#i want him to be the classic 'bad influence' pulling them further and further from career heroism | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mostlycompetentwriter · 4 years

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Side Effects- Complete

M/F Pairing: Y/N x Stray Kids (M/F Primary: Y/N x 3racha)

Warnings: Smut, Language, graphic depictions of violence, blood, gore, non-con elements

Genre: Yandere Stray Kids AU, Vampire AU, Fantasy AU

Word Count: 13K

Summary: Y/N just wanted a normal life, attending to her studies while earning the degree she’s always dreamed about. Unfortunately, her funds are running low and she’s increasingly desperate for money until she finds an advertisement online. Although she doesn’t know much about vampires, she decides to take a position as a blood donor to the mysterious Miroh Coven, unaware of the consequences of her fatal decision.

It had been almost six months since the incident. 24 weeks of paranoia, glancing over my shoulder in response to unexpected movements and sounds. 182 days of watching the bruises slowly fade from my skin, dark circles under my eyes gradually succumbing to the much-needed 8 hours of sleep I managed with the assistance of medication and my new roommate who always welcomed me in her bed when the nightmares progressed. Finally, it seemed like things were getting better with each passing day further and further away from the traumatic event that had changed my life forever.

I could now walk by myself at night without the risk of breaking down in the middle of the sidewalk. I could finally keep down the food my roommate prepared for me without the familiar feeling of nausea churning my stomach unpleasantly. I could finally find a job to support myself, working full-time as a Secretary at a company with full benefits and a reliable 401K.

They were gone from my life, taking the pain and suffering along with them. I was better now and I was determined to turn my life around because I was a strong and independent woman who should’ve known better. But I had been desperate back then, working through my college degree while my savings account was slowly drained. I wouldn’t be able to finance my Senior year and the idea of giving up on my education so close to the finish line had almost broken me in half.

That’s when I first saw the advertisement, promoted through Google’s convoluted Adword system. It was like an answer to my prayers, everything that I had been searching for wrapped up neatly with a handy URL link that took me straight to the source. I remember reading the advertisement with greedy eyes, unhesitating when I clicked on the “Apply Now” button:

ATTN:

Looking for a reliable blood donor for an estate of 8 young men belonging to the Miroh Coven. Preferably female with a blood type of O negative. Please send in an application ASAP.

Vampires weren’t uncommon in our society, though the government had heavily restricted their creation since a dramatic increase in population. Now, the government required notification if a Coven planned to initiate a new member. It was all a dramatic affair meant to prevent fledgling vampires who were more prone to violence and chaos. Of course, there was the occasional rogue who turned humans against their will simply because they couldn’t handle their blood-lust. However, more often than not, Coven leaders knew how to keep their members under control.

Blood donors were also not uncommon. Covens often hired several different donors to keep around when they required access to fresh blood. It was a practice that was initially met with hesitance from the greater public, but when Vampires proved they could handle themselves better around a reliable blood source, the government gradually acquiesced.

I had never given much thought to Vampires or Blood Donors until I saw the advertisement. More specifically, until I saw the amount of money this Coven, in particular, was willing to pay for their donor. It would be enough to pay my college tuition and keep money in my savings account to pay for rent and food. Since the new semester was rapidly approaching, I needed to pay for tuition immediately and provide a deposit for an on-campus apartment.

In hindsight, it was probably a foolish idea to jump headfirst into the application without doing proper research. Case in point, questioning just exactly why this obviously wealthy and established Clan needed a blood donor immediately. Under any other circumstances, I would’ve hesitated at the obvious sense of urgency behind the advertisement. I might have wondered what happened to the Clan’s previous Donor, but I was simply enraptured by the dollar signs and refused to consider that this could be a very bad decision.

It only took a few days before I received a notice on the application, requesting an interview at the Miroh Clan’s address. I remember feeling excited by the opportunity, dressing in my best slacks and blouse. I drove with barely constrained enthusiasm, singing along to the ridiculous pop song playing on the radio even though I really preferred classical music. But this was a special occasion and I was potentially meeting with someone who could change my life and allow me to finish the remainder of my education in luxury.

“Tuition is due this Friday,” I reminded myself, gaping at the giant Mansion gated in circumference by an ancient wrought-iron fence. “Remember to tell them you can start immediately, Y/N.”

I checked my make-up in the rear-view mirror before opening the door, heels clicking obnoxiously against the sidewalk. My first impression was rapidly becoming something like a passage from Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I ascended the steps to the front gate, smashing my finger against the button on the elaborate security system. The gate opened without warning and I jumped back in surprise, hand fanning against my chest as my heart nearly skipped a beat or two in my chest. “Relax, Y/N,” I said, smoothing down my slacks.

Despite it’s older appearance, it was obvious that the grounds of the Mansion were well-kept and I took note of the elaborate display of hydrangea’s lining the walkway to the front door. I presumed the Miroh Coven likely hired someone to do the work for them, especially since it was a known fact that Vampires generally disliked the sunlight as it bothered their enhanced senses. In any case, I was prepared to meet a bunch of older men who had perhaps lost their last client to old age or something. Instead, the man who opened the front door looked like he could attend the same University as me. Dressed impeccably in a dark mahogany suit, the man straightened his tie before offering me a relaxed smile. “Y/N?”

I nodded my head, trying not to react to the sight of his sharp incisors glinting menacingly in the light. “My name is Bang Chan,” he said, offering me an outstretched hand. “I’m the leader of the Miroh Coven.”

I shook his hand cautiously, aware of the strength in his arms highlighted by the bulging veins visible from the upturned aspect of his shirt sleeves. “Nice to meet you,” I said, recovering from the unexpected appearance of my potential benefactor. I had not anticipated meeting someone so obviously young.

“Come inside,” he said, opening the door further to welcome me into the shadowed hallways of the Miroh Mansion.

Present

“What else will you do?” my roommate asked with a pout.

I continued to read my book, far more concerned with the fate of my beloved heroine as opposed to my roommate’s desire to find free alcohol. “This,” I said, reclining further back against the comfortable stretch of pillows.

“Y/N,” my roommate chastised me softly. “I know why you don’t want to go and they’re just gonna win if you keep insisting.”

I tensed at her words, fingers mangling the corners of the pages. My roommate knew everything about my last situation because she was often the recipient of my screams when the familiar nightmares flooded my dreams. “They already won,” I grumbled. “I can’t even watch a vampire movie without losing my mind.”

“Are you afraid they’ll find you?” my roommate asked. “They’re thousands of miles away and you haven’t seen them for months.”

“Seven months,” I informed her curtly. “And I’d like to go for eight.”

“Y/N,” my roommate groaned. “You told me that you used to love parties.”

“I know,” I said. “Maybe someday I’ll go out with you, but for now this is the best way I can cope.”

My roommate nodded, messing with something in her bag before approaching me on high heels that were just bordering on too tall. “Here, I found this is the laundry room.”

I held out my hand absent-mindlessly, not really considering what she had given me until I pulled my attention away from the book. When I finally realized what it was, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen followed by a wave of nausea that left me tossing my book to the side before bolting for the bathroom. “Y/N!” my roommate called my name, but I was already expelling the contents of my stomach, groaning from the sickness.

Because the item now discarded next to me was his necklace and I could have sworn I threw it out with their other gifts when I finally attained my freedom from their clutches…

I was completely spent, lungs still seeking additional oxygen and legs sore from where they were wrapped around his. Chan was always rough when he was feeling particularly possessive, hands determined to bruise every inch of my skin along with the deep marks from his fangs. He had taken a lot of blood and despite the offered chocolate now discarded on the side table, I was incredibly light-headed.

“Y/N,” Chan said, fingers tracing a rather nasty bite mark he had left on my shoulder. “Can you look at me, sweetheart?” It was difficult, but I managed to turn my head enough to meet his gaze, startled by how red his eyes glowed under the influence of fresh blood. Chan’s fingers traced along the edges of my lips, forcefully inserting themselves inside and I managed enough strength to lightly tongue my way across the tips. He shivered at that, removing his hand before reaching behind him for the gorgeous necklace I had noticed briefly on his nightstand before he had pushed my face into the mattress. “For you,” he said, helping me into a sitting position so that he could clasp the chain around my neck, golden pendant hanging heavy between the dips of my collarbones. “Perfect,” he soothed into my ear, growling around a husky “mine” before he was kissing a trail down the side of my arm.

Present

I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache that only responded to three painkillers washed down with a glass of cold water. It was a Saturday which meant I had the day off from work and I couldn’t be more grateful. After last night’s incident, I had finally managed to convince my roommate to go out and have fun while I dropped onto my bed with a heavy sigh. The only way I could calm myself down was by repeating assurances that I must have forgotten Chan’s necklace in the small bonfire I had made of the expensive things they had bought for me. It must have gotten stuck in the bottom of my pocket which explains its presence in the laundry room. There was simply no other explanation. But a shiver still ran its way down my spine when I recalled the way Chan had looked at me before I bolted out the front door. “I will always find you,” he had snarled the warning before I was lost into the unforgiving darkness of the night.

I ran home from the hospital, throwing my belongings into a suitcase before booking a one-way trip back home, far away from these horrible monsters who I had willingly entertained for the past year of my life. The only positive was the fact that I had graduated which meant I was in no way expected to stick around any longer. Instead, I uprooted up my life and moved back home where I felt safer, finding my current roommate who willingly offered me her unused second bedroom. I could’ve afforded to live alone, but there’s no way that I could manage a solitary arrangement without losing my mind. And I didn’t have my parents because I was far too prideful to crawl back to them considering the unfortunate way our last encounter had ended when my father told me that I could never amount to anything on my own.

They wanted me to attend a local community college before marrying the son of my dad’s business partner to demonstrate loyalty between the two brands. There was no way I would allow my parents to strip away something that belonged exclusively to me. My mother had ranted all night long when I missed my scheduled reservation, telling me that no boy would ever want me. I wish she had been right because I might have avoided the eight consecutive nightmares who entered my life one by one with every intent of bringing me down.

Regardless, I couldn’t change the past if I wanted to focus on the future, and I was doing well for myself these days without my parents or the Miroh Coven. I was assured that I could get through this unpleasant stage of my life because I had every intention of rising through the ranks. My dream was to open my own business one day and marry someone who could show me both love and respect. Because that was what was missing when I served the Miroh Coven. They might have insisted that they loved me, but they certainly held no respect for the woman they wanted to enslave, especially Jisung.

In fact, Han Jisung might have been the worst of the three brothers. You see, Chan’s claim as a leader only went as far as legalities required, having someone’s name down to attribute ownership. But Chan was just as much leader as Jisung and Changbin. The three brothers were thicker than thieves, having grown up together in a despicable orphanage when they were younger. They weren’t bound by blood, but by something much stronger. When they were turned by an older vampire who envisioned them as perfect little soldiers, they decided that they were owed something for all the years of torment they endured. They turned against their sire, freeing themselves from his control, before forming their own tight-knit clan to claim. Throughout the years, they lived in the Miroh Mansion while forming their very own elaborate enterprise and becoming very wealthy in the process. One of the very first things they did as CEOs was to tear down the orphanage they hated and replace it with one of their office buildings. Next, they tracked down everyone that had ever mistreated them, writing down the names in a disheveled notebook that I had discovered one night in Jisung’s nightstand. Some of the names had already been marked out, but there were still so many left, and I didn’t realize at the time what exactly I was holding in my hands until it was too late.

I shivered at the memory, trying to will it away, but it was already forcing itself to play out again in my mind with perfect clarity:

1 Year Ago

To save costs on ridiculous surcharges, and to make things easier for the coven, I had recently moved into the Miroh Mansion with my eight benefactors. They cleaned a room for me on the top floor where Chan, Changbin, and Jisung also lived in relative peace. The eight of them had been thrilled when I agreed to their proposal, talking nonstop about our new situation. Of course, I didn’t intend for it to hold any sort of permanence, but I didn’t dare speak out against Felix because the younger boy had a vicious temper and lashed out violently when things didn’t go his way.

Nevertheless, I quickly settled in with the others and their regular routine. I came to discover that Chan, Changbin, and Jisung were often missing throughout the day, but I figured it had something to do with their business. As for the others, Hyunjin spent a lot of time in the attic where he had attempted to recreate a dance studio, often requesting that I sit and watch him as he moved to the gentle music playing from an older record player. Sometimes, Felix joined him too, but for the most part, Felix liked to play with the younger boys, Seungmin and Jeongin, in their rooms or in mine. They loved video games and I remember countless hours spent playing with the three of them as they giggled and laughed like the harmless school boys I once believed them to be. Occasionally, Minho liked to poke his head in when we were being too loud, scolding us because he was concentrating on his newest art project.

But the mood shifted considerably once Chan, Changbin, and Jisung came home. Immediately, the other vampires would rush downstairs to greet the brothers. It was the same occurrence every night and I was ignorant at first until I finally mustered the courage to ask Chan why they were so eager to see them. The older man had chuckled at me. “We’re their sires, Y/N. They experience a lot of discomfort without us around.”

“Sires?”

Chan explained the concept to me patiently. “Seungmin and Jeongin are sired to me and Hyunjin and Felix are sired to Changbin.”

“And Minho is sired to Jisung,” I said and Chan had smiled at me proudly like I had just discovered something profound.

“When we come home, it’s important that we reinforce our bond. Otherwise, some very bad things might happen.”

I had nodded like that made perfect sense to me. I was really tired and wanted to simply crawl into Chan’s arms and fall asleep. Chan had realized my intentions, holding me close while running his fingers through the messy strands of my air.

The next evening, Jisung summoned me into his bedroom. “I’m hungry, little one,” he said, drawing me onto the bed to slowly strip me out of my clothes. The very first-time Jisung had attempted to remove my shirt, I freaked out and demanded to know why it was necessary. Jisung had smiled, a cunning manipulative behavior that I hadn’t fully realized at the time. “I don’t want to ruin your clothes.”

Of course, his intentions became evident as our sessions increased and I finally gave in and let Jisung fuck me because it did feel really good when he was inside while drawing far too much blood from my carotid artery. It became just another part of our routine, Jisung drawing me into his bed before sliding his cock inside before biting viciously on the side of my neck. I moaned from under him, focusing on the way his cock slid in and out as opposed to the dizziness I was experiencing from losing too much blood at once. Jisung only stopped when I orgasmed, tightening around his cock before he emptied himself between my legs, pressing sweet kisses to my chest before pulling his flaccid length out of my sensitive opening.

“Sleep,” he whispered close to my ear. I whined because I hated it when he left me alone after sex.

“Sungie,” I said, trying to get his attention. I was incredibly drowsy, fighting against every desire to close my eyes.

Jisung chuckled, entertaining my wandering hands. “I have business that requires my attention and you need to rest for me.”

I watched through lidded eyes as Jisung opened his nightstand, drawing out an unfamiliar notebook. He grabbed a loose pen from the organizer on his desk before scratching something out against the paper. Afterward, the notebook was returned to its previous location before Jisung was silently escaping the bedroom. I groaned loudly at the soreness in my neck, massaging the tender skin before allowing myself the sleep I deserved.

It felt like minutes before an unexpected scream pierced through the walls, startling me into consciousness. I jolted up in my bed, far too quickly for my poor body which was still recovering from Jisung’s feeding. I shook my head to clear the black spots, opening them again only for my eyes to latch onto Jisung’s nightstand. I swallowed hard, curiosity getting the better of me as I slowly pulled on the drawer’s handle.

The notebook wasn’t very large but I could tell it was old and well-used. I slowly opened the first page, frowning as I read the unfamiliar names listed in random order. A few of them had been carefully blacked out, indecipherable now that they had been clearly forgotten. I was growing distracted by the names, trying to piece together the mysterious puzzle, when another noisy scream reminded me why I had been so suddenly disturbed. Carefully, I returned the notebook to its home, slipping on a pair of slippers before leaving Jisung’s bedroom.

The hallways were dark and empty with no other sounds alerting me to the unexpected scream that had previously penetrated my drowsiness. I started down the familiar purple carpets, holding tightly to the railing as I descended the grand staircase. It was then that I noticed light spilling from a crack in the door leading to the basement. I had never been down there before, warned explicitly by Chan to never enter that room. But his warning did nothing to assuage my curiosity, so I ignored the alarms going off in the back of my head before reaching out for the door.

There were several voices now, clearly audible, attempting to speak over one another. It sounded like an argument as I started down the stairs, frowning when I smelled something that reminded me distinctly of a sharp metallic odor. “It’s fine,” I heard Jisung’s voice growl and I paused in my steps, wondering if I would get in trouble for interrupting.

“So messy,” Chan spoke now, clearly irritated. “I thought you planned better than this.”

“I did,” Jisung said. “Consider the girl an added bonus.”

I didn’t like the way they were talking, continuing my trek into the basement until I could finally see the three brothers standing together. But I immediately regretted my decision, covering the scream threatening to rip itself free from my chest as I discovered the corpses hanging from the ceiling. It was a disgusting sight, limbs dismembered and lying out across the floor. There was blood everywhere, covering Chan, Changbin, and Jisung, thick and revolting in the way it stained the concrete floors. I instinctively took a step back, wincing when the stair creaked under my weight. Almost immediately, three pairs of eyes turned in my direction and I fell backward in my haste to retreat.

Chan was on me in an instant, cursing when his touch forced a loud scream to pierce the silence of the room. “Relax, sweetheart,” he said, grabbing my shoulders despite my thrashing. He forced me to meet his eyes and the influence of his power was enough to render me unconscious once again.

Present

“You look beautiful today, Y/N.”

I blushed, of course, from Mark’s tender compliment. “Thank you,” I managed sheepishly, watching as my boss offered me a cheeky smile before entering his office.

Ever since I left the Miroh Coven, I had been working a part-time position as the Secretary to a wealthy CEO. I didn’t mind my job, enjoying the menial tasks I was usually instructed to obey. It was quite mind-numbing, a worthy distraction when I first started working here hollowing the horrors I had endured from the Miroh Coven. The pay was excellent and I was able to help my roommate afford rent while reliably buying myself luxuries like a new mattress or a fresh wardrobe since my old clothes reminded me too much of the past.

The hours were also minimal, and I often found myself sitting down at my desk only to look up at the clock and realize my day had already concluded. Subsequently, I was able to leave the office on time every day to join the steady stream of afternoon traffic. Afterward, I might stop by a restaurant to pick up something for dinner, or occasionally drive through the downtown marketplace because I enjoyed shopping for fresh produce. It was all quite nice and I enjoyed settling into my new life with a deep sigh of relief.

It had almost been nine months since I last saw any of the boys and other than the unfortunate encounter with Chan’s necklace, I was sure that I would never have to experience anything so unattractive ever again. I was slowly regaining my confidence, joining my roommate several times when she wanted to see a movie or shop at one of the outdoor malls. Everything was starting to work out for me, which meant that I was also starting to comfortably take more risks.

“Please have fun tonight,” my roommate said, practically dragging me along with her as we entered one of her favorite clubs. After much convincing, I had finally given in and allowed my roommate to take me out late at night for drinks and dancing. “This is a nice place,” she said, leading me to the bar. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

I nodded my head, looking around the relaxed atmosphere. It was certainly a much tamer club than what I was used to visiting, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Of course, the influence of alcohol had a way of making a person far more willing to lower their defenses. “One glass,” I said, accepting the fruity beverage from the bartender before my roommate and I found a table near the edge of the dance-floor.

“So many handsome faces,” my roommate remarked. “Interested in anyone?”

I scoffed at her question because I seriously doubted that I would willingly jump into a new relationship anytime soon. “Really?”

“Just wondering,” my roommate shrugged, drinking down the remainder of her scotch. “Wanna dance?”

I waved her off, deciding that I was okay with enjoying my drink at our table. My roommate let out a giggle, locking eyes with a suave businessman who looked ready to devour her whole. “I’ll check on you soon,” she promised and I quickly lost her in the mass of bodies occupying the dance floor.

I rolled my eyes because I knew better than to expect my roommate’s return. Instead, I sipped at my drink while admiring the friendly atmosphere of the bar, neon colors dazzling in my peripheral vision. It reminded me of my younger college days when I was swept away by the illusion of freedom which independent adulthood offered, attending every frat party I could find.

I grinned at the memories, feeling way too old to try anything like that ever again. It was fun once, being so irresponsible, but now it was time to start paying bills and scratch my head when I attempted to do my taxes. Freedom was addicting, and I could see why so many younger people were enamored with the idea of moving away from home and conquering the world.

Wistfully, I must digress because I often lose myself in my thoughts, and I can’t afford a break in concentration. Instead, I sipped tentatively at my drink, watching the moving sea of bodies. I was entirely focused, which allowed me to raise my guard at the approach of an unfamiliar figure.

“Excuse me? Do you have the time?”

I shrugged loosely because it was an innocent request from someone who clearly wasn’t looking for anything ill-intended. On instinct, I reached into my bag to grab my phone. “It’s almost midnight,” I said, thinking that our interaction would be short-lived.

Instead, the man was insistent, a cold hand digging harshly against my shoulder. “Don’t you know that it’s dangerous to stay up so late, sweetheart?”

The accent had been disguised, but now I recognized it thick and heavy in my ear. I couldn’t even remember to scream before his hand was enclosed over my mouth, teeth nipping at my jaw. Another body slipped into my roommate’s chair, brows raised as he reached for her discarded glass. “Is there room for some company, Y/N?” Jisung asked, blonde hair hanging low in his eyes.

I shook my head desperately, fresh tears clouding my vision. “Where are your manners, sweetheart?” Chan asked with a harsh tone and I was suddenly jerked to the side, a strong hand holding my chin into place.

“What a coincidence, Y/N,” Changbin growled. “We have unfinished business in this little town of yours.”

“You’re coming with us,” Chan said, ignoring the way I fought against him as he practically forced me out of my chair. “Look at me,” he snarled, eyes trained on mine as I started to drift out of consciousness.

I was slowly starting to realize that the implications of being a sire went far beyond just simply turning someone immortal. For example, I knew how cruel Changbin could be, turning violent on a whim, especially if you disobeyed him. He was the one who liked to punish me when he thought I was being bad, dragging out all sorts of special toys to use against my body. Paddles and lashes, whips and spikes, everything Changbin needed was lined perfectly along the walls of the special room he had decorated for himself whenever he wanted to play with someone. He was a sadist in every sense of the word, enjoying the sensation of watching someone suffer for his own pleasure. When he had first brought me into the room, I had immediately protested, close to tears when Changbin had cooed at me and insisted that I would never be forced to do anything outside of my comfort zone. He spoke with a wicked tongue, dark eyes revealing the truth if I had been so willing to look for it, but I eventually allowed him to have his way with me. Tears streaming freely down the side of my face while Changbin’s tongue traced the salty rivulets with a groan.

But Changbin wasn’t the only one with a fiery temper and desire for pain and suffering. His fledgling vampires, Felix and Hyunjin, had decisively taken on his more brutal aspects. Felix lost control whenever I said something to offend him, growling out insults while I tried to avoid his hands. Hyunjin had special permission to use Changbin’s secret room to explore his own masochism, and I had accidentally wandered into one of his sessions at the beginning of our arrangement before things had turned sexual between us. I remember the look of existential terror on the girl’s face that I had foolishly misplaced as pleasure, crying out not in ecstasy but in pain.

On the other hand, Jisung was the manipulative and cunning brother who thought out everything instead of living on a whim according to his pleasures. It was this same trait that I discovered in Minho who also shared Jisung’s tendency to plan out his movements. The only difference between them was that Minho was silent in his execution while Jisung was loud in letting everyone know that he had gotten his way.

Finally, there was Bang Chan, the legal leader of the Miroh Coven. Chan was the last of the brothers to attempt a siring bond because he had never found the right person. I would never know for sure why Seungmin and Jeongin were “the right people,” but Chan doted on them in every sense of the word. He treasured them like they were his possessions, buying them expensive clothes and allowing them leeway when their bloodlust tended to get the best of them. It was up to the sire to teach their fledglings how to properly drink blood from a source, but Chan had decided not to blink an eye when Seungmin or Jeongin accidentally took things a step too far.

Just like Chan, Seungmin and Jeongin were also extremely possessive, especially when they considered something to belong exclusively to them. I can only wish that I had noticed sooner, the way the three of them liked to leave their marks on me in various ways, whether it be through a harsh bite or buying me something nice and insisting that I wear it at all times. Seungmin and Jeongin were also dangerous because there had been times when I felt like I was on death’s door, feeling them drink my blood like they would never stop.

Sadly, I thought I had escaped all of that, so imagine the utter sense of dread crippling my entire body when I woke up to see Chan, Changbin, and Jisung standing over me as they watched me slowly awaken. Chan was the first to react, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he appraised me. “Sweetheart,” he said and a shiver ran down my spine. “Don’t you know how worried we were when you ran away from us like that?”

My lower lip trembled and I bit down on it hard. “I couldn’t stay.”

“Why not?” Chan asked, looking every bit as patient as I remembered.

“You hurt people,” I whispered. “And you hurt me too.”

“Hurt you?” Chan huffed, a look of annoyance masking his features. “We protected you and cared for you, sweetheart.”

“You belong to us,” Jisung said, gaze cold as he watched me from afar.

I sniffled, slowly losing my last shred of pride as I tried not to cry in front of these horrible vampires. His words reminded me of the night I left, rushing out into the streets with blood covering my body. “I don’t have to work for you anymore,” I said.

Changbin growled. “The arrangement meant more than that, Y/N.”

“We love you,” Chan said, reaching for my hands and I didn’t have the strength to fight him. “Remember? We can be together forever.”

I was crying now, triggered by the all-too-familiar words spoken 9 months ago when I entered the Miroh Mansion for the final time.

Eight Months Ago

Jeongin was still young enough to celebrate his birthday, and the rest of the Clan had decided that nothing was too good for their precious youngest member. I remember going shopping with Chan, buying party decorations without any consideration for how much it would cost them. Earlier that week, Jisung and I had visited the bakery to order Jeongin a custom-made birthday cake, including a cheesy message at the bottom to commemorate the occasion. Everyone was in good spirits and I had finally stopped thinking about the bodies in their basement, believing Jisung when he told me that they had been donated to the Miroh Clan to use as a source of fresh blood. “It sometimes happens,” Jisung said. “Whenever there’s an accident and nobody claims the bodies, they send them here for us to use.”

It was an extremely unreasonable explanation but I refused to believe anything else in an attempt to protect myself from the truth. I was determined to move past it, forcing myself to smile at Jisung’s cheesy jokes or Chan’s attempts to make me laugh. I must have been a good actor because they stopped hovering around me at every possible opportunity, watching me like they were waiting for me to bolt out the door and never return.

“Y/N!” Jeongin had said, jumping into my bed to wake me up that morning. “Guess what?” he giggled, adorable face mere inches from my own.

“Hmmm?” I wondered, smirking as he practically beamed with excitement.

“It’s my birthday,” Jeongin said. “I’m supposed to be 40-years-old today!”

“Congratulations,” I snickered, deciding that it wasn’t the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

“Will you come play with me and Felix?” Jeongin asked. “We can do whatever we want until Chan gets home.”

That’s another thing I had noticed about the fledglings. They never really liked to talk about anyone except for their sired master. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that Jeongin had no idea that Jisung and Changbin even existed. “Okay,” I said. “Let me take a shower first.”

Jeongin allowed me to get ready in peace and quiet, and I enjoyed the feeling of the water scalding my skin as I stood under the faucet for far longer than normal. Afterward, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, finding Felix, Jeongin, and Seungmin in Minho’s room, arguing over who would join teams. I yawned when I entered, wary of the way Minho was watching me from his bed, legs stretched out in front of him as his eyes followed me all the way to where Felix was holding out my controller.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon with the younger boys, ignoring Minho completely as I let Jeongin win several times even though I was much better at Street Fighter. “Finally,” Jeongin exclaimed, racing for the door before I could question him.

“Chan’s home,” Minho informed me, holding out a hand which I reluctantly accepted, trying not to react when Minho leaned in to press his lips against my delicate pulse point.

Downstairs, all of the vampires were busy setting up Jeongin’s party. Streamers hung from the overhead banisters and balloons floated mindlessly through the room as Chan hugged Jeongin tightly against his chest. “Were you a good boy today?” he asked the youngest who nodded enthusiastically in response.

“Y/N,” Jisung called my name. “Help me in the kitchen.”

I obeyed immediately, finding Jisung situating candles on top of the cake we had purchased earlier that week. I was struck by the normalcy of the situation, standing next to Jisung as he instructed me to start boiling a pot of water. Apparently, despite their delicate diets, on special occasions, the Vampires could enjoy human food and Jeongin’s favorite was being prepared for him.

It was chaotic in the Mansion as everyone attended to their various responsibilities, amusing little Jeongin who flitted from person to person. Although, more often than not, Jeongin stuck close to Chan’s side, talking to his sire about all the nuances of his day. Chan listened patiently, nodding along as he finished the elaborate ribbon around one of Jeongin’s birthday presents. “Is everyone ready?”

We all stood together in the kitchen, singing for Jeongin who was vibrating from head to toe. He blew out the candles and beamed at the accompanying applause. “Happy birthday, Jeongin,” I said, allowing him to pull me into an impossibly strong grip.

Meanwhile, the other vampires slowly congregated into the living room where Jeongin’s presents were waiting for him. “Y/N,” Chan said, holding me back as Jeongin raced out of the kitchen. “Help me carry these drinks.”

I wrinkled my nose because they were obviously filled with blood. Nonetheless, I obeyed diligently, accepting one of the trays before following Chan into the crowded foyer. “Channie!” Jeongin said, holding up a delicate pocket watch. “It’s so nice!”

Chan smiled warmly at Jeongin, ruffling his hair playfully as he started handing out the glasses. Changbin grabbed me by the hips as I passed in front of him, pulling me into his lap as he took a sip from his glass. “It’s not as good as yours,” he teased, lips scarlet from the liquid.

I chose not to respond to his comment, trying to relax against his body. “Y/N,” Chan said before handing me a glass. I studied it cautiously while I gingerly took the glass from him.

“What is it?”

“Just some wine,” Chan shrugged indifferently and I nodded before trying a sip of the beverage. Almost immediately, I winced at the taste and Changbin chuckled at my obvious aversion.

“It was very expensive,” he lightly chastised me and I tried not to notice the smell as I forced more of the wine down my throat.

Meanwhile, Jeongin continued to open more of his gifts, expressing his gratitude towards each of his older members as he tried on various pieces of clothing and jewelry. When he finally got to my present, he shot me a mischievous smirk. “Y/N…”

“Open it,” I encouraged him.

Jeongin needed no further encouragement, ripping through the wrapping paper before discovering the portable gaming system tucked neatly in the box it once came in. “For you to practice,” I said, pleased at his grateful expression. It was an older system that once belonged to my brother, but I didn’t have a need for it, and Jeongin talked relentlessly about how cool it would be to play the older versions of the games he loved.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

I was warmed by his genuine reaction, feeling nothing but affection for the boy. “You’re welcome.”

“What a good girl,” Changbin said, tipping my glass back against my lips. “You shouldn’t waste it.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering why he really cared about how expensive the wine cost. After all, these were the same men who brought new things into the house every day after flashing their shiny credit cards at whichever cashier had the privilege of accommodating their requests. Still, I knew better than to upset Changbin, especially on poor Jeongin’s birthday, so I downed the rest of the nasty drink before placing the glass down on the side table. “Shall we watch a movie?” Jisung asked, eyes glinting rather maniacally as he studied my discarded drink.

“Please!” Jeongin chirped. “Something scary.”

I hated the idea of watching a horror movie, but I couldn’t protest when everyone else was in total agreement for once. Instead, I followed the rest of the boys into the main living room, resisting a sigh when Chan drug me down next to him on the sectional. “Whatever you want, Jeongin,” Jisung said, tossing the younger the remote control.

“Dracula!” Jeongin declared, an amusing pick perhaps if these Vampires were less violent.

But my opinion held no weight and the film began while Felix turned off the lights. Bathed in darkness, I resisted the urge to curl in tighter against Chan as I tried not to think about the film playing on-screen. Everyone else was comfortable, settled in their usual pairs which meant Minho was sitting between Jisung’s legs while Felix and Hyunjin flanked Changbin on either side. Seungmin and Jeongin sat close to me and Chan as they watched the television with wide, eager eyes.

I tried to turn off my mind, focusing on a distant spot beyond the edge of the screen. It worked for a while, keeping my mind occupied away from the movie playing in the background. In fact, I might have managed to survive the rest of the evening had it not been for Chan whose lips were suddenly brushing along the length of my neck.

I immediately flinched away. “What are you doing?” I whispered, unrelenting when his hand wrapped around the back of my head to force me into place.

“I’m hungry,” he smirked against my exposed skin, teeth sharp against my delicate flesh.

“Why now?” I said, looking over at the others because there was no way they couldn’t hear the two of us.

“Just one bite,” Chan said and I rolled my eyes but bared my neck for him, hoping he would be fast about the unexpected ordeal. He was quick to adjust me on his lap, fixing our positions to his liking. Chan’s teeth penetrated my skin gently and I could feel his mouth latch on tightly as he started to drink from me. I tried not to react, glancing away at the other members who were still watching the movie. With the exception of Changbin, who was looking at me with a dangerous smirk that immediately alerted me to the fact that something was terribly wrong.

As the seconds ticked away, I realized that Chan had no intention of stopping and my instincts kicked in as the storm of anxiety registered throughout my slowly weakening body. I jerked away from Chan who must have been caught off-guard, blood spraying into the air around us as the wound had not been properly closed. But my decision proved to be a necessary distraction because Jeongin and Seungmin both immediately reacted to the intense smell, teeth bared as they sought the source of the blood coating the furniture and my clothes. I managed to dodge Jeongin as he jumped at me first, colliding into Chan to send them both falling back into the floor.

With my hand pressed against my neck, I started for the front door, aware of Changbin closing in behind me. But the older boy was unprepared for Seungmin’s attack whose instincts probably insisted that someone was trying to steal his fresh supply of blood. Changbin let out a grunt as he wrestled with a feral Seungmin, receiving help from Felix and Hyunjin who were trying to protect their sire. Through the haze clouding my eyes, I could see Jisung holding back Minho whose sharpened incisors were cutting deeply into the thin skin of his lips. “You belong to us!” Jisung snarled.

“We can be together forever,” Chan said, still distracted by a wild Jeongin whose dark eyes were starting to look very unfamiliar. It was only then that I realized I had been tricked. They had been trying to turn me without my permission. The expensive wine Changbin insisted I drink must have been someone’s blood because when a human died with vampire blood in their system…

I forced those thoughts away, deciding it was far more important to focus on escaping, and the feral vampires provided the perfect distraction. I managed to make it out onto the street, finding my car parked at the sidewalk. I started the ignition, blasting cold air through the vents to keep me conscious as I pulled out onto the main road. Blood was still pouring steadily from my wound when I stopped next to the Emergency room entrance, ignoring a nearby policeman who was clearly displeased that I was blocking the road before I finally succumbed to the darkness with a grateful sigh.

Present

What have they done? I questioned immediately when I realized that I was back in my regular bedroom the following morning. The normality of the situation should’ve been impossible because I was certain that Chan, Jisung, and Changbin had inexplicably decided to hold me hostage after finding me at that stupid club. “Remember? We can be together forever.”

However, no matter how much I tried to make sense of the preceding night’s events, I couldn’t understand why they would allow me to leave after making such promises to turn me. I don’t recall escaping, especially considering my weakened condition, which meant that the three men had brought me back to my apartment on their own accord. I mean, was this just another attempt to mess with me?

I glanced over at my nightstand, discovering a faded envelope sitting on top of my cell phone. I decided to check my messages first, relieved when I saw my roommate’s contact name. She had apparently spent the night with someone she met at the bar, but she assured me that she was safe and would be home later after work. I was glad that she was fairing better than her roommate, and I turned my attention to the envelope. The handwriting on the front was familiar, and I gently tore through the sealed contents. Inside was a folded letter, and my hands were shaking when I smoothed out the paper to comprehend the brief message written in perfect cursive:

Y/N,

Although our reunion was postponed, please accept this invitation on behalf of the Miroh Coven for your company tonight at 8:00 pm sharp.

Sincerely,

Bang Chan

What did he mean by postponing our reunion?

Unfortunately, I had no time to try and figure it out because the buzzing sound of our doorbell abruptly pulled me out of bed, and I wordlessly tucked the envelope inside my pocket. My roommate and I never received visitors, and there was a small part of me that feared for the possibility that one of the Miroh Coven members was waiting outside in the hallway. Yet, when I searched through the door viewer, I realized that a uniformed police officer was carefully sorting through a file of paperwork in her hands.

“Hello?” I asked cautiously, opening the door just enough to acknowledge the unfamiliar woman.

“Y/N?” the officer questioned.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“My name is Officer Smith. I have a few questions for you concerning your previous employer,” the officer said and I was left shaking from head to toe as I allowed her to come inside.

“Do you have somewhere we could sit down?” she asked, and I nodded curtly before leading us both in the kitchen.

“Coffee?” I asked, crowding around the machine in the kitchen.

“That would be nice.”

We were both silent while I served the warm beverage, holding my mug tightly between my hands. “Do you want any creamer?”

“I’m fine,” the officer said. “I just want you to be comfortable. There’s some very troubling things I want to talk to you about.”

“I see,” I nodded, looking intently at the file she had brought with her.

“We’re in the middle of an investigation,” she continued. “It concerns the Miroh Coven. According to our records, you were previously employed with them as a blood donor.”

“Yes, but I was forced to leave.”

“Oh?”

“We had a disagreement.”

“Well, I want you to know that they’re in a lot of trouble,” the officer explained. “We found the body of a young woman on the side of the highway completely drained of blood. When we ran her license, we discovered that she had been employed by the Miroh Coven as a blood donor during the past few months. However, when we asked the Coven about her employment, they told us a very similar story about...a disagreement.”

I shivered despite the heat from the liquid trailing down my throat. “I just...I had a lot of trouble with balancing my college lectures with their schedule. It was very demanding.”

“Of course,” the officer said, but she still wore a look of suspicion. “Normally, we might be inclined to attribute these kinds of things to a rogue attack, but there’s just too many factors that coincide with this case.”

“Like what?”

“For starters, we’ve been unable to contact their previous employees, with the exception of yourself,” the officer explained. “It seems like the Miroh Coven has a history of making their employees disappear without a trace, and I find it very problematic that the young lady we found yesterday had clearly suffered at the hands of a vampire.”

“How many other employees have they had?”

“Quite a few,” the officer said. “I think there’s something bigger going on, and I really need for you to be honest with me, Y/N, because you might be able to help us stop them.”

I swallowed hard. “You think they killed those other donors.”

“It’s very likely,” she said. “Can you tell me anything else about your resignation?”

I found it impossible to make eye contact with the officer, especially when I could still remember everything that had happened the night I left the Miroh Coven. My intention had always been to forget about those terrible circumstances because I was determined to move forward with my life, but all those other ill-fated donors suddenly made it very difficult to remain silent. “They were always nice to me,” I said. “We had a reasonable arrangement because they paid for my schooling and even let me live with them to assuage the cost of on-campus housing. It helped me finish school, but it was always meant to be a temporary arrangement.”

“I understand,” she nodded. “Did they know you were planning to leave?”

“No, but they were keeping secrets from me too,” I said. “A lot of strange things happened when I was living at the mansion.”

“Like?”

“One night, I found a pair of bodies in the basement, but Jisung told me that they were donated...” I trailed off with a choked whimper. “They were also planning to turn me into one of them.”

“Did they tell you this?”

“I guess I didn’t have the right to know,” I said. “I escaped that night and drove myself to the hospital. After that, I moved back here and tried to forget about everything that happened.”

“I understand that it was traumatic for you,” the officer said. “I’m sorry you had to bring it up again.”

I shook my head. “If they’re hurting other people, then I don’t mind the pain.”

The officer sighed, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “Have they tried to contact you since then?”

“Yeah,” I sniffled, reaching into my pocket to retrieve the folded letter. “They actually found me at a bar the other night, but they let me go for some reason. I found this letter on my nightstand.”

The officer read over the simple message and frowned. “Were you planning on meeting them tonight?”

“I don’t want to see them ever again.”

“Interesting,” the officer said. “It seems like they really like you.”

“They always told me that,” I said, remembering their whispered words of affection while sharp teeth penetrated my skin.

“I’m going to be completely transparent with you, Y/N,” the officer said. “My station is leading an investigation into the Miroh Coven, but we still need a lot of evidence to bring a case to the court of law.”

“You can have the letter,” I suggested, but she shook her head.

“It needs to be more concrete,” she said. “I need something that condemns them for the previous disappearances of those other blood donors.”

“Maybe a record or something?”

“I wish we had one,” the officer sighed. “We know those donors were employed by the Coven, but there’s no evidence of what happened to them or why they were dismissed.”

“Chan, Jisung, and Changbin own their own company,” I said. “There might be something in one of those buildings?”

“I doubt they’d be careless,” the officer said. “Actually, I’d imagine that the three of them would keep those things close, and there’s probably very few people who they trust inside the mansion.”

I could feel my entire body trembling at her knowing look. “Actually, Y/N, it seems like they trust you.”

“You want me to go to that dinner tonight with them,” I whispered, completely missing her next words because my heart was beating too loudly, drowning out the other noises around the apartment. It felt like I was falling back into a dark place, and I was desperate to find the light again.

Officer Smith suddenly reached out, fingers cold against my arm, and she effectively pulled me back into the conversation. “I know it’s a lot to ask from you, Y/N, but the answers are inside that house! Whatever you might find could bring justice to the people they’ve taken advantage of over the years.”

It was easy for her to tell me to return to the Coven when she desperately needed my help, but why did it have to be my responsibility to return to a place where I had once escaped tragedy? Nevertheless, I could feel the weight of her gaze, imploring me to undertake such a terrifying mission, and I wondered whether or not I could still protect myself when so many other people were depending on me? “Okay,” I finally said. “I’ll do it.”

The Miroh Mansion was still dark and foreboding, reminding me of the very first time I walked through the front door for my interview with Chan. It was a pivotal moment in my life, but one whose consequences I never understood until I drove to a hospital with blood pouring from a wound meant to serve as the last reminder of my mortality. I had nightmares about the Coven kidnapping me and forcing me to return, but I could’ve never imagined that I would come back here of my own decision.

I slowly knocked on the front door, swallowing down my fear because I couldn’t afford for the Coven to think anything was wrong. “Act as if we had never gotten involved,” the police had instructed me.

“I’ll try,” I had promised, and I intended to do whatever was possible to help the innocent. However, I wouldn’t go as far as risking my life to expose these horrible vampires, even if dozens of missing donors were counting on me for justice.

“Y/N,” Chan greeted smoothly when he met me outside on the porch, dark eyes swallowing me into their endless depths. “I’m glad you saw things our way.”

He invited me inside, and I anxiously made my way across the familiar carpeted hallway leading into the living room. I wasn’t surprised to see the other Coven members waiting, but it still didn’t stop my heart from leaping into my throat when I realized that I could very well die tonight if I wasn’t careful. “My dearest Y/N kindly accepted our invitation,” Jisung remarked, gliding across the floor with an impossible speed. I could smell blood on his lips as he wrapped an arm around my waist, escorting me to the lovely sectional where Minho was watching me through lidded eyes.

“You look beautiful,” Changbin contributed, holding a glass of red liquid daintily between his fingers. Felix and Hyunjin sat next to him, looking at me with barely constrained hunger. “You’re just in time for drinks.”

I stiffened instinctively under Jisung’s hold because I remembered the last time I had been offered to drink with them. “It’s just wine,” Minho smirked, holding out a glass for me to take.

I accepted it cautiously, tasting at the rim only to discover a grape-flavored taste that certainly didn’t remind me of blood. Still, I declined to drink further, holding my glass while Chan started a conversation about their business, eliminating the initial silence that had occupied the room upon my arrival. Seungmin and Jeongin happily listened, focused on their sire with an attentiveness that reminded me of my previous stay with the Miroh Coven when I had once been ignorant of their bond. “Dinner should be ready soon,” Chan reassured me and I could only nod in response.

“Do you mind if I use the restroom?” I asked, and Jisung reluctantly let me go while eight pairs of eyes watched me all the way up the staircase.

I took a deep breath, waiting until Chan started talking again before disappearing around the corner into the room I knew he maintained as an office. I immediately started for his desk, pulling out well-organized files and the notebooks full of his writings. Every so often, I glanced up at the clock hanging above the doorway because I knew that I could probably only manage twenty minutes unsupervised before someone came looking for me.

“Please,” I sighed, reading over a promising file tentatively titled extraneous paperwork. “Holy shit!”

Pictures.

Dozens of them.

They were incriminating, various bodies splayed at unattractive angles. Close-up shots of mangled corpses drenched in blood with empty eyes staring straight at the camera. I flipped them over and gasped, reading the names that sounded way too familiar to merely be a coincidence. “This is it,” I said, almost giddy with excitement despite the uncomfortable nausea twisting my stomach at the sight of these poor donors who had managed to fall victim to the merciless Coven.

I shuffled them together, restoring Chan’s office to its previous organization, before tucking the pictures inside the pocket of my jacket. I was more than ready to return downstairs, when I suddenly remembered a faint recollection of the little notebook I had once discovered in Jisung’s bedroom. It wasn’t that much further down the hallway, and I quickly jerked open the drawer of his nightstand, shoulders deflating in relief when I saw the tiny book waiting on top of his other belongings.

I gripped it tightly when I eventually retreated, resting my head against the door to his bedroom quietly because this was causing me more stress than I could handle. “Y/N?”

I immediately turned around, eyes widening in shock when I realized that Chan was waiting for me. I swallowed hard as I held my ground, keeping the journal behind me. “Did you need something, Chan?”

He didn’t respond right away, and I could feel myself growing smaller and smaller with every long second passing between us. Finally, Chan took a step in my direction. “You’ve been gone a while.”

I shifted anxiously. “I- I just remembered something in Jisung’s room. We used to look at it together when I lived here.”

Chan nodded, and I was relieved that he accepted my explanation. “We all missed you.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I missed you too.”

He closed his eyes, cherishing the lie that somehow sounded much more believable than it did inside my head. “Can you show me?”

“What?”

“In Jisung’s room,” Chan said. “What did he show you?”

I trembled as I leaned against the door. “I’m not sure if it was something he wanted to share.”

“I see,” Chan murmured. “It’s interesting because there’s something that I want to show you too.”

Chan walked away without another word, and I assumed that he wanted me to follow him. I ignored every instinct that was screaming for me to escape with my evidence because I wouldn’t make it the bottom of the staircase before a Coven member would prevent that from happening. Instead, I took slow steps on unsteady legs into Chan’s bedroom. I was inherently curious, but when he gently backed me against the wall, I understood perfectly well what he wanted.

His fingers were undoing the buttons on my shirt and I carefully shrugged off my jacket before he could find and apprehend the valuable photographs inside my pockets. I also made sure Jisung’s journal was hidden beneath the fabric before I allowed Chan to take me to his bed. The oldest vampire made no secret of his desires, tossing aside his shirt before tugging the fabric of my jeans down my legs. “Y/N,” he sighed, fingering the edges of my panties while his sharpened canines drew lines along my collarbones. My body reacted on instinct because it was impossible to resist Chan when he was looking at me like I was the answer to all of his problems. Despite everything he had done to me, I still responded to his touches and the taste of his skin on my lips. Instead of pushing him away, I held him close, occasionally glancing at my jacket waiting next to the door with the incriminating evidence necessary to end the Coven forever.

“Oh, Y/N,” he moaned. “I missed you.”

Maybe that was part of the reason why I didn’t resist because I knew that he would never bother me again once the police had their prosecution trial. It was an intoxicating sensation since I was the one with all the power and he was completely clueless to my intentions. He had no idea that I came back to spite the Coven instead of joining them like they wanted.

I watched him roll on a condom, erection prominent as he pushed slowly between my legs. I felt incredibly full, studying the pleasure on his face when he started to thrust inside of me. I looked at him the entire time with eyes wide open because I knew something that he didn’t and, while he was pleasuring me with his precious members waiting downstairs, I was taking back all that time spent in this mansion, knowing that they were more dangerous than anything I had ever encountered before.

His cock moved faster, and I reacted by spreading my legs wider for him, opening myself up to Chan’s advances. It didn’t take him long to come, and I finally closed my eyes when I felt his warm release through the thin latex of the condom. His kisses were familiar, but they also made me want to laugh because I was planning on betraying the people who claimed to love me, the vampires who actually did love me in their own messed up way.

“I love you,” he eventually said, but I didn’t respond, choosing instead to count the tiles on the ceiling overhead.

“Photos, names, addresses, detailed journal accounts...Y/N, you managed to find everything! We can cross-reference this stuff with the files and paperwork we already have.”

I smiled despite the circumstances, watching as two younger detectives sorted the files and pictures before retreating from the tiny interrogation room. “It wasn’t exactly easy for me.”

“Still, this is brilliant, Y/N,” Officer Smith exclaimed, and I felt satisfied knowing that I had done a good job. “We have enough evidence to start the raid.”

“Raid?”

She nodded. “You should know that Vampire raids are extremely rare, but I don’t think your Coven will surrender when we issue the warrant.”

I wrinkled my nose at the suggestion that I could ever belong to the Miroh Coven. “Is it safe?”

“It’s a commonplace occurrence and we’ve all received special training,” she said. “Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses and agree to a trial, but it won’t take much for a judge to officially convict them.”

“Will I have to be at the trial?” I asked, dreading the idea before it could even become official.

“I wouldn’t force you,” she replied. “A testimony would be critical, but this is enough to put them away for the rest of their immortal lives.”

I couldn’t imagine the dreaded reality of such a punishment. “What if they escape? They might try and track me down.”

“Witness protection,” she suggested. “We’ll accommodate you to the best of our abilities.”

“I understand the concept,” I said. “But they’ve found me before despite everything I did to hide.”

“Well, we can work out the details later,” she said. “For now, we need to prepare for the raid. We’ll start by sending in the evidence to the court to get our warrant for their immediate arrest.”

“Is it something that will happen soon?”

“I might have a way to expedite the process,” she grinned. “We’ve been on this case for long enough, bothering the courts for documents and employee records.”

I nodded slowly. “So everything is done?”

“For the most part,” she agreed. “We can commence stage two of our operation.”

“Thank god,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “I’m glad that it’s over.”

“Yes,” the officer said, but there was a reluctance in her tone that sent me immediately on edge. “Of course, we can always use your help with one last thing.”

“What could I do at this point? I’m not exactly trained for this sort of thing.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t want the Coven to suspect anything,” she said. “They might try to leave before our warrant is formally issued. Until then, I think a distraction might hold their attention.”

“Me,” I intoned, narrowing my eyes because I wanted nothing more to do with those nasty vampires.

“We wouldn’t want them to suspect anything,” she said. “If you go back to the Coven, then they might lower their guard.”

“It was supposed to end,” I reminded her. “You said that I was finished with them.”

“I know we’re asking a lot of you,” Officer Smith said. “But this will be the last time you ever have to see them again.”

“You keep saying that,” I muttered, but we both knew that I was in too deep, which meant that I had no choice but to return to the mansion.

Felix greeted me at the door with his familiar smirk, escorting me inside to the bottom of the staircase. Today meant the official end of the Coven, but they were all completely ignorant to their impending punishment. “They want to discuss something with you,” Felix said, and I understood immediately who he was referring to despite the unnecessary pronoun game.

Still, I knew that I couldn’t keep them waiting, pausing outside of Chan’s office door before I heard someone invite me inside. I took a deep breath, opening the door to discover the three leaders waiting for me expectantly while wearing similar expressions of dark foreboding. “Y/N,” Chan said. “Have a seat.”

I obeyed instantly, looking at the Miroh Coven leader as he watched me with an unnerving attentiveness. “What’s going on? I asked.

“I think we have something serious to discuss,” Chan said and my heart was practically beating out of my chest as I studied Jisung and Changbin from the corner of my eye. They knew, I repeated to myself over and over again as I imagined a dozen different scenarios that all ended with my lifeless body thrown into some kind of river because they had discovered my treason.

“You came back,” Jisung finally said. “We weren’t expecting you to accept our invitation.”

“I was being polite,” I said, rubbing my hands along the seam line of my jeans.

“Yes, but we’re all here,” Changbin said. “We can be together.”

I shivered at his words. “We love you, Y/N,” Chan said. “The eight of us would like nothing more than to keep you with us forever.

“To turn me,” I confirmed, and he nodded his head.

“We’ll make it special,” Jisung said, patting his lap and I reluctantly joined him.

“It doesn’t have to be tonight,” Changbin confirmed, swiping his tongue across his sharp teeth. “But we are hungry.”

“And you’re such a sweet girl,” Jisung added, holding me on his lap as his teeth brushed across my carotid artery.

I held my breath because he was close to biting, but then...

“Chan! The police are outside and have a warrant to investigate the property!”

Jeongin’s face was a mess of tears which, at one time, might’ve forced me to reconsider everything that I had done, but not anymore. “What?” Chan growled, before glaring at me. “You stay here,” Chan said, and Jisung snarled in frustration as he released me before following Changbin and Chan downstairs.

For a moment, I could only focus on breathing because I had narrowly escaped Jisung’s bite and now the Coven knew that they were about to receive an unanticipated raid from the police. I swallowed hard, falling down into the floor as a piercing scream shattered the previous silence that left me shaking like a leaf inside of Chan’s office. There were suddenly loud growls and vicious noises penetrating the closed door and I buried my head between my legs and tried to calm down my racing heart.

I could hear the familiar sounds of glass breaking, of inhuman screams and yells breaking the barrier of the office. The voices of the vampires I had once known yelling out insults and curses, the destructive noises of gunshots and human-like cries for help as teeth tore through skin. It was apparent that the Miroh Coven was not backing down from this fight, and I could only pray that my officer had been right in her assurances that they could handle the Coven.

It seemed like hours had passed before I finally removed my hands from my ears, realizing that the screaming from downstairs had suddenly stopped. I waited for several moments, hearing nothing but my heartbeat in my ears and the gentle sounds of the river outside. Eventually, I managed to stand on unsteady legs, holding myself up against the wall as I started to make my way downstairs.

The smells that assaulted my senses should’ve told me everything, but I still released a piercing scream when I collapsed at the bottom of the staircase.

It was a terrifying sight, nothing but blood and crooked bodies spread throughout the room. I recognized most of the Coven, bile rising in my throat when I made contact with Changbin’s lifeless eyes. I carefully took a step back because I knew that this wasn’t supposed to happen, but an unexpected pressure around my ankle tore another scream from my throat and I fell down onto the floor.

“Y/N,” Chan croaked and I shivered when he moved over me, blood seeping through his shirt, but his eyes were still perfectly focused. “I have nothing now, Y/N,” Chan gasped, gripping tightly to my chin and forcing me to look into the empty eyes of Han Jisung.

He pulled me closer, exposing his sharpened teeth and I could do nothing to stop him. This was it, I thought to myself, the moment I had been running from since that tragic night eight months ago. Because Chan was unrelenting, drinking with long, painful bites that sent a searing pain down my spine as my body fought against the significant blood loss. Everything was cold and I wondered if death always felt this unpleasant.

However, the sudden reverberation of a loud snarl forced me to reconsider the darkening spots in my vision, searching behind me when I realized the brutal aspect of Chan’s bite had suddenly subsided. I felt my mouth drop open in horror, but the feeling quickly disappeared when I realized Officer Smith had speared Chan straight through the heart with a silver stake. The impact was immediate and Chan’s body dropped to the floor unceremoniously, leaving me with only a pair of red eyes gazing unblinkingly from the beyond. Meanwhile, Officer Smith offered me a kind smile that seemed out of place considering the blood staining the front of her uniform. “You deserve a better life, Y/N,” she whispered before her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed next to Chan.

It took me a moment to regain my bearings, looking around at the surrounding carnage. There was blood everywhere, bodies lying in deep puddles and contorted awkwardly from their injuries. It was a startling realization because they were all gone, both vampires and humans. There was nothing left from their vicious fight.

I was also incredibly tired and I closed my eyes despite my situation. Everything felt heavy, and I just wanted to forget the entire night before I had to comprehend the unfortunate tragedy of the Miroh Coven. I thought I deserved it considering the heavy loss weighing over my heart.

After a while, I became aware of a piercing light burning from somewhere in the distance. I gradually opened my eyes because the morning had arrived and, despite the death and destruction around me, I wanted desperately to find a better future in that beautiful light...

Epilogue- 2 Years Later

Vampires had rapidly gone into hiding, especially following the inquiry into the Miroh Massacre, as the newspapers delicately framed the tragedy. Apparently, society decided that they would no longer embrace their culture, finding more evidence of various Covens abusing the donor law which was eventually retracted in court. Subsequently, the vampires were forced to remain out of the public eye lest they face a severe punishment from the newly minted Hunters who spent their lives training to kill rogue vampires.

As for myself, I had finally taken back full ownership of my life, accepting a full-time research position that eventually led me to my future husband. After our marriage, we moved into an idyllic home in the suburbs and I gave birth to my son who proved to be everything that I needed in this world. Everything was starting to work out for me, and I was finally reassured that the past was truly forgotten because the ones who had haunted it were now gone forever.

“Mommy!” my son called, and I found him in the doorway to his bedroom looking up at me with tired brown eyes. “I can’t sleep.”

“Why is that?” I asked while gently encouraging him to lay back down on his bed.

“A kid in my class,” he said. “He told us about the vampires.”

“Yeah? Well, how would he know anything? He’s probably never even seen a vampire. Not many people have.”

“What about you?”

I shivered at the question. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. Vampires aren’t a problem anymore and there are people now who can protect us.”

“Really?” he asked, and his eyes were incredibly innocent of the true horrors of this world.

“They won’t ever hurt you,” I promised my son before flipping his light switch. I closed the door gently, praying that he might sleep through the entire night in his own bed, before I walked into the kitchen for something to drink. I smirked as I popped the cork on a new bottle of wine that my husband had bought for the two of us to share. It seemed unnecessarily mischievous to drink with my son in the other room, but I still liked to indulge every now and then, especially after remaining sober for nine months during my pregnancy.

I sighed as I drained the first glass, feeling the numbing effects spread through my body like an aphrodisiac. It had been a stressful day because of some unnecessary paperwork at the research institute where I worked, but I knew that everyday couldn’t be perfect. After all, I was absolutely grateful for everything in my life, even if it caused me the occasional headache.

I started washing my wine glass, lost in thought until a strange noise outside forced me to pause in my cleaning. It sounded close to the garage attached to our house, and I figured it might be raccoons again because they were becoming a problem. I glanced out the window, shrugging when I didn’t notice anything suspicious. However, if I had only taken an extra moment to study the outline of my husband’s garden, then I might’ve noticed the unusual pair of crimson-red eyes watching me from outside.

The End.

#stray kids #skz #stray kids fanfic #stray kids yandere #skz yandere #stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz minho fanfic #skz chan fanfic #skz changbin fanfic #skz hyunjin #skz jisung fanfic #skz han fanfic #skz felix fanfic #skz seungmin fanfic #Skz jeongin fanfic

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softlass27 · 4 years

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yes, ya girl accidentally turned what was meant to be a short, fluffy prompt into 4000 words and ended up having to post it a day late. what can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

kind of a continuation of my “end of chaddy” ficlet from last week, but you don’t need to have read that to follow this one. as long as you’re aware of the hoped-for chas/al affair :)

Flufftober day 3 – But you said

AO3 link here

“So uh… ” Aaron sidles up to Robert while he’s cooking tea, snaking both arms around his waist. “You remember how you love me?”

Robert drops his knife on the chopping board and twists around to stare down at his husband, suspicions already raised. “Yes… it rings a bell. Why?”

“No reason,” Aaron blinks up at him with a innocent look that’s not dissimilar to the one Seb gives them when he’s been caught eating a biscuit before mealtime. “Just… remember that, okay?”

“What’ve you done?”

“It’s nothin’ bad! Except… I sort of… toldPaddyhecouldstaywithus.”

“Excuse me?” Aaron’s already starting to make his escape, but Robert grabs him by the arm and pulls him back. “Oh no, you don’t. You told Paddy he could what?”

“It won’t be for long.”

“I agree, it won’t be any time at all. Because it’s not happening.”

“Look, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Marlon has a full house, there’s no room for him there.”

“Not my problem.” Robert can genuinely, sincerely, think of nothing worse than having Paddy Kirk for a houseguest. He only just got rid of Cain, for Christ’s sake. “Why’s he moved out anyway? Your mum’s the one who slept with someone else, isn’t the cheater the one who’s supposed to get kicked out?”

Aaron raises an eyebrow. “You’d rather live with my mother, then?”

“No thanks, I already did my time.”

“No need to make it sound like it was a prison sentence,” Aaron fires back with a roll of his eyes. There’s no response Robert can offer that won’t end with him sleeping on the sofa, so he keeps his mouth shut. “Mum has to stay in the pub, it’s where she works. And to be honest, I don’t think Paddy ever really liked living there, he didn’t want to stay.”

“And now he’s got his sights set on our place, does he?”

“Only for a few days!” Aaron says quickly. “Just until he gets himself sorted and finds somewhere more permanent. Look, he took me in when no one else would, the least I can do is return the favour for a couple of nights. Please? For me?”

Robert sighs and takes a moment to contemplate the things he does for the sake of his marriage.

“Fine,” he says through gritted teeth. “A few days.”

Aaron’s face lights up and he pecks him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“When’s he coming, then?”

“In about… ” Aaron glances at the clock. “Five minutes?”

“Wha – five minutes, are you kidding me? Aaron, get back here. Aaron!”

Day One. It’s been just over twelve hours and Robert’s at the end of his tether.

The man sitting across from him at the kitchen table slurps his tea disgustingly loudly, chewing with his mouth open and getting toast crumbs all over himself and the table. Robert’s three-year-old has better table manners.

“So, you and me?” He says to Aaron with his mouth full, grinning widely, no sign of his misery from the night before. “Roomies again, eh?”

His high-pitched giggle makes Robert miss Cain. At least he’d had the decency not to talk during breakfast. Or at all, really.

Aaron gives him a fond look from where he’s buttering his own toast (Robert’s fresh sourdough loaf is going to be gone by tomorrow, he just knows it) and nods. “Just like the old days.”

“Until you get your own place sorted, of course,” Robert says loudly from behind his newspaper, an outwardly pleasant smile plastered across his face. “How’s that going, by the way? Making time for flat viewings in between your appointments with pregnant cows?”

The grin drops from Paddy’s face and he fixes Robert with the same scowl he’s been levelling at him for the past six years.

“Haven’t found anywhere yet,” he mutters moodily.

“But there’s no rush,” Aaron’s quick to add, sitting at the table next to him. “You’ve been through a lot these last few days, you can stay as long as you need.”

Paddy nods morosely, face like a wet weekend. “I just… I can’t believe she – that this has happened. I thought – I just didn’t see – see it coming.”

Funny, Robert saw it coming a mile off.

“Me neither,” Aaron pats Paddy’s arm, already shooting Robert a look that clearly says don’t you dare.

And just like that, Paddy’s taking off his glasses and blubbering into his napkin, like he had been for most of last night. Rambling on and on about shock and betrayal and how he just doesn’t know how he’s meant to get through this.

“Well,” Robert closes his newspaper. “How did you get through it the last time she cheated on you?”

Paddy is stunned into silence. He gapes at Robert like a fish, face torn between shock and outrage.

“Don’t you need to be getting to work now, Rob?” Aaron asks, exasperation radiating off him in waves.

“Suppose so.” He leans over to plant a kiss on Aaron’s lips, trying hard to ignore the pitiful sniffling next to him. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. See you in a bit.”

No sooner is Robert in the car, he gets a text from Aaron.

You’re a menace.

He chuckles and set off for work.

“Please tell me you’re not here for food,” Victoria begs when Robert turns up at the pub later that day. “Marlon’s decided that since Chas has A – cheated on his best mate, and B – slept with the man who ruined his marriage to Jessie, he doesn’t want to see her right now. Which means he’s not coming into work, which means that muggins here is now stuck holding the fort in the kitchen all day.”

She throws her hands in the air in frustration, face sweaty and chef’s hat askew, and any inclination Robert had had to ask for some chips quickly vanishes.

“No ta, just came for a drink.”

“Oh, thank God. Right, can’t stop, too many pies to make.” Without further ado, she turns on her heel and scurries back towards the kitchen.

“Stellar customer service skill as always, Vic!” Robert calls after her, just as Chas herself appears in her place. “Chastity,” Robert smiles and rests his elbows on the bar.

His mother-in-law watches him warily. People have been sending filthy looks and snide comments her way all week (Priya and the Sharmas have more friends and influence in the village than she could ever dream of), so she’s somewhat on edge.

“What can I get you?”

“Just a pint, please?”

She nods shortly and grabs a glass.

“So… how’s Al?”

Chas stops pulling the pint, tired and baggy eyes narrowing at him. “Excuse me?”

“Just making conversation.”

“Well, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Understood.”

She huffs and continues filling his glass in silence.

“So should Aaron and I put his name on your Christmas card this year or – ?”

Chas slams the pint down and storms into the back, leaving a smirking Charity to take his money.

“You’re a brave man, Robert Sugden,” Moira grins from where she’s perched further down the bar.

“It’s because of her that I’m stuck with Paddy snoring in my spare room, I’m beyond caring.” He takes a gulp of his pint and heads in her direction. “Besides, I’ve gotta get my kicks from somewhere. Chas Dingle making a mistake like the rest of us mere mortals, I couldn’t resist.”

He can’t pretend he isn’t enjoying everyone getting a stark reminder of just how much of a hypocrite Aaron’s mum can be – he’s had to deal with it since the day he and Aaron got together – longer, even. She may act civil enough for her son’s sake, but Robert knows that Chas has never quite trusted him – not even after they got married properly – and that she was always looking for an excuse to use his past against him. Never mind all the wrong she’d done and the hurt she’d caused people over the years.

“Ah well, can’t say I blame you,” Moira’s smile dims into something more contemplative. “After all the grief she gave me for what happened with Cain last year, I’m tempted to get a small dig in myself.”

Christ, at least Robert's not the only one. How many times has someone in the village had to hear Chas Dingle gleefully whip out her classic mantra from behind the bar? Once a cheat, always a cheat.

Moira shakes her head, face brightening as she holds out her glass. “Well, here’s to us mere mortals, then.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Robert clinks his glass to hers. “Cheers.”

“House rules.”

On Day Two, Robert slaps a piece of paper down in front of Paddy, startling him so badly he nearly drops his phone.

“S-sorry what?”

“House rules. For you to follow while you’re staying here.”

Paddy picks it up tentatively. “It’s… laminated.”

“It’s Rob’s latest toy at work, don’t question it,” Aaron scoffs from the sofa. “He laminated our shopping list last week.”

“Take the recycling out on Tuesdays… don’t touch Robert’s coffee pods…no talking to Aaron while Top Gear’s on… only ten minutes in the bathroom?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“B-but you two have an en-suite! I’m the only one using the bathroom, why does it matter how long I take?”

“The rules are there to be followed, not questioned.”

“But – ”

“Do you want our rent-free spare bedroom or not?”

“…Yes.”

“Well then.”

“So then I told the bloke,” Aaron says from his perch on the kitchen counter, banging his feet against the cupboard. “He bloody well take what was agreed in the contract, or I’m gonna tell every scrap contact I know to never work with him again. He changed his tune pretty quickly after that.”

“Absolutely ruthless, I’m so proud,” Robert grins, before whacking Aaron’s leg with the wooden spoon in his hand. “Stop that.”

Aaron rolls his eyes, but brings his swinging feet to a stop. “What’re we havin’ for tea, then?”

“Stir fry do you?”

“Mmm, yeah. With… ” Aaron picks up a packet of quinoa, frowning at the label. “Kwin-oh?”

Robert stares at him. “I think the word you’re looking for is quinoa.”

“Whatever, it’s a daft spelling.”

Robert plucks the packet out of his grasp. “You’re lucky you’re fit.”

“You’re lucky I have a thing for pretentious arseholes.”

“Oh, it’s like that, is it?”

“Mmhm.”

Aaron moves half a second before Robert does, flying off the counter and dashing away just as Robert makes a grab for him. He chases his child of a husband around the kitchen a few times, knocking into the chairs and sending a bag of peppers careering to the floor before he manages to get hold of him.

“Rob, no, don’t!” Aaron cackles as Robert’s fingers dig into his ribs, tickling him mercilessly. “Stop, stop it, I’m sorry, stoooppp!”

They both laughing so loudly, they almost miss the awkward cough that comes from the living room. Robert moves his hands from Aaron’s sides to rest on the small of his back, as they turn their heads to see Paddy watching them uncomfortably from the sofa.

Honestly, Robert had forgotten he was there.

“Alright, Paddy?” Aaron asks breathlessly, hands travelling up Robert’s chest to rest on his shoulders.

“Fine,” Paddy says shortly, still watching them with a mixture of annoyance, discomfort and… something else that Robert can’t quite put his finger on. He’s not sure he likes it. “Just… ” he wafts a hand in the direction of his laptop. “Trying to find a solicitor so I can sort out access to Evie. Could do with a bit of peace and quiet.”

“Well it’s very quiet in the spare room,” Robert offers, wincing when Aaron pinches the side of his neck.

“Ignore him, Paddy. Sorry, we’ll keep the noise down, let you concentrate.”

“No, actually I think I will go up to my room,” Paddy gathers his things and heads for the stairs. “Would rather be on my own anyway.”

As soon as he’s out of sight, Aaron rolls his eyes at Robert.

“I know he’s a bit of a pain, but would it kill you to cut him some slack?”

“Er, we shouldn’t have to ‘keep the noise down’ in our own house. It’s not like you’re still a teenager, Aaron!”

Aaron quirks a half-smile at him. “Dunno, might be sort of fun. Waiting ’til the grownups are gone so we don’t get caught, sneaking out later so we can be alone.”

“Oh yeah?” Robert raises an eyebrow. “The teenage romance thing doing it for you, is it?”

“Well it’s not like I got to do much of it the first time around, what with, y’know, not being out.” Aaron leans in to whisper in Robert’s ear. “Fancy goin’ for a snog at the cricket pavilion after tea?”

Robert shivers and turns to nuzzle at Aaron’s neck. “Make it a hand job and you’re on.”

That unreadable look that Paddy had given them, the one that had put Robert on edge, keeps making a reappearance.

It happens when Robert flops down on top of Aaron where he’s stretched out on the sofa, bumping his head against Aaron’s chest until he starts running slow fingers through his hair. They stay curled up together like that for the rest of the night while they watch TV, and more than once, Robert spots Paddy out of the corner of his eye. Just… staring at them with his brow furrowed, mouth twisting with displeasure. He almost looks... angry?

He does it again when Robert presses Aaron’s morning coffee into his hands with a warm kiss, and again when they talk excitedly about all the stuff they’re planning to do with Seb when he next comes to stay, and again basically every time they show the slightest bit of affection to each other.

“Oh, did you manage sort out the electricity bill yesterday?” Robert asks Aaron on the morning of Day Four.

Aaron opens his mouth to answer, but Paddy’s incredulous scoff cuts him off.

Robert blinks at him. “Something funny?”

“No, it’s just… Aaron doing the bills?” That high-pitched laugh of his returns, this time accompanied by a series of snorts. “There’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear.”

“Why not?”

“Well… it’s not really your thing, is it Aaron?”

“Pretty sure dealing with bills is something most adults are capable of dealing with,” Robert says, eyebrows raised.

“What, you think I just make Rob sort out everything for me?” Aaron adds with a slightly bemused laugh.

The mirth in Paddy’s eyes has dimmed rapidly, his giggling taking a more nervous turn. “No, that’s not – I mean – I’ve just never seen it, I suppose. You never had much interest in that side of things when you lived with me.”

“When I was 18?” Aaron’s brow crinkles in confusion. “I think I’ve grown up a bit since then, Paddy.”

“Oh, you definitely have,” Robert murmurs with a wink, snickering when Aaron whacks him on the arm. “So, electricity bill?”

“Yeah, I finally managed to speak to an actual human on the phone, for once. Got ’im to refund all of the money they overcharged us.”

“Brilliant, can finally tick that off the to-do list.” Robert kisses him lightly. “My hero.”

Aaron snorts. “Alright, soft lad.”

There’s that odd look again, Robert can just sense it. He doesn’t know what Paddy’s problem is but he doesn’t care, not really. Not when he’ll be out of their hair sooner rather than later.

It all comes to a head on Day Six. Frankly, Robert’s amazed they made it almost a whole week without someone snapping.

It’s early evening, Robert washing the dishes and humming along to the radio while he waits for Aaron to bring a takeaway home. Paddy sits at the kitchen table, sausage-like fingers bashing at the keyboard so slowly it’s making Robert’s eye twitch.

There’s a loud sigh from behind him, shortly followed by some frustrated whispering. Followed by another, louder, sigh.

Robert grits his teeth.“Something wrong?”

“The flat I was meant to be viewing tomorrow, someone’s just flippin’ taken it.”

“Ah. Well, something will turn up soon.” Please let it turn up soon.

“This isn’t fair,” Paddy mutters a moment later, bitterness dripping from every word as he slams the laptop closed. “I’m the injured party here, why should I have to be the one who ends up homeless?”

“Didn’t think you’d want to stay at the pub, Aaron said you were never keen on it.”

“I’m not,” Paddy snaps. “But it’s the principle of it!”

“Ah, the principle. Of course, what was I thinking?” It wasn’t so long ago that Paddy’s principles had very nearly screwed up Johnny’s adoption for Vanessa and Charity. Robert hadn’t forgotten.

“You know what, Sugden?” Robert wipes his hands on a dishcloth and turns to see Paddy looking at him with narrowed eyes. “I have had just about enough of you and your attitude.”

Christ, it’s like living on the farm again.

“Well if you don’t like it, you know where the door is.”

“Oh, I bet you’d just love that. Although if I wasn't forced to be here, then you wouldn’t be able to rub it in my face anymore, would you?”

Robert stares at him, baffled. He turns off the radio. “…You’ve lost me. Rub what in your face?”

“Oh, come on, you think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

“Paddy, I genuinely have no idea what you’re on about.”

“You!” Paddy jerks to his feet, shoving his chair back so hard it almost tips over. “You, showing off all the time, shoving it in my face like you’re trying to prove that you’re this perfect, loved-up couple when I’ve lost – when I’m going through… ”

Robert can honestly say he’s never met a man as pathetic as the one stood on front of him.

“Is that what the funny looks have been about?” His jaw nearly drops when Paddy just glares, confirming his suspicions. “So what, you’re just… I don’t know, jealous that Aaron and I have a good relationship while yours has crashed and burned – ”

“Jealous?!” Paddy splutters, his words angry and halting. “Of you? Don’t you – acting as if you’re better – don’t you dare look down on me and my relationship with Chas.”

“What, like you’ve looked down on me all these years?”

“That’s different, entirely different.”

“Oh yeah?” Robert sneers, Paddy’s sheer audacity ruffling his feathers. “How’s that, then?”

“Because you – you're Mr Shifty. Doesn’t matter how hard you try with the ‘nice guy’ act, you always have been and you always will be,” Paddy snarls, teeth bared. “And fine, maybe you and Aaron are happy now, but relationships are hard work, even strong ones can fall apart just like that. You don’t know anything about my relationship! When you’ve been through something like what Chas and I have, losing a child – you have no idea.”

“No, I don’t. I can’t imagine. But that doesn’t give you the right to have a go at me and accuse me of all sorts in my own house.”

“It does when what I’m saying is true. And I’m not about to sit here and listen to a lecture from another cheater like you.” Paddy smirks nastily, folding his arms triumphant. “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt these last few days, is that those sorts of people don’t change, not really.”

“Is this the moment where I bring up Tess, or…?”

And that, apparently, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

“How dare you?” Paddy hisses, apoplectic with rage. “Standing there on your high horse, like you think we’ve all just forgotten what you are. Well, maybe other people have, but I definitely haven’t.”

He jabs a vicious finger in Robert’s direction.

“You’re the same smug, arrogant piece of scum you always were, and eventually Aaron will see that for himself," his voices raises to a shout, spit flying from his mouth. “Maybe things between the two of you are fine now, but they won’t be forever. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll screw up again, just like you always do, and the wool will fall from his eyes. He’ll figure out that he can do better than you.”

“Will I, now?”

There’s a long, ringing silence, and Robert and Paddy both turn to see Aaron standing in the living room, coat and shoes still on and a takeaway bag dangling from his hand. The look in his eyes is as dark as thunder.

“A-aaron I – ” Paddy stammers, face paling. "I wasn’t… ”

“You weren’t what? Havin' a go at my husband and slagging off my marriage behind my back?”

“I – that wasn’t what I was trying to do – ”

“No? Because it definitely sounded like it.” Aaron tosses the takeaway bag on the coffee table. “So what, Paddy, not only do you think I’m rubbing my marriage if your face, you also think I’m trapped in a relationship with some master manipulator and I’m just too thick to notice?”

“No!” Paddy lurches towards him, stopping in his tracks when Aaron takes a swift step back. “No, of c-course not, I meant him, not you. I just – Aaron, he started it! He was winding me up!”

“I’m sure he was,” Aaron looks at Robert and his glare briefly softens into fond irritation, before his gaze snaps back to Paddy. “But that’s no excuse to say any of what you just did. Can you blame Robert for havin’ a go sometimes when you treat him like that?”

“I’m just – I’m just looking out for you.”

“That’s not what that was,” Aaron purses his lips together before sighing, hands on his hips. “You know what, Paddy, I think you’d better find somewhere else to stay from now on. The B&B probably has a room free.”

“What?” Paddy gapes at him, shocked. “Aaron please, I’m sorry, I won’t say anything else, I swear – ”

“No,” Aaron cuts him off. “Seb’s coming tomorrow, and I don’t really want him around this sort of atmosphere. It was gonna be a bit cramped with the four of us anyway.”

“But – but you said I could stay as long as I want.”

“I did, but that was before you threw my hospitality back in my face. Besides, if it’s so hard to watch me and Robert be happy together, then the Mill definitely isn’t the place for you.”

Paddy gawks at him for a moment, before scowling and trying a different tack. “So that’s it, you’re taking his side over mine?”

He gestures to Robert without actually looking at him. Robert would be offended if he wasn’t feeling so smug right now.

“He is my husband, and I'll thank you to remember that,” Aaron all but growls, not giving an inch, and Robert feels something warm swoop through his chest. “Now pack your stuff and get out, before I say something I regret.”

Paddy’s shoulders slump, as it clearly hits him that no amount of begging or guilt-tripping is going to work in his favour. “Fine.”

He lumbers up the stairs, leaving Robert and Aaron alone. They gravitate towards each other, meeting next the sofa.

“I’m sorry he said all that stuff, it wasn’t okay,” Aaron murmurs, thumbs stroking gently over Robert’s forearms.

“S’alright,” Robert dips his head, shooting him a slightly lopsided smile. “It’s not like I haven’t heard worse from him, I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Aaron frowns unhappily. “I didn’t think he still felt that way about you – about us. Not anymore.”

There’s nothing Robert can really say to make it better, so he settles for pressing a soft kiss to Aaron’s forehead. Eventually, Aaron tips his head back to look him in the eye.

“Well, all that stops now,” he says firmly, face full of resolve. “I’m not havin’ it.”

They stay pressed together until Paddy reappears with his bags, mouth downturned.

“I’ll be off, then… ” He stares at Aaron, most likely waiting for him to say something, to tell him he’s sorry and he’s changed his mind. “See if I can find somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“Right, good luck with that,” is all Aaron says, jaw set and arms folded. “Can see yourself out, can’t you?”

Paddy blinks, before looking down at the floor and nodding. He trudges out the door, leaving not with a bang, but a whimper.

There’s a brief silence, before Aaron moves to pick up the takeaway bag and gives Robert a small smile. “So… curry?”

Later that night, as Robert walks along the landing, he pauses outside the spare bedroom. He pokes his head in and flicks on the light, grinning at the blissfully empty space. Not a single relative in sight.

“Rob!” Aaron calls from their bedroom. “You comin’ to bed anytime soon or do I have to start without you?”

“Coming!”

Robert flicks off the light and closes the door.

#this is the most self-indulgent thing i have ever written #i've said that before but i MEAN it this time #it's paddy-hating hours in this house #robron #my writing #flufftober2020 #anti-chaddy

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perriewinklenerdie · 4 years

Text

Uncharacteristically happy (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! How we holding up, fam? I really hope you are all okay and taking care of yourselves <3 The idea for this fic came up after the last fic I posted, so I started playing with it and this is what came out of it :D

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23808175

Tag list: @paleweasels, @hopelessromantic1352, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h

Enjoy! <3

----------

It’s three in the morning when the darkness is annihilated by his bedside lamp. He should still be sleeping, but the turmoil in his mind kept him awake for the better half of the past hours. With a heavy sigh, he sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

After his father went to his room, Ethan practically threw himself towards his phone. He was greeted with her voice, making his pulse jump. She would tease him if she knew just how strong her hold on him was, so he was glad that she couldn’t see him in that moment.

“How was the chicken?” Claire asked, letting out a sigh he heard multiple of times when she finally relaxed after a long day.

“You’ll see for yourself tomorrow. I managed to save you a serving, Dad ate most of it.” he laughed, thinking about how much crap he would get from Alan if he heard him admitting that to her.

“Stop talking about food, it’s too late for me to sneak into the kitchen and grab a snack. Change the subject.” She laughed, scolding him the same amount as she was scolding herself for even bringing it up in the first place.

“What were you up to this evening?”

“Sienna baked cookies- dammit! We’re walking in circles.” Her laugh put a smile on his face, her words ringing in his mind, as they were about more than their conversation topics and they both knew it. “I will steal a couple and bring them to you tomorrow.”

“Those cookies of hers must be stellar if there are legends about them, circling around the hospital… and I know that from Naveen.” He rushed to explain, unsure how he felt about her being aware he knew a rumor or two.

Claire giggled shortly. “I’m sure you do. Anyway, it’s getting late and we both have an early shift in the morning. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ethan.” Her voice wrapped around his name, a tender caress that made his heart skip a beat, as cliché as that sounded.

“We’ll talk in the morning. Sleep well, Claire.”

He tried to occupy himself with something, anything to not think about her. The way her eyes sparkled when they moved around his kitchen with an ease of two people who were familiar with each other. The way she fit into his arms like she was made for him to hold her. How her lips moved against his, wiping his mind blank and leaving only the feeling of her. How she pulled him back inside and they made out against the wall like a pair of teenagers.

Yeah, she was definitely a good influence on him.

So that’s how he got to where he was now. Dead of the night, wide awake and getting out of bed. Sure, we went to work around 4.30 in the morning quite often, but it didn’t require him to wake up that early.

However, preparing a lunchbox for Claire, purely because he was an overachiever and he made his point to see a smile on her face, apparently required him to wake up at the break of dawn and move around his apartment as quietly as he could, because if his dad woke up and saw him putting so much effort into preparing food for her, he would not hear the end of it.

He rummaged through his cabinet, taking out a container for food, then took out the leftover chicken and placed it on the counter. Taking the knife into his hand, he proceeded to chop and transfer neatly cut pieces into the box, trying to make as little noise as he could. But even that turned out to be impossible.

“Ethan, is everything okay? It’s so early, you don’t have to leave for work for another hour, so why are you- oh.” Alan’s tired voice shattered the tranquility of the early morning, then the sleepy figure of an older man appeared in the doorway. He was about to ask further questions but was stopped when he saw what exactly it was that got his son out of the bed so early. “Oh.”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me. I’m just-“

“You’re just preparing food for her, because she is important to you. Because you care about her. We’ve been over this, Ethan.” The doctor sighed deeply, shaking his head at the easy smile that pulled on his lips.

“Okay, yes. I woke up an hour early to prepare food for her. Because I want to see her smile. There, happy?”

“Immensely.”

--------------

Ethan used to be one of a few doctors that started his work this early. It was not the case, at least not anymore. He parked his car by the employee’s entrance and turned the engine off, taking a deep breath. He then reached for his bag, lunch box inside, and grabbed the door handle when he heard soft knocking on the window.

At first, all he heard was incoherent mumble; once he got out of the car, he could hear her clearly. “Good morning, Dr. Ramsey.” Claire greeted him lightly, leaning against the hood of his car with a cheeky grin.

“You are uncharacteristically happy this morning, Dr. Herondale. Did something happen?” he kept up their teasing banter, allowing himself to let his guard down just a little. She nodded her head from side to side, scrunching her nose as she pretended to think. Then her face lit up like she just remembered what happened between them the previous evening, and her cheeks flushed.

“I seem to remember a man walking me out of his apartment and some… activities that took place afterwards. He did also promise me we would talk about it… just didn’t say when.” She tapped her finger on her chin, then took a step towards him, dropping her voice to a whisper. “So… got any suggestions?”

His gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second before he composed himself, clearing his throat. “Maybe… after work… it’s a rather long and personal conversation that he wants to have with you.”

Claire nudged his arm with her hand, smiling at him brightly. “Sounds like a plan.” Her eyes ran to the bag in his hand. “What do you have in there?”

“Your lunch.” He reached for the lunch box and handed it to her, smiling shyly. That prompted her to dig through her own bad, taking out a neatly folded pouch and placing it in his hand.

“And here are your cookies. Sienna will be amused to say the least when she wakes up and finds a few missing, but I’m willing to shoulder that burden.” She winked at him, then began walking backwards. “Come on, we have a new patient coming in today, Baz got their file yesterday.”

---------

Throughout the day, he would see her in the corridors or walking out of the patient’s rooms. Each time, an effortless smile made its way onto his lips, despite his best efforts to disguise it. It made him think about the reasons that made him decide to push her away in the first place. He remembered, very vividly, the moment he said to himself that they would be a distraction to each other, that any relationship between them other than that of being coworkers would put their jobs, their patients in jeopardy. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessarily a case, and he was being proven wrong every single day since he put distance between them.

Trying to stay away only made him notice her more. It’s a classic case of ‘the more you say you can’t do something, the more you want to do it anyway’. His eyes followed her around the room, his mind stopped for a moment every time she was near him, his focus was on every word she said. His whole being was tuned to her and her only, and while the quality of his work didn’t suffer, most of his energy was spent on him focusing on her, then him realizing that he was doing it and trying his best to stop himself from doing it. Needless to say, it became clear pretty much immediately that it was a futile effort, but Ethan Ramsey was a stubborn man who was convinced that with enough time and practice, he could learn to ignore her.

He couldn’t. And he didn’t.

Now, he had another point of view to consider. His meticulously crafted self-control broke like a fragile twig in one moment, and in the next, he had her in his arms, and he was kissing her, exactly like he wanted to do so many times. She didn’t push him away, he didn’t go back on his decision, and the air was lighter once more.

There was the creeping feeling of dread that followed him for the first few hours of his shift; the feeling of unease as to what their work together would look like, now that they stepped on the line he drew for them, and were one move away from leaving it behind them. All the insecurities he had, had vanished in the instant when they were diagnosing a patient and he realized that it has never been easier to do his job before. He knew that if they chose to start a relationship, they would have difficult moment, disagreements and full-blown arguments, so not that different than what they were doing now. The most important difference was that there would be much more at stakes, and that is what terrified him.

Claire’s steps seemed lighter, her demeanor brighter and her smile wider. She was working more efficiently, putting all of her focus on the patient when it was required of her, and crossed the boundaries with teasing him only slightly.

Before he knew it, lunch time rolled around, and he was alone in his office. His contemplation on what to eat was interrupted by an incoming message. Claire’s name flashed on the screen and there was a photo of her lunch attached to the message.

“Want some? I’ll trade you for one of the cookies.”

He looked at the pack of treats, sitting on his table, and replied, smirking.

“I’ll get the coffee started.”

Not even five minutes later, Claire walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She had already reheated the chicken and was now holding the box with one hand, two forks with the other. Sitting down on the couch, she waited for him to join her with two cups of coffee.

“I admire your willpower to not eat the cookies right away.” She said, handing him the fork. Ethan scoffed, shaking his head.

“Some of us can control themselves, Claire. It’s called willpower.”

“Sure they do.” Claire mused, taking her first bite. Her eyes grew wide, looking over to him quickly. “This is ridiculously good.” A wide grin grew on her face and he smiled triumphally, having achieved his goal.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I’m not sure if you understand, Ethan. Now that I know you can cook, I’m not sure if I can survive without it.” She leaned towards him, nudging his arm with hers.

“Oh really.”

“I would have to be stupid to not use the knowledge of you being a genius in the kitchen somehow.” Shrugging her shoulders, she ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her coffee cup.

They ate in silence for a bit, enjoying the comfort of each other’s company. She stole one last piece of chicken, right from underneath his fork, and ate it while looking straight at him with a satisfied grin.

“How did the talk with your dad go?”

“You were right, I really needed to talk to him. Avoiding him was the worst decision.” Ethan wrapped his hands around the cup, the glass almost burning his skin. Claire took a bite out of her cookie, deep in her thoughts. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re getting there.”

“You have no idea how happy for you I am.”

She finished her cookie and subconsciously started eyeing the one he was eating. He noticed her staring, cocking his eyebrow in a silent question.

“Wouldn’t you like to have another one, huh?” he teased her, trying to resist the playfully pleading look in her eyes. When she batted her eyelashes, he sighed, extending his hand towards her, offering her his cookie. She took a bite, their gazes firmly on one another. Nodding her head in a silent ‘thank you’, she finished eating. Ethan’s eyes dropped to her lips, like he was hypnotized. “You’ve got, uh… here…”

His thumb brushed the crumbs away from her skin, his touch lingering on her chin; he was now staring blatantly at her. The intensity of his gaze caused a shiver to run through her. She didn’t have time to ask him what he was thinking, though.

Ethan dove forward, grabbing her face with his both hands and pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her with wild abandonment, forgetting where they were, who they were and what they were supposed to be doing. She responded after a moment, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other one on his side, keeping her touch light.

He leaned away suddenly, realizing what was happening. His eyes were wide, a sliver of panic crossing his features. Claire moved away from him, then looked towards the door, checking to see if anyone was watching them, but the corridor was empty.

“Claire?” his voice was deep and hoarse. When she looked back at him, she noticed how dark his irises had gotten.

“Yes?”

“Come back here.” He pleaded, wrapping his arms around her and hauling her onto him, tilting her back against the couch slightly. This time round, she was kissing him back with just as much passion as he had for her, her fingers tangling into his hair and pulling with gentle force, drawing out a long moan from him.

He moved one hand beneath her coat, smoothing the material of her shirt with his hand. Claire lowered herself entirely onto the couch, pulling him on top of her. A giggle slipped past her lips when her fingers glided down the column of his neck and he broke the kiss, fidgeting away from her tickling. His laughter mixed with hers, ringing around them.

He was breathing heavily, allowing himself a moment to just stop everything and look at her. Her pupils were wide, cheeks flushed. Lips bruised from assaulting his repeatedly. He held himself up with one arm, tracing the lines of her face with his fingers. Memorizing her, imprinting the in his mind. He outlined her lips, his breath catching in his throat when she bit his fingertip playfully.

“My god, you’re addictive.” Ethan growled lowly, pulling her back to him. Her hold on him tightened, their kisses turning from slow and unhurried to rushed and hard, every touch fleeting, sending a hot flame through their bodies.

Claire moved her lips along the line of his jaw, traveling to his pulse point and staying there for a long while, slowly driving him crazy. Ethan’s hand, that up until this point was running up and down her side delicately, has now stopped at her thigh, gripping it tightly, a last-ditch effort to hold in a desperate sound that threatened to escape him. To contain the overwhelming desire that threatened to consume him whole, right there and then, on the couch in his office, where they were in a very public eye.

She brought her lips to his ear, breathing hotly against it as she whispered. “Maybe it’s not the best time and place for that kind of a conversation.” His kiss on the skin of her collarbone interrupted her trail of thought, a small moan slipping past her open lips. “Don’t you think?”

Ethan sighed heavily, sitting upright, pulling her up along with him. He brushed her hair behind her shoulders, caressing the skin on her cheek tenderly. Smiling seemed easier to him, now that he wasn’t carrying the heavy burden of his choice with him everywhere.

“You’re right. How about we try the dinner again?” he murmured, twisting a lock of her blonde hair between his fingers. Claire scrunched her nose, pretending to think about his offer.

“Are we going to get interrupted again?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “No surprise visits this time, I promise.”

She nodded slowly, looking at him for a long moment. Her hand rested on his thigh and her lips touched his in a soft kiss. Leaning away for just an inch, she whispered. “Okay.”

#ethan ramsey #open heart #ethan x mc #mc x ethan #open heart fanfiction #choices fanfiction #fic #fanfiction #dr. ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #mc x ethan ramsey

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jq37 · 4 years

Text

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 1

There Is Strength in Sweetness

Much like the years, the seasons of D20 start coming and they don’t stop coming. Fantasy High: Sophomore Year is barely in the record books and we’re already jumping into our new season--the Game of Thrones/Candyland mashup: A Crown of Candy!

If y’all have been with me since Sophomore Year then you know that I did very in depth recaps of every episode with a very specific format but I’m gonna try something new for this season.

The format might change a little between episodes as I figure out what works best so bear with me but the plan is to do more highlights and opinions than a blow by blow. But, like, we’ll see what happens.

So, anyway, saddle up your Meep and let’s visit Candia--one of the six kingdoms of the land of Calorum (aka: a fridge. We see you Brennan, it’s a fridge). Twenty years ago, the Ravening Wars wreaked havoc but they’re currently in a time of peace which (mostly) everybody is psyched about.

Meet the Family

This is not a new observation but, while most seasons of Fantasy High focus on found family, this season is all about family-family, specifically, the royal family of Candia and their associates.

We’re first introduced to Murph’s character--Sir Theobald Gumbar (Level 3 Eldritch Knight)--who is the a huge, golden-armored, gummy bear, leader of the Tartguard, protector of the royal family, and the logical endpoint of Murph’s lawful good predilections. Sir Theo is, of course, on time with bells on for the big Saint’s Day/Coming of Age birthday party for the twin princesses of House Rocks. Unfortunately, he’s clearly never seen The Little Mermaid because when the heralds announce the princesses, they don’t show up. Frustrated, he goes to try and find them.

The first place he checks is with Zac’s character, Chancellor Lapin Cadbury (Level 3 Celestial Warlock). He is (in no particular order) the royal tutor, a chocolate bunny, an official of the main state sanctioned church of Calorum (the Bulbian Church), and a pompous ass. Oh, one more thing? He and Theobald can’t stand each other. There is nothing funnier than two very proper grown men who hate each other's guts. Sir Theo shows up to his classroom where the princesses are having a lesson--or at least they’re supposed to be. Further inspection shows that they’ve just left two straw dummies in their place. Classic.

So, we pan out to the city to meet my favorite characters so far (I absolutely play favorites but I also disclose when I’m doing it so I think I’m in the clear) the twin princesses/chaos gremlins--Jet and Ruby Rocks (both level 1 Rogues) played by Emily and Siobhan. Theo may not have seen The Little Mermaid but the twins have def seen Aladdin, because their number one pastime seems to be escaping the palace to roam the city--hilariously illustrated when they chuck a gem into a peasant's bag and his reaction is a super nonplussed, “Guess the princesses escaped again.” They’re got the Disney Princess-itis really bad because both of them feel stifled by palace life and want more--specifically, Jet wants to be a warrior and resents having been born in peacetime (especially since she’s slightly older and in line for the throne) and Ruby wants to run off and join the circus as an acrobat. They are total twin BFFs to the point that their Thieves Cant has been reskinned to Twinspeak which is a detail I love so much (and that will become unspeakably tragic if something happens to one of them Brennan).

Jet gets a letter from her secret crush Thad, an Avocado from Fructera (these are the sentences I am being forced to write this season folks) and schemes with Ruby about how they can get to Comida (the capital city) to meet him--possibly by sweet talking Theobald which is easy because he’s so thirsty for respect. Sure enough, Theobald and Lapin soon find them, following their path of destruction and the princesses are brought back to the castle.

Back at the castle, we’re introduced to Lou’s character--King Amethar Rocks (Level 3 Storm Herald Barbarian)--who is having a somber moment, surrounded by the statues of his four older sisters who died in the Ravening Wars, leading his reluctant taking of the throne. He’s interrupted by Lord Calroy (his right hand guy and a full ass talking slice of cake because Brennan is trying to break me this season but I refuse to give him the satisfaction) who lets him know that his daughters have escaped and his delighted reaction immediately lets us know which side of the family they take after.

Finally (at least wrt PCs), we meet Ally’s character--Liam Wilhelmina of House Jawbreaker (Level 2 Ranger) who is a political prisoner/ward of House Rocks and a soft, outdoorsy, mountain kid who is perpetually followed around by his pet pig--Peppermint Preston whose death will absolutely force to me to Google “Best Denny’s Parking Lots for Fistfights.” He misses his dad but not his dick brothers because Ally isn’t allowed to have a fully happy family in any season. Liam is from the disgraced House Jawbreaker and his brothers seem to expect him to try and off the King while he’s in their orbit. While he’s in the woods, looking for seeds (as one does) he finds and accidentally breaks an important looking teacup, which we’ll get back to.

The other important character we meet this episode is an NPC--Queen Caramelinda, mother of the princesses, wife of Amethar, and keeper of 100% of the impulse control of House Rocks. She’s the main disciplinarian to Jet and Ruby, the clear decision-maker in the kingdom, and the only literate one out of her and her husband. She also seems to be the only character that respects Lapin’s authority.

An Inciting Incident

So, with all our characters assembled, all that’s left is the plot hook which Caramelinda provides in the form of a personal letter from Emperor Gustavo--the head honcho of the entire realm and his old friend--to Amethar. He’s not doing well health-wise and he needs to name an heir that’s not related to him at a big tourney that he’s personally inviting Amethar to. Amethar is a little slow on the uptake but Caramelinda eventually connects to dots for him that it seems very likely that Gustavo is going to name him emperor.

Amethar is not vibing with that information at all but Caramelinda basically holds him by the ear until he reluctantly agrees to go--though he insists that Ruby and Jet also come along to keep him company. Caramelinda only agrees on the condition that Lapin goes with. She also invites Liam (who is caught off guard but game) and Sir Theo is basically going by default. Caramelinda is staying home to hold down the fort but the talking slice of cake is going because Brennan hates me and doesn’t want me to be happy.

The traveling party is chosen, the twins have been gifted with sick, inherited weapons from their aunts: Flickorice--the Twizzing Blade (Jet) and Sourscratch--the Puckering Bow (Ruby). It’s almost time to be off, but there’s still one last thing to get to before we leave the twins’ party.

Lapin, feeling the pull of something broken (told you we’d get back to it) subtly makes his way outside, but is followed by Jet and Liam. Now, if you remember, I said earlier that Lapin is an official of the Bulbian church. Which is why it’s so surprising for Jet and Liam to see him talking to the Sugarplum Fairy, a deity of the Sweetening Path--a non-sanctioned more animistic religion that really only has sway in Candia. He fixes the teacup and then she appears, telling him that he’ll need to be wary once he leaves her sphere of influence and that boldness will be required in the days to come. Lapin, who seems to be having this conversation very begrudgingly, asks if she’s asking him to do anything in an official capacity and she smiles and says that she’s not asking for her third wish(!). Then what does she want? She wants him to know that there is great risk in what he is doing, but not acting is the greater risk. The coming challenges will be great, but he must protect the royal family or all is lost. She wouldn't have used her second wish to bring him to them if that weren’t the case. They hustle back and spill this to Ruby, obvs.

Anyway, onward! The next day, the caravan is set up and--with a warning about a sugar free chocolate warlock (ominous, as sugar free chocolate always is) they’re on their way to meet their escort out of Candia. Ruby decides to do her acrobat thing and is hanging out on top of the carriage instead of inside it as she and Jet “subtly” (read:not at all) bring up the Sugarplum Fairy to Lapin to see if he cracks.

Suddenly, the caravan stops. There’s a tree felled in the path, which really only means one thing in this kind of story.

Ambush.

Ruby, outside of the carriage and unprotected, takes 16 points of damage and is fully down with a failed death save due to some unknown effect. The carriage is riddled with arrows.

Everyone rolls for initiative and that takes us into a new (sure to be recurring) segment I’m calling:

Things I’m Concerned About

I’m concerned about Jet and Ruby (and not just because I’ve been worried about Ruby for a while due to things the cast has said and because she fully *died* this episode). They have their genres so wrong. They think they’re Disney movie protagonists but they’re in Game of Thrones and they don’t know it. Being Wrong Genre Savvy is a BAD position to find yourself in. Carriage surfing shenanigans don’t fly in a world that wants you dead.

OK, Carameinda. I’m inclined to be pro-Caramelinda. Like, she’s the hardass but she needs to be because Amethar isn’t helping run the kingdom. If this was a different story, she wouldn’t give me any pause but I read Macbeth and feel some light Lady Macbeth vibes. Gonna be keeping an eye on her.

Calroy and Sir Toby (didn’t mention him, he’s a slightly lower ranked Gummi Bear guard and friends with Theo). In a story like this, I’m looking for the possible betrayals before I get blindsided and the only people who can really betray you are people who are supposedly loyal to you. Calroy had a little aside with Amethar about how he shouldn’t be the Emperor if he doesn’t want to be--which isn’t wrong but is also something someone angling to keep him off the throne for other reasons would say--and Sir Toby decided to stay behind to help hold down the fort--again, either an innocuous decision, or angling to be left alone and to his own devices.

Whatever is going on with the Sugarplum Fairy and Lapin? Do not care for that one bit. I understand that a Warlock pact is mechanically very similar to a Paladin oath and a Celestial Warlock pact is even moreso but guess what? Still don’t trust it. I know Ruby’s Arcana check said that she’s generally a chill spirit but I still don’t trust it. And getting Wishes from your follower? Weird and suspicious. What’s your game, lady?

Emperor Gustavo apparently has a daughter who is barred by law from taking the throne when he dies. That sounds like a very strong motive for *something* at some point down the line.

I’m a little concerned Jet is being catfished by this Avocado. First of all, not a sentence I thought I’d ever write. Second of all, I’m probably just being paranoid. But that feels like a great way to get a princess alone for kidnapping or shanking or something.

Update: Brennan did an AMA and, regarding the previous bullet point he said, and I quote, “You are right to be concerned!” so now I’m concerned about that too! Fun!

I’m concerned about the mechanics of how a slice of cake person works. Slice implies a full cake. Where is the rest of the cake Brennan? Where is it? And, like, Brennan said on the post-show stream that we’re making the “what do they eat?” question weirder than it actually is because we’re made of some of the stuff we eat but hey Brennan? If I could pick a flesh toned and textured apple off a tree? That would be weird, OK? And I’m sorry for everyone else who had to picture that but it had to be said since Brennan is insisting on walking us down this garden path.

I’m concerned about whatever the hell is happening with Liam. Disgraced dad, mom is a shaman of the local fringe religion (Sweetening Path, like Lapin), and his brothers want him to shank the king or something? No way this ends in smiles for everyone.

Brennan said Pyramid of Food so I’m concerned about fruit rollup mummies.

OK but more than anything, I’m concerned about the death rules of this game. Death in D&D is cheap but, in a campaign like this, it can’t be. I’m not super well versed in GoT but it’s my understanding that resurrection in that series is possible but rare. Brennan said he specifically didn’t let Ally stock certain healing spells and that’s very telling about how things are gonna be handled. I guess we’ll see in the upcoming battle episode how that works but my general thought is, I hope everyone made interesting backup characters.

Five More Things

So, my thoughts on the new characters. I love Ruby and Jet with my entire heart. Watching Emily and Siobhan roleplay sisters and enable each other and hype each other up is so fun--or it would be if I wasn’t low key bracing to lose one of them sooner rather than later. Zac playing against type and Murph playing to type are both fantastic. I want nothing more than for Theobald and Lapin to continue sniping at each other. I hope that’s the first PvP fight of D20. Amethar is a lot of fun but clearly in over his head and I’m interested to see where he’s pushed. Liam is literally just vibing. Hope he doesn’t have to commit regicide!

God, the House Rocks PCs are such a disaster family. I love it. The moment when Calroy comes in and is like, “The princesses have escaped,” and Amethar breaks into a grin and is like, “Dude, that’s so dope!” I was like OH, so it’s *all* of them, huh. But, honestly, this should have been on the “Things I’m Concerned About” list because come on. They’ve not all gonna make it. And then we’re gonna have to watch the remaining family members react to that? Oh no.

Love Ruby’s bow. I have a player in my game who also has a magic bow that produces energy arrows because, truly, who has the time to deal with the logistics of how many arrows you had left after last fight? Magic arrows. Boom, done. Next.

Getting bagged on by your Patron for not having a spell when she’s the one who gives you your spells is so funny. Also, Mending isn’t a Warlock spell which makes it even funnier.

**I’ve given myself a 3k word limit on all of these to try to put some boundaries on myself but, Lol, prize to the first who guesses closest to the first episode I break that rule.**

#a crown of candy #a crown of candy spoilers #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #the royal report #listen I don't hate calroy #I hate the *implications* of calroy

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starfiretheninja · 4 years

Text

BBRae- Shaking Off the Dust

This was originally a piece for the BBRae Zine, but that got cancelled. Regardless, I was proud that I got another piece done for these two and still want to bring it into the world. Enjoy!

Despite being part demon, a creature associated with darkness, Raven had a standard sleep schedule. The headaches induced from staying up too late tended to aggravate her powers and often required a longer meditation session to alleviate. On this particular night, however, the trilogy Raven was close to finishing was simply too much of a cliffhanger to leave until morning. Her extended reading session paid off, as the book ended on a surprisingly non-cliché and satisfactory note and she was only suffering from mild thirst.

Nothing a little tea can’t cure, Raven thought as she stood up, stretching her tense legs.

Leaving the quiet of her room, she noticed a dim light down the hall. Shuffling past Beast Boy’s room, she blinked wearily at the light that peeked out from under his door. Only unintelligible mumbling sounded from inside. Raven shrugged, figuring he was up late playing a tough level of Mega Monkey: Apes Rising on his GameDude console again. He hadn’t done that in some time, but old habits die hard.

With that, Raven continued on her way. Having made it to the kitchen and satisfied her parched throat with warm herbal tea, she came back past Beast Boy’s room. This time, she heard a yelp, followed by the crashing of Beast Boy and what sounded like a stack of comic books hitting the floor.

Raven sighed. She couldn’t let that go uninvestigated. At the very least, she felt she had to know if Beast Boy had managed to break a toe tripping over his massive collection of nerdy treasures again.

Opening the door, she spied Beast Boy rubbing his face. Around him were his possessions, pulled from his closet and tossed around the room in what, to her eyes, was a haphazard mess. The garbage can in the corner was stuffed well past the brim with dolls—action figures, as he insisted—that Raven was certain he had had since the Tower was first built. Beast Boy caught sight of her. Surprised, then sheepish, he attempted to stand amidst the scattered pile surrounding him.

“Care to explain what you’re up to on this once peaceful night?” she inquired as he morphed into a hummingbird, flitted over the pile, and returned to his human form right in front of her.

“I’m, uh, cleaning up a bit,” he said, clearing his throat.

“If by ‘cleaning’ you mean ‘purging your room of all of your cherished comics and collectibles’.”

“If you’d like to help, then it would get done quicker. Heck, you could pick it all up with your powers.” He gestured towards the remaining work. Raven didn’t take the bait.

“I’d rather not be partially responsible for the post-cleaning regret you could have.” She took a pointed look at his belongings, as if to emphasize just how much he was suggesting tossing out.

“Aw come on, Raven.” He picked up a random comic by his feet and waved it. “Do you really think I’ll miss Goo Goblins #37? I think I’ve moved on past that one.”

Raven shrugged in slight agreement. The admittedly campy-looking comic was certainly goofy enough to make a seventeen-year-old question if he was engaging in appropriate level material. Still, Beast Boy was always one to cling to childish endeavors.

“If you insist,” is all she could comment. If he was truly ready for such an adjustment, she wouldn’t be the one to stop him.

Grinning satisfactorily, Beast Boy took to scooping up his disheveled comics and setting them in lumps just outside his room. Raven stepped further into his room to allow him through the open door.

“I’ll just set these out here for now. Then I can get them into boxes and maybe even pass them out to some kids at their schools. I know a few Dirty Dan fans who would kill for some of these issues,” Beast Boy thought out loud, already beaming at the thought of making a kid’s day.

“Just as long as their parents don’t object,” Raven snarked, hoping that Dirty Dan wasn’t about a kid who refused to take a bath. The last thing Robin would want was a surge of complaints from parents claiming they were bad influences on the youth.

Watching Beast Boy’s slow progress, Raven’s curiosity got the better of her and she leaned down to investigate what kind of reading Beast Boy had invested himself in for all of these years. There were plenty of brightly colored covers of fictional superhero groups. Why these were written when literal superheroes saved the world was beyond her. Beneath that was a handful of light horror, with cartoonish monsters chasing hapless teenage victims. Perfect for a demographic who hadn’t witnessed literal demons in their lifetime. Next was . . .

Raising it up for a closer look, it dawned on her just what she was holding.

“Wait, is this-?”

“Crud! My bad!” Beast Boy rushed over to carefully take the book from her hands. “This must have been mixed with my Deranged Daredevils collection. I wasn’t going to throw this one out, promise.”

Beast Boy reached over her to place the book on the singular chair in the room. So far, the supposed ‘safe’ pile consisted of childhood classics, Insect Care for Dummies, 1001 Drop Dead Puns, and a few wildlife encyclopedias. The newest addition was gifted to Beast Boy by Raven for his first birthday after the team had formed. Back then, she hardly knew him, but didn’t want to deny him the joy of receiving a gift from someone he always reached out to. So, she decided on something that could either come across as a gag gift or a genuine appeal to his interests, despite her complete uncertainty on whether or not he would appreciate it.

When he ripped open the packaging and read the title, The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, he lit up.

“Oh, cool! I’ve read some of these before! I don’t know half the words that come out of the kid’s mouth, but the tiger is pretty cool! Thanks, Raven.” He gave her a classic toothy smile and Raven was admittedly relieved that he didn’t reject the gift or feel any disappointment.

That was years ago, though. Was he still so attached to that particular book? Raven had given him far more personal gifts since getting to know him on a more familiar level.

“Why is that one an exception?” she posed the question as he squatted next to the pile she was looking through.

“Hmm?” Beast Boy looked back for clarification, and a light bulb went off.

“Oh! That’s easy. Because you gave it to me. You probably knew I wouldn’t get half the jokes, but you took a chance anyway. Maybe I’d get it eventually, you know?” His voice trailed off at that last statement.

There it was. Something truly was nagging at him, then. That something had pushed him to embark on a spontaneous cleaning spree to either distract or remedy. While Beast Boy was, oddly enough, the toughest one on the team for her to read empathetically, he was normally easy to understand by his actions alone. However, she had noticed a pattern with him over the years. He was the best at wearing a mask. Robin attempted to remain stoic, but one could still tell what he was feeling. Beast Boy, on the other hand, played pretend. Concealing aggravation and hurt with a stream of jokes was his fallback. This left him with buried sadness, which was never good for the long-term psyche.

Considering how to approach the situation, Raven supposed prodding him a bit would perhaps bring more clarity as to the cause of his distress.

“Hmm. I figured your vocabulary would expand.”

“When, though?” Beast Boy let slip out. He asked so sullenly, the way that a child would when they were seeking approval. Raven recognized this tone from her time spent with Melvin as she began her early teen years. The girl wanted more independence, but a part of her still sought to know that Raven was proud of her in everything that she did.

Upon realizing his slip-up, Beast Boy’s eyes darted around the room. He nabbed a toy from the pile before him and held it up.

“Does this one bring back memories or what?” he chuckled, beaming a large smile. It was the singing monkey with the cymbals that sounded while Raven’s manifested fear chased the Titans throughout the Tower.

Raven sighed softly. That was a poor diversion and he knew it.

“Beast Boy, why are you doing this?” she queried, gesturing around the room. “This ‘spring cleaning’ is too out of character to come out of nowhere.”

“Can’t a guy want a little more walking room?”

“Not when it involves pretending that nothing’s wrong.”

Raven’s eyes met his. He held contact for mere moments before the façade cracked.

Beast Boy’s false smile slowly dropped. He knew he shouldn’t be hiding from her. Raven was one of his best friends, after all.

“’s not a big deal,” he mumbled, looking away.

“It is if it’s bothering you,” she responded, gently touching his shoulder to get his attention. Beast Boy turned back to her, setting the monkey down.

How would he start?

“It’s kind of complicated.”

Raven had the time for him.

“Then start from the beginning.”

With that, Beast Boy sat back, leaning his cheek on a propped-up knee. Raven lowered herself into a crisscross, fully facing him. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts, memories reflecting clearly in his eyes.

“Back, ah, with the Doom Patrol, I was just a kid when Mento started training me. He saw that my powers could be controlled and used for the greater good. And I wanted to be a hero! I wanted to help others. But I wasn’t used to getting shot at or transforming so much I passed out. It was rough for a while. And I messed up. A lot.

“Mento never let me forget any of the mistakes I made, even long after I learned from them. Sometimes, it took longer than it should have to learn, but I eventually got it. But that wasn’t good enough for him. It was for Rita, but Mento was the one in charge, so there was never an end to it.”

Beast Boy exhaled, stopping for a moment to likely push away memories that were crawling out of unpleasant depths of his subconscious.

“And that’s part of why you left?” Raven prompted.

“That was a big part of it. Just one day decided that I had enough, and I thought I could grow stronger if I became the sidekick of someone who could actually help me build on when I did something right. And when I met you guys, things were finally different, and everyone could rely on me in a fight. That felt good and I thought that maybe I wasn’t a total screw up after all. But today, with the mission I just- I messed up really bad and I knew what I did wrong right as it was happening.”

Oh.

Raven and Starfire had split off from the boys to tend to another emergency and didn’t hear back from them until after their mission was complete. Robin had seemed somewhat frazzled, but otherwise they had been successful as well. She hadn’t heard about any particular difficulties on their end.

Beast Boy continued on, his frustrations spilling out at this point.

“I mean, Robin and Cyborg were able to fix it, but Mumbo almost got away. We had him, but I slipped up and he did a lot more damage before we nabbed him again. That’s the kind of dumb mistake I made when I was just a kid, except back then, people died.” He nearly choked on his last words.

Raven’s thoughtful expression instantly morphed into a mixture between solemnity and shock. She had no idea he carried such a weight.

“Beast Boy . . .”

He let out a humorless laugh, his eyes unfocused and unwilling to meet hers.

“Do you ever just . . . get frustrated that you haven’t changed at all? Sometimes I still feel like the kid that can’t follow an order without screwing something up. I’m trying to get better at my job, but that’s not enough when lives are in danger,” he agonized, reaching up to grip his hair in his fist.

His emotions were beginning to overwhelm him. Beast Boy was so used to holding these demons in that he didn’t know how to handle them when they reared their ugly heads. And he hated himself for dumping his worries on Raven. She didn’t need to be dragged into his problems; he should be able to handle them on his own by now.

However, one fact that Beast Boy forgot was that Raven was a healer. She knew that part of the healing process included recognizing the hurt so one could fully recover.

“Beast Boy, you’re right to feel frustrated over this.” Raven began gently, so as to properly acknowledge his despair. “But you have grown up through the years that I’ve known you.”

“Today might prove you wrong,” he sighed defeatedly.

“One bad day doesn’t always indicate a pattern. Failing to react well under pressure happens to even the most disciplined of people.”

“Does it happen to you?”

Raven blinked. Where did that come from?

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always so in control and know what to do. I just don’t know if I can ever be as level-headed as you are.” Truthfully, though he complained about her supposed standoffishness when they first met, Beast Boy always admired her ability to remain calm. She could be cranky at times, but Raven was the Titan to turn to when you needed sage-like wisdom and a calming presence.

“. . . Not always.”

Beast Boy paused. He met her earnest and somewhat hesitant eyes. Where did that come from?

Raven pressed her lips tightly together, then, ever so slowly, began to speak.

“Sometimes . . . I think that I’m still as much of an isolated shut-in as when the team formed. You guys understand my snark, but I still go too far at times and I can tell the others don’t want to tell me that I hurt their feelings. We all struggle with insecurity, Beast Boy, no matter how well we hide it.”

Beast Boy leaned toward her, resting a hand in the space between them.

“You’ve grown so much though, Raven. I’ve noticed how much more you smile nowadays, and you actually talk to us about what you’re thinking about. I don’t think you would have been caught dead in my room like this when we first met,” he cracked a small smile, realizing just how intimate their situation was.

Raven relaxed, quietly grateful that the Beast Boy she knew was reemerging.

“No, I wouldn’t have.”

Now it was her turn.

“But the same goes for you. You take initiative when it’s called for and frankly, some of your strategies are the reason we make it through rougher battles.”

“Name one time,” Beast Boy held up a finger, still not entirely convinced.

“The initial charge against the Brotherhood. Morphing into a jellyfish to filter Scarecrow’s fear gas. Disabling that bomb as a cockroach so you wouldn’t be detected or incinerated,” Raven listed off confidently.

Beast Boy looked down, pondering her words. His shoulders relaxed and a soft smile slowly crept up onto his cheeks.

“Huh. I guess that was pretty mature of me,” he chuckled.

“You know,” she started, peering her head down to catch his eyes once more. “If you’re so worried about making mistakes, maybe talk to Robin about changing your training routine. Having variety might help your ability to react appropriately to any situation.”

“Yeah. That’d probably be a good place to start.”

“Also,” she began, gesturing to the mess around them. “Growing up doesn’t mean getting rid of your childhood joys. It just means you step up without being asked to.”

“I suppose you’re right. But I’ve been meaning to clean up for a while. Kind of hard to stay focused with so much clutter in your room.”

“Maybe leave it until you get a good night’s sleep,” she suggested.

“Eventually, but first there’s something I want to try.”

“And that would be . . .?”

Beast Boy reached back and grabbed the treasure that had sparked their night of revelations.

“Giving this book a try.” He waved the Calvin and Hobbes compilation before her. “You’ve granted me so much wisdom just now, I must have aged a few decades mentally. That is, if you’re not too tired.”

His hopeful expression was too much to pass up, especially at a time when he had opened up so much to her. It was out of character, but Raven was willing to give it a shot.

“I think I’m up for a little humor.”

Beast Boy mock grabbed his heart.

“Such an anomaly only comes once every other blood moon, so I’ll have to cherish you discovering your sense of humor.”

“The anomaly will pass faster the longer you talk about it.”

“Got it.”

They sat on the floor together, each holding one end of the book. Page by page, Beast Boy laughed outwardly at Calvin’s incessantly precocious dialogue. His eyes lit up as he brushed Raven’s shoulder, giddy to share the joke with her. Raven, in return, chuckled at Hobbes’ playful antics and allowed Beast Boy to see her rare carefree expressions.

What happened next truly made their night. The punchline was perfectly worded and timed for the both of them and they shared a singular moment of genuine laughter. Raven’s only a brief chortle and Beast Boy’s a lengthier guffaw, but the laughter of two friends nonetheless.

Raven could have denied the moment and blamed her increasingly delirious state. But she wasn’t about to deny Beast Boy the rare opportunity to have made her laugh. After all, sharing this moment with him was the best feeling she had all day.

#bbrae #beast boy #raven #teen titans #fanfic #i write

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lost-eternity · 4 years

Text

Matchup Requests: CLOSED

Match up request for:

Match up request for: @bumbleslut

Okie dokie. I match you with...

Deadpool / Wade Wilson!

Okay this was a difficult one

But let me explain why

Wade disguises his insecurities and flaws behind wise cracking jokes.

He has a thick skin and is easily able to act tough and unaffected, despite how deep the words cut

It is because of this tendency to neglect and hide his emotions that I feel he would work well with you

Your deeply compassionate and empathetic nature, combined with the persistence of a hopeless romantic is just the type of personality I feel Wade needs to not only open up but reconcile with himself

He refers to himself as sexy or handsome, but we know for a fact that he is ashamed of his scarred face. Like his new face somehow diminishes his worth as a person

Which just isn't true

But he needs someone open minded enough to tell him that

Someone who would truly find him to be beautiful, even if his beauty is not conventional

Wade Wilson is presented as being morally ambiguous and is often brought up in reference to anti-heroes, however, I think the opposite is true. Wade has a very strong moral compass and can distinguish right from wrong. He always tries to do the right thing... he just has rather unorthodox methods of achieving those things.

While I wouldn't say he is sensitive, I think part of that is because he has buried his own emotions so deep that he chooses to ignore them.

Which again, I feel like is something he would need help with unlocking

As a couple, you two would be legit

You both have rather talkative characters so I can say that without a doubt, there would never be a dry moment between the two of you

It could get chaotic

But that's fine. Wade revels in chaos

I also feel like you have the capacity to defend yourself

Show some snark and sarcasm. And, if not, Wade would definitely influence you into become a bit more of a bitch.

In a good way, hahaha

Unconventional adventures and weird little trips is definitely something you would find yourself involved in a lot

It's not like Wade ever explains why

But it doesn't matter cause the two of you have a blast wreaking havoc

You would act as Wade's conscience on these little outings

A foil to his reckless behaviour, keeping him safe, and morally in the right

Eventually he will learn to do this on his own- for your sake

He claims it is because he doesn't want to hear you talk "my already melty ears off" but it's because he cares about you 😉

3AM Netflix movies are a common thing

He'd probably come in through the window missing a hand or a leg and you are just staring at him like: "bitch, what???"

Although he just wants to cuddle and watch Netflix and pop popcorn

It's like... 'dude, it's 3AM, and you crawled through MY window missing a limb... and ask to watch ‘This is Us’???’

He'd never admit it but he has a thing for soap operas

You were also pleasantly surprised to see that he owned every episode of Star Trek. Or as he put it "The classics. Not the one with the bald guy that looks like Professor X."

Be prepared to be flirted with a lot

And his words can get pretty dirty pretty fast

You may have to talk him down

Seriously, he loves trying to make you blush

And oh boy, try he will

You will have to learn to either out flirt him, or shut him up with a snarky comment or remark

But I don't think that will be too much of an issue as you have no qualms stating your opinions

Wade does like a girl who can stick to her guns and defend her viewpoint.

He finds it admirable

Let's be honest. You met at a strip club.

Well kinda

You were walking past a strip club when it exploded

Yes, it exploded

The blast wave knocked you behind a car, lucky for you because the flying shrapnel did not hit you

Ears ringing and vision blurry, you sat there for a moment trying to figure out what the hell just happened

That was when a figure came flying out of the burning building, skidding along the asphalt and nearly colliding with your feet

"Wheeew!" The masked figure groaned rolling onto his back as he hitched up his leg. "That was not a superhero landing." He coughed.

You stared at him, still kind of in a daze from you know... the explosion

Apparently he noticed you for the first time. "Oh, hello! How's your Wednesday been?"

You just kinda stare at him

That was when you heard a very loud, very angry sounding voice screaming "DEADPOOL" from within the blaze

"Shit, gotta go. Mamma's ringing." The masked figure cooed and rolled to his feet before walking back into the fire screaming something about... 'deepthroating a bell'?

Now properly confused and somewhat recovered from the initial blast, you figured that the smart thing to do would be to run away

But you knew that there were still people in that burning club

You could hear their screams

You had to help them

Steeling your nerve, you walked into the fire

The smoke was suffocating and the feeling of asphyxiation was beginning to set in as your covered your mouth with a rag

Through the stinging smoke which scorched your eyes, you were able to make out three figures cowering under a fallen beam.

The roof crackled as the fire threatened the integrity of the building.

Reaching out your hand seized calloused burnt palms and you began to escort them out of the building

Moving further in, you heard the sounds of a battle ensuing

Two hulking shapes danced through the smoke

One was the man who you had met earlier and the other?

You weren't entirely sure what he was

It looked like he was wearing some kind of... bell on his head. And cape...

You guessed this was there the first man's bell comments came from

But seriously, what was going on

That was when you noticed the bell-guy lifting an arm, his entire right hand has been replaced with a heavy-looking metal sphere

And he cobbled it straight into the first guy's gut

With a loud grunt, Deadpool crashed into a beam behind them, causing the entire building to shake

If this continued, these two idiots would bring the entire roof down on top of you and kill everyone

You had to stop them

Hyped on adrenaline and possessed by some kind of heroic spirit, you interjected yourself between the two of them screaming "STOP!!!"

Both figures seemed to grind to a halt, even bell guy who stared at you

Then you proceeded to give them a lecture in structural damage

You, this small little human between a towering Goliath of a bell person, and an actual superhero

You were sure you were going to get them to move this conflict outside with the roof gave one final screech before entirely fracturing, sending flaming beams piling right on top of you

You awoke somewhere entirely new

Your head was pounding, your hair charred and your skin blistering from the fire

You had no idea where you were... or how you got there

And as you slowly regained consciousness, your brain swimming in what felt like treacle, you became acutely aware of someone's finger jabbed into your cheek

Wincing, you tried to pull away but realised that something was restraining you

Your vision blurred as you opened your eyes

The red-masked man was literally right in front of your face, pressing what you could only assume was his nose against your own

Jerking back, your head hit a wall, sending a spike of pain rushing through your skull

"Whoa! Calm down there, Sparky." Deadpool pulled back, removing his finger from your cheek.

"W-where?" You rasped and looked around

You were tied to a metal chair, your arms bound behind your back

Deadpool sat in a similar chair next to you. Except he was shackled by his feet, not tied with rope

You appeared to be in some kind of warehouse... a rusty fan above your screeching with every rotation of its fins

"The big baddie caught us." Deadpool hummed. "Stupid of you to try to intervene."

You fixed him with an expression somewhere between acquiescence and a glare

He chuckled

"Do you have a plan to escape?" You groaned

"Of course!" Deadpool replied happily

"No, you don't." You sighed, noticing the hesitation in his tone

Deadpool just gasped, a sound akin to a little kid. "How'd you know? Are you a telepath?"

You sighed, wincing slightly as the aching in your head doubled back. You asked him what he had done to piss off this bell guy, who you could only assume was your captor

"Oh, that. Uh, well. Dr. Bong and aren't on the best of terms because may or may not have accidentally, purposefully cut off his hand...."

"You WHAT?"

He changed the topics on you and for the next 30 or so minutes blabbered on and on about one thing or another, as if being kidnapped and tied up did not concern him in the slightest

That was when Dr. Bong showed up (a name you found entirely ridiculous, albeit a bit fitting)

Turns out he has a major crush on this lady named Beverly

And that he was going to use Deadpool as bait to lure her out and force her on a date

Seemed like a completely nonsensical plan but this guy also seemed like a regular old psychopath

Still, you had to empathize with his tale of unrequited love

The poor thing just wanted to belong somewhere, but has been told old his life that he was too ugly or fat

So you two began talking

Much to Deadpool's chagrin who kept yelling at you to "stop sympathizing with the bad guy!"

You didn't listen

Everyone deserves a chance, that was your own personal philosophy

You advised Dr. Bong on dating and romance, speaking to him as you so often speak to your friends

You helped him to gain the confidence he needed to just ask this Beverly out, saying that her love wouldn't be real if it was first

He actually seemed to agree and after a few hours of talking he... let the two of you go

Deadpool was absolutely floored

This girl who he had just met defeated the bad guy by listening to him.

Wtf?!?!

He was very much intrigued after this encounter, convinced you were hiding some kind of superpower. So he walked you home and gave you his number

Whatever you choose to do with this wisecracking anti-hero's number is entirely up to you ;)

I hope you enjoyed. I am sorry for the wait, dear. Do tell me what you thought, though :)

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princecupcakee · 4 years

Text

Park Bench | Reddie

Read on AO3

Rating: E

Pairing: Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak

Word Count: 3,112

Chapter: 1/8

Next Chapters: Chapter 2 (AO3), Chapter 3 (AO3), Chapter 4 (AO3)

Summary: Recently divorced and ‘incapable of love’, Eddie Kaspbrak moves to Los Angeles for work and a small, small hope of a fresh start. Broken up and never dated again, Richie Tozier tries to get back into love with help from his love of music. Quickly meeting eyes and one concert later, they think that maybe love isn’t that bad. So they try it one more time.

Chapter 1: Richie Tozier’s Plan, Eddie Kaspbrak’s First Vinyl & Beverly Marsh’s Plan

Tags/Warnings: Angst / Unhappy Ending / theres only one sex scene but this is explicit anyway / Bisexual Richie Tozier / Gay Eddie Kaspbrak / Post-Divorce / Implied/Referenced Cheating / Inspired By Remembering Sunday (All Time Low) / Inspired by The Book Ninja by Ali Berg / Implied/Referenced Child Abuse / Implied/Referenced Abuse / Implied/Referenced Manipulation

Tag-list: @richietoaster, @s-s-georgie, @mikeuris, @gazebobullshit, @that-weird-girls-blog, @tozierking, @thoughtfullyyoungduck, @s-onora, @bellarosewrites, @lermanslogan, @ambitiousskychild, @ghostnebula, @vanillaredvelvet,

(Ask if you wanna be on the tag-list!!)

Chapter 1

Richie Tozier’s Plan

If Richie’s love life was written into a song, it would be called ‘Disaster’; named after his sad attempts at everything even just slightly involved with it. It would be a ballad, slow at first, some depressing line about how dreams don’t become reality. The chorus would hit loud, deafening if rock music wasn’t something you’d find yourself listening to, ‘He loved the sound of their romance’ is the loudest line in the chorus followed by: ‘But he messed up the steps to the dance’ then a sudden melancholy beat, ‘He failed his audition and he lost his chance.’ Toward the end of the song, as the sounds of the drums faded, and a slow guitar was the dominant sound, ‘It’s hopeless’ and the song would close.

Richie’s love life was an utter disaster if you tried to put it to words. He hadn’t had a single normal date in a very long time (he wonders if he ever did, really.) It wasn’t as simple as, ‘I spilled my drink and now there’s going to be a stain and that embarrassing’ those dates wouldn’t stand a chance on his. A few from his museum of failed dates:

Exhibit A -

James: Hey, I saw that you live in Los Angeles

Richie: Yeah! What about you?

James: I just got out of jail and my ex changed the locks. I really need a place to stay?

Exhibit B -

“I love this band so much,” Abigail gushed.

“Me, too! I’m really glad we were able to catch them here.”

And later that night on the news: ‘Woman arrested for jumping on stage to pull a strand of hair from a celebrity in a Los Angeles concert.’

Exhibit C - Connor. Connor Bowers was perfect with Richie, at least as Richie thought. The two had been dating for 2 years until Richie proposed, only to be rejected. Connor confessed that he was cheating, that he didn’t even actually like men. The night they got together, Richie had bought him a drink. Connor really only wanted to try it, but it clearly wasn’t for him. The next morning though, when they woke up in Connor’s bedroom, Richie decided that they were together. Richie wasn’t really thinking, he was just in desperate need for love. After Richie was kicked out of Connor’s apartment, he ended up in Stan’s house, unable to stay alone his own.

Richie never really moved out of Stan and Patty’s house. They didn’t really mind Richie living there, but they did mind that Richie was still bitter about the breakup. Stan and Richie have been friends since they were kids, he’s seen Richie in every way. Patty and Richie became close friends right when Stan introduced them. They would try to set Richie up with a few of their friends but he would just sulk in his room. He claims to be ‘done with love in the most chill way possible’ but the sad love songs, the bitterness on Valentines, and the sulking would beg to differ.“Love isn’t that bad you know, you could try”

“I don’t need to try. I’m fine,” Richie countered.

“There’s a lot of fish in the sea,” Patty said, kindly.

“Not anymore. All I get is plastic bags now,” Richie said bitterly.

Stan sighed, “you’re just gonna be alone forever?”

“Yes,” Richie replied immediately, standing up to get ready for work. Aside from a few comedy gigs, he works at a little record store a few minutes from where he lives. The store had the best speakers, phonographs, Walkmans, discs, headphones, everything. Richie loved it there, always being surrounded by music. The store was always pretty empty, aside from the occasional customer, it was just him. Like its always been.

He took his car from the driveway, heading for the city.

~~~

“Morning, Ben, Bev,” Richie nodded at them, smiling.

“Good morning Richie,” Beverly greeted with a wave, “How have you been?” Beverly was Ben’s wife, she has always been nice to Richie. ‘Nice’ didn’t compose of only greetings and coffee and being professional, they were close friends who went out to movies and heard each other’s lives play. Beverly designed clothing lines, while Ben was an architect. They don’t spend much time in the store, usually just leaving it with Richie.

“Pretty good, you?”

“Fine, but this one forgot to fix the thing on this table yesterday and was insanely worried all night,” Beverly pointed to Ben over her shoulder.

“It could break!” Ben argued, continuing to fix whatever was wrong with the table. Beverly walked over to Richie, who is sat down on the sofa. “So… I have this friend. He’s smart, good-looking, and really nice-“

“No, Bev, I’m not going to date. I’m single and unwilling to mingle.”

“More like, single and afraid to mingle,” she tiredly rolls her eyes, “Richie, there are good people out there, you just have to try.”

“I don’t see that. All the good people are with the other good people. Look at you and Ben! Both of you are like, super hot and nice. Guys like me got no chance- not saying that I want a chance, because I’m fine being alone.”

“You just have to keep looking.”

“Its a waste of energy to ‘keep looking.’ People who like me are not okay. Remember Abigail? Not to mention, people have shit taste in music.”

“You’re such a music snob,” She weakly laughs and shakes her head.

“Alright, its good. The screws were just-“ Ben says, getting up and walking to them.

“Ben, we love you but I don’t understand a single thing you say about architecture and furniture, and whatever else there is,” Bev jokes.

“I try. I’m out for today though, I have meeting, and I’m not sure if I’ll be back,” Ben says to Richie.

“Thats fine, I’ll just sit back here,” Richie smiles putting his hands behind his head and leaning further into the sofa.

“See you then.”

Richie picked up a vinyl and put it in the player. He had been playing around with cassettes, and a few of his own vinyl for a few hours now (‘few’ probably not being the case) and thinking and writing. After he’s finished a chunk of the script he was working on for his Friday performance at a local bar, he had gotten bored and just casually sat by the sofa. ‘Love’ the word danced around his head, taunting him. Or at least, to him, it was taunting. ’He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes’ sung the player.

The song carried him around as he sang, “Forgive me I’m trying to find, my calling, I’m calling at night. I don’t mean to be a bother but have you seen this girl?” The lyrics took him strongly, his heart tight and loose at the same time, feeling each beat. He drums his fingers on the sofa, following the beats, “She’s been running through my dreams. And its driving me crazy it seems. I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“you’re such a music snob,” rang in his ears, and he knew what he was going to do. He ran to his collection of vinyl seated by the left of the speakers, under the small table and began to search. He had his own few pieces of vinyl in the store, his own music that he listened to on the empty days of work. The Beatles, Green Day, Aerosmith, he took all the classics in his hands and grinned.

~~~

“Explain to me your plan again?” Stan asked, shocked.

“I’m going to get the best vinyl, write my number or email- whatever, and see who calls. Go on a date, see what happens. I’m gonna leave the vinyl all around the city’s subway all that, ” Richie explains excitedly.

“That might actually work!” Patty says, joining Richie’s excitement.

“This can get you more crazy dates than the ones you got before, Rich,” Stan says, unsure.

“Then, its material for my shows! Like Abigail and James!”

“See, Stan? Its great! Richie tries to go back to dating and he gets show material, win-win!” Patty hopes.

“Where will you get all the vinyl your leaving?”

“Thats the only downside, I’m going to use my own vinyl, maybe beg Ben to let me use the ones at the store?”

Stan sighs, softly smiling and nods, “this could work.”

~~~

‘Hot Fuss’ sat on his lap as he traced over the letters. Richie was in doubt now, his heart racing as he sat in the train. This was the first vinyl he would be leaving for this project of his. His stop was in a few minutes, so he pulled out the Sharpie from his pocket, bit the cap off, and wrote: ‘If you’ve enjoyed listening to this, would you enjoy a date too? Email me, Richie Tozier, @Remembering_Records.’ Richie set the vinyl down subtly and walked. “@Remembering_Records?” Stan asks.

“I was listening to Remembering Sunday, it was influenced,” Richie replies, hopping over the gap, he takes a deep breath and looks over at Stan, “Let’s hope this works,” he smiles, dashing away.

Eddie Kaspbrak’s First Vinyl

“I can’t believe we’re not using our cars,” Eddie mumbles, grumpily.

“Says the New Yorker,” Mike jokes.

“I drive there! Bill’s from there too! Subway stations are so unsanitary, so many people-“

“P-please! Enough with the com-complaining!” Bill says, frustrated, “M-Mike’s car broke down, and there’s no other way to get to B-Ben and Bev’s shop.”

“Its your day off! You landed in LA at midnight, and now we’re going to meet up with old friends,” Mike says happily, walking into the train.

“Exactly! Midnight. I shouldn’t be running around in this germ-infested-“

Mike looks at him tiredly.

“—I’m doing this because Ben and Bev are great and they’re our place to stay, Florida,” Eddie rolls his eyes.

Eddie doesn’t fit in LA. At all. He’s not used to the weather, the lifestyle, everything. He doesn’t like it here and just wants to go home. And Los Angeles seems to not want him here either. He lost one out of three of his suitcases the moment he got down, he had to wait an hour for Mike and Bill to pick him up from the airport, Mike’s car breaks down on the way to meet a friend, and now he’s taking the dirty subway.

He’s only really here for work. All three of them are. Bill and Eddie are from New York, and Mike is from Florida. They were transferred to the Los Angeles branch as a way to teach and help the new workers there. Bill’s ex-girlfriend, Beverly, lives in Los Angeles with her husband. They’re all good friends and Ben and Beverly offered to let them stay at their house (scratch that- mansion) for as long as they’re there. Of course, they took the offer instead of some crummy hotel, too far from their jobs.

Now here he is, on a train, heading to EighthNote to meet Ben and Beverly. But something isn’t right in this train, Eddie doesn’t know if this is just Los Angeles, but there, two seats away, is a light blue, paper casing, with the words ‘The Killers Hot Fuss’ sprawled across its center.

“Look, its Hot Fuss,” Mike points, “someone must’ve lost it.”

“We could put it in the l-lost and found,” Bill mumbles.

“Do not touch that. Who knows where its been?” Eddie says immediately, grabbing Bill's wrist and lightly pulling him back.

But Mike was already on his way to the seat, hand already about to grab the record. Until some guy in his late twenties took the record and sat on the seat. “Oh, is this yours?” He asks Mike.

“Oh, no, it isn’t mine,” Mike says walking back to Bill and Eddie.

~~~

On a street corner, a glass door, big windows, and a small wood sign that says EighthNote hanging above, Ben and Bev were talking inside when Bill, Mike, and Eddie walked in. “Ben! Bev!” Mike smiles, arms open wide.

“Its been so long!” Beverly sings, piling them into a group hug.

“It really has. I didn’t even know you had this shop,” Eddie says, admiring the speakers.

“At this point, it isn’t even ours, one our friends who work here basically one the place at this point,” Ben explains.

“You guys have a whole staff for this?”

“Nah, its just one of our friends. We pretty much just lay around here, the few customers here and there,” Beverly smiles, “he’s got comedy gigs though, he should honestly be a star now.”

“What’s his name?”

“Richie. We met him through Patty—one of my friends who model for me— her husband, Stan.”

“I’m probably pulling at strings here but are you talking about Stan Uris?” Mike asks, surprised.

“Yeah! How do you know him?”

“Best ex I ever had.”

Beverly laughs cheekily, “do tell.”

“Nothing! I just know from college, we dated a while, then he swooned for a girl, Patty Blum.”

“Thats her alright. Gorgeous.”

Eddie had moved on from the speakers by then, knowing they’d be reminiscing college in the next few minutes. Eddie only knows Ben and Beverly through Bill. Bill and Beverly had dated in college, but broke up and just stuck to being friends. Nothing is really awkward between them, all still close. Ben and Eddie both get along with architecture. He really just wanted something to do, he didn’t know what anything in this store was. “Its the thing from the train,” Eddie points, not exactly talking to anyone.

“Oh yeah,” Mike says walking over to Eddie. Mike’s reply startling him.

“Train?” Ben asks.

“We found a vinyl in the train on our way here,” Bill explains.

The conversation didn’t go into the details anymore, as Beverly took the record and put it in… Eddie didn’t know what that was. Was he supposed to? He saw Walkmans from his classmates when he was in middle school, but he never paid too much attention to it. He simply didn’t have the time or energy to care. Its just music. The song started oddly, in Eddie’s opinion. ‘Save some face, you know you’ve only got one’

“What the fuck is this?” Eddie wondered as the song continued.

“You’ve never heard ‘Smile Like You Mean It’?” Bill asks making Eddie slightly uncomfortable.

“I- No?”

Beverly cheekily grinning, “Well, since you’re in LA with us, you’re gonna finally see what good music is.”

~~~

The day took longer than Eddie had hoped, but now, he was in a car (thank God) heading the Marsh’s house. Grateful that Bill and Mike were just as exhausted and quiet as he was, he finally caught up with his thoughts. He was finally able to think again, about how the shop looked, how much he disliked the album Beverly basically threw at his ears, how cute the boy who walked into the shop earlier- no. No. Not what should be running threw his head right now. “Do you guys know the guy who walked into EighthNote earlier?”

“The tall, Hawaiian shirt guy with the glasses?” Mike asked, not looking at Eddie as he turned the wheel.

“Yeah.”

“I th-think that was the guy who works there. Who would randomly bring food into a store and y-yell ‘I brought Chinese, fuckers!’ If they didn’t work there?” Bill answers.

“Right,” Eddie says, his mind wandering away from the topic. He found himself opening his phone and searching ‘Hot Fuss’ into Spotify’s search bar. As much as he’d hate to admit it, it wasn’t that bad. And the guy at the store was cute.

Beverly Marsh’s Plan

“I brought Chinese, fuckers!” Richie shouted as he walked into the store. He instantly dropped his hands when he saw a man right in front of him.

After a quite lengthy moment of staring, “Excuse me,” he said, moving to the right of Richie, out the door, two men following after.

“Who were they?” Richie asked, setting the food on the table in front of him.

“Old friends of ours. They’re gonna be staying at our place,” Beverly explains.

“Okay,” Richie drags the word, “anyway, I have an amazing plan that was already put into action before any of you two hets try to stop me—”

“Uh-huh,” Ben cautiously nods.

“— so. Here’s how it works. I’m gonna set out a bunch of vinyl and shit on subways, with an email written on the back, and see how calls. I write if they wanna go on a date on the back, and if you’re worried if that'll be a bunch of people like Abigail and shit, I’m not saying you’re wrong. But if it is, it’s show material. It’s gonna be great.”

“This is amazing! You should’ve told us earlier, I totally would’ve come with you!” Beverly laughs.

“Wait. Did you start today?” Ben asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“Which?” Ben smirks at Beverly, as she returns the look.

“Hot Fuss,” Richie smiles. Ben and Beverly snicker. Richie rolls his eyes, “Yeah I know I played Mr. Brightside to a girl before, but I didn’t know the song was about cheating!”

Beverly’s laughter doubles, “That’s not it but okay.”

“Whatever. But, anyway, who was the short guy earlier?”

“We told you, old friends. Why?” Ben says.

“Dunno. He was kinda cute I guess.”

“See? I told you you’d like him. That was the guy I was telling you about,” Beverly smiles knowingly.

“You tried to set up Eddie and Richie?” Ben wonders. Beverly sneaks a wink at Ben, “There’s a concert next weekend, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Think you could get us three more tickets?”

“Sure?”

~~~

Beverly walked into to her and Ben’s room, grinning. “Are you gonna explain why you’re so happy?” Ben asks.

“We’re gonna get Richie and Eddie together.”

Ben gives an unsure look at her, “Richie’s going back to dating with this vinyls-on-trains thing he’s doing. Are you sure you want to set him up? You know how unhappy he is about love and stuff, its surprising enough that he’s willing to try again.”

Beverly takes a moment to think. She knows Ben is right, but she also knows that this will be good for both Eddie and Richie. Well, the second one, she isn’t so sure of. “I guess,” Beverly says, slightly disheartened, “but, we could ask them and, y’know, try?” She says hopefully.

“As much as I worry about this, I also think that it could be good. We’ll take them both to the concert and see where they go from there. What do you think?”

“Perfect,” Beverly smiles.

#reddie #reddie fic #it #it chap one #it chap two #remembering Sunday + The book ninja au

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dayseternal-blog · 4 years

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Written for @naruhina2020 February: “Groundhog Day” Loop

Or, since this is such a tardy submission, it could also fit for April: Too Late/Missed Opportunities

He's moving away.

But they were never close to begin with. So after tonight, he can leave, and she'll have no regrets.

Time Loop Modern High School AU - Rated T

(Chapters 2 out of 3.)

Chapter 1: Only Now & Chapter 2: All Along

Fireworks leap into the dark.

Blooming,

Pounding,

Cascading in heat and light.

She feels it in her heart.

This moment won’t last forever, she has only now.

Her last chance to tell him.

“Naruto-kun.”

He tilts his head, his eyes still fixed on the display. “Yeah?”

Shadows shift over his face as the sky burns above them. His eyes sparkle, reflecting, dancing in light. She’s never been so close to him before. She never will be ever again. She’ll never forget him in this beautiful moment. “I love you.”

The crowd’s voices rise as a large one explodes overhead, light showering down over the ocean.

Sakura, on the other side of him, exclaims a loud, “Wow!”

But Naruto turns, brows furrowing, eyes trained directly at her, mouth fallen open. “...What?”

For a second, time freezes.

He’s never not heard her. No matter how quiet her voice, he somehow always heard her.

Class presentations-- “If you guys just shut up, maybe you’d know what she’s saying!” he’d scold.

Friends pressuring her-- “C’mon Sakura-chan. Leave it alone, you heard what she said.”

He heard her. He’s not asking because he didn’t hear. He heard.

She takes a step back from the railing, self-consciousness flooding her.

He turns, watching her.

She takes another step back, wondering if she can take her words back, too. “Sorry,” she murmurs, before turning around.

Her stupid geta and yukata don’t let her run. But she tries anyway, her knees pressing against the tight circle of cotton around her legs, her feet finding no flexibility squished between wood and stiff cloth.

A firm hand closes around her arm, then her other side, stopping her from going any further.

“Hinata!” gasped out, but not from exhaustion, from surprise.

She goes rigid in his hands.

He relaxes his grip.

“Naruto! Hinata!” Sakura comes, hurrying beside them, her geta clapping against the cement. “What are you guys-”

His hands fall away. “I just need to talk to her. You can go back.”

Hinata looks at Sakura, not at all knowing if she wants her to stay and stop this or leave them alone.

Sakura’s gaze shifts between them. She’s too smart. Her head turns back to the railing, toward Ino, who’s anxiously trying to hold their spots. She glances at them again. “Okay.” She turns around, leaves them, leaves her to suffer this alone.

Hinata trains her eyes at the sky, fireworks blossoming one after the other. It was the heat of the moment. No, it was the festival’s influence. No, it’s because...it’s because…

“Hinata.”

She can feel his gaze burning into her.

“Why.” His voice falls heavily, at odds with the high buzz of excitement surrounding them. “...Why now.”

She finally looks at him.

His face scrunches up. Pained.

She feels her heart mirroring him. “...because...you’re leaving.” She’s so quiet, she has no idea how he can hear her over the noise.

“I’m leaving!” His voice rushes out, forced. “So why would you tell me that now. I can’t...I can’t do anything about…” He gestures aimlessly. He’s rejecting her.

But she never had any expectations to begin with. She already knew her feelings weren’t reciprocated. She just wanted to tell him. “I-I know.” Maybe that’s why she’s telling him now. She’s getting this over and down with. Finding her own closure. And she won’t have to suffer any humiliation once he’s gone.

His eyes widen for a moment. Staring. Then pain shades his face once more. “Why now, why not…”

Tell him earlier? She was too afraid. Isn’t that obvious?

“Hinata.” He takes a small step closer.

She shifts backward, but he closes that distance anyway.

“I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head furiously, and she’s vaguely aware of her kanzashi loosening in her side bun.

“...If you had told me sooner…”

She looks up at him in disbelief. If she had told him sooner? Then? “...But you don’t like--” Her lips tighten around that admittance of the secret burden in her heart.

He looks away, one foot scuffs against the ground. “...I would’ve liked to…” He stares hard at a spot somewhere away from them, brows so furrowed, cheeks scrunched. He lets out a breath, then looks directly at her, his expression clouded. “I would’ve liked to get to know you better,” he murmurs.

He might have accepted her? Even if he didn’t have any feelings for her? The gravity of the direction of his words hits her.

Maybe they could’ve been a couple. Maybe he might’ve eventually returned her feelings.

But he’s leaving.

So none of that’s going to happen.

Ever.

If only he wasn’t leaving.

Tears sting her eyes as she stares at his shoes. She doesn’t want to cry. Tonight was supposed to be a happy one. A final, celebratory farewell. But she’s already ruined that. She shouldn’t have said anything. She can’t stop her eyes from burning. “I think I’ll go home.”

She turns around.

“Wait.”

She keeps walking.

“Hinata.”

She can tell he’s trailing after her.

“It’s dangerous,” he tries, using a logic that she knows she should listen to. The city at night isn’t a very forgiving place.

But she feels like she can’t turn back to face him again now.

If only he wasn’t leaving.

If only he wasn’t leaving!

Her feet pick up a pace that she knows her attire can’t handle.

“Hinata! Wait!” he calls, his voice sounding as heavy as her heart.

And somehow, it only makes her feel worse. Her eyes close, a tear spilling out. Now she really can’t face him. Her vision blurs.

If only she hadn’t started crying.

No, if only she hadn’t said anything.

No.

If only he wasn’t leaving.

If only she had more time with him.

Her geta catches on an uneven stone. Her ankle rolls.

She doesn’t have time to cry out as she tries to catch herself.

She hits the ground, pain smarting over her hip and arm.

Tinkly, musical tones snap her eyes open.

Light hits her bookshelves.

She sits up, her blanket falling down to her lap.

She looks at her phone, her alarm set for 6:00. For a school morning.

It’s a school morning?

But she could’ve sworn that she just humiliated herself. Falling after foolishly running in her geta. She can imagine exactly how she fell, the pain a ghost over her ankle and elbow.

She turns off her alarm and gets out of bed.

Utterly confused, she heads to her closet.

Her yukata is hung. Just as it had been all week in sorrowful anticipation for Naruto’s last night in Konoha.

Confused, she reluctantly pulls a uniform out.

She confessed to Naruto, didn’t she?

He rejected her, didn’t he? And in a classic Naruto move, he surprised her. Always saying and doing the unexpected.

Was it a dream?

A vivid, incredibly realistic dream?

She slides open her homeroom’s door. Shino, who’s usually there before her, isn’t in his seat. Just like yesterday. Or was it the day before yesterday he was absent?... So he’s been absent for two days now? Worry makes her frown.

Sakura slides into the desk beside her with a cheery “Good morning, Hinata!”

“Good morning, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura frowns at Shino’s empty desk. “Usually he’s here before you.”

She hums her concern. “I guess he’s still sick.”

“Oh, was he sick yesterday?” Sakura asks, eyes wide. “He’s going to miss the math test, he must be really sick.”

Her breath freezes in her throat, panic shutting everything down. “What? We have another test?”

Sakura looks at her curiously.

“W-we just had one two days ago.”

“What?...No, we didn’t.” Sakura’s more type-A than anyone in the class. She would know.

So Hinata finds herself copying Sakura’s confused expression. “The test on multiplying complex numbers...?”

“...That’s today’s test,” Sakura says slowly, clearly, leaving no room for argument.

Hinata pauses, suddenly feeling incredibly lost. “Oh.” Today’s not Sunday. That wouldn’t make any sense. “Today’s...Friday?” That’s what her phone said, too, so why is she so confused?

“Yep.” Sakura smiles. “And to celebrate, we’re gonna all go out after clubs today for karaoke!” she cheers. “Naruto’s last time,” she says, quieter. “He said he doesn’t know if his new town will even have karaoke.”

Hinata feels like she’s watching everything unfold outside of herself. This already happened. Or, she knew this was going to happen? This already happened, didn’t it? She couldn’t go. Because after judo practice, they always have cram school.

“Do you want to come with? I’m skipping juku,” Sakura says, nose scrunching up in a mischievous expression.

“I don’t think I should skip…” she murmurs, her memories conflicting with the present.

“That’s too bad...You can’t skip just once?...I think Naruto would be happy.”

“...R-really?” No, not really, they hardly talk to each other, even if they’ve known each other since last year. Then again, last night, didn’t he say he would’ve liked to… last night? A hot Saturday night alive with fireworks, the oily taste of overpriced yakisoba on her tongue. A dream?

“Of course he would be!”

The door slides open, her homeroom teacher walks in.

The student leader for the week calls out for them to stand in morning greeting.

Naruto and Shikamaru come stumbling in right after as usual, their teacher grimacing at their near-late intrusion.

And with ever since she learned he’d be moving, the ache in her heart deepens. Starting next week, she won’t see him rushing into class ever again.

She doesn’t want him to leave.

She doesn’t want any of this to end.

Each moment that passes in the school day makes her more confused.

She already learned this.

She knew the whole history lesson. It felt word-for-word. But nobody else wears the same confusion that she has. And somebody, like Naruto, would have said something by now, right?

Rewriting notes, rereading passages, taking the same test.

She dreamed all of this? She’s dreaming right now?

How can this be?

How could she know? All predictions for the afternoon are coming true.

After changing in the lockers from judo, she runs into Naruto and Shikamaru as they’re coming off of baseball practice.

This happened, too, before, didn’t it?

“Oi, Hinata, you going to karaoke with us?” Shikamaru calls out. He’s so smart, he doesn’t even need juku.

The golden boy turns and sees her, eyes widening in surprise.

She said, heart already hurting to decline the invitation right in front of him, “I have juku…”

Shikamaru shrugged and Naruto nodded, wishing her good luck in her studies.

She didn’t miss the daily vocabulary quiz. She continued to practice progressive past voice in the English lesson. She did the responsible thing. She missed out, and it was okay.

Wasn’t it?...

Her wide obi tight around her waist, holding her together as he visibly processed her confession. “I would’ve liked to get to know you better.” A pained expression she’s never seen before on her crush’s face.

Did that really happen or not? What matters is he’s still here right now. So whether it happened or not...this is her last chance. “I’ll go,” she affirms.

“Huh?” Shikamaru asks, taking a step closer in her direction.

“She said she’ll go! You deaf or what?” Naruto smiles brilliantly at her, a grin that never fails to leave her dazed. “So you and Sakura-chan are going to skip for me?” His chest expands as he pumps a fist in the air, cheering.

She didn’t know Naruto even knew she went to the same juku as Sakura.

“You’re coming?!” “You never skip!” “I can’t believe Hinata’s skipping.” “Wow we gotta show her everything she’s been missing out on.”

Such exclamations herald her as the group gathers at the school entrance.

She feels so extremely naughty, so severely embarrassed by the attention, and at the same time, oddly proud of herself.

The subway stops at where she and Sakura usually get off for juku. The doors open.

Hinata stays seated.

The doors close. The subway pulls away for their next stop.

She bites her lips, a strange anxiety seizing the pit of her stomach.

Sakura just shines a reassuring smile at her. “It’ll be alright! We need to live a little, too!”

And Hinata realizes that it’s a lot easier to skip than she previously thought.

No one’s coming after them.

No one’s scolding the crowd of teens in their uniforms for walking through the shopping district. No one’s stopping them from climbing the steps to the second floor of a rather nondescript building and entering the lobby.

The man at the counter assigns them one of the medium-sized rooms.

She follows Sakura in, taking a seat between her and Kiba. She watches Naruto sit across from them, with Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.

It’s hard to not sneak glances at him. It’s exhilarating, being near him in a different setting.

Besides naughty, she feels young, living the way she should be at this age.

Binders are opened, songs are punched in, mics are passed around, and Ino’s calling the man back over a relatively old-looking intercom with orders of juice and soda.

Kiba pushes the binder toward her, urging her to choose a song.

She flips through pages and pages, reading titles and titles until she happens upon a classic pop song, one probably everyone knows. “Is this a good one?”

Kiba glances over. “Yeah put it in! Anything is good!” He grabs the large remote for her.

Anything? So she pushes the ID number in to reserve the song.

Her schedule and strict father don’t permit her much unsupervised free time with her friends.

She’s really breaking the rules.

At this very moment, she should be practicing new vocabulary.

So it takes a few songs for her to feel comfortable enough to sing along.

She figures no one can really hear her anyway over Ino and Naruto, who go hard for nearly every song, even if they don’t have the microphone.

Admiration for their self-confidence puts stars in her eyes, a permanent smile on her face, and laughter bubbling out whenever Naruto acts as the background hype man.

Until Naruto calls out, “Whose song is this?”

“Hinata put this one in!” Kiba says, without missing a beat.

Naruto leans over the table, shoving the mic at her, and she stares at him bewildered.

“Ah, ah-I, don’t need the mic,” she tries.

“Oh don’t worry, Hinata! Just take it!” Sakura encourages.

“Somebody else can take it…” She quickly notices that the momentum of the party has pretty much. Stopped. Because of her attitude. Why is she like this? But, she really doesn’t want to have her voice over the speaker…

Naruto leans back into his seat. “I’ll sing it with you!”

Kiba suddenly has the other mic, passing it over to her from Ino. “Here! Don’t worry!” He adds then, noticing her continued discomfort, “It’s just us.”

Everyone else has picked up the lyrics, already effortlessly singing the classic love song.

She stares at the mic in Kiba’s hand.

Sakura turns to her and whispers over her shoulder, “You can just hold it. You don’t have to sing directly into it.” Her hand fists a ways in front of her, pretending.

“Like this!” Naruto inserts, holding the mic down, away from his face.

Hinata blinks at him.

He nods, encouraging her with bright eyes.

She finds her hand moving on its own accord, taking the mic from Kiba. The cool weight of it makes her insides squirm. She reminds herself that everyone else is taking responsibility for the song they put in. She needs to do the same.

And as the song goes on, she finds it’s not so different from singing without the mic. She really is just holding it.

Everyone claps at the end of the song, and she smiles, embarrassed. She readily hands the mic back to Kiba, and, as per habit, glances toward Naruto.

He’s smiling right at her.

She flushes, but he doesn’t give her time to look away.

“That was great, Hinata!” Just him saying her name makes her want to faint. “Choose another one!” He pushes the giant binder toward her.

She doesn’t really want to. But she doesn’t want to disappoint him.

She opens the lists with a weak smile. She wants to show him her best, that she’s not a stick in the mud, that her dream (or was it a nightmare?) Naruto would have been right to give her a shot at a date.

...Amazingly, she grows more and more comfortable in the atmosphere.

Everyone’s choosing songs.

Everyone’s taking turns with the mic.

It would be weirder if she doesn’t.

It’s fun to sing without worry of judgment. No one’s rating, grading, or nitpicking her. It’s even better to realize that she’s a part of the fun, that she’s not missing out on memories.

Sakura’s holding the mic, looking at her with an excited gleam in her eyes.

The music begins, and Hinata recognizes the title that scrolls across the screen.

“You gotta do it with me,” the pinkette states seriously, standing up.

“Oh no.” They were silly middle schoolers, learning a silly para-para dance on their lunch break. “When did you put that in?”

Sakura ignores the accusing question. “You still remember it, right? At least the hand motions?” Sakura picks up the lyrics, starting the fast-paced pointing and clapping.

Ino rushes up to the front, gesturing at Hinata. “C’mon, I know you still know it!”

She glances at everyone else, at Naruto. All of them have wide, expectant eyes, brows high on their foreheads, excited smiles for the performance.

She can’t do it. Not in front of boys.

Sakura continues, pausing every so often to laugh at Ino’s mistakes.

She finds herself laughing, too. Because she, in fact, does remember the hand motions.

She bites her lips. If she dies tonight, she’ll know who to blame. She stands, Sakura and Ino squeal in joy, and they pick up the energetic beat together.

It’s a throwback to three years ago. When she first started making actual friends. When she only had Sakura and Ino. And the two girly girls were obsessed with getting selected for an idol band.

When she sits back down, she’s smiling harder than she can remember. From embarrassment, yes. From the warmth of her friends, still her friends, even three years later, definitely.

The guys, Naruto included, are smiling directly at them, too, from the entertainment. Her skin is burning up, she’s certain a severe blush has overtaken her, but she tries not to care. She’s happier than she’s been in a long time.

They sing until an hour before minors are kicked out.

Her smile lasts as they spill back onto the streets.

Nine-to-fivers crowd the intersections, heading out for Friday night dinner. The sun shines behind the buildings, casting long shadows and brilliant colors on the clouds.

She feels alive, a part of the heartbeat of the city, more than just a student.

Ino comes up beside her, scrunching a teasing smile. “I think that’s the loudest I’ve ever heard you.”

“Oh, really?” Is that a compliment, an insult, or just an observation? Ino’s probably not wrong, whichever way. She grew less and less worried about the mic over the hour and a half of singing. “I, I guess so, huh.”

“You should come out with us more often!” Ino invites.

“It was a lot of fun,” she admits. She didn’t think karaoke was for her. Whenever Sakura invited her, she thought she’d make a fool of herself. It turns out, maybe she did, but Naruto and Ino made it so no one looked or sounded more ridiculous than them. She should’ve tried to go last school year with them, too…

Naruto turns, looking back at her. “Thanks for coming out, Hinata!” His pace slows until she’s caught up to him, and he’s walking right beside her. “I know you don’t normally...break the rules.” He gives her a sheepish grin.

She averts her gaze. “W-we’re heading back home in time. I don’t think I’ll get in trouble…”

“That’s good.”

She sneaks another look at him, and he’s still watching her. She can feel heat rising to her cheeks.

“You’re going to the festival tomorrow, too, right?”

She nods. It’s getting harder and harder to breathe. It’ll be his last night in Konoha. She’s never dreaded a festival before.

He smiles. Then goes quiet, too.

They walk a few steps in silence when she realizes...he’s not keeping up.

She turns around.

He’s standing there, watching them walk away, a lonely look in his eyes she’s never seen before.

Her breath catches in her chest.

Belatedly, he notices her. A hand comes up, ruffling the back of his hair. “Sorry.”

She shakes her head.

He starts walking again.

She swallows the knot in her throat. “A-are you okay?” A stupid question. Obviously he isn’t.

“Yeah,” he sighs. His hands slip into his pockets. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he repeats, more determinedly.

She doesn’t know what to say to cheer him up. “You…” The thought dies in her throat.

“Yeah? What about me?”

“Um, you’re very good at karaoke.”

He laughs, shaking his head, and she’s glad that his mood brightened again so quickly. “You mean to say I’m terrible at singing, right?”

“N-no, I think you made each song ten times better.” She tries to sound as earnest as possible. Because she honestly believes that. Karaoke without him will obviously never be the same.

He chuckles. “Thanks.” He smiles at her more, and she knows she’s never held his attention for this long. “You were awesome at that dance.”

“Oh,” she verbalizes, blindsided by the compliment. Heat threatens to burst across her face again at the memory. “Oh, no, no.”

“Yeah, you were. Sakura-chan, too. Ino….ehhhh. But you. You knew all the moves.” His arms swing out, mimicking their dance. “I never would have expected all of that from you.”

She thinks she really is going to die from embarrassment. And she knows Sakura is to blame.

He glances down at her again. “Hey, it’s okay! It’s nothing to be ashamed about! You were really good!”

She’s barely recovering.

“If anyone should feel embarrassed, it would probably be Ino,” he adds, quieter, cupping his mouth to keep his voice from traveling.

Remorse for Ino makes her snap out of it. She frowns at him.

“I’m just kidding!” he laughs. “You had fun, right? That’s what you said earlier.”

Getting out of her comfort zone, breaking the rules, being naughty with her friends, spending time with Naruto! It was all much more worth it than she expected. She nods. “I had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, aren’t you glad you came out?”

“Mhm,” she nods. She should have gone out more. She should have tried harder...if she had known Naruto would be leaving...she could have talked to him like this more. She wouldn’t have been so shy. She would have enjoyed herself more. “...I...I wish I went out with...you guys more.”

Naruto’s silent for a second, before replying, “You’ll have more chances to go karaoke.”

She does. He likely doesn’t. Not in the countryside town he’s moving to. She should have just skipped more often. She should have….If only she had more time…. “...I don’t think it will be the same. Without you, Naruto-kun.” She blushes furiously, turning away so that he can’t see the pink of her cheeks.

He doesn’t say anything.

She shuts her eyes, afraid she said something strange.

Her phone’s alarm.

When she opens her eyes, her vision’s blurry, like the world shifted sideways.

Her head against her pillow.

Adrenaline spikes, her heart hammering so hard against her chest that she can hear it reverberating in her ears.

She grabs her phone, exits out of her alarm, stares at the date.

It’s Monday morning.

Five days prior.

She climbs out of bed, trying to get her bearings, turning in circles to find her footing solidly on the floor, the tatami cool beneath her toes.

Everything’s real.

She’s not dreaming.

She wasn’t dreaming.

None of that could have been a dream, it was too real.

She was just walking back to the subway station. Naruto beside her. Behind their friends. The sun rapidly lowering behind the buildings in the busy shopping district. It was about to be dinnertime!

How, how on earth, is she here, in her room, on a Monday morning she already lived?

Chapter 2: All Along

It happened again.

Clenched in his fist, the crystal gem, usually cold on his chest, burns warm.

Like a phone overheating.

He lies in his bed, completely flat, breathing deeply to try to calm the rush of…finding out he can turn time?!

“No fucking way.”

He shoots out of bed, cradling his necklace, examining it.

Rapidly cooling back to its normal temperature, the crystal shines it’s turquoise blue.

His brows furrow, trying to figure it out, his only memento from his deceased godfather.

It originally belonged to his godfather’s...close friend? He remembers seeing the lady on occasion, her caked-on makeup, platinum blond hair, and, perhaps most unforgettably, the smell of her breath. Sour from alcohol, the same as his godfather. The most sober and clean he ever saw her was when they visited her in the hospital. Her death devastated the old man.

Jiraiya never told him her necklace has magic.

His phone vibrates violently on his desk, the alarm alerting him to get ready for school.

He grins.

It’s not his last day.

He has a whole new week to enjoy himself.

And nothing about it is new.

He’s practically peeling Shikamaru out of bed...the guy’s limbs are deadweight.

He’s shoving Shikamaru’s hands into the uniform, repeatedly saying, “Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up it’s ten minutes to!” Deep inhale. “Get up get up geeet uuup your mom said she’d take away your video games if you get detention again! Get up get up get up!”

“Ugh.”

His friend’s never been a morning person.

But it’s worsened since high school.

The familiarity of their stupid morning routine--pass by Shikamaru’s place, find out that the dad just got out of bed and the mom left for work, so inevitably Shikamaru slept through his alarms, so it’s up to him to get his friend to school--is precious to him now.

Racing to school right as the gates close.

Speed-walking like exercising grannies through the halls.

Slamming the door wide open.

Inviting the teacher’s glares with rushed apologies.

He has a place here. A role. Even if he’s “dead-last” in the class. Even if he’s Shikamaru’s real alarm clock.

He’s needed. Special. If he’s not here, who’s going to graciously score the worst on the assessments? Who’s going to be infamous as the class dunce with perfect attendance? Who’s going to lead the nerds to Sports Festival victories? Most importantly, who’s going to wake up Shikamaru?

His life here has been far from perfect.

He lost so much with Jiraiya’s passing.

His life’s always been a series of losses, really.

Yet slowly but surely, he felt like he was getting somewhere in school, his one and only constant.

Even maybe a…

He glances across the room quickly.

Hinata’s as focused as ever, diligently taking notes. A delicate hand thoughtlessly tucks dark strands behind her small ear.

I can’t believe she likes me.

They couldn’t be more opposite in personality.

But he’s always thought that she seemed cute. Really pretty. Beyond the fact that all the guys have pervertedly looked at the way her boobs she fits in her summer uniform, making her that much more unattainable and attractive, he simply always thought that she seemed interesting, considering that such a gentle girl does judo.

Way too quiet.

But.

Maybe not that quiet?

Her dancing at karaoke was ridiculously cute…

If he weren’t leaving, they could go on dates.

He could have a really cute girlfriend.

Why the hell did she confess to me the night before I had to leave.

He frowns down at his notebook and its empty page. He hasn’t been listening to a second of this lecture. It’s not like he’s going to be tested on it. Either he’ll be gone in Awajishima or he could keep looping time to delay his foster family placement.

Objectively he gets why she did it...he's leaving and she just wanted to finally tell him, but…

He glances across the room at her.

Meeting so, so pale, widening eyes.

His heart stops.

She turns back to her notebook. Her fair skin enflames to her ear, rosy all the way down her neck.

He jerks his attention away, his breath caught in his chest. A replay in his mind of what he just witnessed spreads a burn across his own cheeks. Damn.

So this whole time, she’s really actually secretly…liked me? Since when…? What about me does she even like…?

"I love you." She really said that to him. No joke.

Each time he remembers it, he has to gulp down a knot in his throat to try to separate fantasy and reality. His gut goes too warm, like he's liquifying at his core and one glass of water away from getting a stomach-ache.

It’s obvious to him that he doesn’t feel the same way that she does for him. They just haven’t talked that much despite having a few mutual friends. But he doesn’t think it would take much for him to catch feelings.

She's super pretty after all.

He frowns at his notebook harder.

He’s afraid he might already be halfway there. And it’s only been about a day since finding out.

Fuck.

Not that he can really remember the details of the last time he lived this same day, but it seems to be panning out similarly.

Except for this one, odd, unexpected change, same as the last time jump…

Hinata’s here with them in the cafe, ordering a hojicha soft serve cone.

The straight-laced, good girl playing hooky for ice cream?! Not even Sakura skipped juku this time!

Is this some kind of torture? A joke on his already confusing life? How is it that everything else is the same except for her? And the truth of the matter is he’s glad.

Logically he knows he shouldn’t be glad because what kind of hole is he falling into?

And what does this mean?

From the start, this whole time-turning thing seemed unreal. Is his subconscious trying to let him live out some kind of fantasy? Has he cracked under all the stress? Organizing Jiraiya’s burial, moving into youth housing with all the kicked-out teens with undiagnosed emotional disabilities, finding out he has some benevolent family members willing to foster him in a little rinky-dink town...

Anyway.

He licks up the chocolate soft serve before it melts onto his hand. “Thanks again, Shikamaru. You didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he drawls. “It’s my thanks to you for always waking me up. Now I’m clear of all debts!”

Naruto happily eats more, keeping the thought to himself that it’s actually Shikamaru’s second time buying him ice cream. “Haha, what are you going to do without me when I’m gone?”

Shikamaru tsks. “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry about me.”

“It’s all up to you to save your games from your mom here on out,” he laughs. But he doesn’t really feel it. He doesn’t actually want them to move on in life without him.

“What a drag,” Shikamaru drawls.

Ino looks up from her phone. “Do you know who you’re moving in with?”

The question catches him off-guard. Ino didn’t ask him this last time. “Uh sortaaa? I’ve never met them before.”

Hinata’s looking at him, too, and he suddenly feels a pressure to talk more.

“I talked on the phone with them for a little bit at the office.” He remembers that they sounded old. “They’re like my mom’s...cousin’s...mom and dad. Or like my mom's...mom...so my grandma's...sister and husband? They’re fishermen…? Or something.”

“Um.” Hinata’s soft voice rises. “What town was it again?”

“Minamiawaji. But I looked up the address on Maps, and like, they live waay out in the sticks, like the outskirts of the town. It’s impossible to bike to the high school. And there’s no trains on the whole freakin’ island.”

“Wow,” Ino verbalizes, making a face at the thought.

He feels the same. If they don’t drive him to school, he’s going to be in for a workout every morning and afternoon. Even worse, what if they don’t have internet? Well, he’ll just set it up and find a part-time to pay for it...but what if there isn’t even good phone reception? He can’t do anything about that!

“That’s practically right across the bay,” Choji observes, already finishing off his ice cream parfait. “So you’re going to live by the ocean?”

He remembers the street view on Maps. One road leading along the coast, his great-aunt and great-uncle’s house tucked along the street. “Yeah, actually. They live in this little house in this area right across the docks.”

Choji shrugs. “Sounds pretty nice.”

“I…” A barely-there voice.

He turns his attention to Hinata.

She blushes.

His gut inexplicably tightens.

“I’ve been to Awajishima with my family. Two years ago. We saw the whirlpools and the botanical garden.”

“Oh yeah?” After officially confirming that he has relatives on that island, the mystery was solved. He really must be named after those famous whirlpools.

“Mhm. It’s a beautiful island.”

“Hey we can come visit you!” Ino cuts in, eyes wide.

“I dunno…” As far as he knows, besides the whirlpools, there doesn’t seem much to do.

Hinata nods. “I’d like to go again. There’s a sunflower field there we didn’t have time to visit.”

“Sunflowers?” Ino gasps in excitement.

Hinata smiles, eyes glittering with memories. “Awajishima has many beautiful flower fields.”

“Ugh, we have to all go,” Ino decidedly states. “Can you just imagine? Naruto.”

He pulls his eyes off Hinata to see Ino staring at him.

Her sharp brows lift up. “Expect all of us this summer break.”

That would be almost exactly in a month. A lot sooner than he ever thought he’d see them again. “Uh-”

“Yeah, man, we’ll come visit you.” Shikamaru slaps him on the back. “Sounds like a good time to me. Sit around...Look at the ocean...Look at some flowers.”

“Pff.” He can’t help but laugh at what a lazy bum Shikamaru prides himself to be.

Choji looks up from his phone. “Says here they’re famous for beef.” His small eyes enlarge, the way they do whenever he’s looking at food or reading a menu. “And fish! You think your great aunt and uncle are good at cooking?”

“Ehhh, I dunno…”

“Well don’t worry about that!” Ino shoots a glare at Choji. “We’ll just stay at a hostel or AirBnB in the town. We’ll get our own meals. You can just meet us there or whatever.”

Choji’s already deep into his phone’s browser. A glance over shows Naruto the tell-tale stripe of red across the top--the search engine app on the best restaurants in the area.

Hinata tilts her phone his way. “Um, maybe we could stay here?”

Ino bumps shoulders, peering over. “Hey that looks perfect, can I see?”

Hinata hands the phone over, and Ino scrolls through the page, commenting aloud on the amenities, the reasonable price, the location, the nearby attractions.

Naruto glances over at Shikamaru, who just smirks. “Looks like you’re not getting rid of us so easily.”

He doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wasn’t expecting this. This didn’t happen the first time. He’s not sure why this time is so different. It scares him just as much as it pleases him. The trajectory of his future rapidly changed, however small, and he hopes this isn’t a dream.

Ino squeals. “This is so exciting!” She passes the phone back to Hinata. “I’m texting Sakura about this.”

“I have to ask permission, maybe my father will let me go…” Hinata murmurs.

Naruto beams at them. “Well, uh, maybe my great aunt and uncle won’t mind supervising us a little. I’ll just have to see what they’re like.”

Ino lets out a heavy sigh as she taps a message on her phone. “Oh yeah. Well, hold up. I’ll try ask my mom and dad to come with us. Or--Choji!”

Choji looks up.

“You think your parents would want to come, too?”

Choji grins. “I just have to show my dad these restaurants--” He waves his phone. “--And I’m sure they’ll go along for a short trip!”

“Kay, well we gotta figure this out quick before everywhere books up.” She suddenly squeals again, her mood flipping like a switch. “A trip!!” She turns to Hinata. “I hope your dad lets you come!”

“I hope so, too.” The bluenette blushes a smile. “Maybe since he’s been there before, he’ll feel more at ease about me going?”

“Yeah!” Ino nods reassuringly.

They turn to Naruto, and he realizes his own smile hasn’t receded.

“Thanks, you guys. I hope it works out.” He pauses, taking in their looks of excitement. It’s the first time he’s felt like his departure isn’t a finality. “It makes me feel a little better about having to leave.”

“It’ll be cool to see where you’re going to be,” Shikamaru replies. “See for ourselves how you’re going to turn into a country bumpkin.”

He rolls his eyes as Ino laughs. He spots Hinata smiling, too. He tries to keep his imagination from wandering to a trip that might not happen. But if they can all go...If she can go, too…

He likes her.

Somehow, he doomed himself. With this time-turning thing. Running, running, running, and smack! Head-first into a wall.

He could’ve left for Minamiawaji, simply thinking of her as that really quiet, pretty, smart girl who confessed to him at the festival.

Well, that first time he used his necklace was a complete accident.

If he hadn’t done it a second time, he could’ve left for Minamiawaji, simply thinking of her as that really cute, pretty, smart girl who confessed to him at the festival and danced at karaoke.

But no.

Something’s different this time around as their two circles of friends merge during the short lunch periods to plan a trip that still might not happen.

Hinata shares some notable places to visit, every so often looking at him for his opinion on the idea.

If he didn’t know that she likes him, he probably wouldn’t think anything of it. But he does know. And it makes him feel all sorts of messed up and self-conscious whenever she blushes at his smile.

Because a cute, pretty, really attractive, smart, nice girl is crushing on him, has been crushing on him, and it’s obvious she’s been harboring her feelings so secretly as if she doesn’t want to be a bother to him.

It’s really cute. The way she talks. Her voice so soft. Her eyes lighting up joyfully whenever Sakura or Ino enthusiastically agree with an idea.

She’s got a traditional beauty vibe, like a princess from another era with her clear, soft-looking skin and long, dark hair, but it turns out she’s really down-to-earth, keeping her two girl friends from daydreaming about expensive visits to onsen or theme parks.

He likes someone like her.

Someone like her…

He ignores the disappointed shuttering in his chest.

He tries to act as normal as possible with everyone, with her.

Yet at the back of his mind…

He tries not to wonder if she’ll confess to him again at the festival. And what he might say. He'd have to...he'd have to say that...since he's moving...he wouldn't be able to...

Or maybe she won’t confess. Because she'd have to see him on the trip. Then he wouldn't have to tell her that... But how will he feel if she doesn’t confess?...

He tries not to think about her.

She’s so damn hard to not think about.

Suddenly, she’s always around. On his mind.

At the corner of his peripheral, sitting across the room in each period.

Stealing glances at each other during lunch that leave his chest all locked up and his face slightly warm.

Shyly waving goodbye at the end of class, a heady feeling bubbling too quickly for just friendly classmates.

Even karaoke again, Friday night, she’s there.

He just can’t believe himself.

He sits himself beside her. Something he's never dared to do before. Just to feel that overwhelming dose of giddy butterflies that he knows he should be smashing down with a giant lid.

It’s stupid.

But he rationalizes that he can help her get accustomed to singing karaoke like the last time. “Here, Hinata, choose a song!” He heaves the binder over to her.

“Thank you,” she quietly replies.

“Yeah, no problem.” He wants to act nonchalant. Singing along, glancing down at her every so often. Nonchalantly. Right.

When she stops at a title, her finger pointing at the ID number, he quickly grabs the large remote for her. “You found a song you like?”

“Mhm.”

“Tell me the number, I’ll put it in for you.”

“Okay.” She reads it off, and he punches in the digits. “Thank you, Naruto-kun.” She smiles at him so openly as she sweetly says his name, he feels like he did more than just a little favor.

He never thought about it much before this week, but her tone around his name is so light and airy, feminine and nice. He likes it a lot. “Yeah, ‘course.” He doesn’t want to be just nonchalant. He wants to be cool and reliable.

So when her song is up, he’s ready to encourage her to take the microphone. “You can hold it like this if you want.” He shows her, and to his surprise, she readily takes it with a shy smile, nodding.

He cheers for her. He sings with her. He helps her with the remote and the heavy binders.

She smiles at him. She claps happily when he goes hard on a jam. She giggles his name out when he acts silly during a song.

He feels more than just admired.

And he knows he’s doing more than just encouraging her.

He’s doing that embarrassing thing people talk about.

Flirting.

Running, running, running, smack!, face-flat.

He hates this doomed feeling. He loves it, too.

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata do that para-para number. Unlike on the other timeline, she seems a little more willing, a little looser, even cuter.

The girls study the binder and find another one they remember.

The music is upbeat and adorable, just like their dancing.

He claps along, trying to catch the words here and there.

But inwardly, he’s mildly disgusted in himself. He can’t stop watching her bouncing form, the swirl of her pleated skirt at her thighs. How he’s hoping the other guys aren’t doing the same thing as him, or at least not looking at Hinata. How logically he knows it’s neither healthy nor nonchalant, nor cool, nor reliable...of him to be constantly thinking, cute, cute, cute, cute.

It’s with regretful relief he sees that they decide they’ve had enough dancing for one night.

When she sits back down beside him, he doesn’t really know what to say.

She’s smiling widely, a blush stained on her cheeks.

...She’s really “Cute.”

She blinks up at him, eyes wide. “...Huh?” she verbalizes.

He closes his stupid mouth and turns away, suddenly incapable of looking at her. “Yeah...your guys’ dancing was great!”

She’s silent for a long moment. Then quietly, she murmurs, “Thanks.”

He peeks at her.

Her eyes are fixed on the screen as she pretends to sing along, but her steaming red ears are a dead giveaway to how his words affected her.

He’s dying and living over this. He wants to tease her more, he wants to flirt and test this feeling out more.

They sing, nearly forgetting the time.

It’s as they’re walking back to the station, he realizes.

The week is almost over.

One more day.

Then the festival.

And will she confess again?

He slows his pace until she’s caught up. “Hinata.”

“Hm?” She looks up at him with a shy smile.

He still doesn’t know if he actually wants her to or not... “You’re going, right? To tomorrow’s festival?”

She looks away, her head dropping, shaking.

“You’re not?!” He realizes belatedly that he sounds way too surprised, too upset.

She silently nods.

But last time she went! And the time after that, too, she said she was going to go!...He tries to scale his emotions back. “...Why not?”

“I, um, got caught on Monday. For skipping juku.”

“You did?” He still sounds a little too upset.

Her lips tighten into a frown. “So I’m not allowed to go to the festival tomorrow.”

“You...got back late or something?”

“Oh. No. I actually got home too early.” She ducks her head in embarrassment. “My little sister accidentally told my dad I got home earlier than expected. She didn’t mean to get me in trouble.”

He can’t believe this.

He tries to wrap his mind around this.

She’s not going to confess to him tomorrow night.

He’s not going to see her at all.

She won’t be there.

“I’m sorry I can’t come,” she murmurs.

No, he could fix this. He can make sure she’s there. If he just resets this week, if he just warns her to stay out until it’s the time she usually goes home. Or if he just...

He grips the gem at his neck.

“I hope I can at least go on the trip. I haven’t asked, yet.”

The trip. He completely forgot about that for a moment.

If he turns back the time, there’s no guarantee events would pan out the same way. There’s no telling if Ino and Hinata would think to bring up the topic the second time around. Or if Hinata would even go get ice cream with them.

If he resets this week, they might not talk the way they have been. All of these sweet exchanges with her...gone.

“...You really can’t go tomorrow?”

She shakes her head again. “I really wanted to go.”

“Mm.” He wanted her to go, too… He fingers the necklace, uncertain.

“So that’s why I came tonight.” She smiles up at him, a slightly sneaky expression on her face he’s never seen before.

Despite his mixed feelings, he can’t help but grin back. “Yeah, I’d never have thought that you’d skip classes!”

Her cheeks pinken, a self-satisfied smile blossoming. “I never thought I would either.”

“...So what made you change your mind?” His gut tightens. He glances at her nervously. What if she says it was him?

But she looks away, eyes unfocused. “...I think I was given a second chance.” She smiles softly.

“A second chance?”

“Mhm. I thought it was my last chance, but it wasn’t.”

Does she mean going out with them? With him? “What was your last chance?...Or- you thought was your last chance?”

“Um.” She peeks up at him. Then quickly glances away. “The festival. To have fun with everyone together.”

He blushes a smile. "Everyone" meaning...including him. It's roundabout. It's there, but it's not exactly what he wants to hear. “But still, you wanted to go tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah…” She nods, then shrugs. “It’s okay. I had a lot of fun this week.”

He fists his hands. Somehow, it’s not okay. There’s no saying if his friends can even go on the trip. Choji and Shikamaru will likely visit him, but if he really wants for them to come, he’s close enough with them that he could just bring the topic up on his own in a do-over. “...What if you could do this week over? Would you?”

She snaps her attention to him quickly, alarm in her eyes. “W-what?”

“If you could do it over…” he starts, more uncertain with her strong reaction. “So that you can go tomorrow...would you?”

Her brows furrow up at him, and unconsciously, he squeezes the gem between his finger and thumb. She looks away, blinking, obviously thinking it through.

He’s about to backtrack when she looks up at him, determination set across her features.

“No. For once in my life, I feel like I didn’t regret a single moment.” She smiles. “I felt like I lived fully. Even when I got in trouble with my father, I felt like...I was experiencing life. So it’s okay if I can’t go tomorrow.”

He wants to smile genuinely at her. He wants to feel happy for her. Just her lively spirit this afternoon, her smiles, her dancing, her laughter, all of it has been amazing, eye-catching, attractive. Except the gigantic hope he didn’t even know he had for tomorrow was completely extinguished.

He wants more time.

He’s not ready to go.

He wants to hang out with her at the festival, he wants to hear her confession, he wants those words unprompted, given freely to him as if he’s always simply deserved her affection.

He never even had to try.

He just existed in the same class as her.

He didn’t know.

But had he known. Had he known, he could’ve done something about it.

She’s lived this past week without regrets, but what about him?

What should he have done differently?

How much time does he need to change things?

From before Jiraiya passed so that he doesn’t have to move?

...But his godfather suffered for so long with his addiction. He did all that he could to help. His godfather tried as best he could, too. Going back to that time...the 119 calls, the hospital stays, the arguments over missing money… He loved his old man, but his passing was a long time coming. And he doesn’t think he wants to experience any of that constant worry again.

A week.

This week over again is all he needs.

He grips the gem. Please.

The subway pulls into the station.

The doors slide open.

His friends pile in.

“Naruto! C’mon!” Sakura yells at him.

His heart pounds.

It didn’t work.

Please stand clear of the doors.

He dashes into the crowded car.

“You okay, man?” Kiba asks. “You zoned out?”

“Yeah…” He’s still not all present. He takes off his necklace to examine it.

It shines in perfect clarity, no scratches or smudges.

He tries again, gripping it, wishing for more time.

The subway train begins moving, the standing passengers swaying slightly.

Why won’t it work this time?! He frowns at the sudden, discomforting sensation that...this is reality. This moment is the real thing. He doesn’t get a do-over.

Everything this week was truly his last shot.

...Did he ever even have a shot? Was it ever fair?

His eyes drift over toward Hinata, who’s standing very closely with Ino and Sakura. Choji and Shikamaru stand around the trio, casually and purposefully separating them from the salarymen on the opposite side, their obvious presence discouraging any aberrant gazes toward the girls.

He can’t help frowning.

There are too many people for it to make any sense for him to try moving closer to her. To protect her like any good guy would. That was his chance, too, and he didn’t even realize it.

He got in too late.

Too late.

It’s too late for him.

For them.

For there to be a “them.”

He half-expects to see her.

Inseparable three girls dressed in yukata, their slow approach heightening the fun adrenaline of the occasion. They took small steps toward them, due to their traditional wear. Naruto knows they all turned to look. Noticing.

Hinata looked like she was made to wear it, like the model in the video advertisement at the main train station. Her long hair was up fancy, exposing more of her cheeks and neck than he had ever seen.

And the yukata made even brash girls like Sakura and Ino look demure, their rowdiness contained within the tightly pulled folds and draping sleeves. He felt like he'd never seen them more covered.

But he didn't get a chance to dwell on that thought for long.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Ino gasped, loudly. "I never would have thought you'd wear one, too! And Choji! You guys look really good!" She said such a compliment without a single hint of embarrassment.

Sakura passed a glance at him and Kiba. "You two didn't dress up?" she asked, accusingly.

Even though he knew Shikamaru and Choji don't care at all about what Ino thinks, he couldn't help feeling the smallest bit of jealousy. "I don't even own one," he replied. Not that he really cared about what Ino and Sakura think. But that, in general, that must be what girls honestly feel about guys in yukata...

"My mom forced me to wear it," Shikamaru huffed.

"Mine, too," Choji said with a shrug.

And even if he did own one, it's not like anyone would help him put it on.

"And what do you think about us?" Ino asked impatiently.

Kiba cocked his head, frowning, looking among them. "Hinata sure, but for you two...doesn't match, does it."

Their faces deformed so quickly.

All the guys couldn't help busting out in laughter as they realized Kiba accidentally voiced what they were all thinking.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata scolded, her voice raised to...a regular-human level. Then, "Ino-chan! Sakura-chan!" more panicked as the two fruitlessly tried to swat at Kiba, who could easily jump out of reach, not at all encumbered by geta.

"If I wasn't wearing this! You'd be dead!" Ino threatened. But she didn't seem actually mad. Naruto was pretty certain she found the humor in this, too.

There's no Hinata tonight to diffuse the situation. Kiba's joke is still funny. But her absence is almost visually painful.

Everything just wrong. Missing her.

He hardly talked with her that night, but it’s not like he didn’t notice her.

He just…

Thought…

She was too proper and elegant to ever consider someone like him…

Last week…or in the other timeline...he looked at her a lot without meaning to. Her hair was pulled up, her eyes were so noticeable, she looked different.

He guesses he always just looked at her. He never really had conversations with her. He didn’t know what they had in common. But she was around enough to look at. Around enough for him to acknowledge that she was good-looking and smart, but quiet. In the past year or so that he’s known her, she was always something between just-another-classmate and a friend because he was friends with her friends. So a close classmate? A friendly acquaintance? It was nice to just stand near her and know that a takane no hana was next to him.

And now?

Now they’re actually friends?

And all he had to do was talk to her for a minute longer?

All she had to do was go out with them once or twice?

It’s not fair!

If he told her his feelings right now!

If he just called her--

He doesn’t even have her number.

He doesn’t have her LINE.

Does she even have an Insta?...

Can he ask someone for her contact info now?

Wouldn’t that be too obvious? Out of the blue? Strange now to ask for such a thing since he’s leaving anyway?...

The night goes on.

Despite their jokes about their yukata, Ino and Sakura are pretty. They're funny, the life of the party, going head-to-head on festival games. The duo is just as noisy as the last time.

He tries his luck and skill, competing with them, winning at shateki, but Ino and Sakura are never so easily impressed.

So he was actually just trying to impress Hinata? Last week, or rather, in the original timeline?

He thought he wanted to look good for “the girls,” but actually, logically, didn’t he know Sakura and Ino don’t give a damn?

All along I…

The night’s not nearly as fun as he remembers it being.

The yakisoba’s not as filling, the shave ice isn’t as sweet.

The fireworks aren’t as nice, either...beside him at the railing stands a stranger.

Hinata was there last time.

Her voice so soft. “Naruto-kun.”

“Yeah?” What if he had stopped watching the show and looked at her then? He can imagine how she must have looked in that moment...pretty, and so close to him.

“I love you.” He doesn’t remember the last time anyone said that to him.

“What?” And that was what he said. That’s what he said.

Her eyes wide, the proverbial “deer-in-the-headlights.” That’s how she looked. That’s how he made her look.

“Sorry,” she whispered. And she looked away like she already regretted her words, like they were a crime against him, like she somehow severely inconvenienced him.

And that’s basically what he ended up implying, right? As he realized the really pretty Hinata just confessed to him of all people, the night before he needed to leave, and he let his mouth continue to uselessly bumble out as if his first reply wasn't enough injury... “Why now?” “I’m leaving!” “So why would you tell me that now?” “I can’t do anything about--”

She eventually seemed too shocked to answer him. Speechless. Then she turned away. She ran. Literally ran in her geta and yukata. Away. From him. Because he was such an insensitive asshole. And she fell.

His throat closes up, a knot too large to swallow. The explosions of color above go dull in his ears, but pound in his head. A hot pain prickles behind his eyes.

He made her run away from him. Nice, pretty Hinata ran from him and fell because she couldn’t stand to be near him. And that’s a sight he realizes now, standing here in this exact spot where she bared her intimate secret to him, that he’ll never forget...he’ll never forgive himself for it.

Maybe back then he didn’t know what to do when she confessed, and even now he’s not sure what he would do, but that’s not the problem!

Even with a second chance.

He just wanted more time.

Then with a third chance.

He wanted more time with her.

In the end, he did nothing to absolve him of hurting her. Because even if in this timeline it never happened, even if he erased it, even if she doesn’t know that’s how he decided to react to her feelings, it still happened to him. He still acted that way.

One more chance would make all the difference.

He doesn’t need a week. He doesn’t even need a day. Just that moment with her.

Just that moment back!

It was what he was counting on!

It was supposed to happen again!

He was supposed to be able to fix it somehow!

“Naruto-kun.”

“Yeah?” And he’ll look at her. He’ll meet her eyes for a last time. He’ll really look at her and he’ll memorize everything soft and perfect about her. He’ll burn it into his mind, he’ll forget the first time, he’ll do it properly this time, and at the end of it all he’ll make sure she smiles up at him, warm and right. “Hinata?” he'll say, to encourage her.

And she’ll whisper...

What if no one ever says “I love you” to him ever again?

What if that was his only chance? In his life?

Can’t he somehow go back to that moment? Just to hear it again?

He grips his necklace, willing it to heat in his hand the same way it did that night.

Just that moment.

One more time!

He’ll leave after that! He doesn’t need them to come visit him, he’ll leave, he’ll be a good foster kid, he’ll do his best at his new school, he’ll stop complaining about the countryside, and he’ll never regret anything again if he could just--

He prays to whatever time deity lives enshrined in his stone.

But it doesn’t answer him.

#chapter 3 scheduled for July #inspired by movie Fireworks Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom?#naruhina2020 #nh2020 #naruhina fanfic #teen romance #coming-of-age story #time loop #too late #high school au #sorry i stay on island time #naruhina fanfiction

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