#listen. I miss the old masks already too. that’s not the point. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

draguta · 1 year

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.a court of ash and smoke | eleven.

pairing: lucien vanserra x reader

summary: five years before feyre archeron ever stepped foot in prythian, another human girl found herself in the spring court. but the trials and tribulations of her time under the mountain left her with nothing but a certain red-headed high fae emissary, who had once resented her entire presence, to help and guide her.

chapter warnings: mentions of violence

chapter word count: 2495

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Being back in the Spring Court manor house almost felt unreal. You caught yourself pinching your own arm on more than one occasion to make sure you weren’t dreaming. But it was real, just as Lucien had told you. It was all real.

Alis had enveloped you into a tight hug the second you had ascended the marble steps leading into the house. “Oh, my dear,” she said with a soft smile. “We have missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” you replied, and it was true.

She explained quickly that Feyre had taken your old room when she had arrived. Not that you minded, you hadn’t been here after all. Alis led you to the next room along the hall, the one directly opposite Lucien’s room. It was scarcely different to the last, besides the fact that the walls were a delicate sky-blue as opposed to the light turquoise light green of your old room. Your dresses had already been arranged in the wardrobe, and you were thankful that Alis helped you bathe and dress into something more fitting, although you didn’t admit to her that you folded the clothes Lucien had leant you and kept them hidden at the bottom of the wardrobe.

You sat at the vanity as she brushed and braided your hair, letting the body of it fall around your shoulders, with only two dainty plaits wrapped around each side of your head, pulling your hair away from your pointed ears. You had no doubt that she had noticed your changes - had noticed the glow that now sat around you like a blanket, your pointed ears and sharpened features that you had grown accustomed to seeing in the mirror - but she didn’t mention it. Perhaps she had already known. Maybe Tamlin or Lucien had told her. They had, after all, told Feyre about her.

“I could hardly believe it when my mask came off,” she continued, and you blinked up at her in the mirror. She had been speaking, and you had not really been listening. You had been too focused on memorising every inch of her face and of the room in the reflection of the mirror, so light and airy, compared to those prison-like chambers you were subjected to Under the Mountain. She looked different with her mask gone, her face young-looking despite knowing her old age, and bore an odd sense of motherly features. She was pretty. “I was with my two boys when it happened. Oh, how I cried.”

“Your boys,” you said, and she glanced up, catching your eye in the mirror. “Are they here?” She nodded. “Can I meet them?”

She smiled softly. “Eventually, but let’s get you used to being back first. They’ll still be there waiting when you’re ready.”

You nodded, lips thinning in slight disappointment. Then a thought occurred to you. “Now that Feyre is here, I’ll need a new maid, right?”

Alis cocked her head. “Am I not good enough for you?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “No, it’s not that,” you laughed. “But Feyre will be lady of the Spring Court now. So surely your first priority will be her now, not me.”

She pursed her lips. “I suppose,” she considered. “I’m sure we can find one of the other girls to take over my duties with you.”

You smiled and nodded in agreement. You were sure Alis would find a suitable replacement, although even going back to having someone to tend to your needs was a harsh and peculiar juxtaposition after so many years with only yourself to care for.

“But just you remember,” Alis chuckled. “That you always come to me first when you need someone, got it?”

“Got it.”

Tamlin and Feyre arrived later that evening. You had made yourself comfortable in the library, the fire blazing and crackling in the hearth, although in the warm spring heat it was hardly needed. You had been reading, although it was difficult to focus on the words. Your mind kept flashing back to that horrid court, to the hand that roamed your body, to watching Lucien and Feyre used as toys for torture and torment so many times, to the power that surged through me, and the snap and crunch of Amarantha’s bones.

You heard their voices before you saw them, hushed whispers of, “I love you,” drifting from their placement in the hallway. You tried not to listen, tried to ignore them. And yet, you couldn’t help but feel an ache of joy in your heart at the confessions of love and one another. Tamlin had found someone, and they were…happy.

“I can imagine that’s going to get boring and sickly pretty quick,” Lucien’s voice sounded from the far side of the library. He had snuck in through the second door on the back wall, by the desk that sat below the wide-spread window. He looked cleaner than he had in months, fresh and flushed with colour. He looked healthy.

“I see you’ve found my hiding spot,” you chuckled, closing the book with a slight snap of the pages as they hit together, leaning forward in your chair as he approached, taking the seat opposite you by the fire.

“Well, after you weren’t in your room or the grounds, Alis found me wandering about the East Wing looking for you, and suggested I try here,” he smirked.

“Ah, Alis does know everything that goes on under this roof,” you chuckled.

“She always has,” he laughed. He stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in the gold of his prosthetic eye. He let out a soft sigh. “Is it as strange for you as it is for me, to be back here?”

“It’s certainly…odd,” you admitted, looking into the fire and watching as it ate away at the wood logs that it clung to. As excited as you had been to return home, there had been a strange air when Lucien had retired to his own room and let you to your own devices with Alis, a feeling that with that power under your skin, and the terrible things that you had been forced to do for so long, you didn’t quite belong somewhere so beautiful anymore. “I’d almost forgotten what it was like here. Alis went to braid my hair, and I almost growled at her.”

Lucien chuckled. “It’s going to take some getting used to, that’s for sure.” He looked at you then, those feline-like lips of his curled into a soft smile.

“I’m just glad that you’re here with me,” you said quietly. His smile grew, and he reached a hand out toward you, placing it over the back of your own. And for the first time in the many years that you had known him, in all the time that he had touched you before, you were sure that then, as his warm hand wrapped around yours, you felt a spark.

“Me too,” he said quietly.

Oh, how everything had changed. There was a time when you would have run from him, had kept yourself hidden away in your room when Tamlin left for business outside of the court or somewhere far in the grounds. A time when you would have slunk away from his touch, and cringed each time you felt his eyes on you, always narrowed and filled with hate. But that had been before, when you had been naïve and had thought that the coldest and harshest tongue you would hear would be his.

You knew better now.

You knew true evil now, and Lucien was far from it, with his warm eyes and soft touch, one that you would never have imagined from him before, but now filled you with so much safety and comfort. Lucien was not your enemy. He was your friend.

He was everything.

“Come now,” he said, squeezing your hand gently. “Diner will be ready soon.”

You followed him through the house, back through the front foyer and into the dining room. It was exactly as you remembered it from that very first meal where you had gorged yourself on roast chicken and lamb. The only difference now was that the table was smaller in size, and there was a particular mark on the wall, one that looked scarily like claw marks, that you could not remember being there before. You knew that the house had been trashed not that long ago, Lucien had let that slip, that Rhysand had all-but destroyed it when he had come to drag them to Amarantha’s court, but the servants had done a miraculous job at fixing it up, to the point that you never would have guessed it had ever been destroyed at all - the joys of magic, you thought. Yet, that solitary claw mark remained, embedded into the wall on the far side of the room, by the window.

“Tamlin did that,” Lucien said, following your eyeline. “When we got back after you were taken Under the Mountain.”

Five years. That mark had been there for five years, and Tamlin had never made a move to fix it. “He wanted to keep it,” Lucien said slowly, studying your face. “So that he wouldn’t forget. So he would keep fighting to get you back.”

Your heart cracked. There had been a time when you had told him not to try, to leave you there, and in the years that passed you had convinced yourself that he had given up on you. Yet, there was that mark that proved you wrong.

A hand on your shoulder nudged you slightly, guiding you to a seat at the end of the table, to the left of the table head where Tamlin would sit. You sat down - Lucien’s usual seat. The table was smaller than you remembered it being, narrower and shorter, but you didn’t question it as Lucien took the seat beside you, and the two of you waited for the High Lord and his lover to make an appearance.

You waited for all of twenty minutes before they appeared in the doorway, looking rather dishevelled. Lucien threw you a knowing smirk, and small wink, as the couple took their seats at the table, and the food appeared before you. Some kind of spit-roasted pork, and vegetables, and salad, and even a chocolate pudding.

You ate in silence, and it lay heavy on your shoulders. None of you knew what to say, and you all knew that words wouldn’t convey what you really felt anyway. Of how grateful and glad you were to be home, and for you all to be ok. How you didn’t know how to continue, how to go back to how things were before, and perhaps you shouldn’t.

It wasn’t until Tamlin finished his plate and leaned back in his chair, glass of wine in hand, that he finally spoke. “So, are we going to discuss it, or pretend that it never happened?”

You looked up and to your surprise found him blinking back at you expectantly. You glanced from Feyre to Lucien and back again - they all seemed to know what he was referring to. “Discuss what?”

“Your powers,” he said plainly. Your fork clattered to your plate and your body went rigid. You opened your mouth to speak and then closed it again, not even knowing where to begin. Lucien placed a comforting hand on your knee under the table and squeezed gently, out of sight of the others at the table. “I’m not…angry. You killed Amarantha, but I want to know, do you think those…powers are still there? Or do you think that they went away as soon as she was killed? Spells are tricky, and I need to know if you will be living in my house.”

You swallowed hard, not entirely sure how to place it into words. “I-I honestly don’t know,” you said quietly, glancing down at your plate, not wanting to meet his emerald stare. “I can’t feel them anymore, and I wouldn’t even know how to activate them again. But-”

You paused, weighing up whether or not you should even say it. But Tamlin was your family, Lucien was your family, and Feyre was a part of that family now, and so you continued.

“It’s like there’s something there, hidden somewhere inside me, whispering to me,” you explained. The truth. You had felt it the night before in Lucien’s room as you lay in the tub, head underwater. “As if it’s calling to me, asking me to touch it, the dark light.”

Lucien hissed through his teeth. “What do you think it means? What does it want?”

You looked up to him. “It never says outright, it’s just there, a feeling. But if I had to guess, I would think it wants me to become whatever it was that I was in that throne room. It wants to consume me. It wants death.”

Tamlin reached over the table and patted the back of your hand. “We’ll work it out.”

You could only hope that he was right.

Lucien squeezed your knee under the table, and you allowed your eyes to drift to him. “Tamlin is right,” he said gently, shooting you a small, comforting smile. “There’ll be a way out of this, I’m sure of it, and we-” he glanced at the others at the table, “will fix it. Right Tam?”

“You,” Tamlin seethed suddenly, pointing a finger at Lucien. The rage came from nowhere, as if someone had wound him up using a key on his back and set him off like an old toy. “Do not speak to me in this house, and you do not speak to her.”

Lucien blinked in surprise. “What?”

Feyre slouched down in her chair, picking at her food awkwardly, and you glanced from Lucien to Tamlin and back again in confusion.

“I know what you did,” Tamlin snarled, claws poking from his knuckles ever-so-slightly to glint in the late afternoon light. “Stay away from her. Do you understand, Lucien?”

He spat Lucien’s name as though it were poison. “Tam-” you began, but your brother simply held up a hand, commanding you to silence, his eyes never leaving the red-head beside you. Lucien squeezed my knee once more before retracting his hand.

“I think it’s time I retired,” he said quietly but harshly, rising to his feet. You opened your mouth to stop him, to ask him to stay, but he was already striding toward the door, turning back to Tamlin enough to say, “We’ll discuss this later.”

That night, tucked into your bed in the Spring Court, safe and at home, it wasn’t Amarantha that you dreamt of as you had assumed would be the case. Instead, it was that dark light that flooded your mind, appearing to you in the same way that it had before, in the throne room, in the bathtub. Surrounded by red, smokey mist, dancing and glittering, whispering for you to touch it.

You didn’t dare.

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starklyscifi · 7 months

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All The Good Men Are Dead

Jake has a secret that he thinks he can bury in the desert.

Jake Henderson’s teeth were near rattled straight out of his head by the time he reached the end of the dirt track passing for a road in the Nevada desert. The sensation continued for a good five minutes after he turned the engine off. He dreaded getting out. The desert was a forbidding place in the daytime, never mind at night. And this far away from everyone.

The landscape was empty as far as the eye could see, except for the graveyard right in front of him.

It belonged to a town that had vanished into the sagebrush decades ago. Not even the outline of a foundation remained. Only a rusting iron fence stood defiant to the endless wind, surrounding little rusting iron fences still protecting their graves from the coyotes.

Or keeping something else in.

The only light was from the cold stars above as Jake forced the door to his 1987 Chevy pickup open. It protested, squealing.

The former town had long vanished from any map. He was convinced only a handful of people even knew it existed.

Jake wrestled the duffel bag and a shovel from the bed of the pickup. The wind whistled through the sagebrush. His shoulders tensed. Mama had taken longer than normal to fall asleep tonight. He didn’t have a lot of time.

He picked a grave and sunk his shovel into the dirt. It scrapped against a rock. He clenched his teeth at the awful sound.

The hole was halfway dug when he heard it. But there was no one out here to clear their throat, so he ignored it. His school guidance counselor, Miss Vicky, was always saying to just do it scared.

“What in holy hell are you doin’ to my grave?”

The fear that flashed through Jake’s body, causing him to drop the shovel, was the same fear that coursed through his veins when he was five and Mama found him eating him candy from the cupboard over the stove that he knew he wasn’t supposed to touch.

A pair of worn cowboy boots stood across the grave from him. An old man with weathered skin and broad brimmed hat was wearing them.

And Jake could see right through him.

“I asked you a question,” the ghost said, one moment on the other side of the graveyard and then right in front of him, ghostly nose almost touching his. Jake felt a cold wind on his face, the breathe of the dead.

“Hiding something.” Jake didn’t see the point in lying to the dead.

The ghost looked him up and down. And smiled.

“You should hide it over there,” the ghost said, pointing a bony finger two graves over, “Ain’t no one looking in the preacher man’s box.”

Jake finally read the name on the headstone of the grave he was desecrating. Harry Thiel, died 1891.

He used to be a good person. Before Mama lost her job. And he robbed a bank. It was just to pay the bills, he told himself. But he’d taken more than just enough to pay the bills. And he’d been stupid, only going one town over with a ski mask and a handgun. Sheriff Billy had already been around to Mama’s place twice this week, asking questions.

The ghost laughed at the story.

“Boy, you sure landed yourself in it.”

Harry appeared next to Jake’s rotting husk of a truck and then back next to Jake. “Beside, they’ll know where you’ve been.”

“How do you know about GPS?”

“You have lots of time to listen when yer dead.”

Jake picked the shovel up. Harry watched him dig for a while.

“You’re not too bright are you.”

Jake grunted, putting pressure on the shovel. The handle slipped, hitting him in the face as the ground gave way.

“Where is the last place that you’d ever look?”

“I dunno, but I think I’d be looking in the fresh grave.”

“But this isn’t—“ Jake shut up as he realized what the ghost met.

Fuck.

“It doesn’t matter.” He stopped shoveling. “No one will be out here until the ground has settled.”

Right?

“How do you think I know about them there GPS?”

Apparently not.

Jake slumped to his knees. The desert ground was as cold as the stars fading overhead. The eastern hills were faintly visible.

He was out of time.

“I guess this is the part where you tell me to do the right thing,” he muttered.

The ghost laughed. It chilled Jake to the bone. It was a swirling, screaming wind that threatened to ripe the sagebrush out by the roots.

“Boy, I robbed banks for a living. I’ll not tell you to get yourself hanged.”

“We don’t do that anymore,” Jake said, still muttering.

Harry looked at the blue duffel bag again, hungry. Even in death his eyes were filled with greed. “That’s a pity.”

Jake didn’t think ghosts had much use for cash. Harry laughed again. Jake wished he would stop doing that. That sound would haunt his dreams for eternity.

“Just put it in the mine,” Harry said, up close and personal again.

Jake shivered. There were reasons why he had thought about the long abandoned, though apparently frequently visited, graveyard before any of the abandoned mines that littered the landscape. Most of them having to due with a fondness for his unbroken body. Mines were treacherous things at the best of times.

He had no desire to venture down into one, especially not the gaping hole in the hillside Harry was pointing at. That mine had swallowed more people than this graveyard held.

“You put it down there and no one will every find it, not till you’re nice and ready. Folks these days are a bunch of scaredy cats.”

Jake looked Harry up and down, as much as one can a non-corporeal entity.

“Are you stuck here?”

Harry laughed, sucking the last bit of warmth out of Jake’s bones, and vanished as the sun broke over the mountains.

@flashfictionfridayofficial

#flash fiction #horror #writing #flash fiction friday #original writing #western horror #western #ghost #writeblr #writers on tumblr #creative writing #writerscommunity

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anthonybrxdgerton · 7 months

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i completely respect an actors choice to step away from a project but IMAGINE: S2 where Simon, as the godson to lady D and the closest male relation (plus a duke to boot) takes on the responsibility of male protection for kate/edwina. meaning he get revenge on anthony when he starts courting edwina and also immediately figures out hes in love with kate. once anthony and kate are engaged he makes a point to chaperon & keep them from doing the hanky panky pre wedding

Simon would have put the end to Anthony's stupidity as soon as he had the chance, let's be honest here. And Kate and Anthony would give him a run for his money while sneaking out unchaperoned until Simon threatens to borrow the cane from his godmother. Not that it stops them, they're just getting more creative.

This ask inspired me to write something short, hope you enjoy that!

Simon shakes his head in disbelief as he observes his oldest friend continuously embarrassing himself whenever he is in Kate’s presence. The sight of Miss Edwina, completely oblivious to her surroundings as she gazes adoringly at Anthony, who only has eyes for her sister, causes Simon to narrow his eyes and sigh with defeat.

Later that evening, Simon takes Anthony to Mondrich’s club, where he listens with growing irritation as his friend recounts their day together, focusing solely on the eldest Miss Sharma. Simon shakes his head, trying to bite down the annoyance. There is only one way to make Anthony see reason and stop the impending disaster Simon can see happening, and he knows he needs to stay calm.

“You’re doing a phenomenal job of making her fall in love with you,” Simon remarks nonchalantly, feigning disinterest as he surveys the establishment. “I assume you’ve had a change of heart regarding a love match? I am proud of you, old friend.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Simon notices Anthony freeze, setting down the drink he was about to consume. Simon hides his smirk behind a mask of indifference.

Hook.

“What are you talking about?” Anthony’s voice is full of warning and Simon snickers inside. Oh, this shall be good.

He makes a big show of pretending he doesn’t hear him until Anthony is forced to repeat the question. “Oh, come on, Bridgerton, no need to be modest here! Miss Edwina can barely tear her eyes away from you, blushing every time you so much as look at her. And you are the only thing she wants to discuss, too,” Simon adds with a smirk. “Just the other night, she was telling us how deeply in love you must be, courting her so ardently and inviting her to Aubrey Hall so early. Miss Sharma and I were all ears.”

Anthony pales with each word until his hands are shaking.

Line.

Simon feels guilty for causing his friend such distress and for embellishing the truth. In reality, it wasn’t Miss Edwina who confided in him; it was Kate who approached him with her concerns, troubled by Edwina’s infatuation with the viscount. Simon promised Kate to help Anthony see reason and do everything in his power to prevent the courtship from progressing, all without causing any scandal. After all, Anthony’s desire for a loveless marriage didn’t align with Edwina’s dreams.

He repeats that to himself to appease his conscience as he takes a deep breath, preparing to deliver the final blow.

“Miss Edwina believes she has found a love match with you,” Simon says, hoping to shock Anthony into reconsidering his ill-conceived plan.

Anthony’s eyes widen in a mix of shock, horror, and concern, leaving Simon uncertain of his true emotions. Nevertheless, Simon knows that this revelation is necessary for Anthony to abandon his ill-thought-out plan.

“I do not— this is not a love match,” Anthony hisses angrily after a while, downing his drink in one gulp. “You know this, Hastings. Miss Edwina must be mistaken.”

“Ah, but she believes otherwise,” Simon counters. “Miss Sharma and I tried to persuade her to give other suitors a chance, but she is already eagerly anticipating a proposal. She hopes for it to be as romantic as possible, Bridgerton, complete with a declaration of your undying love.”

Anthony’s jaw drops, and he swallows hard, vigorously shaking his head in disbelief.

Sinker.

Simon drinks his whiskey in peace, knowing his friend well enough to trust his judgment, even if what he had just said wasn’t entirely true. Sometimes, it was better for Anthony to remain blissfully unaware, Simon thinks. As much as it pains him to admit it, Anthony’s plan for a loveless marriage isn’t as uncommon as one might think — most marriages among the ton are business arrangements. However, Anthony’s plan had a flaw— he had chosen to pursue a woman who believed in love.

So, Simon might have lied a little about Edwina’s attachment. He and Kate know that Edwina likes Anthony, but she is not in love with the viscount — both Kate and Simon agree with that assessment, knowing that Edwina’s admiration will not turn into anything more if Anthony shifts his interest elsewhere.

Lost in his thoughts, Simon was interrupted by Anthony’s hesitant voice —a tone he had never heard from his friend before.

“I should have listened to Kate. She was right all along,” Anthony muttered to himself.

Simon’s eyes narrow. Kate? Since when is Anthony on the first name basis with Miss Sharma, the sister of the woman he’s courting?

However, Anthony’s nervously drumming fingers and glassy eyes’ prevent Simon from questioning him at that moment. But as soon as Bridgerton announces his intention to end the courtship and leaves the club to do so, Simon knows that he will have to have another conversation with his brother-in-law.

This time, it would be about the other Sharma sister.

He feels a dull ache in his temple and purses his lips. Only his best friend can give him a migraine without even trying.

God Almighty, Simon thinks, massaging his temples as the server pours him another drink, Bridgerton will only complicate his life even more now, won’t he?

And as Simon stares out the window, he can’t help but think about how Anthony seems to care more about Kate than Edwina. The fact that Kate blushed when Anthony complimented her dress earlier that day only adds to Simon’s headache.

He will have to keep them away from each other, right? He clenches his jaw at the thought and thinks about asking Daphne about her opinion.

Simon sighs as he stands up to go home, thinking about how much more suited Kate is for Anthony and how she would fit the role of Lady Bridgerton.

He pauses, considering. Now there’s an idea.

#bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #simon hastings #kate sharma #kanthony #writing #my writing #fanfiction #oh i wish this happened in season 2 #imagine the friendship between kate and simon #the unstoppable duo

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greenflamedwriter · 4 months

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Killing Stalking AU:

Okay when I read Killing/stalking I was a bit disapointed. Too much killing not enough stalking -_-

And so Imagine Luo Binghe who is a serial killer instead of wives it's girlfriends and instead of marrying them he kills them. And Shen Yuan, who bought the apartment just to observe such a thing ends up obsessed he calls the victims 'wives' till death do they part, and he has an obsession with the seriel killer.

Like bordering on gay but he's still in denial.

Already he has a list of all the names of the girls, Ning Yingying was the first and now he's up to Qui Haitang, already he counted that Luo BInghe was accumilating an anti-harem.

Shen Yuans room is FULL of photos, clothes, even HAIR of Binghe as well as Luo Binghe in a apron, bloody and cleaning up his mess.

Shen Yuan loved him. Quircks and all.

But he wasn't stupid, not only was the evidence of Binghe's crimes in this room, footage and videos of girls going into Luo Binghes house then NEVER returning, wanted posters and last places they were timed perfectly. A little plushie doll of Luo Binghe as well in a corner. But he also hid evidence around the city, places with his name on it, most were holding his anime stuff but after the first five lockers the rest were filled with nothing but Binghe's crimes. He never went back to the old ones, to obvious instead he would pay for a new locker and fill that one up.

NSFW undercut

And Sy whose still in the closet probably thought it was normal to react, esp seeing the stallion having sex with the women in his bedroom, with his camera Shen Yuan could see everything.

At one point it even felt like Luo Binghe looked up and locked eyes with him, it made Shen Yuans breath hitch. It wasn't possible, it was dark, lights out, and Shen Yuan shivered palming himself, so hard it was the point of pain.

And this was when he decided to get closer.

Shen Yuan wears a disguise, Luo Binghe didn't like men, only women. So Shen Yuan wears a wig, with a hat and glasses and actually nice clothes. He dresses nicer as a women than he would as himself, in just sweats and loose jumpers.

He sits at a cafe and watches a girl on Luo Binghes arm Wife #32 Shen Yuan couldn't believe he was sitting right next to them.

And each time he would get closer, changing his looks, and disguise, practically listening in. Listen to the lies Luo Binghe would say, his favourite colour? Song? Movie?

Shen Yuan saw into his house, he knew what Luo Binghes interests were better than these wives.

He got too close once, when a wife dropped her wallet, he picked it up.

"Excuse me?"

She turned with a sneer on her face, that was usually how people reacted to Shen Yuan, like he was gross. He knew he would look alright with decent clothes hair cut, but he had that attention before, he didn't want it again.

But seeing it was just a small girl with a face mask pacing her her wallet with kind eyes, the sneer fell away into surprise.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you!"

"It's no problem, I understand the stress of losing your credit cards and having to cancel them and start over- I'm overally clumsy like that aha."

Luo Binghe was staring at him, and Shen Yuan couldn't help but shiver at the attention.

At that moment thats when Shen Yuan realised something, back in the comfort of his home. He may actually like Luo Binghe...

well...it's just Luo Binghe, right? maybe he's just bi and only likes him?

Either way, he kept skirting around him, until the wife inevitably died and he sat at the cafe, waiting for Binghe with his next fiance-

"Hello, miss. I thought I'd find you here."

Shen Yuan held back a flinch as he glanced up, "Ah hello there, I kinda recognise you," Shen Yuan leaned closer as Luo Binghe sat down before him but internally he was freaking out.

Was he wearing the same disguises over and over!?

Did Luo Binghe figure him out!?!?!?

"My names Luo Binghe, and you are?"

"Um," Quick think of a name! "Xiao Gongzhu."

"Little palace mistress? Hmm suits you."

Like hell it does! But that was the only thing he could think off!

"I was just wondering," Luo Binghe looked bashful, and it broke Shen Yuan out of his thoughts, he looked so boyish it was cute.

"Could we trade numbers?"

What? He killed Wife #32 already? wait- was Luo Binghe seriously seeing Shen Yuan as a potential wife!?

This was bad- it was going to mess up Luo Binghes streak! He was the protagonist, he couldn't mess up because he was accidently tricked by a man!

Also the not-dying thing would be great and if Shen Yuan didn't go back to his apartment and pay rent then the landlord will come in and SEE all of his evidence, Binghe would go to jail!

"Uh yeah sure- I mean yes!" Shen Yuan spoke then grimaced at how flustered he was, even so he still couldn't believe it- Binghe's number!

Luo Binghe hummed "Hmm I'll put you as Princess, if thats okay I like giving pretty girls like you pet names. You can think of a name for me too."

"Hmm, I like Bingpup, you're like a cute puppy who deserves head pats!" Shen Yuan spoke and saw Luo Binghe's smile stiffened.

Shen Yuan immedietly preened aha thats right! Luo Binghe hates being called dog or mutt! He found out that Luo Binghe had an awful teacher who would call him that in school! He found that out by waiting for Binghe to take wife #16 on a date and bugged his house!

When they were getting intimate after their pillow talk Luo Binghe admitted such a sad thing.

Because wife#16 called him a good puppy during foreplay, and when she said she'd never do it again he agreed and said she won't then straggled her. Shen Yuan listened to that footage over and over again.

When Luo Binghe stood up, Shen Yuan giggled "Oh and one more thing." He stood up too, flipping his hair over his shoulder.

"If you think you can take me as the next wife, you can forget it."

Luo Binghe paused looking confused, "I'm sorry?"

"I know your type, playboy. You have a fiance wine and dine, but after the first night your the type to believe in death do us part." Shen Yuan emphansised the smile on Luo Binghe's face faded. "This is amazing, the Luo Binghe! I'm such a huge fan," Shen Yuan kept his voice low, so the other patrons at the cafe wouldn't here. "I actually liked Liu Mingyan, such a good girl she knew martial arts as well. Pity, but I don't plan to be accumulated into your 'harem' I don't like to share. No, I prefer to watch."

Luo Binghe eyes narrowed, "Do you think it's a good idea to be telling me this?" Shen Yuan looked at him with pity, "I can't help it, your so cute and I didn't want to lie to that face when I turned you down. it's not any of Binghe's fault, I just genuinly like to watch, if we cross that step I'm afraid I'll have to die of shame." Before he left he also glanced back, "Oh, and I'm a collector by the way, I have evidence all around Shang hai completely hidden unless I mysteriously disapear, someone is bound to find everything. See you around, Husband."

Shen Yuan flaunced away, knowing he was being followed, thank GOD for public bathrooms, he walked in, immedielty removing his wig, hoodie and skirt and pulling on his baggy and drabby clothes, and oiled up his hair to look more greasy and gross espeically from wearing a wig, he dumped the back in the bin and walked out, slouching and on his phone, he walked past Luo Binghe who stayed leaning against pillar waiting for the 'women' to leave the bathroom.

Shen Yuan still didn't trust it, hailing a taxi and purposfully going the awkward way to get to his apartment. Even then he decided to back track and couch surf on his friends sofa instead, just to be safe.

Even so, when he recieved a text from Binghe, vaguely threating him, promising he'll find him and kill him, Shen Yuan shivered feeling his breathing hasten.

"You can try, Husband."

So long story short, Liu Qingge is the policemen interogating his sisters mysterious death, finds Shen Yuan and believe him to be a victim of domestic abuse, and yeah both Luo Binghe AND Shen Yuan are playing cat and mouse the power imbalances keep changing, and at one point, Shen Yuan finds himself actually going on dates with Luo Binghe, even helping him take down a wife with his 'husband' it's such a rush. And for a moment even Luo Binghe felt affection for Shen Yuan and didn't care that it was revealed he was a guy, even started having some fucked up moments of his own, comparing Shen Yuan to his mother. Shen Yuan: Hello police? Theres a man with a milf kink send him to jail!

Even so theres honeymoon moments, SY actually spends a night in Binghes house but thats where it all goes wrong, SY is now a wife, he just doesn't die straight away, forced to being trapped in the kitchen dressed as a women and still playing their cat and mouse game as Luo Binghe is trying to force him to reveal his evidence, he claims he'll stay with Shen Yuan properlly if he does. And then SY at one point escapes the house, finds Liu Qingge and confesses everything and even gives him the keys to his apartment and the locations of the lockers with the evidence.

Luo Binghe finds him, says he saw SY with another man, had he grown bored with him?

Pretty much ends the same way as Killing Stalking both die in the end, Luo Binghe dying alone, and SY still thinking he's alive and is frazzled ends up going into on-going traffic.

-I think with the story it was supposed to end tragically, because neither were good people, but I just hated how the character in KS was reduced to an innocent uwu who was sexualised but didn't have a braincell- I would've preffered if there was some intellectual schemes, like KIRA VS L both smart people trying to one up the other and maybe just a hint of romance, delusion on both sides, Binghe finally seeing SY as his partner in literal crime but then because of jealousy ends up trying to kill SY after he's another Wife isn't he?

#SVSSS #svsss #dark fic #Trigger warnings #dead dove #don't eat #but dark #Killing #Stalking #killing stalking #Scum Villain #SCUM

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total-drama-takes-takes-2 · 10 months

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tti episode 15

“Last time on Total Takes Island: The remaining competitors finally made the merge and competed in an ultimate test of endurance. Patrick and Ass were brought back to the island, stirring up some old trouble. In the end, Courtney won immunity, and Scruffy took the walk of shame, leaving their friend Julia with some peculiar parting words. Will the remaining campers survive to see another challenge? Will Bonnie and Courtney stay safe in the game? Find out now- on Total! Takes! Island!”

According to previous weather forecasts, this particular morning is bound to be sunny, with a mild breeze and a warm but not-too-hot temperature- the perfect challenge conditions. According to Chris McLean’s brand new automated weather machine, it’s snowing.

“What is this?” Julia asks upon opening the curtains on one of the small windows in the former Anon’s cabin (where all the girls and such had recently been moved post-merge).

“What’s what?” Bonnie groans, not even lifting their head from their pillow.

Michael murmurs something indistinct in the bunk above them and rolls over. Ass lifts up their sleeping mask to see what the commotion is, and then pulls it back on, putting in a pair of earbuds playing an audiobook retelling of the Peloponnesian war.

“It’s snowing,” Julia remarks dryly, stepping away from the window to show everyone.

Kelly raises an eyebrow. “How can it be snowing? It’s June?”

“You know, my second aunt Tracey is a top meteorologist, or um… yeah, that’s right!” Staci says, hopping out of bed to look outside. “I bet I could figure this out!”

“It’s probably just Chris,” Michael sighs, turning back over. “Can we go back to bed?”

“What if we get snowed in and miss the challenge?” Kelly asks.

Bonnie grumbles. “You mean what if you get snowed in and miss the challenge. It’s all for one, remember?”

“Whatever. This is lame, I’m getting breakfast,” Julia sighs, putting on the warmest clothing she brought (which admittedly isn’t much) and beaming brightly. “Wanna come, Mikey?”

Michael lifts her head and raises an eyebrow. “Um… yeah, I guess. And don’t call me that,”

---

MICHAEL: “Funny how as soon as Scruffy is gone Julia wants to be friends again, isn’t it?”

---

The boy’s and such cabin is deathly quiet this morning as the only remaining male campers don’t exactly have anything nice to say to each other. They’ve already staked out on opposite corners of the room, Max taking the middle right bunk, McLovin taking the top left and Patrick taking the bottom left. None speak to each other until McLovin walks outside without looking and lands face-first in the thick blanket of snow beneath the porch roof.

“Snow?” Patrick asks plainly. “Not possible. It’s June.”

Max rolls his eyes. “Nice deduction, Sherlock,” before layering another blazer on and walking out into the cold.

Chris’ voice blares over the speakers. “Good morning, campers! Lovely weather we’re having! Meet me in the amphitheater for today’s challenge in an hour!”

McLovin shivers violently as he stands, just for Patrick to shove him again while passing by.

---

Ass files their nails in the communal bathrooms, turning them into pointed claws while casually listening to their audiobook and chewing gum. The doors open and Kelly walks in, dragging a snow-covered portable tanning bed behind them. Ass doesn’t offer to help.

“Morning! What’re you listening to?”

They ignore them at first.

“What’re you listening to?” Kelly repeats, assuming Ass simply didn’t hear them.

They sigh, and take out the earbuds. “One Direction,”

“Oh, I love One Direction! I love everyone, honestly, there are no bad genres,” Kelly remarks with a huff as they drag their tanning bed to the right spot. “Wouldn’t you say?”

“Whatever,”

Ass turns and watches as Kelly plugs in the machine. It fizzles to life with short bursts of electricity around the already-blackened outlet. They sigh.

“You want some advice?”

“Ooh, sure!”

“You may have had that airheaded doofus for the easy part of the competition, but this is serious stuff now. Compared to who’s left, you’re not exactly the sharpest knife in Chef’s kitchen, you know? And I’m trying to etch out the strongest first, so you staying in the game is a mutually beneficial arrangement, wouldn’t you agree?”

Kelly thinks for a moment, eyebrow raised. “Um… sure,”

“Then let me give you some pointers. Just between us girl friends, right?”

---

Michael looks relatively unbothered in her parka as the rest of the campers shiver around her, hugging themselves and curling their knees up to their chests. McLovin’s teeth chatter. Chris stands in the center of the stage, dressed in mountaineering gear and holding a pair of skis.

“Now, normally this challenge calls for a pirate theme- however, someone lost our costume bin,” he glares at Chef, who’s on a snowmobile some feet away. He rolls his eyes. “So today, we’re going full-on mountain expedition!” Chris steps out of the way, revealing a lumpy mass covered by a tarp, which he promptly pulls off. Under it are a few locked coolers. “You’ll be exploring around the frozen island to find the keys to open these chests- one of which holding the key to your invincibility!”

The crowd murmurs in relative excitement, though almost everyone is still shivering. Chef distributes a few flimsy parkas (for legal reasons) before handing everyone a clue card for their keys.

Julia stares down at hers. Chef’s fridge. “Aren’t these supposed to be winter themed, or something?”

“They are,” Chris grins. Chef walks out in a santa costume, holding a butcher’s knife with a mistletoe taped on it. Julia swallows a lump in her throat and turns to Michael.

“Hey, bestie! Tradesies?”

“Um… no, thanks. I’ll take my chances with the frozen pond by the cabins,”

“Awww, come on, please?” Julia pouts. “Isn’t this what friends are for?”

A flash of annoyance crosses Michael’s face. “Fine,” she nabs Julia’s clue and replaces it with hers, then storms off.

Patrick rolls his eyes at the commotion, nudging Ass with his elbow. “Heh. Women, right?”

"Tell me about it. Those two are getting on my nerves,"

Max gives Ass and Patrick an annoyed glance and takes a long step away before looking at his clue. “This is just a pine tree. There are thousands of them on this island!”

“Better start looking then, dude,” Chris chuckles.

“Oh, I can help!” Kelly beams, running over and placing a hand on Max’s shoulder. He gives her an odd look.

“Fine,”

“Yay!”

---

KELLY: “Since Austin is gone now, I have to start taking things more seriously- that’s what Ass says, anyway. I don’t think I trust them fully, yet, but some of the things they say make sense. I need allies, and smart ones!”

---

“Hey, I thought we were gonna team?” Staci asks, a dejected tone in her voice.

Kelly winks. “I have a master plan. I’ll tell you later!”

Staci watches Kelly walk off with Max and frowns, then turns to the remaining competitors. She steps up to a still-shivering McLovin and peers over his shoulder at his clue. “What’s that supposed to be?”

He sighs. “It’s a polar bear,”

“There are polar bears on the island?”

Chris shouts. “Specially imported!”

“Hm,” Staci thinks for a moment. “How about this? I’ll help you with yours, if you help me with mine.”

“What’s yours?”

Staci holds up their clue, an embellished image of an ice block. “Can’t be any harder than a polar bear, right?”

---

Courtney walks through the barely-cleared off path in the woods alone, humming to themselves while holding their clue in their pocket. A hike up the mountain- how hard could it be? Just a few hours walk and they’d be back at the amphitheater in time for lunch.

They approach a fork in the woods, looking to the path diverging right before suddenly bumping into something hard. “Ow!”

“Hey!” Someone yells. Courtney regains their composure and looks over, seeing Bonnie arrive from the opposite direction. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hi. Not with anyone?”

“Nope. I’m flying solo now,”

“Oh. Me, too,”

Bonnie nods. “Mhm,”

Courtney nods back. “Uh-huh,”

And with that they awkwardly wave goodbye and start on their separate ways.

---

COURTNEY: “In a way I’m grateful Bonnie also wants to go their own way now. I never had to break the news to them that we couldn’t be friends anymore. But on the other hand… Is it wrong to be disappointed that they never made a big deal about it?”

---

Kelly and Max walk along a beaten down backwoods trail that’s only been marked by a set of Chef’s boot prints the two have been following for what feels like hours. Kelly is humming a soft tune to themselves, braiding a strand of hair and trailing behind Max.

He’s been continuously stopping and looking back and slowing down to accommodate them, and it’s beginning to get on his nerves. “Can you go any faster? We have a challenge to win,”

“We do?” Kelly asks sweetly, untying her hair to braid it again.

“Don’t you want to find your key?”

They reach into their pocket and pull out a yellow metallic key. “This?”

Max’s jaw drops and he stares. “Where did you…?”

“Oh, somewhere back there,” Kelly shrugs, walking past Max as he looks at the ground, completely perplexed.

---

KELLY: "Rule number 2: stay quiet and keep out of people's way!"

---

Ass watches from behind the snowy brush as Courtney passes, waiting until the coast is clear. Once they’re sure they’re alone, they slip their headphones back in and keep walking, arriving at the mess hall within minutes.

The inside is dim, lit by candles and filled with the scent of pine. “Corny,” Ass remarks before taking a seat at one of the tables, which is covered in the fanciful feast from their clue card. A massive turkey, a ham, cranberry sauce, beans, casserole, mashed potatoes, three different puddings, and a fruit cake.

Chef stands at the kitchen door, smiling wickedly. “Dig in,”

Ass smiles at the array before picking up a nearby candle holder, snuffing out the flame and using the silver stand to smash into the food.

---

ASS: “I figured that Chris must’ve done something with the meal- laxatives or sleeping pills or something gross like that. I’m not taking my chances- the last thing I need right now is Chris walking out from behind a curtain and telling me all the food I just ate was actually made from cockroach parts and styrofoam.”

---

The ham- mush. The turkey- shredded. The cake- crumbled. The sides are reduced to shrapnel as Ass smashes through them. Chef shakes his head, then his eyes widen as they reach the green bean casserole. “Wait-”

A mini-landmine hidden in the dish goes off, sending Ass flying out the window and Chef into the kitchen. Michael opens the mess hall door, eyebrow raised at the charred and blackened interior and the bits of meat and beans everywhere. She walks into the kitchen, stepping over Chef’s unconscious body and opening the fridge to grab her key and walk out with a smile.

Key in hand, Michael walks over to her original destination- the frozen pond between the cabins- and smiles slightly as she watches Julia scream and slide around on it, taking a seat to enjoy the spectacle.

---

Kelly continues to drift behind Max as he scans the pine trees around the trail for any sign of his key. They’re rambling on about some asinine story Austin had told them, which is of no significance to Max, thus he tunes them out as he studies the treeline.

A vague rumbling in the distance catches both of their attentions as they turn just in time to see a massive avalanche coming down the mountain side.

Bonnie comes running in their direction. “MOVE!”

Max and Kelly comply, following them as a massive wave of snow crashes behind them. Bonnie gets far enough ahead to scale a tree to the top, their two runner-ups following shortly behind. The snow shakes the base of the pine, forcing everyone to cling on. Max watches in horror as a key falls from the canopy and gets lost in the river of snow.

“NOOO!” he shouts.

The avalanche eventually settles down, slowing to a grinding halt just as Courtney slides down on a makeshift sled made of tree bark. They groan.

“Did you find your key?” Bonnie asks, panting.

They shake their head. “You?”

They hold up a key from their pocket and sigh before falling from the tree to the snow, exhausted. Max grumbles something to himself and growls at Kelly when they attempt to comfort him.

---

KELLY: “He’s not much like Austin, I don’t think, but it’s like Ass says! Rule number 3: don’t give up until you’ve exhausted every last resource!”

---

Kelly leans over and in one split-second, fatal swoop, they kiss him. Courtney winces and Bonnie, barely awake, makes a gagging sound. Max turns red and immediately tenses, his completely stiff body falling backwards from the tree branch into the snow.

---

KELLY: “I, um... I may have gone a little overboard, ahah,”

---

COURTNEY: “Okay… gross. And wasn’t blondie dating that weird British guy?”

---

Bonnie sits in the confessional, pointing at their throat and gagging again.

---

Ass walks over on snowshoes, sooty and blackened with their eyebrows burnt off but holding a key nonetheless. “What happened to him?”

Courtney makes a weak “Ummm” sound before Ass rolls their eyes and declares they don’t care while walking off.

---

“Okay, on my count, I’ll run in with the fish and you’ll sneak behind the bear,” Staci says, on her elbows and knees in an army crawl. McLovin, sitting beside her with a hastily-knitted hat covering his stubbly head, nods.

“One- two- three!” she yells, confidently popping up and running into the cave with a handful of fish. The resting polar bear inside wakes up and roars.

---

STACI: “No, I wasn’t afraid. My great-great-great uncle Flavius was a bear trainer in the Russian circus,” they pause for a moment. “At least, I’m pretty sure. I’ve been a little scrambled since yesterday, I’m trying to keep the pieces together. But... I’m still Staci, aren’t I?”

---

A flash of fear crosses Staci’s face and they scream, running out of the cave with the bear in pursuit. McLovin follows, shouting and waving his arms.

---

Patrick casually walks down a path in the woods, in no certain rush. He reads his clue again- a simple image of a snowman.

He smirks as he catches a flash of orange and red from behind the brush, and steps into a clearing to see not one- but dozens of snowmen. His face drops.

---

Courtney and Bonnie carry a half-conscious Max back to camp, looking at each other nervously while he deliriously mumbles to himself. Kelly lags far behind, a guilty expression on their face.

A scratched up and tired looking Staci arrives at the cabins with beat-up looking McLovin, who’s holding a snapped-in-half and hastily taped-back-together key. Michael- still sitting by the pond and watching Julia slide around, looks back as the two different groups arrive. “What happened?” she, Bonnie, and Staci ask in unison.

“Bears,” McLovin sighs. “S-so many bears.”

“Well, just one, but it was like, really mad,” Staci continues. “What’s going on here?”

Courtney rolls their eyes. “Kelly kissed him,”

“Kelly did WHAT?” Michael and Staci shout in unison.

---

STACI: “That was this big plan they couldn’t let me in on!? Seriously?! I would’ve kissed him… wait, no. I wouldn’t have. But Kelly could’ve kissed me! Why can’t I be a pawn?!”

---

MICHAEL: “I’m not mad! I’m not! I mean, it’s just insane! Kelly has to have some kind of mental disorder to do that. Who’d want to kiss Max? Not me! NOT me!”

---

“Oh, you are so out of here!” Michael shouts, pointing an accusing finger at Kelly.

“What about Austin?! What about me?!” Staci sniffles. McLovin pats her shoulder to comfort her before collapsing backwards, his skin tinted blue.

“What’s going on over here?” Julia pants, sliding onto shore with her key finally in hand.

“NOTHING!” Kelly, Michael, and Staci yell in unison. Julia blinks.

“Attention, campers! You have five minutes of hunting left- after that, report to the amphitheater for your prizes!”

The collective groans, and the camera zooms out to reveal Ass listening from behind the cabins.

---

ASS: “Okay, that was beautiful. And I didn’t even intend for that to happen! This is too damn easy,”

---

“Alrighty, explorers, it’s time to claim your prizes! Everyone with a key, come forward,”

The crowd grumbles- Bonnie, Kelly, McLovin, Ass, Michael, Julia, and Scary approach. Julia turns to Scary, and then looks around. “Um… where have you been?”

“Playing the challenge, duh!” she snaps back. Julia raises an eyebrow.

---

JULIA: “You know… maybe Scruffy was right. Maybe there really is something weirder happening on this island,”

---

Patrick walks in last, covered in scratches, dirt, and wet from the snow. Chris chuckles. “Woah, dude, what happened to you? You got the easiest card!”

He shrugs. “Bears,”

---

Brief flashback to the snowman clearing, where Patrick is sitting in the fetal position in the snow and sobbing.

---

“Ooookay. Bonnie, go ahead,”

Bonnie tries their key on a cooler, which opens and reveals a shiny toaster. “Seriously?”

Michael tries hers next- nothing. Dud key. Ass and Scary have similar results, though only one of them goes on a monologue about what they had to go through to get it.

McLovin gets a leg lamp. Kelly gets a bag of chips and a can of soda, which they offer to Michael and Staci as peace offerings. Michael crushes the bag and gives it to Julia (who’s other hand is occupied with an accordion) and Staci just whimpers and sobs.

“Cute,” Patrick says, hoisting up a gift basket. “Tasteful. Very nice. And oh- lookie here,” he holds up an invincibility pass. Ass rolls their eyes.

“Looks like Patrick is safe. The rest of you, I’ll see you all tonight at the campfire ceremony,” Chris chuckles.

---

Julia walks up ahead of the group, watching Scary as they somersault to the campfire pit. Most of the snow had already melted by mid-afternoon, leaving only the cold wind chills and brief patches of ice to worry about.

Michael jogs up to her. “Hey, I need to count on your vote for tonight. Bonnie and Courtney and I already chose someone,”

“Who?”

Michael whispers in Julia’s ear. She thinks for a moment. “Yeah, no. That’s not who Ass is voting for,”

“Seriously?” Michael snaps. She suddenly steps in front of Julia, blocking her path and lowering her voice. “You listen to me, and actually listen. I am done being your pawn. You’re only still in this because I have been carrying your sorry fake-blonde ass since the beginning. If you want to count on my allyship for the rest of the game, you’re voting with us. Otherwise, you’re next.”

Julia frowns deeply, seeming slightly intimidated for a second.

---

JULIA: “Me? Scared of Michael? Can you imagine? But I… played along anyway, you know? I need the manpower and she’s been stepping out of line lately. Plus, I need to secure my place on the island until I figure out what's going on with Scary.”

---

“Fine. But tomorrow’s vote is my choice,”

“Fine!” and with that, Michael speeds up ahead.

---

“Fun challenge today, huh?” Chris chuckles. The campers glare at each other. “Patrick won invincibility today, so he’s safe!”

Patrick smirks from across the fire.

“McLovin… Staci… Max… Ass… Scary… Bonnie… Courtney,”

“Julia… you’re safe,” Chris looks between the two remaining competitors. Michael glares at Kelly, who smiles nervously and gives a slight wave. “And the final marshmallow… goes to…”

The campers watch in anticipation- Ass rolling their eyes besides them.

“Michael! You’re safe. Sorry, Kelly, you got played.” he chuckles.

Kelly sulks as they walk to the boat, head and shoulders hanging. Staci follows, running up the dock as they board. “I’m sorry, Kelly! But I couldn’t go on like this!”

Kelly frowns. “I was a fool, I never should've listened to them. Can you ever forgive me?”

"Wait- who's them?"

"Ass... it's complicated..." Kelly sighs. "Can you forgive me?"

“Of course. I don’t blame you!” Staci says, tears in their eyes. “And I know Austin won’t either!”

“We’ll see!” Kelly yells as the boat takes off. “You’re my best friend!”

“You’re my best friend!” Staci shouts back before frowning deeply, a tear running down their cheek.

---

STACI: “Okay, no more of this. No more fun, no more games, no more moping. The original Staci didn’t win, but you know what? I don’t have to follow canon. I can make my own rules. And this Staci says Ass is going down.”

---

#tti #total takes island

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ahundredtimesover · 2 years

Text

A Still Day or A Hurricane (10) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: single mom lawyer!OC x pastry chef!Jungkook; angst, fluff, smut; age gap

Chapter Warnings: foul/explicit language; single parenthood, motherhood; mention of a sexual harassment case, inaccurate law stuff im sry; jealousy, insecurities; infidelity; eventual smut (18+)

Chapter Word count: 12k

Status: Completed

Series summary: Driven by your perfectionist attitude and need to have everything in order, you planned that by age 30, you’d have made junior partner, bought your own apartment, and have children. You achieved them, of course, and while the last bit required you to take matters into your own hands - no thanks to your ex-boyfriend who dumped you but to your best friend who directed you to a fertility clinic - you’re now a 31-year old who pretty much has her life under control. You’re ready to raise your child on your own, that is, until the 20-something pastry chef flirts his way into your heart, messing up the perfect little life you worked so hard to have for yourself.

A/N: I did say it was slow burn, right?? Please enjoy!

Listen to: Straw (EZ Kim), Restless (Bibi), Let Me (GOT7) || Playlist 🎶

Series Masterlist

Standing in front of Jungkook as he leans against his car, you’re reminded, through both your outfits, that this date really is just about you and him.

You’re used to him in sweatpants and oversized hoodies when you stay in and in jeans and a jacket when you’re both out with Heejin. With his caps and beanies, you always thought he looked so comfortable, so good-looking, so boyfriend, as Byeol constantly points out.

But Jungkook in a silk, patterned polo, slacks, and dress shoes, with his slick hair parted on the side and his lip ring glinting underneath the street light, he looks mesmerizing. Even more with the bouquet of carnations he’s holding on his side.

“Hi, ___. You look so beautiful,” he says, his eyes unblinking, not wanting to miss anything.

He takes you in, dressed in high-waist trousers and a lace top hidden beneath a crop blazer with a bit more makeup than usual. He’s seen you in your work outfits, which you always look amazing in, and there was always a sense of purpose in your looks. This one does, too, and if it’s to make him fall for you harder and faster, you definitely achieved it.

“Ah, well, I realized the other night that my date night wardrobe has been untouched for so long and I couldn’t make up my mind on what to wear, actually,” you chuckle. “But the way you’re looking at me says I chose the right outfit.”

“Fuck, you have no idea. My brain’s kinda malfunctioning right now,” he responds. “I mean, you look gorgeous all the time but this, uh. Yeah, this is too much for me. I’m sorry if I end up staring at you tonight. Please call me out if it gets uncomfortable for you.”

“I might,” you chuckle, but in your mind it’s only because you’re probably going to be flustered if he keeps looking at you the way he is. “You cleaned up pretty nicely, too.”

“Thanks. I ended up buying an outfit everyday since Sunday and I had Eun-jung decide on the best one for tonight,” he smiles. “I owe her a box of pastries the next time she visits.”

“Well, you can always wear those other outfits to our next two-person dates. I already know I’m gonna want more after tonight,” you reply, giggling at the way his eyes widen at your bluntness.

He clears his throat to mask how flustered he is and opens the door of the car and leads you in.

The restaurant he’d chosen is a fancy but cozy place overlooking the river and their tasting menu is one of the best in the city, you’ve heard.

Being out with Heejin lets you get to know Jungkook in a different way. During those times, he’d shown to be more attentive than you expected. He’d be playful but caring, would address your needs and Heejin’s, and would always make sure to make her laugh. But tonight, his focus is all on you. And you see that immediately with how he helps you settle in your seat and remove your blazer and ask if everything is okay.

You start to talk about your respective days, and with no squealing child to attend to or who’d interject every time you and Jungkook talked, your conversation flows so easily. You talk more about your families, how your childhood was like, all your holiday trips, and anything else you could think of.

Jungkook is curious and respectful as always, still silly in many ways, but genuine in how he is with you. You’re not used to someone being so focused on you, but it’s not something you call him out for.

There’s something with the way he looks at you that makes you feel beautiful, as if he’s seeing and acknowledging all that you are, and like much as he’d tried with you from the beginning, he doesn’t put you on a pedestal. You’re human to him - someone who’s her own self but someone to care for, someone to appreciate, someone who makes mistakes, and someone who can grow.

Jungkook takes a spoonful of the seafood bisque when some of it sticks to the corner of his mouth. You immediately wipe it off, and you see him visibly stop when he feels your finger against his skin.

You know he knows you’re quite guarded with affection, and he never really complained, although you’ve noticed the few times that he’d inched his hand closer to yours or let your finger-brushing moments linger. He’d come closer a lot of times but you’d stay right where you were, unbudging, and it’s only because physical affection, in its most intimate forms, is something you give with all of you.

You’d shared moments of intimacy with him - that day when you let him feel Heejin kicking in your belly, to the kiss, to warming his ears, and now this.

Ever since he got back and you’d both gotten closer, you feel like slowly giving parts of yourself to him, knowing he’d take and then return them. He’s patient, as always, and transparent with how you affect him.

“You had a bit of something on the corner of your mouth,” you state.

He takes another mouthful and deliberately stains his lips again, scrunching his nose because he knows what he’d done, and you can’t help but laugh at his antics. So does he, as you take the napkin this time and gently wipe the stain off his mouth, your own lips parted just to tease.

There’s a twinkle in his eyes and a glow in his smile that you’re only seeing now. It’s familiar but new, and you won’t be surprised if you mirror it, too.

Drinking his water, you take in his side features. The lighting in your little corner makes his sharp jaw even more striking, so does the scar on his left cheek, something that you ask him about.

“You know that point in your childhood when you’re convinced you’re an animal so you act like one?” He says, munching on the parmesan crisps of the next dish.

“Uh, no? Are you sure you had a normal childhood?” You chuckle.

“Yes. And I thought I was a dog and so I was barking at one that I saw at the park then it jumped at me and scratched my cheek,” he narrates animatedly. “It never went away. I bear the mark of my companion. You seriously never had that phase?”

“Not at all. That’s just weird.”

“No it isn’t! I had a chicken phase, too, and I think that’s why I’m so sympathetic with animals. They love me so much, they fall asleep when I touch them.”

“Are you serious?” You ask incredulously.

“No, I was just joking.”

“What the heck, Jungkook! I almost believed you!” You playfully smack his arm.

“Did it annoy you?” He chuckles.

“Yes!”

“Okay, good,” he winks at you and for your sake, you try to not mind it.

“No but really, how’d you get your scar?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve always had it as a kid and whenever I’d ask my parents, they’d give me a different answer every time.” He laughs. “There’s the dog story. Then one was a fight I had with my brother over a slice of cake. Another was that I laid my cheek on the floor trying to look for monsters under my bed then I got scratched by the floorboard. And then one was from a branch when I was climbing a tree to look for giants.”

“And your parents don’t wanna tell you? Or maybe they don’t know, either,” you wonder.

“Oh they do. They just like messing with me. Over a decade later they still won’t give the full story. They keep laughing at me, though,” he shares, suddenly missing them.

“Your parents sound amazing,” you say, amused at how close and comfortable their relationship is, similar to how you and your siblings are with your mom.

“They’re insane sometimes, but I guess that’s why it worked with them,” he shares, hoping it doesn’t seem insensitive to you, although you’d talked earlier about your father, saying you no longer hold a grudge against him.

“Ma is a little crazy and makes Dad laugh all the time. It was like her way to his heart. And I think that’s why he’s still so in love with her.”

You hum, thinking that maybe, it’s just that simple - find someone who makes you laugh, who makes you feel silly, who adores you, who’s sincere with you.

“Is that what you’re trying to do, then? Just making me laugh until I can’t get enough of you?” You cock an eyebrow.

“I thought I annoy you?”

“You make me laugh a lot more, though,” you respond.

“So, is it working?”

“It is.”

You hold his gaze that’s switched from anxious to satisfied, and the way he smiles at you causes a bloom in your heart that you’re unable to temper.

“Good,” he bites his lip, his mind going hazy. “That’s really good.”

After your date date with Jungkook, which ended with you cradling Heejin in your arms as he hummed a lullaby to put her back to sleep, you couldn’t wait for another one. But you also realized that it meant she’d miss him, too.

You were on a video call with him that Thursday after not being able to drop by the cafe and your daughter, who was lying next to you, crawled to your chest to say hi to him.

“Kookoo! Where are you?” She asked in her toddler voice.

“I’m just here, sunshine,” he replied. “Do you miss me? Because I miss you. We’ll see each other soon, okay?”

She had on a little pout but nodded anyway, and you gave her the bunny stuffed toy from Jungkook to appease her.

He offered to look after her the next day, though, picking her up from your mom’s place and then spending the afternoon building blocks and practicing colors and animals.

You arrive home later than usual but with take-out dinner, tiredness from your long day evident in your sighs and shaking hands.

“You alright?” Jungkook asks.

“Yeah, just exhausted. Had a bit of a meltdown over the sexual harassment case I told you about,” you say. “It’s so pervasive and every time we get cases like this, I’m always reminded of how terribly society treats women and I absolutely hate it.”

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook says. “I can’t imagine what it’s like, but like you said, a win here will do something, however big or small that is. So just keep doing what you’re doing, alright?”

You nod, saying your team debriefs regularly but you just had to release the frustration. He says you’re free to do so and that he’ll stay a little longer in case you want to talk. You both sit at the dining table and talk about the worst parts of the job, the cases that keep you up at night, that completely change how you view life and everything about it.

Jungkook looks at you and thinks about all the times you’d come home feeling like this and having only Heejin to hear you talk, if you even do.

He recalls the conversation he had with Yuri and Taehyung at your mom’s place the other week, with them saying that while you talk about your work, you don’t talk about you. They said it’s when you message everyone to meet at your apartment and ask your mom to cook that they know things have been tough, and so they try in whatever way they can to help.

“She was always our second parent,” Yuri said. “Mom took care of all the basic stuff for us but she halved with ___ in the emotional needs department. Our big sister worried for us, carried our burdens, made sure we didn’t feel like too much was missing just because our dad left. I think she’ll always be like that,” she added. “She’ll shoulder everything she can so others wouldn’t, and I just always wondered who would help her when she’s unable to do it alone.”

You’d said once that you go to therapy when you need to, that you spend time with your friends when it gets too much, and that having Heejin has been the greatest help in terms of finding that joy in your life that you don’t depend on others for.

He knows you do what you can to handle everything your own way, but he also wants nothing more than for you to know that you have him to lean on, and he’d happily carry your burdens with you so you don’t always have to do it on your own.

He tells you this as you say you’ll get over it, and you smile, saying that he’s been a big help the past few months in getting your mind off things and just feeling that relief when you’re around him. He feels satisfied knowing he’s able to do even just a little bit, though a part of him wishes he could do more, but he keeps that thought tucked in a crevice in his mind.

You proceed to give Heejin a bath, after cuddle time with her as you hug her tightly, and then taking one yourself as Jungkook reads her a bedtime story.

You enter her room in your silk pajamas and watch from the door as he talks to her about the legend of the tiger and the magical persimmons.

“She didn’t try to butt in while you read?” You chuckle as you stand next to him.

“Not tonight,” he laughs and shakes his head.

“Hi, bubba. You sleepy already?” You ask, caressing her cheeks.

“Mama,” she coos, yawning as her eyes flutter close.

“Goodnight, little one,” you whisper, kissing her nose.

You and Jungkook head to the couch and you let out a long sigh. You hug the pillow on your lap and curl your toes as the pain reminds you of that long walk you took in your heels to get to your lunch meeting.

Jungkook watches you in amusement as you settle comfortably on your seat but also sees how you constantly crack your toes.

He nudges your foot and puts out his hand. “I’m good at massages. Come on.”

You briefly hesitate. It’s a little more intimate than you’re used to, but it’s also something your ex never offered to do because it was always you doing it, and you always did it out of affection. So you give in and let Jungkook take your left foot.

His hand is soft with some rough patches he got from lifting weights. He’s gentle as he kneads your flesh and thumbs your heel. You can’t help but internally moan at how good it feels, prompting you to hug the pillow more tightly and flutter your eyes closed.

You hear him chuckle but he keeps going with your right one this time, putting in pressure where he thinks you need it, then stretching and cracking your toes.

You finally let out a moan and Jungkook tries hard to pretend it doesn’t affect him. You see him smirk, though, tonguing his lip ring again, looking adorable as he feels proud of being able to affect you this way.

“All good?” He asks.

“Yes, thank you,” you smile. “Now, your turn. You had a long morning of kneading dough today. Give me your hands.”

He doesn’t hesitate, giving you his right hand and you proceed to massaging it. You briefly trace his calluses, unaware of the chill running down his spine. You mostly use your fingers, cracking and stretching his own, too.

“So this is what it takes to have you hold my hand,” he says, his smug face saying he’s teasing but you also see the hint of desire in them.

“Hey!” You playfully shove him.

“I’m kidding,” he laughs. “It’s okay. This is nice. Something good to have after a long day.”

“It is,” you agree, feeling his hand tugging your wrist, as if motioning you to come closer.

It’s indeed been a long day, and after talking to him and feeling better with how he listens and encourages you, you want his warmth to comfort you even further. So you scoot next to him, your legs on the floor now as you lean on his shoulder.

You feel him let out a long breath, and afraid to look at him to see the desire in his eyes, you settle against him like this.

It’s easy to want this with him, but all the more difficult to take things slow. You don’t want to make the same mistakes anymore. It’s not that you compare Jungkook with your ex, but it felt this good, this easy with Yun-seo at one point, and you realized that you dove into it because you felt the comfort from your friendship was enough.

You want to make sure that you’re certain about Jungkook and that he’s certain about you and Heejin, too. And every intimate moment you share with him is a way for you to settle in the idea, the feeling of having him be part of your life in the long-run. Giving him only bits of and pieces of the affection he’s used to in his relationships is your way of giving him space to back out in case he realizes he doesn’t want it as much as he thinks, and that would leave you less to lose in case he does.

Your friends think Jungkook has proven he’s in this with you, even treating Heejin like his own, not so much to get to you but to show you that he wants her in his life as much as he does you. And you echo those sentiments, but you just want to be sure because you don’t want another heartbreak that you know would hurt so much more if it doesn’t work out.

But it’s days like what you had that feel like a storm - of emotions, of frustrations, of expectations you have for yourself; a day when you feel like it’s a mess around you and you’re trying your hardest to pick up whatever pieces you can. But it’s also evenings like right now when you allow yourself to breathe, to question, to worry, to wonder, wrapped in Jungkook’s warmth that lets you know that whatever it is you’re feeling, it’s gonna be okay.

And as you feel his strong hand gently caressing your arm and hear his soft humming to a familiar ballad, it’s getting clearer and clearer that you want this everyday, as long as you possibly could.

You go on another date with Jungkook that’s just the both of you after work that thankfully had you just staying at the office.

You do karaoke, with him serenading you and then you, butchering every boyband song you sing. You wander the streets of Ikseon-dong and go from one cafe and stall to another. You try odd-combination but delicious dishes, and the desserts you buy make Jungkook giddy with excitement, especially as you feed each other what you decide to separately order.

It was a date you had after spending the weekend with Heejin - you went to a toy haven kids’ cafe on Saturday and then stayed in to do arts and crafts before heading to Namjoon’s for dinner.

Your daughter’s attachment to Jungkook is one that you don’t take for granted, something that’s different with her attachment to your family given the substantial amount of time the three of you spend together. It’s not easy finding the balance of making sure you don’t want him just because of Heejin but also because of her, the same way it is to know that he’s how he is with her not just because of you.

But you see enough, you think. Hobi even goes on about Jungkook narrating his babysitting afternoons with Heejin. Jimin shares his friend randomly mentioning her or you during their game or drinking nights. And other than seeing them firsthand enjoy each other’s company - with how Heejin clings to him every time he’s around or how he has the softest, most child-like laughter with her - you also see it when he looks after her when you aren’t around.

The baby monitor records everything, and you had it installed when you started having a babysitter over. When Jungkook would watch over Heejin on some afternoons, you obviously wanted to make sure that everything was okay and that your daughter was comfortable being left alone with him. You find out later on that it’s what you need to see just how those two are with each other when you aren’t really looking.

You sneak in looks even at work, but it’s at the end of the day when you get to see how they spend their time together. Jungkook feeds her the food you’ve prepared and Heejin returns the favor by trying to feed him, too. He’s figured out how she is when she’s hungry, sleepy, or just pooped, and other than when she’s taking her afternoon nap, they have so much fun together that you want nothing more than to be there right with them.

Jungkook has so much energy - for dancing with Heejin, chasing her around, and throwing her up and making her fly like a unicorn - something you don’t have enough of after a day of arguing with people and dealing with assholes as part of your job.

She likes to converse with him, as if she’s narrating an unbelievable dream she had, and she’s fond of wrapping her arms around him and tucking her head in the crook of his neck. You’ve noticed her try to bite his face a few times. One time you went home with her in braids because she asked Jungkook to do it for her; his proud smile kept you up that night. The warmth in your heart grows as you think that these are the things she does with and asks of you.

What you appreciate the most is how Jungkook never fails to include you in everything that he and Heejin do together. He always sends photos of her to you - usually during playtime - or videos of her saying what she’s doing. They wave at the camera sometimes and he’d call when you say you’re free so she can say hi.

Your favorite was that one time you went home and found an artwork they both made posted on the fridge, the words resembling To Mama bringing tears to your eyes, knowing they’re always thinking of you. The fact that Jungkook takes time to teach her things, whether it’s arts or numbers, makes you feel like you’re not making her miss out on too much, and that Jungkook, as he’s always shown, cares for her in ways you didn’t expect.

On Jungkook’s end, the joy that he feels when he’s with Heejin is natural and comfortable. It doesn’t surprise him as much, since he’s always loved kids. When he stayed in Busan for two years, he got to bond with his nieces and nephews whom he spent so much time playing with.

But though Heejin isn’t related to him, there’s a certain connection he feels with her. Maybe it’s being the first person other than you and Sun-hee who got to see how she looked like through the sonogram when he drove you to your checkup that one time. Maybe it’s all the grocery and department store shopping you both did for her. Maybe it’s feeling her kicks in your belly that afternoon when everything changed. Maybe it’s the fact that he’d been there as you pushed her out of you, hearing her cry and seeing her beauty the moment she was born.

Heejin had been a big reason why things didn’t work out with you and him. She was always going to be your priority, and you didn’t want him messing you up or adding to the list of things you had to think or worry about, given his feelings for you then.

But he always wondered about Heejin all those years of being away. He’d think about her when he’d be with his siblings’ kids, imagining which features of yours she inherited, if she’s as feisty and caring as her mother, if she’s everything you ever dreamed of her to be.

Seeing her photo that time you went to Busan made his heart swell with joy at how much she’s grown, knowing she was a happy child because of the love you shower her with. And finally seeing and spending time with her has meant so much to Jungkook in ways he doesn’t think he’d ever get to explain to you. There’s this carefree feeling when he’s with her, an innocent kind of joy he experiences, and a warmth in his heart when she laughs or smiles or speaks to him.

He doesn’t want to scare you with how he’s gotten to be so attached to her, not wanting you to mistake his affection for her as just a means to get to you. He doesn’t want to trap you, but he also wishes you’d see how natural it’s been for the both of them, and especially the three of you, to enjoy each other’s company and be what outsiders think you to be - a family.

Because more than anything, any time you’re all together, he feels a sense of completeness he didn’t think he’d ever feel. Like somehow, there’s direction in his life. That he isn’t just living for himself and what makes him enjoy whatever moment he’s in, because now he desires for more of it, thinking of all the other ways he’ll have whatever it is for as long as he can. In this case, more of you and Heejin.

Jungkook was never a planner. He didn’t really value thinking far into the future that much. But with you and her, he feels he’ll get into it because he wants it - that future with both of you, that life of joy and love he feels when you’re all together. He knows now that he doesn’t ever want to be without it ever again.

He thinks about that once more as he waits for you and Heejin in his car for an afternoon at his apartment. The little sunshine has been wanting to go swimming for a while now, but it’s been too cold out to set up the inflatable pool at Namjoon’s backyard and you’d said you’re not keen on going to public pools just to appease her.

Jungkook suggested swimming at the one in his apartment building since it’s indoor. There’s a kids’ pool that Heejin would enjoy, and he thought it would be nice to make dinner to end the day.

You enter the vehicle with a seemingly excited little one in her adorable sun hat and shades.

“She insisted on wearing them,” you inform him. “And she was squealing again when I packed her bathing suit. And she had ice cream after lunch. She’s gonna be so full of energy, Jungkook. She’s probably gonna be so loud.”

“Hey, hey,” he chuckles at your already worried face. “I haven’t seen that many people swimming there lately; it’s gonna be fine. Also, so what if she’s loud? That’s why we’re taking her there, so she can enjoy herself.”

“Yeah, but you know how she gets, especially when she’s had sugar,” you say, right as she starts squealing out of nowhere. “Oh gosh, I shouldn’t have given her that ice cream. But she pouted at me and she looked too adorable and I couldn’t say no!”

“With that cute face, who could say no? But hey, it’s fine. I’ll charm anyone who’ll complain about her and give them cookies, I guess.”

“Fine,” you say. “But seriously though, she’s been waiting for this. She’s realizing her baby tub isn’t big enough for her to swim in so a pool might make her be attached.”

“Well, if she wants to swim every weekend, then why not? That would be nice,” he smirks.

You internally groan because when Jungkook suggested this days ago, you agreed too quickly and did not give yourself time to process what it would mean, mostly for you. Because Jungkook half-naked in a pool making your daughter happy is something that would be too much for you to handle. But you’re here now, on the way to his building wearing a bathing suit under your clothes, half nervous and half excited for today.

You pass by his apartment to pick up some snacks before heading to the pool, satisfied that aside from an elderly man doing laps and the lifeguard on duty, there’s no one else here. You place your things on two lounge chairs near the kids’ pool and immediately have to pacify Heejin who squeals at the sight.

“You ready to swim, Jinnie?” Jungkook kneels in front of her with a smile that’s just as excited as your daughter’s.

“Swim, Kookoo! I want to swim,” she says, then turns to you. “Mama, swim please,” she mumbles, her sweet smile on display as she knows now that you’re weak for it.

You nod then sit on the chair so you can remove her outer clothes. “Okay, bubba. But let me put on your gear first, okay?”

You put the vest over her head then her arms through the additional floaters, explaining to her that those will help her comfortably and safely swim. She hasn’t swam much so you’re quite worried that the devices won’t be enough, but you know she doesn’t like feeling too constricted so you needed her to wear something that would make her feel more free.

You repeatedly adjust and then check if you put them on properly until you feel Jungkook kneel next to you.

“Hey, I’ve got her, alright? I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” he assures you.

“Okay,” you smile. “I’ll go in later. I wanna take pictures and videos first.”

“Got it. I’ll try not to get in the way,” he says, his smug face telling you he probably won’t keep his word.

Taking Heejin’s hand, you lead her towards the pool while Jungkook undresses. You hear him unzip his hoodie and feel him shuffle behind you, using this time to prepare yourself before he stands before you half-naked and, well, it wasn’t really enough.

“Ready, sunshine?” He asks, but he stands there with his eyes quickly shifting to you.

You try to focus on his face, instructing him to just carry Heejin while he descends the stairs, and he cheekily smiles at you the whole time.

“Goodness, Jungkook, make sure you hold her the entire time and not show-off,” you frown at him.

“Hey, what do you think of me?” He chuckles. “Just so you know, it’s Heejin first, you second. I’ll show-off when we’re out of the water.”

“Why are you already so annoying?”

“Why are you not taking your eyes off my face?”

His cocked eyebrow makes you want to smack him because he knows how he’s affecting you. He’s now come to know the ways he can fluster you and he uses them to his advantage, like now, as you glance at his form in gray swim shorts and his bare upper body. You don’t have time nor the resolve to observe every inch of his skin, but his fully-tattooed arm catches your attention and that’s where your eyes linger.

“That too much?” He asks, prompting you to look at him again.

“No. It’s uh, nice. And also, I’m kind of a sucker for toned arms so please get in the water now before I stare at them longer,” you ramble, earning you a loud chuckle.

“That’s very nice to know, ___,” he says. “You’re free to stare at them for as long as you want. I’d love that, actually.”

“Okay, whatever,” you respond, nudging him towards the water because of the screaming little girl who’s growing impatient.

Jungkook follows, carrying Heejin then descending the stairs. She giggles once she feels the water up to her belly, and he secures her in his arms once they’ve made it down and he’s kneeling on the floor.

“You like that, sunshine? It feels good, doesn’t it?”

Heejin just responds in giggles and squeals, and with the acoustics of the indoor pool, her sounds echo throughout, and you’re truly glad neither of the two other individuals seem to care.

Jungkook speaks to her the entire time, asking how she’s liking it, teaching her how to kick, letting her splash water onto him then pouring some on her head, too. She follows most of his instructions but still chooses to do what she wants - like flailing her arms and squealing, climbing on his shoulders then jumping off of him, then hugging him for a bit of rest.

You watch from the ledge with your phone in hand, taking numerous photos and videos that you immediately send to your group chat with your family and best friends, all of whom comment on Heejin and Jungkook.

[the twin 2 🎷] How’s your heart? Has it betrayed you yet? 🤣

[the brat 😈] Why aren’t you in the pool?? Go get sum of that, sis 👅

[the twin 1 🌳] Wewww he’s got armsssss. Aren’t you a sucker for nice arms? Ur ded, good luck

[the queen mother 👑] Aww, honey. Heejin looks like she’s having so much fun! Let’s schedule a beach trip soon! 😍

[the best friend 1 👯‍♀️] Heejin is so adorable, babe! Also, look at how happy Jungkook is! He’s so whipped for her it’s too sweet 🥺

[the best friend 2 🧠] Yeah, and ___ is so whipped for him. We better get family pics like the last time ok! 👍🏽

You groan at their replies, but you also expected it. They had similar reactions when you mentioned coming over today and your chat group went off that you muted it for two days.

“Hey, you okay there? Fighting someone?” Jungkook asks as he lets Heejin lie on her back while he supports her.

“The chat’s a mess. I’m showing photos of Heejin but they’re mostly commenting about you.”

“Hope it’s good stuff,” he chuckles.

“Hmm, can’t tell.”

“Well, they’re probably wondering why you’re not with us,” he says. “Come, please. I’m sure Jinnie wants you here.”

You agree, knowing you were going to do it anyway. You walk towards the lounge chair and slowly remove the sweats and sweater you have on, choosing to turn away from the pool as you do. You make your way towards Jungkook and Heejin, with the former looking at you so fondly, something you don’t expect.

You’re not at your most confident with your one-piece bathing suit unlike when you’re in power suits, but even with having less clothes on - with just a bit of cleavage showing - you don’t feel uncomfortable around him.

Taking a dip, you feel the warm water soothe you, and you take your daughter in your arms, smiling as hers wrap around your neck.

“Mama! I like to swim,” she says, splashing the water that hits your face.

“I’m sure you do, bubba. We’ll do this more often, just ask Kookoo.”

Jungkook smiles, knowing already that this is going to be a staple date for the three of you. He wants to go on beach trips, too, maybe go to a resort and enjoy activities together, or maybe make snow angels and teach you and Heejin how to ski. There are so many things that Jungkook wants to experience with the both of you and the thought of it makes him giddy and weak in the knees.

The hour goes by with you and Jungkook just watching Heejin play in the water with the toys you brought. She likes to kick and splash but absolutely loves it when Jungkook supports her back as she floats, her eyes closed and her soft smile telling you that she’s absolutely enjoying herself.

You sit on the steps while Jungkook kneels, guiding Heejin to paddle towards your awaiting arms, then hugging her tightly when she makes it to you. It’s fun to be experiencing this with her, as her swimming time at Namjoon’s some months ago had you only guiding her from outside the pool. To be doing this with her is something you know she’ll remember, especially with Jungkook playing as her ship, the shark, and her human floater.

Jungkook sits next to you, his bare arm barely grazing yours, and plays with Heejin’s legs as she lies down on the pineapple floater he got her.

“Hey, ___. Can we have a photo of the three of us again?” He asks, like he does ever since you’ve started these family dates. Heejin doesn’t always stay still but in recent weeks, she’s been a lot more obedient when you ask her to smile.

“Of course,” you say, pulling your daughter close to you. “The group chat hasn’t shut up asking for it.”

Jungkook chuckles while you sit a frowning Heejin on your lap.

“Mama, pineapple!” She mumbles.

“Yes, bubba. You can still play with it, but is it okay if we have a photo with Kookoo?” You face her. “Like the ones we took before?”

She looks at you with furrowed brows and a tilt of her head, so Jungkook takes his phone and browses through his photos to show her.

You catch the albums he goes through - of memes he sends you, of dessert inspirations, his own creations, and then one labeled as “🌻.”

“Is that an album of us?” You ask.

“Uh, yeah,” he shyly answers, nibbling his lip ring again. “I put our photos here so it’s easier to find when I’m tired, you know? Or when I didn’t see you both that day, or when I’m… when I’m missing or thinking about you.”

You catch sight of the ones from the library and the beach, from the cafes and the park, from Alpaca World and the aquarium. There are those from your apartment, and the ones you send him like when you were in Hong Kong and during random, sometimes rainy, days when you’re also missing and thinking about him.

“That weird?” He asks, as he finds a photo to show Heejin.

“No. It’s sweet, actually. Mind sharing the album with me? There are a few I could maybe add,” you smile, meeting his soft eyes. “It’d be nice to have something when we’re missing you, too.”

“Sure,” he says, unable to hold his own grin.

You all look at the photo he’d chosen, the one from a dessert parlor where Heejin was so amused with the unicorn ice cream. You and Jungkook loved her reaction so you both kept taking pictures and he’d asked for one of all three of you and he happened to take candid ones where you all were laughing.

You remember that day, how he kept “accidentally” staining his face with ice cream to entertain Heejin. She wouldn’t stop giggling and you just adored how she sounded. You took baby wipes to clean Jungkook’s face, and you burned under his gaze as you did, your heart hammering in your chest the way it is now, as his hand trails from your shoulder to your waist to bring you closer.

“Bubba, can you smile, please?”

Heejin’s suddenly in the mood as she stands to pose, arms up like a little superstar while Jungkook takes the photo. She then turns to kiss you, which is also captured, and then turns to hug Jungkook, which he also takes.

“Thank you, Jinnie,” Jungkook chirps.

“You’re welcome, Kookoo!” She beams.

He shares you the album and you promptly send one of your complete photos to your chat group then mute it - you don’t want to deal with their teasing right now when you still feel the effects of being in this pool with Jungkook, trying hard not to gaze at his toned form and trace the art on his right arm.

You let Heejin lie on the floater a little more while you massage her feet as she requested, and it’s not long after when you decide to wash up and prepare her for her afternoon nap, given that she woke up early and expended so much energy in the past few hours.

Jungkook insists that you and Heejin shower at his apartment, which you agree to but you say you’ll both change first so you’re not dripping wet. Cheerfully exiting the shower room, you see Jungkook by the lounge chair, a towel over his shoulders, happily chatting with two women who sound so familiar, like the neighbors you’d heard the first time you were at his apartment.

You walk slowly, your smile gradually falling as you observe their body language - from the way they constantly glance at Jungkook’s bare chest to the distance between them that slowly decreases. Their giggles echo in the pool area, and you don’t miss how he seems to return the playful way they talk to him.

Not wanting to disturb their conversation, you quietly fix your things but Heejin, deciding otherwise, starts running towards Jungkook and wraps her arms around his legs.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says, carrying her in his arms. “You and your Mama good?”

“Kookoo! I want swim again,” she mumbles.

The two women coo at her and ask who she is, but you take her from Jungkook before he gets to say anything.

“Bubba, I still need to dry your hair. Come here.”

You do so as Jungkook says goodbye to the two women. You turn down his offer to carry your bags and make your way to the elevator, opting to talk to Heejin and not look at him the whole way up.

“You sure it’s okay for us to have our bath here?” You ask, your face still turned away from him.

“Of course! I’ll get you some towels,” he says, choosing not to think too much of your change in demeanor.

You thank him then make your way to the guest bathroom where you take your time to wash up. Jungkook said he’ll make dinner tonight, and not wanting the sight of those young women clearly flirting with him from earlier mess up your day together, you get over whatever bad feeling you have and ask him what he’s cooking.

“There’s this roasted pork belly I tried making so I’ll prepare that. And kimchi pancake and sides. I have a charcuterie board here, too. Those okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” you say.

You tuck Heejin in the guest bedroom at Jungkook’s insistence for her to sleep there, and then you make your way back to the kitchen where he’s preparing the ingredients.

On his kitchen counter, you see the cheese and cold cuts board next to a bottle of wine. There’s a card that says, thanks for all the help, looking forward to the next time ;) signed by names you’d heard him say earlier at the pool.

“These from your neighbors?” You ask while he preps the meat.

“Ah, yeah. They gave it to me this morning, said I should share it with Jimin and Hobi. Obviously not because I want to have them with you,” he smirks.

“What’s it for? Just nothing? And what help? What’s happening next time?”

You suddenly feel sick with how intrusive you’re sounding, something you don’t like because you’re not normally like this. But the sight from earlier and now this little gift causes a lump in your throat from some flashbacks that are quite unnerving, and somehow, Jungkook’s cheeky gaze isn’t helping.

“Ooh, so many questions. You jealous?” It’s that smug face that you usually take lightly and recently have been finding adorable. But not today.

“Are you trying to make me?” You say, your firm and slightly annoyed tone, an unfamiliar one.

“No, of course not,” Jungkook defends.

“Then answer the questions directly. If you don’t want to, then just say so. Why does it have to be me being jealous?”

“I was just teasing,” he says softly and a little displeased with himself, like he’s a child being reprimanded.

“I know, you do that a lot, even if it’s a sensitive topic. Like sure, tease about your flirty neighbors like I didn’t get cheated on with one, but it’s fun for you so go ahead.”

The lump in your throat comes out as words you say too quickly before you could filter them, and with a tone you use only when you’re irritated that Jungkook isn’t used to, you see his face fall.

He stands there seemingly not knowing what to do, as he turns away from your glare that’s equal parts frustrated and hurt. You’ve never seen him look so alarmed and powerless. Not even that afternoon in your apartment when you pushed him away after he kissed you could match this. And suddenly, all you want is to see that smirk and the scrunch of his nose, have him tease you until you’re smacking his arm playfully, until he finally says he’s just joking and that he just wanted to hear you laugh.

You don’t like this version of him, the one that looks demoralized and that feels like he’s slowly losing everything after all the work to get here just because you were being too sensitive.

“I’m sorry, that was… that was uncalled for,” you admit, walking towards him to try to get him to look at you. “I shouldn’t have questioned you like that. They gave you the package and you just received it and I guess I just got triggered because they were a little too comfortable with you earlier. It shouldn’t be an issue, we’re not–”

“Together, I know.”

Jungkook finishes the sentence, which again, you said too quickly without thinking. It’s not exactly what you meant to say, though you’re unsure why you even thought of saying it.

“We’re just dating. We spend time together, do all these things together. We go on dates but you don’t seem to want to hold my hand or hug me. It’s fine,” he sighs. “So yeah, no reason for you to be jealous, I guess. I’m sorry I teased about it.”

“So that’s what it means for you? Because I don’t give in to your need for affection, there's no reason to feel alarmed at your neighbors’ interest in you?” You say, being defensive.

“You’re literally the one who meant to say that we’re not together and that obviously implies a lot of things,” he sighs. “I don’t force you into anything because I want this so much and I don’t want to screw it up, but you’re being confusing and I’m not sure what you want from me right now.”

He sounds defeated and it’s something you’re not used to.

“I was out of line to tease you about that, I’m sorry. And if what I said about us just dating implied that all I want is physical affection from you, then I’m sorry about that, too,” he adds. “But you can’t go acting like it affected you, then say you shouldn’t be questioning me in the first place, and then be upset about what I said.”

He mirrors your questioning eyes and he groans. “Fuck, I’m not even making sense right now.”

The way your heart sinks to the ground tells you just how much a sad and upset Jungkook is one you don’t ever want to see, especially if it’s because of you. And all you want is to hold him - get rid of whatever’s holding you back from the affection you know he wants so badly to give and that you want to reciprocate - and just have him close to you.

But he speaks before you get to.

“Look, I don’t really know how to deal with things like this,” he admits. “I wanna cry but also cuss out and be angry but I also want to apologize and ask you to forgive me, but I’m not good with… this. And I don’t want to say something I’ll regret nor be the receiver of whatever you’re gonna say so, uh, I’ll just go for a walk outside, okay? I realized I need scallions and some appetizers because I don’t really feel like eating that anymore,” he says, taking the charcuterie board and throwing it in the trash.

“I won’t take long. I’ll get the pork in the oven after. Just get yourself comfortable and I’ll be back soon.”

He doesn’t wait for your response. He just heads out the door and leaves you in his apartment with a bigger lump in your throat and your crushed heart in your hands.

Jungkook gets back after two hours. In the silence of his apartment with nothing but Heejin’s soft breathing, you hear the front door open. You walk out the room and watch him with a bag of groceries and cans of beer that he puts in his fridge, perhaps his companions tonight after he takes you back home.

In the time that he was out, you laid next to your daughter and watched her sleep. Her puffy cheeks and parted little lips were the only things that made you smile. She looked so tired but you knew she had a lot of fun. She turned to her side and probably felt you near her, as her arm stretched out and found yours.

You caressed her face and gently kissed her nose, and the joy you felt when you have your whole word in your hand is unmatched. It’s like all the worst things could happen to you but then you see her and all of that fades away, and all of a sudden, everything is clear. All you need is her. And you know that at least for now, all she needs is you.

Aside from your family, the closest you get to feeling like that clarity is with Jungkook, because as you watched him walk out the door, you felt your heart break at hurting him again, feeling the parts of you that he glued together crack at his absence, at his disappointment, at his own defeat.

When he left you in that hospital room after you’d given birth to Heejin, there was a feeling of loss that you weren’t ready to admit, and you spent years after that trying to make sure it didn’t overwhelm you, that it didn’t make you doubt the decision that you made to walk away from him the first time and then to let him walk away from you after. Your resolve was so strong then, even when you saw him in Busan with another woman in his arms. And even all the times you saw him after; even recently.

You know you’re holding on to what little control you have left because deep down you know that he’s taken your heart, and giving someone the power to do whatever they want with it is absolutely terrifying. But that’s the thing, you think. You have to trust them that they won’t, and you’re still on that path to trusting Jungkook that he won’t hurt you, that he won’t do what Yun-seo did to you, that he’ll stay by your side no matter what.

“Hey,” you utter, standing beside the couch he’s sitting on, head lolled back and eyes closed as he massages his temples. “Cleared your mind yet?”

“Somewhat,” he says. “You?”

“Somewhat,” you manage a smile.

He returns a faint one and you hate this, but you also know this is on you. You sit next to him and he stays in place, barely angling himself towards you.

“So, uh, there’s a lot to say and unpack and I don’t know where to start,” you state.

“Just start somewhere.”

“Okay,” you huff, not used to this version of you, too. “I was just a bit uneasy with those women because they seem like your type of people. And they’re young. And they’re gorgeous, and pretty hot. And your neighbors.”

“And?”

“And… Well, it’s not that I think they’re better than me nor do I think I’m better than them but… I don’t know. Flashbacks of Yun-seo, I guess. And how I was too trusting then. And I don’t normally get jealous but just seeing them with you, it was a new feeling. And then they got you a package and I just went off without thinking of what I was saying and how it came across. I was being unfair and I’m sorry,” you ramble.

“They do those boards and grazing tables and stuff,” he says after a while. “They rush-ordered a cake for a party and I got it done and they got me something as a thank you and–”

“You don’t have to explain, Jungkook. And I don’t mean that in the way I seemed to imply earlier. I was being stupid.”

“No, you aren’t. And I’m explaining it to you because I want you to trust me. Even if you don’t trust the people around me, I need you to trust me. Because the last thing I want is for you to compare me to your ex-boyfriend because I would never, ever do that to you, ___,” he explains, turning his head to face you.

“And I get you being wary but it just hurts that you think I would do that. Even if you found out what he did after the fact, I know it affected you a lot but… If the reason why you’re taking your time with us is because you’re scared I’d do what he did to you, then let me know now, because I don’t think I’ve done anything to make you think I’d do that but at least I’d know what to do or not do so you would trust me.”

It’s a lot for him to say, mostly because Jungkook was never this serious with you. He’s been honest with his feelings, definitely, persistent and unyielding as if nothing you do would ever faze him, so hearing the hurt in his voice and seeing him be so vulnerable - as he covers his eyes with his arms - lets you know this took a lot for him to say, too.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, trying hard not to cry. “I got ahead of myself and didn’t stop to think and I always do. I guess I just got scared, like it was deja vu because I was a stupid woman those years ago and I’m in the cusp of giving my heart to you and I just freaked out. And that’s on me. You’re not like him, Jungkook. I’m sorry I made you feel like you are.”

There’s a beat of silence that’s quite unnerving, but then he fully faces you and smiles, the widest he possibly can at a time like this.

“It’s okay. I forgive you,” he says, merely patting our hand. “I’m sorry, too. I guess I just wanted to feel good about myself, about us, and that was a distasteful joke. It won’t happen again.”

He’s rooted in the corner of the couch where he’s sitting, and you want his warmth, want him to know you’re sorry and that you forgive him with more than just your words.

“Also, about what you said, about not holding your hand or hugging you—”

“I said that in the heat of the moment,” he shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“I’m not exactly an affectionate person, unless it’s my family or my best friend,” you say, disregarding what he’d just said. “And I wasn’t always good with the intimate stuff or at least, I didn’t always do them. When it comes to things like that, I really take my time. Even more now when I don’t want to make a mistake with who I’m gonna be with. Physical affection means a lot to me in whatever form.”

“Jin, though? Didn’t you guys hook up all the time?”

“Not exactly. I mean, we’d make out and a little something more but not like, all the way. And that’s different.”

“How is that different from holding my hand? Or even kissing me that first time?” He frowns.

“Because it was never serious with Jin. We did stuff because we were frustrated - with work, at each other… it was to release negative emotions after fighting over a case and…” you explain, “it’s not the same with you, you know that. It’s so much more with you.”

You see Jungkook’s face soften a bit but he doesn’t say anything, and you know that a bit more vulnerability is what he needs.

“Byeol used to tease me a lot with Jin, you know?” You continue. “He and I have been friends for over a decade and we just always got along. It wasn’t until we started working together that the tension heightened, especially after my breakup and we just… yeah, like I said, it was just tension. But after you, Byeol realized why it never worked out with him. Because whatever line Jin and I crossed never scared me. What we had didn’t go any deeper than lust and we both knew that but you… I was scared of a lot of things. And it just seemed better to not have you there at all. It was better than the possibility of you leaving, of you not staying, of me falling for you and then losing you.”

“What about now? Are you still scared?”

“I’m a planner, Jungkook. A perfectionist. I’m always scared,” you chuckle. “That’s why I plan. And overthink. It’s maybe also why I got cheated on. But I don’t want to miss out on good things. And while whatever fear I have won’t ever really go away, it’s trust that matters, trust in you that you won’t make those fears come true.”

Jungkook manages a smile, and the relief you feel is overwhelming. It takes a lot for you to be this honest with him, or to anyone for that matter, especially when it comes to admitting things that you only really keep to yourself.

“Are you scared of anything?” You ask.

“You’re asking me? I’m a fearless guy, ___.”

His serious demeanor cracks almost immediately, and the sound of his laughter echoes in his living room.

“No, but seriously. I’m not really scared of a lot of things. I think that’s why it’s so easy for me to just do whatever, you know? Pour my heart into something or someone and then move on to the next whatever if things don’t work out,” he says. “But aside from microwaves and losing to Jimin in Mario Kart, I’m scared of losing you and Heejin. Like, I’m fucking terrified. So when you ghosted me for weeks those years ago, and even recently, I was losing my mind. And it became insanely clear just how much you both mean to me. And that’s why no matter your pace, I’ll follow. I’ll take whatever you can give me than nothing at all. Because you, Heejin, us… that’s what I want; I always have.”

You can’t stop the smile that graces your face at his words. And you know nothing you’ll say will ever be enough - to comfort him, affirm him, thank him, so you do what you know will work.

You turn over his hand that’s resting on his thigh then intertwine your fingers with his, filling the spaces to let him know that you’ll keep doing that for him - filling the cracks, filling what’s missing.

“Hmm,” he says, nibbling his lips to temper his smile. “This is nice.”

You thumb his hand, letting yourself get used to having him fill your spaces like this, too. But you want to say more, so you briefly let him go and wrap your arms around his torso, your head resting on his chest as you snuggle closer to him.

He’s warm and soft and the most comfortable thing you’ve ever had in your arms, aside from Heejin, of course. And he smells of baby powder and the rain outside. You can feel the strong body underneath that you spent hours ogling earlier, holding its breath. But Jungkook recovers, as he tightens his hold around you, a wholesome moan escaping his lips at the feel of you so close.

You lift your head to face him, a cheeky smile on your face this time as you kiss his cheeks, letting it linger for him to be able to process it. You feel him hold his breath again, and turning to face him once more, his wide eyes meet your playful ones.

“Okay, maybe a heads up next time? I may have implied we’re going a little slow but you didn’t have to do all that in succession, you know?”

His shocked face makes you chuckle, and you kiss him again just to tease.

“Gosh, Jungkook. It’s just a kiss on the cheek. Are you in 6th grade?”

“More like 2nd grade. I had my first kiss when I was like, 8 or something.”

“What?!” You giggle. “Some lover boy you are! Who was the lucky girl?”

“This fourth grader in my piano class. I guess I was always an older woman magnet or something,” he winks.

And there he is, your cheeky Jungkook, making you laugh and be all flustered again.

“Okay, back to 2nd grade then,” you say, kissing his cheek once more.

“Alright, other cheek now. And three times, too, yeah?”

“Yah! I make the rules,” you cock an eyebrow.

“Oh, right, okay the–” he says, eating his words as you kiss his right cheek multiple times.

“I’m serious about giving me a heads up, ___. I’m literally losing my shit right now.”

“You’re so dramatic!”

“Yeah, get used to it,” he says, tickling you as you continue to taunt him.

You squeal as you wiggle on his couch, especially as you lay on your back and he locks your lower body in his thighs. Ending up on top of you, his hands are around your wrist and his soft eyes turn desirous as he continues to gaze at you.

You see him eye your lips and you eye his, the tension suddenly increasing tenfold and you’re teetering on the edge again, but it’s the same moment that Heejin wakes up from her nap and starts calling for you.

“Well, duty calls,” you laugh, sitting up as Jungkook sighs and releases you from his hold.

“Go, she might be needing something,” he says. “I’ll prepare dinner.”

You nod and head to the room, briefly speaking to Heejin about her nap and then taking her in your arms. You carry her as you both watch Jungkook work around the kitchen, putting everything in pans then chucking them inside the oven.

He joins you on the couch soon after, with his one arm around you and his other arm holding Heejin who’s comfortably seated on his lap. You all watch the videos you took at the pool earlier, and watching Heejin laugh while she watches herself is your new favorite sound of hers.

You lean on Jungkook as he sings her a song, something she moves her body and adorably sings along to. It’s like they have their own world sometimes and they just get each other, especially as Jungkook talks to her about her sleep and she mumbles words, most of which you understand, her arms flailing as if to make a point.

“Yeah, that’s good, Jinnie. Nice talk,” he says, giving her a high five.

You share the moment in silence after just watching her bounce on Jungkook’s lap and mumble more words, the smile on both your faces getting softer by the minute.

He’s so smitten with her, and much as you want him to know that he won’t lose you, you want him to know that he won’t lose Heejin, too.

Knowing that she tends to follow you when you prompt her, you motion for her to look at you, and when she does, you move to kiss Jungkook on the cheek again, his eyes briefly closing at the feel of you.

Heejin smiles and does the same, falling forward on Jungkook’s chest, inching up to peck his cheek, too.

“Aww, Jinnie. Did you just give me a kiss?” He says tenderly. “That’s very sweet of you, sunshine. Can I give you one?”

She squeals his name as he caresses her cheek, then he moves forward and gently kisses her forehead.

“Following your Mama, huh? She’s a sneaky one, isn’t she?”

“Oh, shush. You enjoyed it,” you laugh.

“I did, very much,” he proudly smiles.

You settle there for a little while before Heejin slides off of Jungkook’s lap and runs towards the TV, tapping it before yelling that she wants to watch. You take her on the couch with you and put on some cartoons while Jungkook sets the table and puts out your dinner, with dumplings as appetizers this time.

You win over the argument of cleaning up the kitchen while he plays blocks with Heejin, who seems to not run out of energy, before finally heading back to your apartment.

Chuckling at a dozed off Heejin, you and Jungkook share in the sounds of the music softly playing in the car as you think about how today went. It felt so real, like you were playing with Jungkook and then proceeding to argue with him.

You won’t deny that it scared you how things were going to go - you tend to be defensive and quite hot-tempered when you get into arguments. And you feared that with Jungkook’s emotional tendencies, you were both going to clash. But you surprised yourself, keeping your cool for the most part and apologizing immediately, and he surprised you, too, calling you out without being dismissive nor rude.

It makes you think that life with him would be like this. You won’t always see eye-to-eye. You’ll have moments of misjudgment or miscommunication, but you realized today that it takes a certain person to make you check yourself when you’re in a situation that is threatening and anxiety-inducing for you, someone you care deeply about, someone like Jungkook. He’s that balance of telling you how he feels without meaning to hurt you, making sure you hear his side while trying to understand yours.

Your brother was right that respect and maturity is something taught, and with how your life is and how you are, you need that kind of person next to you.

You hold Jungkook’s hand for the rest of the drive, not saying much until you get home other than asking him to help you bathe a sleeping Heejin and then prepare her for bed. He does as you ask, setting up the tub inside the shower while you remove her clothes, then making sure she doesn’t wake up all the way until you’re putting on her pajamas.

It’s goodnight kisses from you and Jungkook and even this feels so domestic, so natural. And for the first time, you don’t feel scared.

“We’re okay, right?” You turn to him as you both exit the room. “I don’t wanna go to bed upset, or knowing that you are. I need to know that we’re fine.”

“Hey, I’m here with you. Of course we are,” he assures. “And I think we handled that pretty well. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think we did,” you smile. “I guess I was expecting more fireworks from me or even you but uh, I hated seeing you upset. Like, you aren’t Jungkook if you’re not laughing or annoying the heck out of me.”

“Well, I’m not all that. I was freaking out like, a whole lot. I always do that. I just don’t wanna show you because I don’t want you to think I’m this kid who doesn’t know what to do when shit hits the fan or something,” he says, his face falling a bit.

“You didn’t seem like that earlier, though.”

“I was close to it. That’s why I went for a walk. I was on the phone with my sister for an hour, actually. She was talking me through things.”

“Really?“ you ask, a little surprised because he seemed like he was holding his own earlier.

“Yeah. Every time I’d feel nervous or scared or upset when it comes to you, I always talk to someone, usually Hobi or Jimin or even Dea. I told you, I’m not good with confrontations and stuff like that,” he huffs. “I’m persistent but I was always afraid I’d scare you off or push you away and they had to ground me, call me out, tell me when I’m being too much, stop me from waiting outside your office when you weren’t talking to me and I hate that I even considered that, but yeah.”

He looks at you with wide, nervous eyes, and if earlier you’d seen pain, this time you see worry.

“Since I told my sister about us, I’ve started to talk to her, too. And I knew she’d calm me down and she did. She’s a weird ass sometimes but she knows me the most. She really helped me today,” he continues.

“I’m sorry again. I… I get confrontational and sensitive sometimes,” you say.

“It’s okay, we all do. I’ve just never really had those moments in my past relationships, you know? So I didn’t really know what to do.”

“Yeah? Never fought with any of the exes?”

“Not really. Everything was too simple and easy, but that’s not to say that it isn’t with you,” he clarifies as your brows start to furrow. “I mean, it was just all fun. There weren’t fights because there wasn’t much to fight for, I guess. Emotions heighten when things mean a lot to you, so yeah. I’m sorry, too, again.”

Nibbling on his lip ring and looking at the ground with his hands in his pocket, Jungkook’s boyish charms shine through. He surprises you a lot, and you like that he makes you feel that way, like you can feel all kinds of emotions with him and you’re assured, at the end of the day, that he just wants things to work out.

And you know that’s the kind of partner you want, that you need, that you’ll go through lengths to fight with and for because he’s worth it. You know that now.

You wrap your arms around him to say all the words that you can’t. For a lawyer, there are some things you can’t articulate, and that’s the care that you have for him, the fear of losing him, the affection that you hope to one day show him.

His hold around you tightens, and it’s like he just knows.

“It’s not gonna be easy, it hasn’t been,” he whispers. “But that’s how I knew I wanted you for real. Because when things got hard, all I wanted was to be next to you. And I think I’m gonna want that for a long time.”

You let out a long breath, because for all the flowery words he’d said that you knew he still means, these ones somehow hit home.

You don’t say it back, you just hug him tighter, too, and it’s all he needs.

You’re all the seasons, all the stars in the sky; you’re all the promises he’ll keep, all the fights he’ll have, all the still days and hurricanes he’ll weather. It’s all you and Heejin in his world, and he can’t wait for the day he gets to be all those for you, too. That he gets to be the one you choose everyday, if possible. That he gets to be the lucky person whom you learn to love.

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greenishghostey · 1 year

Text

A Tuesday in '83

Author's Note: Saw this post, got sad, had a brainstorm with myself while doing a face mask, and now here we are. This is super dialogue heavy but I felt that was the best way to approach this idea!

So, here's 17-year-old Eddie helping with the search for Will Byers and helping cheer Jonathan up, at least a little bit.

Word count: 3,120

///

The news of little Will Byers vanishing into the aether of Hawkins spread like wildfire around the town. Storefronts were covered in missing posters, with the kid’s cheery little smile beaming away. Everyone around Hawkins High School spoke in hushed tones and stole unsavoury glances towards Jonathan Byers.

Eddie didn’t do this, though. Eddie was far too used to dirty looks and pointing from other students. He was the town’s punching bag - the weirdo who lived in the trailer park and worshipped the devil. The brother of a missing kid didn’t deserve the same treatment he got. Even if said brother listened to The Talking Heads, that was something Eddie had to judge at least a little.

Eddie had made a point of “freaking out” anyone he caught being less than civil towards Jonathan. The two boys weren’t friends, they’d never spoken, but they were both dubbed weirdos in the eyes of the student body.

Since middle school, Eddie knew that he was a caring person. He was too aware of the sour attention that clung to him. It was a lonely experience for him when he was a little kid, so he found ways to make it better. Gathering up his fellow freaks, geeks and weirdos had become his life’s calling. It didn’t just stop with Hellfire Club - Eddie could take every figurative and literal punch and kick from the town when others couldn’t. Therefore, he took his “freak” and dialled it up to eleven.

Being dramatic was one of Eddie’s favourite hobbies. He had increased the frequency of his cafeteria table speeches and taken to drumming on locker doors super close to the many whispering groups. His toothy manic grin worked a treat at drawing attention away from Jonathan. A lot of people despised his smile - but it was okay; it was all part of his show.

It was a dull Tuesday lunch period, and students were mulling around in the hallways. Chattering, giggling, and the squeak of speakers surrounded Eddie as he organised the small pile of dealing notes in his locker. He would have appreciated it if the notes were a little more polite than just having a name and a time messily scribbled. Wasn’t his humble drug service worth a “hi” or a fun doodle?

Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie noticed the sandy, messy hair of Jonathan Byers. He had prominent dark circles under his eyes and appeared to be wasting away under his denim jacket. Poor dude already had a rough time in high school. That Harrington guy and his minions took a little too much pleasure in messing with him.

Jonathan hauled a fresh stack of missing posters out of his bag, along with a small box of pins and tape. “Have you seen me?” Those words stared at Eddie from the bulletin board near his locker. He’d seen the description of Will Byers everywhere, making sure to read each missing poster he saw in case new information was added.

“Hey, Byers?” Eddie voiced, shutting his locker quietly. “How many of those posters you got?”

Jonathan jumped at Eddie’s voice, flinching away slightly. Eddie couldn’t blame him. It was a standard reaction to the town’s pariah’s presence.

“Uh, my mom gave me thirty,” Jonathan mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Eddie had an intimidating gaze; he was almost too aware that his eyes were huge - Wayne always told him he needed to remember to blink more.

“Need help putting that many up?” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow at the bulletin board. “Not really feeling the mental strain of History next period. So I got time.”

Jonathan’s stare was trained on Eddie’s beat-up sneakers. He was in shock, quite frankly. Why would Eddie Munson offer to help him? Hell, why was he offering to help full-stop?

“Um, no, it’s fine. Really.”

“No worries, man. I get it. Oh, but I meant to ask, though, are you guys doing a search tonight?” Eddie spoke as softly as he could. It was an almost jarring surprise for Jonathan - truth be told, he found Eddie sort of scary. “I know the woods like the back of my hand, so I wanna help out.”

The two boys finally made eye contact, and Eddie’s pure intentions were made clear. He wasn’t looking at Jonathan in jest or with pity. He looked hopeful. Jonathan hadn’t seen a lot of hope since Will disappeared.

“It’s just a citizen search tonight. But - but the help would be great.” The younger boy’s voice faltered ever so slightly, his hands' grip on the posters loosening. “You know much about the woods around Lover's Lake?”

“Know it? That’s my stompin’ grounds.” Eddie laughed. “Dude, I’ll be such a big help. My uncle’s got this huge camping torch too. He won’t mind me swiping it for a few nights.”

“A few- you’re gonna help more than once? Why?” Jonathan pressed. He couldn’t really believe the conversation he was having. Eddie didn’t care about anything or anybody, so why would he help look for Will? Jonathan prided himself on never judging people too harshly or without good reason. But maybe he had messed up when it came to Eddie. Listening to the hums and haws of Hawkins never was the best idea.

“Your little brother’s missing, Byers. He’s a kid. Course I’m gonna help,” Eddie gestured for Jonathan to come closer. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually a vessel of the damned.” He tried not to sigh when regurgitating one of the lines that the god squad of Hawkins liked to throw his way. Jonathan was still hesitant towards Eddie’s casual demeanour, rightfully so since they knew nothing about each other. But that hope was still present in Eddie’s eyes - it was optimistic, and lord knows, did the Byers family need some positivity in their lives right now.

Jonathan turned to fully look at Eddie - taking in his heavy leather jacket, his t-shirt that had some kind of shrunken-skinned zombie on it, and his long shaggy hair. The people of Hawkins tended to act like the metalhead was the second coming of Charles Manson - Manson was even a taunt he got fairly regularly - but Jonathan was beginning to see past that illusion. It only took a peak behind the mask to see that Eddie was a good guy. He really wanted to help out with the search for Will. Sheriff Hopper was going to flip his shit.

“We all meet at my house at eight. We have to have a register since Sheriff Hopper’s got to be there, but he won’t bother you.” Jonathan explained, noting Eddie’s alarmed expression at the mention of the cops. “He’s sorta scared of my mom right now. I promise he won’t say anything to you.”

“Thank christ. At least it’s him. He caught me setting off fireworks behind the trailer park last fourth of July but just yelled at me and marched me home. He said he liked my t-shirt, though. Weird guy.” The little anecdote made Jonathan laugh, it wasn’t more than a breath, but he laughed. It had been the first time in a long time. However, the image of Eddie being hounded and dragged back home by Hopper was too funny to let slide.

Jonathan gave Eddie the rest of the information about the search party - the Byers’ address, supplies that would be helpful to bring, and another reassurance that the police and other residents wouldn’t make any comments about him.

Before the two parted ways in the emptying hallway, Eddie swiped a few missing posters from Jonathan’s loosened grasp. “I’m gonna steal some tape from Miss O’Donnell and get these up ASAP. See ya later, Byers!” Eddie took off around the corner in a flash. He was heading in the direction of his history class; he wasn’t going to stay in there for more than five minutes.

Jonathan was left beside the bulletin board, down twelve missing posters and having recruited the most unlikely member of that evening’s search party.

The small group gathered outside the Byers' house made their dislike of Eddie’s presence all too clear from the second he turned onto the street. He had quietly walked up to the group in one of his uncle’s old high-vis vests from work and with his large camping torch. Eddie knew that his dramatics didn’t need to make an appearance while searching for a potentially dead kid. But the grimaces and dirty looks being shot his way had him itching to act out - whether it was in defence or defiance, he wasn’t sure which it would be.

The whispering was painfully obvious. Eddie knew that people probably thought he’d sacrificed Will Byers to the devil to pay for his guitar or something equally as demented. It took a monumental effort to avoid eye contact with everyone besides Jonathan. Honestly, Eddie hated that he had become the centre of attention when he should be the least important thing on anyone’s mind. It made him feel sick.

Sheriff Hopper was there like Jonathan had said. He nodded at Eddie while listening to a short brunette woman, likely Mrs Byers. The silent reassurance from the police sheriff was something Eddie never thought he would experience, but then again, the situation was far from normal. Hawkins had become far from normal.

Mrs Byers started approaching Eddie across her lawn as his gaze remained firmly trained on the browning, dry grass under his boots.

“Hi, you’re Wayne’s boy, Eddie, yeah?” Mrs Byers asked, her voice sounding a little hoarse and tired. The amount of stress the woman must have been under made Eddie feel even worse for drawing attention away from her youngest son. He’d even made a point of dressing in his plainest clothes, but unfortunately, they were all black.

“Hi, ma’am. Uh, yeah, that’s me.” Eddie mumbled, meeting the woman’s gaze but fidgeting with the heavy rings on his fingers. “I wanted to come lend you guys a hand with all -” Mrs Byers raised her hand and gave Eddie a warm but tight-lipped smile.

“Jonathan let me know you were coming along. Also, you can call me Joyce.” Joyce said gently, waving to other search party members who arrived. Before she could continue speaking, Eddie blurted out a thought that had been swirling around in his brain.

“I know me being here is a bother, but I’m only here to help.”

“Eddie, as I said, Jonathan told me everything. He said you helped put up the posters. You’re the first person outside of Will’s friends to do that for him.”

“He had like thirty of ‘em; can’t be fun having to put up that sort of stuff,” he grimaced at his words. No shit putting up missing posters for a twelve-year-old wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. “I mean, I know none of this is fun -“

“You don’t need to worry so much, I promise. You’re here to help, and that’s all that matters. Besides, I know you’re a good kid. You wouldn’t have shown up and stood here otherwise.” Joyce soothed. It was impressive how well she was holding up, all things considered. Maybe it was a “mom thing”? She saw a gangly teenager getting too much in their own head and had to intervene. Eddie couldn’t remember “mom things”, but Wayne tried his best to replicate them when needed.

Eddie couldn’t hold back the bashful smile on his face, “I’ve got a weirdly good lay of the land all around town. The woods are easy to get lost in, but there’s a good amount of places where a kid would be able to rest.”

“You can’t imagine how nice that is to hear.” Her big brown eyes were shining, possibly from blooming tears or a beat of relief.

She was right. Eddie couldn’t imagine it. But any comfort Eddie could provide was better than nothing. Since Will had disappeared, Eddie had seen Joyce and Jonathan around town much more. He had never seen people look so much like husks of humans. It was almost like seeing ghosts haunting the streets. How the entire town wasn’t standing outside of the Byers’ house was beyond him.

“If there’s an overhang or crevice in those woods, I’ll be able to sniff it out. Oh, yeah! My uncle wanted me to say that he’s gonna come help too - when his shifts get shuffled around anyway.”

Joyce didn’t say anything; she simply brought her tight-lipped smile back and squeezed Eddie’s forearm slightly.

The search party was quite small, so everyone was put into pairs for safety. Eddie had nearly clung to Jonathan when everyone was paired up and sent on their way. The area of ground that was being searched that night was the lake shore and the forest surrounding it. Everyone was silently praying that they weren’t going to find the pale, bloated body of Will Byers in the freezing water.

Eddie took the liberty of driving him and Jonathan to the area. It was the least he could do. The journey was silent. No talking, no music. He felt that the situation called for quiet. Eddie hated quiet; it made him restless and uncomfortable.

Once the van was parked, the two were off, marching through fallen leaves and solid mud. The somewhat comfortable silence between the teenagers continued for some time after that. The only noise from either of them was the occasional call for Will, which echoed off the towering, inky forest walls.

The harsh, bright beam from Eddie’s torch startled many squirrels trying to gather up their dinner - he shot them apologetic looks as he wandered by. Jonathan caught each of those looks and his mind continued to reel even more than it had been for the past week. Out of everyone in the entirety of Hawkins, one of the few people to actually make an effort to show was the most hated teenager within a ten-mile radius.

“Hey, um - your club at school, it’s not really a cult, is it?” Christ Jonathan was awkward at the best of times, but he was reaching new lows trying to think of small talk. Searching for Will was disturbing for him, but Will had always said he needed to put himself out there and make some friends. “Like it’s just an edgy name, right?”

Eddie was hit with a wave of shock from the line of questioning. “Uh, yeah. It’s just a name I thought sounded cool. No demon summoning or blood rituals. We just play D&D,” Eddie replied, kicking some crunchy leaves as they continued walking. “That’s Dungeons and Dra-”

“Will never shuts up about that game. It’s like his whole life lately.” Jonathan snorted. “Him and his friends camp out in the Wheeler’s basement and play it for, like, eight hours.”

“No way? You know what character he plays?” Eddie said in a curious tone. He tried to squash down his immediate excitement at being able to discuss a hobby that was so special to him.

“He plays a wizard, Will the Wise - might be a sorcerer, actually; I know the classes are a little different. He’s got a whole costume for when he leads their games - which is most of ‘em.” Talking about Will with fondness was cathartic for Jonathan. Everyone only wanted to talk about his little brother in the past tense - like he would never come back or was already dead. That wasn’t true. Will was going to get home soon, and his D&D costume would be waiting patiently in his closet.

Eddie’s eyes had filled with that bright hope once again, “He’s a magic user and the Dungeon Master!? Shit, this kid’s gotta be really good if he can balance all that!” The excitement couldn’t stay contained, no matter how hard Eddie tried. However, Jonathan appreciated the outburst of happiness. The constant sombre cloud that hung over his and his mom’s heads day in and day out was getting harder to deal with. Getting to be Will Byers’ biggest fan again was a good feeling. It was the first time Jonathan could feel himself cheering up, even a little bit.

“He’s crazy about it, man! All he wanted for Christmas this year was more of the books for it.” Jonathan enthused, his eyes still shifting around the illuminated forest for any movement. “I eavesdropped on one of their sessions a few weeks back, and it sounded so fun. Something about demons and gorgons following Vecna - not sure what that is, but Will made it sound like stuff straight out of a book.”

“Going for a Vecna storyline with a buncha twelve-year-olds? Fuck, your brother is a hardcore little guy.” Eddie grinned. He used to be the same when he ran campaigns back in Middle School. A Dungeon Master, as well as Edward, the half-elf bard that gave the most metal inspiration during battles. “You ever thought about trying your hand at it?”

Jonathan hesitated. “Thought about- uh, going to one of those open Hellfire things you guys do at the start of the year, actually,” he mumbled, starting to feel embarrassed. It was true. He had considered going to Hellfire once or twice to understand D&D better for Will’s sake. Any time he proofread Will’s campaign notes, he was lost on its details.

This conversation was strange, but a good type of strange. Jonathan had been dreading the night search, as he always did. However, having the company of a high-vis-clad metalhead was surprisingly nice. Jonathan knew not to entertain the idea of friendship; Eddie was two years older than him, after all. But the brief moments of comradery and compassion were rare in Hawkins.

“Huh. Well, we’re a “the more, the merrier” kinda crowd. So don’t be a stranger, Byers.” Eddie smiled, nudging Jonathan’s side with his elbow. “We meet after school on Fridays. Make sure to bring Will the Wise with you too. I wanna see this kid absolutely destroy everything I have planned.”

Will Byers was a lot more than a missing little boy. Eddie felt that when he met the kid, he would see a scary amount of himself. Jonathan and Eddie had silently agreed that Will couldn’t be dead. It just wasn’t a possible outcome to the chaos that spread across the town.

Jonathan and Eddie continued to chat about anything and everything - D&D specifics, music, school, and their hobbies. Both boys continued to be ever vigilant for even the smallest rustle of leaves or shift in their surroundings. Bright beams from their flashlights continued to scan the pitch-black forest - fading away into the depths of Hawkins.

It was almost like walking straight into hell, but at least they wouldn’t have to do it alone.

///

Tags: @vigilanteshit @lunatictardis @chainsawmunson @mantorokk-writes

#eddie munson #jonathan byers #will byers #stranger things fanfiction #fluff #angst #fic #eddie munson fanfic #i did iiiiiittttttt #this kind of sucks a bit but I wanted it to be quite dialogue heavy #my writing

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spiralcass · 8 months

Text

NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 2, EPISODE 8

We open in a bunker. The sound of a knife being sharpened is heard as we get a good look at the place. The walls are lined with maps and graphs and/or assault weapons, there are cases filled with knives and explosives and bags of non-perishable food have been thrown haphazardly onto the floor.

There’s also a freshly murdered mutant in the corner, a young man who’s been stabbed to death.

“I’ve trained all that I can. I’ve tested myself. I’ve succeeded. Now, all that is left…is to take my revenge.”

The sharpened hunting knife is holstered, and the woman speaking arms herself with further guns, bombs, and melee weapons. With her white mask and all-camo outfit, comic fans will recognize her as The Leper Queen.

We cut to the school. In Scott’s office, he’s seated at his desk, with Emma, Storm, Laura, and Bobby standing alongside him. Emma, Bobby, and Storm all appear perplexed and mildly afraid, while Laura is stoic as ever. Scott is pinching his forehead in frustration.

SCOTT: “So…let me get this right.”

We see that he’s speaking to Kitty, Sunspot, and Darkchylde. Kitty and Sunspot are as nervous and awkward as everyone else, while Darkchylde is grinning and waving her tail back and forth.

SCOTT: “Demons kidnapped you and invaded Russia, killing or injuring hundreds…and you brought their queen here.”

DARKCHYLDE, mockingly: “Nice to see you too, Cyclops.” Her tone becomes more pleasant. “Actually nice to see you again Storm. Very confused why you’re here, Ms. Frost.”

EMMA: “Oh, there is plenty of confusion going on right now. Kitty, please answer the question.”

Kitty sighs.

KITTY: “Listen, we had two options: let her destroy the world, or let her come home. She’s basically a super-intelligent, all-powerful toddler. This is a school, right? We can help her learn to be better. There IS some Magik in there, I swear.”

ROBERTO, gesturing with his fingers: “Very little, but we’ll just have to make do, hmm?”

Scott sighs. Parents Day is tomorrow and this is the last thing he needed right now.

CYCLOPS: “Okay…Darkchylde…since it seems like they want you here and you’re not giving me a –”

DARKCHYLDE: “Ehhhhh. About that. My name I mean. I already know you’re going to let me stay. You’re not stupid enough to get everyone killed doing otherwise.”

CYCLOPS: “Then what?”

DARKCHYLDE: “That name. DARKCHYLDE. It’s a good name. Rolls off the tongue. But being back here, it feels weird being called that.” She waves her arm, removing most of her demonic appearance, and instead taking on the form of a 21 year-old Illyana, keeping only her horns and tail, dressed in her Bachalo costume. “You may all just address me as Magik. Or Illyana. Whichever.”

While Scott agrees to this, the looks on Storm,Emma, Kitty, and Beto’s faces all appear uncomfortable seeing this monster look even more like their old friend, the latter two struggling to keep smiling.

DARKCHYLDE: “Good! Very good! Now, who wants to introduce me to all the little kiddos I could fry like piglets if I felt like it?”

More nervous stares around the room. Magik is happy as a clam to be here though.

In the cafeteria, the reunited friend group, consisting of 6 X-Men In Training, 1 X-Man, and 1 Bling!, who is presently writing an apology letter to Pixie for her behavior as one of the Hellions, per her request.

Everyone who isn’t busy writing a specifically dictated 5,000 words about the importance of friendship is talking about Parents' Day.

Brian is excited because Emma paid for his parents’ flight from Puerto Rico; because of everything that went down with Nova and Dark Phoenix, he missed getting to see them for Winter Break, and he can’t wait to see them now.

NORI: “Your rents are actually cool?”

BRIAN: “Well, they’re kinda dorky, but yeah, they’re solid.”

Laura meanwhile just got back from a mission with Logan, so he doesn’t see the point in coming.

LAURA: “I don’t care either way.”

SOFIA, knowing she’s just trying to act tough: “Of course, you don’t.”

Sooraya is also excited but in her more subdued style. Storm is taking her to visit her mom in Afghanistan.

LAURA: “People here seem to view the Middle East negatively. I’m not sure I get it. I killed in worse places.”

As they’re so often forced to do, no one touches that one.

Cess is pretty sure the only way her parents would show up would be to tell her she was officially disowned, buuuut she hardly cares! The Washingtons are coming, they already liked her when they met at her audition, and now she’s going to show them she is perfect for their daughter, both for general approval, and to help get a part in the music video.

Sofia, who’s sitting on the opposite side of the table from Julian, knows her so-called “father” won’t be coming either, but his, now former, assistant, Derek, is coming to see her. When she lived with her father, he was the only one who looked after her.

SOFIA: “What about you two? Do you have anyone coming?”

Noriko and Julian both shift awkwardly. Like Nori’s said before, her parents kicked her out for being a Mutant. They sure as well wouldn’t fly across the world to pick up their Mutant daughter at her Mutant school. Julian, meanwhile, insists he doesn’t care that his parents don’t care enough to visit. They haven’t cut him off like what happened to Ashida, so it’s all good.

SOORAYA: “There are more important things in life than money, Julian.”

The Cuckoos enter the cafeteria together.

NORIKO, snorting: “Imagine telling them that.”

The Cuckoos are met with boos and curses, everyone hating them for having blackmailed them.

Noriko dons a mischievous smirk, as she chucks her pudding cup at Sophie’s hair. It’s a direct hit. As the Cuckoos are aghast, others in the cafeteria start throwing food at them while laughing. Screaming and humiliated, the Cuckoos retreat out of the cafeteria.

SOFIA: “That was more enjoyable than it should have been.”

SOORAYA: “Cruelty should not be met with cruelty…but that was funny.”

JULIAN: “God, what do you think THEIR parents are like?”

BRIAN: “Girls as creepy and emotionless as them? Maybe they were grown in vats or something.”

As the friend group laughs, we cut to the Cuckoos taking a walk of shame to the bathroom, listening to their thoughts and hearing their laughter. They’re completely humiliated and distraught.

IRMA: “Maybe we could–”

ESME: “No. Whatever it is, no.”

As the Cuckoos get cleaned up in the bathroom, Emma enters.

They say that if this is about their punishment, she doesn't need to worry about them tormenting the telepathy they've been assigned to torment; they'll be gentle.

SOPHIE: "Although, really, the treatment we've been receiving should be punishment enough."

Emma tells them to look at this as a learning experience. Since they got here, they've done nothing but cause trouble. Particularly for HER kids. She sees as much potential in these girls as she does any of them, and she knows children don't act out for no reason.

Emma: "You already mentioned your parents wouldn't be coming tomorrow, and Cyclops and Kitty can oversee the mob of middle-class humans who are about to visit. I'd like to take you all out for a day of fun and learn all about you."

CELESTE: "Thank you for the offer, Ms. Frost, but we really –"

Emma: "I wasn't asking."

The sour Cuckoos cross their arms in annoyance.

In her new room in the school, Magik is zapping everything from her bed to the air conditioner with magic to make it all appear more demonically regal.

There's a knock on the door. Illyana tells Kitty to come in and check out how much cooler she made her room. They should let her redecorate the whole school.

"That won't be happening."

Rather than Kitty, Scott enters.

Scott: "But I do like that you're making yourself at home."

Magik scowls at Cyclops. Given how he reacted to her arrival, she doubts that. Scott apologizes for earlier. She can't really blame him for being wary given…everything about who she is and what she's done since she was born. Still, if she's going to be staying in his school, he thinks they should try and get along, or, at the very least, develop a sense of trust between them, maybe set some ground rules. How does that sound?

Magik responds by sucker-punching Scott in the gut, causing him to keel over. She whispers in his ear.

MAGIK: "First, do not talk to me like a child. Second, you don’t smell right. Third, Kitty and Beto do not trust you. So I do not trust you.

CYCLOPS: "Things between me and them are just a big–"

Magik kicks him into a stepping disc, with Scott reappearing in the hallway.

MAGIK: "Stay out of my way, Mutant."

She magically shuts the door. Scott struggles to stand up.

CYCLOPS: “Smell right…”

The next day, Parents Day begins! Dozens of human, and even a couple of Mutant, parents have arrived to see how their kids have been doing, speak with their teachers, and make sure no giant robots have tried to kill them in the last few weeks.

Roxy runs up to her parents, who are just a little over-dressed and getting recognized by many of the other parents and students and gets a big hug from her Daddy, ecstatic to see his “Little superstar” even though they had seen each other recently. Cessily eagerly shakes Roxy’s mom’s hand, but her anxiety does make her a little jiggly. Roy and Angel just laugh at this; it reminds them of how Roxy used to shed diamond shards when she was younger.

ROXY, embarrassed: “Guuuuuys.”

Brian runs up to and hugs his completely average-seeming parents, while Sofia greets Derek with excitement, the two performing the same over-the-top handshake they did when he dropped her off here.

Other kids are briefly seen with their parents, while Sunspot and a still-hanging-around Cannonball are met by Sam’s mom, his younger sister, Husk, and two of their younger siblings, one of whom has massive red, feathery wings.

ROBERTO: “Another two Mutants, Lucinda? What is going on in there?”

SAM: “Please don’t call my ma by her first name.”

Indoors, while all of this is going on, Noriko and Julian are inside, playing video games in the common area.

NORIKO: “This kinda thing seem less exciting to you after seeing real life or death combat?”

JULIAN: “Nope.”

NORIKO: “Me either.”

In whatever game they’re playing, Noriko wins.

NORIKO: “Ha! Suck it, Keller! Just like in real life.”

JULIAN: “In real life? I was gonna smash you into the ground before Karma got involved.”

NORIKO: “Please, I was two seconds away from frying you like a bug zapper.”

JULIAN: “Well maybe we should have a little rematch then.”

NORIKO: “Maybe we should.”

“Eh, hem.”

The two turn their attention to Kitty, quickly explaining that they weren’t being serious to Ms. Pryde. She knows them, always goofing, right?

KITTY: “Right.”

Karma enters and tells Kitty everything seems clean. Julian’s eyes immediately land on Xuan’s new leg. While he’s distracted, Noriko asks Kitty what’s going on.

KITTY, smiling: “Well, I know this may come as a shock, but for once, I can actually give some good news to one of you kids. It’s your family, Noriko…”

Noriko’s eyes widen as she drops her controller.

KITTY: “They’re here to see you.”

Emma and the Cuckoos arrive at a spa. Emma explains to the girls that it’s one of the most exclusive in New York, but before she can list off its amenities, the Cuckoos act insulted that Emma thinks they haven’t been here.

After being greeted by a staff member, the six are led toward their first of a full day of treatments. Emma says that while they’re paid for their silence, there’s no reason to bother the help with whatever drama they end up discussing today.

EMMA, telepathically: “Let’s stick to communicating as Mutants, yes? Now, where would you like to start?”

CELESTE: “There’s nothing to “start”.”

PHOEBE: “We’re just fine.”

SOPHIE: “You know everything you need to know about us.”

IRMA: “We’re an open book.”

Esme rolls her eyes.

EMMA: “I see. So how are you taking your break-up with Hellion then?”

The Cuckoos eyes glow as they attempt a psychic assault on Emma, instantly angered by her bringing that up, but Emma gives them the telepathic equivalent of a smack on the head with a newspaper roll. The Cuckoons groan, rubbing their heads.

STAFF MEMBER: “Ms. Cuckoos are you not feeling well?”

EMMA, vocally: “Oh they’re fine, darling. It’s just the pressures of school. You know how demanding I can be.”

The ladies take their seats.

EMMA, telepathically: “Let’s try that again, please.”

In his office, Cyclops is on the phone with someone.

CYCLOPS: “Yes. Yes, I know it’s going to be hard, but we need to give her, and this whole situation, some time. Okay? Thank you. Take care, Pitor.”

Scott hangs up and rubs his temples as there’s a knock on the door. Scott tells them to come in, with Laura doing as instructed.

LAURA: “You wanted to see me?”

Scott confirms and asks her to sit. He knows the arrival of Magik yesterday came as a surprise to her, and everyone else, but they still need to take immediate action.

LAURA: “You need me to kill her?”

CYCLOPS: “I…what…no. Laura, I will never ask you to kill anyone. I’m not even sure Magik CAN be killed.”

Scott explains that, right now, they’re all alive because Magik cares about Kitty and the others. But if they want to ensure their continued survival, they need to expand that circle of compassion and, ideally, guide her down a better path.

LAURA: “You’re asking ME...to connect with someone.”

CYCLOPS: “You were both created to be weapons of death and experienced abuse I can’t even imagine. I figure you have a lot to talk about.”

Laura gets nervous and fidgets in her seat.

LAURA: “You should just ask Iceman.”

CYCLOPS: “I wasn’t “asking” you. I know you’re the one for this job. You forged a new path for yourself, and you can help her do the same. Don’t let me down.”

Laura is about to argue, but she stops herself.

LAURA: “Yes, sir.”

Outside the school with all the other students and parents, Noriko waits nervously for her family, alongside Julian. Nori is tapping her foot at super speed, but Julian holds it down for her with his TK.

JULIAN: “Nothing to do with you, but if they start spewing any crap, I’ll trash them.”

NORI: “Touch my family and you’re the one getting trashed.”

JULIAN: “Pfft. Just trying to help.”

NORI: “And why are you even here? I swear, it’s like you–”

“NORIKO!”

Nori’s face lights up as she hears the voice of her little brother, Keitaro, who’s several years younger than her. She rushes over to him and bends down to give him a big hug. As the two hold each other, Keitaro grins, while Noriko is on the verge of tearing up. The two speak in Japanese. No subtitles.

“I trust you wouldn’t be near him if you didn’t have better control of your powers, yes?”

Nori sighs as she lets go and stands up to meet her parents, Seiji and Suki.

Noriko struggles to keep up her smile as she greets them.

NORIKO, in Japanese: “Mother...Father…it’s nice to see you. How are you?”

SUKI, in Japanese: “We are well, thank you. It is good to see you too, Nori-chan.”

SUKI, in English: “You’ve grown so much. Is it true? You have control over your…condition?”

Suki appears soft, warm, and open-armed, while, as she speaks, Seiji, stands tall and emotionless.

NORIKO: “My Mutation. And yes. These gauntlets keep all the electricity inside me unless I want to let it out…usually.” While Suki is clearly just as happy as her son to see Noriko, Nori’s attention turns to who she knows is the problem here. “What are you doing here?”

SEIJI, stiff as can be: “Have your years away from us made you forget your manners? Are you not going to introduce us to your boyfriend?”

Before Nori can flip over her dad’s assumption, Julian calmly and politely introduces himself.

SEIJI: “Those hands. Are they a result of your *condition*?”

JULIAN: “Not at all. I lose my real ones fighting to protect everyone here.” He gestures with his head. “Noriko was right there with me.”

Suki begins panicking over the idea of Noriko getting into a big fight, but Seiji silences her with a raised hand.

SEIJI: “That sounds very noble of you both.” He turns back to Noriko. “I am not here by my own choice. I am here because you broke your mother and brother’s hearts when you left, and they have convinced me that, perhaps, I shouldn’t have given you that option.”

Julian’s polite veneer drops as he questions what Seiji is talking about. He kicked her out of his home and disowned her for being a Mutant.

NORIKO, clenching her eyes shut, as well as her hands, in embarrassment: “Oh god, no.”

SEIJI: “Is that what you told him? Is that the sob story you told everyone here?” He looks back at Julian. “Despite our disagreement on whether Noriko was sick or a supposed “Mutant”, she was a clear danger to herself and those around her. That was undeniable. We wished to take good care of her. She was our daughter. We told her we would stand by her and help her until a cure could be found. She decided running away to live on the streets in America for two years was preferable.”

Noriko hangs her head in shame, but the rage on Julian's face is clearly directed at her father, not her.

SEIJI: "In spite of all of that…I have decided to give you a second chance." Nori looks up at her dad with deer eyes. "It's time for you to come home."

In the spa, Emma and the Cuckoos are relaxing in the sauna, which gives a clear view the Hudson. With the teens continuing to ignore her as she attempts more casual approaches, asking them about their family and their interests, to no response, she returns to a more confrontational strategy.

EMMA, telepathically: “Since your arrival at the Institute, your performances have been exceptional. In both test scores and practical application of your gifts, you’re near the top of your class.”

CUCKOOS, finally responding to something: “”Near””?

EMMA: “Finally a peep out of you. Lovely. And yes, you have competition. Be grateful. It’s good for you. To my point, it’s why your behavior confuses me. You’ve brainwashed and manipulated those who I would have expected you to make allies, if not friends, of, and tormented your class like children with a magnifying glass and an ant-farm, as opposed to attempting to lead them. I’d like some insight, not for me, but so I can help you.”

SOPHIE: “That’s rich coming from you. You don’t let anyone in. Why should we?”

EMMA: “Because, while it may come as a shock…” Emma momentarily goes into her diamond form. “This diamond is flawed.”

The Cuckoos turn to each other to mentally consult each other in private.

ESME: “So that’s why everyone hates you then?”

IRMA: “We thought it was a little much to simply be jealousy.”

Emma shakes her head and softly laughs. They’re usually so polite with her, and yet, with the slightest push, they resort to petty insults. They didn’t even try to be clever with their psychic attack earlier.

EMMA: “Perhaps I overestimated you.”

SOPHIE: “We were just thinking the same thing.”

The Cuckoos toss the towels wrapped around their heads off and march out of the sauna.

EMMA: “Do not runaway and isolate yourselves. Do not be like me.”

CELESTE: “We are NOTHING like you.”

Emma sighs as she’s left alone.

At the school, Magik has conjured a demonic rotary phone to communicate with Limbo with.

DARKCHYLDE: “Yes. Yes, mmhm. Good. Do that. And make sure all the statues of me depict me as buff! Your queen shall be getting into shape. Yes, I do have god-like strength already, but I want it to SHOW, and I want it to show NATURALLY!” She slams the phone. “Idiot. Totally killing him later.”

There’s a knock on the door. Illyana transforms her phone into a sword and shouts that if that’s Cyclops, his head will roll.

LAURA, entering: “Not quite.”

MAGIK: “Oh! Logan! Hi! You know, I meant to congratulate you earlier. I never had you pegged as a woman.”

LAURA: “I…what…no. I’m not Logan. My name is Laura.”

MAGIK: “And I support you completely, Laura.” Magik hops through a stepping disc to appear behind Laura. “So what’s up?”

Laura turns around and tells her that she just got here, but with Dani, Kitty, and Karma all occupied by Parents Day, along with all of Laura’s friends, she thought she may as well come by.

LAURA: “You have enough power to destroy the world. That’s cool.”

MAGIK: “RIght? Finally, someone who appreciates what I can do!”

LAURA: “How long do you believe it would take you? Estimated?”

MAGIK: “Hmm. No fun and games? Maybe six hours?”

LAURA: “Six hours…damn. I could only cover a city in that time.”

Magik grins from ear to ear and pokes Laura’s chest.

MAGIK: “I like this new look on you, Wolverine. Were you always so much fun?”

LAURA: “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Magik opens up a stepping disc underneath them both.

MAGIK: “If we’re going to hang, we can’t stick to this stuffy old place. I know JUST where girls like us can have a good time.”

LAURA: “We’re not killing anyone NOW.”

MAGIK: “Daaah, spoil sport. Fine, I know another place.”

The two disappear in the portal.

In a classroom, Noriko, accompanied by Danielle and Kitty, are sat down with Seiji, as he explains what he'd like to happen here.

Seiji first thanks Ms. Pryde and Ms. Moonstar for getting his daughter off the street and taking care of her, but now she will be returning to her real home; her real family.

Noriko squirms at that, with Dani gently taking her hand to comfort her.

Seiji continues to say that, since Noriko's gauntlets really do seem to work, he will not force her to take a cure, and simply allow their inventor to come and perform maintenance on them on an agreed upon schedule. From there, she will remain under his supervision until she completes her studies and turns 18.

KITTY, suspicious: "Sounds very nice."

SEIJI: "Is that a tone?"

KITTY: "Yeah, it's the one I use when speaking to people who think Mutants need to be "cured". As if that attitude hasn't gotten enough people killed already."

DANI: "What my friend means to ask is if there are any other conditions on this deal?"

Seiko rolls his eyes. She should have just said that.

He reveals that there IS one condition to all of this: Noriko will have nothing to do with the X-Men. Apart from Dr. McCoy's maintenance checks, she will abandon all contact with the Institute's teachers and students. The association could be poisonous to her future.

While Kitty looks ready to kill a man, Dani insists that that isn’t fair to Noriko. She’s made friends here who mean the world to her. To say nothing of how much they mean to each other. Seiji responds by saying that, if they really cared about her, they wouldn’t drag her down with them.

Kitty launches up to her feet, about to put Seiji through a wall, without phasing him, but Noriko gets between them.

NORIKO: “Wait…please stop…”

As we cut to outside the classroom, we see that Julian is eavesdropping,

NORIKO, off camera: “I need to think about this.”

Julian is incensed as he stomps off.

JULIAN: “Damn traitor.”

As Julian walks down the halls, he notices a reunion between a mother and daughter.

“MUMMY!”

Going in and out of her wolf form, Wolfsbane rushes into the arms of an older, brown-haired woman, who holds her tight.

Julian is unsure what he’s looking at, but he receives an immediate explanation.

XUAN: “Wolfsbane and her mother, Dr. Moira McTaggert.” Julian turns around to see his teacher. “You were wondering who they were right?” Julian nods. “Wolfsbane, Rahne, is one of the old New Mutants. And Dr. McTaggert is actually an old colleague of Professor Xavier’s. One of the few baselines we’ve always been able to count on.”

Julian bristles. As if Flatscans are good for anything.

Xuan asks him if he’s okay. She heard he was doing better. Julian sighs. He doesn’t want to talk about it. But he does want to talk about something else with Karma, specifically.

JULIAN: “I don’t know what happened, but you lost your leg on your last mission. When I lost my hands, well, you know what happened. So how are you so calm? What’s your secret?”

Xuan is amused.

XUAN: “Julian…I’ve died.”

Julian blinks as his mouth hangs open. He struggles to find the words. Ultimately, he settles on..

JULIAN: “Huh?”

Xuan giggles.

XUAN: “Yeah. I got killed once by a cosmic being beyond imagination. So did Wolfsbane, and the rest of the old New Mutants besides Dani and Sunspot. Jean was dead for almost the entire time I was a student here. You see that new blonde woman in all black walking around the school? That’s Magik, who’s died twice. Just kidding, that’s a demon wearing her face that has all her memories who we had to stop from destroying the world yesterday.”

Julian stumbles over his own words. He has no idea how to respond to this.

XUAN: “You asked if I have a secret. The fact is, our lives are really, really weird. You’ll get used to that if you stay on the X-men track. A lot of the time, our lives are also hard and painful, and we just want to cry and give up. But we have two things going for us: each other, and one Hell of a talent for refusing to stay dead.” Xuan’s smile becomes softer. “Yeah, losing my leg…it was awful. But I’ve been through worse. Learn and grow from the pain, so you can protect others from it.”

Julian is in complete awe.

JULIAN: “Never knew the New Mutants we so cool.”

XUAN: “You know we used to kick your precious Ms. Frost’s butt all the time, right?”

The two share a laugh, and Julian thanks her.

Magik and Laura emerge from Illyana’s portal on a space station. From the logos and architecture, Laura instantly recognizes this as one of SWORD’s space stations, with SWORD serving as a counterpart to SHIELD, dealing with extraterrestrial threats.

LAURA: “Their director hired me a few times. She’s the only client who ever scared me.”

MAGIK: “Lame. Anyway, you’re probably wondering what we’re doing here.”

LAURA: “Not really.”

MAGIK: “Well, since you asked, I actually do care about people besides those at the school. It’s just that Cypher and Warlock are dead, and I don’t care ENOUGH about Magma to force her to come live with us. But there is one other dear friend of the old Illyana Rasputin who I need to bring home. You down to help me maim some dudes on the way?”

LAURA: “We can’t. The X-Men work with SHEILD now.”

Magik groans. She then waves her arm and makes them look like Sabretooth and Mystique, respectively.

MAGIK: “There! All better! You guys really ought to start realizing that with me, problems are not problems. Now, let’s go!”

Magik runs off. However, she quickly realizes Laura isn’t following behind.

MAGIK, annoyed: “What is it now?”

Laura tells her that she’s an X-Man. She may still enjoy fighting, but she’s meant to protect innocent people, not hurt them. Magik thinks it’s cute she thinks anyone is innocent. Laura insists though that she’s happier and more fulfilled now than she ever was when she was an assassin. Now, she has a home and she has friends. Wouldn’t Magik be happier if her friends weren’t all terrified of her? Maybe she could have a similar experience if she gave it a try.

Magik frowns.

MAGIK: “I’m starting to think you’re not actually Logan.”

LAURA: “No kidding.”

MAGIK: “Blech. I don’t like liars.” Magik punches her hand through a wall, setting off the alarms. “Have fun!” Magik leaves Laura behind as she heads off on her search, while soldiers begin to rush toward Laura’s location.

In his office, Cyclops is now speaking with Seiji and Suki while, outside on the main law, Keitaro is playing with the Mutant children, Artie and Leech. Leaning against a wall, Surge is momentarily at peace watching them play together.

"Ashida!"

Noriko groans as Julian flies up to her, telling her he overheard what she said earlier. She's seriously abandoning everyone???

Noriko rolls her eyes. Of course this guy was listening. She tells him that, not that his opinion matters, but she's THINKING about it.

Julian can't believe her. For as much of a loser as she is, she was still one of the last people he'd ever expected to turn on them.

Noriko insists that's not what she's doing, but Julian presses.

JULIAN: "You've always acted like you're so much better than me. You fought right alongside me for everyone here. But the first chance you get, you're out? Leaving us a powerhouse down so you can go live a fun, flatscan-approved life? You're pathetic."

Noriko lights up in a rage and shoves Julian to the ground. How dare he! She doesn't care about the good of Mutants any less than ever, but she's a kid, and right now, she has to think about herself.

Noriko vents that, back in Tokyo, she had a life. She had great parents and an amazing little brother. She had prospects. She had friends who didn't always treat her like the butt of the joke except for when she was useful. But she has to be useful now!

NORIKO: "When I came here, I thought anyone who wanted to be an X-Man was crazy. But it didn't take long for me to realize…that's all there is. That's all there will ever be for us. Fighting or hiding. Because if good people like my parents can't stand us, what chance do we have of ever changing the real monsters? I just want a way out."

Noriko is tripped over by Julian's TK as he floats up. He tells her that anyone who thinks like her parents isn't a "good person" and she needs to stop thinking like that. Noriko, from the ground, spits back that that's big talk from the guy who's still taking money from his humiliated parents.

Julian ignores that dig and focuses on the other thing Noriko said. She's thinking about leaving in part because of THEM? Because they joke around with her? Please. Yeah, they joke around with her. That's how they show they care. It's not like Noriko doesn't make it easy for them acting angry and dumb all the time. He's surprised her old friends treated her any differently.

And that sets Nori off more than before, as her eyes are consumed by electricity, and electric energy blasts into the sky uncontrollably, getting everyone's attention.

NORIKO, crying static: "Do you think I was always like this?! Do you think I was "the rebel" back home?! No! I was happy! I did what I was told! I followed the rules! I acted how I was supposed to! And I loved it! But one little gene took that all away from me." Julian's eyes soften as Noriko stands and sucks back in most of the energy. "You know why I've always hated you, Keller? Besides being a tool who didn't care if I was living on the street? It's the same reason my parents assumed we were dating. You are exactly the future they wanted me to have."

JULIAN: "Ashida, I–"

NORIKO: "I don't want to be that girl anymore. I don't want that life. But I still want to live."

Nori sniffles. She thinks she just made up her mind.

She starts walking away, but, still slightly charged up, things are moving in slow-motion for her. Which is why her eyes widen as a gunshot rings, and she notices a bullet heading straight for Keitaro's head. She rushes forward, desperate to be fast enough, and catches the bullet in her hand.

As time returns to normal, everyone panics and starts shuffling around the lawn in a frenzy. Noriko and Julian look to each other with eyes of acknowledgement, with no hint of the animosity from moments ago.

Up on a far away skyscraper, we see the Leper Queen, grinning as she reloads her sniper rifle.

LEPER QUEEN: "Surprise."

At the spa, the Cuckoos receive mani-pedis and foot scrubs. Sophie complains about Emma sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. She’s meant to teach them how to be stronger telepaths, not get involved in their personal lives. Irma mumbles something quietly about how they could use the help, but Phoebe just shouts at her not to disagree with them; it’s an ugly look on a Cuckoo. Esme laughs to herself.

Celeste, to the others’ surprise, actually agrees with Irma though. What they’ve been doing hasn’t been working, and if they don’t do something quickly, they’re gonna be stuck at the bottom of the social ladder through all of high school.

SOPHIE: “We do not need a teacher to help us with that.”

IRMA: “And why should we believe that? Your plans have sucked!”

ESME, PHOEBE, AND CELESTE, as Sophie is aghast: “Oooooh.”

SOPHIE: “Take that back.”

IRMA: “Why should I? You’ll make fun of me if I don’t? Not like I don’t get that all the time already. How did you think brainwashing the girl we wanted to be friends with and tormenting her girlfriend would work out for us?”

CELESTE: “You also forgot with your big, “take over the school” plan that if anyone told Emma, she could just erase everything we could have leaked.”

ESME, with a wry smile: “To say nothing of how you allowed Hellion to competly humiliate us.” Her smirk turns more malicious. “You didn’t actually like him, did you?”

PHOEBE, as Sophie cringes: “All of you stop!”

The other three Cuckoos all laugh, until Sophie sends a psychic shockwave through their heads, shutting them all. They think it’s so easy being head Cuckoo? She’d LOVE to see any of them last a day in her shoes, wrangling four less pretty, less smart copies of themselves.

Esme snipes that just because they all naturally followed Sophie when they woke up back home doesn’t mean she’s the original, or even that they’re clones.

Sophie shouts at them all to shut up. Maybe they could try being nicer, maybe they could try asking the X-Men for help figuring out where they come from, but that’s not their style. If there’s one thing they knew for sure when they woke up, it was what being a Stepford Cuckoo meant. It meant perfection. Changing how they are now would only make things worse.

Phoebe continues to agree with the hive queen and takes her hand, with Celeste in agreement now as well. Esme rolls her eyes.

Irma sulks.

IRMA: “I don’t know how things could get worse…but changing who we are couldn’t be harder than the first time.”

For a single moment of silence, the five sullen Cuckoos exchange glances. And the audience sees that the Cuckoos’ appearance they’ve seen all season is not what they really look like. Underneath the constant illusion they put up, their appearance more closely resembles five brown-haired, plain-faced, scrawny young men.

As the show returns to showing the Cuckoos in their “true”, preferred forms, Sophie sighs. They should be able to do everything on their own, but maybe, if given no other options, asking for help is more dignified than being clueless losers.

Maybe they can figure out a compromise.

On the SWORD base, Laura, with the appearance of Sabretooth, scrambles to find Magik. Before she can, she’s intercepted by a squad of SWORD security personnel. Laura tells them she doesn’t want to hurt them, but with the look she’s sporting…

LAURA: “Yeah…I wouldn’t buy it either.”

Laura walks through the SWORD agents, only taking any hits because she’s going out of her way to do this painlessly. As she knocks out the last of them, she remarks that she’d have thought Brand would have trained them better.

LAURA: “Wouldn’t have gone so easy on her.”

Laura is eventually able to catch up to Magik, who’s struggling to guess the code to the secure prison area. Magik is annoyed and in a bad mood because whoever’s in charge of this dump apparently has sorcerers to safeguard this area.

LAURA: “Please tell me you haven’t killed anyone.”

MAGIK: “I mean I could. I’d be lying, but I could.”

Laura is incensed. Does she really feel nothing at all?

MAGIK: “Honestly? A little bit of indigestion. But I don’t think that’s related.”

Magik needs her, Cyclops, and all the others to get this through their heads: she is still evil, she is going to do whatever she wants, and they are all just very, very lucky that killing everyone is no longer on that list.

Laura steps toward, her with Magik raising her sword and telling her not one more step. Laura calls her bluff and takes that step.

LAURA: “And why is that?”

MAGIK: “Duh! My friends!”

LAURA: “Mhmm. And do you think your friends are happy with this arrangement?”

MAGIK: “Uh, yeah! Of course, they are! They all love me!”

Laura shakes her head. They love who she used to be. They COULD love this new her, but right now, they're just scared of her. She tells Magik how she gets it. Being born to do evil. Not meant to be their own person. Killing coming as naturally as breathing.

But she knew she didn't want that life. Took her a long time to realize she could live beyond what her creators meant for her, but she did. If she hadn't, she definitely wouldn't have the friends she does now.

But Magik doesn't have 14 years. If she drives her friends away now, that's it. Up to her if acting like this means more to her.

Magik wiggles and makes strange noises, before sighing.

MAGIK: "I know you're playing me. I know Scotty probably put you up to this. But you're right."

Laura breathes a sigh of relief as Magik agrees to limit the death and destruction she causes. If it's really that big a deal to Kitty and the others, she'll keep it to when it's necessary.

MAGIK: "I don't want that to be a rarity though…"

Laura tells her they'll figure something out, and, as a show of good faith, opens up the prison. She used to see it open up when she was a kid, and while the password was changed daily, she picked up on the subconscious pattern Brand was using.

Magik thanks "Not Logan" for the help and for the tip. Maybe they can be friends too.

LAURA: "We'll see how things…huh."

Laura trails off as she sets her eyes on the prisoner they were here for, taken off guard. The prisoner chirps and breathes smoke in their faces.

Magik laughs. Isn't he the cutest little guy?

Back at the school, Keitaro hugs Noriko’s leg and questions what’s going on, as everyone panics around them. Kitty, Dani, Xuan, Nightcrawler, and Beast try to keep everyone calm and peacefully escort them into the school for their safety, but when that doesn’t work, Kitty starts phasing people, Dani scares them into the school with manifestations of their fears, Xuan takes people over, Nightcrawler teleports them inside, and Beast just starts grabbing people, apologizing for having to be so handsy. Iceman starts creating a shield around the school, while Dazzler gets onto the roof so when she senses the sound of the next gunshot, she’ll be in position to shoot the bullet down.

Julian notices Northstar and Cannonball flying off into the city to look for the shooter and shouts at Noriko that they need to go too. None of their trained telepaths are present right now, meaning Mr. Beaubier “and the Avenger” are flying blind, and they’re the only other ones here with super speed. Right now, he doesn’t care if she’s the old Ashida or the new Ashida, right now, he needs Surge to help him cover ground.

Nori stutters, afraid and unsure of what she should do as her brother whimpers. As she composes herself, she runs Keitaro into the school, before running back over to Julian. What happens to everyone here isn’t her responsibility, but no one gets away with trying to kill her brother.

Hellion will take it.

The two race away from the Institute, splitting up and going the opposite directions as the two more experienced heroes. While Julian can simply fly over the city, Noriko pushes herself to run up skyscraper after skyscraper in search of the shooter.

As the two young heroes in training pause to breathe, both sweating profusely, another gunshot is fired. This time, Noriko is close enough to realize where the shooter is located and runs toward them.

Noriko races up the skyscraper Leper Queen is situated on, but…

NORI: “AHHHHH!”

Noriko screams, her leg stuck in a bear trap. Leper Queen spins around and pulls a sidearm on her. There are bear traps littered all over the roof. She knew the X-Men had speedsters and was prepared. She wasn’t expecting a child, however.

LEPER QUEEN: “Poor thing. Not your fault you’re sick.” Noriko’s eyes widen as she hears this again, but not for long, as she’s in too much pain to keep them open. “Don’t worry. I’m making sure none of you Mutants, or your families, are ever able to infect anyone again.”

Nori tries to snark back at the racist murderer, but she can’t. In all her previous real fights, she’d avoided taking any real hits. Now, she’s experiencing the same type of pain most of her friends already have.

As tears stream down Noriko’s face, Leper Queen puts a gun to her head.

LEPER QUEEN: “Don’t worry. It’s okay to cry. It’ll be over soon. For you, and everyone like you.”

As she pants, Noriko is finally able to get some words out.

NORIKO: “Who…who the Hell are you?”

LEPER QUEEN: “Just a concerned citizen. One who won’t let what happened to her child happen to anyone else.”

Noriko continues to panic but does manage to start generating some electricity as Leper Queen prepares to shoot. Before she can…

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!”

Hellion arrives on the scene and flings Leper Queen over to the next rooftop. Before she can stand, he manipulates all of the unused bear traps and throws them at her. A few hit her, but they aren’t able to put her down, and she dodges the rest.

Putting up a shield around them, Hellion checks on Surge, telling her to breathe, and that he’s going to get this thing off of her. Surge tells him not to, speaking super fast, since she isn’t sure how bad the bleeding will be.

Jullian tells her to not be stupid. Does she not remember the sentinel fight? She saved his damn life by cauterizing his injuries. She just needs to get it together and do that to herself.

As a grenade rolls over to the shield, Hellion jets the two away to a further off roof. He uses his TK to remove the bear trap from Noriko’s legs. She’s in even more pain now, but Julian has an idea.

JULIAN: “Uggh, come on, Ashida! If you’re really this much of a baby, then maybe we don’t need you after all.”

NORIKO, seeing right through him and laughing through the pain: “Everything you pulled after your boo boo and you’re calling me the baby?” Noriko screams as she cauterizes herself. “In your dreams.”

The two grin at each other, but they can’t savor the moment, as Leper Queen hops rooftops to come after them, hunting knives in hand. Julian tells Noriko he’ll handle her, but as he rushes to take her down, Leper Queen uses a gas grenade, the poison in it bringing him right down to his knees. Without any taunts this time, Leper Queen is going to cut his throat.

In the nick of time, however, Surge throws herself at Leper Queen, moving faster than the gas can reach her lungs, and knocks the cold-blooded killer out with a single punch.

Noriko collapses right afterward, but, in case everything else wasn’t enough of a giveaway to the others, she shoots a flare up into the sky.

In her parked limo, Emma is on the phone with Scott, and is being filled in on the day’s events. She’s horrified initially, but calms down as she discovers no one was killed, and the shooter was brought down. Emma grins as she hears who stopped her.

EMMA: “Of course they did.”

As Bumpkin helps the Cuckoos into the car, Emma hangs up, telling Scott they should do drinks tonight.

Emma asks the Cuckoos if they at least enjoyed their day. The Cuckoos look to Sophie, who cringes before speaking. She tells Emma they haven’t been entirely honest with her. And that they need her help. If she’ll have them, they’d like to be more direct students’ of hers. Not because they feel they need more help with their telepathy, but…

SOPHIE: “well…”

ESME: “We have no damn idea how to talk to real people.”

Emma giggles. She’s not who she herself would come to for this, but she’ll do her best. She thanks them for reaching out.

EMMA: “Now…what haven’t you been honest about?”

In the Institute’s medical bay, Kitty is on her way out, as she gives Noriko, who’s in bed, a pat on the head. On her way out, she’s met by Magik, who startles her. Kitty heard she was hanging out with Laura today.

KITTY: “How’d that go?”

Magik, twirling her finger in her hair as she twirls around her tail, as she explains that Laura told her Kitty and the others have been scared of her, and, yeah, she gets it. She’s awesomely terrifying. So, for them, and a little bit for Laura, she’s going to refrain from killing and destruction.

Kitty lights up. She’s so happy to hear that. Maybe being here will help that little bit of human inside her grow. Magik laughs at that. No, no, that is not happening, nor will she let it.

KITTY: “Heh, okay.” PAUSE. “Before we got sucked into Limbo, I was ready to give up. Everything just seemed so hopeless. But neeind to fight for the world? For you? And actually winning? It gave me hope. You gave me hope. Even if you really never become the Illyana I knew, I’m happy you’re here.”

Magik slightly blushes, before mystically making herself stop. There’s no need for Kitty to be so dramatic. But if she does need any more reasons to live on, she found one for her.

Opening a portal, Magik lets out a small, purple dragon, who flies at Kitty and starts licking her cheek.

KITTY: “LOCKHEED!”

Kitty is overjoyed to see who we learn is her old pet, as well a a dragon who just happens to look like an alien.

KITTY: “Where did you find him?!”

MAGIK, petting Lockheed: “I said I was going to stop killing and destroying things. I didn’t say I had already.”

Kitty decides to not ask any questions, instead taking Lockheed to her new “grown up room”.

MAGIK, pleased with herself: “Just one thing left to do.”

She disappears through a portal.

As Cyclops walks down a nearby hallway, Magik appears in his path. He starts asking her how her day was, only for her to interrupt him and tell him to shut the Hell up; she’s talking. See, she was thinking, and while, after her little adventure with Wolverine, she won’t be killing anymore, she does still have a hankering for violence. Aaaand, she also wants to make sure her friends know she’s on their side.

CYCLOPS: “What are you saying?”

MAGIK: “I’m saying it’s your lucky day Nerd-clops. I’m joining the X-Men.”

Scott stumbles over his words as he tries to keep this from happening, but Magik talks over him. She won’t be following his orders, instead, she’ll be doing whatever she wants, but, in exchange, he gets the most powerful being on the planet “besides maybe the Witch” to fight for his people.

CYCLOPS: “I–”

MAGIK: “Aaaand, remember, if you say no, I can still destroy everything whenever I want.”

Scott, with no choice, relents, and welcomes Magik onto the team, Magik reaches out a hand but pulls it away as Scott moves to shake it.

MAGIK: “Ha ha! Too slow!” She goes full demon form for a moment. “Hasn’t this gone exactly as you’d hoped?”

As Magik laughs manically, the two stare each other down.

Back in the medical bay, Nori and Julian are still resting up, when Dani enters. Julian is happier than usual to see his less-preferred mentor, now holding a greater respect for the New Mutants, while Noriko just wants to know where her parents are. She knows they’re all okay, thank god, but she has some things she needs to talk to them about.

Dani hangs her head.

NORIKO: “W…what’s wrong?”

DANIELLE: “I’m so sorry, Noriko. They’re gone.”

As Noriko’s heart breaks, Dani explains that Seiji decided that while Noriko herself may not be a threat to anyone anymore if today was an example of a common occurrence, then he can’t have Noriko around his family no matter what; it’s simply too dangerous. Suki and Keitaro wanted to say goodbye, but Seiji decided it would be too painful for any of them to do so, so they left while Noriko was still unconscious.

As Noriko’s face melts, tears and snot consuming it as it puffs up, Dani tries to offer her words of comfort and a hug, but Noriko tells her to just go away. Please. Dani respects her wish, and exists, reminding her that she and Kitty, and, yes, Emma, are always here if she changes her mind.

Noriko cries and sobs and screams.

JULIAN: “Thanks by the way.” Noriko turns her head to him, with no idea what he’s saying. “For saving me? After the sentinel fight? Realized earlier I never actually said that.”

NORI, through her bawling: “Whatever.”

Julian’s face squirms and wrinkles as he realizes what he has to do here.

JULIAN: “I’ve been lying.” Nori doesn’t bother to look at him. “My parents cut me off months ago. They’re done with me.”

Noriko asks what he’s talking about. He’s clearly still had money. Julian bites his lip in humiliation, and explains, like so much else, it happened after the sentinel fight. His parents caught wind of what had happened, and decided their Mutant son making headlines was a step too far. They said they still love him, but he doesn’t give a crap. Far as he’s concerned, he has no parents.

Julian has been since the start of the season. He didn’t want anyone to know, however, and since he already had so much else to worry about, Ms. Frost gave him money to last through the semester so he didn’t have to tell anyone.

NORIKO: “That’s ridiculous…but I get it. You, not your rents. It’s a douchey way to define yourself, but that was important for you.” Pause. “There aren’t actually any good people like them out there, are there? No matter how fair they seem, or how concerned they sound…they’re all the same. If they weren’t our parents, they’d be defending people like that…did we get her name?”

JULIAN: “Calls herself, “Leper Queen”, apparently.”

NORIKO: “Whatever. Her. They’d defend her. Damn Flatscans.”

JULIAN: “Freaking Flatscans, right?!”

Julian laughs, and actually gets Noriko to laugh through her pain.

Noriko says that she isn’t going anywhere. Not ever. Not as long as everyone she can trust is here. And not so long as people like Leper Queen are out there. Julian agrees.Everyone in the crew does care about her, even if it doesn’t always come off that way. And he’s glad the less lame, Mutant Surge is sticking around and not going back to trying to be whoever she used to be. For all the, justified, crap, he gives her, they keep on making a good team.

NORI: “Yeah…I guess we do.”

There’s another pause, as Noriko wipes her faces and stops crying.

JULIAN: “So were you like some Japansese schoolgirl stereotype or something? All cutesy and demure?”

NORI, amused: “Oh, shut the Hell up.”

JULIAN: “Come on! And your parents wanted you with a guy like me? At least they have some good taste.”

NORI: “I will come over there and murder you, Julian.”

JULIAN: “Go ahead and try, Noriko.”

The two can’t help but smile at each other. They reach their arms toward one another. The fingers of the metal-handed orphans entagle around one another. A spark lights up in their eyes, and a magnetism draws them closer to each other, both levitating out of bed and meeting in the middle.

As they look into each other’s eyes, the two lean in, and their lips touch.

The two proceed to jump away from each other, cough, and pretend to vomit.

NORI: “Ew! Ew! Ew! What is wrong with you?!”

JULIAN: “Me?! I was following your disugsting lead!”

NORI: “Never do that again, shit!”

JULIAN: “Right back at you!”

The two exchange smirks. At long last, the animosity is gone.

In a normal, non-SHEILD, prison, Leper Queen is being held. We see that, underneath her mask, her face is horribly burnt. She scratches at the walls of her cells with her nails.

Intercut with flashbacks to a time when Leper Queen was younger, happier, and not disfigured, she narrates about how it’s not fair. Her target wasn’t there today. She was forced to just do what she could.

We see Leper Queen had an adorable two year-old daughter. One who could make flames.

Leper Queen narrates that they will all die eventually, but she must die above all others.

In a hospital, Leper Queen, with a bandaged face, holds her daughter tightly, the implication being that her daughter accidentally burned her face off, but she didn’t blame her.

LEPER QUEEN: “She must pay…for what she took.”

Sometime after her hospital stay, Leper Queen arrived home, only to find her daughter dead, covered in bloody claw marks.

LEPER QUEEN: “Before I save the world from your kind, I will have my revenge…X-23.”

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CAST CHANGE:

ILLYANA "DARKCHYLDE" RASPUTIN AKA MAGIK: Now a part of the main X-Men team.

#new x-men: the animated series #new x-men #academy x #scott summers #emma frost #ororo munroe #kitty pryde #Roberto Da Costa #Laura Kinney #Bobby Drake #Illyana Rasputin #sofia mantega #julian keller #noriko ashida #sooraya qadir #cessily kincaid #brian cruz #roxanne washington #the stepford cuckoos

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