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shelerisque · 2 years

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「tangerine blues」

warnings: luthor m. x margarette f. comfort.

luthor mendez has always disliked the heat of summer's sun. it's making him feel all sticky, not to mention the horrid smell of sweat overpowering his cologne. overall, a daunting experience.

maybe if he could just contact mr. vasquez to turn up with his vehicle, air conditioner set on hig—

"would you please hold the umbrella higher! only a few blocks away and we'll reach the venue," her words thrown between tired breaths. "no, don't even think about giving me that look. we are entrusted with this task and so we must carry it out as planned."

ah yes, with her by his side there is definitely no room for doing his way of things.

he pushes on, his steps heavy, with a hint of exhaustion evident on his features. gone is his usually cool demeanor, the esteemed student council vice president appears to look like he had just run a marathon. in the state he is in, said marathon must have been 3k long, located in the blazing sun.

his foot lands on an uneven surface and luthor would have fallen facefirst onto the concrete if it weren't for the girl pulling his tall frame to stay upright.

she sighs.

"let's take a break."

she leads him inside the humble eatery and goes straight toward the counter. luthor gets them a table, and positions himself under the patterned buzzing of the ceiling fan.

clenching on a pair of plastic bags containing orange soda, the chairwoman settles herself across him and hands out the refreshments. luthor willingly accepts it, the skin of his palm now soothed as it presses unto the moisture glistening from the uniquely packaged drink.

he takes a sip, now relieved of the parchedness from the sweltering dog days. and he notices the girl seated across him nibbling on her straw, clearly deep in thought.

"is something the matter, margarette?"

she looks up at him. her reaction 7 seconds too late.

"huh? ah yes, everything is alright! there's nothing to worry about," she assures him, giving luthor a tight-lipped smile.

he stares at her questioningly, not at all convinced by her weak attempt to conceal her fluttering thoughts.

his gaze burns into hers, and so she begrudgingly caves in. tilting her head closer, she lets out a murmur. luthor adjusts himself, lowering his head to better hear her hushed words.

"i'm just nervous about the incoming retreat, what if things don't go as planned? what if the venue doesn't look as good as the pictures on the website?"

she heaves a sigh and fixes her attention on the carbonated drink, clutching the plastic with sudden force.

"i, i just want everything to go perfectly as planned. this is our batch retreat, our last bonding. i want all of us to make long-lasting memories that we can reminiscence to, so nothing should go wrong."

it dawns upon him.

their last summer.

she meets his gaze. the rush of gold colliding with grey riverscapes.

"call me sentimental all you want but i'll surely miss everyone."

margarette looks up at him with a sad smile.

"and i'll miss you, luthor."

in a few years, maybe 7 more, whisked away towards who knows where. both of them will give in to the chase. rushing in deadlines. sprinting through midnight study sessions. running after hand-spun dreams.

but he'll always look back to their late-night overtimes. breezy mornings in the execom office. lunch at 2 pm, enveloped by the sunlit silence of the empty cafeteria. afternoon tea sessions at his family's gazebo.

memories built-in through the years.

he wants more. with her.

"don't fret too much about us growing distant, margarette. i'm sure we can make time to have some tea once in a while." there is a weight in his gaze, some sort of promise. luthor does not believe in such empty vows, he finds them fickle. but so are their transitory moments. one by one, he picks up the pieces. every fragment. every detail. from knowing glances to lingering smiles. he will hold on to each ephemera.

for margarette is his summer sun, the only warmth he'll ever bask into. and luthor would gladly give his all to witness another solstice.

he extends his arm, fingers wrapped around the plastic. the flavored soda pop, now at room temperature.

"to meeting each other on the other side," he declares.

she mirrors him, bumping her almost empty bag against his. "cheers!"

The pair down the rest of their drinks, liquid beverage popping effervescence into their mouths.

margarette smiles widely, and he is reminded of sunbeams flittering through his car windows in the height of afternoon's glow. only reserved for him. eyes crinkled and cheeks flushed, dry season's heatwave is indeed contagious. the corners of his lips curl up just a tad bit.

they sit there, under the torrid heat of 33°C. tongues tinged with the tangerine fizz, remnants from a sorry excuse of a toast. it still counts as something though, drizzling in a flush of maybes.

with little less time on their hands, the both of them soak up the high tide of midsummer blues.

best wishes for another chance with you.

#omggg luggie content 😭#smiled like an idiot while reading this #the writing ✨

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shelerisque · 2 years

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It’s been a while since I saw Freya after I left her to Tita Martha. She even have her kittens lying beside and on her furry tummy.

We were careful not to wake her up and made our conversation as low-volumed as possible pero nagising pa rin siya. When she noticed my presence, she walked with grace towards me. I cradled her in my arms and can’t help but squeeze and kiss her a dozen.

I continued hugging Freya until I felt a cold gaze somewhere beside me. It’s impossible for it to be Luthor since he didn’t came along with us… unless they invited him which is a little less likely because of him.

“What?”, I asked him.

Loki kept giving me his cold and death stares as if I did something wrong … or did I ?

special thanks to @/Paupauxxxx on Twitter who openly accepted my request to draw the art for this short au ^^ thank you so much for the time and effort ateee !!

#cutieee

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shelerisque · 2 years

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Silence

alternative title : " Silence of Relief "

genre : comfort

pairing : margarette "maggie" fernandez and lucian thoren "luthor" mendez

content warning : none

language : taglish ( tagalog and english )

photos from tumblr and pinterest. all credits reserved to the real owner.

"Meeting dismissed. You may now go home. Mag-iingat at malakas ang ulan, ha?"

"Hala! Wala 'kong dalang payong"

"Here! I brought an extra", Emeraude smiled at the student council secretary and offered a white umbrella.

"Thank you, sis! Ibalik ko bukas. Mwah!"

"Sure!"

Margarette glanced at their conference room's window and sighed as she witnessed the heavy rain pouring. Her eyes followed the bustling hallway of students grabbing their bags and going home, opening their umbrella, walking together while having chitchats and the likes. She does not have to check her bag again just in case an umbrella magically appear in one of its pockets. It was purposely left this morning since the news proclaimed the clear skies to continue until next week.

"Maggie!" Her train of thoughts were interrupted as she heard a familiar voice. "Uuwi ka na? Sabay na tayo!"

Emeraude smiled with glee while waiting for the young lady's response.

"I'm sorry. I have to finish some errands and baka mag-aral din muna ako dito." That wasn't a lie. Their upcoming exams have lessons she has to self-study. She never misses a school day but they had to be excused frequently to fulfill their execom duties and other extracurricular activities. The library closes early today so she asked the permission of a school staff she knows to allow her in occupying the area. "Magpapatila rin muna ako ng ulan—"

Margarette's words were cut as Emeraude brought out something from her back. "A gut feeling?"

Both of the girls giggled as Margarette grabbed the umbrella.

"Haha. Thanks, Em pero kailangan ko pa rin namang magreview dito at tapusin ang mga dapat tapusin"

"Then I'll wait for you." The young woman pulled and sat on the chair beside her friend.

"Em—"

"OKAY! SA PAGE 98, MAY ASSIGNMENT!"

"Hahaha! Ang ingay mo!" Margarette snickered at her raven-haired friend's childish gestures and loud remarks. She took her seat and brought out the textbooks from her bag. "Nakapagreview ka na?"

"Yup! Nag-advance reading ako a month ago and I reviewed it all yesterday. I might review it again later kapag nakauwi na 'ko."

"Ah, I see.."

"Ikaw?", Emeraude rested her chin on her arms reposing against the table. "If you have questions, just ask me lang ha?"

"Basic knowledge pero kaya naman and sure, I will! Thank you."

"Maggie, alam mo ba—"

"MS. EMERAUDE EMERSON, YOUR MOTHER IS HERE!" A boisterous voice from the hallway suddenly interrupted their small talk.

The two students looked at each other before Emeraude opened the door and glanced outside. There was her mother talking to the faculty members on her usual simple and plain outfit. Both of them have the same hair color except that she had it wavy. She then wave when the woman saw her.

"Maggie.." She walked towards her bespectacled friend with a worried and disappointed face. "I—"

"I'll be fine. Go on already. Your mother must be waiting", Margarette reassured her, placing her palm gently on the gloom-faced young lady's arm.

"Magpapaalam nalang ako..."

"Nope. Go na. 'Di naman ako magpapagabi lalo na at may payong na ko", she beamed, showing the purple umbrella Emeraude gave her a while ago.

And there was a short moment of silence until the student being fetched dashed out of the door, surprising the execom chairwoman. Left wondering, she remained on her standing position as she was signaled to wait by her friend.

"Ayan....", Emeraude said as she placed a large paper bag on the table. It took her a few minutes to return. "Literal na food... for the thought. I'm really... sorry, Maggie." Still out of breath, she pulled out different type of snacks, bottle of juices and soda one by one while lecturing the person she was talking to about not letting thyself to starve to death.

"Em..." Margarette facepalmed. "You did not just run in the hallway with the CCTVs on didn't you..."

"Minsan lang. Bahala na sa.... consequences or whatever. I have my... priorities and reasons", she replied while wiping the sweat on her forehead.

"Emeraude!"

"Oops! I gotta go. Just call and text me or anything, okay?!" Once again, she dashed out of the conference room after hearing her mother's call. "Bye!"

"Bye!"

The young woman exhaled heavily. She stared at the goodies and refreshments she was given, thinking about how she was supposed to consume them all to "not starve" even though just the double-deck sandwich and orange juice could fill her stomach in an instant. She chuckled as she thought about her friend's effort and mother-like habits and remarks a while ago until she was reminded her of someone.

She shook her head at such thought and went back to reviewing her notes and books.

"Where's everyone?" A man's deep voice echoed in the whole room.

"They left", she replied without looking to the person who entered out of nowhere.

"And why are you still here?"

"Reviewing"

"Can't you review at home? It's getting late." He slowly approached her with the same posture, trying to take a view of what the left student was reading.

"I'll go home in a bit, Mr. Vice President. How about you? Bakit andito ka pa? And why did you left in the middle of our conference a while ago", she asked, finally looking onto Luthor. She had to raise her head a little to meet his gaze.

"I had to... talk to someone", he coldly responded. "What time will you leave?"

"About an hour..?"

"Okay", he said, seating on a vacant seat.

"What are you doing?"

Just as Luthor was about to answer, his phone suddenly rang. He then reached out for his pocket and clicked a few times. Margarette only stared at him in confusion, waiting for an answer and an explanation.

"An alarm"

She knew to herself that it is a ringtone for a phone call but she remained hushed. He then swiftly grabbed a book from her backpack and read on his mind, his eyes moving along the sentences on the page he randomly opened the textbook to.

Silence ensued the headroom and only the clock ticking and the raindrops hitting the ground was heard. It was an empty room only filled with two people and table and chairs; and papers and books. The world seemed to stop moving.

She sighed in relief.

#please i need more 😭

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shelerisque · 2 years

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*＊✿❀Small Steps

summary: the appalling clean-up. yes, we do not talk about that one

pairing: loki mendez x lorelei rios

warnings: none

A pair of heavy footsteps make their way along the sleek halls of the apartment. Vivid hues of sunlight flitter through the glass-cut windows, intromitting the peak afternoon warmth.

Slipping into their shared unit, the weariness built upon the gruesome school day finally settles on her shoulders. The boy next to her smothers a long yawn, mutual drowsiness engulfing the both of them. She makes her way toward the light switch with a skip to her step. Actions hinting at her giddiness to commence her afternoon nap time session, ready to flush out the faint feeling of after-class blues.

click

The scene resting in front of her puts Lorelei to a halt and reels her into an exhilarating madness. Papers are strewn across the floor accompanied by the couch cushions flung all over the place. The light-colored stuffing of her silk pillows sloppily spread out, decorating the interior as if Christmas snow had breezed through their residence.

An active crime scene.

Hearing the boisterous clang from the kitchen, their heads cock toward the abrupt commotion. Loki steps out, trudging carefully into the area. The sounds of delicate footfall echo through the suite, his movement wary to catch the suspect off guard.

The kitchen was not spared from all the disarray, cupboards were rearranged as well as last night’s leftovers decorated the tile floor. Loki pushes forward, each step drawing out the sound of utensils clicking against the soles of his leather shoes. Another sign of movement startles the pair, resounding a faint creak, the refrigerator door opens wide.

The culprit reveals itself, white fur now spotted with ebony black with a paw-shaped ink trail behind its course. Freya lets out a hushed meow, a timid greeting to her owners’ arrival.

Loki picks up the cat, grime caught into a tangle of knots against its fur, and bundles her against his arms. Gaze serious on the furry offender, as if a wave of paternal responsibility washes over him, now painting her usually distant roommate in a different light.

Making her way towards the broom and dustpan, a grumble bubbles down Lorelei’s throat. She draws out a long heavy sigh, air violently coursing from her lungs to her lips, crushed from the appalling clean-up project after an already exhausting day.

“You do know that your mom and I had a long day. Now look at the mess that we have to clean up,” he utters while staring at a clueless Freya, lifting her form to eye level.

Already on the verge of deep slumber, her tired eyes suddenly widen upon eavesdropping on Loki's nonchalant implication. Feeling the heat rise unexpectedly to her cheeks, she instantly shakes her head in dismissal and shoos all the wandering thoughts away.

She reaches for the cleaning supplies when a swift hand cuts through the corner of her peripheral vision. Seizing the items into his hold, Loki marches toward the eye of their unit's chaos.

She gapes at him, bewilderment etching onto her features. Taking in the sight of something of such peculiarity, as if some unknown spiritual force had taken possession of his soul. There he is, the infamous Loki Mendez who despised carrying out the legwork, now seen tidying up their quarters. A tempting urge to conduct an exorcism on her roommate buzzes through her thoughts, adding a mental note that she should invite Alistair and Jamie to witness this monumental event happening in front of her very eyes.

Is he drunk? Did someone brainwash him to miraculously do chores?

As luck would have it, her raving thoughts were blurted out, leading the dark-haired boy to fix his attention towards her. She looks away and bites back a grin, trying to suppress her teasing remarks.

Helping her up with the mop, his hands grasp the bucket, soap suds peeking up at its brim. Loki hands it to her and he proceeds to work on a cluttered spot. He then finds Lorelie's gaze, eyes telling her to meet him halfway.

"Didn't I tell you that this is an activity I find liberating? We may be surrounded by a mess right now but all of this will pass if you actually start scrubbing the soiled floors, the chaos will not clean itself, dear Lorelei."

"Oh Loki, you and I both know that between the two of us, I am the one who often tidies up the mess," she scoffs, scrubbing the mop toward the rigid stain stuck on the black-and-white patterned tiles." And besides, I was genuinely surprised that you took the initiative to organize everything," she leans into the mop’s handle, using the tool to carry her weight, eyes scrutinizing him.

He gives a low hum of a reply.

The pair carry on with their cleaning tasks, Lorelei busies herself with the kitchen area while Loki directs his undivided attention to the mishmash of a living room. Shadows play out their efforts to reinstate their apartment back to its pre-disaster glory, movements languid from the weight of bundled student and household duties.

Their beloved club cat sits by and observes the pair’s mundane interaction through its heterochromatic orbs, the copper-haired girl directing the disheveled boy on how to organize the throw pillows upon the couch’s scratched surface.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

An afternoon spent on the quiet throngs of tiresome buzzing, the soft ticks of the clock foretell daytime’s denouement, remnants of its brilliance peer over the monochromatic interior.

Lorelei’s debilitated frame lies on the crisp sofa, her right leg dangling off the edge. Soft snores reverberate through the room, chest rising and falling to the still of tired beats. Pitter-patter, the sound of a weary heart drum out small steps, til’ she hears a shatter.

Lorelei blinks, consciousness stuck between the lines of wake and asleep, her eyes finally settle on the tenebrosity of sunlight’s descent. The reflection from grey-toned cityscapes envelops the complex with shadowed blue violets, giving Lorelei a hard time navigating her dazed form around their unit.

A disconcerting hiss bounces off the walls and the perturbed girl bolts toward the bathroom door, where the disturbance must be coming from.

Small hurried steps leading to her destination. Her eyes adjust to the radiance of the fluorescent bulbs, a big reveal of a scene consisting of multicolored bubbles and overflown puddles.

Her smile widens at the sight of her occupied roommate, his usual tousled state a bit more prominent caused by the strenuous rush of afternoon’s trouble. Towel securely wrapped around a disgruntled Freya, enraged meows and tiny whines of protest pulsate through the washroom as Loki steadily pats on her damp fur.

Lorelei throws her head back in laughter as she has witnessed Freya headbutting Loki right on the forehead, earning a series of inaudible muttering from the teenage detective.

Loki then faces her, the source of amused chatter.

Her giggles consist of wind chimes ringing breezy cacophonies into summer's high.

Plopping herself by his side, arms outstretched, offering to cradle the freshly scrubbed feline. Loki instantly places Freya onto Lorelei’s grasp, a sigh of relief escapes his lips, grateful for having to rid himself of the snowy menace.

The still silence. It settles in. Of jaded breaths and heavy-lidded eyes, a wave of exhaustion washes over them a second time.

But she's conscious.

"Thank you."

She captures his gaze. Tumultuous typhoons create greying showers within his orbs. She caves in. Her eyes soften.

He expresses a hint of a smile.

The pitter-patter from the leaking faucet echoes through the room, like small steps.

Small steps. That's how they were.

"I may have been partly responsible for the chaos as I may have forgotten to feed Freya before heading to school," he states, now avoiding Lorelei's glare.

A splash.

Between chattering teeth, he blurts out "Now, now, I am trying to make this right through diplomatic negotiations. I am deeply sorry, alright."

If it weren't for the fatigue settling in, Lorelei knew that her lecture would go on, but the both of them were frazzled by the bustle of harrowing student load and so she withdrew.

Though Lorelei would admit that she is grateful, truly. Admitting your error is one thing but correcting it is another.

Realization dawns upon her.

A succession of short steps meets her own.

Her hands clasp his soaked fringe and slick them back, taking in the view of the entirety of his face.

She flicks his forehead.

A pained yelp. The boy clutches the space above his knitted brows.

"That was for your mistake, I don't want it to happen again," a warning.

"But," she faintly murmurs. "I'd be caught lying if I told you that I didn't appreciate what you did."

He sighs, leaning his weight on the porcelain, his still too tired eyes burning into hers with pained gratitude.

Loki Mendez is indeed a handful.

But he is learning.

Blunt words and unconventional tactics define his very being, as the ferocious thunderstorms know no bounds. But sometimes the might of monsoons disperse into fox rain, even tempestuous gales bow down to the iridescence of the brightest star.

The boy picks himself up and quietly walks out of the bathroom. Pulling on his hoodie, Loki starts unlocking their unit’s main door.

“And where are you headed this late at night?” Lorelei questions, her one eyebrow raised.

“Need to buy replacements for the damaged decor,” his muffled reply blares from an attempt to get his head through the sweatshirt. “What color do you want your pillowcases to be?”

“Aren’t you going to contact Mr. Vasquez to pick you up?”

“My dear brother is busy with student council duties, he and Maggie will be taking overtime to make preparations for the upcoming event so Mr. Vasquez is preoccupied as of the moment."

A deafening pause.

"Fine," a rumbled sigh. "My phone is dead."

Lorelei playfully rolls her eyes.

"Would you like to accompany me?" Loki looks at her expectantly, awaiting her reply. His palm ruffling the crown of his unkempt locks, he stifles a yawn.

Tired steps bearing the weight of daylight’s distress reach their unit’s entrance, she gives him a glance and nods.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Two beings stand next to each other amongst the dissonance of busy bees skirting the dull greyscapes. Cars honking and the loud tattle of strangers over jeepney drives. The city of Angeles is most alive at twilight.

Pitter patter, two pairs of feet journey through the winding asphalt roads. Shoulder to shoulder below the raging reds, tranquil greens, and blazing yellows of dusty traffic lights.

They exchange a knowing look. Witnessing a promise of young love wished upon dandelion stars into summer’s breeze. They hold onto it.

But it’s a school day and they are caught in a crowd of thousands. Encompassed by the high-rise structures and the glaring blurs of concrete jungles, no dandelions bloom here. All they have are small steps.

Spirits a bit drained, and eyes daring to shut at any moment. Though, hearts are full. Thrumming to the beat of small steps. For small steps carry moonlit affections.

They may be minute and nimble, but these steps have steered them towards each other.

The lights turn green and they are allowed to go on. For this is their city. The figures stride through the crosswalk. The still quietness remains. Even as they go adrift together. Toward the energetic buzz of the smokey grey metropolis.

#the writing ✨#bumabalik loreki hart ko hshshs

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