#my favorite outfit of her is the one w the jacket & light blue jeans w stars on it

[jaybear1701]

Scylla's so engrossed in the latest issue of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology that she doesn’t notice Tally enter her office until she plops herself in a seat on the other side of her desk.

“Good morning!” Tally greets.

“Morning.” Scylla smiles, closing the journal. “You’re up bright and early.”

“Couldn’t sleep. I think we might have a break in the Windpipe murders,” Tally waves a manila folder and Scylla grits her teeth that Raelle’s anatomically incorrect nickname is spreading. Even the news media has picked it up in their coverage, much to Scylla’s chagrin. “Thought maybe Raelle would be down here so I could share the news.” 

Scylla's brows knit together. "Why would she be down here?"

“Because you’re practically joined at the hip,” Tally says matter-of-factly, like, duh.

The blaze on Scylla’s cheeks spreads fast and fierce. “T-that’s not,” she stutters. “We’re not joined at the hip.”

“That’s not what Sergeant Quartermaine says.” Tally shrugs. “Or Abigail. Or Dr. L’Amara. Should I go on?”

And because Raelle has the worst timing in the whole world, that’s when she decides to stroll into Scylla’s office, bright and fresh, carrying two cups of coffee. Because of course.

“Morning, Doc,” Raelle sets one cup down in front of Scylla as Tally lifts one, wholly amused eyebrow. “Tally, this is an unexpected surprise.”

“Wish I could say the same.” Tally smirks. Scylla wishes she could just disappear from this conversation.

“Wha?” Raelle looks confused as she sits next to Tally. 

“Nothing.” Tally eyes Scylla’s cup of shame before pouting at Raelle. “Hey, why don’t you ever bring me coffee?”

“One, you’re usually not in until later.” Raelle ticks off the points with her fingers. “Two, I know Gerit always makes you a snooty pourover, anyway. And, three, well I can’t think of a three. But you can have mine, if you’d like.”

Raelle offers her coffee to Tally, who shakes her head dramatically. “No, it’s fine if you like Scylla more.” Tally winks at Scylla, while Raelle flushes. “Besides, I’ll only stay long enough to share my news so you both can get back to your little coffee date.”

Raelle and Scylla both avoid making eye contact with each other, but neither corrects Tally’s assumption. Scylla’s pulse flutters as she reaches out for her coffee and takes a small sip. Kona, no cream, one sugar. Just like she likes it.

“So,” Raelle clears her throat. “What do you have?”

Tally scoots to the edge of her seat. "How much do you guys know about the history of Salem?"

“Honestly? Not much.” Scylla shrugs. “Which is sad given that my family apparently came over with the early settlers.” 

“Really!” Tally’s brows shoot up. “Let’s put a pin in that for now. How about the Salem Witch Trials?”

"The basics, really. I'm no expert." Scylla’s not sure where Tally’s going with this line of questioning, and neither does Raelle.

“What’s this have to do with the case, Tal?” Raelle asks.

Tally raises a finger. "Patience, my dear Collar. Patience. As you may recall, one of the first victims was Constance Treefine. Another, Benjamin Saint. And yet another was Kendall Swythe."  

"All High Atlantics," Raelle taps the lid of her cup. “Bells and I already questioned their families. Nothing but dead ends.”

Tally nods. "Right, but maybe you're talking to the wrong people. Those tattoos on the victims? They're sigils. Of demons." She pulls out a sheet of paper, and hands it to Scylla. Sure enough, it depicts the markings Scylla found on the bodies. 

"So you're saying, what?" Raelle asks when she gets the paper, tilting her head and flipping the paper.

"What if the killer is targeting people they think are 'evil' in some way. Like those rumored to be descended from the original Salem Witches. People like the High Atlantics." 

It's a common enough tall tale in Salem. One that even Scylla remembers from her time growing up in town, though she always suspected it was a myth perpetuated by High Atlantics themselves to enhance their own prestige. 

"But other victims weren't High Atlantics," Scylla points out.

"Also true! But, on a hunch, I ran a search and all of them are members of the Associated Daughters and Sons of Early American Witches. The name speaks for itself.” Tally pulls out yet another paper from her folder. This time it appears to be a roster, which she passes to Raelle.

Raelle squints at the list. "You're saying the killer is, what, some kind of witch...hunter?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but we're clearly not dealing with a sane person right now," Tally says. "This could be the key we need to find a common thread about who they’ve interacted with.”

“Like someone with access to potent chemicals,” Scylla says, impressed.

“Exactly!” Tally beams.

"This is incredible, Tal." Raelle hands the paper back and pulls out her phone. “I can’t wait to tell Bellweather.”

“I thought she was off today because she had a thing for her cousin’s wedding.”

“She does,” Raelle types out a quick text. “But she’ll want to know about this.”

“You know what we should do?” Tally’s eyes are round, excitement rolling off her in waves. “We should go out to celebrate this weekend.”

“Celebrate what?” Raelle asks. “We haven’t caught the asshole yet.”

“Celebrate our hard work,” Tally explains as if she’s talking to a child. “Boost morale. You know, rah-rah interdepartmental unity! What do you say?”

Raelle fidgets in her chair. “I mean, I’m game if Ramshorn’s in.”

They both turn to look at Scylla--Raelle cautiously optimistic, Tally openly hopeful and expectant. Scylla knows she should say no. But Tally's enthusiasm is utterly contagious, and her heart answers for her.

“Sure.”

***

The pizza parlor is packed by the time Scylla arrives, the air teeming with conversation and the mouthwatering aroma of baked dough, tomato sauce, and cheese. Scylla nervously tucks her hands in her skinny jeans, worrying that perhaps she spent too much time on her makeup and hair and would look like she was trying too hard… and then feeling annoyed at herself for worrying in the first place. It’s just dinner with co-workers. No big deal.

She sees Raelle waving in the distance, beckoning her to a booth tucked in a relatively secluded corner of the restaurant.

 "Glad you made it, Doc.” Raelle smiles, as attractive in casual jeans and a navy flannel shirt as she is in her work suits. “I wasn't sure you'd show up."

The truth is, Scylla almost backed out. Had even dreamed up a fairly plausible excuse to back out. But it’s been several days since she last saw Raelle and, the truth is, Scylla might have missed her. Just a bit. 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Scylla says as she slips out of her black leather jacket and hangs it on a nearby hook. She feels the heat of Raelle’s azure gaze skimming down the length of her outfit, and Scylla’s secretly pleased she chose to wear her favorite blouse, the one that clings to her curves just right. 

“The others should be here soon." Raelle averts her eyes and polishes off the last bit of beer in her glass. 

Their waitress, a pretty brunette with green eyes, slides up to the table and sets down a basket of breadsticks and a couple of saucers.  “Can I get you another, miss? And something for your girlfriend?” She winks at Scylla.

“Oh.” Raelle’s eyes widen. “Um, we’re not…”

“I’d love a Pinot Grigio, if you have one,” Scylla answers smoothly. The way Raelle’s mouth drops open makes the fib worth it.

“Coming right up!” The server whisks away Raelle’s empty glass and goes to get the rest of their order.

“Sometimes it’s just easier to let people assume,” Scylla says off Raelle’s questioning look.

“Fair game.” Raelle bobs her head. “Well, as your presumed girlfriend for the night, can I say how nice you look?”

“Why, thank you,” Scylla says, appreciating how Raelle’s shirt brings out the blue in her eyes. “You don’t look half bad yourself, Detective.”

“Now, none of that.” Raelle wags a finger. “We’re both off-duty. It’s Raelle or else I’m fake breaking up with you.”

“Okay,” Scylla acquiesces. “Raelle.”

The pleased smile that stretches across Raelle’s face makes Scylla’s stomach swoop.

A cell phone buzzes, and Raelle fishes it from her pocket. “Sorry.” The corners of her lips turn downward. “Tally says she can’t make it. Something came up with her boyfriend, Gerit. And…” Her frown deepens. “Looks like Abigail’s stuck picking out bridesmaid dresses with her cousin.” She glances up at Scylla. “I know what this looks like, but I swear I didn’t plan this.”

Scylla chuckles, even as her heart rate speeds up. “I didn’t say anything.”

So it’s just her and Raelle. Alone. Having dinner. As if on cue, the restaurant dims its lights for the dinner crowd, and they both nervously laugh. 

“So,” Scylla says, racking her brain for something to say that can distract them from the sudden awkwardness that descends on them.

“So.”

"You guys have been busy lately.” Work is always a safe subject, Scylla thinks as she picks up a bottle of olive oil from the table and pours some on her saucer. She tears a small chunk off one of the breadsticks, dips it into the oil, and eats it. It’s soft, garlicky, and deliciously savory, and Scylla nearly moans. 

Raelle tears her eyes from Scylla’s lips and helps herself to the bread, too. "Yeah, we’ve been trying to chase down the leads from Tally’s research. Think we're making headway in the case."

"That's terrific."

“After that robbery, I think Quartermaine will have my ass if we don’t solve the case soon.” Raelle takes a big bite out of a bread stick.

“Probably.” Scylla nods. “Anacostia is nothing if not results-driven. Demanding, but fair.” She takes a deep breath, willing to take a chance with Raelle. “It’s what makes her a great mom.”

Raelle practically chokes, coughing so hard that Scylla wonders if she should start performing the Heimlich maneuver. But the server rushes over to give her a glass of water. “Mom?” She asks after she gulps some water down. “Quartermaine doesn’t have kids.”

Scylla bites her lip. “She was my court-appointed guardian, after my parents died in a car accident.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Scylla shakes her head. “She kept me out of a lot of trouble back then. Reminded me to hold on to the good in life, and set me down the right path. And when the guardianship ended, she still watched over me, even when she didn’t have to.”

“That’s um…” Raelle frowns, a mixture of shock and a bit of trepidation flashing across her face, cogs cranking at the realization of what she’s done with the woman who’s like a daughter to her superior officer. “That’s… wow.”  

The server returns with their drinks, and Raelle chugs down nearly half her beer. Scylla can’t help but laugh.

“I’m glad this is so amusing for you.” Raelle swipes at her mouth with a cloth napkin. “Got any other bombs you’d like to drop on me?”

“Maybe.” Scylla grins mischievously. “The night’s still young.”

***

Maybe it’s the buzz from the wine, or the comfort of good food and even better company, but Scylla can’t say no to Raelle when she suggests they take a walk together. It’s the perfect fall evening, with just the right amount of nip in the air. They take their time wandering until they reach the waterfront, where ambient light from old street lamps and restaurants glint off the dark waves of the harbor. 

“So, you’re from Salem?” Raelle asks as they stroll side-by-side, close enough that their shoulders brush on occasion. 

“Born and raised,” Scylla confirms. “After my parents passed, I decided to go to Johns Hopkins and never looked back. Apart from Anacostia, there were just too many painful memories here.”

“I get that.” Raelle hooks her thumbs in her pockets. “It’s part of the reason I left Cherokee after my mom died.”

Scylla’s chest aches in sympathy. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Not at all.” Raelle takes a deep breath. “She was in the military. A combat medic. Served two tours only to be taken out because she tried to help a convenience store clerk being robbed at gunpoint. Rotten luck, huh?”

Without thinking, Scylla takes Raelle’s hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “She was very brave.”

“Yeah.” Raelle smiles sadly.

“You take after her,” Scylla doesn’t let go of Raelle’s hand, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. 

Raelle shrugs. “I try my best.” Her thumb brushes the back of Scylla’s hand, and that light touch is enough to spark a shiver down Scylla’s spine. They turn down one of the older piers. The wooden planks creak beneath their feet. They let each other go when they can’t walk any farther. It’s darker further out on the water, but Raelle’s blonde hair seems to glow in the moonlight.

“Scylla?” Raelle asks.

“Hm?”

“Are we… ever going to talk about it?” Raelle’s voice is quiet, unsure, so unlike her usual cocksure bravado.

Of course, Scylla knows exactly what Raelle’s talking about. It’s been hanging over them for months now, unacknowledged and unsaid. She supposes this conversation is inevitable, no matter how badly she’d rather avoid it.

“I honestly don’t know what to say,” Scylla says. “That night, I was trying to, I don’t know, live a little. In the spur of the moment. It’s not something I’m used to doing.”

“Me neither.” Off Scylla’s incredulous look, Raelle adds, “Look, I know there are lots of rumors about me. But they’re not true.” 

“So you don’t have all-nighters?” Scylla tries not to sound jealous. 

Raelle laughs softly. “That’s not what you think it means.”

“Then enlighten me.” Scylla crosses her arms.

“Sometimes the other detectives need someone to cover a stake out for them. And I volunteer in exchange for little favors.”

“What kind of favors?”

“Oh,” Raelle half shrugs. “Like, finding out someone’s favorite coffee order, for example.”

That’s the last thing she expects Raelle to say and, embarrassed, Scylla scuffs her shoe against the pier. “I see.”

“I didn’t think I’d see you again.” Raelle takes a step closer. “And then you show up at a crime scene, no less. And I thought, maybe it’s fate.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” Scylla says, weakly.

“I didn’t either,” Raelle admits. “Until I met you.”

Scylla’s heart throbs against her ribs. “Raelle…”

“Look, I know you don’t date co-workers. And I respect that, but I just want you to know that night wasn’t just some notch in my belt for me. It was special. You’re special. And I…” 

Scylla surges forward and captures the rest of Raelle’s words with her lips. A beat passes and Raelle places her hands on Scylla’s hips to pull her closer. The kiss deepens and it’s as dizzying as Scylla remembers, like the ground has fallen out from beneath them and they’re free-floating in zero gravity. She clutches at Raelle’s shoulders, the flannel soft beneath her fingertips. When Raelle’s tongue traces her bottom lip, Scylla gasps from the frisson of electricity that jolts through her. It’s too much. Too intense. And she has to take a step back and out of Raelle’s arms. 

“Sorry,” Raelle murmurs, eyes glazed but concerned . 

Scylla shakes her head.”No, I’m sorry.”  It’s hard to catch her breath, and she already misses Raelle’s warmth. “I think about that night. Of course, I do. And I panicked that morning and left. I didn’t expect to see you again, either, or that you’d be… you.” She licks her still-tingling lips. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m not very good at letting people in. But you? You make me want to try.” 

Raelle reaches out and cups Scylla’s face with one hand. “There’s no rush.” Her thumb caresses her cheek, and Scylla leans into her palm, eyes closing. “Take as much time as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

***

Raelle drives Scylla home to her apartment building, and it takes all of Scylla’s willpower to stop herself from pulling Raelle inside right then and there, caution be damned. But Raelle’s a true southern gentlewoman and leans over to give Scylla a goodnight peck on the cheek, making sure she’s safely inside before heading home. 

***

Tally calls her the next morning, awfully curious to know how dinner went. Scylla can practically feel Tally’s glee over the line. 

“I told you, Tally, it was fine,” Scylla says as she presses the phone to her ear. “Just a quiet dinner between colleagues.”

“That’s it?” Tally’s disappointment is palpable.

“That’s it.” Scylla feels bad about lying, but she wants to keep whatever she has with Raelle to herself, for now. It’s too new. Too uncertain. A sprout that needs cultivation and shelter. Her cell beeps from a text as Tally begins to talk about Gerit.

Scylla's heart stops when she reads it.

Raelle Collar: I can’t stop thinking about you.

Affection fills her chest, fuzzy and warm. She types back: I miss you, too. 

***

At work, nothing really changes. On the surface, their normal routine continues and they keep things strictly professional. Raelle drops off a coffee every morning, and Scylla updates the detectives with new autopsy findings when she has them. And, in the rare moments they’re alone, they steal heated kisses that Scylla can feel all the way down to her toes.

Raelle is true to her word, and doesn’t push Scylla for any more than she’s ready to give. They can’t quite say they’re dating, when they have no time to actually go on any. But their pace suits Scylla just fine. Slow and steady.

And their colleagues are none the wiser. Except for Anacostia, who comments at their next lunch, “Something’s different about you. You’re...glowing.”

“I did use a new shampoo recently.” Scylla deflects and flips her hair. “Maybe that’s it?”

Anacostia narrows her eyes. “No, that’s not it.” She spears a piece of kale from her salad. “Collar’s been different lately, too. Calmer. More focused.”

“What does that have to do with me?” 

Humming, Anacostia chews thoughtfully. “What indeed.” 

***

Eventually, Abigail calls Scylla into a meeting with Tally and Raelle. They sit around a table in a small meeting room that’s been serving as the command hub for the Windpipe Killer case. Photographs of the victims are taped to multiple white boards that line the walls of the room, with various bits of evidence, timelines, and potential leads are scribbled in blue dry erase marker. 

Abigail nods at Scylla when she enters, Tally waves her hand excitedly, and Raelle gives her a small secret smile that makes Scylla’s heart skip a beat. 

“How can I help you, ladies?” Scylla joins them at a conference table littered with notes, three venti-sized coffee cups, and half-eaten boxes of Chinese takeout.

“Remember when you told me your family helped settle Salem?” Tally asks, typing furiously on her laptop keyboard.

“Sure,” Scylla says. 

“And did you know that one of your ancestors was accused of witchcraft?” Tally looks up, her brown eyes wide. 

Scylla can’t help but laugh. “What?”

Tally swivels her computer screen toward Scylla. It shows lists of names and several family trees. “From your mother’s side, I traced your genealogy to Sarah Cloyce, who was accused but never indicted by a grand jury during the Witch Trials.”

“We’re working on a theory that the killer, whoever he or she may be, is targeting the ancestors of women and men suspected of witchcraft,” Abigail says.

“Right,” Scylla nods. “Tally mentioned that before.”

Tally snaps her fingers. “Yes, but not just any ancestors. The ones who were accused, but either escaped, were pardoned, or were never indicted.” 

“All the victims fit the profile,” Abigail stands and walks toward one of the whiteboards, scrutinizing the picture of Kendall Swythe.

“Okay,” Scylla says. “So you’re saying the killer is, what, trying to finish the job?”

“Bingo,” Raelle finally speaks up. “I knew you were a sharp one, Doc.”

Scylla shakes her head. “Am I in danger of some sort?”

“No,” Raelle quickly reassures her. “Not at all. Unless you’re secretly a member of a Salem witch society. It’s the one common thread we’ve found among all the victims.” She pauses. “Are you?”

“Of course not,” Scylla frowns. “Then why are you telling me this?”

Abigail turns back around, hands held behind her back. “If the killer is among them, we don’t want to tip them off by questioning folks. We need someone to join that group and be our eyes. Someone who can prove their lineage.”

“Who isn’t from a family of well-known law enforcement officials,” Tally inclines her head toward Abigail.

“You don’t have to decide right away,” Raelle says. “But obviously I’d keep you,” she clears her throat and Abigail rolls her eyes. “We’d keep you safe until we catch this son of a bitch.”

Scylla doesn’t even hesitate. “I’ll do it.”

Raelle blinks in surprise. “Are you sure? If you need some time to think it over...”

“No.” Scylla locks eyes with Raelle. “I’m in.”

#raylla #motherland fort salem #mfsweek #raelle collar #scylla ramshorn #non-magic au

[the-gunslock]

Hiver 6 - Light

This is the story about how my universe touched someone else’s.

The blue-armored Hunter rushed through the mechanic door to the apartment door with excitement due to the situation she has been called to assist with, making the Warlock sitting at the couch jump.

“HIVER!”

“WHAT THE--”

“I came as soon as the strike was over!”

The Warlock paused and furrowed her brows while doing some calculations in her head. “...That was two minutes ago.”

Selene turns to stare back at the door she just came through.

“She flies very fast.” Joan, her Ghost, said as he materialized, spinning his teal Stalwart Shell. “Against better judgement.”

“Hers or yours?” Trinity asked from her pillow near the TV.

“Yes.” Joan replied flatly as he turned to chat with her, leaving her Guardian alone with the Warlock. “Hey, nice shell. How many of the Nine did you bribe to get it?”

“Twelve.” The white Ghost replied, half-giggling.

Selene smiles as the Ghosts make small talk and cuts to the chase with her Warlock friend.

“Either way,” She says as she removes her boots and sits on the couch. “What’s the uh.... “gay emergency”… you called me about?”

The Warlock leans against the couch’s arm rest, head on her hand. “Well, so…”

After their sleepover is done, Amanda retakes her workspace (Now with clean clothes) and Hiver makes another trip to the European Dead Zone to meet with the gentleman sniper that holds human presence in it. She did promise he would be the first to know.

“Well, I’ll be. You really did charm the young lass, didn’t ya, lady? No way to go but up now.” He said with a smile, pouring them both a cup of tea once again. She leaned against the wall, fiddling with her bag strap in a mixture of happiness and embarrassment.

“Not like I expected, though.” She managed, starting to think of her next move.

“Why is that? Did she turn you down?” He asked as he handed the Guardian a saucer and teacup.

“Quite the contrary.” She said, staring at the dark green surface of the liquid. “She had fun, so she invited me to do it again.”

“Heh, you did good. Went with the good old ‘dinner and a movie’ tactic?”

“There was no tactic, I winged it. Simple City date.” She sighs, recollecting her memory of the day.

“Took her to my favorite library, she talked with a lot of passion about machinery. Learned a lot that day. I bought her a mechanics book she had her eye on for a while, earned me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.”

Hiver unconsciously opened a grin as she said the last part, then continued.

“Then she spotted a flower shop, and dragged me inside since she saw the plants in my house. I taught her about how to care for the ones I knew, and she got herself a nice little cactus. She asked me for a name. I called it Nora.”

“Interesting. Why Nora?” Devrim inquired as Hiver sipped her tea.

“It was her mother’s name. Like the cactus, she was resilient. Needed to be, to handle the road to the City.”

Devrim nodded politely, but kept silent.

“In the late afternoon, she accepted to stay for dinner. I made us a… fondue? Think that’s the name of the thing. Simple to do, but oh so good. The look in her eyes tasting it… she was shining. As always. She loved it and we ate while sharing tattoo ideas, favorite songs and other trivia about ourselves. Then I gave her a ride home and said goodbye with... a peck on her cheek. She seemed so happy, and asked to do it again this week, so... I’m making plans.”

“I’m glad you two are making progress. Finding love in a dead Earth is a blessing... not many of us can have.”

“So that’s what you want my help with?” Selene asked back on the present day, interested and eager like a puppy ever since Hiver told her about her crush.

“To plan this date, yes.” The Warlock says, arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Atta girl!” Her Hunter wingwoman said, moving closer to Hiver and hugging her shoulders from behind. “This is gonna be GREAT! When’s the date?”

“In two days.”

Selene nods, thinking. “Alright, alright. What does she like to do? Except… building and fixing stuff.”

“Huh… other than machines and vehicles, she’s shown an interest in cartography and astrography. She loves seeing landscapes from outside the City walls, too.” Hiver has to more visibly collect her thoughts. “I’m probably getting her into plants and cooking. And she apparently has been practicing a secret hobby of sketching.”

“Joan, you got that?” Selene asks her Ghost.

He turns around and spins excitedly. “Yup, totally did.”

Selene makes an okay sign with her fingers. “I know what to do. I’ll tell you some time before you do it, but now I gotta go, my bun-bun Cupcake needs my company.” She says, getting up from the couch. “Just act normal until the day comes, alright?”

“Okay… Bye, guys. And thank you.” Hiver says, half-grateful and half-concerned. How was she supposed to do anything with the date right around the corner?

“See ya Selene, Joan!” Trinity says in farewell. They leave the apartment and transmat into orbit.

“You should keep your mind busy.” Trinity says, turning to Hiver. “Want to get some weapon frames with Reyla and Junko then ignite some Forges?”

“It’s like you can read my mind, Trinity.” Hiver says, transmatting her armor onto herself.

“Technically, I can.” Trinity says, floating out of her pillow. “Let’s go.”

The next few days for the Gunslock were kind of a blur due to anticipation. She did her strike missions, resource-collecting, bounties and every other thing she was already used to doing on autopilot. Her clanmate, Selene, was scribbling ideas for her friend’s date in between missions.

The night before Hiver and Amanda were to go out again, Hiver was picking her outfit for the day, and Selene sent her the ideas for the day, times, coordinates and everything. The Warlock traded looks with her Ghost and both chortled.

“I can work with this.”

The following morning, she checked herself in her bedroom’s mirror for what seemed the thousandth time before she was sure everything was on its place. This time she went with a white top with lace decorations, thigh-length wine red skirt, matching ribbed thigh-highs and black combat boots.

“You got this…” She muttered to herself as she looked at herself in the mirror again, throwing her long moss green parka on.

“You got this, you got this...” She repeated, checking her silvery nail polish and buckling her ornate grey leather bag to her waist and thigh.

“Gonna need any guns?” Trinity asked her.

“Uhm, get me just the Duke.” Hiver said, opening her bag and letting her Ghost transmat the cannon into it. “Never know when anything can jump us. How do I look?” She asks, bringing her hands together near her chest.

The Ghost eyes her from the bottom up. “Great. You’re ready to go. You need me, I’ll be resting.” Trinity encourages her before transmatting away. She smiled, for she had a long, and hopefully great, day ahead.

The shipwright awaits near one of the artificial lakes in the plaza for her Awoken date, basking on the calm early morning sunlight. Hands neatly tucked inside her sheepskin-like pilot jacket’s pockets and mouthing a catchy tune they had sung together before at their secret spot.

“Wonder... whatchacallit?” She tried and failed to remember its name. With a shrug, she adjusted her own shoulder bag as she looked to see Hiver jogging out of her apartment building to meet her, like a puppy greeting its owner.

“Hey there, cowgirl.” She said, winking at the Awoken girl, who waved back happily.

“Hello, Amanda!” She took this time to examine her partner’s outfit. On her bottom half, brown combat boots, and ripped black jeans that exposed her mechanical joint.

The most notable feature was her open jacket, collar lined with short fur and adorned with patches; Tex Mechanica’s emblem on her right arm; Vanguard’s ‘V’ and the Sparrow Racing League symbol on her right breast; her left arm had a “Remove before flight”-styled tag with “Amanda Holliday” written on it. Finally, on her left breast, was a black, circle-shaped badge with a golden embroidering of six ships soaring towards the skies.

“Hey girl, why you starin’? Got something on me?” Amanda said with a chuckle, grabbing Hiver’s attention. This time, she was ready.

“Yes, you do.” She said, motioning with a finger towards her crush. “It’s just a bit of overwhelming beauty, don’t worry.”

Amanda gave a charmed laugh at her smoothness. Back to her sheepish smile, they started to walk towards nowhere in particular.

“Bet you got a cannon in there.” Amanda said, eyeing the bag on Hiver’s thigh.

“No!”

The human raises an eyebrow at her companion. She can’t resist it.

“...Yes.” She says as she shows her her Duke hand cannon.

“Haha! So, it’s one of two things. Either we’re doing some expeditioning… or you like the cannon more than me.”

“You’d be surprised how hard that is.” Hiver thought. “First option. But first, how about we get breakfast? I’m starving.” They start to walk, Hiver leading the way to the nearby café Selene pointed her towards.

“Aww. Don’t get to eat your homemade cooking today?” Amanda says, in faux-sadness. Well, not all of it. She did really like Hiver’s food.

“Later, if you’d like.” Hiver said to give her partner some hope.

After some minutes of walking and talking, they make it to the café. A little, cozy, brown and beige space, run by a weary but gentle-looking man and a woman that appeared to be his wife. The women greet the couple, sitting down at the elegant wooden table. Theu get served a stack of pancakes and two slices of a cake with an interesting name. “Red Velvet”, they called it. Beside that, was one mug of latte with a layer of whipped cream and one of hot chocolate. Darting between a distracted Hiver and the whipped cream, Amanda had an idea, sipping at it.

“Hiver.”

“Yes?” The Warlock answered, looking up from her cake to see Amanda had a thin cream mustache on her face.

“Ready to bang knuckles?” Amanda said in a husky voice, a purposefully poor imitation of the City’s shadiest individual. Hiver couldn’t hold her laughter, which made the shipwright extremely satisfied.

As she licked the cream off of her upper lip and got to eating, Hiver was machinating her turn.

She threw her hood on and spoke very nasally, while holding the menu like a datapad. “Why, miss Holliday, banging knuckles is not going to find us any Golden Age archives! Keep your priorities in order.”

It was Amanda’s turn to laugh at Hiver’s shenanigan as she took the hood off of her head. Both continued their breakfasts before it went cold, glad start their days off with a bit of good fun.

“That was a good start of the day, lady-killer.” Amanda says, her face propped up on her hands, kicking her legs in teasing expectation. “Where to now?”

“A bit of flying, if you don’t mind. Got places I want you to visit.”

“When did I ever mind flying? Let’s get right to it!”

Trinity took this cue to transmat both of them into Hiver’s ship and trace a course to the Old American Empire. Hiver had them en route to a place who kickstarted their ‘relationship’, so it was time to show them some gratitude.

They touched down right at Quinn’s village’s gates, which was definitely livelier than the last time. The rainclouds had passed and they were working more towards expanding and defending their perimeter. While Amanda takes in the scenery, Hiver notes the recently added plaque that says “St. Winter”. She makes a mental note to ask about it later.

“So,” Amanda turned to her, “this is the place you saved for pitaya?”

“It was worth it, alright? You were so happy that day. Plus I saved the Vanguard the headache of investigating some… possible resurrection of the House of Wolves. Aaaand made some people happy along the way. Everybody won.”

The cheerful man from the last time Hiver was there shows up, after the citizens spread word of the “return of Old Lady Winter”.

Amanda looks at her curiously. “Lady Winter.”

“First Gunslock and then this… being fair, I guess I didn’t give many people my name yet.” The Gunslock says, shrugging.

“That’s right!” Quinn says as he steps closer. “But ice blue as your skin is and deadly as your passing was to these pirates, no title is more fitting.”

“Hello, Quinn. This is my, uh, date, Amanda Holliday.” She says, motioning towards Amanda. “Amanda, this is Quinn, the man who helped me secure their supply routes.”

“Wassup!” Amanda says with a two-finger salute. He smiles politely under his black beard.

“My pleasure to meet you, Amanda. This woman is truly virtuous.”

“Yeah, she does crazy stuff for me sometimes.” She said, eyeing the Awoken girl who is shrinking into herself in embarrassment. “Hope she knows I appreciate it!”

“Wait… was it…” Quinn makes an ‘oh’ face in realization. “Was it her you came to grab the fruit for, Hiver?”

“Shut it!” Hiver rebutts in shame, trying to find another place to look at. Amanda chuckles at her flustered date.

“Hohoho, that was a knightly quest. “Labor of love”, she told me. A lot of labor… means a lot of love. She’s a keeper.” He winks at Amanda, who laughs nervously while blushing and scratching her nape.

“Would you two like to stay in our little town for lunch? Thanks to your lover there, we now have an abundance of food coming in.”

“Sure, why not? Hiver?” Amanda answers, taking off her jacket and looking at her date, who is now a flustered mess ten feet away from them.

A shy “Yeah” is all she can muster before they follow Quinn into the restaurant-like building that is the communal mess hall. It has a rustic interior, many long tables and a little platform, presumably for public announcements. Directly in front of the door is a bar counter leading to the kitchen, with people coming in and out, carrying food, plates and drinks.

They get the end of a table with people cheering the Guardian and her partner, soon dying down as people began to talk and eat their meals; They’re served chicken steak with a layer of madeira sauce, french fries and rice.

“Ooooooh....” Amanda ogles over the meal being put in front of them. “Quinn, would y’all have beer, by any chance?”

“Should have it.” Quinn goes to the bar counter and after some minutes returns with two mugs filled with foamy, golden orange liquid, placing them before the two girls.

“Here. Homebrew.”

“Asskickin’!” The blonde says, 

“Uh…” Hiver stutters, staring at her mug. “I’m sorry, but is it a bad time to tell you I don’t like alcohol?”

“Not at all, Guardian. I’ll take your mug.” Quinn says, dragging it to the side of his plate.

Hiver gets up from the table, looking around for any indication of a restroom. “In the meantime, I’ll go look for something else to drink, and… a restroom, or something.”

Quinn points to a passage beside the platform. “Down that hallway.” Hiver thanks him and takes her leave.

“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Quinn stealthily asks Amanda, who is swallowing a bite of her steak.

“Yeah. When I heard her story ‘bout how she came all the way to the Old America to get ONE fruit… just to see me smile… I realized how wonderful she is.” Amanda said before biting another fry. “Of course, wasn’t the first time she did somethin’ for me, but the rest was more casual, see? Never was on ‘traveling across the continent and risk her life to find a thing I ate as a kid’ level.”

Quinn closed his eyes and nodded happily at Amanda’s talking.

“Like… damn, how can I ever repay that kinda stuff? Just how far would she go for me?” She took a sip out of her beer. “Which’s why, one day, she invited me to a date and... I said yes. Seemed to make her the happiest girl in the entire system. It was so simple, and yet enough to, well, ‘repay’ her for the trouble she went through.”

She sighs and looks around, seeing all the people eating or talking over their empty plates. A band is apparently setting up at the platform.

“Honestly? Being here, and seeing how happy she made these people, even thinking about me, makes me realize that she is more wonderful than I imagined. And I want her to never change.”

“You could always be by her side to make sure she doesn’t.”

Amanda just blushes and chuckles nervously, looking around for a way not to reply to that.

“Heeey, cowgirl!” She says to her unknowing savior, who arrived just at the right time to avoid admitting something awkward.

“Hello, Amanda! Hey, Quinn!” The Warlock sits down and immediately gets to eating, being hungry since she ate so little in the morning. While she’s entertained with food, Quinn shoots Amanda a smug smile, to which she makes a flat expression and mouths ‘shut up’ back.

After some minutes, their attention is caught by acoustic guitar chords and the hitting of a bass drum. The more art-inclined folks have started playing a classic song, and the citizens either watch gladly or sing along.

“Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze…” The male lead sang soulfully.

“Country roooooads~” Amanda softly sings along with the band and the other people at the mess hall, bobbing side-to-side with the rhythm and closing her eyes to focus on the song better. Hiver giggles at her date’s moment of freedom. It was one of her favorite styles of music, after all.

All the songs being over, it was almost the mid-afternoon. There was one last place the Guardian wanted to take Amanda.

“Hiver,” Quinn called out as they went out of the Mess Hall, “I have great news for you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Folks are building another village in the horizon of the hill our supply route goes through. We might all go there to negotiate with them.”

Amanda and Hiver trade looks and smiles of gleeful surprise. “Guess the Titans weren’t lying when they said Last City would one day be known as the First City.”

“We’ll be on our way now, Quinn. I’ll come to visit whenever I’m available again.” Hiver says, bidding farewell.

“Nice to meetcha! Glad my girl here could do some good around here. ‘S near where my ma was born, after all.” Amanda states, putting her jacket back on and looking at the settlement in longing.

“Have a safe flight, ladies. We’ll be expecting you, hopefully with more good news to tell.” Quinn waves goodbye as they get transmatted back into orbit.

“Well, that was really sweet to see.” Amanda said, sitting behind Hiver in her jumpship.

“Yes, it was.” Hiver says, typing in Selene’s last set of coordinates. “Not as sweet as what we’re going to do now.”

“Ooooh, mysterious.” She says, wrapping her arms around her friend’s neck. “Okay, I’ll trust you’re taking us somewhere nice.”

Hiver giggles. “When have I not?” The jumpship picks up speed, and they depart to their last stop.

After some minutes of traveling, they arrive at their destination.

It was a beach that faced the west. Completely untouched by either human or Darkness presence, save only for eroded rocks, sand, and the serene sea quietly crashing at the shore. Amanda had never seen a place like this before. The shipwright and the Guardian leaned against a rock, the former closing her eyes and allowed herself to feel the wind in her face, and the salutiferous smell of the sea breeze. 

It was… clean. It was calm.

Peace, was the word for what she felt.

They admired in silence as the sky turned a beautiful mixture of pink, blue, and golden, the sign of night starting to paint itself unto the heavens. As dark covered the beach, Trinity took distance and illuminated the two women as softly as she could. Soon, the clean night sky revealed a mesmerizing sight to both women.

Purple. Pinkish red. Blue. Gold. Nebulae, cloudy shapes of the galaxy, dancing in the horizon. Hundreds of Constellations, some unknown, some brighter than others. A soothing, abstract work of art, painted in the everlasting and infinite canvas, extending from the sea eternally upwards, reminding the girls.

“It’s gentle.” Hiver says, quietly.

“How so?” Amanda replies.

“We were once in the starlight. Trillions of years back. When life began.”

“The stardust gathered. It made Earth. With a combination of factors, and a speck of luck, went on to create us.”

Amanda listened quietly to the soft voice of her date, calmly amazed at everything going on around her.

“You and I, Amanda… we are the stardust. Our bodies and souls were once part of this infinite beauty. Its little building blocks are now part of us.”

“I used to hear we were insignificant to the universe. I believe not. I believe… we are part of it.”

Their hands touch each other. They hold each other’s hands gently.

“As in… we’re universes in our own rights?”

“Yes. We are. There is infinity as we see, but… there is also infinitude inside of us. Sometimes…” Hiver brushes her fingertips against Amanda’s, leading the latter to intertwine them. “I believe they can communicate.”

“Maybe not by talking.”

“Not the outer universe. That’s why we may interpret the signs differently. People over the centuries have tried.”

Amanda tilts her head to look at her Awoken date sideways. Hiver looks at her a bit more directly.

“And the inner universe? How does it talk?”

“Many ways. By ideas. Feelings. Gestures. Expressions. And by those, we made contact with people; and, consequently, we were allowed inside their universes.”

Amanda kept quiet and touched the side of her head on Hiver’s as the Warlock looked down at the ocean waves, swallowing hard.

“I think...” She managed to let out.

“Hm?”

“I think the outer one is gentle because it allowed both of our universes to find each other.”

Amanda slowly turns her head towards Hiver’s. She was very close to her face.

“Come on, girl, don’t fuck this up.” The Guardian told herself as she looked at the galaxy arm once more.

“A-and… the universe that lives in me has fallen… profusely and unwaveringly in love with the one… that lives in you.”

“Hiver, look at me.” Amanda said. Hiver turned her head, almost tearing up with nervousness. It felt liberating to put her feelings out there, but she was never this unsure of what came next.

She felt the hard, warm touch of Amanda’s forehead against hers. A soft sensation of cartilage as their noses brushed. An off-hand around her waist. A hot breath near her own mouth.

The warmth of a protostar as it comes to life. The soft jolt of a comet trail on the opaque black sky. The musica universalis -- the harmony that conducts the perfect circles the celestial bodies move in on -- almost made audible. The addition of two infinitudes whose lights were brighter than ever before as they held each other.

The brushing of lips, delicate as shimmering dew on the morning.

Two women, two universes, telling each other “I love you”.

#destiny 2 #destiny oc #destiny warlock #destiny hunter #hiver the gunslock #oc x canon #amanda holliday #devrim kay #my fanfic

[oohfluffy]

DDND Ch.4 | KJI

Group: EXO

Member: Kim Jongin

Theme: Fluff | Dancer!AU | Dormmate!AU

Word Count: 2,273

❀ Chapter 4: Let's Play ❀

"Oh."

You were obviously gaping at him like Patrick the Star.

"Sehun." He nodded at you while pointing at himself.

"Huh?"

You seemed like a pervert girl who drools over drop-dead gorgeous men.

"Aww. Such a killjoy. I was trying to make a joke." Sehun chukled as he walked towards you. After one minute, you finally got what he was trying to say. You smiled awkwardly. Sorry to say, but you're a slow person.

"What're you doing here? You're buying something for your girlfriend?" You asked.

It's possible, right? With his handsome face, slender body that you almost felt insecure with his flat stomach, his eyes that can kill, his nose that can cut you into pieces, his lips that looks so thin but looks so soft and his gigantic height, he can get whoever he wants.

"I'm just roaming around before going to work. How can you say that I have a girlfriend?" He chuckled as he looked at you. You gulped and focused on the bears in front of you.

"W-well, don't you?"

"I don't."

Yes!

You mentally face-palmed yourself for your shameless flirt side.

"You like bears?" He asked as he grabbed one of the white ones in front of him. You glanced at him again before looking around.

"Yep. They're like the third best things I've ever seen." You said, walking to the other racks of pink bears with glasses.

"Third? What's the second then?" Sehun asked, following you like a puppy.

"Food." You quickly answered without any signs of hesitation. Sehun looked at you, as if asking if you're serious. You looked back at him and grinned. He laughed, almost wiping the forming tears in his eyes.

"What? You don't understand girls, Mr. Oh."

"Hmm. Actually I do. I have a sister who always bothers me about candies." He shook his head, as if he doesn't even want to remember it.

"Really? She must be a good companion then?" You asked while going to a jar full of bear keychains.

"Why'd you say so? She's annoying." Sehun scoffed.

"Well, anyone who likes eating candies must be hyper. The sweetness of the candies makes people crave for more and get active. Trust me, I know that too." You answered as you thought of your friend, Tiffany.

"Anyway, what's the best thing you've ever seen?"

The question struck you in the heart. You flinched as you felt the familiar pain in your chest.

What's the best thing.... I've ever seen?

"Uhm..."

*Ring *Ring

You jumped as you heard your phone rang. You quickly grabbed your phone from your jacket and saw Joohyuk's name on top.

"Hyuk." You answered after sighing. Knowing what was coming.

"Where the heck are you?! I've been searching for you everywhere! It's almost 2--"

There you go, Mommy Hyuk is here.

"Yah! Can you not shout?! I'm not deaf, okay?! Calm your horses!" You shouted back. You heard a stifled laugh from behind. You turned around and saw that everyone in the shop was looking at you and Sehun was red, maybe because he's trying not to laugh at you.

"Sorry." You bowed quickly as you turned back again.

"Let's just meet at the fountain, okay?" You mumbled, just enough for him to hear.

"Okay fine." Joohyuk said, you can even imagine him pouting. You shivered as you hung up.

"So, what was that?"

You looked at Sehun and scratched the back of your head.

"That was my best friend. He was worried when I was nowhere in his sight. He said he was searching for a while now so he panicked."

"Ah. Your best friend has horses?" Sehun said with his poker face on. You furrowed your brows as you got weirded out by what he said.

"Aww come on. You didn't get it again? I was trying to make a joke for the second time." Sehun said, whining at you. You smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for talking to me. It's nice to see you here... With the bears and other cute things." You chuckled as you gestured around you. Sehun smiled, his eyes forming into half-crescent moons.

Ghad, that was deadly.

"Same here, Lin. I'd like to see you again."

♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫

You stared at your phone as you sat on the bus with Joohyuk.

"Your phone might die with your gaze."

You blinked and looked at Joohyuk beside you. He tried peeking on your phone but your reflexes were fast like an ability of Flash. (Ooh, that rhymed!)

"It—It's nothing!" You said too suspiciously. Joohyuk glared at you as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"Is it going to be like this? You're gonna hide something from me? And what? One day, I'll just wake up without you on my side. I'm going to be alone and-- aww!"

You pinched his nose.

"You're being too dramatic." You said as you hid your phone back to your pocket.

"I'm just being an observant best friend. So, what happened earlier? Where'd you go?" Joohyuk asked as he leaned his head on your shoulder even if you're so much shorter than him. He'll get a stiffed neck later on.

"I was just checking out cute bears on the shop we saw earlier. You're so oblivious when I got in, not even bothering to check the store in front of you. Tsk tsk." You said while shaking your head disappointedly. Joohyuk whined again.

"Oh, yeah, where are we going later? I just remembered, you haven't told us where are we going." You asked as you looked out on the window.

"We're going to have fun."

"I just got chills from that."

"So mean."

As you both arrived at your dorm, Joohyuk went to his own, saying he'll just change his clothes and check on his mother at home. He'll be back to fetch you and go together at the café, where you agreed to meet up with Tiffany.

You pressed the doorbell of your dorm and waited for your aunt to open it. You hummed a tune of your favorite song.

"You're home!" Your aunt welcomed you warmly as he opened the gate. You smiled at her and went inside.

"I'll be going somewhere with Hyuk and Tiffany unnie at 7. So, you don't need to wait for me. I'll just climb up the gates again." You said as you went upstairs.

"Okay!" You heard your aunt reply downstairs.

You opened your door with your eyes on it but secretly looking at the door beside yours.

I wonder where he went this morning...

You opened your closet and looked over to your clothes. You bit your lip as you thought.

What should I wear?

You looked at the clock and saw that it's just 4:30 in the afternoon. You still have almost 2 hours to get ready before Joohyuk fetch you.

You spent an hour choosing an outfit to wear. In the end, you just wore a light blue colored skinny jeans, a warm white sweater with a little bunny on it's upper right part and a mint green sneakers. You just applied powder and lip balm.

You're ready to go.

Yes, you are that simple.

In time, you heard a knock.

"Buddy, are you ready?"

After looking at yourself in your full-length mirror, you replied.

"Yes. Let's go!"

♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫ ❧ ♫

"Huwaaahh!" Tiffany said in awe as she saw the interior of the place you went to.

You glared at Joohyuk. He seemed to noticed it, so he looked at you innocently.

"What?! Aren't you happy with this place?!"

You looked around the place again and saw a huge crowd of humans. Yes, humans. The place is totally full and it's too noisy. You think you're going to lose your eardrums.

"Why here?! I thought we're going to have fun?! You know what fun for me is!" You shouted over the blaring music.

"Fun in the library?!" Joohyuk grinned like a dog as he locked arms with the hyper Tiffany. She doesn't seem to be bothered by the noise and crowded place. Maybe you're just being paranoid.

"Tss."

You followed them through the colliding bodies of people on the floor. You didn't think Joohyuk will ever tag you along to this kind of place. It's so messy.

After half an hour of looking for a table, you luckily found one in front of a large stage. As you sat, you poked Joohyuk on his forehead.

"Yah! Why are we here? Why not in a restaurant or in the arcades?" You asked grumpily. As you can read, you're not really fond of an atmosphere like this. You're more of a sophisticated and quiet girl.

"Shouldn't we try new things? Like having fun in a place full of energetic people? Can't you feel the heat?" Joohyuk said and giggled like a girl. Tiffany laughed as she nodded, clearly approving of the boy's explanation. You sighed.

"Fine." They grinned but their grins were wiped out when you raised a finger up. "But just this once. If you're ever going here again or to places like this, I'll pass."

They seemed down but nodded in defeat.

"Oh! What's the name of this place again?" Tiffany asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, I never saw any lighting boards or anything outside of this place." You said as you looked at Joohyuk in question.

"Well, even if this place looks like a normal club, it's not like that. This place is for music and dance. That's why it's called, 'DanWiMu'. Weird name but it means Dance With Music. There are performers who sing and dance. There are always performing everyday but Tuesday and Saturday are the days where most people flock in this place at night." Joohyuk said as he looked over the stage.

"Why only Tuesday and Saturday?" Tiffany asked.

"You'll see later." Joohyuk mysteriously said before winking. "I'll just get us drinks and food at the counter there." He said as he pointed at the bar-like long counter in the left side of the place.

"Okay! Bring lots of food!" Tiffany cheered.

"Take care and goodluck surpassing that sea of humans." You said as you rolled your eyes.

As Joohyuk left, you looked at Tiffany who's looking around the place.

"Is something wrong?" You asked her.

"Hmm. The name of this place sounds so familiar. Let me think first..." Tiffany said as she tightly closed her eyes and hummed.

You shook your head at her, being so used with her already. You looked over to the stage in front of you again and saw that the black curtain that must lead to the backstage was slightly open. You squinted your eyes to see more when you saw a familiar pair of eyes.

You'll never forget those dark brown eyes.

"AH! I remember now!"

You almost jumped at Tiffany's loud voice. You blinked your eyes and saw that the curtain was closed now. Were you just imagining things?

"What is it?" You looked at Tiffany, who looks so bright and proud of what she just remembered.

"My brother works here. I don't really know if he earns to what he does but I think he's performing tonight." Tiffany said as she dropped her chin on her arms that are resting on the table.

You knew about Tiffany's brother. She once broke down when she told you about him. Tiffany's parents divorced when they were just young, her being 15 while her brother being 10. Tiffany lives with their father while her brother lived with their mother. But their mother died 4 years ago, leaving her brother alone. Tiffany asked her brother to live with them but he completely refused. Tiffany said that after so many years, her brother has been filled with hatred towards their father. But that didn't mean that they can't be close siblings. Whatever happens, they still treat each other as family.

"Really? You must be excited then." You said as you stood up to help Joohyuk. He was clearly struggling while holding the tray. You met him half-way as you grabbed the three glasses of blue lemonade.

"You looked like you were dying there." You joked as you sat down. Joohyuk sighed as he wiped the sweat on his cheek.

"It was hard walking with my hands full but let's dig in!"

You were all in the middle of eating when the lights went out and the people who were dancing earlier, are now sitting down on their seats. You were amazed how disciplined they are. They even managed to get quiet all of a sudden.

"What's happening?" You whispered at Joohyuk.

"The show's starting."

Suddenly, a bright spotlight shot on the stage. You narrowed your eyes as you saw two silhouettes who are facing back to back. Your eye sight was still unstable because of the sudden brightness but once you got it stable, you finally saw two boys wearing black shiny pants and a simple white button-up. The outfit looks so simple but they give off a sexy aura.

Your eyes finally set on their faces, just as the up-beat music came up.

" Hey playboy "

Then they high-fived first before parting ways.

" (haha) boy "

They cooly walked towards the sides of the stage.

" Let's play "

After that line, they looked in front of them. Both instantly locking eyes with yours.

As you met their burning gazes, you felt like melting on the spot.

Am I in heaven with hot devils?

But more importantly, why are they both here?!

—

❀ Ch.5

#exo #exo fanfic #exo series #exo fluff #exo x you #exo x reader #exo x oc #exo imagine #kpop fanfiction #kpop series #kpop fluff #kpop imagine #kpop #kai #kai x you #kai x reader #kai x oc #kai imagine #kai series #kai fluff

[thefanficmistress]

Mother May I? Part 2 : Requested ☆

Requested by : @deepestfirefun​ : My bestie! - Enjoy lovely.  Warnings: Fluff

Pairing: Richard Armitage x Reader, Richard Armitage x Female Character, Richard Armitage x OC Context © me _______________ TAG LIST: @deepestfirefun @shikin83 @catthefearless @patanghill17 @aelinninielelain @xxbyimm @nowiloveandwilllove @nellindreams @hails270105 @armitages-gisborne @jassy2101 @abiwim @anemiechen @nelswp​ @fizzyxcustard @purplerain85​ @armitageadoration​ @princecami​ @princess-of-erebor1992 @leah-halliwell92​ @vaneaustin @raindrops-on-roses142 @wilhelmyna @pixiedurango​ @theincaprincess​

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged. _________ Current Requests: JANUARY - Closed @purplerain85 ( A Kiss in the Wild ) @deepestfirefun ( Because I love you ) @nowiloveandwilllove ( My Friend, My Beloved ) @deepestfirefun  ( Mother, May I? ) Part 1 | Part 2

Current Requests: FEBRUARY - CLOSED @purplerain85 ( Just Rest Dear ) - RA Request @deepestfirefun  ( Spy to Smitten ) - RA Request @ nowiloveandwilllove ( Remembering Us ) - RA Request Current Requests: MARCH - CLOSED

Message me if you would like to make a request.  ___________ PART 2 You thought about it for a moment, and then looked around the set. Samantha was no where to be found. That could be because she thought Richard would leave after his scene, and not stick around to watch your photoshoot. You didn’t expect it either. Normally he left after he wasn’t need any longer, but when you looked out, past the bright lights, cameras, and small crew members, there he was looking at you with a hit of a smile on his face. He was sitting in his chair off to the side, and speaking with other members, and artist in between your takes, and looked over at you often. It made your stomach tighten, and your heart stop every time your eyes met. How could a man like this make you feel this way? You figured after the shoot he wouldn’t notice that you walked off because he was surrounded by the blond makeup artist who was always flirting with him, but you guess she couldn’t hold his attention because here he was, standing before you in all of his Dracula attire, and makeup smiling down at you, with black eyeline eyes, that made his gaze more seductive, and alluring. How could you ever say no to him? So you didn’t.  “I’d love to!” You chimed, with a smile, and a twinkle in your eye. He looked so happy, because his lips parted, and he gave you a full smile, as he shuffled on his feet. “Great! Well tomorrow night then, I’ll meet you out front of the hotel?” “It’s a date. I mean….” You said quickly, trying to correct yourself. “A date it is.” He said back, with a charming smile. After saying goodnight to Jona, and a few other people on set, Richard offered to walk you back to your trailer, which meant walking past his. You didn’t like the idea of him having to wait to change, and when you approached his, you stopped, and asked him if he would like to go in, and you could walk the rest of the way to yours. He immediately turned you down and held out his arm to continue the walk. You took it, and continued down the straight path of trailers, and food trucks that were now opening for the new crew members and set for that morning and the rest of the day. Your trailer was at the end of the lot, that looked over a cliff. Which you hated. Thank god there was a large railing there, and the hill was more of a decline, of grass, and more grass and then a beautiful lake. You could have easily gotten out of your trailer if it rolled down it. Just a little thought you always had with yourself whenever you looked at it. But standing her now wasn’t so bad. You paused for a moment to watch the sun come right over the horizon, and the sky was full of color. You took in a very deep breath and closed your eyes as you exhaled. There was always something so nice about the first burst of light, and the smell of the morning air that you loved. As a small gust of wind came up from the hill, you pulled the cloak around your tighter, and Richard stepped a little closer to you, putting his right hand on your back to shield you. You leaned into him naturally and opened your eyes to the sight before you. The shimmering light of the sun dancing along the water’s surface of the lake. Ducks were swimming, goats were roaming, and the sound of bird songs rang through the air. “It’s so beautiful.” You said softly. “Very beautiful” Richard agreed, his voice was warm, serene.  You noticed out of the corner of your eye that he wasn’t looking in the same direction as you. He wasn’t taking in the view as it was happening, but he was looking at you. You weren’t sure if you should look at him, but as your eyes drifted down, you turned your head slowly, and looked up at him. He blinked slowly and when he opened them back up, he started to lean into you. In return you started to rise on your toes, and you felt his hands tighten on your back, pulling you towards him. Your breath was short, and your heart was racing. Were you really about to kiss him? Was this about to happen here and now? You close your eyes and lean into him, and moments before your lips were about to touch. Richards phone rings, he stops in in tracks, and when he pulls away to get it, you fall slightly forward but you catch yourself. Not exactly what you call graceful, you bashfully cover your cheeks, as you turn away and close your arms around yourself as another gust of wind comes through. You look at Richard as he answers the phone and puts it to his ears. “Hello? Yes, I’m with (Y/N) at the moment.” He pauses as he closes his eyes, and slightly moves the phone from his ears as though someone was screaming through the other line. He then puts it back. “I’m not exactly sure why that’s any of your business, or a problem…can we not do this?” He then looks at the phone and ends the call. He puts the phone back in his pocket and looks at you with a rueful smile. “Forgive me.” He said as he closed the space between you.

“Everything ok?” “Of course, nothing for you to worry about.” “Well I am. That didn’t look like a good call.” You stressed, as you reached out to touch his arm. He then placed his opposite hand on your hand and smiled. “All I want you to worry about, is how is this tall dork going to get you one of those giant bears at the festival tonight.” He joked.

You beam up at him, and giggle. “Can it be any bear I want?” “Any.” He says as he pats your hand. “Now you should get some rest, and I’ll meet you tonight, yea?” “Yea, Ok. See you tonight.” Richard walked you over to your door, held it open for you, and kissed you goodbye on your hand, gave you the most sexiest smile as he walked backwards and left. You blushed hard, and watched him as he walked away, but before you stepped into your trailer, he turned to look back at you before he vanished around the corner. After clothing your door, you looked around your trailer, and did the weirdest, giddy school girl dance and giggled at the fact that you were going out with Richard. You jumped in the shower, and when you came out with your towel wrapped around your body, you laid in bed, closed your eyes, and slipped into the best sleep of your life. … It was 8pm and you made your way to the festival ground in town. After getting lost twice, you finally find the entrance, and waiting dressed in black jeans, dark grey top with a black leather jacket was Richard. He was holding a small bouquet of flowers, and when you approached his expression lit up. He beamed at you as you approached, and all you could do is blush and smile back. You wore a light-yellow dress that honestly looked more cream, with very small sun and moon designs on the light fabric; black stocking that still teased the lovely color of your legs, black boots, and a black leather jacket that finished up your entire outfit perfectly. A darling little rebel you were, so when you finally reached Richard, he obviously admired your look, and you could have sworn he licked his lips before he went back to smiling. “Hello!” he chimed, as he opened his arms to embrace you in a large, warm hug. You melted into his arms and took a deep breath. He smelled amazing. “Hi!” you replied, as you pulled back. Your eyes immediately locking with the bouquet of flowers in his hands. Something in your tummy tightens, and then the butterflies start. “Are those for me?” you ask. “Of course!” He says, as he holds them out to you. You take them and smell them. It was a beautiful bouquet of one dozen red roses, dark pink Oriental lily, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, and assorted greenery, wrapped in a lovely blue bow. You opened your eyes after smelling them, and looked at Richard, who was looking at you so fondly, that it made something inside of you melts. There he is breaking down those walls of yours.  “Richard, they are so beautiful! How did you know these were my favorite flower?” He shuffles his feet for a moment and looks down blushing, and then looks back at you. “If I’m to be honest, I asked around. Your agent was the one that finally told me for sure you liked these, so, I decided why not.” he confessed, as he smiled warmly down at you.  “Thank you.” “My pleasure” he purred. “Now how about we have a bit of fun, yea?” “Totally! I’ve never been to a amusement park before.” You shared. It wasn’t like you didn’t have a chance to, but you never actually went to any of the ones that were in the towns you lived. You were too busy being in school, and too poor to actually go. “Really? Well I’m happy I’m able to take you.” He said. He gestured for you to follow him to the gate, where the attendant took the tickets from him, and let you in. However, it was rather odd to see no one when you walked into the park, other than the workers. All you saw was the bright lights from all the rides, and the booths. The amusement park was on a large pier over the ocean and at the very end with twinkling lights sat a private dinner table for two. You froze when you realized you were the only two people in the park. “Where is everyone?” You asked as you made your way to one of the booths. You were eyeing a large pink unicorn stuffed animal, and Richard handed the attendant tokens, so that he could play. The challenge was to hit all 4 bottles and win a prize. As he was handed 4 balls, he tossed the first one. “I rented out the entire park for the night.” He said, as the first ball hit the first bottle. He tossed the second and with a satisfying sound, the bottle it knocked down. He holds the third ball in his hand and looked at you when he saw that you were looking at him with a stunned look. “What?” he asked.  “You did what?” You asked shocked. Noticing that Richard was closing the small space between you to lean in, and whisper in your ear. “The entire park is ours. I would rather not share you.” He said with a smile. His voice melted you from the inside out. It caressed your skin, and his words felt as though it was being burnt on your skin. The man was pure sin, in an angel disguise.  “You didn’t have to do that!” You said softly as his lips grazed your cheek. “I would do it all the time if it meant that I could be alone with you.” He retorted. He leaned back and tossed the third ball and then fourth. Both bottles are knocked over. You both cheer, and he put his arm around your waste and pulled you into him. “What animal would you like dear?” He asked sweetly. “PINK UNICORN!!” You shout as you point to it. Richard laughs. “Pink Unicorn it is!” The attendant clapped and laughed as he took down the large stuffed toy. He handed it to you, but it was rather large, and blocked your view. Plus, with your hand full of flowers, it was very difficult to walk. Richard offered to carry it for you as the two of you enjoyed the rest of the park. You rode the ferris wheel over and over again and when you reached the top. Richard kissed you so firmly and sweetly that it nearly pulled the air from your longs. At one point, your heart might have stopped. But when he leaned over and smiled into the kiss, you pulled him onto you more, and it became more fervent. You cuddled on a teacup ride, while laughing. More games, dancing, cotton candy, and then that private dinner he arranged. It was the most beautiful night of your life. You knew that you were falling for him. You weren’t always an affectionate person, but there was something about him that made you want to open up and try. After that first kiss, you knew that everything was about to change for you. Excited, and terrified at the same time, you didn’t want to run from it. Even though everything in you wanted to, and wanted him. The next few weeks, your relationship with Richard went from nothing, to everything. The morning texts, the surprise breakfast plates with flowers, the private lunches, and romantic dinners. He showed up on sets that he wasn’t even supposed to be at or let alone even involved with. He stayed in town with you when others would go on mini vacations until filming was ready to begin. He made dinner for you, took you to private beaches, or drove hours for you, just because you wanted a specific type of chocolate that the country was famous for. You were close. You went from wanting to stay away from him, to seeking him out when he was around. You would always make sure he saw you, and that you looked good, smelled good, and was in a good mood. You would blush every time he walked into the room, and when he approached you, leaned in and kissed you on the cheek, forehead, or even the stolen kiss on the lips. You drowned in that bliss. The moment the man’s hands slip around your waist, you were finished. You wanted those hands to remove the very fabric off your body. He became very protective of you when you were on set, and when you traveled. He would make sure you got enough rest when filming was over, and sometimes he would be with you in your trailer or hotel room just to be with you as you slept. The more this relationship bloomed, the more people saw, and the less you cared. But you knew that Samantha would find out. She left for a few weeks to do another play in New York, and you were sure that her little helpers were feeding back information about you and Richard. She was texting you the first few days, calling you to weirdly see where you were, and who you were with. But then her calls and texts became a little more obsessive, and overwhelming. So, you tried to ignore it. Until the last text shocked you to your core... She sent you about 10 messages in a row, that she heard about you and Richard. That she was worried about you. Samantha stated that she didn’t want to tell you this, but she was worried about you, and needed to inform you about Richard. Then, she told you her truths: SAMANTHA {I didn’t know you guys were together!? I wish you would have spoken to me about this first. To be honest, I’m worried.} YOU {Sam, there’s nothing to worry about. Richard has been great, and I wouldn’t call us a couple. Or at least we didn’t have the conversation.} SAMANTHA {Please don’t think that you guys are a couple!! Honestly you guys are a casual thing. Just sex. I say this because….I really thought he loved me. Yes, I know I didn’t tell you. He and I dated for a very long time. He asked me to marry him. I said yes. Then everything changed.} YOU {You were engaged?! He never told me that.} SAMANTHA {He wouldn’t. He plays innocent enough, but he isn’t…} SAMANTHA {The dinners, lunches, flowers…it all stopped when we started planning our wedding. He got distant, and we fought all the time.} SAMANTHA {I honestly don’t want you with him. Once you fall for him, he will pull away, stop doing everything sweet, and when you want more.  He will make you crazy, and would make you sound obsessive, possessive, jealous, insecure, immature, and crazy.  I am so sorry for even telling you this now, but I didn’t want you this close to him.} SAMANTHA {He isn’t going to love you, and he only loves himself.  He will cheat on you. He did it to me.} YOU {He cheated?} SAMANTHA {YES!! Multiple on set, and when he would go to the states, or back home in London. I was stupid to stay with him.} YOU {Sad face emoji } SAMANTHA {END IT NOW!!!!!!} That is when pain sank in, and you realized that the past few weeks from seeking him out, that he may do the same to you. You weren’t his girlfriend, but he did have a friendly attitude towards the ladies on set. But what if that was just him, friendly. You didn’t want to think of Richard as a womanizer, but the fear that you were falling in love with a man that could be that way, broke your heart. After all Samantha wouldn’t lie to you, would she? Part 2 end Part 3 conclusion coming soon.

#imagine #imagines #richard armitage imagine #richard armitage imagines #drabble #drabbles #richard armitage drabble #drabble richard armitage #celeb drabble #richard armitage #richard armitage fanfic #richard armitage x oc #richard armitage x reader #reader #Reader Request #reader x actor #oc x richard armitage #oc x actor #fanfic #richard armitage x female reader #fanficsthatareamazing #x richard armitage #richard armitage x you #you x richard armitage #richard armitage fluff

[sonnshineandrainbows]

Meeting Sonny

  ok, here’s something I’ve been working on! I hope you enjoy!

Tags: @mrsrafaelbarba, @manhattan-99, @dailypeterscanavino & @carisista (hope you don’t mind I tagged you) 

The bitter cold of a New York winter was wearing you thin, no matter how long you’ve lived in this city this was one thing you could not get used to.

Sitting at the window bar of your favorite coffee shop, taking in the warmth of your favorite flavor, you sigh in content. You’ve seen him come in before as you say and people watched and he always ordered the house special and a cannoli. You never really noticed him until today. His blue eyes were not as dark as they usually were, no, today they resembled the colors of the clearest ocean.

You watched as he walked up opening the door only to lose his footing on a small patch of ice on  the way in bumping into an older lady who spilled her coffee on him. The poor woman was horrified.

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry young man!” She began to look for napkins and you handed her a few to help.

“Nah, that’s ok ma’am!” He said as he smiled.

Ma’am? Do guys still say that? Where did this guy come from? You raised a brow at their interactions. You thought he’d get upset to have his nice jacket and suit ruined. You’ve seen it happen and more so than few they have gotten angry. But he was different, this didn’t faze him

“Please. Let me buy you another drink?”

“Oh no I couldn’t possibly let you do that!” She said.

“Oh it would be my pleasure.” He reassured her as he finished soaking up the coffee from his coat removing it, setting it on a chair to dry  and putting up his arm so she could wrap hers around it. Long lanky arms, he was all arms and legs.

You watched as they ordered their drinks and they sat at the bar next to you, he pulled her out so she can sit. You couldn’t help but grin as he spoke to her and listened as if they had know each other for years.

“It was nice meeting you,” he tells the lady. “I gotta get on my way ‘fore I’m late for work.”

As you get up as well realizing the time and head for the door, he’s right in front of you and holds the door for you.

“Thanks. ”you smiled.

“You’re welcome” he smiles back at you.

Gawd that smile, why hadn’t you noticed it before.

The next day was a Saturday, you headed out to run errands and the cold hit you like a blaze a winter witch cursed upon you. After you were done you head into your coffee shop before heading home for a midday caffeine fix. You sat at the bar with a book and watched as light snow started to fall outside. You may not have gotten used to the cold but you did love how the snow made it look magical. He walked in, but today he wasn’t doning a suit. He had on a casual outfit w hair that was tousled by the wind. He ordered and sat a chair down from you at the bar reading the sports pages. You watch him with hooded eyes from your book. You noticed his face, beautiful eyes that pierced your heart when he looked up at you and smiled, you blushed. He smirked and went back to his reading. You found yourself no longer reading the pages of the book in front of you but reading the lines of this handsome strangers face. The laugh lines on his eyes made you wonder what his face looked like crinkled up and what sounds came from his beautiful smile when he laughed. The worry lines on his forehead told stories that made you think about what made him sad and what he has been through and how you would want to hold him, comfort him. You must have been starting hard cause his thick accent caused you to come out of a trance like stare.

“Do I got somethin’ on my face?” He chuckle

“W-what? No, I’m sorry. I must’ve just got lost in my thoughts, I didn’t mean to stare.’

“Musta been important.”

You blushed. “Nah, just thinking.”

“Rough week?”

“You could say that,” you said. “Just been busy, feels good to just sit and not have to rush into the day, ya know” 

 “Definitely understand that, don’t know the last time I had time to just sit either.” And just as if it was on cue his phone rang. And face fell and those worry lines were more defined.

“Hey, it was nice meeting you. I have to run, work. ”He shrugged and held up his phone.  

“It was a pleasure, uh, I never got your name”

“Dominick Carisi Jr, but you can me Sonny.”

Dominick. Sonny. Of course they’d call him Sonny. His bright eyes and smile were perfect examples.

“Well hi Sonny! I’m Y/N! Really hope to see more of you.” You blushed again.

“I look forward to it also.” And there he went into the day.  

The days pass without him coming into the shop, you thought about him everyday. Friday came and gone and you found yourself with a couple of friends at a bar to unwind from the weeks events.

“All that dancing is making me thirsty. You want another drink?”You asked your friend.  

“Yea just another bottle is fine.”

You walked up to the bar, it was a packed house as you tried to flag down the bartender. Why’d I decide to come out tonight? You weren’t a big fan of crowds, always preferring to be sitting with a book and cup of coffee or tea.

Defeated you sighed and just leaned back and waited. This was going to be awhile.

You felt hands sit on either side of you and inhaled a breathe that was a mix of alcohol and cigarettes, it caused you to turn your nose up trying to find oxygen.

‘So how about I buy you a drink and then we can get out of here for some real fun?’ He asked. His voice was rough.

You turned to put your hands up on his chest in an attempt to push but he wouldn’t budge. With all the commotion going on nobody could tell you were uncomfortable.

“Look I’m trying to get a drink and go back to hang out with my friends. Leave me be.’

‘Nah, pretty girl like you, guy like me we could have a good time.’ He grabbed your wrist and hand crept up on your backside.

‘No! I said leave me be!’ You shouted at him but with the music blaring it barely made it sound as if you were talking.

You freed your hand and pushed him, next thing you see is his backhand coming down towards you and braced for impacted. But another hand came into view and caught his wrist as he tucked you behind him.

‘Why don’t you try that with me.”€ You heard a familiar voice say. “She said no.”

His voice was low and scary, not like the sweet singsong he spoke in the coffee shop.

The man laughed. “Oh and what are you gonna do about it”

Sonny put his arm in a wrist lock that cause the man to groan in pain and lift up on his tip toes.

 “How about you take a walk and sober up huh buddy.” Sonny pushed him towards the door. When he was out of view his demeanor changed when he turned back to and put his arms around.

“Hey sweetheart, h’s gone” 

 “Th-thank you.” You whispered and held on to him.

“Anything I can do for you?” he asked.

“I just need to get out here, I’m gonna tell my friend bye and take of.’

Sonny followed you as you said your farewells and walked out behind you.

‘You’re not walking home alone, I’m coming with you. And where is your jacket?’ He asked when he sees you were only in your jeans and halter top.

‘I - I didn’t bring one.’

He takes his off and wraps it around you. It smelled like peppermint and coffee. You smiled.

You two walked in silence until you reached your apartment building.

‘This is my stop.’

‘I’m gonna walk you up, make sure you get in ok.’

You bit your lip. Who was this guy? He can’t be real. He was sweet, aggressive and protective.

You nodded your head for him to follow you. When you made it up to the door you handed him his jacket back, frowning as the warmth he carried in the piece of fabric was removed from you.

‘Look, here’s my number if you need anything.’ He handed you his card.

Detective Dominick Carisi Jr.

Manhattan SVU

Of course he was a detective. You could see it, how he protects.

“Thank you for today Sonny.” You tell him biting your lip again.

“Nah, I’m a real knight in shining armor.” He smiles trying to lighten the mood.

“No, a knight with shiny armor has never really had his armor tested. You, you’re a knight alright but your armor is bent and tattered because you are a fighter.”

This time it was sonny who blushed.

“Can I call you sometime?” he asked. “I’d really love to see you again”

“I’d really like that.”

“Yea? Ok.” He hands you his phone so you can add your number.

He was about to walk away and you thought his guy is perfect, he didn’t try anything on you and that made you smile again.

“Umm Sonny!” You called out.

He turned back to you. “Yea?”

Your lips connected with his and you melted into his arms. You reluctantly pull away.

“Seriously, call me.” you say walking into your apartment tripping on the way in, catching yourself on the door still.

“Smooth!” He chuckled.

“Like crunchy peanut butter.” You wink closing the door.

#sonny x reader #it’s fluffy #my love #meeting sonny #literal sonnshine and rainbows

[sassysweetstories]

Go Home

Request: “Could you do an imagine where the reader(female) is dating Malia and the reader gets nervous meeting the pack and "hides" behind Malia begging to go home and cuddle while watching Netflix.”

Ship: Malia Tate x Fem!Reader

Warnings: fluff, anxious, cuteness, minimal swearing, cuddling, etc. (If you have a problem with two girls cuddling and kissing, do not read this and lowkey leave my blog) 

Notes: None of these gifs are mine, credit to owners. 

Your P.O.V

I head into Beacon Hills High for another riveting day of class. Tossing my lunch and other useless items into my locker, I felt a pair of hands wrap around my waist, kissing my cheek before pulling away to kiss my face. I giggle at the action, already knowing that it was my beautiful girlfriend, Malia. Malia and I’ve been dating for about a year and a half now, and I couldn’t have be happier. She brought me great join and made things easier on my life. As a partner does. Whenever we were at an event that required lots of talking, she was there to fill the void of empty space. And, considering that I am a very shy person, and Malia being a very vocal person, always had something to say. 

Not having a filter does that to you, I suppose. I clutch my books to my chest, grinning up at her. Our height difference being not so different. Malia kissed my cheek and lips again, grinning as I attempted to pull away from her. “Malia, not here!” I hissed but smiled. I wasn’t into public affection, not wanting to draw attention to myself anymore than I would need to. But Malia, well, she was a completely different story. She loved to put our PDA on the table. I knew her well enough, not only did she proudly vocalize it when I asked. But she adored me and wanted to show the world how lucky she was to have me. And, being a werewolf and all, liked to show territorial dominance over anyone dared to glance at my direction. 

She wanted to show the world that I was hers and she was mine. I intertwine my hand with hers, smiling. Malia grins back down at me, a simple action that I’ve fallen in love with. Whenever she looked at me, her smiles were soft, kind. A thing most people didn’t get the chance to see. I, being the lucky few. She walks me to first block class. I can’t help but glance at how beautiful she was, pure giddiness and adoration ran through me. Malia caught me staring once or twice, smirking to herself as I flushed red. When we got to my classroom, she kissed me goodbye and went to her class. I took my seat, still smiling from what had just happened. How could I have gotten so lucky? After class, Malia laced her hands with mine, stopping at her locker. 

“Okay, don’t freak out, but there’s a few people I want you to meet.” I took a step back, still surprised by her forwardness. “Who?” She grinned, the smile I’ve always loved. “My pack. We’re having a pack party and I really want to introduce you to them.” My heart stopped cold. I wasn’t good with meeting knew people. My anxiety and shyness has continued to let me explore. Deep down though, I wanted to make Malia happy. She noticed an internal war fester within me, wrapping her warm hands around my face, a small action that brought me great comfort. “Please, (Y/n).” She begged. “These people are like my family. Please come. For me?” I look into her eyes, her beautiful pleading eyes. Malia didn’t ask much from me so when she practically begged this from me, I knew these people must’ve meant something big to her. Sighing in defeat, I nod my head. “Fine. I’ll go.” 

She giggles loudly, wrapping her arms my neck, kissing my face, profusely.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you so much! I’ll pick you up at seven! Bye, babe!!” She hops out of the school, almost giddy. I can’t help but grin at the sight. Deep down, however, my heart dropped at the thought of being with a group of people I didn’t know, and or associate with. God, what was I gonna say? Fuck, I’m gonna embarrass myself so badly.. I head on home, debating in my head on what I should wear. I spend the next three hours preparing lines in the bathroom, trying on, what felt like, hundreds, if not thousands of outfits. Finally being beyond fed up, I threw some black jeans on with a beanie, a batman shirt, a black jacket and some converse. Casual and fun? Right? Ugh, fuck it. I need to grow a vagina and woman up. 

My girlfriend needs me tonight, damn it. I ain’t gonna wuss out of this. I put on a determined expression, muttering already planned small talk in my head as a reminder. Glancing down at my watch to check the time, I sigh. 6:58. I spray myself with perfume before walking out, knowing that Malia would be exactly on time. Two minutes passed, and, like I predicted, she was right on time, as always. “Hey there, hot stuff. Ready for some fun!” She said, excitedly. I try to put on an equally cheerful expression, but my girlfriend being a werewolf and all, read my demeanor easily. “Yeah, so excited to have some fun.” I pop open my door, sliding into my seat. I can’t help but shake with nerves, my foot, unknowingly to me, continued to hop up and down as we drove closer to the party. 

As we pulled up, Malia took my face in her hands. I didn’t realize how beautiful she was until now, sporting a white shirt with a pair of light blue jeans and some high tops. Though her hair was short, it cascaded her face perfectly. Her face slightly brighter than normal, but I would assume it was the slight adjustment with her make-up routine. “(Y/n), your heart beat is really fast?!” She says, worriedly. “Deep breaths, babe. Look, I know I am asking a lot of you. But- I really want you to meet them. These people are like my family. And I have been dying to show you off to them and-” I cut her off by pressing my lips to hers, almost needy. Our lips mold together in a happy formation. When I release, her lips are swollen and Malia is completely in awe, literally breath taken. 

“Wow-” She manages to spew out. “What was that for?” I smile, pressing my hand to her cheek. “Malia, though I am very scared, half of the nerves come from you. What can I say, you make me nervous. But I am willing to do absolutely anything for you. Let’s go meet your friends.” She grins, giggly before kissing me again. I hop out of the car, sliding my hand in her palm to pull her back towards me. I kiss her again, more slowly this time. “You look gorgeous, by the way.” I manage to mutter to her. We lace fingers before making our way up to the house. The music practically bled through the windows and doors. Though I said I’d do anything for Malia, which is true, that didn’t stop my heart from racing. The second we reach the door, Malia hit the bell, smiling. Hoping she didn’t notice, I tried to hide behind her. 

A short girl with strawberry blonde hair opened the door, with pursed lips and a hard stare. Though her serious expression lightened greatly once her eyes fell on Malia. “Malia!! Finally! Where’s your girlfriend you keep telling us about?” Oh, fuck. Here we go. Malia moved to show me off to the girl who now eyed me up and down, as if she were scanning me with lazer vision. “Lydia, meet my girlfriend.” My cheeks heat up under her icy gaze. I force my hand out, muttering. “H-Hi, I-I’m (Y/n). Malia’s g-girlfriend.” She takes it, smirking back at Malia. “You got a good one. She’s cute. Come on in.” I sigh in relief, happy that the attention is no longer on me. But deep down, I knew that it wouldn’t last for long. All of a sudden, a group of people came up to Malia. Shit.. Lydia takes the initiative to introduce me. 

“Guys, that’s (Y/n). Malia’s girlfriend.” Their gazes moved to me. Almost immediately, my face flushed and I swear I perspired through my jacket cause I was sweating so bad. “H-Hi.” I embarrassingly croak out. A short Asian girl smiled up at me, her arm wrapped around another boy who towered over her. Boyfriend, I would guess. “Awe she’s shy. It’s okay, sweetheart. We don’t bite. I’m Kira. It’s nice to meet you.” I take her hand, not daring to hold her gaze. “It’s an honor to meet you, Kira. A-All of you. Malia talks so highly of you.” The boy who’s hands were wrapped around Kira spoke, smiling slightly. He looked warm, welcoming. “I hope all good things. I’m Scott, by the way. We’ve actually heard quite a lot about you too.” My eyes went wide as I fidgeted with my hands. “Oh, really? L-Like what?” I say, nervously, glancing back at Malia with fear. 

Before anyone could speak, Kira jumped up, practically shouting. “Oh! You must be parched! Let me grab you a water!” I manage to mutter a quick thank-you before she comes bouncing back. I rather liked her. She seemed nice. As I was taking a sip, boy around the same height as Scott said, with a smirk, still piggy-backing off our previous conversation. “She said, and I quote, ‘My girlfriend’s pretty good at a lot of things. But my favorite quality has to be that she’s great with her hands.’” I choke on the water, completely surprised that Malia said that to them. But then again, it was Malia. I shouldn’t be shocked by her forwardness and filter-less vocabulary. Coughing, I clear my throat, completely flustered. “Good to know.” Malia giggled at my embarrassing state, wrapping her hand around my waist. “Between you and me-” She says towards the group. “If I thought she was good with her hands, I can’t wait to tell you how amazing she is with her tou-” 

Wide eyed, I covered her mouth. “No, no, no. W-We don’t need to finish that sentence.” The boy that spoke earlier, Stiles, rotated our conversation into the kitchen. There, we relaxed, ate and hung out. I only spoke when I needed to. And of course, Malia over-shared and continued to fill the empty silence with her unfiltered words. Not really bothering me as much as I thought it would. However, the only thing that worried me, was being with new people. It’s not like they weren’t great, because they were. I was just not accustomed to them yet. I lace my hand with Malia, whispering only so that she could hear, hoping that they wouldn’t listen in or pry. “Hey babe. Can we go back to my house and watch Netflix?” She glances back at me, pouting. “Awe, we’ve only been here for a few hours!” I sighed, pleading slightly. “Malia. Please. Can we go home and watch Neflix and cuddle?”

I continued, fidgiting. “I met them and they’re really nice and amazing. I just need more time to get use to them. I need more time to break out of this stupid shell. Until then, can we go?” Malia saw the pure desperation in my eyes, sighing before smiling back at me. “Alright guys, we’re gonna head out. We’ll see you Monday morning.” I waved my hand good-bye as we headed out. The second we left the house, I sighed in relief. Though, on the way home, I couldn’t help but feel guilt. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay longer.” Malia looked back at me with a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. I was kind of getting annoyed with Stiles and Derek giving each other the googly eyes. I am so proud of you though.” I asked, surprised. “Really?” She nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, you are a rather quiet person and you took the risk to step out of your comfort zone for me tonight. Thank you.” 

I smile, softly. Feeling a lot better than before. The second we get back to my house, I pulled out the blankets and turned on my Netflix. As I turned around, I couldn’t help but giggle. Malia sat on the couch, curled up in a blanket, hot cocoa in hand. She looked absolutely precious. She slapped the side of the couch, grinning. “Pop a squat, babe.” I do so, wrapping my arms around her as she burrowed the top of her head in my neck. “Thank you.” I mutter, kissing her head. She looked back up at me, smiling. “I love you.” Grinning, I kiss her passionately. “I love you too.” 

(I hope you liked it!!) 

#teen wolf imagines #teen wolf #cute #writer #cuteness #fanfics #fanfic #fan #fandom #fanfiction #requests #reader #request #Female reader #reader x malia #malia tate #Scott McCall #stiles stilinski #shy!reader #fem!reader x malia tate #gay #lesbian!reader #lgbtq+ #lgbt #flirting #fluff #fluffy #Conflict #reader!inserts #fxf

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

“Telling” Asks

Because I’m relaxing today and I’ve never answered some of these before.

From: https://beyondthetemples-ooc.tumblr.com/post/185158056997/weird-asks-that-say-a-lot

--

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? Teacups would be ideal, but the reality is more water bottles.

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? Honestly? Neither. (Unless it's a really good chocolate bar, like 85% dark, or Cadbury's~)

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? Both are too sweet for me. (Though, maybe once a year, I'll indulge in one of each.)

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? Bottles, if it's not soda! (Good for multi-tasking and not spilling!) But otherwise, glass cups. Unless the plastic ones are really pretty or have a very nice grippy shape to them.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? Oh always goth, all the way. Technically a more "formal" goth (romantigoth is the label i'd choose if i HAD to pick one),

7. earbuds or headphones? That depends. When I'm active, or when it's hot outside? Earbuds. But when travelling, trying to work in a loud environment, or generally needing sound cancellation: definitely headphones.

8. movies or tv shows? Oh, that REALLY depends on the content. Movies are easier on the ADD, and most TV shows are paced TERRIBLY in the long-running format, but then there's, like... cartoons, basically, that have satisfying stories in each episode AND a great overarching plot.

9. favorite smell in the summer? Pre-Thunderstorm Static.

10. game you were best at in p.e.? I wasn't the best at ANY game in PE... ;P Honestly, my best "game" was probably....... tag, but the kind where they're running away from you as a form of bullying, so you just embrace it and "touch" them just to mess with them.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? I don't. (I don't feel hungry most mornings.) "First lunch" is usually a piece of fruit and maybe a granola bar.

12. name of your favorite playlist? I don't do "playlists", I do "play every album by this artist in chronological order"! But I guess my Epica and Evanescence stations on Pandora come pretty close, huh?

13. lanyard or key ring? Neither actually; I use those bungee-like things you can stretch to hold my things. I literally attach my wallet to my bag's handle with those so I don't lose it.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? Peppermint? Candied ginger? Do s'mores count?~

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? Oh DAMN that's hard... Let's see. If AR Summer Reading projects count: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? The Invisible Thread (by Yoshiko Uchida)? Fahrenheit 451? And if those don't count, maybe The Scarlet Letter (by Hawthorne, of course).

16. most comfortable position to sit in? Your classic lotus position. I'm essentially in it right now.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Work shoes, but outside of work? Black flip flops.

18. ideal weather? Realistically: 65, light breeze, and lots of clouds with a little rain. But my absolute FAVORITE weather was something I've only ever seen ONCE, and that was a thunderstorm in the middle of a snowstorm. It was incredible and the image of lightning against the snowfall is forever seared into the core of my soul as one of the most gorgeous things I've ever experienced.

19. sleeping position? Varies night by night. Safe to call it a general Flop.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? It depends on the draft! First drafts are best done for me in notebooks (usually, unless it's a scene with No Chronology Yet, it's in the notebook meant for the story)! But also, anything that's on hand whenever a new scene strikes me works too. I've written on napkins, calendar pages, doctor notes, and Greyhound bus tickets.

21. obsession from childhood? Ooh, Teen Titans, still to this day!

22. role model? ...Rrrraven? (And/or, my Actual Mentors. But it's very much a "don't be me, just let us try to teach you some things so you can be the Best You".)

23. strange habits? ...oh gods, where do I even begin. I meditate and practice energy work on the daily. I touch things almost any time I'm walking anywhere, like just reach my hands out a little and touch whatever's closest. I tend to ask a lot of questions when I'm talking to someone, lots of "why is that". I compulsively read Every Single Ingredient on every box I buy and research anything I'm not familiar with. Does taking like 15 pills and vitamins every day count? And also my "nesting" behavior, any time I'm somewhere I feel it's not rude to re-arrange, I grab pillows and blankets for support.

24. favorite crystal? Damnit, all my favorite stones are actually not "crystals"?! But crystalline azurite is close enough. (It kind of depends on the day and what energy I'm looking for. Stone/crystal work is another one of those weird habits. ;P )

25. first song you remember hearing? The "Arthur" themsong. I remember going to my mother and being like, "They said A! A is a letter!" And it wasn't for another, like, 3-5 years that I'd realize, they're saying "hey", not "A".

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? Stay inside. (Anything that counts as "warm" rather than "cool" is too warm for me....) But if I had to pick ONE thing, definitely swimming, in a lake (because I have a mild chlorine allergy).

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? ALL of them! Just being outside as long as it's not too sunny! Hiking, meditating, I used to do all my spiritual rituals outside, reading, walking, hell even at work when we have dogs to take on walks, I love walking in the park with them. Being outside when it's snowing. And then curling up in my room, on my soft bed, with a cup of tea and a book (or a great fanfic) after...

28. five songs to describe you? Teen Titans themesong, Bakura's Theme, What's the Use of Feeling (Blue) 1. End of the Dream, by Evanescence [ x ] 2. My Demons, by Starset [ x ] 3. Underneath, by Tarja [ x ] 4. Paradise (What About Us), Within Temptation ft. Tarja [ x ] 5. Reality Fringe, by Alex Dalliance

29. best way to bond with you? Talking, communicating, while respecting boundaries, with patience and sincerity.

30. places that you find sacred? Honestly, the biggest answers are a part of the Nexus and I don't think I'm ready to talk about that here;; Let's just say, astral adventures have gotten wild enough that my spirit guide and I have meeting places that are sacred, my leader-goddess has shown me a few places, and there are some "places" within my own mindscape that are sacred enough.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Oh honey, that depends entirely on my mood. And the situation. I have multiple cloaks, some closet cosplays, I wear skirts every day, business jackets, and I can mix and match them however I please. It REALLY depends on whose ass I'm kicking.

32. top five favorite vines? I know I really like Thomas Sanders? But specifics-- Oh. Oh crap, wait I have to visit my vines tag to remember my favorites. DEFINITELY "This bitch empty. YEET" because I didn't know the vine OR exclamation before I saw a fanart that had me DYING OF LAUGHTER, thinking someone just made Blue Diamond yell the word "YEET" for no reason. "FREE-shuh-VAH-cuhdu" makes me die every time. "There's only one thing worse... A CHILD" is TOP QUALITY, genuinely hits at least 3 critical notes of my sense of humor. I love the one with the guys playing the piano (I don't know what genre but it's old-school and chill) and the guy comes in and starts club dancing to it. And the umbrella one with, "Run".

33. most used phrase in your phone? ...probably "if you want"?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? I haven't seen an ad in literally years. (get uBlock Origin, it works way better than adblock! also, i don't Internet on my phone.)

35. average time you fall asleep? 11pm? (Work nights: 9-10:30, depending on my exhaustion levels. Not work nights? 1-3am.)

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? The actual LOLcats website!

37. suitcase or duffel bag? Neither; I actually use a mid-sized messenger bag and only use Personal Item Sized Bags for airplane trips. Free baggage, y'all. ;P

38. lemonade or tea? Oh tea, definitely tea. (Unless it's too-sweet iced black tea; then that watermelon mint lemonade wins.)

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? Iiii actually can hardly eat either one, but Starbucks' lemon loafs were addictive (but really bad for my system) and I do love lemon meringue flavored things~

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? M e . (I did weird shit like practice reading auras, accidentally warp the moodscape of everyone around me, and get an A on a pop quiz the teacher didn't lecture about for more than five minutes.)

41. last person you texted? An old high school friend I recently reconnected with.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? Jacket, since I don't wear pants (unless work forces me to, ew).

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? I have no idea what differentiates them. =w=;; Cardigan probably, because I know they have really long flowy elegant ones I like to wear sometimes.

44. favorite scent for soap? ...ooh, that's tough... Lavender's always a good bet, rosemary-mint was a delight, I cucumber-eucalyptus was nice, and I have no idea what scent it was, but a local soap-maker at the farmer's market in the city I lived in for a couple years had this one that was made with, like, honey and red clay, and it felt AMAZING.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Damnit, don't make me CHOOSE like this! I mean, for writing obviously Superhero because I write fanfics like hell for that genre, but I guess my Pokemon fanfics count as fantasy? And, come to think of it, most of my stories center around metaphysical weirdness is some way or other, so... straddling the line between fantasy and superhero.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? Nudity.

47. favorite type of cheese? ...provolone maybe? ??

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? Pomegranate, probably. Gotta do some work to get to the good stuff, strangely unavailable most of the time, and once you get past all the drawbacks, it's just absolutely loaded with compartmentalized goodness.

49. what saying or quote do you live by? Bold of you to assume I only have one quote! Here's just a small sampling. ~ "Don't you want to feel? Don't you want to live your life? How much longer are you gonna give into the fear?" -Disappear, by Evanescence. ~ "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." -Edgar Allen Poe ~ "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde ~ "Guilt is a powerful motivator. Redemption, even greater." -The Unforgiving, by Within Temptation et al. "When you know in your soul who you are, you can never be corrupted again." -Raven, from the Games graphic novel. + Various quotes from my organization, along the lines of things like "Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do your job, but only you can be there for your friends, family, and accomplish your dreams", and "When you understand WHY we do what we do, WHAT we do makes more sense".

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? My girlfriend? Most of those vines I mentioned? "OH TITS IT CAN FLY"?

51. current stresses? j o b

52. favorite font? Arial, simple yet elegant. Easy to read. I write all my stories in Arial, so I'm biased. l3

53. what is the current state of your hands? They're in Ohio with the rest of me? 8F No, but seriously, lowkey aching a bit around the finger joints from constantly dragging dogs around for a whopping 60 hours this week, but they're not burned and there's only one Tiny cut I got at work, and I still don't know why, but that's almost gone already. I like my fingernails too, they've been breaking at the corners lately but they're still Decently Long.

54. what did you learn from your first job? "Turn tables" are not, in fact, the name of a band, but an item of musical arrangement. (I worked at the Exchange and someone asked if we had anything like the turn tables. I thought they meant musically similar to a band named Turn Tables.)

55. favorite fairy tale? Does the epic poetry of the Kalevala story count? (Finland's national epic!) But I'm not a big fan of the Grimm style fairy tales.

56. favorite tradition? Going to Evanescence concerts at every single available opportunity? Wearing a bracelet my gf gave me and a ring my mother gave me any time I travel? I'm not one much for Generational Tradition at all, I do kinda like forming my own though~

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Literally just, myself. 1. Overcoming my doubt in myself. 2. Overcoming my social anxiety re: Starting Conversations. 3. Overcoming my phobia so I could, you know. Eat food.

58. four talents you’re proud of having? ?! How do you even define what constitutes a "talent"? 1. WRITING! (Creativity re: characters and the plots they're in. Descriptive writing. My mother always acts blown away whenever she reads my writing re: "how you get into the character's head".) 2. I can speak very eloquently and articulately, most of the time. And not just via verbiage; I know how to say things that Matter. 3. I can cook a fantastic stir-fry! And, apparently, really good soup. 4. I'm proud of my (non-numerical) eidetic memory, sometimes. It's kinda just There, and I'm not, like, ACTIVELY proud of it, but it sure makes things easier re: remembering friends' triggers, fandom trivia, etc.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? What makes you think I don't create each response on demand? (There's... really not something I think I say often enough to count as a catch phrase. So I legitimately have no idea.)

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? Is "dark magical girl anime" a thing? Because that'd be MY thing.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? See above quotes.

62. seven characters you relate to? 1. R A VE N that's it that's the list Theeee only other ones I relate to are kinda awkward answers to give for this (re Synpathy and such related topics), but then again there's hella sympathy for Raven too, so.... 2. Ryou Bakura 3. Blue Diamond 4. Lapis Lazuli 5. Malachite (it's Complicated) 6. Sucy 7. Crona

63. five songs that would play in your club? Just insert any five Alex Dalliance songs here, I don't listen to a whole lot of Club Style Music. (Unless.... does, like, Cascada and Caramel count? Because I still kinda like their styles.) My "club" would be more like orchestrals by Danny Elfman and Evanescence instrumentals and/or live music from local rock bands.

64. favorite website from your childhood? TitansGo.Net! Screenshots, transcripts, even the forums... I browsed that site on the daily.

65. any permanent scars? Oh boy, are you sure you're ready for this? My scars fade quickly, but you'll see them if you know what to look for. One on my forearm from when I fell off a bed onto a broken fan grate at age 5 (it's a 3-inch long gash), on my left pointer finger from being bitten by an angry rabbit, scars on my heels from my comic!Raven cosplay shoes, scar on my right hip from using rubber cement to attach a scar prosthetic for a Kary cosplay (at my supposedly practical-effects-knowledgeable father's advice-- not good advice at all, for the record, don't put that shit anywhere NEAR your skin), tiny spot on my right hand from the time I became too emotional at my girlfriend's house and scraped it on her carpet, tiny dot on my left shoulder from a protruding nail in an old (pavillon without a roof thing?) we once had in the backyard, tiny line on my right ring finger from the time Belle nearly fell from right next to me and I caught her (she tried to grab something and wound up scratching me), and a scar on my right elbow from cleaning the tortilla press at Chipotle. (They didn't tell me there were protective gloves to use. They really should've told me that.)

66. favorite flower(s)? Oh gosh, I don't know. I like almost all flowers, really. I love the scent of lilac and magnolia in the air. Rose and hibiscus make lovely teas. Seeing mint and lemon balm in bloom always makes me feel contented. Willow and basswood flowers remind me of happy childhood memories at the nature reserve. Pink hibiscus flowers have Very Special Meaning to me (for the other blog, really). And of course, flowers with energy or aromatherapeutic effects like lavender are favorites, too.

67. good luck charms? Look, I don't NEED good luck.~ Confidence, strategy, and being alright with whatever happens are my "good luck charms". (And throwing a little magic at it never hurts when I REALLY want something...)

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? ....I'm not comfortable answering that (phobia memories, just not gonna think about that okay.)

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? ...Remember that eidetic memory I was talking about? Every single little tiny fact I'm thinking about, I can remember how I learned about it.

70. left or right handed? Ambi, actually! 55% right. 45% left.

71. least favorite pattern? That depends on what it's for. Wallpapers? Floral (it kills my ADD, but floral patterns can make some very pretty dresses and blankets). Furniture? Paisley (but some people rock it in clothes). Furniture? any kind of fur trim (but again, it looks good on clothes). Clothing on me? Leopard and zebra (but I like it on lots of other things). My room? Checkered and tartan (but again, good patterns for other things, esp. clothing and interior styles that AREN'T associated with my room in particular, my room's just so noncomforming and cluttered that Busy Patterns like that aren't). I guess overall I'm just not a fan of highly stripey or square-y patterns?

72. worst subject? Math. Always has been. Probably always will be.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? The weirdest and actually not the grossest I tried was, out of curiosity to see what Tamaranian food might ACTUALLY taste like, I mixed sushi with ice cream. It really wasn't that bad! That one's my favorite for fandom reasons. 8P I don't do a whole lot of "weird" flavor combos otherwise.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? (Those... those are the same thing, buddy.) 8 or 9. NSAIDs, especially naproxen and ibuprofen, really irritate my stomach, so it has to be worth a week or two of Lowkey Constant Nausea to take it. For example, the last time I was waking it, I had dry socket. You know, that thing that happens when you get a tooth extracted and the blood clot doesn't form, so YOUR ACTUAL BONE IS EXPOSED for two FUCKING weeks..... and before the dental stuff, I would only take it when Monthly Stuff would get so bad, it could leave my crippled and crying on the bathroom floor for an hour. (Might've been longer if stepmom hadn't gotten me n0aproxen.....)

75. when did you lose your first tooth? Hell if I know what age that was, I think I swallowed it.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? Potato soup, especially my mother's! But I also like BAKED fries (actually fried fries tend to be... Really Badly Received by my system;;), kettle chips are pretty good in small amounts, and I love those criss-cross cut fries at Mr. Hero (I just can't eat more than, like, five at a time, guh).

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? I absolutely LOVED having my lemon balm. But it got the aerial blight from my peace lily, and it died with all the rest of my houseplants. :c

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? Sushi from a grocery store, just because this place called Giant Eagle makes some fairly good sushi for like $5 on certain days of the week, and I think they make it every 3-4 days. Fresh, like you can see them making it right in front of you.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? My passport is actually my best, I think~ Though my college ID didn't look bad, either.

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Depends on what they're for. Clothes, I guess jewel tones because I like blue and purple. But for interior decorations, earth tones like deep rich browns and black are my go-to.

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? They're.. the same thing? ??? I've used both interchangeably.

82. pc or console? PC, mostly because that's all I've had most of my life, and of course DC Universe Online was on my PC so maybe I'm biased. 8F

83. writing or drawing? Oooh, writing for me, all the way~ (Though I gotta do SOME drawing now and again!)

84. podcasts or talk radio? Neither, they're both too long for my ADD. And I don't... really care about most people on them? The only one I've ever seen was Amy Lee on short talk show interviews and the Steven Universe podcast with MKAtwood of course.

84. barbie or polly pocket? Neither. (I had both. Played with Polly Pocket because it came with a lot more animals, but those got lost way too easily, and I never got into the Barbie.)

85. fairy tales or mythology? They're both equally important and equally fascinating! Mythology has more Spiritual Resonance, and fairy tales have more Societal Resonance.

86. cookies or cupcakes? Depends on what kind! Oatmeal raisin cookies beat chocolate cupcakes, but red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting beat chocolate chip cookies.

87. your greatest fear? I have emet*phobia. You can look up what that means yourself because I don't even want to type the word, thanks.

88. your greatest wish? Just, freedom.

89. who would you put before everyone else? Damn it, I'm too compassionate for that answer. Whoever needs it more at that very moment.

90. luckiest mistake? Being so antisocial that the people running the ALP program made me sit with my girlfriend. I asked "Do you like Teen Titans?", and the rest is history.

91. boxes or bags? Boxes for long-term storage, bags for the daily.

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Lamps, generally. Candles trump them all, but LED lamps are a lot less fire-hazard-y when you might fall asleep. lD;;

93. nicknames? RHS, RWT, Shadow, Zira (means "Shadow"), closest friends call me Rae.

94. favorite season? Winter~ It's the kindest to my easily-overheated sensibilities.

95. favorite app on your phone? Prooobably the voicemail app my or/ganization uses? I don't do much else on my phone besides, you know. Phone stuff (talk/text).

96. desktop background? PC: A shot of Raven meditating in the forest from Justice League vs. Teen Titans, with the incense and glow and her head bowed and focused and everything. Laptop: The sky as Lapis looked up at it, the gorgeous Homeworld constellation from "Ocean Gem".

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? Three. Mine, my girlfriend's, and only because she had the same phone number since I was like 8 years old, my stepmother's. Everyone else's keeps changing.

98. favorite historical era? The answer I want to give is Nexus-related, but I don’t think I have a real favorite era. I know too much about the history of misogyny, racism, colonialism, variation between eras around the world, and generally fucked-up shit in every era I've ever learned about.

#IRL canon #meme #filled meme

[scenes-from-vaenia]

it defeats the purpose doing this on a wednesday on this side of the world but i dont wanna do my 8k micro report so.... (tagged by @for-lack-of-a-better-world i havent done any of these in yoinks) 

MUNday Facts:

Name: Viv

Favorite drink: Lemon lime bitters

Favorite Snack: A toss btwn curry pan and sweet potato chips

Favorite meal: A hearty wholesome burger from any of the burger joints I usually haunt

Favorite memory: i had my first bar experience at a /ladies/ bar called Gold Fingers in shinjuku ni chome jp. It was during my last night in jp and the places was tiny af but cosy, the people super gay and welcoming and chill, and it was karaoke night. Long story short it involved hot karaoke-ing professional singer lesbian duo, smol girl w big beyonce voices, a cute girl buying me dranks, said hot karaoke-ing lesbian duo making friends w/ us foreigners, unlimited free popcorn, the bar owner complimenting my jp and stroking up my ego, and the bisexual awakening of one of my travel companions.

Favorite tv show: Can’t decide but rn it’s Master of None bc S2 is out

Favorite tumblr blog: all the ones I follow bring me joy

One random fact about you: I have approximately 113 rolls of washi tape.

One random fact about your day: i made a new friend who likes vid games, baking and corsets during a queer collective event i helped organise today at uni :^)

One random fact about your job/school: we’ve got a gay rainbow staircase

One random fact about your favorite tv show: I worship lena waithe and her chara on the show; the ep she wrote was fantastic

What is one thing you would sell your soul for: idk... the ability to be a bombass dancer or fluent in a non-english language

If you could only have one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be: my gay go to - sorta light brown/blue/pink/white plaid button up shirt, burgundy jumper, high waisted black skinny jeans, my patched bomber jacket, timberlands and grey beanie (idc if it’s like 37 degrees C in summer here)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head: the fucken... nintendo wii mii creation song; my sis just discovered THAT dance vid and it’s all that plays in my house hold

Zombie Apocalypse. What is your weapon of choice: nuclear bomb? like i’d blow the zombies and myself up bc the afterlife has wifi right?

Did you have a baby blanket? Do you still have it: i dont rmr tbh. i dont have anything like that on me rn.

What is your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn: when my friends and i went as a cardboard box train bc tbh old sydney trains are the worst things to be in. dont rlly celebrate halloween here tho.

Beach or Water Park: Beach 

Name a song that you dislike: i will punch the nearest person if i hear clean bandit’s stupidass rockabye one more time,

What do you think is your spirit animal? a golden retriever 

What is the most played song on your MP3/MP4: relatively recent phone so rn Sustain by CICADA

feel free to do this if u are interested! (i am v v v v v tired rn after an 8am-8pm day...)

#private terminal #for-lack-of-a-better-world #this was fun!!

[anavoliselenu]

Claim me chapter 6

She follows me into my bedroom and perches at my desk in front of my laptop. It’s open, and the screensaver is a slideshow of pictures of Justin that I took in Santa Barbara. Justin with so much light and humor in his eyes that I can’t ever look at those photos without smiling. Between that screensaver and the exquisite, original Monet painting Justin gave me that now hangs between my desk and my dresser, I cannot enter this room without feeling cherished. It’s a nice feeling, and one that I am not used to. In college, my apartment was simply a place to live. With my mother, my room was the place I wanted to escape. But here, there is Jamie and my newfound freedom. There is excitement. There is potential.

Most of all, there is Justin.

This room is proof that I really have moved on, and that where I am going is where I want to be.

At my desk, Jamie is typing away. “Raine,” she finally says.

I’m standing by my closet, debating between a blue skirt and a gray one, and it takes me a moment to realize she’s not talking about precipitation.

“Bryan Raine,” she says, when I turn to face her, as if that will make me understand. Since my face apparently continues to register complete cluelessness, she shakes her head in mock exasperation, and taps the laptop screen. “My guy is Bryan Raine.”

Despite my rush, I’m curious enough to forgo my wardrobe analysis to see what she’s doing, and when I reach my desk, I see that she’s pulled up a series of images. They’re all of the same man. Gorgeous, mostly shirtless, with a well-fucked quality and the kind of eyes and facial structure and that dirty blond hair a camera loves. Most of the images, in fact, are from advertisements. Cars, men’s cologne. Jeans. I have to confess that the man could definitely sell a pair of jeans.

“That’s him,” Jamie says proudly.

“That’s the guy you were out with last night?”

“Yup.” She grins mischievously. “Though we stayed in most of the time. Pretty hot, huh?”

“He’s incredible,” I say as I move to my dresser and rummage for panties and a bra. For a moment, I hesitate. In the game I’ve been playing with Justin, I’ve had to follow his rules. And for the last two weeks, I’ve worn neither bra nor panties. It was odd at first, but undeniably sexy, especially when I was with him, knowing that at any moment he could slip a hand under my skirt. That he could touch me, tease me, even fingerfuck me.

There’s something desperately erotic about being naked beneath your clothes, and even when Justin wasn’t around, my body was keyed up, and I was aware of every brush of material over my rear and every whisper of a breeze that stroked my sex.

But this isn’t a game, it’s the first day of a new job and the Elizabeth Fairchild Rules for Living are too ingrained in my life. I might have spent my entire life trying to escape from my mother, but she has still soaked in through the cracks. And in my mother’s world, the thrill of sexual freedom doesn’t override the necessity of panties at work.

I slip on my underwear, sigh, and return to the closet to continue debating my outfit.

I glance at Jamie to see if she has an opinion, but she’s still gazing dreamily at the screen. “Don’t get drool on my keyboard,” I chide. “So how did you meet him?”

“He’s my co-star,” she says, referring to the commercial she’s about to start shooting. “He mostly models, but he’s also done a few television guest appearances and he was even one of the bad guys in the last James Bond movie.”

“He was?” I’d actually seen that movie, and I don’t remember him.

“Well, he stood around with a gun and looked hot,” she amends. “But he was on the bad guy team.”

“But you guys haven’t started to shoot yet,” I say, because I’m still confused. “So why did you go out with him? Which one?” I add, holding up the two skirts I’m considering.

“The blue. And he called me. He said that since the commercial’s basically a love story in thirty seconds, we ought to go out and suss out our chemistry.”

“I take it the chemistry is good?”

“Sizzling,” Jamie agrees, and although I’m still not thrilled about the ease with which Jamie bounces from bed to bed, I can’t deny that this morning my roommate looks good. Sparkly, fizzy good, and I figure that the new job and the new guy have a lot to do with that. I feel a surge of protectiveness mixed with relief and tinged with a tiny bit of worry. Jamie’s never confided in me about it, but I’m pretty sure that before I moved in she often chose her men based not on attraction but on their willingness to help her make the mortgage. If a real relationship develops between Jamie and Bryan Raine, no one will be happier than me. But if he ends up breaking her heart, I have a feeling that my strong, self-sufficient roommate will shatter.

I glance at her and see that she’s frowning. I swallow, afraid that my fears show on my face. “What is it?”

“You’re really wearing a skirt? I thought you tech folks were all about the jeans and T-shirts with math equations.”

I scowl, because I happen to own several T-shirts with truly funny math jokes. “First day on the job, and I’m not doing the tech side, remember. I’m management. I want to look professional.”

I’ve zipped up the blue skirt, and now I slide my feet into my favorite pair of pumps, then slip on a white silk shell that I top with a darling jacket I found at one of the studio resale shops that Jamie took me to during our Selena-just-arrived-in-LA shopping spree. It has a classical cut with a muted pattern in gray and blue. The clerk told us that it was worn by one of the characters on some television show I never watched, but that Jamie assured me was great fun.

“I want to hear more about this guy,” I tell her as I move back into the bathroom to fly through my makeup routine. “But I have to get going.” She follows me and leans against the door as I finish up by carefully lining my eyes and brushing mascara on my lashes. When I’m done, I do a little spin in the tiny area between the tub and the sink. “Do I look okay?”

“When don’t you?” she asks. “And if anyone asks, Lauren Graham wore that jacket on Gilmore Girls. Trust me, it’s cool.”

I nod, taking her word for it.

“Want to meet after work? I’ll tell you about Raine and you can tell me all about your nights away from home, too. I want to hear everything.”

“Sounds good,” I say, not bothering to tell her that where Justin is concerned, there is no way that I’m going to be revealing “everything.” “Du-par’s?” I ask.

“Are you shitting me? I want a drink. Meet me at Firefly,” she says, referring to a local bar on Ventura Boulevard that we went to my first night in town.

“I’ll text you as I’m leaving work,” I say, then pull her into a hug. “I’m really glad about this guy. I can’t wait to hear more.”

“I can’t wait to see more,” she says with a wicked grin. “Trust me, I could look at that man all day.”

I leave Jamie sighing and probably replaying last night’s coital gymnastics in her mind, then hurry down the back stairs to the parking area. As I pull out, I see the limo in my rearview mirror. I keep an eye on it until I turn, but it doesn’t move from the spot, and as I turn onto Ventura Boulevard, I can’t help but smile. After all, it’s not every day I manage to outmaneuver Justin Stark.

Despite the fact that my ancient Honda has very little spunk and has lately taken to stalling out at stoplights, I manage to get from Studio City to the Innovative Resources office in Burbank in less than fifteen minutes, completely stall-free. I consider this a stellar beginning to the day. I park next to a red Mini Cooper that I eye jealously, then lock my car and head toward the ugly four-story stucco building that houses the Innovative offices along with a few subtenants.

My phone beeps and I pause in the middle of the parking lot to pull it out of my purse, then smile when I see it’s from Justin.

Thinking of you. Be good on your first day. Get along with the other kids. But don’t share your candy.

I laugh and tap out a reply. I only share my candy w/ u.

His reply makes me smile. Very glad to hear it.

I answer quickly. Heading into building now. Wish me luck.

His response is just as quick. Luck, though you don’t need it. Meeting reconvening, must go. Tonight, baby. Until then, imagine me, touching you.

I always do, I reply, then sigh happily as I slide my phone back into my purse, but not before noticing the time. It’s only 9:45, which means that I have fifteen minutes before I’m supposed to report for work.

My phone rings, and I pull it out. Justin again. “I’m imagining,” I say, keeping my tone sultry.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He doesn’t sound sultry at all. In fact, he sounds downright pissed. I grimace. Apparently, he’s just spoken to Edward.

“Going to work,” I say.

“I’m supposed to be in a meeting right now.”

“So why aren’t you?”

“Dammit, Selena—”

“No,” I snap. “I’m the only one who gets to say that. Dammit, Justin, I am perfectly capable of driving myself. And if you want to hire out Edward then ask me. It’s easy. You walk up to me and say, ‘Selena, darling, light of my life, can I have my driver take you to work?’ ”

There is a pause, and I hope that he is laughing. “And you would have said yes?”

“No,” I admit. “But that’s the way you should have handled it. It’s my job, Justin. I want to drive myself. I will drive myself.”

“I don’t want you around the paparazzi without someone there with you.”

Oh. I feel a little bit better. I don’t agree with what he did, but at least there was a reason for doing it. “Nobody’s here,” I say.

“But there could have been.”

“And I would have dealt with it,” I say, probably too sharply. I count to five. “You can’t be with me every second of every day. No matter how much I wish you could. I’m going to see them when I’m alone. It’s going to happen, and we both just have to deal with it.”

I hear him exhale. “I don’t like it.”

“Me, neither.”

“Dammit, Selena.”

I don’t answer. I don’t know what to say.

Finally Justin speaks. “I’m going to my meeting,” he says, but what he means is, I’m worried about you.

“I’m fine,” I say. “And, Justin?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. Right emotion. Crappy execution.”

That gets a laugh out of him. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” he says. “It is not an argument I can have from Palm Springs.”

I frown. Apparently it is an argument he can have in Los Angeles. Great.

He really does have to go to his meeting, so he ends the call, and I’m left scowling at my phone and the knowledge that I’m going to have to deal with not only the paparazzi, but with Justin trying to babysit me through my day.

I shove the problem out of my head and hurry into the building. I no longer have time to grab a coffee, but that’s okay because I don’t want to risk spilling it on my white blouse. As my mother’s voice in my head reminds me, there are better ways to make a first impression than coffee stains on your outfit.

The reception area is on the fourth floor, and I punch the elevator call button and wait impatiently for the elevator to arrive.

The doors finally slide open and I shift to one side to let the passengers get off. I’m about to step into the car when I hear a throaty, familiar voice behind me.

“Well, look at you, Texas. All dressed up with someplace to go.”

I turn and find myself facing Evelyn Dodge, a brassy broad if ever there was one, and one of my favorite people in the world. She’s wearing flowing black pants and gold sandals that look like something imported from Morocco. The pants are mostly obscured by a blustery multi-patterned shirt that, as far as I can tell, was created by stitching together dozens of Hermes scarves. She looks a bit like a gypsy with very expensive taste.

“I knew today was your first day,” she says, “but I didn’t think I’d get lucky enough to see you.”

I realize that I’m still staring at her in complete surprise—and blocking the entrance to the elevator. I step to the side so that the small group that has gathered can get on, and force myself to speak despite the grin that is plastered across my face.

“What on earth are you doing here?” I ask. Evelyn lives in Malibu, not far from Justin’s new house, and she’s not the type to make the trek to the Valley unless the apocalypse is upon us.

“Same thing you are, Texas.”

I lift a brow in amusement. “You’re going into the tech industry? Designing an iPhone app to feature Blaine’s work?”

She taps her nose and points at me. “Not a bad idea, actually, and I just may have to wrangle some advice out of you about that later. But no. I’m here to see Bruce.”

“Why?” The question is out of my mouth before I realize how completely rude it sounds.

Evelyn, however, isn’t the kind to take offense. “I need one of his keys,” she says, then barks out a throaty laugh. “But don’t worry. It’s not for a tryst. Blaine’s more than I can handle in that department—and now he’s decided he wants to touch up some of the paintings for Saturday’s showing, but apparently they’re in the gallery’s off-site storage facility.”

Now I really am confused. “Can’t Giselle let you in?” Giselle is Bruce’s wife and the owner of a few Southern California art galleries. Saturday’s cocktail party will not only feature the portrait of me—though only a handful of guests will actually know that I am the model on the wall—but also a number of Blaine’s other paintings.

“If she hadn’t hauled her ass to Palm Springs, sure. But she called me from the road. Apparently she’s on her way to get a few pieces from her gallery there, and her assistant doesn’t have the spare key to the unit. Why the hell Giselle gave it to Bruce instead of her assistant, I don’t know. Sometimes, that woman baffles me.”

“Justin’s in Palm Springs, too. He went there this morning.”

“Too bad Giselle didn’t know. She could have dumped the job of bringing the paintings back on him. Would have saved me a trip.” Evelyn shakes her head. “Frankly, I would have much rather gone to Palm Springs than Burbank, and I’m sure she knows it, but I think she and Brucey boy are having another tiff.”

“Why are they fighting?”

“With those two? Who the hell knows.” She brushes the conversation away, as if it is old news, but to me the topic of Giselle is one of unpleasant but undeniable interest. I’d been jealous of the woman for about five minutes when I’d first met Justin at Evelyn’s party because it had seemed to me that she was the girl on Justin’s arm. Once I’d learned that she was married, however, the jealousy had been shoved into a dark corner where it belonged. I wouldn’t say that the jealousy has returned, but my hope that Bruce and Giselle quickly regain a state of marital bliss is definitely more selfish than altruistic.

“And what about you?” Evelyn continues. “I keep hoping you and that camera of yours will take me up on my offer so that I can ply you with drink and wrangle some gossip, but I guess you don’t need me now that you’ve got Justin’s view at your disposal.”

“It is one hell of a view,” I admit. “But I’d still love to come over sometime.”

“Anytime. Bring your camera if you want,” she says. “Or just come for the liquor and the gossip. Both flow free at my house. Advice, too, if you need it. But from what I’m hearing, you’re doing just fine.”

“Blaine’s been telling stories on me.” I can’t help my grin. The skinny young artist and the large brassy woman don’t seem like a couple at first glance. And while Evelyn will say she only keeps Blaine around to warm her bed, I have a feeling there’s a lot more to it than that.

“Hell, yes. What’s the point of sending that boy out in the world if he doesn’t bring me back the dirt?”

“And?”

“You’re boringly dirt-free,” she says. “From what I hear, you’re swimming in bliss.”

I laugh. “I’ll go with that.”

“Good. Glad I’m not the only one getting hot sex regularly.”

My cheeks burn, and I have to press my lips together not to burst out laughing.

“But it’s more than that, I take it? From what Blaine says, it sounds like you’ve tamed the savage beast.” I don’t reply, but her words please me so much that I’m pretty sure I must be glowing. “So there’s no new dramas on the horizon?”

“No,” I say warily, because this is neither the time nor the place to tell her about Carl’s threats. From her tone, though, I can’t help but fear that she already knows. “Why? Is there something I should know?”

She waves an airy hand through the air. “Not a thing.”

I narrow my eyes at her. Evelyn may have been a good liar back in her agenting days, but she has lost the knack.

She eyes me, then snorts with laughter. “Aw, hell, Texas. I meant what I said. There’s nothing you need to worry about. Not now, anyway.”

Several groups of people have gotten on and off the elevator during our conversation, and now the car once again opens in front of us.

“Time to go to work, right?” Evelyn says.

“You are not getting off that easy,” I retort, following her on. I have every intention of interrogating her, but there’s no time during the short ride up, and when the doors open, there’s no privacy. The receptionist, a girl my age who I remember is named Cindy, immediately stands.

“Wow, it’s so cool to have you here,” she says to me, then blushes. “I mean, you’re going to fit in great. We can do lunch if you want.”

“Thanks,” I say, with a sidelong glance toward Evelyn, who only looks amused. “I think I’m having lunch with Bruce today.”

“Oh, right. Mr. Tolley’s ready for you. Just a sec, and I’ll walk you back.” She turns to Evelyn before I have the chance to tell her I’m supposed to meet first with the lady from Human Resources. “May I help you?”

“Evelyn Dodge,” Evelyn says. “I called Bruce about picking up—”

“Oh, sure thing, Ms. Dodge.” She comes around the desk and hands Evelyn an envelope that presumably contains a key.

Evelyn slides it into her humongous purse and points a finger at me. “We’ll see each other tomorrow, Texas.”

“Yeah,” I say meaningfully. Evelyn is one of the few people who knows the identity of the woman in Blaine’s portrait. “You’ll certainly be seeing plenty of me tomorrow.”

Evelyn guffaws and then steps back onto the elevator. I follow Cindy down the plain gray halls to Bruce’s office, Evelyn’s laughter still ringing in my ears.

8

We don’t even make it to the office before Bruce emerges. When we met during the interview, he’d been the picture of corporate calm. Now he looks undeniably harried. “Selena, great to see you.” He holds out his hand for me to shake. It’s firm and no-nonsense, and I think that bodes well for Bruce as a boss.

Cindy returns to reception and Bruce starts down the hallway, easing farther into the bowels of the company. He’s moving fast, and I hurry to keep up. If the fight with his wife is weighing on him, I don’t see it. He looks like a man with a work problem, not a marital one.

“If this is a bad time,” I begin. “I mean, I’m pretty sure Human Resources is expecting me.”

“I talked with Trish. She’ll take care of your paperwork this afternoon. Right now, I’ve got something I’d like you to handle.” He comes to a stop outside an office, its closed door covered with taped-on cartoons and various band logos. “I hope you don’t mind getting thrown to the wolves.”

I eye the door curiously. The truth is that I have no idea what he’s talking about, but what I do know is that the proper response to such a question from your new boss is “Not at all. What’s going on?”

“Calendaring screw up and I’m double-booked. I need you and Tanner to head downtown to meet with the IT team at Suncoast Bank. They’re interested in the 128-bit encryption algorithm we’ve been beta testing. You’ll be stepping in to head up marketing on the product anyway, but I had hoped to give you a little time in-house to get your feet wet. Sorry to bring all this down on your first day.”

“Not a problem,” I say. My voice is calm, but inside I’m doing cartwheels. Bruce told me about Innovative’s cutting-edge encryption software during my interview, and I know that it is shaping up to be the company’s gold-standard product. I hadn’t expected to actually land such a choice assignment right off the bat, but since I have, I fully intend to use this meeting as a chance to prove to my boss that I can do this job, and do it well.

“It shouldn’t be too hard a sell,” Bruce adds. “The product is exactly what they need, but we’re going to want to put our own team on-site to make sure their IT group gets trained properly and that we have eyes on and a fast response to every bug and every glitch.”

“Of course.”

“That’s why I’m sending Tanner in, too,” he adds, tapping lightly on the cartoon-covered door. “He worked on the development of the project and, frankly, I think it would be good for him to work six months in-house with a client.”

“Why?”

Bruce frowns. “If you don’t mind mixing business with pleasure, we can go into that when I see you tomorrow. Right now, I’ll just say that when I was talking about the wolves, I didn’t mean the client.”

“Sure,” I say, realizing with a mental head-thwap that of course he’s going to be at the party. The first hour will be intimate—just our friends who know that it’s me up there on Justin’s wall—but then Justin is opening the third floor to a whole slew of Blaine’s clients.

A voice filters out from behind the still-closed door. “I said ‘come in,’ already.”

Bruce pushes the door open, and a blond man with a surfer’s tan and the air of a salesman looks up at us. His desk is buried under an array of papers, and probably twice as many sheets are splayed out across the floor. He looks up at us and smiles widely. I know I should wait until I have more to go on, but I instinctively do not like this man.

“Bruce!” he says, his voice full of friendly bluster. “Just got off the phone with Phil. He’s sending up the information on the Continental Mortgage proposal. I’ll make sure he stays on top of it.”

“Sounds good,” Bruce says, but I have the feeling he’s only half-listening. “Tanner, this is Selena.”

Tanner’s smile grows even wider and for an odd second I feel as though I’m looking at a mirror of myself. That’s not a real smile any more than my practiced pageant smile. Or any more than the Social Selena smile I paste on right now.

“We’ve all heard a lot about you,” Tanner says. “Everyone’s been eager to meet the flavor of the month.” He half-laughs as his eyes dart to Bruce. “So welcome aboard and all that.”

I meet Tanner’s eyes and deliberately let my smile grow wider. “I’ll try to live up to expectations.” I shift just enough so that I’m looking at both men, then I pull out all the stops, dazzling them with my “what I really want is world peace” pageant-perfect smile.

“I’m sure you will,” Bruce says. “We’re thrilled you’ve joined the team.” The sincerity in his tone is unmistakable, and I can tell by the look on Tanner’s face that he realizes it, too.

“We really should get going,” Tanner says, then grabs a messy sheaf of papers off his desk and shoves them into a leather messenger bag.

“Here.” Bruce hands me a notebook with Suncoast embossed on the cover. “You can bone up on the specs during the drive.”

He tells us that he needs to go prep for his own meeting, promises me we’ll do our first-day lunch on Monday, then wishes us luck. Before I know it I’m standing in front of the elevator with Tanner beside me. And, yes, I’m a little nervous. Sure, I can do this job. I understand encryption algorithms and I’m more than capable of presenting a good company face to a client. It’s not my skill that’s bothering me. It’s the fact that I’m standing next to a man who, for some inexplicable reason, seems to despise me.

Bruce may not have noticed, but I’m certain I didn’t misread Tanner. Suddenly I feel a little sick to my stomach. And that queasiness turns into downright nausea when we step onto the elevator and he leans against the far wall, his eyes on me and his lip curled up as if he’s just seen something gross in the road.

I look away, intending to ignore it, but I stop, because suddenly I’m thinking of Justin. To say that he’s the most successful businessman I know would be an understatement. So what would Justin do when faced with a recalcitrant, disrespectful colleague? Would he turn away and pretend to ignore it?

For that matter, if Selena Fairchild met up with some backbiting bitch under social circumstances, would she ignore it?

She would not.

I may be well-practiced in not showing my true face to most of the world, but even Social Selena wouldn’t stand for this kind of shit. Neither would Justin Stark.

And neither will Business Selena.

I press the emergency stop button, then take a step closer to Tanner. I’m not enjoying the proximity, but I deliberately put myself in his personal space. The sneer fades, and he actually looks a little uncomfortable.

“Do you have a problem?” I ask, ignoring the bell that’s now ringing at annoyingly regular intervals.

His lips thin, and he pales a bit under the tan. For a second I think that this is it. I’ve made my point and won the alpha dog title.

Then he opens his mouth, and I see his color return. “Yeah,” he says. “You’re my problem.”

I force myself to stay where I’m standing. At least now it’s out in the open. “Me? You mean working together?”

“Working together? Together? Is that what you call it?”

“At the moment, no,” I admit. “I don’t think this is working at all.”

“We’re not working together,” he says, making air quotes with his fingers. “You’re my fucking boss now.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I am. And I suggest you think before you talk to me like that.” Seriously, what the hell is this guy’s problem?

“This was supposed to be my job. I worked this encryption package since day one. I know it inside and out. And I’ve proven to Bruce over and over again that I can head up a team. Then what happens? Some privileged little bitch decides she wants to work for pin money, and suddenly I’m booted back downstairs.”

“Pin money?” I repeat. “What century are you living in?”

“What’s the matter? Get bored with spending your boyfriend’s money? Thought you’d come here and shake things up? Do you know how many calls Cindy’s had to field? Dozens of calls from reporters who just want to know if you really work here. It’s a fucking waste of her time.”

The tempo of my pulse kicks up and I feel beads of sweat rise in my cleavage. How the hell would the press know that I work here? And why won’t they back the hell off? Even with Justin Stark in my life, I am just not that interesting.

On the upside, Tanner’s enigmatic “flavor of the month” comment makes more sense.

“And you know what really chaps my ass?” he asks, then continues without waiting for an answer. “The fact that you’re here just because the boss wants to make his wife happy.”

Now my head really is spinning. I haven’t got a clue what Giselle has to do with this, but at this point, I’m done playing games.

I reach over and start the elevator up again, then turn back to him once it lurches into motion. “This job requires a certain amount of finesse. An ability to communicate with clients and the public. And most of all a talent for smiling at people that you’d much rather spit on.” I flash my brightest Social Selena smile at him. “Tanner,” I say. “I don’t think this position is for you.”

We reach the lobby, and the doors open. I step out, leaving him to follow. I am the one in charge here, and he can damn well deal with it. I may not have a handle on everything he’s just said, but I know enough to know that if I don’t take control now, he’ll do whatever he can to snatch it from me.

As we head through the lobby toward the exit, I see a poised-looking Asian woman sitting at a table outside the cafeteria. She’s reading what looks to be a stock report, and in the brief instant when she flips a page, her eyes lift and catch mine. I’ve never seen her before, but something in her poised, confident manner inspires me. This is my job, and I got it on merit, not because of Justin, and certainly not because of Giselle. I’m in charge here, and I’m damn well going to prove it.

I march to the exit and burst through the doors—and half a second later, my bright, shiny bubble of self-assurance pops as six paparazzi with flashing cameras and rising voices rush toward us from where they were apparently lying in wait in the parking lot.

Before I can even think about reacting, I am verbally bombarded.

“Is it true that Stark is looking to take over Innovative Resources?”

“Selena, what exactly is your role at IR?”

I fight to keep my composure. To keep my Business Selena face plastered on. I hate this, but I’m not going to let them have the satisfaction of knowing it.

“Are you reporting back to Stark’s company?”

“What do you say to the allegations of corporate espionage?”

At that, I have to force myself not to clench my hands. Not because I want the pain, but because I want to smash my fist into the face of whichever one of these assholes has dared to suggest that Justin would send me in as a corporate spy.

“Is this a ploy to up your value to reality-show producers?”

“Tell us about the real Selena—is it true your sister committed suicide?”

I stumble backward, my composure knocked out of me by the force of those words.

No. No, no, no.

This time I do clench my fists. I want the pain. I need it to collect myself. To give me strength.

I need it because I have to find the will to put the mask back on. To face these people. And then to get the hell out of here.

Slowly, I square my shoulders. And though it takes every ounce of strength within me, I look at each one of them in turn. Then I flash my million-watt smile. “No comment,” I say, before I turn casually around to find Tanner.

He’s still in the building doorway, and my eyes locate him just in time to see his smug expression fade. “Hurry up, Tanner,” I say as I push my way past the paparazzi. “We need to get to a meeting.”

“Oh, my God! I can’t believe you got paired to work with such a twit!” Jamie says. We’re sitting at the polished wooden bar in Firefly Studio City drinking dirty martinis. She eats the final olive out of hers, then points the little plastic sword at me. “It’s like you’re living a sitcom. No, a movie,” she amends. “One of those screwball comedies where the spunky heroine is paired with the completely incompetent idiot and wackiness ensues.”

“Except he’s vengeful, not incompetent. And doesn’t the heroine in those movies always end up with the idiot?”

“Not necessarily,” Jamie says, leaning back and looking smug. “Not so long as there’s another love interest in the B-story.” She swipes her hand through the air. “A Day with Tanner. I can practically see the trailer.”

I grimace. “Well, you can star in it. Personally, I’d rather have another leading man.”

“You do,” Jamie says. “And as much as it pains me not to talk about either of our fuckalicious men, I want to hear the rest of this story first. How did the camera-vultures know you were there? Did Tanner tell them? Have you told Justin about the corporate espionage comment? Was he totally livid?”

“I’m going to tell him when I see him,” I say. “And yeah, he’ll be livid.” I bite back a grimace. This wouldn’t have been prevented by Edward driving me to work, but I have a feeling that simple fact isn’t going to matter when Justin hears what happened and goes ballistic.

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