and tossed it in the garbage can. I should probably take out the trash, it’s getting kind of full. But then she’d have to put pants on…Eh, it would give her coffee time to cool off.

Astrid returned to the room, threw on a hoodie and a pair of running shorts, and after a moment’s thought, grabbed her phone. She grabbed the trash, replaced the bag, and slid into their Community Crocs, which were generally used for getting the mail or taking out the trash when nobody felt like putting on actual shoes. She checked her phone, saw that Maija had sent her a series of deep fried memes, and clicked away from Instagram. Maija sending her memes at four am was the least of her worries when it came to online harassment- Yet it somehow managed to be the most annoying. Astrid did modelling work as one way of paying for her degree, and apparently the rainbow flag and diamond ring in her bio weren't enough to deter the advances of the general public.

The elevator reached the first floor, and Astrid shuffled out, blinking in the bright lights of the lobby. With the trash bag slung over her shoulder, she felt like a woman on a mission- And she was, sort of, but in her head it was more along the lines of Stealth and Adventure. Maybe it could be, in her head. In an alternate world where spies take out the trash…

Or. In the regular world, where there might have been a dead body next to the dumpster. That was fun, and also the beginning of a cop show. Astrid dropped the bag in the dumpster, and kneeled down to get a better look- Or, in the regular world, where Runa was hopefully sleeping next to the dumpster.

“Runa?” She asked, shaking the girl on the floor. “Runa, are ya okay? Alive?” After a moment, the girl became awake, yelping and leaping away.

“Whatthefuckareyoudoing!?” She shrieked, then seemed to notice Astrid. “Oh. Uh. Hey, Astrid.” She made a move with her hand, as if to adjust her hair. Her cheeks only grew a deeper pink when she remembered she had none.

“Hey, Runa,” Astrid echoed, “What the fuck ‘re you doin’?”

“Oh, um.” Runa stared at the ground, her knuckles going white as she gripped her cell phone.

“Are ya okay?” Astrid asked once again, adjusting her glasses. Runa shrugged.

“I mean- I don't know.” She paused. “Can I tell you something?” Astrid nodded.

“Well, I, um. I kind of eavesdropped on my sister and Maija talking about me. Rudely.”

“Maija’ll do that. Ylva too, but less,” Astrid said. She sat back, leaning against the wall. “D’ya wanna talk about it?” Runa shrugged, leaning back against the dumpster.

“What even is there to say?”

“Not talkin’ about it is horse shit,” Astrid said, “Stuff happens, usually not great.”

“I think Ylva hates me,” Runa murmured. She ran a hand through her hair, and tipped her head back against the dumpster. “And our mom.”

“Why?”

“Well, mom hates me because I like getting high, I like to drive, and because I, um. Will you judge me if I tell you about something I did?” Astrid shook her head. Not because she wasn't judgemental, but because she didn't really care. From the way Runa was talking, it was just regular problems that seemed so much bigger to her because she was young. And everyone had those sorts of problems, so who was Astrid to judge?

“Don't really care ‘bout your probl’ms. No offense, but I’ve got my own issues to worry ‘bout.” Runa nodded, seeming to understand, then launched into an explanation.

“So, I have this friend, Li, and she’s pretty cool, but she’s moving away. To London. For college. ‘Cause of some weird custody battle that I don't really get. But then it’s like…She’s leaving me behind! And I’m- I don't- It’s weird, okay?” Runa spoke defensively, yet Astrid didn't know a single teenage girl named Li. Let alone one who was moving to London. “And we have this other friend, Noah. And his family’s also kind of weird, but that’s mostly his sister. Anyway, um. I don't know, there was this weird tension, and now Li’s gone, so I, um. Made out with Noah?”

“Why?”

“I don't know!” Runa said, “Why did I tell you that?” Astrid shrugged.

“Because 'm quiet, therefore ’m not a gossip, therefore ’m trustworthy?” Runa’s face scrunched up as she considered the possibility.

“Huh. But then my mom walked in on us, and Noah left, and we had a fight. Then his sister said we weren't allowed to hang out anymore, and my mom took my driver’s license away. And then I shaved my head, and we had another fight, and…Well, then it was now.”

“So ye’ve been busy,” Astrid said, “Sorry. ‘Bout your friends.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Runa said. “I still don't get why I told you that?” Astrid shrugged.

“Ye don't have to. But ye probably should tell yer sister.”

“That would be humiliating,” Runa complained, hugging her knees. “She makes me feel dumb.”

“Yer not dumb,” Astrid said. “Ya know, I’ve got some little nieces ‘round your age ya might like to be friends with.”

“Oh, um. Cool?” Runa said, though her tone indicated she couldn't care less. Perhaps Astrid hadn't presented it the right way. Whatever. Her nieces were menaces to society anyhow.

“D’ya want me to talk to Ylva for ya?” She suggested. Hopefully that didn't make her sound like a poser, or whatever. But Ylva was probably concerned, and she could probably help with whatever mommy issues had arisen, so. Yeah. And did it make Astrid a bad person if she was thinking through the psychology course she had to take as part of her teaching certification? No, this was something she’d have to deal with when she became an actual teacher. It was fine.

“I guess,” Runa said, “Can I, um, can I come back to the apartment now? I’m cold.” As anyone would be, after spending the night on the floor of the trash room. Astrid hoped she’d be a better mother than Runa’s when and if she and Tuli decided to have kids.

After a few more minutes, Astrid helped Runa off the floor.

“You’re um, you’re really tall,” Runa commented, having to tilt her head back to make eye contact with Astrid.

“Yes, I know,” Astrid said as they walked. Her feet slid around in the Community Crocs- somehow. How was it possible that they were too big for her? How did Ylva survive in these? “Yer kinda short.”

“I’m not that small,” Runa bit out, and the conversation ended. Typical short person response. Though Astrid amused herself, the air between them remained tense on the elevator ride up. When they got to the apartment, Astrid unlocked the door and slid off the crocs.

“Took the trash out,” She announced to the now heavily populated main room. Tuli sat on the floor, head in one hand, eyes shut, but perked up at hearing Astrid’s proclamation. A sleepy smile crossed her face and god, she was so cute. Warmth flooded Astrid’s chest, before she remembered the Runa she had in tow. “Also, Runa’s here.” She stepped aside, revealing Runa. Ylva, who sat on the counter, slammed her mug down.

“Runa,” She said, voice neutral. “Hey.”

“Ylva,” Runa said, shoving her hands in her pockets. She shuffled to the side, allowing Astrid to block her from view once again.

“Hi, Runa!” Maija said, and took a sip of her coffee. “How are you?”

“I’m ok,” Runa mumbled. Astrid made her way across the room to join Tuli on the floor next to the refrigerator- Her wife liked iced coffee year round, and when she could not buy iced coffee, she made iced coffee. The only drawback was how long she had to wait for the coffee to chill. Astrid kept telling her it was easier to pour warm coffee over ice, but Tuli wanted to do it her way, so Tuli got to do it her way.

“Hi,” Astrid whispered, joining Tuli on the floor, trying to be quiet so as not to disturb the family drama going on around them.

“Mornin’” Tuli yawned, “Thanks for taking the trash out.”

“No probl’m,” Astrid replied. Tuli hummed, and leaned her head back against the fridge. She didn't incite any further conversation, so it seemed they’d just be listening to Ylva and Runa attempt to talk to each other about their mother. Awesome. Well, more like really bad parenting and a control freak mother- Which, actually, explained a lot of Ylva’s personality. And life choices. And taste in music. And women.

Though she did try to tune them out, Astrid was unable to ignore the pair forever. Mostly because Runa called on her to arbitrate the conversation, which was dreadfully boring, seeing as it turned out that not much had actually happened. Runa was acting rebellious, whatever that meant, and their mom didn't approve. Ylva sent her money, which Runa had allegedly spent on bus fare and food. She actually spent it on weed, until their mom took her license away for Bad Behavior, which was apparently the lying but mostly the Noah thing. Which was somehow related to the hair thing. If Astrid had to comment, which she didn't, Runa was just confused about a lot of things. Unfortunate, really. But! She was now staying with them until she had to go back to school, so that was cool. Maybe during that time she would become less confused- Although Tuli taking a coffee mug out of the freezer surely didn't help.

“Why was your coffee in there?” Runa asked, pulling Tuli into the limelight.

“Oh, I like iced coffee,” She said. She set her mug down on the counter, grabbed some milk from the fridge, and then honey from another cabinet. A generous amount of both went into her mug.

“But it’s winter,” Runa said, dumbfounded. Tuli only chuckled.

“Yeah, but I still like iced coffee. It just tastes better,” She said, taking a sip.

“It’s a seasonal beverage,” Maija butted in. She managed to stay silent while Runa and Ylva talked about what had happened, but it seemed that was over now.

“How is iced coffee a seasonal beverage?” Ylva asked, “It’s literally just coffee with ice in it.”

“It’s got summer vibes,” Maija explained, “Like how you wouldn't get, like, a peppermint latte in July.”

“I could if I wanted to,” Ylva snapped back, “If I liked peppermint.”

“Okay, but you not liking peppermint doesn't mean it’s not a Christmas drink,” Maija said, “I think you just lack fun.”

“Here’s the thing, though,” Ylva said, tapping Maija’s chest with every word.

“Peppermint exists all year round, so it’s not a goddamn seasonal drink.”

“Yes it is!” Maija shouted, “They only have it in the winter, how is that not seasonal!”

“You can ask Starbucks to make you a peppermint latte in the summer, it’s just not advertised as much.” Astrid, along with Maija, and at least Runa, rolled her eyes. If there was one thing the inhabitants of their apartment were good at, it was pointless arguments. Most of them broke out between Ylva and Maija- Hopefully Runa didn't take the wrong message from that.

“Welcome to our apartment,” Tuli said, almost drily, then turned her attention to Astrid. “I’m gonna go get ready, alright?” Astrid nodded, and gave her shoulder a squeeze. She’d probably wander back to their room soon enough- She had so much work to do, it wasn't even funny. But for now, the greatest entertainment in town was watching Ylva scream at her girlfriend about the seasonality of peppermint lattes.

“Are they- Are they always like this?” Runa asked, once again clutching her phone to her chest.

“Ye get used to it,” Astrid confirmed, “Nd, for what t’s worth, your sister ‘sn’t that bad.”

“I know,” Runa sighed, “Thanks.” Astrid flashed her a slight grin.

“Not a probl’m.” After all, who would she be if she didn’t look out for her friends?