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keichanz · 5 years

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(Half)Demons

sorry this is a week late. I ended up moving last Monday on the 28th and since then I’ve literally had no time to sit down and write because I’ve been so busy unpacking, organizing, and making my new house habitable lol. I’ve been exhausted too so I didn’t want to write when I did have the time so that didn’t help matters. anyway, i know it’s November now, but I’m still gonna get the last few chapters out regardless. I really want to finish this series and i hope you guys still want to read it even though Halloween is over. ^^; Thanks for sticking around this long!

Spooktober Day 28: (Half)Demons

Izayoi frowned down at her phone as a soft growl of irritation welled in her throat. She’d gotten the first text fifteen minutes ago, but had ignored it since it was probably just Rin exclaiming her excitement for the twenty-seventh time about her and Kohaku’s matching costumes. Then the second one came in and figuring if she didn’t answer it now, her cousin would no doubt blow up her phone until she did, and so she’d resignedly pulled it out of her pocket. She hadn’t even had the darned thing for a full week yet and already Rin was taking full advantage. Jeez.

Rereading the text she’d just received, Izayoi found herself wishing that it had been Rin. Man, why did she have to be born first?

“What’s up?” Raiden asked, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets and glancing at the device in her hand.

Heaving a sigh as her ears lowered on her head, the young half-demon stashed her phone in her jacket pocket and sent the dark-haired dog demon an apologetic grimace.

“My mom texted me,” she explained, wrinkling her nose. “I guess she’s working late today and can’t take Tai home so she asked me to pick him up at his school.”

Raiden’s eyebrows rose as he nodded in understanding. “I see,” he mumbled, his brow furrowing slightly. He’d been looking forward to walking her home, but now it seemed that wouldn’t be happening.

Izayoi detected the disappointment in his tone and felt even worse. She’d been looking forward to walking home with him too.

“Sorry, Raiden,” she murmured and offered an apologetic smile. “I really wanted to walk with you.”

Raiden sighed and then shrugged, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. “No biggie. The curse of being the older sibling, I guess. I’m glad I’m the only child.”

Then he grinned and Izayoi grinned back, glad he didn’t seem too upset about it.

“Yeah, rub it in, why don’t you?” she cheeked and he laughed, unrepentant. Rolling her eyes but not without a smile, Izayoi stepped a little closer and said, “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” Raiden promised with one of his easy grins, his eyes soft as he gazed down at the golden-eyed girl before him. He really did like her eyes...like buttercups in the sunshine...

Before she lost her nerve, Izayoi leaned up on her toes and brushed a light kiss across his cheek. Her face was red when she pulled away and backed up a step, but her smile was soft and genuine.

“See you tomorrow, Rai,” she murmured and had to giggle at the look on his face, like the cat that ate the canary. She truly admired how unashamed he was, his confidence a refreshing change after dealing with Daisuke’s arrogance for so long.

“Later, buttercup,” Raiden said as he started walking backwards. “I’ll text you.”

Beaming, Izayoi nodded and watched as her crush tipped her a two-fingered salute before turning around and walking off, his gait lazy and sure.

Izayoi sighed dreamily. God, she was hopeless.

Heaving a sigh, the young half-demon wrinkled her nose, rolled her eyes, then turned around and reluctantly headed toward her kid brother’s school, grumbling under her breath about the unfairness of being the older sibling.

Despite her unwillingness, however, she didn’t dawdle or take her time on the walk to the elementary school seven minutes away from her own. Both of her parents would have her hide if she intentionally left Tai alone for any length of time, and if her irresponsibility caused something to happen to her younger brother... Well, she could say bye-bye to her brand new phone, taking to Rai outside of school, and any social life whatsoever.

“My life sucks,” Izayoi grumbled as she walked through the school’s entrance gate. The busses had already left so now it was just various vehicles parked in the bus loop and parking from parents picking up their children.

Pausing before the double doors that led inside, Izayoi frowned as she scanned the front courtyard, searching for a flash of silver or her brother’s obnoxiously colored Spiderman backpack. When she didn’t spot – why wasn’t he out front like Mom said he would be? – she took a few sniffs of the air to see if she could catch his scent—and was not expecting to find a trail that led toward the left of the building.

Rolling her eyes – jeez, why didn’t he ever listen? – Izayoi sighed and trudged in that direction, grumbling under her breath about annoying little brothers and their habits of wandering off on their own. She rounded the corner and was just about to call out for him, but then she stopped short at the sight that greeted her and her jaw clicked shut as her ears pinned low on her head.

There was her younger brother alright, however he wasn’t alone. Several other kids were surrounding him, looking slightly older but not by much, and a few discreet sniffs of the air told her all of them were human. They were kicking around his backpack and laughing as Tai tried to get it back, taking advantage of his small stature.

Every protective instinct that Izayoi harbored instantly roared to life and she growled low as a scowl that her father would have been proud of twisted her features. Clenching her fists, Izayoi stormed forward, Big Sister Mode activated and ready to teach these little punks a lesson. Nobody messed with her little brother! Especially weak little humans that liked to bully those smaller than them.

“Hey, you brats!” Izayoi called out once she was near enough, watching as the human kids paused their bullying and turned to watch her approach. “What do you think you’re doing to my brother? Get lost!”

At the sight of his big sister, Tai’s eyes widened and he sniffled as hope bloomed in his chest. His big sis was here now! She’d make the mean kids ago away, he was sure of it!

The human kids, only a grade or two above Tai, all sneered at the half-breed coming toward them. They weren’t afraid of her!

“Go away, half-breed,” what appeared to be the oldest kid said, glaring at Izayoi as she came to a stop a little ways away, hands on her hips. “Can’t you see we’re busy?”

The other bullies chorused with a “Yeah!” and nodded their heads. One of them grabbed Tai’s bag before he could reach it and held it above his head, using the advantage of height.

Izayoi rolled her eyes and pinned the brat with a glower. “Please. The only thing I see is a bunch of annoying little brats bullying someone smaller than them. Too bad for you he happens to be my brother, and I’m the only one allowed to bully him. So do yourself a favor, give him back his bag, and beat it. You’re wasting my time.”

Unsurprisingly the punks did not heed her words and turned to face her instead. That was fine; their attention was off of Tai, which was what her intention was anyway. Tai dove for his bag, grabbed it, and then scrambled toward his big sister, hiding behind her legs. Izayoi didn’t spare him a glance.

The leader of the little group – Izayoi placed him to be about eight years old or so – sneered at her again, unimpressed.

“You’re a waste of time,” he snapped back, smirking when his lackey’s all snickered behind him. “My dad said that half-breeds are complete waste of space. That they’re infer—infear—that humans and demons are better than them. So you can’t tell me what to do!”

Izayoi snorted and crossed her arms, cocking a brow as she leaned her weight on one leg and jutted a hip to the side.

“Oh, really?” she drawled. “Well you’re dad’s an idiot because he clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Says you!” one of the brats behind the kid piped up and tried to appear brave when Izayoi turned her golden glare his way. He paled slightly but continued in a less stronger voice, “M-my dad says that half-breeds are lowly a-and unnatural because they can’t do things that regular demons can do.”

The half-demon narrowed her eyes for a fleeting moment and then schooled her expression, looking unconcerned. Her right ear flicked as she gathered her thoughts, and then she shrugged, indifferent.

“Your dad’s an idiot too,” she said matter-of-factly and refrained from smirking at the offended look that crossed the brat’s face. “Or maybe they’re just lying to your faces about us. They’re probably just jealous, and I mean, really, I don’t blame them.”

And as she knew it would, the curiosity on each kid’s face was unmistakable and she refrained from grinning in triumph. She also wasn’t surprised to see the suspicion cross the older brat’s face and quickly prepared what she was going to say.

“Why would they be jealous of half-breeds?” he asked, his tone implying the thought was ludicrous.

Hook, line, sinker.

“Oh, you don’t know?” Izayoi asked in a falsely innocent tone, raising both of her eyebrows and ignoring Tai’s look of confusion he sent her. She shrugged and explained, “Sure, demons can do some stuff we can’t, but at least we can stay out in the sun longer than ten minutes at a time.”

The little brats all looked completely baffled and started whispering to each other; Izayoi’s ears easily picked up their quiet mutters of “for real?” and “no way, that can’t be true! ...Is it?”

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

The older one still looked unconvinced, his face screwed up into a disbelieving pout. Izayoi met his stare head on and if her parents had been watching at that moment, it would have been obvious she picked up a trait or two from her Uncle Sess.

“Are you telling the truth?” the kid asked and crossed his arms. “How come we’ve never heard about this before?”

Izayoi scoffed. “What, like we’re just gonna go around sharing all our secrets? Please. And of course it’s true. Unlike your father, mine teaches us never to lie.”

Lie.

The brat still looked skeptical, so Izayoi tacked on, “We can eat garlic too, unlike demons. I love garlic bread.”

“Wait a minute,” one short kid in the back piped up, looking utterly puzzled. “Isn’t that vampires? They can’t go out in the sun or eat garlic, either.”

Izayoi stared at him blankly for a beat and then her mouth stretched into a big, fang-bearing smirk. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t satisfied by how several of the kids backed away with wide eyes.

“Where do you think those rumors started from?” she stated, folding her arms across her chest and looking quite smug.

As the brats all gasped and looked at each other in astonishment, Izayoi continued, “So now you know that hanyous are clearly superior than humans and demons. Tai here was just choosing not to fight back because he’d probably hurt you scrawny little humans with his hanyou strength. Right, Tai?”

Playing along, Tai giggled and said, “Right!”

Nodding, Izayoi’s smirk abruptly faded and she pinned each little brat with a hard stare. “So now that we’ve established who here is inferior,” she said, purposely emphasizing that word as a snub toward the brat that couldn’t pronounce it, “I think you lot should beat it before I show you just how much better we hanyous are compared to you humans.”

When the kids hesitated, Izayoi shrugged and studied her claws with an air of indifference as she added absently, “Or, you know, I can always tell Principal Yuudai about you brats harassing my little brother. Isn’t he a bat demon? I’m sure he’d love to expand his legion of the undead—”

As one the kids all shrieked and booked it, abandoning their bullying and running away as fast as their little legs could carry them.

Izayoi scowled. “Good riddance,” she muttered then without sparing her brother a look she said, “C’mon, Tai, we need to go.”

Hitching her bag higher onto her shoulder, the older half-demon started walking away, ears flicking back when she heard light footsteps padding behind her. She slowed her pace so he could catch up and the two of them walked in silence as Izayoi led the way out the front gate.

Ears low on his head and biting his lip, Tai snuck a glance up at his older sister, big amber eyes shining with his gratitude.

“Izzy?” he said and his sister hummed in acknowledgment. “Thank you for coming to get me. And getting rid of those mean kids.”

And just like that, Izayoi’s uncaring front faded and she sighed before stopping in her tracks. Tai stopped too and looked hesitant as she knelt before him, a frown marring her features.

“You were supposed to be waiting by the front doors, Tai,” Izayoi stated, her tone chastising. “How did that even happen?”

When all her younger brother did was avert his gaze and look uncomfortable, she sighed again.

“Look, I’m not always gonna be around to shoo away the bad guys,” she explained, slightly exasperated. “You’re a half-demon, Tai. Those were humans. You can’t let them get away with bullying you just because they’re a little bigger.”

“I know,” Tai murmured, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the pavement.

Izayoi studied her sibling for a moment and then her expression softened and a little smile curled her lips upward.

“Hey,” she murmured and reached up to flick his ear. Tai peeked up at her and she said, “I’m your big sis. It’s my job to protect you, runt. But in exchange, I need you to do something for me too, okay?”

Curious, Tai lifted his head and nodded, his little ears perking up again.

Her smile widened. “The next time that happens, don’t let them get away with saying stuff like that. We’re half-demon’s, Tai. We should be proud of what we are, because we got the best of both worlds. Those brats probably really were jealous that we can do things they can’t. I bet you’re the fastest boy in gym class, right?”

Golden eyes identical to her own widened and a small smile appeared on his face as Tai nodded.

“See?” she said and poked his cheek. Tai giggled. “They only wish they could be as fast as you. So it’s not a bad thing to be a half-demon, Tai. I know Mom and Dad will tell you the same thing. We’re strong, we’re fast—what’s not to like?”

Beaming now, Tai nodded eagerly and then suddenly he launched himself at her, wrapping his tiny arms around her neck and hugging her for all he was worth.

“Thanks, Izzy,” Tai murmured into her shoulder as she automatically returned her kid brother’s embrace. “You’re my favorite big sister.”

“I’m your only big sister, squirt,” Izayoi laughed and tweaked his ear again. Gently pulling away, she grinned down at her brother and said, “Now let’s go. I’m sure Aunt Sango has some pumpkin spice hot chocolate waiting for us and if we’re lucky, some rice krispy treats.”

She hated pumpkin anything, but she knew her little brother loved it, something he inherited from their mother while she received more of their dad’s tastes.

Tai’s eyes widened and he looked hopeful as he asked, “With marshmallows?”

“Big marshmallows,” Izayoi assured and stood up, allowing her kid brother to take her hand. “Ready, Tai-Tai?”

Beaming at his big sister, Tai nodded eagerly and squeezed her hand.

“Ready, Izzy!”

“Good. Now let’s get some hot chocolate and rice krispy treats! And I dunno about you, but I really want a hot cup of ramen.”

#(half)demons #spooktober prompts #day 28 #oneshot #izayoi #tai #raiden #keizfanfiction #fanfiction

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nikosarc · 4 years

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Okay, so, I'm not against the "Qrow is Ruby's dad" theory and Summer/Qrow is a cute ship, but there's something about it I've never understood, especially if Tai is supposed to know about it and Tai/Summer were supposedly never together. Why lie about it? Like, why keep the truth from Ruby? Qrow's in Ruby's life constantly, he's not like Raven. Why say Tai is her father? Similarly, why would Yang see Summer as her mom when, with this theory, she'd be more like "Auntie Summer".

again, this is all speculation for a theory that, per the writers own words, isn’t canon (regardless of how I feel they’ve failed to establish it as suchh) so like...none of this is true, but the way I imagine it happening if I were to write it into the show:

Qrow and Summer were together after beacon (and maybe during but we know less than nothing about their beacon days so *shrug*). They went on missions together before Raven left and were basically the badass battle couple of my dreams.

He always had doubts about their life in the long term because of his semblance and the dangerous work he did for Oz, but because she was a part of it already as well it never really mattered. Raven and Tai were starting a family and distancing themselves from Oz and his goals so SQ didn’t see them much as they wanted to be kept out of it at least until Yang was born.

After Yang is born and Raven leaves, Tai is a wreck and they take a break from their work to go help him out both emotionally and with Yang.

Something happens - Summer gets hurt on a mission or something and Qrow blames himself and at the same time Oz is asking him to go on missions again so he makes the decision to leave. He wasn’t made for domestic life and he and his semblance are a burden on Summer, Tai, and Yang in his mind so he thinks he’s doing them a favor. Whether this is before or after he knows she’s pregnant is up in the air but it works either way: he thinks Summer (and the baby if he knows about her) is better off without him.

At this time Summer and Tai get closer as she helps him raise Yang (who at this point is less than 2 so no I don’t think she’d know her as “aunt Summer”) and they comfort each other over the loss of those fucking asshole Branwen twins. Whether or not they actually become involved romantically is debatable. Some people who believe this theory think they were never actually together, but I personally believe they did eventually get together. There were romantic feelings there but it was more of a rebound thing because they were both still hurt over the loss of Qrow and Raven and needed comfort, that and they were already raising their children together so it just made sense.

Summer and Tai made the mutual decision not to tell the girls about Raven and Qrow because they genuinely didn’t believe they’d ever be coming back. Yang was already calling Summer “mommy” and Ruby would undoubtedly come to see Tai as her dad as she grew because he’s the one raising her. It was easier than explaining to them that their mom/dad left for reasons they really can’t explain to two toddlers.

We already know Raven and Qrow keep tabs even when people think they’re not around so I think Qrow would be aware of the situation and keep watch over Ruby from afar, Sum and Tai probably caught sight of him once or twice and it became sort of an unspoken agreement between the three of them. It was just easier for everyone if Taiyang was her father.

You say that Qrow is in Ruby’s life constantly but we only know he became an active presence in the girls life after Summer died, at which point he didn’t really have a choice. Tai was canonically overcome with grief and needed help and Raven wasn’t going to get off her ass and take responsibility so Qrow came around more often and did what he could.

I personally don’t think he came an active presence in the girls life until after the flashback where he saved them from grimm, when he realized just how badly Tai was doing at keeping an eye on them. By that point Ruby already knew Tai as her dad and it was too late to come in and be like “btw im ur dad” and Qrow was still trying to make himself as scarce as he possibly could in that situation because he didn’t want to put them all in danger.

Again, none of this is canon unless Miles was outright lying (which I’m not saying is outside the realm of possibility, showrunners lie about plot twists all the time, I’ve just never seen anyone on crwby do it) this is just how I see it going down if were canon.

#rwby #flown north #hummingbird #ruby rose #qrow is ruby's dad #ask #anon #Anonymous

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petri808 · 5 years

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Sixteen Weeks and Counting

The complete story from InuKag Week 2019. 9k words.

“But Mrs. Tai--sho, Inuyasha?!” Kagome gestures wildly at the delinquent standing with his arms crossed. “And don’t you ‘keh’ me!” she glares at the young man who simply turns his head with his ears pinned down. Turning back to the teacher, “Mrs. Taisho this is not fair, I’m a straight A student and he’s a slacker! How could you pair us up like that for this big project?! Is it because his brother is the school Principle that he gets away with everything?!”

“Ms. Higurashi,” the teacher, Mrs. Kagura Taisho folds her hands in front of her and sighs, “I know this may be quite the shock, but your differences are precisely why I paired you up. Inuyasha needs a firm hand to guide him.” Looking past the young girl squarely at Inuyasha, “and this is his last chance to pass regardless of who his brother is. If he doesn’t get a decent mark on this semester project, he’ll be held back a grade.” Turning back to the fuming girl, “who better to turn to than my top student who’s also a bit of a spitfire?” Taisho winks. “Don’t worry, you’ll have all semester to work on this and of course I will help keep Inuyasha in line he does after all have to come home sometimes.”

Kagome sighs, “I really don’t have a choice in this do I?” Mrs. Taisho shakes her head. “Great,” the young girl hangs her head and takes a moment to breathe. “Science isn’t the easiest subject for me and I need to help a reta… not so enlightened person enough to get through this…”

“Oi, I ain’t no retard, just lazy,” Inuyasha quips back, but when Kagome looks up and he sees her eyebrow twitch, he quickly turns away again.

“It’s true Ms. Higurashi, Inuyasha was a good student once upon a time, it’s just,” sigh, “getting him to care since, well let’s just say past events happened, hasn’t been easy. Many of us in the family have tried but he won’t listen to us. You have 16 weeks for this science project, why don’t you guys take the afternoon to come up with an idea? In fact, if it’s okay with your parents, as a thank you, how about coming over for dinner, you two can talk while I cook.”

“Eww, I don’t want her at our house!”

“Your house?” Taisho’s eyebrow raises.

“I guess that would be okay, I mean you’re right, we should come up with our idea quickly so we can get started on it, I’ll just text momma and let her know where I’ll be.”

“Wonderful!” Taisho clasps her hands together. “Then gather your belongings and I’ll drive us.”

A couple hours later at the Taisho residence, Kagura is busy in the kitchen. As full-blooded demons, she and her husband Sesshomaru aren’t very big eaters but as a half breed Inuyasha can consume quite a lot of food. Most nights, he fends for himself, gorging on different flavors of ramen but with a human guest in the house it was only proper she cook a meal. The smells of chicken and vegetables simmering start to fill the home and she’s surprised it hasn’t lured a hungry boy out. But based on the sounds coming from the living room, he might be a little too indisposed at the moment.

“These smells are actually making me hungry.” Sesshomaru dips a claw into the broth to take a taste. Licking his finger, “and I must say your guest is putting a smile on my face.” A loud thump rings out from the other room causing him to grin. “I like this one.”

‘Damn it why’d you hit me?!’

‘Cause you were falling asleep!’

Kagura chuckles, “I agree, she was the perfect person to help him.”

‘I swear if you hit me again!…’

‘Well if you’d pay attention I wouldn’t have to!’

Sesshomaru leans against the counter and crosses his arms, facing the living room. “What did you say they were working on? The final project for your class?”

“Mmhmm,” she too crosses her arms and takes a break from stirring. “They’ve decided on a topic but that’s as far as they got from what I could hear. Kagome sat him in front of his laptop to do research and I’m guessing he keeps falling asleep instead.”

Another thud. ‘Damn it, Kagome I wasn’t falling asleep that time!’

“Sounds like he’s lucky to be a half breed,” he chuckles, “or I might end up losing a brother.”

‘Ooops! My mistake.’

With the help of the Taisho’s, Kagome and Inuyasha come up with a timeline to work on the project. It was a better outcome than nothing at all from that first meeting. Every Friday afterschool, Kagura would bring the two kids to the house so they could work on it and Sesshomaru would take Kagome home in the evening. Now if they could just learn to work together without killing each other everything should be okay. Maybe not smooth sailing, but at least manageable.

But by the time Kagome was dropped off at home that first night around 8pm she was ready to take a nice soak in the ofuro then crash for the weekend. She didn’t know what was worse, track and field season or dealing with such a temperamental brat! The mental drain was exhausting! Inuyasha kept nodding off, or not listening, she even caught him playing a computer game when he was supposed to be looking up information on air pressure! He’s lucky all she did was hit him with a book cause what she really wanted to do was grab the ornamental sword off the wall and run it through him! “Ugh,” she rubs her temples and sinks deeper into the tub, ‘this semester is gonna be a nightmare…’

“ARGH!” Inuyasha threw himself onto his bed and buried his face in the pillow. ‘This sucks! This utterly fucking sucks!’ As soon as Sesshomaru came home from dropping off Kagome, he and Kagura were on him, harping that he needed to get his act together.

You were supposed to graduate this year Inuyasha, but you were held back once, wanna make it two? I’m tired of supporting you, if you don’t pass this year, you can get out of the house cause you’ll be an adult and my promise to dad will be over.

Inuyasha, I know it’s been hard on you after losing your mom, but do you think this would make her happy? She would want you to do your best and that girl, Kagome, is your saving grace, don’t ruin it. Or Sessh is right, we won’t help you anymore.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, they were right about everything. Most of his problems were all of his own making and both his parents was probably rolling in their graves. But he’s been this way for over 8 years and changing his personality overnight just wasn’t going to happen. “Ugh…” ‘This semester is gonna kill me…’

Sesshomaru walks over to where his wife is leaning against the frame of the archway sipping on a cup of tea. The kids are in the living room working on their project. He takes a place by her side and whispers, “awfully quiet huh? Everything going okay?”

She leans over, “yeah, I’m a little surprised that they could be so civil after just two weeks.” Kagura giggles, “maybe that miko bloodline she comes from still holds sway.”

“Maybe,” He places a hand on his wife’s shoulder, “but looks like you were right about her, maybe she will be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” Smack! Sesshomaru laughs, “or maybe not.”

“Oww,” Inuyasha rubs the spot on his arm where Kagome punched. “You are so lucky I won’t hit a girl!”

“Tch,” she snickers, “I don’t know, seems you like being hit since you always provoke me into it.”

“Keh! I’m trying here, so cut me some slack. I did what you asked and found the information didn’t I?”

“You did and I appreciate it Inuyasha, but there’s still a lot more we need to do, so I need you to stay focused.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The bell rings, signaling the end of 3rd period. Monday morning seemed to always be the toughest, aside from Friday. One would think after a couple of days off students would be refreshed but it was the opposite feeling and now with the project thrown in, Kagome is even more tired than usual. Kagome’s best friend Sango knew of her friend’s dilemma and had even offered to help but the young girl had politely declined. Inuyasha wasn’t the easiest to work with but it was slowly getting better, the operative word being slowly, but still, Kagome was sure that things would start to even out soon and she wouldn’t be as tired.

“Mrs. Taisho wasn’t lying,” Kagome explains on the way to their next class, “Inuyasha is smart, but getting him to focus and care is the tough part. I just don’t know why that is.”

“Rumor has it, he started acting out after his mom died.”

“Oh. I can relate to that. It was tough after my dad died, but I didn’t act out.”

Sango laughs, “that’s because you’re a better person.”

“I guess…. Maybe and it wasn’t just his mom right, his dad died when he was a baby…. So, I guess I should cut him a little slack.”

“The sooner you two can really get along,” Sango opens the classroom door, “the sooner you won’t be so stressed out. Speak of the demon,” she looks over and sees Inuyasha already at his seat. She smirks, “your lab partner is already waiting for you.”

Kagome rolls her eyes, but with a slight uplift in the corner of her lips, “so he is. First time for everything.”

The girls take their seats, readying themselves for the science lesson. Mrs. Taisho starts to hand out the days assignment which looks to be a fun one for once; working with chemicals. She tells the students to gather the listed items and bring them back to their desks. So, Kagome grabs the chemicals while Inuyasha grabs their Bunsen burner and some glass flasks along with the lighter. Seems easy enough. Mrs. Taisho floats around the room assisting the students who busily read the instructions for the first test.

“Okay,” Inuyasha holds the paper up, “it says you add a tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate to the water, this should create a bubbling reaction.”

Kagome grabs the bottle she thinks is correct and begins to level off a spoonful. Inuyasha takes a whiff while he ties his hair up in a ponytail, “are you sure that’s the right one, doesn’t smell like baking powder to me.”

She shrugs her shoulders, “pretty sure, I grabbed what was in that bin.”

But something wasn’t sitting right for the hanyo, his nose was pretty accurate and something in his gut was turning. He watches as Kagome slowly turns the spoon over to allow the contents to fall. It took just a millisecond, but the instant the first powder touches the water it becomes obvious to the hanyo that this definitely wasn’t baking soda. “Kagome!” he grabs her by the shoulders, turning her away like in a slow-motion scene while at the same instant a bright flash and small explosion ricochets through the room.

When Kagome opened her eyes again, she was facing away from their table and still wrapped tightly in Inuyasha’s arms. Mrs. Taisho was asking if she was okay, but maybe it was the slight ringing in her ears or the confusion that caused her to just nod slowly while she processed what just happened.

“Hey, Kagome are you okay?” Inuyasha’s deeper voice so close to her ear snapped her back to the present a little quicker. “Kagome?”

“Y-Yes?” She turns her head as far as she can to look at him, which was difficult because he was still holding onto her so securely. “What… what happened?”

Inuyasha finally lets her go, but not before seating her on a nearby chair. He kneels down and it almost takes her aback when he starts to speak to her in a calm tone. “Are you sure you grabbed the bottle from the bin labeled sodium bicarbonate?” Kagome nods her head, a bit of moisture pooling at the corners of her eyes. “Absolutely sure?” Again, she nods her head. “Okay because teach said that was Cesium and that’s why it exploded.”

“Ce-cesium?” Kagome’s hands are trembling in her lap at the realization that she screwed up. “Oh, kami,” her hands fly up to her mouth, “y-you could have, w-we could have gotten so hurt….” The tears break free and rush down her cheeks. She covers her face. “I screwed up, oh kami I’m sorry, I’m sorry Inu…”

“Hey, you’re fine, I’m fine, no one got hurt,” he tries to pry her hands away and get her to look at him. “Kagome, no one’s perfect, it probably got put away wrong by the last class, you can’t beat yourself up over it.”

“But you could have been hurt badly!”

“Keh! I’m tough.” Inuyasha smirks. “Main thing is you’re okay. You are okay right, at least physically, I don’t see any marks on ya.”

“Thanks to you,” Kagome slightly flushes. “Your quick reaction is why I’m not hurt.”

Mrs. Taisho comes over to check on them again while a couple other students helps to clean up the area. “Is she okay,” she asks her brother-in-law. He nods yes. “Kagome you still look a bit shaky, do you want to go to see the nurse?” She shakes her head in response. “It’s the last period and it’s best not to do any more experiments today anyways. I’ll have Inuyasha walk you home dear.”

“Oh,” the young girl waves her hand, “I don’t wanna trouble anyone…”

“Keh! It’s no trouble,” he stands up with a grin plastered on his face and helps Kagome to her feet. “Grab your bag, any chance to ditch school early I’ll take it.”

~~~

“Are you ever gonna let me make it up to you?” Kagome asks for the third time that period.

“Ugh, give it a rest already,” he grits his teeth trying not to yell in the middle of class, “it’s been almost a week. I told you it’s not a big deal.”

“To you maybe, but for me it is.”

Groaning, “If I say yes, will you stop bugging me about it?”

“Uh-huh,” Kagome leans in. “Anything you wanna eat, it’s my treat.”

“Okay fine.” Inuyasha scratches his head, “there’s a ramen shop between school and my house, we could go there.”

“Great! I’ll tell miss she won’t need to drive us today!”

“Fair warning, I eat more than one bowl.”

“I know,” she teases back, “I’ve seen you eat so I brought extra cash.”

“Keh!” Inuyasha turns back to his lesson.

He couldn’t understand what was happening between them, it was weird how in five weeks this girl had been able to get under his skin… but in a good way. No one’s ever been able to do that before. Not his family, not his last girlfriend, or any friends for that matter. Inuyasha peered at Kagome through his periphery. So easy and unassuming she sat there working on the questions for the day. He couldn’t help the glimmer of a smile licking at his corners. ‘My saving grace, huh, I wonder if mom would have liked her too.’ He refocuses on his paper, of course she would have. Kagome had a lot in common with his mother, a refined, almost regal nature yet feisty enough to put up with a demon. Inuyasha chuckles in his head. ‘Okay maybe not refined, but definitely,’ he takes one more look, ‘pure.’

The following Wednesday, Kagome catches up to Inuyasha at his locker during lunch break to share some information she found for their project. As he looks through the papers, Kagome leans in, pointing out things here and there, jabbering about some supplies they’ll need to get for their poster display. “Or we could do a Powerpoint presentation, it’s either or.”

“I think the Powerpoint makes more sense cause we can add video’s to better illustrate what air pressure is.”

Kagome giggles and pokes at him, “look at you sounding all smart now Inuyasha, who’da thought it.”

“Ha Ha,” he flashes a fanged grin, grabbing her hand and holding it up near his chest, “lazy but smart remember, get it right.”

She giggles again, but before she can retort someone bumps into Inuyasha’s shoulder hard, causing him to take a step back and her hand to be released. The same person grabs her around the waist and pulls her away from the hanyo.

“Kagome, why are you getting all chummy with this stupid half-breed? He’s so cursed that both his parents died because of him.”

“Fuck you Koga!” Inuyasha moves to take a swing, but the wolf yokai places the girl between them and he’s forced to stay his hand. He growls and narrows his eyes at the wolf, “Only a loser would use a female as a shield.”

“Tch, I don’t need her,” Koga pushes Kagome aside and squares up, “but maybe I don’t want you to touch me and spread the curse.” Inuyasha clenches his fists at his sides. Talking about his mom was always a sore spot and to be called cursed…. “That’s right mutt you should know your place. A half breed like you ain’t nothing when it comes to…”

“That’s enough!!”

The two men stop and turn to see Kagome with her hands fisted and the most menacing aura surrounding her. Human’s may not sense it, but these demons could feel the energy surging around her. Kami the girl was pissed! She walks straight up to Koga and slaps his face so hard the entire hallway grows silent. She moves between them, blocking Inuyasha in a protective stance.

“How dare you say those things about him! Just because his parents are gone doesn’t make him cursed because if it does then add me to the list! My dad died when I was younger, you gonna say that was my fault?” Koga is so shocked that someone, even more so a woman had slapped him that he didn’t respond for a second. “Well?!” Kagome’s hands land on her hips, “you gonna answer me? Am I cursed too?!”

“This…” Koga clears the shaky tone. “This is between me and him, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, like hell it doesn’t. You think I’m gonna let some brutish wolf make fun of my friend you got another thing coming. Now get lost!”

“Tch!” Koga’s friends, Hakkaku and Ginta start pulling him away. “This ain’t over!”

Kagome glares at the trio until she could no longer see them. She was still shaking, she was so furious. Inuyasha places a hand on her shoulder to get her attention and almost takes a strike to the jaw, ducking and catching her fist instead. “Kami, Inu I’m sorry!”

He drops her hand, “damn, woman you are scary when you get that angry. Remind me not to piss you off that badly.”

She flushes red, “well he just made me so angry, i-it just came out.”

“Come on,” he shut’s his locker, grabs their stuff and takes her hand, “let’s get out of this hallway. I need to report this to Sessh.”

“O-Okay.”

Half way to the principal’s office, Kagome stares at their joined hands. She looks up at Inuyasha’s face and notices the tenseness of his jaw. Does he realize? Her cheeks growing warm, she averts her eyes to the floor and mumbles, “Um, Inu you can let go of my hand now.”

He lets go immediately. “Oh shit, I didn’t realize!”

“Don’t worry, I kinda figured,” she reassures him. “But, um, I was wondering, why would he say that about you? I mean like, is there something about demons I don’t know about?”

“No,” Inuyasha lets out an exhale, “nothing like that. He’s always had something against me, and I don’t even know why. But to bring up my mom like that was a low fucking blow.”

When they reach the office, Kagome goes in with Inuyasha so they can fill Sesshomaru in with all the details. He wasn’t surprised that Koga tried to pick a fight with Inuyasha, but he was taken aback that Kagome was the one who ended it and reassured her that Koga would be pulled in for a discussion since he’d put his hands on her. Once that was done, Sesshomaru gives them passes back to their classes.

As they are about to part ways Inuyasha stops her. “Kagome, you know thanks for standing up for me back there and I’m sorry about your dad.”

“You don’t have to thank me Inu,” she smiles. “I lost him when I was 7 in a car accident. It was hard but I realized I had to move on, I think that’s what he would have wanted.”

“Yeah…”

She places a hand over his heart, “Inu if you ever wanna talk, I’ll listen.”

For a few moments, the pair stand there, face to face in front of the office. The look on Kagome’s face, it was so sweet, so serene as her hand stayed its position upon his chest. His breathing slows, by kami was she always this breathtakingly beautiful? “Y-yeah…” Inuyasha swallows hard, “I’ll remember that.”

“Great!” Kagome bounces on the balls of her feet, “I’ll see ya after school Inu,” waving as she skip’s away, “we can finish talking then.”

“Right!” But his feet are glued in place. His hand sweeps over to where he could still feel the warmth of her hand lingering…

~~~~

“What took you so long?” Miroku leans over and whispers as Inuyasha takes his seat. “Class is half way over already.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, just had a run in with Koga at lunchtime.”

“I don’t see any marks on ya, he didn’t get a hit in?”

“Didn’t have a chance.”

“Whoa!” The teacher looks their way and Miroku ducks back down, but as soon as she goes back to writing on the board, he continues. “Did you knock him out first?”

“Nah, girl stepped in between us.”

After Miroku picks up his jaw from the ground, his expression switches to a lecherous grin. “So, is she cute?”

“Keh!” Inuyasha turns away, but he couldn’t hide the slight burning in his cheeks from his friend.

“Oh ho!” Miroku pokes at this buddy, “bro you neeeed to give me details after class!”

“Will you shut up,” Inuyasha grits his teeth, “before the teacher comes over here!”

“Fine,” Miroku straightens out, “but I will find out who she is sooner or later…”

Of course, that month’s full moon had to fall on a Friday of all days. It was common knowledge that hanyo’s like himself had a day when their demon powers waned, and the human side took back control. But for Inuyasha, the feeling of being weaker never sat well with him. Human frailties like disease cost his mother her life and even though it was just part of existing for them, that didn’t mean he had to like it. You had a better chance of being struck by lightning than to see him on one of these nights and so the fact that Kagome was still going to be at his house when his turning would occur bugged him all day through classes. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to cancel their session.

Inuyasha stared out the living room window watching the sun slowly make it’s decent below the horizon. It wouldn’t be long now, he could feel the tingling in his finger tips and the fading scents around him. He talks a dry gulp before gently tapping Kagome on the shoulder. “I need to warn you about something, I… t-tonight is my human night so in a few minutes I’ll be turning.”

“Oh,” she turns to look at him, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, “why is that a big deal or something, like do I need to worry cause you’ll get all weird?”

He blinks at her nonchalant tone, “um no, just didn’t want you to freak out.” He motions over his shoulder with his thumb, “I’ll be right back, I like taking a shower after I change.”

“Sure,” she smiles, “take your time.”

He was right on the dot by the time he had reached his room for the change to begin. Hair shifting from white to black, his fingers, the claws retracting into human nails. The oddest feelings were as his canine ears receded and human ones appeared instead. But he was used to it all, and after a minute, Inuyasha opened his eyes to the new man staring back from the full-length mirror. He sighed, saddened by the loss of his extra senses. It really wasn’t such a necessity in this day and age, but it was still a handy feature. After gathering his clothing, he retreats to the bathroom for a quick shower.

When Inuyasha returns for the project, he stops in the kitchen to grab them drinks and runs into his brother, drinking tea and reading a newspaper.

“How are things going Inuyasha?”

“Fine.”

“Oh, just fine? You two are getting along so much better now. You even allowed her to stay despite it being your human night,” Sesshomaru puts his paper down, “any significance?”

“That-That’s none of your business. But for the record I just wanted to stay on track.”

“Mmhmm,” his brother snickers, “then you should get back to it then.”

“Keh!”

‘Any significance… Damn him trying to read into this like there’s more to it…’ Inuyasha reaches the archway and notices Kagome rubbing the back of her neck and turning her head from side to side like it was stiff. He gulps, she had put her hair up in a messy bun and her neck was just…

He puts the bottles of water down on the table in front of her. “Your neck sore?” he asks and takes a seat next to her on the floor.

“Yeah, a little. Thanks for the water,” she smiles and looks over. But when she realizes how different he looks, her eyes widen, “wow, I mean it’s still obviously you, but the black hair makes you look so different! Aww, and the doggy ears are gone! I like those ears better.”

“You do?!”

“I wanna rub them, they look so fluffy and cute!”

“Maybe one day,” he mumbles as his cheeks flush. “If you want, I can give you a neck massage. You’ve been working really hard today and I barely did anything, it’s the least I can do.”

“That would be really sweet!”

Inuyasha scoots behind her and shifts her between his legs. Guess his human form came in handy tonight, he looks at his hands before placing them gingerly on her shoulders, no claws. Kagome pulls her knees up and lowers her head, giving him all the access, he would need. Slowly he began massaging her shoulders, starting at the edges of her collar bone and working his way towards the middle. He kneads at the muscles, searching with the pads of his finger tips for any knots or tight spots. “Tell me if there’s anywhere that hurts the most.”

“Okay,” she breathes out. Wow, she mused inwardly, even as a human Inuyasha had some strong hands. Shouldn’t she be a little surprised that he knew how to massage a person? Oh, like it’s hard to figure out. Kagome closes her eyes and just lets the relaxation carry her away for a spell. This feels so nice…. Her mind drifts…. Could his touch always feel like this? She starts to imagine his strong grip, teasing other areas of skin…. Crap! Don’t go there! She screams at herself. Friends just friends and this project we’re working on, nothing more! But it might be nice for more…. Kagome groans internally, maybe the massage was a bad idea.

He didn’t need his demon senses to figure out Kagome was enjoying the massage. A few little cringes when he touched upon a sore spot, but for the most part she just sat there stoically and every so often he earned a wispy sigh. Ugh! Every time she did that a shiver ran up his spine! Inuyasha was after all a normal male and after this little episode he might need to take stock of another feature. It had been a couple of years or maybe three since he’d been physically close to another girl. Nothing sexual, but they had made out a few times and now sitting here with Kagome, Inuyasha was starting to miss that.

“Feel better,” he asks 20 minutes later.

“Very much,” she blushes lightly and looks down as she fiddles with her fingers, “thank you Inuyasha.”

Now it was his turn. He averts his eyes knowing that his own cheeks had grown warmer, “no problem.”

~~~~~

They’d surpassed the mid-way mark of the semester and it was crunch time for a lot of the bigger projects for all their classes. Kagome had spent her lunch breaks the last couple of days studying poetry since she had to write one for a class assignment. So, as she and Inuyasha make their way towards the school exit, her stomach makes itself vocally known.

Inuyasha laughs, “you’re starting to sound like me. Wanna stop for food on the way to my house? I could go for some ramen.”

“You can always go for ramen,” Kagome giggles, “but yeah that sounds good.”

As they round the corner and see the doors, Inuyasha pauses, “oh crap, it’s Miroku,” halting her advancement and pulling her back.

“Who?” She peers around, “the guy talking to Sango?”

“Yeah,” Inuyasha looks around too. “But he’s been bugging me ever since the Koga thing about you.”

“Why?”

“Don’t worry bout it, he’s just a perve who’s curious what you look like.”

“Eww!” She tries to step away but is held back, “but he’s bugging my friend!”

“Shh!” Inuyasha tries to cover Kagome’s mouth. “Keep your voice down. You know Sango can take care of herself.”

“Inu you’re being silly. And who cares if he knows what I look like, I have no interest in someone like him.” She grabs his hand and starts to pull him, “come on, I’m staaarving!”

He couldn’t believe he was allowing himself to be pulled along by this girl! But there he was being led by the hand towards Miroku and Sango, who looked like she was bout two seconds away from slapping the guy. Inuyasha’s eyes pan towards the entrance, it would be so easy, just grab Kagome and run out before Miroku could get in a word. Yet his feet kept travelling in the same direction he was being pulled. What the hell was happening to him?

As soon as Sango sees Kagome, she slips away from Miroku and starts walking towards her and Inuyasha. Miroku is annoyed at being interrupted but when he sees the hand holding… his eyes flash and he quickly brushes past Sango to saddle up closer to Kagome. “You sly dog Inuyasha!” Brushing his hand along her arm, “how’d you manage to land this fox?!”

The hanyo pulls Kagome away from the lecher, but drops her hand at the same time, “it isn’t what you think,” crossing his arms, “she was just dragging me over here cause I didn’t wanna come!”

“In that case,” Miroku tries to grab for her hand, “if you’re single,” he wiggles his eye brows, “then I’m in the market.”

Kagome yanks back her hand and narrows her eyes, “weren’t you just hitting on my friend not 2 seconds ago? As if I’d give you the time of day.”

“Oh ho, lemme guess, this is the girl isn’t Inuyasha, the one that stepped in between you and Koga? Feisty and beautiful! But just to be clear, I’ve been trying for a year to ask Sango out, but she keeps turning me down.” Miroku feigns a sigh, “one day she’ll say yes, and I’ll be able to give up my lecherous ways.”

Sango rolls her eyes, “if I believed that of you, you might actually have a chance.”

“A chance?!” Miroku leaps over and kneels before Sango, grabbing her hand again. “I would be your devoted slave, my queen,” kissing the back of her hand. She blushes despite trying her hardest to get angry and pull away. “A chance is all I require to prove my love for you.”

“Oh, brother,” Inuyasha snorts. Kagome giggles. He glares at her with a look not to encourage the idiot but that only makes her laugh harder.

Kagome calms her fit, “as amusing as this show is, I’m fricken hungry so can we get going Inu?”

Sango finally gets Miroku to let her hand go. “Where are you guys going?”

“The Shiba Ramen place near Inuyasha’s house,” Kagome answers her friend.

Miroku chuckles, “I see he’s got you going there too now, huh?” Turning to Sango with the best cutesy face he can muster, “my treat, if you’d be so kind to join me?”

“Oi! Who invited you in the first place!” Inuyasha growls.

“Oh, my mistake, did you wanna be alone with Kagome?” Miroku retorts.

“I…. Keh!” Inuyasha snorts and turns away.

Kagome speaks up now, “you can come only if Sango agrees to it.”

“Please,” Miroku tries even harder, “I promise to behave.”

After a minute Sango finally caves in and the group heads out. Surprisingly, Miroku manages to control his more, naughtier behaviors and they spend the next couple of hours eating, joking around, and talking about different subjects. It was almost perfect to Kagome, she got to spend time with her best friend Sango, the guys were trading one-upping stories about dumb shit that had them all laughing. What a way to start off the weekend. Sure, they’d have to spend a couple of hours working on their project tonight but going in with a happier mood should make things smoother.

Inuyasha was so comfortable in the booth next to Kagome, it was a subconscious move when he found his arm draped over her shoulder. His first thought was to remove it, but then again, by her slightly shifted and leaning against him, was she actually enjoying it? Or maybe she didn’t realize she was doing it either? To move it now would certainly draw her attention and the irrational side of his brain growled at him to do no such thing. If she was happy, he was happy.

Things were starting to wind down and the conversation had shifted into lighter topics. Then in the middle of a sentence, Miroku stops talking, his eyes wider, staring past them, and annoyed. Everyone stops and follows his trail as a female voice breaks the silence.

“Inuyasha is that you?”

The hanyo turns his head as he recognizes the voice. “Kikyo?” In a flash the warmth of his arm leaves Kagome’s shoulder, and so quickly that her hair shifts in the burst of air. “Whoa!” he jumps out of his seat and hugs the woman. “What are you doing here?”

“I recently moved back to town,” she hugs him back. Stepping away again but only by a foot, Kikyo looks over to the girl who was sitting next to Inuyasha. “New girlfriend?”

“Huh?” Inuyasha looks at Kagome who has a mortified look on her face, then back to Kikyo. “No, she’s just my friend.”

“Oh…”

Both Sango and Miroku sat back in shock as they watched Kagome deflate in the booth. It was clear how oblivious Inuyasha was of his simple statement’s effects on the poor girl, but he seemed too over joyed to see his ex-girlfriend again. As the pair stood next to the table chatting quietly and even exchanging numbers, Kagome sat devastated. Okay fine, it’s not like he was lying, they weren’t a couple but… it still hurt. She thought they’d been getting along so well, even to where maybe, just maybe there was a chance at something a little more but as he just blurted out, she was just a friend in his eyes.

~~~~~~

“I’m just gonna… go pay my bill,” Kagome quietly tells Sango and Miroku before sliding out of the booth. She was careful not to make any physical contact with either Kikyo or Inuyasha who were standing almost against the table and slips away unnoticed.

“Should we follow her,” Miroku whispers to Sango, “she looked pretty upset.”

“No,” Sango responds, “Kagome prefers to be alone if she is. I’ll call her after we leave.”

Miroku narrows his eyes in the hanyo’s direction. “I should just go pay for my bill too, and maybe we should all just ditch Inuyasha.” Sango blinks, for a guy who was still a total pervert, she could see how annoyed he was at his friend. Guess Miroku has some standards, she muses to herself. He pats her leg, “follow me.” Sango just nods and grabs her bag ready to go.

Clearing his throat in an exaggerated manner, “Excuse us,” Miroku’s tone is rude and annoyed. “We’re leaving.”

Kikyo moves out of the way so the pair can get out, never saying a word. Inuyasha looks around and realizes Kagome was also gone. “Oi, Miroku where’s Kagome?” But Miroku flips off his friend without turning around and he and Sango simply walk over to the cash register.

“Sorry, I gotta go,” Inuyasha stammers out leaving Kikyo standing alone by the empty table. He catches Miroku just as they are about to walk out the door and grabs his friend’s arm. “Oi, I asked, where is Kagome?”

“Do you really care?” His friend spits back. “Ya didn’t seem to mind ignoring her once Kikyo showed up.” Miroku tries to pull away but Inuyasha grips tighter.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I was just talking to an old friend, so what?”

At this point Miroku yanks harder and frees his arm, walking out the door behind Sango. “Argh!” What the hell is their problem? He tosses enough money onto the cash register and storms out still snapping at their retreating figures. “Hey! Miroku, you asshole! Sango! Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!”

This time it’s Sango that stops to face off with the hanyo, glaring. “She probably went home, happy now we answered your question?!”

“Go back to your ex, Inuyasha,” adds Miroku, “seems like you two were picking right up from where you’d left things.”

Inuyasha blinks, “what in the world would make you think that?!”

Miroku rolls his eyes, “oh, I don’t know, like how excited you were that you almost whacked Kagome in the head trying to get out of the booth. Maybe by the way Kikyo kept touching your arm and you not pulling back, in fact you leaned in closer. You guys trading phone numbers and your face was practically giddy about it. Shit I was mentally preparing myself to see you two start kissing or something, probably why Kagome couldn’t take it anymore and left.”

The hanyo growls, “That is not how it happened, you’re totally exaggerating!”

“She saw it all, we saw it all, and you’re the one in denial. Inuyasha, you didn’t even notice her leave! I didn’t even see your ears flicker which means you were fully focused on only Kikyo. So, don’t you tell me I’m the one exaggerating.”

“But…” Fucking hell! Was it really that bad? “Ugh!” Inuyasha runs a hand over his face. “I was happy to see Kikyo but there’s no way I’d ever go back with her.”

“Sure, looks like Kikyo is hoping for a second chance, and it’s not like you were turning down the advancements.” Miroku sighed, “take it from a guy who does a lot of flirting…”

“That’s an understatement,” Inuyasha mumbles.

“… Kikyo was flirting with you and you were completely going along with it. Am I right Sango? That’s how it looked right?” She nods her head. “So, either you’re lying to us, to yourself, or if you’re telling the truth then the person that deserves the truth and an explanation is Kagome.”

Inuyasha roars and takes off, leaping away. It’s been some time since he’d pushed his muscles like this running along walls, jumping over fences and houses. Not knowing where she lived, he tracked the air for Kagome’s scent. It couldn’t be too far he assumed considering she went to the school in this district.

So, okay maybe there was a bit of lingering emotions for Kikyo, he couldn’t deny that but at the same time he knew to get back into a relationship with her would be a mistake. She wasn’t good for him and he’d come to realize that after she’d ended it 2 years ago. Kagome, yeah, the girl was definitely imprinting on him and he was starting to crush on her, but he still wasn’t certain yet of anything. They’d really only gotten to know each other for a few weeks, and he didn’t want to make the same mistake he had made with Kikyo.

When he finally finds the house, Inuyasha groans internally. Figures, what is it with him and picking miko chicks! He touches down in a large old tree where he has a clear view of her window, well the one he assumes is hers based on the pink curtains and pulls out his cell phone.

Inuyasha texts Kagome, ‘we need to talk’

A few minutes later he sees her walk over to her desk and picks up her phone responding, ‘I’m fine’

Inuyasha, ‘I know you’re not’

Kagome, ‘…….’

Kagome, ‘how would you know?’

Inuyasha, ‘I can see you’

Inuyasha, ‘tree’

Kagome looks out the window just as Inuyasha hops down.

Inuyasha, ‘come outside please, let’s talk’

He sees Kagome turn away from the window as she sends a reply, ‘no’

‘fine have it your way,’ he responds and jumps through her window.

“What they hell?!” she immediately whirls around and starts hitting him. “I don’t wanna talk, can’t you take the hint?!”

“Well we need to talk,” he grabs her wrists.

The smaller girl doesn’t have the strength to fight off his control, but it doesn’t stop her from seething. “There’s nothing to talk about Inuyasha. I get it, I’m not your girlfriend, I have no right to be upset. Go back to that Kikyo woman since you both seem fond of each other. I’ll get over it.”

“Are you really that jealous of my ex? Okay I admit I was happy to see her but there is no way I want her back so there’s nothing to be jealous of.”

Kagome rolls her eyes, “she seems to have other ideas and it’s not like you were turning her down.” As if the timing couldn’t be any worse, Inuyasha’s phone beeps with an incoming message. Her eyes narrow, “Well, aren’t you gonna answer?”

“No.” He sighs and let’s go of her wrists. “Kagome,” he sits at the edge of her bed and hangs his head, “truth is I’m still not sure of what I really want.” She takes a seat at her desk as he talks, rubbing her wrists. “I mean I know I don’t want her back, and even though I have some feelings for you, I don’t know if, I’m not sure if I’m ready to be in any relationship is what I’m trying to say.” Inuyasha makes eye contact again, “if you want me to block her I will just to make you happy. But if you were hoping I wanted to be your boyfriend, I can’t say yes either right now.”

“I don’t know what I want either Inuyasha…..”

It was just too awkward for them to work together alone anymore but the project still needed to be completed. They kept up a front in class and lied to Mrs. Taisho that Inuyasha was going over to Kagome’s house afterschool on Fridays. But what was really happening is they’d split the project, Kagome would finish the paper, and Inuyasha would complete the Powerpoint portion. The plan had been working for the past three weeks and paid off when they’d successfully stood before the class and presented their project on Wind & Air Pressure Dynamics.

Just perfect, Kagome sighs as she took her seat again. The project was over, only a week and a half left of school when they would be graduating then it’s off to college in the Fall. Well, it’s not like she was leaving town but who knows, she side-eyes the hanyo on her left, maybe in the Spring I’ll enroll further away. Stop it! She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Being in the middle of class really wasn’t the time to ruminate.

After the bell rings, he watches Kagome gather her belongings and shuffle out of class along with the other students. Inuyasha knew she was still upset, but he really didn’t know what to do about it. This whole semester had gone from bad to amazing to crash and burn like a train about to run off its tracks and the stupid part is he really was the reason for every single rollercoaster hill. Ugh! Inuyasha drops his head onto the desk, ears flattened, with his fists clenched and claws digging into his palms.

“Inuyasha,” Mrs. Taisho places a hand on the hanyo’s shoulder, “what’s the matter with you?”

“I fucked up big time…” he mumbles without raising his head, “again…”

“It’s about Kagome isn’t it?” She sighs and takes a seat in one of the chairs. “I had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Wanna tell me what happened.”

“Not really.”

“It couldn’t hurt. Maybe there’s something I can help you with.”

Inuyasha sits up and looks at his sister-in-law Kagura for a moment, mulling over the decision. Eventually his shoulders droop along with his ears. “Alright…”

Once he started, the words poured out. For about 30 minutes Kagura sat in silence while Inuyasha goes over everything that happened that night at Shiba Ramen and the subsequent weeks since then. His mind was settled on the Kikyo part, because she did try to rekindle things and he’d shot her down. Inuyasha knew in his heart the crush he had developed on Kagome was real and true, and that the only things keeping him from making the plunge was fear itself. He had jumped into a fast-blown relationship with Kikyo and it ended poorly, and that was certainly not what he wanted to happen again. Kagome was clearly a step above him and destined for better things. She was graduating near the top of their class and on her way to a great university while he had no idea what the next step was going to be beyond simply getting to walk the line.

“What good am I for someone like her, when the last thing she needs is someone that might hold her back.”

This was the first time Kagura had ever witnessed the hanyo break down. Even after his mother passed away, while she assumed, he had shed a tear, it was never in the presence of another. Inuyasha’s coping methods had been to clam up, grow moody, distant, and yet now…. She was taken aback by how much of an effect one girl has had on him. As much as the two rarely saw eye to eye, she found it almost amusing how so alike he and his brother really were.

“Never thought I’d see the day that you would actually fear something.” She tries unsuccessfully to keep from chuckling. “That girl has done what no one has ever been able to do and that’s break through the wall you put up all those years ago. Are you really going to let your insecurities and fears of what could happen stop you from possibly gaining the best thing you might ever have in your life? Come now, Inuyasha, that doesn’t sound like the hanyo I’ve come to know.”

“But I don’t know how to fix this…. How to talk to her again….”

“Just tell her, just like you told me,” she leans over and points at his heart, “from here. Find the right moment and just do it, but don’t wait too long or she will slip through your fingers and you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

One thing was for certain, that night was the most restless night of his life.

‘Lucky to be hanyo,’ he groaned as he sat through class the next day. Morning wasn’t so much the problem but after lunch it was becoming a semi struggle to stay awake which really sucked because he had to read a poem out loud in that class. ‘At least I got to go second. Maybe now I can relax.’ He almost fell asleep.

Kagome stood up for her turn and heads over to the front of the class, clutching to her paper. Inuyasha’s ears flick forward, but he keeps his eyes averted to his desk top. He doesn’t see the slight, almost unnoticeable tremble in her fingers as she begins to speak.

Aww, fuck. By the end of the first line he knew this was gonna hurt. His eyes drift shut and all he could do was die a little more inside.

Her tone was smooth, her cadence slow as she channeled the very essence behind her poem. It spoke of winter. Of the fluffy white snow and how it’s beauty and elegance could mesmerize. Falling, softly, floating through the air like an angel to kiss your cheeks. And on sunnier days, you could almost forget about the chill that winter brings when wrapped in such spellbinding charms. But then the blizzard comes, cold and frightful. Blustery winds entrapping you behind walls that you cannot break free of, leaving you dark and alone… helpless. Praying for the snow to end its torture...

All of the practice she had done in front of a mirror had paid off in keeping her from breaking down in the middle of the reading. And maybe in a way, it actually felt better getting it out. The poem was to let go of some of the pain so she could move forward. Kagome could see the effects it was having on Inuyasha. She couldn’t lie that a small part of her wasn’t happy to see him tormented. But that wasn’t what she really wanted and as she sat back down and filed away her paper, the relief she had hoped for never came.

As soon as school let out, Inuyasha tracked Kagome down. He knew her class schedule, so it wasn’t difficult, thought it seems she had planned to make a quick exit that day. By the time he saw her she was already walking out the front door. He pushes through the throngs of students all making their way toward the exit. Ugh! He wished the ceilings were higher so he could jump!

“Kagome!” He screamed at her fleeting back, her legs carrying her away as swiftly as it could. Damn it! Once he was in the open, he threw out the rules against using their abilities on school property and made the leap. One bound, two bounds, pushing his legs as hard as he could. “Kagome!” Oh, this woman! He was sure she could hear him calling her! One last jump and he lands ahead of her. She pauses briefly and shifts course down a small alley way. Inuyasha growls, and using a couple of walls, he manages again to get ahead of her, grabbing her arm before she could bolt again. “Woman, stop running from me!”

“Let me go Inuyasha!” She yanks at her arm, but his grip is too tight. “If it’s about the poem…”

“It is and it isn’t,” he states matter of fact. “But we really must talk, now.” Sweeping Kagome out from under her legs, he picks her up, holding on tight, and takes to the sky once more. She continues to cuss him out, but fear of falling keeps her from fighting his hold. Over rooftops and through alleys, staying out of the main thoroughfares, Inuyasha scans for an area with little to no humans around. He wanted privacy and finally finds it in Ueno Park.

“You better have a damn good reason to have brought me so far away from home,” she spits out as she adjusts her clothing. Crossing her arms, “what do you want?”

“Look, I know I suck with words and I don’t know how to… argh!” he runs his hand down his face. “Oh, fuck it all!”

Just as Kagome is about to respond, Inuyasha grabs her by the waist and slams his lips against hers. “Oof!” Her eyes expand and she goes stiff for a moment as her brain and body come to terms with what was happening. Even after he lets her go, she stares wide-eyed and speechless.

“Please Kagome, I’m sorry!” he blurts out. “I’m an idiot, I know I’m an idiot. I was confused and I didn’t wanna hurt you. I--I was afraid,” his ears droop and head hang’s low. “Okay, there I said it. I was afraid if I let you in, sooner or later you’d realize you deserved better than some lowly hanyo.”

Kagome blinks as her shaky fingers brush against her lips and her cheeks feel like they are on fire. “I-Inuyasha, wh-why would you ever think that?” Moisture floods her tear ducts, “you are so much better than you believe to be.” Reaching up to caress his cheek, “I saw that with my own eyes, how you grew so much over this semester.” She smiles, “I got to see the real you come out and that’s who I fell in love with.”

“But, what if…”

“No one knows the future Inuyasha, not even the Kami’s themselves. We just have to keep walking forward.” She takes his hand. “Come on,” giving it a small squeeze, “how about you start by making up for that Shiba date night with me?”

He groans, “that doesn’t mean with Sango and Miroku too, right?”

Kagome chuckles, “no, this time,” leaning in for a kiss, “let it be just the two of us...”

#inukag #inukag fan fic #inuyasha #kagome #inukag week 2019 #fan fiction #petri808 #petrischronicles

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swiftpng · 4 years

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❥ — get to know me task.

“I wanna be defined by the things that I love. Not the things I hate, not the things I'm afraid of, the things that haunt me in the middle of the night. I just think that you are what you love.”

tw: mentions of cancer, food, sexual assault.

does your celebrity have any nicknames? She does indeed have a few nicknames. Her brother calls her Teffy, but her friends call her anything from T, Tay, T Swift, T Swizzle, or Tay Tay. Though, she’ll admit she thinks Tay Tay makes her feel like she’s twelve years old. A select few will call her a snake, but Taylor wears that nickname like it’s a badge of honor.

is there a certain smell that takes your celebrity back to their childhood, really remind them of ‘back home’? The smell of fresh snow on the ground always brings back nostalgic memories for Taylor, because it reminds her of when she was a little girl. Her favorite days were when school was called off and she would play around on her family’s Christmas tree farm with her brother, playing make believe.

what would you say is your celebrity’s most prominent physical feature? Definitely her cheekbones. She has very defined cheekbones that are noticeable when she’s smiling. But… she also has very long legs that she loves to show off. She used to hate being so lanky and tall, and just wanted to blend in but now she’s more than happy to slip on a pair of high heels and show off her toned legs that she worked so hard for.

would you say that your celebrity leads with their heart or their head? do their emotions get the best of them, or are they controlled? A mix of both, definitely. From a career/business perspective, she leads with her head with every decision that she makes. Taylor holds a lot of determination. She always finishes whatever she sets her mind to. There’s no stopping her, no matter what it comes to. Before she got signed, she performed at open mic nights and various community talent shows almost every weekend. It’s how she actually got discovered by her former label, Big Red Machine. And even before that, she got signed by another label, RCA, when she was a pre-teen but decided to risk everything and walk away because she knew she wasn’t going to be happy there if she stayed. Whenever an A&R guy would tell her his opinion, she would stand her ground and do what she wanted to do. There’s been times when her heart gets the best of her and she winds up doing something spontaneous like writing a letter to Apple about paying artists fairly. And her heart is definitely what leads her in love and relationships. It doesn’t take much for Taylor to get attached to people. Although she has been more careful about wearing her heart on her sleeve these days, she still does get attached way too easily. She gets invested in her friends’ emotions, treats fans like family, and worries about individuals day in and day out even if they aren’t thinking of her. She tries to get to know someone before jumping into a relationship with them, but sometimes her heart gets in the way and she jumps in without looking. Most of the time she has her emotions on lock because she knows there’s nothing worse than a screaming match about who can scream the loudest, so she tries to speak in a neutral tone when she’s in an argument. When she was younger, she used to play dangerously along the lines of gaslighting herself because she didn’t know if what she was feeling was valid or not. She used to have a tendency to forget that she's allowed to express how she feels. She had tried one-too-many times to suppress any sadness or anger. She could never remember that it is okay to feel how she feels and focus on her issues. She used to blindly disregard herself, but after everything that’s happened in her life she needed to learn and program it in her brain that she is valid. Taylor is someone who freezes when she’s feeling something that makes her uncomfortable, and then a few minutes later she knows how she feels. In the moment, though, she has a whole conversation with herself on whether she’s overreacting or if she’s perfectly valid for feeling the way she does. Before, she would either say the exact thing on her mind, or she would stay silent and then go over what she wanted to say when she had the chance at a later time. As she’s gotten older, she’s been able to say how she feels in a way that doesn’t feel combative or like she’s trying to start something unnecessary. Now, she’s very straightforward. If she feels a certain way, she lets it be known, regardless of the consequences that might arise from it. This is in every aspect of her life, not just petty things. If she’s interested in someone romantically, she’ll make it obvious without any regrets or reservations. Plus, when she’s feeling something intense like heartbreak or happiness, she writes about it in a poem, a song, or her journal. She gets through everything by writing about her feelings, and it helps her process them by doing that.

is there anything special or unique about any of your celebrity’s names? were they named after anyone? did the name have specific inspiration? Taylor Alison Swift is a pretty simple name, but it holds a lot of meaning. Taylor, her first name, comes from the legendary James Taylor. Her parents raised her on his music, so it’s cool to her that she’s named after someone who shaped her artistry. And getting to perform with him a couple of times means a lot to her. Taylor gets her middle name from her aunt Alison, and lastly, her last name is Swift. A name she got from her dad, of course.

what makes your celebrity feel insecure? Award shows or performing in front of people who will judge her for her live performances. While she knows she’s not the best vocalist in the industry and has not sought out to be the best singer of all time, she still wants to give her all when she’s performing and will overthink all of her performances before, during, and after them. She’s her own biggest critic and knows that she can improve with each performance that she does. Whenever she hears herself miss a note or forget the lyrics, she’ll tear herself apart and will obsess over it. She’ll put on a mask and give thanks whenever someone says she did fine, but deep down she’ll think about it until her next performance.

does your celebrity have any tattoos or piercings? Tattoos, no. When she was a teenager she really wanted to get a small heart tattooed on her foot, but her dad influenced her against it. She’s happy she listened to her dad. Piercings, yes. She has her two earlobes pierced, but she doesn’t have anything else on her body pierced. Even though she has no tattoos and minimal piercings, she thinks they’re extremely cool and an awesome way for self expression.

got any pets? if your celebrity has pets, tell a little bit about them; if not, what kind of pet would they like to have, or why don’t they have any? She does have pets! Three cats to be exact. While growing up, Taylor had her fair share of pets, and most of them were dogs. It wasn’t until she was in her early twenties that she got her first cat, Meredith, who is named after the iconic Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy. The second cat she has is Olivia Benson, who is named after Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU. Those two are both Scottish fold cats. The most recent cat that Taylor adopted is Benjamin Button, named after the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. Benji is the one she fell in love with at first sight after meeting him during her Me! shoot. Meredith is a bit snooty and has an attitude, but when she likes you she’ll let you pet her and cuddle her for as long as she lets you. Olivia just wants you to love her, while Benji doesn’t care as long as he has your attention. Meredith is coordinated and sophisticated but loves you fiercely when she decides to. Olivia walks into walls, drools, and flops around, but is ready to love you at first sight. Benji is a mix between the two. He loves to have his own space, but he also loves to be held like a baby and treated like a king.

what does it take for someone to be ‘unlikable’ to your celebrity? what’s the final straw that makes them give up on someone? For Taylor, she judges people mostly on their moral code. The people she wants in her life are people who have and regularly exercise loyalty, empathy, understanding, honesty, trust, and open communication. If you betray your friend, talk about them badly when they’re not around, degrade them for any reason, or talk down to them, she has no interest in keeping you in her life. She’s been known to give second chances to people who never deserved them, and it bit her in the ass. She can’t stand when people use or take advantage of their so called friends. If you’re in her life, it means you both have a mutual respect of one another.

how would you describe your celebrity’s sense of style? Taylor has always been a person who loves to experiment with fashion. For her, it’s a form of self expression and she loves to represent herself through it. Her style isn't limited to one thing, it’s actually pretty much all over the place. Some days she'll wear pastel colors or all black, or a mix of color. It really just depends on how she feels during the day. In addition to that, she loves to go through phases. She went from cowboy boots to Oxfords to high heels. She went through the phase of loving vintage dresses to the phase of loving crop tops. She may not always top the best dressed lists every week, but she loves to wear what she thinks is cute and fun and shows her style. When it comes to performing, she likes to wear outfits that are easy to perform in. Taylor's stage outfits are generally very short and shiny, so it's easy to dance in. There’s some skin showing, but not too much. Over the years, her main collaborators for stage outfits have been designer Jessica Jones, along with her main stylist Joseph Cassell.

what is the most positive and supportive relationship that your celebrity has in their life? Her mom. Taylor’s mother is her best friend, and she tells her everything. They talk every day and see each other almost every day. Taylor’s mom has seen and heard it all, whether it’d be about a break up, a career setback, or just how her day is going, she knows it all. Taylor’s mom is like her personal therapist, and she’d be lost without her. Her mom is her everything. A few years ago, her mom was diagnosed with cancer. Taylor was ready to give everything up and stay with her mom. In fact, she insisted, but her mom’s insistence that she go chase her dreams and tour around the world was stronger. She is scared that something will go terribly wrong, and suddenly the cancer will multiply a lot faster and take over her mom’s body, while she’s somewhere else in the world. Taylor’s priorities have changed a lot through the years, which is why she’s been spending more time with her family rather than doing year long tours. She wants to take advantage of all the time she has with her mom while she’s able to. She’s just so grateful for her support and knows that not everyone has a strong bond to their mom like she has with hers.

how does your celebrity see themselves vs. how others see them? When Taylor looks into the mirror or thinks about how she sees herself, she sees a woman doing what she loves. A woman who is happiest when she’s on stage. A woman who is most at peace when she’s writing, and most alive when she’s performing. A woman who’d do anything for her fans, and still can’t believe she has fans. A woman who wants to change the world. A small town girl who wants to inspire at least one person who’s struggling, because if she can make it this far, so can they. She thinks of herself as someone who holds onto hope. Even when she’s unhappy, she does all she can to prevent others around her to feel the same. She’s an open optimist but a closeted cynic. She doesn’t always know what she wants but she knows what she needs. She’s a woman who sees the beauty in all of the little things. She loves to love, and she has a lot of it to give away. She appreciates all the little favors and remembers every single polite thing someone has ever done for her. She forgives (most of the time) but never forgets; a strong believer in a moral code. She’s filled with affection and passion. She does her best to be as impartial as possible, just wanting the best for everyone no matter the cost. She puts others first, and forgets that she too could use the help of others. She’s the calm after the storm or the storm herself. She has the potential to be so much more than she sees, but she’s clouded by her own insecurities, and doesn’t know how to get rid of them. She’s very aware of how others see her. They may paint her out to be a manipulator, a liar, and a bitch but she knows how the people she loves see her. She knows that she’s not the conniving woman that most people think she is, and hopes that people can see who she truly is. She’s someone who loves with all of her heart and is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. While others may see her as someone who loves feuds and drama, Taylor thinks of herself as just someone who stands her ground and doesn’t take shit from anyone. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that she’s a lover and someone who feels with everything in her. Mostly, she wants to be thought of as being a kind person, someone who is trying to see the best in other people. She wants people to know she is really trying in everything and anything she does, and she wants to be a bright and glowing presence in someone’s life.

did your celebrity have a conventional upbringing and family life, or live life outside the box? Growing up, she had a very conventional life. She was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, and she had a pleasant childhood there. It was a nice upbringing, and she wouldn't change it for the world. Her dad was a stockbroker while her mom stayed at home, and Taylor’s parents never had to worry about any financial issues. Once Taylor realized her dreams of being a singer-songwriter, her entire family packed up and moved to Tennessee. Even though she’s now spent most of her life away from Pennsylvania, she considers it her home state.

education; how far did your celebrity go with it, and did it help them land where they are in life right now? She has an education all the way up to a high school diploma. She actually didn’t go to her graduation ceremony as she had an award show that night, so she had her diploma mailed to her. She’s been fortunate enough that she didn’t need to go to university since she started her career as a teen. Still, she sometimes wonders what it’d be like to go back to school and get a degree in something.

is your celebrity a planner, or into spontaneity? When it comes to her career and business ventures, she definitely plans everything and thinks about everything. Now, being able to own any new music that she makes, she feels like she’s able to record and release songs whenever she wants to. In her personal life, she loves spontaneous plans. Calling up a friend and just driving all night long or flying to a different country for a day and exploring it always sounds like a good time to Taylor.

introvert or extrovert? how has that hurt or helped them on their current life path? Extrovert all the way. Put her in a room with someone and she can guarantee you that she’ll be able to find a way to connect with them. She gets it from her dad since he’s a talker, too. Taylor’s never one to shy away from introducing herself to people and she loves meeting new people. It’s definitely helped her career because she’s been able to make herself relatable to her fans and build a connection with them. Her social skills have helped her make good (and sometimes bad) connections in the industry.

what is your celebrity’s outlook on love? do they believe in soulmates? love at first sight? monogamy? Taylor has way too many thoughts on love as a hopeless romantic, but she thinks it’s a terrifying risk that is completely worth it. And that stands true regardless of what kind of love it is. For her, love is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, things in this world. There’s nothing like love – the pure joy, happiness, just complete elation. Being on cloud nine is the best feeling in the world. And yes, love also has its down sides and they’re some of the hardest downs. When you crash and burn from love, it really hurts. It’s the most agonizing heart-wrenching pain, but the fact that you can feel that type of emotion is something so special, too. The fact that you cared so deeply about someone and someone cared that deeply about you is really special. Love is a very sacred thing to Taylor and one of her biggest wishes is that everyone in this world experiences it at least once. Because even when it sucks, love is such a beautiful thing and worth having and fighting for. Now when she thinks about romantic love, the first few words that come to mind are: golden, pure, respect, adoration, connection, empathy, light, indescribable. Love is the ultimate beauty in all its best forms, and romantic love is no exception. There is the first glance feeling, the breathlessness of state change. You think you’re fine by yourself and then they come and ruin everything. There is fear and worry but the instant you’re with the person you love? You let go (of your fears and your ghosts). It’s a breath of fresh air you didn’t know you needed. It’s like the feeling of rediscovering all of your favorite songs, again and again and again. It’s being enchanted at the first meeting and being enchanted forevermore. It’s not that your life will become a fairytale because it won’t. You’ll both have days when the world is dark and your minds are cruel and your soul aches. You’ll both make mistakes. You’ll both be human. But the feeling of golden warmth in your heart that you thought would fade away stays and makes itself at home. And they stay. And they love you, too, because they’re here for every part of you just as you are for every part of them. And it’s easier than you ever dreamt possible and it’s lighter than air and you’ll never know how you got so damn lucky. It’s golden, it’s pure, it’s respect, it’s adoration, it’s light, it’s indescribable. It’s love. That’s what love is to Taylor. Maybe it's because she reads too many romantic books and watches too many rom-coms, but that's what she fantasizes about. Does she believe in soulmates? To an extent, yes. She thinks that two people could be connected so deeply that no one else in the world could understand their bond like they do. It’s a cool concept to think telepathy is real and it exists between soulmates, platonic or otherwise. She thinks it’s fun to believe in things like fate and soulmates and all of those things that are guided by some invisible force greater than we as humans. She believes in love at first sight, but knows that that kind of love is most likely disguised as infatuation that slowly turns into love. Love requires a mutual, deep intimacy and understanding amongst all parties. It’s complex, and doesn’t just happen within a first sight.

who would your celebrity give their life for? Her family, for sure. The love they give her is unconditional and the moments she shares with them are always in her heart. Whether she’s laughing, crying, or whatever it may be, they’re what keeps her together. Her friends are also people she would give her life for. They’re another source of what keeps her together. Her friends back home (the ones she managed to keep over the years) and the ones she’s met through the industry are what made her days brighter despite the dark clouds that loomed over her head during a dark period in her life. She’s thankful for them every single day and for the new friends she hopes to make. When she went through the #taylorswiftisoverparty in 2016, she had a phase where she was extremely upset and kept thinking she didn’t have any friends left. But she was so wrong. She’d never been more wrong about anything. Selena, Blake, Ryan, along with the friends she’s made here in Bayview like Delta, Melissa, and Daisy have become more than friends and more like her family. It’s those people she’d do anything for and she knows are also there for her no matter what.

when it comes to forgive and forget, how fast is your celebrity to do either of those things? one over the other? or hold grudges forever? Over the years, she’s learned that you don’t have to forget and you don’t have to forgive to move on from something. You can move on from a situation without any of those things happening. She usually lets things go, but it’s always going to be there in the back of her mind as a reminder of what they’ve done to her. As for holding a grudge, it depends on the severity of the wrongdoing, most of the time she’s just relieved that the person revealed their true colors so she can go on without their negative presence in her life. The media has been known to spin a feud of hers into something of a spectacle, and paints her as someone who overreacts and doesn’t leave things be. In reality, it’s mostly the other party who can’t keep her name out of their mouth and she just lives her life peacefully. But if she has to defend herself then she will.

any certain spot in bayview that your celebrity goes to when they need to clear their mind, cheer themselves up, just get into a better mood? Bookends, definitely. Just being surrounded by books is an oasis for Taylor. Whenever she needs time to herself or needs to brighten up her day, she’ll pop over to the little bookstore, grab a bite to eat, and sit in one of the chairs with an old book in her hand. She frequents the place so much that she’s on a first name basis with all of the staff and they all know her order by heart. It’s one of her favorite little corners of Bayview.

who is your celebrity’s role model or hero? is there any specific reason for that, or are they just someone they look up to? Ethel Kennedy. She inspires Taylor to embrace the unpredictable side of life, to find delight in every new experience. Ethel herself has taught Taylor that to really live, you have to jump in, you have to take chances. You have to embrace the unpredictability of life instead of fearing it. Meeting Ethel herself was really one of the rare times Taylor has been starstruck, and getting to spend some time with her has been one of the biggest highlights of her life.

does your celebrity have any secrets? anything that they would absolutely hate for anyone to find out about them? Hm, Taylor would say there’s a lot that people don’t know about her, naturally, because she can’t talk to everyone that knows her name. However, a secret of hers would be that maybe that she’s not as put-together as she comes off. She’s noticed that a lot of people approach her with the assumption that she’s a well-rounded, deeply intellectual person with some strong grasp on the path of her life when she’s just another person trying to figure things out like anyone else. A bit boring, but true! But… we all have our demons, don’t we? Things that weigh us down, despite the optimism we may have. And one of her fears that she doesn’t want anyone to know is that she’s scared that she is going to end up all alone someday. Whether it’s romantically or platonically, Taylor is scared that she’ll never be good enough, or really that people will realize that she isn’t good enough and just leave her. She’s had it happen before, and she’s scared that all the noise in her life will make them leave one way or another.

it’s a gala night and your celebrity has to dress up; are they way into it, or counting down the hours until they can put sweats back on? Taylor definitely loves to dress up for a night and get all glammed up, but she’ll pack an extra pair of shoes so she doesn’t have to worry about her feet hurting all night. There are times where she has to force herself to get the motivation to sit in a makeup chair and get ready, but she usually thinks it’s all worth it once the night is over.

when it comes to your celebrity’s love life, how do they feel about it? are they happy? Taylor’s notorious for loving love. It’s her brand, quite literally. If I could give an example of how Taylor feels about her love life, it would be equivalent to how Jenny Slate explains in her book when she says, “I am a lovely woman. Who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me?” because Taylor wants love so much that she doesn’t know what to do with herself sometimes and she feels like it might not be in the cards for her. I always picture Taylor being like Lara Jean from the TATBILB series because she’s always been the girl who daydreams about finding ‘the one’, and what true love might really be. She feels too much and sometimes thinks that’s her vice. Despite all of this, though, she’s really, really happy with her love life. She has her friends, and finds romance in that. She loves her independence and isn’t going to sacrifice it for just anyone. If she does fall in love, the most important thing is that who ever she falls for has a special kind of connection with her. She wants to feel a spark, but creating a fire takes some time so she’ll wait. She has some patience. And honestly, it’s easy for her to fall for someone -- she can fall in love with anything. She falls in love with the way the sun shines into her room every morning, she falls in love with the flowers in the yard, the smell of fresh rain… she falls in love with the sound of people’s voices, their faces, their interests, just everything. Whoever she falls for has to put up with her just loving… everything. She’s probably in love with at least one quality about everyone. Taylor’s a lot to put up with, she loves easily and she falls harder. She can be intense, like, she’s never been that deep in love with someone, but she knows she can be. She trusts too easily and she ends up getting hurt a lot of the time. She just wants someone who’s in love with her mind, her goals, her ideas… she wants them to see her in their dreams like she would see them. She’s very, very happy with her love life, but God, does she want to know what being in an actual serious, committed relationship is like.

if your celebrity had to leave the house in a rush, what three things would they grab on their way out? (people and pets excluded!) Taylor doesn’t need much when she leaves the house. She carries around a handbag, which holds just about everything she needs for the day or even for the ten minutes to two hours she’s away from her house. She can’t leave without at least these three items in her bag, and it’s really the necessities that she tosses in there. The first thing in her bag is her Iphone and portable charger. Her phone holds everything. It’s not really in her bag as it’s more in the palm of her hand instead. She tends to waste a lot of her battery very quickly, so just in case she must charge her phone, she has her handy dandy charger at her disposal. She needs her journal and a few pens because unless her phone is unavailable to use to make a note of something or write down whatever muse she’s feeling, she has her handy dandy pen and paper to depend on when she needs it most. Lastly, she always holds on to a picture of her family. Somewhere in her bag she’d have a picture of her, her parents and her brother. She wouldn’t be where and who she is without her family’s love and support, and at the end of the day she loves them more than anything and is always thankful for their strong presence in her life. She likes to be reminded of who she is and where she came from because staying true to herself, although hard, is her number one goal.

does your celebrity have any bad habits or quirks that they just can’t kick, no matter how hard they try? Not taking care of herself would be the biggest bad habit she has had. It's hard for Taylor to accept that sometimes, she needs help. She truly is independent to a fault. She is used to taking care of others and helping them that she sometimes forgets about herself. She hates feeling like a burden to someone else and takes being independent to a whole other level. Over the years, she's learned to stay off of social media when she's in a bad mood and she's learned to only value the opinions of people she cares about. She's never been to therapy, and knows she probably should, but feels as if she doesn't need to because she has her mom to talk to. Ways she takes care of herself when she's feeling down would be lighting a new candle, reading some poetry, watching a TED Talk, or painting with her watercolors. Eating what she wants when she wants is also something she's learned to do, too. She used to use food as a coping mechanism. Whenever she felt like she didn't have control in her life, she would deprive herself of basic meals so could could feel some control. These days she's been better at eating what she wants without feeling guilty and has learned to have a healthy relationship with food.

what are your celebrity’s thoughts on kids? do they want any in the future, if they don’t already have any? want more, if they do? When Taylor was younger, she used to dream of having that fantasy of a white picket fence with a family. Over the years, it’s changed a little bit. Whenever she thinks about bringing a child into this world, she worries about their privacy and how they would survive with people watching their every move. She can’t imagine having paparazzi following them around, trying to get a glimpse of them. She wants kids, for sure, but doesn’t want them to face unfair scrutiny or having cameras in their faces 24/7 just because one of their parents is “famous”.

does your celebrity have a favorite room in their home? Probably her room because it’s the only place in the world where she can be comfortable. She loves spending her days in her room just watching TV and lounging around with her cats. If she’s decided to spend time in her room, she probably has ordered some type of comfort food like Chinese or pizza, put on a face mask with her hair tied up, done some online shopping, taken a nap or just lied down, listened to some vinyls – just anything that lets her breathe and relax.

it’s a free day. completely, from morning until bed time – what would your celebrity like to spend it doing? Her perfect day would be spent with her family. She would have invited her family over to her house, letting them spend the night. In the morning, she would make them breakfast. She’d have them tour the town, and would take her mom antique shopping for a bit while her dad and brother have their own bonding time. They’d get lunch by the ocean, and then she would drive them around each neighborhood in Bayview. By dinner time, they would go out to eat somewhere in the Downtown area and then walk around the park. At the end of the day, they would go back to her house and watch a movie or play a game before they all retired to bed for the night. That sounds like a perfect day to Taylor.

to this day, what has been the hardest thing for your celebrity to come up against or overcome, whether personally or professionally? In the past thirty years Taylor has been through a lot, from a career point of view and a personal one. In her personal life, having to go to court in 2017 to face the man who sexually assaulted her was one of the hardest things Taylor has done. It was tough for her to do, and even though she spent many sleepless nights during that week, it was all worth getting the justice she deserved. From people mocking her about her body to not believing her side of the story, Taylor will never forget those who supported her during that whole ordeal. She's happy that more and more people are able to come forward with their stories despite the backlash they might get, and will always believe someone's story because she knows how hard it is to do. We all probably know what Taylor's hardest career obstacle was... the disaster of the 2016 Kimye incident. That whole year, especially that summer, was an emotional rollercoaster for Taylor and she learned so much from that experience. She was so, so scared that she wouldn't be able to make art anymore and that the 1989 era would be her last. Luckily, her fans stuck around and have always had her back. To Taylor, her fans are so important. They are the reason she's still making music to this day and the reason why she gets to present her songs to the world. As someone who has only ever dreamt of being able to share her art with others, the people who have really made it possible are the people who truly support her for it. Taylor's “fans” are more like friends, and friends to her are like family. They are people who’ve supported her for what she loves doing most and she can’t thank them enough for it.

ten years ago, did your celebrity ever think that they would be where they are now? are they happy with that spot in life? what do they hope to achieve yet in the future? At the beginning of the decade, Taylor was coming out of her teens and coming in to her twenties. If you told her that she would’ve released five albums, gone on four tours, won Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, moved to New York City, lose her curls and cut her hair short, been in more relationships that one hand couldn’t count, gotten a few cats, gone through one of the most humiliating things publicly, gone to court, and moved to Bayview all in the span of ten years, she would’ve laughed in your face. Despite all that has happened to her, she would take none of it back and is very happy with where she is in life. Taylor loves her life. Sure, there could be changes but other than that there’s nothing else she would want. She’s happy with the morals she grew up with, and happy with the people who’ve been kind to her and all of the lessons she’d learned over the years. The move to Bayview is a memory she wouldn’t trade for the world. She’s had the chance to travel and meet new people on the other side of the world. The chance to come to Bayview is a milestone in her life she would never trade. Sure, she still has issues with being away from her family, but by far it’s been one of the most amazing experiences in her life. If she didn't move to town, she wouldn’t have people she could connect to, she wouldn’t have met or befriended most of the people who lived here, and she wouldn’t know how to step out of her comfort zone and do things she never knew she needed to do. Bayview changed all of that. In the future, Taylor hopes to still be making albums, hopefully gaining back all of her masters or at least be done with re-recording all of her older albums. Maybe she’ll fall in love and raise a family of her own. Maybe she’ll write a novel about her life. Maybe she won’t be in Bayview still or maybe this is town is her forever home. The most important thing that matters to Taylor is being happy with whatever she’s doing, whoever she’s with and with herself. Because who knows what the future holds, y'know? Nothing else really matters as long as you love your life.

#( ❛ ░ ▌it’s my life so truth be told // tasks.#bviewtask #bview2019dec #wooo!!! done finally!!#also i didnt know she prerecorded her scd performance so we can say that she was still in nyc after the jingle bell ball

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rwdestuffs · 6 years

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Done dirty: Team STRQ

I’m having way too much fun with these screenshot openers.

Team STRQ is one of the most interesting things about the show, and at the same time, the most boring things about the show.

Each character listed above has been done dirty in some way, either by the writers, the narrative, other characters, the audience, or other such circumstances.

One of the things is that we don’t know whose partner is whose. It would be interesting to find out who ended up partnering with whom, but that’s another story all together.

Let’s start with the dead bitch. You know her. She’s super-mom: Slayer of monsters, baker of cookies (At least, according to Yang). So, obviously, she has a lot of time dedicated to her, and how big of an influence she was on Yang and Ruby, right?

NOPE! But, if there’s literally anything I could give this show over Soul Eater, it would be that at least we know what Ruby’s mom looks like, and her name. We don’t get that for Maka’s mom. But then again, Soul Eater also didn’t make a big deal about Mama Albarn. Off-Topic tangent aside, Yang says that Summer never came back from a mission. Implying that she died.

Now, this wouldn’t be much of a problem if we didn’t see a grimm being beaten by a corgi.

(Look forward to a done dirty on the grimm in the near future).

So, unless it was a member of Salem’s faction (which it might be, as it was Hazel who mentioned that they had ‘taken care of’ Silver-eyed warriors in the past), it feels really unlikely that Summer died on a hunt.

And speaking of Silver Eyes, that causes another problem due to how they work.

If they’re supposed to be destined for the life of a warrior, then you’d think that Summer wouldn’t have gone down so easily. Summer got done dirty because despite how important she is to other characters, she is hardly a character herself. In fact, by the sounds of the commentary, she seems to just be a copy/paste of Ruby’s character.

Also, isn’t it nice that Yang no longer considers “Super-Mom” to be her mom, and then refers to her as “Ruby’s mom”?

Seriously. Summer’s influence needs to have a bigger impact on the characters. Sure, her ‘leaving’ made an impact on Yang, but Ruby rarely talks about her, and only really visits her gravestone twice in the same volume. Yang, on the other hand, has mentioned Summer different times in different volumes. Which seems to indicate that Summer’s supposed death had a bigger impact on Yang than it did Ruby, but the fact that she seems to be more willing to call the woman who abandoned her ‘mom’ it just seems like… Yang’s being ungrateful, or that she’s having feelings of inadequacy.

And with Ruby rarely mentioning Summer at all, it just shows that the creators had Summer leave their lives too early. Maybe Ruby had no real choice in the matter of becoming a huntress, and it was the way of the Silver Eyed Warrior that compelled her to do so, but it says a lot when Summer isn’t important enough to Ruby for her to mention her often.

And again, Summer sounding like a copy/paste of Ruby feels like one is being robbed of a fleshed-out character that left an impact on others.

At least we know how Tai reacted- Speaking of which…

Next up is the insensitive bitch, Taiyang. Now, I’m sure that if anyone knows me, they know my… thoughts and opinions on Taiyang “Imma call the manifestation of my daughter’s soul a temper tantrum” Xiao Long isn’t really positive saying the least.

It’s no secret that I don’t like this guy, so please excuse any comments that make me seem like I’m making him out to be the devil incarnate. I have a hard time with this, and I also project my mother’s shitty attitude onto him, so I have issues. Regardless, I am going to try to be as civil as possible when discussing Taiyang. Though, as a warning: It may not last. Scroll past to the deadbeat bitch if you want to skip me being overly critical of Tai, and how he was portrayed and received by the audience.

I don’t care what the writers do, this line is never going to fly if they also want to say that Tai was a “Super caring and supportive father.” Tai being too depressed to take care of his kids is an explanation for this behavior. Not an excuse.

I don’t know what the writers are trying to pull here, but trying to say that Tai is a good dad while also having these lines of dialogue exist isn’t going to fly. It’s like trying to have Batman tell someone off for teaching an orphan martial arts and having them beat up dangerous criminals- It’s just going to come off as something really empty.

Tai’s comments about wanting to go out and look for Ruby also come off as empty as well. The next time we see him, he’s gardening. If him staying behind was so important, you’d think that the writers would have him teaching at Signal, or helping out in the Vale effort. But no. Tai is just gardening. Because that was more important that going out and looking for Ruby.

Tai fails here, because the narrative (and the writers) refuse to acknowledge the fact that he fucked up. Tai had one job as a parent, and do you know what that job was?

But no. Tai up and decides to fuck. up.

If the writers wanted me to believe that Tai didn’t end up giving the job of parenting to Yang?- Then they shouldn’t have had Yang explicitly say that she was alone in picking up the pieces and in keeping things together

For God’s sake, if the narrative and writers were trying to make me think that he wasn’t an asshole, I have only one grade to give them:

And the absolute worst part is that his fucking stans keep touting him as “father of the year.” as if Ghira didn’t exist or something.

No. Tai isn’t a perfect dad, nor is he a horrible one. But the mere fact that he didn’t even get a sitter for Yang and Ruby is very telling. And I still need to reiterate:

Despite wanting to go out and look for Ruby (and inadvertently blaming Yang for his inability to do so), once Yang is ‘armed and ready,’ he opts to…

Garden.

He’s not protecting Vale, he’s not teaching the next generation… the writers thought that showing him gardening would be an important scene.

Let’s move on to the deadbeat. The bitch who couldn’t be bothered to raise her own kid.

Admittedly, Raven was a real big enigma back in volumes two and three. She was a big deal.

She was shrouded in mystery, and there were a lot of theories going around. She was working for the bad guys, she was working for Salem, I remember maybe one where she was using Sienna Khan as an alias. Raven was a big deal. And her uncaring nature came into question when we got the Raven stinger in Volume 2.

And when we found out that Raven was the leader of a tribe of bandits, there was some more intrigue. She was now, all of a sudden, a powerful force to be reckoned with. She could intimidate opponents far out of the protagonist teams’ reach. She was in charge of a group of people who could decimate an entire village in a matter of minutes.

She took Weiss hostage, and she was a woman with a plan.

And then…

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Raven’s bandits are taken down really easily. By her daughter. Who was in physical therapy for a few months. And only recently got back into fighting.

You see where the problem is?

Raven isn’t intimidating in this scene. And her conversation with Yang and Weiss leaves us with no reason to distrust Ozpin. Raven had one job in that scene. That job was to give Yang and Weiss (and by extension, the audience), a reason to believe that Ozpin is not to be trusted.

But instead, she turns into a bird, and then turns back.

Because for some reason, that is supposed to convey to the audience that Ozpin is not to be trusted.

Raven doesn’t really do much after sending Yang and Weiss to Qrow, so let’s move on to her plan of double-crossing Cinder.

Which, is arguably, the best thing she has done as a character. She sets everything up, and we also get a fairly decent fight scene with Cinder too.

But, we run into a few issues here.

Like how Raven killed the Spring Maiden and took her power. Which is an underwhelming way to display the character being cunning.

Had Raven been given the powers by OG Spring as a means of spite, Raven wouldn’t be an idiot for taking the powers when she wants to stay out of the Ozpin vs. Salem war.

Not to mention that she seems to want to play the sympathy card for killing OG Spring.

Raven doesn’t really earn any sympathy points. She does earn some idiot points for thinking that taking the relic would keep Salem and Ozpin off her back, though.

Overall, Raven, despite being the most human character of her team, fails at being an interesting or compelling character due to the sheer idiocy of her actions, and the lack of being able to accomplish the one job she had of instilling distrust in Oz to the audience.

Finally at the end, and now we deal with the drunk.

See, Qrow fails at a lot of things. Most notably, not being a condescending piece of shit towards guys like Ironwood. Qrow blames Ironwood for not keeping in contact with him… when Qrow is the scout, and he should be the one to report in. This is like a doctor being mad at their patient when the patient doesn’t take their medication, when the doctor never prescribed it.

Qrow also wants to be such an edgelord too.

Here, we see Qrow bemoaning that his semblance, stating that it is “Always there” whether he likes it or not.

Then the writers said this:

Now, whether they needed to clarify what they meant or if this was a retcon, the choice of words made it pretty clear that Qrow’s semblance was out of control, and the line of “It’s always there” implied that it was constantly running.

There is a difference between “out of control” and “always there.” The writers should know the importance of word choice, and should have simply said “out of control.” Then again, they would run into the same problem if they had then clarified that he can amplify it in a fight, implying that he can control it, but they would also have to clarify that it’s to a certain degree.

But they didn’t. Not only does this imply a retcon, but it also makes Qrow out to be a melodramatic edgelord. He bemoans his semblance, but it’s not as bad as it seems since it’s actually not “always there, whether he likes it or not” so his sob story gets ruined.

Not to mention that he falls into the designated hero trope pretty often. He starts the fight with Winter, and for some reason, he is not punished for it outside of a talking to by Oz. His plans of getting Haven’s relic involves kidnapping the Spring Maiden from Raven’s camp, and forcing her to help them. He also berates his niece for daring to question Ozpin, and sees no issue with Oz drafting a fourteen-year old into a war.

Overall, Qrow’s questionable actions have yet to be called out. He is constantly defended, and the one time he isn’t defended is a time in which Jaune calls him out for giving Pyrrha that ultimatum. And even then, Ruby (Y’know, the girl who was rooting for her uncle when he started that fight with Winter) doesn’t even jump to his defense.

It’s very telling that the only character to call Qrow out on his actions is the creator’s pet, and not……… literally anyone else.

Not to mention that he’s just Ozpin’s yes-man. Because how dare Yang question him. How dare Raven not trust Ozpin. How dare anyone believe that the guy who is possessing a fourteen-year-old kid be questioned in any way.

At this rate, Ozpin could literally kill a baby, and Qrow would just say “Well, it’s probably because that baby was an agent of Salem. So Oz did us all a favor by killing it preemptively.”

To which Ozpin would reply “Yes. That. It had absolutely nothing to do with that baby spilling my coffee.”

Overall, the biggest theme with Team STRQ seems to be a pretty common one:

A lack of sympathy.

These characters are hard to sympathize for. Even Summer. Summer was a huntress, and despite knowing that she had two young daughters, she decided to go on a dangerous mission anyways. These characters end up lacking anything that would make them sympathetic, and the one that would be the most sympathetic is dead.

And if Summer isn’t dead, then why doesn’t she try to go back to her kids?- Unless she’s captured or has amnesia, Summer is in no position to not be trying her damnedest to try to return home if she’s still alive.

Tai fails at being a sympathetic dad due to Yang explicitly saying that she was alone in keeping things together. Raven fails at being sympathetic due to her idiotic and contradictory tactics. And Qrow fails at being sympathetic because of how his semblance got explained, and his own actions.

#rwde #summer crit #taiyang crit #raven crit #qrow crit #done dirty

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lonelyandgone · 7 years

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Disclaimer 1 - This is totally ooey gooey cheese. If you don’t like cheesy fics, do yourself a favor and not read it. Disclaimer 2 - I wrote it super fast so it may not only be ooey gooey cheese but full of errors. Read at your own risk.

Ironic – A Joe and Taylor Drabble

She can remember their first discussion about this. Fifteen years old. Sitting against the pastel painted bed in her room. Abi had been picking at the hole in the knee of her jeans, rambling on about how much she hated Algebra but that she couldn’t hate it too much because Ben Henson was sitting diagonal and two seats up from her. She had been writing a song that could really be a poem or maybe a story, she wasn’t positively sure at that point in time. And when Abi had realized her lack of attention, she had grabbed the notepad from her hand and flung it across the room.

“Let’s plan our weddings,” Abi had said enthusiastically, her red hair bouncing in waves like it was trying to match, or at least keep up with, her energy.

Her heart had leapt a bit at the idea because, well the idea of everlasting love made her starry-eyed and planning the wedding she knew she would eventually have made her whole body shiver with excitement. But showing Abi that wasn’t something she really wanted to do, not after her best friend had warned her to stop living in a fairytale just the day before when she had been whimsically forecasting her future romance with Chad Michael Murray.

So instead of outwardly showing the immense amount of glee coursing through her body, she had looked at her increduously. “I’m not getting married,” she had stated, choosing to err on the side of ridiculous rather than be honest, the 15 year old in her wildly shining through.

“C’mon,” Abi had virtually yelled before providing her best belly laugh and throwing her head back dramatically against the bed, “Taylor I’m in love with love Swift isn’t getting married? What planet do you think I’m from?”

It was then that she wished she hadn’t had her head in the clouds so much before when spewing about boys and crushes to her best friend. Because as much as she was going to deny Abi’s words, she knew it wouldn’t work. It didn’t stop her from trying though. Not in the slightest.

She had raised her chin up high, now completely determined to make her friend see some form of fake truth in the utter nonsense she was saying. “I’m not. I’m going to be a successful and completely independent woman who doesn’t need some man hanging off of me. What good are they for anyway?”

Abi’s laughter had only intensified tenfold then. “Obviously good enough for you to write songs about and pine over every single day,” Abi had howled, placing her hand on her stomach as she continued to bellow.

“Well that’s the only thing they are good for,” she contended, locking in her jaw and focusing her eyes like lasers on Abi, “and don’t act like you don’t pine too. You were pining for Ben Henson five minutes ago.”

“Whatever,” Abi had giggled as she swatted at her arm, then turning to push herself off of the floor in the direction of the notepad she had just flung away. “Well if you’re gonna continue to lie . . . . we can just plan mine.”

She had tried to ignore her for the first ten minutes, closing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest in some weird act of teenage friend defiance. She had refused comment when Abi asked if she preferred sleeveless or capped sleeves and when she asked if the best time for a wedding would be summer or fall. It was when Abi had started talking about wedding music, and specifically her question of the traditional wedding march versus Pachelbel’s Canon, that she finally caved and joined in.

They had spent the next two hours talking about catering and decorations, dress length and first dances, wedding cakes and throwing of garters. They imagined the looks on their future spouse’s faces as they walked down the aisle and how their dads would cry during the father daughter dance. They made promises to be each other’s maid or maiden of honor, regardless of far away from each other they lived then along with another promise that they would be each other’s first call once the big question got popped.

No detail had been missed by the time they fell back against the bed, both with notepads in hand, both gloriously living out their future weddings in their imaginations.

And now, twelve years later, one of those plans is coming to fruition.

She can feel the pull in her cheeks as she runs her finger along the edge of her wine glass, a day full of smiles and jubilation to blame. The thought alone causing her to smile even more.

Her best friend, her ride or die, her person was now Matt’s wife. She had taken those wishes and dreams of a daydreaming teenager and tweaked and edited them to turn them into the utter elegance and magnificence of this day.

It had been flawless and perfect and impeccable. It had been beautiful, romantic and touching. It had been everything that it should have been. Everything that Abi deserved.

It had been years and years in the making and she knows there is no way she could have ever written a better day for her nor would she ever even try. This was Abi’s vision and she considers herself lucky to simply have been part of it.

She’s sipping the last bit of Chardonnay from her glass when Abi slides into the seat beside of her, laying her head on her shoulder the way she’s done thousands of times through the years. The way she’s certain she will do thousands more through their remaining years.

“I’m married Tay,” her friend says, pulling her smile higher and her heart warmer, “I’m not even sure if I believe it yet.”

“You’ll believe it in a couple hours when Matt makes you call him husband over and over again in bed and then tells you to go and get him a beer afterward.” They share a laugh as Abi raises her head.

She nods emphatically. “Probably. But it’s still feels so strange. Absolutely amazingly right but so strange.”

Taylor winks, giggling, “That’s because you and Matt are weird. Obviously perfect for each other but weird.”

Abi tilts her head to the side, raising her eyes to let Taylor know she is right. “We gotta stop talking like each other. There are times I feel like we are the same person.”

“Matt would disagree with that,” she laughs, dipping her head to the new groom dancing on the floor.

With a wink, Abi adds, “Oh darling Joe Alwyn would disagree with that too. Because he’s not going to give a second glance to me but you . . . . . he’s got plenty of glances for you.”

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, completely aware of the validity of her friend’s words but also completely aware that she won’t admit them. “Whatever,” she says, prompting a loud howl from her friend.

They watch the party going on around them for a few seconds, Abi making a remark about how Matt’s friend is dancing like Patrick Dempsey in Can’t Buy Me Love and Taylor waving the waiter over for glasses of wine.

“Thank you for being here,” Abi says after her second sip, her eyes moving to Taylor, “for doing everything you’ve done for this wedding. And for me. That you’ve always done for me. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Taylor.”

She can feel her cheeks pulling once again, her smile becoming even more permanent on her face. “Well you’ll never have to worry about that. I’ve already told you that my weird heart loves your weird heart so you aren’t going to be able to get rid of me easily. You’re my sister from another mister.”

“That’s so bad, Taylor,” Abi cackles, “I remember us having that airbrushed on a t-shirt when we were fifteen.”

Taylor nods her head, “Yes we did. And it was bad. We sure did some strange stuff at that age.”

Abi’s eyes twinkle, a light triggering in her mind. “Awww let’s not forget the wedding extravaganza,” she bellows and Taylor nods again.

“Oh I haven’t. I was just thinking about it earlier.”

“Want to know something funny,” Abi snickers, “My mom found my list a couple months ago, complete with heart stickers and glitter ink, and she scanned and emailed it to me. I laughed so much reading through it but the scary part is that I must have subconsciously remembered those plans while I was working on this wedding because there was a pretty good bit that matched up.”

Taylor laughs for a few seconds, watching the joy spread so evidently across her friends face. “You want to know another secret,” she whispers, leaning into Abi, “I still have mine too.”

Abi’s mouth falls open, her eyes wide, “Well you best be digging that thing out because I’m fairly certain you’re gonna be needing it soon.”

She shakes her head softly, lowering her chin as a gentle laugh escapes her lips. “I hope,” is all she says, glancing at her friend once more before she pulls her gaze away.

Abi’s head tilts against hers again and this time she slips her hand into Taylors, holding it. “I know so, Tay. Trust me. I see it all over your face. I see it all over his. It’s time.”

She doesn’t say anymore, neither of them does. They don’t have to. This is the bond they share. One unlike any bond she shares with anyone else. And this is the first time Abi has ever said those words to her so she knows how much she means them.

She also knows how absolutely true they are, at least where she is concerned.

Because settling down with Joe Alwyn is the plan she holds close to her heart, somewhat scared to whisper it aloud in fear that it won’t come true, but knowing in reality how much she trusts that it will.

Abi gets up when Matt arrives at the table a few minutes later, a wide smile on his face and his hand held out to her. She squeezes Taylor’s hand before she goes, leaning down to whisper one parting statement before her groom slips her away. “Remember that you promised to call me first.” Taylor laughs, her mind instantly going back to their pact at 15.

She gives her speech a half hour later, toasts her best friend and the man she’s entrusted with taking care of her, and then slips out of the reception behind a veil in an attempt to keep the focus on the bride and not on herself.

She thinks of Joe the entire trip back to Nashville, wondering what he’s doing, how his filming is going and if he misses her a fraction of as much as she misses him. She thinks about seeing him next, about how she feels when she’s with him, about how he makes her feel when she’s with him.

About how madly in love with him she is.

Her apartment is dark and quiet when she arrives there and her heels make a loud thud when she kicks them across the room. She’s laughing at the noise and pulling her earrings off when she sees him. His long frame leaning against the wall, his lips spread in the most perfect smile she’s ever seen.

“Joe,” she whispers, her surprise cascading down in her voice.

He’s wearing a suit and tie, a bouquet of flowers in one hand, a small box in the other. It doesn’t hit her at first but when it does she freezes. “Are you going to propose to me,” she squeaks out after a few seconds, her voice sounding as rushed as the heartbeat in her chest.

He smiles, his brilliant blues gleaming, and then pushes himself off of the wall, taking one step toward her before he tosses the flowers on a table and then opens the box, slipping its contents out and into his hand without her seeing it. “Do you want me to propose to you,” he asks, his eyebrows raised, his gaze fully on her.

“Yes,” she says instantly, “I mean if you want to,” she adds with a nervous laugh.

Taking a few more steps toward her, he falls to one knee on the floor. “Well then let’s do this then, shall we?” He reaches for her hand, pulling it to his heart when he looks up to her. “What do you say Taylor, can I keep you forever?”

He pulls her hand back then, holding it in front of him as he carefully slides the ring from his finger to hers, the diamonds catching in the light and making them sparkle.

“Oh my god,” she whispers slowly through glazed eyes, springing them quickly back to him.

“Is that a yes,” he laughs, his eyebrows raised once more.

“Yes,” she exclaims, her word echoing through the house, bouncing off of walls and ringing in her ears over and over again. It’s the most beautiful word she’s ever said, she thinks.

Her arms are around him within seconds, her body clinging to his as he lifts to his feet and slides his arms around her waist, molding her even closer to him. “You’re here and you’re doing this,” she says into his lips.

“Yes. I’m here and I’m doing this. And you, my love, are definitely going to be my wife.”

He’s pulling at her dress now, his hand feeling like fire as he slowly unzips the back and tugs at the fabric there. And when his lips find her neck, she struggles to find any ounce of clarity, any ounce of thought that isn’t drunk on the sensations he is eliciting.

She’s naked, her legs wrapped around his torso as he carries her toward the bedroom when a coherent thought finally forces itself into her head, jabbing there repeatedly in an attempt to bring her back to her senses.

“Wait,” she says as he bites at her earlobe. He doesn’t stop and she’s just about lost in him when she says the word again.

This time, he sits her down carefully, his gaze grazing over her. “Is something wrong,” he asks with concern.

“No,” she laughs, “no. Everything is perfect.” She kisses him and he slides his hands around her waist to try to wrap her back in but she laughs again, pushing him back lightly. “One second baby. There’s something I have to do and then after, I promise you get me all night . . . and then forever.”

He groans through his laugh when she pulls away and she turns around just long enough to blow him a kiss before bounding quickly out of the bedroom. She grabs her phone and returns to the bedroom, allowing him to pull her naked body back to him on the bed, her legs straddled over him. She clutches the phone to her ear when he goes to work with his mouth again.

Abi answers breathlessly on the eighth ring, no doubt enjoying her night as a newlywed. Taylor laughs when she hears her.

“As promised. First call.” Joe’s mouth finds her neck again as her words get spouted out.

It’s all she says before she turns the phone off and tosses it on the floor. Her attention now fully on the man she knew from day one that she would keep forever.

When she wakes up the next morning, she finds 17 new text messages from her best friend, ranging from I can’t believe you interrupted my wedding night sex with a smiley face to I totally knew it! to I’m so giddy with happiness and Matt thinks it’s because of him.

She glances back at Joe’s sleeping figure as she reads the last one. She’s never in her life felt her heart this full, her life this complete, everything so amazingly perfect.

Leaning in, she kisses his temple before she slips into a robe and out of the room.

She looks for it then. In desk drawers and bookcases, finally finding it tucked inside a yearbook from her Freshman year of high school.

She smiles when she unfolds it and then raises her phone to snap a picture, sending it to Abi.

Her eyes scan over the words written at the top of the torn and tattered paper in her hands. “Taylor’s dream wedding,” she whispers to herself, laughing. And then she notices something written in the bottom right corner.

It’s a heart just beside of the initials JA

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. Jeremy Austin had been her crush when she wrote that list at 15. She hadn’t even remembered that until this very moment. Jeremy Austin.

JA, she smiles.

A text arrives seconds later. Thirteen hearts followed by Abi’s message. OMG JA!

She rubs her thumb across the scribbles she made years before. “JA,” she whispers to herself, “how perfect.”

How absolutely ironically perfect.

Her Joe Alwyn. Her real JA. Yeah, she’ll keep him forever, she smiles.

#taylor swift fanfiction #joe alwyn fanfiction #drabble #ironic

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