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voiceswithoutlips · 3 years

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Sugar - Chapter One

— pairing: Jimin x Reader — genre: College AU, Smut, Fluff, Minor Angst — word count: 2.7K — warnings: none yet

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— chapter summary:

Its a normal day for Y/N, homework, lectures, club meetings and smack in the middle of it lands a hot boy, can Y/N resist him?

— A/N: This is my first time writing smut so I’d really love some feedback <3

“...what you need is some hardcore de-stressing,” Donna whispered in the middle of the lecture. “The kind where you are on your knees and …”

I elbowed her in the ribs before she could continue. Sure I was a little stressed, maybe more than a little but I wasn’t going to have some ‘hardcore destressing’. I stayed as far away from any kind of relationships as possible, even casual ones that came with certain ‘benefits’. Why? Because I didn’t want to fall into a pit of despair again. My last relationship blew up like a balloon with too much helium. It took a really long time for me to pull myself out of depression. So no more relationships, no more men or women. I was going to prioritize my sanity and focus on my studies. At least that’s what I told myself.

“Seriously Donna, I don’t need any kind of de-stressing, I’m fine,” I whispered back. Professor Cameron was talking about Paradise Lost today. He had the unique ability to turn every exciting story into a boring ramble. Something I learned on my first day when he taught Shakespeare as if he was reciting his grocery list. I bet even his grocery list was more exciting.

“Just come with me to the cafe, there's this new barista ...mmm the muscles on that guy. I wouldn’t mind having him with some cream,” she said, licking her lips.

“Eww Donna, keep your dirty mind to yourself,” I shook my head. Donna was the kind of person who enjoyed life to the fullest. She ate when she was hungry, drank when she was stressed and fucked when she was horny. I always envied her simplicity. I grew up learning control, you plan, you strategize and then you make a move. That’s what my parents taught me. I never did anything spontaneous, caution was my base nature.

“...Ms. Y/N do you have something to share with the rest of us?” Professor Cameron was staring daggers at me.

“Uh ..no Professor,” I said sheepishly as everyone in class stared at me. The rest of the class was uneventful, Professor Cameron went on and on with a few sarcastic remarks here and there about ‘undisciplined students’. I swear to god the man was a dinosaur, if it were up to him we’d be using slate and chalk to take notes.

“Thanks for that,” I said as Donna and I collected our bags and left the building.

“Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee to show you how very sorry I am,” her tone was solemn but her eyes held mischief.

“Pfft, you only want to go there to ogle at the hot barista,”

“He is sooo hot. He is a second year dance major, he just transferred here. Man, the way he moves …” Donna was almost drooling.

“Not my type,” I said dismissively. There was something about muscular guys that put me off. Donna loved guys with big muscles, she loved Jocks. Personally I never saw the appeal, I liked my men on the softer side.

“Oh honey, he’s totally your type,” Donna scoffed as we entered the cafe. It wasn’t far from the main building so it was always full of students drinking their sixth coffee of the day so they could stay awake in their next lecture. We were no different, after Cameron’s class I desperately needed a ‘pick me up’ or I’d be too sleepy to assist Professor Min in the next lecture.

The first thing I saw as I entered the cafe was a bunch of girls making heart eyes at the new barista. He wasn’t much taller than I was and man was he hot. Donna was right, he was totally my type. He was muscular but not in a jock kind of way, he reminded me of a panther. He was lithe, his every movement was graceful as if choreographed. His mouth was feminine, plump lips that made me wonder what it’d be like to bite into them. His eyes slightly unfocused as if he was daydreaming about something intense. I wondered what it’d be like to put his tiny wait in a corset.

“Fuck,” the word left my mouth. I knew I was done for. Just looking at him made me hot.

I made my way to one of the corner tables, leaving Donna to get our coffee. Dumping a bunch of books on the table I started working on my assignments. I was determined not to get anywhere near that barista. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to resist him. He was totally my type. Destiny was determined to torture me.

“This is my friend Y/N! She’s our resident assistant,” I heard Donna and I lifted my head. My heart stopped. He was standing there, beside Donna, looking at me like I was the sweetest candy in the world.

“Y/N this is Park Jimin, he is moving to our dorm today, can you believe it?!!” I could not. Dear universe, stop torturing me.

“Nice to meet you,” he said offering his hand. His voice was just like the rest of him, a mixture of delicate and sexy.

“Let me know if you need any help,” I said, taking his hand like the good RA that I was. Instead of shaking it, he lifted my hands to lips, sending electricity right down to my core.

“I’m sure I’ll need a lot of help,” I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until he smirked at me.

I quickly took back my hand. That man was doing things to me. I hadn’t gotten laid since I broke up with Dan months ago, my body was screaming at me. There was just something about Park Jimin that made you want to ride him till he begged for mercy. The thought made me incredibly horny.

Donna was practically bouncing in her seat. She had informed me multiple times that Jimin was staring at me from behind the counter. I just couldn’t make myself turn my head to confirm it, I didn’t want to confirm it. That’d be a terrible idea. He was bringing down my walls like a stick of dynamite and I’d only met him an hour ago. I had to stick to my resolve.

I sipped on coffee as dark as my soul. Donna always made a face whenever we went out. She had a sweet tooth, I hated sugar. Anything sweet was bound to make me nauseous. The only sweet food that I could tolerate was ice cream. Even on my birthday I only ate two bites of the cake before I tapped out, sugar just wasn’t my thing.

“So, what do you do for fun around here,” Jimin said, slipping in the chair beside me. He had taken off his apron. He was wearing a pink turtleneck that hugged his body and tight black jeans that left nothing to the imagination. I was surprised to see him in boots with two inch heels. Dan would’ve scoffed at him for wearing them.

I was hot as a furnace and wet. I was practically leaking, I thanked all the higher powers out there for giving me the brains to wear jeans instead of a skirt. I was two hundred percent sure that he could smell my arousal. The only saving grace that I had was that none of it showed on my face.

“Depends on your definition of fun,” I said as I watched him pour 4 packets of sugar in his coffee, eww.

“Do you like movies? You can join our movie club!” Donna said with puppy eyes.

“Are you in the movie club Y/N?” Jimin asked. I almost didn’t hear him, I was too busy staring at hands as he stirred his coffee. He had the cutest pinkie in the world.

“Pfft, she’s the club president and the RA and she’s also Professor Min’s teaching assistant. Y/N is like super smart,” Donna bragged. I could see the excitement on Donna’s face. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to set me up with a guy. I knew all her tactics. It started with bragging and then swiftly escalated to Donna setting up dates. I never went to those dates. I wondered if I would go if it was Jimin.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” I mumbled. I was never good with compliments.

“You must be so busy, doesn’t your boyfriend mind?” Jimin asked with a curious look.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I knew what he was getting at.

“Good to know,” he smiled. He was cute when he smiled. I mentally kicked myself for staring, in my defense he was gorgeous.

“I should go, I can’t be late for Professor Min’s lecture. He’s really strict,” I apologized as I gathered my stuff. It was true, Professor Min was known for his no-nonsense attitude but that wasn’t the only reason. I desperately needed some release. “It was really nice meeting you Jimin, see you at the dorm I guess,” I gave him a smile and before he could reply practically ran out of the cafe.

I woke up this morning thinking about my thesis, not even in my wildest dreams did I expect a Park Jimin to land right in the middle of it. He was the embodiment of my desires. Just looking at him made me horny, which was very uncharacteristic for me. I was a romantic, I wanted to fall in love and go on silly dates. The first time I had sex with Dan was two months after we started dating. I was the kind of person to take it slow. I’ve never even had a one night stand.

“This is so uncalled for,” I mumbled to no one in particular. I quickly made my way to the women’s locker, thankfully it was empty. I locked myself in one of the stalls, put one foot on the toilet and unceremoniously stuffed my hand in my pants. I sighed as my fingers touched my nub, finally! I rubbed myself in rough circles, pressing down hard. I was biting my lips to stop the moans that threatened to burst out.

I imagined what it’d be like to have Jimin’s fingers inside me, what it’d be like to have him lick the slick off of my dripping pussy. I wondered how his dick would feel stuffed in my folds, it definitely belonged there. Would he slowly make love to me or would he fuck me like some animal in heat?

My pussy was clenching on nothing, I desperately needed something inside me. But the downside of wearing skinny jeans is that there’s not much room to maneuver down there and I didn’t want to take off my pants on the dirty bathroom floor. I had to settle with rubbing my clit as if my life depended on it.

I imagined Jimin's beautiful mouth wet with my juices as he looked up at me from the floor, my hands in his hair, holding him there, on his knees. I was so close...

“Y/N you there?” I almost jumped out of my skin. It was Donna, how the fuck did she find me?

“Yeah,” I said, my voice was breathy. I reluctantly took my hand out of my pants and adjusted my clothes.

“Come on, we’re going to be late for Professor Min’s lecture!” I followed her out. My face was flushed with embarrassment. I was annoyed at Donna, I was so close... I screamed internally, this day just kept getting worse.

After the lectures were over Donna had dragged me around the campus in search of Professor Cameron because she forgot to log her attendance. And then there was the student council meeting that ended with us having a mini party to celebrate the start of the semester. To conclude, I didn’t get a chance to do anything about the wetness in my panties. I was still hot, horny and absolutely frustrated.

“Come on in Y/N,” our dorm supervisor said as I knocked on his door. “We have a new student who needs a buddy, I hope you won’t mind,” he said as soon as I entered.

I internally sighed. There he was, Park Jimin, in all his delicious glory, standing in front of the desk. He gave me a smile as our eyes met. I quickly looked away, I felt guilty, just hours ago I had imagined him doing things to me as I played with myself. If he ever found out what I did, he’d think of me as some creep.

“Of course not, welcome to Drake Hall Jimin!” I tried to sound welcoming but I was still horny and my state was only getting worse the more I looked at him.

“Excellent, it's settled then! Y/N why don’t you show him the dorm,” yep, sure, why not. It’s not like I wanted to jump him then and there, rip his clothes off and ride him like a friggin pogo stick.

It was well past midnight and I was all alone in the study room. I had given Jimin the standard dorm tour and then left him at his room, telling him to call me if he needed anything. I was his buddy after all. I groaned internally. It was like a meteor had hit my safe little planet and now it burned my body like never before.

I slowly slid my hand down to the crotch of my cotton shorts and cupped myself, slightly humping into my hand. The feeling made me gasp but it wasn’t enough. I tugged the fabric to a side, revealing my pussy to the room. Nope, I wasn’t wearing any panties. “Fuck you Park Jimin,” I gasped as I slid two fingers in easily, I was ready for a dick but my fingers would have to suffice. I slowly fucked myself, moving my hips to meet my fingers, trying my best not to make a sound.

“Need some help?” a voice whispered in my ear. I squeaked and tried to get up but he pushed me down on the chair. “So you want to fuck me?” I could hear the smirk in Jimin’s voice.

“Dream on loverboy,” I whispered back. His hand trailed down my arm and he cupped me over my hand. He buried his face in my neck, licking and biting until he heard my moan. He chuckled.

“Tell me, were you imagining what my dick would feel like in this pussy?” he said as he slipped a finger into me. “What it’d be like to be fucked senseless?” another finger. “To be fucked so hard that it’d be impossible for you to walk the next day,” third finger. His voice was breathy, sending vibrations through my body. He refused to move his fingers.

“Stop teasing,” I said through gritted teeth as I forced myself not to hump on his fingers like a bitch in heat.

“So eager, so wet for me,” he bit down on my neck as he finally started moving his fingers at a maddeningly slow pace. He licked and bit, leaving a trail of purple bruises. I desperately wanted to touch my breasts but he trapped my hands in his other hand. Not allowing me to touch myself.

“Faster,” I commanded.

“No,” he chuckled. Why was he so frustrating?

“Please ..” I whined.

“Please what?”

“Please make me cum on your goddamn fingers,” I begged.

“As you wish,” he earnestly started fucking me with his fingers. The room was filled with unholy squelching sounds. I couldn’t move my hands, he was holding them too tight. I couldn’t kiss him because he refused to leave me neck, the only thing I could do was gasp and moan.

I could feel the pressure building in my abdomen as he fucked my mercilessly. He curled his fingers and I came undone. My orgasm exploded through me, literally, I squirted all over his fingers. He kept going, helping me ride out the pleasure. Finally he withdrew his fingers and patted my crotch as I went limp in the chair, all blissed out.

“Good night princess,” he lightly kissed me on the cheek and left.

#bts smut #bts fluff #jimin smut #college au #jimin x reader #jimin x you #pink jimin #bts jimin #jimin fluff #bcc #btscreatorscorner #sugar

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athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit · 3 years

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Getting back at writing, is, well, hard. My grammar and vocabulary and basically everything is messed up so I apologize in advance for that. It's been, almost a year ever since my last written fic. That time I was still crazy with Kimetsu no Yaiba and the KyoTan ship. I'll post it some other time ^^.

Anyways, I present to you my attempt in making a plotted work from a random thought that came over me this morning.

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: Basically none. Except for some curse words.

UD 01/10/21: Cleaned and revised some parts! Tried my best, hope it was enough.

•

Of Ice and Blood

Part 1

Quick backstory and some details I left out in the main work.

It was in summer, 28th of July, when Pearl Blackbell turned 19. She left her home and moved closer to the university she’ll be going to. She rented an apartment about five blocks from the school. Albeit small, it was cozy and proper, having what she needed: a kitchen, a decent-sized bedroom, a small living area with a worn but comfy couch, and a bathroom.

When she was younger, her parents started training her in martial arts and the use self-defense weapons. They needed to make sure she knew how to protect herself against assaulters and dangerous people, she was after all, their only child and baby girl . They want their daughter to be strong, both inside and outside, by the time she sets out on her own and leaves home.

Her favorite self-defense weapon was brass knuckles, despite her parents’ protests. She enjoys punching nasty people and feel the crunch of their bones beneath her fists, especially racists, sexists, bullies, and the lot. The main reason why she got into detention multiple times.

Painting it with a ruddy color, she keeps it in her person, no matter where she goes. She has two, one is for extreme situations, while the other has only two knuckles. It stills maximizes the damage dealt but it is relatively less dangerous than the full dusters. The second one is usually a spare, though she rarely uses it.

She also occasionally carries a pair of retractable nunchucks, which she designed to be hidden within her regular baggy clothes. Her father had trained her vigorously with them and she even bested him in a match before she left for the city.

Selkoth, the city of marvels.

Distant sounds of buzzing cars reached my ears as I opened my eyes and blinked away the sleepiness, the light shining from the spaces in my curtains rather helping, together with the warmth it brought to my chilled tawny skin.

[Start of the actual work]

I fully woke up as I registered the sound of my phone alarm, shortly getting up to prepare when I realized what day it was.

Monday, the first day of my college life.

I stepped into the bathroom and took a quick shower, knowing I bathed thoroughly last night to save some time today.

Time management is key.

I dried myself down, turned to my closet and started putting on the outfit I picked out the night before.

Prioritizing comfortability over appearance, I wore my favorite orange cotton shirt, my blackish-blue hoodie (that had been stained with blood some time ago, but don’t worry, I know how to clean out blood. Mama raised no fool.) over it, together with a pair of black skinny jeans. And of course, tight black sports bra and boxers, even mentioning my underwear yes?

I looked over to my mirror and it was—

Simple. And I loved it. The more simple it is the better.

'“Keep a low profile over there, sweetie. Don’t get into fights when you can help it okay??? We already taught you and prepared you to the best of our abilities. Promise to us that you’ll stay safe, and healthy. Okay? And don’t forget to call sometime.”' I sighed, remembering my mother’s words.

"Yes mama, I will.”

With a smile, I did my hair and went for a tight Dutch braid, it going down between my shoulder blades and ending a little above my waist. I ran to my kitchen to eat breakfast, satisfied with my look.

I eat fast okay

Backpack, check. White sneakers, check. Phone and keys, check. Airpods on, playlist shuffled, I bolted out of my apartment and jogged all 50 blocks to school.

Exercise is always important, and what other way to utilize time for exercising than to do it while heading to your destination, right?

I snickered.

As I made my way to the university, I saw bizarre creatures and monsters of different sizes, coexisting, and interacting with humans. Even so, I noticed other people’s disdain and bitterness towards them when I passed by. My nose is awfully sensitive to scents that sometimes the ones their body releases tells me what they feel at the moment. It’s all science, I guess. I was made extra susceptible to these, so I wear a mask everywhere and every time I go out just to partly block most of the smells.

My first day at a university open to everyone across the country gets my blood pumping with excitement. To think that I’m going to study at Ernestine State University, the Ernestine State University!

I first heard about the uni back when I was a child. News broke out about Victor Ernestine, committing suicide by driving his car off a cliff because he couldn’t accept that his daughter was one of the major leaders who made the unity of all people, of all races, possible.

Dramatic.

Months after Mr. Ernestine died, all his properties and riches were passed down to her daughter, who took over as the new founder of the university and rebuilt it to accommodate everyone, no matter the size and shape.

The strictly all-human school, renovated, reshaped, and repurposed, was now the first university to open its gates to everyone in the country of Yundomia.

I’ve always yearned to get to know other species in this world. I didn’t get the chance previously because my parents sent me to an all-human, local high school. Which sucks. I hated how everyone had a certain hatred for the other races, especially orcs. They keep talking about how they are wild beasts and savages that aren’t meant to be in society.

They treated them like animals that are void of emotions and intelligence.

Come to think of it, I mostly fought with humans who were either racist, bullies, bastards trying to hit on me, or a mix of all of them together.

I chuckled, remembering how many times I got counseled on not punching people in the face.

High school was pure torture, being a human-exclusive campus making it worse, considering how everybody smells so horrible and the principal was an egoistic dumbass I was a hair away from gutting him. My poor nose.

But now I’m done with that! I’m starting anew in this school, in this city. Perhaps make some friends along the way.

Which is kinda problematic.

I’m not the social type. I tend to keep things to myself and hardly open up to anybody. I wanna make at least one friend that isn’t human! Or just, one good friend. I didn’t have or made any friends in the past since people tend to shun me out just because I can tell how they are feeling and find it creepy.

Or they’re afraid to get punched in the face.

Entering the campus gates was like stepping into another world. I was met with the sight of humans and monsters walking together and conversing! It was nice, and I don’t get to see this much often.

I walked around and took in the landscape of the campus. It was huge! And beautifully designed to have a great number of trees and plants, while also having space more than enough to accommodate every student going to their respective classrooms.

I was minding my own business and it was all serene, until some bastards pushed past through me and knocking me to the side. I stumbled but didn’t fall. I was gonna say something, but I shut my mouth. I didn’t want to cause any trouble on the first day for goodness’ sake. So I brushed it off and went straight to the gym for the orientation.

*************************************

The orientation was, intriguing. The dean seems nice, though I couldn't smell him from where I sat. There's also a student council made up of both humans and monsters which is a good sign. The student council president was a Minotaur with a dark brown coat and horns curving front and pointing up. The vice-president was a male student who looked decent enough. The secretary was an elf. The treasurer, a dwarf. And the rest were humans. I couldn't scent any of them to tell me what they were feeling at the moment, but the Minotaur looked uncomfortable, his hands behind his back, body going stiff when they were introduced to the freshmen. There was a larger numbr of humans than monsters, which was expected. I also noticed how both were grouped, a white line in the middle of the gym separating us from them.

Maybe to avoid any misunderstandings?

We were informed that today will be for introductions to your classmates and subject teachers so there will be no lessons at all. Hooray!

I was walking to my first classroom when a damned familiar smell attacked my nose. I stopped to stand for a moment and adjusted my mask. I looked around to spot the one emitting it and of course, saw a human. He looked, well, the typical playboy cool boy who used too much body spray on himself.

Not wanting to stand there like an idiot and prolong my suffering, I speed walk to my classroom and planned to sit at the back hoping no one would notice or ask why I’m wearing a mask.

That's always what they ask first. Not my name or how I was doing.

I expected to find no one inside since it was still early, but I was startled to see a massive orc sitting at the back looking out at the window. He was wearing a dark gray knitted sweater that was hugging his hulking frame very…well. Along with what looked like thick cargo pants and black boots.

He turned to look at me when I let out a small yelp, greeting me with his piercing, blue eyes.

Beautiful.

The orc had long, braided, jet-black locks. Two of them had distinct beads that trailed down from the side of his face and down to his chest, the rest of his hair behind him braided with intricacy and tied and ended halfway down his back.

I was pushed out of my trance when a person entered and crashed into me, swearing under my breath that it was intentional, nearly making me plant face-first on the trash bins if I hadn’t changed my footing at the last moment.

“Watch it, bitch, you’re gonna ruin my make-up,” she snapped.

Wow. She dared to call me that and not apologize like I’m the one who shoved her. Just wow. Usually at this point, I would have planted her face on the floor, but I stopped myself.

Low profile! Low profile Pearl! You’re in college now! You definitely don’t want to get suspended on the first fucking day of class now do you?? Keep it together.

Straightening up, I walked towards the back and sat beside the orc. Whose gaze fell on me, curious, when I wasn’t looking.

I made myself settled in my seat before the professor came in.

There were other races in my class. A blue tiefling sat three rows in front, wearing a casual outfit. A black-haired elf who looked and dressed clever, a row away. A cute pink pixie on my far right. A satyr wearing glasses, two seats in front of me, and a female lizardfolk a seat from of the pixie.

"Are you...alright?"

I almost jumped from my seat when the orc beside me spoke. I couldn’t help but admire how deep his voice was. I tried not to appear flustered, my mask helped with that.

“Uh…yes?”

The orc regarded me for a second before continuing.

“You were pushed earlier.”

Oh. He saw that?

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay.” I smiled at him. Then I remembered he can’t see my face. But I hoped the crinkling of my eyes gave it away.

“I’m Pearl, by the way.” I reached out my hand to him, socializing not my best suit but at least I tried.

He paused for a second before taking it into his bigger one, engulfing mine and shook it slowly. I was again, surprised by how gentle he was.

“Tai'chi.”

Interesting.

“Nice to meet you, Tai'chi.”

He lets go of my hand when the professor started talking up front.

“Nice to meet you too, Pearl."

***************************************

Thoughts? I am wide open for constructive criticism :D

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

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kaibutsushidousha · 3 years

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Cat, Ghost, and Revolution Sunday (Sagrada Reset 1) - Chapter 2: The events from Wednesday (part 5)

[INDEX]

July 14th (Friday) – Two days before the starting point

July 14th, Friday. The day the cat's accident was supposed to happen.

Kei got out of bed not long after 5 AM. He was terribly sleepy. After taking a break a while past midnight, the rain outside his window had resumed hammering the ground.

Kei washed his face, put on his uniform, and left his apartment. He headed to the bakery under the rain.

(Since I'm keeping watch until 9 AM, I'll be late for school, but Tsushima can do something about that. The school acknowledges the Service Club's value. If people from sports clubs can skip classes when they need to train for tournaments, then so can we.)

Kei arrived at the bakery 5 minutes before the scheduled time. Haruki and Nonoo were already waiting by the door. This was their first time seeing Nonoo outside of her shrine. As Nonoo walked around the shopping district with her blue umbrella up, she looked just like an ordinary high schooler you could find anywhere.

(The cat is nowhere to be seen. Great. At the very least, the accident hasn't happened yet.)

"Good morning. You're here early."

Kei waved and called them. His voice wasn't fully clear because he was still sleepy.

Haruki answered his good morning, but Nonoo just nodded. Like Kei, she was also not a morning person.

Kei didn't have the will to keep talking, so he started looking around. The city was empty in the early morning. Even the dogs weren't walking around due to the rain.

At 6:00, the bakery raised its shutters. Only one customer entered the bakery in the first 30 minutes. A woman in her twenties, wearing a suit. The bakery stayed open this first half an hour just for her.

6:30. The second customer, Kei, entered the bakery. Since they needed to watch the street, they took turns choosing their breakfasts.

The shelves were only half-filled. Kei bought two pieces of the most freshly baked bread. A small french bread filled with cheese, and thinner bread with coleseed. Haruki bought a croissant whipped cream sandwich. Nonoo bought anpan and milk.

(Freshly baked bread is great. It's so obvious it's easy to forget, but timing is essential. Pretty much everything can be better with optimal timing. On the flip side, terrible timing can get a cat ran over by a car. It'd be really nice if everything made its optimal timing more evident like this morning bread does.)

Haruki poured tea into her bottle's cap. By the time she finished drinking it, Kei was already feeling awake.

"Do you think the cat will be here?", asked Haruki.

"Good question. I'd be relieved if he did."

Nonoo took a bite out of her anpan and then drank some milk straight from the bottle.

"I'll check. Asai, chat with me."

"Hm... Can I talk about what I dreamed tonight?"

"It's a start. What did you dream?"

"It was a nice dream."

Kei noticed he lied. It was a chaotic, incomprehensible dream.

(Welp, the ship's already sailed. I guess I'll have to make things up.)

"I met a really pretty girl. Rich, also. Everyone loved her."

"And you hooked up with her?"

"Maybe? Either that or I was her."

Kei looked around as he answered. No cats in sight. No cars on the street. No signs of the accident at the point.

"You want to be a woman?"

"I'd be fine with any gender. But I do want to be rich and loved by everyone."

A simple form of happiness anyone could understand.

"But weren't there a lot of men asking you out?"

"I was more popular with younger girls."

The contents of the dream really didn't matter. He could have instead said older women and nothing would have changed. All he cared about was making it happy and peaceful.

"Did you dream tonight, Nonoo?"

"I think I did. But I can't remember. I did wake up feeling somewhat lonely."

"Do you want to remember it?"

"Not really. ... It's not working. I can't use my ability."

(What a bummer. That's not the best moment to get sleepy. Her ability's activation conditions are surprisingly tough. Intentionally blurring your consciousness is practically a paradox. Maybe she should study Zen meditation.)

They try to keep talking for a while longer, but it wasn't working. Nonoo was probably too tense since the time of the accident was approaching.

Kei wasn't prioritizing the cat's rescue much that day. His main mission was verifying information. The exact time and place of the accident, where the cat comes from, what car hits it.

(Knowing that is enough to guarantee the cat's rescue on the next Reset. I could stand on the street at the right time. I could use a smoke bomb. There're many ways to stop a car. The driver might yell at me, but I'll just need to listen and apologize.)

Time passed slowly. A lot more people were coming to the bakery, and cars started passing by. Kei checked the time on his phone. 7:30. Still too early for the cat to appear.

"What are you doing if he doesn't appear?", Nonoo asked.

"Nothing. That would mean the accident was already avoided. I'd ask you to check the cat's safety and call it a day."

Kei was lying. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he found out the truth behind Murase Youka's request. But he didn't need to get Nonoo even more anxious for no reason.

"What are you planning to do, Nonoo?"

"I'll keep watch on him for a while. If he's happy with being a pet, that's fine by me. If he decides to go back to the stray life, that's fine as well."

"Can you tell me if you discover who the owner is? I want to visit the boy if I can."

"Sure."

All Kei was hired to do was to save the cat, but someone was pulling strings for something else. He still didn't know the mastermind's identity or intentions. He couldn't decide if he was supposed to pry or not. On one hand, his curiosity drove him to want to know everything, but on the other, delving too deep could have unwanted consequences.

("If us being manipulated makes someone’s life happier, then it’s all good." That's what I told Haruki. I really meant what I said. But I can't overlook the possibility of some of someone taking advantage of our Resets behind our backs.)

His thoughts were interrupted by Nonoo.

"A voice."

Nonoo started running.

"What voice? A cat's?"

Kei hadn't heard anything.

"I have no doubts. It's him."

"You have good ears."

"I do. Good eyes, too."

Nonoo entered a narrow alley. Kei and Haruki followed her in. When they reached the corner, Kei had also started hearing the meows.

They stopped.

A cat was in the alley. A gray cat with a crooked tail. He was being held on slender arms. Kei knew the person holding him, but he wasn't expecting to see her here.

She, Murase Youka, glared at Kei through her glasses, with the same sullen eyes she had in his memories. The cat meowed again and jumped off of Murase's arms. He walked straight to Nonoo and rubbed himself against her feet. Murase watched him the whole time.

No one spoke a word. Haruki and Nonoo didn't know Murase's face. She shouldn't know them either. Kei didn't know how to talk to her at that point, but he couldn't remain silent forever.

"Good morning, Murase. Do you remember me?"

Kei spoke as casually as he could. But at the same time, he observed her expression carefully. If the Reset worked, she was seeing Kei for the first time.

He saw her tense up her lips, but she immediately turned away and started walking.

"Wait."

Kei called her, but she didn't turn back. He instinctively followed her.

Murase whispered something.

And then she immediately flew away and disappeared past the buildings.

#sagrada reset #cat ghost and revolution sunday #asai kei #nonoo seika #haruki misora #murase youka

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maritimeericandersen · 3 years

Text

We’re Gunna Need A Bigger Boat: Shark Week, Part IV

Henry, Rose, and Eric go to find the creature that attacked someone in the lake with a different method than usual for this sort of thing.

Things don’t go to plan.

TW: Violence, blood, slashing, biting, drowning

@charmed-henry @thehuntress-rose @brucewhite @gabriella-marino

ERIC

Eric had figured it might have been a bit suspect if the three of them were to meet up in the dorms and walk over to the lake together. Especially equipped with weapons— and Eric’s very pungent cooler of meat and fish. He got out there about an hour earlier than the agreed upon time to dig out the spot where he had hidden the net he had scounged up, having to make a few modifications to ensure it was big enough for this thing. (Whatever this thing really was.) It had taken him a few goes to make something that would hold but after he’d gotten the first knot down it had been like riding a bike. The muscle memory from all those boat rides and hunting trips taking over.

So far the lake had been quiet, the only signs of movement had been the lapping of the water against the shore and the wind sweeping through the tree branches. (Beside the badger that had scared the bejesus out of him when it had come clambering out of the woods only to take off when he’d shined his light toward it.) It might have been reassuring had this not been his first hunt in what felt like ages. Instead it left him unsettled. Like whatever it was had run off everything else that frequented the lake.

He had dragged the net out and settled behind the equipment shed, resting up against the wall as he sat and waited. His eyes had closed before he knew it as the late hour caught up with him. The sound of footsteps, soft as they were, roused him. He stood and rounded the shed, not really thinking it would be anyone else but Henry or Rose.

The dark made it hard to make out the figure but he still called out to them, arm waving. “Oi! Over here!”

HENRY

Henry had also headed out from the dorms early, though not as early as Eric. He had been gathering weapons all week, his sword and some knives and some other hunting supplies at the advice of some guys at the Hunted Deer, and they were all quite heavy. That had slowed him down a bit. Henry was relieved to see that Eric had already arrived, though, because as much as Henry trusted Eric, he had been a little bit worried about Eric falling asleep or something. But that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Shh! Not so loud!” Henry stage-whispered, struggling to cross the sand with all the weapons. Maybe he should have left with Rose, at least to have help carrying things.

He assessed the setup. Net, cooler full of bait, Eric looking a little sleepy but ready to go. It was almost like old times again. He set down the crossbow and the set of knives. “Rose should be here soon. I didn’t really get a chance to tell her everything about you, so we’re gonna have to go over that real quick, but she knows about the lake attack. So once we get our story straight, we should be good to go. Remember, she’s not my girlfr--”

Henry cut himself off quickly when he saw the familiar outline of Rose approaching in the distance and waved. “Oi, Rose!”

ROSE

She didn’t think she was late, but was still the last to arrive it seemed. She prepared in different ways than the two boys had. The huntress assumed they’d go all in on weapons and nets and bait, so she brought some other items in her bag. Rose rolled her eyes as Henry waved her over and called out. So much for covert. They needed the cover of night, but could yell across the beach just fine. Strolling in with her energy drink in hand, she looked to both of the boys. The one she didn’t recognize looked young, “So you’re Eric? I’m Rose.”

She looked this new character up and down. Henry had only mentioned that he knew about the lake monster situation and he could help. Rose wasn’t sure how, but the net and smelly cooler was assuring. She knew if she needed to know this guy’s deal, they’d tell her. If it wasn’t necessary to the job, she wouldn’t ask. There was an unspoken understanding in organizations like her’s; it’s all need to know. If Henry vouched for this Eric boy, she could trust him. “Oh, and I brought liquid energy. I figured Henry would be so Type A that he’d bring enough supplies for the whole town to trap this thing so I brought night ops essentials.” She swung her backpack around and opened it to show the goods.

ERIC

Eric didn’t really have any expectations of Rose. He never had expectations from most people since he didn’t have the mind to think that far ahead. Wasn’t to say he hadn’t been curious to meet her— an American who hunted. And a girl at that.

He smiled, giving a nod of his head as she said his name, glancing at Henry to gauge if this reaction was a positive or a negative since he knew her better. Eric leaned forward over the space to stick out his hand but Rose had already turned her attention away to pull her bag around so Eric just closed his fingers into an awkward thumbs up and retreated. “Brilliant. Wouldn’t have even thought of that. Thank you.”

After a moment he clapped his hands together. “Alright then! Yeah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Rose. Erm— bit of a disclosure here to make sure we’re all on the same page. Technically, to the Order, I’m dead. So if you could just not tell anyone you saw me here or know I’m alive that’d be great. Really appreciate that. And we’re also not trying to kill this thing unless completely necessary. Capturing and containing it should be our first priority.” He let out a breath, lips buzzing. His hands fell to rest on his hips as he looked between the two of them, brows raised. “Anything else?”

HENRY

Well, that was one way to put it. It got the message across, at least, anyway. Henry had been a bit worried about how Rose would respond to that. Out of everyone in the Order, she wasn’t the most loyal to Tom or John (Henry was pretty sure) but she still had a pretty close relationship with Phil. And while Henry trusted Phil and thought the world of him, he also worried about how Phil would react if he found out about this. It would reflect badly on Henry.

“Yes, that’s very important-- very long story, but basically, Eric and I trained together, but he’s figuring some things out right now, and it will sort of get in the way of the mission if it comes out that he’s around. But we need his help for this mission so… yeah. Sorry I didn’t mention before. It’s sort of a need-to-know basis thing.”

There was something else that bothered Henry. What was Eric doing, trying to contain the creature like an animal-lover releasing a fly into the backyard rather than swatting it? What were they going to do, keep it as a pet?

He glanced at Eric. “As for the plan... if the creature puts up a fight we can use self-defense. I’m just saying. We have to prioritize our own lives. I don’t want anyone getting hurt unnecessarily.”

ROSE

Rose’s face fell when Eric explained his drastic measures to leave the Order. She was talking to a ghost; and yet, instead of a chill she felt jealous. Was that all it took? In order to disappear, you had to die. She looked to Henry next. How did he keep this a secret? He was in on this? For some reason, there was a cord inside of her that tied her to the boy even tighter now. He’d kept this secret for a friend for some time. She could trust him blindly. He’d proven it over and over now. She looked back to Eric, eyeing her expectantly.

“Okay. I’m in.” She exhaled, “I won’t tell anyone, but why can’t we kill it? That thing tried to eat Candace and I’m sure it won’t hesitate to take a bite out of any of us! And even if we can catch it, what the hell do we do with it? We don’t even know what it is. I say we kill it and end it all tonight.”

ERIC

Honestly, Eric hadn’t been expecting such little resistance on the whole I’m dead but not bit but he was expecting the push back on not going for the kill. Before the wreck, he would have thought the same thing. It was much easier, anyway. And, they were right. It had hurt someone. It would have probably done a lot more damage than it had if they hadn’t been there to save the girl— to save their friend.

But this Eric was not the same as the one from before. He had lived a life here without ties to the Order just to see what it was like with magic around every corner. Eric had met a load of Magicks, was on a volleyball team with ‘em, checked out their groceries, borrowed one’s pencil during lecture. Hell, he had met a werewolf (twice over) and not gotten killed or bitten either time. It taught him that they weren’t so monstrous as the Order had made them out to be. Yes, magic could be dangerous, but so could Mundus, and they didn’t go around hunting them.

“Look, I get it. I do. You know I do— “ Eric gestured to Henry but still, he shook his head. “But you’re right. We don’t know. We don’t know what it is or why it did what it did. I want the chance to find out. I mean, don’t you? After all this time of learning about how these things are monsters, don’t you want to know why? The Order never told us, they just gave us the weapons and pointed a finger and I think that’s because they never stopped to ask.”

He let out a breath, glancing between Henry and Rose. “My family’s been hunting things like this for generations but I’m only alive now because of one. So— I’m not asking you to risk your lives, if it tries to kill you, defend yourself. But if it doesn’t, if it’s caught and we can contain this, all I’m asking for is a conversation.”

HENRY

So this was worse than Henry had thought. Swynlake had gotten to Eric, even more so than it had gotten to Henry. He wondered if he had failed Eric by not pushing him hard enough. Henry had been so worried about losing his friend, about pushing him away, that he had let him lose all sense of what he had been taught. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as Henry had thought to bring him back into the Order.

Henry wanted to hate this godforsaken town so badly, with its quirky magic that lured people into a false sense of security. And then it quite literally bit back. But Henry could see how Eric had been drawn in… Henry had, after all, fallen in love with a Magick. A completely harmless one, of course. But still. How could he hate a place that had given him so much?

It was far too complicated to think about now. One thing was for certain, though: Henry had to keep Eric and Rose safe, and make sure nobody got hurt. Or worse.

Maybe Tom and Phil had been right. Maybe Henry should have left this to the experts.

But this was his plan and he was going to have to stick to it, so Henry just nodded, though his expression betrayed a slight annoyance, a hint of concern. “That’s… noble, mate, but I’m just warning you, I don’t think this thing’s gonna want a conversation. It’s not a pretty one like you might be used to. It’s more beast than human, I’m telling you,” Henry said seriously. “I won’t go for a kill right away, but I’m not going to let anyone risk their life for this thing’s safety. Can we agree on that, at least?”

ROSE:

His words struck a chord in her. Eric was right. The Huntsclan was the same in the way that they gave orders and they were followed. No questions asked and no compassion for the creatures was allowed. It disarmed her in a way that she had been before. She didn’t know what had caused Eric to see the humanity in monsters, but she had also seen it first hand. Once upon a time she’d been in love with one, however those days were long gone.

Rose held his gaze for a second longer than she meant to. She had decided to trust Eric, but showing that kind of weakness to him was a far off impossibility. The huntress kept unusually quiet as she mulled over their options and her feelings about it all.

She was in a weird middle ground. One boy was fully dedicated to the cause, and one was already free of it. And what was she?

Rose shrugged noncommittally, “Fine, you can have a chat with it if you want. I don’t know how much you’ll get out of it, Henry’s right. But I’m with you.” She put a hand on Henry’s shoulder and shared a look. We should let him have this, a silent conversation took place.

ERIC

Henry’s answer had been about what he had been expecting— supportive of Eric but in the end not willing to bend what the Order had taught them.

It was Rose he was worried about. He didn’t know her or her fighting style. She didn’t know him, either, and yet here Eric was asking two big things of her upon their first meeting. The air in his lungs began to burn as he held it in there, waiting for her response, not wanting to so much as breathe in fear that one wrong move would persuade her against him. Her answer knocked it out of him, his slack jawed shock turning into delighted surprise.

“Brilliant! You won’t regret this!” He stepped forward to put one hand on Rose’s shoulder and the other on Henry’s unoccupied one to complete the trifecta, not realizing he was intruding on their moment. Eric grinned at the two of them and clapped their shoulders before moving to look out at the lake. “Now that we’ve got that put away, here’s the plan! You see those boats?”

He pointed to a pair of small wooden dinghies, one with an outboard motor attached to the back. “We can attach the net between ‘em to take out on the water. With the chum we can lure it out and I’ll lead it back to the net, where you two’ll be waiting. Once we’ve got it in the net we can bring it on land and— see how it goes from there.” Eric turned to look back at them, hands formed into two thumbs up. “Sound good?”

HENRY

Henry still thought Eric’s idea was silly, honestly, but he could at least respect the intention behind not wanting just to kill something on sight. Still, Henry was going to reserve the right to attack the minute the creature threatened Eric or Rose. He was not letting any other friends get hurt in front of him. Absolutely not.

He frowned back at Rose, but understood that they weren’t going to get anywhere if they stood around arguing. That was soon interrupted, though, by Eric, and for a moment, Henry thought they looked like a team. Just like old times in the Order, maybe even kind of like Tom and John and Phil.

“Sounds like we’ve got a plan. Thanks, Eric,” Henry said, his tone still just a bit grim. He looked between the two of them. “Why don’t the two of you take one boat and I’ll take the other?” Henry wanted to be in the same boat as both of them, just in case something happened, but he didn’t want to leave either Rose or Eric on their own. At least Rose would keep Eric on task and Eric would be able to draw on his aquatic creature expertise. Still, Henry didn’t like this idea of splitting up. It seemed to be the only way, though.

ROSE:

Rose wouldn’t pretend to know anything about aquatic magicks to these two. It was her own hubris making her act so assured when Phil and Tom had talked to them about the situation. She nodded along with Eric’s plan, but she still felt the same hesitation Henry did. Maybe it was the air of camaraderie; Rose felt like she should be a teamplayer and listen to the boy with the plan. The benefit of the doubt was surely earned.

“Alright, into the boats we go?” Rose wasn’t sure about splitting up, but logistically they needed the two boats for this to work. And the huntress had a few questions for the ‘dead’ Prince that Henry might not understand.

ERIC

He stuck out his lower lip and shrugged, not really thinking it mattered who was in what boat since his plan would be eventually getting into the water anyway so, either way, everyone was going to be on their own at some point.

“Sure, yeah. Get your things, I’ll get the net attached.” Eric smiled, rounding the shed to go drag the big net down toward the dock where the dinghies were tied up. It took him a while to get the net fastened to each of them as he wanted to make sure the knots were secure, but eventually he stood, wiping his hands dry on his shirt. “In we go. I’ll untie you from the dock.”

He pulled the first boat closer for Henry, keeping one foot on the dock and the other in the boat to keep it stabilized while he got in before untying it from the cleat, and giving an extra push. He did the same for Rose, only following in next to her with the cooler before pushing off from the dock. “And Henry, mate, if you see anything just say so! Sound going from air to water doesn’t carry that well so you probably won’t spook ‘em! You’ve not got to shout or anything just—” He waved off the rest of what he was going to say. “You’ve got it.”

HENRY

Henry gave a quick, serious nod in acknowledgement and laid his weapons down in the boat before he started paddling.

It was strange to have Rose here. Even though Henry and Eric’s missions had been Order-adjacent (or, rather, Henry’s subtle attempts to try and get Eric to see how rewarding Order missions could be) he had still felt like he was living a double life. He trusted Rose to keep Eric’s secret, but up until now, it had always been Henry and Eric on these missions. Bringing Rose in brought a new dynamic to things.

“I don’t see anything yet, do we want to search the middle of the lake or head for the river?” Henry asked, glancing at Eric and Rose’s boat. Eric probably smelled like fish after handling all that seafood-- did that make the other boat more of a target? No, he couldn’t start getting himself worked up. “The thing’s got to be out here somewhere.”

ROSE

Rose stepped into the tiny boat and had to balance herself from the slight wobble of it. It had been a long while since she’d been on a small dinghy like this one, but she kept her agility and her wits about her. The water was calm, so it didn’t shift too much under her boot. It was almost enchanting, watching the water. It wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the ocean on the last night of Spring Break, but still, the water did in fact have a siren call no matter the size. If only their weren’t some killer beast lurking underneath the placid surface. After she sat down and Eric and Henry had their exchange, she called out, “I dunno. Damn thing could be anywhere now. I say we go out a bit further and then let it come to us.”

She leaned in towards Eric, now that they had drifted a ways away from Henry. And with a lowered voice said, “How did you do it? Fake your death, I mean… and why?” Her brows knit together in genuine concern and curiosity. “I won’t tell,” she interjected herself, not wanting to sound untrustworthy. “I just, well, dying is about the only way you can get out of these kinds of things. Do you -- do you want back in?”

ERIC

He rolled his eyes at Henry and Rose. This was always how it went with people who hadn’t frequently hunted on water. On land it was different, everyone was on even ground for the most part and it was easier to see the signs of the prey. Footprints could be left in the mud, a broken branch clipped as they hurried passed. Water washed all that away. The earth was forgiving for the most part, leaving those that fell against it alone. Water didn’t care. Humans had crawled their way out of it for a reason. Moving to somewhere kinder.

“Just got to be patient. If it’s here, it’ll show.” But he complied, helping to row the boat out to the middle of the lake where they could idle for the time being. As they worked their way across every so often Eric would reach into the cooler and toss out a piece of chum into the water.

His eyebrows lifted as he looked up at Rose, her questions catching him off guard. Not that he minded. He just didn’t think she would care as they had only just met and all.

“Erm— well it wasn’t exactly something I had planned. I was on a mission for the Order. We were tracking something that had been taking out fishing boats and a storm hit. It took the boat, we all had to abandon ship. Next thing I know I’m waking up, bloody freezing, on a beach watching a pair of flukes disappear into the water.” He paused then shook his head, looking down as he put the lid back on the cooler.

“So, I wondered, if we were wrong about mermaids, what else could we be wrong about? I had the payphone in my hand to call home but I— I dunno. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back to them until I knew the whole truth. It’s why I came here.” Eric gestured, turning to look around them, the lights of Swynlake far off into the distance. “I don’t know if I’ll ever really go back. That’s why I want to talk to this thing. I need to know if what we’ve been doing, acting as judge, jury, and executioner, has been right or if we’ve just been going by the words of a bunch of scared people clinging to a world that doesn’t exist anymore until we turn into them and the cycle repeats.”

GABRIELLA

It seemed that Gabriella Marino had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time these days.

Or, really, the past few years of her life. Tonight was no exception.

The call to the water had been playing in the back of her mind over the passing days, only growing stronger the longer she resisted it. All her life she had been able to ignore it with ease, happy with her feet rather than her tail. It was only after spending to much time in the ocean that she had really accepted how much it was apart of her rather than something to be hid away. Now, being away from it for so long, felt like she was taking three steps backwards after only just having taken that first step forward.

She figured tonight would have been a safe bet. Some time had passed since the attack and it was in the dead of the night. Who would be out on the lake this late? So off she went, making her way through the town to reach the bank, where she found not one but two boats out on the water. They were a ways away, the figures within them unrecognizable in the dark.

What the hell? What were they even doing out there? And why did they have to be here tonight of all nights?

Gabriella bent down, walking along the edge of the lake until she had a better line of sight. She watched, confused, as one of the people closed the lid on a white box. With a handle on the top. Was that...a cooler? Seriously? Where they just here to get drunk or something? Hoping that they were at the end of their bender, she decided to wait and see if they would leave soon so that her trip out here hadn’t been a waste.

BRUCE

Bruce couldn’t take it any longer.

After the run-in with the fox-fae, he thought he was done. At least for another month. At least until he could find some way to stop himself from this horrible monthly habit that he just couldn’t get away from. But the hunger returned, not quite satisfied, aching deep in his bones and pulling him toward the water. Not the same as the ocean, but close enough.

At least it was the middle of the night this time. Maybe if Bruce swam out to the deepest part of the lake, as far away from humans as possible, when the other merpeople would hopefully still stay away, he could avoid hurting anyone. It had never worked before, but Bruce had to justify himself somehow. As long as he could avoid blood…

The good news was that Bruce did not smell blood. The bad news, however, was that Bruce smelled something just as pungent: an entire cooler full of fresh bait, right in the middle of the lake, leading a trail to two boats full of unsuspecting uni students.

Suddenly, Bruce only had one thought on his mind, and it was food. It was rare to find so much of it, or to find it so fresh, just sitting there waiting for him. That thought propelled him forward and he rocketed toward the boat, launching himself out of the water and at the man bending over the cooler. His teeth clamped down hard on the man’s leg, drawing blood. All Bruce could think about was his hunger.

ERIC

The stillness was disrupted when something moved. He caught it out of the corner of his eye, a figure moving along the shore, but as soon as he went to see what it was the shadows had taken ownership of them again.

Eric’s brows furrowed together and he stood, trying to get a better angle. Something moving in the water was one thing, but someone spying on them from the shore was a whole other beast that they couldn’t be bothered with right now. He continued to stare at the spot— waiting to see if the person or animal would move again.

When they didn’t he shrugged, reaching back over for the cooler. “Sorry, I thought I saw—”

The water jumping out of the lake cut him off.

The creature bit into him and Eric didn’t scream— not at first. His leg was taken out from under him by the force at which the thing had breached the surface, his head slamming against the side of the boat. The small thing rocked violently, the extra weight throwing it to the side almost to the point of tipping but Eric falling evened it back out on the other side, the wood crashing back down into the water with him. It takes him a few tries to get his vision to work properly so he can see just what the hell was happening.

He could feel the blood, warmer than the sun heated lake water, start to ooze against his skin, into the fabric of his trousers. Could feel the teeth in the meat of his leg, his whole body simultaneously trying to crumble around the point of pain like a leaf caught aflame and yet it wanted to escape, spreading back out thin against the floor of the dinghy.

ROSE

Rose listened to his explanation with an open mind. Her own prejudices were tested since coming here, so she could see how Eric felt about it all. She had dated a werewolf (for a scheme, albeit, but she did fall for him anyway) and Eric was saved by a mermaid. For a brief moment, she wished she could be shipwrecked and gone with the wind. The moment was fleeting, but recurring. Rose had yearned for this before. But this life was all she knew. She was comfortable in that.

Before she could voice her response, she didn’t even know what it would be, the boat rocked. It rocked violently and water poured in, soaking her legs. In a matter of milliseconds, Rose thought they were going under and then they were righted. Only, they had a guest now. The creature she’d fought off once before was merely inches in front of her again. Thrashing and hanging out of the boat.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” she chanted like a life saving mantra while standing up to get a better angle. Feet far apart to distribute her weight, she grabbed the closest thing to her. An oar, discarded in the commotion of it all. Rose lunged for it swiftly and smacked the creature with whatever force she could muster.

“Fuck, the net! Henry, the net!”

HENRY

It all happened so fast. When Eric noticed something moving in the water, Henry froze, but he didn’t have time to relax again before Eric was almost ripped off the boat and dragged beneath the surface.

“NO!” Henry cried hoarsely, reaching for his sword (it was a good thing he had it this time). He had already mourned Eric once. He was not going to lose him again. In the Order, not in the Order, it didn’t matter, Eric was Henry’s oldest friend. And regardless of Eric’s feeling on the matter, Henry was out for blood. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!” He swung the sword wildly but only grazed the creature’s shoulder, drawing blood. He tossed the net to Rose. She could try to capture this thing if she wanted to. But Henry was aiming to kill.

He raised the sword again, aiming to stab from behind, when he heard more splashing in the distance. Henry hesitated-- if there was another one coming, he wanted to be prepared-- then raised the sword higher and prepared to swing it downward.

GABRIELLA

She froze in her spot, like prey caught in a predator’s path, when one of the figures stood. It felt like they were looking right at her and she knew, if she moved even an inch, she was going to get caught. Her heart picked up speed as she thought maybe they already had spotted her and were yelling, she just couldn’t hear them.

The next few seconds felt like whiplash as she watched on.

The person settled back down. Gabriella relaxed so much she fell back on her ass against the ground below.

Something came crashing into the boat from out of the lake, the boat’s movements aggressive. Gabriella shot up to her feet.

What did she do? Go fetch help from the town? Or would it be too late? Did she try to help them herself? Was it worth the risk, now that she had only barely settled into this town?

All of this overthinking was swept to the side as the glint of metal reflected. Gabriella ran forward until her legs were no longer needed, her tail easily replacing them as it slapped down against the water to boost her forward. The closer she got, the familiar figure of a tail came into view amongst all the chaos. It wasn’t like anything she had ever seen, even in her time spent in the open waters of the sea, but she could recognize a likeness. And if this merperson was like her, in any capacity, then they were going to need help.

She got closer to the surface, around the other side of the second boat. Her eyes widened as she saw the blade of a sword, a sword??, rising into the air. Gabriella swam upward until she could grab hold of the side of the boat, bushing down harsly to boost herself up and grab hold of the wielder’s shirt tails to pull him back, keeping the swing from hitting its target.

BRUCE (tw lots of blood descriptions)

First, the oar smacked against the side of his head, knocking Bruce off-balance and causing him to falter. He released the leg briefly and had just lunged forward to sink his teeth in again when the sword slashed his shoulder and Bruce cried out in pain, a low-pitched groan. He could smell his own blood now, and feel the warm trickle down his shoulder. Hunger still rumbled beneath Bruce’s skin, but it was getting harder to fight.

His teeth scraped the man’s leg as he struggled to hold onto the side of the boat. Bruce was sure he was done for when, suddenly, the figure behind him stopped. Bruce’s head whipped around to see a pale pink tail in the moonlight, and… oh no. Was that a familiar face?

Gabriella?

Bruce had to get out of here. He had taken so much care to avoid revealing who he really was to Gabriella and the entire Whosits and Whatsits staff, and now all of that was in jeopardy. Would Gabriella recognize him? He couldn’t stick around to find out.

Leaving a trail of blood in the water behind, Bruce swam toward the far end of the lake and transformed back into his human form before collapsing on the beach. He could still taste blood on his teeth, and the gash remained on his shoulder, a searing pain. If anyone showed up, Bruce was sure he would look incredibly suspicious. But he didn’t have the energy to go hide. Not yet.

HENRY

Henry swung the sword down, but was pulled off-balance when someone grabbed the back of his shirt. He stumbled, trying not to fall out of the boat. He had been right. Another one. This was worse than Henry had thought. The mercreatures were multiplying.

With some effort, Henry managed to wriggle out of the grip of the creature and turned to see not a shark staring back at him, but a girl. He immediately recognized her, brown eyes and round face, the new girl at Pride U. Gabriella, Henry thought her name was? His eyes traveled behind her to see a long, pale pink tail. How had Henry never suspected?

It didn’t matter. She was trying to drown Henry just like that other creature, and Henry was not going to let anyone else endanger his or his friend’s lives.

“You!” Henry shouted. He raised his sword again, trying to ignore the fact that this was one of his peers. She was a dangerous sea creature, and she had tried to kill him, and Henry had to protect the rest of the town. It was for everyone’s good. “You’ll pay for this!” He lunged forward, rocking the boat slightly.

GABRIELLA

She watched, breathing hard from both the physical strain and the utter relief of seeing the other merperson taking off back into the water. At least they knew when to cut their losses. Gabriella had been about to mirror them and disappear but when the other merperson moved, a new scene was found.

With the girl in the other boat, there was a boy lying in the floor of it. He looked...hurt? Her heart sank into her stomach to create a terrible, painful, pit there. The merperson...they had attacked someone? ...again?

And she had just helped them get away.

She didn’t have time to process everything, to think about the guilt that now made her sick or if this had been some kind of gross misunderstanding she had come across and only made that much worse, the boy closest to her was turning around. Gabriella lifted her eyes to meet his. She knew him. Henry Charming. Vanellope had once warned her that he was someone to stay away from.

Gabriella shook her head, eyes darting to the other boat, trying to communicate that she hadn’t known. She thought-!

As he lunged forward she ducked under the water, the ends of her tail lifting up behind to get her as far away from the range of the blade as she could get.

ERIC (TW: alludes to drowning)

His fingers dug into the lip of the dinghy, hands shaking from the vice-like grip he had on the wood. He could feel bits of it coming off underneath his fingernails but he didn’t care. Eric had seen this happen before. Had watched as someone got dragged below the surface of the water— and he knew he couldn’t let that happen to himself. Not again. With his wound and this thing’s seeming lack of care for his life, there was no way he would come back. All he could do was hold on and trust that Henry and Rose could get it off him before it decided to pull him along with it.

A shout built up in Eric’s throat when he saw Henry’s arm pull back, sword hoisted into the air, even though he knew it would be in vain. As it turned it out, he wouldn’t have to. At first all he could see was Henry stumble back and Eric thought— he didn’t know what he thought, he could barely think at all, but maybe the wobbly boat had made Henry lose his footing.

It didn’t matter anyway. The creature using him for a midnight snack leapt back into the water, leaving the boat to sway heavily in its wake.

Eric sat up then, gritting his teeth as he reached out to his leg. Trembling fingers pressed down on the wound to test and he hissed. And oh god, it hurt. The pain clogged every sense, sight, sound, breathing. It almost distracted him enough to not notice that Henry had started yelling again. The creature was probably circling back around for him, and Eric leaned forward against the side of the boat to— again, he didn’t know. The only thing in his head was help Henry.

Then he saw it.

The flukes, water droplets falling from them as they rose and smashed back down. And then they were gone. That was them. That was her. Just like he remembered because it had been a memory not just a waterlogged hallucination of an explanation that made sense as to why he was still alive.

“He— Hen—” he tried to get out, his breath coming in but not enough. Finally he swallowed everything down and his voice came out in a desperate, pathetic, plea. (And not just for the mermaid, or for himself, but for his friend who was about to kill someone.) “Henry! Henry, no! Please!”

Eric tried to lift himself up, using his good leg and one hand on the side of the boat. But that hand was slippery with blood and the side of the dinghy soaked with water. He put too much weight forward, trying to keep it off his leg, and his palm didn’t catch on the surface like it was supposed to. His body twisted and this white hot snap blinded him for a moment before he went plunging over the side, head first.

His eyes blurred, whole head blurred. He felt like ink swirling in the water— drifting and aimless and slowly diluting. Like the blood he left behind as he sunk lower and lower.

ROSE

Rose caught the net but so many things were happening at once. Henry swung at the creature, causing it to retreat. But then another one appeared? This one shimmered in typical mermaid fashion, unlike the creature they were hunting. There were two of them? Was this creature a mermaid too?

Eric screamed out, startling her more than this already precarious situation was. It wasn’t a cry of pain, but fear. Henry… no… please! Was he— trying to stop him? She could understand wanting to talk to the monsters to see what made them tick, she was a psychology major. But begging for their lives once they’ve tried to end yours is too much empathy for her to comprehend.

He leaned dangerously close to the edge. Rose couldn’t tell if the monster was still circling. She whipped her head around, keeping an eye out on the water. When she turned back, that teetering balance Eric had found ended. She tried to grab whatever she could find purchase on as he plummeted into the black water. “Eric!”

HENRY

“Eric!”

Maybe Eric meant it as a plea for Henry to stop attacking, but Henry only heard a cry for help. Terror seized Henry and he dropped to his knees, gripping the side of the boat and leaning dangerously close to the water. Phil’s warning about Charles Norrington flashed into Henry’s mind. What if this was it?

No. It couldn’t be. Henry would have to find a way. He wanted to jump in and save Eric, but the mermaid was still lurking. What if she tried to kill Henry, too? Rose would be left all alone. He would just have to finish the mermaid off first.

Henry stabbed at the water at random with his sword, fueled by rage and fear. Order training had taught him to stay calm in moments like this, to hold in his emotions and focus on the task at hand, but Henry couldn’t. Eric was his oldest friend. Practically his brother. Henry would not lose him again. “You’ll pay for this!” he threatened, his frustration growing as the mermaid managed to avoid his jabs. “Rose! Help me finish this! Or distract her! Something!”

GABRIELLA

She couldn’t hear all the yelling going on but she had certainly felt the splash, even under water. Gabriella turned to look back at the scene she had just fled, wondering if that other merperson had decided to make their return.

There was a shadowy figure in the distance, sinking in a line that led back to where the surface was fixing itself back over from being breached. The outlines of the two boats were still there. A large part of her still wanted to swim away. What if that Charming kid had jumped in and if she decided to get close again, she would just get shish-kabobbed!

But she had been in this position once before. Had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and watched a boat succumb to the sea. Above had been a violent crash of waves but below the water was still calm and from there she had waited to see what would happen. She had gotten a front row seat in watching as a boy jumped from one of the lifeboats the crew had taken to in order to help someone, only to get left behind. That display of selflessness had moved her forward to catch him before the ocean could truly take him for her own. She had swam him back to the nearest beach she could find, but as soon as he showed signs of life she had high tailed it out of there.

Gabriella, against her better judgement, swam closer to see...a boy, drowning, blood colouring the water in stripes above him. Something slashed at the water from the boats and Gabriella had a moment’s hesitation. Was it fair to the rest of the merfolk living in this town to let him live? These three had probably come out here to kill their kind, judging by the freaking sword on hand. But was it fair to let this one die? He had been a victim, too, hadn’t he?

And would she be able to live with herself if she just let him, when she knew she could do something? The answer was the same as it had been in the frigid water from so long ago. She swam down after him, wrapping her arms around his middle, and hauled him upward, intending on returning him to the boats. But that stupid sword was going in and out of the water.

Instead Gabriella swam them further away, back toward the shore. They broke the surface just out of range of the boats but she continued to carry him, making sure his head was above water as it rested on her shoulder. When they reached the portion where the lake was shallow enough for him to not take on any more water, but still deep enough that she could make an easy escape back to safety, she allowed him to lay back. Gabriella startled when she saw it, a gasp escaping her, hand coming up to cover her mouth.

It was him. The same boy. Same dark curls. Same pale face.

She panicked now, something opening up inside her chest like a black hole. Her hand shook as she brought it underneath his nose to feel if he was still breathing.

ERIC

As soon as he’d hit the water he had tried to get back to the surface. His feet tried to kick but his bloody (no pun intended) leg couldn’t handle the movement, making him convulse and lose more distance between water and air as pain shot up his side. He hadn’t had time beforehand to gather air into his lungs, having not prepared for this, and he had already been struggling to breath properly in the boat. His brain began to panic against his body’s base need— caught between thinking it best to just breathe and knowing that would only kill it faster.

In the end, instinct won out. Eric tried to inhale.

He didn’t register anything else except the always present pain and a distant feeling of moving until he was being laid down on his back. Instead he rolled over onto his side, coughing up the water and allowing air to rush in to take its rightful place. Eric braced himself with a palm against the ground, unsure of how he’d managed to get there. Then he remembered with startling clarity, Henry, Rose, the monster—

A feeling brushed against his skin, that odd sort of sense people had when they felt like they were being watched or like they weren’t alone. Slowly, Eric turned his head to find a mermaid looking down at him. His eyes followed the shape of her body to the pink tail that sat behind her. He pushed on his hand, extending his arm until he was sat up, breathing in short bursts through his clenched teeth as his leg protested doing anything. Blood was still leaking from the wounds, the warmth of it a contrast to the air hitting his wet skin.

Eric couldn’t really do anything but stare at her for a long moment. He felt like he had seen her face before, probably one of the many wandering around town. What an odd thing to think. All this time he had been searching for her and she had been there, right under his nose.

Christ, he needed to say something.

Something caught his eye, off in the distance over her shoulder. Refocusing he found the two dinghies. Henry and Rose.

“Fucking hell.” Eric glanced back at the mermaid and immediately brought a hand up to cover his mouth. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have said that. Erm— my friends, are they alright?”

ROSE:

“What am I supposed to do? Jump in?” She said, with her arms out in annoyance.

He was crazy if he thought she was going to get in the water after what just happened. Rose knew she needed to act fast though. Eric wouldn’t be able to swim with that leg. So she bent down as low as she could go and swished the net around in the water, hoping to catch something entirely different than they’d come here for. Her arms plunged as deep into the water as the boat would let them without tipping over. Something shimmery glinted around the boats and caught her attention. That wasn’t Eric. It was a true mermaid, unlike whatever creature they were hunting. It could also be a mermaid of some sort… but she’d need to do more research.

“Henry, stop! You could hit Eric,” Rose held up a hand. She knew he wouldn’t stop on behalf of the mermaid in the water. But with her face barely inches from the surface, she saw it. The girl grabbed Eric hesitantly and pulled him away from Henry’s ineffective, yet sharp sword. “We need to get to shore,” she said, standing. “Eric is gonna be okay, Hen.”

HENRY

For a moment, Henry had no idea what was happening. Eric was deep under the water, the mermaid was getting away, and Henry was stabbing randomly at the water, as though it would do something, anything. He was just about to jump in himself, try to fight off this mermaid in her own territory (it was a terrible idea but better than standing idly by) when he saw movement under the water. Gabriella had grabbed Eric, she was pulling him away, surely to drown him…

Or…

Could it be? Was she actually saving his life? Eric had said a mermaid had saved his life once before.

Still, one could never be too sure. Mermaids were tricky creatures. Henry was not leaving Eric alone with her, not when she could change her mind at any moment and drag him back into the water (or perhaps that was her whole plan from the start. Henry wouldn’t rule it out).

So he grabbed an oar and started paddling toward the shore, a look of grim determination on his face. “We don’t know that,” he said, rowing as fast as he could. “Why would a mermaid save a man’s life? Out of kindness? These are ruthless creatures, Rose, we have to make sure--” The shoreline started to approach and Henry changed his focus. “You! Get away from him!” Henry shouted. He jumped out of the boat into knee-deep water and splashed over to Gabriella and Eric. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

GABRIELLA

Odd how when the boy finally seemed to suck in air, it felt like Gabriella could breathe again, too. The relief was almost as painful as the pressure that had been expanding in her chest because it left a hollowed out place for the questions of, now what? What would he do to her? And what was she supposed to do now? He was okay, still bleeding and turning the water red around them, but alive for now.

When he stared at her she could only do the same in return, stuck in place with her own curiosity about him. Gabriella couldn’t help the fluch that rose from her chest, up her neck, and into her cheeks when his eyes moved down to her tail. No one but other merfolk, and very few outside her family, had ever seen it. Which was different because they knew what to expect, they didn’t stare like it was some kind of anomaly. But, well, if she transformed back to her legs she figured that would be way more embarrassing!

She watched his mouth move but shook her head when it seemed like he was asking her a question, his expression curious and eyes focused in on her. Gabriella pointed to her ears, hoping that would get the point across that she couldn’t hear him.

She went to motion to his leg, a request for his permission to help, but suddenly the movement of the water changed. The consistent waves were disrupted and she whipped her head around to see the other Mundus approaching. Instinct took over and she made a move to flee.

ERIC

His eyes narrowed as he watched the mermaid’s movements. She shook her head and panic welled up inside him, thinking that was her answer. Rose and Henry were still out there in danger and what the hell was he doing? Sitting around like a lemon. Eric attempted to get up but his leg wouldn’t let him, the nerves fraying when he so much as moved. A disgruntled sound was forced from his throat and his hands went to stabilize it, keep it from getting jostled anymore than it already had. Then he looked up and the mermaid was pointing to her ears, again shaking her head.

“What’s wrong? What is it?” He shook his head at her, the movement slower as his brain tried to process what she was trying to tell him on top of everything else that was going on. What the hell did that even—? “Oh.”

Right. Well didn’t he feel like the biggest idiot.

“Sorry, I didn’t know—” Then, realizing that meant shit all to her, Eric shook his head and tried to think of how to communicate without making a bigger fool of himself than he’d already done. Just as he was trying to make out what she meant by pointing to his leg he looked up to watch Henry and Rose approach, too. The mermaid moved, as if trying to make a break for it, and Eric couldn’t blame her but he couldn’t let her leave. He’d already lost her once, he wasn’t going to, again.

So he reached out, another noise emerging through gritted teeth as he dove forward to wrap a hand around her wrist. He shook his head, pleading with his eyes at her to just stay put. To trust him. Hoping it would be enough he let her go and looked toward Henry and Rose.

“Henry, mate, I’m fine! See? All in one piece!” Eric motioned to himself, choosing to ignore his leg for argument’s sake. “It’s her! It’s her, the one I told you about, it’s her.”

ROSE:

Henry didn’t leave much room to argue. So she didn’t. Instead she followed after him with an equal speed and intensity. Even if she didn’t think the mermaid was going to hurt Eric, he was still in danger of bleeding out on the beach.

When they finally made it to the shore, she saw how close she was to Eric. And he didn’t seem to be scared. Henry jumped out first, but Rose followed right behind. Trudging through the dangerous waters once again. She needed to stop him before he hurt someone who was innocent. “Henry, wait!”

She knew her partner was impulsive and that his friend had just been attacked but she was not his attacker. They could at least afford her the courtesy of leaving her be seeing as she saved him. Maybe the huntress was getting soft. Rose had to raise her feet up to get more speed in the water to catch up. “Henry!” she called out, grabbing his shoulder as he closed in on the ‘threat.’

The girl didn’t look like much. Just a girl, frankly, she looked familiar. And quiet. And sweet. And then it all hit her with Eric’s words. It’s her. The mermaid he had just told her about. The one who saved him then and who was saving him now. “She saved him. You can’t hurt her.”

HENRY

It took Henry a moment. The look on Eric’s face. Rose’s hand on his shoulder. He softened, looked from Gabriella to Eric and back to Rose, and then the weight of it hit him. This was the mermaid who had saved Eric’s life. The one he and Eric had been searching for.

The reason Eric was still alive. Twice, now.

“Oh,” Henry said softly, the fire and fear and anger gone from his eyes now. He couldn’t believe he had been so rash. To think that Gabriella was trying to kill Eric when she was really saving his life-- and sure, maybe it was better to be safe than sorry, but if Eric hadn’t stopped him, Henry shuddered to think what he probably would have done.

He fell to his knees next to Eric and looked into Gabriella’s eyes. “Thank you,” he said seriously. “I’m sorry I-- I just assumed-- but anyway, you’re the reason Eric’s still here, and… well, I don’t know what we could ever do to repay you.” He probably should have paused the dramatics to attend to the massive wound Eric now had, but he was fixated on this. “I don’t understand, though, why? Doesn’t your… your kind normally try to kill us?”

GABRIELLA

Gabriella had every intention of jumping back into the water, already thinking about how she could haul ass out of this town. She didn’t know where she would go, maybe just return to the ocean and hope that her family was still alive in Avalor. She knew it would be a cowardly thing to do, to leave the Princesses here despite having said she would help their cause in getting their country back, and to not say goodbye to the Triton’s, who had been so kind to her, or Finn, or Bruce, or anyone.

But the boy stopped her, his hand around her wrist. She fought to get away, stopping only when she looked up at his face. His eyes were bright and so earnest that he didn’t have to say anything for her to understand what he wanted. She stayed, heart in her throat, and watched as the other two approached.

After a short, albeit very terrifying!, moment it seemed like the other two said something to make the Charming guy settle down. She straightened as he approached, chin lifting a little in the hopes it would hide the fear that was making her stomach turn into knots.

Gabriella held his gaze, glancing to his mouth when he started speaking. She didn’t know what he was saying but he no longer looked like the monster she had seen in the boat. Just another boy, who had probably been as scared as she had been.

And as much as she wanted to extend this moment, to find a way to communicate with them properly so they could get whatever had happened sorted out, there was no time. Gabriella, unknowing of the question asked of her, which was probably for the best now that Charming was within slapping range, pointed to the boy’s leg. It was still bleeding. They needed to get him help.

ERIC

He nodded a little, both agreeing with Rose and trying to encourage Henry to snap out of that all too familiar place. Eric had no doubt in his mind that Henry wouldn’t hurt her and remained relaxed as he approached, knowing the worst of it was over so long as the mermaid made no move to antagonize. (His heart was thumping painfully in his chest, but he assumed this was just the nerves of nearly biting it again and adrenaline wearing off in his system.)

Then Henry started to say stuff and Eric went to stop him, to explain what she just had to him— but he couldn’t when he heard the sound of Henry’s voice against the apology. He shut his mouth, wincing a little from second hand embarrassment but not wanting to interrupt. (His breathing was coming in rapid and shallow. Eric thought he was still trying to catch his breath from having nearly lost it all together.) A hand came up to move the hair that was sticking uncomfortably to his forehead. His eyes cut to the mermaid to assess her reaction, as if willing her to come out with it and put an end to the suffering before it got too far. But she looked— well, she looked kind of like she understood, even if she couldn’t hear him.

Only when Henry asked his last question did he move to intervene. “Sorry, uh, she doesn’t know what you’re saying. I think she’s deaf.” Eric reached forward to clap Henry’s shoulder. (His hand was shaking, the usual weight behind his touch lacking.) “But that was great. Remember that for later when you can write it down for her, yeah?”

He smiled (his face had paled considerably, but he couldn’t see that) and turned to look at the mermaid as she motioned. His vision blurred and he blinked, thinking it was water dripping into his eyes. Ah. Right. His leg.

“It’s not that bad.” He shook his head, waving a hand at her in dismissal of any concern. The movement was sluggish and clumsy. “I’ll be— I’ll be fine. Just need to—” Eric shut his eyes tightly as dark spots danced at the edge of his vision, head going a bit fuzzy. “—sleep it off. Take ibuprofen or something.”

ROSE:

Rose untensed every muscle in her body when Henry softened. She wasn’t prepared to fight him over someone she didn’t even know. Though, she was sure Eric’s endorsement would be enough.

It had to be.

“We need to get him to the hospital, she’s right. Right now. And I know that this isn’t what any of us want, believe me, I don’t want it either… but we need to tell the other guys.” Rose looked at Gabriella hesitantly when she said this. Surely she could read lips. She couldn’t risk giving out names of other hunters to a mermaid, no matter how much they pissed her off. “Eric could have died, hell, we all could have died! It’s bigger than just us now, Hen,” she stepped up beside the boys and lended a hand to Eric.

Looking at the injured one of the trio, “I’m sorry, Eric, but this creature isn’t the kind that can be reasoned with.” Rose was solemn but stern in her delivery. No matter how good some of these monsters pretended to be, at the end of the day they were still monsters. She wouldn’t forget that again.

“Now come on, you need to get help and she--” she sent a pointed look to Gabriella, “needs to get out of here. We can keep her secret, but we can’t protect her.”

HENRY

Henry was snapped out of his poetic moment by the realization that Eric was losing blood. Quickly. He nodded at Gabriella and Rose, then turned his attention to Eric. You weren’t supposed to let injured people lose consciousness. The Order had prepared him for something like this.

He only barely heard what Rose said as he started to get to work. “Right. Sorry. Gabriella, thank you for your help--” It occurred to Henry that he wasn’t sure she could hear him. Blast. Henry didn’t know sign language-- well, he knew a little, being friends with Devyn-- Henry at least knew the sign for ‘thank you’. He signed it quickly and then switched gears, realizing the urgency of the situation.

He looked around for some kind of makeshift bandage, but of course, any supplies were back in the boat. On a splitsecond impulse, Henry pulled his t-shirt off and started wrapping it around Eric’s leg. “Mate. Stay with us. The last thing you want to do is go to sleep, just… keep talking, alright? You’re okay, but we need to--”

That made Henry realize what Rose had just said. He froze, his stomach sinking. Tell Phil? And Tom and John? It was… probably the right thing to do, but after that talk with them a few weeks ago, it was the last thing Henry wanted to do. “Wait, I’m sorry, Rose, did you say we need to tell the other guys?” A wave of anxiety hit him. “Maybe we can just-- everyone’s fine. Eric’s going to be fine.” He shook his head and went back to wrapping Eric’s leg.

GABRIELLA

Gabriella shot the boy, perhaps she would start referring to him as ‘Tonto’ it seemed fitting, when he shook his head. Seriously? Did he have some kind of death wish?

To say she was surprised to see Charming using sign to express gratitude would have been an understatement. It always made her feel some type of way to see someone sign, no matter how little their vocab knowledge, but to get it from the guy who had only just been trying to stick her through with a sword? Couldn’t really put a name to that feeling.

She glanced back and forth between him and the blonde girl as they seemed to talk to one another. This was one of those frustrating moments being deaf, surrounded by hearing people who couldn’t properly talk to her and in a situation where there was no time to do anything else but leave her out of the know. She didn’t know what they were discussing but time was running out for Tonto, her anxiety building up enough for her to turn back to Charming and start to get his attention again. Only then he went to take his shirt off, and, yeah Gabriella was completely lost as to what the-

Oh. She blinked as she watched him apply it to Tonto’s leg. He was helping.

Gabriella wanted to go with them but first she needed to get back to her clothes. She was already embarrassed enough having shown not one, not two!, but three Mundus her tail. There was still some dignity to be left. Only, how did she communicate this?

Tentatively she reached forward for Tonto’s hand. It was too cold, just like it had been the first time. And, like the first time, he was going to be okay. She squeezed his palm and hoped he would understand what she meant when she looked at him. I’ll be back. Then her eyes moved to Charming with a bit of a harder stare and grabbed his hand, too. She put Tonto’s into his and let go. I’m trusting you with him.

With a curt nod to the girl she pulled herself back into the lake and swam off, tail splashing down on the surface.

ERIC

“What’d you mean?” Eric’s face scrunched up at Rose. “It stopped trying to kill me, didn’t it? That’s— that must count for something.”

It was a very odd feeling, the one that was taking residence inside him now. The adrenaline was leaving and something else was coming in to take its place. He felt pissed but without the warmth of the alcohol— he’d just lost all functionality. Eric Andersen really never thought about what he said before it came out of his mouth but now that filter was completely gone. His brain was too busy working on keeping its systems running to pay full attention to all that.

He squinted when Henry took off his shirt and then snorted, his head lulling back heavily. There was an attempt at a low whistle but when that didn’t work he said, “Wa-heey! Oi’, come— come on mate, why’ve you got to show me up?”

Eric turned to Rose, tapping at her to get her attention like he was a school boy all over again, wanting to tell her a funny story about Henry he’d just remembered because, hey, they were all friends now, right? Only he couldn’t get it out in time before Henry moved his leg and Eric let out a startled yell. A hand shot out to punch down against the water to meet the lake floor.

“Fucking hell! Yes! Alright! I’m talking! Happy, are you? Bleeding christ—” He cut himself off when Henry did, eyebrows jumping up. Mirroring the mermaid, his eyes bounced between the two hunters, confused. “Other guys? What other guys—?”

Then the mermaid reached forward to take his hand. Her touch was warm. Such an odd thing. Fish were usually cold, he had always expected mermaids to feel the same way. The look she gave him seemed to be some kind of promise, one he was too out of it to really process before she’d replaced her hand for Henry’s. But the warmth was dragging something else into him, up from his chest, all the exhaustion, all the cold. Feeling Rose and Henry’s touch were such contrasts to the burn beneath his fingernails, the cuts on his face, his leg— the cold, and underneath all of it. Exhaustion that had soaked the blood from his veins and left him light-headed and half dead.

Once again, he watched the mermaid swim away, but this time, he knew she was real. He gripped Henry’s hand and brought the other one up to wrap his fingers around Rose’s arm.

And, this time, he hadn’t been left alone.

#we’re gunna need a bigger boat: shark week part iv #charmedhenry #thehuntress rose #brucewhite #gabriella marino #tw: violence #tw: drowning #tw: blood #tw: slashing #tw: biting

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arcadianmoonshadowjedi · 4 years

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Knightess of the Moon: (Cassandra S3 AU) Chapter 4: Taking What’s Mine, Part 4:

Back with a New chapter! All the answers about Cass’s past revealed. Fair warning, this chapter is full of angst! But if you enjoy that kind of stuff, then this is your cup of tea!! :)

Link to AO3, Chapters 1, 2, 3 here!

Cassandra smiled warmly as she watched the two sleeping siblings after their intense playtime. But something still felt amiss. A part of her wanted to know why she didn’t remember her family but she was so filled with terror. What if the truth turned her whole world upside down?

Still she had to know…

“What...what happened?” she asked hesitantly. “Why don’t I remember any of this? W-Where did my family go?”

At that instant, in a snap of the ghostly girl’s finger, the world around Cassandra suddenly faded but shifted to something completely different. Instead of the sleepy siblings, the beds were occupied by two individuals desperately grasping onto life. On one of the bedside tables were a few cloths and a tonic bottle knocked over. Cassandra walked up to one of the beds, but her eyes widened as she gasped and nearly fell back from what she saw.

It was Damion. He was unconscious, his brown skin dimmed and was turning bluish. His limp body covered by the blanket looked inches away from death and his breaths were very light and barely noticeable. Cassandra heard violent, rough coughs from behind her and turned around to see who it was. On the other bed lied her father, Alden. He grasped his handkerchief which was covered in blood as he continued to cough. His skin was much paler than usual and his black hair was fading. He winced agonizingly as he put the handkerchief beside him. He feebly turned in his bed to look towards his wife with his weary eyes, who stood at the far end of the room weeping hopelessly.

"Lenna p-please," He started, his weak voice rasping as he struggled to speak whilst coughing. "Please, t-take…Cassandra... and...go,"

Lenna stood firm, but wept harder when her husband's cough got more and more violent. Cassandra walked over to the memory of her mother. Even though she didn't remember her, she felt distraught seeing her cry. She lifted her hand towards her mother's face, wanting to wipe off those tears, wanting to comfort her, but her hands just went through.

"No," Lenna whimpered. "I can't and I won't,"

"It's...too late...for us Lenna, please. T-t-take...Cassie and...and be safe.... please,"

The last word escaped his lips like a soft whisper and he could barely keep his eyes open. Lenna wiped the tears from her eyes, then she swiftly walked out of the room followed by Cassandra and the ghost. She made sure to shut the door after her, before approaching her daughter who was standing outside of the room waiting.

“Mama?” little Cassandra asked, tilting her head to the side. “Where’s daddy and Damion?”

Lenna didn’t answer her daughter. How could she even?

“Come,” she said with a sniff. She forced a smile and lifted her child into her arms. “We’re going on an important mission to help your dad and brother,”

As quick as a cat, Lenna ran out of the door and through the streets of Old Corona whilst carrying her daughter. Without hesitation, Cassandra quickly chased after, her heart thumping in her chest as she raced against the harsh wind that beat at her face. Her legs heaved as the unevenness of the earth tested her agility as she chased after the answers she sought. But she didn’t care. She needed to know the whole story. Her eyes burned with tears as she thought about her brother and father and what they were going through. They were gravely ill and it looked like there was no hope for them. But was there any chance they could’ve survived? Even a slim one?

By nightfall, when the stars glimmered in the dark sky and lit the way, they finally reached the bridge that connected the mainland and darted across. Lenna persisted on her journey to the Corona castle through the lavish, busy streets of the island, Cassandra’s lifelong home that she had left almost a year ago. Her legs heaved even more as she raced up the mountainy island after her mother until they reached the peak where the castle was. They went through the grand courtyard and up the stairs until they reached the great, red double doors with the golden Corona crest. Cassandra watched Lenna put the child down and lifted her tightened fist to knock on the impenetrable door with all her might. She kept knocking as loud as she could over and over again, pleading for someone to come and answer her. It was long before one of the doors finally opened. Cassandra peaked around her mother to find a tall, slender man wearing a long red coat over his elegant, white shirt. Cassandra recognized his face; his pinkish fair skin, thick brown eyebrows, and his large wedge-shaped nose.

It was Nigel, but he looked so much younger. Instead of his traditionally long brown hair tied with the yellow ribbon, it was much shorter, and he did not have his signature thin mustache. His face twisted and his eyebrows slanted downwards as he looked towards the woman in rags.

“Ma’am please!” He spoke harshly. “The queen is very sick and in labor. We don’t need any of this nuisance at the moment!”

“Sir please listen!” Lenna pleaded. “There’s a plague spreading in Old Corona, and.. and my son and husband, they…”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s nothing I or anyone in the castle can do to help you. We’re in an emergency situation now and the Queen is dying,”

Nigel formally apologized once more, before finally shutting the door in Lenna’s face. In horror, she ran to the door and repeatedly knocked and screamed at the top of her lungs.

“No! No! Wait! Please!” She screamed as tears gleamed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Please! Help me! My son and husband are dying! Many people in Old Corona are dying! Please help me!”

With her fists and head pressed against the door, she finally fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. She grimaced hard at the rejection for help and her entire face glistened from all the tears. Little Cassandra walked over to her mother not fully comprehending the scene but knew that something was wrong.

“Mama,” the little girl started. “Are daddy and Damion hurt? Are they gonna be ok?”

Lenna wiped her tears and tried to dry her face with her fingers as much as can, for she could not face her daughter like this. She looked at her daughter lovingly and pulled her close to her heart for a deep, warm hug. Her fingers tightened around her daughter’s dark black curls and she gripped her shoulder with her other hand, amidst her shivering.

Cassandra breathed heavily and used all her strength to contain her tears from leaving her eyes. She knew that Nigel heavily prioritized royal duty and order but still, this did not seem right. How could he turn her mother away like this? She knew that Queen Arianna was in a dire situation when she was giving birth to Rapunzel, but couldn’t the castle at least have sent some kind of aid to Old Corona?

She watched as Lenna got up and grabbed her daughter’s tiny hand, finally walking away from the Corona castle. Lenna wobbled in her movement, unable to run, but trying not to trip and fall over. Her face was red and weary, and her eyes were hollow and filled with despair. Cassandra followed close behind through the streets until Lenna froze. She stopped and stared at a large, brick building; it was an orphanage. Wind blew against Lenna as she stood and gripped her daughter’s tiny hand. Slowly and steadily, Lenna finally walked to the door.

Cassandra hesitated. She didn’t want to believe whatever thought came to her mind. She waited a long while outside of the building with fear building up in her heart. She needed to know the full story, but her skin was crawling. The truth that was right before her, behind that door. But was it worth it? She slowly walked towards the wooden door and trembled as she walked right through it. She saw Lenna kneeling down before her daughter and she heard her sniffing as she began to talk.

“Dear sweet Cassie,” Lenna started, trying to speak despite her shaky, heart-shattered voice. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. Your daddy and Damion need me at the moment. But I need you to stay here, where you will be safe and healthy. And I want you to know that I truly, dearly love you and that whatever happens, I want you to stay strong... stay brave,”

Lenna finally let go of little Cassandra and turned around, wincing as tears ran down her cheeks. Little Cassandra’s eyes widened in shock and horror as she saw her mother walk away. Her mouth started to tremor as tears filled her eyes and when she tried to follow her mother, she was held by the matron. She writhed and struggled against the matron as she screamed and cried for her mother to come back. Cassandra looked on at her mother, whose paces grew faster and her face grew dimmer when she walked towards the door, not looking back even once.

“Mama!” Little Cassandra repeatedly cried, her sobs growing more and more uncontrollable. Suddenly the world around Cassandra started to fade and the sharp cries of the little girl were gradually silenced. Nothing was left but an empty building, no people, no sounds, nothing. Cassandra felt nothing but numbness and finally sunk to her knees. Her void world filled with nothing but anguish and hurt. Memories that she locked away so long, buried so deep in her mind, finally resurfaced. She shivered and felt nothing but cold all around her. She was no longer able to contain her tears, and they finally rolled down her cheeks.

End Notes: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed all the angst if that's your thing! ;) I wanted to thank my friend @monicascorner so much for assisting me with the writing style and feedback! <3 Stay tuned for next chapter...

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pinehutch · 4 years

Text

I was tagged by @devastationwagon to answer, like, so many questions.

In return I will tag @mareebrittenford, @aspiringpolymath, @horse-badorties @elliebear75, @gay-mo and @stonelionhearts, but with absolutely no pressure and with a very heartfelt invitation to anyone else.

1. Do you make your bed?

I’m a monster: I do not. Fitted sheet + duvet lifestyle means ‘making the bed’ is really just ‘rearranging the mountain of fluff,’ so that doesn’t count. (Rearranging the mountain of fluff is also how I put on any hat.)

The worst thing about me is that I don’t like to have my feet tucked in at night unless my toes are actually cold. Do not share a bed with me, I will lure the toe-biting bed monsters to you.

[There are 19 more questions after the readmore. Nineteen! Some of them answered much more thoughtfully than others!)

2. What’s your favorite number?

Five, nine, and 19.

3. What’s your job?

I read, write, think, talk, and do some math for a living. I help other people learn to do the same. I used to buy stuff, and then I got too good at asking “are you sure that’s the stuff you need? How come?” Now I get pointed at something that’s a huge tangled pile of who’s, what’s, why’s, and how’s, and asked to de-tangle it. I try to make the people I work with remember that they are strong and can be soft.

4. If you could, would you go back to school?

I would, actually. If we’re talking going back in time and doing it again, I’d go to law school. It didn’t occur to me until I started working with lawyers in my late 20′s or early 30′s that it could have been a good fit for me (not so much in litigation as in the reading and writing kind, admittedly).

If we’re talking “I suddenly have a 25k to spare” (and maybe even if I don’t), I have been getting enrollment newsletters from here for 12 or 13 years and still haven’t unsubscribed.

5. Can you parallel park?

With stunning 70% accuracy!

6. A job you had which would surprise people?

I don’t what kinds of jobs people expect me to have. I remember that @imthepaterfamilias was surprised when I told him what my day job was, a few years ago!

I was a lifeguard, which is actually pretty on-brand based on what my tumblr queue spat out today. A Record Store Girl ™ . I did the fast food thing in my late teens. My jobs are pretty unsurprising, I think.

7. Do you think aliens are real?

I think that somewhere out there in this vast universe some kind of life has evolved.

I think that it was nice of @devastationwagon to write those words so I didn’t have to.

8. Can you drive a manual car?

Nope. :(

9. What’s your guilty pleasure?

I actually kind of want to rehabilitate my relationship to pleasure because it’s not super well-calibrated, so - many of them. That guilt makes me better at indulgence than pleasure, and I think it exists on an extremely un-whimsical see-saw with a pervasive low-grade sense of unworthiness. I don’t think pleasure should be something people feel guilty about, but sometimes my head and my heart need a bit of a nudge to align.

Also, a semi-annual can of Diet Pepsi. It has no point, and yet.

10. Tattoos?

Pas encore, but a good three of them planned. Hopefully at least one in 2020.

11. Favorite color?

I like many kinds of blues and greens.

12. Things people do that drive you crazy?

The little things, right?

Once, I overheard someone say “at the end of the day, it is what it is” in a meeting, and it’s still hilarious and awful. Also I used to work with a lot of people who said “priorize” when they meant “prioritize,” because the meanest and loudest guy always said “priorize.” I’m not usually prescriptive about language but that one got under my skin. But that was a long time ago.

I had a housemate in university who clipped her toenails and filed her feet. in. the. living room. The sounds were appalling.

Hey big truck, why you parked in all those spots? Just curious! :) :) :)

13. Any Phobias?

I’m copying from a Devastating Wagoneer again because I too can get claustrophobic, but it’s not consistent. The stairwells at my office building, but not the elevators. Not being in a plane, or getting on or off of it, but standing up while waiting to deplane. Actual caves.

14. Favorite childhood sport?

I kind of liked pick-up games of soccer, but I didn’t have much of a competitive streak. Swimming, but again, not really competing against anyone except myself. I get nostalgic about the sound of hockey games but I didn’t actually like them.

15. Do you talk to yourself?

I sure do. When I’ve done something that I feel should be embarrassing, even if I’m by myself. Sometimes I make up songs about what I’m doing if I’m feeling jittery or just silly, and I’m alone.

During periods of high stress, like hypothetically when things are wild at work and I’ve got a parent in the hospital, my inner monologue of really shitty and cruel self-talk can get pretty loud and insistent. I’ve occasionally caught myself vocalizing something simple, like “hey” or “okay, enough of that” to try to cut it off.

16. What movie do you adore?

Shameful confession: I am really bad at movies! I mean, I like them, and can get really absorbed, but I spent my teenage years around Film Geeks and I’m just...not one.

17. Do you like doing puzzles?

I like crossword puzzles and logic puzzles, like sudoku and nonograms. (Those make me extremely relaxed and sleepy, it’s great. Three-way-matching apps do the same thing.) Loved me a logic grid as a kid. I’ve never liked jigsaw puzzles, though.

18. Favorite kind of music?

Whoever filled this out before me knew what’s what: the kind that is both quiet and loud.

19. Tea or coffee?

Both. I love tea, especially a strong cup of black tea with a generous amount of milk in it (though I also like greens and oolongs). I also really like coffee! Usually my day will start with a cup or two of french press or moka pot or espresso-based coffee, and I’ll switch to tea after that.

20. The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up?

I have a weirdly vivid memory of deciding that I wanted to be a singer or an actor. I was in the basement of the first house I lived in, and had almost certainly been watching Jem and the Holograms. I couldn’t have been more than four or five years old. Shortly after that some things about me changed, and I didn’t want to be in front of people in that way, any more.

My answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up” changed all the time, but “writer” was one of the earliest, and most consistent.

#asks #about me

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themusicplayedherlife · 5 years

Text

Full House

3. What ARE you doing?

pairing: steve rogers x fem!reader

characters: steve rogers; you; bucky barnes; scott lang; clint barton; wanda maximoff; pietro maximoff

word count: 1.1 k+

warnings: drunk you, just mentions of roadblocks of life

a/n: steve is here and steve is very much confused! also, are you guys okay with switching povs or prefer to read it all from “reader’s” pov?

previous || all || next

Steve really doesn’t know what to do.

When he left the gym, he had no idea that he’d come home to a drunk person lounging in the main stairwell leading up to his apartment. He especially didn’t think it’d be such a cute girl that he’d find drunk in his building’s stairwell.

You keep swaying, phone in your hand and pressed against your cheek. You keep muttering, ignoring his questions.

What kind of person let’s their drunk friend leave? Shouldn’t whoever you visited tonight have tried to convince you to stay? Or call someone to pick you up?

He sighs when you hit your head against the wooden railing, and quickly cradles the side of your head to make sure you won’t hit yourself again.

“What's the name of the person you came to visit?” He asks, gentle and uncertain if you’re even listening to him. He doubts you are, what with the way you keep swaying and humming and murmuring.

“Why am I here, anyway?” you whisper, unsure and sad, almost lonely.

Were you visiting a significant other? Did you have a fight and they kicked you out? Anger burns in his stomach. What line of asshole!

You let out a whimper and his anger fades to a sizzle. He frowns, a twinge of sympathy birthing in his chest.

He definitely can’t leave you here! Not when you look so vulnerable! And sad! And hurt! Ugh.

Maybe he can bring you up to his apartment? He’s sure Bucky won’t mind. And besides, you’ll be safer there than you are out here. He and Bucky are still new to the building and have barely gotten to know the people on his floor; so who knows if any sketchy people are living here. There’s also a chance he can get his hands on your phone, maybe he can even call a friend of yours to come pick you up!

Yeah. Yeah, he can—shit! Are you falling asleep? Yes, you are.

With a deep sigh, he gently pries your phone from your grip and stuffs it into his pocket before strapping on his backpack tightly. “Sorry, ma’am. Got no other choice,” he warns your sleepy self before lifting you up into his arms and carrying you up a flight of stairs.

“Bucky,” he hisses, knocking the door with the tip of his shoes. He knows Bucky isn’t asleep right now—he never is—he can see light from the television filtering under the door, and Bucky can’t sleep with the television on. Ever since they were kids, Bucky has needed peace and quiet to fall asleep.

The door opens with a click revealing a disheveled and confused Bucky. “What are you doing?” His eyes drop down to you sleeping peacefully in his arms and drooling all over his white workout shirt. “And who the hell is that?”

With a grunt, he readjusts his hold on you and tells Bucky through gritted teeth to move out of the way. His best friend and roommate complies, and he grunts a thank you. “I don’t know. Found her passing out on the stairwell.”

“And you brought her here?”

“What was I supposed to do? Leave her out there?” He slowly places you down on the long beige sofa, and you quickly roll away from him and snuggle into it.

“Well, no, but what if she tries to murder us in our sleep?”

He rolls his eyes as he drops himself down on the matching loveseat. “I doubt she could harm us, Buck.”

“You’re too trusting,” Bucky mutters, closing the door.

He pulls out your phone and presses the button on the side to turn it on, only to be greeted by a black screen and a red, depleting battery. Steve groans, throwing his head back. “Fuck!”

“What?” Bucky asks, leaning in to see what has him so frustrated.

“I was hoping to call someone she knows, but her phone’s dead.”

“Then charge it.” Before Steve could retort in sarcasm, Bucky surprisingly takes him off guard. “Just let her sleep it off for a few first. You already brought her up here, anyway.”

Steve eyes him gratefully. “You sure?”

He shrugs. “Might as well.”

“Then she can sleep in—“

“Your room. You brought her up here, she’s your responsibility.”

“She’s not a dog, jerk.”

“No, but she’s your stray, thus, your responsibility.”

Should he go in? Should he not go on? Would it be weird? It would definitely be weird, wouldn’t it? He’s a stranger, you’re a stranger, you wake up in said stranger’s bed, said stranger is in the same room as you—yeah, that’s definitely weird. And creepy. Maybe he should wait until you come out on your own?

“What are you doing?” Bucky whispers into his ear, taking him completely off guard and almost making him drop the glass of water and medicine he’s holding.

“What the fuck, Buck?”

His best friend grins widely and steps back. “You should just go in instead of standing outside like a creep.”

Steve winces. “Do I really look like a creep?”

“If you keep standing like that, yes. Just go in. It’s too early for her to be awake anyway.”

Bucky’s right. People with hangovers usually stay in bed until the afternoon. Bucky has. And it’s Sunday. People like to sleep in on a Sunday, right?”

“Anyway, I’m heading out,” Buck says, picking up his gym bag from the sofa and heads for the door. “I have a class full of tykes ready to learn how to box and I need some caffeine from my favorite shop to keep up with their energy.”

“Are you sure you’re not just going there for the Barista you like so much?” he calls out to Bucky before he can close the door.

Bucky flips him off and closes it with a quiet click.

Steve turns back to the door in front of him and takes a deep breath, hyping himself up to knock on his bedroom door.

It’s rare to be able to meet up with all of your siblings for lunch, what with Wanda’s tight lunch schedule; Pietro being on call all the time; and you and Clint running around the office and sometimes the metropolitan courthouse. Scott is probably the only one out of the four of you with a flexible schedule.

The bistro is small, and not very frequented. A hole in the wall, really. But it makes the best banh mi you’ve ever had and is definitely one of the cutest places to eat you’ve found. Soft music plays from the speakers overhead; sounding like those cafe playlists on Spotify. It's nice and peaceful, especially with all the hanging ferns and cute plants decorating the tables.

“I’m serious, you guys, I think we should give them a chance to explain.” Since the moment you all arrived at the bistro, Wanda has been trying to get you to agree to talk to your parents—no, she’s been trying to get you to agree since last night. It’s a little suspicious if you think about it.

However, there’s no denying that her persistence is starting to wear you down. And she has made some fair points. The boys seem the disagree.

Pietro, just like last night when she cornered you both for dinner, scowls. “Why? They lied to us. Kept a huge secret.”

Scott nods, stuffing his face with fries, not caring if his neat, button down gets dirty with grease. “Yeah.”

You grimace. “Scott, please chew and swallow.”

He does as you say and then grins cheekily at you before turning to Wanda with a semi serious expression. “If they were able to keep such a huge secret, what else could they be hiding from us? That we’re not their children?”

Wanda sighs as you roll your eyes. “Scott, you’re adopted. We’re all adopted. They never hid that from us.”

He scoffs. “That’s besides the point. Right, Clint?”

All eyes fall on Clint, who has been silent since Wanda brought up the topic. He sits with arms crossed, food untouched, his eyes boring into your sister. “You already know don’t you?”

Scott chokes on his fries and Pietro’s eyes widen, shock coloring their faces.

Wanda, however, remains neutral, but the way her eyes twitch under his heavy gaze gives her away.

“You do,” you say with a gasp. “They told you?”

She closes her eyes and sighs. “Yes.”

Scott’s chair creaks when he stands up, pointing an accusing finger at her. “Traitor!”

“Scott!” You whisper harshly, tugging at his arm. “Sit down! People are staring!” And they are. Who wouldn’t stare after that loud exclamation from your brother?

“Sorry.” He quickly sits down before once more pointing at your sister and whispering, “Traitor.”

Wanda lets out a loud sigh. “Look, they told me because I called them to update them on Michael,” she says, voice cracking. “They were worried.”

“What was their excuse, then?” Clint asks softly.

“Us.”

“Us?” Your eyebrows shoot to your hairline and your sister nods. “What do we have to do with them not telling us they got divorced?”

“Well… Maggie getting engaged and Scott moving back in temporarily.” Scott winces at that. He might be on good terms with his baby momma and her husband now, but that wasn’t always the case. “Lulu’s adoption and how hard it was to be able to take her home for Clint and Natasha.” Clint’s jaw clenches. It wasn’t just a tough time for him. It was for all of you, too, especially for Michael who had been looking forward to being a big brother. It took over a year and a half for Lulu’s adoption to be finalized.

Her eyes catch your eyes and they turn sympathetic. “You almost dropping out of law school.” You look away from her, rubbing your arm. Yeah, that was a tough time for you. “Pietro leaving for Sokovia for a year.” He drops his head, remembering how hard it was to go on that trip for him and your family. “And well, me struggling to find what I’m good at.” Wanda had been hit pretty hard with Pietro leaving, and it just so happened that Wanda had been hit with an existential crisis at the same time.

“It was one thing after another and they didn’t want to add more stress on to us.”

“So they got a divorce without us knowing instead?” Pietro says, his frown deepening.

She doesn’t shy away from his skeptical gaze. “I know. It was dumb. I won’t deny it,” she admits. “But our parents prioritized us and our feelings. I know that if through all of that our parents announced their divorce, I’d probably have been more devastated than I am now about it.”

You tug your bottom lip between your teeth as you mull over her words. She could be right. But did they have to get a divorce in secret? Couldn’t they have waited until now? And why did they get a divorce anyway?

Your phone goes off pulling you out of your thoughts. Reading the reminder displayed on your screen, you let out a sigh and lock eyes with Clint. “We have to get going. We have a consultation with Mr. Lee at 12:45.”

Clint nods and pushes away from the table. “Right. Text Lucy and make sure she has the paperwork ready.”

You nod, already typing out a quick message to the office’s secretary.

“I should get going too,” Scott says, following your example and stands. “With Luis still on vacation, I left Dave in charge of the office, so who knows if I’ll have an office to go back to.”

Pietro stands up too. “If you guys are leaving, then I should too.”

“I’ll get the bill, then,” Clint says, moving away from the table.

Before he can take another step, Wanda’s firm voice stops him, “Guys, wait. Please, just… talk to them? You don’t have to forgive them, yet. But they’re our parents and they deserve a chance to explain.”

She’s right. What harm is there to hear them out? They’re your parents after all—and they chose you. All of you. So shouldn’t you choose to hear them out too?

You glance at your brothers and find that their eyes are roaming around the cafe, knowing that if they meet her sincere gaze they would give in immediately.

With an eye roll, you decide to be the first to react, knowing that they’d soon follow after. “I guess I can give it a try.” Wanda’s frown lifts slightly.

Clint runs a hand through his hair, pursing his lips in thought. “I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah, okay, I will too,” Scott adds, throwing his hands in the air.

Wanda beams.

Your eyes drift to Pietro who has yet to agree, and under the pressure of everyone’s eyes on him, he gives in with a dramatic groan. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” Wanda gushes, rounding the table to hug all of you, and somehow, you end up in the middle of this hug that Scott is completely all in for, Clint is somewhat okay with, and Pietro is completely disgruntled about.

“Okay, can we stop being cute and gross, please?” You exclaim from within the group hug. “I’m getting squished here!”

#steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers au #steve rogers #reader insert #steve rogers fanfic #full house series #marvel au #marvel fanfic

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xxisxxisxxis · 5 years

Text

Gateway Drug | Part Fifteen

Part Fourteen

Pairing: Douglas Booth!Nikki Sixx x OC

Word Count: 3k

Warning(s): Language, mentions of pregnancy complications, violence

Tag List: @cierrasixx19 @oskea93 @vamprlestat @sharon6713 @itsametaphorbriansblog @miriampraez @allie-mcginn @rebeccaphillips14 @nicholeh7 @fandomshit6000 @lilmou5ie @tamedhearts @divaanya @kingbouji3 @evrsncnewyork @6ixx6ixx @ratedrkohardychick91 @floregrohlssard @oldschoolimagineblog @thanks2pete @abaldboi @swoopygorl @justjodeye @liith-ium @caos18blog @ytwahsog @shamlessobsessions @scarecrowmax @toadspleen @random-internet-user-4471 @solohqrry @loveofmyloif

****Let me know if you want to be tagged****

———————————————————————

I stare at the doctor, confused and dazed, my brows furrowing slightly as he explains the complications to me, but all I hear is, "there's a heart, but no heart beat when there should be one by now."

Zoning out entirely as he continues to speak, my heart dropping to my stomach, disappointment flooding me.

"Mrs. Sixx?" I snap out of my fog and look at him, trying not to cry.

"What?" I ask him, shaking my head a little bit.

"Your first trimester ends next week. The fetal heartbeat should have already developed especially since there is a heart. We can wait for a couple of days for a D&C to see if anything changes, but the longer you carry this around inside of you, the higher your risk of getting sick." He explains and I take a deep breath and open my mouth to speak before closing it again, unable to form words. He grabs at my hand, giving me a sympathetic look. "I'm very sorry. I'll give you a few minutes to think about it."

Just as he's about to leave the exam room, I grasp at his white coat before wiping my eyes and letting out a breath.

"I want it out."

I wasn't going to make myself sick by pretending my baby wasn't dead. When things die, you no longer prioritize them.

I left that day with my first and only ultrasound picture of that baby, with no intention of telling anyone the truth, and went home to coddle Nikki.

He had left that party completely wasted and Drug-sick, and ended up trying to lose some crazy girls that were following him. He turned a curve at 90 miles per hour and crashed in to a telephone pole, dislocating his shoulder. If he would've had a passenger, the telephone pole would've went straight through them.

The doctor sent him home with his shoulder in a sling and a bottle of Percodan.

I walk in to the apartment, seeing Nikki passed out on the couch, Doc sitting opposite of him in one of the chairs on the other side of the coffee table.

"How's he doing?" I whisper, taking off my jacket and stepping to him.

"Hasn't moved since you left." Doc tells me and I sigh out, nodding a little.

"Have you heard from the guys?" I ask him and he shakes his head. "Assholes." I mumble, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen.

"How did it go?" He asks me and I freeze for a second, my mind briefly flashing to the ultrasound picture in my jacket pocket before I answer:

"Really funny actually." I pretend to chuckle but he buys it, smiling with slightly furrowed brows. "Turns out I'm not pregnant." I state. "The test I took was a false positive and I've just gained some weight, is all."

"He'll be relieved." Doc points out with his own relieved expression. "Not that he wasn't excited but, I mean, Viv, imagine him being a dad at this point in his life. It would be nearly impossible. This is better for the both of you." He's right, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

"Exactly." I nod, agreeing with him, trying not to cry.

He frowns a little and gently pats me on the back.

"It'll happen when it's the right time for you two." He reassures me. "I gotta head out, though, but call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Doc." I say as he grabs his keys and steps to the door.

Once it shuts, I'm taking my jacket to our bedroom and getting the picture out, hiding it in my drawer of random crap.

"Is he gone?" Nikki groans out when I get back to the living room and I sit on the coffee table in front of him and smile, moving his hair from his face.

"He just left." I reply.

"Thank fuckin' God. He wouldn't let me do anything." He grumbles in a sleepy slur, trying to sit up and I lean forward and help him, making sure he doesn't mess up his sling. "What did they say?" He asks me, yawning, reaching out and brushing his fingers against my stomach.

I can't say anything for a moment, trying to gauge his mood before clearing my throat.

"Um, well, I'm not pregnant." I tell him hesitantly and he furrows his brows, confusion evident on his face. "The test I took wasn't accurate and I got to the doctor's office and he said that I wasn't even pregnant to begin with." I explain. "So, there's no baby. I'm just a fat ass who's gained some weight." I chuckle and he joins me, going quiet after a moment, looking at me as if he sees right through my pathetic attempt to pretend like I'm not upset over it.

"I'm sorry, babe." He mumbles and I continue to laugh, tears coming to my eyes, and he pulls me to his lap with his free hand.

"It's just...you think you have something and you get attached to it, just to find out it wasn't really yours to begin with..." I say to him, my laughter turning to light sobs.

He soothes me the best his half-unconscious mind possibly can, pulling me close to him so I can rest my head in the crook of his neck and I close my eyes, ignoring the fact I'm getting tears and even some snot on his skin.

He doesn't care, having had more questionable bodily fluids on him before.

"You wanna drink or something? You can have one of my pills if you need one of those, too." He offers me after a few minutes when I calm down and I give out an honest chuckle, shaking my head.

"No, thank you." I sniffle out, shaking my head.

"Worth a shot." He says under his breath, knowing I'll hear him and I sit up and elbow him a little, scowling down at him jokingly. "I need another dose, though." He tells me, seriously.

"I can tell. You're actually speaking instead of incoherent babbling." I get off of him and step to the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of painkiller and getting one out, taking it to him.

Once he downs it, he's wincing and standing up.

I help him to our bed, listening as he curses under his breath when he lays down and repositions himself to better accommodate his shoulder.

I go to use the bathroom, and just as I'm washing my hands I hear him let out an actual whine with my name tangled in it.

"Poor baby." I tease him.

"Shut the fuck up." He grabs at me with his free hand and snatches me on to the bed.

It's sad to see a big bad rockstar become a needy little boy again, needing someone to baby him when he's ill.

I feel bad for him and let him get me wherever he needs me, which is the current position of him laying his head on my stomach with my legs on either side of his body, his free arm wrapped under me. It looks uncomfortable for him because of his sling, but he doesn't complain at all and after I run my fingers through his fluffy black hair for a few minutes, he's drifting off to sleep.

I push away with urge to start crying again, reminding myself, as far as he knows, I'm suffering an inconvenience. Not a death.

The next week, he's slowly weaned off his Percodan and put on over the counter meds, and insisting to go back to the studio.

"You can't afford to be a Ferrari right now. You're trying to go 200 miles per hour and you don't have insurance." I say to Nikki as we walk inside the studio building, trying to convince him to go back home and take it easy. "The doctor said you can't play until your shoulder is healed."

"Success doesn't have breaks, babe. We're almost done with the album and then I'll take it easy. Just let me do what I do, for now, babe." He argues cooly, waving me off.

"Nikki," I start but he stops in the hallway and turns to face me, giving me a grin.

"Viv, I got this." He assures me, pressing his lips to mine briefly. "I gotta take a piss and I'll be back." He states, heading to the bathroom and I head in to the studio, seeing Doc and one of the sound engineers waiting for us.

Tommy, Mick and Vince are behind the glass window, Mick actually working while Tommy and Vince goof off.

The second I join them, however, they both go quiet.

"Hey, Viv." Tommy says cautiously, reading my pissed of facial expression.

"How's it hangin'?" Vince asks me and I plop down on the couch.

"Fine." I say flatly, waiting for Nikki to come in here and disrupt the tension.

"You don't sound fine." He states, peacocking his way over to me with a smirk. "I can get you in a good mood." He adds and I raise a brow and look at him.

"I'll bite it clean off." Is all I say and his expression shifts before he's stepping away from me cautiously.

"What's up, Viv?" Tommy asks me next, twirling his drum sticks, sitting on the couch arm next to me.

I don't answer and he stops twirling his drumsticks and exchanges a look with Vince and Mick.

"...How's Nikki?" Tommy tries again and I roll my jaw.

"He's been at home passed out a majority of the time." I snap passive aggressively, examining my polished finger nails.

"Oh, damn." He replies. "We didn't know that."

"Well, you would know that if any of you bothered to call or come by. All any of you knew about the situation was that Nikki's car was crumpled on the highway somewhere." I hiss at them and Vince's expression twists.

"What the fuck is your damage, Vivian? You expect us to hold his hand when he does stupid shit and pays for it?" Vince asks me defensively.

"I expect you to be there for each other when something goes wrong for one of you. If any of it happened to one of you guys, he would at least call and check up on you." I scold him, standing up, causing guilt to settle on Tommy's face, but Vince is still relentless.

"I'm not gonna let you label us shitty people all because our world doesn't revolve around Nikki Sixx like yours does." He laughs out without humor and I step closer to him.

"You have been a shitty person for a while now, Vince, but you not even bothering to give a twenty second phone call to your temporarily crippled best friend further proves it." I snap back to him. "And your world should revolve around Nikki Sixx because you wouldn't be here, with the opportunity you have, without him."

"Like hell I wouldn't." He's pissed off now, nearly yelling it at me.

"No, you wouldn't, because contrary to what you believe, Vince Neil is not God's gift to rock n' roll and women everywhere. If Nikki would've just said he needed a messy, blonde, singer, he could've just as easily hired Tansy and gotten her liquored up before every performance, instead of spending time trying to convince you to join them."

"And if he needed a rabid bitch, he could've just as easily gone to the pound instead of wasting his time knocking one up and marrying it!"

In the blink of an eye he's holding his nose, blood smattering his chin and under his eyes, a gash is evident in his skin where I my wedding ring cut into him when I punched him.

The second he's realized what I've done, we're both screaming jumbled profanities over each other, and Tommy's blocking us from each other as Nikki comes in with Doc on his heels.

"Guys, calm down!" Doc tries to tell us, but we're completely ignoring him, trying to see who can curse out the other the loudest.

An ear shattering riff suddenly shrieks from the amp beside us, causing Vince and I both to stop yelling and cover our ears.

Mick puts an abrupt stop to the noise, glaring at us.

"We were assholes and should've at least called the bastard that's got us this far." Mick states to Vince and he sighs and rolls his eyes. "And we'll all do things that'll make us out to be shitty people at some point, that's inevitable. Vivian, you're suppose to be about the forgiving and forgetting bullshit. Act like it." He gets on to me and I look at the floor, crossing my arms. "...And if you bust his face every time he says something asinine, nobody will be able to recognize him within a few months. We get our revenue from sex appeal so don’t ruin the most promiscuous one.” He adds as he motions to Vince, who's still clinging to his busted nose and bleeding cheek.

I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

"Can someone take me to a fuckin' hospital to see if my nose is broken, before G.I. Jane strikes again?" Vince huffs out.

"I will." Tommy offers, grabbing Vince's keys off the couch a few feet away.

I get a death glare from the blonde as he pushes past me, and once he and Tommy are gone, Nikki's staring down at me, seemingly pissed and I leave him, Doc, and Mick, to their own devices.

“What the hell, Viv?!” Nikki yells at me as I storm in to the parking lot, following me close behind.

“I’m sorry, am I suppose to ignore the fact that they’re stunned you’re not in better shape after you crumpled your car with a telephone pole?!” I shout back and he wipes down his face with his free hand.

“Baby, it bothers me, yeah, but not to the extent that I feel the need to punch one of them.” He states.

“I didn’t want to punch anyone until Vince called me a ‘rabid bitch.’ If he thought I was being one by just snapping at him, then I might as well actually be one. So I was. Not my fault he doesn’t know how to get out of the kitchen when the heat’s too hot to handle.” I go to open my car door but he stops me, slamming it shut again. “Oh my goodness gracious, Nikki.” I groan, squeezing my eyes closed for a second, just wanting to go home and he’s not helping.

“You defended me.” He says out of nowhere.

When I open my eyes, he’s smacking on his gum cockily, looking me up and down.

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Devil Spawn.” I shoot back, leaning against my car and he gets closer to me, placing the palm of his free hand by my shoulder on the car, trapping me in.

“No, no, you punched Vince out because he popped off at you for sticking up for me.” He’s smug as he speaks, his face inches from mine.

“Okay, so what? You fend douche bags off of me all the time. It’s not that big of a deal.” I shrug and he doesn’t say anything, giving me a sly little grin before chuckling to himself. “Why’re you looking at me like—” I’m cut off by him crouching a little, hugging me by the bottom half of my waist before throwing me over his uninjured shoulder. “Nikki!” I complain, my back colliding with the hood of my car.

He settles himself between his legs and I laugh nervously, his lips pressing to my neck.

I feel weird and uncomfortable for some reason, not because we’re in public, but because I know regardless of whatever protection we use, there’s a chance I’ll get knocked up again and it’ll go sour.

“We cannot do this in public!” I tell him as I sit up, nudging him off of me a little and he looks around. The sun’s already gone down, and there’s no one necessarily around, but there’s a good bit of trafficking cars, and if anyone were to look across the way hard enough, they could see us. “Besides, your shoulder is hurt.” I try to come up with an excuse.

“Fuck my shoulder, it’s been over a week since I’ve gotten any.” He tugs on the laces of his leather pants and I breathe out.

“Nikki, do you really want to consummate our marriage on the hood of a car?”

He looks at me pointedly, as if to say, “you know who you’re talking to, right?”

“Of course.” I answer my own question.

Just as I’m about to speak again, he’s kissing me, his tongue meeting mine passionately as his hand slides up my white denim skirt and tugs my panties down my legs.

I try to avoid thinking about anything but him, not wanting to ruin the mood, but I can’t help it.

“Nikki.” I pull away hesitantly and he furrows his brows a little, realizing something’s up.

“What’s up?” He asks, studying my facial expression and I blink.

“I just...I’m not in the mood.” I explain honestly, wanting to add, “I would be in the mood if I weren’t thinking about our dead baby.”

He looks almost stunned by my denial of his advances, hurt and confusion cloaking his face.

His ego took a beating. It was the first time any girl had ever said “I’m not in the mood” to him, and possibly confirmed the stereotype of marriage being dry as the dessert, only having boring missionary-position sex that lasts two minutes and only occurs once in a blue moon. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I failed at providing an adequate environment for our kid to actually function properly.

Aside from his shoulder, everything was going great for him. Ignorance is bliss, and I wasn’t going to be the one to piss all over his.

#nikki sixx #tommy lee #vince neil #mötley crüe #douglas booth #daniel webber #colson baker #the dirt #the dirt movie

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cheeruplovely · 5 years

Text

an evening walk (endless summer) for the Olicity Summer Sizzle 2019

“Wait, didn’t they try to kill you once?”

The suspicion in Felicity’s tone takes Oliver by surprise. Not because he’s certain that no one’s trying to kill him because that’s usually happening at any given time, but because he’s pretty certain no one’s trying to kill him here. Bloomfield is a quiet, sleepy settlement at best and their neighborhood, in particular, is as peaceful as it gets.

So he’s pretty shocked to know he’s potentially a target. Again.

“Who?” he asks casually.

“The couple at number twelve,” she murmurs suspiciously. “I swear, we’ve seen them before.”

He follows his wife’s gaze to where the couple in question are tackling the front yard chores simultaneously. The last few evenings have been nicer than anticipated and while a lot of the residents had chosen to take to the outside and enjoy the warm weather of a fading summer, they have run out of reasons to laze around sunning themselves and are getting on with life before the winter set in.

But still, the possible murder didn’t seem like an evening-friendly chore for this kind of neighborhood.

“They do look familiar,” Oliver agrees. “But I’m not sure they tried to kill me.”

He swings their hands together slightly as they walk, hoping to distract her from her suspicions. He enjoys their evening walks together, but he knows it wouldn’t be this way for long. In Felicity’s eighth month of pregnancy they’re relishing every moment before they became a family of three again (temporarily, he’s determined that William’s time with them wasn’t permanently at an end), and to keep Felicity active at their doctors request, they’ve taken to walking around their small neighbourhood a few times every night.

And to spy on their neighbors, apparently.

“A lot of people have tried to kill you, Oliver,” she points out, not shifting her gaze from the front lawn.

“That doesn’t mean if they’re familiar that they tried to kill me.”

“This whole community is full of ex-agents of most agencies which have tried to-”

“-kill me, yes,” he agrees. “But they’ve also helped me.”

Felicity doesn’t deny this, but she does narrow her eyes at the couple once more for good measure. “I still think he looks shifty.”

“Even if it was him, he’s retired now, and we’re good friends,” Oliver assures her.

She stops walking, turning to face him with a challenging expression. “What’s his name?”

Oliver’s gaze turns back to the couple and he...draws a blank. He can’t bring the name to mind at all, and she knows it.

“‘Good friends’, Oliver,” she quotes back at him as she continues walking.

Oliver shakes his head, following her lead. “There are a lot of new people to meet here, and I can’t remember all these names straight away,” he reminds her.

“I’m supposed to be the one with baby brain, not you,” she laughs lightly.

“It's not baby brain,” he dismisses, even though her laugh lifts the corners of his cheeks in unison. “I’m just far more concerned with the things happened inside our house than outside of it.”

“That’s a change of tune,” she muses, nudging her shoulder against him gently.

“A long overdue one,” he agrees, not dwelling on how many years he’s spent prioritizing the security of a city over his own home and family since that won’t be a mistake he makes again. “I don’t need to worry about what the neighbors are doing, I only care about what we’re doing.”

“We’re not doing anything.”

He hums contently, swinging their hands once more. “I know, it’s nice, isn’t it?”

And it is nice. It’s more than nice. It’s perfect. Idyllic. Peaceful. Blissful. It’s everything he’s ever wanted with the person he’s always wanted it with. There’s room for them, for their children, and before long their baby girl is going to be joining them and while it’s secluded and secret, it’s an undisturbed shot at a life they’ve waited too long to share together.

“I can’t believe how happy you are with borderline boredom,” Felicity muses. It’s a conversation they’ve had a few times since they returned from Ivy Town a few years prior.

“I just like being peaceful,” Oliver shrugs with one shoulder. “I’ve had enough chaos in my life.”

“Getting too old for it?” his wife teases him, and he has to smile in response because really, he is. His knee definitely isn’t holding up as well as it used to be and the more he lives a life of rest the more he can feel it complaining after he’s run too hard and too far.

“No, I’m not getting old.”

“You are a little,” she smirks.

“I’m a father now,” he points out. “I need to stop having my own chaos now and stop my kids getting into chaos.”

“And how’s that going for you?”

“I love every second of it,” he grins.

Their walk falls quiet for a moment until their home is in view. At the far end of their neighborhood sits their secluded cabin. From the approaching path it appears small, but very few people have seen how it opens up into the small field of a back yard behind it. Most of the land around the cabin belongs to them as well but they don’t have much need for it. The wilder it looks, the less chance they have of anyone approaching it by accident if they stray from a hiking trail, but there’s still plenty of room enough for him to build Mia a swingset if she wants one and for him to play ball with William.

As if reading his mind, Felicity’s fingers flex against his to draw his attention. “How was your call with William?”

“Great,” he nods, mostly to himself. It’s not always great when he calls. If his grandparents are there, William’s calls seem distant and he can tell that they’re listening in on his call. He hated having to tell William about his baby sister over the phone rather than getting to tell him in person, but he’s determined to keep William as a fixed part of their family. He’s their son and that’s never going to change. “His grandparents are almost coming around to the idea of him coming to visit before Mia’s born. I don’t think they plan on him moving any closer to us but at least we’ll be able to see him.”

“It’s a start,” she squeezes her fingers around his. “One step at a time.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. There was a time that they could barely speak to William on the phone and now he calls on Sunday afternoons without fail. Between homework and his baseball game. He’s made the school team. They’re very proud.

Felicity’s free hand comes up to rest over her stomach. “Before you know it, Mia will be here and he’ll want to be here all the time to see her.”

“I hope so. I don’t want him to feel replaced,” Oliver worries.

“I don’t think he will. He seems pretty excited to be a big brother.”

“Maybe once his grandparents see the changes we’ve made they’ll be a little less protective.” Oliver hopes, as they leave the main path and approach the steps up to their front door. One of the handrails is becoming lose, he notes as it creaks under Felicity’s hand, and he makes a note to fix it back into place before it can make her fall. Stairs are not her friend, she frequently tells him.

“It won’t be long before that’s his choice, not theirs,” Felicity reminds him. William’s easily on a fast track to college, and Felicity had excitedly told him after her last call to him that most of his choices are within a few hours train journey of Bloomfield. She’s sure it’s his way of staying closer to them.

“I guess so,” he agrees, letting his hand settle on his wife’s lower back as she fishes her keys out of her pocket.

“We’ll be fine, all of us,” she assures him, pushing the door open and reaching around to grasp his hand, leading him inside.

“All four of us,” he smiles.

He lets the door fall closed behind them. For once, he doesn’t immediately turn to activate the locks.

They’re safe here.

---

Thank you for reading! If you’d like to, please consider buying me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/A5082OL4

#olicity #olicity summer sizzle 2019 #olicitysummersizzle2019 #olicityfic #olicity fic #olicity fanfiction #my fics #oliver queen #felicity smoak

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baekthecorgi · 5 years

Photo

you’re the cure, you’re the pain (doyoung) genre: college au, med student au, fluff (a quick glimpse of premed!doyoung) words: 3k w. summary: dating a med student has got to be the hardest feat one could ever encounter.

*terms defined at the end

you first meet doyoung at the library on your third year in university. not exactly meet as in meet, it was more of a see doyoung dozing off on top of his thick books at the coldest, most secluded section of the library where you often spend your time studying for your lessons. his hoodie was zipped all the way up to protect him from the cold. you notice how his oversized hoodie covered the spines of his books so you were left clueless about his course.

it became a thursday thing to spot a certain hooded figure slumped over the same trio of books that you found yourself looking forward to thursdays instead of fridays. which was weird actually because all uni students looked forward to the end of the week. all except you.

one fateful thursday afternoon, you find mr. sleepy head in an all-white uniform, still in dreamland, but this time, his head was stuck between pages 124 and 125. you take a quick peek of the book’s header. in bold, all caps, it read: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). the scattered sticky notes on the surface indicated that he was in the middle of his thesis. before you pry further, mr. sleepy head shifts his position. you hurriedly fumble back to your seat. mr. sleepy head reveals his haggard yet captivating face towards your direction.

judging from the nameplate on his chest, white uniform, and the DSM-5, you figure out mr. sleepy head’s a graduating psychology student. when he showed no signs of waking up, you make a beeline to where he is. you were near to study his features but far enough to not look like a preying stalker. his raven locks stuck out in different directions, and his bangs swooped down which highlighted his sharp jawline. the white uniform highlighted his broad shoulders which you thought were wider than the pacific ocean (if that even is a thing). there were bags under his eyes but you guessed, even with eyes closed, that mr. sleepy head has those sincere eyes which would make any individual fall in deep.

“are you planning to stare at me the whole day or are you gonna help me with my rrl*?” said guy mumbles, voice low enough to send shivers down your spine. mr. sleepy head opens his eyes, his piercing gaze seemingly passing through you. “do you have any business here?”

“i-i’m sorry, i-i didn’t mean to stare, uhm,” you stutter. glancing at his nameplate, you continue, “kim doyoung? oh, uh, doyoung. sorry, again. i’ll go if that makes you comf–”

“nah, it’s fine i’m just messing with ya,” doyoung snickers, waving it off. “though you might want to practice your staring. it’s not exactly subtle.” you feel heat creeping through your cheeks.

“i’m guessing you’re a third year biology major?” you nod at his inquiry. “and i’m betting this is your private study corner?” you nod once again.

“how’d you know?”

“your materials are all splayed out like you own the place. those are a third year bio student’s books. i have friends from bio too, y'know,” doyoung tells. “i’m also good at studying people’s expressions. perks of being a psych major. in your case, you bite your lower lip when you tell the truth. well, what i hope is the truth.”

you reply with a, “i’m not good at lying.”

doyoung raises a brow as if doubting your words. he retorts, a gummy smile plastered on his face, “aside from your expressions, well, you’re not the only one stealing glances.”

you wanted to bang your head on the wall. was mr. sleepy head flirting with you? did he stare back at you all those past thursdays? oh my god, your head was spinning at the theories crossing your mind. it was only when doyoung cleared his throat that snapped you back to reality.

“i’d love to stay and chat, but i have clinical psych in ten minutes. fifth floor, room 2-4. ends in two hours,” doyoung says in a monotonous tone exactly the way his psych professors him. detached is what they would always remind their students to be, but with you, doyoung might just have to make an exception.

you ask, confused at the details thrown at you, “why are you telling me this?”

“maybe i wanna practice reading people more, or maybe i wanna spend my late night coffee run with the girl who’s been staring at me for like, four thursdays, while i get to know her more and try to cram for my departmental exam tomorrow. pick your poison,” and with that said psychology major doyoung flashes you a mischievous grin as scrambles over his things, stuffing them down his knapsack.

“see you in two hours?” doyoung confirms and you agree. he takes his exit, or what seems to be his exit because he retracts his steps and calls you. “good luck on your zoology quiz. hope you ace it!”

your friends have already warned you on psychology majors. more on dating psychology majors. “they’re just plain weird. it’s like they’re always reading your mind”, they’d always say. your encounter with doyoung proved their hypotheses true. your first ever talk with the weirdly attractive doyoung made you want to form your own conclusions and not from someone else’s.

maybe that’s why you ended up meeting doyoung in front of his last class and spend the entire night chatting away at a 24/7 café. half of it was the actual getting to know each other cliché. you found out doyoung added an extra shot of espresso to his coffee nowadays as his tolerance level rose from all the night shifts during OJT*. his brother was a law student and doyoung, on the other hand, was an aspiring med student. doyoung was lactose intolerant but he absolutely loves cheesecakes, blueberry especially. doyoung knows he’s weird because his roommate, taeyong, fights him about it all the time.

the other half was spent on doyoung tutoring you on biochemistry, ranting for a good thirty minutes on why he chose his stupid thesis proposal when it clearly lacked the studies to back it up, and doyoung snuggling against your arm on the wee hours of the morning.

three months of caffeine overdose and two breakdowns later (it alternates between you and doyoung, depends on who has a dickhead professor), doyoung finally asks you to be his girlfriend in his cramped bedroom. you wholeheartedly say YES!!!! before doyoung even gets to the question. tackling your boyfriend down on his bed, you pepper him with what seems to be a thousand kisses. you spend an hour of making out, then listening to taeyong scolding you both for making out and explicitly moaning for half an hour on the other side of the door, and waking up late on doyoung’s chest, inhaling his musky scent first thing in the morning. it was nothing less than perfect–your relationship, your boyfriend.

(doyoung misses an exam that day but to hell with that, it’s been a long time since he last fell in love. he’d rather hold you in his arms, whispering sweet nothings to your ear at 7AM rather than sulking over a test with a 45% passing rate.)

dating doyoung was so exhausting, you sometimes wonder why you even considered that as an option.he’d piss you off with bio jokes he steals from taeyong on a daily basis. you even tried to coax taeyong from sponsoring doyoung with lame biology jokes but the former also takes joy in pissing you off.

“here comes my Trypanosoma cruzi,” doyoung cooes when he spots you walking towards the sofa.

“i’m not in the mood for jokes, baby,” you snap back but doyoung only squishes your cheeks with his soft lips.

“really? i doubt it. you always find your way back to my heart,” doyoung sends a flirty wink to which you roll your eyes to. he’s cheesy like this.

“doyoung, that’s rude. first of all, i’m not a parasitic bug burrowing through heart muscles. second of all, people are dying because of that bug. third of all, i hate you because that was hella smart.”

“you still love me, though.”

“well, you’re not wrong about that.”

it wasn’t until doyoung graduated and entered med school that you realized relationships aren’t full of rainbows and unicorns. you had small, petty fights with your boyfriend, of course, but this time it was different. with you busy with your thesis and doyoung struggling as a first year med student, everything seemed like a big, fiery heap of mess. both of you were quite new with the whole set-up. of lacking time for each other. of prioritizing academics over your significant other. of having study dates without any conversation at all. or simply, having no dates in weeks.

falling in love was easy to do, almost effortless. it was staying in love that was arduous, puzzling, and just difficult. staying in love is a commitment. it was an everyday choice to love doyoung without expecting anything back.

loving a med student was a hard feat. it takes guts, it takes bravery, it takes courage to love one and to stay in love with one.

time was the one thing doyoung can’t give to you. of course, he spends time with you, going out for dates and whatnot, but most of the time it means sacrificing a part of his academics so you don’t demand much of it as much as you did before.

you always catch him pushing his black-rimmed glasses up his nose bridge as he tries his best to stuff information in his brain. you were sure his mind was overloading with names of bones, chemical formulas, symptoms, diseases, god knows what more’s inside it. doyoung barely functions as a normal human being anymore. most of the time, he skips buying lunch to answer samplexes*, highlighting transes* to study for his exam which he had every. single. day. so you make it a daily habit to pack him lunch with whatever he was craving, tightly wrapped and ribonned with a pink cloth.

as a thank you, doyoung never fails to leave the apartment or sleep without placing a gentle kiss on your lips. saying “i love you” tenderly was a very kim doyoung thing to do and you’d feel your heart flutter like the first time you had your coffee date.

most of the time, you’d confiscate doyoung’s coffee, snatching it away from his hands. sulking, he’d complain, “babyyyy, i need my caffeine. there’s a shifting exam* tomorrow. please, baby, please!”

you won’t succumb to his pleads even if you’re on the verge of handing him back his drink. doyoung was basically immune to caffeine at this point so it was rather useless for him to drink more.

“take a nap, baby. it’s better than coffee intake. i promise i’ll wake you up in an hour,” you beg to which he shakes his head. “for me? please? you really need it.”

doyoung finally agrees only because your voice sounded worried as fuck and he wants to be the least of your worries, but also because you were right. he needed some sleep. needless to say, you became doyoung’s personal alarm clock. an alarm clock with 8AM classes.

but you were only a living, breathing human with feelings just like kim doyoung. it wasn’t unusual to crave for affection and reassurance. medical school was eating your boyfriend alive that it left you with crumbs of what’s left with doyoung. you weren’t needy, desperate for attention, so it would be nice for boyfriend to compromise once in a while. nice to be cuddled, kissed, made love to like there weren’t requirements to pass and exams to study for the very next day.

it would be nice to be top of doyoung’s priorities even for a split second.

“doyoung, baby, let’s cuddle!” you softly cry, carressing his cheek. you were chilling on his lap. he massages your jet black tresses, eyes buried deep in Guyton & Hall’s “Textbook in Medical Physiology”.

he hums, “later, baby. i’ll just finish a chapter.”

“but you read slow”

“i’m trying to concentrate, baby. let’s talk later,” doyoung scans the page one last time before flipping it.

frowning, you pluck the thick book away from his hand in frustration. “i’m not asking for twenty four hours with you, doyoung! i just want five minutes of your goddamn time! i wanna cuddle and kiss the life out of you, god i’d be perfectly okay with having a conversation without the scientific shit you’ve been studying about because fact check! lately, it seems like you don’t give a flying fuck about me. you don’t care about what i think, what i do, i mean, do you still care about me, doyoung? are you willing to spare me a glance for, i don’t fucking know, a minute of your attention? because that’s what i do, doyoung. others wouldn’t have gotten this far with you, but i did because i fucking love you! god, i’m head over heels for you, baby, because i choose you. every single day. and i just want to know if the person i’m choosing still chooses me cause if not, we might as well break up.”

“i-i’m sorry. i didn’t know you felt that way,” your boyfriend stutters. “i-i’ve been failing almost all my AnaPhy* exams and now i’m about to lose you a-and–”

in a blink, doyoung has his palms covering his face, tears streaming down his cheeks. you didn’t expect to blow up the pent up frustrations welling up inside you for months. you didn’t mean spewing those harsh words. instantly, you envelope him in a reassuring hug, wrapping your arms around his neck. doyoung buries his head on the crook of your neck. it’s a hug that’s warm and homely. one that says sorry for being such an idiot blowing up at you like this. one that provides him complete comfort, and not only support, but also acceptance.

the night ended with loving kisses and a voice of strength which became doyoung’s guiding light through the horrid horror that is medical school.if you thought dating a med student was hard, it was nothing compared to dating an intern. it was like dating a ghost.

sometimes, you’d come home late at night to the inoccupancy of the other side of the bed. sometimes, you’d wake up for work and catch sight of a clearly exhausted doyoung, lightly snoring from his night duty. you take a few moments, staring at your boyfriend’s peaceful aura, the same way you did a few years back at the library. before leaving, you secure a soft kiss on his pink lips, never forgetting to mumble an “i love you” even when he can’t hear your words.

when you do find your schedule synchronizing with doyoung’s you find yourself elated an excited with his daily medical adventures.

“patients complain about having to eat hospital food for three days but imagine having to eat it for your whole career”

"baby, i literally give you two packed lunches what the hell”

“oh shit. i have to explain myself now, don’t i?”

other times, it would be like:

“i nearly dropped this scalpel into the patient’s abdomen. can you stop looking at me like THAT?”

“why the fuck is everything in the hospital broken?” he complains, massaging his forehead. you reply, “baby, you’re a doctor. it’s literally your job to fix people.”

“well, shit,” doyoung sighs. he breathes in a gust of air when you let out a hearty laugh. you jeer, “you might have a MD at the end of your name but you’re dumb sometimes.”

but most of the time, your conversations would go like this:

“are you stressed?” you ask, entangling your limbs over his.

“i’ve been paged five times in the last two minutes, i delivered a baby in surgery today, resuscitated two patients, and haven’t slept in 48 hours. so, yes, forgive me if i’m a little on edge.”

“that’s okay, baby. we can have a nap date today.” he pecks the back of your hand, sighing. you take this as a sign to languidly kiss him on the lips this time.

one time, while driving him home from a spontaneous roadtrip with your boyfriend, you spot the oncoming heavy traffic flow. there has been a car collision causing the road blockage and the slow traffic flow. the vehicles were being towed to the side of the road when the people helping, retreated the injured victims.

once doyoung spots the lack of medical attention, he commands, “baby, pull up. i have to help them.”

slamming the car door close, doyoung rushes to the victims. he kneels down, examining the injuries and pressing lightly on all the right spots. he looks up at the confused expressions of the people surrounding him. “don’t worry, i’m a doctor. now does somebody have a pen? i have to perform an emergency tracheostomy*. this lady has an obstructed airway.”

after the ambulance arrived, you pull a hazy doyoung in a comforting hug. it’s his first time handling a case outside the hospital, his palms were all sweaty.

“i thought i was gonna lose all of ‘em,” he mumbles into your neck. you laugh at his nervous voice, rubbing circles on his back.“

this is the exact reason why you’re a doctor. you saved them, baby,” you pull him off, placing both your palms gently on his cheeks. “i’m proud of you.”

“i love you, baby,” doyoung declares. he says it without hesitation, without doubts. he wears his words as a thank you. for never giving up on loving him, for choosing to love him even when he doesn’t deserve it.

you’ve overcome so much hardships in your relationship with doyoung that looking back, you realized everything was worth it. doyoung was worth it. love was worth it.

–

note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME BIIIIIIITCH IM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS SJKDFHKSJDHF shoutout to the anon who freaked out and requested this!!! ugh med student doyoung in an all-white uniform would be so HOT istg,, i would love to get feedbacks

masterlist is on my bio soooo check it out !! tumblr’s being a little bitch bc when i put the link the post disappears from the tags grr

disclaimer: i’m not a med student. this is based on our country’s education system so it’s not exactly accurate with others.

RRL = Review of Related Literature; the selection and annotation of available documents which contain information, ideas, data and evidence related to the topic that a person proposes to research on

OJT = on the job training; it’s what graduating students do before, during or after thesis. and yes, it’s part of the grade.

Samplex = sample exams or corrected test questionnaires; also from higher batches

Trans = transcribed notes from higher batches; an outline of doctors’ lectures & ppts

AnaPhy = Anatomy & Physiology class

Shifting Exam = taken in each subject; much like departmental quizzes answered in 30 mins during lunch time

Tracheostomy = a medical procedure that involves creating an opening in the neck in order to place a tube into a person’s windpipe

#nct scenarios #nct imagines #nctwriters #doyoung imagines #doyoung scenarios #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct u imagines #nct u scenarios #nct #nct 127 #nct u #kim doyoung #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #doyoung x reader #reposted !!!!

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wildfluffyappeared · 6 years

Text

I wrote some cute Sayori x MC stuff~ “My Sunshine” (POV: MC)

I stand outside Sayori’s house, waiting for her to come out. I don’t care if I’m late to school; it’s not like I’m going to pay much attention anyway, so if I’m late it doesn’t really matter. It’s more important to me to walk Sayori to school.

See, a month or so ago, I joined a club where Sayori’s the Vice President: the Literature Club. At first, I was… being a typical teenage idiot, only concerned about how I could try to date one of the girls in the club. But… Sayori started acting different. Eventually, one day she left early. Monika, the club president, suggested I leave early too, just to make sure she was okay. So I went and followed her home, catching up to her about halfway there. We talked for a bit. At first, she was upset that I came after her, saying that I should be worrying about more important things. But eventually, I got it out of her: she’s been struggling with depression her whole life. Naturally, I was floored. But I committed myself to helping her out with her feelings. Monika and I talked her into seeing a therapist, and… she’s still depressed obviously, you don’t get over that in a month, but she’s already doing so much better.

Lately, I’ve been trying to be there for her as much as I can be. It’s kinda hard for me because… I realized after a while that I really like her. Like, a lot. But I can’t ask her to be my girlfriend, not yet. That would be too much pressure for her right now, being in a relationship. She needs to prioritize herself right now, and I think it’s important that I try my best to be there for her without any strings attached.

Suddenly, the door opens, and out comes Sayori, on time today, her red hair glowing in the sunlight. She looks a lot more put-together these days. Long gone are the days of messy hair and toothpaste-stained collars. I think she’s feeling more motivated lately, because she sees herself making progress, which in turn helps her make more progress. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I say, grinning widely. “Sunshine” is my nickname for her. I started calling her that in response to her usage of “rainclouds” as a metaphor for her depression. I guess I just call her that to remind her that while she may have rainclouds over her head, she’s still a warm and bright ray of sunshine to me.

Sayori beams back at me. “Good morning yourself, dork!” she shouts, giggling. We head off to school together, Sayori animatedly telling me about the breakfast she cooked for herself this morning.

“And I didn’t even burn the house down!” she finishes triumphantly.

“Aww, I’m so proud,” I say, wrapping one arm around her gently in a friendly hug. She blushes slightly before wrapping her arm around me in return.

“Hey, MC…” she says softly. “I remember just a few weeks ago, you were afraid of anyone thinking we were a couple or something, and yet here you are now, with your arm wrapped around me in the middle of the street. Funny, huh?”

Now I’m the one who blushes, embarrassed. At this point, I certainly wouldn’t mind anyone thinking we were together, but… again, I can’t put that pressure on Sayori right now. “D-don’t get the wrong idea!” I shout.

She giggles again, nudging me with her elbow. “I’m just teasing you, silly! Ehehe~”

***

The school day passes and we’re back at the Literature Club. I spend some time reading manga with Natsuki today. I’ve been trying to hang out a bit with everyone on different days. Before the festival, I was anxious to approach Monika, but in the wake of helping Sayori with her depression, she and I became better friends, so now I hang out with her too, along with the other girls.

Natsuki, on the other hand, has quickly become one of my closest friends. Ever since she came out as lesbian to me, she and I both seem to have eased up our tension around each other, and now that there’s no romantic tension, we’ve bonded a lot over the past couple weeks. I kind of see her almost like a little sister at this point.

Natsuki and I have almost finished Parfait Girls, so we’re trying to get to the end today. The ending of the story is really very satisfying, and honestly I didn’t expect it to turn out to be so interesting. As I close the manga, I look over at Natsuki. “So, what now, Natsu?” I ask, using her shortened nickname.

“Now we get to talk about stuff!” she says with a smile. I assume she’s talking about discussing the story, until she continues, “Like… Sayori, for example.” She looks at me knowingly. “When are you going to ask her out, MC?”

I blush again. “Natsuki… it’s hard, you know? I don’t want to put the pressure on her of being in a relationship right now. And she might feel obligated to say yes…”

She laughs. “MC, you sound like a broken record, you say that EVERY TIME someone brings this up. She already seems to be doing a lot better. I think if you ask her out, she’s strong enough to say no if it’s not what she wants. You know what I think?” She fixes her magenta eyes on me. “I think you’re afraid. You’re afraid of rejection, or that you’ll do something wrong and hurt her.”

I avert my eyes. I know she’s right, deep down.

“But you know what? That’s a risk we all take, all the time, whenever we’re talking to anyone. And the fact that you’re so concerned about her well-being? The fact that you care so much about making sure she stays happy? MC, that means you’d be perfect for her. Plus, you’re so oblivious, she probably likes you too and you just don’t know it. So just man up and tell her, idiot!” she finishes, punching me softly on the shoulder as she does.

I chuckle. Maybe she’s right. But… “Natsuki, you’re one to talk. What about you? When are you going to ask Yuri out?” I ask, teasing her now.

Her face turns red, and now she looks away. “Y-Yuri? What? I don’t… like Yuri…” Her reaction completely gives it away. Of COURSE she likes Yuri. I don’t know who she thinks she’s kidding.

“Fine, fine,” I say, chuckling. I know I’m not going to get anywhere with this. But maybe she’ll take her own advice. She and Yuri deserve each other, to be honest. Their personalities complement each other so well. I really feel like Natsuki would help Yuri come out of her shell, while Yuri would help Natsuki temper her emotions and express them more clearly.

Before I can say anything else, Monika’s voice rings out from the front of the room. “Okay, everyone! It’s time to share poems!”

Oh wait… Dammit! I forgot to write a poem last night! I guess I’ll hope I have one in my backpack…

***

I found one in my backpack, thank goodness. Without even looking at it, I walk over to Sayori. “Hey, sunshine,” I say with a smile.

“Hi, MC! I’m excited to see your poem for today,” she says with a smile. I quickly hand her my poem.

Her eyes scan over it… once… twice… She’s… blushing now. What? What did I give her? Oh god, it wasn’t… that one, was it? I didn’t write that planning to show it to her…

She places the poem down on the desk. “It’s… it’s lovely, MC.” She’s grinning and blushing so much… I look at the poem I handed her. Oh god. Yep, it’s that one. I wrote this about her a while back. I wrote it as a sort of response to the first poem she ever showed me.

My Sunshine

Even though the rainclouds may block the light from your blinds in the morning

I want to let you know I missed you.

I want to kiss your forehead to help you out of bed.

Make you rub the sleepy from your eyes.

Oh, sunshine, won’t you come out to play?

I’ll do my best to help you through your rainy days.

The rain comes down, but when I’m with you

Just like your eyes, my sky turns blue.

I don’t want you to sleep forever.

Please don’t be mad.

I’ll make you breakfast.

Aside from being a blatant admission of my feelings, the whole poem is stolen from her ideas, so it’s not even good. I blush, and quickly take the poem back. “S-sorry… That was the wrong poem. You weren’t supposed to see that one, Sayori… I’m sorry I kind of… stole your idea.”

Sayori’s still blushing. “That’s okay, MC,” she says quietly. “I still liked it.” She giggles. “Aaaanyway, here’s mine!” she says, abruptly changing the subject. I take her poem.

Mask

The happy mask I wear each day

Is starting to crack and crumble away

I mustn’t let it, no, please stay

For if it’s gone, what will everyone say?

When they see the tears that mark their place

With salty tracks streaked down my face

All my efforts will go to waste

Of trying to make this a happy place

I don’t want them to know how sad

I feel, and that things are so bad

I lied to them, they might even be mad

God, I just want to make them glad

It’s too late now, the mask is broken

But in their eyes, a new light has awoken

Is it really okay to let them care for me?

It’s starting to feel better, so I guess it must be

Their relieved faces are a joy to see

When my real face smiles, and I start to feel free

This is… wow, she really does seem to be doing a lot better. “Sayori, this is amazing! You’re always so talented at conveying emotions, sunshine,” I say with a grin, before blushing after I realized I called her by that nickname again.

She blushes too, and says, “It’s nothing, really… Hey, go share with everyone else, okay? We can talk more later, on the way home.”

I smile and stand up. But first, I’m going to my backpack and finding a different poem. That one isn’t for anyone’s eyes but mine. And… Sayori’s, I guess.

***

Well, the club’s over, and Sayori and I are walking home now. She and I are both quiet the whole walk home. She’s probably feeling uncomfortable around me right now… I’d better not push it.

We arrive outside her house, and she almost keeps walking without realizing it. “Hey! Earth to Sayori,” I say, trying to get her attention. She seems startled, stopping in her tracks.

“O-oh, we’re home already…” she says, sounding disoriented.

“Yeah… Sayori, is everything alright?” I ask, concerned.

“Huh? Yeah, of course. I’m just thinking a bit. Nothing bad, I promise!” she says.

“Well, whatcha thinking about?” I say. I don’t want to leave her when there’s something on her mind like this.

She blushes again. “Just… about that poem you gave me earlier…”

Oh… “Sayori, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or—“

My sentence is cut off as Sayori suddenly wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her lips to mine. Without thinking, I pull her against me, kissing back. I softly trace my fingers through her hair, holding her close. She pulls away and smiles up at me.

“I was waiting for you to finally tell me you liked me, dork. It’s been obvious for the past couple weeks,” she says, giggling.

I blush again. Wow, I’m blushing a lot today… “Sayori… I…”

She cuts me off again. “You don’t have to say it, MC. I will. Will you be my boyfriend?” she says, a massive grin on her face.

I… Sayori wants to be with me? Here I was, thinking I’d be putting undue pressure on her by pursuing her, and this whole time, she wanted me? Wow, Natsuki’s right, I’m oblivious as hell. “Of course I will, sunshine,” I say, a grin breaking on my face again.

“Yay!” she shouts, before kissing me again. “You wanna come in and hang out for a bit?”

I nod, smiling, and we go inside. After all, with the sun shining so bright today, it could be nice to get some shade.

#my writing #doki doki literature club #sayori x mc #ddlc sayori #ddlc mc #ddlc #doki doki is not oki doki #my fanfiction #ddlc fanfiction #doki doki fanfiction

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pbandjesse · 6 years

Photo

I don’t feel very good right now. The roof of my mouth is very raw. Which started yesterday and has only gotten worse. It’s making it very hard to eat. And right now I feel very nauseous. I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m hoping it’s just because traveling is really rough. I’m glad I didn’t have to work today. I was able to sort of just take care of myself.

I slept really well last night and I woke up feeling okay. But I let myself sleep in until 9:30. Which is later than I was originally planning. But like I said that’s okay because I didn’t have to work and I can actually have to be anywhere. When I got up I fed sweet p and got ready for the day. I didn’t eat breakfast or anything. Instead I did a bunch of stuff that I wanted to get done. Like organizing some of the junk I have in bowls around my apartment. Stuff from pockets and bits and bobs of my life. I also use those Rubbermaid tubs that mom brought me and put all those clothes that I had organized out in two bags into the tubs. And put away all of my wintry stuff. So now I have more space in the drawers under my bed. Though I still would like to get more tubs to put my finish artwork in. But I guess that will have to wait.

I also did a bunch of sewing. I fixed the small sleeping bag I use for overnights. And I fixed one of my purses. I decided I would go down to the harbor earlier than I was originally planning. I had to go and sign my time card for the ships. And so around noon I went and grabbed the free bus. I had a nice conversation with a woman who was confused because the bus was running very late. And when I was on the bus a girl told me that she thought I was really really pretty and that made me feel very nice.

I got to the ship and thought I had remembered the locker code but then it didn’t work and then I end up having it right anyways I don’t know why it didn’t work. But one of the guys help me. And I signed my thing and then I left. I went to Chipotle for lunch and got a burrito. I headed up towards home after that. And I went to the grocery store. Because I wanted to use my time wisely. I got some stuff for this week. But there’s a few things I’ll pick up at Eddie’s tomorrow. Like milk and pizza. Thanks that didn’t fit in a backpack. But mostly fresh stuff and bread today.

I didn’t go and take the bus, instead I just walked home. And I was pretty tired once I got back. It was kind of rainy and humid but not particularly hot. Just sort of uncomfortable. When I got back here I put away all of my groceries. And I let sleepy run around in the back yard for a little while. He’s been so funny he’s very chatty. And I finished the sewing that started this morning. I worked on my schedule. And figure it out if I’m going to be okay budget-wise. And I am but it’s still going to be very tight. I’m worried about my savings because I’ve had to take a lot from it last month. Hopefully at evens out and I have enough money for me and Jess’s trip in the fall.

I was talking to my brother earlier about money and stuff and how we’re both poor and scared and don’t want to think about it too much. And I don’t want to be in a place where these little trips that I like to take are hurt too much. But I also can’t prioritize those obviously. I’m not dumb. But traveling has become very important to me. I don’t really do much else like partying or anything. So these little vacations and experiences are something really nice to look forward to. I hope I can keep making them happen.

I ended up falling asleep somewhere around 4. And I didn’t feel amazing when I woke up but I didn’t feel as bad as sometimes I do after a nap. I had crackers and fed sweetp and then I decided to take a bath and do a face mask. Which was very nice. My skin has been really terrible the last couple weeks. And I’m hoping some of the nicer products that I’ve gotten as of late will help fix that.

I just paused the movie I’m watching. And I’m going to go finish that and then go to sleep. I have work tomorrow but it’s only a half day. So I’m going to spend my afternoon working on my dioramas. And then go to ballet. Because I haven’t been there for forever. I think my new plan is to only go when I’m not working till 6. So like a half day or maybe even let a 5:30. But I’m just not going to try to rush from work all the way home and then all the way to ballet. It’s just not emotionally worth it for me. And with my schedule kind of changing now that I don’t have skating on Saturdays and I’m letting them schedule me then it might work out better. I might even have Mondays off so that’s cool.

I hope you all have a really nice day tomorrow. And I really hope that my mom and other moms had a very nice Mother’s Day. I love my Mom very much and continuously proud of being able to say that she’s my mom. And brag about her and all the funny thing is that she does. I have so many good memories from when I was a kid. And things like how big her laugh is and how kind she is. She really makes me want to be better everyday. Love you Mom.

Good night everyone

#ootd #mom #ballon #weird dog #cat #plants #garden #sunday #day off

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shinobicyrus · 6 years

Note

I wish you would write a fic where... Jane Porter was replaced with Milo James Thatch in the Tarzan plotline or vice versa in the Atlantis: The Lost Empire plotline.

A response to This prompt challenge. Oh Anon, you gave me an in to write more about archaeology nerds and my favorite lost civilization, of course I jumped right on that second option.

After the third time waking up on the meager bedroll Ms. Sinclair had thrown at her to replace the one lost in the fire, Jane gave up trying to sleep. Days wandering in sunless tunnels miles below the earth had completely bollocksed her internal clock, and the weight of the day’s discoveries refused to settle soundly.

Somehow, the rest of the crew slept as though it all were a mere camping trip. Mister Santorini was content with a bag a volatile explosives as a pillow, Audrey was sleeping beneath a truck halfway through an overhaul, and Mole was…doing whatever Mole did in his holes.

She walked barefoot around her snoring crew, wearing the same sweaty shirt and begrimed skirt she’d been wearing since the Ulysses had sunk. There’d been so little time to grab what she could- besides the Journal, all Jane had of her luggage and equipment was the leather bag she’d carried around with her since university. Hardly what a sensible and proper adventurer would prioritize in dire circumstances.

What passed for nighttime in an underground cavern bigger than London slowly lightened into blue twilight. Jane’s feet padded across mossy stones that at one time might have been a street full of people busying about their day, thousands of years before the Roman empire had set foot in Britain with fancies of greatness.

Hiking up her skirt, Jane sat down at the water’s edge and dipped her feet to cool. The humidity was a ceaseless pressure since they’d arrived, unaffected by a lack of sun or conventional notions of weather. It took Jane back to her mother’s greenhouse in Kensington. The squish of soil between her fingers, dirt in her nails, quizzes for each plant’s name in Latin. Lonicera periclymenum. Digitalis purpurea. No, Janey dear, it’s pronounced Convallaria muh-jay-liss.

Undoing the snaps of her bag, Jane dug out her few effects that had miraculously survived the shipwreck intact. An engraved fountain pen her father gave her for her birthday, her personal journal, a few pages of scribbled notes about the Atlantean tongue, some pencils and a…

Oh. It was the telegram from the Museum board that her last expedition proposal had been denied. God, had that only been a month ago?

Tucking that carefully back into her bag, Jane tried and failed to catalogue her thoughts of the last few days. After some minutes of fruitless, scratched out attempts and resisting that old childish urge to chew at her pen, Jane looked up from the page and saw exactly what her words would never be able to impart with any due justice.

Pencils were more suitable for this sort of work. Already there were industrious fisherman out on the water in elaborately-carved junks, casting their nets out while distant cooking fires were lit in anticipation. Jane sketched them as quickly as she could, saving the details for the architectural backdrop behind them. A moss weathered dome surrounded by tents and rickety, stilted towers. A toppled pillar next to a half-submerged stone face like the fossilized head of some long dead giant.

It reminded her of Athens, or the holiday she’d taken with father to Rome. A people living in the literal shadows of their own history, monuments of proud glories turned bittersweet mausoleums to grander times long since past.

A single drop of water hit the page, smearing the lines of graphite. Jane sniffed and rubbed at her eye.

“Are you…alright?”

Jane squeaked and shot to her feet, nearly tangling in her own skirts and falling over right in front of-

Princess Kidagakash, looking every much like a warrior even absent of her stone spear and bits of armor. Her trim, muscled arms crossed over her chest and her brow furrowed, no doubt trying to figure out what nonsense Jane was embarrassing herself with.

“Princess!”Oh Lord, of all the people to have come along and catch her balling. Wiping her eyes as quickly as possible, Jane squared her shoulders and raised her chin properly. Kidagakash was royalty after all, not Jane’s royalty per se, but Father always stressed during travel it was only proper to respect the local customs. “No, I am not- that is to say, yes, I am quite all right. Very kind of you to ask. Is there something I can-?” Oh bollocks, Atlantean, Jane. Atlantean. “ T…taneb, gesu se kik?”

The Princess’ lips quirked as though Jane had told a joke. “Close. ‘Se kik’ would be you asking if you are helping me at this moment. Gesu go mik is closer to offering future assistance.”

Convallaria muh-jay-liss, Janey dear.

“Agh, of course.” Jane reprimanded herself and, cursing her lack of bloody pockets, dived down to one of her available papers and scribbled a note about tense suffixes. “I apologize, Princess. Please, how may I be of service?”

She chuckled, a low dignified sound. “You may start by unburdening both of us with the heavy ceremony, Jane Porter. My friends call me Kida.”

“Ah, well if we are to be dropping formality Prin- Kida,” she hastily corrected herself. “My friends call me Jane.”

“As you say.” That smirk was back, teasing Jane in a way that made her feel like she were a small mouse at the mercies of a smug cat. Kida walked to the water’s edge next to Jane, bent down and picked up Jane’s journal with the page open to an unfinished sketch. First name basis or not, Jane wrestled back her urge to rush up and snatch it from Kida’s curious hands.

She flipped through the pages crammed with Jane’s writing with little patience, pausing at a quick doodle perhaps, before finally ending on the last page. Her finger brushed against the paper, testing something, and abruptly snapped the journal shut.

“You are very talented,” Kida handed it back to her. Turning towards the city, with its toppled edifices and sleepy junks floating in the water, she said- almost to herself. “You see it too, do you not? How we live surrounded with constant reminders of what we once were, so that we can never escape from just how far we have fallen.”

She looked to Jane, her face grim. “It moved me to tears too, long ago. Now I fear I have little to spare.”

“I don’t think you- it is nothing of the sort.” Jane assured her. “We came down here expecting ruins. Instead we have…what must be the greatest single archaeological discovery in human history: a living, breathing, thriving culture!”

Kida shook her head. “It is true, our people live, but we are not thriving down here. Barely eking enough to last to the next day, while the dream of all that we were slowly wears away like water on a stone.”

Jane worried at her lower lip, hugging her journal to her chest and exhaled- “I- it was. When you came. I was looking at the city- your city- and it struck me at that moment how unbelievable it was that it was real and I was there to see it. And I only thought: if only my father were here to see this, and it got me to blubbering a little.”

She sniffled again, because that was exactly what she needed, losing her composure in front of a stranger, first names or not.

“I…am sorry,” Kida said. “I should not have-” She frowned, grasping at unfamiliar words. “May I ask why he could not participate in your journey?”

“He died.” Jane said, because it was easier to keep it simple. “Not even a year ago.”

Kida put her hand on her heart, grasping the crystal on her neck, and uttered what must have been a prayer- the words too low for Jane to fully make out. Nish…may his spirit? Embrace the…kerod? Heart? Or the spirits embrace his heart?

It was a lovely sentiment, and as much as Jane was touched it could not dull the bite out of her bitterness. “When he died, it was in disgrace. His colleagues saw to that.”

Kida raised an eyebrow. “Disgrace? What act would disgrace his honor?”

“He believed in you.” At her taken-aback look, Jane quickly corrected herself. “That is- in all of you. In Atlantis.” She gestured up at the world above the unseen ceiling of the cavern. “Back on the surface Atlantis is less than a myth. It’s a fairy tale, mere allegoric…cannon fodder for Plato’s ideal of some male-dominated utopia. Nothing a real scholar would waste a career pursuing.”

All the petty snickers, snide commentary and peer-reviewed floggings of so-called legitimate scholars. She choked on that anger she’d been swallowing down for years- less she wind up crying after all.

“Being here is your way to honor him,” Kida said.

“Something of that sort, I suppose.”

“And…your mother?”

“With father,” Jane replied with more aplomb. “The pox took her when I was a little girl.”

“I lost my mother as well,” Kida said sympathetically. “In the Mebelmok. I do not remember much of her- it happened when I was small, and it was so long ago. I cannot even recall what her voice sounded like.”

“If it weren’t for photographs I’m not sure I would remember her face,” Jane said. “Father let me keep some of her perfume- and sometimes when I smell it I remember- wait. Mebelmok. That means…’Great Flood’.”

Kida blinked at the change of topic, but nodded. “Yes, that is correct.”

“But I thought- the original fall of Atlantis-” Jane shuffled through her journal- her theories about the alleged single-night calamity. “Yes, it is also called the Great Flood.”

“There is no ‘also,’” Kida explained. “The Mebelmok brought an end to our empire and cast us below the waves.”

“But the way you spoke of it sounds as if…if you had been there.”

“Of course. I was very young, but I still remember the panic, the people fleeing, my mother-” Kida’s fingers wrapped around her bare wrist. “It is a difficult thing to forget.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate, but if what you’re saying is true, then you must be…” Jane boggled at the math. “Eight and half thousand years old?”

Kida shrugged. “Give or take a century.”

Jane swallowed around the foot in her mouth. White hair notwithstanding, She looked no older than Jane was- albeit far…fitter. “I. Well. You…look. You look lovely.”

“Pag en,” Kida thanked her with a pleased smile.

“But…but…how is this even possible?”

“It is our yoben,” Kida lifted the crystal hanging around her neck, set right near her heart, and cupped it in her hand like one would a butterfly. “Every Atlantean is gifted one on their naming, granting us long life and healing our hurts.”

“Like back at the cavern,” Jane almost felt the twinge in her chest, remembering the strange sensation of Kida’s hand pressed the crystal to the wound. Her reticence forgotten in the purest curiosity, Jane thoughtlessly closed the distance between them and took the crystal from Kida’s hand, examining its shape and facets, mesmerized by its gentle glow.

“But where do they all come from?” Jane looked up from the crystal to ask her, and realized too late how Kida had stiffened. “Is something wrong?”

Kida moved slowly to reclaim her crystal from Jane’s unresistant fingers, remembering just how easily this hardened woman with a body like a dagger could have done so much more forcefully.

“Among my people…” Kida explained slowly. “Taking hold of another’s yob is a very…familiar gesture.”

Jane already felt a self-conscious heat flush her cheeks. “Familiar?”

“How do I say…? It is like holding another’s…nish? No, their…karod.”

Karod? Wait which one was that? “Their…heart?”

“Yes! Like holding another persons’ heart in your hand. It is a…powerful gesture of trust.”

Mortified, Jane let the crystal drop and took a step backwards, stammering. “Kida, I am so- I didn’t mean t-”

“You did not know,” Kida shook her head, smile surprisingly gentle for having her person so rudely trespassed. “Ignorance is no grave sin, so long as it is rectified.”

“Thank you.” Jane ducked her head, still completely appalled with herself. “You’ve already been far too generous with the likes of me.”

“A thousand years ago, I might not have been.” The gentle, patient smile on Kida’s face passed into something grim and unrecognizable; only then did the full weight of Kida’s admission of her age truly settled on Jane.

“Kida-” Jane opened her mouth and faltered on a question she did not even know.

Like a fresh tide, the distant expression on Kida’s face was gone, and she looked up at Jane to declare: “I find myself hungry. Would you like to break your fast with me?”

“I think the camp can do without me, for a while longer.”

The morning meal was served in a large communal hut on the water, open on all sides to keep the air free of smoke from the central cooking pot.

Jane was personally not one for seafood, but with eighty or so centuries of practice, Atlanteans had learned how to prepare their constant diet of fish, moss, mushroom, mollusk, and seaweed with enough variety that Jane found a few dishes she enjoyed, though she was still averse to the grotesque giant prawn-like creatures Kida and Cookie had enjoyed eviscerating with gusto.

Many Atlanteans entered and left the hut without even touching any of the dishes. They were certainly obvious about their curiosity of the weydagosen, the outsider, but ultimately they only had eyes for their Princess.

Kida held a impromptu court of sorts while she sat on the floor cross-legged, ate, and spoke with her people. They brought their complaints of fish shortages in their districts, came to her to arbitrate disputes between neighbors, or ask for her opinion on matters of policy and distribution of scarce resources.

Her father may still had been considered King, but Jane wondered if Kida were aware of the mantle of queenship about her as she patiently listened to her people’s concerns. Precious wood from a section of the city overgrown with thin, reedy trees were deemed a fair exchange for another’s fresh clay. A pair of squabbling men left mutually dour but respectful of their Princess’ verdict. Frustrated fishermen were sternly reminded that spawning grounds were to be left in peace to maintain their fragile population of food, and that royal guards would not be lenient to those that favored selfishness above the needs of the community.

Jane stayed quiet and jotted down as much as she could in her journal, taking careful note of the words and inflections of the conversations to mortar the gaps of her knowledge of Atlantean. She attempted to draw Kida as well, but her pencils faltered at the curve of her bare shoulder or the details of her muscled middle. Most of Jane’s artistic expertise was calligraphy and blocky ruins, and after several failed attempts to properly depict the inimitable shape of her lips, Jane returned to the much more manageable task of learning a lost language.

The universal shriek of children at play made her start, and Jane watched a group of them scamper by and jump into the water like otters at play. When they dove below the water, the light of their crystals danced beneath the surface.

If Kida were truly that age or younger during the Great Flood, then those five year-olds could very well be older than Charlemagne. Jane was both in awe and a little envious- but quickly blanched at the thought of having her awkward teen years extended by a few centuries.

Her eyes drew themselves to Kida’s crystal again. It was no more remarkable than any of the others her fellow Atlanteans wore, but like the icy fractals of a snowflake, its cut was unique, and the glow shining through its facets painted interested shadows across Kida’s chest as it swayed on its cord.

Jane’s hand unconsciously felt the scar on her own chest. The wound had been deep and stinging when Kida had pressed crystal against it, briefly leaving a ghostly hand print at the spot. Now it was nothing more than a numb scar that looked years old.

“Does that still pain you?”

Kida’s voice made Jane start. A pair of ageless women across the room whispered something and giggled.

“No,” Jane forced the hand from the scar to her lap and held it there. “Not at all. I’m quite alright, thank you.”

“Good. I was not sure it was going to work on you, when I had tried it. We rarely have need to heal any wounds but our own, and never an Outsider’s.”

Jane nodded, made wordless by a thought:

What did such a thing signify, to use your heart on another person?

“Are you busy tonight?” Kida asked her. Jane nearly choked on her seaweed dish.

She swallowed and coughed. “I beg your pardon?”

Kida glanced around the hut at the other Atlanteans busy with food and conversation. “There is something I wish to show you later. Alone. Can you come?”

“Show me what?”

“Something I have managed to keep hidden for a long time.” Considering something, she looked Jane up and down. “Do you swim?”

“Well…yes, but I-” Jane gestured at her stained shirt and long skirt. “I didn’t exactly come prepared to.”

“Oh, that is alright,” Kida said agreeably. “It will only be the two of us, after all.”

For the remainder of the meal, Kida shared her giant prawn with a small girl that had sat down on her lap and chatted with the girls’ parents, all the while Jane felt she was perhaps sitting too close to the the cooking fire, her journal and bag untouched until they finally left.

#asks #Kida Nedakh #Jane Porter #Atlantis: The Lost Empire #Atlantis AU #(kinda)#well this sort of happened out of nowhere #what is it about this movie #I spent waaaay too much time researching the Atlantean language for a simple little oneshot #what the hell me #oh well here you go #Anon #sorry about the delay #my writing #my fanfiction #challenge fic

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