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lostinthewiind · 3 years

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Piss Off Your Parents - Part 3

Ukai Keishin - Haikyuu

Synopsis: freshly turned 18, you want to prove to your parents that you aren’t a child for them to push around anymore. First, get a job at the local corner store. Second, use the store owner’s 26-year-old son with piercings and a cigarette addiction to piss your parents off. Third, accidentally fall in love.

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Song → 18 by Anarbor

Previous →Part 2

Next →Part 4

Never before had you dreaded something more than you dreaded arriving for work the morning following your incident with Keishin. More than anything, you hoped he was thoroughly pissed at you and had left for work early that day so that the two of you wouldn’t have to see each other, but much to your displeasure and horror, when you stepped into the store that morning, he was sitting at the front counter, waiting for you.

How was he not pissed at you after what you had said to him?

When the sound of the front doors sliding open filled the otherwise silent building, leaving the keys in your hand useless as Keishin had already unlocked the store, you gripped the keys tightly and swallowed hard when he looked up at you. He didn’t say anything at first, maybe because he was waiting to see if you would make the first move, but after last night you were done making first moves when it came to him.

Averting his gaze and dropping your head low, you shoved the keys back into your pocket and headed for the back room to put your stuff away and get this day over with.

Just as you were about to open the door to the back room, Keishin cleared his throat and you stopped in your tracks, head turning to look at him without thinking about it.

“Good morning, Y/N.” This was the very first time he had greeted you first, and on top of that, the very first time he had ever used your name.

You weren’t sure how to respond, confusion and excitement mixing in your body to create an overwhelming concoction. “Good morning,” you mumbled in response before disappearing into the back before he could do anything else out of the ordinary, like God forbid initiate a conversation or something.

You took your sweet time getting ready, delaying heading out to the front of the store as long as possible to give Keishin ample time to leave. After about fifteen minutes or so, you emerged only to find him sitting right where he had been before, newspaper sprawled on the counter and a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Shouldn’t you have left by now?” The questioned slipped past your lips before you even had the chance to filter it through your head.

Eyes wide, Keishin was surprised that you had spoken to him almost as much as you were. “We’re expecting a big delivery today, so I’m sticking around,” he answered. “You’ve never handled one by yourself so my mom asked me to show you how it’s done.”

Your heart sank, your stomach twisted, your knees felt weak. So he was going to be here with you all day long? “Perfect,” you groaned, not even bothering to hide the sarcasm in your tone. “That’s just awesome. Great.”

“Listen, it’s not my idea of an ideal day either, but it is what it is,” he said. “So why don’t we just put last night behind us, chalk it up to exhaustion and the influence of alcohol on my part, and move forward?”

You quirked an eyebrow at him, the fact that you couldn’t seem to figure him out thoroughly starting to irritate you. “How are you not angry at me?” you questioned him. “I was . . . horrible last night.”

You had spent the entire night after getting home thinking about the horrendous way you had behaved. The things you had done and said made you feel awful and you couldn’t understand how Keishin wasn’t on the brink of smacking the shit out of you right now.

“It’s fine.” He flashed a smile, trying his best to prove that he wasn’t dwelling on the past. “I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

Looking around to double check that the two of you were the only ones in the store, you lowered your voice before speaking. “But I put my hands on you. You can really just forget that?” Heat swelled in your cheeks as you recalled the less horrible events that had taken place.

“I touched you too,” he reminded you.

“Yeah, but yours was an accident.” You weren’t sure why you were saying all of this stuff; it was almost like you wanted him to be angry at you. Who knows, maybe you did. “I called you a burnout.”

Keishin let out a booming laugh at that. “Take a good long look at me, kid.” He smirked, gesturing to himself. “You really think I’ve never been called worse?”

“I don’t think that’s the point,” you breathed out.

Keishin opened his mouth to speak, but before he let a word out, he changed his mind and pressed his lips together. In the meantime, he watched you, the cogs in his head obviously working hard. “You’re an odd one, you know that?” He stood up, walked over to you, and set a hand on your shoulder. “I said it’s fine, so just forget about it, okay?”

“Okay.” You nodded, finally giving in.

“Good. Now, get to work, because this place isn’t going to run itself and I’m only here to help with the delivery, so until then, I’ll be napping on the couch in the back. Wake me up when the truck gets here.”

Before you had a chance to respond, Keishin gave you a pat on the head and disappeared into the back room without another word.

You stood in place for a moment, unsure if the fact that he had forgiven you so easily was a relief or not. You didn’t allow yourself to worry too long about that though, because, like Keishin had said, you had work to do and the store wasn’t going to run itself. And, if your memory served you correctly, you had some sweeping to do in the back corner.

For about two hours, you fell back into your normal workday routine, completely forgetting about the events of the previous night or the fact that Keishin was napping in the back. That was, until you saw the delivery truck pull up in front of the store and remembered you had been given the task of waking the sleeping man.

Heading into the back, you moved slowly and quietly even though it didn’t matter if you woke Keishin since that was what you were supposed to do anyway.

“Keishin,” you spoke softly, not wanting to startle him. “The delivery truck is here.”

Of course, he didn’t even budge at that. Nervously, you stepped closer to the couch, unable to ignore the fact that Keishin looked completely different when he was asleep. The usual frown or cocky grin he sported was nowhere to be seen and he didn’t seem as intimidating when his eyes were closed and his breathing was so slow and rhythmic.

“Keishin.” You reached out and placed your hand on his shoulder like he had done to you earlier and shook him slightly. Still nothing. Rolling your eyes, you were unsure what to try next aside from shouting right in his face. If only he had warned you he was a heavy sleeper.

Deciding to try one last thing before you resorting to screeching, you leaned closer to his ear, planted your hand on his chest—a brief memory of how you had touched him last night flashing in your mind—and shook him once more while you spoke. “Keishin, the delivery truck is here,” you said, not whispering but also not being too loud.

Thankfully, the mixture of shaking him and speaking directly into his ear seemed to finally do the trick and his eyes shot open. Immediately, you jumped back, not wanting him to be weirded out by how close you were to him.

Eyes travelling up to meet yours, Keishin yawned and stretched his arms over his head. “Truck’s here?” he clarified.

“Yeah, it just arrived,” you told him, waiting for him to get up. “You should have told me you were a heavy sleeper. I was about to scream or pour water over you or something.”

Keishin cringed at the thought of that. “Well, thank goodness you didn’t. Next time, just pinch my nose or tickle me or something . . . anything but water.”

“Next time?” you asked. “You plan on taking naps on the couch often?”

“It’s my favourite place to nap. You should try it sometime,” he said before heading for the door. “Come on, let’s get this delivery over with. Try to learn fast so I don’t have to teach you again.”

“I’ll try my best.”

As you had pretty much expected, the delivery had been pretty straight forward. After helping the delivery man unload all of the boxes into the storage room and signing off on the delivery, the most time-consuming and complex part of the process was taking an inventory of the new supplies, which you picked up on pretty quickly.

Keishin showed you how to mark down the new delivery on the clipboard kept in the storage room and where to input the total count for each item. From there, all you had to do was make sure you had received everything and had the correct number ordered.

“Pretty easy, right?” He glanced at you out the corner of his eye as the two of you worked together at counting the inventory, keeping an ear open for customers in the process.

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem hard. Just time consuming,” you agreed.

“Exactly. We usually get a big delivery like this about once a month, then smaller deliveries throughout the week for more perishable items, as you already know.”

You nodded, quickly becoming lost in the repetitive task of counting and writing down the amount on the clipboard. Weirdly enough, you found that you didn’t actually hate taking inventory; the simple task was actually kind of calming and passed the time effortlessly.

“50,” you muttered under your breath, jotting down the number in the correct box right after you finished counting. When you turned back to start on the next box, you caught Keishin looking in your direction. “What?” You furrowed your brows at him. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“You,” he responded, quickly elaborating when you shot him a confused look. “Well, more specifically, why you took this job.”

You shrugged as you continued working. “I already told you. I need the money.”

“Right, so you can move out on your own. But why?”

Your hands stopped grabbing items and your mind stopped counting, making you lose track. “Because I’ve been waiting for as long as I can remember to live my own life and now that I have the opportunity, I’m not going to pass it up.”

“But wouldn’t you much rather be going to school? Surely you don’t want to work in a place like this for the rest of your life.”

You sighed heavily. “You ask a lot of questions, you know that?”

“I’m just curious,” Keishin said. “I want to understand you better.”

“I don’t think you could truly understand unless you experienced the childhood that I did.”

Stopping his work as well, Keishin leaned against the shelf and crossed his arms over his chest. “Try me.”

Rolling your eyes, you accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to give up. “First thing’s first, I’m not saying my childhood was tragic or anything. My parents didn’t beat me. They fed me and clothed me and everything a parent should.” You started, waiting for him to nod before continuing. “I was just never allowed to live my own life or make my own decisions. I ate what my parents wanted me to eat, I wore what they wanted me to wear. I took the classes they wanted me to, I was friends with who they thought would make a good friend. They went overboard on trying to get me to do what they thought was best for me. I was never old enough or mature enough to know what I really wanted. I lived in a controlling dictatorship.”

“What about soccer?” Keishin asked, proving that he had actually remembered the conversation the two of you had had on your first day at the store. “You told me you used to play.”

You smiled fondly at the thought of your high school soccer team. “That was the only thing I ever got to pick for myself . . . and it took months of convincing, and in the end, I was only allowed to continue because I was good at it. The fact that I genuinely enjoyed it never came into account for my parents.” Your smiled faded slightly. “Sometimes they even managed to drain the fun from that as well, but I refused to let them ruin it for me because it was the only thing I had that was mine.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Every day . . . but this is more important right now.”

Keishin was silent for a few moments while he processed everything you had said. “Sounds like everything needed to have a purpose.”

“Pretty much. If something had no chance of providing success in the future, it was a waste of time.”

“So the plan is to work so you can afford your own place, then go to school next year? How are you going to afford school?”

“Well, if I had followed my parents plan for me and started working toward a law degree, they would have paid for it. But since I’ve decided to do my own thing now, I’m just lucky they haven’t kicked me out of the house yet . . . so I guess I’ll have to get a scholarship or apply for student loans. I’ll basically be scraping by, so I’ve applied for a bunch of community colleges and I’ll go from there I guess.”

Fishing a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, Keishin lit one before sticking it between his lips. “What do you want to do?”

You laughed slightly at that. “I have no idea. I was never allowed to have hobbies or interests, so I don’t even know what I like. I just know what I don’t like. If I could do anything though, I’d apply for the University of Tokyo. They have a great soccer program. I just want to play soccer again.”

Keishin smiled. “Just soccer?”

“For now, yeah. I’ve learned that I’ll have to take life step by step, so that’s the first major goal. I’ll probably take some first year classes and see what I like and go from there. I think it’s okay to not have a set-in-stone plan sometimes . . . after all, this is the first time in my life I’ve never had my future planned out for me. It’s kind of exciting . . . scary, too, but exciting.”

Keishin sighed contently as he watched your eyes light up when you talked about the things you wanted to do in the future. “Can I ask you something?”

You nodded. “Sure.”

“So what was the point of what happened last night?” he inquired. “And, while we’re at it, the past few weeks as well. How do I fit into this grand plan of yours?”

You felt your heart pound against your chest. “I thought we were forgetting about last night?”

“We are,” he assured you. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’m just curious, is all.”

You thought for a moment, unsure how to phrase exactly how you were feeling. At first, you were inclined to take him up on his offer to not answer, but after how nice he had been to you today, you felt you owed him at least that.

“Originally, I was in a pretty messed-up head space and I wanted to use you to get back at my parents,” you told him truthfully, “. . . but after last night, I did some serious thinking and realized that wasn’t the case. What I really want is to prove to my parents that not everything that is different or ‘not according to plan’ is bad. You have an . . . alternative look about you,” you tried to phrase that as respectfully as possible, causing Keishin to chuckle, “but you’re not a bad person or, despite my harsh words last night, a burnout. You coach volleyball for high school kids and you help out at your family’s store and even though I’ve been pretty horrible to you, you’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

You paused, unsure if you should say the last part or not. “I don’t know, I just think that maybe if they met you, they might realize that I’m capable of making good choices for myself even if it doesn’t fit their predetermined mold of my life.”

“You think I’m a good choice?” he asked, taken aback by your honesty.

“Yeah.” You eyed him while he took a drag from his cigarette and let the smoke spill from his lips. “Maybe not the nicotine addiction part, but hey, no one’s perfect.”

Keishin chuckled before putting his smoke out. “Okay, I’ve got a deal for you.”

You cocked a brow at him. “What?”

“If I pretend to be your boyfriend and help you fix things with your parents, you have to apply to the University of Tokyo and follow your dream of playing soccer.”

You were thoroughly perplexed. “Both conditions of that deal only really benefit me. What do you get out of it?”

He just shrugged. “Nothing.”

You scoffed. “Well, as generous and sketchy as that sounds, there is no way I would be able to afford the University of Tokyo on my own and I don’t think any amount of ass-kissing could make my parents agree to pay for me to go there to play soccer and figure life out.”

“Hey, one step at a time, right?” He used your own words against you.

You contemplated his offer for a moment. “You’re really okay with that? Even though you get nothing but more work out of it?”

“I suggested it, didn’t I?”

You couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face. “You’d really pretend to be my boyfriend? Even though I’m just some rebellious kid?”

“Your opinion of me changed,” he pointed out. “Why can’t my opinion of you change too?”

“Fair enough,” you conceded. “Well, if you’re absolutely positive you won’t regret it when you wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll happily accept your deal. Thank you.”

Keishin turned back to the stack of boxes and promptly returned to the task at hand. “You’re welcome.”

You watched him work and quietly hum to himself while he did so. This time, it was his turn to catch you staring. “What?” he looked over at you.

“I just didn’t peg you for such a softy is all,” you joked.

“Yeah, yeah,” he scoffed at you. “Just don’t fall in love with me or anything, kid.”

You smirked. “Whatever you say, old man.”

#haikyuu #haikyuu!!#ukai keishin #ukai keishin x reader #ukai #lostinthewiind #piss off your parents #x reader #reader insert #reader imagine #song fic #part 3 #haikyuu smut #series

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bluedemon1995 · 3 years

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31 Resolutions-Happy New Years! Better late then never right? I wrote way too much and then had a killer headache so sorry it's not on time. To make up for it, I added a bonus! Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! Also this one is so long that I’ll add the link if you want to finish reading there!

Pidge was sitting at the table at the NYE gala and for the first time in a long time, feeling unsure. It started off well enough. She was dressed up, wearing a green and black gown that Veronica had assured her was stunning. It hugged her body and yet, didn’t make her feel uncomfortable or self conscious. She wore shiny sandals that reminded her or ivy and some jewelry that some of the Olkarion refugees had made for her. She was even feeling good about her hair and makeup. She felt that she still looked like herself but maybe a more shined up version or even more adult version.

The girl MFE pilots and Romelle all got ready together, having a few pre-drinks and even hiring a driver to take them to the gala. End result, when she arrived at the gala for the first time while attending an event like this, she was feeling happy and relaxed. And while her mom wasn’t happy that she declined a few invitations from some other officers overall she was letting her be because ultimately Colleen was just glad that she was in attendance. But what made today special was that Pidge knew she was getting another opportunity to enjoy her friends and family before everyone dispersed and went back to their own lives.

But that comfort was short lived because over the course of the night, what started as a small look or comment turned into blatant rudeness and what felt like an outright attack on her. Which Pidge was sorely unprepared for. While in school as Katie, she was used to being an outcast and the nerd. But she wasn’t outright bullied because well, no guys were interested in her and she was pretty low on the totem pole. Then at the Garrison she was a guy and while often ignored she wasn’t picked on. Then she found Hunk and Lance and well, no one said shit to her.

But thinking back to when she walked in with the girls and met up with the MFE pilots and the paladins-minus Coran. Everyone greeted each other warmly and introductions of the new people were made. Keith introduced a few new Blades- the males: Linus, Titus and a new female-Amoza. If Pidge thought Acxa was intimidating, Amoza was ten times that. Apparently, they were hoping to see Earth customs firsthand and make a few contacts. They all entered together and grabbed drinks and stood around to mingle. But one of the first things Amoza said to Pidge was inquire why she was so small, if she was a kit.

That comment made Pidge flush and stammer, which probably provided her proof, but she was just unprepared for that comment especially after feeling so mature. Thankfully, Keith interjected, joking that she didn’t want to make that mistake. He gave her a warm look, that made her flush, and when she averted her eyes from his gaze she noticed that Amoza was staring at her. Pidge looked to Veronica but she was arguing with Lance and Hunk and Shay were closely talking. And it didn’t look like she was impressed with her. Getting lost in her thoughts, Pidge lost track of the conversation. Tuning back in, she realized that Amoza had somehow managed to turn everyone so she was on the outskirts of the group. Sighing she glanced around the room looking for an exit strategy.

Spotting her parents, Pidge excused herself to go and say hi to her parents and Krolia. Both Keith and Matt quickly followed however, with Keith asking if everything was ok. She nodded while avoiding his eyes. She didn’t want to seem immature so she just jumped into the conversation. Later, as others mingled she found herself standing with Keith off to the side of the room. As always, she felt herself relax and again feel that strange comfort and familiarity that she often doesn’t find with others. And when Keith asked what she was drinking and she explained it was some new drink that was a version of sake he asked if he could try it. Shyly nodding he took her hand and guided it to his mouth. Pidge felt that his eyes were on hers and she couldn’t break it away. Then the announcement came for everyone find their tables. When she turned she looked up only to find Amoza’s gaze steadfastly on her.

Shaking off that uncomfortable feeling both headed to the table with Keith’s hand in the small of her back. Which was nothing unusual except that her lower back was uncovered due to the dress. As they made their way to the table, Pidge could feel the heat of his hand and that his thumb rhythmically move up and down. As they approached the table of 8, she quickly surmised there was a problem. Sighing she looked around frantically trying to keep her cool. Shiro, Curtis, Hunk, Shay, Lance, Veronica, and Amoza…they were short a seat. As they get to the table, she can feel herself start to panic and she turns looking for a seat close by at a different table.

Keith catches up and quickly sees the problem, frowning, he questions, “Amoza, I thought you were seated with the Blades?”

The young and beautiful alien looks up in surprise. “Oh sorry, I just assumed as your partner, I’d be seated with you. My, um, how do you say, mistake.”

That said she didn’t move. An inch. Pidge had started at the word partner…was Keith in a relationship with the alien? Why didn’t she know about this. But why wouldn’t he? He was single and attractive, and so was she. And tall. Strong.

So many thoughts started flying through her brain that she unintentionally took a step back, slightly twisting her ankle in the unfamiliar heels. She let out a quiet, “Ahh” when Keith’s hand turned into an arm support for her. Adjusting quickly to the added weight he bent his head, murmuring directly in her ear, “Hey no worries, I got you.”

Pidge felt her eyes tear and for a moment everything was blurry. Quickly blinking, she tried to straighten and looked around, “Hey, no problem, I’m fine. I’ll just find another seat. Go ahead and sit Keith.”

She moved away and looked around, right into James’ concerned face. Their eyes met and he stood. “Katie, I’d be honored if you sat at our table. None of us have dates, so we have the room. I mean if, you don’t mind sitting me and a bunch of unruly MFE pilots.” Smiling he reached a hand out to her.

Filled with relief, Pidge nodded, “Sure, thanks James.”

Just as his hand held hers however, Keith interrupted abruptly, “No need Griffin, Amoza should really be with her teammates.” Lacing his fingers with Pidge’s he continues, talking directly to her, “C’mon, like I’d, or um, WE would let you sit anywhere else.” Tugging on her hand he urges her back towards the original table. Now speaking to James-his gaze on the other man standing, “Appreciate the offer but Pidge is ours.”

Pidge starts to move back when she hears James say, “Well, I think she works more with me now so that’s debatable. I’d even go so far to say mine, but sure, you were part of her first team. I understand you have some history there.”

Pidge’s eyes get large and she makes eye contact with Veronica who pretty much spit her wine out all over Lance at that comment. Lance howled, torn between laughing and being bad at getting wine over his suit-loudly, which was a nice distraction. Because Keith had already turned and moved towards Griffin to reply. Pidge quickly pushed Keith towards the table, “Not now! Please.”

He looks down at her and pulls her arm so they are practically embracing. He looks over her head and stares at James, “We can talk about this later Griffin.”

“Looking forward to it, Kogane.”

“Keith, everyone is staring, let’s just sit.”

He nods, turning to the table, “Amoza, do you know where your table is?”

“No, can you show me?”

He nods, “It’s on the perimeter by the entrance doors, two from center.”

Amoza stares at him, then at her. Veronica interjects, “If you’d like I can walk you over now, I just see that Acxa has arrived and I’d love to say hi.” Standing, “Let’s go.”

Amoza finally stands, giving Pidge a look that clearly was not filled with love or New Years cheer. As they sit, she looks down, at her painted nails, thinking, I never stood a chance.

Keith leans close, “Hey, um, sorry did you want to sit with Griffin?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just you look a little sad, I’m sorry if I spoke for you. I, just, you belong here with m-us.”

“No, Keith don’t be dense, of course I want to sit here. I just feel bad that your partner had to leave.”

Lance interjects here, “Yeah, what’s with getting a girlfriend and not even telling us! C’mon you could of sent a message!”

Now it was Keith’s turn to say “Huh?”

Lance rolls his eyes, “Um yeah hot alien who said she was your ‘partner’.”

Keith shakes his head in the negative, “No! We aren’t dating. She’s still new to the language I’m simply training her. And the way it works is during training with the Blades is they are supposed to stay with their trainer. Nothing more, so stop.”

At that reply, Pidge lost track of the conversation but felt so relieved that she took her glass of wine and took a healthy drink. Damn, what was going on with her???

The rest of dinner went by fine but Pidge could swear she could feel the alien’s eyes on her. And she was right because each time she turned or looked, she was staring. And somewhere along the line, Keith had his arm draped across the back of her chair and was pretty attentive to her overall, which was only adding to the confusion on Pidge’s end. Which let to a little too much wine at dinner.

Getting up, she excused her self to the restroom hoping to get a handle on herself. As she was washing her hands, she looked in the mirror. Her face was flushed and her hands were shaking. Sighing she wished things could just be easy. Lately, she had found herself thinking of Keith in very unplatonic ways and their phone calls and messages started to become more frequent. She thought Shiro had said that Keith was thinking of staying on Earth for a while and that led to some pretty fun daydreams on her end. But apparently that information was incorrect and she needed to adjust.

Just as she turned to head for the door, Amoza stalked in. She looked her up and down and stated, “Human, I want to inform you that Keith will be my mate. We are perfectly suited and my father is a very powerful man on my planet. I get want I want.”

Pidge blinked, what the hell?!

Suddenly angry and less self conscious, she replies instantly, “Well, alien, I’m thinking Keith has something to do with this and it’s up to him who he will be with. You may think you are perfectly suited but I know we are. That’s what years of fighting side by side do. And I don’t need my daddy to get me a man. I can do it all on my own so fuck off.”

Pushing forward she storms out of the bathroom, only to see Veronica and Acxa listening at the door. Pissed at herself for losing her temper and pissed at the alien who thought she could push her around Pidge looks at them both. Not sure what to expect she’s surprised when they both grin and Acxa replies, “You stop girl!”

Veronica laughs, “I think you meant, you go girl. And I second that, no one has that right and I’m thinking she’s an alien gold digger or hussy.”

That was enough to make Pidge laugh and readjust her mood. The girls walk with her back to the table. “Didn’t you guys have to go to the bathroom?”

“Nope, just wanted to check on you and be sure you had backup if necessary. Acxa saw Amoza leave right after you. We wanted to be sure she didn’t ambush you but a few people slowed us down.”

Feeling calmer, Pidge nods, “Thanks for the backup.”

The rest of the night progressed similarly with Amoza trying to get alone with Keith or trying to put Pidge down but everyone was quick to stop it. But nonetheless it was exhausting trying to keep up her guard. Pidge finally found Matt, “Hey, I’m gonna go, I got a room up stairs and I need to get out of here.”

Matt nods, “I’ll come too.”

“No, no!! Please stay. Tell everyone good night and I’ll see then at the breakfast buffet.”

Matt nods, kissing her cheek. “Be careful, love you and Happy New Year.”

Pidge strides out of the ballroom, stoping at the stairs to take off her shoes. They are killing her and she just doesn’t care anymore. She goes up one step when she hears her name being called loudly. “Pidge, stop.”

Looking across the hallway she sees Keith jogging up to her. With her on the step they are almost eye to eye. “You are going to miss the countdown.”

“It’s okay. Go find”

“No.”

“Keith.”

Both can hear the yelling and the countdown, when Keith tentatively slides his hands on her hips and slowly around her. Pulling her closer, his one hand is splayed on her lower back and the other is on her neck, all the while maintaining eye contact. “Happy New Year” with those words he lowers his mouth to hers. Foregoing a typically tentative first kiss, this kiss was all heat and passion. Pidge’s mind swam and she automatically opened her mouth to his demand. And demand it did. The kiss stole her breath and made her realize that this was what she was missing from her life. How did she survive without Keith’s kisses??

She heard a moan and absently realized that was her! Pidge has no idea how long they kissed but when they stopped her shoes were on the floor, she was pressed up against the stair railing, somehow Keith’s leg was in between hers and she was essentially riding his leg. Her hands were tangled in his hair and both were breathing heavily.

Keith brushes his nose against hers, “So, my New Years resolution is to stop being afraid of rejection and to reach out to those people I need. I’m going to communicate better. That said, I have come to realize, that I need you Katie, so much. And I’m tired of pretending otherwise, I want more than friendship, a lot more. So, I gave my resignation to the Blades and am opening a mechanic shop. I told Shiro I’d freelance for him and the paperwork just got cleared. So I’m officially a consultant for the Garrison and I’m looking for a house. I was hoping and praying, that maybe you’d like to…well..be mine?”

Pidge’s eyes filled with tears, “Quiznack! Of course. Shit Keith that’s the best New Years resolution and let me say, I will also make that same promise. I have come to realize I’ve had feelings for you too and I was too scared to tell you. But, never again.”

They both smiled and kissed again. Upon hearing a whistle and the comment, “Hey isn’t that the Green and Black paladin?” They both decided to adjourn to Pidge’s room and relax.

Bonus

Next day….

Keith was in the gym going over his mourning routine. He had about 40 minutes before he needed to wake Pidge up for the breakfast. He was hoping to be done in 20 so they could have a little time before meeting up with everyone. He couldn’t wait to tell Shiro the good news even though he figured he already knew.

With that he turned to see his blade team walking in. Acxa smiled, “You look very happy.”

Keith grinned, “Yeah I feel it too.”

She nods, stating quietly, “Just so you know, there will be money exchanging hands. We have quite a large pool of money on the outcome. So there will be many questions at breakfast.”

Keith laughed, “You know what, I don’t even care. I’m that happy right now.”

Amoza walks up to him and states, “When do we leave?”

Keith nods, addressing the whole group. “So, I was going to tell you this later but now is good. I’m not returning, Acxa will be your leader and I’m staying on Earth. But if you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out. And you know what, I’m done for today, so I’ll see you at breakfast. I’ve gotta go see about my girl.”

He leaves before anyone has a chance to say anything.

At breakfast, the room quiets down fast when Amoza storms in and growls, “You should rethink this. I have offered for you. If necessary, I am willing to battle for your hand. You definitely deserve better than that kit.”

Keith frowns, “That is uncalled for. I’ve never considered us anything other than coworkers. What the hell?”

Pidge grins, “I’m game! How do we battle for Keith’s hand? I haven’t really kicked ass in a while.”

Colleen shoots her a frown, hissing, “Do you SEE how big that alien is? I don’t want you hurt!”

Matt laughs, “Seriously mom, you have no worries. Pidgey is totally badass.”

Krolia stands, “There is no need for a battle. Keith, hand me your blade.” Keith passes it over immediately, “Little one, please take this.”

Pidge takes it, holding it in her hand. Krolia continues, “Please say Knowledge or Death and hold the blade in a fighting stance.”

Pidge nods, standing and instantly mirroring Keith’s fighting stance with the blade and says clearly, “Knowledge or Death.”

The blade instantly glows and transforms into Keith’s preferred weapon. But then the blade glows even brighter and slowly transforms into a weapon that is better suited for Pidge, lighter and more balanced for a smaller fighter. As the room is filled with gasps, all of the Blades kneel and with a fist over their hearts reply, “Knowledge or death.”

Pidge looks to Keith who looks just as confused. Krolia speaks up again, “Thank you. You may pass the weapon back to Keith. This is proof that even the blade recognizes you as Keith’s true mate.” She smiles and reaches out to squeeze Pidge’s shoulder.

Pidge sits down, “Wow, that was intense. I wonder how that does it? It actually felt lighter when it changed for me. I wonder if I could“

Keith grins, and kisses her on the mouth, “Later, we have all the time in the world remember?”

#katie holt #keith kogane #kidge #kidgemas 2020 #keith and pidge #pidge and keith #keith x pidge #keith

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pricemarshfield · 3 years

Text

what do you truly desire?

A Deckerstar human/romcom AU. Chapter 5/10, read on AO3 here (or the full fic here). Will be rated E eventually, so minors DNI.

Five months later, Lucifer's life is fantastic.

It's not a surprise. His life has always been better than the average person's: plenty of money, some of the world's best alcohol, possibly the most active sex life of anyone in the LA area. Maze's brief trend of being gentle after Chloe had rejected him because of her has long-since ended, so she's back to her normal self: quick-witted and vicious and Lucifer's best friend.

She doesn't tell him anymore stories about her roommate, and he doesn't ask her about Chloe. It's basically the same way they did things before, just with the one tweak. Still, it's not as though he doesn't know when she tiptoes around things. Maze happily starts a story about building a model rocket with her other best friend (Lucifer holds a hand to his chest, mostly-mock-offended) but then clams up when Lucifer asks the friend's name or any other details, or Maze corrects him on some minor detail about LA's liquor laws that only someone who spent a lot of time with a cop would know. (Lucifer doesn't remember what that one was. Maze handles the books.)

Lucifer continues to talk up their customers almost every night, waxing poetic about their most expensive whiskeys, whispering in a handsome man's ear about how good Maze looks mixing cocktails, helping them through the potential sexuality crisis that tends to cause. It's certainly not a traditional lifestyle, but anyone he has a conversation with long enough to actually talk about it tend to say how lucky he is.

Which is right, obviously. He's lucky. What more could he want?

Of course, the life of a club owner doesn't start at opening. He needs a new suit, deep blue for an event someone's paying a truly sinful amount of money to host at Lux, and his tailor won't do house calls. Maze had tried, at one point, to wake him up earlier, if only so that he'd cook her breakfast since she burns everything short-of-but-sometimes-including toast. But he spends over a thousand on just the sheets on his bed, let alone how much he spent on the mattress, and he's damn well going to enjoy it.

(It's not--and this is crucial--it's not moping. He doesn't have anything to mope over, definitely not, his life is absolutely wonderful and he doesn't spend any time thinking of a blonde woman who doesn't swoon at everything he says like anyone he puts any effort in with, the first person he'd been interested in since Eve and the rebellion she represented.)

He's running late for the appointment, due to some truly abysmal traffic and a lack of parking anywhere near the shop, so he's rushing along through the crowd of people that seem to be omnipresent anytime he needs to get somewhere quickly in this city.

"Excuse me, pardon me, I'm actually in a hurry, so--okay, now you're purposefully obstructing everyone here, step to the side if you're going to text--" He turns his head to stare down the offending party, a stern-faced woman with a harsh haircut and horrifically short bangs--when he runs right into someone in the street and gets hot coffee all over his person.

It's not necessarily bad form to swear in public, but the string of words that come out of his mouth certainly cross the line into bad etiquette. It hurts like a motherfucker, and worst of all, the shirt he's wearing is white. Lucifer spares a moment to be thankful--not to a God or anything, just in general--that he's already got an appointment with a tailor.

"Shit!" says the woman he bumped into, and Lucifer turns his head to see Chloe. Because he'd only just managed to mostly put her out of his mind, and the universe is a vicious, punishing thing. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry--"

She's still looking with dismay between his shirt and what's left of her coffee, not at his face, and Lucifer coughs a little. "I didn't take you for a black coffee drinker."

Chloe looks up at him, eyes wide with surprise. "Lucifer? That's--insane, LA is a city of almost 4 million people, what are the chances?"

"Given my luck? Quite high, actually," Lucifer says, and Chloe's expression shutters almost quick enough for Lucifer to miss the flash of hurt across her face. "Because of the coffee! Not--I did like this shirt, but it is good to see you. And I'm near my tailor, anyway."

Chloe still looks a little offended, but she manages a small smile up at him. "You have your own tailor?"

"Well, suits like these don't come off the rack." He holds his arms out, realizes that he's now blocking the crowd and being a huge hypocrite, and lowers them. "Let's step to the side for a second."

"What? Oh, right," Chloe says, and gets out of the way. Someone shoots them a dirty look as they shuffle through to the side. The--chicken and waffles place...interesting--has a bright, tacky red-and-gold awning that gets them a bit of respite from the shade so they can talk.

Chloe digs through her pockets, pulling out receipts and crumpled-up straw wrappers. After glancing at his face, she says, "I'm just trying to find a napkin or something to get the coffee."

Lucifer looks at the reflection of the two of them in the window. His shirt has a giant brown spot in the middle of it that, while it should come out with dry cleaning, is certainly not going to be helped by old napkins. "I'll buy a new shirt while I'm at the tailor. Hopefully it won't need alterations."

Chloe snorts. "'Alterations.'" Her British accent is abysmal and sounds less like him and more like an offensive impression of a character from a cult classic BBC show. "This place looks like a college haunt, you could probably get a USC T-shirt inside until you get home tonight."

Lucifer shudders. "Ugh. Absolutely not."

"What, you're telling me you don't have any cheap clothes that you hold onto just 'cause they're comfortable?"

"A silk robe is comfortable," he grumbles. "Certainly more comfortable than a T-shirt from--" He looks at the door, squinting against the glare of the sun against the 'restaurant' door. "--Classic Southern Cafe of the West Coast."

"I mean, the name leaves something to be desired, but if a place with a name like that's still open then it can't be all bad."

"Or someone with more money than sense decided to throw their life savings at something they were completely unqualified for. Like that cafe in Boston."

Chloe blinks at him. "The cat cafe?"

"You're familiar!" Lucifer says, delighted. "Maze told me about it, she delights in disasters."

"...she told me, too."

Right.

"Okay, look," Chloe says, and Lucifer braces himself for the worst of it. "I'm really sorry about the way I kicked you out." Oh? "I mean...I just--okay, I'm not jealous."

"I hadn't thought you were?" Lucifer says, unsure if he's about to be insulted or what. He's not letting himself be hopeful about anything, though, suffocating the urge to be optimistic about it before it can say whatever it wants to. If this conversation goes well, he'll be pleasantly surprised, and if not, he won't have lost any of the progress he's made over the course of the past few months.

(The most he's hoping for is that he'll be able to talk to her. He enjoys that, more than he does talking with almost anyone else.)

"I just mean...ugh, okay, Maze and I were a thing, okay? Just briefly, barely a month! We didn't really work like that, but we made good friends, and then she was moving out of her old roommate's place and I needed to move out of my mom's old house and it just worked? And it was just--weird, you having slept with her and me also--fuck, sorry, I'm rambling."

She is, which seems pretty unlike her from Lucifer's previous two times that he'd met her, but it's annoyingly endearing anyway. "It's fine, Detective. Don't stop on my account."

Chloe reaches a hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Right. And I just...don't really casually see people, okay? I mean, Maze was an exception. Not in that way, I'm definitely bisexual, just...yeah. And as much as I liked you, I just don't think I have the room for a relationship right now."

Lucifer's heart definitely doesn't drop down into his stomach at that, not at all. "Of course."

"I would like to hang out, though? As friends?" Chloe says. "If you're alright with--"

"I am," Lucifer says, quickly enough that he accidentally interrupts her. She grins up at him, though, so it's good, it's fine. "I...do have to get to this appointment, I need a suit for work--"

"Yeah, of course, sorry to keep you, and sorry again about the coffee! You were right, too, I don't normally like my coffee black, but it's--not important, go get a new suit."

Lucifer nods and smiles, a little awkward, a little unsure, but generally...happier. It's not even as though he was in a bad mood before, but now he's smiling easier, chattier with his tailor, doesn't mind the stain on one of his nicer shirts that's had some time to set in now and might not wash out as easily as he'd like.

Maze has been staring at Lucifer ever since he walked into the bar, wearing a new shirt and a smile. She's been drying the same glass now for almost five minutes, despite how busy it is at the bar and how much Patrick's scrambling to get things done, and it's now just a matter of which one of them will break first: Maze's impatience or Lucifer's love of talking about himself.

Lucifer really does love talking about the things that go well in his life, though, and Maze hasn't even blinked for the last stretch of time. So eventually he heads over with an eyeroll, doesn't miss the victorious smirk on her face, and sits down at the one barstool that's, miraculously, available.

"Spill," Maze says, putting the glass down at last and starting to mix a drink, to Patrick's obvious relief.

"I ran into Chloe," Lucifer says, delighted, and looks to see if Maze will tense up, if she'll show any jealousy that her ex is spending time with him. Decidedly platonic time, but still. He doesn't want a repeat of what happened with Eve. That had been a difficult time for their friendship, and for Lucifer in general, if he's being honest.

She doesn't seem to, not smiling (normal) but nodding in agreement as she looks down at the drink she's pouring. "Cool. Did you go try and find her at the police station or something? Hold up a sign like that dumb movie?"

Lucifer scoffs. "No, of course not, that would have been completely inappropriate, and not in a fun way. Especially given she rejected me." Much as that stings, it's still a novel feeling.

"Good," Maze says, sliding the drink over to a customer who only barely manages to catch it before the glass would've fallen and shattered on the floor and gotten--whatever that drink is, some lurid pink thing, all over her clothes. "So...what? She came to see you at Lux before we opened?"

"No," Lucifer says. "We just ran into each other."

"Jesus, what are the odds," Maze says, grabbing some orange juice from beneath the counter. "You wanna come back here and help out?"

"Of course not," Lucifer says, then walks to the back of the bar to help out anyway. He's not actually good at mixing drinks at all, but he knows where everything is, mostly, grabbing Maze some rum and chopping limes since they're running low. "Are we especially busy today or something? I've never seen the bar this backed up."

"Well, you weren't telling me right away, I had to make a point," Maze says with a quick glare at him. "Apologize to Patrick."

Lucifer doesn't particularly feel like apologizing to Patrick for Maze's behavior, and Patrick seems a bit too busy with pitchers of sangria to do much of anything. There's a lull in their conversation as they get drinks out to the customers as fast as possible without missing any tabs or charges or anything else, but then it slows to something they can talk during.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out, I guess?" Maze says. "Did she, like, rip your shirt off or something? I didn't think Decker had it in her."

"No," Lucifer says. "While I'm not at all opposed, she actually just spilled some coffee--"

Maze laughs. "Holy shit, really? Wow, I didn't realize she was mad at you! I'm normally really good at picking up on anger!"

"It was an accident, Mazikeen, would I be in a good mood if it wasn't?" Lucifer says, annoyed, wiping down the counter with a rag just to get the worst of the condensation and sweat off.

She doesn't respond right away, and when he looks back, she's smiling at him, softer than she normally would. "Hey. I'm glad you're in a good mood about it."

"Okay?" Lucifer says, unused to Maze being nice when she doesn't want something from him. "Why--"

"Which is why I'm gonna tell you right now," Maze interrupts. "That you're my best friend. And that I care about you."

"I--okay? I--"

"And that if you hurt Chloe," Maze says, still smiling, still with that same casual tone. "I will fucking end you. Got that?"

"I haven't even done anything!" Lucifer protests. "Is she getting this same shovel talk? And besides, she's said she's not interested, it's just--friendly."

"Oh," Maze says, relaxing against the counter a little more. "Really? Wouldn't have guessed that. Also...yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, she got the same shovel talk," Maze says with another eyeroll, all trace of her sweet, fake smile gone. "Obviously. You're my best friend."

Lucifer nods, shoulders dropping just a little. It's not that he was worried Maze was picking between him and Chloe, like it's some sort of fight, but it's--nice, to be reassured that she's on his side anyway.

"Also?" Maze says, glare getting worse.

"Also...I care about you too?"

"Thank you!" Maze says in her sweetest, fakest voice of all. "Also, I'm guessing you two didn't exchange numbers again?"

"Shit."

"It's fine, I got you, let me just make sure Chloe's cool with it once I'm home," Maze says. "You're definitely both being stupid as hell, but whatever, at least it'll be fun to watch."

At 1:43am, after they've finished closing up and cleaning and getting everything ready for tomorrow, Lucifer checks his phone for the first time in an hour and sees a text from a number he doesn't recognize.

Hey! It's Chloe. Maze gave me your number, she said you said it was okay

If it's not, I'm sorry and I won't text again

And if you're not Lucifer, I'm sorry and please let me know?

Hello, Detective

She doesn't respond, but it's late enough that she's probably asleep, and frankly, after having to actually work tonight, he's about ready to pass out himself. So he does, gets into the most comfortable sheets he's ever head and is unconscious almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. He misses one more text, from a number he hasn't texted in years.

hey! i'm back in town if you want to meet up! let's partyyyy

#deckerstar #chloe decker #lucifer morningstar #lucifer on netflix #fox lucifer #fic: what do you truly desire?#my fics

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #299

“you look so beautiful tonight / reminds me how you laid us down and gently smiled before you destroyed my life.”

Ever done any drugs? Besides alcohol, no. How many people have you kissed? Three or four. What’s your favorite show to binge? I could only ever willingly *binge* Meerkat Manor and not get bored after like, two episodes. Do you watch porn? No, it's never appealed to me. What’s one of your fantasies? Being financially stable. :^) Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced? I've lightly considered getting one, but I really doubt I ever will. What’s the most overrated movie? /shrug. Let people like what they like. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message. I'd love to get to know my Facebook acquaintance Courtlynn better; I've wanted to for a long time. I think we could be fantastic friends. We'll like each other's stuff regularly and occasionally leave comments, but we don't really talk. Do you like paper books or ebooks better? Paper ones, by a long shot. I just really like the feeling of a book and being able to clearly see how far in you are. I enjoy the smell and sound of turning pages. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick? Probably Wonderland, realistically. I would say Azeroth, but too much world-threatening shit goes on every day lol. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like? G O T H Do you still have feelings for any of your exes? Yep. Do you drink? Very, very rarely. Almost exclusively during celebrations or on the once in a blue moon occasion we go to a sit-down restaurant. Do you read erotica? No. It would make me super uncomfortable. What color was the last candle you lit? I don't remember at all. Do you own a treadmill? No, but I want one. Have you ever signed up for a gym membership? Well, not exactly me. Mom and Nicole both had memberships to Planet Fitness, and I was able to come as a guest. It was just cheaper that way. What color was the last fish you had? That I owned or ate? Either way, idr. Is there a garbage can in your room? What color is it? No. If you play The Sims, do you download custom clothes, hair, etc? I don't play it. Does your animal sleep with you? Roman does, yes. He legitimately spoons with me lmao. Sometimes he'll move to the bottom of the bed, other times he'll sleep through most of the night there. Have you ever had to wear a hairnet? Yes. What is your favorite song to play on Guitar Hero or Rock Band? "Hotel California" by The Eagles on expert is so much fun and just feels good. The ending solo is just great. When you drink chocolate milk do you just buy the jug of it or the syrup that you can put into the milk? Almost always just the chocolate syrup. Do you own a robe? What color is it? No. What’s the worst abuse you have done to your phone? I know I've thrown it across the room once. Well, not my current phone, but a really old one. How did you meet your first love? High school. Well, you could maybe say Facebook. He sent me a friend request and I literally only accepted it because I thought it was another Jason. We talked via messenger some and then we ran into each other at school, and tbh I kinda knew I was fucked from there lmao. Have you ever worn the opposite sex’s underwear? I don't believe so, no. Have you ever kissed in a pool? Yeah. Are there any hobbies you have that you don’t perform in front of others? I absolutely cannot write in front of others, and I HATE drawing when people are watching. What do you do when you simply don’t know what to do? Odds are I'll probably be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something in WoW that sounds even remotely fun, or I'll browse Facebook. How did you find out about your current favorite band? He's one of my mom's favorite singers/bands, so I grew up with some of his music, and when I was getting into rock and metal, I decided to go through her music case and listen to some of it. Ozzy's Black Rain album set the adoration into motion. Where are you most likely to go when you need clothing? The Internet or Wal-Mart, depending on what kind of clothes I need. When was the last time you tried to do something yet failed? I should have an answer for this very quickly... yet I'm unsure. I don't think anything *major* has happened in a while. Oh, this is a tiny thing, but I did look really hard for the pencil sharpener so my niece could finish coloring her drawing, but I couldn't find the damn thing for anything. Do you think your life is comprised more of success or failure? Lots and lots of failure. What’s one personality trait that’s not strong in you? Uhhh outgoing, ig. Are you a difficult individual to get to know? Considering I hide a lot about myself to try and be accepted, yes. When was the last time you opened up to someone and about what? Literally yesterday to my mom about this unreasonably massive fear I've had lately that she doesn't have much longer in her. I'm terrified she's going to get COVID or her cancer just comes back faster than we hope. To whom do you feel the most important? My mom. Is there something you want but might not ever have? Many things. What’s something you’re working to obtain? Mental stability. Do you tend to enjoy your dreams? No, considering they're usually violent and rarely just psychotic nightmares. Are there any projects or goals you’ve recently abandoned? Hm. What in life serves to keep you going? The hope it'll get better, and I'll reach a point of actually being happy and content with my life. What was the last good news you received? Nicole's trip to Maryland to bring back a baby was successful (if that sounds weird, she's a child social worker). He has a heart condition where if his heartbeat or something like that was irregular, she'd have driven all the way up there for nothing; the baby wouldn't have been able to take the ride. Are you more inclined to appreciate sweet or savory foods? Sweet. Are romantic relationships important to you at this point in your life? I mean I'd like to be in one, but I highly doubt it'd be successful, just given where I am in life. I'd be signing up for heartbreak. Who was the last person to apologize to you for something they did? I don't know. Probably Mom for something minor, like just bumping into me or something. Are you wearing a necklace, and if so, who got it for you? No. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done lately? Lately? Uh. I don't know, but I can guarantee to you it wasn't long ago at all, considering breathing embarrasses me, pretty much. Do you ‘think out loud’? Sometimes. Do you take gummy vitamins? No. How do you know the majority of the people you know? Former schools. Hell, or maybe various online locations. I just might have more online friends and acquaintances than in-person. Is there a random object you own that has a huge personal significance? I've talked about my pebble from my partial hospitalization program enough. Can you play electric guitar? I used to be able to play a little bit; I took guitar lessons for a short while in high school. Best I could do was the intro to "Crazy Train," but I'd still occasionally mess up. Are you one of those people who chew two pieces of gum, not one? Usually. Do you believe in ghosts/supernatural occurrences? Yes. Without the aid of mascara, do you have long eyelashes? Yeah. Is there a kind of music you listen to that helps you release your anger? Yes, usually songs that are also angry. How does it make you feel looking at pics with your ex and someone else? The only case this has ever happened was with Jason and his gf after me. There are no words to describe the fucking hatred I felt. I haven't seen pictures of him with an s/o in a long time, and I absolutely never plan on seeking them out ever again. What song are you listening to right now? "Rest In Pieces" by Saliva. If you’re not in college, why? I couldn't handle the stress anymore. Just couldn't. Do you own a studded belt from Hot Topic? I have a good number of old ones from high school, actually. I wore them all the time. I could never fit into them now. Favorite fictional character? Um, Darkiplier, duh. Most recent thing you are looking forward to? I think it's finally set in stone that I'm getting my tattoo redone soon. Thanks to my laptop saying "ha fuck you," it's not as soon as I originally planned since I had to pay to fix it, but Mom seems fine with helping me pay for my birthday. Not a guarantee that it'll happen on that date of course, given scheduling, but yeah. It should fucking finally be happening. How many stairs can you climb before you wanna pass out? This is too embarrassing to even answer lmao. Have you ever kissed someone with braces? No. Would you ever consider adoption? I don't want kids, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't. I feel like I'd personally need the "wow this is a part of me (and/or my s/o)" connection. Do you ever go hunting/fishing? I would never go hunting, and the only occasion in which I'd fish again is if Dad asked me. I don't like the idea of fishing for fun anymore, but that's like... always been our bonding experience, and I wouldn't tell him no. Do you know anyone who plays guitar? Knew. What are you currently sitting/laying on? My bed. Who are your godparents? I don't think I have any. Do you have any friends who are famous? I have two friends who are parts of bands, but idk how successful they are. I don't think either are like, huge. Nova Mortis if you're into heavy metal and I think Toukan does rap? When was the last time you stayed at a hotel? Hm. I have no idea. What side of a heart do you draw first? Uhhhh I think the left? What is your mom saved as in your phone? "Mama Bear." Do you want your tongue pierced? I had snake eyes for a while, but I took them out because I kept chipping my teeth. I miss that piercing, it was so cute, but it wasn't worth ruining my teeth. Ever made out in a pool? It's possible very briefly, idr. Do you like to have long hair or short hair? SHORT. SHORT. SHORT. Do you change your phone background a lot? Not really. Would you get back with your last ex if you could? Yeah. Have you ever been strip searched? No. Has the person you like ever seen you in your pajamas? Yes. What is your least favorite type of chocolate? White chocolate is way too sweet. Did anyone see your last kiss? It was at an airport, so probably. Do you want a boyfriend or girlfriend? I mean, I do, but I don't really know how smart it would be right now. Is there anyone you wish you could fix things with? A few. Who IMed you on Facebook last? My friend Girt. Were you kinda scared of the goths in high school? Hell naw man, I looked up to them lmao. What size is your mattress? (single,twin,double,queen,king) Queen. Do you like spaghetti? Hell yeah. It was my favorite food as a kid. What about lasagna? No; I don't like the cheese at all. Have you ever been stung by anything? What was it? Mosquitoes of course, as well as a bee once. Maybe other things, idk. Have you ever worn contacts? (even just to try them out) Yes, but I changed to glasses because I had too much trouble putting them in and taking them out. Have you ever had any suspicious moles removed? No. Have you ever been screened for STDs? No. Did you have your tonsils taken out? No. Did you have your appendix taken out? No. Do you have any collector’s glasses or cups or mugs? What is a "collector's" glass or mug? Were you your parents’ first born? No; I'm the middle child. Do you have a child? Is the father still with you? No. Were you born perfectly healthy or with some (or a lot) of health issues? I was born healthy. Good 'ole days. Did you ever catch any bugs or insects with your friends as a kid? Ohhhh yes, my neighbor and I loved doing that. My favorite was catching fireflies with my sisters, though. Would you prefer to travel around the world by yourself or with a friend? With a friend. I'd get lonely. Do you know anybody who has been diagnosed with cancer? A whole lot, sadly... I'm despising that disease more and more every day that goes by. I know far too many people who have it or have died at its hands. Have you ever had to take care of an intoxicated person? No. Do you and your boyfriend/girlfriend fight a lot? N/A. Do not stay in a relationship where fighting is common. Would you ever share a site password with a family member or partner? I mean sure, depending on the site and person, and the reason they (may) need it. Has anyone ever told you they couldn't trust you? Hm... I actually don't think so? Who in your family has the prettiest eyes? Idk, I don't see enough of my extended family to know. What is an odd food item you would like to try, or have tried? I'm sure there's something I'd like to try, but nothing I think about with consistency, really... Most "odd" food I find unappealing anyway. When/if you drive, do you go the speedlimit? When I did, I certainly always tried to, but I was bad at maintaining a stable speed. I went up and down too much. Are you an aggressive driver? Or more passive-aggressive? I was dangerously passive at driving. Describe a hairstyle you had as a little kid? Well, I had long hair with bangs. What routine of yours would you most hate to break? Probably stopping getting a soda first thing in the morning... That is like so deeply ingrained into my day and is a motivator to get up in the first place. I want to change this to where I'm not allowed to grab one until I've had a full cup of water, but yeah, that hasn't happened yet. Has jealousy ever ruined one of your friendships/relationships? Honestly? I think it's possible that Jason totally split on me because of it. We were in this very unstable "friends" position after the breakup and hung out very briefly and awkwardly twice (which I'm pretty sure he didn't want), and I think one of our last attempts at conversation was who a girl he was talking to via Messenger was. No, before any assumptions are made, I didn't snoop. He showed me something on his phone and I just inevitably saw the little Facebook chat icon of a girl I didn't recognize. I don't even remember his answer. I just know it wasn't too long later I was blocked and everything. What is one restaurant you would NOT recommend? I personally am not a Chili's fan. What was your last conversation about? Mom and I were just talking about what a mush the cat is, haha. Who is your favorite person to debate or discuss with? Yo fuck debates, I got mad anxiety over that kind of stuff. Are you more likely to praise or insult yourself? Why? Insult. I don't even believe myself when I try praising, so it's not worth the effort. I have a billion and two reasons. Do you enjoy cloudy days? Why or why not? Honestly, not very much anymore. I've found that it actually does affect my mood. I like some cloud coverage, though. Would it bother you to be forgotten after death? Yes, even though when you think about it, most of us will be. I want to do stomething so badly; not even particularly something major, but just contribute to things and causes that matter and slowly change the world for the better. It's especially likely I will be forgotten though at some point because I don't want kids, so my blood isn't carrying on. Do you tend to prefer healthy or unhealthy snacks? Ugh, unhealthy. Has anyone ever asked you for diet advice? I think so, back when I started recovery and lost like 60 lbs fast as fuck. I wasn't even dieting though, just... came off awful meds. What age is your youngest aunt? Ummmm I have no clue. Do you like bowling? Yeah, it's fun, but I'm not good at it. Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire? Totally. Do you prefer sweet or sour fruits? Sweet. How're your dancing skills? Rusted to the point of just not functional anymore lmao. What brand of batteries do you usually get? I don't pay attention to the kind Mom gets. Are any of your friends pregnant or have kids? A lot of my FB friends have kids. At least two are pregnant, but I only consider myself remotely close to one. I'm beyond worried about how she's going to be as a mom. Where's the strangest place a fast food restaurant was located? I've certainly seen some questionable placement in busy areas, but none that are super odd. Do you stay up all night on New Years Eve/Day or go to bed after 12am? I don't care nowadays; I just stay up until I'm tired like every other night.

#survey #surveys #questions #questionnaire #lyrics: ''rest in pieces'' by saliva

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kickingitwithkirk · 4 years

Text

Happy Coincidence Chance Discovery

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Piper, Jared Padalecki x Piper,

Characters: Dean Winchester /Jensen Ackles, mentions of Chad Michael Murray

Word Count:4367

Warnings: cursing, kissing, nudity, implied sex/genital fondling/teasing

*Jared and Jensen are single.

A/N: for @idreamofplaid Thanks for the Memories Challenge #plaid and the memories HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARED🎉

Prompt: Season 11, episode 4, Baby

A/N: Baby is my favorite episode but every time I’ve watched it I kept wondering; Sam’s hook up with Piper the waitress? So this is my fill in that blank with a Jared twist.

Divider: created by @writeyourmindaway

*No beta all mistakes are mine

Dean drives into the parking lot of a roadhouse just after dusk and Sam looks at the marquee shaking his head in disbelief.

“Are you serious? Dean, it's late, I’m exhausted and..and.. and starving. And this place. I mean, even Swayze wouldn't come to this roadhouse.” Sam groused.

“First of all, never use Swayze’s name in vain, okay. Ever.” Dean chastises his brother for such a sacrilege, “Second, you don't remember this place? You don't remember Heather, the hunter we worked the wendigo case a couple years ago?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sam partially smiles, remembering that night of fun.

“Yeah, exactly” Dean taking the same trip down memory lane.

“What, she’s here tonight?” Sam asks, perking up a bit.

“I texted her, she's working a rugaru case in Texas.” Dean says.

“Actually, she never texted me back. That's not the point, the point is that we have a ton of driving left to do just to go to a town where it's not probably a case.” Dean points ahead, “But in there, good times.”

“Uh...” Sam hedges looking at the building.

“But time heals all wounds, especially good times. What do ya say?” Dean looks at his brother hopeful.

“I say... knock yourself out.” Sam answers with his usual reply and Dean looks away, “I'm gonna find a diner and dig into the lore like Cas did, see if anythings ever happened where we’re headed.”

“Ah man, you really got to learn to have fun.” Dean’s reply was full of disappointment in his little brother.

“Seriously. It’s pathetic.”

They both climb out of the Impala. Sam grabs his bag from the backseat and starts walking back towards town as Dean heads into the roadhouse.

***

Sam had walked over a mile looking for somewhere to eat. Being Saturday night he thought there’d be more open but that’s small town living, the streets roll up at noon on the weekends.

He was about to give up and hike back to that mom & pop gas station he passed for a microwave burrito, preferably bean to get back at Dean, when he happened upon a small, local place, Mak’s Diner.

Hitching his bag up, he pushed open the door expecting the usual greasy spoon Dean's unerring sense navigates towards and stops just inside the front door.

It was an older establishment, obviously one of those passed down from generation to generation places but to his surprise it was well maintained, despite the C on the marquee being burnt out.

“Evening, have a seat anywhere and I’ll be right with you.” A woman’s voice called out from the kitchen. Sam walked past the counter smiling at only other occupants, an elderly couple having coffee and dessert, heading towards the back where family seating was located.

As he passed the next to last booth he noticed a closed laptop, several open books with notes scrawled around their margins, highlighted paragraphs and a few notebooks scattered on its tabletop.

He dropped the bag on the seat and shed his jacket before sliding into the booth, fishing out his laptop and the legal pad that he had started making more notes on earlier.

“Hey there, what can I get you?”

Picking up the menu laying by his elbow Sam glances through it, “Coffee and the Cobb salad, thanks.” He orders closing the menu and looking up to hand it to the waitress. She is differently not what he would have expected to find in a backwater burg like this one.

Her makeup is understated, nails painted a neutral color and her copper hued hair is pulled back in an elegant chiffon, not a high ponytail or hastily bobby pinned up-do, held in place with a real silver clip, the type that’s handed down as an heirloom.

“Just the Cobb salad?” She asked looking under the tabletop, taking in Sam’s long legs somewhat stretched out under it, boots bumping against the other side of the circular booth. Her blue/grey eyes slowly travel up appraising his body till they meet his.

“Big boys like you need more than a few leafy greens for stamina.”

Sam felt himself blushing like he was seventeen again. Waitresses blatantly flirt with Dean and vice versa all the time so he’s taken aback by this woman's more than blatant appraisal of his physique.

“I, um, yeah, ju..just the salad.” Sam stammers out.

“Okay, be back with that coffee.” Her smiles genuinely, not that faked for the customers sake one he’s used to.

Sam appraises her retreating figure like she did him. She’s not wearing the nurses white or black rubber soled shoes that’s usual waitress gear he’s seen but a brand of tennis shoes he knows are out of the typical income of career restaurant staff.

The fifties style, yellow uniforms color is completely unflattering, not fitting her right, way too tight around her bust and hips and far shorter than it should be, her mile long legs on display.

Sam shifts in his seat and tries to discreetly palm down his spontaneous erection but not so little Sam is putting up a fight, making it known it's been way too long since he’s gotten wet and he wants to enjoy her junoesque attributes.

***

While he is waiting for a page to load Sam hears the elderly couple preparing to leave. He watches as the husband helps his wife into her jacket and gently takes her hand, resting it in the crook of his arm as they slowly make their way to the exit, feeling the pang of loneliness that’s his constant companion.

“Mr. Reynolds’s, hang on a sec,” the waitress calls from the kitchen emerging with a white cake box tied shut, “Auntie wanted me to make sure you got this before leaving. She’s sorry she missed your anniversary party.”

“You tell her we missed her, needs to hurry up and get well.” Mrs. Reynolds remarked as her husband took the box with his free hand. She glanced back towards Sam, “Sweetie, you gonna be okay here with the likes of him?”

Sam kept his expression neutral, waiting to see how this plays out. He knew people found him intimidating because of his size and being a stranger in a small town, he definitely stands out but not many were that blatant about it.

“He ordered a Cobb salad, I think I can handle him,” she jested winking at him.

The couple bid her goodnight and she went back into the kitchen, Sam realizing they were now all alone. Sighing, he starts reading the info again trying to figure out what exactly their hunting is. Or not.

He was so focused on his research like usual he didn’t acknowledge the waitress standing there with his order.

“Kmm hmm,” Sam’s head snapped up, “must be something really good if you don’t notice the likes of me.” She chided him setting down a coffee decanter and cup.

“Sorry, guess I was kinda caught up.” Sam moves the laptop and notepad over as she sets down his salad and two types of dressing. “Figured you might not be a ranch type of guy so I grabbed the vinaigrette too.”

“Thanks, I prefer vinaigrette, don’t usually get offered it.”

“I’m pretty good at reading people which is why I also brought you this,” she set down another plate with a lettuce wrapped, curiously colored and, by the smell, not meat burger with all the fixings, a generous helping of baked sweet potato fries and a green colored milkshake.

“I didn’t order this.”

“I know but it cooks night off and I’m trying some new recipes. Seeing as you're the only other one here, you've been conscripted as my guinea pig.” She slid into the other side of his booth where an identical plate rested, “I wasn’t kidding about you needing more than just a salad. Besides, I hate eating alone, you wouldn’t believe how often it happens. Fuck, where’s my manners, I’m Piper.” She stuck her hand out across the table.

He takes her preferred hand amazed how it fits perfectly in his, “Sam.”

“So Sam, figure out what you're hunting yet?” She asked nonchalantly as she picked up her burger, “Cause, not being judgey, but that’s some really random shit you got there.” She takes a bite, watches as his expression bounces between startled and incredulous.

“How…”

“Saw your Tarsus 99 when you took off your jacket. I had one as a kid, then daddy got killed on a hunt and I got sent here to live with Auntie, she doesn’t cotton to hunting.”

Piper picked up a fry pointing it at him, “But what I really wanna know, where the hell did you get that demon blade, ‘cause I’ve never seen one like it before.”

Sam hesitates, “That’s a long story.”

“Don’t close till one and I’ve got nowhere to be after.”

Sam decides to deflect instead of answering. “So what is it you do, because you're definitely not a waitress.”

“Officially, I’m an antique appraiser. Unofficially, I’m helping a wayward hunter who graced my door with something he can’t figure out.”

***

Sam and Piper, after closing the diner, stayed another three hours hashing out the research for his case were now taking their time walking back towards the roadhouse.

“I’ve been wanting to ask, what’s with that name tag?” Sam noticed early it read Maggie.

“Came with this god awful uniform. Auntie insists that we all adhere to how her daddy ran the place. So when I came back to temporarily help out after her surgery, Maggie decided she was not gonna take orders from someone younger, quit and I got stuck with this. I told Auntie it wouldn’t fit, even with letting out the hem. Maggie was like five-four and I’m over five-ten!

Ugh! I keep popping these stupid top buttons and can’t freaking bend over without showing everyone my C U Next Tuesday.”

Sam smiled that nervous smile he got when unsure how to respond to an answer he wasn’t expecting.

“I normally wear this to cover it,” moving her pocketed hands in the light weight, knee length sweater she had put on when they left the diner, “but I have to confess,” Piper turned around, walking backwards, “I took it off when I saw you come in, thought what the hell, been long time since a really cute guy has walk through my door so...” She bit her lip, turning back around as they continued down the lane in companionable silence.

Sam mused over her confession admitting to himself he was interested in her too. He enjoyed sharing different theories and bouncing ideas of what they might be hunting back and forth with her, surprising him with her unique take on things.

Piper might not have been the type he consciously steered towards since Jess but she was comfortable to be around, didn’t feel his usual awkwardness he normally had around most women.

They arrived at the roadhouse a few minutes later and Sam led her towards the Impala.

“Damn, you brother is a fucking artist, how many times has he rebuilt her?” Piper asked walking around the car, running her hand over the Impalas pristine exterior.

“To many.” Sam replies, putting his bag on the front seat. “Can I have a look?” He turns to see Piper standing by the trunk. “Um, sure.” Strolling over he unlocks it and lifts the interior wheel well exposing the car's hidden armory.

“Is that a grenade launcher?”

“Yeah, Dean found it at the bunker.” Sam laughed remembering how excited Dean had been when he discovered it.

Piper shook her head shutting the trunk and hopped up on it, “What’cha wanna do now, go in,” gesturing at the bar, “or hang out here for a while longer?”

“I think I’m good hanging o...”

Piper grabbed his jacket dragging him between her spread legs and kissed him.

It took Sam all of five seconds to process what was happening before his hands grabbed her hips and tugged her to the edge of the trunk, her short skirt riding even higher as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer.

Sam jerked back as headlights flashing over them, a patrol car drove into the parking lot. He lifted Piper off the trunk and led her to the car's back door dragging the green cooler out of their way.

Piper climbed in as he hauled it to the trunk and grabs the army blanket Dean keeps then gets in depositing it and his jacket over the front seat.

“Where were we before being rudely interrupted?” Piper asked, sliding onto Sam’s lap and leaning in to resume kissing him.

Sam tangled his long fingers into her now loose hair pulling to halt her, “What about that patrolman?”

“Won’t be back till closing, around six A.M.”

“That means Dean won’t either,” he says closing the space between them, heatedly attacking her lips.

***

Piper ran her hand over his bare chest, “How long is your refractory period?”

Sam shifted to look down at her, “umm, around twenty minutes.”

“Hmmm, I’m gonna have to see what I can do to shorten that ‘cause we are so doing that more than once again.”

“And how are you gonna do that?”

Piper stared at him slowly trailing her hand down his torso. Sam’s breath hitched as she lightly teased her fingers across his lower stomach, running through his treasure trail and over to his hip.

Shifting further down his body she continued running her fingers over the top of his left thigh feeling the hard muscles flexing under the skin. She placed both of her hands in between his legs shifting his left one off the seat and bending his right leg back placing his foot flat on the bench seat.

Piper kneels in the space between Sam’s spread legs continuously moving her fingers in random patterns over the insides of both tights, touching him everywhere below his waist.

Sam closed his eyes groaning loudly, dropping his head back against the window as her fingers played over his balls feeling her other hand travel behind them teasing over his...

“You fell asleep in the fucking car!”

His eyes snapped open startled. Blinking rapidly he sees Dean leaning through the open car window looking at him.

“Dean what...where’s Piper?”

“What’s a Piper?” He growled out, “Dude, we wrapped twenty minutes ago and I’ve been looking for you, got worried cause you weren’t answering your fucking phone Jay!”

He took a good look at Dean. His foggy brain finally realizing its mistake, taking in the headset hanging around his neck and the ball cap he likes wearing when directing. “Jen, sorry, guess I’m still in Sam headspace, got disoriented for a sec.”

Jensen laughed, “You find one grey hair and suddenly you're getting memory loss and needing naps? I’ll have to remember to have you in bed by nine, old man.”

“Your fucking hilarious Jack.” Jared shoots back sliding across the seat getting out, “Man, I had the weirdest dream.”

“From the happy noises you were making that was far from weird. And speaking of happy,” Jensen's eyebrows went up as he pointedly looked down.

Jared glances down thinking he’s drooled all over himself only to see the prominent bulge in his jeans.

“Bob’s called a meeting in five but I think we’re gonna be late.”

***

“I’m telling you it was so real! She was tall with coppery blond hair, tasted like chocolate peppermint and has this tattoo above her...” Jared paused grinning, keeping that specific location to himself, “I’ve never in my life had such a vivid dream like that.”

“Dude, you like petite brunettes.”

“I know..so why would I make her a redhead?”

“Hell if I know, it’s your giant melon. Maybe all that sugar ribbon you eat is finally getting its revenge.” Jensen snarks as they enter the meeting room.

They were greeted by Bob’s gruff voice, “About time you two showed up. Alright, now that everyone is finally here, we need to get everyone up to speed. We’re having to make changes to the filming schedule.” He pauses looking at him notes, “Jared, don’t need you to come tomorrow for those new promo shots with, what was that new character again?”

“Y/N Y/L/N, Sam’s new love interest.”

“Right, anyways, writers scraped that idea. As some of you heard, several of our exterior locations got flooded with that last storm and it’s taking time to find new locations so instead of doing blocking we're gonna do a quick read through of the new episode.”

Jared opened his copy of the new script to episode 4: Baby.

Reading the opening scene he experiences deja vu, quickly scanning the first two pages: bunkers garage: Dean washing the Impala, Sam having a possible case in Oregon. Next scene: interior shot Impala, Sam gets a protein shake out of cooler, Dean wants to know about the beer. Next scene: pulling in roadhouse parking lot, Dean trying to get Sam to join him, goes to eat instead, shot from Impala view watching Dean walking. Next scene: daybreak continuing from the view of the car...

“Fuck me.” Jared whispers, catching Jensen's attention. “What’s wrong?”

“This is how my dream started.”

Jensen pulls a yeah right face.

Jared shifted in his chair leaning closer to Jensen, looking directly into his green eyes, “I’ll prove it. Next scene: Dean gets in the car at daybreak and a naked waitress pops up in the backseat with a voice-over from Sam. Dean gets out peeping in the driver's side back window at her getting dressed. Cut to next scene: Sam climbs into front seat buttoning his flannel as he apologizes for having sex in Dean’s car. Dean, happy his brother finally got laid drives off quoting Bob Sager lyrics, playing Night Moves and Sam changing a lyric.

Jared continued to lay out the entire episode from memory as Jensen flips through the script following.

“Bullshit Jared, someone snuck you a copy of this script, you're totally fucking with me.”

“Jensen, not this time.”

***

Jared walked back to his trailer aggravated that Jensen won’t believe he didn’t get an advance peek of the script. He can’t shake this unsettling feeling that he was forgetting something important.

He was two steps into his trailer when his phone vibrated. Chad left a voicemail instead of texting, weird.

“Jay man, you gotta do me solid. A friend of mine got the part of Y/N on your show and I don’t know what the fucks happening up there but she flipped the fuck out on me! Need you to check on her, she’s outside one of the guest trailers. And have her call me back after she’s calmed the fuck down!”

Jared snorted, another woman pissed off at Chad, shocker. “The fuck you getting me into this time Murray.” Jared mutters to himself as he heads over to the guest stars trailers and hears a somewhat familiar voice outside of one.

“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do? I get here and now they're telling me they’ve dropped the story line.”

There was a pause in conversation as Jared walked closer to hear more clearly over the lot's noises and was shocked when he saw her sitting on one of the trailer's steps.

“But I signed a contract...what? I don’t remember seeing that in there. So they can just arbitrarily drop the part with no notification, that’s bullshit! I’ve never had a clause like that in one before. I gave up my job and apartment for this!” She gets up and paces around not noticing him.

“They're giving me the bit part of the waitress in this episode, have a five am call for hair, getting a blonde rinse so I look more like a Dean type girl. I don’t know what the fuck is with these writers, it’s like they don’t get Sam, should’ve left him like Kripke originally created him.” She paused, “paying me what? At scale! That’ll just cover my petrol for the drive back to L.A. Wait, what about my six month lease? Could you check on it.”

“Oh, giving me two nights at the Hilton. How magnanimous of them,” she sarcastically replies, “can I still get that part on Arrow...cast someone else.” She abruptly ends the call and sits back down on the step slumping over her knees.

“So, how much of that fucked up conversation did you overhear?” She asked not looking at him.

“Um, almost all of it.” Jared confesses, “I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping but I got a voicemail from Chad,” she looked up staring in disbelief at Jared, “he’s worried and wanted me to check on you.”

“Fanfuckingtastic, can this day get any better? I’ve completely humiliated myself in front of Jared Fucking Padalecki!”

Jared can just make out her blushing in the still dimming light. “I wouldn’t say completely, I mean, you could drop your pants and yell Pudding.”

She blinked at him before doubling over in laughter, “Alright, point taken. Still, it’s a crock of shit you don’t need to be bothered with.”

“Chad’s kinda made it my problem. Look, I don't know all the details but maybe I can help, I can call casting..”

“Oh hell no! Thanks but no thanks. Bunch of assbutts on social media were already speculating about how someone like me got the part in the first place. Last thing I need is more ammo for the haters, they’ll tweet something like I had a three way with you and Ackles because I was desperate to get the part back.”

Jared cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair embarrassed to feel turned on by the imagery she conjured up in his mind.

“Mmm, that’d be my wet dream come true, but not the point, they’ll just come up with some random shit.”

Jared understood being all too familiar with the anti whatever’s having been the target himself.

“Okay, how about we go to my trailer,” she gave him a skeptical look, “where you can have some privacy to call Chad back. I’ll get de-Sam’d and we can talk some more or grab a bite if you're hungry.”

“You don’t know me from Adam, what if I’m some psychotic serial stocker nut job?”

“If your friends with Chad, you absofuckingloutley are Ms. what's your name.” Jared sarcastically remarks given her a mischievous grin.

“Touché, and it's Piper,” Jared froze at her name, “and you’ve been friends with Murry longer than me so I know you’re straight up batshit crazy.” She smarts back standing up, “lead on, oh gallant knight.”

***

Jared walked out of the bath toweling his wet hair sees Piper lounging on his couch still on the phone with Chad.

As he crossed over to the kitchen's fridge he couldn’t help but notice her low rise jeans had ridden lower, revealing the top half of the tattoo just above her..

“Dude, should’a told me Padalecki has a tattoo kink,” Jared tripped over his feet before catching himself embarrassed at getting caught, “Yeah, that was your boy.” She winked at him, “No way in hell I’m ever showing it to you perv.” Jared loudly laughs at that. “Hey, when I get back I’m PA’ing for you till I get another gig. Don’t you dare argue, you got me into this so it’s that or I’m on your couch for a month,” Piper rolled her eyes at Chad’s response, “Yeah, yeah, talk to you later.”

“Is that how you met Chad, working as a PA?” Jared inquired coming over to sit down next to Piper handing her a beer.

“Yeah, paid the bills while doing auditions, was starting to pick up a few bit parts around LA.” Piper starts nervously fiddling with the bottles label, “I heard about the casting call for a new Sam girl and Murry talked me into trying out for it, so I figured unless I kiss Crowley I don’t have a shot in hell and holy fuck, I got it.”

She stopped talking but kept playing with the label.

“Hey, whatever it is you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Jared says gently touching her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

She took a long pull of her beer before continuing. “My Auntie died and I inherited everything, including her debts. I negotiated a smaller settlement but it wiped out all my savings.” She paused draining the rest of her bottle. “I figured it was serendipity..”

Jared is half listening, feeling that uneasy sensation again at that last word.

“...gonna be Sam Winchester’s...”

“If we’re meant to meet again,”

“.. weren’t killing her off after three episodes but then they decided to drop that story line...”

“we will.”

“...I should be going. Thanks for the beer and letting bending your ear, I’m gonna get out of your hair.” Piper gets up heading for the door.

Jared finally remembers.

“I believe in serendipity..maybe you can too.”

He quickly jumped up moving between her and the door blurting out, “I know you said you didn’t want my help but you can’t go, not yet.”

“Okay, why not? ‘Cause any other time I’d be up for some wham bam thank you ma’am but so not in the mood right now.”

Taking a deep breath he goes for it, “So, get this, after we finished filming today, I fell asleep in the Impala and had this dream…”

***

Jared sat on the couch nervously chewing on his thumb watching as Piper paces back and forth mulling over his story.

She abruptly stopped and sat down on the table in front of him. “So here's the deal, I will believe everything you've told me,” Jared opens his mouth to say something but Piper reached out laying her fingers on his lips, “if you can answer one question.”

Jared took her hand remembering how it felt so right in his, “Okay.”

“Since you’ve seen it in your dream, what does my tattoo mean?”

“In Japanese, it means happy coincidence,” Jared confidently says sitting back as Piper climbs onto his lap, “but that's the first line, the second one is chance discovery.”

Jared pulls her in, brushing his lips against hers, running his tongue across them so she’ll part them , allowing him access. He can taste the beer they’ve been drinking but there’s that sumptuous flavor of her underneath he finds intoxicating..chocolate peppermint..thinking to himself..

Serendipity.

#plaid and the memories #Baby #sam winchester x piper #jared padalecki x piper #SPN Supernatural #sam winchester fanfiction #Sam Winchester #dean winchester #Jensen Ackles

26 notes · View notes

lyssala · 4 years

Text

Day 9 – Plot of Your Favorite Movie

Pairings: Terra & Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Modern AU where Terra and Aqua are coworkers who do not get along, but unbeknownst to them, they are actually wonderful friends

Rating: K+

Words: 15377

Notes: Another fic I have wanted to do for ages! Its based off of You've Got Mail and the musical She Loves Me (both of which are based on the same source material). I've always loved the setup for these works and have always wanted to try my hand at doing an au with a similar setup. Also! Its a Christmas fic so Happy Holidays my friends!! (also in case you know/listen to the music, Vanilla Ice Cream was my signature audition song and it has such a special place in my heart, which is why the title is not Christmas related at all LOL)

As always a HUGE thanks to @mimiplaysgames who helped me edit this fic while she was on vacation. She really helped me cultivate the right tone for this fic (because its another sorta rival feelings one) and I can just NEVER thank her enough. She's amazing and SHE JUST UPDATED A FIC YESTERDAY so you all should go read it immediately <3

AO3

He Came to Offer Me Vanilla Ice Cream

Inspired By: Three Letters, Vanilla Ice Cream, She Loves Me (She Loves Me, 2016 Revival Cast)

Dear OftheShire,

I’m so sorry to hear you have to work so much over the holidays. I understand the feelings all too well, unfortunately. My saving grace is that I at least don’t get sick of listening to Christmas music! Customers, yes, absolutely, but hearing All I Want for Christmas for the tenth time on one shift keeps me going strong. I even sing along to the horror of my coworkers. I do love the holidays, and the high consumerism the holiday has turned into can’t take that away from me.

The weather, the music, the smells, the feeling of it just reminds me of being a little girl, hanging up my stocking and double checking the cookies I left out for Santa. I would be so ecstatic when there would be chunks missing in the cookies in the morning that I’d completely miss the crumbs in my dad’s beard! Did you believe in Santa too? (Also totally sorry to be the bearer of bad news if you still believed in Santa D: ) Some people find it cruel to let their kids believe only to then tell them it was a lie, but I have so many fond memories of trying to look for Santa on Christmas Eve and my mom playing along that she saw reindeer in the distance that I never found it cruel. If I ever have children, I think I’d like to share that with them too.

My parents live back in my home state, which, believe it or not, gets even colder than where I live now! I grew up really far north, which is wonderful in every other seasons but winter. Even growing up there can’t get me used to the cold and the snow. They’re actually coming to visit me for the first time since I started Grad school out here for Christmas! I can’t wait to see them. Are you close with your family?

Congratulations on being able to graduate next semester yourself! I still have a ways to go but the fact you’re already almost done gives me hope I can survive myself. What did you say you studied again? It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t seem to recall. That’s probably because I haven’t had my coffee yet, believe me that’s my first stop before class :P

I probably should get on that or I’m going to be late, another long day means multiple cups of coffee (and maybe a few cinnamon rolls).

The store was thankfully busy. Not so much for Terra who had to pay much more at attention than usual, but for the store itself. Sure they were the only bookstore in the mall, which helped significantly but at the same time they were independently owned and needed the revenue to keep the doors open.

He looked down the aisle he was standing nearby quickly and had to dodge a few younger kids running to the back of the store where the children’s books were. One of their hands reached out to pull at one of the books but his friend shoved him to keep moving, making the book launch towards the floor. Terra reached out to grab it, placing it carefully back where it was supposed to go. Granted, judging by the complete disarray of every other shelf it really didn’t matter.

The moment he cleaned this aisle, it was a disaster again. He’d have to leave it for the afternoon when they’d be a little slower; the thought alone made him roll his eyes. That would thrill the afternoon shift lead he was sure.

Terra pulled his phone from his apron pocket, glancing at the clock. She’d be here in about an hour, but that also meant he got to leave soon which was more than enough to get him through the rest of his shift. He knew he should put his phone back in his pocket as he was on the floor; even if he was the lead he didn’t like to do things he didn’t let the kids do. Still he couldn’t resist peeking at his email.

Nothing.

He quickly opened the app just to see if he didn’t get a notification but there were no new messages there either.

“Terra!” a voice crackled so loudly in his hear he almost both dropped his phone and ripped the headpiece from his ear. “Terra, can you hear me?”

He reached up to grab the button hanging on the wire of his headset. “Yes, Sora, for the thousandth time, I can always hear you when you speak at a normal volume.”

“Sorry,” Sora’s voice was sheepish but Terra could practically see the smile on the younger boy’s lips. “I have a return. I got everything set up but I need your approval.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Excuse me, sir?” another voice said nearby but judging by the fact she wasn’t shouting his name it wasn’t one of his employees. “I was looking for something to get my grandson, but I’m unsure what to look for.”

When did this aisle get so full of people? Was the whole store full up again? Had an hour and a half gone by yet?

Terra leaned back hoping to catch the nearest employee he could see who wasn’t on register. Silver hair and blue eyes looked back at him, putting some books back. Terra gestured for him to come over.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have Riku help you find everything you need as I have to assist at the front, is that okay?”

The woman looked a little disgruntled at first but seemed to lighten up when Riku actually stepped into the aisle. “Yes, that’ll be fine. Come with me, young man.”

“I’m sorry,” Terra mouthed when Riku gave a wince but Terra had to keep moving to go finish out the return for Sora before he started yelling in Terra’s ear again. He probably wouldn’t even let Sora use it if he wasn’t always on registers; he was personable and quick, easy to strike a conversation and get the job done.

“Terra,” Sora said again, though this time in an exaggerated whisper. “They’re getting mad.”

Of course they were, everyone was so much more impatient as soon as the Christmas trees go up. He honestly felt that way sometimes too, but the words from his friend’s last message rang in his head. She sounded like she loved Christmas so much, and everything that went into it. For some reason it made him smile at her childlike glow even though all he knew was her typed words and nothing more. She just oozed passion in every message he got from her.

He tried not to think about it too much but it was hard not to; especially when he looked forward to what she was going to say to him next; what he would say to her helped him through these longs days. Terra knew he didn’t quite have a connection with every single person he met, so he was astounded to find that easy communication with her, even though they really never met. No name, no personal identification information, no pictures, just their messages back and forth. Still, it was something special to him.

Terra moved to step behind the register Sora was standing behind; he looked visibly relieved.

“Sorry, about that, Ma’am,” Terra said with a smile, as he leaned in to punch in his code that would let the return go through. He trusted Sora enough to do it right so there was no need to look over it. “You’re good to finish.”

“Thanks,” Sora said, moving back to go about the rest of the transaction as quick as his fingers would allow.

Terra moved to grab some of the books on the back counter that were probably other returns or go backs but really he just wanted to look over the store. There was a small line but with Sora on one and Xion on the other they’d handle registers just fine. Terra glanced around the store, scanning over the other employees scattered around working; if only to make sure everyone was actually working.

There was one missing, and usually it was hard to miss such red hair anywhere. Figures Lea was late. Terra would give Lea a little longer before he called. For the time being he went to place the books back and help on the floor. He had been working here since high school, he knew how to handle both the product and the people, even if he didn’t always characterize himself as a people person. He could still smile and help; though he usually found a lot of people went to the kids to ask for help instead. He apparently looked too intimidating to work at a bookstore.

In the very least, the busy days meant time went by faster. It also made him forget to keep looking at his phone to see if it went off at all. In fact before he knew it, he was turning to stand face to face with the afternoon lead.

“Jesus,” he grunted, taking a step back from her. “Do you have to sneak up on me?”

Aqua was shorter than him, but she was plenty loud; if she wanted to announce her presence she would’ve. Currently, she looked very disinterested in the fact she had to talk to him. Even still, her blue eyes were bright under the store lighting a small smile in the corner of her lips. He knew it absolutely didn’t have to do with him, and probably everything to do with that Christmas spirit she loved so much.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not my fault you were off in your own head like always.”

He decided to ignore that, however, it was hard to ignore that Aqua was the only one who could look pretty under terrible mall lighting. He placed another book on the shelf in front of him. Terra may not get along with her but it wasn’t like he was blind. He knew the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled and how the shade of her eyes was so unique it was almost like the color of the ocean…not that he would admit that to her or anyone for that matter.

“Did you leave a list of what was done today and what still has to be done?”

“Always do,” he grunted, grabbing another book off the ground to put back.

She clicked her tongue, looking around the area. “This place looks like a mess.”

“Oh, did Scrooge happen to forget it’s only a few weeks before Christmas?”

“Cute, Terra, but you’re the one who hasn’t worn a single Christmas color to work, not me.”

He glanced over to her and sure enough she was wearing not only a red dress but green leggings and even a Santa hat over her blue hair. “Remember what I wear every day, do you?”

“Only your lack of any holiday spirit what so ever.” She reached over to push in a book on the bookshelf near his hand, because, clearly, only she could clean the store correctly.

A twinge of annoyance went down his spine. “Maybe if I didn’t have to listen to you nag at me every day I’d feel more festive.”

“I only nag you because if I didn’t, you’d day dream through the whole shift.”

Well, sort of fair; Terra knew he had a tendency to zone out at times but he wasn’t about to admit that to her. Thankfully, Lea chose that moment to scurry in behind the register, nudging Riku out of the way so he could log in and sneak in the back room. To Lea’s credit he almost had it, and Terra probably would’ve let it slide just because Lea was usually pretty creative when it came to excuses as to being late.

“Nice of you to join us, Lea,” Aqua said without turning her head to him as he snuck behind a bookshelf. “An hour late.”

“Yeah, you know, about that-”

“Go get ready for the shift, don’t worry I have a job for you.”

Lea grumbled something but slouched away probably to the back room.

“See you guys!” Sora waved as he headed out with Roxas and Xion both zipping up their jackets.

“See you,” Terra said, raising a hand to wave.

“See you tomorrow, Aqua,” Xion said, turning to wave goodbye herself.

“It’ll be fun,” Aqua smiled back at the kids who were hurrying to the front.

Terra must’ve scoffed too loud because she was looking back over at him. “Does that mean I’m done? Can I go home now?”

Kairi was already logging in on the register with Olette tying her apron around her back. It was still a little busy but they should be okay. Not that Terra was going to offer to stay to work with Aqua; she was such a control freak it was impossible to work with her.

“As long as you left me the list,” she said, walking away from him.

“I hope it’s up to your impeccable standards.”

Aqua wasn’t looking at him at all, not even a glance; she just continued to where the girls were probably going for the list he really did leave for her and to divvy up the jobs for the night.

“Yikes, dude.”

Terra nearly jumped at the sound of the voice right behind him. He turned his head to see way too familiar blond hair and blue eyes, and a toothy grin that told Terra not to trust whatever the next words were going to be.

“You’re really terrible at flirting.”

“Ventus,” Terra sighed, placing the last book in his arms on the correct shelf. “That was not even remotely what was going on. Not even a little bit.”

“Yeah, cause you got that mystery girl right?”

“I don’t…I don’t have anyone, okay.” Though Terra was tempted to pull out his phone to check to see if he had any new messages from the very person Ven was implying but that would only prove his little brother correct, and Terra didn’t need that right now. He did hope she had said something back though. “She’s just a nice person I talk to. Aqua on the other hand, I think we’d murder each other if we had to be in the same space for too long.”

“Whatever,” Ven snorted. “Are you done? I’m starving.”

Terra glanced back up to the counter; Riku was ringing out someone as Lea was rushing up, hastily tying his apron. Aqua went over the plan with the girls but Terra couldn’t hear a thing. It would probably be strict down to the letter of what they’d have to do knowing Aqua. Ah well, it wasn’t his shift anymore anyways. “Yeah, let me get my things.”

Dear Bytheseaside,

I cannot believe there is a person on this planet that actually doesn’t get sick of that song. I’m pretty sure I’ve been sick of it for at least an eternity now. I guess that’s a testament to you though, patient through and through. I appreciate the holidays as well though I wish I didn’t have to work mostly through them all and I’m sorry to hear so do you. Granted I would like to see you singing along to the songs as you worked, I hope there’s dancing too, possibly a hair brush microphone? I’d assume go all out when it comes to Mariah Carey.

I’m so greatly offended that you could ever say that Santa Claus is not real. How could you think that me, a twenty-six year old male, would ever believe anything but that a man went to every house in the world one night on flying reindeer? To answer your question, yes, I did as a kid, so did my younger brother. Before you ask, no I didn’t tell him until he was old enough. He was an innocent kid, very naïve, very trusting, it actually sort of made me want to believe again just by having him believe it so much. I say that because he’s a pain in my ass now. It was fun though, I used to make cookies with him, leave out the milk, write Santa on some gift tags. Now he just makes cookies for himself. Sorry, Santa.

If that didn’t answer your question, I am close to my family though it’s just my brother, me and my dad. We all still live in the same place we grew up in so no drastic change like you had. I even go to grad school in the same town, I’m fairly boring honestly. I’ve traveled quite a lot for vacations since my dad and brother love to travel but otherwise we just stay put in our little town where it snows in the winter but I don’t think it’s too cold. That’s exciting you’ll get to visit with your parents soon! I honestly don’t think I could live that far away from mine, so you have all my respect that you just up and left to go study where you wanted to.

Oh, hey, thanks! It’s still a little surreal honestly. I never thought I’d ever see the end of school, especially at Midwestern where I go. I not only live in the town, but I went to undergrad there too. I’ve seen its buildings enough for my taste. Oh, it’s no worries, I have the joyful career of becoming an English teacher, aren’t you thrilled for me? I thankfully have experience working with high schoolers and they sometimes find me intimidating so I’m hoping that will carry over when I tell them they have to read The Scarlet Letter.

Okay, knowing you, there’s probably enough sugar in any given cup of coffee. I have no idea how you could stand cinnamon rolls on top of that too, but I guess I’m not surprised either. You could rival my brother’s love for sugar. Please don’t end up in a sugar coma before you even get to class :P

Aqua hummed as she hung up her jacket in the employee room. It was some mash up of Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town but she couldn’t help it. Christmas was so close now, her family would be visiting and everything just oozed with holiday cheer; especially the bells she clipped into her hair for today’s outfit. Even though she was stuck at work all night she felt warm and light, like nothing could quite get under her skin; she sure hoped it stayed the case considering the closer to Christmas, the ruder customers got. Oh well, she’d meet it with a smile, it was the only way to get through the day.

She tied her apron behind her back, slipping her phone in the front pocket (though not without checking her messages first, though so far it was as empty as it was when she left for work). It was okay, he worked a lot too and always was in school; he was probably as busy as she was. The fact he even made time for a few messages was still enough to keep her good mood up.

Aqua kept humming, glancing up at the written schedule on the board to see who she was working with tonight. Everyone had different strengths so she liked to place jobs with people who would excel at them, and it would make their time go by a little faster when they weren’t forced to do something they hated. It was pretty typical; Kairi, Lea, the twins, Xion, Riku, and….no, wait, that had to be a mistake. She reached up to trace the dates, bringing her finger down to make sure she was reading it right.

The door opened making her turn her head, but the person shuffling into the room only confirmed she was reading the schedule correctly. “Terra?”

“In the flesh,” he snorted, but his back was to her as he was shrugging off his jacket; his way-too-light jacket for this weather, what was wrong with that man?

“Is this a mistake?”

“Wish it was,” he said, reaching for his apron to drop over his head. “I’d much rather be home.”

Aqua pressed her lips together, looking back at the schedule. Well, it was only two weeks till Christmas, she supposed she could understand why they may want to schedule two leads but at the same time, did it have to be him?

She didn’t hate Terra. He was a nice guy, quiet and he was very patient with customers and the kids who worked here; in fact she was pretty sure he had more patience in one fraction of his body than she possessed all together. At the same time though, he was so laid back he let things slide far too much which drove her crazy. She could deal with it when it was just in passing, when he told her what was done all morning so she knew what to fix all night, but working a whole shift together?

She looked up at the future days she was scheduled and had to bite back a groan. For everyday she was scheduled until Christmas they were working together? Okay, she was coming in tomorrow morning to talk to someone about this or she’d likely not make it till Christmas.

“Okay,” she said, turning around to face Terra. He wasn’t looking at her, but down at his phone, scrolling through something. “I assume neither of us care for this arraignment?”

“Fair assessment,” he said, still not looking up.

“Then let’s split up the store. I’ll handle the front half and you handle the back half. Registers will be neutral.”

“What is this?” Terra did look up that time, arching an eyebrow at her. “A war meeting?”

“It’s retail in Christmas, of course it’s a war meeting.”

Much to her surprise he actually smiled at her. Well, he also rolled his eyes and shook his head but still. Terra dropped his phone in his apron pocket, before grabbing a headset to put in is ear, clipping the radio into his back pocket as he walked back over to the door. “Fine, should I lay down a boundary line to make sure no one crosses it?”

“Of course, I’ll give you money to buy the duct tape.”

“I have a brother, believe me, I know how to handle boundary lines.” Terra went to push the door open but it swung open on itself.

“No one can say anything,” Lea said as he walked in, pointing to the both of them. “I’m on time today.”

“Christmas miracles,” Terra said, reaching out to push at Lea’s head before Terra caught the door open, leaving without another word.

“Good, because if you were late one more time I was going to put you on register the whole night just because I know how much you love it,” Aqua said, watching as Lea shrugged out of his long jacket.

“Wait,” he arched an eyebrow as he looked back at her. “Are you and Terra both working tonight?”

“Ah, yeah, seems like the boss wants more hands at night.”

Lea got this grin on his lips, devilish almost, not that the flaming red hair helped. “Oh, this is going to be a grand night.”

Aqua decided not to ask what he meant by that and moved to grab a headset and radio before leaving the room to head to the floor; there at least she could assign the other workers their jobs. She hoped everything went quickly and smoothly. She really wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Terra all night.

Thankfully, he seemed to feel the same.

For the most part it was easy to help customers at the front of the store, keeping an eye on the registers, straightening and restocking when she could. The customer volume was absolutely going up every day so she could understand why there were two leads on the floor but that didn’t mean she was completely happy about it. Though to his credit Terra stayed to the back of the store and helped any customers she sent that way. She knew he’d prefer to be back there as opposed to the front where she got the brunt of the social force.

“Permission to step across the boundary, your highness?”

She looked up from straightening some self-help books to see Terra with both his hands up in defense. “Depends, what’s your business?”

“I would very much like to leave the store to get dinner.”

Was it that time already? Aqua glanced over to the registers where Sora and Xion were busy ringing out. Roxas was probably still in the kid’s section fixing the display she asked him to adjust, Riku was upfront helping someone with the new releases, and while Aqua couldn’t see Lea or Kairi they were probably wandering around somewhere.

“I’ll even throw the incentive to check the back of the store to make sure my standards are as high as yours.” He was watching her but his hands were in the front of his apron, probably fiddling with his phone or something.

“Why do you think we’re so busy?” she asked, pushing another book back into place. “High standards.”

“Oh, yeah, nothing to do with the fact we’re the only book store in the nearest 50 mile radius,” he snorted.

Okay, fair point; not that she was going to tell him that. “Yes, you can go, just tell me when you’re finished so I can take mine too.”

“Oh, she takes breaks does she?”

“Don’t be such an ass,” she said, but admittedly was choking back a small laugh. Aqua would just toss that up to the fact she was still in plenty of a good mood. “Just go.”

“Whatever you say, princess.” Terra gave a vague sort of wave as he walked towards the front of the store until he was completely out of sight.

“Do you even think they know?” Lea’s voice said from nearby, but Aqua didn’t pay too much attention to it, she just went back to fixing the shelves she was working on.

“Oh, God, no,” Kairi giggled. “They would never flirt with each other as much as they do if they knew they were doing it.”

Aqua did turn to look that time, which was the only reason she knew they were talking about her; considering both Lea and Kairi were peering around the end of the bookshelves in that row watching her with near matching shit-eating grins on their lips. Aqua had to ignore the heat that rose to her face that the insane implication she would ever flirt with Terra, or vice versa for that matter. That was absurd. You didn’t flirt with people you could barely be in the same room with.

“No way,” she said pointing towards them. “How many times have I told you both, you aren’t allowed to work near each other. All you do is talk and gossip. Lea, go make sure kids haven’t bombarded Roxas in the children’s section, then go make sure everyone has been helped. Kairi, please start on the other end of this row with me.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Lea said, vanishing behind the shelves.

Kairi was still giggling but she started straightening the books like she was asked. Aqua wanted to ask the younger girl how they got it in their heads that either Terra or herself would ever consider flirting with each other, but at the same time she didn’t want to open that door. Ever.

Aqua’s phone buzzed and her heart leapt up to her throat. She really knew she couldn’t look, and she shouldn’t look, it set a bad example; she wasn’t always as disciplined as she looked though. She pushed her apron pocket open, peeking down at the bright screen with her heart pounding in her chest. It promptly sunk into her stomach when she saw it was just an email telling her about some sale.

“Message from the mystery man?”

Aqua’s head snapped up to see Kairi still looking at the books as she worked on, making them look neat again. It wasn’t a terrible surprise as Kairi tended to work afternoon shifts with Aqua, and she may have mentioned she was talking to someone a few times. “Ah, no, not this time.”

“Do you know his name yet?”

“No, but that’s okay,” Aqua said, taking a small breath before going back to her job.

“Aren’t you worried he’s like sixty years old or something? Or like a murderer?”

“I’m not saying everyone you meet on the internet is good,” Aqua said. “But when you talk to someone enough, you just sort of…know them. I don’t know, I may not know his name or what he looks like but he’s sweet.” She paused. “And he said he was twenty-six so he’s only a little bit older than me.”

“Do you feel like you know him already then?” Kairi asked. She wasn’t teasing this time, genuinely curious.

“Sort of,” Aqua said, a smile pulling at her lips at just the thought of their conversations. “He’s very kind, and articulate. He’s said once or twice people find him intimidating but to me he just seems so gentle, you know? Especially when he talks about his little brother. I know what he likes to do for fun, favorite foods, movies, what he wants to do for a living, and ah…”

“What?”

Aqua paused for a moment, feeling a small bundle of nerves in her stomach again. He mentioned it so briefly in his last message and she had been torn over what to do about it ever since…if she even wanted to do something about it. “He sorta mentioned where he went to college.”

“Was it bad? Oh wait, was it good? Like Ivy League good?”

“No, well, I mean good but…it’s where I go to school.”

Kairi nearly dropped the book she was holding. “Wait, you guys go to the same school and don’t even know it?”

Aqua nodded; it had been about her same reaction when she read that one sentence. He probably didn’t even mean to say since up till then, they never gave away and facts that led onto where they lived.

“You could know him in real life and not even know it.”

“I think I’d know it,” she rolled her eyes. Aqua may not know him at sight, but she was pretty sure from having a conversation with him that she’d be able to tell how he talked, how he presented himself. She still paused, looking over to Kairi. “Should I ask him to meet? Like on campus or something? Would that be too much?”

“I mean, I don’t think it would be too much,” Kairi shrugged. “People meet online all the time these days. It just depends on how comfortable you feel about it or if you like the mystery more than the man.”

Aqua knew the answer to that question. She’d love to meet him, to sit across the table from him over some warm coffee, to see if how she pictured his voice was really how it was, to hear his laugh, see his smile. The thoughts alone made her stomach flip anxiously. What if he wasn’t anything like how she pictured? Would it make a difference?

“I think I would…” Aqua started. “Meet him that is.”

“Then ask him,” Kairi said, standing up on her toes to get a book on the top shelf. “Worst he could say is no and then you’re no worse off than you are now.”

That was a good point. Aqua squatted down towards the floor to fix a few books. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to ask. Maybe he’d like it too. Maybe he wouldn’t but then they could still talk just like they have been. She thought about meeting him so many times before now, ever since she sent that first message a few months ago.

She liked him, more than she cared to admit to anyone but herself. It was silly maybe, but he always brought a smile to her face, that had to be worth something. It had to be worth a risk.

Dear OftheShire,

Of course there’s dancing, geez, boy, do you even know me?? Not a hairbrush, no, but absolutely any candy cane shaped object I can find. It’s been described as both a wonder and a hot mess so I take that with very high regard. If you ever wander into where I work I’ll be sure to show you, and probably embarrass you and myself so much you’ll never want to be seen in public with me lmao

That’s right! I forgot you mentioned your little brother before. Well, you sound like a great big brother to play along with the façade, even just for his sake. I don’t have any siblings myself so I never got to share the joy of having to share my room or bathroom with anyone. He seems very sweet, even if you insist he’s a pain in your ass (ps I can totally tell you love him, don’t play so cool :P ) Plus he sounds like he likes sweets as much as me so I can get behind that!

It’s so sweet you’re so close to your family too! So much that you don’t consider leaving them, that tells me a lot about you and how much they must love you too :D Okay, wait, how have we been talking so much and you never told me you traveled! I haven’t gotten to do so very much but I’ve always wanted to. Are we talking like “oh, hey, I just get around the country every so often” or “I’m a damn world traveler and have eaten things you’d never dreamed of and can speak five languages on command”? I mean both are cool, but I need to know which one it is.

Savor it, my friend! Especially as a teacher, cause, hate to break it to you but technically you’re going to be in school for a very long time. High school too? Wow, you’re a brave man! See, you keep saying people find you intimidating, but, like, to me you seem so mellow and gentle? Is it something about you physically? Are you like a seven foot football player or wrestler or something? Also, excuse you, don’t judge my sugar intake, I’m perfectly capable of not dying from sugar intake, :P (More reasons why I love your brother already too)

Hey, so, weird thing. I sort of go to Midwestern too. Small world right! I can’t believe we’ve been talking for so long and we could be in the same class. How weird is that? I was wondering if maybe you wanted to meet for coffee on campus or something? At that little café in the library? Like this Thursday? Please don’t feel like you have to! But I thought it might be nice to actually see each other in person since we happened to actually live in the same town. I can like wear bells in my hair and have a copy of The Hobbit since I know that was your favorite book as a kid so you know it’s me. Just let me know!

“I don’t know why I had to come with you,” Ven said as he walked down the sidewalk next to Terra. That statement, of course, was accompanied by Ven’s big grin, meaning he was highly amused that his older brother asked him to come with him to a possible, maybe, sort of, kind of date.

Was it? Terra had no idea, but he’d never claim to be good at picking up on things like that. All he knew was he stared at her message for a lot longer than he should’ve, even stunned that someone as nice as her would actually want to see him in person. It was easy to agree then, to feel excited to finally meet the person behind the words but now that he was walking towards the campus library, the bright lights from the building looming over him, all he felt like was throwing up.

“Even if she was a murderer I’m pretty sure you could take her,” Ven continued.

“I don’t think she’s a murderer,” Terra snorted, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. “Or even a threat.”

“I hate to break it to you, Ter, but you aren’t always the best judge of character.”

That was…fair. “Can’t you be good, quiet moral support?”

Ven clicked his tongue looking up to the building. “If you wanted quiet support you probably should’ve brought like Riku from your work or something. I’m your brother, I’m legally entitled to give you a hard time.”

“I don’t think that’s true. If me and dad both die then you’re legally entitled to my things I guess.”

Ven whistled. “Books, books, and more books I’m so thrilled.”

Terra reached out to shove at Ven’s head, making the younger boy laugh. It was why Terra bought Ven in the first place; if anyone could make Terra not get wrapped up too much in his own thoughts, it was Ven.

“There it is,” he said, pointing to a particularly well illuminated section of the library. It was easy to see through the large windows where students were in line to get a late night caffeine fix or snacks; it was fairly late, he had to wait till he was off work to even come since Aqua already requested the night off and someone had to be there.

“Don’t look so nervous.” Ven nudged Terra’s shoulder. “She already likes you enough to talk to you all the time, this is just without a screen in between. No big deal.” Ven reached for the door handle, but Terra pulled Ven away from it.

“God, what?” he asked, arching an eyebrow up.

Terra knew he was acting sort of childish but he couldn’t help but feel the nerves in his stomach reaching up through his chest. “What if she isn’t even there?”

Ven paused for a second before grabbing a hold of Terra’s arm, dragging him over to one of the side windows. Ven leaned up close to the glass leaving Terra out of view so that way Ven would be the one seen if anyone looked over. “Okay, what did she say she was wearing again?”

He was a good brother. “Ah, she said she’d have bells in her hair, and a book, The Hobbit.”

“You guys are such nerds,” Ven snorted. “Alright, alright, let me…see…” He let out a low whistle that made Terra look up.

“Wait, what? Is that good or bad?”

“I dunno, man, she doesn’t really look your type but she does look like mine, maybe I should go in instead of you.”

It took Terra a moment with his heart nearly in his throat to realize Ven was teasing. “You’re a shit, will you tell me the truth?”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Ven laughed, looking back into the café. “Alright so, bells in the hair is kind of common around Christmas, but the book would be an easier…way…to tell, ummm…Oh!”

“What? Do you see her?” Terra asked, nearly going up behind Ven to see too.

Ven was quiet for a second, and he wasn’t teasing anymore which didn’t bode well. “Ah, well, she’s your type for sure, but you’re probably not going to like it.”

Terra had no idea what that was supposed to mean. He quickly slipped in next to Ven who nodded over to a table off to the side of the café. Terra saw the book first, fingers tapping on the cover, anxiously, impatiently maybe. Maybe he should’ve known before he even looked at her face, the familiar shade of blue hair, eyes he already knew glancing over at the door when it opened. Hell, he even knew the bells she was wearing in her hair.

He quickly turned around, leaning his back against the window instead. This couldn’t be…it was a joke right? The girl, the kind, funny, compassionate girl he had been talking to for months it…couldn’t be Aqua, could it?

It had to be. He didn’t tell anyone but Ven, who may tease Terra sure but would never do anything cruel to him. Maybe the girl had said something to someone else? Like she was nervous to meet him too so she said something to a friend who offered to wait for her, that friend unknowingly being Aqua.

Terra turned his head to look back in the room to see if anything could confirm that theory. It didn’t though, not when he saw the hope flicker in her eyes every time someone walked in, anytime someone got too close to her table for it to fade away, her fingers still tapping anxiously at book cover.

It was her; there was no one else it could be. How could it be her? The girl he talked to was nothing like the Aqua he was forced to work with.

“Terra,” Ven said, like he was very much doubting that Terra was going to move. “You have to go in there, you know that right?”

“I can’t,” he groaned, leaning his head back against the glass. “If she knows it’s me she’ll just be mad and she’ll never talk to me again.”

“So you’re going to leave a person, that I know you’ve been trying to hide how much you like, just waiting for you cause you found out you really do know them?”

“That’s the problem. I do know her and now I feel like I know two completely different people sharing the same body.”

Ven arched an eyebrow. “Do you though?”

“Do I what?”

“Do you know her? Maybe the girl online is really how she is and you never gave her the chance to be that way around you.”

Terra didn’t like that Ven was making sense. He was barely graduated from high school; it shouldn’t be possible for him to make assumptions like that. “It doesn’t change the fact that if she sees me, she’s going to make me leave. I can guarantee you I’m not the person she wants to see.”

“So what, you’re just going to stand her up? I’m sure she was looking forward to this as much as you were and she’ll leave here wondering why her friend didn’t want to meet her.”

Ven was laying on the guilt there but it was working. Terra didn’t always get along with Aqua but he didn’t hate her, and he really didn’t hate the girl he talked to on the internet; he wouldn’t want either of them to feel stood up.

“Okay,” Terra said, reaching a hand up to run through his hair. “Okay, I’ll go. But you’re getting an ‘I told you so’ if she kicks me out without letting me explain.”

Ven didn’t say anything else, he just gestured to the door. Terra did what he said and opened the door to the café, stepping inside. He tried not to look at her, knowing she was still watching everyone who walked in. He thought he felt Ven slip in behind but Terra lost track of his brother when he did make eye contact with Aqua.

She looked a little confused, like she was surprised he was there. Did she even know they went to the same school? Probably not; it wasn’t like they talked much, especially if it wasn’t work related. He walked over to the table she was sitting at, though he still had no idea what he was going to do let alone say.

“Hey,” he said, which was at least a start.

“Ah, hey,” Aqua said, still a confused look on her face. “I didn’t know you went to school here.”

That answered that question. “Hm, yeah, I do. What’re you doing here so late?”

Her face flushed slightly, she was embarrassed; it wasn’t a look he was used to on her. “Oh, I was just waiting for someone.”

“This late at night?”

“He had to work.”

“He, huh,” Terra said, pulling out the empty chair from the table. “On a date then?”

She flushed again and he did feel bad. He never saw Aqua be embarrassed in as long as he knew her. She always rolled with the punches, and stood her ground; which he did admire about her if he was being honest. “Who said it was your business?”

Terra shrugged, trying to ignore the weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as he sat down. It was a strange mix of still being in shock that Aqua was his mystery girl and the fluttering feeling fact that she wasn’t denying it could’ve been a date. It was so conflicting and made him sort of want to throw up. “It’s not, I was only asking.”

The door opened behind him and Aqua’s head immediately snapped over to look. She watched the guy walk in but looked away when he made no motion to walk over to her.

“Blind date?” he asked, propping his elbow up on the table. He knew he should tell her, it was cruel to pretend it wasn’t him, but at the same time he couldn’t actually get the words to form in his head let alone come out.

Aqua glanced back to him, like she was surprised he was still there. “I guess you could say that.”

“Friend of a friend?”

“No,” she said, looking down to the book still on the table. “Ah, I met him online.”

Terra whistled. “You keep looking for him, I’m guessing he’s late?”

She hesitated. “It’s an unusual hour, he could be running behind.”

“And didn’t even tell you? Not the best first impression.”

She arched an eyebrow. “He’s actually a very nice person. I think if he’s running late he has a good reason to be.”

Terra felt a slight bit of exhilaration that she was standing up for him, that she thought he was a good person who wouldn’t stand anyone up. Based only on their conversations she actually wanted to see him, she looked forward to it. It only made him feel sicker that she was so wrong without even knowing it. “Sure hope so, better than chickening out.”

“Don��t you have somewhere to be?” That exasperated tone he knew well, but now he couldn’t stop seeing the softer look in her eyes, her tone in the way she excitedly told him about her days, about how much she loved Christmas.

It would’ve been easy to say, “Yeah, right here” or anything to tell her that he was the one she was waiting for but she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but near him. Despite expecting this was how it was going to be, it hurt. Not just because this was the girl he looked forward to getting messages from, the girl who got him through the long days, that made the holidays seem a little brighter this year, but because something in the way he behaved towards her made her feel like she had to be harsh with him.

Maybe if he had been kinder at work, maybe if he listened instead of writing her off as a control freak, if he understood how she operated, if he was more patient, he would’ve seen the girl behind the screen while he was at work. Maybe he would’ve seen her eyes light up when it was him who walked through the room and maybe he would’ve liked it, loved it even.

But it wasn’t what happened and now he couldn’t tell her, he couldn’t ever tell her. Terra wasn’t sure he could bear seeing that disappointment in her eyes. It would be easier for her to feel stood up than for him to crush her dreams that her mystery guy was none other than the person she hated.

“Yeah, I do,” Terra said, pushing himself up to his feet.

She was watching him but he couldn’t quite read her.

He leaned forward to tap the cover of the book. “Good choice,” he said. “I always liked it too.”

If she moved to say anything to him, he didn’t see it. He turned around to head back to the door, Ven scrambling off a stool to follow behind. He at least didn’t say anything as they walked in silence to Terra’s car. The disappointment only sunk in harder the farther he got away from the café. It wasn’t even that it was Aqua, that it was always Aqua - it was only in himself.

He didn’t even care to tell Ven ‘I told you so’ at any point.

Dear Bytheseaside,

Of course there is, how silly of me to assume otherwise. I appreciate your level of shamelessness in the least but it would take more than that to drive me off I think. Little brother, remember? I can take a lot of embarrassment. Speaking of, he’s alright. He just graduated high school and will be starting college in the spring much to my dreaded realization that time has gone by way too fast for me. Jokes aside he’s a great kid. Smart and generous, also sarcastic and snarky and sometimes I want to kill him but usually I love him. I think he very well could rival your love for sweets. You two would be peas in a pod honestly.

I mean, I can’t speak five languages in the least. Bits and pieces maybe, but not fluently. I have been around this country quite a bit but also places around the world. My dad traveled a lot before me and my brother so he took use when we were old enough. It’s always been fun, and yes, I have eaten things you’ve probably never dreamed of. It’s actually why my brother is starting college late, we had a trip planned for his graduation that interfered with some deadlines.

I can assure you I’m not a football player or a wrestler, I’m actually not really a sports person. I played in high school cause they made me but I never cared much for it. I’m not seven feet tall either, though maybe a little taller than average; maybe that freaks people out, I don’t know. I like to think I’m pretty mellow. You know, I’m not entirely sure you are capable of that. I’d be afraid to ever let you two in the same room, I may come back to find the place littered with all the sweets you two could find.

Wait, seriously? How did we never know we went to the same school? Let alone live in the same vicinity. You can say small world again. But, yeah, I mean, I’d totally be cool with that! I checked the work schedule and Thursday was already requested off so I can’t take it, but I can meet you after work if that’s okay? I’d actually really like it a lot. I’ll look for the bells and the book!

Aqua wasn’t sure if it was the cold weather and busy work schedule mixed with finals last week that knocked her out but all she knew was she tried to get up for work and there was just no way. She never called off but she didn’t have a choice. There was no way to open when she couldn’t even move from her bed; she felt like she got hit by a tuck the way her whole body ached, her nose wouldn’t stop running, she could barely eat anything in her apartment. It was probably for the best, all it would be was a day of sulking when she was supposed to be working. At least home she could pull the blankets over her head and pretend there wasn’t a terrible ache in her heart.

He never came.

She waited for hours, and then more time in hopes he’d walk in and recognize her sitting there. He never did. Aqua kept her phone out in case he messaged her that something came up but nothing, not a word. She didn’t know how to feel; if she should be heartbroken that the person she wanted to meet so badly didn’t feel the same. She worried that something happened to him, or nervous she did something to keep him away.

It only just resulted in her crying alone in her bed most the night, then to wake up with a pounding headache and feeling even more terrible. Aqua hadn’t known it was possible. She felt so stupid sitting there, and even more stupid going home alone, and just so sad. He was also so kind, so interested in what she had to say, so engaging she couldn’t understand what happened. He even sounded like he really wanted to meet her. Was it a lie to make her feel better and he never intended to come? That didn’t sound like him; he was always so open and honest. Still, she figured maybe you can’t always know someone just from the internet.

She reached her hand around the comforter covering her, trying to reach for the tissue box. Her nose was raw from blowing it so much but what else could she do but sit here and feel bad for herself? Tifa offered to come over and talk but Aqua just didn’t feel like talking to anyone. She cracked an eye open to look at her phone but no messages.

Clearly the one person she wanted to talk to didn’t want to talk to her.

She was maybe being melodramatic, she barely knew this person outside from long conversations reaching on for weeks but then again, wasn’t that enough to be able to know someone? Aqua groaned as she pulled the blankets over her head. She didn’t want to think anymore. She just wanted to go to sleep and pretend none of this happened. She should’ve never suggested going to meet him.

Except there was a part of her that still wanted to meet him.

Aqua slowly pulled the blanket down to her chest when she thought she heard something. She tried to listen to the quiet apartment, but there was nothing. No, wait…maybe there was something? Maybe she was delusional too? Someone was knocking on her door? Were they or was she imagining it?

Her phone buzzed and against her better judgment she nearly dove for it. The message waiting for her wasn’t anything like what she expected though.

Terra Hale (Work)

Aqua, your neighbors are starting to look at me strangely. Can you open the door?

She blinked at the screen, trying to make sure she was reading that right. Yeah, they had each other’s numbers because they had to but he never texted her anything that wasn’t work related and even that was few and far between.

Wait, are you here? Like at my door?

It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to ask, she didn’t even think Terra knew where she lived let alone ever been here before. Granted, he did use her name so it probably wasn’t a wrong number text.

Terra Hale (Work)

No, I’m asking you to open your door because I’m across town at someone else’s door. Yes, I’m standing here. It won’t take long, I know you’re sick.

Aqua knew she wasn’t feeling well but now she felt like she was in some weird alternative dimension. Was she dreaming? She had to be. Still she found herself kicking her legs over the side of her bed to stand up on shaky legs. Should she let him in? She probably looked like a terrible mess; red faced, red nosed, red eyed, not showered, bed head, the same PJ’s on from last night. Yep, he was probably going to tease her and never let her live this down.

She grabbed a thinner blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, hopefully covering some of disheveled state. Aqua didn’t like people seeing her less than at her best, let alone someone who didn’t even seem to like her at her best. She shuffled through her small living room and kitchen to the door. It was still chained shut, so she opened it only as far as the chain went.

Sure enough there was Terra standing there. He was still in his work uniform, typical thin jacket on. He had some sort of bag in his hands but his eyes were glancing down at her before looking up to the chain lock.

“I promise I’m not trying to rob you.”

Aqua hesitated. “Are you here because I called off and made you work?”

His face was almost unreadable but he didn’t look mad, or even annoyed. “No, I’m here because Leon said you called off and you’ve never done that in the time I’ve known you so I figured it was serious.” Terra held up the white plastic bag slightly. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She wasn’t sure how much she believed him since he never seemed to care about her wellbeing before but Aqua also didn’t want to leave the poor guy just standing there when he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. She reached up to unhook the chain, pulling the door open.

He stepped in, closing the door behind him while Aqua quickly retreated to the kitchen which was closer than the living room.

“Do you, ah, want any…” She paused to reach her arm to her face, sneezing far louder than she wanted to. “Coffee? Tea?”

“No, thank you,” he said, though she was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. “You should go back to bed.”

“I’m fine,” she said, but her nose betrayed her, sounding gross and stuffy. Great, this was just wonderful.

Terra placed the bag on her counter, undoing the knot on the top. “I brought you some soup,” he said, pulling out a large Tupperware contained that looked full to the brim with some sort of chicken soup. “It just needs to be heated up. It’s my dad’s recipe, real good I promise. He used to make it for me and my brother when we were sick too.”

Aqua couldn’t help but eye him as he placed the container in the fridge for her. “Oh, wow, well thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“It was nothing,” he shrugged, reaching back for the bag. “I also brought some tea leaves, another special blend my dad always gave us. Do you have a teapot or anything?”

“Ah…” Aqua fiddled with the edge of her blanket. She didn’t know what she was expecting when she let Terra inside but this was absolutely not it. “Yeah, on the stove.”

He turned to grab it, filling it up with some water from the sink. While she wasn’t used to Terra being so…accommodating to her, she knew if she asked him to leave he would but she couldn’t find those words. She was more curious as to why he was being so accommodating; especially after how rude she was to him last night. Guilt swirled in the pit of her stomach, making her feel worse than she already did. She tried to tell herself he deserved it, that he was always abrasive at work so what else was she supposed to do? But at the same time, here he was pulling a mug off her drying rack to put near the tea he brought.

He turned the stove on, the clicks filling the otherwise quiet kitchen. “Go on back to bed, I’ll bring you some when it’s done and get out of your hair.”

She bit down on her lip, watching him as he popped open the container of tea leaves. She never really had tea without a tea bag before; she didn’t even know Terra liked tea. Come to think of it, she didn’t know very much about him in the first place. “I’m fine,” she said again, though she promptly sneezed again.

He looked up from pouring the tea leaves into the mug, a sort of knowing smile on his lips.

“I, um…” Aqua was really unsure what to even say. They never had a conversation without bickering before. “I’ll take your shift tomorrow.” She had to pause to sniffle even if it was incredibly embarrassing. “To make up for making you work today.”

“No need,” he said. “You keep your day off, you may need another day to rest and feel better.”

“No, no, it’s only fai-” Another sneeze. “Fair.”

“You’re clearly exhausted and overworked,” he said, sealing the cap back on the tea. “You need the rest and you need to go back to bed.”

“Really, I’m fi…” she paused when she saw him coming towards her. “Fine, I’m fine.”

He hummed like he really didn’t believe her which he clearly didn’t because the next thing he had picked her up over his shoulder.

“Terra!” she gasped, instinctively reaching down to grab him and keep her balance but she was more amazed at how effortlessly he carried her. She should be furious at him for touching her when she didn’t need to be but instead all she felt was a sort of warmth from his body, it was comforting in a weird way. That someone came out all the way just to take care of her.

It was sweet, even though she never thought to describe Terra that way.

He gently placed her down on her bed moving out of the way as she could only stare up at him in surprise. “I’m sorry if I intruded,” he said holding his hands up slightly. “But if I knew anything about you it was that you probably wouldn’t ask for help and were just sitting here suffering alone. I thought I’d help even a little bit.”

It was sweet, it was really sweet. She even smiled a little bit. “Well, thank you.” Aqua kicked her legs up onto her bed as he reached down to pull the comforter up over her. “I take it as a big brother you know how to take care of someone with a cold?”

He sat down on the edge of her bed, reaching over to briefly place his hand on her forehead. “And a fever, yes.”

She rolled her head on her pillow, looking up to meet his blue eyes. Were they always that blue? That compassionate? She didn’t know.

“Hey,” he said. “Did the person you were supposed to meet ever show up?”

Aqua felt her stomach sink at the mention even though it wasn’t an unusual thing to ask. “No,” she said. “He never did.”

Terra clicked his tongue in thought and she was sure something snarky was about to follow. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. You deserve better than being stood up like that. He’s an idiot for doing that to you.”

Aqua felt like she was staring but she couldn’t help it; of all the things she was expecting that was not it. Who was this and what had he done with Terra? Maybe it always was Terra but she was too stubborn to see the boy who lived behind her coworker. “Ah, well, thank you, that’s sweet of you.”

She paused for a second. On any normal circumstances she would never even consider opening her mouth to say what she was thinking to him, but he was here and he was being so nice, and she was admittedly not in her right mind. “Do you think…” she started, biting down at her lip to voice the one thought she couldn’t get out of her head. “Do you think he was there? And he took one look at me and left? Do you think it was me?”

“No,” Terra said quickly. “I don’t think that would ever be the case. You’re pretty, any guy would be lucky to look in and see you sitting there. Maybe something came up and he wasn’t able to tell you, or maybe he was too nervous to show his face. I don’t think it was you.”

Aqua stared at him; she didn’t expect him to say anything like that to her, not now not ever.

“I’m also, ah…” He glanced away, looking over her probably terribly messy room. “I’m sorry for intruding on you last night.”

“Oh, ah, it’s okay.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was just nervous.”

He opened his mouth to say something but the teapot whistled from the other room. He got up with a slight smile and left her room. Aqua could only watch after him.

This was…a weird day. Seeing this small glimpse of him though…it was just astounding to her; maybe this was the real Terra. Sure he was laid back and didn’t hold the rules as high of a regard as she did, but maybe that was because he was understanding and wanted to give everyone a chance. He never punished Lea for being late, or Sora for mixing up an order, or Kairi for chatting too much but maybe it was because he was empathetic, understanding how and why they did the things they did.

Maybe there was a lot of him she didn’t even know.

“Okay,” he said, coming in with two cups in his hands. “Tea is in the mug though it’s very hot so be careful. Water is in the glass because with a fever, you should stay hydrated.”

The tea smelt so good, herbal spices mixing to remind her of an autumn day. She carefully took the mug from him, the steam and warmth making her feel better already.

He placed the water on her night stand, sticking his hands in his jacket pocket as he looked down at her. “Try and stay in bed and get some sleep. I left the tea leaves out in case you want more and soup is still in the fridge. If you need more or want anything different to eat or anything really, you have my number. I don’t live that far away.”

Aqua looked up at him. She was used to how he looked, how he dressed, his facial expressions, his mannerisms but this time it was like seeing a whole different person. “Thank you, Terra, I really mean it.”

“Any time,” he said, reaching a hand up to wave. “Get some rest.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “See you.”

“Bye.” He gave her a slight smile before turning to leave, the sound of her door closing shut was the last thing she heard of him.

What had seriously just happened? She could barely wrap her mind around it as she sipped on her tea. A part of her still wondered if she was dreaming but as she looked down at her quiet phone she did realize one thing.

At least for a little bit she stopped wondering why her friend hadn’t messaged her about last night.

Dear OftheShire,

I do hope all is well and nothing serious happened that caused you not to be able to make it. Maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere along the way (maybe we really weren’t talking about the same schools?). Whatever the case, I hope I haven’t done anything that would’ve kept you away. I’d feel terrible if I made you feel pressured or scared in any way. All I really wanted to do was talk to the person whose company I’ve been enjoying so much!

I hope this doesn’t change anything between us because I would greatly miss being friends with you. If you thinking meeting in person is a bad idea, I’ll never bring it up again! Things can completely stay the same between us here.

I do hope all is well though. Just let me know so I don’t worry too much about you!

It was strange how you could go from barely thinking about someone to go to never getting them out of your mind. Maybe it was because Terra finally stopped distinguishing Aqua, the girl he worked with from Aqua, the girl he really liked online. They were both the same people, and he could see that now clearly. He never bothered to before, but seeing the soft look in her eyes as she asked him if he thought it was her that made her date run away, slipping Xion some money so she could go buy herself a sugary coffee, watching how she helped the seven year old girl pick out a present for her mom, how Aqua sang along with the radio when she thought no one was looking, the grin on her face when she teased Lea for flirting with customers again, it was all the same Aqua.

He couldn’t believe he never saw it before.

The few days she was gone from work to recover dragged on and on. He wanted to check up on her but he didn’t want to intrude, once was enough for his heart that nearly pounded out of his chest the entire time he was there. He hoped she’d text him but she never did. He knew he could respond to her waiting message but it didn’t feel right; not after what he did, not after what he knew. Terra felt terrible lying to her even at her apartment but he just didn’t know what he could say that would make any of this right.

He tried to when she did come back to work but all that came out was asking her if she needed more tea and that the magazines looked like a tornado went through them. Terra never admitted to be very smooth.

No, instead he found himself just sort of lingering around the store, trying to keep to himself or help her and the other kids when they needed it. Thankfully with only one week till Christmas left they were swamped at all times and he could keep busy enough to take his mind off the beautiful girl he worked with, the one who made him so happy without even knowing she did.

How had he been so blind?

“Oh, yes, ma’am, its right over here,” Aqua said from around the corner.

Terra leaned around the end of the bookshelf he was doing a quick stock of to see her walking with another woman to one of the bookshelves that lined the walls.

“It’s a beautiful book,” Aqua continued. “Full of beautiful pictures and descriptions, great for any fan.” She reached up to the top shelf to grab some sort of movie art book but the stock was low and she was a little too short to reach it on her own. “Popular as well,” she chuckled as she tried to strain a little harder to grab it with no luck.

Terra left the books he had in his hands on the shelf, moving over to where Aqua was still struggling. He reached over her head to grab the book with no effort. “Here you go,” he said, passing it to Aqua.

She had turned around to look at him, a little too close, he could feel the warmth of her body against his. There was this look in her eyes, one he couldn’t quite read but it melted into that customer service smile. “Thank you,” she said, turning again to hand the book to the customer. “We have to keep some tall employees here just for that.”

The woman smiled her thanks and went to leave, vanishing in the rest of the crowd of customers. Terra knew he should get back to his own work, but he was frozen when Aqua exhaled, leaning back against the bookshelf as she looked back up at him. “I am exhausted.”

“I know the feeling,” he said, reaching a hand up behind the back of his head.

“You need a break?” she asked a sort of concern wrinkling her forehead. “I can hold the fort down.”

“Oh, no, I’ll be fine but feel free to take it if you need it. I can handle it just fine.”

While before it may’ve ended up in more bickering, now she merely laughed. “I appreciate it, Terra, but I’ll be okay too. I guess we’re better as a team out here anyways.”

He blinked at her, not quite getting what she meant, but she glanced upwards at the top shelf. “Ah, yeah, need those tall arms don’t you?”

“I used to think I was tall for a girl, and then I met you.”

“Ah, what can I say? Born to be a sports person.”

“Were you?”

“No,” he laughed. “I never cared much for playing or watching them.”

She looked at him with that unreadable look again. It wasn’t bad he didn’t think, he just wasn’t sure what was going through her head. “Well, I suppose you do like books better.”

“That I do, obviously.” He found his voice lacking the sarcasm he used to talk to her with, mainly because he really did enjoy talking to her. He thought maybe she felt the same because she was much less abrasive with him ever since he brought her the soup. Maybe it hadn’t been such a bad idea.

She laughed lightly, opening her mouth to say something else but a voice crackled in both their ears, judging by the way Aqua cringed at the same time he did.

“Guys,” Sora whined a little too loudly over the headset. “This customer is angry over a sale. Can one of you come help me?”

Terra reached up to turn his mic on to say he got it but he felt Aqua’s soft touch on his arm.

“I got it, Sora,” she said as she pressed her mic on. “I’ll be right there.”

“Oh, thank Jesus. I think they want to murder me.”

“I would’ve gone,” Terra said. “I know you said you were tired.”

“It’s fine,” she said with the smile he had gotten used to the past few days. “I know you’re not a big confrontation person and I love putting people in their place, especially when they mess with my kids.” She winked at him before going to head to the register.

Terra watched her go and almost pitied the person who yelled at Sora. Almost. Terra moved back to where he was stocking, hoping it would keep distracting him till the store closed and he could get some peace and quiet to clean the store in.

“What happened with you?”

He looked up to see Riku standing at the next shelving unit over. He was straightening but he was also eyeing Terra a little curiously. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You and Aqua,” Riku said, gesturing vaguely in the direction Aqua was last in.

Terra arched an eyebrow. “Are you spying on me, kiddo?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Riku said, leaning over to fix the next shelf down. “More like it’s so obvious everyone’s been talking about it.”

Terra froze. “Talking about what?”

“That you guys actually get along now. Some have, ah, interesting theories.”

“People like Lea and Kairi, I’ll guess?”

Riku snorted and that was enough of an answer. “It’s just you guys used to fight-flirt a lot, like we all couldn’t tell if you hated each other or liked each other but now you guys…I don’t know, seem happy?”

Terra decided he’d ignore the fact the employees apparently talked about his and Aqua’s relationship dynamics (and referred to it as flirting none the less). “Huh, I mean nothing really changed.”

“I don’t think that’s true. Something changed somewhere.” Riku crouched down but looked up towards Terra. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen either of you smile so much especially around this time of the year when you’re stuck at work. Whatever it is, I’m glad to see you happy.”

Terra knew something changed in himself, and maybe because of his attitude change, it made Aqua feel better about him but he didn’t think it was that apparent to everyone else. “Well, thanks I guess but nothing’s really changed. I guess we just learned how to work with each other.”

Riku made some sort of noise of acknowledgement but otherwise went back to straightening the books. Terra tried to do the same but he couldn’t focus on what went where. He couldn’t see or hear Aqua but he was so aware of her presence. There was no going back for him now, not when he knew it was her. He knew why she made him happy but the disappointment she’d feel knowing he was the person she was waiting to hear back from was enough to make him look back to his job.

He knew he had to tell her, lying to her only made him feel worse every day. It would both ruin the relationship they had, and the one that was only just growing but he had to make it right to her. She deserved that and so much more.

Dear Bytheseaside,

I’m not sure I have words to apologize to you. I could sit here and make excuses all day long but the truth is I have none. I’m the one who chickened out and in the end couldn’t face you. There was nothing you did wrong; I can assure you of that. I’m not quite as outgoing as I may come across and the thought of facing you made me turn away. Then in turn, the thought of facing you in shame of what I’ve done got me delaying in telling you what happened.

I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t trust me to meet again but I still would like to make it up to you. The large Christmas tree in the center of West Town Mall, it’s beautiful you know? I know how much you love Christmas (and hate the cold so this is inside). If you have time maybe the day before Christmas Eve, I’ll wait for you there. I know you typically work nights so after closing. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to show up, but this time I promise I’ll be there. I can’t promise I’ll wear bells in my hair, but I think you’ll know me when you see me.

Aqua couldn’t get the nervous buzz out of the pit of her stomach, which meant it was probably bad to be walking back into the store with more coffee for herself, but she couldn’t help it. She balanced the tray and a couple bags of food past some customers who were digging through the bargain bin, more running to grab last minute presents all around her. Thankfully she made it to the backroom without anyone running into her and spilling either coffee cup.

Terra was already sitting at the table, fiddling with his phone. She smiled as the door swung behind her; at least the nice thing about working the day before Christmas Eve was the boss was here all day and she could take her break at the same time as him tonight.

“Ta-da,” she said, placing the tray down on the table. “Surprise caffeine.”

“Bless you,” he said, leaving his phone on the table. “But you seriously didn’t have to get me anything, Aqua.”

“It was nothing.” She waved him off before reaching for one so she could read the markings. “I figured you were as dead on your feet as I was.”

“You’re right there.”

“Just today and tomorrow,” she said, handing him the one marked with nothing but coffee in it. “Then a day off.”

“Yeah, until we have to come back for all the after-Christmas sales.” He took the coffee from her, but his fingers were warmer than she expected, making her jump just a little when they brushed against her hand.

“Optimism, Terra, c’mon now.” Aqua sat down in the chair across from him, thankful to not be on her feet even for a little bit. She brought the warm coffee up to her lips, hoping it would help her lingering exhaustion.

He snorted but he didn’t say anything else as he sipped carefully at his own drink.

“Oh, here, this too.” Aqua grabbed one of the food bags to peek into it before sliding it over to him.

He choked slightly, probably out of surprise. “You’re too much. You know you don’t have to make sure I eat, right?”

She hummed, grabbing her own bag before leaning back again. “I don’t know, you look like someone who would forget to eat.”

It was the strangest thing. Where she once didn’t even like having to share the same space as him, she found herself standing at the café in the mall wondering what Terra would like off the menu. She admittedly didn’t know and had to guess completely, but so far he was drinking the black coffee with no complaints as he peeked into the bag curiously.

“It was the least sweet thing I could find,” she explained, pulling out her own pastry which she made sure was the polar opposite.

It was like the thought surprised him as he looked back up to her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she chuckled, pulling off a piece of her pastry to pop in her mouth. “It’s the holidays, there’s been cookies and pies and cakes galore back here and you’ve never touched any of them. I figured you didn’t really like sweets too much.”

“Ah, well, you’re right,” he said, placing the pastry on top of the bag, a sort of smile on his lips. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

“Of course, we have to survive all this madness together.”

He hummed in response, leaning back in his chair as he carefully ate the pastry she brought him.

Aqua wasn’t quite sure how it happened. She didn’t know how she went from trying to ignore him as best she could at work to actually looking to see if his name was on the schedule with her. Almost just as surprising was the disappointment she felt when they were scheduled separate. Was he always this sweet and kind and she just never saw it? Did she ever give him the chance to understand he just operated on a different level than she did?

She didn’t know. All she knew was she regretted the way she treated him before. Ever since he brought her food when she was sick, she couldn’t get him out of her head. Even going so far as to having the desire to text him for no reason other than she wished she could see him more than just at work when they were so busy and never really got a chance to say much. She did stop trying to always take control of things, knowing that no matter what he was doing he’d do it to the best of his abilities, even if it was a much quieter way than she’d do it. She actually found his presence with her more comforting than anything, knowing he’d be there if she needed it. Aqua didn’t know why, because she didn’t deserve it in the least but it was a nice thing.

Also a very conflicting thing as she was supposed to meet the person she had been talking to for months again tonight.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

Aqua blinked as she remembered she was still sitting at the table staring down at her food. His was already gone, just crumbs remaining as he went back to his drink. “Ah, nothing important,” she said, reaching to pick at her pastry.

Terra tipped his cup to his lips, gesturing with his hand for her to continue. Did she mention how easy it was to talk to him, too? For all the bickering they used to do, she found conversation with him so easily. He was quiet but always attentive, like nothing she said ever bored him. Why did they used to fight so much? Aqua couldn’t even begin to remember.

“I’m well, I’m supposed to meet that guy again tonight.” The nerves tightened in her stomach just at the thought, making her otherwise delicious food seem unappealing.

Terra arched his eyebrows. “Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t know,” she groaned, her head falling backwards some.

“Did he at least apologize to you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, he didn’t really tell me what happened other than it was on him, and that he wanted to try for a second chance.”

“Do you think he deserves it?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Aqua said, maybe a little too quickly judging by the way her heart leapt up into her throat with Terra’s eyes on her. “I just…I don’t know.”

Terra leaned forward, placing his cup on the table. “In the end it’s up to you. You seemed really upset when he stood you up last time. You have every right not to want to put yourself through that again.”

She hesitated. “Do you think I should go?”

“It’s not my choice to make,” he laughed lightly. “It’s up to you and how you feel. If you still feel like you want to meet this person then go, if you don’t feel like you can trust them after what happened then don’t. Don’t ever feel forced to do something just because you think it’s what other people want.”

Did she still want to? She knew there was a part of her that did, who wanted to meet the person she had so many wonderful conversations with, who made her feel light and warm, happy even when she otherwise might not’ve felt those things. Yet, there was another part of her who was aware there was a person sitting in this room who also had the ability to make her feel that way, who took care of her when he absolutely didn’t have to, who kept the kids at the store out of trouble because he knew they meant well, who did anything without a complaint.

“You’re right,” she said, bringing her coffee back up to her lips. Their break would be over in any second, and she’d have to go back to work and try to not be distracted…by a lot of things.

Terra seemed accepting enough with her answer as he leaned back in his chair. Granted that didn’t last too long as the door swung open.

Xion had her head popped in. “Boss said break’s up, sorry, guys.”

“It’s fine, be right there,” Aqua said, moving to shove the rest of her pastry in her mouth (that absolutely got a chuckle from Terra). She grabbed her coffee to take with her as she stood; she was hiding it behind the counter, they could pry it from her cold, dead hands.

“Hey, Aqua?”

She paused, turning back to Terra who was standing but not really making any other move to leave. “Yeah, what’s up?”

He looked a little unsure, and for a moment she thought he was going to tell her not to go (or hoped? She wasn’t quite sure). “I’m sorry, about how I’ve treated you in the past. It was, ah, really wrong of me.”

Despite the fact she was about to head back to the floor on one of the busiest nights of the year, she couldn’t hold back her smile at his sweet sentiment. “You don’t have to apologize, Terra. I wasn’t always very kind either, so I’m sorry about that.” She paused for a moment, well aware Xion was probably about to stick her head back in to get them moving. “I’m glad it’s not like that anymore though.”

“Me too.”

Aqua barely had time to register the sort of sweet smile on his lips as she pulled open the door, her head instantly filled with Christmas music and the noise that came with a packed store. She did think about how well his smile fit his face, how sincere he was in a simple apology as she bustled around trying to assist where she could and keep the customers happy. It really didn’t help her choice she had to make, it only made it even harder.

In the end, once the store was cleaned and closed up, she bid farewell to her coworkers and walked down the nearby stairs to the first floor of the mall. She could’ve gone to her car and left, but at the same time she couldn’t abide having him feel the same way she did just the week before. Aqua wasn’t sure what she’d say or what she’d do, if she even felt the same way she did before but in the very least he was her friend and he deserved to be treated with respect.

The tree was so big it reached the second floor of the mall, all filled with garland, ornaments, lights, and bows. It really was beautiful. Usually it was filled with lines of kids coming to see Santa but now it was empty, the lights twinkling and soft music playing over the radio. No one else was there, and she tried not to feel the familiar sink of disappointment.

Aqua moved to walk around the tree, to see if anyone else was waiting around the other side. No one, not even lingering mall shoppers, everyone was gone already. She sighed, reaching to her pocket for her phone to see how long she should wait before leaving this endeavor too. She stopped short when she heard footsteps in her direction.

Her heart was in her throat when she looked up but it really didn’t clear anything up. “Terra?” she asked, as he continued to walk up to her. “Did you forget something?”

He had his hands in his jacket pockets, his shoulders hunched slightly. He had keys so she wasn’t sure why he’d need her if he forgot something in the store but still he didn’t stop till he was standing in front of her. The look on his face was a little unreadable, but he looked more nervous than anything.

It was that moment Aqua realized while she told Terra she was supposed to meet her friend tonight, she never actually said where.

“I know I said you’d know me when you saw me,” he said, reaching a hand up to the back of his neck. “But I realized you never did before, so I suppose I probably should’ve brought bells or something.”

Aqua felt her purse fall off her shoulder but she made no move to get it, she could only bring her fingers up to her mouth as she stared at him. It made sense; it made way too much sense for her to have never seen it before. Everything she knew about her friend she knew in Terra too, right down to how gentle and caring she always thought him to be.

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that night either. I just…didn’t want you to feel disappointed that in the end it was me.”

“Terra,” she choked. The emotions swirling through her made tears pricked her eyes in a wave of relief that she didn’t even know she was looking for till he was standing there; that the person she looked forward to seeing at work was the same person she waited for each message from. “I couldn’t…I wanted it to be you.”

He didn’t seem to be expecting that, nor did she expect to put her hands on his face, bringing herself up to press her lips to his. Terra recovered from his surprise enough to reach a hand to her face, the other to her back, pulling her in.

She heard the Christmas music playing lightly, the smell of pine and cinnamon, the lights behind her eyes but mostly she felt the familiar warmth he brought her, his gentle hands against her as he kissed her back. For the first time since she met him, both at work and through their messages, everything just felt simply right.

#terraqua #kingdom hearts #terra #aqua #kingdom hearts fanfic #my fics:kh #tobewithyou #modernaukh #ITS A CHRISTMAS FIC I PROMISE LOL

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normal-thoughts-official · 5 years

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HEY SO u didn’t wanna go on a trans!magnus tangent in ur sexuality post but *I* want you to go on a trans!magnus tangent! Tell me more about him coming to terms w/ his identity & how it’s influenced his life and all that. Essentially just give me all the trans!magnus content in ur brain. Love u ❤️❤️❤️ ~cursedlightwood

here’s my hot take: magnus’ gender is Tired. and yes, i will elaborate, because Ive spent the last 2-3 weeks doing research for this ask, so this is probably the most well-informed theory you’ll see on this subject. yeah, we’re doomed

EDIT: i was gonna say this from the get-go but i forgot, so: english is not my first language and i’m unsure about the usage of some terms that i found during research, particularly those referring to traditional javanese religions and customs; so, if you spot anything that is problematic, racist or colonialist please let me know and i’ll change it.

ok, so i want to start this off by saying that, although javanese society had a binary gender system, they had pretty egalitarian views on gender, and from what i’ve seen the division of labor wasn’t really set in stone - although they were less common than male ones, there were female warriors, for instance. both men and women could be the sovereign and were equally respected, both could ask for a divorce, etc. the most important part of their gender views, to me, seems to be that they believed women were better for diplomatic roles and trading, because they believed men were too emotional and not as good as debating and making compromises as women were (same source)

so i’m just gonna say this, here and now: AFAB!Magnus makes a lot of sense because Magnus is the most diplomatic person you’ll ever fucking see, and in this context, if he were AFAB, he would have been socialized to be for a very young age. and i dont mean hes diplomatic just on the sense that he’s literally keeping most of the characters together and preventing fights (remember when he had to stop a Raphael VS Simon catfight? ugh), but also in the sense that out of everyone hes the one who best handles the seelie queen, for example. he’s good at Wit Battles, negotiating, building bridges and dealing with power relations when its needed.

and i mean, this would also be a pretty good start on why he’d be like “no thanks” when it comes to this whole Womanhood thing, because yeah, Magnus is good at that, he has to be, but does he like it? to me it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t, that he’s absolutely uninterested in anything involving power and negotiations and this whole ridiculous dance it involves. also he’s constantly giving himself the short end of the stick so y’know. honestly, at heart, magnus is an inventor, an explorer; he likes to create things, he likes to learn, he likes to explore the world around him, meet people, help them, build relationships - but on equal grounds, not this whole give-some-take-some thing diplomacy entails. and as a Woman™ in pre-colonial java society, it’s pretty much that, be a farmer, or a concubine - we’re gonna get to that a little bit later on.

so i think in this context little magnus would be like “no thanks” and wanting to go around and, i don’t know, look at plants and learn their properties and figure out why apples fall, or something. it’s not exactly a Man’s Role™ either, although to be fair i found it a little hard to figure out what exactly were men’s roles in javanese society because gender studies usually just focus on women and treat men as the standard and don’t really explore how manhood is construed. but anyway. i know that they were warriors more frequently than women (same source), but women could be warriors as well. like i said, gender roles in javanese society weren’t really set in stone. [alec voice] they’re not rules, they’re suggestions.

add to that the fact that magnus lived in a port city - he had to, since in the early 1600s the dutch were only settling in important ports and trading centers - and the ports in java were very important trading centers that had been attracting people from all over Asia and Europe for centuries, and had a quite good share of migrants and immigrants living there, including quite a good share of Buginese, aka the people who had a 5-gender division. jakarta, which is in java, has like the 10th biggest buginese population in the world, not to mention the countless other societies that had their own views on gender relations; and you have a pretty good and accepting environment when it comes to differences. the javanese were flexible, they were well aware that culture isn’t set in stone, and they were very prone to syncretism. the kingdom allowed people to have any religion they wanted, even if its “official” religion at the time was buddhism. so really: the javanese were actually not very into the whole “imposing cultural constructs” thing, especially the coastal javanese. so magnus would have likely had the freedom to explore and to not really want to conform to any gender stereotypes without that being a HUGE deal, in my opinion.

and then there’s the fact that the concept of womanhood was a pretty disputed one at the time; yes, the javanese had their own views, but it’s important to note that by the 1600s most of the coastal javanese population had converted to Islam, which led to a few differences as well; when compared to other southeast asian communities, for example, the rate of women in trade was a little different - while it was a steady 50% in almost all countries and cultures, in indonesia it was around 30%, because muslim communities had more of a “women stay at home” view. however, when compared to other asian societies such as the chinese society, where the rate was of 1-5%, you can see that the javanese’s egalitarian views on gender stood a fair amount of ground. also, in indonesia, precisely due to their more open views, Islam mostly syncretised with local religions and customs, including the gender views; in Bugis, for instance, the 5-gender system was kept, as were traditional customs such as “ritual transvestism” and homosexuality. so, yes, it was disputed, and people had many views on what people could or couldn’t do, but that mostly ended up becoming a kind of “live and let live” thing. which is the perfect environment for 1- AFAB!Magnus be Very Tired of this whole womanhood thing that no one can even decide what it is anyway; 2- Magnus to say “fuck this” and live as a masc-leaning genderless entity that just wanted to make some goddamn potions.

but then there’s the colonial relations, right? how do the dutch come into this already very complicated and delicately balanced equation? that was honestly the main point of my research, trying to figure out just how much influence the dutch had at such an early stage of colonisation, and also what it would be like to live in a mixed-culture household such as magnus’. here’s what i have:

during the first century of dutch colonisation (aka the part we’re talking about) the dutch and the europeans didn’t really have a big influence in javanese cultural and political relations. the javanese were pretty well organised and had a powerful and strong society so the europeans didn’t really manage to invade them successfully - even the portuguese, the most powerful european nation at the time, tried and failed to invade them for the whole 16th century (get rekt lmao). so what the dutch did was, they simply established themselves as one of the many companies that settled in jakarta to trade, and slowly built their power and influence from there. don’t get me wrong, the dutch were very violent colonisers and in other parts of indonesia they were doing the european thing of mass genocide as much as any other country. they weren’t a “softer” version of colonisers, they just didn’t have the power to subjugate the javanese, so they had to try a slower approach. during the early 1600s, the only dutch people in java were the VOC workers (VOC is the dutch east india company - the acronym is in dutch. basically the company that was there to get some nice spices to sell to the rest of europe so they could shove it all up their assholes or smth since up to this day their food is bland as shit), and they weren’t permanent settlers; they could only stay in java for the duration of their contract with the VOC and they couldn’t bring their wives and children with them, and they couldn’t bring any wives or mixed children they had while in java back to europe, either (same source).

this weird relationship meant that magnus’ “stepfather” and his mother probably had a relationship of concubinage (told you we’d get back to that), which was not uncommon in java neither before nor after the arrival of the dutch. in short, his mother was supposed to take care of his house, make him food and all that jazz, and also have a sexual relationship with him, in exchange for money (same source). it was not prostitution and it worked pretty much as a marriage, except it was temporary and contractual. BUT it meant that magnus’ mother would have to have converted to christianism (same source) and due to the fact that she was in a temporary contract, she couldn’t divorce him, and in their home he would treat her as, well, europeans treated their wives - with the particular western brand of sexism that they so kindly forced unto the rest of us. so that makes the whole thing even more disputed and complicated.

but as a VOC worker, magnus’ stepfather wouldn’t even be home for most of the day, and he couldn’t really keep magnus or his mom from, like, leaving the house and doing their things. i think he wouldn’t even try because that would prolly be very looked down upon in java; spousal abuse in southeast asia as a whole was pretty rare, since anyone could divorce whenever they wanted and women were politically and financially independent, so i think if he tried to pull something like that he would be in trouble - again, the dutch were the minority, and for the most part, they lived as the javanese did, in their villages, in their homes, eating their food and mostly adapting to their customs (same source). they even mostly spoke indonesian in their homes, since most indonesians didn’t speak dutch, and indonesia was kind of the universal language at the time, since there were many languages spoken both in and outside of java (this also explains why magnus speaks indonesian instead of javanese; that would have been the language spoken at his home. you have no idea how relieved having an explanation for this makes me). also there’s the pressing question of, would he even give a shit what magnus does or doesn’t do? magnus wasn’t his biological son, and most of these guys didn’t care about any biological children they might have had with these women, since they were women of color and they would leave them eventually anyway. honestly this is all the more reason for him to treat magnus like shit - he was javanese, he was brown, and he wasn’t even related to him by blood. this was also probably grounds for him to treat magnus’ mom even worse, since in his christian eyes the fact that she had a child outside of marriage made her even lesser than other indonesians.

so honestly, what i’m picturing is something like - most of the time it was pretty okay, there were certain expectations and a certain kind of female socialization but it was okay that he didn’t really fit in there, and then with his stepfather the whole thing was just shit.

also, the fact that his mom was probably a concubine means there was a fair chance that his stepfather would have other concubines, and listen, yes i may be flexing, but you can’t stop me from imagining that maybe magnus was raised in a multicultural home with lots of other southeast asian women and children and maybe even buginese because again you can’t fucking STOP ME.

but either way, even if his home wasn’t like that, his city was - we don’t know which city he lived in, but it doesn’t matter, really; all cities with dutch settlers were port cities and therefore followed pretty much the same pattern of being a cultural tapestry with all sorts of influences coexisting in peace.

so really, little magnus lived in a pretty rich environment when it came to exploring his identity. he and his mom lived in a pretty egalitarian society gender-wise, he had the space and the opportunity to explore the world and figure out what he liked and didn’t like. am i going crazy imagining a tiny magnus with his mom, running around in other farms and listening, enraptured, stories of people from all over the world, about their cultures and lives, and learning there is so much to see and wanting to just go wherever he could, getting himself a passion for travelling that would later fuel his want to invent a quick way to go anywhere he wanted to, going to the port and seeing all the stuff they had available, from plants with healing properties to spices, and just loving to figure out their properties and how they could be mixed together to create new things, loving this world full of wonder and possibilities? maybe. god.

but anyway, what i’m trying to get at here is that it’s really impossible to think of a cis magnus in this context, no matter if you think AMAB or AFAB trans magnus - i know ive been focused on AFAB magnus here but really that’s mostly because 1- Projection; 2- thinking about AFAB magnus brings in new layers of complexity that need further exploration in my opinion; but really this applies to any magnus. what would being “cis” even mean, in a context where the very concepts of manhood and womanhood were so disputed and complex? and that’s not even going into the fact that after so many centuries, complying to gender roles of that time looked nothing like complying to our modern gender roles. really, it’s a lost cause. magnus kind of has a culturally-specific gender that…. no one but other warlocks born in similar situations could, really? there’s no word for it. there’s no explaining it with words. it is [REDACTED GOOD OMENS REFERENCE]

the closest we have is masc-leaning enby, since somewhere along the way he seems to have decided to use male pronouns and have a mostly masc-presenting body, even if paired with a more fem-presenting appearance fashion and mannerisms-wise. but again it’s too unique, there are way too many influences here.

and honestly that’s kind of beautiful! i love imagining small magnus having contact with people with all kinds of views on gender and society throughout his childhood, exploring, trying on their clothes, learning about their religions and customs, having elderly friends from different backgrounds and also young friends who were raised in very different ways, and sharing all of that, and learning about who he is amidst all of that, and being able to explore that and talk about that to his mom and friends and close people because they are used to these differences. even if when at home he was probably met with some kind of transphobic rhetoric and violence because of his stepfather and the imposed christianity that came with it - and that unlike other religions, didn’t syncretize at all.

which brings us to a second, very important point on the whole trans magnus ordeal, which is how deeply tied to racism the transphobia he’s suffered and the general understanding of his gender was. of course, this applies to every single of-color and non-western born person, but magnus has lived that through history. from a very young age, the blunt of the violence he was met with came from a racist standpoint that believed his very identity and existence made him lesser and in need to be corrected - because that’s what, after all, the colonizers were doing. their whole rhetoric was that the colonized were barbaric and needed them to learn the right ways through violence. it is worth noticing that the javanese have been referred to as “the most inhuman of all people” by dutch colonizers, and amongst the reasons for that was the fact that their views on gender were so different from the european’s (same source).

so really we’re mixing in the fact that he was a “bastard” child in his stepfather’s eyes, a warlock, and trans… and yeah, oof. there’s no way he was treated with anything other than violence from way before his mom’s suicide and the subsequent drowning attempt. in his stepfather’s eyes, everything about magnus’ existence was demonic, impure, and all the more reason why he and his mom were dirty and needed to be corrected.

it’s also worth noting that sorcery was a very big part of javanese culture that was also syncretized with pretty much every religion. the javanese believed in sorcery, believed everyone could do magic, and the dutch, of course, despised that. the source above is a pretty interesting article that argues that the european’s so-called “skepticism” on magic and “rational-based” culture was actually part of a construction of whiteness that hoped precisely to differentiate them from the “savage” others. i mean, the guys were burning women at the stake because they were “witches”, but every other culture’s religions, rituals and magic were just bullshit and couldn’t be trusted because the europeans were too rational and knew better? okay buddy. it also features an amazing story about a dutch colonizer who got hexxed because of his racism that is, quite frankly, heartwarming. but i digress.

so yeah listen i know i already talked about this on the other ask but there’s really no way the reason his mother killed herself was because she found out magnus was a warlock or a demon’s son or whatever. magic was part of their culture. it was what they believed in. it was a part of nature to them. it’s way more likely that the reason she killed herself was the constant violence she was met with in daily life that she couldn’t get away from, and his stepfather simply blamed magnus because, to him, he represented everything that was wrong with their culture - and that makes even more sense if we think about trans!magnus, because that makes him an even deeper abomination. it’s very likely that most of the violence and belittling his mother had to face was related to magnus as well - look what you created, what you do, your culture is an abomination, this is unacceptable. but magnus was way too small at that time, and he believed what his stepfather told him, because i mean, what else would he believe in?

i also think that asmodeus kind of messed with his perception of how the whole thing went down, telling him that he “murdered” him when really it was clearly self defense, erasing the violence his stepfather directed towards magnus and focusing on the end to convince magnus that he was evil, unredeemable, that no one would accept him but asmodeus, that he had no other choice. so that’s super fun! but yeah i do believe that asmodeus spent enough time gaslighting magnus and rewriting this whole story for this to be considered magnus’ worst memory, seen by him as a reminder of his “ugly side” that doesn’t really even exist. asmodeus weaponized this, which served the double purpose of convincing magnus he had no choice but to follow asmodeus, and teaching him that violence is normal and there’s nothing wrong with it, and that retaliating makes him bad.

this is all i have to say about the asmodeus years, really, because like i said before i don’t think he gives a shit about gender, he’s way older than it and who cares. but the trauma that the whole thing put magnus through is easily weaponizable. @thesorrowoflizards also wrote this amazing fic that features the headcanon that asmodeus used magnus’ transness to manipulate him as well, using spells that made him more masculine and stuff but only if magnus obeyed him. fun! especially considering that he was with asmodeus through his puberty (or at least that’s likely) when his body would have begun to change, so for him to have such a masc-presenting body…. yeah. this is very plausible. i love pain.

and then we get to england, where again, everyone is an asshole, about everything, all the time. like holy shit, he thought the europeans cared too much when he was in java, but that is nothing compared to the brits and their casual sentencing people to death for being gender non conforming. also, to the europeans, asian men were seen as emasculate and their gender relations as a whole was unnatural, and listen, i know that in 18th-19th century england men also wore makeup and stuff, but i mean, magnus was probably seen as exotic in his “effeminate” mannerisms and non-compliance to gender roles, even if people didn’t know he was AFAB or just trans in general. he was probably objectified in that sense, kinda like a human-zoo sorta thing. fascinating, these emasculated asians with weird bodies and customs. ugh.

so yeah gender got particularly exhausting at that time, too. thankfully there were the warlocks, who were old enough to know all of this was bullshit and who had people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds, thousands of people with culturally-specific genders, as well as other people who were raised in similar environments as him. so in there he finds a home of sorts, a place where this doesn’t matter and where he can be himself and nobody cares, and also has access to different cultures and views and knowledge, and really it’s like the good parts of his childhood again. he learns more about magic and potion-making, about other cultures and places, travels the world, learns about science and the workings behind his magic. creates new potions, new spells, continues his education, learns and remembers how much he loves this, the cultural effervency, the chances to learn and explore and create. really the warlock community is so amazing and it’s like, golden era.

but he’s also living amongst mundanes and to some extent he likes them - not to mention, he likes travelling and learning about different places and cultures. and they seem to care more and more about differentiating genders as time goes by, and to be getting more and more violent in their never-ending quest to force people to fit into these roles, and it’s. tiring. exhausting. who cares. it makes less and less sense to him, and this alienation from the whole thing only solidifies his non-conformance and general inability to fit. sometimes he feels old, and alone, even if he has other people who are Like Him now - the shadow world can get tiring, sometimes, and there’s also the shadowhunters racism thing going on that’s also inevitably trying to subjugate their spaces and looks down on their culture - so it also has the downsides of his childhood. sometimes it’s like there’s no word for who he is, no one that can understand it, no place where he can be fully himself and loved for it. and this only intensifies by the middle of the 19th century, when suddenly makeup and colorful clothing is not for men anymore, and he’s even less conforming than before - he was a pretty respectable Man™ to their standarts up to that point, but from then on that is lost. it doesn’t matter too much, because even if he is masc-leaning, he still doesn’t really see himself as a man in the sense that he seems to be expected to. but that furthers the alienation, and the feeling of loneliness and of being old and unfit for this world.

that is also when he meets camille! and that’s canon because there was that one picture of him with camille and ragnor and the clothes they are wearing are very much from the 1840s (i talked about this here), which is precisely when the whole men’s fashion differentiating from women’s fashion thing was starting. so in the context of his gender this makes it even easier for camille to manipulate him into thinking that she’s the only one who will ever understand and accept him, and that he’s naive, and that he doesn’t fit into the world and doesn’t understand what’s best for him, and really he should trust her judgement better because he is a man out of his time, but she can help him, and- yeah. that good olde cis-girl-abuses-trans-person routine, with even more elements than usual. ggghhhghh

and it’s not until the 1960s and 70s that these notions start to actually be challenged. of course, trans people have always existed and were building their own communities and helping each other as well as they could, and magnus certainly was a part of that, because, well, that’s who he is. he doesn’t leave people in need and he knows how painful it is to go through all of this alone, so he does his best to help and adopts pretty much everyone he can. but for the most part, they are a diaspora, and the cissexist society that alienates and tries to kill them goes on unchallenged.

that gives him all the more reason to get so involved with stonewall and the subsequent building of the queer neighborhoods and communities, that feeling that maybe he can belong after all, that things might change and his life doesn’t have to be an infinite cycle of violence, isolation, abuse, and repeat. seeing these events unfold, helping keep people safe, meeting Sylvia Rivera and all the other trans people of color who were part of this, who had stories so similar to his, who were also bisexual (!!), who knew what it was like. that was healing, and that was important to him, and gjfdkafaskfa yeah.

and of course not everything is a sea of roses, because then the community starts to divide and trans and bi ppl, particularly of color, particularly those who are like him, start to be looked down on. Sylvia is arrested and even booed at Pride, suddenly he’s drawing the short end of the stick again. and then there’s the AIDS crisis, and he sees so many people die, and for a while, it feels like there’s no way out after all. and he even loses a lot of his warlock friends, the people who really understand him in his entirety, because sometime around that there’s the Circle massacre, as well. it’s a dark time for him, and honestly it’s a good thing he’s sworn off romance after the whole camille ordeal to clear his head, because after losing so many people he’s never felt this alienated, this alone, and to fall into the arms of another camille or asmodeus would have been just too easy.

but god, he heals. it’s crazy, but he has raphael, he has cat, ragnor, dot, elias, and he somehow builds himself up and relearns to trust and starts to believe that he has the love he’s always believed himself unworthy of having, that he believed impossible to him. and he starts to open up, and to feel more confident in his own skin, right in time to meet alec.

and look, trans!Magnus just makes malec all the more powerful. not only is this shadowhunter showing up and fully trusting a downworlder, giving him his strength, caring about him, cleaning his home (!) and taking care of him, something he hasn’t allowed himself to have for so long, something he didn’t believe he could have and that alec does so easily even when they’ve barely met. he shows magnus so much care and respect from day one and magnus doesn’t get that from anyone, let alone a shadowhunter, let alone a shadowhunter that’s there with jocelyn’s entitled daughter who treats him as a tool - and look, i know he loves clary, but she is entitled and magnus unfortunately enables her and other entitled shadowhunters to treat him as such, because even he treats himself as such most of the time, and it’s something he needs to work on, and probably has been at least since he broke up with camille.

but he’s also a white, gay man, and magnus has seen firsthand that these people can be nasty to people like him. yes he tried to help alec come to terms with his sexuality, and yes he’s surprised him before, but it’s also not like alec didn’t fuck up and wasn’t entirely… well, shadowhunter-y and had a lot of trouble believing that things didn’t have to be the shadowhunter, bigoted way for a while. but alec doesn’t give a shit if magnus is trans, it doesn’t lessen his attraction or love to him in any way, and it’s just. ugh. beautiful.

and yeah this has gotten too long and it already took me like 3 weeks to answer it because of the amount of research ive done and general tiredness so im gonna end this here, and on a positive note for a change! magnus is happy and learning to take care of himself and accepts himself and trans rights. hell yeah.

#it's FINALLY here god damn it i have answered this ask!!!!!!!! holy fuck #ask #cursedlightwood #necromimetics #i know who u are skyler pls #sh #shadowhunters #magnus bane #trans magnus bane #meta #magnus meta #sh meta #malec #overflowing trashcan

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gayboleynz · 5 years

Text

Flowers for the Queen - Ch. 2

Ao3 Link

[Chapter 1]

Chapter 2: The Old Witch’s Curse

-In Which Anne says something Dumb-

Anne started to make her way across the street.

“So... Katherine, will you tell me what you are doing in town? Other than... Flirting with my best friend?” “I wasn’t-” She turns to Anne to protest, but seeing her face, smile in place, so ready to make fun of her, makes her turn around and take a deep breath. “I came here for uni. I got here yesterday and well, other than asking for directions, I don’t remember much else.” She turned her gaze to the ground, looking at her feet as she stepped up to the sidewalk.

“Partying too hard already?” Her words were light, but Anne was immediately worried. It sounded so much like her first night in town. “I… Yeah, I guess so.” “Well, there’s no hangover that Jane’s pancakes won’t fix.” She said, while opening the door of the bakery they had just arrived at.

The inside smelled heavenly, like every morning, with all the usual baked goods Jane cooked displayed on the counter. It was still early enough that the flour in the air hadn’t settled yet in the empty bakery, and it shined in the light coming through the windows, making everything look very peaceful to Anne. However, that peace was short-lived, cause not five seconds in a very agitated Liz jumped at her.

“Mum! Jane won’t let me have more than 5 pancakes!” “Good! Jane, does that mean I can have the rest?” “But muumm!” “Be nice now, kid, I got your flowers!” But Liz wasn’t really paying attention anymore, instead she was looking at Katherine.

She seemed a little out of place, standing by the door. Anne supposed it was too early to talk to such an excited child, and so she was very glad (for once) when she saw Jane’s slightly surprised face appear from behind the counter. “Liz, Jane, There’s someone I want you both to meet. This is my cousin, Katherine.”

At this she smiled, looking back to Katherine, who was a little panicked but who waved and got closer to Liz. “Hello, and please, call me Kitty!” “Well, hello Kitty, what would you like for breakfast?” said Jane, walking towards her while wiping some flour off from her hands on her apron, before shaking Kitty’s hand.

“Oh well, Both Anne and Liz have mentioned pancakes…?” “I want pancakes too, I’ll set a table for us.” added Anne, while moving behind the counter and handing Liz some plates and forks.

“Well, I’ll get on with the pancakes then. Anne, be a dear and handle any customers that come in, please.” “Sure. You know I’ll get orders mixed up though.”

Liz took the plates to a table and sat down, while Anne made herself coffee. She was unusually quiet, and in Anne’s experience, that couldn’t be good. “Um... Kitty?” There we go, thought Anne. “I like your pink hair. And you seem nice. But… I thought we didn’t have any family.” Katherine did seem a little taken aback by this, but didn’t seem to think much before answering. “I thought so too, you know? Your mom and I were very little the last time we saw each other.”

Anne just listened. She had not anticipated their lack of close family to be present in Elizabeth’s mind. Anne herself didn’t remember when she told her they didn’t have any, so it didn’t occur to her that introducing Katherine would be an issue. An issue that Kitty herself solved. “But I’m very happy we ran into each other today, cause now we’ve met.” Liz’s face lit up. “Really? I’m glad too, we can be friends!” Anne could feel Liz get progressively more excited. “Do you like drawing? I love drawing! And I also like animals! Dogs are my favorite, cause they are everywhere! Do you like dogs? And-”

At this point she stood up, as if that would help her get even louder, and Anne could see her take air in to scream some more nonsense. “Ok love, that’s enough, let's just eat our pancakes, and Kitty will answer your ‘calm’ questions later, yeah?” Liz let out all the air and smiled. “does that mean I get more pancakes?”

“Well-” Anne started. “You get one more and that’s it.” Intercepted Jane. “Who is the mom here, Seymour?” “She’s had five already! She just told you this.” Anne turned her head to look at Liz, who was smiling as innocently as she could manage. “You get one more and that’s it.”

With a little smile on her face directed at Anne, Jane put a plate filled with pancakes on the table, while Anne sat down. “Kitty, would you like some tea, love?” asked Jane, while prepping her own. Kitty answered without taking her attention from the pancakes. “Oh, no, it’s alright. Thank you.”

While Anne distributed the pancakes, she couldn’t help but ask. “Kitty, I know you said you came here for uni but… How did you end up at Anna’s? Do you really not remember?” Kitty froze, with a forkful midair, and focused on Liz, who had already shoved half a pancake into her mouth. “Well, yes. I’ve been trying to, all morning, but nothing really comes to mind about what might have happened-” She looked at Anne. “I’m sorry, I just… I should probably talk to Anna and find out. I was too out of sorts earlier to ask her about it.”

At this, Jane sat down with her tea. “Love, that really sounds sketchy, has this happened to you before?” “No, not really. One night I drank too much I couldn’t remember where I had left my shoes, but that’s it. This feels very different. I know I should be more scared, but-”

She didn’t finish her sentence, instead staring at some random point near Anne for a second. “You put your sleeve on your plate, Anne. In the syrup.”

“Oh shit.” While Liz laughed at her mom trying to clean the syrup off, Kitty continued.

“I’m just gonna talk to Anna after class today.” Jane didn’t seem convinced, but she tried to hide her worry behind her cup of tea. “Talking about class...shouldn’t we be going somewhere, Liz?” Anne looked at her daughter, who was very stealthily trying to steal a pancake portion from her plate. “School? maybe?”

“It’s still early, mum, we can finish breakfast, and maybe go to the bookshop? Cause I’ve been good.” “When did you get so good at telling the time, and, oi, you are stealing MY PANCAKES and have the guts to say you’ve been good?”

Having left Katherine and Jane to finish their breakfast, Anne and Liz walked down the street, all the way to the bookshop. Anne knew they still had time, but the thought of running into a certain Catherine so early in the morning didn’t thrill her.

That’s why she was very pleasantly surprised when it was not Old Aragon’s voice who called out “Just a minute!” when they came in. Liz didn’t wait to wander in through the shelves, while Anne looked around just in case Aragon was hiding somewhere. She heard Liz shouting “Good morning, Cathy!” after a while, followed by the sound of several books falling to the ground.

Anne tried to find the source in between the shelves, walking way too quickly, trying to find Liz, her mind ignoring anything that wasn’t a very redheaded, very short person. Which is why she didn’t really notice when she bumped into someone at the turn of a corner.

She was short, but definitely not redheaded. Anne couldn’t help but notice that there were several books on the floor, and didn’t really stop herself from picking them up.

“I’m sorry, I-” She started, but she lost her train of thought the moment she made eye contact. She just mindlessly handed the other woman the books so she could stack them on their place.

“It’s ok, I’m easily startled anyway, and Liz didn’t mean any harm.” “Oh, I meant for um… bumping into you.” “Oh. well, that’s ok too, I think.” She said, frowning a little at her own awkwardness. Anne finally was able to form coherent thoughts. “Wait, how do you know my daughter?” “She comes in almost everyday… At least since I’ve been here. How do you not know this?”

“I know she comes here, but I just thought she would be annoying that old witch Aragon to be honest, not you. Who are you, by the way?”

“I’m Catherine. The old witch’s god-daughter.” She said this in a very serious tone, but Anne could see the faintest smile that told her she wasn’t in real trouble.

“Well then. I just put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I? I’m Anne Boleyn, I work on the other side of the flowershop.” Anne waited for a reply, but it didn’t come. “Nice to meet you?” she added, unsure.

“Sorry I made this weird, I just… It’s nice to meet you too, but… I got to tell you, I’ve been hearing your name almost everyday for a week, and this feels strange.” Anne was sure most of what she had heard wouldn’t be good, and so she picked up some more books, trying to think.

“Oh. I understand. Has it been Liz or Aragon talking-” “MUM! Can I take this book?”

Liz´s’ yelling made Catherine jump. “Liz, honey, you need to stop screaming.” Said Anne, while looking around for her.

Liz poked her head from behind a shelf. “Ok, Sorry. Can I take this or not? Also we are gonna be late.”

Anne handed the books she had picked up to Catherine, who had already put the rest of them on their place. “How much for the book?” Asked Anne, turning to Cathy. Making eye contact proved a mistake, cause suddenly she felt as if her feet were stuck to the ground.

“I have no idea, I need to scan it.” Cathy just stared for a moment, thinking, Anne supposed. “Thanks for helping, by the way.” she finally said, and after a second she brushed past Anne on her way to the register, where Liz was waiting with her book.

Anne stood still for a second longer before following her. Cathy was making Liz laugh about something as she scanned the book, pointing at the flowers that Liz had left next to the register on her way in. Liz took the flowers and the book the moment Anne reached her, and gave a little tug on Anne’s sleeve.

Anne bent down so that Liz could whisper in her ear. “Mum can you pay for it? it’s 10 pounds, and I only have… None.” Anne, with an eyeroll and a little smile towards Cathy, who was looking very amused at their conversation, paid for the book. Liz tugged at her sleeve again.

“Can you also give Cathy one of the flowers? I can’t reach over, I’m too short.” Anne took one of the flowers from the bunch, and handed it to Cathy, who looked very confused. Anne just shrugged, and tried to ignore the tingling in her hand from Catherine’s fingers brushing against it when she took the flower. She was too damn old to be feeling like this.

“Cathy...” Liz started, with as much seriousness as her little body could hold. “this is for being nice to me. Also, I know I’m like… Your only friend, so I want to go to the movies with you.”

Anne took a deep breath. That kid would be the death of her. Cathy was blushing very hard, which Anne couldn’t help but think was really cute, but she also didn’t seem to know what to say.

“I’m going to the movies too, so it’s not like you’re gonna have to be alone with a six year old.”

“But mum! I didn’t invite you!” “Yeah, but I’m your mom and I kinda have to go with you, love.”

Liz looked ready to protest, but Cathy interrupted her. “Alright. How’s wednesday for you guys? Cinema is cheaper and it’s my day off, so…” she looked at Anne, and it was obvious that she was feeling very unsure about the whole plan. Anne couldn’t help herself.

“That’s perfect! We have to get going, but I’ll come by later and we can talk about our date?” Anne realized what she had said and made an awkward face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that-”

Cathy laughed and, looking down with a smile at the flower she was twirling in her hand, she replied: “Well that’s… one way of saying it. Really, if I didn’t know better, I’d say a certain old witch has cursed you to say embarrassing stuff.”

The mischievous look she gave Anne made her heart flutter. They looked at each other quietly, but soon enough Liz interrupted that.

“Mum… we are gonna be late. For real late.” Elizabeth sounded in a real hurry all of a sudden, and Anne couldn’t stop being taken by the arm and dragged towards the door.

“Bye, Cathy!”

Elizabeth was so focused on getting out that she didn’t even look at Catherine as she talked to her, instead trying not to squish the flowers too much while opening the door.

Anne said her goodbyes and followed her daughter outside. It had been a really long morning. Maybe she really was cursed.

#Six: the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six fic #Catherine of Aragon #Anne Boleyn #Jane Seymour #Anna of Cleves #Katherine Howard #Catherine Parr #Elizabeth Boleyn #Flowers for the Queen #This one is longer folks #and idk if it's better #but it's certainly not worse than chapter one

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i-am-too-sick · 5 years

Text

A Fateful Encounter

@nerdlycharming and I have a separate canonverse where my Quinn and his OC Michael are dating in college. We had never talked about how the two of them met, so we decided to brainstorm and came up with this. We hope you enjoy!

Word count: ~6400

Quinn closed his eyes to give the words a moment to stop swimming across the page. He'd heard stories of freshers flu before, but he hadn't really thought anything of it until he found himself completely blindsided by it. Now, he huddled over himself for warmth, wracked by shivering chills that seemed to zap the heat from his body, regardless of the number of blankets or layers of clothing he wore. His body ached something fierce and he spent most of his waking moments blowing his nose or trying to keep his lungs from leaping out his throat.

Despite how awful he felt, he left his campus dorm anyway, desperate to leave behind the roommate that was threatening to drive him mad. Quinn was half convinced he was a drug dealer and that the shady people who visited from time to time were his customers. He kept odd hours, and during the time that Quinn tried to sleep, his roommate banged loudly around the building, playing the drums or having raucous, drunken parties in the hallway.

At least the library was quiet, Quinn thought, opening his eyes and giving a liquid sniffle. Between the sneezing and the coughing that threatened to turn into gagging, Quinn had already chased away the other students who'd been sitting at his table. He didn't blame them, and it gave him the opportunity to spread his belongings across the table, though now he was fighting the urge to lay his head on his backpack and take a nap. He wasn't making any headway in his studying anymore, and his head was absolutely pounding. He felt like garbage, but he refused to go back to his dorm. He'd already been at the library for hours, and it felt like the only thing he'd accomplished was feeling progressively worse. Coughing chestily into the crook of his elbow, he flipped the page in his textbook and tried again to make sense of the content, fully resigned to his fate.

Michael, a rather shy boy that worked at the library, noticed Quinn coming in, smiling and waving at him when he did. He always did. He hoped the other boy would think he was just friendly instead of the real reason behind his friendliness. Michael thought the studious boy he saw so frequently, was very cute!

Today though, the brunette didn't wave back, he just sulked over to his usual spot and flopped down into a chair. Michael frowned, feeling anxious, thinking maybe he'd done something wrong. As the night dragged on, though, he was becoming more and more worried about the cute stranger with all his coughing and sneezing. Finally he could take it no more and he cautiously walked up to him with a cup of tea (something they sold there for about $0.50 at the counter) and a box of tissues.

With him being so sick, Quinn’s senses were completely dulled. It took him a moment longer than it should have to realize someone was talking to him. He looked up blearily at the stranger—someone who seemed vaguely familiar to him, but possibly because Quinn had seen him around campus. It was hard to trust his own thoughts with his head as muddled as it was.

Before he had a chance to question the stranger’s intentions, or ask him where he got that steaming cup of whatever it was, because Quinn was certain the drink could warm him from the inside while the steam cleared away some of his congestion, he was caught off guard by a fierce tickle in his sinuses. He released two sneezes in quick succession, one nearly stifled while the other was powerful and loud and made his head spin.

“I’b sorry,” he muttered congestedly, reaching without thinking for the tissues and noisily blowing his nose.

Michael had winced at the loudness of the boy’s actions, but more out of sympathy than anything else. “Bless you!” He said at once. “No need to apologise, but...maybe you could be resting?” He suggested politely, worry seeping into his voice.

“I’b okay,” Quinn said, depositing his used tissue into the front pocket of his coat. It was nearly overflowing as it was, the travel pack of tissues he'd brought along with him quickly used up in the time he'd been trying to study.

He knew he sounded anything but fine, probably looked it too, but he also didn't want to unload all his troubles on someone he didn't even know. It was also silly to admit that, only after the first couple of weeks into the semester, Quinn didn't get along with his roommate, and was thus left to attempt to be productive in his studies and ride out his illness in the library.

The bespectacled stranger readjusted his glasses with a small frown. “Must be an important test then?” He inquired, gesturing to Quinn's messy workspace. Michael took a seat across from him, too worried now about the cute stranger to simply go back to work. He only had an hour left anyway and he was sure his boss wouldn't mind.

“You seem...motivated.” He didn't want to say he didn't, he was clearly determined at least. It was obvious too, though, that Michael didn't truly believe that.

Quinn nodded. His eyes were bleary and it looked like it had been a long time since he'd truly been able to focus them on what he was reading. “I wad’t to get id the ndursing program. Ugh, excuse mbe…”

Grabbing a wad of tissues from the box, Quinn pressed them to his nose and blew hard. He hoped to lessen some of the congestion from his voice so he could at least be understandable, but the paper irritated his nose and he ducked his head into his elbow to bury another sneeze. The stifle sent a wave of dizziness over him, forcing him to close his eyes and inhale deeply to regain his bearings.

“A-are you sure you're alright?” Michael cleared his throat and continued, “forgive me for saying so, you really don't look well and surely a future nursing student would know he's unwell?” He asked, wondering why the wouldn't just go home? He looked like he could barely keep his head up.

Quinn propped his cheek up with his hand. “My roommate and I don't always see eye-to-eye,” he said, surprising himself with how much better he could articulate. “I could probably get more sleep laying out on a bench in the middle of the quad.”

Suddenly feeling tired, he let out a bone-weary sigh, his breath catching in his throat and causing him to cough. He tilted his chin toward the untouched cup of hot tea in the other’s hands. “Any idea where I can get me one of those? I'm craving something warm.”

Michael looked down at his hands, seeming a bit surprised. “Oh! I got it for you! I thought your throat might hurt because of the coughing,” he explained as he handed it over to him. He blushed now, thinking maybe that sounded dumb. “I uh…” He felt awkward, unsure if he should get up and stop bothering him now. “I'm sorry about your roommate, mine dropped out.”

He couldn't handle feeling this awkward though so he stood up. “But I uh, I guess I should let you get back to work if you don't wanna go home, I just wanted to give you the tea and tissues…” He tucked some of his slightly messy hair behind his ears and tired to leave.

“You don't have to,” Quinn said. He was distracted by the warmth he could feel leaking into his fingertips from the paper cup. He hadn't realized how hard he'd been shivering until he held something warm in his hands. “I mean, you can if you want, but I wouldn't mind if you stayed.”

For the first time, Quinn looked up at the stranger and smiled. It was a small, tired smile, but he hoped it got his point across. Quinn hadn't made a single friend since the semester started, and it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if he was sure he wasn't very good company himself right now. He didn't like to admit it, but he was also feeling a little homesick. “I'm Quinn, by the way.”

To Quinn's relief, the other boy smiled and sat back down. “Michael. Nice to officially met you, Quinn.” He was blushing but he hoped Quinn wouldn't notice. “I see you in here all the time, you always seem very focused on your studies.”

Quinn sighed again. “There's only 120 spots in the nursing program, and there's about 700 of us trying to get in now.” He took a sip of tea, glad for the warmth, but wincing at how painful it was to swallow. “By the end of next semester, my GPA has to be pretty near perfect,” he explained. “I don't have time to be sick.”

Michael understood that, even if he wasn't under the same kind of pressure. He loved nurses, he owed them so much in his life. Having had cancer as a child, they always tried their best to help him and the other kids at the children's hospital feel better. Memories flooded around in his head and he smiled, chuckling at them before clearing his throat.

“That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself, you must really want to be a nurse? Or do you need that programme to get into medical school to be a doctor?” He asked. “In any case though, with all the studying you do, I'm sure your grades wouldn't suffer from a few days of rest?”

“I don't want to take that chance,” Quinn said, shaking his head. He'd always been a diligent student and had worked himself ragged before, but never while also being sick. This was a whole new monster—he'd never felt this exhausted before. “I don't want to end up falling behind.”

He coughed into another wad of crumpled up tissues, his cheeks reddening and his eyes watering at the strain. “I've wanted this for as long as I can remember.” He paused, clearing his throat. “My mom is an orthopedic surgeon and my brother basically spent his childhood in and out of the hospital. I guess you could say I come from a medical background. Getting into this program is important to me.” He felt like he was rambling, but the words kept pouring out of him, and if he wasn't so sick, maybe he'd feel guilty about unloading all his problems on someone he'd only just met.

Michael smiled at him, it was admirable indeed, even if he was perhaps pushing himself too hard. He considered mentioning his childhood but decided against it. He hated how people treated him after they found out. They always either treated him like he was fragile or like he was a walking miracle or something, so he bit his tongue.

“I can see why it's so important to you then.” Michael agreed, though he certainly still seemed worried and hesitant. “So, do you have a test coming up?” He could see how tired Quinn was and he wished he could do something for him. Before his roommate dropped out he hadn't gotten along with him either so he definitely understood the trouble with that. Still, Quinn definitely needed to be resting instead of studying -- which he clearly wasn't able to do much of as he kept zoning out and he was having trouble even focusing on Michael's face for more than a few seconds at a time.

Quinn shook his head. Talking to Michael had been a good distraction for a while, but he could feel himself fading fast. He was probably going to have to call it quits and head home soon. “Not until next month,” his replied, voice hoarse and weary. He sniffled, trying to stave off another sneeze. “I want to stay ahead…”

Michael adjusted his glasses, having to bite back the urge to lecture him. He didn't actually know him, especially not well enough to be allowed to criticise or anything. Still, he thought it was at least a good idea to urge him to go home and rest.

“I'm sorry, but do you realise how ridiculous that sounds?” He cringed, that had been far less subtle and smooth than he intended it to be. “Sorry, I just mean to say that you seem really unwell and you can hardly focus anyway. I know we don't know each other, not really, but you seem quite intelligent and you're certainly dedicated. If the test isn't for another month, then one night without studying so hard and resting instead would be just fine. If you don't rest, you'll just get worse!” He reasoned, scooting back in his seat again to leave. “Plus, if you're really that worried about it, I'll even help you study when you're better! I mean, look where I work?” He gestured around him with a smile. “But you gotta go home and rest or the deal is off!” He winked at him and stood again, clearly he wasn't going to give up this time.

Quinn blinked. He wasn't quite taken aback by Michael's declaration, but it seemed like he was speaking much too fast for Quinn's muddled brain to process. He composed himself quickly enough and flashed Michael another tired smile. “Thanks,” he said, beginning to collect his things and packing them away. Michael was right about one thing—his focus was definitely slipping, and Michael's voice sounded strange in his ears, though Quinn suspected that was merely because of the congestion. “I hadn't realized you worked here. I haven't been keeping you, have I?”

That earned a small chuckle from the other boy. “No no, I needed to straighten up back here anyway.” He assured him, helping him gather his things. “But yeah, I'll help you study when you feel better, just ask for me at the desk if you don't see me round.” He handed over the last of Quinn's books with a smile, he too had had a great deal of trouble making friends and he finally made one! He was almost certain.

“I guess I should get going now,” Quinn said, as though it wasn't already obvious that he was packing up to leave. “It's pretty late. Thanks for the tissues and the drink—oh, and for listening to me babble. Guess I'll be seeing you…”

He was met with a tidal wave of lightheadedness once he found his feet, and before he could do anything to remedy the feeling, his eyes rolled back and he exhaled softly, his body listing sideways.

Michael laughed quietly, “It's no trouble, re-” his sentence died immediately as he watched in slow motion as his new friend’s body went slack. He felt his own body move without his instruction -- in the blink of an eye he was holding Quinn in his arms, gently guiding them both down to the floor.

The heat coming off the pale boy in his arms was all at once incredible and frightening. He was unsure if he cried out before or not but now he looked around finding them to be alone still and him completely unsure of what to do. “Q-Quinn?” That's what he'd said, wasn't it? It was suddenly hard to think with panic now making his thoughts shake and fall away before he could even grab them. “Quinn? Please- Please, wake up!” He begged in a shaky voice.

Despite the presumably high fever, Quinn's body trembled fiercely in Michael's arms. His cheeks were painted a bright crimson and his breathing was ragged. Michael watched in silent horror as his eyelids gave the occasional flutter, but much to his dismay, Quinn remained unconscious.

He decided to pull out his phone and call his manager, not wanting to make a scene. He didn't want to take Quinn to the hospital, for one he couldn't drive, but he also didn't know if Quinn had insurance, or his last name for that matter. Just as his boss was walking over he decided what he would do.

His boss agreed with him and called a cab for them, helping Michael carry the semi-conscious young man out to the car once it had arrived.

Quinn wasn't totally out anymore but he wasn't really helpful either. Michael had tried to get his address from him or really information at all and had come up empty. He gave the driver his own address instead and sat back, anxiously holding Quinn upright in his arms. A total stranger. What would his mum say?

He looked at his sickly new friend and decided he didn't care what his parents would say about it. He couldn't just leave him to fend for himself and besides, he had a good feeling about Quinn.

“Just hang in there, you'll be okay, I promise.” Michael whispered to him.

Once they got to his dorm he paid the driver and gave a quick thanks before getting out, hoisting Quinn up, piggy-back style and slowly making his way into the building and to the elevator. It was a struggle the entire way and he still wasn't sure how he'd managed to unlock his front door but they made it!

He gently guided Quinn down onto his beat up couch and sighed, rubbing his shoulders as he stared at him. He wasn't terribly sure what he should do now but eventually he decided on the basics. He stripped Quinn of his coat and shoes, draping a light throw over him - an ultra fluffy Pokemon blanket his mother got him for Christmas a few years prior. He went for a cool cloth, bathing his skin before wetting it again and laying it on his brow. He grabbed a few items that they would need eventually, but all he could do now was make himself some tea, grab a book and wait. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus much, but he couldn't very well just stare at the poor guy.

Nearly half an hour since Michael had laid him on the couch, Quinn began to stir. He coughed weakly, his eyelids finally fluttering open. He tried to lift his head to have a look around, but it seemed he didn't have the strength even for that.

The feel of the couch beneath him confused him, as he and his roommate hardly had furniture aside from their own beds, and the blanket covering him now was unrecognizable. “Where…?” he murmured, too tired, it seemed, to even finish the question.

Michael, just finally having managed to get into his book, startled slightly. His head snapped in the direction of the sound immediately and had him rushing to his feet.

He smiled down at him, a casual but honest smile. “Hey, easy, don't try and get up or anything just yet.” He said as he took the cool rag and dipped it back into the bowl of water on the side table, replacing it after ringing it out a bit.

“You passed out in the library, I didn't know where you lived or what do really at all so I brought you to my dorm instead, I hope that's okay?” Michael seemed rather timid again, his anxiety shining through. Whatever progress they had made before was lost now. He seemed a bit shook up still over what had happened.

“C-can I get you anything? I c-can call someone if you need to, to come get you if you don't.. Don't want to stay…?” He seemed so unsure of himself, but at the same time he seemed earnest and kind.

Quinn missed more than half of Michael's explanation, but somehow, it was comforting just hearing his voice, even if Michael did sound absolutely terrified. He closed his eyes again and sighed, his breath rattling some in his chest and producing a short bout of coughs.

Shivering, he curled up with the blanket, pulling it up toward his chin. He mumbled something unintelligible, his words dying as he seemed to be falling asleep.

That was a good enough indication to Michael, that Quinn didn't mind his actions and perhaps didn't mind staying.

Michael decided after that interaction that he'd sit beside him on the floor and read until he woke up next. Hopefully he'd feel okay enough to actually have a conversation with him.

He couldn't stop thinking about the idea he'd had since Quinn first mentioned his roommate. He'd yet to mention his idea, or figure out how to bring it up, but it was there, swirling around in his mind forming into a proper plan.

Quinn slept long and hard, but mostly it was restless. His body cycled through chills and sweats, and on a few occasions, he even whimpered softly.

When he did finally open his eyes, he found himself alone in an unfamiliar place. He vaguely remembered someone speaking to him before, and he called out, the one name he recalled finding its way off the tip of his tongue. “Michael?” His voice was weak and tired, but he sounded much more coherent than he'd been before.

There was a stirring on the floor and soon a very tired looking Michael made his way into Quinn's line of sight. “Sorry, must have dozed off a bit.” He apologised with a yawn but smiled at him anyway. “You sound a bit better, coherent at least.” He teased with a light chuckle. “How are you feeling?” He asked, again wetting and replacing the rag.

He didn't know exactly what time it was and he also didn't know what, if anything Quinn had actually understood and retained from his earlier explanation, so he thought it could be repeated. “You're in my dorm, yeah? You couldn't answer before, but is there anyone you want me to call?” He asked, quickly adding in a panic, “I don't mind you staying of course! I just...I wanted you to be comfortable?”

Quinn's lips twitched in to what could have been a tiny semblance of a smile. “I'll stay, if that's all right,” he added. It wasn't really like he had anyone to call, and he was grateful for Michael's invitation. “What happened? I don't remember anything after the library…”

He seemed to have just realized that Michael had been asleep on the floor only moments ago. It had to be late, if not already early into the next morning, and he felt guilty for taking up so much of his new friend’s time. “Sorry. You can tell me later. You must be tired.”

To his surprise Michael just smiled more and went right on explaining. “My boss called a cab and we- he more or less carried you out to the car and I had him being us here.” He left out the part about the piggy-back ride, figuring he didn't need quite all the details just yet. “If you want, you can take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch.” He offered.

Quinn's eyes widened. “What? No, I couldn't do that. I've been enough trouble already.” He didn't mention that his body was so heavy and achy, he didn't think he could get up right now if he wanted to. “Go ahead and take the bed. I'll be fine out here. You deserve to rest after looking after me.” He didn't want to think about what would have happened if Michael never sat down with him at the table. Maybe he'd still be passed out in the back of the library.

He watched as Michael frowned slightly and shook his head. “Really, you're not a bother at all.” Michael assured. He began looking a bit shy though and added in a much quieter voice. “It's kinda nice to have some company actually, all things considered. See, I haven't had much luck making friends or anything yet. I didn't know college could feel so lonely…” He seemed to realise that he'd just spilled out some pretty personal information and looked embarrassed.

“Sorry uh...I must be tired, I'm rambling. Do you need anything before I turn in? I gotta shower still but I'm just the door on the left there,” he said as he pointed to his room, “and the bathroom is on the right.”

Quinn hummed some form of acknowledgement. He felt all right for now, all things considered, but that might only have been because he was finally able to get some much needed sleep. “Can I borrow another blanket? And maybe get something to drink?”

His voice was small, like maybe he worried Michael would tell him no. Quinn had a propensity for running terribly high fevers and had woken up to find himself in the hospital or sitting in lukewarm bath water on more than one occasion. Michael didn't know this, of course, and Quinn wanted to convince himself that one more blanket wasn't anymore risk than not taking medicine, which was also something he hadn't done since that morning.

Michael nodded with a smile, going off to grab an extra comforter from his closet and returned. He didn't give it to him, though, remembering the incredible heat from before.

“Uh...hold on, I think we should check your temperature first and have you take some medicine.” He said with a worried expression. “I don't want your fever to get as high as before, it felt like I could burn my skin on yours before.”

Quinn's arm had been outstretched to receive the blanket, but as Michael spoke, he lowered it slowly, clutching at the blanket he already had. He wrinkled his nose, frowning. He wasn't upset, and actually, taking his temperature was probably a good idea, but after everything Michael had told him, Quinn could only assume his temperature was going to read high. “Okay,” he relented.

Michael was looking around for the supplies before Quinn had even agreed, quickly finding the thermometer and awkwardly handing it to Quinn. He left Quinn's sight for a moment before returning with a glass of ice water.

Quinn found it endearing how shy and kind Michael was. He watched as Michael shook some Advil out of the bottle and set them down on the table.

“Well? What's the damage?” Michael asked with a wave of his hand, towards the thermometer.

A thought had crossed Quinn's mind when he'd first slipped the thermometer under his tongue, and for some reason, he couldn't get himself to stop thinking about it. At some point, this same thermometer had probably also been in Michael's mouth. The thought made Quinn blush, though he couldn't fathom why.

“What? Oh,” he stammered, Michael's voice pulling him out of his thoughts, “it's 101.9.”

“No wonder you felt so awful,” Michael reasoned, replacing the rag again. “That's pretty high for having a cool rag on your head as long as you have.” He seemed pretty worried, biting his nails with anxiety. “Maybe a light blanket is best? Oh!” He nearly dove for the Advil he'd set out. “Don't forget these!”

Quinn felt bad about making Michael worry like this, especially when Quinn barely seemed bothered about it at all. Of course, he'd lived with the knowledge his whole life, and right now, his fever wasn't yet high enough for anything drastic.

“It was probably higher before,” he reasoned, tiredly. He took the pills from Michael and swallowed them dry, wincing as they slid down his throat. “Guess this isn't just a cold then.”

“I'd have to agree with you there.” Michael said before taking the comforter away and returning with a large, thin blanket that he tossed over Quinn's body. “So, you've had medicine and you've got a new blanket…” he was so frazzled by the entire situation he couldn't think if anything else was needed. He felt maybe he should apologise for how awkward he was but he was too embarrassed by it.

“I think I'm all set for my sleepover on the couch,” Quinn said, offering Michael what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He felt bad about putting Michael out like this, especially when he was being this much trouble and they barely knew each other. “You should get some sleep. I'm sure you've had a long day, even before all this.” He gestured lazily at himself.

This earned a genuine smile from Michael, “I suppose it was, but it was good I think, anyway, g'night...and I'm round the corner if you need me at all!” Then he turned and headed into the bathroom, shower sounding out only a few moments later.

Even after having slept, Quinn was still exhausted, and the soothing sound of falling water from the other room pulled continuously at his eyelids until his lashes touched. He heaved a sigh, prepared to settle in for the night. The couch wasn't that comfortable, considering his back already ached, but he didn't mind. It was peaceful here, unlike his own dorm, and Michael was proving himself to be a much more agreeable roommate.

Quinn coughed, feeling the rattling in his chest. He had a sinking feeling he'd be like this all night, and he prayed it didn't cause Michael anymore inconveniences tonight.

Michael checked on Quinn one last time before going to bed himself, giving the rag a final rinse and tucking the blanket back around him since he'd shrugged it off a bit in his sleep. He didn't feel bothered in the least bit but he was still worried about his new friend. He hoped Quinn would feel better in the morning. He had an offer for him.

The night passed uneventfully for Quinn. A few times he was startled awake by short-lived coughing fits, and once he even got up in search of tissues to blow his nose. When morning came, he was still coughing and achy, and he was certain he was still running a fever, but despite all that, he felt much more rested than he had the day before.

Before Michael came out of his bedroom,

Quinn forced himself up, folding the blanket he'd used and straightening out the cushions. That alone left him dizzy and breathless, so he sat there on the couch, shivering, but not wanting to use the blanket he'd already neatly set aside. He planned to wait for Michael to get up so he could thank him properly again before being on his way. He'd already been enough trouble for his new friend to last him a lifetime.

Michael came out dressed in Hufflepuff pajama pants and an oversized Hogwarts alumni long sleeve t-shirt, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve-paws and yawning. His slightly messy hair was even messier now but bedhead seemed to suit him nicely. “Did you sleep okay?” He asked upon seeing Quinn.

Quinn shrugged nonchalantly. “Could have been worse.” He turned and coughed into his elbow. His throat was raw and his voice was hoarse after a night of endless fits. “I hope I didn't keep you up…”

“No, no not at all.” Michael told him. He could see how sore Quinn was just by how he sat, but especially his throat given how he was rubbing it. “Would you like some tea and breakfast? I know you probably aren't hungry, but I can make you something if you are.” He was gesturing now to a small kitchen just beyond the wall the couch sat against. “Tea would really help your throat too.”

Quinn shook his head. “I should get going,” he said, wincing some as he spoke. Hot tea sounded amazing, and Michael was right in the fact that Quinn was definitely not hungry, but he'd already put his friend through enough trouble. “I appreciate the help, but I'm sure you've got other things to do and—” His words broke off as he turned and sneezed into his elbow.

Michael shook his head. “I don't work today and it's Saturday so there's no class.” He smiled at Quinn, handing him a tissue. “I was just gonna catch up on Doctor Who today.”

He was stalling now, he knew he was, he just couldn't get the courage to ask. He sighed and came to sit on the couch across from Quinn. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He began shyly, not exactly looking at Quinn but knowing he was looking at him.

“What do you mean?” Quinn asked. He took the tissue gratefully, his eyes glazing a bit as he blew his nose, the sound punctuated with another sneeze. His mind was cloudy, both from being half asleep and being sick, and he had a hard time forming a reason why Michael would want to talk to him. And why his friend seemed both nervous and serious sitting beside him on the couch.

“Well, I was just thinking, your home life must be pretty bad if you were that sick and avoiding it at the library?” He began, still shy and nervous. “You don't have to, but I wanted to offer...you could stay here?” He finally looked up at him again, that same shy smile on his lips, watching for Quinn's reaction.

“What? Why?” Quinn asked, confused. He honestly couldn't fathom why Michael wanted him around again. He felt a little overwhelmed. “You mean, like another day?” While Michael said he wasn't doing anything today, surely he was only saying that to make Quinn feel better, and Quinn didn't want to have to be looked after like he was some kind of invalid. He scrubbed his hands down his face, feeling conflicted.

“No, not just today.” Michael was becoming flustered due to Quinn's anxiety. “I mean...to be my roommate, but you don't have to!” He felt so disappointed but tried desperately not show it. That would probably only push him away.

Quinn kept his face buried in his hands. “I'm sorry,” he started. “My head’s spinning. This is a lot to take in right now.” It made him happy that Michael was willing to make this a more permanent situation, but Quinn still had a lot to consider. For one, the semester had already started and he didn't know the protocol for asking to switch dorms. Would he even be allowed to?

“Oh god, I didn't even think about it...I'm sorry.” Michael sounded pretty upset, but it was pretty clear it was with himself, not Quinn. “I didn't mean to stress you out more, I just… I figured this would be better than whatever was there? You really don't have to, but...you're welcomed to stay however long you like…” He stood up, preparing to make some tea and mentally kick himself in private.

Quinn felt Michael's weight lift from the couch, and he leaned back against the cushions. He let out an exhausted sigh and immediately proceeded to cough. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought to take medicine in his backpack when he went to the library yesterday.

When he could breathe again, he forced himself to his feet, swaying some, and went to meet Michael in the kitchen. “I didn't mean to sound ungrateful,” he rasped, wrapping his arms around himself to stave off a sudden onslaught of chills.

Michael nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise when Quinn first spoke, and after Quinn apologised again for scaring him, he spoke. He wasn't exactly sure what to say but he didn't want Quinn to feel bad. “It's okay, really, I understand.” He promised, forcing a smile. “We just meet, I'd be wary too.” In Michael's mind, he figured that Quinn probably thought he was a total nutjob. After all, he'd basically kidnapped him.

Quinn wanted to assure him otherwise. “It's not that. I'm sure you'd be a great roommate. I just don't think I'm in the best place right now to be making rash decisions; maybe later when I don't feel like I've been steamrolled.” He owed it to Michael to be completely honest with him, and he offered him a tired smile. “The best I can do is tell you I'll think about it.”

It wasn't that he didn't want to. He'd consider moving back home if it got him out of his current living situation, but before he could even think about accepting Michael's offer, he needed to get well first and figure out and research how he could ask for a room transfer. He really hoped Michael understood that Quinn held no ill will against him.

Luckily for both boy's, Michael finally understood and his anxiety was now at ease - or as eased as it could be for him. “I'll write down my number for you, but seriously, have some tea, your voice sounds painful!” And with that small chuckle, he poured Quinn a mug of tea as well and the two drank in relative silence.

Michael, while no longer anxious about the situation, still hadn't a clue of what to say now but he didn't feel the need to either.

He simply sipped his tea, enjoying the silent company. It was nice not to be alone.

“You can chill out as long as you want, like I said I don't plan on doing anything today.” he repeated as he handed Quinn a sticky note with his phone number and address on it. “No pressure though.” He blushed and looked away, hoping Quinn couldn't tell he was blushing if he looked at his toes instead.

They migrated back to the couch after that, where Michael soon discovered that Quinn was still running a fever. It wasn't nearly as high as before, for which they were both glad, so Michael offered up his blanket again, chuckling at how readily Quinn accepted it.

Quinn pondered whether he should give Michael his number as well until he began to grow sleepy. He was comfortable here, even after only spending the night, and now it was going to be hard to picture himself living anywhere else.

His head wound up on the armrest, his lips parted as the congestion forced him to breathe through his mouth. His soft, gentle snoring didn't go unnoticed, even as he slept there for a couple of hours, finally somewhere content, beside someone he could truly call his friend.

#illness #fever #my ocs #quinn #my writing #nerdlycharming #other people's ocs #a fateful encounter

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searchin-for-an-urchin · 6 years

Text

Like a Punch in the Gut Aaron Burr x Reader Chapter 10

Forever Tag @fangirlandnerd

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Masterlist

The conversation between you and Nathaniel ended with the two of you exchanging contact information. You admitted that you weren’t sure if you were ready for him to be a part of Charlotte’s life and he agreed. The two of you would think on it for a few days. After you and Aaron had left the restaurant, you finally felt like you could breathe a bit more. Trying to process everything that had just happened, you remained silent for a few blocks. Subconsciously along the way you start giggling. The two of you pause in your tracks as your giggles turn into full out laughter. You notice Aaron’s eyebrow cocked as he observes your laughter, and you try to control your laughs a little more.

“I’m sorry,” you say in between the subsiding giggles, “I really don’t know how to process what just happened.” When your eyes catch his again you see him looking as if he’s trying not to laugh either.

“I’ll admit that’s not a part of the date that I planned.” When you can catch your breath, you feel a bit relieved. “Shall we head on to the next destination?” You tilt your head to the side with a smirk on your face and retort,

“You sure you can handle all the random parts of my past popping up?” Aaron answers your question with a genuine smile.

“I absolutely insist learning more about you, Y/N.”

Hand in hand, the two of you walk off to the next place; an arcade. You think to yourself that this isn’t like the arcades you and John grew up with, oh no. This was an arcade full of video games, large crane machines, and prizes on prizes. Aaron saw the look of your amazed face and laughed. Tugging your hand slightly to follow him he walked up to the customer service counter and asked to speak to the owner. After taking his name, the employee went into the presumed office space and requested the presence of the owner, a man in his 50’s, who greeted Aaron with a handshake and a hug. Aaron greeted back with the same energy and then introduced you as his date. The man, Greg, as he said to call him, did a double take when he heard your name.

“Wait,” he questions, shaking your hand, “Y/N as in the mother of the girl who decked Theodosia?” With a forced chuckle from both you and Aaron, you confirm that yes, you are Charlotte’s mother.

“Good!” Greg exclaimed. “I’m glad the two of you finally got to go on a date.” Aaron’s arm reaches around you and settles on your hip as Greg continues to talk, very clearly trying to embarass him.

“How do you two know each other?” You ask Greg.

“Oh, Aaron was my lawyer years ago when a rival arcade tried to sue me. They were trying to blame me for the way my crane machines were manufactured, saying they were rigged to be successful, which is why everyone came to my place.”

“It was my first solo case,” Aaron chimes in, as you look in astonishment in his direction.

“His first win, too,” Greg says with a laugh. “Mr. Burr here has been my go to for legal advice since. Here,” he pauses, grabbing a card from his back pocket. “Go play, have fun, on the house. Just make sure to stop by before you leave.”

You and Aaron thank Greg profusely, with both of you saying it wasn’t necessary, but he just waves you off, leaving the two of you to decide where to start. Since the cranes were the both of you attempt to grab a Pokemon plush for the girls. Twenty credits later, you have a Squirtle and a Charmander plush sticking out of your crossbody purse that you now are grateful you brought. Moving on from the cranes, the video games catch your eye next. After kicking his butt multiple times on the motorcycle racing game (“This isn’t fair, you actually learned how to drive, you didn’t grow up in New York!”), and having your own handed to you on the Tekken Tag game, (“Oh-ho-ho, vengeance is mine, dear Y/N!”), the two of you wander over to some goofier games, like the hopscotch game.

You fail pretty spectacularly on your first attempt. Glancing over at Aaron you notice that he’s laughing in your direction, trying to keep it hidden under his hand.

“What?” you say, with a grin on your face. “Hopscotch wasn’t really my favorite game growing up. John never played it with me!” You turn your attention back to the screen where a measly “15” was displaying. Aaron comes up on your left, places a quick peck on your cheek and scooches you out of the way. Feeling a little starstruck because of the kiss, you barely register your date taunting,

“Excuses, excuses. Let me show you how it’s done.” Aaron hits the 101 hops jackpot in less than a minute and a half, leaving you speechless, even without the kiss on the cheek. Watching the tickets pour out, you sputter,

“Are you kidding me?!”

“And that, my dear, is how it’s done.” For the next hour you spend competing with each other in the basketball game, skeeball, whack-a-mole, even a jump rope game, and compile a large pile of tickets. Realizing you don’t really need to spend all the tickets, you each pick out a small prize. Aaron chooses a fun pen that he swears he’ll use at work, and you a desktop sized dinosaur that sings “Dynamite” to annoy John, Peggy, and Lauren at work every once in a while (more like every dang day). You decide to leave the tickets for the next kid coming in to enjoy.

Greg wishes both of you a goodnight as the two of you leave the arcade. Noticing how barren the streets were you glance at your phone for the first this evening and realize how long you went without thinking about the restaurant or how Peggy and John were doing with Charlie.

“What time did you need to pick up Theo?” You ask, grabbing his hand, intertwining your fingers. Aaron squeezes your hand and answers,

“She’s spending the night with the Hamiltons. I couldn’t plan for how long we would spend in the arcade, and Theo was overdue for a sleepover with Pip and Angie anyway.” After a few moments, he questions, “What do you think Charlotte and her aunt and uncle are up to?” You snort at the image that comes to mind.

“Well. If I know John, he’s probably asleep while Peggy and Charlie are painting his nails for the fun of it. They’ll probably watch the Spongebob movie at least one more time and fall asleep during the credits.” Aaron lets out a whistle and responds with an astonished voice,

“That’s really specific, Y/N.”

“Well, before Lauren came to the restaurant, there weren’t too many people I trusted to run my kitchen so I worked a lot of evenings where John or Peggy would watch Charlotte.”

“It’s hard being a single parent,” your date mentions.

“I imagine it’s a bit harder being a widowed single parent, Aaron,” you remind him. He just hums in agreement, and then adds,

“It was hard for both of us. Theodosia Sr. was killed in a car crash when Theo was 5. She couldn’t quite understand why her mom wasn’t coming home, or why her mom looked like she was sleeping. I wasn’t prepared to teach her about death that way, you know?” Aaron asks the hypothetical question, slowing down the walk just a tad, and you squeeze his hand to show that you understand.

“I don’t think she ever really got to mourn. Her memories from her mom are so few and far between that it almosts hurts for her to remember. It’s also why I haven’t really dated since. In fact,” he admits, stopping in his stride and turning to face you, “It took me until Charlotte punched Theo in the face to even talk to you.”

“Wait, what?” You say, incredulously, a smile and a blush gracing your face.

“Yeah, I noticed you at one of the open houses for the school and just never had the nerve to start up a conversation. I’m really surprised Theo hasn’t told you,” he explains, watching your face and starting to smile himself. “I kept asking her to make friends with Charlotte, and she just kept saying no.”

“Look where they are now,” you interject, with a giggle escaping your smile.

“Yeah. Look where we are, too.” The two of you continue back to your apartment as the conversation dwindles slightly. A weight on your shoulders is suggesting that you talk about Nathaniel, even though you weren’t sure what you were going to do. I mean, the guy had to decide if he even wanted to meet Charlotte, let alone be a part of her life.

“Hey, Aaron?”

“Yes?” He hums in response.

“I would like to tell you about Nathaniel, but I’m a bit unsure if I should.” You can feel his thumb running over the back of your hand in order to soothe you.

“Y/N, you’re welcome to share anything with me, but you don’t have to, especially if you would like to wait. I would like to be around as long as you’ll have me,” he assures you, as he pulls the hand he’s holding up to his lips. He places a gentle kiss on the back of your hand and you can’t help but lean into him.

“For someone who hasn’t dated in years, you sure know how to sweet-talk a girl,” you stammer out, trying to tease him, but being a little more affected than you want to admit because all of a sudden you find yourself tilting your head up towards his face and he’s tilting his head down towards you, and as your eyes are fluttering closed you hear him joke back in a similar manner,

“I’ve had some practice in the mirror.” Before you can react to the cheesy line that didn’t seem so cheesy you feel his breath on your lips and then your lips connect.

It was the best kiss you’ve had. Ever. While it was a little bit awkward and fumbly, you liked the way he felt. Soft enough for comfort, but firm that you were able to sink into him no problem. Breaking only slightly to regain air, your arms wrap around his neck and he catches you stumbling into his arms (which you swear was involuntary). Each kiss grew more sure and a little more coordinated, and each kiss brought you deeper into his arms.

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

You walk the rest of the way home hand in hand. Kisses are shared every few minutes and quite a few are given on the elevator ride up to your floor. After you’ve successfully unlocked your door and shared a goodnight kiss, you find yourself taking another deep breath before walking further into your home. Before you can even sneak into the living room, you hear Peggy’s steps towards you, pulling you into your bedroom.

“John actually stayed awake long enough to carry Charlie to bed, then he came back and crashed on the couch,” your best friend huffs out, rolling her eyes, before landing on your bed, taking you with her. “So, tell me everything!”

You jokingly scold her for her curiosity and begin to recount the events of the night.

“You ran into who?!” Peggy incredulously inquires when you get to the part at the end of your dinner.

“I ran into Nathaniel, Charlotte’s dad.”

“I thought you didn’t remember him?”

“I didn’t,” you insist, “Until I saw him again. NYC is a large place, Peggy.” With a grimace, “He deserved to know that he has a daughter, too.”

“Poor Aaron,” Peggy chuckles, “All he wanted was a date and he got an estranged father.”

“Yeah,” you sigh. Aaron was such a good guy and you were still in shock with the way Nathaniel showed back up in your life, but you decided you’ll tell Aaron about him later. After giggling and gushing about the rest of the date, you and Peggy fall asleep leaving your daughter in her room and John on the couch. It was a late night afterall. And while the evening had some gut-wrenching moments, the butterflies in your stomach are fluttering around peacefully.

#Chapter 10 #Aaron Burr x reader #Like a...#Hamilton fanfiction #Aaron Burr

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themugcollector · 6 years

Text

Turning a Bad Day Good (or Scars)

So I got an anonymous prompt on Tumblr to write a Margot and Tilly first kiss before the curse was broken (which was nice).

I’d already written one version of a Margot and Tilly kiss so tried to think of another scenario... needless to say this story is probably not what anonymous meant but its where my muse took me...

...

It was not a normal day at the Rollin’ Bayou. Drew was working an extra shift to make up for ones he’d missed being questioned by police. He didn’t go into detail and Sabine really didn’t want to ask. Tilly was there too, over eager and happy to start work.

As they hadn’t spent time together before, Sabine took Drew aside and told him to be nice to Tilly… but also to be gentle.

He just shrugged and winked,

“Aren’t I always.”

It turned out Drew and Tilly made a pretty good team. Tilly could more than match Drew in the charm department when it came to handling customers and Tilly’s manic energy was a perfect counterpoint to Drew’s laid-back approach.

The lunch rush ended, and the quiet lull gave way to conversation. While Sabine worked preparing the vegetables for the gumbo, Drew and Tilly were leaning on the counter. Drew was, as always, trying to be smooth and flirty but Tilly seemed completely immune.

“So what’s that on your wrist?” Drew asked.

Tilly’s bright smile increased by a million watts as she held up her right wrist, displaying the rainbow braid adorning it.

“Do you like it? Margot gave it to me. We went on a date and she said it was for me because us dating was like the start of one great adventure. Margot’s travelled the world, she’s amazing…”

“I actually meant the other wrist…” said Drew breaking her flow. “It’s cool. Is it a brand?”

He grabbed at Tilly’s left wrist, turning it, to show the shell-like spiral that marred it.

At his touch Tilly pulled her arm away and tucked it up her sleeve.

Tilly hated the scar; hid it under a homemade bracelet. She didn’t know where it came from. She just knew it was something bad.

It was as if a switch had been flicked, the way Tilly pulled away. Her happiness was replaced with something else. Drew didn’t notice, still too focused on the mark.

“Did it hurt?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Tilly quietly, clutching at her chest above her heart. “It hurt here.”

Sabine noticed the change in Tilly even if Drew hadn’t. She dropped her vegetable knife, grabbed the guy by the collar and dragged him outside.

She berated him for a good five minutes about how she’d told him to be gentle and back then he just wasn’t.

“Hey, she’s lived on these street for years, she’s a tough kid.” Insisted Drew.

Sabine just met his gaze, her lips a firm line.

“No, she’s not.”

She shook her head exasperated at him.

“Just go take your break.” She said. “I’ll make sure she’s alright.”

…

The Tilly Sabine found when she stepped back into the cab was far from alright. She was staring into space, her hand clutching at her chest in a sporadic, thoughtless motion.

“Tilly?” Sabine ventured, reaching out a hand to touch the girl’s shoulder and try and break the trance.

Tilly didn’t seem to hear her. Instead a tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered,

“It hurts.”

Rogers had warned her that sometimes things get too much for Tilly and an episode like this could occur. She was under strict instructions to call if it did.

“Okay…” said Sabine calmly. “Tilly why don’t you take a seat. I’ll call Roger’s he’ll come and get you, okay?”

Tilly didn’t move, just kept clutching at her heart.

Sabine had to physically manoeuvre the girl to the back of the truck and guide her to sit down on a stack of boxes.

Sabine then got out her cell and rang Rogers. The phone went straight to his answer service. Sabine left what felt like an inadequate message before hanging up and trying to call the station. The desk-sergeant told her that Weaver and Rogers were out on a case. Sabine left another message with him but the sergeant couldn’t tell her when the two detectives would be back.

Sabine was at an impasse. If she couldn’t find someone to take Tilly home, then she’d have to close the truck to do it herself - and lose a day’s business in the process which she really couldn’t afford.

Sabine then had a thought and looked up the number to call Roni’s Bar.

…

Margot ran all the way to the square.

“Where is she? Is she okay?” she stammered, as Sabine came out to meet her.

Sabine inclined her head to the truck.

“She’s in there. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“No it’s okay… it’s all good.” Margot reassured her.

Margot’s confidence faded a little when she saw Tilly huddled in the back of the truck, rocking and looking so blank.

Margot crouched before her girlfriend, (if one and a half dates counted them as such) and tried to catch her eye.

“Tilly, it’s Margot. I’ve come to take you home.”

Tilly’s eyes flickered in her direction and there was a level of recognition, but also the sense that Tilly wasn’t really seeing her at all.

Tilly moved close and whispered in Margot’s ear.

“I can’t go. She won’t let me. I’m trapped, and she won’t let me out.”

“You’re not trapped Tilly. Sabine isn’t holding you here.”

“No.” snapped Tilly, as if angry that Margot didn’t understand. “Not Sabine… HER… She won’t let me out. We’re all trapped… all of us… but she’s trapped me the worst of all.”

The venom in Tilly’s voice caused Margot to rock back on her heels. Realising that the only way to get through to Tilly was to play along. Margot tried to widen her worried smile as she stood back up.

“Then you’re lucky I’m here.” She said, holding out her hand in what she hoped was a gallant manner. “Tilly, you’re not trapped anymore because I’m here to rescue you.”

Tilly’s brow furrowed as she looked from Margot’s smile to her proffered hand, but something moved her to take it, stand and follow Margot out of the truck.

…

The journey back to Roger’s apartment was slightly more eventful. Tilly was alternately clutching at her chest as if there was something inside she needed to get out or rubbing her left wrist against her leg as if wiping away a stain.

By the first block she’d shed her coat and pulled her work t-shirt off over her head as if shedding a barrier helped with the urges. Being Tilly, she had three more layers of clothing underneath but Margot grabbed her wrist intending to kept a firm hold just in case the striptease continued.

Tilly twisted under her grip.

“Don’t touch, don’t touch, don’t touch.” She cried, a whole new level of panic overtaking the blank plucking of her heart. Tilly was almost screaming as she tried to take back her arm.

Margot felt the bump of scar tissue under her finger’s as Tilly squirmed, and realising she was making this worse let go.

Tilly pressed her wrist to her chest… to her heart and looked at Margot in fear.

“I’m sorry.” said Margot, stepping back and holding up her hands as if in surrender. “We just need to get you home Tilly. We’re escaping remember and I need to get you somewhere safe.”

Tilly settled as Margot fell back into the plot of the story clearly running through her head.

Margot held out her hand, much as she’d done in the truck.

“Come in Tilly. Come on. We’re are turning this back into a good day if it kills me.”

…

Margot rummaged through the pockets of the green coat in her arms for Tilly’s keys and let them both into Roger’s apartment.

She was going to ask where Tilly kept her medication when she noticed the dining table. There was an abandoned cereal box, a half-eaten bowl of cereal, the milk clearly left out all day and a note in thick black ink, ‘Remember your pills’ and a large outline draw around two of the said pills; un-swallowed.

“Well there are your pills.” Margot muttered. “I guess you got distracted at breakfast.”

Margot had hoped coming back to the safety of the apartment would settle her but if anything, Tilly seemed worse.

Her low-necked sweater was doing nothing to protect her skin from the finger’s clutching at her heart. If Tilly hadn’t so thoroughly bitten her nails she would have likely drawn blood by now.

Margot hurriedly fetch a glass of water and brought Tilly her tablets.

“You need to take these.” She said.

“I can’t.” Tilly whispered. “It hurts.”

Tilly was withdrawn again, small; almost childlike in the way she looked up at Margot. There were tears in her eyes. She looked terrified.

Margot felt tears picking in the corner of her own eyes. Tilly’s talk of bad days had not prepared her for moments when the girl she was falling in love with could look so lost.

“How can I help? Where does it hurt?” She whispered matching her tone to Tilly’s.

The way Tilly held her wrist out to Margot was childlike too.

“It hurts here.”

The prominent scar on her wrist had come free of her bracelet and looked red and angry where Tilly had been rubbing at it. Not knowing what else to do, Margot took Tilly’s hand in her own and pressed a kiss against the mark, much as her mom did to a hurt when she was a child. She then gently pulled the bracelet back over the scar in the hope that hiding it from Tilly would help her relax.

“There is that better?”

Tilly’s mouth gaped a little at the contact, and her eyes more focused and less fearful looked up to meet Margot’s with a look of wonder. Tilly reached up to the red mark she’d rubbed on her chest.

“And here.” She breathed. “It hurts here too.”

Margot cleared her throat. Sure in Tilly’s state this was an innocent request… she was begging her to stop the pain… but Margot felt very unsure of herself.

Awkwardly, and with a little trepidation Margot placed her hand over Tilly’s heart, her palm touching warm soft skin.

“Just here?” she asked quietly.

Tilly sobbed a little at the contact and nodded. Not sure how she could kiss this better, Margot settled on keeping her hand in place and planted a gentle kiss on the corner of Tilly’s lips. It was their first kiss, but for Margot it was a just a balm; a way to heal the heart she was growing to adore.

It seemed to work.

Tilly sighed and smiled.

There was more focus now when their eyes met. Recognition even.

“Margot.” Tilly gasped. “I… I don’t…”

Margot withdrew her hand and pulled Tilly carefully into her arms.

“It’s okay I’m here. I’m not letting go.”

Tilly began to cry, the realisation that she’d lost time and the world had changed and she didn’t know why reeled up and swamped her.

As terrible as the tears were, having Tilly back lightened Margot’s heart. She tightened her hold and kissed her brow.

“It’s okay Tills, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

The tears turned into sniffles and slowly Tilly pulled out of the embrace.

Silently Margot picking up the glass of water she set aside and held out the pills. Tilly swallowed them without comment.

And then she gave Margot a small sad smile.

“Thank you.” She said.

“Hey, what did I say - I’m here for you, whatever day your having.”

…

Rogers raced into the apartment and stalled at the sight of Margot sitting on the couch brushing her fingers through Tilly’s blonde locks while the girl was asleep beside her.

“Is she okay?” Rogers asked in a whisper.

“I think so.” said Margot in reply.

“Thanks for…” He waved vaguely, unable to put into word how grateful he was for her standing in.

Margot smiled a warm broad smile.

“I was happy to help… really… any time...”

Roger’s nodded and smiled affectionately down at Tilly’s sleeping form.

“I won’t move her. After a day like today she needs her sleep.” He said; pulling a blanket over Tilly, as Margot got up stiffly from the couch. If the Detective wasn’t so fatherly in his affection, Margot had to admit, she could almost be a little jealous.

Rogers then led Margot through to the kitchen to continue their quiet conversation.

“Did she tell you what was wrong?” he asked.

“It was the scar on her wrist… the weird one. It’s like she was trying to tell me it made her heart hurt.” said Margot. “I think I helped fix it a little bit…”

Rogers smiled warmly at Margot,

“From what I hear… morning, noon and night… you’ve fixed it a lot - Her heart I mean. These things happen to Tilly. She can’t help it, she been through a lot and… um… lacks middle ground. She’s all or nothing and sometimes she gets overwhelmed. We just need to be there for her.”

“I will be.” Margot insisted.

Rogers nodded.

“As will I. She deserves nothing less.”

…

#once upon a time #ouat #curious archer #mad archer #tilly x margot #alice x robin #alice #robin #margot #tilly #knight rook #angst alert

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inky-imagines · 6 years

Text

Foresthuntermajrach’s OC Special

Apologies for the long wait, @foresthuntermajrach!

I mean to post this when I came back, but I didn’t like it and rewrote it. And then I rewrote the rewrite. And the one after that and the one after and- you get the picture.

This OC Special has given me no end of grief, but I’ve finally finished it and I’m pretty happy with it tbh. I hope you will be too!

Just a few notes:

I do mention Ophelia’s Angina in this, and though I did my research before and during the writing process, I might’ve made some mistakes. If I have, I apologise! Please let me know so I can educate myself and rewrite it accordingly.

Also, this is kinda taking place in a coffee shop AU where Ophelia and Dake are on the precipitate of dating.

Enough blathering, I really hope you enjoy this!

Length Warning: Nearly 2000 words, so it’s most of this is below the cut.

Edit: I’m a little frantic cuz of personal reasons rn, so I might not have edited this properly. If you see anything that looks really out of place or just plain wrong, please let me know. =)

He’d just had to get the lunch shift today, hadn’t he?

Nothing good ever happened on the lunch shift, and he always avoided it like the plague, unashamedly using his connection to the cafe’s owner to take the slot an hour after it.

Not today.

A replacement had been needed to fill the slot after the original barista had fallen ill and Dake’d been unfortunate enough to completely available.

The second he’d started the shift he knew it was going to be a bad one. The espresso machine malfunctioned, they ran of milk, most of the customers were small tippers with big attitudes and his co-worker had fucked off at the height of the rush.

To top it all off, he was now stuck arguing with yet another customer who wouldn’t understand they’d ordered the wrong thing.

“It’s daylight robbery!”

“Ma’am,” He sighed for the felt like - and possibly was - the twentieth time. “You ordered a macchiato, not an expresso. The prices are-”

The woman, best described as a soccer mom, scowled at him, hands on her hips.

“Don’t you tell me what I ordered. I know what I ordered.” She jabbed a perfectly manicured nail at him.

“I don’t think you do.” The words slipped out by mistake, but Dake couldn’t find it in him to care as she turned a vivid red, spluttering angrily.

“How dare you! I won’t let you speak to me like that! Where’s your manager? I’ll-”

He tuned her out, turning his attention to the clock hanging on the wall behind the bitchy customer.

An hour, give or take. Only 60 minutes until the one person who could possibly make this shift better arrived. At least he hoped so.

Usually, Ophelia would come in for her usual coffee and a pastry – always non-sweet, she hated those – and a quick chat, but, unlike him, Ophelia’s schedule varied greatly and it wasn’t uncommon that they missed each other.

‘I should really ask for her number at some point,’ He mused, reluctantly dragging his attention back to Soccer mom. ‘Make plans to meet outside of the café or something.’

He tuned in just in time to catch ‘-orsohelpmegod, you will be sorry!’ and immediately dismissed it, preparing himself for would undoubtedly be a exhausting fight.

“You’ve made a small mistake, miss,” He said, barely concealing his irritation, “What you ordered was a macchiato which we price differently from double espressos.If you’d like, I’m more than happy to replace your order with a double espresso; I’ll even give you a discount.”

‘Anything to get you off my back,’ He added mentally, hoping that his proposal appealed to her.

It didn’t.

She ballooned, almost bellowing –and thus attracting open stares from the other customers, “I won’t have you tell me, a Harvard graduate, that I made a mistake when you’re at fault. I’ll have you fired!”

“I doubt you can.” He replied blandly, dimly acknowledging the chiming storefront.

“Please.” She sneered, “Do you believe the management would keep something like you if I were to complain?”

“I’d imagine they would,” The approaching customer purred, the familiar voice perking Dake up, “He is the owner’s nephew after all.”

“’Phe.” Dake grinned, dragging a hand through his locks in an attempt to straighten them out.

The girl waved at him, smiling, before facing the older woman, her face a mask of faux-politeness.

The woman looked a little off-balance, clearly unaware of Dake’s diplomatic immunity, before scowling at the teens. “So that’s why you’re acting like that. You think your uncle will protect you when I tell him what you’ve done?”

Ophelia glanced at Dake quizzically and got a tired look in response.

“She ordered a Macchiato, but wants to be charged for a double espresso.”

“Because that’s what I ordered.”

“You ordered a double espresso with some steamed milk and foam.” He corrected.

“That’s a macchiato.” Ophelia deadpanned.

The woman frowned, shaking her head. “No it’s-“

“Siri, what’s a macchiato?”

Ophelia’s phone dinged before intoning, “Caffè macchiato, sometimes called espresso macchiato, is an espresso coffee drink with a small amount of milk, usually foamed.”

“Huh, what do you know?” Ophelia smirked at the now paling woman, “Three against one, lady. You lose.”

The soccer mom ballooned once more and Dake scowled, standing straight. It was one thing for him to be yelled at and deranged – It was a unfortunate part of the job – but he wasn’t about to let this two-bit bitch attack Ophelia.

His worry was unnecessary though; she knew how to handle herself.

With a pointed look around the café, Ophelia asked, “Are you really going to cause even more of a disruption, lady? You’re just embarrassing yourself.”

Soccer mom froze, looking around her as if suddenly aware of the other witnesses of her little tantrum. After spluttering for a moment, she slammed the money on the table, turned on her heel and stomped her way out of the café, taking her macchiato with her.

“Oh thank god.” Dake collapsed against the counter the second she was out of sight, forehead resting on the cool wood.

“Never been called that before, but okay.” Ophelia’s following laugh made Dake chuckle himself, lifting his head up just in time to see her slide onto one of the stools.

“Seriously though, I appreciate the save. I don’t much longer I could’ve put up with that.”

“I don’t know how you put up with that.” She said, resting her arms on the table, “She was upset because of what? A 50p difference?”

“30p.” He corrected, laughing at her disgusted face.

“But never mind her. You’re early today.” He propped himself up on an elbow, “Something happen at school?”

“Ugh,” She groaned, dropping her bag beside her, “I don’t want to talk about that. So let’s talk about you.”

Then she frowned, peering at his face. “You look exhausted. You alright?”

He smiled gently at her, patting her hand resting on the table, before winking. “I am now you’re here.”

“You’re so cheesy.” She snorted, turning her hand to entangle it with his.

“And you’re grate.”

She paused for a moment then snorting, trying to conceal a laugh.

“Dake, no. That’s too corny.”

“Really? And here I thought I had a kernel of talent.”

Torn between being laughing and groaning at his awful puns, Ophelia rocked in her chair, a hand stifling her amusement. Dake doesn’t bother doing that, openly laughing along with her.

“Seriously though,” She managed as her giggles subsided, “Are you okay?”

He sighed, standing a little straighter. “Yeah, today’s just been a bit rough.”

“That lady?”

“Amongst other things.”

He grinned at her, “Now you spill. What happened?”

Ophelia’s expression darkened immediately, wiping his mirth right off his face.

“Nothing good, I’m guessing.” He kept his voice light, but he was concerned when she didn’t answer immediately.

Ophelia didn’t really do quiet. She wasn’t loud and rambunctious, but she didn’t keep things to herself, her outspoken nature rarely failing to make itself known whenever she was displeased. Which left…

“You had an attack?” The fear in his voice made her sit straight, waving her hands in dismissal.

“What? No, no, no, Dake, I’m fine.” She scowled, glancing away, “It’s just… We got a substitute gym teacher today.”

“They haven’t touched you, have they?”

“Let me finish, will you?” She smiled briefly at his concern, before continuing. “They were… leery about me and decided to dismiss me from gym on the grounds that I was ‘medically unfit’ for it.”

Dake frowned, tilting his head. “Isn’t your school’s gym for basketball or something? No offence, but I think that’s a little too intensive for you.”

She rolled her eyes, scoffing, “I know that. The school created a specialized class plan for me so I don’t skip gym.”

“Did they know that?”

“First thing I said when we met; they said it was fine.”

Dake frowned, crossing his arms. ”So, what the hell happened?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe they simply were humouring me, or they changed their minds and thought I was too fragile for 15 minutes of exercise. Either way,” Her voice and eyes dropped, cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment. “I don’t like being made out to be an invalid.”

“Ophelia…”Dake faltered, unsure of what to say.

Seeing Ophelia down always threw him off kilter, whether it was because of the surge of his emotions or the sight of the fireball’s downtrodden look, he didn’t know. But it was frustrating that at times like this his silver tongue failed him and he couldn’t verbalise his empathy.

A glance around the workspace, done in a vain effort to inspire some kind of response, proved fortuitous when his eye landed on something he’d been preparing to treat the girl to for a while.

He pushed himself off the table, shooting her a smile before busying himself in the small kitchen space.

“Dake? What’re you doing?”

“You look like you could do with a pick-me-up,” He grinned at her over his shoulder, “I’m making you one.”

She looked a little surprised, tilting her head. “Oh? What did you have in mind? Jasmine? Maybe rosehip?“

“No tea today.” He hummed, “I thought you might like to try coffee for once.”

Ophelia frowned, slumping back in her chair. “Dake, I can’t consume caffeine. Angina, remember?”

“No caffeine present, and no,” He held up a hand to pause her next argument, “It’s not decaf.”

The irritated look melted off her face, replaced by an avid curiosity. “What kind of coffee is it?”

“Dandelion & Chicory Root Coffee.” He said, holding up a packet of roasted dandelion roots. “I suggested it should be added to the menu for both the health nuts and the cute caffeine intolerant girls.”

He winked at her making Ophelia roll her eyes, but didn’t stop a smile spreading across on her face.

“Charming.” She leant forward once more, watching as he made the coffee, “And it definitely has no caffeine?”

“Yep,” He said, pouring the brew into her preferred mug before placing it before her. “Didn’t add cream or sugar. Figured you’d like it black.”

“Don’t we all?” She reached the hot beverage but jolted back when he slapped his forehead.

“Wait a sec, I forgot something.” He disappeared into the storage at the back, but only for a moment, returning with a slice of apple pie.

“You’re eerily prepared.” Ophelia said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He just smirked, placing the slice down and leaning back. “Bon Appétit.”

Dake held his breath as she took her first sip, studying her face for any sign of revulsion.

“Well?”

“It’s-“ She twisted her face, before smiling. “good. I like it. Very bitter though.”

“It’s coffee, what were you expecting?” He chuckled. Then more quietly, “Feeling better?”

Surprise flickered on her face before morphing into a softer look, the warmth in her eyes unmistakable.

“Much. Thanks, Dake.”

The look filled him with a sense of both joy and bashfulness forcing him to duck his head to the red of his face.

“It’s nothing.” He scuffed his feet then glanced up at Ophelia with a quirked grin. “You’d do the same for me.”

“I would.” She agreed, sipping her coffee, “And I’ll repay the favour someday.”

“Could do it be today.” He suggested, earning a confused look. “Currently, I’m kinda unhappy.”

The confusion on her face cleared as he slid a pen and pad to her with a wink. “A certain 8 digit number of yours would cheer me right up.”

#mcl #dakota #dake #oc special #this is just mindless fluff #im sorry #jk im happy with this #not so happy with the ending though #but am i ever?#sweet crush #amor sucre

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

Text

Survey #306

i’m v talkative today so pardon my jabbering below.

What is the strangest type of candy you have eaten? I think I've had one of those lollipops with a bug in it before as a kid? I don't remember. What would be your most ideal profession? A freelance photographer. But I'm honestly starting to lose hope. Have you tried those coloring books for adults? Yeah; it's funny you mention 'em, 'cuz a family friend got me one for my birthday earlier this month. What is a topic you definitely don't want to talk about with anyone? I don't like talking about my sexual history, doesn't matter who you are. It's just uncomfortable. What was your first gaming console? An Atari. Is there something you're eagerly waiting for? What is it? *SLAMS FISTS ON TABLE* MAY NEEDS TO FUCKIN' HURRY. My tattoo appointment is set then. :''') Do you/have you ever belonged to an organization? If so, which one? I was a Girl Scout when I was young. What is something you're very passionate about? Nature conservation, gay rights (equal rights in general, really), the pro-choice movement, and then there are less "important" things like certain hobbies interests and such. I'm sure there are more big ones that are just slipping my mind right now, considering I feel passionately for a shitload of stuff. What are you studying or what was the last thing you studied? I majored in Art & Design with a focus on Photography in college. But guess who dropped out. What was the last present you gave someone? I don't know... I mention enough that I don't have a source of income where I can really buy anything. I think the last thing I did was a Christmas gift for Mom a year or two back of a drawing I did of our late dog Cali, whom she absolutely adored. Do you enjoy plays? If so, what was the latest one you saw? Not really, no. What was the last thing you achieved? PHP has helped me focus on little victories, so prepare for an underwhelming answer haha, but it's something. I Facebook messaged an old friend I really wanted to catch up with, and everyone in group cheered for me. :') It was really heartwarming. What a shocker that this program is really helping me once again. What is something you would like to achieve at some point in your life? I would love love love to take at least one "famous" or award-winning photograph. It'd be such amazing validation that I'm talented at something I love so much. What is one philosophy you have regarding life/living/purpose? That's... difficult to answer seeing as I'm trying desperately to find my purpose. I do try to live by this old quote a therapist said once: "Deal with life, or life deals with you." I think it holds an incredible amount of depth and meaning in such a short phrase. How would you design the inside of your own home? I don't know the details of it, really, besides that shit is gonna look like a Halloween house year-round. I can imagine wanting black furniture, too, and having loooots of decor expressive of what I love and find comfort in. Gotta make a house feel like a home just for me. What is a band you remember liking from your childhood? Backstreet Boys, duh. Do you ever get mad at people for not having the same opinion as you (i.e. abortion being wrong/right, meat-eating being wrong/right)? Two things: it depends on the topic, and "get mad" is the wrong term for what I feel. It's more disgust; ex., I'm repulsed by anti-gay rights people and want absolutely nothing to do with 'em, but I'm not like, mad at them. Do you edit any of your pictures? In what ways? Oh yeah, and it definitely depends on the raw photograph. I edit depending on the mood it emanates; like if you've seen my roadkill photography versus nature shots, there is an extremely distinct difference in editing style and vibe. I'd say in general though, I tend to like to brighten my photographs and add more vibrance. If you like to take pictures, what is your motivation? God, I could write an essay on this. I just love and am so thankful for the fact we can literally freeze time forever with the click of a button and look back on fantastic sights, beautiful moments, memories... It's just magical to me, and I adore contributing to that art. Would you ever consider living anywhere cold? Well yeah, that's my preference, actually. What is your absolute favorite food? The spicy shrimp fritas from Olive Garden, jfc. Would you ever wear snake-skin pants, or other animal clothing? Fuck to the absolute hell no. What foreign country would you like to go to for a shopping spree? Idk, considering I'm not well-versed in the artistic creations of other countries. Perhaps India? Japan? I dunno. If you met your favorite musician, what would you ask him/her? I'm asking for his fucking autograph and a hug while I smile my face in two AND cry lmao. What do you spend most of your day thinking about? I ain't gonna bullshit nobody, my PTSD. In some way or another, he's lurking in that head of mine through memories, flashbacks, wonders of what could have gone differently... but thank God it's no longer in the forefront of my mind after my first PHP. I've come very, very far, but especially when trying to blank out my mind to fall asleep, parts of PTSD strangle my brain until I'm just finally out. I really hope that changes someday. Where is a busy place you would like to go to? Yikes, nowhere, really. I like to avoid busy locations. Do you think video games cause people to become violent? Absolutely not. You are responsible for the decisions you make; music, games, movies, etc. have no deciding voice in stupid shit you do, and it's bullshit that people blame art and entertainment for such things. Vocabulary: What was the last word you learned? I'm unsure. Have you or could you build your own site? Absolutely not from scratch. The closest I've gotten to that is my photography website, but it was through the assistance of Wix. What's the best thing you can cook yourself? Scrambled eggs, haha. I do make some bomb eggs at least. Are there a lot of graffiti around your neighborhood? No. Do you have a hobby that forces you out of the house? If so, what is it? Nature photography. Would you stop eating meat, if you had to raise and slaughter it yourself? Absolutely. God, I want to go vegetarian again... Besides English, what other languages can you speak? I can speak a very little bit of German. Took four semesters of it in high school and became very good at it, but lack of practice has pretty much ruined that. Besides English, what other languages can you read? I can read German well; as in, I can pronounce most words I see, but that doesn't mean I understand what is written. Do you think you could make it as a chef? Gordon Ramsey would deadass kick me off his show on day one, lmao. What's your favorite kind of tea? It marvels me JUST how many tea and coffee questions are in surveys. Anyway, I don't like tea. I am an embarrassment to NC culture. What thing/person/happening has made you the happiest you've been? lask;dfjal;wekrjwe What's the most freeing thing you've ever done? Stealing my happiness back from someone who had no right to hold it all in its entirety. That shit's mine. Do you think today's kids are really impatient? Most, probably, but in some ways I can understand it - at least, in the sense that with the assistance of modern technology and advancements in satiating our wants so quickly, kids just expect it. I definitely believe that patience is something to try to be deeply instilled in everyone, though. I don't have an ounce of it (in most situations) and wish I did. Have you ever tasted birch sap? No. How about the young buds/shoots of spruce trees? No. Which edible flowers have you tasted? One of my favorite Southern experiences is finding a bunch of honeysuckles and tasting the honey (is it technically even honey??). Tastes amazing. My family's hairdresser lives down a beautiful path that sprouts a massive amount of them, and as kids, my sisters and her two boys would go tasting them while our parents talked for so long, or if we were waiting our turn. Good memories. What has been your worst restaurant experience? I'm not sure, really. What's the most immature, adolescent thing that still makes you laugh? "Inappropriate humor type jokes." <<<< They can get me sometimes, too. Have you ever had a life-threatening condition? If so, what was it? No, thankfully. Have you ever had a custom print done on a shirt? If so, what was it? I don't believe so, no. Besides making a tye-dye one in HS with our school colors. Wasn't my idea and never wore it, haha. Do you ever read other people's survey answers? It depends on the person. If it's a friend, absolutely, because I love learning usually obscure things about them I wouldn't have known otherwise. If it's a user I don't know from wherever I got the survey, sometimes, depending on how short the answer is and my eyes kinda just scroll over it. Do you like daytime or night time better? Why? Daytime, especially mornings. I'm generally happier when there's light around. What's your highest level of education so far? Some college. Describe your ordinary day: My average day is embarrassingly uneventful. It's sitting on the laptop doing shit on various sites, none of which are actually important, and playing WoW, which is also without true substance, save for social interactions with my friends on there. I spray Venus' terrarium everyday multiple times as well to keep the humidity up, and obviously eat and handle that kinda bodily needs stuff. Would you ever have a UV tattoo? Ugh, that'd be so dope. I've seen some awesome ones, but idk if I'd get one, considering when am I actually going to be under UV light?? Like I wanna be able to see my tat. What is the brand and color name of your favorite lipstick? I have one black lipstick, but it comes right off so I don't even like it. I only ever put it on to take pictures. What do you like on your tortilla? Just ham and cheese. How about inside your pita bread? I've never had pita bread, actually. What do you like in your burger? It depends on where I'm getting the burger. My basic is cheese, ketchup, mustard, a bit of mayo, pickles, and a light sprinkle of diced onion, but sometimes I add bacon and take away the onions. How about on your pizza? I have three I tend to pick from: pepperoni, jalapeno, or meat lovers. Do you work better alone or in a group? Alone, definitely. Which body part would you not mind losing? I'ma be extremely honest, with just how horribly weak my legs are, I could live without them, I guess. Not saying I want to by any means, it's just exhausting using them. Ideally, I'd take away something minor, like a finger or something. What common saying people use is absolute BS to you? “'Everything happens for a reason.'” <<<< Fuckin' colossal "same." I won't rag on people who believe it, especially if it gives you courage to keep moving forward, but I don't believe it in the slightest. If it were so, I'd like to talk to whoever is in control of those "reasons," please. What is the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week? I had no idea elephants were pregnant for two years, like holy shit, can you imagine. It was in an article I saw on Facebook about a mother and daughter elephant who are both expecting and doing well. Wonderful to hear. What’s the most useless talent you have? Ha, I'm a master in the arts of catastrophizing and jumping to conclusions involving people hating me in one way or another. What’s something everyone looks stupid doing? I'm one of those people who hate dabbing done by anybody, like you look like you're just smelling your armpit. Which kids’ movie scarred you for life? I wouldn't say "scarred me for life" by any means, but when I was little, I was terrified of the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz and even had nightmares about her. It sucked because my little sister was obsessed with that movie, haha. In one sentence, how would you sum up the Internet? A source of incredible knowledge but also hate and misinformation. What would be the most ridiculous thing for the government to make illegal? I literally dread the idea of Roe vs. Wade being reversed. Banning abortion would kill so many people with operational uteruses and cause absolute pandemonium. How many friends do you have on social media and how many of them do you know for real? On Facebook, I have 124 friends, and I'd say I know most of them "in real life." However, having been on the Internet since I was so young and befriending loads of incredible people, a good chunk are "online friends." Hell, I'm more interested in their lives than most "real" ones. Long-distance friendships are so valid. What fact amazes you every time you think of it? Lots of things, generally regarding the stupidity of humanity. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? Probably going to the beach w/ my old friend Colleen. We had zero plans of doing it, but she just called me one morning and asked if I wanted to go, and off we went. It was a fun day. What has taken up too much of your life? I'ma be real, WoW. I don't think I'm addicted to it like I once was seeing as I go through spans where I barely want to play it at all and don't, so I truly am capable of not playing it, but rather it's just the most entertaining way to kill time in my life. I just don't like how much time I've invested into a game over six or seven years regardless. Where do you not mind waiting? Uh, nowhere lmao. Is there an app you hate to use, but still use every day? No; why would I use it if that was the case? Who is the funniest person you know? My friend Girt is fucking hysterical. What three words describe you best? Complex, passionate, and creative. What makes you think you’re smart? Lol who says I think I'm smart? Who inspires you? Korean Jesus. Okay on a serious note, not just him, of course, but he's #1 in an entire universe of ways. Do you aspire to be like somebody else? If so, who? No; I want to be my own authentic self. How did you meet your best friend? YouTube, back when it had more social aspects. Which one of your accomplishments are you the most proud of? I want to say my recovery, but like... I wonder a lot if it's "enough" to be proud of with how scarred I still am? I still struggle with a lot and feel like I could be so much better by now if I tried harder. If I'm completely honest with myself, I think it's finishing high school in the top percentile of my graduating class. There was a ceremony for the handful of us and all, and I cherish my plaque probably too much. Reminds me of a time when I knew what the fuck I was doing. What's the strangest thing you ever did as a child? Thinking I had "animal powers" where I could invoke the traits of certain animals at will, like what the actual fuck, Brittany. What did your mother teach you? Christ, a lot. Dad didn't do a lot of the raising, honestly, so much of my core values and whatnot were instilled by my mother. She taught me to care for and be nice to others, respect myself, try my best in everything, and most importantly that she is always there for me and my sisters no matter what and can tell her absolutely anything. She was very serious about us going to college and saving sex for marriage when we were younger, but she diverged from those ideas as absolutely necessary with experience. I'm extremely lucky with who I call my mom, overall. What did your father teach you? Eek... Read above. Not a lot as a kid (save for riding a bike and playing softball); most he's taught me has come following reuniting with him after my parents' divorce. I remember we went to lunch once and talked about my breakup, and he talked to me about sometimes, you just have to let people go in order to be happy, like with him and Mom. He's very serious now about ensuring us girls know that he is always there for us and will help us in any way he's capable. What makes you feel powerful? "Powerful" isn't something I really feel, if I'm being real. What are you ready to let go? It would be inexplicably fantastic if I could let every speck of Jason go in both my head and heart. What is your most bizarre deal-breaker? I don't really find any of my expectations and limits as "bizarre?" They're all valid to me. Well wait, idk if you'd find it strange that I absofuckinglutely would not date someone who hunts, but it's not to me. That's a difference in a very serious value to me. Would you rather be hated or forgotten? Hated. God, I don't want to leave this earth having given just nothing. I can live with some people hating me for whatever reason. What’s the biggest personal change you’ve made? Accepting my bisexuality, probably. That's something that I consider pretty big for two reasons: 1.) I could end up with a woman forever, and especially 2.) I was originally homophobic. I still have difficulty in fathoming how I ever was. What are some of your short-term goals? PHP is finally starting to make me build these again. I want to get better at selfcare, draw, write, and read more, I want to drink a lot more water, exercise way more... Lots of things, really. What is the weirdest thing about you? Uh. I dunno. Probably that I RP meerkats, which is a very obscure RP niche for sure.

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