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shirlleycoyle · 3 years

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How 9/11 Became Fan Fiction Canon

Every fictional character you can think of has experienced 9/11 in fanfiction.

A Clone Wars veteran with two lightsabers is on United Airlines Flight 93 and prevents it from crashing. Ron and Hermione get caught up in the chaos as the towers fall. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her friends watch the attacks unfold on TV from Sunnydale. We have spent 20 years trying to process what happened on 9/11 and its fallout, and that messy process can be tracked through the countless, sad, disturbing, and sometimes very funny fanfiction left across the internet.

Many of the fanfics written in the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks seemed to directly respond to the news as it happened, processing the tragedy in real-time through the eyes of characters they loved. In the absence of a canon episode where Daria Morgendorffer paid respects to those lost, writing fanfic about these characters also experiencing trauma helped fans cope.

One YuGiOh fanfic published on fanfiction.net in May 2002 could have been ripped exactly from what this writer experienced that Tuesday morning. “It started as a normal day,” user Gijinka Renamon wrote. Yugi and his friends were in school, where their teacher informed them of the attacks and sent everyone home from school.

“After reading people’s 9/11 fics, I decided to write my own, and put a certain character in it. And Yugi and his pals were my first choice,” the author's note reads, explaining the connection they felt to United flight 93 and the World Trade Center attacks. Given that they lived in Pennsylvania, and “it’s close to New York, I felt really sad about it.”

Stitch, a fandom journalist for Teen Vogue, told Motherboard that this reaction to 9/11 is not at all uncommon in fandom.

"Fandom has always been a place that positions nothing as 'off limits,'" she said. "Historical tragedies like the Titanic sinking and atrocities like… all of World War 2 show up regularly across the past 30 years of people creating stories and art about the characters they love. So, on some level, it makes sense that 9/11 and the following 20-year military installation in the Middle East has joined the ranks of things people in different fandoms turn into settings for their fan fiction."

Reactions depicted in a handful of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfics published in the weeks after the attacks ring a little truer to the characters. “Tuesday, 11th September 2001,” written by Anna K, almost echoes the lyrics from “I’ve Got a Theory,” one of the songs in the musical episode that aired in November 2001. “We have seen the apocalypse. We have prevented it. Actually, we’ve prevented quite a few. So we know what they look like,” they write, before taking a darker turn. “They look a lot like…New York today.”

Killing demons and vampires doesn’t phase the Scooby Gang, but when preventable human death is brought into the picture, it’s gut wrenching.

“What am I supposed to do…When I can’t do anything to save the world?” Buffy cries into Spike’s chest, watching the attacks unfold on TV in a fanfic the author described as being “about feeling numb and helpless.”

In “Blood Drive,” Kirayoshi writes about Buffy and her friends saving a van full of donated blood meant for victims of the attacks from a group of thirsty vampires. One Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic even takes a blindly patriotic turn, where noted lesbian witch Tara McClay helps Xander hang an American flag from the window of the magic shop to make Anya feel better.

Experiencing 9/11 as a young teenager was overwhelming not just because of the loss of life. Almost immediately after the event itself, it was as if the entirety of American culture re-oriented itself towards an overtly jingoistic stance. As we get distance from the attacks, seeing the tone of television and movies from the early 2000s is jarring, and some have gone viral on Twitter. In the world of pop music, mainstream musicians like the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, were blacklisted from the radio while Toby Keith sang about putting a boot up the ass of terrorists. On the Disney Channel, a young Shia Labeouf reading a poem he supposedly wrote about the events. The poem concludes with the line, "it's awesome to be an American citizen."

In a world so completely saturated with this messaging, it is not surprising that fanfic authors started including 9/11 in their work so soon after the event. Even The West Wing had a strange, out of continuity, fanfic-esque episode where the characters reacted to 9/11. In some cases, it made sense that the characters in the stories would be close to or a part of the events themselves.

"For characters like John Watson or Captain America, the idea works to an extent," Stitch told Motherboard. "In the original Sherlock Holmes works and the 2011 BBC series, Watson had just returned from Afghanistan. For Captain America and other Marvel heroes, 9/11 was something that was addressed in-universe in The Amazing Spider-Man volume 2 #36. Technically, 9/11 is 'canon' to the Marvel universe."

In “Early Warning: Terrorism,” a fanfiction for the TV show Early Edition in which a man who mysteriously receives tomorrow's newspaper, predicting the future, avoids jingoism, but tries to precent 9/11 from happening. This fanfic remains unfinished; it’s unclear if the characters successfully prevent 9/11 in this retelling.

Largely in fanfic from the era just after 9/11, when many young authors were trying to emotionally grapple with it, the characters don't re-write or undo the events themselves. It's this emphasis on the reaction to tragedy that colors the fanfiction that features 9/11 going forward.

Although fanfiction authors have been writing about 9/11 consistently since soon after the event, whenever that fanfiction reaches outside of its intended audience, it looks bizarre.

A screenshot of a Naruto 9/11 fanfic on the Tumblr subreddit comes without any context, or even more than two lines and an author's note. It’s impossible to suss out if this falls into the category of sincere fanfic without the rest of the piece or a publication date, but modern-day commenters on the Reddit thread see it as classic Tumblr trash.

Screenshot from r/Tumblr

“Bin Laden/Dick Cheney, enemies to lovers, 10k words, slow burn,” one user joked in the replies, underscoring the weirdness of Naruto being in the Twin Towers by comparing it to a What If story about Cheney and Bin Laden slowly falling deeply in love.

It’s hard to tell how much of the 9/11 fanfic and fanart starting a few years after the attacks is sincere, and how much of it is ironic, and trying to make fun of the very concept of writing fanfiction about 9/11.

A 2007 anime music video (in which various clips, usually from anime, are cut together to music) that combines scenes from The Lion King with Linkin Park’s “Crawling” and clips from George Bush’s speeches immediately after the attacks feels like the perfect example of this. Even the commenters can’t seem to suss out if this person is a troll or not.

There’s no way that My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic 9/11 fanart could be serious, right? Especially if the description pays tribute to “some of the nation's most memorable buildings,” and features five of the main characters as child versions of themselves. The comments again are split between users thanking the artist for a thoughtful remembrance post, and people making their own headcanon for why Twilight Sparkle is surreptitiously absent from the scene.

Screengrab via DeviantArt

There’s Phineas and Ferb fanfic that combines a 9/11 tribute concert with flashbacks to Ferb being rescued from the towers as a baby, written on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. It jumps from introspection to lines like, “‘Quiet Perry the Platypus. I’m trying to listen to these kids singing a 9/11 tribute.’”

The author's notes make it more likely that they meant for this to be a tribute piece, but it doesn’t quite make sense until watching a YouTube dramatic reading of it from 2020, fully embracing the absurdity of it all.

“For me, 9/11 is synonymous with war. It completely changed the course of my life," Dreadnought, the author of a Captain America fanfic Baghdad Waltz that sees Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes fall in love over the course of the war on terror, told Motherboard. "It’s the reason I joined the military, and I developed deep connections with people who would go on to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq. These very much felt like my generation’s wars, perhaps because people I graduated high school with were the youngest folks eligible to serve at the time.”

Dreadnought told Motherboard that although they didn't deploy, their career has kept 9/11 and the trauma from it in their mind. After seeing that people who fantasize about Steve and Bucky getting together seemed particularly interested in reading fanfiction that related to 9/11, they decided to try their hand at it.

"I had to do something with all of that emotionally, and I’m admittedly a bit emotionally avoidant. So I learned through fic that it’s easier for me to process those feelings and the knowledge of all the awful stuff that can happen in war if I can turn it into something creative," Dreadnought said. "Give the feelings to fake people and then have those fake people give the feelings to readers!"

To Dreadnought, who is a queer man, the experience of researching and writing this was more cathartic than they first expected, especially as a way to navigate feelings about masculinity, military culture, and queer identity. But they said the research they did, which included watching footage of first responders at ground zero, was what helped them finally process the event itself.

"It was like a delayed horror, and it was more powerful than I expected it would be." Dreadnought said. "When I was eighteen, I was pretty emotionally divorced from 9/11; I just knew I wanted to do something about it. So coming back to it in my 30s while writing this fic, it was a very different experience. Even the research for this story ended up being an extraordinarily valuable exercise in cognitively and emotionally processing 9/11 and all of its second and third order effects."

Fanfiction that features 9/11 provides an outlet for people who still grapple with the trauma from that day. But Stitch warns that the dynamics of fandom and how it relates to politics can also create fiction that's less respectful and more grotesque.

"With years of distance between the stories written and the original events of 9/11, there seems to be some sort of cushion for fans who choose to use those events as a catalyst for relationships—and Iraq and Afghanistan for settings," Stitch said. "The cushion allows them room to fictionalize real world events that changed the shape of the world as we know it, but it also insulates them from having to think about what they may be putting into the world."

The tendency of turning these events into settings or backgrounds for mostly white, male characters to fall in love has the unintended effect of displacing the effects that the war on terror has had on the world over. Steve and Bucky might fall in love during the war on terror, but they would also be acting as a part of the American military in a war that has been criticized since it started. Fanfic writers in other fandoms have come under fire for using real world tragedy as settings for fic before. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake Supernatural fanfiction about the actors Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki going to the island to do aid became controversial within the fandom. There have also been fics where characters grapple with the death of George Floyd that is written in a way that displaces the event from the broader cultural context of race in America.

"A Captain America story where Steve Rogers is a 'regular' man who joins the US Army and 'fights for our freedom' post-9/11 is unlikely to deal with the war’s effect on locals who are subject to US military intervention," Stitch said. "It’s unlikely to sit with what Captain America has always meant and what a writer is doing by dropping Steve Rogers into a then-ongoing conflict in any capacity."

After enough time, “never forget” can even morph into “but what if it never happened?” A 19k+ word Star Wars alternate universe fanfic asks this question, wondering what would have unfolded if someone with two lightsabers was on United Flight 93. This fic, part of a larger fanfic series with its own Wikia, considers what would have happened if Earth was a military front in the Clone Wars.

In this version of events, a decorated general who served in the Clone Wars is able to take back control of Flight 93 before it crashes, landing safely and preventing even more tragedy from happening that day. In the end, all of the passengers who made harrowing last calls to their loved ones before perishing in a Pennsylvania field survive thanks to the power of the Force, and are awarded medals of honor by President Bush.

Twenty years after the attacks, it’s painful to think about what would have happened if people got to work 15 minutes later, or missed their trains that morning. There weren’t Jedi masters deployed to save people in real life, but for some of the fanfic writers working today, the world of Star Wars might feel just as removed as the world before September 11, 2001.

Fiction serves as a powerful playground for processing cultural events, especially generational trauma. The act isn't neutral though; a decade's worth of fanfiction that takes place on or around 9/11 shows how our own understanding of a traumatic event can shift with time.

How 9/11 Became Fan Fiction Canon syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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friendship-ended-with-pokespe · 4 years

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Kirby: Rescue the Friend in the Great Labyrinth! Chapter 4

Looking around the workshop, Waddle Dee was wide-eyed in amazement. “Wow......amazing!” Several works of art that Claycia has made up to this point were lined up on the shelfs along the wall. You cannot understand what any of their motifs are.

Works resembling an animal, a plant, a rock, a furniture, a trash......at any rate, it’s jam-packed with puzzling works. Kirby gazed at a certain sculpture and said. “What’s this? It looks like a milk bottle, melon bread, and Chef Kawasaki combined......” “That’s a touching sculpture expressing eternal love! Doesn’t your heart tremble from looking at it?” “Hmm, it doesn’t look very yummy.” “What’s this one?” King Dedede stepped before a work of art. “It looks like a birthday cake turned upside down and trampled with katsuobushi sprinkled on top.” “It’s a magnum opus expressing the beginning and the end of the universe! Eek, don’t touch it!” Meta Knight spoke. “I don’t understand what is what......” “That’s because you’re an average person.” “Hm. In any case, these are the works of art? Doesn’t seem like we could help.” “I was saying that from the start. You should leave if you get it now......” “It’s ok-ay!” Shouts Kirby, hopping up. His eyes are sparkling like a star. “I can help! This looks really fun!” “......Huh?” “I didn’t know that an art would be this fun! I feel like I realized my own artistic talent! Yay!” Shouting Kirby in joy, and ran to the corner of the room. What she uses as materials for her work were piled up there. Clays, wires, blocks of wood, nails, strings, scraps of cloth, and whatnot. “These are all I need to make an art every now and then, huh! Alrighty, I’ll do my best!” “H......Hang on a sec......” She tried to stop him, but she pondered suddenly and muttered. “But...... a blank mind that’s never been exposed to art might be able to pull off a miracle. A child like Kirby is too preposterous for me to anticipate what he would make. True art could be in him!” Clay sat on a chair. “Alright Kirby, why don’t you show me what you’ve got? I can’t wait to see what art your absurd heart will bring forth!” “You can count on me!” Kirby began kneading a clay with much excitement. Needless to say, King Dedede was the one to see him and lose control of his temper. “Hmph! You think he has any clue about art!? I’m the true artist!” Claycia looked at the king with vacant eyes. “Hmmm, your absurdity may not lose to Kirby, but I can’t sense any pureness in you like Kirby. Your heart is like a sock that hasn’t been washed for a week, where I don’t think it can produce a beautiful art.” “You ninny, you don’t seem to grasp my overflowing talent!” “So cool, Your Majesty! Please give it your all!” Clapped Waddle Dee, cheering for him. Meta Knight and flops down right on the spot. Magolor grumbled. “Gosh......Kirby and King Dedede are both forgetting our goal! We aren’t on a journey for art. It’s to rescue my friend!” “It won’t take long.” Said Meta Knight. “They’re both equally matched in their lack of perseverance. They’ll get tired of it soon enough.” “But......I’m worried about my friend......” “You didn’t seem to mind it until now, but you're suddenly worried for him like you just thought of it, huh, Magolor? Where is your heart really at......?” “......” With no response, Magolor plopped close to the wall and watched the work of Kirby and his friends.

It was just as Meta Knight had expected. Before long, Kirby and King Dedede lost interest in art. Sticking a chopstop in the object that he made by kneading the clay, Kirby shouts “I’m done!” “What a fantastic art this is! Am I a genius or what!?” “......I’ll hear from you for now. What is it expressing?” To Claycia’s offhand question, Kirby answered boldly. “The tastiest dango in the universe! I expressed my love for dangos!” “I see, and as for Mr. King Dedede?” “Haha! Don’t be surprised!” King Dedede exaggeratedly lifted up a lump of clay wrapped in cloth in display. “My work is in a different league from Kirby’s. Built up in a universal scale, it’s a mind-blowingly Dededeish, Dedede-style, Dedede......” “That’s great and all, but what’s the theme?” “I expressed the magnificent feeling of all the foods that exist in this universe being offered to my stomach. So to speak, that’s where all my ambitions are!” “Your ambitions, sure.”

Claycia turned away and sighed. “Phew......I’m in tears from my stupidity of expecting anything from you guys. An average person is really an average person. “......Hmm? What do you mean?” “Don’t worry about it. Sigh......that was a complete waste of time. I need to get it together and focus on my artistic work......” Clacia stood up and stared at Kirby and King Dedede’s work. Her countenance showed her regret of time spent in waste, but...... Her dull eyes sparkled suddenly like a star. “Mm......? Hmm......? Wait a minute! Just now, an miraculous insight came into my artistic mind!” “Huh?” “T-This is......!” Kneeling before the work of Kirby and King Dedede, Claycia said in a voice trembling in passion. “Ohhh......the miraculous images are flowing out one after another!” “Claycia......?” “This the first time. What an ingenious flash of inspiration! I’ll create the greatest masterpiece up until now......!” Clasping both her hands, Claycia looks up at the sky as she weeps. Exchanging glances, Kirby and King Dedede both exclaimed at the same time. “It looks like we were of help to her!” “Wahahaha! It seems my superb work of art gave her a hint. She’ll have to give me plenty in return!” “Elline and Claycia will be able to patch things up with this. What a relief!” Kirby and Dedede jumped about, hands together in unusual friendliness. “Strange things could always happen, I suppose.” Said Meta Knight quietly. “To all appearances, the pair’s work only looks like garbage, but......how did it shook her heart? I can’t comprehend it.” “That’s because you don’t have any artistic taste!” “He’s right, Meta Knight!” “An artist will understand the brilliance in my work from just a glance!” “He’s right, Meta Knight!” Kirby and King Dedede started laughing in good humor. Claycia rose up quickly and said while kicking away the work of Kirby and King Dedede. “I mustn’t let eyesores like these run rampant all over the world! This world should only be filled with beautiful things!” “......Eh?” “I should create something that’s beautiful, sublime, and heart-trembling! That is the duty of an artist: to save this unsightly world!” Claycia shouts with rapt attention. “My eyes were opened thanks to the stuff from the ordinary people. I can’t stop here. I’ll make the most beautiful work!” While shedding tears, Claycia squeezed Kirby and King Dedede’s hands. “Thank you, ordinary folks! I came to realize my duty from you guys’ awful works! Only a true genius can send beauty to this world. That is to say, only I, Claycia!” “E......Ehh......?” “This world will be filled with eyesores if not for me. I will make it! The finest work that’ll beautify this world......!” Claycia got her skates on. “Please leave, would you? Before this ingenious inspiration disappears!” “I-Inspiration......?” “I said get out! I’ll give shape to all my overflowing imagination-!!!” Kirby was chased out from the workshop. Kirby didn’t have the slightest clue as to what Claycia was saying. He said in a daze. “What happened? She was overdoing the compliments on me, wasn’t she?” “Nggghhh......looks like that wench sees me as a rival. Darn it all, even my talent means trouble.” “That’s great. Her artistic taste doesn’t seem to be too different from mine.” Said Meta Knight. “Hm? What do you mean by that?” “Nothing really. At any rate, we made her come through her slump. All we need to do now is to wait for her work to be completed.”

Kirby and his friends didn’t have to wait for very long. For Claycia, having gained an artistic insight, completed her work in only a few hours. Coming out of the workshop, Claycia had a bright face. Her stiff attitude is gone, with a friendly look instead. And finally, a very small work was on the palm of her hand. Together with Kirby and his friends, Elline was waiting for Claycia, where she fluttered her pale wings and rushed at her. “You’re done with your work, Claycia!?” “Yeah, I’m done. It’s my magnum opus. Please look, Elline.” Kirby and the others couldn’t understand what it was from their eyes. Kirby said in a low voice. “What’s that. It looks like a snail tossed and turned in its sleep and kicked away its blanket......” “Huhu, you chump has no taste. That’s displaying a wonton noodle soup blown away by a hurricane.” “......I don’t really get it, but it's a fascinating work somehow.” That is the impression of Meta Knight. Waddle Dee nodded in agreement. “I think so too, sir. My heart is getting warm for some reason.” “Aye. It’s far better than any work from Clacia up to now.” Their whispers fortunately didn’t reach Elline and Claycia. “So pretty......how lovely this is, Claycia! An image of the morning sky......an image of a garden grass......and the harmony of the sky and the land......are all being conveyed.” Said Elline, her voice trembling from all the emotion.

”......” Kirby and his friends exchanged whispers once again. “The morning sky.” “The garden grass, she says.” “The sky and the land......uhh.” “I didn’t get any of it.” Elline continued. “I love all of your works, but this is the best. It’s a really lovely work......tears come out when I keep looking at it.” “I made this for you, Elline.” Elline felt a little embarrassed and talked fast. “Huh? For me......?” “It’ll be your birthday soon, right? I was desperate to make it in time no matter what.” Elline was shocked and blinked her eyes. “Claycia......” “I was so desperate that I ended up in a slump, huh. How I could make you happy, the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t know......I was pretty awful to you, wasn’t I? I’m sorry......I don’t remember it very well myself.” “Geez, Claycia!” Elline started laughing with a voice like that of a jingling bell. “You’re always like that. You focus on your creation and forget everything around you.” “I’m really sorry, Elline......” “No problem! I love that side of you!” Closing her eyes gently, Elline embraced the gift from Claycia dearly. For Claycia, the work was small enough to be placed on her hand, but it was big enough to be an armful for the tiny Elline. “......I’m really happy. Thanks, Claycia. Sorry for getting the wrong idea even when you were making the work for me.” “It’s not actually complete yet you see.” “Huh?” “I want you to add something to it. Since it’s your duty to paint my work!” Elline’s face glowed. “Gotcha! I’m all pumped up now. Let’s make the very best work, Claycia.” “I’m leaving it to you, Elline.” Exchanging looks, the pair began laughing cheerfully. Having been caught up in them, Kirby’s face was beaming as well. “What a relief! Elline and Claycia were able to make up.” “It was all thanks to me. I'll be taking the reward in plenty!” “That is very tasteless, King Dedede.” Meta Knight chided him. “It’s not all peaches and cream just because the pair regained their smiles. We still have something left to do.” “Right he is!” Having been facing the back in tedium, Magolor turned around and agreed with both his hands raised. “We’ve got to go and find my friend! Let’s make haste and go back to the Great Labyrinth of the Mirror!” “The Great Labyrinth......of the Mirror?” Claycia overhears and cuts in on them. “You guys are going into the Great Labyrinth of the Mirror?” “Uh-huh! It’s to rescue Magolor’s friend!” Kirby jumps up and answers. “We strayed up to Elline’s room on the way. But it’s all okay now! We’ll go back to the Mirror World soon enough!” “Hold on” Claycia said quickly. “I heard that the Great Labyrinth of the Mirror is quite challenging. I haven’t lost my way there before, but I do know of some rumors. They say that it’s very complex, spacious, and can never get out once you lose your way.” “Yup, we got lost.” “I see then......” Claycia pondered and said. “I might be of some use to you guys.” “Huh?” “Elline, bring “that.”” “Gotcha!” The two are in perfect harmony. Even without Claycia saying in detail, Elline nods and flies off to somewhere. What she came back with were some drawing paper and crayons. Claycia received it and said. “Kirby, do you remember our battle in Seventopia?” “Yeah, of course!” “I don’t have any memory of when I was controlled, but I did hear from Elline afterward. I heard that I was saved thanks to your great efforts.” “Ehe!” Kirby spun once in delight. “She used a canvas at that time, didn’t she?” “A canvas......?” Elline expanded on it. “I drew a picture and transformed you into a tank or a submarine, right?” “Uh-huh!” Nodded Kirby, thinking back to the days of adventure spent with Elline. “That was really fun. It was the first time that I transformed into a tank or a submarine!” “Using that power, you might be able to proceed through the labyrinth without getting lost.” “Huh?” “I’ll try it out.” Claycia drew a picture on the drawing paper. It’s a drawing of a cute pink and white rocket. Claycia raised the drawing that she drew high. With it, the sketch of a rocket flew out of the paper. The rocket combined with Kirby, as though it was wrapping his body.

Waddle Dee jumped up in surprise. “Whoa, amazing! Kirby turned into a rocket!” Having transformed into a rocket, Kirby said. “It’s Kirby Rocket. It can blow enemies easily away. It’s really powerful!” “That’s not all.” Said Elline. “This rocket has a high-performance rader. It can automatically head to its destination.” “That means......” “You’ll proceed through even the Great Labyrinth without getting lost. It’s a beeline to the destination.” “Wow!” Kirby tried to jump about in delight, but Waddle Dee stopped in in a panic. “You can’t! You’re different from your usual self right now. You’ll tear down the ceiling like that.” “Ah, okay.” Kirby looked down at Claycia.” “Thanks, Claycia.” “I’m the one that should thank you, Kirby. I was saved twice, from when we fought and right now. I’m really thankful.” Claycia held out the drawing paper and the crayons. “I’ll give this to you as a gift. This drawing paper is made of the same materials as the one that Elline used in that battle. You’ll be able to transform into the vehicle that you draw.” Waddle Dee accepted it, in place of Kirby who couldn’t use his hands. “The transformation ability has a time limit. If the transformation wears off before you reach the destination, you can draw the Kirby Rocket in that drawing paper again.” “Thanks a bunch!” Kirby turned to face his friends. “Off we go at last! Let’s go to rescue Magolor’s friends. Cheerio, Claycia, Elline. Come to visit us in Dream Land.” “Sure. We’ll come over as a pair someday.” “Be careful out there, Kirby.”

Passing through the mirror in Elline’s room, Kirby and his friends head to the Great Labyrinth of the Mirror a second time:

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Table of contents

#kirby novels #kirby of the stars #light novel #translation #kirby rocket #waddle dee #king dedede #meta knight #magolor #elline #claycia

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thenonbinarydetective · 4 years

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The Flying Saucer Mystery

Hey do you like camping? Do you like aliens? Do you like treasure hunts? If you said yes to all three than this might be the game for you! @nancydrewnetwork

Inspired by The Flying Saucer Mystery(duh)

Mystery

Nancy and her friend’s all-expenses paid(by Carson Drew) camping trip is quickly derailed by rumors of strange encounters and long-lost treasure hidden deep in the Shawnee National Forest. Hopefully Nancy can solve the case before she gets abducted (and maybe she can have a fun vacation for once).

Friends

Ned Nickerson: Nancy’s boyfriend. Chemical Engineering major and star athlete at Emerson. This time he gets to help in person. His experience as a camp counselor and first aid will come in handy.

Bess Marvin: Longtime best friend and always reliable. She’s good at keeping the campers happy in tough times and knows more cutesy camp recipes than Pinterest. Actually, she might’ve stolen them all from Pinterest.

George Fayne: Other longtime best friend and outdoors enthusiast. She’s a useful friend to have both on the trail and for when your gadgets fail on you and you don’t know why.

Burt Eddleton: Best friend of Ned. Biology major at Emerson who seemingly can’t choose what to focus on exactly. He knows a lot about both wildlife and plants. Pretty good athlete and pretty chill dude. Kind of a Himbo. Proud duck Dad (Don’t worry Sparkles is with a chickensitter).

Dave Evans: Other best friend of Ned. Archaeology major at Emerson. He knows a lot about artifacts or at least he’s mostly talking about artifacts because Bess gets freaked out by the skeletal side of his interests. Pretty chill guy also might play Wonderwall if presented with a guitar.

Suspects

Blake Wilkinson: Co-owner and head guide of Happy Trails Camping Company. She’s the trail guide helping the group get through this vacation. She seems nice enough but she is way too serious about her job. Well maybe not too serious. How else can you explain the buyout offer she’s hiding from Amani? What else could she be hiding?

Amani Wilkinson: Blake’s wife and other co-owner of Happy Trails Camping Company. She prefers nature over business. In fact, she doesn’t seem at all interested in the company (Does Blake know?). She’s happy enough to show you around the forest. Hopefully she doesn’t leave you all alone out there. Just kidding, she would never do that. Right?

Shay Hernandez: Assistant trail guide and aspiring park ranger. Or so he says. He claims to be a college student at a local university, but won’t say what his major is. That’s okay, maybe he’s still deciding. However, he talks a lot about science. Not just biology or even ecology like you might expect from someone who spends most of his time in the outdoors. He talks about computer science and robotics too. Is it just the sign of a budding scientific mind? Or is it a sign of something else?

Sonny Joon: Nancy knows Sonny’s here for the aliens, but does she really know him enough to say that’s the only reason why he’s there? Or is she in for another.....adventure with him? I’m sorry Sonny fans but it fits.

Soffi Ziririan: The only one of the campers (besides Sonny) that doesn’t know that much about the area. Again or so she says. She’s an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast. She loves challenging herself with new challenges. Strangely, she didn’t give that much information to Blake or Amani when she signed up for the trip. She might just be a private person because that happens all the time...

Kole Morse: He’s a local, so it’s strange for him to be going on a guided trail experience. He knows the forest like the back of his hand, so why is he here? He claims it’s just for fun, but no one knows for sure. One thing that is for sure is that Kole is a true environmentalists. He doesn’t believe in the aliens, he thinks all the sightings are fake and going to negatively affect the environment. He not too keen on “people who don’t truly understand the forest” being in the forest. Whatever that means. How far is he willing to go to protect what he refers to as ‘his forest’?

Joseph “Old Joe” Austin: Native American man from the local Shawnee tribe, One of the oldest residents from around Shawnee National Forest. He lives in a cabin with his brother Sam and his dog Trixie. He’s also a shoe-in for the friendliest resident of the forest award. He’s welcoming and kind to all the campers that come through. He says he’s given up on finding his father’s treasure. Or has he?

Samuel “Sam” Austin: Old Joe’s younger brother. Unlike his brother, he’s quiet and likes to keep to himself. Old Joe just says he’s shy. Really, Nancy figures out that he’s deaf. Luckily she remembers a bit of sign language and that online dictionary the Hardy Boys text is a great bonus. He’s actually trying to find his dad’s treasure again. Although he seems innocent enough, Nancy doesn’t know how far he’ll go to get his dad’s treasure.

Phone Friends

Frank and Joe Hardy: They were supposed to go on the trip with the group, but Frank broke his leg during their last mystery so Burt and Dave took their spots. They are super bummed. Luckily Nancy can call them so they can live vicariously through her.

Dagny Silva: There’s treasure, here’s Dagny. Not actually there because she has better more certain treasure to track down, but she owes it to Nancy to occasionally answer her phone.

Ranger Maia Chikovani: A ranger of the national forest, asked Nancy to figure out what’s going on. She believes in aliens, but is a bit more worried about the impact their UFO may have on the environment.

Locations

Forest Trails and Clearing: There pretty straightforward. Trees and plants and stuff. There’s quite a few different locations, but can all be summed up by this title. Nancy has a map to keep track.

River appears next to some of the trail but not all of them.

Old Joe’s Cabin: It’s where he lives with his brother and dog.

Swamp: Where the UFO has been spotted. Coincidentally, the treasure is rumored to be near this location

Treasure’s real location: It’s not actually near the swamp. This location is only revealed after Nancy figures it out.

Time

Day/Night cycle. Time keeps on moving so your week may be more than a week depending on how long it takes for you to solve it.

Transportation

Horseback riding: For longer distances along the trails

Walking: For shorter distances and areas that the horses cannot go. Also for like around the camp and stuff. Nancy’s not riding the horse for a week straight that would just be weird.

Puzzles/Mini Games

Pitching a tent

Fishing

Building a fire

Cooking camp meals

Roasting marshmallows and making the perfect s’more

Mushroom picking: I’m enby I can’t not include mushrooms.

Decoding/Solving the clues Old Joe and Sam’s father left for them: This is a series of different puzzles, all at different times and with different purposes. They all fall under the same category so they’re being lumped. I imagine they would be a mixture of logic and clues that you find about the two brothers and around the forest itself.

Opening the treasure box: Simply one of those weirdly over-complicated puzzle boxes that everyone seems to have. You know the type.

Fixing the radio: The radio gets trashed with the rest of the camp and it’s up to Nancy to fix it

Lockpicking other campers’ locked private possesion: The usual

Flying the Spaceship: After Nancy and Ned get trapped in the spaceship, Nancy needs to figure out how to fly it before they crash!

Alien Dream World: Nancy and Ned are transported to an alien world by the spaceship. It’s so amazing it’s like a dream.

Finding Arrowheads: there’s a few old arrowheads scattered around. They’re old and don’t belong to anyone (at least not anymore). Mostly collected for fun.

Second Chances

Riding your horse into the swamp: Why?

Drown in the swamp: At least the water’s warm....it’s not worth it

Radio explodes: You shouldn’t have connected those wires

Crash the spaceship: Should’ve used the turn signal

Bear attack: like the alien attack but with bears

Alien attack: like the bear attack but with aliens

Setting yourself on fire: Stop, drop, and roll!

Ate the wrong mushroom: you clearly picked a toadstool, not a mushroom. (It’s a joke don’t get technical lol)

Additional Features/Notes

This is only loosely based off Shawnee National Forest. I cannot guarantee the presence of small swamps or aliens. Also the pictures and everything might not be perfectly accurate. It’s just aesthetic, it doesn’t have to take place in Shawnee. I just needed a name. It can change.

Communication is different with Sam than with the other characters due to the fact that he is deaf. He uses sign language (that is automatically translated). Nancy’s speech is silent for his conversations, she’s using sign language too but you can’t see her hands (because you’re not really supposed to talk when you’re using sign language. Also Sam only “speaks” to people who can also use sign language.

Speaking of communication, I know we all like our phone friends, but cell signal is unreliable on this trip. Nancy won’t always be able to get in touch with her contacts so she’ll have to rely on her in-person friends. This time they can be assigned to certain tasks as well as provide hints. Everyone has their own specialized hints that the other characters won’t know a thing about.

Just for the sake of clarification, most people in the area do know about the treasure left by Mr.Austin. Most people don’t believe in it anymore, some believe that it belongs to the brothers (if it does exist), and other think it’s finder’s keepers.

P.S. Sorry for breaking Frank’s leg but Joe gets hurt the twice as much as he does so it’s only fair that he sometimes it’s his fault that they can’t go camping. tbh with their mysteries they camp like once a week, they have nothing to complain about.

(Forest UFO Mini Art Print by vectordreams)

#nancy drew #nancy drew games #game design challenge #ned nickerson #george fayne #bess marvin #dagny silva #sonny joon #clue crew #I couldn't really think of a better name that fit the vibe #it's pretty similar to the book so why not #it's like my favorite book #there's basically a whole new cast though #nancy drew network #nancydrewnetworkchallenge

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chocolate-parfait · 3 years

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Hey! I would like a matchup for Ikevamp please! I'm ENFP, Gemini, Slytherin, I have shaggy half black half dark green hair, I like to wear large masculine clothes but am actually very skinny. I love to draw and create stories! I also collect knic-knacks, like, I am a hoarder of trinkets specifically cups, clocks, and books. PLANT GUARDIAN! People say I'm kind, but I'm also kinda stupid. I have lots of people I'm close with, but very few friends. Hope that was enough! Thank you!

Anon, idk why but my sixth sense is telling me we'd make nice friends😳

I match you up with... Leonardo!

Leonardo enjoys talking to you. You're both extremely creative and thoughtful people, so you can share ideas and whatever comes to your mind with no fear of judgment whatsoever. When he notices he's getting a bit too attached for his liking, he tries to back off and put some distance between you two, but he can't help come right back to you every single time.

Your relationship is taking a very dangerous turn towards that something he's utterly afraid of. Love. He can't let himself give into his own feelings, but when he sees your smile, your sparkling eyes, when he hears you excitedly calling out his name, his willpower wavers and his love for you completely takes over his heart.

He sees some parts of himself in you, but you're way better than him. In fact, your characteristic optimism is what eventually wins him over. He finds your approach to life endearing and admirable, and he slowly starts to believe that by staying by your side, his ugly feelings will melt away little by little.

Leonardo is the type of person you know you can trust from the first time you see him. Despite all his talk about how untrustworthy and dangerous men and vampires are, deep down he's as soft as a teddy bear and he's always keeping an eye out for you. You can confide and show him your true colors, he will soothe your doubts away with tranquil confidence and some light teasing.

Whereas many may judge you because of your looks in the Victorian period, he'll quietly accept you for you you are and who you want to be. He's actually the type to value comfort and practicality over looks (have you seen this man? He wears boots from two different pairs and a shirt that is too small for his big tiddies. He's a walking fashion disaster), and he thinks that your clothes must be very comfortable and warm (he might try to steal them every now and then). The first time he holds you he's a bit surprised at how small your body is in comparison to your baggy clothes, but he doesn't complain. When it's cold and the two of you are cuddling together, he makes his way inside your hoodie/sweater and hugs you from inside, pressing his warm torso to your back. It's a very pleasant feeling and you can't easily get away from him. Two birds with one stone.

Your rooms are kinda matching. His is full of dusty books and forgotten trash, whereas yours has the most random items in it. Plants, clocks, hourglasses that you stole from Comte's room, plants again, books and countless other things; it has a whole different aesthetics than Leonardo's dumpster though. It's a bit like Howl's room from the ghibli movie?? He honestly adores it.

Leonardo doesn't think you're "stupid", he believes that all people reason differently from each other, and he likes getting to discover how your mind works, how you think and how you view the world. It may sound creepy, but it's just his endless curiosity and love for humans that make him act that way. He doesn't care if you're slow or whatever, in his eyes you're one of the best people he's ever met, and he truly means it.

Second match: Vincent

Vincent is instantly drawn to your optimism and sunny personality. He finds himself getting along with you right away (not getting along with him would be a talent tbh) and he often invites you over to his room to draw and paint together! Every now and then he casts a glance to what you're drawing, but whenever he does so he can't seem to look away. He's totally absorbed, so either you or a passing-by Theo need to snap him out of it.

What immediately catches his eye about your appearance is your hair! Is that your natural color? Did you do something to it? Why did you choose dark green? He's genuinely interested and he finds it amazing! He's never thought about painting his hair, maybe you can teach him how you do it? Theo won't let you hear the end of it, though.

He's one of the most open minded people out there, so you won't ever catch him making any type of negative comment about your appearance or style. Additionally, he'll shush and reprimand Theo in the eventuality he makes you uncomfortable. He's not taking any of it, especially from his little brother.

With time his curiosity and appreciation for you become more and more intense, until he starts developing a weird insatiable thirst whenever he's around you. After getting confronted by his brother, he'll finally grasp the truth behind his feelings, though he'll hide them until you confess first; he doesn't want to hold you back, but once you tell him about your love for him, he won't be able to lie to your face and will give in.

As your partner, he'll get the impulse to cuddle and have some type of contact with you 24/7, but as he doesn't want to come off as too restrictive so he'll try to restrain himself. It's really hard though! He loves you so much it hurts, and he doesn't really know how to express his feelings directly without using art as a mean, so the first solution the heart comes to is skinship. He particularly loves snuggling his face into your neck. It's warm and it smells of you, how could he not?

Just like Leo, there's no way he'll ever think of you as stupid! There are many definitions of "smart", one can be good with books, with numbers and sometimes with art! He has been called dumb by many people during childhood, but as an adult everyone seems to consider him a genius for his paintings, it's a very relative thing! Even if you were a but foolish he wouldn't mind. Why would that matter? His feelings for you would be there nonetheless!

Outdoor dates! He will take you to his favorite flower field and shyly ask you whether he can paint you between the dazzlingly colored tulips, poppies and wildflowers. He either keeps the result for his (and yours) eyes only or directly gift it to you. If you ask him to, he'll also paint the plants you keep in your room! He's another plant lover so he totally understands your love for them!

#matchup #answered #my wriitng

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wreckofawriter · 4 years

Text

Boredom

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x reader

Word Count: 4,049

Warnings: Angst, swearing, kinda hints at depression ish

Summary: The cure for your boredom just happens to have white blonde hair and icey grey eyes.

A/n: kinda feeling like shit rn, anyway here's this.

You lay on the floor of the ballroom which resided inside your home, your arms spread like some sort of bird, your legs the same way. The room was, of course, empty, reminding you slightly of a massive tomb with its barren walls, sprawling polished marble floors and elegant silk curtains pulled tightly shut. In a way it was.

“More like a jail cell.” You mumbled to yourself. You weren’t sure exactly when it first started to happen but you were pretty sure it was around age twelve. As a child you were always taught the wrong thing, you were taught to avoid strangers, to mind your own business and fear stupid little things like spiders. And being young and naive you followed those directions closely, unwavering and constantly. But now you were being suffocated. Suffocated by the thing you should have avoided, the thing you should have minded and the thing you now feared more than you did anything else.

Boredom.

It was like darkness, it took you over slowly, it crept upon you inch by inch silently until you were plunged into its dangers headfirst. When you were younger, there was always an easy fix, you had plenty of toys to play with, a massive house to run through and enough friends to fill the room you currently lay in, but as time passed, toys became unentertaining, the house seemed to get smaller by the second and you realized friends were never truly there. So now you felt yourself begin to drown in the sea of boredom which claimed to be your life. You had tried focusing on your studies for a while but you honestly would have rather died. You tried to find hobbies but all the things that used to bring you joy now left you feeling empty and unimportant.

So you began to do the only thing that brought any sort of feeling into your veins. You caused trouble

So far you have turned yourself into and illegal animagus, cut and dyed your hair 7 times, pierced your ears in four places and your nose in two, given yourself multiple tattoos, you had thrown massive ragers, trashed your entire house, done more drugs than you cared to count and gotten sixteen staff members at your house fired. At this point your parents were convinced you were helpless, they never seemed to pay attention to you anyway, they had gotten you a therapist and now you went once a week and saw how quickly you could make each new shrink cry, your current record was 22 minutes.

You groaned loudly banging your head on the hard floor which you lay, “I’m so fucking bored!” you shouted through the empty halls the only response being your own echo. You racked your brain for ideas and came up blank as you stared up at the crystal chandelier which must have been worth millions. You slowly sat up rubbing your eyes with closed fists and letting out a moan of frustration. You got to your feet which were bare, padding to the exit of the large room and beginning towards the spiral stairs which you had already climbed a number of times that day. You groaned and plopped on the first step, exhaustion for some reason making your bones feel as if they were made of lead.

You sat there for a while staring at the hallway you had just walked, it’s the ceiling so high you had to crane your neck to see it, its walls decorated with giant portraits of relatives you have never met. You bit your lip the idea of defacing them dancing in your head. You eventually cast it away decided it wouldn’t even be very fun.

You had a sudden urge to paint. You had plenty of massive canvases upstairs but those would not do, that is what you were supposed to do, and where was the fun in that?

Your mind wandered back into the ballroom with its massive eggshell wall, just waiting to be decorated. Your lips widened into a smile, your eyes twinkling with sick glee and anticipation. You stood suddenly taking the steps two at a time to your room.

You sprinted back down them a few minutes later, arms full of art supplies, you sprinted into the ballroom, unpacking all the paint. You didn’t have nearly enough to cover even half of a wall in the giant space, but you would make do.

You grabbed the small jar of deep red, adding some brown and black to make a deep crimson before you added some water and stared at the white wall in front of you. Your lips were greeted with a rare smile once again and you threw the paint at the wall. It splattered across the wall, some bouncing straight back at you while most of it stained the wall in a gruesome scene. You watched in a trance as the paint dripped down the wall and slowly began to pool on the floor. You then plunged two fingers into the black paint not bothering with your brushes and began to drag them through the mess of red slowly letting your image fall into place.

Your mother’s heels clipped down the hall in a synchronized symphony of disappointment. You were soaked in paint when she got home. Her eyes had widened knowing it was not going to be a pleasant work of art.

She had attempted to have you tell her where the artwork was but you only winked telling her to find it herself, Now she trailed around the house looking for some masterpiece you spent almost the entire day on. Finally, she walked into the ballroom and her mouth dropped.

Pasted on one of the walls was a bright splash of color. Paint the hue of rich blood splatter the background for the painting, on top of the red was a rough silhouette of what was clearly a young girl, she had her arms spread on either side of her, her hair floating around her like some sort of goddess, her eyes were the only detail added and they were painted in a startling white, wide open, conveying a level of terror. Across the middle of the work, crossing the girl’s stomach were two words, still slowly dripping white paint lazily down the wall.

“You like it?” You asked your mother a light tease making your words taste bitter.

“Back off!” You glared at the man who was carrying your trunks and owl. He had made the fatal mistake of bumping you with one of the bags he was holding and you now growled at him as your owl snipped at him her deep black feathers shimmering in the light.

You walked through the brick wall before heading towards the train. A young girl stumbled over your foot and you glanced down at your now scuffed black boots. You turned your head to yell at the girl but was instead met with a pair of icy eyes. You giggled taking in the boy’s appearance, he was dressed in a trim black suit with a collar with looked like it was choking him.

“Looking pompous as usual Malfoy.” You smirked another fit of laughter threatening to burst from your lips as he rolled his eyes.

“Looking rebellious as usual y//l/n.” He mocked glancing up and down your outfit, “New tattoos I see.” he spoke gesturing towards his own neck.

You gave him a closed-eyed smile which caused a crimson to bleed up his neck. “You like it?” You asked tilting your head so he could get a better look at the deep mark etched into your skin.

He started at the scene depicted on your flesh, it showed a cobra its fangs sunk into a human heart, blood dripping from it’s wound. He resisted the urge to shiver.

“It’s lovely.” He drawled sarcastically.

“Always so kind Malfoy.” you giggled, you opened your mouth to speak again before you heard a sharp cough which made you wince. You turned the light from your eyes disappearing, “Father?” You spoke sweetly, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

He glared past you at the blonde, “I thought I told you not to talk to such families.” He growled lowly.

“Oh, I just ran into him,” You lied a new sparkle dancing in your deep y/e/c. You promptly turned back to the boy standing on your toes and reaching up to cradle on of his cheeks in your hand as your lips pressed softly to the other. “Save me a seat, Dracy.” You said making sure to be louder than necessary. You then turned back to your father’s eyes which were narrowed with furry as your own challenged him, daring him to say something.

“I would never speak to such families.” Your lips curled sickly lipstick now slightly smeared. A sudden rush of excitement met you at your father's pure furry, you finally found a hobby.

You found immense joy at this new weakness lodged in your family. Your parents had recently become numb to the trouble you caused, your attempts had become fruitless as your parent’s tolerance built, but now you realized you had struck a much-hated nerve. The Malfoys.

Draco was never sure what was up with you. You were a particular person, someone he could never quite read, your actions were spontaneous, almost no thought being put into them. You jumped into the world each day just as unsure of what you would do as anyone else, yet you always made an incredible splash. You intrigued him.

When he was younger he had simply liked you because of your thirst for disorder, but as he began to grow your smiles became precious jewels, your laughter sweet symphonies and every step you took was flourished with deep red roses. You were priceless.

You weren't friends, acquaintances was pushing a boundary, he wasn't sure which line you stepped upon but he wished it was one closer to him.

Ever since a misjudged and unfortunate business deal between your families the y/l/n's had cut the Malfoy's from the lives.

Luckily for Draco, you were never one to follow rules, especially those made by your parents.

Draco shook his head attempting to rid his head of the feeling of your lips, which still seemed to be pressed to his cheek. He took a seat ignoring Blaise across from him and letting his eyes drift to the window on his right.

A bubble of laughter emerged from the cabin and his head snapped upward.

"Blaise!" You cheered bouncing on your toes before taking your seat next to Draco, "It's amazing to see you!"

"It's good to see you too y/l/n," he smiled, "You seem like you're in a good mood."

"I'm in a brilliant mood!" You exclaimed, "My dad came to drop me off today."

Blaise's eyebrows knitted in confusion before a sly smirk took his lips, "You pissed him off didn't you."

"Naturally." You shrugged.

"I'm guessing you had quite an eventful summer." Draco murmured.

"As always!" You lied, you couldn't quite admit that you had been crushed by the emptiness you felt not but days before, you had to ride the new high you had acquired through a simple kiss on the cheek, "I painted a mural in the ballroom, mom wasn't too happy about it."

"I can imagine." Draco laughed.

You reach Hogwarts still quite hyper from the events that transpired at the train station, the absolute glee you felt at the hatred that rested in your father's eyes was unlike any drug you'd had before. Your mind reeled, already working to reach that peak again.

You hummed happily in the carriage ride, you practically danced into the hall a lollipop still lodged between your lips. You felt invincible.

Unfortunately it didn't even take a week of mind-numbing classes and monotone voices to bring you back to the routine of boredom which had become your life.

You lay staring at the ceiling of the grand hall, it was currently breakfast, your head rested in Draco's lap as your eyelids struggled under the weight they held.

"You okay y/n?" He asked for the fifth time that morning.

"I'm fine." You lied fiddling with the hem of the blondes robes, your fingers dancing across his wrist as the boy fought a blush.

He opened his mouth to protest your answer but let his words stay behind his lips as the screech of owls echoed around the hall. You seemed indifferent to the new situation until a shimmer of black caught your eye.

You sat up holding out your arm for your owl to perch before untying the letter looped to her bare leg.

You tilted your head curiously, mail was a rare occasion, particularly from your parents. Looping golden letters printed on expensive paper proved it could only be from a higher class. You didn’t bother reading the address, curiosity burning deep within you. You tore through the golden wax, your family's seal placed upon it. You pulled the letter from its shell, your dull eyes seeming to grow pale as you released a small groan.

“What is it?” Draco asked peering over your shoulder at the letter you held.

"Another fucking ball." You moaned throwing your head onto the table in front of you, "I mean how many do we need to have? It's not like anything had changed since last month. My parents just need an excuse to say, 'Hey look we're still prestigious assholes.'"

Draco snickered beside you. Blaise took the letter from your hands and you gave no protests. He scanned it before bursting out laughing.

"It says you need a plus one." He smirked.

In milliseconds your mood changed. Your head popped from the table a dangerous twinkle filling your eyes. You turned to Draco.

"Will you do me a favor?" You asked desperately.

"Umm sure." He shrugged, he would have jumped off a bridge if you had asked with the same enthusiasm.

"Sweet! You're going to this bullshit with me." You smiled.

"Y/n won’t your parents be pissed?" He sighed biting his lip.

"Royally." You responded leaning even closer to the boy, your eyes were wide with excitement, cheeks lightly flushed, hair disheveled from previous frustration, you looked angelic. Then you thrust your lips onto his.

Draco's eyes went wide before slowly slipping shut, his hands snaking around your waist as you forced your tongue into his mouth.

He tasted minty and slightly of blackberry jam. He smelt of expensive cologne and honey.

You pulled away panting slightly, "Take me to Hogsmeade this weekend." It clearly wasn't a question.

"Okay." Was all he could manage his face still beat red.

You smiled grabbing your things and walking away without another word.

Draco turned to Blaise, his eyes wide, cheeks fiery heart thumping at an uncomfortable rate. "What the fuck?"

Blaise burst out laughing.

You weren't exactly sure why you kissed Draco. It just happened. You liked it though, the kiss was nice, it felt better than it had kissing any other boy, it felt wrong. You knew it wasn't supposed to feel that way, but maybe that's why you liked it so much, it wasn't smooth and soft, it was bumpy and rough, like water clashing harshly onto stones. You loved it. It was new and exciting and different it broke your routine, throwing a wrench into the gears of your perfectly planned out life. It was everything you had been yearning for.

You feel an unfamiliar sense of nervousness take you over as you dressed for the ball. The gown you were wearing was far too elegant for you, its sleeves long like a Victorian queen’s, the silky fabric causing you to shiver.

You left your room in a hurry. Your makeup is not quite done right, your dress a bit wrinkled. You didn’t care, you never did.

Draco wrung his hands, sweat seeming to be never-ending. He knew he shouldn't be nervous, your parents already hated him why was he so scared? Because it's HER parents a voice whispered. It was true. Before Draco even knew of the y/l/ns hatred for the Malfoy’s he had fallen in love, He could help but want to please your parents. A heavy sigh followed by the sound of heels on marble echoed through the small room he resided in. Draco glanced upward, his mind going blank as he caught your eye.

You looked like a princess, a small silver tiara topping your head of y/h/c as proof. But isn’t wasn’t the dazzling jewelry which took his breath from him, it was the light that held your eyes. The look of a child so innocent and pure mixed with that of a psychopath who had just trapped its next victim, it made you shine. Your pupils seeming to dance in a sea y/e/c. You walked straight up to him and without any words slammed your tongue down his throat, Draco seeped into the kiss pushing you back towards the wall and eliciting a small moan as you tugged on his hair. The boy was about to reach for your zipper when you pulled away from him, lipstick now smeared, Dracos own lips tinged red.

“We should go.” you murmured before slipping from the room. He still didn't understand you.

Draco trailed after you widening his steps before catching his hand in your own. You walked down the spiral staircase which you hated so much hand and hand with the solution to your problems. Just before you reached the room which you once stained red Draco stopped pulling on your arm.

“What's up?” You asked.

“Y/n, I don't think I can go in there, your parents hate me.” You opened your mouth to brush off his comment but then your eyes met. He looked desperate. He needed something, something that another kiss couldn't fix, something real.

You sighed before throwing your arms around the boy, “I don't care what my parents think Draco.” You lied, “I don't care that they hate you, all I want us you by my side” You felt cruel as the dishonest words left your mouth.

You pulled away cupping his face in your hands, kissing him for the first time in your relationship, lightly, lovingly.

“Now let's go.” You said snatching his hand and entering your jail cell, but this time you had the key.

You enjoyed the stares that the two of you brought, but it wasn't enough. A few murmurs were exchanged but other than that business proceeded as usual. You felt like you were caught in some weird trance, not enough was happening, no one had yelled, no one had gasped, fire had not erupted from the walls, you need a reaction.

You felt he needed to break something, scream or burst into tears, you need to shatter this terrible nightmare you were living in. Your mother’s sharp gasp did the trick, you hid a smirk as she hurried towards you not even sparing a glance at Draco before dragging you away.

“What in Salazar is Malfoy doing here?” She hissed in your ear, the grip on your arm becoming slightly too tight.

“He's my date.” you smiled, so calmly and so innocently it was hard to believe you were riding the high of her utter horror.

“Your what!?” She rasped at you her grip on tightening.

“Date.” You repeated a grin still plastering your features.

She let out something that sounded like a whimper, “You said you were bringing your boyfriend.”

“I did.” Your lips seemed to hold an untold evil as you looked at her.

She looked like she was about to cry, “Y/n! How could you? This is a Malfoy, we lost hundreds of thousands because of them.”

“Correction, you lost hundreds of thousands over them.” You smirked, “By the way, I’m quite disappointed you painted over my mural, I worked so hard.” You pouted

Something new arose in your mother's eyes, she was no longer disappointed or sad or even mad, she had reached her breaking point, “You are a demon of a child.” She snarled.

You felt as if someone had just given you an illegal pill, you reached a point of ecstasy you didn't think was possible you had done it, you had broken the sculpture of your life, “The devil did give birth to me.” You taunted.

She stood speechless, her eyes filling with hatred.

“My date is getting lonely so I’m going to go, but thank you so much for this lovely chat,” you spoke turning on your heel and walking back to the boy who stood awkwardly by a table of elegant food. The second you reached him you locked your hands around his neck and connected your lips, your heart thumping wildly from the excitement you held.

You pulled away and winked ignoring his questioning gaze, “Wanna dance?”

He nodded.

After the ball, your mission seemed to be accomplished. Your parents broke their neat well put together little facade and lost it, your mother burst into tears, your father held a wand to your neck and the whole time you smiled. You smiled because it wasn't what you do every day, it wasn't the thick routine you had become so accustomed to. It wasn't the sharp timer you felt ticking behind you every moment as if you were always one step behind. It wasn't the timeline your parents had drawn for you and forced down your infantile throat. It was chaos. Absolute chaos. And you had never felt more alive.

Just as quickly as it started it all stopped. Your parents disappeared, you went to school again and feel back into the sick loop of your life, and as your high died out and you realized you had created nothing more than a bump in the road your plan became meaningless. And so did the people in it.

You no longer yearned for Dracs touch. His lips felt numb against your own, his hands in your hair meant nothing, the taste of caramel and smell of cologne dulled, the color he used to hold seems to be drained from him. But really his purpose had.

He could sense it, your numbness, your indifference your complete and utter boredom. But he kept hoping. Hoping you would kiss him as you had in that ballroom, that you would hold him as you had that night, that the light in your eyes would return because your touch still sent him into frenzies, your kiss still felt like fireworks, you still tasted of butterscotch and bubblegum. Your hand in his hair still brought butterflies to his stomach. He still needed you.

“I can’t keep doing this.”

The boy cringed at your words, “Doing what?”

“Just this Draco.” You seemed tired, “I don't love you.”

Those four words effectively smashed him into pieces. He wanted to scream.

“I don't think I ever did.” You spoke dryly, wetting your lips.

Those six shattered him, “Then why did you kiss me?” He asked, his throat felt raw and scratchy like it had been clawed apart.

You shrugged, face still vacant of any emotion, “You were new.”

“That doesn’t make any fuckings sense!” he burst suddenly, turning to face you. You didn't even blink.

“Nothing makes any fucking sense Draco. None of this did.” You sighed.

“Why did you lie to me?” He snarled, "Why did you say you loved me, why did you say you needed me? Why did you make me believe you?”

You didn't speak, you weren't sure what to say.

“Why did you fucking lie to me y/n!?” He repeated, his voice cracking.

“I don't know.” But you did know. You had always known. You needed a distraction, something to break the routine, to force chaos upon you and he did just that. He elicited the fire in your father’s eyes, he brought furry to your mother's mind and he gave you a week of freedom. And he was worth it. You would never utter it out loud, but breaking him was worth it. Because for just a moment he had cured an incurable disease. Boredom.

Tags:

@accio-rogers

@roslea

@k3nz-doodl3

@theseuscmander

Masterlist

#draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy imagines #draco malfoy ships #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy #draco x oc #draco x reader #draco fanfiction #harry potter ships #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #harry potter imagine #fuck im sad

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nightwolfomega · 4 years

Text

Heart of the Lycan Chapter 1

Becoming friends with the wolf boy

Autumn was slowly rolling around the corner, the leaves changing from summer green to their beautiful red, orange, and yellows. A silver car Drove through the backwoods into the forest of the happily quiet town Autumn Valley known for its festivals during the fall season of having bountiful cider and spooky Halloween fun,

Olydia was happy to be coming back home. It’s been six years since she left to be in college and work on her artistic and literary talents to hopefully better herself. Her family sold their old home for a smaller place but luckily there was still the family cabin she could live in now since her parents were kind enough to let her have it.

She was always grateful how supportive and kind her parents are to her. Driving up the stony alley way she had to pick up some house appliances such as toiletries and some food,

Picking up as many bags as she could to save herself the double trips to go back to her car, stacking the many groceries onto the porch before she unlocked her door. Walking inside the cabin felt warm and homey, the rustic decorations that her mother had always made her smile, remembering when she used to go with her at a little store called “The Gift Shop” where there were all sorts of lovely handmade painted novelty gifts. Such as the wooden cut out of a snow man and the adorable painted squiggly smile to give it it’s charm.

Another memory was the candles, there was always a candle that helped give a home it’s final touch of welcoming. She walks over to her kitchen counter and pulls a box of matches out, trimming the long wick of her favorite candle “Autumn breeze” she lights it carefully and discards the used match in the trash.

Now she was ready to put stuff away, it was the little things that make the big steps of making a home feel like home. “This is nice.” she thought to herself, feeling the atmosphere becoming relaxing and calm. She puts her groceries away, dating the meats and cheeses she got from the store. It was always good to do that so she could save herself the worry of smelling or seeing the produce expire.

Once that was done she rubs her eyes and looks over to the boxes of her stuff she still had to go through, mostly clothes and other miscellaneous items. But she didn’t have a problem unpacking her art supplies and books into the spare room where she would make that into her art studio, With just enough lighting through the window it would be the perfect spot to unleash her creativity and writing. Not to forget also a nice spot to read some of her favorite books.

Olydia sighs at herself, “Why am I like this? Why do I always wait to unpack my clothes and other stuff but my art stuff and books first?” she spoke out loud. Of course whenever she needed a break from unpacking she could go to her art room to let out some steam. Shrugging with a smirk “Heh, guess that’s what motivates me first.”

Going over to open one of the knick knacks filled boxes, as she opens the cardboard flaps there’s a picture that stares at her face to face that made her pause.

A photo of her during the time of her high school years, in the library with a young man that had wild hair tamed with a ponytail and dark circles under his eyes, Grinning happily next to her as they were reading a novel together. A classmate of her’s took that picture thinking it would be a nice memory to have.

“Lycus,” she spoke softly as she smiled at the memories they had together, he was always kind and gentle. At least with her, he didn’t trust anyone else that much.

The reason was of course he was raised by wolves.

Olydia remembered him telling her that, When he was a somewhat young child he lost his family venturing deep in the woods until a large white wolf came in and took him as one of her own. Growing up and surviving until people found him again and brought him back to civilization, he had a rough time trying to get back to things. Being so used to acting like a wolf, he had to relearn things again from the ground up.

Remembering the first time she met him was at the library, She would always go there when she had a chance to. Looking through books she notices him sitting by himself at one of the tables, he appears to be disheveled even a bit nervous looking around. His long wild hair covered most of his face and had dark circles under his pale blue eyes, scratching at his stubble that was growing out.

People talked rumors about him and they were harsh ones about how he would bite at people if you even came near him, or how he’s more of a wolf than man. She hated that, disgust how this poor guy went through so much and now people either tease or were too scared to even go near him.

At that moment she made a choice that changed her life forever. Walking over she stands next to him “Hello,” she spoke softly. He jerks back in a panic growling at her baring his teeth, raising her hand defensively “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” she spoke worriedly.

She felt her heart become sore as he hugged himself looking down becoming guilty when he did that, “I-I just wanted to ask if you would like me to sit here and keep you company.” reaching her hand out to touch his shoulder gently. The moment her hand touched him made his whole body shiver, he let out a whimper.

“Hey hey sweetie it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.” she spoke in a nurturing tone stroking her thumb on his shoulder. She tries to think of something that would help him calm down, suddenly an idea pops in her head “Say, How about I read to you. Would you be okay with that?” she asks in a nurturing tone.

The young man turns looking at her, perplexed on what she meant by that. “Do you like stories? I can read them to you if you want.” showing him a book she had that was about fairy tales.

“C’mon, I can ask the librarian if she can let us in the little spare room so it’ll be more quiet and I can read to you without disturbing others.” offering her hand to him but pauses a moment “If that’s what you would like of course.” she spoke bashfully.

A sliver of guilt creeping up at the back of her mind, feeling like she was forcing him to do this, however she could feel his larger hand holding onto hers firmly yet carefully. Slowly nodding and gets out of the chair, her eyes widen to how tall he was compared to her.

“Okay, let's go ask Mrs. Sanford.” carefully pulling him with her, after persuading the librarian to let them use the room they go inside and it was the perfect silence for reading. When they sat across each other she held up the book with her other stuff sitting next to her. “Now lets see, which story should we start with…” she spoke scanning at the index.

“Lycus.” she heard a voice speak to her, Olydia paused and looked up at him “Pardon me?” she spoke curiously. He hesitates a moment looking around the room, finally gaining enough courage he looks at her and speaks again “M-My name is Lycus.” he spoke out slowly. It was obvious to see he was struggling to say the words he wanted but tried his hardest to do well at it.

A smile creased onto her face “I’m Olydia.” she replies cheerfully. “Thank you so much for telling me your name Lycus.”. He looked at her, waiting for a harsh comment but it never came. “How about I read this one to you, beauty and the beast it’s quite a nice story…” she spoke flipping to the page, but he noticed something, a notebook that he saw upside down “My story notebook” written in sharpie on the plastic cover.

As she was about to read he placed his hand on top of the page to keep her from doing so “Hmm? Do you not want me to read to you?” she asks with a little frown. Lycus shakes his head quickly and points at the notebook.

Olydia sees it also and blushes “Oh, heh that's just uh...my own stuff I wrote and some doodles in there too.” she picks it up “There’s not much in it really just some short stories.” looking back up to him he was now looking at her with his head tilted slightly.

She loved to write and draw, but she was always nervous to show her work to others.

“It’s just a bunch of stuff of fiction, like fantasy and horror. I like writing about-” she cuts herself off, Lycus leans closer now curious “Please don’t laugh at me when I tell you this okay.” she spoke nervously.

Lycus was silent so that probably meant yes, Olydia nodded “I enjoy writing about werewolves and lycans, they’re just so much fun and amazing to work with. I like writing them as good guys and heroes in the story, not like the mindless killing machines other authors write them as. Though who am I to judge?” she sighs with a shrug.

Then she waited for him to say something like “You’re into that weird stuff?” or worse, but when she looked at him she could have sworn his eyes sparkled and a grin on his face. “Do you like werewolves and Lycans too?” she asks with a smile, Lycus immediately nods and points at the notebook “Please?” he asks.

Olydia blinks “You mean you want me to read my own stuff to you?” feeling her face get warm. Lycus nods again. “Are you sure? I mean some of this is still in the works-” she then saw he was giving her the puppy eyes and lets out a soft tiny whimper, her heart betrayed her at how adorable he looked and gave in “Okay, Okay I’ll read some of it to you.” opening up to the first page she began to read.

Fighting through her bashfulness she read to Lycus, telling him story after story of her own works, one being about a knight that fought alongside with a lycan that became detectives.

As she was reading, lycus gave her his full attention, listening closely with a smile on his face, it was as if he was a completely different person now.

when she was almost finished the bell rings and the two looked out the door's window, it was their last period and so it was time to leave “Guess it’s time to go home now.” Olydia spoke a little disappointed.

When she looked at Lycus however her heart dropped at the devastation on his face, “Hey Lycus.” reaching her hand out to hold his securely. “We can do this again tomorrow, I’ll get more of my stories and I’ll read them to you. Would you like that?” Olydia asks, at that second Lycus looked at her relief washed over him “Really?” he asks innocently.

Olydia smiles warmly at him “Of course,” she replies standing up from the table, “In fact, I can even ask my parents if you would like to come over and we can do some more reading together and other stuff too.” she spoke out. Lycus thought about that, he was hesitant about it “But only if you're okay with that, I want you to know you're safe with me.” she spoke sweetly to him.

Lycus paused and shifted his gaze at her, getting up from the table he walked over to Olydia, towering over her as she had to take a little step back to see his face. “F-Friends?” he asks nervously.

Olydia makes a wide grin and in a fit of excitement wraps his arms around him “Of course we’re friends Lycus!” she spoke out excitedly rubbing the side of her head to his chest. She felt Lycus' body shudder letting out a small gasp, his arms slowly raising up as she heard his heart beating quickly.

His arms wrap around her, hugging Olydia so firmly to his body that it almost looked like he was afraid to let go.

“M-Mate?” he whispers nervously to her, Oh? Mates, like best buddy mates she thought. Looking up and giving him a warm smile “Yeah, we're gonna be best mates you and I.” she spoke cheerfully.

The librarian saw their little hugging moment and she informed them about the no touch policy at school. Lycus pulls away from her and Olydia chuckles “It’s okay big guy.” she spoke “I’ll see you tomorrow Lycus.” she spoke, waving at him as she started walking away to get her stuff to walk home.

Lycus slowly waved back with a crooked smile on his face.

After that, the rest was history. They became an inseparable team and stuck with each other through thick and thin. Confiding in with each other and becoming close friends.

Back to now, she held the picture frame up and placed it on top of the fireplace. Olydia hoped that she would see him again if he didn’t move away of course, she missed him so much during the time she was gone. “I hope he’s happy and doing well now.” she spoke to herself now going back to unpacking some more stuff.

#Heart of the Lycan #Chapter 1 #story #lycan #werewolf #Olydia #lycus #original characters #monster boyfriend #fiction #writing #horror #some romance #books #library

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bisexualsforprompto · 4 years

Text

Worth Chapter Two

(Mostly some introductions, integral exposition. The next chapter will be far more interesting).

~~~~~~~

Marinette walked onto the plane, the day was a much better day. She had a whole breakfast, and was so excited that she never even thought of disappointing anybody. That is until she got onto the bus, Lila started talking about how the city was crime ridden and she couldn’t believe Marinette would let them go. Marinette’s heart sank, she was right. Gotham was dangerous, if something happened she’d never forgive herself. She’d be a failure just like Chat always knew.

Luckily for her, Lila’s story had to be centered around the liar herself so she quickly changed the subject and regaled the bus with her “true stories” of how she and Batman had teamed up, he even wanted to make her a superhero, but of course Lila was too busy. She also told the bus about how her and Damian Somethingorother (marinette couldn’t remember the name because her BS detector was going off too loudly) were in an on again off again relationship. Marinette sat down in a back seat in the bus, she knew that Alya wouldn’t join her, she was too invested in Lila’s story, but to her delight Kay joined her.

Kay Khan was Marinette’s other best friend. Gigantic theatre nerd, couldn’t go a day without talking or singing but Marinette wouldn’t have it any other way. The rest of the class thought she was a little odd, but she was a genius. Like freaky smart, so they all tried to work with her when they could. Unfortunately for Kay, Marinette was really her only friend because she was...overly blunt. Kay didn’t have a filter and Lila took her down pretty quickly.

On Kay’s first day she came into the class and expressed her adoration of theatre when Miss. Bustier asked her what her hobbies were. Kay told the class that her favorite musical was Newsies because Jeremy Jordan was the original Jack Kelley. So of course Lila said that she personally knew him, on that day Marinette was not happy. Chat had been a handful the night before and she expected the new girl to fall for Lila’s lies, instead Kay asked, “Wasn’t he just amazing in Dairy Boys?” Lila nodded and exclaimed, “I saw him in that. A true work of art.” Kay smirked and sat down, but not before saying, “That’s funny because Jeremy Jordan was never in Dairy Boys, oh, and Dairy Boys doesn’t exist.”

Marinette knew Kay and her would be great friends, but that meant Lila had Kay targeted. Not only for humiliating her (which she quickly covered with another idiotic lie), but also because she vowed she’d take Marinette’s friends away. That included the weird new girl. It didn’t help that Adrien also seemed to hate Kay, mostly because she had called out Lila. If it had been a year ago Marinette would’ve never talked to Kay just because Adrien didn’t seem to like her, but after Chat Noir had demeaned her as Ladybug she felt like she didn’t deserve somebody like Adrien. Marinette gradually fell out of love with Adrien until there were no feelings left. She hadn’t felt romantic love in a really long time, she didn’t deserve it.

The class already wasn’t fond of Kay, especially since she missed classes a lot. Her mother was a director who was directing a movie Kay starred in in Paris. Her first television debut. The class was naturally insanely jealous, but it didn’t matter to Kay because she was barely in school to hear the awful things they said.

The only reason she was going on the trip was because she had family in Gotham and her mother decided to give her a little break. Kay accepted when she knew Marinette had planned the trip, she wanted to keep an eye on her best friend. She wasn’t the best with expressing emotions or giving advice but she could tell Mari was spiraling sometimes. Kay knew all about spiraling…

Kay sat down next to Marinette, starting to giggle. Mari smiled, Kay’s laugh was ridiculous and normally she laughed at funny musical memes nobody got but her, it brought Marinette lots of entertainment to hear Kay say every time she looked at a meme and Marinette asked about it, “YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF [INSERT SHOW TITLE HERE]?!?!” Marinette was about to ask what Kay was laughing at before somebody beat her to it, only this somebody wasn’t going about it the way Mari would’ve.

“Spaz, why are you laughing at Lila?!” Ivan asked pointing rudely at Kay. “Yeah! You have no right to laugh at her!” Mylené said coming to her boyfriend’s defense.

“I wasn’t laughing at her, I was laughing at something she said.” Kay stated plainly before slapping her headphones on. Marinette internally facepalmed, Kay was far too blunt. Lila started her crocodile tears but Miss Bustier stood up on the plane for a head count before it escalated too far. While she took role the class still shot daggers with their glares at Kay, but only Marinette seemed to notice, Kay was lost in the world of her headphones.

Alya was still entranced in Lila’s story but she wasn’t too harsh on Kay, her and Nino were pretty indifferent about her. Alya at first wasn’t too fond of her because despite Marinette being friends with her Lila claimed she was a bully, but Alya warmed up to her when she and Kay bonded over superheroes they liked. Kay had watched a lot of superhero movies because her mom had directed them but Alya still knew more. Kay and Alya had a mutual respect for each other, Nino was basically Alya’s extension so he felt the same, so they didn’t really talk and Alya didn’t gang up on her like the others.

Marinette knew Kay didn’t like to be disturbed when she had her headphones on. It was headphones on, world off. Marinette did text her though, so she could talk to her friend before they took off and eventually fell asleep.

Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: Wait so what were you laughing at that Lie-la said?

Kay Khan: lol the guy she was talking about was one of my friends when I lived in Gotham!

Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: cool! Do you’ll think you’ll see him? I’d like to meet any friends of yours!

Kay Khan: It’s possible, anything’s possible (Suessical). Ummm mayb. He’s kinda moody tho so he might be somewhat rude just warnin ya.

Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: Really? I can’t imagine you being friends with somebody like that. You’re literally sunshine.

Kay Khan: Awwww thankies! But Damian is super cool once he warms up to you, he’ll like you I bet. OMG I BET HE’LL LIKE YOU!!! ;)

Kay Khan: OMG YES I CAN SEE IT NOW! CAN I BE THE MAID OF HONOR AT UR WEDDING? AHHH IM TOTES SETTING U UP AS SOON AS WE GET IN GOTHAM!!!

Kay Khan: OMG WHATS UR SHIP NAME? OMG MARIDAMI

Kay Khan: NO DAMAINETTE!!!!

Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: as...exciting as it is you shipping me with another guy I haven’t even met, the airplane dude just said turn off devices headphone girl.

Kay Khan: Dang! (Dang diggity dang a dang) I only got like 5 minutes into Jesus of Suburbia. Oh welllll

Kay took off her headphones and turned off her cell phone. She smiled at Marinette before the plane took off. Marinette took out her sketchbook as Kay quickly fell asleep. Marinette envied her, she could literally fall asleep anywhere anytime. Marinette looked out her window as she sketched for inspiration, and before she knew it she found inspiration within a sparkling city they were landing in.

“Psst, Kay. We’re here.” Marinette said in a hushed whisper as she poked at Kay. Kay sat up straight and rubbed her eyes.

“Dope! Let’s get this par-tay started!” She cheered quietly. Marinette giggled, “It’s 3am in Eastern time, I’m pretty sure even the Gotham people aren’t partying.”

“You never know.” Kay shrugged. Marinette giggled a little softer, trying not to wake the sleeping passengers on the plane until they landed in the airport completely. The French class started buzzing quietly from excitement but everyone was mostly too tired to be too excited so it was a relief to everyone when they were passed out in their rooms in the Wayne Hotel.

Kay and Marinette were elated for the days to come. Kay was going to make sure Marinette enjoyed her trip, no matter what.

Tag list (lemme know if you wanna be added/ I forgot you/ spelled your name wrong):

@northernbluetongue

@poshplumcot

@queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm

@luciferge

@legendaryneckjudgestudent

@interobanginyourmom

@beaversuenightly

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry

@mochinek0

@shamefullove

@emjrabbitwolf

@actual-disaster-human

@tog84

@thequestionablyhuman

@thyladyanput

@vixen-uchiha

@novicevoice

@2sunchild2

@zebrabaker

@chrismarium

@mycupisbroken

@winter-gardenflower

@dast218

@bluerosette23

@chocolatecatstheron

@anjuschiffer

@fertileleaf

@drarryismylife101

@zerotosiki

@littleredrobinhoodum

@fatimaabbasrizvi

@ladylb

@weird-pale-blonde-person

@st0rmy-w1th1n

@7-sage-7

@eve-is-the-dawn

@mooshoon

@caffinetheory

@fiendsangelical

@bee-wrecker

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flyaway-33 · 5 years

Text

Yesterday-- (Roger Taylor x Reader)

Summary: Pre-Smile Era. You and Roger are best friends with benefits after having met at a dorm meeting the first night at university. The two of you navigate the newfound freedom of life away from home and learn more about each other and yourselves than you ever expected. 2.6k words.

Warnings: hints of smut, language, fluff.

Disclaimer: This is only a work of fiction. Song lyrics— Yesterday by The Beatles.

A/N: If anyone reads this, I would like to know what you think. I had a lot of fun writing this bit and would like to continue it if it gets any response.

You yawned and stretched, staring up at the rays of sun filtering in through the haphazardly bent window shades, highlighting the particles of dust that floated up by the drab, gray ceiling. Your body was squished against the cinderblock wall of the boys’ dormitory, once again sharing a twin sized bed with your fuck buddy, who also happened to be your best friend in the world.

Peeking your head over the mess of dark blond hair that was your friend Roger, you noted that his roommate had not yet returned from the weekend. This prompted you to elbow the naked, sleeping body beside you hard enough to tip him over the side of the bed.

“Argh!” He bellowed, crashing to the cold, linoleum floor as you cackled deviously. “Damnit, Y/N, what did you do that for!?” He pulled himself up on the bed frame and climbed back into the sheets, huddling for warmth. The cool, autumn air outside often made for chilly mornings in the poorly insulated dorm room.

“Just giving you a rude awakening.” You laughed as you snuggled under the blankets, stealing them from him. He deserved it after the awakening he’d given you last week where he’d loudly crashed his hi-hat beside your head as you snoozed. It was one of the pieces of his beloved drum kit he couldn’t fit in the back of his closet and he claimed he had to put it to good use if it wasn’t going to be stored. It was a recent morning ritual for you two that they first person to wake up would play a prank on the other to wake them up, and it was a direct result of the goofy, open, no-strings-attached relationship you shared. You had never had a friend like him before where you felt like you could completely and wholly be yourself, and you loved that he matched your goofiness, ditziness, and intelligence perfectly, though he sometimes amazed you with how thoughtful and down to earth he could be half the time, while being an absolute asshole other times. You’d become friends the very first night of college and had been joined at the hip ever since.

*** Flashback ***

You nervously leaned against the wall, wringing your hands as dozens of other sweaty, exhausted college students filed into the lobby of your new building. Move-in day had been tiring for everyone and there had hardly been enough time to think of the fact that you were away from home, living on your own with no one to answer to for the first time ever. Your pretty, blonde roommate, Amy, stood beside you, surveying the area like a hawk seeking her prey. She was a gorgeous biology major who hoped to become a veterinarian and you felt that you were pretty but average compared to her, though you already loved her personality. You hoped the two of you would become good friends this year, but you were nervous to live in such close quarters with so many other people.

The RA’s eventually called for order and gave their speech about the dorm rules and common courtesies. It felt like it took forever for them to go over basic life skills such as remembering to lock your door, take out your trash, and do your laundry, and you rolled your eyes when one of the RA’s said she was offering laundry lessons. Once they came to the end of their lecture, they encouraged socialization and the crowd dispersed, some running back to their rooms and others remaining behind to mingle. You gritted your teeth and forced yourself to stay. No matter how much fun meeting new people could be when they were nice and welcoming, you felt awkward and out of place in a room full of equally awkward strangers. Amy had started chatting with a few other girls who were whispering to each other, pointing at random boys around the room. Standing there alone you began to panic, hating being the odd man out, and you searched the room with your eyes for another loner who looked friendly enough to approach.

There he was, standing against a support column, his legs crossed and a pair of aviator sunglasses shading his eyes. He was skinny as could be but fit and was wearing a pair of white jeans with a black polo and purple high-top converse. His dark blond hair fell to just around his jawline and sprawled in messy tufts around his face. He took his sunglasses off to reveal large, stunningly blue eyes. You felt something stir in your chest as you made eye contact across the room, and though normally you would be panicking over how to start a conversation with a stranger with no topic to begin with you felt a calm wash over you as you began to make your way over. Something about his soft, baby face and kind, intelligent eyes told you that you didn’t have to be nervous.

“Hi there, darling.” He began, his voice surprisingly high and airy. “Name’s Roger.” He stuck out his hand and gave you a warm smile.

“I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you, Roger.” You took his hand and marveled at its warmth, but it was rough, making your mind wonder what kind of things he did to make them that way. Did he work? Maybe he was a mechanic or a construction worker. Maybe he worked on a farm. You were already curious about this handsome boy’s life, just from a handshake.

“Sorry if I’m awkward,” you sighed, dropping his hand after having held it a moment longer than necessary. “If I’m being honest, I don’t have any friends yet and you looked nice enough to give it a go.” You joked, a smile coming to your lips as you shamelessly admitted your reason for approaching him, hoping he got your self-deprecating humor.

“That’s alright, love. I haven’t any friends here myself. Glad to hear I look nice.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked at the way he managed to twist your words, and your cheeks reddened despite the giggle that escaped your lips.

The conversation began the usual way, what’s your major, interests, where are you from, etc. You learned that he was a pre-dental major but that he really didn’t care for dentistry, but rather was interested in the science behind it and the potential to make money; he was a drummer for a band back home in Cornwall and had brought his drum kit to university. It was now shoved in his closet, so he said. So that’s why his hands were so rough. He learned that you were an art major, that you liked to paint and sing, and that you were from Surrey.

Music was what sparked the deepening of your conversation. Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and on and on. You found he was extremely intelligent and had a deep understanding of the way the music was recorded, how the songs were sung, and why it worked. He was fascinating to listen to, as you had never thought about the complexities before.

The two of you sat at one of the study tables in the lobby and talked for hours, and by the time you noticed how late it was, it was well past the time you should have been in bed, having class the following morning. He was reluctant to let you go, so he enthusiastically invited you to come to his dorm to listen to an album, and though you were cautious of all the warnings your parents had given you, you absolutely did not want to let this treasure slip through your fingers, so you followed him down a first floor hallway to his room. “Just one album, Rog.” A nickname for him already.

One album, then two, then a third, the two of you laying opposite directions on his soft, blue bedspread, listening, chatting, giggling about the things you heard and the thoughts you shared. You had never been so comfortable so fast with someone before in your life, and he didn’t pressure you for anything, much to your surprise.

The first week flew by and the two of you couldn’t go a day without seeing each other. He distracted you from the homesickness and the loneliness you felt whilst sitting in your drab dorm room. He found every excuse to talk to you, and invited you to coffee, to work on school stuff together, to listen to and talk about music, and you reciprocated, loving how easy he was to be around. The level of comfort you felt was as if you’d known him forever. You’d found a best friend, something you hadn’t had in years.

*** End Flashback ***

“Oh, come off it,” he groaned snapping you back to reality, tugging the blanket back over himself but still allowing you to keep half. “It’s bloody freezing!”

“Wanna heat it up?” You asked, rolling over to straddle him over the blanket.

He gazed up at you, momentarily stunned by your boldness, and his eyes took on a flame of lust as he studied your form in awe. “Hell yeah.” he near whispered, still stunned.

“Too bad!” You pecked him on the tip of his nose before rolling off him and began collecting the clothes you had discarded on the floor the night before.

“Ugh, you’re killing me.” Roger groaned as he rolled over onto his side to face you. “Can’t we just go one more round?”

You studied him: the way his blue eyes sparkled mischievously, how his soft hair fell in his face and framed him beautifully, he was like a painting of a Greek god. “Well…” you began, trailing off as you tried to fight back a smile.

“Come on, at least stay a bit.” He scooted back against the wall where you had been and patted the space beside him. “I need someone to keep me warm.”

His charm was irresistible, and your resolve crumbled. The clothes fell out of your arms, abandoned once more as you slipped back under the covers. Roger’s smile dazzled you, and you stared into his deep baby blue eyes as he studied your expression. He brought his thumb up to trace the corner of your mouth and he sighed in contentment.

“Come on, Rog. What, did you bring me back to bed just to gawk?” You teased lightly, biting your bottom lip seductively.

Without another word his eyes traveled down the bit of your body he could see through the gap in the covers and he pulled you closer, his warm hands on your hips. “Warm me up, Roger.” You breathed against his neck before nipping it gently. Then your kisses trailed to his lips and caught his bottom lip in your teeth playfully, and pressed yours to his, inviting him in. His hands wondered and he grabbed your leg to hitch it over his hip, his calloused hand running the length of it sensually.

It wasn’t rushed or selfish. Over the past two and a half months you had both learned each other’s personalities, wants, and needs as if they were your own, and that day three weeks ago where you’d finally made the agreement you’d been contemplating for weeks prior had been one of the best days of your life, despite the stress you’d been feeling at the time.

*** Flashback ***

It wasn’t until midterms came around that the fuck buddy arrangement developed out of the stress your schoolwork caused you both.

“What’s wrong, love?” Roger asked, watching you crumple up yet another piece of paper that should have been the start of your essay.

“I can’t bloody focus!” You spat, throwing the paper ball aggressively at the wall of Roger’s room where you had been holed up studying all day. “I can’t do this, Rog, I came here to learn more about how to make my art better, not to write essays about the history of medieval scribbles!” Tears of pent up frustration began to well in your eyes and you swiped at them furiously.

Roger cautiously got to his feet and walked around the desk. He rested his hands on your tense shoulders, coming to hover behind you as he gently began to massage out the tension. “Relax, love.” He hummed, and you nearly melted at his touch. He began to hum a familiar tune and you immediately recognized it and began to sing along to his sweet sound.

“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

Now it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterday”

He pulled you to your feet and twirled you around as your voices harmonized perfectly. By no means was he the best dancer, but the simple act had all your cares beginning to get pushed to the back of your mind. As you reached the end of the song you were producing together you placed your hands on either side of his face, rubbing your thumbs over his soft cheeks, gazing into his blue eyes.

“Rog.”

“Yes, love?”

“You’re my best friend.”

“Oh.” His eyes lost a touch of sparkle for a split second, but it immediately returned. “You mean that?”

“Yes.”

“And you are my best friend. You make this hell hole of a school bearable.”

“So, do you. Roger?”

“Yes?”

“I have an idea… if it’s not okay we can totally forget I said it.” Your thumb traveled softly to the corner of his mouth and hesitated.

“Okay?” Confusion was painted clearly on his features as he met your gaze, a line forming between his furrowed eyebrows.

“Weshouldbefuckbuddies.” You said in one breath and squeezed your eyes shut, fearing his response.

And of course, he started laughing and your heart wrenched.

“Okay, okay. Let’s just forget it. I’m sorry.” You babbled, pulling away.

“No! No, I’m sorry! I just didn’t expect that from you. Is there a reason you’re suggesting this?” He pulled you back to him and his excited mischievous smile dazzled you.

“I, uh…” you trailed off, unsure of yourself, and looked down to study the stitches of your shoes. “Truthfully, I think we both could use the stress relief. I’ve never felt so comfortable with another human before in my life, and we’re with each other all the time. It doesn’t need to be anything serious at all. Just casual. Just two best friends helping each other get off. Nothing has to change. So why not?” You were starting to ramble and bit your lip to stop yourself.

“I actually think that’s a great idea.”

“Really?” You asked, hopefully, meeting his eyes once more. They were warm, welcoming, and now darkened with something you’d never noticed in them before.

Lust.

He nodded silently and began to move you backward slowly until your back hit the side of his bed as your heart began to beat double time and the breath left your body. His tongue flitted out to wet his lips as he began to lean in. Centimeters from your neck, he paused. “You sure, love?”

“Yes. Please.” You whimpered, feeling the desire intensify inside of you, and he pressed his lips to your neck softly.

The rest was history.

*** End Flashback ***

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! please let me know if you’d like another chapter! I have a plan for this one...

#roger taylor fic #roger x reader #queen fic #roger taylor

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cerberosthehellguard · 6 years

Note

top ten favorite fics of all time? can be any ship you want!

You beautiful angel from the heavens above! Thank you for this ask!! I am literally bursting at the seams with all the screaming I want to do for drarry! (Which if you have been frequenting your dash, would be spammed with the arts, courtesy yours truly- no need to thank me//making grabby hands at you//).

Ah! Umm! Ughh the difficult part of this ask is to choose among the spectacular stuff I have read//wails// So here is ten stuff which is close to my heart (changes constantly because I am a fickle-minded fangirl who is easily distracted by the New Shiny Thing and still rereads the Classics and the ‘Not so popular but Totally - guilty pleasure - fluffy works’).

This is a Long Post. For skipping this, please click “J”. Thanks!

Image Received by Trashness - SouMako 13k words

Mobile phones are amazing and dangerous.They are communication devices, word processors, flashlights, calculators, gaming platforms, cameras…And capable of sending terrible photos to your crush, which end up being the perfect ice breaker(aka: Yes that is my naked ass on your phone. I am filled with shame and regret, but we somehow have a weird friendship out of it)

Entirely too funny and absurdly endearing work that has completely won me over! The friendship is hilarious and oh! Ace!Haru ftw!!

A Place to Call Home by Potatopierrot - AkaFuri 18k words

It was up to Kouki to show Seijuurou that imperfection was not a disability, that they were all only human.

An extremely underrated but utterly heartwarming work that deserves all the praise. This was one of the first works I read when I jumped onto the akafuri wagon and I still hold this very dearly in high praise. The dynamic of their relationship in this made me sit up and notice Akashi and Furihata very very differently than their usual fanon portrayals.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt by Ad_Astra - MakoRin 68k words

Rin comes to terms with something he never thought he wanted.

The classic case of Friends with Benefits to Something More - Which the author wanted to stop with the Friends with Benefits but ended up writing a whole 70k saga which incidentally became the MakoRin Bible. All of Astra’s works are hilariously charming and cheesy and sassy that you can never get enough of it!

Here are the Drarry works I picked out from the Best Ever and honestly, I am not doing any justice because there are just so many which are just too good, you can easily drown and I will take all the blame for it. Happily.

All Our Secrets Laid Bare by @firethesound - 150k words

Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on.

If you need a work that just makes you wonder and enjoy and relish every single word written then this is the work for you! Also, pocketsies!!

The Standard You Walk Past by @bafflinghaze - 47k words

On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened.

That was, until Harry sleepwalked into Draco’s bed.

Such a beautiful work oh my god! Draco is so so caring here and he is cursed and he still helps Harry out, albiet unwillingly at first and its so poignant! Ahh!

Azoth by Zeitgeistic - 88k words

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

The author is the go to person for any, I repeat, any explanation regarding the working of magic. The work is marvelous and detailed and intriguing and! Portrait!Snape at his snarky best!!

Helix by Saras_Girl - 93k words

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again.

Anything by Saras_Girl is a must read. Anything. There are simply no questions. She has the command over the imagery of words that is incomparable. If you are starting out with Harry Potter Fanworks in general, please give this a try. I will swear, on my life, its so worth it.

Pocket Full of Starlight (Never Let it Fade Away) by @femmequixotic and @noeeon - 46k words

When Scorpius Malfoy and Jamie Potter meet at Quidditch camp, they take an instant dislike to each other. Then they discover their lives are more connected than they could possibly imagine.

Parent Trap AU!! And oh man! So stunningly written! I almost cried when Draco hugs James and during the scene in the Hotel. The writing is exceptionally beautiful and you should definitely read it!

In the Shadow of your Heart by @lqtraintracks - 52k words

And thus began the very strange circumstance of their fake dating in public and real fucking in absolute secret. It was, with no comparison, the weirdest relationship Draco had ever been in – which was to say, it wasn’t one.

Fake Pretend Relationship and……wait for it…..Friends With Benefits trope!! At the same time! It makes sense…..in a way. And So Damn Good. Holy shit I am crying at the beauty of this hilarious fic I love it so much!

In Evidence of Magical Theory by @bixgirl1 - 43k words

In which Harry and Draco can’t fight, and so they fall in love instead. When a hex meant for Draco accidentally catches Harry as well, the pair are forced to learn to understand each other in ways they previously might have thought impossible.

Magical Theories at their finest! A rec list should have atleast one Bonding fic in it and whats better than the best! This is so carefully constructed and beautifully written and I am so in awe of this fic! Ahhhh!

He was He and I was Bunny by bryoneybrynn - 37k words

The war is over and “eighth year” is about to begin at Hogwarts. But for Harry and Draco, nothing is quite the same. Harry’s looking for an escape, Draco’s looking for a friend. Does a little black bunny hold the answers for both of our boys?

Animagus as Bunny!Harry and Snarky Draco who rants to him about him…..all the time. Its funny and gorgeous and crazily wonderful and ahhh yes!!!!

All these are just tip of the ice berg, if you are willing, please check out the other works of these authors and believe me, they will sweep you off your feet. The HP fandom has some of the classiest, astoundingly magnificent works known to the Internet. Thank you JKR for making all of these wonderful writers fall for your writing and create these works for us to enjoy.

#niri babbles #fic rec #anonymous #this is what happens when you let me talk about fics #i never shut up #READ PLEASE OKAY THESE ARE SO SO SO GOOD #gold fics man #drarry #akafuri #soumako #makorin #((for tagging purposes))

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princehuii · 6 years

Note

can you do a fluff about vernon being your best friend, but you secretly have feelings for him? you can make up the rest! thank youu ~

In Vain

Word Count: 5002Genre: angst angst anGST (with fluffiness ish? idk)Pairing: You x Hansol (Vernon)Warnings: nothing major, just some light cussing here and there, and a bit of dirty humor

Sometimes Cupid runs out of arrows and only shoots one person instead of two. And sometimes, Cupid is cruel enough to make you fall in love with someone who doesn’t have enough room in their heart to love you.

A/N: sorry this took sO SO long… what’s motivation…..i havent posted anything in over a year yiKes. I merged these two requests together bc if I didn’t………you’d have to wait another year to get the other one written LOL. sorry if this isnt exactly what you wanted !!

something to keep in mind: this takes place around the spring time! all events occur in chronological order, except for one flashback (which I hope I made obvious). enjoy~

“Hansol, what the hell are you doing?”

“Look, it was just sitting there so I took it. What’s wrong with that?”

“Well, for starters, we’re at Mingyu’s party, and you just took the entire plate of chocolate cake. Don’t you feel any shame?”

“Not at all,” Hansol shoots back while cutting himself a slice of cake, “Why would I? I love chocolate cake.”

“If you really had no shame, please explain why we’re crouching behind this ratty, gross-smelling couch.”

“…listen Y/N, you’re supposed to be my partner in crime. You can’t just call me out like that.” Pouting slightly, he hands you a white plastic fork, “Now dig in. I know you want to~”

Breaking into a smile, you give in, taking a piece of cake and eating it. “Oh my God, Hansol, this cake tastes like heaven.”

“I know. Damn, I’d marry the person who made this. It’s so good.”

“Wow, you must have really low standards then. How can you say you’d marry a person when you haven’t even met them? What if the person’s a stuck up piece of cra–”

“Yeah I agree, I think Hansol’s a stuck up piece of shit too.” A familiar voice cuts off the conversation, and when you look up, you see Seungkwan standing over you two, “Uhm, why are you guys hiding behind this sofa? And why do you have an entire plate of cake?” The round faced boy glances at you for a second before pointing an accusatory finger at his friend, “It was this punk’s idea, wasn’t it?”

“Well, first off, I wasn’t calling Hansol the stuck up piece of poop, but he might as well be for stealing–”

“–it’s not stealing! Mingyu told me to help myself–”

“–but he didn’t mean to say take all the cake! Think of it as those people who leave out a basket of candy on Halloween. Don’t be that jerk who takes the whole basket.” Seungkwan finishes, shooting a glare, “Anyways, if you weren’t insulting him, then who are you guys talking trash about?”

“He was saying that he’d marry the person who made this cake, and I was like, would you marry that person even if they were a jerk?”

Seungkwan spins to face Hansol in an instant, “The cake is really that good?”

“Yeah man, try some for yourself.” Hansol pushes a piece of the dessert into his friend’s mouth and looks at him, anticipating his reaction.

“Holy…this is really good…how dare you two hide it from everyone else!” Seungkwan exclaims, “Give me more of that, you self-centered prick.”

“Why should I? I already gave you a taste. Isn’t that good enough?”

“I could introduce you to the person who made the cake. I think you and Y/N would get along with her pretty well, since she’s really nice. Do you want to meet her?”

Immediately, Hansol’s eyes light up in excitement, “Sounds good.” He agrees almost immediately, and gives Seungkwan the rest of the cake. “Let me meet this cake goddess.”

“Thank you for your payment, kind sir,” Seungkwan bows jokingly, making Hansol roll his eyes, “Follow me. You too, Y/N.”

“Hey Eul! I want to introduce you to some fans~”

“Wha-What? What are you saying?” Hansol sputters, after almost spitting out his soda.

“I didn’t know I had any fans,” The girl laughs and holds her hand out to Hansol, “Nice to meet you, I guess? If you haven’t been able to figure it out, I’m Eul. My mailbox is next to Seungkwan’s.”

The first thing that stands out to you is how bright Eul is. Her lips are turned up in a genuine smile that’s nearly as radiant as the sun and her eyes smile along with her mouth, twinkling and sparkling, even though the room is dimly lit. Contrasting with the soft angles of her face, her auburn brown hair is cut sharply at her shoulders.

As you compared yourself to Eul, an anxious feeling in your stomach grows when Hansol leans forward to shake her hand, “N-nice to meet you too…I’m Hansol…and I really like your cake…”

“He’s pretty shy when he talks to girls,” Seungkwan snickers, “But yeah, he really, really likes your cake. He took the whole platter.”

“Seungkwan!” Hansol hisses.

“He also said he’d marry the person who made it, so you’ll probably get a proposal from him soon. How does being Mrs. Chwe sound?”

“Seungkwan!”

Eul bursts out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand, “I hope you don’t find this insulting, but that’s kind of endearing. I’m flattered,” she manages to say once she catches her breath. You catch Hansol with his mouth slightly open, looking slightly taken aback–no, in awe–because of her laughter.

Even her laugh sounds nicer than mine… You bite down on your bottom lip to keep yourself distracted from your thoughts.

“Yeah, Hansol, you’re real charming,” Seungkwan deadpans, “Anyways, this is his accomplice who helped him carry out that plan.”

You smile politely and offer your hand out to her, “Hi, I’m Y/N.”

Eul beams and shakes your hand, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you too!” After her greeting, there’s a moment of awkward silence before Hansol breaks the it, much to Seungkwan’s and your surprise.

“How do you know Mingyu, Eul?” He immediately sees your expressions and quickly adds, “I’m not trying to be forward or anything. I was just curious.”

“Oh, we’re in the same Organic Chemistry class, but I didn’t talk to him until I went to the pet store one day…and we ended up playing with puppies for three hours together. What about you?”

“I met Mingyu in Biology class, and Y/N works with him.”

“Wait, aren’t you a culinary arts major? Why would you take Organic Chem? It sounds like a pain.” Seungkwan groans, “I would never take that class. Too many chains, functional groups, carbons, and poly-whatevers, ugh.”

“They said it’s supposed to help me out in the long run,” Eul sighs, “But it’s killing me right now. What’s your major, Hansol?”

“Me?”

“No, the other Hansol. Yes you, you idiot,” Seungkwan quips.

Hansol gives him a look that could kill before he answers, “Uhm, this might sound kinda dumb but I–my major’s anatomical sciences.”

“Woah, that sounds really cool! Isn’t that field also pretty hard? You must be really smart, huh. What about you, Y/N?”

“I’m…” Hesitating, you look down at the floor and mutter, “I’m undecided.”

“Ah, there’s nothing wrong with that!” Eul rests her hand on your arm and smiles softly, “You still have time.”

“Yeah…I guess…” You murmur. It’s quiet again, and the feeling of discomfort suddenly overwhelms you. Clearing your throat and shifting around a bit, you say, “I’m going to get some water, I’ll be right back.”

“Alright, if you don’t come back in ten minutes, I’m going to call the police,” Seungkwan jokes.

You laugh half-heartedly and shake your head, “Don’t worry about it. Do any of you guys want anything to drink?” All three shake their head, so you go off alone to get something to cool you down.

When you return about five minutes later, you see them talking to each other as if they’d been friends for a lifetime, and, sensing that you were out of place there, you left.

And as you expected, no one comes to look for you, even after ten minutes have gone by.

It was sweltering outside, which was out of place considering it wasn’t even summer yet. Unfortunately, your dorm’s air conditioning wasn’t functioning well, and you couldn’t get it fixed until the next day.There was so much sweat pouring from your face that when you wiped your forehead, you could see a bunch droplets left on the back of your hand.

To withstand the heat, you were eating a popsicle while sitting in front of a small, rickety fan that you managed to get for $20 from a friend. Its loud whirring is the only sound you can hear among the unusual silence in the building. If you turned off the fan, you could probably hear a pin drop.

I guess everyone else feels dead today too.

Groaning, you lie down on the floor, and reach for your phone that had fallen under your bed. Your fingers fumble over the screen as you click on Seungkwan’s number.

“Yes?”

“Help me out, Seungkwan, I’m dying of boredom and heatstroke.”

“Oh, are you, a common peasant, asking me, the most amazing person in existence, for help?”

“Shut up, idiot. The AC in my room isn’t working, and I don’t have friends or money to go anywhere.”

“Uh, go to the library or something, you leech. And besides, weren’t you the one who ditched me at the party? Why are you crawling back to me now?”

“I mean, you were having a great time with the others…so I thought it would be fine…”

“That’s not the point! I was really worried about you. I went all around that place looking for you. I saw so many couples making out, my God, it was like walking around in a virtual-reality porno. You know, I even stumbled into a–”

“‘–threesome practically about to get it on like rabbits.’ You already told me, Kwannie, multiple times.”

“It was traumatizing and extremely embarrassing. For them, of course. I’m never embarrassed.”

“Yeah, of course you aren’t. Anyways, I’m really sorry about that, so, do you want to go get some ice cream or something?”

“I would love to, but I kinda just started my paper for musical theory, and it’s due tomorrow.”

“Oh, damn,” You whistle, “Good luck with that…”

“Try calling Hansol? If he says he’s ‘busy’, just guilt trip him because he didn’t help me go look for you.”

Your heart twists at this, and you squeak out, “He didn’t?”

“Nah, that punk was too busy chatting it up with Eul. Can you believe that? He is such a fake friend. He didn’t even realize that you didn’t come back until like, four hours after you took off.”

Ouch.

“Man, looks like I have to go fight him then,” You say flatly, half-joking and half-serious.

“No worries, I already did. He looked pretty sorry about it, so I’m sure you can still use it against him. But if for some reasonhe still refuses, I’ll treat you to ice cream tomorrow. I have to get back to my work now though, tell me how it goes!”

“Alright, see you around Seungkwan~”

“What are you doing here?” Hansol whispers lowly, speaking through the small crack between the door and its frame.

“I’m here to hang out with my best friend, why else?” You explain, as if it were the most obvious thing, “The air conditioning in my dorm isn’t working, and Seungkwan shot me down, so you’re my next best choice.”

“Right now isn’t a good time, Y/N,” He hisses.

“Why not? Is there something you’re hiding?” Standing on the tips of your toes, you try to look inside his room.

“Uh…my room is, my room is really messy,” Hansol stutters, shifting to block your view, “I don’t want you to see, uh, yeah…”

You squint at him with a frown, “Are you lying to me right now?”

“Hansol, who is it?” A girl’s voice rings from inside, and you start to piece things together as Hansol clears his throat.

“Eul, is that you?” You call out. It can’t be, right? How would she have gotten that close to him so quickly? There’s no way–

A hand behind Hansol pulls the door wide open, and you’re greeted with a familiar, beaming bright smile. “Yeah, it’s me, Y/N! It’s good to see you!”

“Wow, no wonder you were trying to hide her from me,” You joke, “You wanted to get some alone time with a pretty girl.”

Hansol laughs awkwardly and waves his hands around, “No, it’s really not like that…”

“OH.” Eul snaps her fingers, “Are you uncomfortable with me being alone with him?”

“Huh?” You look at her in disbelief, “Why would I be?”

“Aren’t you two dating?”

“No!” Hansol exclaims, “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“Oops, my bad then!” Eul sheepishly grins, “I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

“Ooh, that kinda hurt, you said no so quickly. Is the thought of me being your girlfriend that painful?” You ask with a joking tone, but your intention is anything but a joke. Does he really think nothing more of me?

“A little yeah,” Hansol says, sticking his tongue out, “Now that you’ve found me out, are you going to come in? She’s teaching me how to bake that chocolate cake.”

“I’ll…pass. I don’t want to interrupt your date. I’ll just call Mingyu or something,” You say, backing away from the door, trying to ignore your heart clenching, “Don’t mind me.”

“Are you sure?” Eul frowns, “We can all bake together.”

“No no, it’s fine. I came here to escape the heat, but I think baking would make me hot right?” You knew your excuse sounded insincere and fake, but it was the only thing you could think of. “I’ll see you guys later then.”

Before they could ask anymore questions, you turned around and walked away, ignoring the pain in your chest.

“Hey Y/N, I have a question for you, can I ask it?”

A week had passed since then, and life resumed as normal. You’re working an afternoon shift at the local restaurant near the campus. There were hardly any people there, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; you wouldn’t expect people to eat Italian food at three o’clock in the afternoon. Mingyu was standing with you and making small talk until he suddenly changed the subject.

“You just asked a question, Mingyu.” You roll your eyes playfully, “Go ahead and ask me while I’m splitting this check.”

“Do you like Hansol?”

You freeze, finger hovering over the monitor screen. Panic sparks and a million thoughts race through your mind at once while you quickly continue your work, “Why would you think that?”

“Ah, I don’t know why I asked that when I know the answer. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knows,” Mingyu continues, “So, how long have you liked him?”

You’re quiet for a moment before you answer, “Maybe two years?”

“Holy shit,” he breathes out, “Why haven’t you confessed? Hansol’s as dense as a solid block of metal. He’s not going to find out on his own.”

“I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. Besides, why do you care? You’ve never asked me about Hansol like this before.”

“Well…” Mingyu trails off and bites his lip nervously, “I don’t think I should say this…”

“Since you already started, just spit it out.” You sigh, “You can’t just raise my curiosity like that.”

“I…uhm, you’re right, but…” He sighs. He leans against the wall and frowns, “This is something you’re probably better off not knowing.”

“Mingyu–”

“Hansol likes Eul.” Mingyu blurts out, but once he realizes what he’s said, he immediately clamps his mouth shut, pressing it into a thin line. He doesn’t look away though, gauging your reaction.

“Hansol…what?” Waves of shock resonate through your body as the words repeatedly echo in your head. Your heart drops.

Hansol likes Eul. Hansol likes Eul.

“He, uh, told me yesterday. I ran into him while he was grocery shopping with her, and when she went to the bathroom, he asked me for advice…I mean, he didn’t mention her specifically, but it was pretty obvious.”

I knew it.

Your vision begins to blur, and your surroundings began to tilt back and forth slightly.

“Y/N, are you alright?” You could feel a hand grab your upper arm, and you stumble towards it.

“I’m…I’m going to go…” You lean in towards Mingyu’s support, and he offers you a sad smile.

“I understand. I’ll finish this check for you. Do you want me to take you home?”

“I…” The idea of sitting on a crowded transit bus in your current state was certainly not appealing, so you mutter, “Can you?”

“Of course. Just go get your stuff and wait up for me, okay?” Mingyu pats your head and sighs, “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Hey Y/N.”

“What?”

“Y/N hey.”

“Don’t make me get up and leave, Hansol. What do you want?” You retort, swirling your straw around in your drink.

“Wow, so cruel. I barely saw you this last month and you’re being so rude,” Hansol laughs back, “What’s up though? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been busy,” You reply. To be honest, you were avoiding him. After your conversation with Mingyu, you began to distance yourself further and further away from Hansol. Whenever you could, you would make an excuse to not see him, and if you had no reason to leave, you would stay as far away from him as possible. Nearly everyone had picked up on it, but no one said anything. It was as if they all sympathized with you and tried to help you through it. “How have you been though?”

“Pretty good, though finals are kicking my ass. You?”

“Same as you I guess,” Does this count as lying if it’s only half of a truth? Biting your lip, you hesitate before asking your question, “Have you made any progress with Eul?”

“Ah…” Hansol sheepishly rubs the back of his neck and smiles, “Well, I confessed…”

“And…?” You grit your teeth together, knowing what was to come.

“We’re dating now!”

No amount of preparation could have braced you for his words as you feel your heart constrict. Your eyes sting, and a lump forms in your throat, pushing you closer and closer to sobbing. Sure, you had already learned from Mingyu that Hansol liked Eul, but having them become official was…it. You no longer had even the tiniest sliver of a chance with him anymore.

“Honestly, she’s the sweetest. She gets so shy and cute whenever I do something for her, and she’s patient with me whenever I screw up,” Hansol continues, not seeing your reaction, his eyes glittering as he motions excitedly with his hands, “We have a lot of similar interests and she’s just, like, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” You stand up abruptly, chair hitting the wall behind you loudly, and your hands curl around the edge of the table. People begin to look your way, but you ignore them.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re shaking.” Hansol stands up as well to reach out to you, but you turn away from him.

“I’m…not feeling well. Too many all nighters I guess?” You ignore your cracking voice and force out a laugh, but all that comes out is a choking sound, “I’m going back to my dorm.” You take a step forward and nearly stumble, and you curse yourself in your head.

Hansol puts his arm around you to steady you with a concerned look, “I’ll walk you back. I wouldn’t want you passing out.”

“I’m fine. Just leave me alone, please.” You muster all of your strength to push him away, and with a smile, you walk away.

You’re wrapped up in a blanket, every part of you covered except your eyes. The only light that is on in your room is the light from the laptop as you watched movie after movie, with varying amounts of brightness as scene by scene flickered by. You would hate to admit it, but you had been in this state for the past couple of days after Hansol’s revelation.

For the past few days, you didn’t set a foot outside your dorm room, and you hadn’t communicated with anyone. You would get up to eat, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, and go to your bed and sleep, only to start the same routine the next day. Your phone was laying somewhere around the house, and on the first day it was ringing nonstop, but you didn’t bother to touch it. After a while, it silenced, though you didn’t know if it was from your phone dying or if the person who was calling stopped. Either way, you couldn’t be bothered with it, or anything else for that matter.

Your dorm has started looking more and more like a tornado had torn through it with each passing hour. Empty ramen bowls and water bottles littered the floor, and amidst all of it, you were sitting on the floor in front of your computer as you watched yet another film.

“It was almost as if it were a scene from a dream. Nothing more, nothing less than a beautiful view.”

The starry, beautifully drawn sky sparkled before your eyes, and just as a streak of light from a comet swept across the screen, a streak from a tear appeared on your face.

“Jeez, Hansol, wasn’t this your idea? I’ve been waiting here for half an hour,” you grumble, voice jittery from the cold. Your hands were shoved into your pockets, and your scarf was pulled up above your nose to protect yourself from the frigid December air.

“Sorry,” he smiles sheepishly, “I went to see if I could get my hands on some hot chocolate for us, but the nearest store was closed, so…I had to walk a little farther.” He hands you a hot cup, which you immediately reach for to warm up your hands, “Forgive me?”

“Fine, fine,” You mutter and drink the cocoa, delighting in its warmth, “So what’s up today? Why did you tell me to come out at 11pm at the park when it’s below freezing? It’s technically not even open right now.”

“I felt like doing some stargazing tonight,” Hansol explains between sips, “With you.”

You nearly choke, but you catch yourself in time. “A-alright, where are we going to watch it?”

“Follow me.”

After a five minute walk, Hansol stops and lays out the blanket he had been carrying under his arm. The spot is a little overhang, partially obscured by trees so that it was unlikely that people would have been able to discover it. Here, the sky seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, and you had a view of the city, lit by the lights of towers and buildings. You and Hansol sit down, side by side, in a comfortable silence as you enjoy the sight around you, with another blanket wrapped around you two.

He speaks first, “The boys and I were playing soccer one day when Hoshi kicked the ball to hard and it ended up here. We thought it was just a shady looking wooded area, so we played rock paper scissors to see who had to get it, and I lost. I ended up finding this place though. I didn’t tell them I found it because it felt like my little secret…but I felt like I had to share it.”

You didn’t even have a chance to say anything when he started talking again. “Again, sorry it’s so cold today. But isn’t the scenery beautiful?”

Looking at the alluring sapphire sky, without a cloud in the sky, twinkling with stars, moon shining brightly, you’re drawn in, getting pulled in the more you look at it. You tear your attention away from it and glance at Hansol, and then, you’re even more awestruck.

His eyes were shining, basked in the moonlit night, brighter than the stars, and full of fascination as he gazed forward. Quietly, you mutter, “Yeah, it really is.”

You two sit together for a while and finish your hot chocolates until he speaks up, “Do you see the constellations?”

“Uh, not really no. I’ve never really…stargazed before.”

“Well, right over there is Gemini, you see? The one that looks kinda like a U.”

You scan the sky, looking in the general direction Hansol’s pointing, but nothing really sticks out to you. “I don’t see it.”

“Hmm…” He’s suddenly right next to you, arm linked with yours and chin on your shoulder, “Over there,” he says, tilting your face towards where he was pointing to before.

His hands are still warm, you note, even though it’s cold. Your eyes look straight ahead, and you can barely make out the faint outline of a U-shaped constellation. “Oh, I can see it now!”

“Yeah, and right next to it, if you look closely, you can see Orion. See those three really bright stars next to each other? That’s his belt.”

You shift your sights slightly and you see that constellation as well. “It’s pretty,” you comment, but your mind starts to think about something other than stars. “But why did you ask me to come with you? Wonwoo would probably know more about stars and stuff than I would. Not that I’m not enjoying this or anything, but don’t you feel like you’re talking to a dud?”

“Of course not. I wanted to do this with you because this is special to me, and you’re also special to me. You’re my closest friend, you know.”

“Aw, so you like me better than Seungkwan?” You joke and nudge him with your elbow.

He nudges you back, grinning from ear to ear, “Yeah, don’t tell him that. He’d be pissed.”

“He’d be like, ‘Woww, after all I’ve done for you, this is how you treat me? Unbelievable.’” You both burst into laughter after your impersonation of Seungkwan.

“Oh my God, if he heard you, we’d be dead meat.”

“We won’t die if you don’t tell him.”

“Fair point.” Hansol laughs, then leans his head against you again. “Honestly though, if I were to date any girl, it’d totally be you.”

You jolt and push him away immediately, “Where the hell did that come from?” You thank God that it was dark, otherwise Hansol would’ve been able to see how much your cheeks were flushed.

“Just a thought. But dude, we’d be unstoppable. We’d even be able to defeat Seungkwan and–wait, Y/N look! A shooting star!” You turn your head to the sky, and a dazzling white streak of light shoots by, leaving a thin trail in its stead.

“Don’t forget to make a wish,” Hansol says, closing his eyes, and you do the same, your own wish said in your mind:

I wish we could stay just like this.

Can time stop for me, just this once, for this moment?

“Y/N? Open the door, I know you’re in here.”

The dull pounding of the door (and your head) wakes you up. Somehow, you’d fallen asleep while watching the movie, and you look at the time on your laptop. It’s late morning, but already, your stomach goes sick with dread.

Don’t open the door. You tell yourself, however, you somehow find yourself walking towards the door and opening it.

Hansol stands there, looking handsome as always, but his eyes are lined with dark circles. Your heart twists looking at him, but you stand your ground and shift your eyes away.

“Are you okay? You haven’t replied to my texts or picked up my calls…I’ve been so worried. I kept coming here to check on you but you wouldn’t open the door. You looked pretty sick last time I saw you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not. No one’s seen you for four days. I even asked your RA to check up on you, but she said you didn’t want to see anyone. What’s wrong?”

“Listen, nothing’s wrong. And even if there was something wrong, why do you care?” You spat, venom already welling up in your voice.

“Why do I care? You’re my best friend, Y/N, of course I would care.” He moves forward, as if he was going to brush the hair out of your face, but you step back. He sighs.

“You’ve been so distant from me lately. Whenever there was something wrong, I’d always come to you, and you’d always talk to me as well. I’ve known you for so long, I know that something’s wrong. Why…” His voice breaks, and you make eye contact with him, right away seeing frustration, hurt, and sadness. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you–”

“Yes you have! I didn’t say anything last time since I was happy you even came out, but…did I do something? Did I fuck up?”

You feel horrible instantly, “No, no it isn’t your fault…I just…” You take a huge breath and clench your hands into fists. “If you really want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Of course I want to know! Tell me, I promise I won’t judge. I’ll listen.”

“Okay I…” Your heart is pounding faster than a drum, and you feel sick to your stomach. Your breaths are shaky and uneven when they come out, and you look him in the eye again before you say it.

“Remember when you said that if you were to date any girl, it would be me?”

Hansol nods slowly, yes, he remembers. “What about it?”

“That doesn’t stand anymore, does it?” You state, already knowing the answer. His eyes hold onto yours, amber and golden, in confusion, not quite knowing where this was going. You don’t even wait for him to confirm it, and, trembling, you are finally able to utter the words that you regret not saying before.

“I like you.”

There’s a beat of silence, and you glue your eyes to the floor. Your eyes are already burning, and you’re telling yourself no, no, don’t cry. Not in front of him.

“What?” He’s stunned, eyes blown wide, and mouth agape. You see so many things flash through his face, shock, guilt, and maybe even sadness. “Y/N–”

“I’m sorry,” You’re shaking like a leaf now, unable to hold back your emotions, “but I don’t think I’ll be able to see you anymore.”

And with that, you shut the door and break down into sobs, wishing that things had turned out differently.

#seventeen scenarios #hansol #vernon #vernon scenarios #seventeen #Anonymous #requests #fanfic: hansol #I'M BACK GUYS sorta buT THIS....may or may not be more than one year overdue.....#i'll try to write more often i'm sorry #i feel like my writing is starting to sound more like im writing a school paper asdifjklasdf #also this is the longest oneshot ive written im :’)

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spacegaywritings · 4 years

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Communication of Silence - Chapter 8

link: chap 8 ; chap 1 summary: Virgil brings Dee back home. Logan is happy about finally meeting someone Virgil is friends with! Patton joins them eventually and Dee seems to remember him from more than lectures on ethics and moral discussions. a/n: I am sorry for the delay. I suffered from some depressive phases and writer's block because of stress. I got the next chapter all finished up (literally did that five minutes ago) and we are closing in on the time when shit gets real!I hope you had a great week and weekend.

♥ Enjoy the chapter. If you want me to add triggers, please message me

word count: 12k ?

‘’Okay, shut up and be nice. They are nice, be nice.’’

Virgil pulled the fabric around his shoulders closer to cover his chest. He was wearing his brother’s ... boyfriend’s (?) coat because apparently, the two thought that he would die without anything but his jacket covering him and while it was nice, he could not help but keep tearing at the fabric and shift in it. The coat was baby rose with golden stripes to it that made him look elegant and the unusual tightness accentuated his curves like he was some girl. Not that he minded too much but it was a little less his comfort when he knew he could just dig himself into the big fluffy yet torn jacket he had made and patched up himself. He had always loved it and it was the first thing he had made himself when he had come into the country.

There were so many memories in the jacket, even if it was getting too thin for the outside temperatures.. He had not really calculated this and the last winter had been much warmer than this warm. Well, not too much but it milder compared to how cool it was already. Well, his unofficial dads would have none of it and now he was in this pink thing and he would love to just feel odd and humiliated about this but he was not.

Not the slightest bit of insult chewed at his mind. He was probably just being some some dramatic, emotionally over-the-top guy with some unhealthy attachment to a jacket that literally hid away all his body and wildly enough, more than just his torso, no matter if zipped up or not.

‘’Virgil, you look so calm about this’’, the voice next to him soothed with mock-scorn in it. The words seemed to curl around him and pull his hands away from the fabric. His grip around the folded part of the chest area loosened up and he let his hands slide down to his side. His hands curled up in fists for the blink of an eye and then immediately unclenched in frustration. ‘’Yeah, hot take, man’’, he hissed out and stopped dead in his tracks just as the words had left his mouth, ‘’I mean- no... You .. Aw, fuck. You are right.’

The punk sighed and pushed his hands into his face, then have his fingers run through his hair. He really needed to dye that shit again, seriously. It was getting ridiculous. He used to have such nice blue tips to his purple hair and now it was just a floof of dark hair and a faded, nearly pastel, purple. Well, he kinda liked the faded colour but the intense one was just as nice, but in another way. His fingers tugged at the roots for a moment and he let himself rest against the wall behind him.

They were just about a few steps away from home and he was too nervous to get all this shit done. It was not that his partner was rude. That was utter bullshit. He was so much better at that whole social thing than he was because he actually knew how to not flip out and get all impulsive and lash out or just lock up and go nonverbal like he usually did. In the lighter versions of the bad cases. There were the worst worst cases and they were.. well, worse than the just bad or even worse ones. But with him there was a lot of potential to get bad and worse and such. It was just his nature, right?

His fists clenched up again and a right hand curled around his left, a cool ring around the middle engulfed his fingers. The warmth came with time but the relief was an instant thing. Virgil looked up at his partner, his amazing partner who was just always there for his bullshit, right? He offered an apologetic smile as he slumped against the wall and let his head roll back to face his tall opponent. The man before him was a bit older than him, heck, she should be around Patton’s age. Her skin was dark, her hair alike and the jawline could fucking cut a bitch - it probably would if she could just take it out. All he could see was the ever-present little smile of superiority pausing on her full, plum lips.

Honestly, this man was a crime and her looks were about the most illegal thing in the whole world. And the only reason she was not locked was that art was meant to be free, meant to be in the hands of someone who would appreciate and worship her for who she was, for who she could turn out to be with the right words and proper gestures towards her.

The forbidden beauty let her fingers intertwine with Virgil’s and the smaller man just had to smile. ‘’You know.. maybe it won’t be too bad, right?’’ The other looked at him, mysteriously green eyes lingering in her eyes as she fired nonverbal clues at him. ‘’Okay you are right, you always are. Now, how about that. I am going to send a storm of messages to my online friend and then we will go inside and just do that social thing and be a team and all and it will be fine because they said they would be happy and if not then they can ...’’

His speech stopped, his mind still rattling but he was shooting with empty ammunition. It was just all triggering the weapon without ever giving the consequence of a shot anymore.

‘’They can what, Virgil’’, the voice prompted, slithering up his arms and under his sleeves. Her voice was about as dark as here appearance. She was usually dressed in all sorts of black and dark grey colours and threw in one most flashy contrast. Usually, it would be yellow but that seemed to be more of a work thing for her. No, for Virgil, she often kept it a little lower. Maybe the yellow threw him off because he came off as naturally anxious and strong colours like that usually signified toxicity.

Well, with these sharp biters in her mouth, she would be more than glad to share some more than just kisses and poison with her partner. Yet, this discussion was for another day. Her elegantly long and tender fingers were still cool compared to the hot sweat on Virgil’s palm but they seemed to even make his anxiety not even more bearable but somewhat even less miserable. It was just overall more ...more. More of all the good and the tasty, it was the finest of the finest and every step was a declaration of strength and confidence.

How was he, the panicking mess number 34, so close and intimate with a top one mastermind and eye catcher? Well, he would never understand but he would also never question it. He did not have the breath for it because she usually stole his mind, his heart and his words along with his air whenever their dark eyes met and exchanged the deep secrets of their souls in their slow, sensual dances.

Virgil felt the confidence of her somewhat just seep into him and he drank it up, absorbed all the warmth and comfort in her eyes and pulled out his phone, quickly unlocking it and typing away a string of messages. It was cheesy and he should probably care a little less than he did but he did have that nice online friend. It was just that one guy and they had met because this guy had been looking for some advice on band tickets for his best friend or something. Kinda cute, really. It was back when he had been in another country, void of all the support he had now. He had seen the request and just shot back, not caring too much but after some discussion, that guy had stayed around and had talked about wanting to make it up to him, someday. Somehow.

Virgil felt his lips turn up into a smile at the idea. He knew he would feel better by just texting him a bit. The nickname alone made him nearly snicker because it was just so silly. She waited patiently for him, eyes roaming over his body, obviously pleased he looked less like a raccoon and a little trash man in his oversized, baggy clothing that fit him literally about as good as a trash bag.

A few more moments and the rapid finger tapping was done with. The art student locked his phone with another glance at his friend’s profile. Then it disappeared into his pocket and he let his golden eyes flash back at his precious little doe. Just as graceful and silent. She was beauty in itself. Their hands clapsed together again, left and right connected and Virgil slowly lead them over to the door so he could open the front and let Logan and the others meet his partner, meet the person he was about closest to without being related or whatever odd thing.

‘’You know, I would be jealous if I did not know about you two being far away and totally platonic with one another’’, she spoke with a certain melody to her words. Whenever she spoke, it was more singing than talking anyway. There was a rhythm, a lead and rhyme to all she said and if it was just the content in it that rhymed together and clicked into a sense that did not occur to anyone else. It was the little language between them , more and more cues invisible and unreadable to all the other strangers around them.

‘’Like you got any reason to ever be jealous’’, Virgil cooed softly, a little smile on his sparkling mouth. The clicking mischief around them was nearly tangible. He leaned in a bit, rolling onto his tippy toes to let his edgy mouth cover her artistic atmosphere and ave them melt into one creative, snarky mess of an argument for just a few moments, for just a few minutes of letting the world around them shut down and slow into the rhythm of their lips moving.

It was when they heard a voice that they were harshly grabbed by reality and thrown into the moment that had not actually slowed down for them. Someone cleared their throat. It was elongated, direct and so full itself that it just had to be that one person who could announce himself in a single sound and already declare his greatness and whole character in just a little gesture.

‘’Princey’’, Virgil stated, somber.

Virgil stumbled backwards to make space between him and Declyn while Roman stood before them, giving them a quizzical look but there was at least no more than this. He crossed his arms over his chest, the sports bag at this side was dangling in echo of his movements.

‘’What is the deal? Never seen a guy kiss?’’, he fired back, his voice as heated as his cheeks as he stared at the space between him and Roman’s shoes. His body was leaning against the wall behind him. It was more of a corner but he got comfortable according to his own standards and his bottom lip was pulled in by his teeth once more as he stubbornly stared into the ground.

Declyn observed the scene before her with stale interest and clicked her tongue. ‘’Hey honey, how about you get me inside first? We had a deal after all’’, she encouraged and it seemed to do enough to get Virgil to stop his odd sulking procedure and spring back to life and pull out his keys to unlock the door. At the same time, his precious beauty side-eyed Roman with slightly parted lips, mouth plum and painted in art as always.

‘’You are living with Virgil?’’, her harmonious voice inquired, putting a special emphasis on the last word, the last name. There was a bonfire in her pronunciation whenever she let ‘’Virgil’’ roll off her tongue like a heavy yet satisfying task. True beauty takes time, true beauty was a matter of patience and performance and whenever she said his name, her tongue would dance and her vocal chords would be played by her precious voice. She gave his name a sound to it that made him worthy of being an artist more than his works of art actually did and whenever she let her voice edge into a sharpness as she rose the pitched for the ‘’gil’’ part, his heart would jump like a wounded animal.

She was guilty of nothing more but hitting him in the feeling with every breath she took and the way her chest would raise and fall in the rhythmical tide of her own life and rest. Virgil would easily commit to being her partner in crime if it meant feeling her electric touches and seeing these dark brown eyes more historical than earth itself.

Chit-chat filled the room but Virgil heard nothing after his name, his heart pounding in his ears as his blood was rushing in, firing up his cheeks and leaving a pinkish flush all over his face. Words of introduction were exchanged, names being spilled like the tea of scalding gossip. Roman and Dee were talking, he could hear their voices and the change of pitch. There was the roughness in Roman’s voice. It was still smooth and melodic but there was something raw and pure in it that reminded him of unwashed, unpeeled carrots being eaten just like that. On the other hand, there was the soothing water of Declyn’s voice, a healing hand to every symphony as she wrote the opera of life with her twitches and eye blinks.

The lock clicked, letting the heavy sound echo through the staircase like the swing of fate landing on you. Inevitable.

Virgil’s head jerked up and he immediately felt a warm hand on the space between his shoulder blades. It was so close to his little, sensitive heart and he nodded in acknowledgement at the soft touches through his coat. Stupid coat was warm and funny but thick enough to separate him from the feeling of Declyn’s hand around the start of his spine. The relief of an opened door and being home at last was paired with the sensation that enforced just how supported and loved he was by his partner and he peeped back at him before he pushed the door open to be met with the smell of heavenly sweetness that almost made him drool like a pavloved dog upon hearing the bell jingle and ring for him to announce nothing but an example of classic conditioning. Shoes shuffled and were eventually discarded in order to not bring any dirt far into the home. ‘’Welcome back! You got the nuts for our biscuits?’’, a voice called. Sweet and angelic just as Patton usually was.

Wait, did that mean they would do the funny winter baking shit like families did and all?

The punk carefully stepped inside and made space for Dee and Roman to hop right into the warmth of a cozy home that was prepared by lovely Patton and his giant ginger hands that were always ready to treat and grace all pain and stroke it away. Roman quickly pushed past, the door shutting behind him with another loud sound that made Virgil jump just a slightest bit. At least he was not imploding with every step he could hear and see the thespian take around him.

The three took their shoes off and Declyn gave Virgil a meaningful look which the other returned with a certain level of confusion before Patton moved into sight, meeting Roman half-way. ‘’You did not tell me you lived with Patton’’, Dee mused with a certain depth in her voice. Virgil frowned for a moment but the attention was promptly on him and his partner as Patton sent their roommate into the kitchen with a hearty ‘’you are a true knight in shining armour!’’

Roman’s full laugh could be heard from inside the kitchen and a little warmth rose in Virgil’s chest. Maybe it was not so bad, maybe it was not such a threat and it would be all right and fine after all.

Maybe

Who knew?

Maybes have not gotten him too far in life but perhaps this was less of a maybe because it could be but more or a probably because it very well might just be true. Because life makes it likely and it does not seem impossible and new things are awaiting, trying to make it all better than it used to be.

Maybe.

‘’You know Pat-’’, the small adolescent asked before the ginger giant was finally ready to welcome them fully and he let his arms spread, showing off the worn off apron that invited them all into Logan’s personal hell kitchen of puns. ‘’All you knead is love’’, was written in neat cursive that spread over Patton’s broad chest like a neat thong being stripped over a full bloom of butt. That guy needed a better apron that would look a little less scarce on his body but it still suited him. Patton was the buff lumberjack who was sweet and lovely but looked like he could kill you when he was actually a true cinnamon roll.

The ginger man seemed to visually purr like a cat when he saw the two guests and he balanced from one foot to the other as he looked like an excited child on their birthday. ‘’Virgil, kiddo! I am so happy to see you and - Declyn! You are Virgil’s friend? It is so great to see you again!’’, he chirped like a chipper bird during the first rays of the sun kissing the day into existence with a strong feeling. He stepped closer now, face broad with a smile so wide it was almost cartoonish. And he had thought Princey was the dramatic actor but it seemed quite different. Both were emotional and appeared to be more intense than any other person to ever feel but they were different in how it showed.

The baking giant stopped before them, waiting for Virgil to give him a sign that it was alright to hug him and the punk gave him a smile as he realised that the awkward slightly bent-over position came from him indicating yet not executing the physical interaction with him out of pure respect. Virgil shrugged his bag off and leaned in to receive his hug before Dee stretched out her hand to shake it.

Patton stopped before her but the little interruption was quickly overridden by her catching on the gesture and he quickly caught the hand with his own and gave the new guest a soft handshake with as little strength in it. Dee’s hands looked porcelain-puppet small as she let one of them be shaken by Patton’s large palms before the little greeting ritual was over.

‘’Patton, you know so many people, it is insane. How come you know Declyn?’’, Roman asked as he unpacked a little white bag Virgil had not noticed before. Quick shopping for all the baking? He could see nuts, several kinds like almonds and hazelnuts as much as walnuts and such. Virgil liked nuts. Was that another one of these psychic tricks? Patton just guess or rather simply knowing what he and Dee liked because he was some insanely empathetic mind-reader who would see a person and just strip them off all their secrets.

Or maybe he just wanted to bake biscuits with nuts in them. He had not even known Virgil would bring her as a guest.

Speaking of which, Dee started speaking up and Virgil shifted next to her before she turned to him with a little smile and rose her hands to pick her black bowler hat. There was a lemon yellow band stripped around the base of the main piece. It was the most significant she would wear and there was rarely any moment she did not wear the hat which had become a real trademark for her.

‘’Patton and I have a history’’, she started ominously, her voice taking a turn into the dark shadows the hat in her hands was now casting onto her fingers. It made them look even darker than before but to Virgil, they were just as beautiful. The punk gave him an experimental look, playful mockery pulling his lips into a lopsided grin like a car whose driver would only ever park it in an askew position. It was off but it was so regular, so normal and - in itself - kind of perfect.

Dee gave him a playful smirk while Virgil pouted back at him until Dee was ready to snicker and Patton was already giggling to himself. ‘’We met at the university right here!’’, Patton clarified for Roman to understand. Not that Virgil had really known that before but sometimes a situation did not need to be all cleared up. Sometimes the fun was all about being left in the dark and just tapping around while trying to make it. When you were right next to a precious person you could trust with your life, nothing seemed scary and everything in life was just simple.

Virgil shrugged off his coat, finally feeling the heat of the heated inside sinking into his body enough to nearly make him sweaty despite the cold temperatures inside. The baby pink slipped from his shoulders just as Logan finally joined the kitchen. He took a moment to appreciate the sight before him with his observant eyes, cool blue calculating and mentally noting the new information for him to take it down in his notebook at a later time this day. He cleared his throat and Virgil turned around, a smile on his lips as he saw his roommate.

‘’Oh, Logan! Meet Declyn - Declyn, this is Logan. We work together’’

Dee stepped close enough for Logan and her to exchange a handshake as a greeting as they both repeated the socially accepted greetings and common phrases for introducing themselves to one another. ‘’Virgil, Declyn, let me take your coats and things. I will bring them into the room’’, Patton offered and held out his hands with another smile as warm and welcoming as his hugs. The smaller male was more than ready to give his things over to the other, taking him up on the offer while Dee was still layered in her clothing, wine red trench coat being unbuttoned and then carefully being stripped off her arms with one helpful hand, then switching sides. She neatly folded the piece of clothing and handed it over to Patton as Virgil carefully gave the giant his bag.

‘’My sincere gratitude, sweetie’’, Dee thanked him softly, words floating in the rhythm of a bird’s song, melodically swaying from one to another side and then twirling in its admiration for life itself. Virgil clumsily reached over to give Patton the bag at last. The ginger eagerly took it and disappeared into Logan’s and Virgil’s room, his hips swinging to the rhythm of Dee’s sugary sweet words.

Logan looked over the couple, his hair a curly mess and even his glasses seemed a little askew.

“Hey L, you okay?”, Virgil asked, his voice sounded like a pillow dropping from the bed onto the floor. Logan returned his worried glance with his clear blue eyes. He seemed a little tired, a certain dullness veiling his yes and making them appear a bit blurry even behind his glasses. The IT student attempted a nod before his mouth split into a yawn and he turned around to shield the sight with his body and an additional hand.

Wow, that was new, too.

Logan ended his little outbreak with a shake of his head. Only then was it that he dared to turn back again and meet the slightly worried looks of Roman, Virgil and the quizzical yet burning gaze of the latest guest, Declyn. ‘’Yes. Yes, indeed. I have taken one of these naps since my night sleep has been a little off these days. Do not worry about it. It is probably nothing but a little stress from the upcoming deadlines.’’

Well, that was what Logan was saying anyway but everyone seemed to have a different idea on that.

‘’Understandable, Logan’’, Dee mused softly, one of her hands curling around Virgil’s middle as she pulled him closer, ‘’I cannot sleep quite as well without Virgil by my side either.’’

Logan returned the words with a bewilderment to his face that was new to Virgil, it was a sudden shadow that hushed over his features for but a moment. His own heart was leaping at the words and he turned to give his partner a look of offense. ‘’Hey!’’, he blurted out but Dee simply squeezed his hip and cooed to him. ‘’Too nice?’’

Virgil rolled his eyes while Roman came over to Logan’s side and joined the conversation in excitement. ‘’Does that mean you are dating?” Patton returned as well and Virgil might as well sick from all the attention and emotion. Logan looked about just as overwhelmed as he shot Patton a welcoming glance of absolute helplessness.

As always, the eldest of the house was a saving grace to every situation. ‘’How about we cuddle up on the couch and talk a bit? I can make you all some tea or coffee or hot chocolate’’, the excitement in his voice faded into a curious mumble, “maybe we have enough juice to make some mulled wine or fruit punch. If you want to only, you know!’’ His voice lit up again, much like a candle.

Yeah, was it not one of these funny days before Christmas? These Sundays that are special or whatever and you would light us candles and such shit? Virgil looked at Dee as the others complied and gathered around the living-room area. ‘’Uh, yeah. No. I don’t know. Just tone it down, maybe?’’, he asked softly. His eyes were everywhere but on the other’s face. Luckily, she reacted as always and simply tugged her over to the others. ‘’If you want me to, I will try, honey. I would hate making you uncomfortable after all.’’

Everyone settled around the couch and Virgil ended up sandwiched between Dee and Logan while Roman was on the other side of the couch, probably waiting for Patton to join them. The lovely ginger man coaxed a desired beverage out of everyone and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare everything accordingly.

If Virgil did not know better, he would almost assume that Patton was somewhat running away from him. Or maybe he was running from Dee? He should probably ask him about this as soon as they were a bit more secluded. So far, Dee had not waved any red flag so it was probably fine - good enough to move on and have this afternoon with the others. Logan and the others had wanted to know more about Virgil and his life so he was doing a good thing here, right?

Roman looked at the three who were huddled together, Virgil halfway on Dee’s lap while Logan was somewhat leaning enough on Virgil for them to appear to be cuddling. They did look like a cute little thing together. ‘’So? Are you dating? I need to know - romance is my oxygen! I live and breathe the dream of love and adventures!’’

Okay, of course he would not let the topic go down without a fight. Patton’s interventions were not always enough for Princey to stop talking after all. Before he could go on a tirade of how much he loved passion and love and how he was a secret patron of all lovers and loves that were reasonable and worthy of honour to him, Logan spoke up. The nerd did that cute anime thing of adjusting his glasses - for no reason, it was probably more of a habit whenever shit was about to get serious - and turned to Roman. A little smile accompanied him and he started his answer.

‘’If you are talking about Virgil and I, you will be disappointed to find out that there is, however, no romance between us you could support. We are not dating as of now, Roman.’’ Dee shot him a look but Virgil nudged her rib cage in response. That man could never shut the hell up now, could he? The punk rubbed his lower arms, lightly scraping his nails over the black and red band hoodie. There was no Christmas thing about this, it was just a regular Bunny Smashskull piece of merchandise. The back of his hoodie showed the smashed skull of a bunny which very much looked like a dead zombie cartoon-rabbit.

Dee carefully travelled over to his left arm and gently squeezed it. “How about you let it go for a bit? There is no sense in provoking yourself’’, he whispered and Virgil responded with a defiant bite to the right side of his bottom lip. Virgil curled up and cuddled further into Logan’s side. The IT student blinked in surprise but allowed the other to stay there, letting one arm curl around the small punk.

Roman shook his head. The scene before him told stories that were in discord with Logan’s words but whatever. He could see the spark in Logan’s eyes and the tenderness on his face when he eyed the bundle of black. He was sure the nerd was in love.

Time to do something about that.

‘’Well, Logan, I sort of expected you to inform us in case you bind someone to you but I was actually asking the Buzz Lightfear and Princess Lemongum here.’’ Virgil scoffed humourlessly and glared at Roman. ‘’Wow, strong pun. I did not expect anything other than Disney to ever pass your lips. I am honestly surprised”, the youngest commented with a snark.

Roman sat up to glare daggers at the speaker but a part of him had expected an answer of the same level. But if he dared to discredit or insult Disney, that would be his last word in this talk! On the other hand, Virgil’s friend was clearing her throat and blinking at the thespian, unfazed.

‘’Your name is Roman, correct?’’

The thespian looked at the guest, an uncertainty trembling in his facial features despite his strong jaw and prominent characteristics. His brown-reddish eyes focused on her. It seemed as if he was alive with the sudden attention gifted to him and his lips twitched into a broad smile. ‘’That is right, I am Roman Begay, the one and lonely’’, he announced with a dramatic pose before he started sputtering in confusion, ‘’oops! Ah, just a Freudian slip.’’

Roman chuckled, his nerves blank and black, plucked eyebrows bumping together. ‘’I am not lonely, I am super good. Just came from a date!’’, he explained and ended his explanation with a cheerful “HaH”. Wow, that guy could not get any more like a fucking cartoon character, Virgil thought to himself in stoic amazement. Sometimes he wondered how Roman the roommate and Roman his enemy and fear were the same person. It just seemed so absurd but at least he knew he was safe in this environment. Maybe he had changed.

Dee acknowledged the emotional mess of a sudden outbreak with a curt nod and a single blink. The corners of her mouth remained unmoved. ‘’Alright, Roman”, she started, her words sliding around the name like a snake in slow, crawling movements that lead to a goal unknown to everyone around them. Only Declyn knew what she was doing and everyone else was left to try and figure out her motives.

’’About your question, my one and lonely, Virgil and I are in fact neither dating nor not dating’’, he explained in his usually ominous fashion, the answer in his words sliding around a definite explanation with the elegance of an eel. “If you define relationships as exclusively romantic, as you proposed, then we are, in fact, not dating. However, we are more than friends at the same time.” The guest let his lips spread into a lazy smile.

‘’Have you ever heard of asexuality, Mister Romance?’’

‘’Uh?”

Dee and Roman broke their intense eye contact as Patton returned with a tray of hot, steaming mugs in his large, freckled hands. The master student looked at them, glass-green eyes lost and distant. He looked as watery as the sea in which a translucent green like the one inhabiting his orbs could naturally occur. For once, he seemed small despite him towering above everyone - sitting or not, he was the tallest giant of them all.

Virgil broke free between the soft embrace of limbs and friend and not-friend or whatever he and Dee were. His hands joined Patton’s around the edges of the tablet and he carefully helped the other stabilising and lowering the dark plank of shiny wood onto the coffee table without any spill, harm or crack. ‘’Thank you Virgil’’, he commented, his voice sounding just as breathless as he seemed to be.

The Disney Prince was oblivious to how lost and overwhelmed Patton seemed to be and he continued on, his words swaying in wavering confidence. “I do not think I have heard of that before, actually’’, he admitted before he redirected his attention to the mugs. ‘’Oh! Thank you, Padre!” The actor carefully handled one of the mugs and settled with it, leaning back against the corner of the couch. His long, strong legs retreated to make extra space for his fellow giant friend and he shot him a smile before they all redirected their gazes to the man with the hat.

Briefly, Virgil wondered whether wearing hats inside of a building was rude and he was sure his mother had scolded him profusely for wearing a beanie once upon a time. He could not even remember anymore but with his luck and his mother’s bullshit mentality, maybe that had been the case. But was she right? Nobody seemed offended ..

Whether they were or not, his partner did not care. She gently wrapped her arms around Virgil as soon as he was back in his spot by her side, steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hands and a content smile stealing itself around his lips. ‘’Asexuality is a sexual orientation that excludes sexual attraction, possibly even the desire to engage in sexual activities Some asexual individuals - also called “aces” - do express a wish and interest to get intimate while others are not interested or even averse to the idea of participating in sexual fantasies or even acts.”

Everyone nodded. Logan had this funny gleam in his eyes. That man lived on knowledge and information. Everything new to his ears and brain seemed like the most artistically crafted and carefully prepared treat one could imagine. It was a delight to all his senses, especially his sixth sense: the sense of knowledge. Roman just took in the words and seemed to shrug them off. Dee let her eyes roam over Patton for just a moment but it was enough of a moment to realise that he did not seem to take the information as simple fact.

He seemed personally affected by the information.

“There is more than just asexuality since sexuality in general is a spectrum but there are also people who identify as demisexual and let us not talk about the aromantic spectrum”, Declyn started with a casual hum to her voice. The whole topic seemed as easy and common as talking about the weather or her favourite meal. It was the simplest and most natural small talk she had in her mind and none of the words she spilled before the others appeared to be forced or even the slightest bit false.

Logan and Roman nodded. It was probably to indicate their understanding or similar things but Virgil was not sure. He was simply laying in the comfortable middle of two kind and nice friends he enjoyed to be with. Patton seemed still rather overwhelmed, his expression almost scared as he took in all the information Dee provided so effortlessly. Virgil shifted a little to tug at Patton to come closer and squeeze Logan into a more comforting warmth of their joined proximity.

The ginger giant moved and squished the slightly smaller nerd further into Virgil’s side who was now conveniently sitting on Dee’s and Logan’s lap to basically the same extent.

“To say that asexual and/or aromantic individuals as much as their fellow pals of the same spectrum are unable to have relationships due to their inability to have an urge that pushes them into romantic or sexual acts is obviously ridiculous. Even without sex or romantic acts, you can have a deeply emotional and intimate relationship. These can be familial, they can be platonic but they can also be more than a regular friendship.” Virgil squirmed a little to get more comfortable and Dee rose her arm to let him have his space to move and do as he pleased. Not that she minded. Right now she was in the moment of teaching people some awareness when there was none just yet.

Her favourite little punk got comfortable again, eventually coming to a halt and curling up against Logan with one arm angled to keep the hot mug close to her chest and one hand connected to Patton’s larger one. Their fingers interlaced on Logan’s upper thigh and despite his reserved appearance he did neither complain nor decline the state of being caught up in the fire of two dear friends’ affection. Dee’s right hand was tangled up in the intense purple of Virgil’s hair. It used to be on the more indigo side especially with the bluish tips but now it was rather magenta, edging on the reddish tinge that would remind Logan of fuchsia. They must have freshly dyed it in the time Virgil had been gone from home. Virgil blew the steam off the beverage and took a sip before holding it up to Dee and letting her have a little slurp as well. The two shared the fruity winter spices and a smile. The younger one signed a praise over to Patton who took it in with a flushed smile and warm expression on his face.

‘’If we only focus on people like me - individuals who are asexual - then we look at different relationships that are still possible despite the missing sexual component. After all, you still love a person if you cannot exercise sexual or romantic deeds with them such as in a long-distance relationship or when you are naturally apart for work and similar obligations. What I am saying is that all people can have relationships and that the validity of a relationship does not vanish at the moment people cannot express their love romantically or sexually at any given moment.”

Roman nodded again, seemingly enraptured. ‘’Fascinating’’, was all Logan could come up with. He had clearly obtained knowledge he had never encountered before. Not even in the slightest. Virgil would only bet that he could catch Logan trying to find literature on romantic and sexual orientations the second he got back to work at the library. Not that he would think of this as bad. Logan was naturally attracted to knowledge. Therefore, he thirsted after the satisfaction of his missing knowledge. To him, it must be the curiosity brought about by the alluring scents of a blooming and grooming spring breeze. It was so full of many different things and it put a leash on every individual who was invested with the beauty of nature and ready to sacrifice time just to identify the source of this one smell that would not let them go, even if it took all spring to encounter this one fragrance again and fully immerse themself in it.

‘’Fascinating indeed. Human beings are so diverse”, Dee commented in return, her voice wrapping around the assembled group of roommates who were all hanging at her lips, captured and lost by her words. “At least humans are also inventive enough to come up with terms and principles for all our differences. If not known commonly enough, at least we try to accommodate the few individuals who have understood who and what they are and desire so they can experience a safety in their own little world. Until, of course, we all catch up with what the hell is going on and these oh so novel findings come into existence for the rest of the ignorant society who cares about barely anything but their own belly buttons.”

Virgil snorted at the last few words and hid his smile in Logan’s upper arm with a little noise the nerd could not quite place.

Roman shifted a bit but followed around to catch up to Patton just enough to have their bodies touch again. His focus on Dee never quite broke off. “Alright, so that means you have a friendship-not-quite-friendship with Virgil because you somewhat do not desire to make love”, he summarised, his voice stumbling over the words of the English language awkwardly until he mentally caught up to his last words. “I mean - make love sexually! You know… having sex and such!” The thespian offered Dee a sympathetic smile and she accepted the proposal with a short nod.

“Not wrong, Romancer”, she admitted and Roman lit up at this. He was not sure whether he had quite gotten it but at least he did not offend the two! Declyn was looking at her nails, her left fingers curling into a loose fist in order to present her the state of her hand. Her expression was unreadable hence it was impossible to say whether Roman had actually displeased her or how she felt about her nails at this moment. “Virgil can date whoever he wants to and so can I. We do not specifically define this arrangement according to labels provided in the name of society.”

Roman gave him a nearly helpless look but in some way, he almost seemed to light up with a hope he had not experienced before. “So you are polyamorous?”

Virgil made a little sound and Dee shrugged. “I am whatever I feel and if a happen to feel about yet another person, then I will gladly share myself with Virgil and them. Maybe he feels the same but that is up to him. I do not make the decisions here, not for anyone but myself.”

Dee leaned closer, conspiracy written all over her smug face as she smirked at the queer Disney Prince on the other end of the couch. Her legs folded over one another as if to assume a more condescending and superior air than she already had created around her up until now. ‘’Between you and me, V bites, so you better do not challenge her to anything romantic because she will destroy you”, she mused softly. It took a strong nudge for Dee to back up again and Virgil sat up again, setting his mug back onto the coffee table that was standing conveniently before them, surrounding the couch and offering a supportive space.

“Fuck you”, he snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff, his soft, fluffy hair floating down onto his face as he shifted until he could simply let his back fall into the couch again. “But yeah, hit on me and I might kick you into a ditch.”

Virgil shrugged dismissively, his eyes cast down and resting his focus between him and Dee again. She offered her hand again, the one that was not softly petting his hair and brushing through the incredibly soft and silky hair. It was so light and seemed as silky and heavenly as clouds promised to feel like according to their looks. The aftercare of dyeing hair manipulated the strands into thinking they were fresh, the most recent newborn shit that has ever been to this planet. It was almost like floating in water. It was defying gravity and just resided in existing in itself, independent of time and weight. While he seemed a bit sour, his expression glowing at a mediocre level when he glanced up at his partner, he leaned into the touch after some moments and let the other take his left hand. There was another person, Patton, on the other side of his right arm. The terribly flawed and lacking hand that seemed to be the elder’s little plaything at the momen. Logan cleared his throat.

Well, maybe now the nerd did have enough affection sprawling itself over his lap and cuddling into his side. It almost felt like a hesitant harem that heavily and slowly, like heavy metal melting, flowed together and bubbled up here and there as it gradually mingled into one homogeneous mass. Except, there was usually some sort of tension between people who decided they were all similarly ready to mingle.

Patton and Virgil’s connection was broken up by Logan squirming out of the connection. The punk retreated to his lover and Dee opened her arms to welcome her small lover in her arms, gently holding and him and muttering soothing words that wrapped around Virgil’s insulted fire like a cooling bandage. Their hands intertwined, fingers curling and bumping into one another as they were stroking and seeking, eventually settling together and holding each other tightly. Their hearts were strung together as their fingers had finally met and seemed allowed to legally stay together, even in the eyes of broad light and the coziness of perfect people around them.

“I am sorry”, Declyn cooed and Virgil nodded warily. He heard the words and he could feel the remorse in his own chest. It was itching and stinging like rakes of thorns embracing his vital organ and squeezing into it with an unwanted, unwelcomed forced. “Just shut up and continue your discourse”, Virgil uttered softly. Perhaps he was too tired to rule with anger and justice or maybe he did not care too much but right now, he just swallowed around his thoughts and unspoken words with trained precision. "Wait a moment", Roman cut in again, his voice spiked with a new bit of interest. There was a certain flavour to his voice that Virgil did not know how to place just then. "You are telling me that there has never been a thing between you and Virgil? Not once? Two hot guys and you still never felt like having anything more physical? " He cleared his throat and shifted a bit. Patton turned his head to look at his roommate and friend. "Virgil, my dear. You do not have to speak about it if you do not want to and neither do you, Declyn. We do not want to intrude or expose your life and relationship. It is just a lot of info to unpack and you know, this old man here needs a lesson in life every now and then as well" Patton ended his little intervention with a small smile encouraging his lips and the others and Roman energetically nodded his head so much, Virgil almost expected some sort of natural decapitation to take place. Virgil shifted a little and his partner softly kissed the top of his head. "Uh, no. It is okay, thanks Pat", he mumbled and curled further into Dee's arms, "I am happy like that, if you cannot see that for yourself. I don't feel ready for the uh..um -.. the other parts of a relationship. Too much stress and all that shit and it freaks me out. I am very much happy just like that." A noise escaped Dee but Virgil silenced him with a twitch of his lips. Their hands squeezed together again and a comforting blanket of silence sprawled over them. "Roman, trust me. I did test myself in several situations and I do not care for sexual interactions with any person - not even Virgil." The punk threw him another quick glance but let the topic be. Patton narrowed his eyebrows like a zipper closing up and sighed softly. "I am happy you two found something that worked for you." "Thank you, Patton. It means a lot receiving a blessing from you after all", Dee hinted. Virgil would rip his head off, no matter how happy and in love he was. Patton was an insecure mess, torn up between being flustered and feeling a sense of distant hurt. Surely, he did have to be mistaken. The hollowness within his chest and the charcoal heart pumping haphazardly were another demon he had to cope with. It was a story, a long one but it was recent enough to still affect him. Nothing else. He could just pick up his therapy sessions again and just make sure he was doing alright. At the same time, Virgil looked up, ducking further under Dee’s coal black hat. Was it just him or did it smell of biscuits and cinnamon? Before them was the missing nerd in all his glory and power, towering over the sitting commons with plates of fresh-baked biscuits. "Logan is back!", Roman commented cheerfully and sat up again, the people on the couch moving to make the other some space for his actions and also him seating himself back into the softness of their shared proximity. Virgil wiggled a little and scrambled back onto his own knees as the other settled back between him and Patton. There was not more but a gaze shared by him and Logan to communicate his integrity in the couch arrangement and he found himself squished into his side again, backed up by Dee who effectively sandwiched the smallest of the group between the brain and the snake.

The gaping darkness was hidden under a rug, some tight fabric hiding away the elephant in the room. “Thanks, Log”, Virgil mumbled softly and the words were followed by echos in the forms of Patton’s moderate volume and sweet words as much as Dee’s clear phrases and Roman’s excited cheers along with compliments and serenaded praises on the subject of Patton’s divine baked goods. “You are welcome. Patton made them, though”, he simply called back and hooked Virgil’s mug into his hands and back into his co-worker’s grip.

“Oh yes! You should try them! They have no peanuts in them if you allergic to these things and these over there”, Patton started and pointed over to a plate with darker biscuits on them (probably chocolate). “They are dairy-free because they are Roman’s favourites and he cannot have any lactose, you know?” The excited baker shifted a bit. He had all his hands to himself again and he was huddled up between Roman and Logan in another platonic cuddle session once more. It was comfortable and warm, inside and outside. It brought a smile to his lips. At least the oldest in the group was back to his usual self - or a faded defrosted version of it. “Try some, we made them together before you came! If you want, we can also bake together!”

“Virgil, my dearest would you?”, Dee prompted her partner who was already moving to retrieve a biscuit. He broke it into two, gave one two Logan and hand-feed his remaining piece to his beloved partner. She signed something of gratitude as she broke off a bit with her teeth, leaving Virgil with the rest. Oh, that game. The artist glared at her for a moment, her shit-eating smile splaying all over her facial features as she returned the fierce look in his golden eyes. In the background, compliments and praise was poured over Patton with giggles and kind words lulling him into the well-deserved satisfaction of his honey accomplishments.

“I am happy you like them, kiddos”

They continued on, chatting and exchanging some information. They discussed Roman’s play, Patton’s current progress in his study and Declyn’s recent start into his career as a lawyer as well as how Logan and Virgil met at a library job that helped them pay for their bachelor’s degree both were aiming at. Eventually, they brought out the games, eating warm biscuits and sipping hot chocolate with flinching lips and domestic giggles.

After taking a certain break from a series of games, they were all cuddles up again, cozy and warm with blankets and another round of heated mugs being given around and shared among friends. Virgil was leaned against Logan, curled up on himself and on Declyn.

Roman stretched out and yawned. It was not particularly late but so far, they had been comfortable and warm together in the little domestic games they had participated in together. It was getting dark outside as noon had passed over into afternoon, maybe even exceeded this time frame as it entered the grey zone between afternoon and early evening. Especially in the later days of the year, it was getting dark soon enough. Just another contribution to being drowsy and tired despite having been a tad more lazy than productive by the end of the week.

As Patton always said, it was important to cut yourself some slack and allow yourself to relax and just not do anything or maybe only do something pleasant and light for a change. Nobody could just work on high tension at all times. No matter how hard they would try. It was toxic and unfair to oneself and gave way to abusing ones energy and other resources for the sake of only functioning like some machine. Human beings clearly were no machine. They were not made for this kind of thing.

It was the season of love and cold weather which only encouraged indoor cuddles and heated baking sessions rather than going outside and being productive. Winter was slow and cool. The perfect environment to just be and see for some time. It was about stopping and looking around when during the rest of the year, the stress and rush was pushing us into one or another direction until we ended up stranded in our accumulation of decisions.

Patton yawned and leaned into Logan as well, the nerd becoming heavy and slumped over from how much warmth was surrounding him. He sunk into himself a little and let his eyes droop a little into a short rest. “That was so nice, was it not?”, Patton prompted softly, his voice soothed into a slower pace from being sleepy from the winter comfort that was sneaking into his body. It was so nice to just rest for a bit.

Roman smacked his lips and brought a mug to his lips as he nodded. Logan looked like a stand-by computer. Not quite awake nor asleep either. Virgil was just a little baby all curled up and protected in his narrow space between his two dear ones that made sure he was safe in the asylum of their proximity. Declyn leaned back, her lips curving and stretching like an awoken feline.

“Indeed. We should do this more often”, she agreed eventually. Her features were sharp and on point as always yet she seemed a little less snarky. Less dangerous. Maybe the warmth had finally gotten to her and turned her into the coziness of letting her guard down. She seemed... approachable at last. “I am glad you had fun”

Patton smiled at his old acquaintance. Friend? It was not quite clear but an air of familiarity and mutuality seemed to surround them. It smelled of sugar crystals and little secrets that were sparking between them. Little light sin the dark, neatly huddled away but just brightly shining enough to be seen despite their position. The student sighed and Roman excused himself for a bathroom break. Just a moment, just a bit. They could hold on the fun and giggles for a moment and survive without their favourite prince, could they not?

They would figure it out. Step by step. Side by side.

The smile dropped as soon as the door closed on them and he leaned closer, his body hunching just a slightest bit over Logan and Virgil as they were now rather curled up against one another, slumbering in the sweet innocence of a late day nap. A shadow was hovering over the two, as much as it was chasing over Patton’s features for just the blink of a moment. The echo of an increased heartbeat.

He opened his mouth to speak. For once, his sweet and light voice took turn with something more mysterious, a shady figure of words materialising before the other’s ears and quickly taking refugee into them. Dee leaned into their invisible booth of secrets with interest. “Declyn, I .. I have more questions about this whole thing”, he admitted. His voice seemed more like a shy doe running from a loud noise in immense precaution and vigilance. There was no threat or mystery more than fear in his sentence. No, a plead rather.

The guest arched a carefully formed eyebrow on her dark swirl of a skin. “Oh darling, what do you mean? Patton, if you need to know more about astronauts then you should ask our space gays over there”, she commented. Dee was referring to this game they had played together. The last section was about a group of people travelling through the galaxy. Some space facts and some fictional space misinformation has been spread and corrected if need be. Neither Logan nor Virgil seemed too keen on letting the wrong data settle in the knowledge of other people. Her words were followed by a little nudge that was left in the room with not even a little sound coming from the actively motionless younger ones that rested to their laps. Patton’s face distorted in a sudden.. panic? and he frantically waved his hands as if to support a fire with airy fanning and excited movements to bring it to life and let the spark catch the surrounding firewood.

“I... n-no”, the master student elaborated, his words falling from his lips in unprepared and helpless winds of struggle and imbalanced feeling. If he knew his own intentions, then he was unable to set them out for someone else to understand. The noise from the bathroom ripped through his insecurity. It gave way to his panic and let him throw a quick glance over to the closed door that was about to break free and into the room where it happened. Patton looked as if he was a person, hidden from the law after breaking it by merely drawing breaths of oxygen into his lungs. Every sound and movement seemed to set him off and he kept checking his surroundings. “I need your help, Declyn. I do not understand th-”, he produced in a rush yet was cut off by the door moving.

The sound and movement whipped him back into his seat and he scrambled to make up for his jittery stance.

Roman was back, stretching his body and shaking his limbs like the flexible man he was. Long, strong limbs stretched. Fluent tan was moving, muscles flexing and curling under his skin in delightful twitches. “This had been so much fun”, he commented with a content smile pulling his lips into a sharp and intense form. “Hey, we could do that more often.”

Patton was already on it, the words his friend had spoken in thickly-layered volume of emotions in all colours of the rainbow were the ideal prompt for him to snap back into his expected stance. His usual smile reached up to his mouth but never reached his freckled cheeks, nor his eyes that almost seemed dull and pale compared to his usual spark of excitement. “Aw”, he hummed, his expression almost mimicking the one of a hamster crunching on a big sunflower seed in satisfying sloth. “You know, we can just do that. Dee, would you like that as well? If not - you do not have to, obviously. We would never, I mean.. - ‘’ He sighed, his eyes travelling down to his lap for a moment. His legs were barely touching Logan’s. “All I want to say, is..”, he reiterated, “you are welcome if you want to come here.”

Roman nodded enthusiastically and hopped down onto the couch, taking his respective seat next to Patton and throwing his arms around him from his back. His hands folded over his trained stomach and the hug squeezed around Patton’s big and fluffy sweater with habituated ease. It almost looked as if Roman was trying to become one of the sheer floof that was this sweater as he and Patton nearly fused into this cotton-wonder of factual softness.

It was simply adorable. Objectively.

“Yeah! We can have game nights together if you wanna or you can just hang out with us if you want to!”

Declyn returned the offers and suggestions with the acknowledgement of a nod and the appreciation in her little smile. “Thank you, I am sure that it will n-”, she started but was cut off by something moving next to her legs.

Virgil.

The smaller emo shifted, moving further into his essentially fetal position as he made a little sound - possibly to indicate that the sounds were disturbing his nap. Next to him, Logan was started to stir just the slightest bit. Dee shot Roman a look, silencing him as the thespian understood. Sometimes, this man just had the ability to read more from a look than he would understand from certain lines. Patton hummed to enforce the silent communication and for a moment, everything was so silent, they could have heard a dust bunny breathe and needles drop.

Then, a sound of vibration seemed to come up. Muffled and weak but intense and stubborn enough to come up again and again. The sleeping duo shifted again, both moving closer to one another.

This was an forbidden sight of adorableness that nobody dared to breath upon. Roman let his eyes shift from Patton to Dee, questions and helplessness ensuing in his flickering reddish orbs. The thespian moved his mouth, lips stretching in exaggerated theatre-manner. He was mouthing to them.

What is that?, was his question and Patton could only shrug. His eyebrows were knitted together in deliberation as he started patting down on his pants to check whether it was his phone alerting him. Dee blinked at the action and slowly moved in to slide her hands into the front pocket of Virgil’s hoodie.

Hah. Success. A phone. She smiled at the others who let out a breath of relief as the two continued to nap peacefully. Patton gently shrugged off his blanket and placed them over the little cuties that were his and Roman’s beloved roommates. The guest pulled here arm back to her body and spared a glance at the new gadget she was now holding in her naked hands.

Without hesitation, she looked at the message and gave a sigh in response before putting the phone down onto the coffee table, silent mode activated. She got up and looked at the others, her hands moving to invite the others to follow after. If they wanted to keep talking, they would have to move to a place where they would actually be able to make more than as much as a breathing sound without disturbing the two sleeping beauties right by their sides.

The three moved, one by one getting up in order to reduce the amount of noise and volume they triggered. Once outside of the living room, they settled in the kitchen and Patton found himself at the sink, already organising some dirty plates of the day.

“Nonono, padre”, Roman argued and carefully reached out. Words clashing hard into the ground but hands softly wrapping around his friend’s busy hands. His tender touch had Patton stop his actions and step away from the chores. “You have had work the other day and did not sleep much because you went to church with your parents. How about you let me do the chores for now.” While formulated as a question, the thespian insistently nudged at Patton before the caring man sighed and gave way to the other. He turned to Dee who arched her arched eyebrows in interest.

“Are you refusing to take care of yourself as w- “, she started smoothly before her words broke off in a sudden change of mind. Maybe just the impact of an unexpected realisation hitting her like a burglar assaulting her from behind and swiftly knocking her out with one strong move. “-take care of your well-being, I meant to say.” Her tone reached a certain depth, almost as if she was bathing her words in a scorn that seemed so low in condescension. Then what was this tone about?

Patton was too riled up to question these things now, his mind still swirling and stumbling in the drunk haze of intense confusion hitting him like a trauma-induced flashback. Dee gave him a sympathetic smile, her dark eyes warming into amber shards of shared emotions and experience. “It is okay, Patton. If you need to rest, then maybe you should do it.” He returned the expression with a thin layer of glass in his eyes. It was there, it was him and it was so close to breaking, Dee wanted to wrap her fingers into her gloves again. They were the colours of baby chickens and just about as soft and calming to the touch and soul.

Roman started up on the dishes, the sink running as he started humming (every now and then mumbling the words to the rhythm of his own beat) a song about work and checking out men who had “a mind at work - work”. Patton crossed the distance between him and his old acquaintance.

“Darling, you owe me something”, she indicated and Patton’s head immediately jerked to the side so he could look at his friend. Eyes wide like a shook deer in the eye of the headlights that were approaching fast. The crash coming up, it was right there, it did not stop-

Declyn gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your number. I think we should meet some time and catch up a little”, she explained, her voice becoming heavy with the calmness of impending sleep resting over a laying figure late at night. The words slowly lowered onto Patton in realisation and he nodded slowly, his eyes seeming distant and loopy as if on pain-numbing medication.

“Number.. yes..”, the student said eventually, his words slow and still being processed as they could be heard, “of course I will give you my number so we can meet up.” Patton shuffled around his pockets again to get his phone and Declyn carefully took it and dialed her number into it. A moment later, her own phone was making a hissing sound.

“Now I have your number” She dropped the phone into his hands and let her fingers dance over her own phone to quickly save the contact. “Wonderful”, she concluded.

Patton hummed. He pocketed his phone again and looked over at Roman who had put the washed dishes onto to the drying rack so it would settle before he could dry them. Rubbing his eyes, the ginger walked over to the light switch to click light into the room. Much much better.

Since it was winter, it was considerably dark. December was eating the day light slowly, reducing the amount everyone got out of it. In exchange, there was more and earlier darkness that sucked in everyone’s homes and dreams in the wetness of icy snow and a cruel world. However, candles and warmth inside was the hope everyone strove for.

It was warm here with Patton, the one to make light and bring in the warmth with his sweater hugs and welcoming arms.

“Patton, perhaps we should make actual food”, Declyn suggested and Roman dried his hand, turning to look at the other two who were next to one another again. “Oh yes, it has gotten pretty late already. We should make something to eat - maybe not more biscuits if we can help it. How would you feel about some eggscelent omelette?”

Roman smirked, his lips spreading over his lips. “Patton, I have heard you say butter than such weak puns” The roommate chuckled in return. “How about adding a sweet puntato to the eggs!”, he offered and Roman immediately moved to get the spices and vegetables outside while Patton slowly got the eggs and some milk and cheese.

Why? Cheese made everything better and they had lactose-free ingredients so Roman would not be in pain or have any issues. In the worst case, there would still be things he could take to ensure his body would be able to process the lactose taken into his system.

Declyn observed the peaceful interaction, the perfectly synced movements. When Patton would get a knife, Roman would get the cutting board. One would start stirring as the other walked away to prepare something else. The rhythm between them was like a child playing with the waves. Running after them when the water retreated and retreating when the water was returning. There was always movement, there was always an exchange of things and not once did one of them rest to do nothing when they decided to work together.

They exchanged more puns and bantered about how theatre rehearsals had been and whether Patton enjoyed going to church with his parents when Christmas time came up. Being the sunshine he was, of course he mentioned that they had shared biscuits together that he and other moms had brought before.

She left them to the harmony of their cooking process and retreated to the living-room. Upon entering, she saw Virgil blindly reaching for the phone and putting it back into his pocket. He blinked as he heard someone move and stirred back to his side, putting some distance between him and the resting figure of Logan who was nearly curled up around him like a protective shepherd.

“Did you enjoy your nap?”

Virgil slowly turned to face his partner and opened his mouth just a bit before closing it again and rubbing his smudged black around his eyes even further. His lips continued splitting and meeting for one or two more times, as if he was tasting being the solely conscious person with his partner in this room. At least for the moment. He hummed in acknowledgement.

“Love, I think we have to talk.”

Fuck.

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