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lala-ladybug · 3 years

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Healing Hands: Chapter 8

You brush your teeth. now BOOM orange juice. That’s life.

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Chapter 8: Adrien Elizabeth Agreste, we do not have "plenty of time"

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje First | Previous | Next

Marinette was tired. Sure, she didn’t have to be class president, worry about akumas, or study for the baccalauréat, but she was more tired than she’d ever been in Paris. She’d been running herself ragged with training day after day for weeks, waking up earlier and going to bed later than everyone else.

Even her Order was starting to worry about her.

“Hey Mari, let’s go shopping! I’ve heard there’s a really posh fabric district on level 8.” Chloe wheedled as Kagami poured them both a cup of morning tea. The blonde had a sharp look in her eye that meant it was more serious than just a shopping trip, but Marinette wouldn’t budge.

“Sorry Chlo, I want to level-grind so I can prep for tomorrow,” Marinette shrugged and grimaced at her friend. She hadn’t picked up a needle in months, chances were slim to none that she’d start now. And tomorrow was too important to skip training.

Adrien came in from the garden and traded glances with Chloe. He sat down next to Marinette and said softly, “You really don’t have to overwork yourself this much, you know.” He gestured to the four of them and Luka, who sat plucking at his lute. “We’re all here right alongside you, and we always will be.”

Marinette forced a smile. “I know,” she replied. And she did, really. But it was still so hard to let herself relax, even for a moment. She felt more burdened here than as Ladybug. At least back home all they had to do was wait for the next akuma attack. In here, every second not actively spent fighting in the dungeons or leveling up was another second lost in the real world. Another life lost, too.

The newspaper had daily progress updates and blurbs about quests, but every month it also put out a death toll. There were so many names. A good month only had a few dozen. Marinette always read them all, whispered their names to herself as a reminder to keep fighting.

“I should be heading out,” she gulped down her tea and rose from the table. Ignoring the worried faces of her friends, she packed a bag and shouldered a full quiver of arrows. She waved without turning to look behind her and left through the door to the stables.

The roan stallion, playfully named “Rouge” by Nino, had taken a liking to her, so that was the one she saddled up and mounted. They rode into town, where Marinette touched the teleportation obelisk and directed their destination to the thirteenth floor.

She shielded her eyes against the bright sun. The heat rolled off the clay buildings in shimmering waves, carrying with it the scent of spices from a nearby market. In the distance, she could see rolling hills of sand stretching on for miles. This floor was the highest that was open, but the dungeon wasn’t scheduled to be beaten until the next day.

Despite their best efforts to defeat each level by themselves, the Order quickly found that other guilds fought right alongside them. They were much more competent than the Parisians had given them credit for, for various reasons. The game cultivated a cutthroat culture where limited resources served as selfish motivations for players to do as they pleased. Some groups wanted to help, just like them. Others wouldn’t think twice about abandoning allies to save their own skins. Above all, no one wanted to be left behind, not after the fiasco of the first level. And of course, everyone wanted to go home.

When she wasn’t talking strategy with the other guilds, Marinette trained hard to increase her level. She was nearly at level 20, and wanted to be at her absolute best for the dungeon battle. She’d read in the paper that morning that there were scorpion monsters lurking out beyond the limits of the villages. They would be perfect practice.

She spurred Rouge onward down the stone road that wound through the dunes. They’d barely made it out of sight of the village before, sure enough, waist-high black scorpions started tailing them. Rouge tossed his head as he trotted along, sensing something was amiss.

Marinette nudged him into a gallop, which he gladly obliged to get as far away from the threat as possible. But a glance over her shoulder revealed that the monsters were doggedly following. Their pace sped up enough that she could hear the clacking from their many legs scraping over the stones of the road.

Twisting in the saddle, Marinette fired at their pursuers. Her archery skills were her favorite thing to practice. The ranged attacks and versatility were similar to her yo-yo, and moving targets only made it that much more of a challenge.

Her arrows hit their marks, and she didn’t have to turn her head to see the congratulatory loot windows popping up in front of her to confirm it.

More scorpions approached from the sides, which made it even easier to pick them off. Rouge seemed to be enjoying the exercise, never flagging as they bolted across the level. Fending off enemies left and right, dodging fast-paced obstacles, feeling the wind rushing in her hair....

It was the closest she had come to feeling like Ladybug since the game began.

She fell into a rhythm that allowed her mind to wander to Tikki. How was she holding up? Had she found another holder? She would probably need one.... The Order hadn’t talked about it, but they all knew that Hawkmoth likely wasn’t taking it easy on a city devastated by so many deaths and disappearances.

Marinette frowned and swallowed against the lump in her throat. All of the Miraculous holders were here and there was no one left to distribute new ones. She felt so stupidly careless to have left Paris completely undefended.

The next arrow that found its mark sank deeply enough to reward her with a level-up.

Eventually, they reached another village. They stopped for water and some lunch, then kept going onward. By the time the sun was setting, Marinette had reached level 20 and was well on her way to achieving level 21. She felt more ready now, the physical activity having calmed her nerves somewhat.

She and Rouge teleported back to the house just in time for Alix, Kim, and Max to serve dinner. Marinette raised a questioning eyebrow at Luka. She could’ve sworn they’d taken their turn to cook dinner just a few nights ago. Her friend just sighed and mouthed, “Lila.”

Ah, of course.

Lila did deign to come downstairs, allegedly from the girls’ bedroom where she had to take a nap because her vertigo was acting up. Which it only did when there was something she didn’t want to do.

Marinette was the first to serve herself. She piled some of the food from the kitchen onto her plate and took a seat next to Alya. Her best friend was chatting with Adrien and Max about the game plan for the boss fight tomorrow. Listening in to get the context for the conversation, Marinette took a bite of the potatoes.

It was bland.

Terribly, awfully bland.

She hid her face as politely as she could, then stood to retrieve spices from the cupboards in the kitchen. She applied them liberally to her own plate and then to the rest of the serving platters before anyone else could try them.

Upon rejoining her friends at the table, she heard Adrien and Kagami once again shut down Alya’s pleading to join them in the fight. Of their guild of classmates and friends, the Order comprised the only members they’d allowed to fight in the dungeons. Marinette knew her civilian friends were more than capable, hell she’d trusted many of them with a Miraculous at some point or another, but the chance of them getting hurt and dying in the game was too great to take risks.

“What if we just stayed with the support teams? I don’t want to get in anyone’s way, but if there’s something I can do to help I want to do it!” Alya protested.

Kagami shook her head sharply. “Absolutely not. Even the support teams have sustained damage in prior fights. You should leave it to us.”

Lila sat down smoothly on Alya’s other side. “What makes you five so much more competent? Everyone knows how clumsy Marinette is.” She waved a casual hand.

“Well, Kagami and I fence together, and....” Adrien started explaining but trailed off.

“Chloe has been bringing me and Luka to her self-defense classes back home,” Marinette blurted out. She internally cringed at the questioning looks Chloe and Luka gave her. “There’s so many akumas near us at home, we thought it might be a good idea.”

Oh Kwami, she hated lying to her friends. But she couldn’t put them in the line of fire. If something happened to one of them, she’d never be able to forgive herself.

Luckily, it seemed like they’d bought her half-truth.

“Really?” Lila raised her eyebrows.

Well, most of them had.

“I hope that’s really the reason and it’s not just because you guys are hoarding all the loot you get from beating the dungeons,” she sniffed, leaning forward slightly to look directly at Marinette.

Marinette’s stomach dropped. To even think that they could be so greedy and manipulative....

“Oh come on, there’s no way our friends would ever do something like that.” Alya gently put her arm around Marinette. “My bestie is our Everyday Ladybug, and I’m sure she’s going to do her best to help get us out of here.”

Nino and the others spoke up about their support for Marinette and her Order, but she tuned them out. As grateful as she was for her friend’s support, Marinette couldn’t help but feel even more overwhelmed. Being called their “Everyday Ladybug” only served as a reminder of how much they all depended on her.

She finished her meal and quietly thanked Alix and Max (Kim was busy arm-wrestling Adrien). While washing her dishes, she felt herself nodding off. Rouge still needed to be brushed after their long ride, so she shook herself awake and trudged to the stables to do that.

Luka and Chloe were waiting there for her, to her surprise. Luka was already working to brush Rouge’s coat, and Chloe wordlessly took Marinette by the shoulders and firmly guided her upstairs to their room.

“Hey, wh--” Marinette tried to ask before Chloe shooed her up to their loft beds.

Chloe followed her up and said, “You need to rest,” then began tucking her friend in.

Marinette made an effort to protest, but the quilted covers invited her to give in to her heavy eyelids. So she let her friend fuss over the sheets and straighten the duvet.

She hardly remembered whispering her thanks before falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette woke from a dreamless sleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so long, or so well. She yawned and stretched with a groan, blinking blearily at the large circular window in front of her.

The window spanned nearly the height of the two stories in the girls’ room. It cast shafts of swirling dust, gilded in the morning sun, across the beds on the floor below. She and Chloe had thought at first that they’d drawn the short end of the stick when Lila had insisted they be the ones to take the loft (the extra climbing would be awful on her knees, you know how it is), but in her grogginess Marinette took a moment to appreciate it.

From her vantage point, she could see clearly out into the front of their yard. The hills of their spread-out neighborhood sloped downward to reveal the mountains in the distance beyond the limits of the main town.

As she watched, small songbirds flitted between the apple trees lining the path. She could hear their soft chirping in the distance, as well at the hum of the beehive that had been growing in their eaves.

Today was an important day, she knew that much, but why...?

Oh no.

A glance at the clock embedded in her player menu revealed that she’d overslept. She was late.

She threw the blankets off and quickly dressed, hopping in place to tug on her boots. She slid down the ladder and rounded the corner of the landing on the stairs, terrified she’d missed her team leaving to fight the boss.

Adrien’s bubbling laughter followed by Luka’s soft chuckle told her otherwise. She breathed a sigh of relief and slowed her pace down the rest of the stairs. Thank Kwami.

In the kitchen, Adrien was holding a yellow hairbrush high above Chloe’s reach while she pouted and jumped to try to grab it. Kagami shook her head while Luka snuck up behind them and plucked the brush out of Adrien’s hand.

Chloe huffed at Adrien when Luka handed it back to her. She began brushing out her already-perfect hair, chastising him. “You know this is my travel brush. I’ll need it for after the boss fight! Kwami knows how utterly ridiculous it will look after that.”

Kagami noticed Marinette's arrival and sidled up to her, hands clasped behind her back. “Can’t imagine why she was ever Queen Bee,” she said drily. Marinette put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. Kagami’s practical sense of humor had only grown the longer her friends had “corrupted” her, as Adrien liked to claim.

“Melody!” Luka smiled warmly, greeting her with a wave. Adrien and Chloe stopped their play fighting to look at her. They crossed the room in an instant, Adrien’s hands placed lightly on her shoulders and Chloe grasping her hands. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Better than I have in a while, thank you Chlo,” Marinette smiled at her friends.

Adrien glanced over her head to check the clock in the kitchen. “We still have plenty of time, why don’t you have some breakfast.”

“Adrien Elizabeth Agreste, we do not have ‘plenty of time,’” Marinette retorted. “I’ll take some food to go.”

Lila, sitting with Alya on the couches nearby, gave them a questioning glance. Alya quickly explained, “His middle name obviously isn’t actually Elizabeth, but it’s way funnier to pretend that it is,” before hopping up to give Marinette a quick hug.

“Be safe,” she whispered into her hair, holding her tightly for a few seconds. Marinette gave her a tight-lipped smile as they parted, then caught the apple that Kagami tossed her.

They opted to leave the horses, in case some other players tried to steal them while they were busy with the boss fight. The five friends walked to the teleport kiosk in town.

Marinette felt tense and nervous, but couldn’t help relaxing in the presence of her carefree friends. They all joked and made horrible puns (thank you Adrien) the whole way to the thirteenth floor.

Surprisingly, they didn’t run into any other guilds along the winding, cobbled roads of the thirteenth floor. They must have already been gathered at the dungeon since they were approaching the designated meeting time. Marinette hoped they would wait.

The entrance was an ornately carved archway framing a spiral staircase. The steps led into the depths below the shifting dunes. There were lit sconces every so often, affixed to cavities in the curved walls. The steps were made of glass, but the overlapping flights of stairs didn’t clue them in to how deep the passage went.

A hot draft blew up and scattered the sand at their feet. With a glance to her team, Marinette led the way down.

Their boots had little grip on the glass steps, and they had to grip both walls to try to avoid falling. Adrien cracked one too many jokes about it being a “slippery situation” and earned himself a hearty slap on the back that sent him reaching the next landing a little sooner than he would’ve hoped.

Marinette only paid half-attention to their antics, devoting most of her brain power to going over the plan. Pamphlets in NPC shops said that this boss had ranged area attacks, which wouldn’t mean much until they saw what exactly it could do. She hoped that the extra upgrades she’d given to their armor would protect them from whatever projectiles that could possibly entail.

While her small squad would lead the assault, archers would back them up and hopefully be able to counteract the boss’s ranged attacks. Healers were on deck, of course, and there were plenty of defensive lines with shielding capabilities.

More and more guilds were joining the front lines as the people started to band together. Meetings were no longer the exclusive events they once were, and the plans of when and where to attack were placed in the paper. That meant they’d have some wild cards. Marinette frowned as she considered where they would fit in.

She sighed. Again, they probably wouldn’t know until they were in the thick of the fighting. A glance upward revealed that they could no longer see the daylight warping through the glass steps above them. It couldn’t be that much farther, though it was odd that the air around them was getting hotter, not colder, the farther they went.

Adrien cocked his head and he gestured for the others to quiet down. The five of them had retained some of the attributes lent to them by years of consistent miraculous use, and his hearing was better than most of theirs. They proceeded carefully.

Marinette began to hear it too, a low murmur that sounded like....

Players, dozens of them, were waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

They were scattered about the long, tall antechamber with golden walls that glimmered in the soft torchlight. Arches, like the one at the entrance far up above, supported the ceiling. Three-meter tall pillars displayed vases and other beautiful decor. There was an open doorway at the opposite end of the room, but they couldn’t see anything beyond it but darkness.

The gentle pressure of a hand at her back told her Adrien was standing by her side. She made eye contact with one of the other familiar guild leaders and made her way over to him and his team.

“Hey Danny, are we the last to arrive?” She greeted her American friend. He ran a hand through his cropped dark hair and his icy blue eyes met hers. “Hey Mari. Nah, we’re still waiting on Crimson Dragon.”

His raven-haired friend Sam shook her head. “They’re always late,” she muttered.

Next to her, their other friend (Tucker, if she recalled correctly) shrugged. “But you gotta admit, they always deliver!”

Marinette had to agree with him there. Thanks to the programming in the system, everyone in the game spoke and understood the same language. That meant that the Miracle Workers had wound up working with both Ghostbusters, Danny’s guild, and Crimson Dragon on several occasions even though they both spoke English as their native tongue. She had to admit she was impressed with how well they did. Unorthodox as they were....

“‘Sup party animals!?” A loud voice echoed down the stairwell. The whole room of players turned to look at the small figure sliding to a halt, boots squeaking against the floor. He tossed the hood of a bright red cloak back and threw up finger guns. “Miss me?”

Next to Marinette, Chloe scoffed in a way that said she most definitely did not. Jake was... quite the eccentric character. The rest of his guild, two very embarrassed-looking girls and a tall boy, descended the stairs as well to join their leader.

“About damn time!” Someone spoke up from the back. Jake’s head whipped around and his eyes flashed. Beside her, Danny winced at his hotheadedness. Before anything worse could happen, Marinette gave Luka a meaningful look.

He gave a sharp, loud whistle that drew everyone’s attention to them.

“Listen up people! We all know the plan. Is everyone ready?” Marinette raised her voice to reach the whole chamber. The atmosphere shifted to a laser focus, and she saw grim nods as people drew their weapons and potions.

A glance to Adrien confirmed that it was time. “Let’s go.”

She and her Order led everyone through the great doorway, and into the unknown.

The boss’s room was an enormous, golden circle lined with torches that flickered to life as soon as she stepped onto the glass floor. She could barely see the far wall of the round chamber. Levels of glass flooring circled up to the dome high above their heads, carved into the walls. A few alcoves dotted the walls, but other than that there was hardly any cover to be found, which was concerning.

A whispering noise thrummed through the chamber, made louder by the acoustics of the massive room. Marinette held up a hand to halt the movement of everyone behind her. She listened intently for the sound to happen again.

It didn’t take long, and it was getting louder now. She jerked her head to Adrien and Kagami, who started silently directing groups to assume their stations. While they moved, Marinette cast her eyes around the chamber. Where was the boss?

A loud hissing sound seemed to come from the floor, and then--

Shattered glass erupted from the floor at the center of the chamber. A colossal golden snake with red eyes reared up and bared its fangs at them. This had to be it. Marinette yelled, “Scatter!” and they all ran for it.

It struck right where she had been standing only moments before. Her boots slipped on the glass as she scrambled to gain purchase and hoist herself up onto the nearest alcove. She managed to do it just in time, the boss snapping at her heels.

She raised her shield and distantly heard Kagami shout for the archers to take aim and fire. A volley of arrows fell on the great beast, and Marinette twisted sideways and crouched to take cover under her shield. Loud hissing meant at least some of them had found their target, and to their credit only a few missed and bounced off of her shield.

“Hey, you big ugly worm! I bet you’re all hot air with nothing to show, huh?” Adrien was bravely doing what he did best. Distracting the villain so that Marinette could come up with a plan. She risked a peek from over her shield to watch the snake whip around to face Adrien, who stood a few levels up on the opposite side of the chamber.

It leaned backwards only to shoot forward a few feet, opening its mouth wide. Screams echoed from the people it faced. Oh Kwami, what was that?

Marinette bolted to her feet and raced up the sloping pathway, trying to get a better angle. She stopped and her eyes widened once she could finally see what was happening.

A cone of air coming from the maw of that thing shimmered with heat. She looked in horror to see that Adrien was shielding himself and the civilians around him as best he could, but those he couldn’t reach shouted in pain as their armor began to melt off. The glass around them started to sag and they screamed louder as the floor bent beneath them.

A blur of motion jumped onto the head of the snake from high above. That was Chloe’s signature move, and sure enough it was her. She landed hard enough to knock the boss’s head down to the ground, its body collapsing probably from sheer surprise.

Or maybe it needed a cooldown time? Shit, this wasn’t good. They knew nothing. They were underprepared and overwhelmed.

Mariniette coughed as sand fell from the faraway ceiling at the impact the beast had made when it fell. Below her, Chloe was hacking away at the monster’s face with her flail. It gave no warning before snatching its head back to knock her off her feet and coiling its tail around her. Marinette cried out wordlessly as her friend was trapped in a matter of moments.

She was still squirming when the monster bared its fangs and let loose another breath of boiling air directly onto her.

Marinette could only watch as Chloe's golden armor heated to a bright red and began to melt, her friend still squirming to get out. A desperate cry fell from the blonde’s lips as the hot metal touched her skin, and still the snake kept going.

She flashed a look to their party’s health bars and saw Chloe’s dropping fast. Too fast. Marinette grabbed a specialized arrow and drew back her bow. When she let it loose, the arrow exploded into goopy foam. She’d aimed perfectly, and the snake’s closed mouth was soon covered in the quickly hardening substance.

She pushed off from the wall and jumped. There was a moment when she was suspended in the air where time seemed to slow down. She saw the snake loosen its hold on Chloe and writhe in confusion. She heard the deafening cries from the wounded, and her name on Adrien’s lips. From the corner of her eye, a glint of metal flashed and she felt a split-second of coldness.

Then the moment was over, and she was tumbling onto the snake’s sinewy form and hoisting Chloe up. She half-carried her as she bounded away from the monster. She could see it shaking its head in her peripheral vision. But that wasn’t important right now.

Luka was waiting for her in the antechamber, out of the boss’s reach. He and several other healers already had potions at the ready. Marinette didn’t wait to see how many it would take to save her friend. She ignored Luka’s shouts and ran back into the monster’s room.

* * *

Well, Jason had finally convinced his stupid brothers to fight on the front lines. But the fact that they expected him to fight with them? Laughable.

When they made it to the dungeon, he had left them in the dust, or sand as it were. He was scouting up onto the higher levels of the paths that led up to the top of the dome when it happened.

Some girl was caught in the hold of the boss, a snake with apparently really fucking bad breath. He tensed as it blew a torrent of hot air right on her, but before anyone could move an arrow flew out and hit the beast smack in the mouth, releasing some foaming substance as it did.

Movement on his level caught his eye a few feet away. Jason stilled and observed as best he could without moving.

Some creep was wielding a metallic blowgun, aiming it dead ahead at the--

No, not at the boss. At the person who’d just fired the arrow, the person who had just jumped into the air and left themselves wide open.

He didn’t even think, he just tackled the sneaky bastard. In the commotion, they dropped the dart they’d been about to fire and it sank into their own leg.

As Jason watched, it didn’t take long for green tendrils to start appearing under the person’s skin. They clawed at their leg, but the movements grew weaker by the second.

And then they stilled.

Jason’s eyes widened as he watched them dissolve into pixels. As he watched his own name in the upper corner of his vision turn orange, indicating a player-kill.

Well shit. Dick was going to be pissed.

* * *

Marinette felt calm. Her hands had been shaking when she’d handed Chloe off to Luka, but now she felt nothing but a cool, calculating rage. As she stalked back into the chamber, she saw the boss struggling under another wave of arrows fired from all around the chamber.

A glance upward and a once-over of the pathways spiraling up the walls of the chamber confirmed all she needed to formulate a plan.

Marinette drew her knives and flicked her wrists. This monster was going to regret that. She broke into a sprint and slashed around the body of the snake. It was fast for its size, and it tried to keep up. But she was faster.

Arrows rained down around them, sticking out of chinks in the beast’s scales like some twisted sea urchin. The boss worked furiously to try to unstick its jaw, but as cracks appeared in the substance holding its mouth closed Marinette distracted it with a particularly deep slash.

It wasn’t ready, not yet.

“Get back to the antechamber!” She yelled to the other players. Most of them ran, but some-- Danny, Jake, her Order-- hesitated.

“Go!” She egged on the monster to move towards her, away from the door, giving everyone a chance to escape. “I have a plan.”

They reluctantly followed the others as they left her alone in the dungeon. Adrien paused, asking her, “My lady, I help with--”

“Go.” She growled, glaring at him as best she could while battling the serpent. He gritted his teeth and retreated with the others, but stayed within view of the battle.

Good. Now she could put her plan into action.

Marinette sheathed her knives and pulled out her bow, then dashed to the sloping walkway. The snake pursued, seemingly going after an easy target running scared.

When she’d nearly reached the carved alcove, she fired an arrow with a cord attached to it. The cord was a special elastic design that could retract but couldn’t be pulled to be any longer. It landed high above her and anchored itself into the wall with a distant click. Then came the tricky part.

Marinette turned toward the giant snake and ran at it. Its red eyes burned with rage and the cracks deepened in the hardened foam still leashing its mouth. Still holding onto the other end of that cord, she gave it a sharp tug that sent her flying through the air, far above where the monster had expected her to be.

The leap carried her to the opposite side of the circular walls. She neatly landed on the walkway about two stories up from the ground. The snake gave a muffled hiss of fury and set out on the bottommost level, steadily approaching her as it wound around the cavern.

Marinette let the cord go and started running.

She kept an eye on the monster, firing a regular arrow at it every now and then to keep it angry. That didn’t seem to be a problem. What would be a problem is if she timed everything wrong, or if the snake caught up to her, or if the ceiling wouldn’t--

No. There wasn’t time for doubt. She had faith in herself, and she could almost hear Tikki’s little voice cheering her on. She thought of Chloe and pressed on even harder.

The beast got close enough that she could smell the reek of it before she fired another corded arrow and launched herself across the chamber again. She gained even more height, and continued the climb to the top.

This only made the boss angrier, but she could tell that it sensed victory. There was nowhere left to go once she reached the top. Nowhere but down, that is.

A third corded arrow brought her to the uppermost levels, and then it was only a short run before she reached the edge of the dome. She was panting for breath and her legs were aching with the effort of so much running, but she wasn’t done yet.

One steadying breath in. Two.

The serpent had nearly reached her. Marinette could see it rounding the final curve that would bring it to her level. She drew her bow back and aimed it at its mouth, counting it out in her head.

She held until the beast was nearly upon her, then fired. The arrow was tipped in lead, and easily broke through the already-breaking foam. Immediately after, she fired an arrow directly above her. It hit the apex of the structure holding back all the sand above them.

The beast looked up at the mass of sand falling on it and opened its mouth to fire a hot stream of air.

Marinette didn’t stick around to see how it would play out. She fired one final corded arrow to the side where she could see an alcove in the wall. And there she stayed, facing the wall and shielding her face from the sand pouring into the chamber behind her.

Finally, the avalanche slowed and then stopped. Only then did she risk stepping away from the wall and peering down to see if her plan had worked.

The snake was laying on the floor of the chamber below her. Its form was contorted and broken, speared by great spikes of glass that it had created itself. As she watched, it faded into glowing dust, and a screen popped up in front of her displaying her cut of the loot.

She sighed with relief. Then raced back down as fast as she dared on the dusty glass, anxiety twisting in her gut. She had to see if Chloe was okay.

If something happened to her....

Her thoughts turned to the worst as she neared the bottom of the chamber, no matter how she tried to stay positive. Her hands were shaking when she finally made it to the glass floor and, carefully avoiding the glass spikes, picked her way over to the arch leading into the antechamber.

Adrien was waiting there for her. He embraced her and said, “Don’t scare me like that again,” then let her go to see Chloe.

Tears were brimming in her eyes as she saw her friend, still lying prone on the floor with her head on Luka’s lap. She looked up when Marinette came into her view and sat up with a wince.

“Well,” she said. “I made it.”

Marinette burst into sobs at that and collapsed by her friend’s side, hugging her tightly. She heard Luka softly telling her that Chloe had been at 1 HP, but all the healers put everything they could into bringing her health back up.

It only made her cry harder.

And as she held her friend close, she thought to herself how she would do anything to keep this from happening again. How she couldn’t stand to see her friends get hurt anymore. How she had handled the boss on her own.

There was no Maman and Papa, no Tikki, no Order that could help her. She was alone in this fight, and that was how it had to be.

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#healing hands #jasonette #sword art online au #virtual reality #maribat #maribat fic #batfam #batfam fic #yj fic #young justice #young justice fic #yj

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notasiren21 · 4 years

Note

#40 from the prompt list please and thank you!!!

I’m so sorry this took so long!!!

Someone You Loved

Rating: Mature for some themes

Pairing: fuckin’ Lukanette boi

Word count: 4,665

Prompt: (40) “I wasn’t lying when I said that I loved you.”

Description:

Well, Luka sings a song and I pissed @macaknight off with this when I asked her to beta read the start of it. It helps if you listen to the song in the story, Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi. Enjoy lmao

She was around by his side long enough to engrave the little things into his mind.

He knew how it felt to have the soft strands of midnight blues through his fingers as he tangled them in her hair. To have her legs settle on either side of his as he trailed his hand up her small back and waist under her soft cotton shirts. The cheeky grin he grew to love baring up at him when his arms bracketed with her in between he picked her up at home.

How he didn't care for sweets but loved the way blueberry muffins tasted on her tongue and the taste of her mixed with raspberry jelly when it leaked from the corner of her pouty lips.

How the Liberty swayed under his feet against the small currents the wind brought on as they danced in the rain. The feel of his converse bracing both their weights as her drenched skirt blew in harsh waves between them. The first lightning strike reflecting off an anchor necklace he gave her on their first date.

When she kissed his cheek when he started humming absently with frustration as he tried to figure out the melody he wrote. Her small fingers pulling the pencil out of his death grip as she lent her forehead against his to calm him and decipher the jumbled notes he had in his head.

The way her face lit up when he played it back to her.

The way her face fell when she told him she loved him but they couldn't be together.

How her arms stiffly pulled away from his hug and the red of her eyes she showed up with.

How the airy taste of salt from the water didn't compare to the salt of his tears that trailed to his lips as he grounded the palm of his hands to his eyes roughy as sobs racked through his body when he collapsed to the wood of the ship.

The way it left him numb with hurt and he became too compliant with his happenings, too accepting.

Defeated.

Music was harder to hear and enjoy, he couldn't compose anything more than a haunting melody that brought any stranger to tears.

He wasn't sure he even felt the burn to his tongue when he drank his hot coffee as soon as it was handed to him. Or the rough jerk of his shoulder to turn him around as his guitar bounced off his back.

"Hey man, you look worse for wear." Théo, a former classmate of his that now ran the coffee shop, spoke as he eyed him critically. Luka shifted his thick blacks squared rimmed sunglasses up higher to cover his dark circles better. "I'd say it's great to see you, but..."

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” He offered the excuse at the ready, hating how well lying came with sadness.

“Ah, life of a famous rockstar.” Théo teased with a smirk. “No wondering you’re wearing a hat like that backwards to cover your hair and shades for those ‘oh so sexy’ blue eyes of yours.”

“Not famous,” Luka cringed at Théo’s words. “Just well known on the internet I guess.”

“Sorry for overplaying your popular cover videos man.” His old school mate laughed.

"It's fine. What's up?" He forced a smile that came across as genuine despite what he felt.

Théo crossed his arms and made a jerk with his head in the direction of the shop across the street, "New place has been stealing some of our loyal customers." Luka scratched under the brim of his black baseball cap he had on backwards as he followed the movement. "Lunch hour is about to hit and you know much we moved to stop by this part of town for break."

"Yeah, your aunt made good scones." He supplied.

He grunted in response, "Yeah. Well, girls frequent here more from school, and they keep going there," he roughly jerked his chin to the place again, "Just because there's an older guy who takes their order who is attractive, I guess. Or so I'm told."

Luka blinked at the shop before turning to his old friend, "What do you need from me then?"

"Observant as always, Couffaine." He snorted with a shake of his head. "I wanted to see if you -an attractive older guy- would give a small performance just as the girls come."

"What? Why?"

"Are you dense? With your face and body, and that 'sinful voice' of yours the girls cooed about back then and from your YouTube covers, I'm guaranteed to bring in more customers for today."

Luka tossed his half full coffee cup to the trash next to him. His own arms crossing as he wished he was in his cabin instead, laying on his bed while he stared up at the ceiling and trying to not feel the clench of his arm when he smelled Marinette's hibiscus shampoo and berry scented perfume on his pillows.

"I don't know."

His friend clasped onto his shoulder again, "Please man, you can keep 40% of the money you help bring in, I don't care. That shop is a dick and acting like we're not its competition."

“Man, you really don’t have to, I’ll just take a free coffee if you really need this.” Anything seemed better than just wallowing at home at this point, despite the incredible want to do so that swelled within him as he stood on the block he and Ladybug often frequented to patrol. “I mean it.”

Théo smiled, guiding him to a spot that he started clearing out near the cafe’s short fence that caged the outdoor tables and chairs.

“That’s okay, I feel bad to make you work without pay.” He straightened his back that had been bent forwards as he pushed tables, “Consider it repayment for that time you paid for my lunch.”

Luka stopped, “Lunch? When did I-,” he grunted. “Théo, that was four years ago.”

“Well, last Saturday had me thinking about all my debts and regrets when I thought I was gonna die. You came up.”

He flinched at mention of Saturday.

Saturday, the final fight against Hawkmoth who showed up in person with a struggling Mayura and an akumatized sentimonster of Lila. The combination of their powers as well as the wickedness that resided in the girl proving to be a difficult fight for them all when Ladybug and Chat pulled the entire team in.

Including a Chloé Bourgeois who was more than ready to help.

He could’ve sworn he heard Marinette screaming his name in worry when Hawkmoth closed in on him and hit into his side with his cane full force. But that was ridiculous. Because Marinette was Ladybug and Ladybug was Marinette. And Marinette wanted nothing to do with Luka since they had broken up without reason beyond her excuse of not being able to be with him.

He was a bit bitter about the whole ordeal.

Okay, he was more so lovesick and depressed, but his negative energy still stood.

“Yeah,” he flinched again when he heard his voice crack and he thumbed his bracelet -once silver, now a metallic black to hide better, “At least they finally caught Hawkmoth for good.”

“No kidding, now we can just focus on the heroes and the gossip your little girlfriend’s bestie posts.”

A knife. Through his heart. Twisting and gutting.

“Gossip?” He chose the safer option of the sentence, ignoring the onslaught of pitying questions and half-assed supportive promises that correcting Théo would bring.

“Yeah, like how that Ryuuko dragon girl and Chat are definitely dating and that Viperion and Ladybug totally have the hots for one another and the soft looks they give during patrols.”

A chainsaw. Just shredding his heart to pieces.

Luka Couffaine once thought he was a smart kid who made the right decisions.

How wrong he had been.

“Right.” He bit out, gripping the strap of his guitar case and scratching his baseball cap.

Théo shot up and loudly clapped with a whoop, “There we go! Now, I should grab the mic stand from open mic nights and just plug that in and some speakers, then we’ll be good to go.” Maybe Luka should’ve just left. “I’ll get ‘er done in five minutes, tops.”

Luka only nodded, watching as he ran around and set things up, then proudly presented Luka with the lone table he left set up to sit on.

He eyed his skeptically behind his sunglasses before hopping up, testing his weight on the surface before he crossed one ankle across his thigh and took his guitar from Théo who unzipped it for him. Théo pushed the mic stand closer to Luka and adjusted when he peered up at him.

“What do you want me to sing?”

His old friend shrugged with an easy smile, “Anything that comes to mind and draws that big crowd of hungry girls over.” Luka bobbed his head in response and tuned his acoustic guitar as Théo began backing up to inside the store and cheered, “Show off that sinful voice of yours, man! Woo!”

He let out a short chuckle and emptied his mind completely as he shut down, letting his fingers strum a few notes to a song that he began to resonate deeply with.

“I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to save me,” he closed his eyes and mentally chastised himself for being so open with his feelings as they poured out of him through a popular song. “This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy.”

He could see Théo looking at him carefully when he opened before squeezing his eyes shut in pain. He hated that look of pity, but he already started singing this song and he knew he would have to see it through given that the customers at the shop had already turned their attention to him.

“I need somebody to heal

Somebody to know

Somebody to have

Somebody to hold,”

Did he growl at the end of that last line? He wasn’t sure but the audience seemed moved by it and how he didn’t go weak on the verbs. Maybe he could please someone for once by just following with what worked for him.

“It's easy to say

But it's never the same

I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain.”

He thought he saw the familiar flash of black with red accents that everyone knew as Ladybug’s new suit for a second up on the rooftops. The rooftops that she danced with Viperion on and let her laugh rang over the quiet town under the stars. He wasn’t sure if he was just hopelessly imagining her or if she was there, but he felt the pain bite all at once and his voice became wobbly in a way that the crowd seemed touched by. You’re kidding me.

“Now the day bleeds

Into nightfall

And you're not here

To get me through it all

I let my guard down

And then you pulled the rug

I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.”

Weak. He felt weak and it wasn’t the kind where he felt weak at the knees like when Marinette smiled up at him or her nose scrunched in thought.

He always thought he could be emotionally strong to handle whatever came his way. He was so sure of it.

“I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to,” Guess he was weak for Marinette in every way possible after all, “This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you.

“Now, I need somebody to know

Somebody to heal

Somebody to have

Just to know how it feels

It's easy to say but it's never the same

I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape.”

There was no blame to place, he knew that. It didn’t make it better or let him throw his anger at her to get it out, but he couldn’t keep punishing himself either.

He felt his eyes sting, shutting them as one tear slipped through and feeling grateful for both his dark shades and the sun beating down on his face past the patio table umbrella, hiding the evidence of his heartbreak.

“Now the day bleeds

Into nightfall

And you're not here

To get me through it all

I let my guard down,”

Who was he kidding? The heartbreak was the clearest part about him as he let the rough notes chip away at his throat and the growls making his voice artistically raw that he would have to worry about later.

His heart stopped painfully when he remembered the way Marinette’s face flushed all smitten like with a wondering look when Luka growled while singing and shot her winks, knowing how flustered it made her to see her calm and collective boyfriend with a soft and careful voice sounding so tortured for certain songs.

“And then you pulled the rug

I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.

How that came back to bite him in the ass.

He glanced up to blink away the tears and avoid the view of the large growing audience he couldn’t see from the sun.

He could’ve sworn he saw a flash of black and flecks of red again.

Fingers strummed harder and with more purpose and he let his soft voice fall back as the pain ripped through him and out in his voice.

“And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes

I fall into your arms

I'll be safe in your sound 'til I come back around.”

Fuck. He missed her. He missed her a fuck ton and wanted to hold her again and hear her whisper his nicknames of “Love”, “baby”, “handsome”, “Vipey”, whatever the hell she wanted to call him.

Even his damn name would be enough to sedate him for a year.

“For now the day bleeds

Into nightfall”

Dancing with her into the beginnings of a bad storm on the deck of the Liberty as they belted Cheap Thrills amist her giggles and his laughs he choked down to keep her beautiful voice going with his.

“And you're not here

To get me through it all”

Being curled up on her living room couch the next day with her cuddled into his side. Both sick with the cold, but unable to wipe the weak grins from their faces as Sabine amusingly disapproved of their actions the night before.

“I let my guard down

And then you pulled the rug”

Their first kiss when she got flustered at their first date and told him she wouldn’t read too much into it despite wanting to, and him effectively shutting her up for the first time ever with the crash of his lips to hers and hands tilting her head up to meet him in reassurance.

“I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.”

The first time she called him her boyfriend and the pleased giggle she let out when he gave a startled and flustered noise, his snack flying out of the package he ripped open before he blinked and asked her to repeat what she said as a toothy grin broke his shocked face.

“But now the day bleeds

Into nightfall

And you're not here

To get me through it all”

Did a camera just flash at him? Hard to tell with the sun in his eyes and the dark lenses of his shades. He couldn’t find himself to care either.

“I let my guard down

And then you pulled the rug

I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.”

He tried not to think about the fact that he forced himself to change his phone backgrounds to black, tried not to think if she deleted her phone screens of them napping together or the wallpaper of them dancing in the rain Juleka got of them as Luka dipped her over the edge of the stage they always practiced on.

The complete trust in her eyes and smile always made him melt in that picture. Her hands loosely holding her arms as her head titled back in a deep bellied laugh while he held onto her waist tightly with one arm and had the other behind him, the biggest smile that was only found on his face when Marinette was around.

“I let my guard down

And then you pulled the rug

I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.”

Luka still fucking loved her more than anything.

His drive, his inspiration, his happiness and safe space. His melody that always rang loudly in his ears.

Now it sounded just as it did when they were younger.

The numbness took over as he looked up, face contorted into a forced happy expression as he dipped his head in gratitude to see the very big crowd that gathered and was clapping with tears in their eyes. He excused himself to find Théo who ignored how exposed the song made his old friend, conversing with him briefly as he counted the amount of customers before Luka left and promised to give him the 40% the next visit he came and a free coffee.

He put up his guitar, tugging the case back over his shoulder as he headed back to the Liberty and tossed the faux leather casing to the bed, tossing his sunglasses to the the bed as well before heading to the deck and off to take a lap to clear his break up riddled mind.

The third block was a close achievement, before he felt the petite body rush into him and the all too familiar wrap of small and strong legs wrap about his waist with a black latex suit arm winding around his neck. He subconsciously fell back into habit as one of his own dropped to hold under her thighs and one around her own waist as black fielded his vision.

He barely got a curse out before the all too telling sound of a spiritually powered string to the famous yo-yo pinned against restraint and shot them upwards, his unmasked face burying itself in the crook of her neck from the force rush of air to his eyes.

His chest tightened to the smell of hibiscus flowers and berries, clutching her tighter for the first time in a long while. Half aware he shifted her higher against him to have her bring them closer.

Well fuck if he wasn’t the most touch starved and needy ex ever.

The familiar sound of a specific metal railing being bounded by the yo-yo was the only warning he got before the touched surface with his feet and she loosened her grip.

He barely heard the words of her detransformation before he could see the flash of pink through black and pulled back from her neck.

Terror shook through him, and his hands and body trembled against her as he couldn’t force himself to look up. Staring intently at the silver anchor necklace he gave her, bounded in a rope of small teal jewels.

Luka couldn’t look at her face, couldn’t look away from the necklace she still wore. He couldn’t let her go or put her down either.

“Breathe love,” her quiet voice spoke, soft and hesitant, breaking Luka as he dropped them to his knees and brought her closer than before.

An audible sob he hadn’t heard since she walked away from him escaped his lips and heaved for air as his chin rested over her head and he looked frantically in front of him. At her balcony, the plants that littered the space and the wood paneling they rested on, the little ladybug statue he bought her as a cute joke.

Seeing none of it through blurry eyes, forcing himself to drop his head to her shoulder as she quaked with tears and ran a soothing hand through his hair.

“I’m so sorry, love.” He couldn’t get words out as he just grounded his face into her. “I thought I was protecting you, I didn’t realize how wrong I was.”

She pulled his face up, ceruleans magnified as his pupils dilated to the sight of her in front of him once again and the tips of his ears flaring just by her touch for the first time in forever. She caught a steam of tears with her thumb, giving him a tight smile.

“My miraculous gave me the intuition that Hawkmoth would make his final move.” She paused for a second, closing her eyes and she breathed deeply. “I thought for sure I would die when he did. Either by his winning, or ours but I would end up a casualty or sacrifice. You guys weren’t even supposed to be there, but Adrien insisted for backup and I just...”

“You left me because you thought you were going to be killed?” Voice gravelly and sore from the coffee shop, he pressed on, fingers twitching at her back. “Why didn’t you tell me? Even if you had to strap me down just to bench me from the fight, you should’ve told me.”

“You’re right,” she rushed. “Absolutely right, and it was pure hell to leave to that day or say what I did. I’ve never been more miserable with my life than I’ve been since we’ve broke up. I hate it, I hate being away from you so much, Luka.”

“Be mine again.”

“What?” She blinked, choking on air.

He squeezed his eyes shut, leaning into her touch when she held his face. “I don’t, I don’t fucking care if I’m being selfish anymore. It’s so hard not to be when it comes to you, Marinette. All these small details engraved to my mind, committed to memory and nothing to do with it.

“I keep leaving hoodies I casually wear on my amp for you to take, I keep putting that soft blanket you’re obsessed with folded on the edge of my bed for you to yank off and curl into as soon as you step into my room.” He forced his eyes not to open as he kept going, following the rhythm she provided and he struggled to find words for. “The minute I wake up, before I even open my eyes to see for the first time of the day, my phone is already in my hand with your contact open and a good morning text at the ready for you. Even good night texts when I reset my alarms. I keep leaving your spot open on my bed in case you visit while I’m asleep. Your favorite part on the couch for you. The last cherry popsicle of the package, and the cookie dough ice cream I bought out of habit are still in the freezer waiting for you to find them.

“I’m fucking broken without you.” He rasped, ceruleans meeting baby blues, “I’m missing you emotionally, figuratively, mentally, physically. How the hell am I supposed to be okay when you’ve become such a big part of me? When you’re my literal other half?”

She nudged his button nose with her small one, “I,” she gave a dark laugh that he felt in his core. “I keep airing out my room whenever my sewing machine leaves behind that electrical smell your nose scrunches at so much.” She giggled when she felt him do it at the mention of the scent. “I let the popcorn cook for half a minute longer to get it a little burnt like how you like. I sleep in your hoodies to leave behind the smell of my perfume and shampoo the way you said you like your hoodies to smell when I give them back. I play with my necklace when I grow nervous and can’t talk to you. I can’t go more than five hours without hovering over your contact name or looking at our pictures.”

He sat back on his knees, letting her adjust herself out of habit and moving her hair away from her face. The smile he gave was tight but reassuring.

“I missed you, doll.”

“I missed you too, Luka.” She paused for a second, “Hey,” she started cautiously.

“Hm,”

“Luka, you know I wasn’t lying when I said that I loved you, right?”

The glint that quickly came to his eyes didn’t waver like his abused voice did, “I kinda figured from all the times you’ve blushed and stuttered. The times you tripped when I caught you off guard with a flirtatious comment or wink. And the times you kissed me like it was the end of the world.”

He looked up to see her set a false murderous glare above him as he ran his thumb over the teal gems in the rope around the anchor of her necklace, a smirk he hadn’t felt making way to his face as one of his naturally slightly pointer canines became visible to express his pure happiness.

“I forgot how much of a jerk you could be,” she huffed, looking away and sniffing.

“I’m sorry, doll.” He made her look at him, eyes still shining with unshed tears as the stared into hers. His grin was pure radiance, “I love you.”

She let him pull her down to a kiss, feeling those soft pouty lips he loved so much back on his again. “I know,” she replied between kisses, causing him to huff and pull away with his own pout. She held alone his jawline, “I’m kidding, kinda. But, I love you too.”

Her giggle when he let out a happy and short hum was pure music to his ears as her melody finally fell back into the correct time signature and key. Even as he parted with a pant and hugged her close, stroking her hair.

“Just, don’t leave me in the dark again.” He started, seeing her phone that fell out of her back pocket light up with a text from Alya.

Alya: So did you kiss and makeup, or not? I have Nino on the edge of his seat.

Alya: no really, he keeps asking and refuses to do ANYTHING until he finds out.

Alya: for fuck’s sake, answer and let me get laid

He hid his smile in her shoulder from the texts and the fact that she never changed her screens from them. Letting him see her cheek smushed up against his chest and her arm lazily thrown around his waist while his held her close.

“Never, not again. I’m not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice like I once was.” He snorted at the reference to her old crush on Adrien years ago. “But we do have something to talk about.”

He pulled back, eyeing her cautiously. “Did I do something?”

“Yes,” his heart fell and he was ready to beg for her forgiveness. “You know how many girls have your picture now? Videos of you singing a song in such a beautifully tortured way with those growls, and the rough notes and the, stop laughing Couffaine!”

“I’m sorry,” he muffled his laughs behind his hand. “I forgot how much fun I had just by talking with you and your small bouts of jealousy.”

“Oh, I’m bad? Says the boy who sang a song that people keep covering for heartbreak.”

“I’m getting paid for doing it.”

“How much?”

“40% of the customers I brought in by drawing a crowd and a coffee on the house,” he let a smile spread across his face. “You know, I might be able to change it. Can I treat you to a free mint hot chocolate, a date as well maybe?”

She considered him for a second.

“With whipped cream,” he added for extra measure to his small sweet’s addict. He dimpled up at her with a scrunch when she kissed his button nose.

“God, I love you, Luka.”

“I love you too,” he kissed her slowly, “Mari, just don’t let me sing like that again, my voice is killing me.”

“Got it, never leave you again.”

“Pretty much.”

“Hey, you look cute with your baseball cap backwards like this.” She winked, pulling his black hat from the balcony floor where it fell off and back on his head.

“I’d respond with a witty comment, but it hurts to talk now.”

She grinned, “Hm, I love you.”

Luka still smiled despite flinching from the rawness of his throat, “I love you.”

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missjanjie · 4 years

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As If We Never Said Goodbye | Jankie

Title: As If We Never Said Goodbye Summary: After their senior year of high school, a summer camp reunion is held when seven former campers return as counselors. While a lot has changed over the past six years, some haven't at all - especially for Jan and Jackie. Word Count: 1955 Relationship(s): Jankie (Jan Sport/Jackie Cox) Rating: G

read on ao3

The reunion among all the former campers was truly a heartwarming one. All of the girls were happy to see each other after six years, eager with curiosity to see how much had changed (and how much hadn’t). There was screaming and hugs all around as everyone was quick to get reacquainted, and they had a whole weekend to themselves before the campers showed up.

“Oh, well that’s just not fair,” Jan clicked her tongue and shook her head. “How did they all grow up to be models?” she asked, gesturing to Gigi, Nicky, and Jaida.

Rock nodded. “It seems like just yesterday I was fighting Nicky over pokémon cards while Jaida tried to stop her from convincing Crystal to eat glue again. Time flies.”

Jan nodded, but she’d stopped listening, instead, she was looking around, looking for something, someone.

As if she could read her mind, Rock tapped her shoulder. “Your girlfriend’s coming,” she said and cocked her head in that direction.

“Shut up,” Jan shoved her lightly. “Jackie was my summer camp bestie. I missed her,” she insisted.

Before Rock could call her bluff, Jackie ran over to them. “Jan! Rock! Hi!” She gave each of them a big hug - though Jan’s might’ve lasted a bit longer. “Oh wow, you guys look great,” she observed.

“You’re not even looking at me,” Rock retorted before she wandered off to get reacquainted with the rest of her old friends.

Not that Jackie noticed, as the world around her became nothing more than background noise when she laid eyes on Jan. It was hard to believe this was the same girl that picked her first every soccer game and sang the loudest every karaoke night. Her eyes sparkled with the same enthusiasm she seemed to get just from existing. In a way, Jackie felt like she was back home. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

Jan was grinning from ear to ear, practically bouncing on her feet. Memories of that summer never fully left her mind, it was some of the most formative months of her life, she had learned so much about herself, stuff she might have otherwise ignored for another couple years. And a lot of that was directly due to Jackie. “You too. It’s been way too long. And you, wow, you look amazing too.”

“God, we have so much to catch up on, I don’t even know where to begin,” Jackie mused.

Jan started to speak, then her eyes widened. “The time capsule!” She looked around, then began calling out for all the girls to gather back around her. “Guys! We need to dig up the time capsule,” she grinned.

The memory dawned on everyone around the same time, the group of them talking excitedly among themselves, trying to remember where it was buried, where they could get a shovel to dig it out. They settled on splitting out in two groups – Crystal, Gigi, Jackie, and Nicky would retrace their years-old steps to find the burial site while Jan, Jaida, and Rock went to find shovels.

“I know we’re close,” Crystal remarked. “I can feel it.”

“This must be it,” Gigi pointed to a spot where there was dirt piled up, standing out amidst the grass, with a border of rocks around it. “I remember Nicky and I spent ages looking for enough pretty rocks.”

Nicky chuckled softly. “We had very discerning tastes.”

Jackie was only vaguely paying attention, mostly waiting for the other group to return. “Do you guys remember what you put in?”

“I know Jaida and I both put our paper mache projects in there, so I hope they didn’t disintegrate,” Gigi mused. “What did you put in?”

“I remember what she put in,” Crystal announced, elbowing Jackie’s side and grinning far too broadly. She had watched Jackie work on her item for hours on end, she didn’t know it could take someone that long, and Jackie didn’t even let her see the final result.

Jackie blushed. “And you need to be quiet. I don’t want to ruin it,” she said pointedly.

Crystal just giggled. “Relax, she’s not even here.”

“Who’s not here?” Jan asked as her group returned with shovels.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Gigi cut in, much to Jackie’s relief. “So, who’s doing the digging? Because I call ‘not it’.”

Jan chuckled and ushered her out of the way. “Rock and I got it, don’t worry,” she assured as the two of them started digging. “This shit is heavy though, no wonder Brooke and Kameron wouldn’t let us do it,” she recalled with a laugh.

“Aw, I miss them,” Rock hummed. “We should look them up on Instagram or something later.”

“I bet they’re still hot,” Nicky mused, causing some of the group to look at her oddly. “What? I couldn’t have been the only one thinking it,” she insisted, to which the girls reluctantly conceded to.

“Okay, we hit it!” Jan called out, she and Rock hoisting it out of the ground and setting it on the grass. “Oh, I’m so excited!” she said as if her whole body wasn’t nearly vibrating with enthusiasm.

Rock was the one to actually open the capsule (which was actually a toolbox they had all decorated), taking out the letter they had collectively written first, then squinted as she tried to read. “I’m gonna be honest, you guys, I can’t decipher any of this. We’ll have to go around and read our own entries later.”

Jan went to look through the capsule while Rock set the letter aside. “Let’s see… I recognize this little guy,” she cooed, holding up Nicky’s stuffed sheep.

“Meryl Sheep!” Nicky’s eyes lit up as she grabbed the toy. “Aw, my collection hasn’t been the same without you.” She looked back to Jan, gesturing for her to continue.

“We have Gigi and Jaida’s paper mache projects,” Jan continued, holding up the two crafts, one of a helmet that could fit the average baby doll, and the other of an apple with a comically angry face painted on. “And Rock’s Pokémon card,” she continued.

“Wait, gimme that!” Rock grabbed the sealed plastic pouch it was in. “D’you guys know how much this is worth?” She got blank stares in response, save for Nicky who shared her excitement.

“Smart move preserving it,” Jan hummed. “My mixtape!” she grinned, holding up a CD. “Miss Vanjie helped me burn a CD, and I put a song that made me think of everyone, like Burning Up for Crystal, Lady Marmalade for Nicky…” she continued looking down the list, her cheeks suddenly reddening. She didn't want to announce that she'd picked Alone by Heart for Jackie. “Well, you get the idea,” she summed up, reaching into the box and grabbing the next item, only to drop it. “Jesus Christ! Why is that there?”

Crystal picked the furby off the ground. The fur was partially singed on one side and had a bald spot on the other. “Oh yeah, I forgot I put Arson in there.”

Gigi pinched the bridge of her nose. “Tell me you didn’t actually name it ‘Arson’.”

“It survived being tossed into a campfire, Gigi,” she retorted as if the name choice should have obviously made sense. “There should still be another thing in there, right?”

Jan nodded, picking an envelope up from the bottom of the box. “Jackie, this must be yours, right?” she asked, holding it up and displaying the heart drawn in the center.

Even though it had been six years, Jackie’s heart started racing as soon as she saw that letter. Her throat tightened and her face flushed red. “I… Yeah… That’s mine,” she swallowed thickly, forcing herself to add, “read it.”

Jan looked at Jackie with a flash of concern in her expression, but obliged nonetheless, peeling off the Star Trek sticker the envelope had been sealed with and taking the note out.

“Dear Jan, I know we’re supposed to put something in the capsule that makes us think of our whole camp experience, but that’s actually why I’m doing this. My favorite part of the summer is you. I love how you pick me first every time we play soccer or kickball even though you know I can’t play. I love the way you spent your free hour helping clean all the paint and glitter off of me after Crystal’s project exploded (she’s watching me while I write this, I think she’s mad I told her she can’t copy my idea, and she’s probably watching you now, standing with Gigi anyway),” Jan looked up, noting that Crystal was standing with her arm around Gigi’s waist - all of them giggling at that before she continued.

“I love that you spent all week talking about how much you love horror movies, but wouldn’t go outside during Halloween night. I also love what happened that night, though I don’t know if it meant anything to you, or if you were just caught up in the moment. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t know where we’ll be when you read this, if we have girlfriends or pretend to have boyfriends, but right now, I love you. I love you a lot. Sincerely, Jackie.” Jan hadn’t realized tears were forming in her eyes until she finished reading and had to blink them away. The wave of emotion that hit her was hard to describe - twelve-year-old Jackie had poured her soul into this letter, and it made her heart swell.

It was clear that neither Jan nor Jackie were ready to say anything yet. “That was beautiful, Jackie,” Jaida offered, trying to ease the tension that had built up around them.

“Wow… I didn’t realize you felt that way,” Jan finally said.

“Really? Not even a little?” Nicky chimed in before Jaida elbowed her to get her to shut up.

Jackie let out a breath that vaguely resembled a laugh. “No, it’s okay,” she said to Nicky and Jaida before turning back to Jan. “It was one of those things that everyone else just knew.”

Jan chewed on her lip. “Everyone except me. I wish I’d known, though. Because I felt the same way - don’t say it, Nicky - the whole time.”

“I think you guys need some privacy,” Gigi said gently. “Why don’t you take a walk or something?”

Jackie nodded and already turned to start walking away. “Good idea,” she said, heading down the hiking trail with Jan doing a quick jog to catch up with her.

“So, um…” Jan cleared her throat. “Are you dating anyone?”

For the first time since the envelope came out, Jackie smiled and let herself look at Jan. “No, I’m not, are you?”

Jan shook her head. “I’m not either,” she said, then suddenly stopped walking. “Wait…”

Jackie stopped, turning back to look at her. “What?”

Wordlessly, Jan cupped Jackie’s face and kissed her deeply. It was nothing like the chaste peck they’d shared during the Halloween party six years ago. It was heated and fervent, both of them holding onto each other for dear life until their lungs begged for air. “Yeah,” she smiled as she stood upright, “the spark’s still there.”

“Did we just sign up for a summer romance, then?” Jackie asked with a light laugh.

“At least… Where are you going to college?”

“Columbia, finally moving out to the big city.”

“I’m not surprised in the slightest,” Jan chuckled. “I’m going to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts which…” her eyes went wide, “is also in Manhattan.”

Jackie’s face broke into a broad grin as she pulled Jan into a hug. “Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yeah,” Jan agreed as she melted into Jackie’s arms. “It’ll be nice to not have to say goodbye this time.”

#hi look what all that summer camp talk inspired lol #unbeta'd bcs i have no patience #jankie

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primedirection · 5 years

Text

Hopelessly Devoted

Y/n reaches a breaking point

Another several days pass without really speaking to him and it becomes somewhat routine.

Although, thanks to his insane schedule it was definitely difficult to notice. There was no time to talk or argue for that matter when Harry was in Italy, Harry was in Tokyo, Harry was in Paris, Harry was in Los Angeles—Harry was basically everywhere and with everyone but you.

On one or two occasions you did observe that he'd been in places where she was also present. But he never mentioned it of course, he never had to. The tabloid's and social media sunk their teeth into it like a juicy steak. In which he whimsically dismissed as work coincidence's.

So once again you let it slide. As they say: Pick your battles wisely!

But today you were kind of happy you did. Today was his first day back for a week long break and Anne and Gemma were in town visiting. They promised to come along for a scheduled cake testing for the wedding some time ago. And since neither of you had made arrangments to reschedule it, you would be forced to play nice, even if only for a few hours.

Picking them all up from the airport was fairly cordial but awkward nonetheless given your current limbo status. You didn't skip a beat in putting your engagement ring back on and Harry didn't either, greeting you enthusiastically with a hug and kiss. Though whether or not it was all for show you'd never know. Not to mention the enormous elephant between you two just for the simple fact you weren't sure if the wedding was still actually on. You assumed that the opportunity to discuss that would eventually come along when you were properly alone.

As the day went on and you were on your fourth cake, you realized that this was the perfect activity for bonding and not just with his family.

Despite being wedding reception centric you talked more than you had in weeks, laughed ridiculously hard at each other in what felt like ages, and shared simple trivial affection that you hadn't realized that you'd been craving. You almost cried when he thoughtlessly reached for your hand while waiting on a highly recommended red velvet cake.

It made you take notice of just how much you actually missed him. So you swallowed your pride and relayed it aloud. Genuinely professing, "I missed you."

At that Harry seems to smile with his eyes more than his lips. Interlacing your fingers and kissing the back of your hand. "Missed yeh more pet." There's a nervous flutter in your gut from the gesture and anticipation to be alone. Part of you can't help wondering if this was just an act too good to be true.

"So is anyone allowed to make a speech or toast? Or like are you keeping it limited..?" Gemma curiously asks.

Harry nervous looks to you for the answer. In which you shrug, "Everyone can say and do as they please so long as I don't have to,"

"Oh, lovie you have got to stop being so hard on yourself. Your speech was beautiful! It even made Gem cry,"

"No one was supposed to know that, but she's right. I'm still upset I missed it, if I didn't have that ridiculous conference I swear I would've been there,"

"I know," You smile sadly removing your hand from Harry's underneath the table. "It's okay,"

In the corner of your eye you spot his discomfort on the topic at hand, and it only gets worse when Anne asks, "What did you think? Didn't you love it?"

At the sudden attention Harry flushes a deep crimson from the neck up and nervously proceeds to scratch the area, "Haven't.. Em.. Heard it yet. I honestly didn't know she had one,"

Both women proceed to eye him incredulously, "Are you fucking joking?"

"Gemma!" Anne scolds at her foul and loud choice of words in the small posh cake shop.

"Sorry mum, but come on! You are joking right?" She deadpans, "I mean she poured her heart out for you just for her world to see and now the entire world has seen it!"

Embarrassed he clears his throat and shamefully admits, "I um... No,"

Gemma eyes widen twice their size completely taken aback, "Dickhead, it's a five minute video— hell less than that! All over my feed and it's still all over my feed because people wont stop tagging the three of us in it. How in the holy hell did you not see it?!"

In a matter of seconds tension has shifted, all of it negative and all of it aimed specifically at Harry. Words couldn't begin to explain the utter relief and justification you felt watching on as Harry is forced to listen to everything you felt and couldn't say, and everything you tried to say but couldn't get across clearly. Not only empathetically come from someone else, but the only two people on the planet that meant the most to him.

As much as the vengeful part in you enjoyed watching him squirm. It didn't feel right to have him bludgeoned over the head with it in order for him to get it. Most likely he still wouldn't understand the problem.

So you miraculously find yourself taking up for him with a forced smile. "It's not his fault. He's been busy, especially with this new album," Causing everyone to stare at you perplexed, including Harry.

Also making the dynamic of frustration shift towards you as well. Gemma is flabbergasted, "Please tell me you're joking now? There's no excuse on earth that is ok-"

Instantly this bothers Harry and he makes no secret of it. Irritably interrupting, "We're working on it Gem, alright? Chill out."

There aren't words to define the weird and borderline chaotic atmosphere going on and just when you think things can't get worse. For some God forsaken reason, when the red velvet cake finally arrives to your table, Harry's phone simultaneously starts to ring from his back pocket. Everyone at the table pretty much stops what they're doing just to watch him retrieve it and check the screen. Your stomach uncomfortably drops at the sight of the name 'Kenny'.

He answers it chirpier than ever, even allowing her to akwardly greet his mom and sister. All the while you remain dead silent, willing for him to just end it as soon as possible and yet things just so happen to continue on a downward spiral. As Harry mentions your location at first it spirals into him inviting her to come which is bad enough. But then it spirals further out of control when he volunteers to just meet up with her today instead.

It takes everything in you not to let the raw emotions show on your face. Though not just because both Anne and Gemma were skeptically watching you. In that moment you swear you could've kicked him between the legs.

Eventually he stands from your table before even hanging up the phone. Having already decided, "Today's her only day in town, figured we could hang out for a bit. I don't think we'll pick in one day anyway. Might have a better time picking out a dress," he not so subtly suggests.

"Well you actually have to try the cakes in order to pick one..." You happily hear Gemma retort.

It goes completely over his head anyway, "Dinner later tonight?" He asks at least being polite enough to kiss Anne goodbye. Yet he doesn't exactly wait for a reply either coming around to place a rushed kiss on your cheek. At which you stoically accept.

"You lot have fun. Well.... Not too much fun." In no time he's out the door and on the move. Forcing you into taking on his suggestion because it felt really pointless to stay.

About an hour later and a rib crushing corset deep with six more dresses lined up just like it to try on, reality starts to set in.

First off it takes awhile to even get started because you and Harry haven't even agreed to what theme or color scheme you wanted. So you had to get ahold of him to ask for some ideas and of course as luck would have it. Since he's out and about with his precious Kenny there's no way to get ahold of him. Ultimately leaving you to make something up all on your own.

Aside from the discomfort, the sight of yourself in the beautiful gown didn't feel right in the least. You're supposed to be overjoyed and excited with your bestie trying to get you somewhat drunk and your mom should've been there too. Speaking of moms, you don't register Anne announcing herself before coming inside the dressing room.

One of her hands clamps over her mouth in awe while the other holds an off white dress shirt you presume is for Harry, "Y/n lovie you are down right gorgeous!"

You have to force yourself to smile back at her and utter a strained, "Thank you," not because of how depressed you feel but for some reason you literally felt like you couldn't breathe.

"I don't know what we're going to do with that boy.. Do you know what color shirt is going under his suit? I reckon this colo-" The curiosity on her sweet face easily morphs into concern at the sight of you panicking, "S'wrong lovie?"

Instantly your hand shoots up to stop her from approaching any further because the the room felt small enough as it is. Hoping that with a little time that the feeling would blow over. Though the more time that passed the more over heated you felt. The tip of your ears on fire and the rest of your skin flushing just the same with it. At some point the nude colored stall even begins to shift around you to the extent that you stumble around to grab onto it in order to steady yourself.

Anne's voice floats in and out of distortion and so do the other's in the distance. Somehow you catch her soothing, "Y/N lovie just stay calm. Let's go to the main room for a bit yeah?"

You shake your head, unable to move, suddenly overwhelmed with intense grief. But you force yourself to answer her initial question anyway because it bothered you the most, "I don't- I don't know... anything these days. It's like- it's like... I could have a gun to my head... and he still wouldn't care." You gasp and cry.

"Don't cry hun, it's alright shh," Anne finally eases close enough to hold your trembling hand steady and attempts to comfort you but you only feel worse.

"It's really... not, I- I-... I put him off somehow and it's not how it should be. He's always running off.... with k-" You stop yourself realizing that she didn't need to know that, "It's like... he can't be far enough."

While you talk Anne uses that as a distraction to usher you out of the fitting rooms and into the main area, "That's not true, lovie. It's okay, you're okay breathe!" She reassures slowly but surely getting you to a chair just in time, just before you feel the need to collapse. Gemma and the sales woman are hovering around worried too but you physically can't even begin to focus on them. 'Is she okay' and 'panic attack' seems to be the topic of conversation.

"God I don't know what else I can do to keep up. I- I can't- I can't go through with this." You shamelessly cry out to Anne.

Who's retrieved something from the sales woman that you come to find out is a hand held fan. Anne wastes no time waving it back and forth quickly to blow bigger and stronger wafts of air. Cooling and calming you down all at once. You start to assume that she keeps you talking to keep you distracted, "With what? The wedding? Lovie I'd be worried if you didn't have cold feet."

Your head shakes in denial, unable to find humor in what honestly has been stressing you out the most. "No... be with him..." You gasp out, hating to admit it aloud. Nonetheless in front of his mother, and at the sight of her very own shock. Immediately you wished that you'd never said anything at all.

After awhile something about that confession finally made the deep inhalation part of you your lungs start working again, and slow to follow was everything else. The room stopped spinning and you were able to take in the terrified expressions of Gemma and the sales woman. Going back and forth on whether or not to call an ambulance and eventually they decided not to.

But even worse than the tabloid articles that were bound to come out about this, was none other than Harry Styles making a reappearance. Apparently Gemma had called him and unlike you, actually got through.

He dropped to his knees right between yours, "Came as fast as I could, thank God we were only down the street,"

"It's fine— I'm fine," You immediately lie, loathing the spectacle that this was becoming. You just wanted to go home, "I think I just... overheated."

Wait... We?!?! You pause to look over his shoulder and low and behold there she is. Kendall fucking Jenner standing next to Gemma and she has the audacity to look concerned.

Harry grabs your cheeks to redirect your focus on him obviously worried, "Alright? S'wrong? What happened?"

He's a little breathless as he probably ran inside. But you manage catch the smell of his breath through the gusts of air as he speaks and the close proximity. It reeks of beer and once you realize that the more glossy his gaze is.

"Are you- are you really drunk right now?" You feel like you're gonna cry yet you somehow manage to ask it angrily.

"What?" He's unsurprisingly confused. Possibly a symptom of his haze.

But you're too angry to care, roughly tearing his hands away from your face and standing on numb legs, "You left... You fucking left me to go drinking?!"

Harry frowns still thrown by your reaction, "Will you calm do-"

"No! What the fuck are we doing Harry?!" You cry overwhelmed and over emotional. "Today was supposed to be about our wedding! Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Y/N, lower your voice," he pleads grabbing onto your wrist and uncomfortably glancing at the audience around you.

"No no, don't!" You yank away and stumble a bit from the force. Completely forgetting the restrictive gown you're in, "I am so sick of this shit... I'm done— I am so fucking done!" Frustrated, you gather up the skirt of the gown and rush towards the dressing room to get out of it.

Even then Harry follows close behind until Anne and Gemma protectively intervene, "Just give her a minute to cool down H."

"Jesus Christ," he groans irritated, dragging his hands over his face. Unable to properly formulate what the hell he just walked in to.

He needed to talk to you before you did something irrational. Because right now he got the feeling that the clock was ticking.

(An: I hope y'all like this one let me know)

Final Part

#Harry styles angst #Harry styles imagines #Harry x reader #Harry styles #one direction imagines #Harry Styles one shot #One direction one shot #harry styles drabble #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #all me #I write I guess

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nerdy-bookworm-1998 · 4 years

Text

Steven’s Secret

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader; Platonic!Bucky Barnes x Reader Summary: Y/N has been very busy lately with juggling her job, studies and spending time with Steve Rogers, her boyfriend of two years, causing Steve to distance himself from her. What will happen when she hears him talking to Sharon about telling his girlfriend where he's been for the last three weeks? Words: 1785 Warnings: Angst, fluff, angst with a happy ending. A/N: If you liked this please leave feedback/reblogs and consider donating to my Ko-Fi and/or Patreon, links are in my bio. If you want to be tagged in future works please send me an ask. Also, a very big thank you to my bestie, @bookscoffeeandracoons for allowing me to bounce fic ideas off of each other.

Y/N and Steve have been dating for almost two years and for most of those years, the pair have been sickeningly happy, but lately, that seems to have changed. Steve has been avoiding her for the past three weeks, avoiding her calls and messages, getting up long before her and coming to bed long after she had fallen asleep, blowing her off with flimsy excuses of hanging out with Sam and Bucky when both of them claimed not to have seen him all day, and just the other day he had come home smelling like another woman's perfume.

Sure Y/N hadn't been at home as much lately since she was working on a big project that would help cement her career as a writer while also attending classes, working on papers, and studying for her finals to get her doctorate in English Literature, but she always made sure that she spent time with Steve so that he didn't feel neglected. She pondered all of this, looking for an explanation, or maybe a solution, as she slowly made her way to the kitchen for breakfast on Saturday morning.

She was just passing by the door to Steve's office when she heard loud voices coming from inside, sounding like Steve and Sharon. She hesitantly crept closer to the closed door and tilted her head to try and hear what they were saying.

"You need to tell her Steve!" Sharon was saying, "She deserves to know what's been happening these last few weeks, who you've been going to see and why!"

"I know that Sharon! I'm just waiting for the right moment," Steve sighs deeply and she can just picture him pinching the bridge of his nose, or maybe running his hands through his hair, "I'll tell her tonight, I'll order in her favorite food, light a few of those scented candles she likes, and I'll come clean about everything. I just hope that she can forgive me for keeping secrets from her when I know how important honesty is to her..." he trails off and y/n can no longer bear to stand there listening to how Steve is planning on telling her about how he's been seeing someone else.

Clapping a hand over her mouth so that she doesn't make a sound, she creeps past the door before sprinting down the hall. She slides into the kitchen just as the first tears fall and a heartbroken sob wrenches its way from her throat. Bucky, who had been busy making pancakes in a t-shirt and sweatpants with his hair tied back in a bun, spins around with the spatula in hand to see one of his best friends crumple to the floor. He quickly tosses the spatula aside and turns the burner off, moving the pan before hurrying to her side, wrapping both arms securely around her waist as she cries into his chest.

"Doll, what's wrong? What happened?" he asks gently once most of her crying had subsided as he slowly rubs comforting circles into her back.

"I-it's Steve, he's seeing someone else," she hiccoughs as she tries to get her breathing under control.

"Are you sure?" Bucky asks, unable to believe that anyone could be unfaithful to the woman in his arms, she was quite literally the closest he's ever gotten to meeting an angel.

"I heard him and Sharon in his office. She was telling him that he had to tell me what's been going on these last few weeks, and he said that he would do it tonight. I know that I've been very busy these last few weeks, but I've always made time for him, no matter what. Did I drive him into someone else's arms?" she asks as she pulls away from her friend's hold.

"No, doll, you've been the best girlfriend anyone could ask for, and if that punk can't see how hard you're trying to make everything work, then that's his loss, not yours," he replies hotly, "I'll tell you what, give me five minutes to put the batter in the fridge and get changed then meet me in the garage and I'll take you to my favorite diner in all of Brooklyn before we spend the day getting lost in the crowds of New York."

"Okay," she agrees with another soft sniffle before getting up from the floor with Bucky's help. She goes back to her room to clean up her face, change into jeans, a t-shirt and converse, brush her hair, and grab her purse before heading down to the garage to wait for Bucky.

He's already there, twirling the keys to his Audi around his finger. "Your carriage awaits, m'lady," he says in a posh voice while offering his arm which draws out the first real laugh she's had in weeks.

"Why thank you m'lord," she responds in an equally posh voice, wrapping her arm around his as they walk to the car.

Bucky drives her to a small, hole-in-the-wall diner in Brooklyn where they both get coffee, mushroom omelets, and apple pie for breakfast and desert. Once they've paid the check they spend the day getting lost in the stores of New York, trying on ridiculous outfits and taking pictures of each other. They decide on pizza for lunch before wandering down Central Park. All in all, it's a good day, since Bucky does everything in his power to distract her thoughts from Steve, even if he really wanted to slap some sense into his childhood friend.

Once the sun has set the pair make their way back to the tower, parting in the common room with a warm hug and a promise to do a friend's day again soon. Y/N slowly makes her way back to her and Steve's apartment, every step filling her stomach with dread. She pushes the door open and cautiously steps inside. The only available light comes from the hundreds of candles that line every available surface along with delicate red rose petals while soft classical music drifts from the speakers. The coffee table and couches had been pushed out of the way to make room for the picnic spread out in the middle of the floor with Steve standing next to it looking freshly showered and incredibly soft in a grey henley and black sweatpants, his hair still damp yet fluffy.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," he says with a soft smile as he approaches her to kiss her sweetly. "I hope you're hungry because I ordered all your favorites. Did you have a good day?" he asks, taking her coat before leading her over to the picnic.

She couldn't answer around the lump forming in her throat so she merely nodded, forcing a smile.

"I have something to confess," Steve sighs once they're seated.

However before she interrupts him before he can continue, "I know where this is going, and before you say anything I want you to know that I understand completely why you did it, I've been very busy lately and I haven't been able to spend as much time with you as I should have. I'm sure that I can find a new apartment, I might just need a few days, in the meantime, I can move my stuff to one of the empty apartments so that we don't have to see each other-"

Before she can continue rambling Steve cuts her off, "What are you talking about? Why would you move? What's going on?" he asks, confused as to what she's talking about.

"I heard you and Sharon talking this morning Steve, I know that you're seeing someone else and this whole dinner is your way of telling me that we're over," she says, her tone not betraying the turmoil she feels inside.

"What?! No! That's not what this is! That's not what's going on at all!" Steve exclaims, rushing to reassure his best girl that she's the only girl for him. "I've been taking massage classes for the last three weeks because I noticed how stressed you've been with everything that's going on and I wanted to do something nice for you by giving you a massage. The reason why Sharon knows is she walked in when I was going through the course options and gave me the name of a contact who could help me. I finished the course on Wednesday and she's been bugging me to tell you ever since, but I've been stalling because I wanted it to be as perfect as you are. Sweetheart, you mean absolutely everything to me and I could never, ever cheat on you, the very idea of that makes me sick to my stomach in a way that I haven't been since the New Year's Eve party when Thor brought his friends with him!" Steve exclaims, kneeling onto his knees and cupping her face gently in his hands, kissing away the tears that had started to fall during his confession.

"Please, believe me, sweetheart," he whispers, his lips hovering above her own.

"I believe you," she nods before pushing up to meet him in a soft kiss that says more than words ever could. They spend the next few moments just basking in each other's presence before they pull away. They spend the entire dinner hand-feeding each other small bites of food and trading soft kisses.

Once all the food was gone she went into their bedroom and stripped down to her pink lace boyshorts and laid down on the bed on her stomach with her arms at her sides. Steve walked in with a small holder on different scented aromatherapy oils. He uncorked a few of them, the scent of lavender, rose and jasmine perfuming the air as he mixed them with the carrier oil before pouring some into his palms and rubbing them together to warm them up.

"Just lay back and relax, sweetheart, I promise that I'll take good care of you," he whispers in her ear before kissing the back of her neck. He started at her shoulders, his fingers digging into her soft skin to work out the knots in her muscles as she let out an appreciative groan. He slowly worked his way down her back, arms and legs before coming back up.

By the time he had finished, she was completely boneless as she lay on the bed, snoring softly. Steve let out a soft chuckle as he went to wash his hands and grab a t-shirt for her. He dressed her in the soft grey cotton before tucking her under the covers, sliding in beside her, drawing her into his arms and kissing her forehead softly. "Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispered before letting sleep overtake him.

Tags:

@mcdesij @spiderrrling @arrow-guy @interestedbystanderwrites @murdocksmartinis @gwendelerynan @here2have-fun @bookscoffeeandracoons @bambamwolf87 @loricameback @rockrchick51 @love-nakamura @baebeepeach @timelordy-fangirl2 @jewelofwinter @caramell0w @jewels2876 @ladysergeantbarnes @notawritergettingtherethough @patzammit @fanfictionjunkie1112 @lumar014 @kirstie-evans-writes @robertdowneyhiddleston @lil-lex1 @dragonrosegardens @bookgirlunicorn @shadymidge @kaithezaftig @that-place-called-middle-earth

#marvel #avengers #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes #platonic!bucky barnes x reader #fluff #angst #angst with a happy ending

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watchmegetobsessed · 5 years

Text

Running - Nick Jonas

so remember me saying that i want to write a nick jonas oneshot? well, i did lol

masterlist

The house is already buzzing when you arrive to Sophie and Joe’s place. Music is playing in the living room, the huge sliding doors are open, connecting the inside to the back yard where the trees are decorated with lanterns and fairy lights. A long table is set on the terrace, the kids are running around the pool, jumping in and out of the water while their laughter never stops.

“Y/N! Hey!” Sophie cheers when she spots you and you embrace her in a tight hug.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late, I was stuck at work,” you apologize for your delay, but she just shrugs it off.

“It’s alright, you didn’t miss anything. You want a drink?” she smiles at you pulling you to the table that is filled with different drinks.

You take a glass of wine and she does the same so you two can cheer to her birthday.

“Happy birthday, girl. Cheers to you!” You wink at her as you clink your glasses and both take a sip.

“Thank you,” she smiles happily.

“Y/N, hey! Didn’t know you’d be here!” Joe appears next to Sophie, gently putting an arm around his wife’s waist.

“Of course she is here, she is my best friend!” Sophie tells him with a not too pleased look and he quickly rephrases himself.

“I meant I didn’t know you’d make it.”

“I was just caught up at work, but I wouldn’t miss my bestie’s birthday,” you smile at Sophie bringing her smile back.

Someone calls out for the birthday girl and she excuses herself, leaving you alone with Joe.

“So how are you?” he casually asks.

“Everything is fine. Work is going great, I’m good,” you say nodding to yourself.

“That’s amazing.” He takes a sib from the Corona in his hand before clearing his throat and hitting a more confidential tone with you. “Um, you know Nick is also coming, right?”

“I figured,” you mumble into your wine glass, looking over the groups of people having fun in the backyard. “How is he doing?” you ask what’s been bugging you for a while now.

“How anyone would be doing after a divorce,” Joe scoffs. “He is keeping himself busy, tries to get himself over it. He wasn’t planning on having a one year long marriage.” He sighs sadly before turning to you, looking you in the eyes. “Maybe he’ll tell you the whole story, because I know he didn’t tell everything to us.”

“What do you mean?” you ask with a puzzled look, but in the back of your head you kind of already know the answer, you just don’t want to acknowledge it.

“You know what I mean,” he says giving you a look before his eyes move to something behind you and then back to you. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Gotta mingle with the quests,” he quickly replies before turning around and making his way to another group.

You drink your wine up and pour yourself another round before heading inside to take a quick tour to the bathroom. You need to collect your thoughts.

Knowing that you’d meet Nick any minute is just stressing you out. You haven’t seen him in months and you are not sure how you feel about him. Before things got serious between him and Priyanka you had a fling with him. Maybe it’s not the best word, but you never really addressed what it was. You went on a couple of dates, spent some very heated nights together before he kind of chickened out. He told you he needs time to think even though you didn’t force anything on him. You gave him what he asked for only to be betrayed when he started going out with Priyanka and soon married her. It was just an absolute mess for you, because he never really gave you an explanation for his actions and you felt like you at least needed a closure from him. Two months into his marriage you finally built up the courage to confront him, but it just made things worse. He told you that he just couldn’t figure out his feelings for you and didn’t have the guts to face you again, this is why he never contacted you again. Then he talked about meeting Priyanka and that he found peace next to her, which just hurt you so bad. You were falling for him and hearing him talk about another woman was just not something you could put up with. You told him how big of an asshole he is and then left, haven’t talked since. You’ve had plenty of time to think since then and you wouldn’t call him an asshole now, you can’t punish him for having feelings for someone else, but you still thought this was not the best way to deal with the situation from his side.

Then the news of his divorce started circling the internet and eventually Sophie told you that they are true, Priyanka has already moved out of their house and they filed for divorce. You never thought they would end up like this, or not at least this soon. But it surely brought up some past feelings and thoughts about him that’s been hiding in the back of your mind and now you are just not sure if you are ready to meet him again.

You splash some water to your neck to cool yourself down and fix your hair quickly before leaving the bathroom. Crossing the living room you are just about to walk outside when you see him in the hallway and you basically freeze.

“Y/N?” he calls out, slowly walking towards you as you move a bit, facing him with your body.

“Hey,” you say with a small, nervous smile on your lips. He didn’t change too much since you’ve seen him, his hair is in a longer style now and his facial hair is definitely making a statement, taking a bit away from his babyface.

He finally stops a few steps away from you, taking you in with his gaze from head to toe and you feel yourself blushing.

“What’s up?” you ask wanting him to focus on something else than your appearance. His eyes flicker up to yours.

“Not much. Just… chilling,” he shrugs and you kind of regret this question. There’s not many options in answering it, he won’t just share everything immediately with you.

“Great! Chilling is… great,” you awkwardly mumble and mentally slap yourself. You are definitely unable to communicate like an adult, but looking into his eyes you don’t see contempt, he seems more like amused by you.

“So um… I was actually hoping to talk to you tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Would you mind if we found a quieter place?”

“Sure, let’s go,” you nod in agreement and follow him down the hallway until you reach the room that’s kind of an office for Joe.

Nick closes the door and you stand at the window with your army crossed on your chest as you look back at him. He seems to be looking for the words and you just patiently wait for him to speak up.

“I guess you already heard the news about me and Pri.”

“Kind of hard not to know it,” you let out a light chuckle. This is all people has been posting about in the past month online, it’s impossible not to know. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was for the better.”

“How come?” you curiously ask.

“I…” He seems to struggle finding the right words, a shaky sigh slips out his lips. “It was too rushed, if only I waited I would have seen that it wasn’t meant to last and because we were married we tried to fight for longer than we should have. It was just… not right for us.”

“So nothing else?” You find yourself asking without even thinking about it. His eyes meet yours, and for a long moment his silence says more than any words, but you can’t decide how that makes you feel inside.

“I also came to some other conclusions,” he then finally speaks up and the butterflies in your stomach are dancing again. He tapes a few slow steps towards you, his eyes never leaving yours and it’s making your palms sweaty. He always had that special power over you, he could make you lose your mind with just one look, his charm is just simply irresistible.

“What conclusions?” you whisper, not feeling enough energy in yourself to use your voice.

He is now standing dangerously close while your mind is unable to make up a whole thought about anything.

“That I should have listened to my heart before. There was this girl that I really liked, still like,” he adds with a half-smile. “I was a fool and panicked. Thought I wouldn’t handle my feelings for her.”

“So you have feelings for her?” you ask, blinking up at him from under your lashes.

“I surely do.”

“Okay, go on with the story,” you say trying to hide your smile by biting into your lip, but it’s kind of useless.

“So I ran and hurt her by running into the arms of another woman. Which was a horrible thing to do, and I paid the price of it.”

The seductive smile fades from his lips and you feel so sorry for him. Whatever is the reason behind his divorce, it’s still hard and you’re sure he has been hurting lately. By instinct you reach up and cup his face in your hand, gently caressing his cheek as he basically melts into your touch.

“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve it.”

“I kind of did,” he whispers painfully. “But it’s alright, now I see clearer.”

“And what do you see?” you ask with a faint smile. All jokes are aside now, it’s time to play with open cards.

“I’m done with running from my feelings, Y/N. I just want to be with you after wasting so much time. I want to be with the woman I’ve been dreaming about every day in the past years.”

“Don’t say that,” you wince at his words. “Don’t make your marriage with Priyanka look like a total disaster. I don’t want to be the reason for the end of a marriage.”

“You’re not, it’s me. Because I shouldn’t have marry her in the first place when I was in love with you. I know it sounds bad, but this is the truth and she knows it too. She also made mistakes and we agreed on letting go each other to make each other happy.”

You want to throw yourself in his arms, you want to give all of you to him, but your rationality is still warning you. You can’t risk it all again if he is not in the place where you need him to be.

“What is you decide to run again? I don’t think I can take it again, Nick,” you confront him and you can tell he is hurt by your words, but you don’t regret asking it. You need to know.

“I’m done with running. I love you, I want to be with you, I want to wake up next to you, kiss you, make you breakfast, kiss you goodbye when you leave to work and then be the man you go to bed with in the evening. I want to hold you in my arms in the night and be the person you tell everything. I saw what happens when I try to fight my feelings, now I just want to give in and act up on them.”

You feel the tears building up in your eyes, it’s just impossible to contain yourself. You’ve been fantasizing about this moment for so long and it made you feel extremely guilty that you had these thoughts about a married man, but now is your time to finally live the way you want.

You hug his neck as his arms curl around your body, pulling you close to him.

“You’re such an ass that it took you so long to realize it,” you sob with a beaming smile.

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry, but I’m here now.” He chokes on his words before finally pressing his lips to yours.

It’s been so long, you almost forgot how his kisses feel, but now your toes are basically curling as both of you try to make up for the time you wasted without each other. His tongue is working perfectly against yours and you tug on his bottom lip with your teeth making him moan.

“I missed you so much,” he whispers with his forehead against yours.

“Hopefully you won’t miss me again,” you chuckle lightheartedly and he grins at you kissing your forehead before letting you go, but taking your hand in his as he pulls you towards the door, but you stop and pull him back.

“Wait, isn’t it too soon? You just filed for divorce, what will everyone say?” You worriedly ask, but he just smiles at you. He is about to reply, but before he could, a voice speaks up from the other side of the door.

“We think that it was fucking time!”

“Sophie! You just busted us!” Joe tells his wife off making you laugh. Nick throws the door open and Joe, Sophie and Kevin basically fall through it.

“Were you here all along?” Nick asks, trying to look mad, but he obviously can’t.

“We only arrived at the done with running part,” Sophie mumbles shamefully. “But… does this mean you are finally official?” she asks with bright eyes. Nick turns to me.

“From me it is. What about you babe?”

The charming smile is back on his handsome face and you just can’t get enough of him.

“It is,” you say, causing everyone to start screaming and cheering as Nick leans closer and kisses you.

#nick #jonas #nick jonas #nick jonas imagine #nick jonas fanfic #nick jonas fanfics #nick jonas fanfiction #nick jonas fanfictions #nick jonas imagines #nick jonas oneshot #nick jonas x reader

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feliannefluff · 5 years

Text

Last Song, A FeliAnne fic

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem and characters belong to the original creator

Summary: Becoming separated from the Kingdom's army after a battle during the war, Annette finds herself in dire situation, thinking about the one she loves most. In her final moments, the pure-hearted girl does what she does best. (Felix x Annette)

After doing literally 6 runs of this game and all routes, I've finally gotten around to writing a fic for my 2nd OTP of the game (the first being Dimileth). Hope ya'll enjoy

This is bad. So bad...I can't believe I really screwed this up.

Annette anxiously thought as she stumbled her way through the dark, unfamiliar woods of the Empire's territory. With each strained step forward, the redhead kicked herself as she lamented the biggest mistake she had ever made since joining the war with her companions.

The surroundings grew cold and damp as rain began falling through the tree tops, causing the ground to become muddy and slippery. Eventually, Annette found she could go no further. Her body was beyond exhaustion and hurt intensely. The female's body collapsed against a nearby tree. Annette slowly slid down into a sitting position and watched as the large drops of rain poured down.

If I hadn't forgotten part of the Professor's plan and followed my unit to the east instead of west, I wouldn't have gotten separated. I really am...such a klutz...

Tears sprung to Annette's eyes as she balled her hand into a fist and shoved it into the dirt. As she did, the beautiful sparkling ring on her finger became coated in mud.

"Oh no...!" She shouted, immediately realizing what she had just done. Annette used her other hand to dig around in her pocket in search of a handkerchief. Pulling out the piece of cloth, the clumsy girl began tentatively rubbing it against the ring's surface.

With only a few seconds, the ring was as good as new, thankfully. Annette breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, thank the Goddess. Leave it to me to immediately mess up the ring he just gave me...Annette let out a half laugh as she forced a smile, Really, I can't believe myself sometimes.

Annette ran her fingers along the ring's pretty gem that reflected her face in it as she looked at it. Her somewhat pained grin transformed into a happy one as she thought of the man who had given the ring only a month ago. While the two of them had been dating since their reunion at Garreg Mach, the actual proposal had come as a complete shock. Though the happiness she received from it certainly out-wayed the surprise.

Annette shut her eyes and let the memory of that day she received the jewelry play back in her mind.

"Marry me."

Annette dropped the watering can she'd been holding, sending a bunch of water spilling everywhere. In sync with this, the girl's mouth also fell agape while the rest of her face went blank.

"Eh? W-What?" The somewhat air-headed girl found her sight falling down at the box being presented to her by her boyfriend, Felix Hugo Fraldarius. Unable to find the right words to respond with in the moment, Annette simply mumbled nervously, "F-Felix, I d..."

"What, you don't want to? Tch." As usual, Felix's voice was stern and somewhat cold. The heir to the Fraldarius house let out an annoyed sigh before turning away, trying to hide his red face, "Forget I said anything then. See you." Was all the man said as he began to take his leave.

Annette felt her surprise turn into instant panic when she saw him walk away. Without even thinking it through, she quickly grabbed hold of Felix's arm, followed by giving the limb a hard yank. The force pulled Felix back towards Annette, and before the two realized, the couple was on the floor with Felix on top. Both of the Blue Lion member's faces turned redder than Edelgard's armor.

"W-What the hell was that for?!" Felix shouted, feeling far more embarrassed now than a few moments ago.

"Because you were about to leave! I had to stop you!"

"Y-Yeah, I was, because you obviously didn't like the ring, woman!"

Annette shook her head dramatically, "T-That wasn't the reason, Felix! I was just shocked. I mean, who just pulls out a proposal in the middle of tending the greenhouse?"

The tsundere warrior clenched his teeth like that of an angry wolf as his cheeks blushed even brighter, "I knew I shouldn't have listened to that dumbass..."

By 'dumbass', Annette could only surmise that her boyfriend was referring to their house's famous playboy Sylvain Jose Gautier.

The couple removed themselves from the floor and turned away, both of them too flustered to know what to say to the other next. However, the silence only lasted a few minutes before Felix gathered up what little was left of his courage to voice his thoughts,

"Look, I get it, all right. I realize better than anyone that I'm not the best choice for a husband. Hell, even I don't think that role suits a warrior like me." Felix groaned while running fingers through his strewn about bangs, "I mean, before I met you, Annette, I never planned on marrying anyone, even for the sake of continuing my family's line. When I first started at the academy, I only wanted to grow stronger. I had no interest at all of taking a partner or doing the cliche things any son of a noble family has to do. But now, things are...different."

Annette parted her lips to say something but her boyfriend placed his fingertip to her mouth to stop her.

Felix's beautiful red orbs trembled as he let out every honest feeling he had, "We've been going out since basically the Blue Lion's reunion. I just thought, that, given the recent events during this goddess forsaken war...and since I'm the one who will have to carry on my family's house since my idiot of a father's gone...a-and since I..c-care about...you, I figured if I had to take a wife, then..."

Annette felt her heartbeat speed up as she observed the precious sight that was a nervous, stuttering Felix. This moment was just as endearing the last time he'd gone into this state, which was ironically the day he confessed to liking her, which had also taken place in the very same greenhouse they stood in now.

Also just like before, Felix ended up becoming so overloaded with his feelings that he suddenly cut himself out and shouted, "Damn it, just forget it, okay! I don't have a frickin' clue what I'm even saying anymore!"

As the dark-haired man made yet another attempt to flee, Annette responded once more with reaching out to him. However, instead of grabbing his arm, she pulled Felix into the tightest hug her tiny body could manage.

"I'll marry you."

"Huh?" Felix looked down at Annette who was peering up at him like an adorable kitten. The only words the embarrassed man could respond with, were, "...You will?"

"W-Well, I do love you too, so o-of course I will!" Annette lowered her face so that her orange bangs fell over her eyes, "I'm sorry, I never meant to make it seem like I rejected you. I was just so...shocked. I guess I've just been having too much fun lately, with us spending all our free days together that I never imagined anything would change." The sweet-hearted girl closed any remaining distance between the two of them. She then rested her chin onto Felix's shoulder lovingly, "Except, I do have one condition. Is that okay?"

Felix, still at a loss, simply returned the hug and whispered back, "What is it...?"

"The next free day we get, you have to help me with writing my newest song."

Felix's gaze fell into his love's as she flashed him one of her famous angelic smiles. Without even realizing he was doing it, the tsundere responded with his rare kind smirk that he only ever showed her when they were alone, "O-okay, sure. What song will it be this time? More swamp besties, or maybe a sequel to the library piece?"

Annette's smile deepened as her boyfriend continued to excitedly press for details about the song. Though he didn't know it yet, Annette had the most perfect idea for this song than any of her past works. And she knew once it was finished, Felix would be happier than he ever had been listening to the other songs.

Ahh...that's right. We never got to...finish it...

A thick stream of red flowed down Annette's chin as she came back into contact with realty. Slowly, she raised her left hand to admire the ring again. However, this time, the sight of the lovely jewelry was blurred and hard to make out.

Hot tears fell as Annette tried to calm her breathing, feeling a disturbing feeling rise from within her.

"It'll be okay. I may be too weak to use any of my white magic to heal, and I've also run out of all my concoctions the Professor had given me before the battle, but..."

The sight of Felix's handsome features flashed through Annette's mind in time with a bit of lightning that struck near where she rested. The loud sound of thunder crackling was drowned out in Annette's mind by her love's voice repeating things he'd said to her over their time together,

"You have nice footwork."

"I can't forget. It's permanently etched into my memory."

"If you blow up the library, where will we put the books?"

"You shouldn't dance up there, you could fall."

"What, you're not going to sing anymore?"

"It's like I'm your captive. I hear you sing whenever I'm asleep, or on the battlefield..."

"Sing for me, please Annette?"

The light in Annette's eyes soon became as gray as the sky overhead as she listened to her memories carefully. With each second, she could feel her consciousness begin to fade. So an idea came to mind.

Using the last bit of energy remaining within her, Annette pulled out her magic grimoire and cast a spell she had recently learned in secret back in the Garreg Mach library. Though it was her first time really using the spell, she was sure it would work. After mumbling an incantation, a clear orb of light appeared in midair. Annette stared into the orb, watching her reflection in the orb's clear surface.

He never...got to hear the finished version...and knowing Felix, I'm sure he'll be super angry if he doesn't get to listen to it just once.

Despite the fact that Annette's body had lost all feeling and ability to move now, she pushed herself with everything she had to flash one goofy grin at the orb. Her blood-stained lips then parted as she began to sing.

"Hey, you hear something?"

Two Imperial soldiers walked along the woods, set on the task to find any remaining enemies still sneaking around.

"No, do you?" The second Imp asked his comrade who seemed to be looking off in a specific direction.

"Call me crazy, but I swear I hear a girl singing. It's coming from over here..."

The two followed the sound until, just as the first soldier had stated- a girl came into sight before them. Her voice was hoarse and weak. The singing had gotten much quieter too in the short time it had taken the Imps to discover her. The men approached the tree, both drawing their swords as they did so. The singing immediately stopped as the dying woman looked up at them with eyes as dead as a fish's.

"Tch, this bitch is totally finished. Just look at that disgusting face over hers."

"She's probably a stray from that damned Kingdom army. Just finish her and we can go back home."

The first soldier leered down at her as he raised his sword. Weapon ready to strike its final blow, the man asked the girl, "Any last words, you brat?"

She watched both men for a minute, her expression still and unshaken. For a moment, the soldiers wondered if she'd already bit the dust. However, without warning, a weak smile found itself across the girl's face. A shaking arm covered in bruises and crimson reached out to one of the men.

The Imps just exchanged looks and shook their heads in disgust. His patience completely gone by this point, the soldier brought down his sword. As he did, the girl's voice could just barely be heard as the steel of the weapon slashed through her flesh.

"Well...did you like the song...Felix...?"

The sound of her body falling into the mud was drowned out as the rain pounded down harder than it had. The only thing that could be heard after was the sound of two cackling males.

"Felix, slow down! If you keep charging through enemy territory like this, we'll get sniped before we can ever find her!"

"Shut the hell up, Sylvain! Finding her is more important than anything else right now!"

The two distressed childhood friends rode through the last place their fellow comrades had seen Annette before she'd gotten separated from the army.

"J-Just calm down, man! It's bad enough you cursed his Highness and Teach out before stealing one of the army's horses and..."

"I SAID TO SHUT UP!"

Sylvain had basically lived his entire life being screamed at by Felix. Their entire relationship really was just 99% of the grouchy male shouting at the playboy. However, the way Felix had shrieked at him just now was unlike any of the other times. Felix's voice was beyond cracking, almost as if he were choking back the urge to cry from the fear he was currently experiencing.

From the moment Byleth had informed their class of Annette's missing whereabouts, Felix had become an entirely different person. Honestly, his disposition was reminiscent of Dimitri's wild behavior from a month prior.

Deciding to remain quiet, the son of the Gautier house continued riding behind Felix. It didn't take long before they finally reached the place they had set out for. Though what they discovered there, was far from anything the two had hoped for.

"Oh shit..." Sylvain choked out as he and Felix dismounted their horses.

Felix's face that had been full of panic and anger a moment ago was now overtaken with a mix of horror and sorrow as he took in the disturbing sight by a tree in the forest's center.

"Ah..." Felix stumbled through a mix of dirt and blood on the ground over to a figure lying motionless on the ground. With each inch closer the usually stoic man got to the scene, his heart clenched painfully. Eventually, Felix made it over so he could get a clear view of the sight. For a moment, he just stood still. Looking down at the body, he noticed a bloody ring shimmering up at him.

Sylvain swallowed hard while he waited Felix to voice their worst fears. However, when Felix stood motionless for a solid two minutes, the redhead became concerned and tried to call out to his best friend. As Felix's name left Sylvain's mouth, another bolt of lightning flashed- lighting up every part of the dark scenery around them. Time itself seemed to come to a stop for only a second. In the lit up area, Sylvain felt his breath leave him when his eyes caught sight of Annette laying there at Felix's feet, her face lifeless as could be. As the lightning finished striking, Felix fell to his knees. As he did, the tie holding his long hair back snapped. Black locks flew around and then coated over Felix's face. His mind shutting down, Felix's body began moving on its arms took hold of Annette's breathless body. Holding her close, Felix ran fingers along his fiance's ice cold cheeks. He pushed some straying hairs out of her still opened eyes as his hallow ones stared down at her.

"...Sorry...for being late..." Felix's voice was disturbingly calm as he spoke. His head fell against Annette's own, "I've been late the last several times during our cleaning duties lately too...you'll have to scold me later, won't you..." Though his eyes held no emotion in them anymore, beads of water formed in their corners, "...Annette..."

Sylvain turned away from the scene, partially to give his best friend some privacy but also because his own heart could barely take this scene.

"Why the hell did this have to happen to her of all people...Damn the Empire..." Slyvain shut his eyes painfully as he lamented everything about this situation. Of all the horrors their class had witnessed in this awful war, this was by far the worst. After some time, the rain finally let up. Noticing the change, Sylvain decided the next course of action they should take. He slowly made his way over to Felix who was still holding Annette in silence.

Placing a hand onto Felix's shoulder, Sylvain spoke, "Hey, Felix...I think we should start heading ba-" But the red haired male was cut off mid-sentence when the corner of his eye caught something odd shining from the ground nearby. Walking over to it, he picked up what appeared to be a sphere of some sort.

"What the hell is this...? An enemy's weapon they dropped, or...?" In an attempt to discover what the item was, Slyvain began messing around with the orb in hand. After pressing a finger to a certain spot, the orb suddenly glowed more brightly. A moment later, Annette's smiling face could be seen mirrored in the sphere's center.

"F-Felix, look!"

Hesitant to listen to anything at this point, said male reluctantly looked back. His red eyes widened greatly when he spotted the face of his love reflecting from the sphere in his friend's hand.

"What..."

Before the two men could say anything else, Annette's voice echoed from the object and her face began moving as if she were still alive before them,

"Hi, Felix. If you're watching this, than, uh...I may...already be gone. I'm casting a special spell so I can make sure I show you something special, just in case...you don't...make it here in ti-"

The sphere showed Annette hacking up blood before she continued. Both Felix and Sylvain watched in agony as the recording continued.

"S-Sorry about that! You know me, Felix, I'm such a klutz. I kinda...got into some trouble after getting separated from the others, so please don't mind my, ...appearance, okay? Hee hee."

Felix's vision blurred intensely as he kept watching the last moments of Annette from the sphere.

Anyway, I didn't ever get to show you the finished song. You know, the one we came up with together. I made some changes to it without telling you, and I wanted you to hear it. I think you'll really like this one. Be sure to let me know what you think, okay? Remember Felix, I won't forgive you if you don't tell me how you feel about it afterwards! Oh, and..." Annette paused before bringing up her hands in an apology gesture, "I never made a dance to go along with this one. Sorry about that...I know how much you loved my footwork after all. But to make up for the lack of dance, I-I put in extra love! Oh, geez, that actually sounded way less cheesy in my head...Uh, anyways...here it goes. I hope you enjoy it, Felix!"

Annette's face brightened as her took in a deep breath. A second later, her beautiful singing sounded out.

The song was unlike anything Felix had ever heard from her. It was as cutesy and happy as any of her others, but the her voice went to a different level when it sung this number. The lyrics spoke of her feelings for him and the future she was excited to share with Felix once the war was finally over. Though the song only lasted a moment before the recording finally cut out, the music touched to his very core. Unable to hold himself back any longer, Felix dropped to the ground again and took hold of Annette's body. As the lyrics of her song ran through his mind, the sound of his pained sobs drowned out everything else. Meanwhile, Sylvain walked back over to the horses and turned his eyes towards the sky. How cruel and how ironic the sky looked overhead. It had been pouring since the moment the battle against the Empire started but now it was free of clouds and showing the first sight of the sun peering down at them.

...That sky...it's a lot like Annette herself. Bright and free of any dark at all. I wonder if she's watching us from up there with the Goddess...

Sylvain buried his head against the neck of his horse as he too let his emotions overcome him.

Meanwhile, Felix still clung to Annette. As he did, his low voice could be heard singing back the song Annette had performed in the magic sphere.

As the song repeated over and over, the ring on Felix's finger clenched against Annette's.

By a strange turn of fate, two very different people met at the Officer's Academy five years ago. The two were polar opposites in near every way but despite this, the two found joy in each other's company. Though their future together had been ripped away, the Blue Lions would never forget the love that had been shared between their powerful warrior and pure angel.

Author's Comments: Let me just say one thing...I apologize for the abrupt end of this. I do think I wanna write one more chapter to this but my brain just gave out at the end here and I couldn't think of any more so I'm very sorry *bows*

I also apologize for not actually writing out Annette's song. I so very wanted to but Annette has such a unique song style and I can't write songs for crap any ways. Though if any one is willing to come up with one, I'll be more than happy to include and credit you in the next chapter.

I bet you guys are wondering just how TF I'm gonna write another chapter after this major angst, so I'll give you a hint: Byleth's powers. That's all I'm gonna say.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading. Please, please, PLEASE leave a review if you enjoyed and what you hope to see in the next chapter. Feedback is very appreciated

#felix hugo fraldarius #annette dominic #fire emblem three houses #fanfic #felix x annette #felianne #felix #annette #angst #fe3h #fe #fire emblem #sylvain gautier

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cleoxortiz · 4 years

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𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐨.

( cindy kimberly, cis female ) hey ! have you seen CLEO ORTIZ around ? SHE works as a BARTENDER at big bear resort, but they must be off their shift by now. well, if you do see them can you let me know ? they’re 22 years old & they’ve been working here for TWO WEEKS. they tend to be AMBITIOUS & AUDACIOUS, but can also be VEXING & HUBRISTIC. the other employees have labeled them THE HELLKITE. thanks a lot ! ( the sound of stilettos against marble floors, a menacing smile worn on red lips, the glimmering lights of the manhattan skyline, a silent eye-roll that cuts deeper than words ) [ jocey, 23, est, she/her ]

it’s ya girl jocey and i’m so excited for all the fluffy holiday cUTeNesS! apologizing in advance for the terror that is cleo. she is truly the worst™. but i love the grinch stole christmas, so y’kNOW WHAT? this felt v fitting ok sdkgkgjk. so hit that subscribe like button if ya wanna plot & we can chitty chat on discord!

name : cleo valentina ortiz age : twenty-one sexuality : pansexual hometown : new york city, new york job : bartender at the avalanche pub

━ the ortiz’s didn’t always have a net worth of millions. with humble beginnings in catalonia, spain, the family moved to america a couple generations ago to expand their winery business. it was only then did the family-run business grow by producing, shipping and selling their premium wine brand. eventually they got into the nightlife entertainment business as well, through acquiring and running several bars, clubs and lounges all around america.

━ as the second and youngest child born to miguel and selena, it was never in the books for cleo to take over the family business. a traditional man, her father had always groomed her older brother, adrian, to be his successor. her father’s bias always left her feeling bitter and resentful, and only drove her ambitions and determination to prove him wrong. the more he kept her at arm’s length, the more driven she was to find an in.

━ unfortunately, her mother, a socialite/philanthropist herself, also had different plans for cleo - something along the lines of becoming a debutante and her daughter following in her footsteps. from being forced into piano lessons, ballet and etiquette classes, she absolutely despised the person her family wanted to mold her into. both stubborn in wanting to get their way, cleo and her mother’s differences pulled their mother-daughter relationship further and further apart.

━ even her mom’s passing when she was 14 did little to change cleo’s opinion in the matter. she claimed she didn’t care about the woman’s death, nor did it affect her whatsoever, and she will gladly tell anyone that. but the fact that she currently attended columbia university, her mom’s alma mater, may hint at something different.

━ a hustler with an alpha bitch mentality, she’s always outsmarting people and outsmarting the system to get things to work in her favour. and when that didn’t work, no one could ever say no to a big fat wad of cash. because cleo ortiz never loses. she doesn’t just play the game, she owns it, makes the rules and wins. every. damn. time. does she think she’s better than everyone? without a doubt. does she care about anyone other than herself? not a chance. if it ever appeared that she did, then chances are, it’s only to benefit herself somehow.

━ cleo swears by the belief that playing by the rules was for suckers and if you weren’t the best, then you were nothing at all. and sometimes being the best required playing dirty. if she has to ruin someone else’s life to get her way, then she will gladly pour a jug of gasoline, light a match and enjoy watching it go up in flames. hell, more often than not, she’ll do that just purely for her own enjoyment. because if she has to be bitter and miserable, then why shouldn’t everyone else be too?

━ with that mentality, it’s no surprise that cleo came up with a scheme to sabotage her father’s newest business deal with the owner of big bear resort. the ortiz family had been vacationing there since she was little, so it was only right that they expanded their business roots there as well. unfortunately, cleo screwed herself over with her own ambition and the scheme more or less blew up in her face.

━ in an attempt to salvage the partnership, cleo was given an ultimatum - work at the resort, or face the legal repercussions and risk losing her trust fund. she didn’t have to think twice about which option to go with. working at the resort would just give her twice as many opportunities to sabotage the deal, yet again. and this time, she didn’t plan on leaving until she succeeded. the only minor obstacle was having to actually work while she was here, but how hard could bartending be, right??

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

BEST FRIEND ━ someone who can put up with cleo’s awfulness, or maybe they’re just as awful as she is. this is probably one of the few people she’s actually relatively soft for ( not that she’d ever admit it ), will always have their back & will probably? let her guard down for. gimme some soft bestie feels for this cold bitch. taken by kieran rhodes, caleb xu PARTNER-IN-CRIME ━ i’m sure even satan has a little devil on his shoulder, so cleo needs one too. basically they like to stir up all kinds of trouble together, both fueling each other’s vices. taken by ian moon, harper delgado MORAL CONSCIENCE ━ does cleo even have a moral compass? your guess is as good as mine. this is someone she is more likely to listen to and could try to sway her from doing, y’know, ~*just cleo things*~. kind of like the angel on her shoulder. often tries to get her to just be a decent human being. the cindy lou to her grinch if you will LOL?? taken by aylie greer BAD INFLUENCE ━ someone cleo is a bad influence on. she’s the little devil on their shoulder and manipulates convinces them to do ~*just cleo things*~ with her. after all, she needs to entertain herself somehow while she’s stuck here esgjdgkgk. taken by claire beauvard ON/OFF ━ they’ve been in this on-and-off relationship for what’s felt like forever and they have their moments, but didn’t always get along. despite that, they just keep coming back to each other for their own reasons. taken by marco di angelo ENEMIES ━ homegirl can piss off a lot of people just for shits and giggles, nor does she care to be likeable and personable, so i’m sure she’s got a hella long list of enemies/people she rubs the wrong way. also people she’s sabotaged, fucked over and manipulated to get her way? plz. taken by kamille osman, theodora kwon CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ━ they’ve known each other since they were kids, probably met when cleo’s family visited big bear. they can still be friendly, not get along at all, or maybe it’s an ex-friend situation. UNWANTED CHILD ━ cleo somehow ended up being this person’s very reluctant mom friend. she hates it, she does not want to deal with them, and yet she’ll still go pick up their drunk ass at 4am. she’s all about tough love, so while she may be super harsh and hard on them, she does it because she cares ( not that she’d ever actually admit to caring ). taken by leo takanashi UNLIKELY/ACCIDENTAL FRIENDS ━ they shouldn’t get along, but somehow they just do and their friendship works. not typically someone cleo would see herself being friends with, but one way or another, an accidental friendship of sorts developed. taken by callie macdermot, nadia perez, ivan anderson MUTUAL ANNOYANCE ━ they annoy each other to no end and just live for pushing each other’s buttons. not quite a hatred, but some days, it’s pretty darn close. maybe there’s some sexual tension involved cuz that’s always the good shiet. taken by axel schaefer HOOK-UPS/FWBS ━ self-explanatory. a girl’s got needs. whether she actually likes you as a person or not, if you’re hot, then you’ll do the job. rip why is she like this. we can make it angsty or not because tbh cleo can be pretty possessive sometimes, so y’knOW. taken by roman walsh

okay, that’s all i can think of off the top of my head. some plots i’m open for multiple characters to fill, unless it has been crossed out. and ofc, i’m always open to new ideas too!

#bigbearintro #intro. ( cleo ortiz. )

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zcvczx · 4 years

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𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐳𝐨.

*/ EMILY RATAJKOWSKI , 23 , CIS FEMALE , SHE/HER . i just watched dean matthews pull zoyenka voznesensky into his office. maybe it has something to do with them being a member of phi alpha phi. yeah, i spoke to zo a few times. they’re a senior studying business administration. apparently they’re from new york city, new york. maybe that’s why they’re so vexing and audacious, i don’t know, man. all i know is they’re always listening to needed me by rihanna. / jocey , 23, est, she/her .

ayyyye ya girl is back with her second bby, zo. apologizing in advance for the terror that is zoyenka. she is truly the worst™. hit that like button & i’ll slide into dem dms real quick.

name : zoyenka voznesensky ( will not acknowledge you if you can’t pronounce her name. true story. ) nickname : zo age : twenty-three sexuality : pansexual hometown : new york city, new york chapter : phi alpha phi major : business administration extracurriculars : cheerleading ( base ), dance team, mock trial

━ the voznesensky’s didn’t always have a net worth of millions. with humble beginnings in saint petersburg, russia, the family moved to america a couple generations ago to expand their distillery business. it was only then did the family-run business grow by producing, shipping and selling their premium vodka brand and maybe some other less than legal products too. eventually they got into the nightlife entertainment business as well, through acquiring and running several bars, clubs and lounges on the east coast.

━ as the second and youngest child born to dimitri and natalia, it was never in the books for zoyenka to take over the family business. a traditional man, her father had always groomed her older brother, alek, to be his successor. her father’s bias always left her feeling bitter and resentful, and only drove her ambitions and determination to prove him wrong. the more he kept her at arm’s length, the more driven she was to find an in.

━ unfortunately, her mother, a socialite/philanthropist herself, also had different plans for her - something along the lines of debutante and her daughter following in her footsteps. from being forced into piano lessons, ballet and etiquette classes, zo absolutely despised the person her family wanted to mold her into. the only things she didn’t mind as much were the gymnastics and language lessons ( russian, french, spanish & italian ). both stubborn in wanting to get their way, their differences pulled their mother-daughter relationship further and further apart.

━ even her mom’s passing when she was 12 did little to change zo’s opinion in the matter. she didn’t care about the woman’s death, nor did it affect her whatsoever, and she will gladly tell anyone that. but the fact that she accepted her offer at NEU and pledged phi alpha, her mom’s sorority, may hint at something different. despite now being a part of greek life, she still doesn’t buy into any of the sisterhood crap and thinks it’s all just a load of BS. but of course, that didn’t stop her from wanting to be president, if only for the power.

━ a hustler with an alpha bitch mentality, she’s always outsmarting people and outsmarting the system to get things to work in her favour. and when that didn’t work, no one could ever say no to a big fat wad of cash. because zoyenka voznesensky never loses. she doesn’t just play the game, she owns it, makes the rules and wins. every. damn. time. does she think she’s better than everyone? without a doubt.

━ zo swears by the belief that playing by the rules was for suckers and if you weren’t the best, then you were nothing at all. and sometimes being the best required playing dirty. if she has to ruin someone else’s life to get her way, then she will gladly pour a jug of gasoline, light a match and enjoy watching it go up in flames. hell, sometimes she’ll do that just purely for her own enjoyment.

━ with that mentality, it’s no surprise that zo was on track to becoming phi alpha’s president. but it was also her ambition that screwed herself over in the end. last year, an all too eager zo wanted a quick loophole to move from vice president to president because she just didn’t want to wait another year. so, she framed the then-president for stealing funds from the sorority, but was consequently busted, removed as VP and put on probation.

━ after that debacle, zo decided to do an exchange program in france for a semester, as a way to escape the aftermath. now she’s back with her head held high, still one month on probation, and ready to move on. but then again, why take the high road when the low road is so much more chaotic and fun? her presidency was already taken from her, so what else was there to lose?

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

BEST FRIEND ━ someone who can put up with zo’s awfulness, or maybe they’re just as awful as she is. this is probably one of the few people she’s actually relatively soft for ( not that she’d ever admit it ) and will always have their back. possibly even one of the few people she’ll ever let her guard down for. gimme some soft bestie feels for this cold bitch. taken by minka kellar ( little ), kieran rhodes, alana brooks SISTERS, I GUESS ━ zo really does not give af about all this sisterhood crap and she just doesn’t buy into any of it. but there’s bound to be a couple of phi alpha girls who have grown on her over time. perhaps someone she pledged with? she’d never admit it, but she would give a bitch the smackdown if they tried to mess with them. taken by hannah maddison MORAL CONSCIENCE ━ does zo even have a moral compass? your guess is as good as mine. this is someone she is more likely to listen to and could try to sway her from doing, y’know, ~*just zo things*~. kind of the angel on her shoulder? often tries to get her to be nicer and overall be a decent human being. taken by garrett shepherd BAD INFLUENCE ━ i’m sure even satan has a little devil on his shoulder, so zo needs one too. though more likely than not, zo’s that little devil. basically they like to stir up all kinds of trouble together, either with her egging the other person on or they both fuel each other’s bad habits. taken by lennon winter, kamelya tansel EXES ━ either she dumped him/her, or she was dumped ( in which case, rip my friend ). maybe there are some lingering feelings. maybe she’s still hella soft for them. could be interesting if they’re very different from zo and that’s why it didn’t work out despite the chemistry or whatever. and/or the relationship ended when she abruptly left for her exchange program. ENEMIES ━ ho’boy. homegirl can piss off a lot of people just for shits and giggles, nor does she care to be likeable and personable, so i’m sure she’s got a hella long list of enemies/people she rubs the wrong way. also people she’s sabotaged, fucked over and manipulated to get her way? plz. taken by leticia viterra CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ━ pretty self-explanatory. they’ve known each other since they were kids and their parents are likely friends. maybe their moms were in phi alpha together. they can be close, or not get along at all, or maybe even an ex-friend situation. taken by alexandria boss UNWANTED CHILD ━ zo somehow ended up being this person’s very reluctant mom friend. she hates it, she does not want to deal with them, and yet she’ll still go pick up their drunk ass at 4am. she’s all about tough love, so while she may be super harsh and hard on them, she does it out of love and because she cares. not that she’d ever actually admit to caring. taken by noelle faust UNLIKELY/ACCIDENTAL FRIENDS ━ they shouldn’t get along, but somehow, they just do and their friendship works. not typically someone zo would see herself being friends with, but somehow an accidental friendship of sorts developed. taken by lincoln hayes MUTUAL ANNOYANCE ━ they annoy each other to no end and just live for pushing each other’s buttons. not quite a hatred, but some days, it’s pretty darn close. maybe there’s some sexual tension involved cuz that’s always the good shiet. taken by sydney marco ( roommate ), zane wancosh HOOK-UPS/FLINGS/FWBS ━ self-explanatory. a girl’s got needs. whether she actually likes you as a person or not, if you’re hot, then you’ll do the job. rip why is she like this. we can make it angsty or not because tbh zo can be pretty possessive sometimes, so y’knOW.

okay, that’s all i can think of off the top of my head. some plots i’m open for multiple characters to fill, unless it has been crossed out. and ofc, i’m always open to new ideas too!

#neu.intro #intro. ( zo voznesensky. )

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thdorkmagnet · 4 years

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Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 26: Making Amends

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: Tom and Pony are trying to make up with Star, but the blond won’t even give them the time of day. So they instead go to the one person who can possibly get her to listen, a certain hoodie-wearing Mewman.

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

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“What are we gonna do?” Tom exclaimed in worry, frustratingly pacing back and forth around his room, leaving a trail of flames in his wake. “It's been weeks and she's still not talking to us. She hasn't answered any of our calls or even tried to reach out to us in any way. I know Star's mad, but I figured she'd be at least trying to make up with us by now,” the boy continued, his voice a nervous whine, looking far more vulnerable than he would normally allow himself to show.

He turned to his companion for support, but Pony Head didn't look nearly as concerned by their friend's cold treatment, looking more interested in trying to stay cool than their failing friendship. Her tongue was sticking out and sweat was pouring off of her as she lay next to a tiny fan which blew a small stream of air onto her hot face. “Pony Head are you even listening?” Tom asked in annoyance.

“Yeah, I'm trying, but it's kinda hard when I'm literally burning alive over here,” Pony snapped. “Is there no way for you to turn the heat down a little or something?”

“No, in case you forgot, this is the Underworld, it's supposed to be this way,” Tom replied, crossing his arms across his chest angrily.

“You need to work on getting your hands onto some air conditioning, boy,” Pony said, snarkily.

“Pony, focus!” Tom yelled with narrowed eyes, his cheek flames burning out of control and his eyes flashing red for half a second. “We have a serious problem on our hands! Star still hates us, remember?”

“Ohh, yeah and that, like, doesn't even make any sense because I'm so lovable,” Pony said sadly, a pouting look on her face. “I even sent over her favorite food: candy casserole and she sent it back and even beat up the person I sent or whatever.”

Tom was shocked by this at first, until a thought occurred to him. “Wait,” he began suspiciously. “You didn't use the ransomgram creature to deliver it to her, did you?”

Pony was silent for a moment, just laying there in silence, and Tom face-palmed. “Geez Pony, really,” he sighed, running his hand down his face.

“Oh whatever, I don't see you doing much better, hot head!” Pony shouted defensively.

Tom growled, pointing an accusing finger at his friend, “ Yeah well your the one who said Star would come around on her own and yet here we are. No Star.”

The two glared at one another for a moment, their tempers almost as intense as the temperature of the room. Almost. Finally, Tom seemed to get a hold of himself, taking in a deep calming breath, before saying in a still slightly irritated tone, “This isn't getting us anywhere. Us being at each other's throats isn't going to bring Star back.”

“Agreed,” Pony said. She got a mischievous look on her face, as she sneakily said, “What we really need is someone on the inside. Someone who can convince Star to give us another chance.”

“Yeah, like who?” Tom asked.

“Like that one girl that's always wearing that beanie,” Pony suggested.

Tom's cheeks flushed, his eyes widening as he quickly squeaked out, “Nope.” He cleared his throat, before continuing, “No way, th-that's a bad idea. We should keep Janna as far away from me- I-I mean us, as possible.”

Pony raised an eyebrow, saying teasingly, “Hoo, someone's got it baaaaddd.”

“I-I don't know what your talking about,” Tom said, averting his eyes from his friend, trying to will down his blushing cheeks, rubbing at the back of his neck. He coughed once, awkwardly, before continuing, “It's just that she's totally unpredictable. We can't trust her with something this important.”

“Uh huh,” Pony said in disbelief, a taunting smile still on her lips. “And you're sure it has nothing to do with the fact that she kissed you at the Blood Moon Ball?”

The boy's eyes widened. “What?! How did you know about that?”

“I didn't till just now,” Pony replied, looking as annoying as ever. The boy growled, knowing Pony would never let him live that down and he had several years of merciless teasing to look forward to because of it. “Can we just focus on Star, please?” the boy demanded, between clenched teeth.

Pony actually did let it slide (for now), saying, “Yeah well, if we ain't using Janna, then we're gonna need someone even closer to her. Someone she trusts. Someone she listens to... and someone who is easy to convince.” She emphasized the last part, giving her friend a long, knowing look, trying to silently indicate the person they both knew fit that description perfectly.

Tom stared at her for only a second before groaning loudly. “Really, him! Why him?”

“Why not?” Tom didn't answer that and Pony slyly added, “C'mon, it's the only way we're going to get out bestie back and you know it.”

Tom sighed in frustration, before harshly arguing, “There's no way he would even listen to us after what happened!”

“You just leave that to me, I'll lay on some of my charm, no boy can resist that.” Pony flipped her sweaty mane vainly.

Tom said nothing, instead just crossing his arms over his chest, an iron gaze in his eyes showing no sign of agreeing, prompting Pony to emphasis, “Ya know she listens to him. She chose him over us, remember. We get him on our side, we get Star too.”

Tom's stony gaze softened, before he finally muttered, “Fine, you win.”

…

“See you, Higgs,” Marco called waving goodbye to the young knight for the day after a long and intense training session.

“Later loser,” Higgs shouted back, a playful smirk on her face. “Try not to trip on any ladybugs on the way back.”

Marco chuckled a little, knowing she was just messing with him. He was used to this by now, finally beginning to understand how Beard Deer and Janna operated. “I'll try!” he yelled, before the girl disappeared back into the training room with the rest of her fellow knights. Though it wasn't as fancy as the one in Valhalla, the two hadn't dared to try returning there, not with General Skullnick lurking about.

The boy made his way back to the castle, following the dirt path with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. He was in a great mood today, his training had gone well, only getting knocked down a couple of times instead of the near dozen he usually did and his body only slightly sore, instead of the all-over ache from before. Higgs had even complimented the boy on how quickly he was learning, which had caused the boy to grin like wild and try and give her a thankful hug which she stopped, her cheeks for some reason flushed red as she once again reminded him no hugs.

Marco hummed a little tune that ran through his head as he continued down the path without a care in the world, lost deep in tranquil thoughts. But the peace was short-lived as, without warning, a spire of fire burst up from the ground directly in front of him. The boy naturally screamed and jumped back to avoid being burned alive, staring at the flames in shock and awe, wondering what could have caused such a thing to happen so suddenly. He cocked his head to the side, feeling the intense heat on his skin, but not moving back anymore since he was a safe enough distance away from it.

As Marco continued his contemplation, a purple hand suddenly shot out from the flames grabbing the boy by the front of his hood and the teen squeaked in surprise. He was pulled forward into the flames and the hooded teen raised up his arms to try and shield himself from the white hot pain that was probably about to follow. But just as he was about to be engulfed in fire they parted just enough to allow the boy through without ending up with third-degree burns.

Realizing his flesh wasn't being melted off, or feeling any form of pain whatsoever in fact, Marco blinked his eyes open. He reeled back in shock by the sight he saw, now in a completely new location and face-to-face with the frowning face of Tom Lucitor, all three eyes glowing red. “Tom?” Marco managed to squeak out.

“We need to talk,” was all the hot-headed boy replied.

…

The atmosphere in the cafe was light and pleasant, as all the patrons enjoyed their lunches, chatting happily with their friends, while the waitresses and waiters flowed energetically between each of the tables, serving their guests with a smile. But at one table near the center of the restaurant, this welcoming atmosphere was all but lost on the three, who merely sat there in an awkward silence. Marco looked between his two lunchmates in confusion, he still had no idea what was going on and felt at a complete loss of how to respond to this unexpected situation. But as uncomfortable and lost as he felt, one thing was for sure, this feeling was shared by his forced company. Tom sat with his arms folded across his chest, staring off into space, his face set in a tense and unpleasant frown, while Pony floated above her seat, ignoring the boy in favor of perusing the menu with a disgusted look on her face as nothing seemed to be catching her eye.

Marco fiddled with the straw on his corn shake, trying to ignore the tense atmosphere as he debated on what he should do. To say this was a surprise was an understatement. The two had shown little interest in getting to know him before and he figured if there was anyone expected to be at this table, it was Star, not him. Not that his girlfriend would ever agree to do that anymore. She had made her feelings toward the two pretty clear and Marco couldn't help but feel bad for them. Sure they had led them both to a super dangerous cave with a blood-thirsty yarn beast that nearly got them both killed, but they had also saved them from the same creature. Besides, they had been Star's friends for years, it seemed unfair that she would turn her back on them just because of one mistake. And so despite the conclusion his girlfriend had come to about them, that didn't mean he had to treat them the same, he should at least give them the benefit of the doubt and hear them out.

“So, uh, what exactly is it that you... wanted to talk to me about?” Marco asked, before quickly taking a giant gulp of his corn shake, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was really feeling in this situation.

The two finally looked his way, acknowledging his existence for the first time since they sat down. “First of all, Marco we wanted to say that we are really glad you're willing to hear us out,” Tom began. “Especially after we sorta got off on the wrong foot when we first met.”

“Well I didn't really have much choice since you kinda kidnapped me,” Marco pointed out, honestly.

“Oh right, sorry,” Tom said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I can be pretty aggressive sometimes. I don't always know how to deal with people.”

“Told ya we shoulda just sent him the note I wrote,” Pony said, with a superior look.

“Are you kidding, what kind of friendly invitation has the words 'or else' on them,” Tom argued.

“Uhh, the kind that makes sure he gets here, obviously,” Pony retorted, with a roll of her eyes.

“We need him to like us, remember, not scare him away!” Tom hissed, his anger steadily rising.

“Guys, it's fine,” Marco interrupted, trying to both reassure them and lighten up the mood some. “I don't mind meeting with you guys, it was unexpected but y'know I didn't really care.” The two just stared blankly at him, until he added, “And anyways, I'm glad you decided to do this, I was hoping we could all become friends, actually.”

Tom's mouth dropped open, while Pony got a smirky look on her face, boosting, “Wow that was easier than I thought. I amaze even myself sometimes!”

Tom, on the other hand, looking started by this declaration, asking “Are you serious?! After the way we treated you, your still willing to forgive us just like that!”

Marco shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

“B-B-But, we nearly got you killed!” Tom's mind was spinning as it tried and failed to grasp the boy's instant turn-around. He was sure that there would have to be some serious pleading and manipulating on both of their part to even get the boy to listen to what they had to say, instead it seemed the boy had come with them with nothing but good intents at heart. How could he be so quick to forgive? Was this what Star had seen in him over them?

Marco just waved a nonchalant hand in the air. “Aw, that's no big deal. My own family lied to me for years about killing Mewmans and then tried to kidnap me and bring me to an evil Monster who wanted to use me against them after he killed my parents and I forgave them.” The boy had a remarkably calm smile on his face as he took another long sip of his corn shake, Tom and Pony just staring at him wide-eyed for a moment.

“You know Marco, you are way more complicated dude that I than I thought you were when we first met,” Tom finally said.

“I get that a lot,” Marco said with a shrug.

“Soooo anyways,” Tom said, trying to awkwardly bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. “What we were hoping was that-”

“Hey Marco!” a cheerful Kelly called walking over to their table, Tom growling unhappily under his breath at the interruption.

“Hey Kells!” Marco greeted back, equally as chipper. The hairy girl, though she was smiling, also seemed to be paranoid about something her eyes darting around her place of business anxiously. Marco noticed this but didn't comment. Kelly's frantic gaze froze on the two other occupants at the table, a suspicious eyebrow raising. Marco followed her gaze and quickly began introductions, “Oh that's right, I guess you've never met before. Umm, Kelly this is Tom and Pony Head-”

“Yeah, hi,” the girl said quickly, causing the two teens' eyes to narrow at that. But Kelly ignored them, leaning in close to the boy's ear and whispering, “Um, hey Marco just giving you a head's up, my boss is wandering around the restaurant right now, so be weary.”

“Why, what's wrong with him?” Marco asked.

“He's a bit... strange,” was all Kelly said, a grimace on her face that unnerved Marco more than it probably should. “Just trust me, you'll want to stay away from him if you can.”

“Ahem,” Tom loudly said, making no effort to hide the contempt in his voice, as he tried to gain their attention back.

Pony was less subtle, obnoxiously stating, “Uh, hello we are kinda in the middle of a conversation here! So either take our order or leave!”

Kelly and Marco turned their way again, but before either of them could apologize or retort, another voice yelled out from across the restaurant, “Kelly!”

“Oh come on, really?” Pony exclaimed in annoyance at yet another interruption, rolling her eyes dramatically.

The hairy girl, on the other, cringed as her name was called, face-palming as she groaned, “Oh no, too late. He found us.”

Everyone at the table turned to see a small green goblin racing over, wearing a red and white stripped apron and hat, looking super high-strung as he raced over. “That's your boss,” Tom said skeptically.

“Unfortunately,” Kelly replied, with a roll of her eyes, not turning around.

“Oh wow, you got the raw end of the deal there, girl,” Pony added.

“Tell me about it,” Kelly said bitterly.

Right on cue, he caught up to them, putting an small arm around Kelly's waist. “There's my favorite waitress!” he said with an annoyingly energetic voice that sounded way too forced to be real. “Are you promoting our new special like I asked?”

Kelly sighed, resisting the urge to once again bury her face in her hands, though she was tempted to just hide in the safety of her hair. “Yes, Roy,” she responded in annoyance. “I told everyone about the corn on the stick, but I really doubt anyone is going to pay like eight dollars extra just to get a corn on the cob with a stick shoved through it.”

Behind them, at a nearby table, another of the waitresses shouted out, “Hey Roy I got four orders for the corn on the stick!”

Roy got a knowing grin on his face, elbowing his employee as he said, “See I told you it was genius idea. These Mewmans go nuts for anything having to do with corn!”

Kelly bit her tongue to keep from commenting, frowning openly. Great the last thing she needed was for Roy to get a bigger head the one he already had. The goblin turned, finally taking in the three guests sitting at his table and his smile widened as his eyes landed on the hooded teen. “Ah and there is my number one customer!”

“Um, hi,” Marco said shyly offering his hand to shake, which the goblin took eagerly, shaking his hand so vigorously Marco's whole body was being jerked around and the boy was suddenly afraid his arm was going to fall off. Meanwhile, Tom and Pony just watched silently, neither sure what the heck was going on, but neither looking happy by it.

“It is such a pleasure to meet you at last!” Roy said pleasantly. He yelled to his waitress over his shoulder, still shaking the boy's hand. “Kelly, why didn't you tell me Marco was here?!”

“You didn't ask me,” Kelly responded immediately.

Roy just turned back to the hooded teen, who looked like he was starting to have whiplash, and he mercifully released his now aching hand. “I have been wanting to meet you for so long, Marco. After all, I've heard nothing but good things about you.” The goblin winked at him following his compliment and Marco felt a familiar blush on his cheeks.

“Really?” Marco replied, not knowing what else to say, while he tenderly massaged the crick in his neck.

“Why yes, you're one of our most regular customers, isn't he Kelly?” The goblin turned to him for conformation.

“Yep,” Kelly agreed, though her face and tone was void of any emotion.

“In fact just to show our appreciation, you and your friends can have today's meal for free!” Roy proclaimed with an overly dramatic flourish.

“Oh that's not necessary-” Marco started to say, until Pony interrupted, suddenly intrigued by the conversation.

“Hey boy, shut it! You never say no to free food!” the horse head shouted, before turning to Kelly and saying with a smirk, “You can go ahead and put me down for two of everything, oh actually now that I'm saying that I remembered I'm trying to watch my figure so, better make that just one of everything and then the rest to go.”

“I'll have the same,” Tom added, handing his and Pony's menu to the girl.

“Greeaattt, I'm sure the kitchen will love to hear that,” Kelly mused, before walking off to go tell her fellow coworkers about the gigantic order. But she stopped as she heard Roy say to Marco, “So I have a bit of a business proposition for you.”

“Oh no,” Kelly muttered, whipping her head back around, the quick action startling Tad awake.

“What kind of proposition?” Marco asked innocently.

“Oh no, oh no,” Kelly continued, Tad asking, “What's going on babe?” He finally spotted his hooded friend though and said worriedly, “Oh no, he's at it again.”

“Well since you and the princess are an item...” Roy nudged Marco's arm, who looked confused, not understanding what he meant by that. But he didn't get the chance to ask as the goblin continued, “I was hoping that maybe you could ask your girlfriend to I don't know, promote the restaurant, y'know get our name out there.”

“What?” Marco asked in confusion, cocking his head to the side.

“He wants Star to do a commercial,” Kelly explained frustratingly. “And I already told you Roy to leave Marco alone,” she continued in a scolding tone. “Stop trying to manipulate him into getting your way.”

“What, I'm not manipulating him,” Roy replied innocently, looking hurt. “I'm just thinking of all the business it could bring in.”

“Hey uhh, if your offering free food, I'd be happy to be in your commercials,” Pony spoke up and the two turned to her in shock.

“You?” Roy asked.

“Uhh, yeah, this face was made for television,” Pony proclaimed, raising her chin high, flauntingly. “Besides your looking at the future queen of the Cloud Kingdom, so you should be showing me some respect.”

Roy gasped, before flopping down on the ground, bowing over and over again, as he praised the ruler, Pony soaking all of this in vainly, while Marco, Tom, and Kelly, as well as the rest of the restaurant watched in shock and disgust. “Oh Your Majesty, please forgive me for my ignorance, Your Grace! I am but a humble servant at your feet- uh hooves- umm, sparkly glitter! If there is anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable please don't hesitate to ask!”

“Well you could have your people get a move on with my food, I'm starving over here,” Pony commanded.

“Of course,” Roy said humbly, before bossily shouting to his employees, “Kelly! Tad! You heard the lady! Drop everything, we need to get that food out, stat!”

“You got it boss!” Kelly said, before the goblin ran off in the direction of the kitchen, going to oversee the massive project. Once he was out of sight, Kelly said, “Well that takes care of that, I guess. I better go help, before Roy has a heart attack or something.” She took one step, but stopped, turning to warn her hooded friend, “Oh and if Roy tries and offer you a Goblin Dog, just say no, okay?”

Marco nodded numbly, watching the girl walk off. With that out of the way, he turned back to the other two, Tom looking out of it and unsure what just happened and Pony looking full of herself, smirking boastfully. The boy quickly cleared his throat and asked, “Um, so what were you going to say, Tom?”

“What?” Tom said, finally returning focus on Marco, his three eyes dazed and distracted.

“You were going to ask me something before we got interrupted,” Marco reminded him.

“Oh right,” Tom said in remembrance. “Well actually we wanted to ask you about Star?”

“Star?” Marco repeated in confusion, an eyebrow raising quizzically.

“Yeah. See, you know how Star pretty much...” the boy paused trying to find the right way to word this.

“Hates your guts,” Marco supplied.

The short-tempered boy's eyes narrowed at that, but he remarkably didn't explode with anger and kept his calm for the most part, as he said through clenched teeth, “Not how I was going to put it.”

“Sorry,” Marco apologized, seeing he had upset him.

There was a beat of silence, as the hot-headed teen fought back the urge to set the boy on fire, before he continued in a clearly annoyed tone, “Well, we've done everything we can think of to try and get her to forgive us and so far, nothing's worked.”

Marco's eyes lowered to his empty plate, he already knew this, Star talked about it a lot and he wasn't sure how much of this he should voice to the two, not wanting to hurt or upset them anymore than they already were. “Yeah, she's... mentioned it a couple of times,” he finally said.

“So we were thinking that maybe you could-” Tom started, but Pony quickly butt in, getting too impatient to beat around the bush any longer.

“Can you tell her to forgive us already?” the horse head asked, Marco's eyes widening in surprise.

“Huh?” the boy gasped out.

“Pony!” Tom shouted, shooting his friend a glare, his cheek marks burning out of control for a moment.

“What? That's what you were going to ask him?”

“Yeah but I wasn't just going to blurt it out like that,” Tom argued. Pony showed no sign of remorse and the redhead just sighed, before turning back to Marco. “That does pretty much sum it up. We thought you could talk to Star and see if you could get her to give us another chance.”

Marco looked down at his corn shake for a moment, thinking it over. Finally, he hesitantly replied, “I don't know.”

“Oh come on, she listens to you,” Pony persisted. “Just tell her we're really sorry and didn't mean anything and all that and boom, we get our bestie back!”

Marco shook his head. “It's not that simple. Sure I know Star trusts me and everything, but she's already made up her mind. I'm just not sure how much me talking to her would help. Plus, it's not like I can just force her to do something, that'd be wrong.”

“Well, it's either that or we lose Star as our friend, forever,” Tom argued, driving his point home hard, Marco shrinking in his seat guiltily, the weight of the decision weighing heavily down on him. He didn't want to see Star's friendship with the two end so poorly, but at the same time....

“Maybe there's another way,” Marco suggested.

“Oh yeah, like what exactly?” Pony asked sarcastically.

“Well, right now Star has a really bad image of you, but if we can show her that you've changed then maybe she'll finally forgive you both,” Marco said. He tapped a finger to his chin as he tried to think of a way to get the two back into her good graces.

“And how do we do that?” Tom asked, looking skeptical. “After what we did it it would take something pretty big to change her mind?”

“Yeah, like a zombie invasion or something...” Pony added.

Marco grinned, his suns switching to glowing lightbulbs as he shouted, “Pony, your a genius!”

Pony scoffed, flipping her mane again, as she said arrogantly, “Well duh!”

Tom, on the other hand, didn't look so sure. “Uhh, no offense Marco, but I'm not comfortable with bringing people back from dead,” Tom said doubtingly. “After what happened last time, I swore I wouldn't do that ever again! They are extremely difficult to control!”

Marco shook his head. “No, no, not zombies, a Monster attack!” Marco corrected. The two still looked skeptical, so Marco explained, “All we have to do is pretend that a Monster is attacking the village and then when Star shows up, you guys act like your beating it up and she'll see that your on our side! It'll give her a new image of you two!”

“That's... not a bad plan, actually,” Tom admitted.

“Uh, okay, but like where are we gonna get a Monster to fake fight us,” Pony pointed out.

“Hey I was raised by Monsters, remember? Just leave that to me,” Marco assured, pointing proudly to himself, while his eyes shimmered with glee and excitement. “I have just the Monster for the job.”

…

Lobster Claws was sleeping peacefully in the tree outside the knight's training area, snoring loudly and obnoxiously as he used a set of leaves as a make-shift pillow, drool running down his mouth as he snoozed. He had been watching the boy and Higgs as they practiced but after a while had grown bored of the same monotonous action and drifted off to sleep, despite his promise to Buff Frog to watch the boy closely.

Marco smiled up at the Monster, while behind him Tom and Pony looked up at the perched crustacean with looks of doubt and skepticism. Tom voiced this concern out loud, asking the hooded teen, “Are you sure this guy is the right one for the job?”

Marco turned to him with an astonished look, unable to believe Tom and Pony were unsure about the Monster's capability. He was pretty biased when it came to the Monsters though, he had grown up thinking they were all strong and perfect, capable of doing anything, especially Buff Frog, who he had always seen as someone he not only loved but as the role model he hoped to someday be, despite doubting if he ever could live up to his awesome father. “Of course he is,” Marco stated, as if the answer was obvious.

Tom and Pony Head continued to cast weary glances at the Monster, Pony saying, “He doesn't exactly look like the most threatening type.”

“Trust me, he can be pretty menacing when he wants to be,” Marco reassured them, before turning back to the still oblivious Monster. “Hey Lobster Claws!” Marco shouted, startling the crustacean awake.

Lobster Claws screamed and jumped, causing him to slip off the tree, bumping branch after branch on the way down, each time with a loud, “Oof!” Marco cringed at each hit, hating to see his family member getting injured in such a way, even Tom and Pony flinching over each rattling bang. Finally, Lobster Claws reached the ground, face-planting into the dirt and grass with the loudest crash of them all, as scattered leaves rained down on his unmoving body.

Marco looked horrified and worried for the Monster, while Tom merely muttered sarcastically, “Oh yeah, sooo intimidating.” The hooded teen ignored this as he raced over to Lobster Claws, pushing on his shoulder trying to rouse him from unconsciousness, the fear that one of his family member's was dead overpowering him for a moment. “Lobster Claws? Lobster Claws, wake up! Are you alright?”

Finally, the Monster slowly awakened, his head swaying from dizziness as he groaned in pain. “Mommy is that you? I don't want to eat anymore corn for breakfast,” he drunkenly moaned out.

“No, Lobster Claws, it's me, Marco,” the boy corrected, as the Monster finally took in the boy, his eyes squinting as he tried to fight through the haziness in his mind and vision. “Marco, what are you doing in my room?” Lobster Claws managed out.

“I'm not Lobster Claws,” Marco explained worriedly, afraid the poor Monster had suffered brain damage because of him. “We're at Butterfly Castle... you just fell out of a tree.”

“I did?” Lobster Claws asked, rubbing at his his aching head with his oversized claw. Suddenly, his eyes widened as his memory came rushing back to him at once and he remembered the order given to him by Buff Frog. He screamed jumping up from the spot, which startled Marco quite a bit, as the lobster Monster looked for a place to hide. “I- uh- um, I'm not really here,” he said in panic, needlessly moving behind the tree he had just fallen out of, his form still mostly visible to the questioning gazes of the three teens. “Pay no attention to me.”

“Lobster Claws I know you've been watching me the last few days,” Marco said and the lobster quickly leaned away from the tree, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Really, you knew?”

“Of course I knew, I figured it was only a matter of time before dad sent one of you over to keep an eye on me,” Marco nonchalantly said. “Especially after what happened with Ludo and everything.”

“Oh.” the crustacean finally moved away from his feeble hiding spot.

“But that isn't why I'm here. I was actually hoping you could help me with something,” Marco said.

“Sure thing, Marco,” Lobster Claws said, nodding eagerly, excited and ready to help his young charge with whatever he needed.

“Okay then, I need you to pretend to attack Butterfly Village,” Marco quickly explained.

Lobster Claws continued nodding for a second, before the words registered and his eyes widened, stumbling back in shock. “What?!”

“Yeah, see Star doesn’t really trust Tom and Pony over there.” Marco pointed out his two friends behind him, that Lobster Claws just noticed were even there. “Soo, I figured the best way to show her how good they can be is have her see them fighting off a bad Monster who is attacking the village.”

“Ummm, I don't think I'm allowed to do that,” the lobster weakly argued, recalling the long, long, long rant he had been forced to sit through, along with the other Monsters, as General Skullnick laid out the ground rules for their future relations with their new allies and though he had dozed through part of it he was sure that attacking the capital of the kingdom was kinda a big no-no. Buff Frog had even ended the meeting by having all of them swear to never lay harm upon another Mewman ever again.

“No, no, don't worry about it, it's just pretend, no one's really going to get hurt and everyone but Star will know that it's fake,” Marco reassured him.

Now Lobster Claws looked even more worried, “Wait, why won't Star know?!” He had been on the wrong end of her wand before and he rather not repeat it.

“Because, Lobster Claws, if she knows then our plan won't work,” Marco explained exasperatedly. He put on one of his sugary-sweet, signature smiles as he asked, “So will you help us?”

Lobster Claws held out under the begging gaze of the child for all of about two seconds before agreeing, “Alright, Marco. Whatever you need you got it.” He gave the boy a wide, goofy grin, which the boy returned.

“Okay then, all you have to do, Lobster Claws, is act all evil and bad and then pretend to go down when Tom and Pony Head attack you, got it?”

The crustacean nodded, until a thought occurred to him. “Um, but wait, won't Star recognize me?” Lobster Claws asked.

“Oh I hadn't thought of that,” Marco admitted, his face morphing into a thoughtful frown.

“Big deal,” Pony suddenly butted in. “All you have to do is disguise him so he looks different.”

“Yeah, like give him a cool scar or something,” Tom contributed, looking suddenly excited. He held up a flaming fist, as he offered, “If you want I could help with that-”

“Uhhh no, no I don't think that's a good idea,” Marco quickly interjected, suddenly fearful for his family member. “I think we should just leave the disguise to Lobster Claw.”

Tom shrugged, the fire in his hand going out, only a small billow of smoke drifting off of it. “Your lose.”

“You can handle the disguise right Lobster Claws?” Marco asked the Monster, who hesitated for a half a second too long before waving a reassuring claw in the air.

“Pssh, of course I do. I got it covered, Marco.” Though his voice obviously sounded fake and forced, Marco didn't catch this at all and instead immediately nodded and turned back to his two friends.

“Okay then, Tom and Pony, 'Operation Make Star Like You Again' is a go!” he shouted, thrusting a dramatic finger in the air.

“We are not calling it that!” Pony interjected, looking almost offended by how generic the name sounded. “I refuse to be part of anything that sounds that lame.”

“Yeah how about something cool like 'Operation: Fake Flames'?” Tom pitched, a proud smile at the cleverness of the name.

“Uhh, no that's lame too,” Pony shot down, rolling her eyes. This comment seemed to set off the flaming teen once again, as Tom's head whipped around to face her, his eyes glowing red as he growled.

Marco just continued to make suggestions, “Operation: Making Amends? Umm, Friends Reunite? How about Ponytomco-”

“No!” both Pony and Tom shot down at once, neither even letting him finish his sentence.

“How about 'Operation: Lobster Claws Saves the Day'!” the crustacean suggested, his eyes twinkling in hope.

The three teens stared at him for a moment, before Tom snapped, “Your not a part of this conversation!”

Lobster Claws hung his head, as Tom and Marco continued to pitch pointless names out only to be rejected by Pony Head, as he mumbled longingly, “One day, Lobster Claws. One day it will it happen.”

“Look the name won't even matter if it doesn't work,” Pony pointed out, stopping any more suggestions. “Besides I think 'Operation: #1 Bestie to Star, Pony Head' is the best name out there?” The horse head flipped her mane at that, looking smug and Tom rolled his eyes, while Marco just looked unsure.

“I think I like Fake Flames better,” Marco honestly admitted and Tom gave Pony a condescending grin, since Pony was now outnumbered.

“Oh whatever this is coming from the same kid who thought Ponytomco was a good name,” Pony bitterly snapped, pouting openly over losing.

…

Kelly walked out of the restaurant with a deep sigh, glad to finally be getting a break after a long and stressful afternoon, only to spot Marco and the two friends he was with earlier clearing tables off to the side, Roy overseeing the project and she instantly went on alert. “Tad, wake up!” Kelly shouted up to her boyfriend.

Tad yawned, blinking his red, blurry eyes as he asked, “What's up babe?”

“Roy's up to his old tricks again,” Kelly explained, before going to the goblin, who held a sign up, that said, 'Eat at Fang Tangs!' on it.

“Come one, come all, to Fang Tangs owned by yours truly! We have a great selection of food from a multitude of dimensions, including my famous and signature Goblin Dogs!”

“Roy, no Goblin Dogs!” Kelly shouted, startling the goblin who turned to her wide eyes. But it quickly morphed into a toothy smile as he said, “Ah, Kelly, just in time! I need you and Tad to help me promote the restaurant! Here Tad take this sign!”

He handed the confused clump of hair the sign, who took it regretfully. “Now hold it up high, so that everyone can see!” Roy shouted, spreading his arms wide.

“Roy,” Kelly snapped, seeing he was getting lost in one of his delusions again. The goblin turned to face her in confusion. The girl sighed, “First off we are on break.” She took the sign from Tad before handing it back to her goblin boss. “Secondly, what exactly is going on out here?” She gestured over to the hooded teen and his friends, still hard at work clearing a space. “Did you rope Marco into one of your little schemes?” she pointed an accusing finger at the goblin, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Nope, just the opposite actually,” Roy explained. “Marco asked if he and his friends could have the space for some kind of play thing they're wanting to put on and I thought free promotion!” He waved the sign around again, shouting out, “Fang Tangs! Best restaurant this side of Mewni!” He then got the brilliant idea to attempt an intricate dance with the sign, but what came out caused every passerby to either roll their eyes or quickly cover their mouths to keep from busting out into laughter over how stupid the dance was. But the goblin would not be deterred, dancing on, ignorant to the chuckles of the on-goers.

Kelly face-palmed over how ridiculous her boss looked, before asking, “What kind of play are they putting on?”

“Don't know, you should ask them,” Roy said, continuing his bizarre and embarrassing dance.

The green-haired girl didn't have to be told twice, leaving the goblin to his own designs and instead going over to greet the hooded teen. Marco spotted her approaching and waved, saying, “Hey Kelly! Hey Tad!”

“Sup, dude,” Tad replied back, Kelly saying, “Hey Marco.” She paused for a moment, as the boy struggled to fold up one of the chairs, his fingers fumbling with the little clasp that kept it open. Kelly reached over and showed him how to close it and the boy gave her a grateful smile. She followed him as he went to lay it against the restaurant's side, finally asking, “Sooo what are you doing anyway?”

“I'm trying to help Tom and Pony Head become friends with Star again,” Marco explained. “See they got into a disagreement a while ago and Star hasn't really talked to them since, so I figured I'd take the initiative and show Star just how cool and trustworthy they actually are.”

Kelly looked over at the two, Tom throwing the chairs into a pile with no care into preserving them, many snapping and breaking at the intense impact. His natural resting face seemed to be a frown, as he continued on with the monotonous task in near annoyance. Pony wasn't helping at all, instead she was taking photos of herself with her mirror phone, taking different poses, ignoring the hard work altogether, much to Tom's annoyance, who growled over at her every so often, his cheeks flaring up, burning one of the flower décor to ash every time.

“Yeah, they seem like real... cool guys,” Kelly said skeptically. Marco followed her critical gaze and quickly explained, “I know their a little rough around the edges but once you get to know them they're not so bad.”

“Weren't they the ones who convinced Star to go to that creepy cave the day we first met?” Kelly asked, suddenly remembering him giving her the whole story a while back.

“Yeah, but they didn't know any better,” Marco said.

Kelly didn't look so sure, but didn't argue, not wanting to upset the boy. “So what's the plan then, brah?” Tad asked, finally speaking up, after listening in to the conversation for a while.

“When Star gets here, I'm gonna have one of the Monsters pretend to start attacking, and then Tom and Pony are gonna pretend to beat him up,” Marco explained.

Kelly and Tad shared a look. “Are you sure that's gonna work?” the green-haired girl asked.

“Yep, I'm positive, all Star needs to do is see them in a new light,” Marco said, as he finished with the last of the chairs.

“Well... good luck then,” Kelly said, though she still had her doubts about the effectiveness of this plan.

“Thanks,” Marco said with a grin, he got a call from Tom and quickly excused himself. “Be right back.”

Kelly smiled, but once Marco had turned and raced away she looked up at Tad with concern. “What do you think, babe? Think his plan will work?”

“Not a chance,” Tad said and Kelly nodded in agreement.

“Yep, same here.”

Once Marco caught up to Tom and Pony he asked them, “What's up?”

“Did you call Star yet?” Tom asked and Marco quickly pulled out his phone.

“Oh yeah, right. Guess I better do that,” he mumbled, quickly dialing in her number. He put it up to his ear, waiting to hear the voice of his girlfriend through the speaker. He tried to keep his nerve through the few seconds of waiting, taking deep breaths. He really hoped this worked.

“Hello,” came Star's voice through the speaker.

“Hey,” Marco said, his voice squeaking against his will and he felt his cheeks blush red. Maybe this was a bad idea he was a notoriously bad liar and having Tom and Pony watching him intensely was not helping him any. He coughed as a cover and then tried again, saying, “Hey Star, um, what are you doing?”

“Oh just finishing up the last of the paperwork,” Star said nonchalantly, if she suspected anything from the boy she didn't let on. “Jackie and Aunt Lily were loads of help.”

“Oh good, good,” Marco said awkwardly, having to use every ounce of his strength not to just blurt out his request. “So, um, maybe whenever you're free, I thought you might be able to meet me at Fang Tangs, y'know that restaurant we went to on our last date.”

“Yeah, sure thing, That sounds great. Any particular reason, though?” she asked, though there was no suspicion in her tone. Still this caused Marco to freeze and panic, his mind going blank and empty, as his wide eyes jumped to Tom and Pony for help.

The two started mouthing things to him and gestured that he needed to say something. “Um, no, no reason,” he stuttered nervously, his brain struggling to come up with an explanation and his two clashing ideas instead came out as one dissembled mess, as he added, “I just... wanted to see your kiss-” Realizing his mistake he quickly corrected himself, shouting, “I mean kiss your face- uhh, I mean see your face, I wanted to see your face,” Marco corrected himself, feeling hot from the blush that now covered his entire face. Tom face-palmed at the boy's failure, while Pony was just rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

“Marco, what's going on?” Star asked suspiciously, clearing tipped off by the boy's nervous fumbling.

“Whaaaattt?!” Marco replied as nonchalantly as he could, but his high-pitched voice cracked at the attempt and he had to clear his throat again before he could continue. “Nothing is going on- I, uh, just wanted to have lunch with my girlfriend, that's all.”

“All right well, I'll be there shortly, okay,” Star said, though she didn't sound convinced in the slightest, her questioning tone still very much there.

“Oh okay, see you then Star, bye!” he quickly yelled out, wanting to end this conversation as quickly as he could, hanging up the phone a second later, before letting out a long, relieved sigh.

Tom and Pony just stared at him for a long moment before Pony said, “Well that could have gone better.”

…

Star hung up the phone, giving it a long quizzical gaze, Jackie who sat next to her on her couch asking, “What was that about?”

“I don't know,” Star said, still staring at the mobile device. “But I think Marco is up to something.”

“Marco, really?” Jackie said surprised.

“Yeah, it's probably just a surprise or something,” Star said, finally waving off the boy's odd behavior with a shrug. She rose up from the couch, smoothing out her dress and grabbing her headband off her dresser. “But anyways I better get to town and see what's up.”

“Cool, see you later, Star,” Jackie said, rising up from the couch as well and stretching. As the blond was exiting the room, the skater called after her, “Have fun!”

“I will!” Star replied, shooting her a grin over her shoulder.

…

Star made her way into town, dodging past carriages and on-goers in a hurry to finish their tasks for the day. The streets were fairly empty, as the day started to wind down some, but it was still busy enough that Star had to be careful to avoid getting run over by an invisible goat's noisy, clopping feet. Finally she made it to the Fang Tangs, the outside sitting area cleared out now for some reason, all the chairs and tables stacked either against the wall or in a massive pile.

The girl frowned, wondering aloud, “What happened here?” She spotted Kelly a second later, standing near the pile of furniture, a distasteful frown on her face as she examined the damage. Star walked over to her quickly, greeting cheerfully, “Hey!”

The green-haired girl turned to her, a smile now brightening her face, as she replied back, “Hi, Star!”

“Hi... Kelly was it?” she asked sheepishly, not wanting to offend one of Marco's friends.

But the girl merely nodded and said, “Yeah that's right. And you also remember my boyfriend, Tad.” She pointed up at her blinking hair. “Sup,” Tad replied, with a slight nod.

“Yep, kinda hard to forget,” the blond royal said. She looked back over the empty area and asked, “So what's going on here, anyway? Are you guys redecorating or what?”

“Um, well, I'm not at liberty to say,” Kelly responded with an annoyed frown.

“Princess Star Butterfly!” an overly enthusiastic voice shouted and Star turned to see a small goblin run up to her and bowing low to the ground. “It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!”

“Oh please, you don't have to be so formal,” Star said, waving a hand in the air. “Just Star is fine.”

The goblin squealed in delight, turning to his waitress and asking, “Did you hear that Kelly? The princess is allowing me to call her by her first name!”

“Yep, incredible,” Kelly dead-panned, her and Tad rolling their eyes as one.

“In honor of your visit to this fine establishment, allow me to make you a very, extra special order, courtesy of Roy's Fang Tangs!”

“Oh no that's not necessary,” Star tried to politely decline, but the goblin was already racing to the doors.

“Oh but I insist, Princ- I mean, Star,” he shouted, overemphasizing her name. He reached the doors, throwing them open and shouting to his staff to get working, nearly knocking over Marco in his haste. The hooded teen, Tom, and Pony were all huddled around the door, watching Star closely.

“Okay, this is it guys,” Marco said, turning to his friends. “Remember just stick to the plan.”

“Right, uh, what was the plan again?” Pony asked, lazily. Marco gave her a long look, unable to believe she had already forgotten. “I'm kidding, turd. Geez, don't you know how to take a joke?” Pony quickly said and Marco shook his head, trying his best to ignore the floating horse head's odd sense of humor.

“Just be ready when Lobster Claws comes in, okay?” was all the boy replied, before opening the door and going over to greet his girlfriend. “Hey Star!” Marco called and his bestie turned to him with a wide smile, her blue eyes shimmering like her namesake. The boy felt his heart thump once out of rhythm, but he ignored it, used to that happening around Star by now, as he gave here a long kiss hello.

“Hey you, what's up?” Star asked, her voice full of love and affection, as she held him in a warm embrace.

“Nothing's up,” Marco replied, far too fast. “Just a perfectly normally date with my girlfriend.” He chuckled nervously, trying desperately to deceive her, but it of course didn't work as Star raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“Come on, Marco, you know I can tell when you're lying,” she said playfully. “Might as well fess up. What's the big secret your keeping?”

Marco pulled out of the hug, holding his hands up in an innocent act, “What, Star, there's no secret. I just... want our special night to go well that's all.” He then raised his voice to a near yell, angling his head so he was shouting somewhat over his shoulder. “I just hope something doesn't come along and ruin it!” he shouted, overemphasizing every word needlessly.

There was a pause as both Kelly and Star stared at the boy quizzically and Marco laughed nervously, trying again, even louder this time, “I said, I hope someone doesn't come along and ruin it!”

“Oh right,” a muffled voice called from the shadows and then a second later Lobster Claws jumped out, looking exactly the same except now wearing a mustache. He laughed manically, before shouting in the most sinister voice he could, “Hahaha, beware pitiful Mewmans, I am here to destroy you all!”

Marco fake gasped, pointing to the Monster in fear. “Oh no Star, an evil Monster is attacking!”

Star stared at the Monster blankly for a moment, before asking indifferently, “Lobster Claws, what are you doing?”

“What, I'm not Lobster Claws!” the Monster quickly shouted, before clearing his throat and speaking in a poor french accent, “I am his evil twin, Lobster, uhh, Paws.”

Star raised an eyebrow, before turning to her boyfriend and asking him, “Marco what is this about?”

Marco's eyes widened in panic for a second before he managed to hide it, giving a far-too-wide-to-be-real smile. “What do you mean, Star? This Monster is clearly attacking us and someone needs to stop him,” Marco continued, still overemphasizing every word.

Then, the door to the restaurant busted open and Tom walked out, puffing his chest out heroically and said dramatically, “Don't worry, I'll stop him!”

Pony floated in behind Tom with a very annoyed look on her face, as she said in a deadpanned voice, “And I guess I'll stop him or whatever, too.”

Star seeing her two ex-friend's and finally realizing what was going on, face-palmed, muttering under her breath, “Oh no.”

Marco gasped once again, clutching Star's arm and shouted excitedly, “Star look at that, Tom and Pony Head came here to save us!”

“Yeah and just in time too,” Star said sarcastically. “Almost like they knew this was going to happen.”

“Hey ugly!” Tom yelled to Lobster Claws, who turned to him with a fake growl. “Why don't you come and pick on someone your own size!”

“But you're shorter than me,” the crustacean suddenly pointed out, breaking character for a moment.

Tom's third eye twitched and he hissed, “Would you just fight me, already?!”

Lobster Claws charged him with a loud yell and Tom did the same, using his flames to propel him forward, both heading right at each other. Just as Marco began to panic, afraid the two might actually start hitting each other, they reached the middle, Tom throwing a fake punch to the Monster, who stumbled back, holding his jaw in his claws in mock pain. Lobster Claws then shot his claw out, coming no where near the boy, but Tom still let out a loud grunt and clutched at his stomach.

Star, Kelly, and Pony watched as the two continued their obviously fake fight, all with unamused and disbelieving expressions. Marco on the other hand was getting super into the fight, pumping his fists repeatedly into the air and cheering the flaming boy on. “That's right, Tom, get him! Shoot him with a fire ball!” He turned to the hovering horse head and added, “Pony, aren't you going to help Tom?”

“Yeah, no, I'm not doing this,” Pony argued, shaking her head, refusing to do something so undignified and stupid.

“Come on Pony,” Marco pressed. “What about the plan-err, I mean stopping that Monster.”

Pony turned back to her friend, who was pretending to shoot fireballs at the lobster, who cried out in pain as if he was being burned alive. “No, please stop, no more! Ahhh, it hurts!” The horse head turned back to Marco and said, “Yeah no, I think I'm good.”

Marco opened his mouth to argue, when Lobster Claws charged at Tom again and Marco not knowing what else to do jumped to his side, saying in a cheesily melodramatic voice, “I'll help you fight him off Tom!”

��No Marco it's too dangerous!” Tom shouted in concern, sounding equally as hammy and forced as his companion, shaking the boy's shoulders.

“Yes, but you need help, you can't beat this Monster alone!” Marco cried out.

“Ha, even two of you won't be enough to stop me!” Lobster Claws laughed manically.

He attacked the two again as they pretended to dodge his punches, while occasionally throwing their own. Pony just watched with growing humiliation over the stupid display one of her closest friends was subjecting himself to, as he lost himself more and more to his roll. After a few minutes of the corny act the three were putting on, Star turned to Kelly and said, “Well, I think I'm gonna head back, tell Marco to meet me at the castle whenever he's finished with... whatever that is.” She waved over at the three.

“'Kay,” Kelly said, watching as the blond royal headed back the way she had come.

Marco, Tom, and Lobster Claws didn't notice this, still caught up in their act, as Marco lay on the ground, clutching his chest, Tom holding him worriedly in his arms. “No, Marco don't leave me! You can't die now!”

“Wait die, oh no Buff Frog's gonna kill me!” Lobster Claws shouted in concern, nearly shuddering at the thought of what his frog boss would do to him if he discovered that he had killed Marco.

Marco just gasped for breath, saying softly to Tom, “This is the end, Tom. Tell Star that she was the best smooch buddy I ever had!” Marco then went limp, sticking his tongue out, playing dead.

“Nooooo!” Tom shouted, holding Marco close to him.

“Hey idiots!” Pony's annoyed voice broke through the moment and all three turned to look at her. “You can drop the act, Star already left.”

“What?!” Marco cried, looking over to see Star's retreating form, getting farther and farther away. “Wait, Star!” Marco called out to her, jumping to his feet and chasing after his girlfriend. He caught up to her quickly, panting as he grabbed onto her hand, causing her to turn to him. “Star, where are you going?”

“Look Marco, I don't know what they said to put you up to this, but tell them that I'm not interested,” Star said, her voice harsher than usual and that surprised Marco.

But the boy quickly shook his head, explaining, “They didn't put me up to anything, I offered to help them. I thought maybe if you saw them differently you guys could be friends again.”

Star stared at the hooded teen for a long moment not sure how to explain this to him. He could be so naïve and trusting sometimes and that was one of the things she loved about him. It was normally one of his best qualities, but that didn't mean it couldn't be turned around and used against him. She put a hand on his cheek, as she explained, “Marco, I know you mean well, but... those two aren't my friends anymore. They are nothing but trouble.”

“C'mon Star you can't mean that?” Marco argued, staying firm. “I mean they were your friends for years, you can't really want to throw that away.”

“That was a long time ago,” Star said simply, her voice soft but full of deep pain she seemed to be refusing to let surface.

“Exactly. That was a long time ago and they're different now, they just want a second chance, that's all,” Marco said as persuasively as he possibly could.

But Star stayed rigid, saying stonily, “They don't deserve one.”

Marco was taken aback by this, that sounded so unlike Star. “What do you mean? You forgave the Monsters and they did way worse stuff than Tom and Pony Head,” he pointed out.

“That was different!” Star screamed, losing her temper and Marco flinched. The blond's face flooded with guilt, but she didn't apologize only crossing her arms in front of her chest and avoiding her boyfriend's gaze. Though, through that subtle clue, Marco was able to put things into perspective and finally deduce that there was more to this story than she was letting on. “What's this really about Star?” he asked.

Star didn't respond right away, keeping her eyes trained on a far-off building, until her resolve finally crumbled and she sighed before admitting shortly, “It's about me, okay!”

“You?” Marco asked confused.

“Yeah Marco, I'm the problem, all right.”

“How are you the problem?”

“Because...” her eyes switched to staring at her feet, her voice bitter and lost and sad. “If I become their friends again, then I'll be just like I was before.”

“But... how is that a bad thing?” Marco argued, still not getting what was upsetting her so bad.

“You didn't know me back then, Marco. I was different person before I met you.” The girl rubbed at her arm, her face full of shame and regret. “I was a rebellious, irresponsible troublemaker and up until I got sent off to... that place,” she shuddered before continuing, “I would have gone along with whatever crazy scheme those two cooked up, because I wanted more than anything for them to like me. And since then, I have spent years trying to make a new reputation for myself, to change into a responsible leader and a good princess, but...” She paused, clenching her eyes shut for a moment. “Then those two showed up again and suddenly I went right back to who I was before. I just followed them blindly and without question, because I thought that I needed to go back to being the old me. But then I realized that, that isn't what's right for Mewni or for me. And...” She finally met his eye as she finished by saying, “I just can't go down that road again.”

“But Star,” Marco started to argue, but the blond didn't let him finish.

She turned her back to him, muttering bitterly, “I'll see you back at the castle.” Then she sprinted forward, without another word, leaving a shocked and troubled Marco in her wake. He pondered to himself for a moment, not sure what to do. He couldn't believe Star would just run off like that, it was so unlike her. He understood now why she was so hesitant to forgive Tom and Pony Head though, it wasn't that she didn't trust them it was that she didn't trust herself and that was a problem Marco didn't even know how to begin to fix. How could he show her that she wasn't going to change just by being near the two? How could he prove to her that Star was still Star, no matter what?

He heard shuffling footsteps behind him and quickly turned to see Tom, Pony and Lobster Claws with melancholy looks and the two teens looked so deflated that his heart ached for them. “So... I'm guessing that was a no,” Tom asked needlessly, his cheek flames completely snuffed out at the moment.

Marco didn't know how to respond, looking away from them in guilt. All he could think to say was, “I'm sorry.”

Tom sighed and Pony hung her head, Lobster Claws adding in a depressed voice, “Aw man and I really thought my performance was going to win her over.”

“Hey you tried at least,” Tom said, his voice full of pain that he was trying so hard to hide.

“Yeah, it was a good effort, but that girl just ain't interested,” Pony shook her head, looking on the verge of breaking into tears. “C'mon, T, I need to drown my sorrows in ice cream and you're buying,” she said floating away, slower than usual and only a few small sparkles coming out the bottom of her. Tom didn't even argue or object like he normally would, just numbly following behind, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Marco watched them go, before hanging his own head. “Sorry Marco,” Lobster Claws said, reaching out a claw to put on his shoulder. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Marco shrugged, not really knowing how else to answer. Lobster Claws, at a loss of what else to do just stood there numbly, until Marco pulled away and began a slow trek back to the restaurant. The Monster watched him go, but didn't follow feeling he needed some time alone right then and it wasn't like he knew what to say anyway. Still his vision grew blurry with the tears he had yet to shed from seeing the boy so sad and miserable.

Marco, just continued forward numbly, figuring he should thank Roy for letting them use the place, even if it was a huge failure and there was still the problem of the outside area being cleared, the chairs and tables would all have to be put back before dinner rush started. Plus, he figured maybe talking to Kelly would make him feel better, hopefully his friend would have a better idea of what to do than him.

Marco reached the door, turning the knob, barely even registering the sign that now read “Sorry, We're Closed”. If he had been in better spirits perhaps it would have occurred to him how strange it was that Roy would close the restaurant before dinner rush began or the fact that the atmosphere in the room had gone dead quiet from the normal loud hustle and bustle he had grown used to. But he didn't notice this as he swung the door open sadly, nor did he notice that every light in the building had now been turned off. He let out a dejected sigh as he mumbled unhappily, “Well Kelly that plan was a complete and total bust.”

But as he looked up, his eyes widened in fear as he saw Kelly and Roy tied up in opposite chairs, a cloth gag over both of their mouths and Marco panicked, immediately taking a step back and opening his mouth to scream, “Lobster Cla-Mmmph!”

A hand slapped over his mouth, while another, far stronger grip, latched onto his arm. He looked over to see a familiar purple gem gleaming back at him, along with a dreaded toothy smile. But it wasn't Rasticore that Marco saw, that made his heart race against his will, it was the unwanted flashback that filled his mind, leaving him disoriented and confused, as he suddenly saw another, more sinister face, reflected over the Monster before him. Instincts took over in that moment, he no longer knew where he was, all he knew was that he was in danger and he had to get away, now. So, without even thinking and pumped on by pure adrenaline and fear, he used his free hand to grab the claw still held tightly over his mouth and yanked him forward with all his might, positioning his feet right where Higgs had told him, the Monster surprised by the force from the small Mewman and actually faltered enough so that Marco had a clear shot to elbow him right where his eye once was, Higgs lesson's sounding in his mind, reminded of her teaching to do 'whatever it takes to use the enemies weakness to your advantage'.

The Monster howled with pain and actually let go of the boy, who stumbled back and away from the boy as his mind finally cleared of Toffee's evil grin. Rasticore glared at him, his metal claw still covering his eye, as he hissed dangerously, “You'll pay for that, brat!”

“Rasticore?” Marco suddenly gasped out, aware of the situation once more. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

The lizard Monster smiled at the boy's fear, saying, “So it seems are paths cross again, Marco Diaz, and once again you are merely an afterthought to my true goal.”

“True goal?” Marco repeated, his voice shaking with worry.

“I was hoping it would be Star Butterfly who fell into my trap, but I suppose you'll have to do.” Rasticore took a menacing step forward and Marco took a shaky one back. “Do not resist, Marco Diaz, or your friends will suffer.” He gestured over to Kelly and Roy still tied up and helpless, though there was fire in Kelly's eyes, while the goblin showed only fear.

Marco hung his head, knowing resisting would only get them hurt. Besides there was very little, if anything, he could do against the trained assassin anyway. The lizard grabbed his arm, none too gently, dragged him over to the nearest chair, which was right next to Kelly and threw him into it, the boy's back hitting the wood hard, making him cry out in pain. Kelly instantly turned her head to look at him, concern shining in her eyes.

Rasticore untied both Kelly's and Roy's gags, so he could question them all properly, Roy the second he was free began begging. “Please if this is about those illegal activities, I swear I'll have your money within the-”

“Silence,” Rasticore hissed and Roy squeaked before obeying. He stared between the three hostages for a second, before his eyes froze on Marco, who felt an unwanted shudder run up his spine.

“Now then, Marco Diaz, where is Star Butterfly?” Rasticore asked, crossing his arms threateningly.

“I'm not telling you,” Marco said defiantly. “I won't be the reason Star gets hurt.”

“You will tell me or your friends here will get hurt,” Rasticore demanded, leaning in closer to the boy, who gave him an unwavering, if not slightly shaky, glare, refusing to cooperate with the evil assassin. Though it faltered a little as his brain struggled to decide the right course of action, he felt torn between protecting Star and saving Roy and Kelly.

Kelly, seeing his resolve slipping, quickly shouted, “Don't listen to him, Marco! We're not afraid of this guy.”

“Speak for yourself!” Roy argued in fear and Kelly turned to him with a silencing glare, saying, “Shut up, Roy!”

Marco swallowed, before shaking his head, his voice full of bravery and determination as he gave the lizard his answer, “I won't betray Star.”

Rasticore's eyes narrowed to slits, seeing the firm glare on the boy's face and realized that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to get the boy to do what he wanted. He leaned back regarding the boy with a thoughtful gaze. “Hmm, it appears you are right. I can see your loyalty for her goes much deeper than I originally anticipated,” the assassin said scratching at his chin with his metal claw. “But no matter. It would be too risky to leave this place, anyway. Instead, I think I'll just wait here until the princess arrives. After all, it's only a matter of time before she goes searching for you, Marco Diaz.” His face broke out in a wicked smile and Marco shuddered, not in fear for himself but for Star. He was now the bait in a trap being set up to capture his beautiful blond bestie and he didn't want to imagine what this lizard and whoever he was working for had in store for Star.

“Now then, stay still and quiet or I promise you will regret it,” Rasticore hissed in warning, shooting each of them a sinister glare, before walking over to a nearby table, sitting down on it and propping his legs up on the tabletop. For a few uncomfortable minutes, the three just watched as the lizard Monster went about working on his enormous chainsaw, the thing still glitchy and unpredictable since his encounter with the Impure, but still keeping a close eye on his prisoner's as he messed with his prized weapon.

Kelly turned to Marco and whispered under her breath, “I'm sorry Marco. I didn't mean to let this happen. That jerk caught me by surprise.”

“It's okay, Kelly. It's not your fault,” Marco reassured her, though he felt anything but assured, as he pulled his legs up to his chest, watching the lizard anxiously.

“Who is this guy, anyway?” Kelly continued, beyond curious at this point. “And what does he want with Star?”

“I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not good,” Marco stated simply. He knew he had to be careful with his wording, the lizard surly listening in on them, despite their quiet, almost silent voices. “All I know is, we need to stop him, before he hurts Star,” the boy added, as his mind desperately tried to form some kind of plan of escape. For whatever reason Rasticore had left Marco untied and the boy fiddled in his mind more than once about trying to make a run for the door. He hesitated though, knowing the plan would only prove to be futile, even if he did manage to escape that would leave Kelly and Roy at the Monster's mercy and from the haunting glare Rasticore continued to give him every so often, he got the feeling that that was what the lizard wanted. As for the reason why, Marco didn't know, though the hooded teen had a couple of ideas in mind, wondering if the lizard was just waiting for an excuse to beat the him senseless, hence why he had left him untied and the door within easy, almost taunting reach. Or even worse, maybe by letting him go, Rasticore was hoping to follow the boy right back to Star!

Marco felt another chill creep up his spine at that thought and hugged his legs even closer. No he needed a smarter plan of escape and he definitely needed to keep Star out of this. If only he had some way to contact Tom, Pony, or Lobster Claw to come and help. Then suddenly, an idea struck him, as his eyes jumped to Kelly or more specifically, the top of her head, where Tad still slept, oblivious to the Monster who held them all captive. From what Marco could tell, Rasticore had no idea about Kelly's boyfriend, otherwise he most likely would have secured him like the others, so if they could just find a moment when the lizard wasn't looking or was distracted, than maybe Tad could sneak out and warn the others.

The only question was how.

Marco making sure the lizard wasn't looking, as he dug around in the mechanical parts of his machine grunting with effort, leaned close to Kelly whispering as softly into her ear as he could, hoping the noise from the weapon would drowned out their hushed words, as he told her, “I'm gonna try and distract him, wake up Tad and tell him to go find help.”

“Wait, Marco don't-” Kelly started to argue, not wanting the boy to take such a huge risk, but the boy was already out of his seat and walking confidently over to the table Rasticore sat at.

“Well he's gonna die,” Roy observed, Kelly just biting her lip to keep from shouting at Marco to stop.

Rasticore saw the boy approaching and slowly lowered his chainsaw down in surprise, watching the hooded teen closely as he finally reached the table.

“What do you think your doing, brat?” the lizard hiss, his voice sharp in warning.

Marco swallowed down the lump in his throat and said as bravely as he could, “I want to know who you're working for.”

Rasticore stared at him blankly for about half a second, before bursting out into laughter, Marco doing his best not to let his wavering resolve show. He knew this was pointless, but he had to do something to keep the lizard busy and this seemed better than nothing. Finally, the lizard's laugh cut off, so abruptly it actually startled Marco. “Are you really that stupid?” Rasticore asked, the harshness returning full force. “Do you actually think you are in any sort of position to be making demands?” The assassin rose up from the table and Marco backed away, but kept his gaze strong, forcing himself to keep from checking and seeing if Tad was gone yet or not.

“Even if I'm not, that's not gonna keep me from trying,” Marco argued. “I'm not just gonna stand here and let someone try and hurt Star.”

“Oh so noble,” Rasticore said, his voice mocking and sarcastic. “Trying to protect your little girlfriend, well aren't you just a knight in shining armor. Too bad your too weak to do her any good.”

Marco ignored the blush that formed at the last insult, trying to channel his inner Janna, as he shot back, “Well at least I'm not hiding in the shadows and setting traps because I'm too afraid to face Star in a fair fight.”

Rasticore's eyes narrowed dangerously at that, a low growl settling in the back of his throat as he spat, “I'm not afraid of anyone, least of all some princess!”

“Then why won't you face her for real? The last time you attacked, she didn't have her wand or a real way to fight back. Are you afraid to go up against her when she has her wand?” Marco asked.

Rasticore didn't answer, his body shaking with mirth as he yelled, “You better watch your tongue if you know what's good for you, brat!” He took another uncomfortable step toward the boy, but Marco held his ground, despite the growing fear.

“No, just because I can't make demands, doesn't mean I have to follow yours!” Marco shouted, ignoring every safety instinct that was screaming at him and telling him that purposely angering a Monster assassin was a bad idea, his heart hammering so hard inside his chest he was afraid it would explode.

“You really are as dumb as your parents,” Rasticore replied bitterly and Marco's eyes widened, a familiar hurt clenching his chest, drowning out all other feelings. Then a new feeling replaced the pain, a burning anger unlike anything Marco had ever felt before and before he knew it he was screaming at the Monster, “How dare you?! My parents were heroes! They were good people, far better people than you could hope to be!! You have no right to insult them like that! Your the dumb one, anyway, thinking you could stand a chance against Star! When she gets here, she's gonna beat you, just like she did Toffee!!”

Meanwhile, while that was going on, Kelly was having trouble waking Tad, as she said in the loudest whisper she dared, “Tad. Tad, wake up. It's an emergency.”

Finally, her boyfriend stirred, slowly blinked open his eyes and stifling a yawn as he asked, “What? What's going on babe? Did Roy bring out the goblin dogs again?” But the fuzzy creature froze upon realizing that all was not right, as he began worriedly asking, “Whoa, Kelly, why is the restaurant so empty? Who's that with Marco? And why are you tied up?”

“Tad listen,” Kelly hissed, not bothering to answer his panicked questions. “I don't have time to explain, but we are in big trouble right now, the restaurant has been taken over, and I need you to sneak out of here as quietly as you possibly can and get help, got it?”

“Yeah but-”

“Babe, I know your confused, but right now I really don't have time to explain this to you, okay?”

Tad nodded, a determined look on his face, as he reassured her, “No problem, Kells. You can count on me.”

“I know I can,” Kelly replied, giving him a small smile. He floated off her head, heading toward the nearest window, keeping a close eye on the lizard, who was too busy threatening Marco to notice him.

Kelly watched him go, praying he got help in time, knowing with the way things were going it was only a matter of time before the lizard snapped and started attacking them. At the sound of Marco's loud, angry shout, Kelly whipped her head over to see Marco now face to face with the bewildered Rasticore, the hate in the teen's eyes so unlike the Marco she knew, she had to hold back a rising shudder. What had Rasticore said to upset him so badly?

The lizard assassin was dumbstruck by the boy's sudden burst of anger, but recovered rather quickly, the glare returning as he pulled his metal fist back, preparing to punch the hooded teen with all his strength, no longer carrying about keeping him alive to use as a hostage, this brat would pay. What he didn't anticipate, though, was Marco seeing the hit coming and ducking out of the way with a loud scream. Still this didn't discourage Rasticore as he tried to kick out at the boy, but Marco twisted his body around to avoid the heavy boot, though he stumbled and crashed into a table.

Marco watched with panic as the lizard's anger and frustration seemed to grow at being unable to strike the boy and Marco silently thanked Higgs for the training. Rasticore's head snapped over to Marco, a sinister hiss escaping his snout. He launched toward the boy once more, who quickly jumped away, the table shattering into oblivion as the lizard's metal arm struck it with all his strength. The assassin growled, slamming his claws into the ground in irritation.

Kelly and Roy could only watch in disbelief, their mouths hanging open in shock, as Marco managed to clumsily dodge around the lizard Monster. “He's... still alive,” Roy remarked and Kelly just nodded numbly.

Rasticore was on his feet again in a matter of seconds and Marco was back on the defensive, moving out of the way of another swing and pulling a chair out from one of the tables, positioning it so it was almost hiding him. “Stay back,” Marco warned, though his voice quivered slightly. The lizard laughed at the boy's naivety and stupidity, declaring loudly, “That's not going to protect you.”

Rasticore took another step forward and Marco kicked the chair with all his strength, propelling it toward his opponent. The Monster grabbed the chair no problem long before it managed to hit him, but Marco used the distraction to grab one of the vases from a nearby table raising it to throw at the Monster but a panicked shout from Roy, made him hesitate, Roy shouting out in panic, “No, not that one, that one's expensive!”

“Kinda don't have many options, here!” Marco shouted back, though he did set the vase back down. Rasticore threw the chair in rage, the fragile wood shattering as it hit the ground and Marco let out a panicked squeak.

“Use that one, that one Roy bought at a flee market!” Kelly suggested, nodding her head to the vase on a nearby table.

“What no I didn't,” the goblin argued. “It's a family heirloom. I got it from my great grandma goblin, it's precious to me.”

“Oh please, it's got a giant crack in it, it's worthless,” Kelly shot back.

“Guys?!” Marco shouted as Rasticore held out his metal palm, the metallic surface now sparking with electricity. The boy, in a split second, picked up the vase and ripped the flowers out of the pot, saying, “Fine, I'll compromise!”

He sent the water in the vase tumbling toward the Monster, who instinctively held his metal arm up to block, managing to mildly soaking him, which only seemed to enhance his anger to new and darker levels. “Okay, now you are really starting to annoy me, brat!”

He raised his claw hand to shoot another burst of energy at the boy and Marco weakly brought up his hands to cover his face. But no attack came, as the lizard's metal limb became frozen in place, fizzing with bits of energy and making a grating whine. “What?” Rasticore hissed in shock, looking down to see the source of the short, water slowly dripping onto the metallic appendage before quickly coating the fragile wiring within his joints. The electricity quickly backfired as it spread across not just his limb, but his entire body, the water he was drenched in attracting the sparks, screaming in pain, before collapsing over in a heap, momentarily unconscious.

Marco was frozen to the spot for a moment, just looking at the lizard's fallen body in shock, before shaking his head and forcing his eyes away from the sight, racing over to Kelly and Roy trying to quickly untie them, before the lizard no doubt recovered.

“Marco you just beat that guy by yourself!” Kelly shouted in true disbelief. “How did you do that?”

“I didn't beat him,” Marco quickly corrected her. “I just bought us some time.”

“Which is now up!” Rasticore's furious growl screamed, as the lizard rose up once more, his one good eye narrowing dangerously on the hooded teen. “Now you die!!” the lizard roared, holding his useless metal limp in his clawed grip. He charged toward the boy, flipping table and chair alike out of his way.

“Marco, I hope your ready for round two!” Kelly shouted and Marco grimaced, bracing himself for what was going to happen next.

…

Tom sighed loudly, just staring at his melting ice cream in sadness, watching as it dripped down his hand and onto the floor almost mesmerized by the sorrowful sight. “T, you okay? You haven't blinked in, like, minutes. I'm starting to think your dead,” Pony asked in concern as she ate her own cone of the cold treat, which was sitting upright on the bench the two currently occupied. The horse lay on the bench, taking occasional licks with her tongue too crestfallen to even float anymore.

“Nooo,” Tom groaned in depression, leaning further back in his seat, not even caring as the ice cream slipped off the cone and onto the ground.

Pony looked at the melting puddle in displeasure, before snapping at the downtrodden boy, “Look I know your upset about Star and everything, but that was just uncalled for.”

“Who cares?” Tom loudly exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, his cheek flames giving a small simmer, speeding the melting process for the discarded treat up slightly. “It's just stupid ice cream, it doesn't matter! Nothing matter now!” The boy's face switched from annoyance to dismay in half a second, releasing the cone and letting it drop to the ground too as he buried his face in his hands.

“Wow, you are a mess, boy,” Pony observed.

“Well what did you expect?!” Tom snapped. “We just blew our one chance to fix things with Star! How are you taking this so well, Pony?”

The emotional teen whipped his head over to shoot the floating horse a glare, but seeing the make-up smears on her eyes from where she had clearly been crying, he simply went back to watching his treat slowly waste away in the summer sun. “Can we go home now?” the boy asked.

Suddenly, a mop of floating hair, appeared out of nowhere, headed toward them and calling out, “Hey dudes! Dudes, I need your help!”

Tom and Pony saw this and shared a look, the former asking, “Do you know that guy, Pony?”

“Uh, no way,” Pony said. “Not all floating people know each other, Tom,” she added, almost scoldingly, as she rolled her eyes.

“No I mean, haven't we seen him before,” Tom said, before scratching at his chin, trying to recall where exactly he met this guy before.

“Wasn't he with that dumb goblin and Kelso or whoever,” Pony finally said and Tom nodded in agreement.

Once Tad reached them, panting for breath, despite not using his legs in any way, quickly exclaimed, “Whoa, I'm so glad I found you dudes! You are Marco's friends right?”

“Yeah, but if this is about my commercial, just tell your boss to send me the information and I'll get back to him eventually,” Pony said, not even looking the creature in the eye.

“No, no, it's bigger than that!” Tad said, shaking his.. well himself, as he quickly explained in a panic, “Some lizard guy just took over the restaurant and he's holding my girl and Roy hostage!”

“And why does this concern us?” Tom asked in resentment. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with other people's problems, especially when his own was eating away at him.

“Yeah just go to the police or knights or whatever,” Pony grumbled. “I'm sure they'll be able to deal with the loser.”

“But Marco is fighting him off on his own and I'm not sure how long he'll last!”

This instantly caught the two's full attention, as they both shouted in concern, “What?!” Tom was on his feet in a second saying in annoyance, “Well what didn't you say something in the first place?”

“Come on, let's go save the turd before he goes and gets himself killed!” Pony shouted, before charging into action, Tom and Tad right behind her, the hairy creature temporarily nestling himself on the top of the flaming teen's head.

…

Marco, panting breathlessly, dodging yet another attack from the lizard, dropping to the ground and covering his head with his hands as the lizard's fist smashed into the table behind the boy, knocking it over and shattering it. The boy then had to move out of the way to avoid the claw that attempted to backhand him right in the skull, the boy feeling the air whoosh past him and he shivered, that last attack had been far too close for comfort. Marco was just thankful that he only had the lizard's regular claw to deal with, his metal one or his chainsaw would obviously be too much for the boy to handle on his own.

Not that the boy was faring much better at the moment, because although Marco was holding his own (or at the very least hadn't died yet) it was quite obvious that he had no chance of winning this battle. All he could do was dodge clumsily out of the way of every attack and the more the fight went on the more sloppy even that seemed to get as his body slowly wore down on him. His muscles were aching from overwork and his lungs were screaming at him to let them rest, but the boy could offer them no relief as the fight carried on, Rasticore becoming more and more ruthless by the second as his fury only grew.

The only bright side to all this was that, since his attention was entirely on Marco, he seemed to have forgotten all about Kelly and Roy, the former somehow managing to maneuver her chair so that it was side by side with Roy, the small goblin trying to undo the thick knots around his workers waist and free her from her trapped position, which wasn't easy to do considering his hands were tied the same as Kelly's. Marco just hoped help came soon because he wasn't sure how much longer he could last or how soon until Rasticore remembered his other hostages.

Marco's worried thoughts were interrupted by a loud hiss from Rasticore, who was beyond irritated at his point at his inability to land a single hit on the hooded weakling as he rumbled, “Hold still, you little runt!”

He charged again and Marco forced his rejecting muscles into action as he jumped out of the way, but the lizard's swinging tail managed to trip Marco and the boy stumbled back, landing hard on his butt. Rasticore turned and Marco felt fear spike in his chest, Higgs words of “Your dead” ringing in his head for a second and he felt his heart start to race, as an unwanted flashback occurred, seeing Toffee towering over him instead, and freezing the boy in place. Before Rasticore could hit the boy, though, a loud battle cry from nowhere cut him off as Kelly (now free from the ropes thanks to Roy) managed to catch the lizard by surprise kicking him directly in the gut with the heel of her foot. Rasticore felt the breath knocked out of him for a moment, but quickly recovered as he grabbed the girl's ankle and swung her around, sending her skidding across the ground.

“Kelly!” Marco screamed, snapping him out of his trance, as he rose to his feet, but feeling the Monster's looming presence over him again, had to jump back to avoid another wild punch from the Monster.

“This is just between you and me, boy!” Rasticore growled, as he stalked nearer. “Now then, do you submit and accept defeat! If you tell me where the princess is, maybe I'll even let you live!”

Marco backed up until his back hit a table, grabbing the vase on it out of the lizard's vision. He threw it at the creature, who shouted as it shattered against his skin.

The boy used the distraction to run toward the kitchen area, hoping to at least find something to help even the odds. Rasticore saw this and growled low, “Oh no you don't.” He then picked up the nearest table with his one good arm and hefted it forward his all his might, the large object now in a direct collision course with the red-hooded teen.

“Marco, look out!” Kelly shouted in warning and Marco saw the thing coming out of the corner of his eye but had no time to dodge or stop, so he just let out a scream and instead threw himself to the ground, hoping to somehow avoid the hit. Miraculously, the table did miss, sailing over his head and crashing into the table next to him, breaking both tables and shattering the vase at the same time, bits of glass raining down on the fallen boy. After a second, Marco risked a look up, seeing the Monster now shaking with rage. But he wasn't discouraged for long, as he lifted a chair up above his head preparing to throw it at the downed boy, revealing a dark, toothy smile, as he said in a threatening tone, “I won't miss this time.”

But suddenly the door to the restaurant burst open, flying off its hinges from a hot blast of flames, another following right after, striking the chair and lighting it instantly on fire, making the lizard stumble and drop the thing, as the flames quickly devoured its prey until there was nothing left but a pile of ash. Rasticore and Marco both looked over to see Tom standing in the doorway, a look of hatred on his face, as he glared at the Monster. “Leave my friend alone!” Tom screamed, his voice a deep boom and his eyes flashing red, his cheek marks now a lit and roaring bonfire.

“Tom!” Marco cried in relief, a bright but tired smile on his face.

“You again,” Rasticore hissed in annoyance.

“You met this guy before, T?” Pony asked, appearing behind the flaming teen.

“Yeah, long story, I'll tell you later,” Tom said quickly, too focused on the Monster to go into right then.

Tad looked over and spotted his girlfriend, slowly sitting up from the harsh hit she had taken, “Kelly!” the mop of hair shouted, floating over to the love of his life.

“Tad!”” Kelly cried in relief, as he settled back onto the top of her head, nestling deep into her soft green locks, finally back where he belonged, much to both of their relief. The two were so use to sticking together that whenever they were separated it felt like a piece of them was missing, their world feeling incomplete until they were finally reunited. “You made it,” the girl added, praise and appreciation ringing in her voice.

“Sure did, babe. I'm just glad your safe,” Tad said flirtingly and the girl blushed.

“Oh Tad.”

“Uh can one of you untie me please, before I fire both of you?” Roy demanded, his patience finally stretched to his limit.

Tom and Pony, meanwhile, broke out into an all-out fight with the lizard as Tom sent a fireball his way which Rasticore easily dodged, before grabbing the horse head by the horn before it could stab him in the chest. “Hey you let go of my horn, ya square!” Pony shouted in fury.

“Square? What kind of insult is that?” Rasticore asked in confusion, Tom took advantage of the distraction as he slammed into the side of the lizard, using the flames at his feet to make him fly, forcing the assassin to release Pony Head so he could catch himself and keep from hitting the ground. The lizard growled before kicking out with his steel-toed boat, managing to hit an unsuspecting Tom and sending him flying backward.

He sailed over Kelly, Roy and Tad's head, as the green-haired girl finished freeing her boss from the confining ropes. “I'm free at last!” Roy shouted the moment he was no longer restrained, jumping up into his seat and laughing at the top of his lungs. Kelly just rolled her eyes, but had bigger things to worry about than her boss's bizarre behavior.

Marco met back up with them, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, his eyes scanning her closely, as he asked worriedly, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Kelly responded nonchalantly. “It's your friends I'm more worried about.”

Marco turned to see Tom and Pony still fighting the lizard with all their might, the heat from Tom's flames apparently enough to completely dry Rasticore's arms circuits, making him able to use his metal arm once more, though he was avoiding the energy blasts for obvious reasons. This still spelled out trouble for the teens though, as he went from being a severely handicapped opponent to the deadly and precise killer that the two were now struggling to fight off. He blocked a flaming kick from Tom with his metal limb, while maneuvering his head out of the way of each deadly thrust from the charging horse head, his movements quick and fluid, nothing less to be expected from a trained assassin. He batted the horse out of the air like she was nothing and grabbed Tom in a chocking hold, before slamming him into the ground with no hesitation.

Marco cringed at the loud bang that echoed from the last attack, even as the boy managed to get himself free from the grip, attacking once more. He could see his friend's efforts were failing and they needed some kind of plan before the lizard won once more. “We have to help them,” Marco stated with determination, his mind made up. He started to rush toward them, but was stopped when Kelly quickly grabbed his arm. “Wait, Marco,” she said and the boy turned to her with surprise.

“Running in there blindly won't help anything,” she explained, before a smile slowly brightened her face. “But lucky for you I have an idea.” She then turned to her goblin boss saying dramatically, “It's time to execute emergency plan 'P'.”

Roy and Tad both gasped, the goblin exclaiming, “No, it can't be done!”

“It must!” Kelly replied, slamming a hand into her palm in emphasis. “Otherwise we're all as good as dead!”

“Wait, what are we doing exactly?” Marco asked, looking lost.

“What we're best at,” Kelly responded, the three adding as one, “Baking!”

…

“Annnnddd full castle, I win again!” Janna exclaimed setting down her cards on the floor so Jackie could see.

The girl looked down at the cards then at her own set with a skeptical look, a confused frown on her face. “Wait, how?” Jackie asked, before taking in the cocky smile of her friend. “You didn't say anything about 'full castle' when you were explaining the rules.”

Janna shrugged. “My bad I must have forgotten to mention it,” she said nonchalantly.

Jackie's eyes narrowed as she said accusingly, “You know, I'm starting to think there is no such thing as Mewman poker.”

“Of course there is, Jackie,” Janna said, patting her on the shoulder. “Otherwise how would we have been able to play this game for hours straight if I just made it up.”

“Because you are an extremely effective liar,” Jackie deadpanned. “Besides, the rules of this are so complicated, how could anyone play this game for real.”

Janna scoffed, looking down at her nails. “If you think this is bad, remind me never to take you to a Cornball tournament.” She patted her friend patronizingly on the head, while the skater gave her a death glare. “I guess Mewman games are just too complicated for you.”

Jackie whacked her hand away, saying, “Oh whatever, Jan, if you saw a human game you would be just as confused and would probably end up destroying the field with magic or something.”

Janna didn't argue that point, instead saying, “Well anyways I still won, so I'll take my winnings please.” She held out a hand in anticipation and Jackie let out a long sigh.

“Fine,” she grumbled, handing over her skateboard. “But don't break it, okay?”

“Jacks, I can't believe you don't trust me with your things,” Janna gasped, looking offended. “And after we spent so many years together.”

Jackie leaned forward with a narrowed look. “That's exactly why I don't trust you.”

The door to the room busted open and Jackie and Janna turned to see Star. The two smiled at their blond friend, Jackie greeting, “Hey, Star, what's-” But her voice cut off as she saw tear streaks down the girl's face and instantly jumped to her feet, asking in worry, “Star, what happened?” The girl ran forward into her friend's arms her body wracked with sobs. Janna, still uncomfortable dealing with stuff like this, focused her complete attention on putting the deck of cards away, avoiding eye contact with either of her friends. Jackie just held the girl close, running a hand through her hair to help comfort her, not pressing her anymore, waiting until she was composed enough to answer. And finally, she did.

“I snapped at Marco!” she chocked out, her voice raw from crying.

“What?” Jackie said in surprise, even Janna looking over at them in shock. Her and Marco almost always got along, she had never once seen them even glare at each other, it was crazy to even imagine the two fighting at all. What could possibly have happened to upset Star enough to do that?

Star tried to answer but her words came so fast and were still muffled by her tears that Jackie couldn't make out a word, sounding more like unintelligent mumbling than an explanation. “Whoa, calm down Star,” the girl said, stopping her. She dragged her over to her bed and set her down next to her. “Now tell me what happened, but slower this time,” Jackie said, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her and looking deep into her sad, blue eyes.

Star took a deep breath before starting again, much more coherent this time, though she still stopped to sniff occasionally, “I-I went to go see Marco for lunch a-and I could tell something was up but when I g-got there he was with Tom and Pony Head.” Janna's head perked up at this, though she kept her mouth sealed shut. “They apparently talked him into g-getting me to become their friend again. And I started to leave, but then Marco followed me and I-I just...” The girl buried her face in her hands again, letting out a single sob.

Jackie swallowed down the lump in her throat. So that was it. She looked over at Janna who had a look mixed between lost and longing and the girl knew she would be no help in fixing this. So the skater took in a long breath before saying, “Star, it's okay.”

“No, it's not Jackie!” Star snapped out. “You should have seen his face, he looked so hurt and betrayed, what kind of girlfriend am I?” Her eyes lowered to her lap, where she stared at her hands dully, as if expecting an answer from them.

“A normal one,” Jackie reassured her, wiping her bangs out of her face.

“R-Really?” Star asked, sniffing again.

“Yes, all couples get into a fight, it's totally normal.”

Star looked relieved, though her eyes were still full of sadness and regret. “But now what do I do? Marco and everyone wants me to forgive Tom and Pony, but, I'm not sure if I can. Well, I mean, I'm not sure if I should.” The blond royal's face morphed to a look of fear Jackie hadn't seen on her in years, not since the day she had been told that she was being sent to St. Olga's. “What if I change again? What if I turn into the same troubled child I was before? What if-”

Jackie put a hand on Star's and the girl flinched, looking up at her friend. “Star relax, that isn't going to happen.” the skater spoke slow and calm, her bright eyes full of support, doing everything she could to comfort her friend's anxious mind and give her some sense of ease. “I swear that that won't happen, okay? Whatever horrible image you've made yourself out to be in the past, I think you and I have a very different interpretation of how you were back then.”

Star gave her a confused look, asking, “How so?”

“Well, the girl I remember was bouncy and full of energy and yes she did have a tendency to get herself into way over her head, especially where Tom and Pony were involved, but she was also kind and caring and put others before herself. She saved many kids who were at their lowest and gave them a home and a purpose. In fact, I can remember quite clearly the day I met her, when I thought all hope was lost and she managed to comfort me with just a smile.” The two both got sad looks on their faces at the memory. “But she always brought out the best in everyone...” Jackie took Star's hands in her own giving them an affectionate squeeze. “And part of her is still here, just different. But she's still there, all the very best parts.”

Star didn't know what to say to that, so just settled for a hug, trying to commune her gratitude without words, but the gentle squeezing from the skater told her that she knew and understood. After a moment, of silent comforting, Jackie said, “I know your hesitant to trust Tom and Pony again after everything, believe me I get it, I judged them as harshly as you did. But you should at least give them a chance to show that they've changed.”

“Yeah and Tom and Pony aren't interested in changing you,” Janna finally pitched in. “They just want their friend back, that's all.”

Star finally pulled out of the hug, looking between her two friends, for a moment before finally nodding and saying, “Okay, your right, I should give them another chance.”

“That'a girl!” Janna exclaimed, rising to her feet and throwing Star over her shoulder, carrying her out of the room. “Now then, let's get you over there to apologize, pronto!”

“Janna, you can put me down, I can walk just fine on my own,” Star said angrily, awkwardly folding her arms.

“Hey, I'm just making sure you get there as quickly as you can,” Janna argued, still keeping her hold on the girl.

“More like you get to see Tom again, right,” Jackie teased as she followed along behind the two.

Janna's cheeks turned pink, though she didn't deny it. “Well regardless you can thank me later.”

“I wasn't planning on it,” Star grumbled bitterly, her eyes jumping to several servants who were chuckling and whispering under their breath at the embarrassing display. “And I hardly think this is the most dignified entrance for a princess.”

“Right now you aren't a princess, Star, but a friend and girlfriend who wrong and sorry,” Janna said.

“And how does that justify you carrying me?” Star asked carefully, her voice rising in annoyance.

“It doesn't,” Janna replied honestly.

“PUT ME DOWN!!”

…

The muted sounds of smashing and screams could be faintly heard outside the normally pleasant Fang Tangs, the noise managing to echo out into the nearly empty streets of Butterfly Village. This drew surprisingly little attention though, as it seemed most of the town was completely oblivious once more to the true danger taking place within the walls of their home. The few passerby’s who heard the racket just continued on their path, only pausing for a moment at the most before rolling their eyes or shrugging, assuming the noise to just be another stunt by the restaurant's eccentric owner.

But within, the scene was far more real than a simple act as the two teens were in a life or death struggle with the fierce assassin, a fight which the two were having trouble winning, no match for the experienced Rasticore. Marco watched all of this was a nervous frown as Kelly, Tad and Roy led him toward the kitchen area, the girl keeping a steady grip on his hand to get him to follow. But after each punch Tom or Pony received the hooded teen had to physically stop himself from pulling out of the girl's grip and rushing over to help, even knowing he would be no help in the fight at this point. He just hoped that whatever Kelly was planning would be enough to tip the fight back into their favor.

So, with much resolve, he forced his eyes away from the fight and back to the matter at hand, determined to help in some way. Marco had never been in the kitchen of a real restaurant before and although it wasn't nearly as massive as the castles it was still quite a sight. Under normal circumstances Marco would have taken the time to ogle over every sight the place had to offer, asking question after question, his curiosity almost too much for him to take, but right now he was in too big of a hurry to take anything in.

And it seemed the others were in just as big a hurry as Kelly and Roy began rushing around the room gathering up ingredients and items needed for something, shouting out orders and directions to each other, even Tad doing his part, already beginning to chop up vegetables, leaving Marco to just stand there and watch in confusion. “Um, no offence but is this really the time to be cooking?” Marco asked, feeling that this was a bizarre course of action for them all to take.

“Trust us, Marco,” Kelly replied, her voice full of confidence. “We're about to give that jerkface a taste of his own medicine.”

Marco still not seeing the overall plan but choosing to put his faith in his friend, asked instead, “Okay, how can I help?”

“Well for starters, you can hand me that box!” She pointed out the object on the counter top next to Marco and the boy obeyed, grabbing it up and reading the label as he handed it over to her, the side reading, 'Fast Rising Flour'.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said gratefully, before pouring in the ingredient into an oversized bowl, with all the style and skill of a master chef, not a speck of dust touching the counter tops. She then quickly cracked a few purple-colored eyes on the side of the bowl, before dropping them into the mix.

She stuffed the bowl into the boy's arm, giving him a large spoon in the other, as she stated, “Here, start stirring, I'm gonna go get the griffon milk.” Marco just watched her walk over to the nearest fridge, opening it up and digging around inside it.

“What are we doing, exactly?” the boy asked, beginning to crave answers that he wasn't being given, and Kelly, looking over and seeing the boy just standing there unmoving quickly shouted, “Marco hurry and stir, before that stuff starts expanding!” Marco screamed and obeyed, trying his best to focus on his task and ignore the dire situation in the next room. This became much easier to do when Roy came over and poured more contents into the boy's bowl, some kind of foul smelling goop that made Marco's stomach turn and he gagged, unable to think of anything but the disgusting slop. “What the heck is this stuff?!” the boy asked, fighting the temptation to pinch his nose, his hands occupied by the bowl and spoon.

“Exploding berries!” Roy exclaimed and the boy's eyes widened.

“Wait what?!”

“Let's just say that that Monster out there won't know what hit him,” Kelly said, a sly grin on her face as she poured in the milk. Marco continued stirring as instructed, while Tad threw in the few vegetables that were required for whatever weird recipe they were making. Once the stirring was finished, Kelly pulled out a pan and poured the horrible smelling mix onto a baking sheet, before shoving it into the oven. Marco watched as she moved the timer over until it was on the “Super Deluxe Speed” setting, seemingly ignoring the warning label right below it. “Uhh, are you sure that's a good idea?” Marco asked in concern.

“Don't have a choice!” Kelly replied, as her hand hovered over the button to activate it. She hit the button, before her turning and grabbing Marco, dragging him as far away from the oven as she could, her and the others ducking behind a counter top in a matter of seconds, as they did their best to cover their heads,the sound of the timer ticking away filling their ears. “What are we doing?” Marco asked in growing concern.

“Taking cover,” Kelly replied.

“Just in case it explodes,” Tad added.

“What?!” Marco squeaked.

Suddenly, there was a loud ding and the hooded teen jumped, thinking that an explosion might follow after. But it didn't, as the others pocked their heads out and stared at the oven for a second, just in case. Once they knew it was safe, they all rushed over, Kelly putting on oven mitts and carefully pulling out the now finished product: a pie.

“Perfect, now to just get it close enough to him to work!” the green-haired girl said.

“Great, and how are we going to do that?” Roy exclaimed in exasperation, crossing his arms in annoyance.

“How about we use those,” Marco suggested, pointing to the pile of pots and pans and the others all nodded approvingly at the plan.

“That could work,” Kelly said.

Meanwhile, Rasticore continued his attack while Tom and Pony returned the favor full force, Pony charging him with her horn and Tom shooting fireballs at him or hitting him with a flaming punch when needed. The lizard assassin, though was dodging almost all of their attempts and hitting them back with an equal amount of strength to theirs, possibly moreso.

And after taking a particularly nasty hit from Rasticore, Tom found himself being lifted up into the air by the front of his shirt, held above the cruel assassin. The boy fought to escape his grasp, but even his flames did nothing to the Monster, using his metal arm to hold the boy up and effectively avoiding being burned by him. The lizard smirked and said mockingly, “Well it seems your loyalty has gone to waste Prince Lucitor.” Tom opened his mouth to respond when he noticed that they were now alone, no Marco or the others in sight.

Pony noticed this as well, now too, scoffing in annoyance, “Did they seriously just ditch us?! After we saved their lives, that's the thanks we get? Ungrateful.”

Tom, however, felt no anger like he expected to, instead all he felt was a deep aching in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of sadness and betrayal unlike anything he had felt in a long time, and he was so distracted by this pain that he ceased to struggle, too full of grief to fight back any longer. He barely noticed as the lizard, taking advantage of the boy's hesitation, raised his claw to punch him, saying harshly, “Oh well, I guess you two will just have to die alone, instead.”

“Charge!” a voice screamed as Kelly and Marco suddenly ran into the room, holding frying pans as weapons, Roy following after holding some kind of pie. The lizard was caught off guard as the two began wailing on him with pans, making him cry out in pain, trying to block the hits with his claw. “Ow! Hey! Cut it out you little brats!” Rasticore screamed in fury.

“Show no mercy!” Kelly yelled, her voice full of bloodlust as she continued to hit him.

“Let go of my friend!” Marco screamed, focusing his attacks on the metal claw keeping Tom suspended into the air, trying desperately to free him. Tom was frozen in shock for a moment, before he finally recovered from his shock, kicking the lizard in the chest, making him hiss and pain and finally release his grip. Tom used his flames to help him gently float to the ground, where Marco ran over to check on him. “Tom, Tom are you okay?” the hooded teen cried in concern.

Tom just stared at him blankly for a moment, caught off guard by the question, he wasn't used to people showing that level of concern toward him. “Uhh, yeah I guess?”

The two turned back to watch as Kelly continued to wail mercilessly on the lizard, screaming at the top of her lungs, “This is for attacking my restaurant, you stupid lizard!!”

Tad the whole time, merely cheered his girlfriend on, saying things like, “Go babe! You got him now! I believe in you Kelly!”

“Your friend is... intense,” Tom commented. “And that's coming from me.”

Marco nodded dumbly, he was actually starting to feel concern for Rasticore of all people until the lizard shouted, “Enough!” He grabbed the girl's arm and flung her hard to the ground, shooting them all a maddened death glare as he yelled in pure rage, “I will not be made a laughingstock out of by you all again!”

That was when Roy, out of nowhere, suddenly shouted, “Bombs away!” throwing the pie with all his might and nailing the lizard right in the face. There was a massive explosion as the deadly treat went off, everyone doing their best to shield themselves from the intense heat and debris that filled the area, as well as the pie crust and filling that coated every inch of the once pristine restaurant.

Once the smoke had cleared, Marco and company looked at the burnt, singed and messy form of the once-proud assassin, who was swaying uneasily on his feet, before crashing hard to the ground, unconscious. There was a beat of silence, as everyone panted from the long ordeal, until Kelly shouted, “Yes, we did it! We won!” The others cheered too, thankful that they had successfully beaten the feared opponent, Marco even letting out a relieved sigh and putting a hand to his aching head. “Thank goodness,” he muttered under his breath, glad that Star was finally safe from this horrid Monster.

“What do you think of that, Mons-turd?!” Pony asked mockingly, turning to the unconscious lizard. But she gasped, saying in disbelief, “What?” and the others followed her gaze to see that Rasticore was now gone. Everyone looked around wildly for any signs of the lizard, but Marco, hearing the telltale sound of a familiar chainsaw revving, turned and saw Rasticore struggling to turn the thing on behind him. “Hey wait!” Marco screamed, but the lizard ignored him, finally getting the thing started and quickly slicing open a portal, giving a final, foreboding warning, “Next time, Marco Diaz! I will have my revenge and Princess Star!”

And before anyone could stop him he stepped through, the portal closing far too fast for any of them to reach him in time. Marco let out an annoyed sigh. Well there went that, he thought depressingly. They may have won the battle this time, but Marco had a feeling the war was far from over.

“Okay, uhh, what the heckie just happened?!” Pony's confused voice interrupted Marco's thoughts. “You boys have some serious explainin' to do!” Everyone then turned to Marco and Tom and the two boys just chuckled uncomfortably, neither sure where to begin.

…

“Come on, Star just open it,” Jackie encouraged the girl, as she hesitated for the fifth time in a row, the three standing awkwardly outside of Fang Tang's the two roommates trying to encourage the girl to work up enough nerve to open the door. Star sucked in a deep breath, trying to force herself to take the leap but unable to get herself to do so, she had no idea what she was going to do now that she was here, what was she supposed to say to Marco after the way she acted, or Tom and Pony for that matter. “We don't even know Marco is in there?” Star argued weakly, trying to stall for time.

“Well he said that's where he was headed,” Lobster Claws, who had followed them partially the way there when they got to town, pointed out and Star scowled in annoyance.

“Yes, thank you for that, Lobster Claws,” Star said bitterly, but the Monster didn't seem to notice her harsh tone as he just puffed out his chest proudly.

“It's what I'm here for,” the crustacean responded.

Star let out a sigh, before raising her hand to the doorknob, but once again stopped before ever touching the cold metal.

“Y'know, no matter how long you look at it,the door isn't going to open by itself,” Janna commented sarcastically and both Star and Jackie turned to give her a glare.

“Oh be quiet,” the two girls said as one. But as Star's attention returned to the door, Janna's comment managed to distract her from all the intense worries she was feeling and finally get her hand into motion, as it swiftly turned the knob of the door. Star's breathing hitched, almost shocked she had actually done it, before she swallowed down her fear and opened the door.

The sight inside was not one any of the group had been expecting, the normally spotless building coated in some kind of purple substance and most of the furniture was either broken or flipped over, the room looking like a tornado had passed through it. And near the center of the building, was a massive hole in the floor, the area around it covered in soot and ash, a clear sign of an explosion taking place there. “What the heck happened here?” Janna asked in shock, the others standing there slack-jawed at the state of the once beautiful restaurant.

“Star?” came a familiar voice and the blond royal finally drew her attention onto the small ground gathered around the only functional table in the restaurant, having been too distracted by the rest of the room to even notice them. There was Marco, Tom, Pony, Kelly, Tad (who sat wide-awake on top of girlfriend's hair like usual), and a goblin Star didn't recognize, all of them covered with the same fruity substance that was spread across every surface of the room. They all looked more disheveled then usual as well Star noticed, but didn't comment on this. They all stared at her for a moment with expressions ranging from joyful to downright astonished. Marco rose from his chair and ran over to his girlfriend, throwing his arms around her in a hug, not even caring as he smeared Star's dress with pie filling. “You came back!” Marco cheered.

But for once Star didn't return the hug, the guilt too overpowering to allow her to do so and she instead tensed in his arms. The boy seemed to notice this, as he pulled away, giving her a long, almost hurt expression and the girl felt her stomach twist into a tight knot at being the cause of that heart-breaking face. “Star?” the boy said weakly and the girl, felt a lump catch in her throat, strangling her.

“M-Marco, I-I'm so sorry!” the girl quickly apologized, while Tom and Pony Head, just watching blankly from the background, no sign of any emotion on their faces, as if they were unsure how to react to this situation. Their unblinking eyes hovered on her, hesitant of what to expect from their old friend. “I never should have snapped at you like that or ran off or reacted any of the way I did!” she continued, a fearful look on her face. “I realize now that I was being dumb!”

“Star,” Marco said, putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “It's okay, I understand.” He gave her a small smile, before saying, “But y'know, I'm not the one you should be apologizing too.” He did a small gesture with his head and Star turned to look in the direction he was indicating, seeing Tom and Pony, looking as awkward as she felt. Star took a deep breath and moved towards them, the two looking more and more troubled by every step.

Finally, Star found herself face to face with Tom and Pony for the first time in months. For a few tense moments no one spoke, Star just staring blankly between each of them, the two looking fearful of what she was going to say or do. Until at last, the blond spoke, “All right first off, what you two did was wrong.” She betrayed no remorse for the two, her gaze hard and sharp. “You used me, treated Marco awful, got us both into a lot of trouble, and even tried to made me choose who I could be friends with! And no matter what, I can't just pretend that never happened.” The two hung their heads at that, but as Star let out a breath, her tone softened some, “But still that doesn't mean I was right either.”

The two finally looked up and locked gaze with her. “Say what now?” Pony asked in shock.

“I was wrong... I let my anger get the best of me. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now I think I was just being stubborn. Being with you was just such a big reminder to before, that I allowed myself to confuse all the things I hated about myself with you two. And that somehow being around you would turn me into someone... I didn't want to be. But if you two can promise to accept me for who am I now, then... I can too.”

The two were silent for a moment, before Pony blurted out, “Well duh, of course we can, B-Fly!”

“Yeah, we just want to start hanging out again,” Tom added, a relieved and happy smile on his face. But it quickly switched to a guilty frown as he confessed, “And um, I'm sorry for making you choose. I was just being jealous and stupid.”

“We both were,” Pony pitched in, tapping the boy's shoulder with her neck.

“And um, I don't blame you for picking Marco. He's actually a pretty cool dude once you get to know him.” Tom turned to the smiling teen in red, with a wide knowing grin and Star followed his gaze, her own eyes full of love for her bestie.

Marco became teary-eyed, touched at the boy's words, as he said, “Thanks buddy.”

“Yeah he is pretty incredible,” Star agreed, losing herself in his stunning brown, before turning back to Tom. “And I forgive you, both of you,” Star said simply and the two's grins widened. “Friends,” she offered, opening her arms wide, offering them a hug and the two quickly accepted. Marco just watched as the three friends finally made up, a bright smile on his face. But a second later he shouted, “Group hug!” running over and joining the three, squeezing his girlfriend tight from behind. The others needed no other encouragement as they joined in as well, even Lobster Claws and Roy. Tom felt his face flush, as he realized that a certain beanie-wearing girl held him from behind, her chin resting knowingly, almost tauntingly, on his shoulder and he felt his mouth go dry, feeling her brown eyes study him from the corner of her eye. “Hey,” she said softly, fleetingly and Tom just let out a small, nervous cough.

But as the hug dragged out for far too long, Pony, feeling suffocated quickly shouted, “Okay, enough of the sappy stuff, your making me more messy than before!”

As everyone pulled away, they looked down to see the damage on their clothes, Star frowning as she wondered if even the great Lavabo could get this purple stain out of her favorite dress. “Okay seriously, what is this stuff?”

“Yeah and what happened here, anyway,” Jackie asked, looking around the room in confusion, her hands resting on her hips. “It looks like there was a warnicorn stampede in here.”

The others all shared a look, none sure what to say to the girls or Lobster Claws. They had just been discussing that when they were interrupted by their arrival. “Umm, well-” Marco began hesitantly, before Tom answered for him.

“Rasticore,” he said simply and Star's eyes shot open, her breathing instantly erratic as her head swiveled this way and that searching for the dreaded Monster.

“What, he was here?! Where?! Did he hurt any of you?!”

Marco put both hands on her shoulders to calm her down and her eyes landed on his, staring deep into them. “Star, relax, he's gone,” he assured her.

“Wait, b-but how?” Star stuttered in surprise.

“Oh, we took care of that guy no problem!” Pony bragged, with a egotistical grin.

“Yeah that guy will think twice about coming near us again,” Kelly added, pounding a hand into her fist.

“Okay, hold on!” Star interrupted, trying to wrap her mind around this shocking revelation. She eyed each of them individually, before saying slowly, “You all fought Rasticore... and won!”

“Well yeah, what did you expect, Star?” Tom answered with a shrug.

“I-I-I don't know,” Star said, her mind still reeling with bewilderment.

“Who's Rasticore?” Lobster Claws asked, scratching a claw to the top of his head in confusion.

The others all shared a worried look before Star quickly replied, “No one! Just a-a-”

“Tax collector!” Janna offered, raising a finger into the air.

Lobster Claws eyes widened as he said nervously, “Oh wow, you all really did go through quite the ordeal!”

“Ha ha, yeah,” Marco chuckled nervously.

“Well I better be going, the boss will probably want my report soon,” the crustacean said.

“Maybe just... leave out most of what happened today,” Marco suggested with a hesitant smile. The last thing he wanted was for his dad to find out, knowing he would pick up on their story not adding up and would begin asking some very unwanted questions. If he could avoid worrying his father anymore than he already did, then he would.

The lobster Monster seemed to pick up on this, as he nodded and gave the boy a knowing wink, saying softly, “Don't worry, Marco. Your secrets safe with me!”

The hooded teen breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “Thanks!” He ran over and gave him a quick hug goodbye, watching as the Monster exited the restaurant with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

“Okay so now that that's over, it's time to celebratttteee!” Pony quickly shouted, excitedly.

“Uhh, and by celebrate you mean clean up this mess, right?” Kelly asked accusingly, her eyebrows lowering into a frown.

“Well I was more thinking the Bounce Lounge,” Pony answered honestly, but Marco covered her mouth his hand.

“Sorry Kelly, of course we'll help you clean up,” Marco said, a bright smile on his face.

Pony pulled away, glaring at the boy, “Say what?! I think I take it back, we can't be friends if your gonna do stuff like that!”

“Come on, Pony, it's the right thing to do,” Marco argued.

“Uh, how exactly? I didn't make this mess, if anything you guys were the one who threw that exploding pie, so you should be the ones to clean it up! Or, better yet, we should go track down that lizard and make him clean it up!”

“Come on, Pony, it won't take that long!” Tom said and the horse's glared at the boy.

“Your supposed to be on my side here, T!” Pony shouted.

“Well I think it's a great idea, Marco!” Star said brightly, taking his hand in hers.

“I'm in!” Jackie offered, before turning to her roommate. “What about you, Jan?”

The creepy girl just shrugged, her eyes closed in thought. “Eh, why not?” Her brown orbs suddenly opened, landing on a blushing Tom, giving him a long, knowing stare. “Besides, I already chose my cleaning buddy,” Janna said flirtingly, her eyes hinting at a deeper meaning and Tom swallowed hard.

“Well let's get to work then,” Roy shouted encouragingly. “The sooner we get done, the sooner I can reopen!”

Pony finally let out a long, frustrated sigh, before saying, “All right, fine, I'll help! But only because I don't want to be out-staged by any of you!” She flipped her mane, huffily, while the others all hid their grins, not commenting on the very true statement.

…

Later, once the restaurant was all cleaned up and the tables and chairs had all been repaired (thanks to Star's magic), the teens were all gathered around one of the outside tables, laughing and chatting, as the sky began to darken overhead. Roy was inside, making some sort of treat to thank them all for their hard work and had insisted that Kelly and Tad sit it out and relax with the others.

“You should have seen Marco though,” Kelly said, as they recounted the events earlier that day to Star and the others. The green-haired girl elbowing the hooded teen in the shoulder, who turned to her in surprise, his cheeks tinted pink. “He held off Rasticore all on his own. It was pretty incredible!”

Marco blushed at the praise, as he stuttered out shyly, “Oh, I-I didn't do anything that great.”

“Aw, don't be so modest, Marco!” Kelly continued patting him encouragingly on the back, her eyes jumping to Star. “He's the real hero of the day!”

“That doesn't surprise me,” Star said softly, putting an arm around the boy and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, making him blush wildly. “Wouldn't be the first time?” she practically whispered in his ear and the young couple shared a grin before resting their heads against one another.

“Uhhh, hey, did you all forget who came in and saved your butts?!” Pony interrupted, looking annoyed that the attention was no longer on her.

“Yes, we know Pony and we're really appreciative,” Jackie said to calm her down.

“You were pretty incredible too, though, Kelly,” Marco said, wanting to share the praise equally, his eyes shimmering. “I've never seen you like that before, you really went all out.” The boy hesitated, before adding, “It was kinda scary, actually.”

Kelly shrugged. “If you thought that was bad, remind me to never take you to my dimension.”

“Why?” Marco asked in concern.

“Because we Woolett's rely on fighting for pretty much everything, you can't even take two steps out of your house without being punched in the face,” Kelly replied simply and Marco starred at her wide-eyed for a moment.

“Yeah uh, I think I'll pass,” Marco said hurriedly, trying to hide the fear on his face.

Tom was the only one who had yet to say anything, feeling too flustered to speak, distracted by the creepy girl beside him. This was the first time they had hung out since the Blood Moon Ball and honestly now the boy didn't know what to do or say to the girl, his mind jumping to the last moment the two had shared together, his cheek tingling as if he could still feel her lips as they pressed up against his skin and he held back a shudder. It didn't help that the girl had, of course, chosen to sit right next to him, her close contact doing all kind of wild and crazy things to his heart as he struggled to breath right. And he could swear she kept bumping him on purpose, stretching her arm out till it tapped his shoulder for a second, hovering her hand just near enough to his on the table, that their fingers briefly met, and it was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was to get up and leave. That, or turn to her and plant the biggest and longest kiss on the lips ever. He still hadn't decided which. He tried to keep himself calm and stead, but it was surprisingly hard to do with Janna right next to him.

“Someone's being quiet,” Janna suddenly said and Tom could swear that there was a small chuckle in her voice. She stared at him for a long moment, as she added with a cheshire grin, “Cat got your tongue!”

Tom let out a huff, before answering shortly, “No!”

“Ooohhh, someone's feathers are ruffled,” Janna replied, with the same infuriating smirk as always. “What's wrong, hotstuff?”

Tom crossed his arms in front of his chest, replying with a growl, “Nothing!”

Janna thankfully looked away, staring off into space for a minute. “You know since you and Star made up, I guess that means we'll be seeing a lot more of each other.”

Tom didn't know how to respond to that, though he did feel his heart do a skip within his chest. “I guess,” he said finally, trying not to let his joy show.

“Y'know we never did get a chance to finish our dance,” Janna continued, leaning closer in what most would see as a casual gesture, but to Tom's keen eye, he saw the true implications, as his cheek flames simmered uncontrollably for a moment.

“U-Uh, u-u-um-” Tom stuttered out, his voice unable to form any sort of a comprehensible sentence.

Thankfully, Star saved him from having to answer as she asked the boy, “So Tom, are you up for it?”

“What?” Tom shouted, his voice squeaking against his will, as he turned to the blond.

“I asked if you were interested in becoming a member of my peace commission,” the girl explained, not seeming bothered at having to repeat herself, her tone and voice friendly and Tom had almost forgotten how great it was to see her that way. “There's a spot open for you if you want it. Pony already said yes.” She looked over at the floating horse, then back to Tom, waiting patiently for his answer.

“Yeah sure, of course Star,” the boy said, giving her a wide smile. “You're out there being the best princess you can, it only makes sense that I should do the same.”

The girl blushed slightly, but her smile remained strong as she said sweetly, “Thanks Tom.”

“Well, I think it's only fitting we celebrate this occasion with a special meal!” Roy shouted, as he emerged from the restaurant carrying a plate of some sort of hotdog thing. He set out the massive plate on the table as he continued, “And I can think of no better meal than my one-of-a-kind, Roy brand, Goblin Dogs enjoy!” He did a wide bow to the group as everyone eyed their meal.

Kelly and Tad both shot their boss a glare, as the green-haired girl stated, “Roy, I thought we talked about this. No Goblin Dogs.”

Star's eyes narrowed as she looked her food over, before saying, “Isn't this stuff illegal in over 900 dimensions?”

“Yes, but not this one,” Roy quickly defended himself.

“Uhh, actually it is,” Star corrected, her tone hard. “I know. I signed the paperwork banning it.”

Star crossed her arms, glaring over at him, waiting for the goblin to respond or defend himself. Roy just stood there, unblinking for a moment, before shouting at the top of lungs, “Fang Tangs is now closed for the night!” He quickly grabbed the tray and ran back toward the restaurant.

“Roy!” Kelly shouted after him, but the goblin quickly interrupted her.

“I'm not Roy anymore, time to change my name and move to another dimension!” Roy quickly ditched his hat and apron, throwing the Goblin Dogs into the nearest trash can, a dark green smoke beginning to rise from within a second later. Once the door slammed closed, the teens just stared at the spot for a moment in startled silence, a long awkward pause passing between them.

Until finally, they all began laughing, after the strange, crazy, and emotional day, this had been the tipping point to set them all off. And as the moment just continued and stretched long, while the goblin furiously worked on packing away his things in his plans to flee the dimension in a hurry, they began to laugh and smile not over the goblin's paranoid behavior, but rather how great it felt just to be near each other and enjoying each others company. And they all realized that this was, in many cases, the beginning of a beautiful, new friendship and they were each looking forward to seeing where to would take them.

#Star vs #Star vs AU #My Writing #Light of the Sun and Stars #Starco

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gingywritesimagines · 6 years

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Mistakes and Decisions (Part 1)

Title: Mistakes and Decisions

Chapter: 1

Fandom: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda/ Love, Simon

Pairing: Leah Burke x fem!reader

Description: After a series of realizations, you break out of certain sticky situations in search of a new start… and definitely some new friends

Warnings: toxic friendships, cursing, Martin Addison (evil fucker is a warning on his own. Fuck you Martin Addison, go die Martin Addison), heartbreak, further evidence that Simon Spier deserves to be loved

A/N: As promised, my Love, Simon fic series. This is how we’re wrapping up 20gayteen folks. This is pretty much as much anti-M*rtin *ddison propaganda as it is a Leah fanfic (I’m angry and self-projecting, sorry). Also, this has some Suraj appreciation stuff because we know next to nothing about him but he seems like a chill dude who unfortunately got stuck being friends with M*rtin of all people. Anyway, I’m thinking of breaking this into five parts (one for each of the remaining months of the year), let me know what you think

You knew being friends with Martin Addison was a mistake.

Of course, it wasn’t all terrible; being friends with him almost guaranteed you a role in the school play, and you were introduced to Suraj, who was kind, funny, and actually a pretty good friend.

However, despite being friends since elementary school, the bad vastly outweighed the good. After years upon years of “friendship”, judgement became clouded, shadowing the fact that he was often manipulative and somewhat controlling, and just a douchebag in general. This unfortunately meant that it took you forever to realize these truths. When you did find out, it was because of the little things: his “brutally honest critiques” that became much more frequent, little comments and suggestions that seemed more about keeping you a certain way than being honest or helpful, the way he blatantly cast you aside with a hint of a holier-than-thou attitude whenever Abby Suso was around, and the sketchy way he acted around Simon Spier that made you all kinds of uncomfortable. However, there were some not-so-little things that helped you realize the truth too.

For example, Bram’s Halloween party...

You had lunch to yourself that day, since Suraj was working with Ms. Albright on instrumentals for the play, and While looking for a place to sit, you saw Simon, Abby, Bram Greenfeld, Leah Burke, Nick Eisner and Garrett Laughlin sitting at a table talking. They were all clearly very engaged in the conversation, and you were contemplating joining them, when you saw Garrett stand up.

“All right, hey, guys, Halloween party Friday night!” he hollered at passers-by, “Friday night, Halloween party, okay? Bram’s house!”

You giggled as you watched him point out a random freshman who you were pretty sure had never met Garrett before in his life, “Hey, little guy!”

“Me?”

“Halloween party. Friday night. Bram’s house. Be there.”

You laughed some more at the look on the freshman’s face, prompting Garrett to turn around when he heard you, “(Y/n)! Party at Bram’s house, Friday night, you in?”

“Sure, I’m in.” You chuckled, “If I can come sit with you guys.”

An instant chorus of “of course” and “hell yeah, come sit down” flooded your ears as Garrett led you to a seat across from Leah and Simon. The rest of lunch was fun, filled with joking and laughter, and plans for the coming party.

A couple days later, you got a call after school. You answered reluctantly, seeing as hardly anyone called you, but you weren’t sure why you were surprised when the first thing you heard was a butchered German accent on the other end of the line.

“Why hello there, Fraulien.”

You sighed immediately, pinching the bridge of your nose, “Hi, Martin.”

“What’s with the sigh?”

“Well, for starters, your German accent needs serious work.”

You heard Martin scoff, and then the faint sound of shuffling, like he was digging around for something, “My German accent is fantastic, grumpy pants, and that’s not why I’m calling.”

“Then why are you calling, exactly?”

“I have been invited to a party this Friday-”

“Bram’s Halloween party?”

There was a pause, and a noticeable change in Martin’s voice at his next sentence, “You already know about the party?”

“Yeah.” You said slowly, “Garrett invited me right after Bram told him about it. I was thinking about asking Suraj if he can drive me.”

There was another pause, and for a moment you thought the line had gone dead, “Martin? You still there?”

“I have to go. I’ll see you later.”

His voice was strained as he ended the call, as though he was talking through gritted teeth. You were confused but ignored it, choosing instead to focus on picking a costume.

When the day arrived, Suraj picked you up at 8:30, decked out in a clearly home-made Waldo outfit.

“Nice costume.” He commented, gesturing to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent outfit you’d thrown together.

“Thanks! And thanks again for driving me.”

“Of course. What are besties for?” Smiling, Suraj pulled out of your driveway and headed for Bram’s house.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pay you? Not even for gas money?”

“(Y/N), the only reason I’d ever let you pay me is if you’re going to pay me in memes.”

You shook your head at that, laughing, “Of course. How ridiculous of me.”

You spoke the last part in a German accent when you turned to see an unholy amount of props for the play in the back seat.

“Yeah, please don’t tell Ms. Albright I left those back there.” Your friend laughed, “Your accent is great though! Way better than Martin’s if I’m being honest.”

“Yeah, his needs work. What he doesn’t need is to know that I got that good from watching and re-watching the X-Men animated series over and over and over again until my accent was on par with Nightcrawler’s.”

“Nice!”

The two of you continued to laugh and joke until you made it to Bram’s street, parking a few houses away since you were certain there’d be no space any closer to the house. When you walked in, Garrett was wrapping up a karaoke performance of Megan Trainor’s No- jumping around to the beat in his Michael Phelps costume- and Simon was waving you into the kitchen with him. You bid farewell to Suraj and ran over to compliment Simon on his John Lennon outfit.

“Thank you, agent.” he smiled, “Bram was just about to pour us some drinks, do you want anything?”

“Not right now, thanks, I’m okay.” you turned to Bram, “Nice costume though! Tourist?”

“Um, excuse you, I’m post-presidency Barak Obama.” Bram corrected you, chuckling,

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Obama. I mean nothing but respect for my president.”

The boys laughed as you turned to Nick, “You didn’t dress up?”

Nick shook his head, turning around to show you the nametag taped across his shoulder blades, “I’m Cristiano Ronaldo, man.”

You cringed slightly, “Loving the effort you put in, Nick.”

“Shut up.” He grumbled, chuckling as Bram nudged him and handed the boys their drinks.

A large portion of the party went by in a blur. You spent some time chatting with the boys in the kitchen, then went to the backyard to find Leah and Abby (dressed as Yoko Ono and Wonder Woman, respectively) and dance with them for a while. Abby mostly just swayed, hiding from Martin who came up behind her, but Leah joked around with you as best she could.

“I can’t dance for the life of me, I’m warning you now.” She laughed.

“Come on.” You giggled, “I’m sure you’re fantastic.”

You gently took her hand, twirling her around and relishing in the small smile that etched across her face. You’d always liked Leah; she was kind and polite and undoubtedly pretty. She looked even prettier twirling, hand in hand with you, in the neon lights of the party and the glow of the illuminated swimming pool behind her-

Your moment was cut short as Abby was dragged away to play Beirut, and your stomach growling sent you inside for snacks. As you turned into the kitchen, you found Garrett there, poking his head into the fridge.

“Hey Garrett!” you greeted him cheerfully, but the second he heard your voice, he bolted.

“Garrett?” you called after him, confused as to why he was blatantly ignoring you, “Garrett! Stop!”

You grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn and look at you, “What is going on? Why did you just run from me?”

He took a shaky breath, looking very reluctant to tell you anything, “Look, I’m sorry, (Y/N), I didn’t want to, but I had to.”

“You had to?”

“Look, Martin- he told me off. Yelled at me about inviting you here and gave some speech about how you’re off-limits to, like, everyone. I’m pretty sure he threatened me, and that’s not a big deal because there’s no way in hell I’m afraid of Martin, but I listened because I didn’t want anything to happen to you. You’re really nice and you’re super chill and we all love hanging out with you; I’d hate myself if something happened because of me-”

You saw Nick standing a little ways behind Garrett, looking between the two of you and nodding, as though confirming that Martin had told him the same thing.

“Wait, wait, wait.” You cut off Garrett’s rambling, practically seething with rage, “Martin did what?”

Garrett gulped, but before he could say anything, the devil himself turned the corner.

“Hey guys!” Martin greeted casually, throwing his arm across your shoulders and shooting daggers at Garrett in a not-so-subtle manner, “Garrett, what are you doin’, buddy?”

“Martin.” You began calmly, gripping his arm and quite literally throwing it back at him in anger and disgust, “Did you threaten Garrett to keep him away from me?”

The boy glared between you and Michael Phelps repeatedly, before feigning innocence with a scoff, “What? No, that’s ridiculous. Why would I do that?”

“Oh.” you turned to face him, “So you didn’t tell him off for inviting me to this party? And you didn’t tell everyone that I’m off limits?”

You saw his face change, but he slipped back into an innocent smile quickly, “No, no, of course not.”

Garrett looked between you and Martin with an expression that mixed both fear and curiosity, as you shook your head angrily.

“You lying son of a bitch!” You lunged at Martin, straining as Nick and Garrett held you back. Your anger grew as Martin’s face turned guilty and he ran for his life. You broke free from the boys’ grasp and chased after him, more than ready to give him a piece of your mind, when you saw him run into Simon. The poor kid looked annoyed too, but it got worse when Martin threw up all over him.

“Really?” You heard him cry, gesturing angrily to his shirt, “Really?”

Martin ran off again, and you went to follow him when a gentle hand held you back by your shoulder. You looked up to see Suraj gazing down at you, an almost regretful expression on his face, “Leave it. I’ll take him home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, “You just take care of yourself, okay?”

“Thank you, Suraj.” You hugged him one last time before he slipped out into the crowd. As he left, you turned your attention as far away from Martin as you could.

“Simon!” you called, racing up to him, “I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

He went to answer you, but froze momentarily, “Why are you sorry?”

“What?”

“Why are you sorry? (Y/N), you did nothing wrong.”

“Yeah, but Martin just threw up all over you and-”

“So?” Simon asked, a small look of concern evident in his eyes, “That was Martin, not you. (Y/N)…. how long have you been apologizing for Martin? I don’t think I’ve noticed before, but every time Martin screws up, you’re always right behind him with an apology. (Y/N), I’m sure you mean well, but how long can you keep doing that before it messes you up inside? How long before you realize that no matter how badly it messes you up, Martin probably isn’t going to apologize for that?”

You sighed, realizing that he had a very good point, but you still didn’t say anything. Simon opened his mouth to say something else, but a small voice behind you cut him off.

“(Y/N)?”

You turned to see Leah behind you, holding her hat in her hands. She fidgeted with the brim a little before speaking up again, “I heard what happened, with Martin and Garrett.”

Your face fell at that. You hated that this drama had flared up and that it happened at such a public place. Leah sighed and cleared her throat.

“Look, after the party, I’m going to sleepover at Simon’s.” She paused, looking over your head at Simon for consent before continuing, “Do you wanna come with us, (Y/N)?”

You sniffled, picking your head back up and smiling at her weakly, “I’d love to.”

After getting Simon a change of clothes from Bram (on old t-shirt and his mom’s white cardigan), the three of you marched back to Simon’s. Spier, being very drunk, was draped between you and Leah, stumbling and slurring and making you both laugh at his antics. He even started murmuring songs from the play, trying to do the choreography as he walked and almost knocking you and Leah over in the process. As you got closer, Simon suddenly yelled.

“Oh my god!”

“What? What?”

“My parents are still up.” He cried, running a stressed hand through his hair.

“Okay, okay, um.” Leah racked her brain for a quick solution, while you focused on keeping Simon upright, “Okay, you know what? Here, come on. I need you to think of something really sad like the documentary about how all the whales hate living at SeaWorld.”

“Too sad!” You and Simon protested in unison.

“God, okay.” Leah chuckled, exasperated, “Then just don’t say anything at all, and we’ll ditch the barf shirt until tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Simon nodded and you watched as Leah chucked the bag with Simon’s trashed clothes straight over the roof of his car.

When Simon started to topple over, both you and Leah grabbed him, “Si?”

“Yeah.”

“Just, as little as possible.” Leah reiterated, “Say as little as possible.”

You tried to all sneak in, but Mrs. Spier called out before you all made it upstairs, “Hey, guys!”

Leah cringed before leaning into the den, “Hey!”

“Come talk to us! How was the party?”

“Oh, it was really fun! Yeah!”

“Aces!” Simon added, trying really hard to not look as drunk as he was, “Hey, uh, you guys remember (Y/N), right?”

You waved to them both and watched as Mr. Spier squinted at you, clearly trying to remember you. Mrs. Spier recognized you instantly.

“Oh, yeah, (Y/N)! I remember you from the fifth grade science field trip! You told me I was pretty.”

You giggled, “You remember that?”

“Of course! Are you sleeping over too?”

“Oh yeah, my ride backed out on me last minute and your house is a much closer walk than mine, so Simon invited me. I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, no, of course, sweetie! Of course, you’re always welcome here.”

“Are you saying that because she’s Simon’s friend or are you saying that because she called you pretty?” Mr. Spier joked, resulting in a playful slap to the shoulder from his wife.

Leah chuckled awkwardly, grabbing Simon, “Well, thanks for letting us stay over!”

“Oh, Leah, of course!” Mrs. Spier cried, oblivious to Leah shoving you and Simon up the stairs as discreetly as possible, “You’ve been staying over for 10 years, you don’t have to thank us.”

“Oh.” Leah laughed, inching her way towards the stairs, “Yeah, thanks.”

You all made your way up the stairs, very cautious of Simon’s stumbling and the fact that his sister was still asleep. After Simon sobered up a little, you all got comfortable in his room, figuring out sleeping arrangements and such. Simon was on his bed, Leah was on a bonus pull-out mattress, and you were on a blow-up camping mattress on the floor.

“Do you ever feel weird?” Leah asked suddenly.

Her and Simon launched into a conversation as you zoned out. The night’s events played out in your head, and the more they played, the more they made you sick. It seemed like the only good thing that came out of tonight was this, Simon and Leah, taking care of you as only Leah and (drunk) Simon can- with kind words and a soft distraction.

“Hey.” Leah spoke gently, placing her hand over yours and drawing you back to reality, “You okay?”

“Yeah.” You reassured her, shaking your head, “Yeah, it’s just this whole Martin thing has been exhausting. I think I’m gonna go to sleep.”

They both looked at you sadly, nodding in understanding and watching you slip further under the blankets- not once letting go of Leah’s hand.

“Goodnight guys.” You offered them a small smile.

Simon returned it, “Goodnight, (Y/N).”

“Goodnight.” Leah whispered as she squeezed your hand before letting it go.

You smiled again, brighter this time, and fell asleep gazing in the direction of the two kind souls ahead of you. No matter what the future held for you in terms of friends, you knew these two seemed like a pretty good start.

Taglist: @mcoomcoo @fandomsneverdie14 @berry-kitten-paws @tina20213

#leah burke #simon spier #love Simon #simon vs the homosapiens agenda #leah burke x reader #love simon x reader #simon vs thsa #leah burke imagine #love simon imagine #simon vs imagine #fuck you martin addison #heck this is angsty i'm sorry #My Story #gingywritesimagines #gingywriteslovesimon

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moodring89 · 6 years

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[Taegi] Espresso Marmalade Ch.3

Pairing: Taehyung / Yoongi (ft. side Jikook) Rated: M / NC-17 Genre: BDSM!AU Tags: Dom!Yoongi, Sub!Tae, Shibari, Master/Slave, Canes, Impact Play Summary: Jeongguk was more eager to get inside the club, taking long strides to the set of black steel doors. It was the younger’s idea to bring Taehyung to Void. Seoul’s first fetish house, an upscale BDSM parlor that was legally permitted and licensed. Or the one where Tae’s a meek virgin who catches the eye of Void’s most popular dom. Previous chapters: 01 , 02,

*Problem with the layout? Read on ao3 here.

Chapter Three: the Boy Who Lies It was a thirty minute drive to Void, giving Taehyung ample time to self-reflect on his anger, except he wasn’t going to do that. There was no pressing down on the brakes once he’d abandoned Jeongguk, dead set on breaking something precious of Jimin’s, a wrist, his pretty face, anything to placate the rage he felt then. He kept thinking back on that boy, Woozi – continuously, continuously, and continuously. How the audience took him in with some sort of cruel, refined amusement; how Taehyung himself had watched as he was punished, haunted by the fact that he’d liked it. Then he imagined Jeongguk in Woozi’s stead, being tortured in an open room because of his indiscretion. Honestly, he felt more like an overbearing parent than a friend at the moment. Taehyung was always an old soul, too judgmental at times and prone to being annoyingly willful. He wasn’t thinking of how this might hurt Jeongguk, how it might jeopardize whatever bullshit relationship he had with Jimin. It wasn’t real, anyway, right? Taehyung had seen it firsthand, existing in the red, angry lines across Jeongguk’s back. Love wasn’t supposed to be so fucking violent. It was one o’clock in the morning when Taehyung pulled up outside the club. Denizens were pouring in and out the doors. It was a busy night, apparently. He killed the ignition and stepped out into the cold air. He’d been in such a rush to leave the dormitory that he forgot to grab his coat. It hardly mattered with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the anger mixing with raw, nervous energy – warming him through. Taehyung was a storm; one that was ready to be unleashed. Just fucking watch him go. He threw open the doors to Void as if he owned the place. Taehyung was so focused on his current objective that he didn’t question a single, goddamn thing. No – the gentleman wearing a leather dog hood with mittens leashed by a fucking space demon, that – that was all well and dandy. The reception area was swarming with new patrons to one side and the regular check-ins on the other. Luckily, all Taehyung had to do was flash his ID due to his past visit being logged, and he was allowed entry. “Oh, gorgeous,” the woman behind the desk said – it was the same receptionist he’d met on his first night at Void. Tonight she wore a nametag that read, ‘Claire’. She leaned over the desk, her large, full set of breasts spilling over her forearms. “I knew you’d come back for more trouble.” Truer words… “It was hard to stay away,” Taehyung said, lying as easy as breathing when there was partial truth to it. “Can you tell me whether or not a specific scene professional is here right now?” She raised an inquisitive brow, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her pointed nose, “For an appointment or a show?” ‘For an ugly confrontation and an ass beating,’ Taehyung mused quietly to himself. “It’s about a question I have in regards to using a scarf as binding material for an over-arm tie. Do you know if Jimin is still around this evening?” “You drove here just for an inquiry?” Claire teased, tucking a hand beneath her chin, as though that was the most adorable thing to have happened, ever. In any case, she could tell that he was serious. “Jimin finished with his last appointment not too long ago.” The receptionist found it a little bit odd that Taehyung showed up within the same hour that his friend had left. “However, his shift doesn’t end for another twenty minutes. You can usually find him in the lounge area.” Taehyung said nothing else, wordlessly headed for the corridor that would bring him to the main room. Reflecting what he’d seen from outside alone, the club was packed, maybe even more so than it had been last week, except this time he didn’t have anyone with him. He was alone, a small fish swimming in an ocean of sharks. It didn’t matter to him that he was gaining looks, heads turning as he walked by. Then he remembered the unspoken dress code and realized that he was once again, sticking out like a sore thumb. Oh, goddamn it. He was wearing a baggy pair of black pants and one of his night shirts. The collar of it was beyond stretched out, exposing the pretty contours of his collarbones, the white fabric falling off one shoulder. He reached for his scarf and was coming up empty, cursing low when he realized that he’d left it in the car. Fuck it. He could deal with being openly stared at for a short while, his venture too important to abandon for a wardrobe malfunction. This wasn’t going to take long, anyway. All he had to do now was find his target. The lounge was more chaotic at this late hour, scenes unfolding like the first time Taehyung had attended, except they weren’t being performed on stages, but on ground level, and by the guests themselves while being supervised. It might be hopeless to find Jimin at this point, the room considerably less orderly, which meant it was more intimidating for Taehyung. He did a slow turn, taking in all that was around him – fighting not to get distracted while on the lookout for silver hair. The bar was completely full, all stools occupied, save for the black button tufted booths. The area was dimmed, the only light coming from small string lamps that illuminated the center of each table, leaving all else shrouded in darkness. Just when Taehyung was about ready to give in to despair, seated at the furthest booth, was Jimin. He was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt with his hair mostly concealed beneath it, wrapping his spit slickened lips around a glass of water. Alone. How opportunistic…Taehyung was a force that couldn’t be stopped at that point as he pushed his way through the crowd that separated them. All he could think about were the bruises, all deep and prominent across Jeongguk’s body. How glossy eyed and sad the younger had looked while he defended the asshole. Jimin sensed the boy’s presence before he saw him. Violence was a good way to end the night, he supposed, as he calmly placed his water down and out of the way. He knew that in about five seconds that he was going to be placed on top of the table. It was Jeongguk’s ‘bestie’ – the kid who’d already caused him enough grief. Taehyung was headed straight for him with the elder allowing it to happen. Jimin kept his arms at his sides when he was abruptly dragged up to his feet by Taehyung’s large hands twisting in the front of his shirt. The table rattled as he was roughly shoved into it. Taehyung was gorgeous, even while furious. Jimin could understand Yoongi a bit more from this angle, could see the appeal in every line of his devastating features, and he could feel the strength in the intensity of his trembling form. It incited Jimin’s own bout of anger – however, unlike Taehyung, he was able to manage it, “Taehyung-ssi, right? Do you not know how to hold a normal conversation?” “Normal conversations are meant for normal people, not for assholes like you. I’m so sick of hearing how much you care for Jeongguk, when you hurt him on whim. You hurt him because of me,” Taehyung said, voice oddly calm despite how clearly pissed off he was, pressing all of his weight into Jimin. “Wow, you really understand nothing, do you? You’re very wrong and I didn’t hurt him, because of you…although, you certainly didn’t help the case.” Jimin was tired of situations such as these. They happened so often in the form of ex-lovers, concerned family members, friends storming in like they were saviors. Ignorance at its finest, people so quick to judge, growing up with a set of beliefs, protected by their rose-colored glasses. They were sad, deluded people. “I gave Jeongguk exactly what he asked for and you’d know that if you cared enough to listen to him. Truth is, you’ve been a bad influence on my submissive, Taehyung-ssi.” Taehyung wondered what that meant, giving Jeongguk ‘exactly what he asked for’. It was unfathomable that Jeongguk thought this was love. Taehyung leaned in towards the elder, as if closeness served as some sort of dial for anger that he kept steadily cranking up, growing harsh, “Don’t talk about him like he’s some fucking pet of yours, because he isn’t. He’s my best friend, he’s a whole person, and you’re just a piece of shit looking for reasons to inflict pain on others.” “Oh, but Jeongguk is my pet,” Jimin murmured softly, bringing his face a mere inch away from Taehyung’s, invading what little that was left of his personal space as a subtle way of pushing back. “What are you going to do once he moves in with me? Picket outside my loft? He has a ways to go with his training, but it’s inevitable. So long as he wants me, I’m not letting him go. And I also think you owe it to yourself to admit that all of this makes you jealous.” Taehyung’s cheeks flushed at the accusation, actually livid. “It’s not like that with Guk.” “Not all jealousy has to be of the romantic sort,” Jimin said, as he slowly moved his hand to the fist still curled in his shirt, trying to gently coax Taehyung’s fingers open to release him. The boy didn’t budge. “Jeongguk has found himself. He knows what he wants, what he likes, but who are you? What is it that you want, Taehyung-ssi?” “What I want is to hurt you for what you did by breaking each of your fingers, so that you can never touch him again,” Taehyung managed to get out in one shaky, overwhelming breath. He felt himself slipping into that part of himself that he couldn’t control. His weakness was impulse, forever and always. One hand released Jimin in favor of reeling his arm back, imitating the elder’s sweet politeness, “I want to leave my own mark, ‘Jimin-ssi’.” Jimin could tell that the Taehyung’s fit of rage would not be easily settled or assuaged with neither words, nor logic. Right now Taehyung felt justified in raising his fist – Jimin knew that he couldn’t be stopped, at least not without using force. He didn’t need an upset submissive, especially now. Jimin looked him dead in the eye, “That’s an awful lot of greed for one boy. Luckily for you, I like to indulge. Go ahead.” What the hell was his problem? ‘Whatever,’ he thought, ‘open invitation or not, it’s still gonna feel good and right.’ Just as Taehyung came down to strike Jimin, an arm abruptly hooked around his own, preventing him from going any further. The monitor from the other night, Namjoon, had to use most of his strength to pull the boy off of him. Jimin released his white knuckled grip from the table, having been prepared for Taehyung to hit him, “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.” Namjoon gave a healthy roll of his eyes, “Excuse me for having not yet mastered the art of teleportation. And you –” The monitor hadn’t been expecting to catch Taehyung’s fist square in the jaw, staggering back a couple steps. Fuck. Namjoon grunted at the discomfort, but was ready to defend himself, blocking Taehyung’s next swing, before delivering his own. He could hear the howls of laughter coming from his earpiece, Wonshik was rolling, “Ah, man! That was great…Good thing we got it all on film. I thought you were faster than that, hyung-nim, but nope. You suck and there’s comfort to be had there. Anyways, face recognition pulled up a one Kim Taehyung. He’s brand-spankin’ new.” “Not anymore he’s not,” Namjoon said, as he stared down at Taehyung, ignoring the ache in his lower jaw. The boy was sitting up on his elbows, watching the monitor from his spot on the floor where the blow had sent him. Taehyung’s lip was busted open, broad chest rising and falling, still worked up and seething mad. Namjoon didn’t like it – not one fucking bit, as he decided to put an end to it, “Kim Taehyung, I sentence you–” “Wait,” Jimin said, gently placing a hand on Namjoon’s forearm, stopping him before he could make Taehyung’s removal official. Once it was done, there would be no way of reversing it. “Before you do your song and dance, you should know that…” There was only one sure way of overriding a monitor’s power, “…this boy has a master.” It wasn’t the truth, but it was close enough. It might even help the little brat, Yoongi and Taehyung both. ‘Breathe, Jimin,’ Yoongi said, tearing his eyes away from the corridor that Taehyung and his little bunny friend had practically ran to make an escape down. The younger remained silent in the aftermath of Jeongguk’s outright display of disobedience. It’d felt like a slap in the face. He stared holes into the Persian carpet, searching for an explanation as to what had just transpired, since it made no sense at all. ‘Jeongguk has never…’ Jimin murmured softly, voice barely above a whisper. It wasn’t like him to get angry over such things. A dom had to always remain in control, especially of their own emotions. Right now, he was being woefully transparent. ‘He would never behave this way. Who the hell was that kid he was with, this ‘Taehyung’?’ Yoongi was amazed over the fact that Jimin had gone so long without a submissive being a huge fucking brat. He threw out the obvious as a friendly reminder, ‘When a sub acts out, it’s rarely unintentional. They want to see what they can get away with, how far they can push you, since that’s when a dom is most expressive. You should give your bunny what he so desperately wants from you…’ ‘Jeongguk is in love with me. So, he’d want a great deal more than what I’m capable of giving to him,’ Jimin said, unsure of why it hadn’t felt wrong to expose something so intimate to Yoongi. The elder was a seasoned professional, one who’d probably been in the same situation multiple times before. Maybe that was it. ‘I’ve known for a few weeks now, but it’s starting to get intense.’ ‘He’s young and also new to the community.’ Yoongi shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, tired, and freezing in a perfectly warm room. He shrugged with a show of nonchalance, ‘Of course he’s in love with you. Wait–he wasn’t a virgin, was he?’ Jimin was almost offended by the question. He shook his head, much to the elder’s relief, ‘Come now, I’m not that stupid. The only thing with that is, he never enjoyed his past sexual experiences, and he always topped. I guess I’m his first in a different way.’ ‘Christ. Be careful, especially if you don’t plan on reciprocating his feelings. Although, if you ever decide to go there with him I wouldn’t judge you for it, and I’d personally knock the teeth out of anyone who did,’ Yoongi said honestly, having personally been faced with that battle. If Jimin denied how he felt right now, he’d call him a fucking liar. It was obvious that he was taken with his rope bunny. ‘I now fully understand why you stopped taking submissives into your care.’ Jimin hadn’t meant to say that, the regret already settling into a frown on his face. He enjoyed taking care of someone. Jimin also loved being needed by others. He looked over at Yoongi, taking in the hint of amusement there, a faded look of fondness that was usually lost on him. ‘Unless you were rethinking your retirement?’ ‘Taehyung is a boy who’s lost…’ It wasn’t that simple, it hardly ever was. Taehyung was absolutely stunning, a burning flame, the sun personified. After only two seconds of meeting, Yoongi could tell that he was fucking complicated. ‘…he’s a boy who lies to himself.’ Jimin raised a brow, wondering if he should be concerned, or intrigued. ‘It doesn’t sound like you’re all that put off by it.’ ‘That’s probably because I’m not.’ Yoongi peered over at Jimin seriously, taking in his look of surprise. ‘Should Taehyung return, I’ll make him mine.’ “Oh, the fuck I do,” Taehyung spat out venomously, as he started pulling himself up to his feet. He paused to glare at the two hands being extended to help him, Jimin and Namjoon’s both, “Are you kidding me? Look, I don’t know why this duck-looking motherfucker is lying to you, but I belong to no one.” “Such brave talk, but I think we’ve had enough of the heroics for one evening, don’t you?” Jimin was practically glowing with amusement, almost pitying the boy for his next move. He turned towards Namjoon, “Let Sugar know that his little pet is out here causing a scene.” Taehyung felt his blood run cold at the mention of Yoongi’s scene name. There was no way that could be allowed to happen. The implication alone was laughable, that he belonged to – to his professor? He pressed his tongue to the gash at the center of his bottom lip, tasting the thick rivulets of blood there, thinking of a way out of it. Hell, he would’ve contemplated more violence, if not for the odds being stacked so high against him. “I’ll just leave.” “This is odd behavior for a pet,” Namjoon said, ignoring Taehyung’s declaration to raise a skeptical brow at Jimin. “It's also common knowledge that Sugar doesn’t take submissives anymore, and he hasn’t for quite some time.” “This one here is his saving grace,” Jimin insisted, the lie absent in his words, fully believing in his own statement. Call it good intuition. Taehyung had potential, especially if Yoongi was able to see it already. The elder had always been so perceptive, so very good at reading others, knowing exactly what they wanted, what they craved. “Sugar’s exceptional boy…” “Well that’s – that’s fucking cute, but…” Taehyung laughed, without the amusement, taking dangerous strides closer towards the shibari expert. Namjoon was there, pressing a firm hand to the boy’s chest as Jimin lowered his gaze to Taehyung’s mouth, watching his lips form around words – words he’d heard so many times before, it was almost comical, “I’m nobody’s bitch.” It was that particular line that was often disproved, almost like a sentence in of itself. Yoongi was right, Taehyung was fucking lost. From between them, Namjoon gave a heavy sigh. It was obvious to him that Jimin was protecting the kid, but why? He brought the slim, plastic microphone to his mouth, sensing that the situation wasn’t going to deescalate anytime soon. “What’s Sugar’s twenty?” No one seemed to be listening to Taehyung, especially when, “I said I’d leave on my own, so long as duck tales doesn’t say anymore bullshit on my way out.” He really didn’t want to deal with Yoongi right now. The thought of it was enough to set off his anxiety, already too embarrassed about his obvious loss, having accomplished nothing by showing up at Void tonight. He was quick to add, “There’s no need to get that fucking guy here.” “Yeah, especially since ‘that fucking guy’ saw everything,” said the voice from the crowd that had steadily formed around them. Taehyung felt as the dread washed over him, all too familiar with the low, humorless tone of its owner. The younger turned to find Yoongi standing there among dozens, vividly severe in a black fitted blazer and matching slacks. A red silk was tied under his arms and under the lapels of his jacket, coming to settle around his slender waist. The colors were vibrant in contrast to his fair skin, rendering Taehyung into silence. Fuck. “Scratch that, Wonshik,” Namjoon said, dismissing the monitor’s search. He instantly removed his hand from Taehyung out of respect for Yoongi. It was an unexpected outcome to say the least, but it was no longer any of Namjoon’s business, “I take it that you’ll see to his punishment then?” “Most certainly,” Yoongi promised, playing the role to its fullest, as he stepped beside Taehyung. He eyed the split in his bottom lip, tsking with disappointment, “We should get that cleaned up, but first I want you to apologize to Jimin.” Taehyung scoffed at the prospect of doing such a thing, he was so disgusted. “What? No…” Yoongi nodded more to himself, than to anyone else – tacking on Taehyung’s rude behavior onto the growing list of things that would need to be worked on. It was useless when the boy didn’t even understand the point of the apology, didn’t fully realize the offense. Yoongi knew this and yet, he was still hopeful that manners were residing somewhere within that beautiful foundation, but oh well. “My sincerest apologies for Taehyung,” Yoongi said, apologizing on his behalf. He was being careful with his wording, since Taehyung really wasn’t under contract as his submissive, going along with the lie that Jimin started. If Namjoon learned of this, he would end this little exchange, and have Taehyung thrown out. “There was a misunderstanding and he acted impulsively. It won’t happen again.” “Misunderstanding, my ass,” Taehyung bit out through clenched teeth, when Yoongi sharply turned to regard him, dark eyes daring the boy to open up his mouth again. For whatever reason, certainly not because of the chill he felt running up his spine, Taehyung didn’t make another remark after that, remaining quiet. Jimin was endlessly amused by the whole display, as he smiled crookedly, “Thank you and yes, please see to it that it doesn’t.” The final glance he shot Taehyung was practically oozing with conceit – feeling victorious and not above being petty about it. Jimin turned his back on them, before grabbing for his drink, and leaving for the evening. Namjoon was doing his best to clear up the crowd, encouraging the lingering onlookers to go back to playing, before he too disappeared. Taehyung missed him already. The elder’s presence wasn’t something that could easily be ignored, especially when Yoongi began to shamelessly roam his eyes across his body, like that’s what he was there for – not much different from a work of art in need of being picked apart for deep interpretation. Taehyung once again reached for the scarf that wasn’t there, forgetting that he didn’t have it with him, making it impossible to hide himself from the open scrutiny. “Follow me,” Yoongi said, voice clipped and glacial, leaving no room for argument. It took a moment for Taehyung’s legs to start moving in an attempt to keep up with Yoongi’s brisk pace, watching how he effortlessly weaved through the swarm of people. He was being led down the corridor, pushing away the anxiety he felt from making so many turns, focusing more on the fact that it was new territory for him. Void was much like the large factory that Taehyung had initially perceived it to be, giving off a clinical atmosphere with rows upon rows of doors, and immaculate marbled tiles. Where the fuck did they stick the Enchanted Forest? Yoongi came to a stop in front of a set of red double doors, pushing them open. It was everything you would expect to see when visiting the school nurse, minus the nurse. Taehyung shuddered to imagine what they would’ve been like, to be greeted by a man or woman dressed from head to toe in latex, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves. “No nurse?” Taehyung asked, unclear on whether or not that was the case. “A majority of scene professionals opt to undergo some form of medical training,” Yoongi said, patting the leather examine table. “Take a seat.” Taehyung quietly declined by keeping still, “Because what you’re doing is dangerous.” Here and now could work as an educational moment, Yoongi decided, as he walked over towards the cabinets to get what he needed in order to clean Taehyung’s cut. “Everything Jimin did out there was with Jeongguk in mind. For instance, when he told the monitor that you were mine, he was ensuring that Void can still be a place that Jeongguk brings you. It’s a big part of his life, is it not?” Oh, hell, no. Taehyung was not about to allow Yoongi to undo this ugly, confusing web. Not so easily. He shook his head in disbelief, “That’s bullshit…” Yoongi set the tray of supplies down on the table where Taehyung’s ass should have been seated, tamping down his annoyance. “He didn’t lift a finger to you. That was out of respect for Jeongguk.” “Jeongguk’s back looked like a fucking Jackson Pollock painting, except the artist only used shades of red,” Taehyung argued, wondering why Yoongi couldn’t understand him, not even a little bit. “And it was my fault–” “Your friend has been breaking the rules of their contract,” Yoongi said, tersely, as he walked towards the refrigerator behind Taehyung. The boy was on edge the second he neared, eyes following Yoongi’s every move. The energy in the room was high and charged with tension, watching as he removed an ice cube from the freezer, before handing it to him. “One after another. Jeongguk was punished because he wanted to be.” Taehyung pressed the cube to his cut, wincing at the discomfort. The wound was pulsating beneath the pressure. “Why would he want that…?” “People either come here to give pain or to receive it, sometimes even both.” The younger was reminded of Hoseok, when he’d referred to himself as a switch. Yoongi once again patted the table top and was relieved when Taehyung slowly, but surely made his way over to it. Opening a new bottle of ointment, he squeezed a decent-sized dollop onto a cotton swab. Yoongi tried to simplify it as best he could, “Pain can be physical and mental – pleasure or medicine. When it’s controlled, you can understand the benefits, can’t you.” The question was rhetorical and even if it wasn’t, Taehyung wouldn’t have known how to properly answer it anyway – not wanting to agree with Yoongi. He slid himself onto the table, gripping at the leather with one hand, as the other continued running the ice along his swollen lip. The new information was swirling around Taehyung’s stubborn mind, trying to sink in and make sense. He didn’t want to feel another moment of guilt over Jeongguk, and the elder was providing him with enough reason not to feel it, sensing that the comfort was necessary, but also unwanted, which was just too fucking bad. Yoongi’s eyes fell to where Taehyung’s shirt was hanging open, expression visibly darkening as he took in the smooth definition of the younger’s exposed collarbones, “Where is our favorite purple scarf?” “I forgot it in the car,” he answered innocuously, the ice melting between his now cold, numb fingers. What was this soft moment? Taehyung stared back at Yoongi, trying not to dwell on how pale his skin looked against his dark black hair – how much prettier, yet deadlier he looked then, “After tonight, I’m not coming back to Void. It really isn’t for me anyway.” “Oh, really?” Yoongi asked, feigning curiosity when he could’ve easily written the predictable lines flowing from Taehyung’s pretty little mouth. “Which part of it ‘isn’t’ for you?” Right, the reasons that Taehyung seemed to suddenly have in bulk were, “The orders I would have to follow, the pain that could be inflicted, and the punishments. I guess all of it?” The silence that followed was intensely unsettling, Yoongi staring his feline eyes into his own, as though seeking every corner of Taehyung’s mind for the truth. That first night at Void had revealed the boy to him completely – what with his dick hard and straining against his jeans, thick lashes wet with tears of awe as he watched Woozi being degraded, and punished. Yoongi had seen that look before, had recognized it in countless others. Envy was common in an establishment like Void. He approached Taehyung with the swab between his fingers, unable to maintain their polite conversation, when he began haltingly, “I don’t like being lied to, Taehyung. It’s one of those absolutes with me and I won’t tolerate it.” Taehyung was quick to deny it, “But I’m not lying.” It was a pitch too high, perhaps a little too fast. All in all, it was the same outcome, a fucking lie. It was always too easy for Yoongi to decipher when he was being lied to, which was the main reason why he couldn’t stand it. The small, white lies were the worst in his opinion, because they were needless. From a young age, no one could tell him a lie, at least not successfully – not even his own mother. Not even on days where he would prefer being told a lie over the truth. Yoongi admonished the boy for the continuous dishonesty, something cold and feral marring his usually calm features, “You just did it again.” “Believe whatever the fuck you want, it’s not like you can do anything about it,” Taehyung said, the words slipping past his lips before he even had the chance to consider them. “Oh, sure, I can,” Yoongi said, taking on a sweet lilt to his usually rough voice. “I’ll remember it.” Taehyung snorted, more out of nervousness, than anything else, “For what? My term paper?” “We aren’t to discuss school while we’re here, Taehyung,” Yoongi chided softly, before he started leaning in, intent on lowering Taehyung’s hand away from his mouth, so that the ice wasn’t in the way of the swab. The moment their skin made contact, Taehyung reacted on impulse, slapping the other’s hand away. He’d used enough force to send the ice cube, as well as the swab to the floor. The ice broke immediately upon contact, the glimmering shards sliding across the floor. Yoongi slowly wet his pouty lips, growing more enticed to further test the boy, as he brought his hand up again. Long, delicate fingers were an inch away from skimming the top of Taehyung’s cheekbone – the skin there soft and flushed with a rosy color, when he was met with another slap. It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room then, leaving Taehyung gasping for air, his chest rising and falling heavily. Yoongi stepped in closer to him, tilting his head when Taehyung’s wide, innocent eyes left his own, and it was like being shut out from the sun. Again, he went to caress the side of Taehyung’s face and was automatically swatted away, more angrily and heated than the previous time. The last of Yoongi’s patience snapped, instinct burning up throughout his toes to his fingertips, when he brought his other hand to the front of Taehyung’s throat. It was light pressure, holding him rather than grabbing – just tight enough to get his point across. That this is exactly what Taehyung wanted, but was too stubborn, and ridden by fear to admit. “Our meeting again was either fate or cruelty, but this is, well,” Yoongi mused, lips curling slightly, as he used his grip as leverage to pull the younger off the table, and onto his feet. Even while Taehyung stood at full height and was practically towering over the elder, it was clear who was in control. “This is like a dream,” he murmured, irrevocably drawn to the boy, despite all the cold, garish places inside him that said not to bother. Yoongi was no match for the sun, but he wanted to contest it, “And to think that I was gonna leave you be, angel – but then you showed up dressed like you’re homeless, incurring violence.” Yoongi really shouldn’t have been proud of that. There was nothing impressive or admirable about it, and yet. “You’re full of surprises, Kim Taehyung.” Taehyung felt as his heart began to race, urging his brain to function long enough to tell Yoongi to stop – to push him away, but his body chose to ignore him, reacting to the fear as though it was something pleasant. Taehyung hated himself for it – hated the fact that his cock was eagerly stirring in response to the thrill of Yoongi’s dominance. He sent a silent prayer to whatever Gods were listening that the elder was too distracted with baiting him to notice it. He closed his fingers into the sleeve of Yoongi’s blazer, deciding to hang on for what was to come. And it was happening so slowly, the precious space between them dwindling by the second – Yoongi’s firm hold around his neck bringing him down, until their faces were so close they were nearly touching. It was just when Taehyung thought he was about to be kissed that the elder purposefully stopped himself short, a wicked smirk tugging at his pink, kittenish lips, “Will you let me taste you?”

The question alone was enough to paralyze him. Taehyung had been privy to a couple ‘first’ kisses in his lifetime. When he was seven, he knew that the kiss he received from the girl at school was different from the ones his parents would give him. When Taehyung was fifteen, he knew that the kiss he received from the neighbor’s daughter was different from the girl at school. He was now being presented with his first adult kiss, a proper kiss from the same gender, a kiss that scared him shitless. He swallowed thickly, the slightest action obvious to the elder, despite his schooled look of indifference. Yoongi’s grip tightened a fraction, causing his breath to hitch. Taehyung found himself nodding, even though he knew that it wasn’t enough. Yoongi was still waiting. Taehyung closed his eyes just to escape the humiliation, releasing a sharp gasp, “Yes…” “You remembered to use your words for me without having to be asked,” Yoongi husked, voice going lower the closer he was to claiming Taehyung’s lips, “…you’re such a good boy.” The first brush of contact elicited a deep, embarrassing whine from the younger – the sound of it like a punch to the gut, leaving Yoongi hungry and desperate. He slid his other hand around Taehyung’s waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other, greedily needing more without even having his fill yet. Taehyung whimpered when he felt the elder’s teeth scrape over the broken swell of his bottom lip, where everything felt far too sharp and tender, trapped in a prison of long fingers, and a skilled mouth. The insistent press of Yoongi’s tongue was hot and sinful against Taehyung’s numbed flesh, the ice having left him tingling with sensations steadily returning. He parted his lips, moaning softly when Yoongi delved his tongue in, deepening the kiss. Fifteen was a lifetime ago for Taehyung, unable to remember how to kiss. He was too overly self-aware and clumsy, even as he melted into the warmth of Yoongi’s mouth – he was stilted at first, before his tongue shyly teased back. The response served as a small act of willingness on Taehyung’s part, a green light that had Yoongi chasing after more, more, more. He steered them towards the nearest wall without breaking contact, pinning the boy to its surface. There were questionable things – filthy, unforgivable things that Yoongi wanted to do, say, and promise to him, but he hadn’t done this in a long, long time. There were rules that Yoongi had to abide by as a dom, especially if he wanted Taehyung to become his submissive. It was rare that the elder acted on whim. He never took what he wanted without thinking twice. He never kissed as though he was starved for it, yet there he was with Taehyung as his only form of sustenance. Taehyung, who was helplessly drowning in him, fingers trembling in his jacket, holding onto him like he was a lifeline. It was maddening – Yoongi’s teeth dragging from his top to bottom lip, tasting the blood, knowing that it would be smudged on their skin. Taehyung stopped himself from leaning forward when the elder pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. Not like he would get very far with the hand that was still wrapped around his neck, Yoongi’s thumb running circles over his pulse. “You know what you remind me of?” Yoongi asked, voice all breathy and affected from their kiss. There was a mingled mess of saliva and blood against his pink, pouty lips. It was difficult for Taehyung to look away from it, as he raised hesitant fingers to wipe it from Yoongi’s porcelain skin. His wrist was abruptly caught midway, Yoongi’s charcoal eyes taking in the mirrored smear of crimson across Taehyung’s lips, “A baby tiger, unaware of how strong and fearless it’ll be once it’s fully grown.” Taehyung was sufficiently dead by everything that came out of Yoongi’s mouth. Prepare his death certificate, he was ready to sign. “That’s very poetic of you…are you sure it wasn’t the eyes and orange hair?” Yoongi moved past the sarcasm, leaning so that his words skimmed across the younger’s lips, “I want to put an end to those lies of yours, Taehyung.” A hand slid down the front of Taehyung’s chest, his stomach sinking beneath Yoongi’s touch as he held in his breath. “The ones you keeping telling yourself that you didn’t want this, or me. Not the orders, the pain, or the punishments…” “Please…” Taehyung whispered, less than a second away from Yoongi palming over the thick outline of his hard cock, where he’d be able to confirm just how desperate he was for it. A switch inside him flipped. “I can’t, I can’t! I’m sorry.” Just like the cube had shattered, so did he – Taehyung was fragmented, pieces of himself wanting to give in and allow Yoongi to continue, but then the rest of him was terrified. He’d spent so long protecting himself from the shame of indulging in literally anything. It was his grandmother’s life insurance that was paying for his tuition and instead of studying; he was here, doing this… Yoongi recognized the panic, slowly detaching himself with a step backwards, as to not crowd him. It was obvious that Taehyung was still reeling, as he wiped his mouth with a trembling hand. “This,” he said with a start, a finger gesturing between himself and Yoongi. “…can’t ever happen again.” The elder doesn’t say anything to his statement, the tension climbing. He allowed Taehyung to get as far as two steps, before his hand shot out to grab at his wrist. The boy turned so easily for him, willingly parting his mouth against Yoongi’s with a sigh, as a set of cruel lips sucked on his tongue, seeming to follow a rhythm that had Taehyung’s hips rocking forward to seek more friction. If Taehyung was a tiger, then the blood housed within his veins was roaring. He felt dizzied by the rush of arousal, overly sensitive to every little thing. “Mmm…” Yoongi hummed against his mouth, before once again leaning back to stare into the depths of Taehyung’s eyes. Slowly, the elder raked his teeth along his bottom lip as though he were savoring the taste, “Of course, Taehyung. This can’t ever happen again.” Oh, oh… Using Taehyung’s words against him. Taehyung laughed at the underlying spite, roughly pulling himself free from Yoongi’s grasp. “It’s funny how you told me not to mention school here, when class is still in session, professor.” This fucking guy. With Yoongi, everything was a point to be made or a lesson to be learned. Well, fuck that and fuck him. “You’re a fucking asshole,” Taehyung muttered bitterly, before he shoved the doors open, momentarily contented with leaving Yoongi far behind. He followed the corridor, unable to hear people talking as they passed him. It was like the world was on mute with no words or music to fill in his surroundings with life. The receptionist was already leaned forward, ready to flirt with him as per usual, but he couldn’t hear a single thing. He hadn’t even slowed down, until the winter air hit his skin, reminding him that he was underdressed for the inclement weather. He unlocked the car and sat there with the key in the ignition. The scarf lied there on the passenger seat, looking plenty guilty. He brought the knitted fabric around his neck. Taehyung spared a glance into the rearview mirror, revealing the deep flush of his skin, and his cut shimmering wetly. The lesson to be learned is that Taehyung was a liar. A liar and a coward, because he wanted… He wanted Min Yoongi. --------------------------------------------------------------

Jeongguk was in bed with the lights off, save for the laptop pressed to his stomach. He was hiding in his game – PUBG, grabbing a frying pan during his loot in an abandoned house. It would protect his ass from gunfire, barely, but why not? He found gasoline for the car he stole along the way. He usually hated playing by himself, but he didn’t want the company right now, to which Hoseok wasn’t taking the hint, continuing to message him throughout his match. He was too angry and worried about Taehyung. He’d even left his phone behind, which was extremely unlike his hyung. An hour ago Jimin had been kind enough to confirm what Jeongguk already suspected, sending him a Snap of Taehyung and Yoongi with a caption that read, ‘You two have much to discuss’. Well, no shit. It was ten minutes later that the door was busted open with Taehyung’s hip colliding with the wood, cursing the damn thing on his way in. He quietly placed their keys down on top of his desk, trying to be covert. It was a long, horrible night. He couldn’t wait to get inside the shower to rinse it all off. Still considerably dark in the room, Jeongguk managed to close out of the Steam app undetected, before he reached over and turned their bedside lamp on. The sudden flicker of light startled Taehyung, “Shit!” “Where were you?” “Oh, my god, Guk,” he gasped, placing a hand against his chest, willing his racing heart to calm the fuck down, and listen to him for once. “I thought you were sleeping.” “Hyung, you left me. You went on and on about socks in some weird, psychopathic fit and then you left me,” Jeongguk said, throwing the sheets off and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I wondered if you were headed out to a department store to buy them for me in bulk. That you would come back here and bury me under a vat of fuzzy assortments.” Taehyung shook his head, because really, “You know I have no money, even if the purchase would totally be worth it. You know, we should have a sock day. That’s not a bad idea.” Jeongguk was officially done with the socks. “I know that you went to Void.” Ah, fuck, Taehyung thought. How did he find out? Duck tales, whoo-ooh! “Yes, alright, I went to Void and did something stupid,” Taehyung started, unsure of how to proceed without pissing Jeongguk off. Did such avenues exist? “You’re not going to be happy with me, but before you go bat-shit, I need you to hear me out first. I attacked…” Jesus, this was going to sound ridiculous. He tried again, “I attacked…Jimin.” Jeongguk was on his feet then, approaching him at a pace that Taehyung wasn’t at all comfortable with. He was a Jason not a Michael Myers aka he wasn’t above running – dear god. Very carefully, Jeongguk asked him, “You did what now? Taehyung, what the fuck?” “I know that he cares for you in some fucked up way that I clearly don’t understand…yet? Look – I’ve been really close-minded lately. You opened this door, showed me what you were into, and I didn’t even really try to understand it. All I did was judge you, Guk…” “Yeah, you did, but no surprise there. You always fucking do,” Jeongguk said, brows furrowing angrily. Truthfully, he was more disturbed that after an ‘attack’ all Jimin did was send him a photo. He just noticed the gash on Taehyung’s bottom lip, wondering if Jimin had been the one to give it to him. Taehyung felt like a broken record, unable to believe anyone else except Jeongguk. “I still don’t understand, okay? Fuck. I’m trying here. Just tell me that those marks weren’t because of something I did?” “The marks…?” It dawned on him then, connecting two and two together, which would explain his friend’s absurd bout of recklessness, and sock mania. “Tae – Christ, no, they’re not…they’re because of me. I did things to get myself into trouble. Is that what tonight was all about? Wow…” Taehyung blinked, “Why would you want to get into trouble on purpose?” “I like being good for him, but I wanted to see what it would be like if I was bad for once? You and Hoseok hyung already know how well I can do as a brat,” Jeongguk laughed, slightly embarrassed to be confessing this much, even if they were as close as brothers. “And I liked it, by the way. It was freeing, almost? Jimin is always so gentle with me, always praising me, and making me feel all beautiful, and delicate, like I’m made of glass or something. I just wanted him to be rough with me, well – rougher than usual.” Taehyung sighed, disappointed with himself for acting so irrationally, “Well, I didn’t realize and I’m sorry. I should have let you talk earlier. I felt like such shit for leaving you.” “Yeah, that entire sock rant had me questioning the state of your sanity. Anyways, apology accepted, can we please get back to the part where you attacked Jimin?” “Right, okay, uhm do you want the theatrical version of me riding on horseback to storm the castle or, do you want me to get straight to the…” Jeongguk’s glare was enough of a hint. “I shoved him into a table and just as I was seconds away from hitting him, a monitor showed up. I was so pissed off about being stopped, that I clocked the guy. He turned and caught me right in the mouth. It was a trade.” Taehyung felt bitter, watching as Jeongguk breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry. No harm befell your master, it was just me. He was more than fine, actually, quacking out his jokes, and waddling off on his webbies.” Jeongguk paused, “Did you just – wait, are you referring to Jimin as a duck?” Taehyung shrugged, “If the shoe fits. I mean, everyone gets to be an animal of some sort, right? You’re a bunny, he’s a duck, and I’m a tiger, apparently.” “Yoongi called you a tiger?” Jeongguk asked, curiously. It both surprised and concerned him that out of all doms Taehyung could have attracted, that it was Yoongi who’d been interested in him. There were rumors, stories that had been carried through the grapevine. Aside from that, it was a Yoongi didn’t train submissives anymore. He smiled when Taehyung shyly nodded in response, his skin flushing suddenly. “If Yoongi were an animal, what would he be? You’ve already thought of it, haven’t you?” Being an art history major, Taehyung often found himself comparing people and situations to famous works of art. Lately, he had no problem with gaining access to his mental gallery. The moment he’d watched Yoongi step onto the stage at Void, he knew that he was a Cuthbert Edmund Swan piece, crossing a river at night, and every other panther piece before or after it. Yoongi was as good as midnight, a cat in the wild, as graceful as he was cunning, and predatory. “No,” Taehyung said, lying some more – lying to himself, and to his friends now. “If the typical asshole counted as an animal, then, maybe?” “That kinda works, actually, and Tae,” Jeongguk said, tone growing serious. “Be careful around Yoongi, alright?” “There is no ‘around’ Yoongi, other than at my classes, and believe me, I don’t want to spend more time with him than I have to.” Wow, Taehyung was getting good at this, this whole – denial thing. “Hypothetically though, if I wanted to be near him, what would I have to be careful of?” “For starters, Yoongi doesn’t take subs anymore and even if he did, most doms don’t like to train, uhm…” Jeongguk trailed off, trying to think of a delicate way to put it. Taehyung lowered his head the longer the last syllable dragged on for. “…virgins. Doms don’t like to train virgins.” “Oh,” Taehyung said, having been disconnected from his friends once or twice due to that topic. Hoseok had a damn field day with it. If what Jeongguk said was true, then Taehyung really had nothing to worry about with Yoongi. Not now or ever, probably, since he was borderline celibate. Then why was he slightly disappointed by that news? “Good to know.” Jeongguk picked up the pillow that had fallen off his bed in his haste earlier. “Also, I got around to seeing Hobi’s photos, and you were right. They’re shit. I hyped him up though, so there’s a high possibility that we might be receiving more tomorrow.” “Oh, goody,” Taehyung said, giving a roll of his eyes. Jeongguk walked up beside him then, large hands gently grabbing at his face, inspecting his wound. “It’ll be better by tomorrow, hyung.” Yeah, maybe. --------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday was always an off day for Taehyung. Actually, any day when he didn’t have class was an odd, confusing day. It was worse when no one was trying to strong arm him into last minute plans. Taehyung had his notes open, eyes skimming over the details of Yoongi’s last lecture. Reading over the words, he swore that he could hear the professor’s voice – hearing his voice, Taehyung could vividly see him. Soon it wasn’t the dorm anymore, but it the medical room at Void. It was difficult when Taehyung could still taste him on his tongue – could still feel him on skin, like a ghost wound. He pressed his fingers to his cut, contemplative. Yoongi wouldn’t want him once he knew that he was a virgin. Taehyung eyed his phone. There was a lot he didn’t understand, within himself, and in general. His text tone went off – this was his reason to grab for his old, shitty Android. The KKT chat was being spammed with photos from Hoseok. He would happily ignore them for now, as he instead clicked into his mail inbox. Firing up his laptop would take too long and wouldn’t be worth it overall. He found the email with Professor Min’s number in it. He really shouldn’t be doing this, even if the email made it sound mandatory. Taehyung knew he had a choice. He could deny the professor, until his dying breath – avoid giving away his number, and never have to speak with him outside of a school setting, ever the fuck again. ‘This can’t ever happen again…’ echoed off the walls of his mind. It was as cruel as Yoongi’s last kiss. If there was one thing he'd learned from Jeongguk's situation, it was to be a fucking brat. He went to add a new number, typing in ‘Prof. M’ as the contact name. To: Prof. M ------------------- It’s Kim Taehyung. You know, the student you want to fuck :D Jeongguk told me some terrific news last night that pertains to our situation. Apparently doms don’t train virgins. So sorry to shatter your dreams of one day owning me. Guess it’ll be someone else’s job :/ Sat. 05, 02:10pm It was less than a minute later that Sent went to Read.

#Taegi #Taegi fic #Taegi smut #BTS Fanfic #Bts smut #Espresso Marmalade #Taehyung #Yoongi #Taehyung x Yoongi

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