#3K words

[tommarvoloriddlesdiary]

Darling can you please do

[ same age AU, Budding Dark Lord, Oblivious Harry,]

no:10 [ stop staring at him ]

With Tom Riddle looking at Harry with burning hate and loathing but to everyone else it seems he's in completely love with harry and adores him

(Basically a simp) when tom does get to know this he's affronted and in shock then the slow realization sets in that he truly does feel something for Harry , after all.

LOVE AND HATE DOES HAVE A THIN LINE .

i would love to! this was a blast, though i got a bit carried away. even more so than the last prompt 😅 and this cuts off a bit abruptly because if i had kept it going it would have been triple the length 😬 i really hope you enjoy this! and if anyone else wants to send a prompt, please feel free. you can make your own or pick from here.

-

“Oh no.” 

Tom looked up from Draco’s copy of the Daily Prophet. Pansy had drawled the words with a derision she only saved for two things in this world; One: A new Witch Weekly fashion trend that simply wouldn’t do. And Two: Harry Potter.

Breakfast was well underway. The clattering and chattering of students digging in and delighting in the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year had the hall alight with feverous energy. The excitement to spend the day ransacking the little wizarding village and breaking away from the now monotonous daily life that Hogwarts provided always seemed to spur on the mischievous and untoward.

Tom glanced at Pansy’s hands (holding nothing save for a fork she clutched tightly) and at the table before her (displaying simply her morning meal) and concluded that there were no Witch Weekly fashion trends to bemoan. Which meant somewhere (and more than likely too close), Harry Potter was within sight.

“Just one morning,” Pansy muttered. “Just one Merlin damned morning. That’s all I want. Some Morgana blessed peace and quiet.”

If what he thought was happening was happening, then Tom would have to agree. And if he were a lesser man, he would nod slowly in commiseration. 

“Prefects Riddle and Parkinson,” Hermione Granger called from just behind Tom, her voice polite and inquiring. Her timing impeccable. “Good morning.”

Pansy’s grip on her fork somehow grew tighter, leaving her hands impressively pale. Tom carefully shifted around to look up and over his shoulder; his eyes barely met Granger’s before landing on Potter’s. 

Tom did not like Harry Potter. He constantly felt like he was on eggshells around him, especially after that incident two years ago. Potter hadn’t said anything at the time, but Tom was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He hadn’t taken Potter as someone who would hold his cards close until the right possible moment, but he always seemed to surprise Tom in unexpected ways. Potter was a living, breathing menace.

“Prefects Potter and Granger,” Tom’s voice was smooth and quiet under the noise of the hall. “To what do we owe the visit?”

Tom could make a few educated guesses. Although, it was rare for any Gryffindor Prefects to make their way over to Slytherin territory. They tended to avoid crossing the hall like the plague, feeling much safer and stronger when approached versus approaching. Very un-lion like, if one were to ask Tom. So, with such a rare occurrence, it was more than likely that a professor had requested something of them.

Granger cleared her throat, and Tom stopped glaring at Potter long enough to acknowledge her properly. “Professor McGonagall requested that we pair off for Hogsmeade duties. Given Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw’s poor handling of last year’s final weekend, she suggests we divide our pairs with one prefect from each house.”

Suggests, in McGonagall’s speech, typically meant insists. Pansy clearly caught on to this as well because she protested vehemently, swinging her fork like a weapon, “There is no way I’m going to waste my Hogsmeade weekend patrolling it with one of you two Gryffindorks! I’d rather take a bombarda to the face!”

And though Pansy was often times overdramatic to a fault, Tom could see the appeal of that. With her by-the-book attitude, Granger would ideally be a good fit for Tom’s Prefect Persona, but they often butted heads over the most minor things. Tom’s goals were always self-oriented, and when presented with a good enough bribe resulting in excellent blackmail or a chance to have someone ingratiated with him, he would almost always rather that than hand out proper punishment. He couldn’t do that with Granger hovering around. And Potter was Potter. 

Potter’s brows rose at Pansy’s little teardown, “Parkinson, you would have had to patrol no matter what. If that means by yourself or with one of us, what’s the big difference?”

“The big difference?! Obviously, just being near you two breaks me out into hives—“

Granger interrupted with a put-out sigh, “It’s just for the morning! Until we are relieved by Macmillan, Abbott, Goldstein, and Patil during lunch, it’s not like we’re spending all day together.”

“Yeah, Parkinson,” Potter smiled teasingly, “It’s not like you’re going on a date with us.”

Tom glanced back at Pansy when she didn’t respond with scathing and cruel words as he had expected. Instead, she was bright red and nearly vibrating with anger. Tom nodded once, “If Professor McGonagall expects this of us, we’ll do it.” 

And when Pansy opened her mouth, no doubt to protest further, Tom frowned slightly and watched as she immediately snapped her mouth shut, going pale again. “Right. Yes, of course. Tom is right, obviously.” 

“There,” Tom dawned his most charming and careless grin, “it’s settled, then.” He paused, considering. Granger would be a hassle to patrol with, and Potter is someone Tom wants to choke to death, but maybe there was a way to turn this inconvenience into an opportunity. 

If he could get something on Potter, something of equal value to what Potter had on Tom, then perhaps he could gain an edge, and they would, at the very least, be at a stalemate. So, Tom continued, “Granger, why don’t you and Pansy patrol the north end of Hogsmeade while Potter and I take the south? We’ll meet in the middle by lunch and wait for our replacements.”

Tom watched Granger and Potter share a glance that spoke of too many things and nothing all at once. He could make out a healthy dose of confusion and surprise, but there was a long history of shared glances and a secret language that Tom wasn’t privy to that kept him out of the loop. 

“Sure,” Potter nodded and replied for her. He looked back at Tom and smiled softly, “Let us know when you’re done with breakfast.” And Tom couldn’t help but think that Potter should wear a bag over his head. To hide his ugly scheming face from the world, of course.

Tom’s answering smile was strained but enough for Granger and Potter to take their leave. He turned back in his seat to find Pansy’s head buried in her arms and her plate pushed away but not far enough for a few strands of her dark hair to be spared of egg yolk. 

“How could you do this to us, Tom?” Pansy muffled into her sleeves, sounding stricken and betrayed.

“Pull yourself together, Parkinson. You can make nice with Granger for one morning.”

She peered over her arms and glared. Tom watched her hesitate, debating her next words before she threw caution to the wind and mumbled, “I’m sure you’ll just love making nice with Potter.”

Tom was ready to dismiss the comment, but there was something about the implications and her undertone that made him pause. Before he could ask, Draco fell into the seat beside him, “Was that Potter and Granger I saw walking away from the table? What did they want?”

Pansy shot up, overjoyed to have someone to rant further with. “They wanted to ruin the peace and sanctity of MY precious Hogsmeade weekend, of course! Tom and I have to patrol in pairs with them because McGonagall clearly has a death wish for her little Gryffindors.”

“What,” Draco scoffed. “Absolutely not. Tell me you said no.”

“I didn’t have a choice. Tom agreed for us.”

Tom sighed, “Say it with any more resentment, Pansy dear, and I’ll think you’re truly upset with me. You act like this is how I wished to spend the day.” And that was another worry; Tom pondered while Draco tried to steal his Prophet back from Tom’s grip. He did have errands to run in Hogsmeade today, and he doubted Potter would be willing to tag along. Even if Tom went about his business casually, Potter might still catch on to what he was planning with the items he needed, which was far too great a risk.

Pansy whined, “How can I believe you when you threw me to Granger faster than Potter can catch a snitch?”

Draco dropped his hand and whipped his head from Pansy to Tom twice over. “Oh, Merlin. Is it happening? Is it finally happening?”

“Don’t act so excited, Draco,” Pansy sniffed, “It’s happening at my expense. I am a casualty in this.”

Tom’s brows furrowed for a moment. Was he missing something? “Is what happening?”

“You’re finally confessing your love for Potter,” Draco and Pansy announced in jarring unison. They said it like it was a fact, like it was obvious.

Tom, blindsided, could only say, “What?”

“You’ve been obsessed with him for years,” Draco carried on, as-you-please. “You stare at him all the time, sit near him during classes, and partner with him during Defence practicals,” He listed off all of Tom’s alleged habits one by one on his fingers, “You mutter about him constantly—I sometimes catch you doing it when you sleep—and whenever he finds a good enough reason to ask you something, you bend over backwards to comply.”

Tom did no such thing. That is ridiculous. So, he said as much, “That is ridiculous. I do no such thing.”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “You’re ridiculous.”

Tom’s answering glare was enough to turn a man to stone and Pansy to a quick escape. “Anyway!” She shouted, “Let’s just get going! We’ll grab Potter and Granger and make our way to the village.” She muttered at the end, “I’m sure this won’t be awkward at all.”

She jumped out of her seat and walked to the end of the table to wait for Tom with a surprising amount of patience. Draco just shook his head and sighed, “And here I thought you were making some progress.”

Tom turned slowly to look at Draco head-on. He smiled a perfectly pleasant and sinister thing, “Draco. It would be wise not to let your mouth undo the years of work you’ve done to prove your usefulness.” He stood up and carefully folded the Prophet, finally passing it back. 

Draco accepted it green-faced and wide-eyed, “I’ll be mindful of that.”

“Excellent.” Tom excused himself and followed Pansy to the Gryffindor table. He couldn’t believe she and Draco thought Potter was someone Tom was…infatuated with. How could they not see Tom’s apparent disdain and loathing for him? How could they mistake Tom’s clearly coerced actions in an attempt to keep Potter from revealing Tom’s secret for some misguided want to please him? 

What was there to like about Potter anyway? Tom wondered as Pansy said, “Chop chop! Let’s go, losers. Breakfast is over, and I don’t want to get trampled by the morning rush down to the village.”

The Gryffindors around Granger and Potter all looked at their housemates with various forms of pity. Then, Weasley laughed, “Yeah, Parkinson. No one would want that.” And his sarcasm was met with poorly muffled giggles.

“Ron,” Granger chastised and stood along with Potter. “Yes, yes. Let’s go. We have to make sure the third-years don’t wander.”

Granger naturally kept a quick pace, leaving Tom, Potter, and Pansy trailing after her. Pansy dragged her feet so she lingered even further behind, and Tom carefully kept stride with Potter while they all walked out of the Great Hall.

Tom took in Potter’s face with a close inspection. He supposed his earlier remarks of Potter’s ugliness weren’t exactly founded. Objectively, Potter had a sort of boyish handsomeness. Not at all like Tom’s more classic handsome with features sharp and forever in vogue. No, Potter was a little softer. A strong jaw without it being cutting, pronounced but not overly so cheekbones, a long mouth and full lips that were in a perpetual state of dryness…

Tom felt an odd stirring in his chest and disregarded it.

So. Potter wasn’t ugly. His dark hair and green eyes indeed lent a hand as well. Tom supposed that was something to like about Potter. Objectively. Subjectively for some, but not for Tom. 

When Tom tore his eyes away from Potter to glance at their other two companions, Pansy’s look of utter despair and Granger’s quiet amusement felt like an omen. And when they reached the main doors, the brisk autumn air greeted them with an overbearing familiarity. 

Potter hunched his shoulders at the cold, smiling. “Chilly today,” he said.

Granger sighed like an overworked mother of two and started rifling through her beaded bag. She frowned when it became apparent that whatever she sought wasn’t there, “Oh. Sorry, Harry. I thought I brought a scarf, but I must have left it in the dormitory.”

“It’s alright, Hermio-“ Potter cut himself off and glanced down at his hands in surprise. 

Tom tucked away his wand and carelessly continued walking. “We’re wizards; I do hope you remember.”

Pansy snorted inelegantly and jogged lightly to catch up to Tom. She gave him an impressed look and two thumbs up before damning herself to hell for all eternity, “Nice one, Tom. Potter’s bound to fancy you back with all the suave chivalry.”

Behind them, Tom could hear Potter and Granger exchanging soft words. “Pansy. Stop talking,” he hissed. This was getting absurd.

Pansy shrugged but walked silently down to Hogsmeade for the rest of their journey. And when it was time to split apart, Granger and Pansy waving—or, rather, flipping them off from Pansy—as they set off to the northern parts of the village, the leftover silence between Tom and Potter turned…awkward. 

That was the only word Tom could describe it with. Awkward. He immediately cursed Pansy for jinxing it earlier. Tom was decidedly never awkward about anything, having drilled out any sort of gracelessness or inconvenient feelings long ago. But after briefly exploring Potter’s objective handsomeness, suddenly being alone with him felt awkward. 

“So, Riddle,” Potter began, saving them from the disquiet, “how’s your start of term been going?”

Tom had no idea where Potter was going with this and felt on edge. But he responded, “Well. And yours?”

“Yeah, no, it’s been good,” Potter nodded a little too quickly. His lashes fluttered with his roaming eyes. Eyes that were looking anywhere and everywhere except at Tom.

Potter had a small beauty mark at the curl of his jaw just beside his—

Stop staring at him. Tom reprimanded his own eyes. Once again catching himself paying too close attention to Potter’s face. He focused on surveying the village.

Their patrolling took them through the sparse beginnings of the morning Hogsmeade rush; the laughter of students and carefree happiness of the townsfolk provided a charming scene to the golden autumn backdrop. Tom was struck with the realisation that his goal of finding Potter’s secrets wouldn’t be met if they continued on silent—but…there was something rather companionable about all of this.

And now that Tom was spiralling down that thought path, he was caught off guard by how simply…nice…this was. He had thought Potter would be annoying, rambunctious, and generally disagreeable, but the reality turned out to be quite the opposite. Potter’s quiet enjoyment of their surroundings was like a magnet, and Tom felt himself slowly gravitating towards it. 

“Riddle, do you mind if we stop by Honeydukes?” Potter asked, perking up at the sight of the sweet shop just ahead.

Tom was ready to disagree, not because he didn’t want Potter to shop—actually, it would be a great benefit if Potter did shop, just so Tom could suggest they go to some of the places he wanted to visit as well—but because he didn’t want to deal with the large crowds of students intending to stockpile their sweets to last until the next Hogsmeade weekend. Tom supposed this is what he got for finding pleasure in another’s company.

But while Tom was still weighing the pros and cons of saying yes, they had already arrived, and Potter had taken his silence as consent, entering the shop with practised ease. Evading crowding bodies left and right. Tom sighed and followed carefully, having decided he’d rather have Potter nearby and within sight than the opposite. 

Potter selected a few candies, prattling on about who preferred what from his little group of friends. It only occurred to Tom that Potter hadn’t seemed to be getting anything for himself when Potter had asked, “Would you like anything?”

Tom blinked twice in quick succession, “Pardon?”

“Do you have a favourite sweet? Anything you’d like?”

Did…did Tom have a favourite sweet? Was Potter being serious? “Why?”

“Just offering,” Potter shrugged but waited. He stared at Tom with a ready patience. It seemed as though Tom would be answering, or they would be trapped here forever. 

This is another thing, Tom thought, that one could possibly like about Potter. He was alarmingly kind towards others. Offering, gifting, teaching, helping—Tom had seen Potter do all these things and more. Yet, Tom had dismissed it as a weakness, a foolish pandering that made Potter less than. 

But held in the steady gaze Potter had laid upon him, Tom felt that, if it truly were a weakness, Potter wouldn’t look so strong and self-assured at this moment. An answer slipped out of Tom unbidden, “White Chocolate Skulls.”

Potter’s face turned fascinated, his eyes widened behind his wireframes, and his mouth fell open ever so slightly. “White Chocolate Skulls? Riddle, do you have a sweet tooth?”

Tom nearly bristled, “I do not have a sweet tooth.”

“I beg to differ,” Potter smiled like he was holding back a laugh. “White chocolate is the sweetest chocolate they make,” he shook his head and continued, walking further into the shop and towards the Skulls, “I really would’ve pegged you as a Licorice Snap kinda guy.”

Tom made a face, and Potter caught the look and couldn’t hold himself back any longer. His pearling laughter caused a few heads to turn, and Tom strung tight like a bow at the sudden urge to smuggle Potter away, to keep his laughter only for Tom’s ears—

Tom paused. That was a strong reaction. He breathed through it while he picked apart what exactly was going on.

Did he like Potter? Did Tom like him enough to want to keep Potter all to himself? And had he been so obvious that Pansy and Draco had known for years and he hadn’t?

Tom had an unsettling feeling that this could all be traced back to the incident from two years ago and refused to look any further into it.

#tomarry #tomarrymort #harrymort #pov: tom #my fic #3k words #prompt ask #this went everywhere and nowhere #i really might come back to it #finish it up and post it on ao3 maybe? #maybe i should make a series on ao3 for the prompt asks #i am once again unsure if this will meet expectations 😭 #but there are a lot of silly lines that make me laugh in this one

[uefb]

Fantastic Beasts One-shot: Far Away from Temple After Sunset

SUMMARY While often a requirement when working against a Seer, under-explained missions still don't always end well... The evening of December 24, 1940 sees Newt and Tina reunited on a bloody battlefield in southern France, and if Newt were properly religious, he'd have attributed their miraculous survival to the day of the year...

OPENING SCENE

December 24, 1940 / Christmas Eve and 1st Night of Hanukkah / Limousin Region, Southwest France

Newt had come onto this particular mission off the tail of another, only stopping at home long enough to drop off his case per instructions before apparating to a bombed theatre in the West End to retrieve the portkey and coordinates Dumbledore had had hidden for him there. He’d worked hard to get back from his last trip in time for the holidays, but once he’d learned Tina was already in France, he decided it didn’t much matter anyway, and thus threw himself into the broken flower-pot portkey on a wing and a prayer.

Consequently, just under three hours ago, he had arrived (already exhausted) into what was—but probably should not yet have been— utter chaos, after which it became quickly apparent that this was either not one of Dumbledore’s more thoroughly strategised plans or, alternatively, someone had regrettably betrayed them...

In the end, they’d taken rather more damage than they’d dealt, and though it had been at least ten minutes now since the ambush had finally petered out in a series of popping disapparitions and poorly timed enemy portkeys, the air was still heavy with the scent of noxious potion bombs and Muggle explosives.

It would be an utter lie to say they were not having trouble locating one another in the aftermath and, to make matters worse, both night and the temperature were quickly falling.

Newt had lost sight of Tina just a handful of minutes before—no more than a quarter hour, he was sure of it. But distracted by a landmine someone’s identification spell had apparently failed to highlight during reconnaissance and that had therefore been triggered by a fleeing acolyte, he’d spent the better part of that time making sure Yusuf didn’t lose an eye from the blast; while simultaneously stymieing the steady flow of blood from his own wounds, tending mainly to the careful removal of the shrapnel lodged far too close to his tibial artery for comfort... He’d frantically woven a bandage out of the Horned Slug mucus packed in the pouch on his belt, before testing Kama’s left-side vision and manoeuvring them both clumsily to their feet.

He shifted under the weight as the man shuffled along beside him, a hand clutching his bandaged face. It was all Newt could do to drag his foot along, too—(something he couldn’t repair on his own was injured, something had clipped a nerve, perhaps – well, definitely - from the mechanics of it)—and he squinted about for his brother, or Tina. Miller or Ramos, or Macmillan.

Anyone.

There was a minute sound from behind an abandoned woodshed at the closest edge of the pockmarked field and Newt froze like a creature under threat, casting a heavy disillusionment charm on him and Kama, before shoving the man behind him to clutch his shoulder for a guide as they continued their wary approach.

A half second later and the woosh of an identification spell shot over him, and Newt’s heart could have stopped then and there, so when Theseus’ head appeared from around the corner of the shack just moments later, he choked on a cry of relief. His brother’s face broke with a tired smile—though tear tracks had cut the dirt on his cheeks from squinting too long through the smoke—upon visually confirming what the spell had already assured him: the Scamanders had made it out alive.

(Or, at least — so far — the original two of them had…)

Keep reading here

#honestly - one of the many gifs of Newt passed out may have been more appropriate than that one but I wanted the action shown too 😆 #my stuff #fic: far away from temple after sunset #3k words #tina goldstein #newt scamander #jewish tina goldstein #autistic newt scamander #Theseus Scamander #protective theseus Scamander #Scamander brothers #newtina #hurt/comfort #fantastic beasts fanfic

[junosartsthetic]

Warmth

This fic is my baby. I love her. I’m very proud of myself for this one. Also, my fics have been fucking up on dark-mode mobile so please let me know and I’ll try to fix it. It’s annoying as hell and I’m not 100% sure of the reason. This will be reblogged multiple times by me because Avdol deserves all the love in the world. Thank you. 

Warning(s): fluff, alcohol mention, reader is called miss, I believe that’s all, just cuteness and pining

--

You’d never been to a city like New York City before. The massive buildings at every turn, towering over the bustling streets like parents watching their kids at a playground. People hurried every which way, gloved hands carrying more bags than you thought possible, and yet whisking themselves towards more shopping centers. Every aspect of the neon city glowed at night—red, yellow and green stop lights shimmered against the wet pavement. Strings of lights coiled around every pole, tree, and window, illuminating the snow as it fell and dissipated onto the concrete, soon to be stepped on by ever-moving pedestrians. Cars honked, intermingling with sleigh bells echoing as workers ushered shoppers into their stores, wearing Santa hats and jingling with every movement. There wasn’t a spot in the city where life didn’t reside—stray cats and pigeons scouring for food in the cold cityscape. Paws and claws clicked on the snowy ground. Even a few stray dogs nestled themselves into boxes and under dumpsters, seeking shelter for the night. It was, in fact, one of these dogs that brought you and your companion to New York City.

Even after a day of searching, you hadn’t spotted the small black and white animal anywhere. You supposed it was a big city, and he was a smart dog. In fact, to call him a mere ‘dog’ might be an insult to his character. He possessed something you didn’t think animals could have—a power you and your compatriot shared. A stand. 

Upon hearing of this powerful canine, the Speedwagon foundation ushered you both off, handing you a small file with the little information they had on the mutt. There wasn’t much inside—just his breed, a possible stand, and a name. Iggy. In bold red lettering, they also had the audacity to put ‘DANGEROUS. WILL ATTACK IF PROVOKED. NOT FRIENDLY.’ You rolled your eyes, gloved hands shutting the file and sliding it back in your bag. You understood how important this stand-user was, and how valuable it would be if he became an ally, but also had your doubts, reasonably. This wasn’t a person—he couldn’t be bargained with. And given the fact that you were here—the foundation wasn’t planning on rolling out the red carpet for his arrival.

Your stand specialized in capturing and restraining—a small squid-like entity with long, ever-winding tentacles perched on your shoulder, nestling itself into your scarf. It wasn’t the most powerful, but you had yet to find a user that you couldn’t capture. The suctions and muscled arm-like appendages held on harder than a cowboy in a rodeo. Your stand, combined with Magician’s Red, were sure to get the job done one way or another. 

The stand’s user crossed your mind, and you looked beside you to where he strode steadily along, his ever-present red overcoat flowing behind him just high enough to avoid getting wet. He walked with a refined determination, like a pool player who had hustled long enough to see and know everything. In a way, he knew what you would do before you did it. That’s probably why he was so good at fortune-telling. 

You studied his face—two pale lines, mimicking your stand’s tentacles, curved down his face, crossing his strong cheekbones and ending at his muscled jaw. Your eyes wandered back up, staring into his eyes. Beautiful brown eyes, set on the world in front of him, pulled you in like the depths of space pulling in a lost astronaut. His hair, usually up in knots, rested down, curls and coils trailing around his shoulders and along the sides of his face. His gold-medallion necklace jingled with every step he took, matching the bracelets adorning his arms. He wore no gloves and no hat, and you sighed in jealousy. Having a fire-producing stand must’ve been nice in such cold weather. Even bundled up, you shivered at the nipping wind scratching at your sensitive face. You fell in step with him, scooching just a tad closer. You could feel the warm aura radiating around him—though couldn’t pinpoint if that was his stand, or simply your imagination. Either way, it was nice. Of course, you didn’t voice these thoughts, too afraid to speak to the man besides basic greetings and the facts of the case. It’s not that you didn’t like him—in fact, it was the opposite. You’d known about Avdol for a while, even before meeting him, and knew he had a handsome face and appealing personality, but to see him, and meet him? It’s like you were drowning in quicksand, struggling to find a grip on yourself. You were too scared to speak, afraid he’d dismiss you. You weren’t even sure what that meant. Dismiss? It’s not like he’d leave you to struggle on the streets of the city forever. Even if he didn’t like you, he still had a mission to complete.

Your heart clenched at those words. Didn’t like you. You hadn’t said more than a few words to the man—why would he dislike you? He had no reason to. Besides, you and he were paired by the foundation for more than just your stands. You had compatibility. At least, that’s what you told yourself as you walked next to him, teeth beginning to chatter.

Luckily, you were almost back to the hotel. You were hungry, tired, and cold. A day spent in New York City? Fun. A day spent in New York City checking every dumpster, alleyway, and backstreet in search of a dangerous and powerful dog who could attack at any moment? Not fun. In fact, you would’ve abandoned this mission by now if you hadn’t been placed with someone you would rather die than disappoint. Hah. That might be a bit dramatic. Maybe.

You brushed those rather dark thoughts aside, your only focus being the hotel doors that shined in front of you. You fell behind Avdol, whispering a thank you as he held the door open. He smiled, nodding. A blush burned your cheeks, and you whisked by him quickly. If you stared at his expression for too long you might think about kissing it. 

Deciding to take the elevator after a particularly arduous day, you pressed the white ‘up’ button, watching it light up gold. You glanced at Avdol, seeing that same gold color reflected in the chandelier of the hotel lobby sparkling in his eyes. You smiled softly, hiding it in the folds of your scarf. 

The silver doors opened, and you stepped into the spacious elevator, seeing yourself in the many mirrors lining the wood-accented walls. You always found it strange how they put mirrors in elevators, but didn’t mind in this instance. 

You opened your mouth in an attempt to break the silence, but decided against it. What would you say that didn’t sound desperate? Nice weather we’re having? You scoffed, shaking your head as you stared at the climbing floor numbers.

“Is something wrong?” he spoke, deep voice startling you. You face him, seeing a look of concern cross his face.

“Oh, no, I’m okay,” you replied quickly, voice cracking from disuse. You stifled another self-deprecating scoff at your own stupid reply. Should you keep talking? “I just—”

The doors parted open, revealing the fancy gold carpet and speckled walls of your floor. Deciding against finishing your statement, you walked out, throwing your gloves in your bag and digging out the room key. You hoped you’d scrounge it out in time to walk in without facing Avdol again, but didn’t succeed. You supposed it didn’t matter too much—you had a shared room, regardless. Not that it wasn’t a large room, with two queen beds and an entire jacuzzi in the bathroom. The full-sized fridge was fully stocked with all the alcohol you could ever dream of, too. The foundation really spared no expense. Well, except getting separate rooms, that is. 

“Let me,” he said, pulling the key from his pocket and sliding it into the lock. It lit up green, and he opened it, gesturing to allow you in first.

“Thank you,” you replied curtly, stepping inside as you set your bag down and took off your coat. The cold air consumed you instantly. You winced, sliding it back on. Did someone turn the heat off before you left? You let out a breath, seeing it materialize in the air. You looked to the wall, reading the thermostat. 30 degrees fahrenheit? That was below freezing! No wonder you continued to shiver. The temperature was no different than outside! You shot a glance at Avdol, who too noticed the freezing atmosphere.

As he was closer, he shut the door behind him, turning to press a finger on the heat button. Nothing happened. “Seems it’s out-of-order,” he said. “I noticed the lobby was rather cold, as well. It might be impacting the entire building.”

You huffed. Great. Not how you wanted your night to end. You walked inside further, slipping your boots off and sitting in the bed, legs swinging off. You picked up the white hotel phone, dialing the lobby. It rang. Someone picked up. “Hi, we are in room—uh-uh. Yeah, it’s freezing—okay. When are they—alright. No, I don’t think we’ll need any extra blankets—okay. Alright. Buh-bye.” 

You set the phone back on the receiver, hands rubbing your arms in a useless attempt to warm up. “The heat’s out in the entire building,” you said, letting out another sigh. You were doing that a lot today, unfortunately. “They called in a repair, but they won’t get here till tomorrow.”

He hummed. “That won’t be good for business,” he quipped as he searched through the small kitchen area. Finding what he needed, he pulled two cups from the cabinets, pouring a brown powder into both. “Care for hot cocoa?”

“Oh, sure. I haven’t had that in a while,” you mused, staring at his broad shoulders as he worked. “Not since I was a kid, I think. My mom used to make it for me after I played in the snow for hours. Used to come in nearly frostbitten. I don’t know how she did it, but even with the cheapest hot chocolate mix out there, she somehow made it taste delicious—” you paused your story, realizing you’d gone off on a bit of a ramble. “Sorry. I got a little lost talking there.”

“It’s okay,” he replied, voice gentle and deep, like an endless ocean on a peaceful day. You resisted the urge to drown in it. “Your story was nice. You never talk much, so I enjoyed listening.” 

“Well, thank you. We only met like a week ago, so I’ve tried not to scare you away with my stupid rambling,” you admitted, wrapping your scarf around yourself tighter. Maybe if you wrapped it tight enough you could escape this situation you put yourself in.

“It takes more than that to leave me frightened,” Avdol replied, stirring the drinks. You heard the metal spoon tap gently against the mugs. You smiled. You missed that sound. All those childhood snow-days. 

One thing your mother didn’t add to your hot chocolate, however, was the assortment of alcohol Avdol turned his attention to, hands gently caressing and turning each bottle to find a specific type. Finally, he grasped a dark-stained glass bottle, liquid sloshing inside. You saw his stand materialize beside him, pulling the lid off. You laughed silently. No time for bottle openers, you supposed. 

“Do you drink?” he asked, pouring the liquid inside one mug, the glass clinking against the cup.

“Sometimes,” you said. “When I feel like it, I guess. But go ahead. I’m intrigued. This is definitely not like my mother used to make.”

He laughed—a low chuckle that brought fire to your cheeks. He had a handsome laugh, as odd as it sounded. And you were the reason for it. You made him laugh. You smiled to yourself.

He turned around, handing you a mug of the steaming beverage. “Careful. It’s hot. Compliments of Magician’s Red.”

“Thank you,” you said, blowing on it gently. You could feel the heat radiated through your fingers and up your arms. It was a nice juxtaposition to the freezing room. You took a sip. “What kind of drink did you mix in?” you asked, tasting a milkiness. It contrasted surprisingly well with the rich chocolate flavor, and the bitter aftertaste added to the warmth hugging your body. 

“Irish cream,” he replied. “A friend of mine showed me. He usually drinks enough for the both of us, but he’s got better things to do than play dog-catcher.”

“Well your friend knows some things,” you said, taking another long sip. “Tell him thanks for me.”

“Hah. I don’t think Mr. Joestar needs any more ego. He might tumble over with a head that big.”

You snorted, drink invading your nose as you did so. You sniffed in an attempt to rid the burning liquid. “He sounds like a fun time.”

“He’s almost seventy, yet lives life like he’s twenty. But he’s a good man,” Avdol said, drinking his own spiked hot chocolate between sentences. You two sat like that for a while, he on his own bed and you on yours, having little conversations about nothing in particular. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Your shoulders relaxed, and while it may have been the alcohol, you quickly loosened up your anxious demeanor.

“Ya know,” you said, hands resting on your chin as you sat cross-legged on your bed. “When I first saw you, I felt like Bambi learning how to walk. I was petrified of saying anything because you’re just so—breathtaking. Everything you do is determined and graceful and I never thought I’d be sitting here drinking hot cocoa talking about my childhood with you.” 

“You flatter me, miss (Y/N). I am just a man, like anyone else. I have my limits. And my weaknesses—this dog actually seems to be one of them,” he mused, looking over his mug to shoot you a cheeky smirk. You stared back, cheeks burning. You set your cup on the nightstand. You decided you’d had enough to drink for one night. 

“I’m sure we’ll find him eventually,” you said, sliding off the bed as you finally took your coat off, leaving you in a long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants. It was still freezing, but you felt. . . warmer after the conversation. “I’m gonna get ready for bed if I don’t freeze to death first.”

He nodded, standing up and grabbing your cup. He set both in the sink, beginning to wash them. “Take your time. And don’t freeze to death.”

You laughed. “No promises.”

It didn’t take long to change into your nightgown, complete your nighttime routine, and sit yourself back on your bed in preparation to sleep that night. Avdol followed suit, donning a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. It was a large change from his normal attire, but you enjoyed seeing a more casual side of him. He didn’t look like a stand-user fortune-teller dog-catcher. It allowed you to imagine him as a friend instead of a coworker. And you enjoyed that. 

What you didn’t enjoy, however, was the temperature dropping by the minute, leaving you shivering as you tried uselessly to snuggle deeper into the blankets. Was it even legal to leave the heat broken on a night this cold? Regardless, you were miserable.

Finally, after a half-hour of tossing and turning, you got up, prepared to put your coat back on if it meant keeping warm throughout the night.

“Are you alright?” spoke Avdol from his bed, sitting up to look at you in the darkened room. He illuminated a small flame beside him, casting light onto your miserable face.

“I’m too cold to sleep,” you confessed, shivering. You resisted the urge to step closer to the warm fire lit beside him. “It’s impossible in a room this cold. What I wouldn’t give to have a fire-based stand right about now. You’re lucky,” you joked. He stared at you, silent, before finally voicing his thoughts.

“I don’t mean to be crude when I offer this, but would you like to share a bed? It’s possible you might actually get frostbitten in these temperatures,” he explained. He scooted himself over, gesturing to his former sleeping spot. “I promise I’m a gentleman,” he mused.

“Are you sure?” you asked, taking a few steps away from the coat rack and towards his bed. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“There’s plenty of room. I insist,” he replied. You nodded wordlessly, tentatively sitting on the bed and sliding your legs under the covers. The warmth compared to your bed was like night and day, and you quickly sank yourself almost completely under, letting out a sigh of relief as you turned to face your frozen wasteland. 

You sensed a hand come to rest on your shoulder, heat radiating softly from the large palm. You glanced behind you, noting the hand of Magician’s Red. Avdol looked at you, as if asking for permission to continue. You nodded. “Thank you, Avdol. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you and your stand ability. Freeze, I guess,” you joked. 

“It’s no trouble. If you need anything else, please, just let me know. I don’t mind. I’ve got enough heat for two.” You heard the ruffle of sheets, and assumed he’d rolled to face the window, his back towards yours. It was like the heat dissipated, and your body shivered impulsively. You were unsure if you imagined it or not, but it’s like a cold front settled over your body. You bit your tongue. Every fiber of your being wanted to pose a question that you might never recover from. But a small part held back. You couldn’t ask such a thing. He was a coworker. A new friend. Friends don’t ask that to friends.

“Avdol,” you spoke up. “Is there any way you could. . . I’m still sort of shivering. And I don’t want to bother you, or make you uncomfortable, but—”

Sheets ruffled again. A hand—not of a stand—came to rest over your waist. Silently, he pulled you against his chest, his chin resting just behind the top of your head. His legs entangled with yours. Lips brushed against your ear as he leaned down. “Is this okay?” he whispered, breath tickling your neck.

Any words drained from your mind. Instead, you placed your hand atop of his, still wrapped around your torso. You squeezed his much larger hand, rubbing your thumb over it softly. You didn’t have to speak—he understood.

‘Stay.’

#warmth #muhammad avdol #Mohammed Avdol #muhammad avdol x reader #jjba x reader #jojo's bizarre adventure x reader #jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #stardust crusaders #jojo's bizarre adventure: stardust crusaders #jjba sdc #x reader #reader #fanfiction #fanfic #3k words #3k #long fic #jojo's #anime x reader #anime #y/n #x y/n #yn #x yn #stardust crusaders x reader #fluff #fluff x reader #fluffy #fluffy fic

[enchantingjacarandas]

Clumsy

Pairing: Lee Know | Minho / Han | Han Jisung

Tags: High School AU, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Accident Prone Jisung

Other Sites to Read on: Ao3 or Wattpad

Words: 3,759

A/N: I hope you enjoy the photos. I was losing my mind on finding pictures that fit the story while also making an aesthetically appealing collage.

Scissors made the only noise in the room, as the students continued working hard. Jeongin and Jisung were staying after class to help their math teacher decorate and prepare materials for her room. She had just gotten halfway through the multitude of stacked tests on her desk.

“Okay guys, I’m gonna run to the restroom real quick, I’ll be back in a little bit.” She proceeded to swiftly exit the room. 

Jisung turned to Jeongin. “Do you really think she’ll give us extra credit for helping her?”

“I sure hope so,” Jeongin sighed, “I haven’t gotten a one hundred on any math tests this year, so I kinda need it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at his failure.

“True you definitely do need it,” Jisung joked.

Jeongin clicked his tongue and went back to cutting out the laminated papers. Jisung placed down his finished cutouts. Having nothing else to do, Jisung’s mind started to wander. He recently had his eyes on someone he saw Seungmin talking to in the hallway. Jisung was pretty sure his name was Minho, and Minho appeared to be close to Seungmin. The sight of Minho laughing at something Seungmin said replayed in his head. 

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Hey! Don’t just stare off into space!”

Jisung blinked away his thoughts. “Oh sorry Innie, I didn’t even realize.”

Jeongin slightly shook his head at the nickname. “Staple this border she wanted on the wall.” Jeongin pointed towards the wall the teacher spoke about earlier.

Jisung grabbed the border saying, “This thing?” He then glanced up at the wall. “But you’re taller. Why don’t you do it?” 

“It's your punishment for zoning out,” Jeongin narrowed his eyes.

Jisung knew he was mad so decided not to argue more. “Fine.” Looking around for a way to reach the top part of the wall Jisung said, “Hmmmm I guess I can use this chair.”

Jeongin looked at the chair in question. “It looks a little unstable, are you sure? You know how accident prone you are.”

Jisung stared at the chair once again. “It will be fine.” He got up on the chair, slowly standing up. “Look, I’m already on it.” He pulled a superhero pose on the chair in question, in order to further prove his point.

Jeongin sighed, “I guess”.

Minho was pissed, how could the teacher sign him up for something so stupid? He stormed through the school hallways heading for the underclassmen wing. Finally finding her classroom, he abruptly opened the door getting ready to yell at the teacher. Instead, he only saw two underclassmen. 

A startled Jisung screamed as he fell from the chair to the floor, landing on his butt. He angrily thought, “who the hell barges in here like-'' but his thoughts were cut off when he looked in the doorway seeing Minho. He just stood there in the doorway, and Jisung couldn’t figure out how to look away. He studied him making sure not to forget a single detail of Minho. The guy he had been desperately trying to get a better view of through his memories.

Minho was alarmed at the scene in front of him. He moved forward to help the fallen boy, stopping when the boy’s head tilted up to look at him. All of his thoughts vanished as his eyes locked onto Jisung’s. His anger dissipated. Minho was pulled back to reality when Jeongin cleared his throat.

He moved to help Jisung up while apologizing. “I shouldn’t have been so aggressive-” He dragged out the last word at the sight before him. Jisung had quickly scrambled to get up off the floor as Minho got closer. Minho was confused by the strong reaction. Had he really scared this boy that much? Fearing that that might be the case, Minho decided it was maybe time for him to leave.

“I just came here to talk to the teacher, but I’ll go wait outside for her.” Minho gave a slight nod to the underclassmen as he left the room.

Jisung thought to himself, “His even more handsome close up”.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “I know what that look means.”

Jisung tried to rebut saying, “Well, it’s just nice to have someone who seems warm. Instead of you always being annoyed and cold with me.” He stuck his tongue out at Jeongin.

Jeongin smirked, “If you think I can be cold you should see Minho”.

“I’m telling you, he definitely was looking at you.” Chan said, smiling at Jisung. Jisung was walking in between Changbin and Chan as they headed to their next classes.

“As much as I would like to believe that, in times like this we must be realistic.” Jisung had stated with a sad frown. He truly did want to believe it, he just simply couldn’t.

Every time Jisung spotted Minho it’s not like he’d give Minho much of a chance to convince him otherwise. He mainly spent his time running away from Minho. He was way too nervous of doing the wrong thing. So, rather than doing something wrong, his solution was to just run away from the situation entirely. It wasn’t the best way to go about things, but it seemed like the best way to avoid getting hurt for Jisung.

“You know he is in mine and Chan’s grade level.” Changbin turned to Jisung. “I could always put in a good word for you.” Changbin raised his eyebrows up and down suggestively while getting closer to Jisung.

Jisung’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare do anything!” 

Chan being the mediator he was, he decided to try to make a compromise for both sides. “I have several classes with him, if you ever want to know anything just ask.” Chan leaned closer to Jisung. Being in between the two boys Jisung started getting squished. 

Jisung smiled. “Okay I’ll let you know.” It felt nice to know his friends only wanted the best for him.

Jisung had been walking his whole life, and yet he somehow failed to succeed in walking just then. He was attempting to put his back foot forward when, because of his friends almost crushing him, his back foot hooked on his other foot. Making him fall forward when his legs had become one.

Changbin laughed at his friend toppling over. For it was quite amusing how sudden and fast Jisung had made contact with the floor. Suddenly, Chan cut him off seeing that the fall had been in front of the very man they were discussing earlier. 

Jisung looked up at the man. As he registered Minho was in front of him his eyes soon grew wide. Jisung fumed inside his head. “Why does this happen every time?”

Minho attempted to start a conversation. “Umm hey,” Minho awkwardly gave a smile trying to appear less scary.

“Hey,” Jisung softly spoke, before quickly sprinting down the hall. 

The group left behind could faintly hear a teacher yell. “No running in the halls!”

Minho stood still in place. He tried not to let himself get too down, acknowledging the progress made. “Well at least he said a word to you.” A small smile spread across his face at that thought. Even if it was just microscopic progress, they were still moving forward.

The group stood there a few more seconds processing the situation, before Chan cleared his throat. “Well Minho, you wanna walk to our next class together?”

Minho, still looking in the direction where Jisung disappeared, slowly replied, “yes”.

After they had walked to class and sat in their normal seats Minho decided to ask the question that was burning on his mind. “So who was that guy?”

Chan was puzzled for a moment, then it hit him. “You mean the guy that fell for you?” Chan mentally kicked himself at his slip up. “I mean, the guy that fell in front of you.”

Minho tilted his head. “Yeah, him…”

Chan gave a nervous chuckle, “That’s just Jisung”.

Inquisitiveness quickly infected Minho. “Are you guys close?”

“Yeah, me and Changbin hang out with him quite often. He helps us with producing music.” Chan paused. “You normally aren’t too interested in people, unless…” He trailed off making the last word seem more like a question.

“I mean he does seem quite interesting,” Minho then glanced away as he finished his statement. “and cute.” Chan gave a suggestive look. This was too good.

Minho decided to tell Chan what he was really worried about. “He always seems to run away when I’m around though. I think he might think I’m scary.”

Chan could’ve said the real reason why Jisung always runs, but he decided to just tip toe around the truth.“I think he might be a little intimidated, but you tend to have that effect on people.” Chan hoped to lighten the mood by saying the last part in a joking manner.

Minho let out his frustrations with a sigh. “I know.”

Chan put on a teasing smile. “Oooh you know?”

“Don’t start that.” Minho hoped that he had the wrong idea and Chan was just talking about something else. Still Chan continued. 

Leaning closer to Minho at said, “We know”.

Minho rolled his eyes.

“Lee Know,” Chan said, while his arm went outwards towards Minho, and his hands shaking like jazz hands.

“Do you really have to bring that old rap up? This is why I don’t hang out with you and Changbin anymore.”

Chan put his hand over his heart and pretended to be hurt. “Cold, but fare. In all seriousness, if you’re worried about coming across as scary, maybe you should stop using words like that.” Minho thought about Chan’s advice, maybe he did need to choose better language.

“You came!” Felix hugged Minho. “I’m so excited!”

Minho accepted the hug and chucked at Felix’s enthusiasm. “Hey, I would never miss your birthday party, come on!” 

Felix pulled away from the hug and looked at Minho giving a slight frown. “Still I heard that you’ve been under the weather.” 

“huh?” 

Felix explained himself, while being a little confused as to why Minho didn’t know what he was talking about. “Changbin said you caught some sort of disease, and something about not taking his advice for a cure.”

Minho closed his eyes out of frustration. “It’s just a weird joke we have.” Minho tried to give a convincing smile. Thinking about how to get revenge, he asked Felix a seemingly innocent question. “Speaking of your boyfriend, where is he exactly?” 

“Oh he's already here along with a few others, we are just waiting for Hyunjin.” Felix motioned towards the living room.

Minho smiled, handing him the bag in his hand. “Here is your gift as well.”

Felix accepted the gift and held it close. “Hyung! You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I couldn’t not get you anything for your birthday.” 

Felix smiled big as he spoke. “Still I really appreciate this gift. I'll go put it with the others, see you later.” He waved as left the room. Minho was happy his gift was being appreciated, but didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“Bye” Minho waved back. Then when Felix turned around he cracked his knuckles. He was ready to greet Changbin with an evil grin plastered on his face. Entering the living room Minho glared at Changbin while he spoke through his teeth. “Why did you tell Felix I have a disease?”

Changbin’s face lit up as he laughed saying, “You do! You are love sick”.

“And why is that Felix’s concern?”

Changbin decided to clear up Minho’s worries. “Listen, it accidentally slipped out. I had to try to cover it up.” He then leaned closer to Minho hoping to prevent anyone from overhearing. “Also you normally don’t take long, letting people know how you feel. I thought you would already have it all figured out by now.”

Minho clicked his tongue. “Well, I haven’t gotten alone time with him yet.” In fact he hadn’t gotten any time with Jisung. Just the occasional bump in the hall or a quick wave. Jisung normally sprinted in the other direction before, much progress could be made. Minho instead got to know Jisung through little observations, times when Jisung wasn’t aware of his presence. Most of it made Minho more lonely. He seemed to talk so freely to others, while with Minho they were moving at a snail's pace, if that.

Changbin consulted him, patting his shoulder. “Are you gonna do anything today then?”

“Today?”

“Don’t you know Jisung is here, at this party?” He greeted Felix with a smile as he entered the room with Hyunjin. “Him and Felix are good friends.”

Minho blinked at the new information. Seeing his boyfriend was now free, Changbin headed towards him. Hyunjin acknowledged Chan with a nod and started to quietly talk about some sort of surprise for Felix.

Jisung was talking with Jeongin when he noticed Minho. 

Panic spread through him as he whispered yelled at Jeongin. “Shit! Why didn’t you tell me Minho would be here! I’ve got to figure out how to avoid him.”

Jeongin raised his eyebrows. “Why is that?”

“Because, I always do something embarrassing in front of him. Remember when I fell off the chair.” Jisung was bouncing his leg out of nervousness. 

Jeongin smiled at the memory of his friend getting startled. “Yeah, but it was kinda funny seeing you all panicked and flustered.” He poked Jisung’s side trying to get the man to loosen up. Jisung narrowed his eyes at Jeongin’s lame attempts to ease his pain. “Listen Huyng, it’s probably not as bad as you think.”

Jisung glanced up once again at the boy they were talking about. He froze upon seeing Minho’s eyes lock directly onto his. Jisung decided to try to hide behind Jeongin. Knowing it was pointless to resist, Jeongin let him hide.

Minho, seeing that Jisung was still avoiding him, decided maybe he should just give him space. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Seungmin pulled him away from his thoughts.

“I heard that someone's got a crush.” Minho sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. If Seungmin knew that meant he had been super obvious. 

“Oh. That means I’m right.” Seungmin looked around the room. “Alright, where is he? Let’s have a conversation with him.” Minho giggled, he knew Seungmin would never actually cross the line.

Jisung saw how close Minho and Seungmin were. His mind wondered if the two of them had something going on. Had he been delusional this whole time? He had known that the two boys were always close, but Minho was smiling while also acting somewhat embarrassed. It looked like the same way Jisung felt when he saw Minho, yet Minho wasn’t looking at him, he was looking at Seungmin.

Jisung’s attention was soon grabbed by Hyunjin as he gripped his shoulder. “Alright, I set everything up. Changbin is currently distracting him. When Seungmin hits the lights, you come in with the cake.”

At the mention of Seungmin, Jisung decided to glance up where Minho used to be. Not seeing either guy he looked around a bit more. Spotting Minho talking to Chan, he felt relief wash over himself.

Hyunjin nudged him, “Hey Seungmin is by the light switch, so hurry up and go.” 

Jisung quickly disappeared from the room heading for the kitchen. When the lights went out and the living room was dark, he entered. Jisung beamed as he carried the candle lit cake towards Felix. The light flickered all around the group as everyone huddled close.

Minho scanned everyone wondering if anyone else saw a problem with this. The fact that all his interactions with Jisung resulted in the boy toppling over, he started to worry. Seeing no one around him was on alert he decided to just brush it off. He shook off the thoughts, as he put himself back in the moment. 

After everyone sang happy birthday to Felix. He closed his eyes and he blew out the candles making a wish. Seungmin went towards the lights, turning them back on. Changbin cupped Felix’s face in his hands and leaned in to kiss him. 

“Yuck!” Hyunjin pulled out his classic disturbed face at the PDA in front of him. He tried to back away from the romantic situation. When he ended up accidentally bumping into Jeongin. Who was not expecting to get hit with anything, completely fell over heading straight for Jisung. Causing Jisung to think of a quick action in order to save the cake. He was too fast with his movements and the cake quickly left his hands and went to the air as he toppled over.

The cake, flying up in the air and had everyone entranced wondering where it would land. It started heading straight for Minho. Possibly out of shock or just pure lack of care he stayed completely still. He just simply closed his eyes as the cake landed straight on his face. The cake then crumbled the rest of it sliding to his shoulders and the floor around him. Minho’s face was covered in frosting and chunks of cake. 

His hands went to his eyes, as he wiped off the gunk so he could open them. Gazing around towards the rest of the group it seemed like most of them were waiting for him to react. Minho was not the type to make a big deal out of an accident.

He tried to quelch their concerns. “No need to panic, it's just a cake.”

A small pout appeared on Felix’s lips as he stared at the cake. It’s unlikely that anyone walking into the room would call it a cake though, they would likely just call it a mess. Seeing the pout on his boyfriend’s face, Changbin quickly pulled him into a hug. 

Changbin patted Felix’s head as he tried to comfort him. “It will be fine, it's only a cake I will get you a better one.” 

As they continued to hug, Hyunjin suggested an alternative. “Let’s go all out for ice cream!” Jeongin lit up, enthusiastically nodding at the idea.

Seungmin gestured towards the mess. “But first Minho should get cleaned up.”

Chan took the lead of clean up duty. “Let’s also clean up the floor, I’ll go get towels from the kitchen.”

Jisung’s face slowly turned more and more red, staring in shock at Minho covered in the mess he made. “Minho, I'm so sorry!” Minho took a few seconds to process the situation. He just stood there frozen. When Jisung touched his face with a napkin Minho unfroze.

He calmly spoke. “Don’t worry, I’ll go get cleaned up in the bathroom.” Then abruptly disappeared towards the restroom.

Changbin saw the perfect set up. “Jisung, you should help him clean up.”

Jisung crunched the napkin in his hand. Would it really be okay to follow Minho? Would it just be weird if he helped? Although, he did make the mess in the first place. Jisung’s eyes panned around the room hoping to find an answer. Chan entered the room and filling in the blanks he nodded at Jisung. He was assured that the right thing was to follow Minho.

He stood outside of the bathroom, took a deep breath and then opened the door. At the sight before him his breath spilled back out into the open. Minho was without a shirt on. The cake was still covering his face, but that only drew more attention to his exposed upper body. Compared to his face in the mirror his back was so spotless. It looked so clean, smooth, and inviting.

Minho, seeing Jisung through the mirror, questioned his intentions. “Are you here to help?” Minho put his attention back to the mirror pulling cake out of his hair.

Jisung lightly shook his head to get rid of the nasty thoughts. “Yeah,” he grabbed the hand towel sitting on the edge of the sink counter. “Here, lean over the sink and I’ll help you.”

Minho softly smiled as Jisung wet the rag and pieces of cake fell into the sink. Maybe Jisung wasn’t scared of him. Minho looked at Jisung’s eye as they forced on getting the cake off his face. Even if this moment was temporary, Minho felt lucky for just being a part of it. Jisung was also in bliss, but tried to focus on the task in front of him. He wondered if he should go slow with cleaning Minho’s face, that way this moment would last just a little bit longer.

Minho decided to speak up in hopes a conversation would make Jisung take longer. He scanned around the room and saw his shirt on the counter. “Do you think you could ask Seungmin to get me an extra shirt when you're done here?”

Jisung sank a little, “Yeah.” he paused then asked the burning question on his mind. “Are you two together?”

“Ew no,” Minho made a face like he had just eaten the sourest lemon on planet earth. 

“Ah that’s good.” Jisung couldn’t hide his smile at the news. He looked up, seeing Minho’s blank face he attempted to remedy the situation. “I mean…” In the end Jisung couldn’t figure out how to save himself. The words only served to grow Minho’s confidence. They were alone together so, now was as good of a time as any.

“Listen Jisung, I have something important to tell you.” Minho bit his lip. No matter how many times someone asks out someone they really like, it never gets easier. “I was wondering if after tonight’s party you’d wanna hang out. Just the two of us. Like a date or something?”

Jisung’s lit up, smiling at Minho. “I’d love that!” He then looked down as he confessed what had been bothering him. “If I’m being honest, I thought I was utterly embarrassing myself in front of you, cause I’m such a clutz.”

Minho laughed at the honesty, just another thing to love. “I thought it was really cute.” Minho smiled, remembering how adorable and flustered Jisung would be when he fell. Thinking more Minho tilted his head. “Although, is that why you ran away every time? I thought you were scared of me or something.”

Jisung sheepishly smiled. “Well, I was kind of scared.” Jisung couldn’t look at Minho anymore as he said the next words. “But it’s because I really like you.”

Minho smiled, he hoped that this dork would stay in his life forever. “I really like you too.”

➤ Masterlist ❀ Ao3 ❀ Wattpad ❀ Ko-fi

A/N: It seems like minsung has won once again. Thank you for everyone who voted in the poll I really appreciate the help. Going to end up posting them in order from most votes to least votes. Thank you so much for reading and supporting me!

#lee know #lee minho #oneshot #fanfic #au high school #stray kids #skz #han jisung #skz jisung #minsung #accident prone #clumsy #no kisses #love confessions #tad bit of jealousy #mxm #getting together #mutual pining #3k words #almost 4k words #idols drop cake #kpop idols dropping cake #minho x jisung #fanfiction #wattpad #archive of our own

[hdmiwire]

making “we” statements

wc: 3937 this is only slightly more proofread than the draft lol. part one of this story is here if you would like to read it first, although it isn't super necessary.

The airport is hot and crowded, the sounds and smells of tourists coming and going is overwhelming. I rotate my phone in my hands nervously, watching carefully for the green leather suitcase on the baggage claim track. Pulling my eyes away from the track for a second, I scan for my dad’s signature white suit in the crowds of people waiting to claim their loved ones. Still not here, I think, letting out a quiet groan of anxiety as I turn my attention back to the parade of luggage. It's a good thing too, because just as I do my suitcase is moving by, just in front of me. I reach out to grab it at the same time as someone else and jump when my hand makes contact with theirs, which is adorned with many golden rings and long lilac nails. They grab the suitcase and set it on the ground between us, and I turn to look at them. 

“Great minds think alike I see,” the stranger says with a soft chuckle. I can’t speak, taken aback by the person in front of me. She’s several inches taller than me, her blonde hair pulled back to reveal the bright pink underside. My face starts to burn when she smiles down at me, showing off the gap in her two front teeth. 

Nodding my head, I prepare myself to figure out our suitcase conundrum when another of the same green suitcase comes rolling by on the conveyor belt. She grabs this one as well, placing it next to the other one between us. I lean over to check the baggage tags and see which one is mine, hoping to get this over with and get out of this hell hole before I say something stupid. 

I pull up the handle of the suitcase that belongs to me, getting ready to apologize for the mix-up when both of our phones begin ringing at the same time. I nod at her as I scurry away to try and get somewhere I can actually hear whoever is on the phone. Pressing the green answer button and bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hey! Maddy, good you answered,” it’s my dad, and he sounds a little out of breath.

“Dad? Is everything okay? Why didn’t you call from your cell,” I wonder, before realizing that he’s probably in his office still. 

“Yeah, I know, sorry. Listen, my morning meeting ran over and I have another one in a few, so I’m sending a car to pick you up and take you to the apartment, okay?” There's a long inhale before he continues, “Also, a good friend of mine who lives in the same building is in this next meeting, and his kid was supposed to be getting in from Italy at the same time as you. Her name is Amanda, try and find her and get her to wait for the car with you, okay?” I can hear someone knocking on his door as he finishes his ramble. I agree, asking what she looks like so I know who to be looking for, and my stomach drops when the description he gives is of baggage claim girl - great, this is exactly what I need on my first day in New York. 

Swallowing my embarrassment, I hang up the phone and turn around to try and find her again, only to see her looking directly at me. I smile and wave awkwardly, shrugging in a “small world, isn’t it?” kind of way. Her shoes click on the tile as she strides towards me, still grinning. I clear my throat before finally opening my mouth to speak;

“So, Amanda, is it? Sorry for the whole… awkwardness of earlier.” The heat is burning up my face again, and I want to throw myself into the sun. She seems to not be bothered by my rambling and just keeps grinning at me. Briefly, her eyes scan me up and down and I fight the urge to hide myself, regretting my decision to wear sweats on the flight. 

“Mandie is fine,” she says, green eyes boring holes into my soul as she holds out her hand. I accept her handshake, introducing myself as Maddy. The next fifteen minutes are spent reveling in the similarity of our nicknames and getting to know the most basic information about each other, while we wait for the car to arrive. By the time the car is pulling into the airport, I know that Mandie is twenty, has a twin brother, and is also starting at F.I.T. in the coming spring semester. Once we’re in the car, I feel myself starting to nod off, exhausted from the stress of the airport and the looming dread of the twenty missed calls from my mother. Leaning my head back on the leather of the car’s seat, I allow myself to drift off and think back to the events of the last few days.

When I open my eyes, I’m sitting in the living room with Mom and Mags, staring into the roaring fireplace as the two of them process what I’ve just told them. I know that neither of them will like it, but I just hope that it doesn’t reset what Mom has been trying to do.

“Madison you can’t just leave! You… where will you even go? What are you thinking?” My mother’s voice is grating, although I hear genuine concern in it for the first time since I was very young. 

“Marie, she's an adult, and you knew this was coming sooner or later. You can’t keep trying to clip her wings.” Mags is the only voice of reason in the house currently, Mom and I are both too strung up on emotions after our conversation the other day. I’m still reeling from her attempts at apologizing, unsure if I’m really ready to forgive her for icing me out for all these years.

Mom sighing guides me back out of my thoughts again. “I know, Magnolia, I know. I just… there’s still so much I have to say,” she says earnestly. Turning my gaze away from the fire, I finally look at her. Her hair is unkempt compared to her usual state, having let her usually pressed hair go untouched for longer than is normal for her, and her light eyes are brimming with tears. I jerk my head away and stand up, hugging myself.

“Mom… I know, and I’m sorry I just can’t. I love you, you know that, and I don’t want to hurt you, I just can’t be here anymore.” My words come out shakier than I wanted, and I curse myself for allowing even thinking that anything I could ever do would compare to what she put me through.

She scoffs, “What do you mean you ‘can’t be here?’ What is ‘here?’ This house? This room? This family?” The last word is punctuated with a gesture to Mags, and it stings. There it is, I think, it’s over. Her words are painful, and to even insinuate that I don’t care about this family is insane. I try to steady myself with a deep breath before I speak again; just because she’s aiming below the belt doesn’t mean I have to. 

“You know that’s not what I mean, and you also know that I’ve always wanted to go be with Dad. Georgia has never been the right place for me, there’s nothing here that can move me forward,” I take another deep breath, fighting the tears that are bullying their way to the surface. “The ticket is bought, my boxes are shipped, and Dad knows I’m coming. I’m leaving Monday, and that's it.”

Neither of them have anything to say after that, and I hope it stays that way. My phone buzzes once, twice, three times before it starts ringing, but instead of Childish Gambino playing from the speakers, there's a foggy voice calling my name.

“Maddy! Maddy! Maddy, wake up we’re almost there!”

Jolting out of my sleep, I find myself face to face with Mandie. She looks frazzled, her dark brows furrowed and nose scrunched in concern. As I blink away the dream and memories of my mother’s face, I realize that her hands are firmly planted on my shoulders, the cool metal of her rings seeping through my shirt. I straighten myself up, clearing my throat and hoping that she can’t sense the rapid thumping of my heart against my ribs or see the heat I feel on my ears. 

“Sorry,” I mutter, turning to look out the window just as we roll under the covered entrance of my dad’s apartment building. I can still feel her eyes boring into the back of my head, and I briefly wonder if she’d been watching me sleep the whole time. The driver puts the car in park and steps out to open her door for us to climb out.

“Alright ladies, welcome home!” His chipper voice is loud and grating on my ears, but I smile and thank him as I clumsily climb out of the car behind Mandie. “Ah, Miss Carver? Your father asked me to give you this.” The driver holds out a forest green lanyard with two keys and a keycard on it, presumably to enter the building and the apartment. I take the lanyard from him, and as I feel the weight of the keys in my hand, tears begin to well in my eyes at the thought that I had finally made it here. Swallowing my feelings for now, I thank the driver and make my way to the back of the car, where Mandie is, to grab my suitcase. 

I look down at the keys in my hand again, turning them over. One has “ELV'' carved into the front, the other “PH15-B.” The fifteenth floor? Jesus, Dad. The one labeled ELV is an odd shape, and it almost reminds me of the keys that came with those little book fair diaries. It's just the top of a key with a small, hollow tube on the end. 

“You good,” Mandie poses, cocking her head to the side as she takes in my face.

“I’m great.” I can’t help the grin on my face, because I really mean it this time.

We make our way inside, Mandie waving at the front desk attendant as she guides me through the lobby, towards the elevators. The lobby is massive, the ceilings reaching higher than anything I’ve ever seen. The exterior of the building seemed old, but inside its all white, black, and gold, an ultra-modern vortex in the middle of New York. There are two elevators on the far end of the lobby, the one on the left has a sign over it that reads “PENTHOUSE ACCESS LIFT” in cursive, curling letters. The bronze doors slide open a few moments after Mandie pushes the button, and we step inside its mirrored interior. Mandie gestures between me and the floor selection buttons, and I snap out of my awe-induced haze and place the elevator key into the little round spot labeled with the number fifteen, pushing in. As soon as I do, the elevator surges into motion, taking us up to the fifteenth floor.

“So,” Mandie starts, breaking the thick silence with a question. “Georgia, huh? What's that like?” 

“Very… southern. But it's nice, good trees there.” I cringe internally at my own words, staring down at the tiled floor of the elevator and praying it would move faster. Mandie hums, looking up at the mirrors on the ceiling. We spend the rest of the elevator ride in silence, only interrupted by the beeping of the elevator as we pass the other fourteen floors in the building. As we reach our floor, the elevator lurches, and I nearly fall over at the force, reaching out for Mandie on instinct. Quickly, I jerk my hand away as she giggles, asking if I’m alright and saying that I’ll “get used to it.”

The doors slide open again, and we’re met with a hallway that resembles the lobby, a few chairs and tables along the walls leading down to a large window directly opposite the elevator. We step out of the elevator, its bronze doors closing once again to wait for the next person who calls on it. In the middle of the hallway, there are two doors on either side of us, one reading “15-A” and the other “15-B” in the same font as the elevator sign in the lobby. 

“I trust you know how to unlock a door, right Maddy,” Mandie muses, and hearing my name come from her mouth makes bugs crawl up my spine and I shiver, shaking them off.

“I- uh, yeah, I’m good,” I smile at her before picking up the door key on the lanyard, and sticking it in the door. Before Mandie can do the same, I hear her door fling open and a woman cry “Amanda!” in a thick Italian accent - not the kind that you hear in movies, but a real accent, only obtained from a lifetime in Italy. I turn around and see a shorter brunette woman squeezing Mandie, and I assume it's her mother. Smiling at the scene, I return to the key and push the door open, getting smacked in the face by the scent of orange Pine-Sol as I step inside. My grin grows as I imagine my dad running around last night, scrubbing anything he could reach, just like he would before we had people over when I was a kid. 

I close the door and lock it behind me, hanging my keys on one of the hooks next to the door before taking my sneakers off, knowing Dad would kill me if I tracked dirt on his clean floor. I pick the shoes up and make my way into the house, pulling my suitcase behind me. Just beyond the short entry hallway is the living room, the matching gray couches and chairs looking straight out of the Ashley Furniture catalog. I walk through the living room and into the kitchen, taking in the stainless steel appliances and granite counters before my eyes land on something that feels out of place. On the refrigerator door, there’s a piece of Hello Kitty notepad paper hanging from a laughing emoji shaped magnet, both of which were part of my gag gift for Dad’s birthday last year. I smile, taking the pink piece of paper down and sitting at the island counter to read it, leaning my elbows on the cool surface.

“Maddy, 

First, welcome to the ‘Big Apple!’ I’ll take you around all the hot tourist spots this weekend, after you’re more settled. Speaking of, the guest room is down the hall, just past the kitchen. Sam got you all set up with new sheets and pillows and whatnot, and all the boxes you shipped should be in the closet. 

I had my assistant run this note to the house after I called you earlier, I probably won’t be home until 5 - 6 at the absolute latest, promise. Sams out of town with his band, so he won’t be home until the end of the week.

There's probably only White Claws in the fridge, I need to go grocery shopping, but the number for a really good Chinese place is in the drawer next to the fridge. Knock yourself out kid!

Love, Dad”

His little letter warms my heart, and I feel the smile creeping up my face again. I hop up from the counter, leaving the letter there and turning down the hallway past the kitchen. I walk past a bathroom before coming to the door at the end of the hall, taking a deep breath as I twist the knob and push the door open. It's dim at first, light filtering in through a massive window that's partially covered with a sheer set of curtains. I flip the light on, blinking at its brightness for a second before my eyes adjust, and I can take in the room properly. It’s decently sized, a large queen bed sits up against the far wall, covered with white sheets and a mossy green comforter, and a desk sits in front of the huge window. I leave my suitcase by the door, and make my way to the bed, sinking into the soft pillows as soon as my head hits them.

I wake up a few hours later to a chirping noise coming from the kitchen and I sit up, trying to process where I am. I hear the door close and the chirping stops. Probably a security system, I think, standing up and stretching.

“Maddy? You here?” I hear Dad calling from the kitchen, and immediately I burst out of the room and down the hall, tackling him in a hug as soon as he’s in arms reach. He spins me around like he used to when I was a kid after he came home from a long day at work. When we stop spinning, he pulls me close, and we both just stand there, holding each other for the first time in almost a decade. After a few minutes, he pulls back, holding me at arms length and taking in my face.

“My god girl look at you! You look just like Mom,” he says, shaking his head, a large grin spreading across his face again. 

“That's what everyone says these days.” I’m not sure that he actually hears me, too busy taking in the fact that his little girl is all grown up now. I do the same, raking my eyes over his face. He looks the same as he does when we FaceTime, just a little more mature in the real world. His dark beard is occasionally interrupted by a speck of gray, and there are a few more wrinkles by his eyes, but overall he’s the same as when I was little. After a moment of us just observing each other, he clears his throat; 

“I smell like corporate, let me shower and then we’ll talk for real, yeah?” I nod, and after he disappears past the living room and into his bedroom, I go back towards mine, deciding that now is probably a good time to finally call Mom back. Before I make it to my door, there's a knock at the front door, and I jump a little. 

“Will you get that, Maddy? It’s probably Ronen.” Mandie’s dad… awesome, I think jogging over to the door so he doesn’t have to stand there waiting. I open the door, expecting to just see one man, but there are suddenly four people in front of me; Mandie, the brunette woman who I assumed was her mother, a guy who looks almost like an evil mirror version of Mandie, and a taller, blonde man wearing gold, wire-frame glasses.

“Ah hello,” the man with the glasses says, throwing his hands up in excitement, “you must be Madison! I’m Ronen Volta, your father’s business partner. This is my lovely, lovely wife, Celina, and my son Adam, and - well you’ve already met Amanda, yes?” Ronen smiles as he gestures proudly towards his family, and his wife flushes at his sentiments. 

“Yes, yes I have. It’s nice to meet you all I- would you like to come in?” I feel very awkward, still wearing my clothes from the plane, and I’m suddenly very aware of my choice to not rebraid my hair before I left home. I step to the side so the four of them can walk in, and Ronen smiles even wider, taking Celina’s arm as the pair make their way inside, followed closely by Mandie and Adam. Adam doesn’t speak, cutting me a stinging look when he walks by, and Mandie just shrugs, muttering something about how he’s a prick. The five of us sit down in the living room, talking about everything from the flight to Georgia to starting school in January. Eventually, Dad comes out of his room, apologizing for the delay and announcing that he ordered Chinese for everyone. This causes Ronen to laugh and applause, and Celina smacks his arm, reprimanding him for being so loud. When the food arrives, we relocate to the dining table, eating and laughing and catching up as if we were all old friends.

After several hours of laughing and eating and drinking, Ronen and his family take their leave back across the hall, inviting us over for a “proper dinner” next weekend. Dad shows them out, hugging Ronen and exchanging a peck on each cheek with Celina before closing the door. On his way to the living room, he takes a detour to grab two White Claws from the fridge, tossing one to me as he flops on the couch, letting out a long sigh.

“Love that family to death, but lord can Ronen talk your ear off,” he says, cracking open the frosted beverage and slurping up the bit of it that gathers on the lip of the can. Then, he turns to look at me, watching as I do the same with my can.

“Did anyone ever tell you about the day that I actually told your mom I thought I was gay?” He asks, but I don’t respond. He isn’t really asking, he knows the answer is “no.” “It was the day before your ninth birthday party, and you were sitting in the kitchen licking the beaters from your cake. I thought Marie’s head was going to explode, but then she just started crying instead. She didn’t yell, didn’t cuss me, didn’t say anything other than ‘how could you not tell me.’” 

“I know,” I say, remembering back to that day, hearing only the snippets of what Mom was saying to him out on the back porch. He sighs again, staring out the windows behind me before he continues.

“Yeah, I figured. I probably should’ve handled the whole thing better, but there's only so much you can do after nearly three decades of denial, you know?” He looks at me again, and I just nod. After that, he chugs the rest of his drink, slamming the can down on the dark wood of the coffee table.

He stands up, groaning and saying, “You’ve had a long day, we’ll talk more in the morning, alright kid?” He reaches a hand out and pats my cheek before picking his can up and walking to the kitchen. He drops it in the trash and then makes a beeline for his bedroom, calling out “I love you” over his shoulder.

As soon as his door closes, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, raising the ice cold can to my lips again. I stand up and walk over to the window that the dining table looks out of, looking down on the streets of New York. It’s probably only like 10 o’clock, but even still I’m amazed at the bustle of life that's happening just below me. Cars are rolling by, people are marching in an uncoordinated parade down the street, and the light coming from the other buildings around me seems to make the whole world glow brighter. As I smile down at the passersby, I can’t help but let my mind drift back to Mandie. I don’t know how, or why, or for what reason, but she seems to have wormed her way into a part of my brain that I didn’t even know existed until I bumped hands with her at the airport this morning. 

#hdmiwire #short story #realistic fiction #wlw fiction #wlw short story #3k words #original chracters #lgbt short story #lgbt fiction #i like it #m&m

[camouflagedlove]

Too Drunk to Drive

“I don’t get why you’re so hung up on this party. It’s in the rich kid neighborhood and you hate those people more than us,” Gareth says.

Eddie shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t give an answer immediately. Gareth looks at him knowingly. “I have my reasons…” Eddie says.

“Harrington’s going to be there, isn’t he?” Jeff asks from the back.

Frank and Gareth groan overdramatically while Eddie protests loudly.

“I am over Harrington!” Eddie shouts.

“You say that a lot. Like how you say every year is gonna be your year–”

“It’s called being an optimist, Gareth!”

“You’ve been fawning over Harrington since his senior year when he randomly gained a conscience and told Tommy to stop harassing you,” Frank says.

“Which is so sad, by the way. Like raise the bar a little bit,” Jeff says and Eddie reaches an arm back to try and slap him.

“My bar is at a perfectly respectable height!” Eddie argues. “He’s nice, he’s good with kids, he takes care of himself, and he’s hot. He’s like the hottest guy in Hawkins, everyone knows that.”

continue reading on ao3

#eddie munson #steddie #steve harrington #fanfic #steve x eddie #songfic #one shot #3k words #Spotify

[hopelessromance21]

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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬/𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: sʟɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʟɪғᴇ,

ᴇxᴘʟɪᴄɪᴛ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ, sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴠɪsɪᴛ,

ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ʀᴏᴏᴍ, ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ

ɪᴍᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴘᴏʀɴ, ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴏɴsᴛɪᴘᴀᴛᴇᴅ

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘʀᴇss ‘ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs’

[ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴛᴀʟᴇ ᴏᴄ] 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

“𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙓𝙄𝙏𝙃𝙔𝙈𝙄𝘼” (2/3)

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3,358

╚═══════════════╝

Part 2 💃 Things get a little 🌶️ towards the end. The third and final chapter is nothing but smut, basically.

June and Lune is @simpymf ‘s character and this whole thing is her getting her One Chance.

THE SURFACE

𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄/𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐄’𝐒

𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓

21XX

[ᴘ ᴀ ᴄ ɪ ғ ɪ s ᴛ]

It had been several weeks since the last date without much said between you and Lune. Unfortunately life got in the way of dating at times, and Lune found her schedule just as swamped as yours.

According to June, everything was fine. You weren’t mad, just too busy to return to late night dates with Lune. You missed her and told her so through text. June tried to coach Lune on what to say back.

‘Say “I miss you too!”’

‘But I don’t.’

‘WH-! Lune!!’

‘June, I’m literally, physically incapable of giving a shit.’

‘So you’re gonna tell her you DON’T miss her?!’

“Mmh…”

Lune contemplated what to say as your text message remained open. Her thumbs tapped on the screen as she wrote a phrase, then deleted it letter by letter and rethought her reply.

Finally, she simply typed and sent: yeah.

‘Lune!!’

“Tch-” Lune scoffed, shrugging off June’s persistent presence in her mind to focus on preparing for work.

Lune tied up her hair into a high ponytail, studying the subtle makeup that fell within the requirements outlined in the group text.

“They better not make me wear that damn bunny suit,” Lune huffed, smacking her lips together as the wine-red color popped against her pale complexion.

Dressed to go in her jeans and t-shirt, Lune shrugged on a jacket to shield against the chill outside. She slipped on her shoes and exited her home devoid of enthusiasm, twisting the keys into the lock to secure the door before leaving.

She met her walk to work with a sour grimace, stepping with haste to arrive at the grimy bar that paraded as a classier establishment.

Stepping to the door, Lune walked in, briefly nodding to the bouncer that guarded the entrance. She maneuvered through the dimly-lit bar scene as music played overhead and several early drinkers sat perched at the bar.

Lune slipped into the employee room in the back, stepping up to her locker that remained shuttered shut with the padlock.

She twisted the dial several times to input the series of numbers that unlocked it. When she heard it click and the latch loosen, she removed it to swing the door open.

Hanging on the inside of the locker door sat a black leotard and a bunny-ear headband.

“Motherfucker…”

Lune glared at the suit, contemplating burning it and doing her shift in her jeans and t-shirt…

Ultimately deciding the paycheck outweighed her petty desires, Lune groaned as she took the outfit on the hanger and walked to the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall and struggled with the outfit, nearly tearing the fishnet tights as she tugged them on before the nearly leather-looking leotard.

The last item, after the uncomfortable heels, were the bunny ears. She scowled at them in one final resistance before setting them on her head.

She exited the stall feeling somewhat defeated by the outfit constricting her every move. Sizing herself up in the mirror, Lune loathed her appearance, dressed up to serve boozy drinks to the handsy customers outside. Already her blood pressure began to rise, knowing she could look forward to a night of handsy customers and sly comments from her manager.

Rolling her eyes, Lune left the bathroom and returned her clothes to her locker, keeping them safe for the duration of her shift. Shifting the butt of her leotard to avoid a wedgie, Lune stepped out into the club with a look of restrained contempt.

Clocked in, she begrudgingly got to work, delivering trays of drinks to drunken and giggly bachelorette parties, preoccupied couples, and a mixture of frat boys and businessmen who made passes as she walked by.

Every drunk, sloppy grab of Lune’s body fueled her aggravation, shaping her shift to be the worst of the worst. She could endure this better than most of her coworkers, being emotionally dead and so not subject to common feelings such as offense, embarrassment, or rage. But still, even she had a tipping point, and warned her customers with her biting glare.

Two hours into her shift, Lune found her rhythm and began steadily taking orders, delivering drinks, and shooting down advances from beer-sipping men. All was running smoothly…

Until you appeared.

Two and a half hours earlier, you received the dull reply from Lune in text. A brief ‘yeah.’ in reply to your heartfelt ‘I miss you, hope we can see each other soon!’. You weren’t sure how to gauge it. It was hard to gauge her in general, and overall you were feeling uncertain about your ‘relationship’.

You were into her, fully and obviously, but Lune didn’t give you many signs to assure you she thought the same. The times she would briefly touch you or return some form of affection, you would exaggerate it in the moment. But during your days away from her, you wondered if she was simply entertaining you for the sake of you and June’s relationship. Playing the part without any real desire for you.

With your night surprisingly free for once in a few weeks, your first instinct was to see if Lune was free as well. But just as you began to type your invitation, you remembered that she worked tonight. Your excitement deflated at the thought of another night ending early, drowning in your doubts and wondering if your relationship was doomed…

“… of a vibe to keep the creeps off of me. It’s just a seedy joint. Not a place you’d be into.”

“Oh really? You don’t think I’m the type to go there?”

You looked up from your phone with the memory, recalling the thought that crossed your mind in that moment.

I wouldn’t mind seeing her at work… especially if what June told me was true…

You turned to check the time and figured if you ate dinner, showered and got ready now, you could be there in two hours.

You ate something light and cleaned up from your day of work, thankful that you got off early and work was easy enough to not leave you completely drained. After your shower you dressed, did your makeup, and collected all your necessary items before leaving the house.

Though June had told you— in her excitement and forgetfulness of her promise to Lune— the club’s name and rough location, you typed it into your maps anyway to see how far it was and get an address for your Uber. With that in hand, you made the trip over, briefly conversing with your driver on the way.

When you arrived at the club, you climbed out of the car and stepped to the small line formed outside of the door. A bouncer at the door checked in everyone that arrived, viewing their ID’s and stamping their hand accordingly. When you reached the door you produced your ID, soon receiving a stamp on the top of your hand before you entered the building.

Inside, strobing lights flashed overhead, the only light to permeate the otherwise dim rooms dotted with tables. All throughout the building, waitresses walked back and forth from the table to the bar, delivering drinks and taking orders. All were dressed in black leotards, fishnet tights, with bunny ears bobbing above their heads on headbands. A live band played on the stage at the end of the room, but was mostly ignored by the tenants.

You stepped up to the hostess table where an unenthused woman waited. She looked at you and began reaching for a menu under the table.

“Just one?”

“Yes… could I be put in Lune’s section?” You asked, taking a step to follow her as she began walking away.

“Pfft- sure.”

You frowned at her tone of amusement and dismissal as she took you to a table and slapped your menu onto it. You quietly thanked her as she walked away but didn’t care if she heard you or not.

You took your seat and looked around, viewing the occupants of the other tables. Seated at most of the tables were men, sitting tensely and looking around in suspense. Viewing them, you counted a majority of younger men, some with pissed girlfriends, but also a handful of lone older men leering at other waitresses that passed by before returning to what kept their attention.

You settled into your seat and waited in growing anticipation for your waitress to arrive. Other women passed around you, with trays carried on their shoulders holding multiple drinks.

“Fuck off before you lose a hand, shithead-”

The all-too-familiar sound of Lune’s growling voice brought you to snap your head in its direction. You saw her standing over a seated man, red lips scowling while she held a platter of empty glasses above her head. Her black leotard fit snugly around her body, cinched at her waist and strapped high on her hips. One of her bunny ears curled down while the other remained straight and upright, and her pastel pink hair hung loose around her shoulders.

She turned away from the table to walk away, her eyes scanning across the room and instantly landing on you.

You, seated at a table in her section. You, wearing little black shorts and black tights, and a see-through lace shirt that showed the black bra you wore underneath.

You smiled at her, growing nervous under her blank stare.

Lune stared at you for several moments in complete silence before a drunken man shouted from a distant table, awakening her from her shock. She took one final look at you before walking away, her tray in hand.

You felt disappointment blossom in your chest, though you didn’t know why. You figured she would be busy and wouldn’t have time to linger at your table, but you also hoped she would at least stop by to say hello once she saw you. Your hopes for the night drastically deflated, left to wonder why Lune appeared uninterested at your presence.

You let your eyes wander around the room, viewing the other waitresses pass by or observing the other customers enjoying their night in the darkness of the rooms, some utilizing their tables being in the far corner to drunkenly feel up their partner.

You let out a huff of air in your solitude, not noticing the person standing at your shoulder and staring down at you.

“Come with me,” Lune spoke suddenly in your ear, grabbing your arm as she urged you to stand. Startled, you obeyed, eyes wide as you were escorted away from your table by Lune.

She walked with you in silence, only causing your gut to churn with worry. Was she mad that you were here? Did you do something wrong? Was this the final straw for her?

Her grip on your arm was commanding and slightly bruising. You could feel your flesh growing tender under her fingers.

Her black heels clicked on the tile as she brought you to a door, entering and crossing through the small kitchen before reaching the break room. The fluorescent lights hummed above as you stood alone in the room with Lune.

Lune released your arm and turned to face you, expression unreadable as her stare alone backed you into the row of lockers set against the wall. Her eyes scanned over you in a brief examination of your outfit.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, voice low, standing over you and effectively cornering you with her body.

“I… I wanted to see you,” you answered, her stare on you feeling heavy and making you warm.

She hardly blinked, her brows just barely twitching in doubt.

“See me, at my job? Why the fuck would you do that?”

You weren’t sure how to answer, thinking it was obvious why. You missed her. You wanted her, but she barely gave you anything to work with. Even now, with doubt and nervousness overtaking your thoughts, you still found her extremely attractive as she kept you pressed against the wall without a touch on your body.

“I… I wanted to surprise you. I was free and I- I just thought… I thought you might like seeing me…”

Lune stared at you intently, as if trying to peer deep within you to see a hidden secret. Something to explain to her why the fuck you cared so much.

She couldn’t understand it— your care and attention for her was baffling. She knew she was a pain in the ass to deal with, to bond or connect with. She struggled to sort her feelings from the ones she borrowed from June but she knew she cared. And she knew she was bad at expressing that she cared about you.

God, Lune just wanted to show you. Fuck if she knew how, but she was growing desperate. Even she could see that as forgiving and as patient as you were, even you were growing restless.

Waiting in her silence, you looked down, already assuming rejection. You felt too cowardly to meet her intense eyes as they remained trained to your every move. You couldn’t see the thoughts running behind her eyes, but going off the way her stare intensified and her brow cinched, you took it as nothing good.

Lune narrowed her eyes and tilted her head down, taking your appearance in again. Her eyes trailed over your legs clothed in the fabric of your black tights, then up to your shorts, and then up further to your torso, clothed in a mesh long-sleeve shirt with lace patterning here and there, showing the black bra worn beneath it.

Subtly, her brow twitched.

‘Fuck. I’m an idiot…’

“… So, you decided to show up here… wearing that?” She asked, her voice drawling and her tongue flicking out to lick her lips.

Your face grew red as you looked down at your outfit that, yes, you hoped would get her attention. Something about her voice made your stomach flip, nerves turning to butterflies.

“Y… yeah… I thought you might like it…”

Your breath hitched as you felt her hand on your hip and her thumb grazing over your waist, the warmth of her finger felt through the lace of your shirt.

She stood over you in silence, breathing softly as she stared intently at your body. She watched you react, your breath flinching but you not fleeing from her touch. You seemed to crave it, leaning into her hand.

You lifted your eyes to finally view her, finding her looming over you, her eyes occupied on your body wrapped in black lace and her face dusted with red.

You bit your lip as you stared at her, finding comfort in the fact she seemed somewhat interested in your appearance— something that you hadn’t seen in her. She wasn’t one to admire as openly as June, and even if you did find Lune looking you over, you couldn’t recognize the muted interest in her eyes.

Lune breathed out slowly as her eyes rose to look into yours. You stared back, waiting for the words you could sense brewing within her.

“I don’t get why… why you care about me,” she mumbled, stepping closer, leaving you truly pinned between her and the locker. “It’s not like I’m a great girlfriend…”

Your eyes grew wide in momentary shock, surprised to hear such words of self doubt said by Lune, or even claim herself to be your girlfriend. In the span of you going out, there had never been a title, no official label of what she was to you.

“Lune…”

You reached up, holding her face in your palms. You watched her, feeling the warmth of her face in your palms. Lune looked away in shame, but allowed her cheeks to rest in your hands.

“I don’t know how to show you that I… I care. In my way.”

Instantly, your features relaxed in relief. You smiled up at her, thumbs stroking beneath her eyes.

“It’s okay… how about we try this…”

As you whispered these words, you leaned closer, eyes lifted to look into hers. When she didn’t move away, you closed the space between you and kissed her.

Lune stood still and motionless for the kiss, taking in the feeling of your lips on hers, of your warm body pressed against her, of your hands sliding along her waist to palm her back. Her brow creased in thought, eyes open, processing this, you, her own diluted feelings..

You began to pull away after no reaction from Lune, eyes peeking open to see a split second of her decided expression before her lips chased after yours and pulled you into a firmer kiss. You gasped as she pinned you against the lockers, a hand placed beside your head and the other holding your hip.

Her eyes closed and brow furrowed in determination, Lune kissed you forcefully, deciding that, yes, she could show you like this. Show you how much she wanted you.

Her mouth moved furiously against yours, tongue slipping into your mouth and writhing against your own. You shuddered, overjoyed to find yourself receiving such passionate affection from your normally stoic girlfriend, your hands on her back, fingers splayed to hold as much of her as you could and pull her closer to your body.

Your breaths mingled together as you breathed each other in, Lune acting as if she was starving for you as she tilted her head at an angle to idle longer in the kiss, making it all the more deeper. Her hips pressed against yours, holding you up against the wall, your heart rate spiking and heat flowing throughout your body.

Sounds from outside, of footsteps and clamoring and a drunken shout, awoke the both of you back to reality. Lune pulled away with a huff, finding you and her still in the break room of her workplace.

You desperately tried to catch your breath after being subjected to no air for longer than you were used to. You stared up at Lune with a dazed look in your eyes, already wanting to coax her back for a third round. Your hands fidgeted with her clothing, itching to take it off. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears, feel the blood pumping all the way down to your toes. You felt red and warm and almost a little tipsy from Lune’s kiss.

Feeling your restless fingers toying with the zipper of her leotard, Lune pulled your wrists away with an easy grip, her eyes holding steady on your face— appearing unphased by your shared kiss with the only exception of her blushing face.

“We- we can’t do that… here…” she mumbled, glancing to the unlocked door that threatened to reveal you and her to an unsuspecting coworker at any moment.

You pouted at her rationality, soothed only when Lune leaned down and began whispering in your ear— her hand traveling down to cup your ass.

“My shift ends in five hours. If you can wait for me at home… maybe I’ll be nice and pick up where we left off…”

You began to speak in agreement, only to be stopped as Lune’s tongue traced over your neck with her hot breath.

“And I’ll make up for leaving you waiting for so long…”

Her tone and her grip on your rear rendered you speechless, mouth hanging open in shock, searching for any words left in your dazed mind.

You watched her step back, her hands leaving your body as much as you wished otherwise. You realized she was waiting for your answer in the following silence, her arms crossed as she stared at you.

“Y-Yeah— yes, I can… I can wait for you,” you answered, somehow still breathless.

You saw the corner of Lune’s mouth twitch up, pleased, or maybe amused by you. She stepped closer to you again, reaching beside you to her locker door. You turned to watch her twist the padlock several times before opening the metal door. She reached inside and procured her keys, jingling on a key ring.

She put them in your hand and looked you over one more time before stepping to the door.

“See you at home.”

#undertale #undertale fic #discord rp origins #discord rp oc #undertale oc x reader #x reader #part 2 #oh boy #you know what #i can see it #3k words #alexithymia #job is vaguely a strip club #simpy finally gets her One Chance

[nadare-writer]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: One Piece (Anime & Manga) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji Characters: Roronoa Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji Additional Tags: Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering, Mushrooms, Sex Pollen, Bathroom Sex, Getting Together, Bisexuality, ZoSan Month, Friends to Lovers, Shameless Smut, One Shot Series: Part 5 of Fic Challenge Prompts 2022-2023 Summary: When Zoro delivers a package to Sanji, he never expects it to completely change the nature of their relationship.

#sanji/zoro #slash #one piece #sex pollen #zosan #zosan month #vinsmoke sanji/roronoa zoro #vinsmoke sanji #roronoa zoro #one piece fanfiction #slash fanfiction #smut #3K words #friends to lovers #getting together #one shot #nadarefanfic

[lostcol]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Men's Hockey RPF Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick Characters: Travis Konecny, Nolan Patrick, Joel Farabee, Kevin Hayes, Carter Hart, Travis Sanheim Additional Tags: Meet-Cute, Sort Of, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Travis Konecny is Not a Hockey Player, Hockey Player Nolan Patrick, Fluff, Humor, Embarrassment, Travis is a bit of a disaster Summary:

Travis, a diehard Flyers fan and looong-time Nolan Patrick fan, works behind the counter at a bakery in Philly. One day, some Flyers start coming in.

#exchange fic #my fic #nolan patrick #travis konecny #tknp #men's hockey rpf #hockey fic #ao3 #rated M #3k words #nhl

[dragonsandwolvesohmy]

So... I'm having thoughts about a previous post of mine, regarding a Gotham Zoo au. (Gotham Zoo AU)

I see this going two ways; Zoo au happens despite of Batman. (aka, Batman's origins still happen, but doesn't go through with becoming Batman.) or Zoo au happens instead of Batman. (Aka, Bruce never considered being Batman, Zoo happens, no superheroes in this universe kinda thing.)

Let's go with Despite Batman first of all. (Be warned, this is along. So friggin' long. As in 3k +)

Bruce finds out about Damian before Dick's parents fall. There's this small child he's created with Talia, who struggles even more than his father in connecting with people. (perhaps Talia handed him over because Damian is on the spectrum?) He's broody, moody, resentful of being treated like a child, and a bit entitled. and he's not even double digits yet. Bruce, in short, has not one clue what to do with his son.

(Alfred help.)

Bruce finds out Damian likes animals when his grumpy little shadow abandons his side for the first time during a gala, because one of the heiresses brought her new, expensive, pure-bred cat.

It's perhaps the only time Bruce has seen his young son show childish interest in anything. Because cat fluffy.

He brings home a tuxedo cat the next day, freshly adopted from the shelter. This prompts a 'teaching moment, master Bruce' from Alfred, where Bruce tries to explain to Damian why adopting is better than buying from a breeder. In the end, he loads a tablet with a bunch of documentaries and docuseries about animals, habitats, endangered species- what that means, and consequently why and what causes these species to be dispearing- and why 'adopt don't shop' is a good thing. There is also a sorta kinda age-appropriate explanation for inbreeding of dogs and cats, and why Damian's new mixed breed, unknown origin cat might have better health, and live longer.

(The first time Bruce sees Damian cry, it's because of a Sarah Mclachlan commercial. Bruce full-on panics. This is how they adopt Titus from the shelter.)

Bruce is making an effort to Bond with His Child. Volunteering at the shelter sees a surefire way to end up with more adopted animals in his house. Alfred would not forgive him for turning the place into a zoo. Hence they go to the actual zoo.

Gotham Zoo... isn't great. There's a tiger who paces around an island of grass surrounded by cement, a few monkeys in artificial trees behind barred glass, some tropical birds, hyenas, a few tarantulae, some stick bugs, and a large pond of koi as a centerpiece to the zoo. It's small, run-down, the animals are healthy, but clearly not happy.

Damian is dismayed. Bruce is... tired and sad and wondering when the little things like the zoo he remembered so much better with rosy childhood memories became so run down.

Bruce buys the zoo.

Alfred is exasperated.

Damian is delighted. He spends more time with Bruce than ever, childhood joy and excitement and energy at the forefront as he shows Bruce all the bits and pieces he's picked up from documentaries, shows, and reading- all too happy to share his special interest with his father, knowing his ideas would be considered if not used.

That's how it starts.

Animal Welfare, and the zoo, become synonymous with the Wayne name by the time Haly's Cirus rolls into town. Bruce takes Damian to see the circus animals, the way they're trained, and the relationship with their caretakers and trainers. As well as assure Damian they're treated okay, and if they aren't, they'll do something.

(The moment he hears the snap of the rope, he's tucking Damian half under his curled body, covering his ears, desperately wishing he could be doing the same to the boy who seemed larger than life when he was flying through the air just moments ago. now he seems so very small.)

When Bruce adopts Dick, he buys Zitka the elephant from Haly's Circus. It means shipping an elephant across multiple states by the time he tracks down the circus, as well as having a proper habitat built in the slowly improving zoo, and hunting down some good and proper caretakers.

(Damian tries to bond with Dick by showing him his ever-growing collection of animal-related media on his tablet, but the older, grieving boy wants nothing to do with them.)

The first time Bruce takes Dick to the zoo, he's withdrawn the whole time, a little resentful over the 'bonding activity. then Bruce takes him to see the new elephant exhibit.

Dick cries when he sees Zitka, hugging her trunk.

They don't leave for hours.

(Dick hugs Damian when they do return to the manor. He asks about elephant documentaries. Damian is very pleased (smug) to say he has multiple he's willing to share.)

Going to the zoo is an everyday thing after that. Dick teaches the keepers there everything he knows about his beloved elephant, from favorite treats (she loves apples) to tricks he knows how to perform with her. Damian likes watching Dick play with Zitka like Damian plays with Titus.

Bruce ends up taking on more management items from the zoo purely because he's there so often. It's when he's staying late, glaring at the paperwork trying to strongarm him into giving up his tiger despite the old cat no longer being in his prime for breeding, that someone breaks in.

(It's Jason.)

Dick is sleeping in a hammock on the 'safe' (trainers) side of Zitka's enclosure, and he's pretty sure Damian is still religiously taking notes about the dusk activities of their python. Yet... there is a child. A child wearing a too-big red hoodie with tiger ears on the top. It's a hoodie sold in the gift shop downstairs, but this one is worn, old stains and frayed cuffs.

(It was his mothers. She took him to the zoo during one of her better moments, when she was sober, when the Waynes showed their completely redone tiger exhibit. it was no longer grass and cement and a feeding ball. It's trees and rocks and shaded areas of viewing glass, a modest sides piece of a tiger's natural habitat for their boy. He's been so much more lively, happier with space and enrichment and good care, drawing the eye of annoying management wanting to breed a tiger passed his prime because he acts like a kitten now.)

Jason broke in because he remembers there being a display of food by the cashier, and he's more likely to get away with stealing food from a closed zoo than any proper store.

Bruce gives him a packaged sandwich, and a bottle of milk, from the little fridge by the cash register. Then find a tiger-themed backpack among the dusty boxes of merchandise in the back rooms, fills it with water bottles, beef jerky, applesauce squeeze pouches, and 'granola bars' that are more like slightly healthier candy bars. He sneaks a board book called 'The Very Brave Little Lion' and a stuffed tiger in the bottom, despite the kid being older than Damian who 'was well passed the age for such simple things, father'.

It lasts Jason a few days on the streets, but he comes back every day for free kids admission to the zoo. It's safer than wandering the streets, and no one looks twice at the kid reading a library book on the bench. (If it's a board book sometimes, well. That's Jason's business.)

He falls asleep, tucked up against the viewing glass of the tiger enclosure, to be woken by Bruce making the nighttime rounds to see the animals before taking Damian home to go to bed. He takes three sons back to the manor that night.

(Bruce calls Jason his little tiger unironically. Jason allows this with token protests. Tigers led him to his new family, after all. Privately, he thinks it might've been his mom looking down on him. making sure he knew where to go when she was gone.)

Barbara comes to the Waynes by way of a protest. She's protesting zoos; animals shouldn't be entertainment, they should be in their natural habitat, outrage at the treatment of animals, at humanity abusing them for their own gain.

Bruce takes her around the zoo. Shows her the enrichment, the detailed meal plans for each and every animal. The habitats meant to be a piece of natural habitat in the city. The safety measures for both animals and humans. Their conservation efforts, their efforts to raise awareness of habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and more. The way their elephant herd may only be three large, but it's because there's a mother-daughter pair living with Zitka, and elephants grow their herds via family; when the mother or Zitka has babies, the herd will grow. Ideally, they'll have eight or more elephants, but they don't want to cause any upheaval with the current matriarch- no need to stress her or cause fighting with another, mature female wanting to lead the herd- or try to merge more families. If an orphaned elephant needs a home, but can't live in one of the sanctuaries meant to raise, then release orphaned elephants back in the wild, Gotham zoo will gladly take them, assuming the existing herd of three takes to them. Their other animals are solitary by nature. Other than the elephants, they haven't taken in any animals- from the wild, from confiscation with illegal pet trade, from other zoos- instead focusing on making the animals already there has the best life they could. Be it better food, habitats, enrichment, etc. these animals can't be released, so they do the best they can for them.

Then, Bruce takes Barbara to the office. He offers her a job. 'Be our moral compass, you can change the zoo from the inside. Do what's best for the animals. If that means a zoo is the only way that animal will survive, can you handle that?'

She can. She takes the job. She runs that office like she was born to. She likes digging dirt on any animal-related person she comes across. How do other zoos treat their animals? sanctuaries? Is conservation happening or is it breeding for public entertainment? Who's doing what's best for animals, and who needs the full force of animal welfare brought down on them? Turns out having the Gotham Zoo backing you makes animal activism more easily heard.

Barbara wants what's best for animals, no matter what. Sometimes that means human care. Sometimes that means release into the wild. She refuses to give up her values; in the ideal world, all animals would be wild, there would be no more zoos, no more captivity, except for the animals who wouldn't survive in the wild, and even then, it'd be more of a national park/haven situation for animals. That's the ideal- they aren't there yet, but Barbara will do what she can to make this zoo one less problem. One step closer to the idea.

Tim comes on a school field trip and just... never stops. He takes pictures of the animals, of their habitats, of every little detail he could get. The increased security for animal safety- no public getting into enclosures, little chance of someone 'dropping' something in. The plants found all around the world, and the different terrane carefully mimicked to make an animal's space as close to natural habitat as possible. Animals playing, sleeping, exploring, interacting. All of it.

(Poison Ivy keeps growing plans in their zoo, and Bruce has to pay for a lot of corporate clean-up before he gets a meeting with her to ensure she only grows safe plants for their animals, and only ones found in their natural habitats, please. she agrees, but only because the zoo if taking good care of the animal habitat plants, and has a whole program related to turning animal waste into fertilizer, which then goes back into green spaces in Gotham, including the plants at the zoo. They try to grow food for their animals, after all, instead of buying it where they can.)

Tim inadvertently gets photos of Harley Quinn stealing the hyena pair and takes them immediately to Bruce. Bruce gets the hyenas back. The Drakes do not get their son back. The little photographer is theirs, and his photos of the zoo if their number one advertisement strategy. Especially for the Scarlet Macaw flock- two paired birds and their eight collective offspring- which are Tim's favorite animals in the zoo. He loves the bright red of the bird's feathers.

He loves even more when the head keeper of the birds starts training him to train the birds. Dick, by now a full-grown elephant handler/keeper/trainer, is delighted by this kid who starts training brightly colored birds to do tricks for enrichment. Babs is less than pleased. Macaws, despite being kept as pets, are not domesticated animals. However, Tim approaches it more like falconry- these 'tricks' he's teaching aren't meant to be 'cool', they're meant to engage natural, wild behavior, in a safe, regulated way. Babs allows it, but keeps a close eye.

Cas is brought to the Waynes by the Justice League. Bruce has been lowkey funding them since they busted some black market animal trade going on, and arrested a bunch of poachers and people with 'exotic pets'. In turn, sometimes the league calls upon Bruce to find them various animal/habitat/climate experts to help them with something they've encountered. In this case, they encounter an alarming amount of various venomous snakes, being cared for by a mute, terrifyingly lethal girl. Cas gets to fly Air Superman to the zoo, because the league doesn't know what to do with all these snakes other than taking them to the only zoo they know well, and silently instructs reptile keepers on all the snakes. at least until they're put into zoos better equipped for them, or dubbed releasable into the wild by experts.

Cas never leaves, unlike most the snakes. She stays with the Waynes. So does a blind Black Mamba.

Cas is worryingly close to the snake. this never changes, but she reluctantly shifts to protective contact to ensure it's less likely she- or anyone else- will be bit by one of the most venomous snakes in the world.

(Steph walks into the Waynes life one day and never leaves. No one's really sure where she came from, but she's there, and they love her, so they don't care. She works more on the domestic animal side of things, which gets the whole family into ensuring Gotham's animal shelters are up to par with their standard for animal care. She's the Barbara of cats, dogs, ferrets, and other domestic pets. except more likely to bully people into better treatment rather than Babs shaming, throwing the law into their faces to get them shut down, to steadily ruining them in any number of ways.)

Duke comes on as a Veterinarian, intending to work with domestics, but there's an internship at the zoo and he takes it because how could he not? He works with the emperor tamarin monkeys there, and the funky mustache-wearing monkeys convince him to stay with the zoo even after he finished his degree.

Duke is also the one to convince Bruce to expand the zoo. He asks if they can look into expanding their primates via rescues; just keep an eye out to take any in, as the zoo hasn't taken in any animals except the elephants since Bruce bought it.

Bruce says he'll think about it. No chimps, though. Chimps are vicious, Bruce doesn't like them. Too violent, too triggering for him.

Bruce presents him with a family unit of golden lion tamarin rescued from a fire, deemed unreleasable due to various injuries and disabilities. Dick loves the bright golden orange monkeys.

Dick stays with his elephants, but he also gets to start working with rhinos. He loves a rhino named Exxy, who was rescued after poachers almost killed her for her horn. She lived, barely, but her snout is mutilated where her horn used to be. Dick thinks she's beautiful.

His favorite animal will forever be Zitka, however, closely followed by Zitka's baby with an elephant Superman brought to the zoo. Rescued from inhumane treatment in the south, in a privately owned theme park. He's a good bull, a gentle soul to Zitka's brightness, and their baby is precious. Dick stayed in the keeper's side of the elephant habitat most of Zitka's pregnancy and was the first to meet the baby after having been there when they were born. Dick loves them dearly.

(Dick names the baby 'Nightwing')

Jason prepares to beg for Bruce to take in a lion from New York. The male can't stay with the current pride there, having grown to the point he's competing with the pride leader for unrelated females in the pride, and they don't currently have the resources to keep him. Not when it means a new exhibit, plus finding him his own females to form a pride. Jason's tiger was passed his prime before Jason started getting his degree in animal sciences, and eventually, he had to be put down from age-related issues. He's been working with various animals in the park, but he misses working with big cats.

Bruce redoes the whole habitat previously housing Jason's beloved tiger, and soon Gotham Zoo is home to a lion named Rizu. (it means brave. Jason reads him the board book he's kept all this time on the ride from New York to Gotham.)

Tim slowly moves on from only training only red macaws, into raptors, then vultures. He still takes pictures, which are plastered all over the zoo, their advertisements, and sometimes travels to other approved zoos to take photos for them too. He likes his bird, however. They challenge him to challenge them. sometimes they're too smart for their own good. (Yes, he means the crows he's started training to pick up litter in exchange for treats. Don't tell Babs or Steph. They'll murder him.)

Cas gets some snakes back. Black Mama (her blind black mamba) is still her favorite, but she's loving the little group of pancake tortoises Bruce got her. (Green Arrow brought the Gotham zoo a chimp one of his 'not villains' had. Bruce refused to keep the chimp. He reached out to everyone on the approved list to find another place for the chimp- any place- and the only one that would take it would only do so if they took a group of pancake tortoises seized from illegal ownership. Bruce snapped the deal up quickly. No Chimps.)

In other news, completely unrelated, Green Arrow is not allowed in Gotham Zoo.

On the other hand, Black Canary and Wonder Woman are absolutely allowed at the zoo. Why? Because they brought Cass' Rosie to the zoo. Who's Rosie? A 132-pound (60kg) freshwater crocodile.

Rosie is Cas' baby.

Steph deals with all their acquisitions, ensuring their rescues, and works with Babs to get animals released. She still works mostly with domestic animals to ensure they're treated well, but she really likes busting black market, illegal pet trade/animal poaching, and making sure the animals find safe, healthy homes.

She finds Tim a toucan.

Tim loves his toucan. His name is Reed. He don't take no shit from crows and seems to be coordinating their efforts to keep the zoo litter free. (to the alarm of everyone else.)

As for Damian? For now, he's bouncing around working with any animal who needs him that day. He's looking into starting up a petting zoo with Steph, especially wanting to show alpacas and their story of domestication and treatment for wool. While waiting for everything to fall in place, he's working on the education part of the zoo. He's the driving force behind the department; from signage, to field trips, to fundraisers, to research. He wants everyone to know about animals, how they're threatened and could do their part to save them.

(He butts heads with Babs about zoos. He believes zoos, when done right, are great for animals. Babs is of the opinion all wild animals should be wild, no zoos, only sanctuaries when needed. Damian thinks that's unrealistic. They argue this many, many times. They never come to an agreement, nor budge their opinions, just go in circles until they're distracted from fighting.)

Eventually, he'll take over the zoo. Until then, he likes educating people.

...Where's Alfred, you ask? Exasperated his family spends more time in a zoo than at home. When he said the manor was turning into a zoo, he did not mean, go buy a zoo to spend more time in than at home. However, he loves his family, he loves what they're trying to achieve to better animal lives, and better the planet for animal habitats. He's proud of them. (And look, Master Bruce, all the children went to College. and finished. look at that.)

(He dearly loves the little group of penguins Bruce shyly got because they reminded him of Alfred.)

#batfamily #batdad #zoo au #batfam #batman #tim drake #jason todd #timothy drake #dick grayson #nightwing #bruce wayne #cassandra wayne #barabra gordon #damian wayne #dcu #batfam zoo #batfam zoo au #3k words #excuse the spelling mistakes #i wrote this when i should have been sleeping #can you tell I have complicated feelings about zoos? #post to ao3? maybe?

[jacqcrisis]

Apologies to Left Turn readers, but it may be going on a short hiatus. It appears I'm back on my Hades bullshit just for a bit.

More specifically, my Fallout Hades bullshit.

#jacq writes #finished the outline #3k words #i like what this could shape up to be #it'll be my first time doing a dual narrative in a long time #dont worry its in 3rd POV #im gunna start writing the first part and see how it feels

[fanfiction-dot-rec]

The Gotham Onion (The Gonion, if You Will)

READ HERE

Author: southby

Fandom: DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types

Word Count: 3,028

Chapters: 1/1

Part of a Series: Part 2 of Jason Todd Gets Force Fed Therapy and Siblings

Rating: Not Rated

Category: Gen

Archive Warnings: Creator chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Summary: Jason had zero intention of ever telling anyone he liked to write, much less that he accidentally became the secret author behind Gotham city's newest media obsession.

CONTENT WARNINGS, TAGS, AND MY OPINIONS UNDER THE CUT

CONTENT WARNINGS: None 

TAGS: Jason Todd & Damian Wayne & Other(s), Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Barbra Gordan,  Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Oracle (DCU), Barbra Gordan, Brotherly Love, Brotherly Bonding, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Good Sibling Damian Wayne, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Bruce Wayne Needs Therapy, Actually, They all need therapy

MY OPINION

This gave me a good few chuckles. I’m the type of person who absolutely loves satire, and thus I am also a fan of The Onion. I’m sure any version of The Onion in the DC universe has so much more material to work with purely because of the level of absurdity in most comics. I had to actively stop myself from smiling like a maniac when I read this.

#dcu #dcu batman #batman fanfiction #Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #Bruce Wayne #Barbara Gordon #Not Rated #3k words

[ghostcat3000]

1 Thing by Ghostcat

(a SKAM Friends with Benefits AU)

Chapter One: Sunday

#evak fic #happy belated birthday to my fictional tv fave #Isak Valtersen #Ghostcat fics #SKAM #SKAM fic #rated M #1/out of a likely 3 or 4 based on the edit #Friends with Benefits AU #3k words

[theruinsofalcion]

Chapter 1 - Ye of Good Faith

I'm so excited to post the first chapter here! Hope you all have a good time reading it, and I'll post the second chapter soon.

"There is work to be done in Foldreast. If you or any compatriots are available, I am looking for hired help. Research, Traveling, and More. Pay dependent on length of service.

If you are interested, Please come to the Good Faith Inn and show this Flier. Compensation for Travel will be provided. 

Signed, 

C.Galore."

That was the sign that had caught Malon's attention. It had been plastered on a signpost in Bridgertown. It had been old but the due date for the request wasn't for another month, and the numbers at the bottom that talked about payment had been promising. She'd needed to go to Foldreast anyway, there were some farmers interested in buying her flock of sheep, and the shepherdess needed the money for the oncoming seasons. 

That had been almost a month ago, and Malon now found herself in the bustling village of Foldreast. She had sold her flock already, saying goodbye to each one of the sheep before handing them away to the man who paid her three alems for each. That amount alone would keep her well fed for a while, but why not see what other jobs she could get done while in town anyway. 

Malon took her time walking around town. She didn't stand out in the small crowd of other people going about their day, she dressed in a brown skirt and beige blouse, the only color present in a long faded purple sash tied around her waist and long red hair that fell down her back. She had her satchel of things slung over her shoulder, filled with the bare necessities she needed to live. Azelma, her horse, had already been boarded at the Good Faith Inn, where Malon was now headed.

The town of Foldreast bustled with life. Right outside the Good Faith Inn were large bushes as well as rows upon rows of plant life. The roads weren’t paved but they were worn down enough by footravel that they might as well be. Benches and unlit lanterns dotted the road that the three were walking down, other shops such as a Tailors or Bookkeepers served as landmarks. As soon as Malon had entered the town, she had felt the buzz of magic around the town, the white noise that came with the constant use of magic in a small area.

The Good Faith Inn was fairly large. It was made of wood and a light brown stone that could only be found in the surrounding mountains. There were clearly parts of it that Malon could tell were added on later, extra rooms, a small shed behind it, the stables right next to it. The double doors were wide and welcoming, with colored glass giving the inside a warm appearance. Malon pushed through one of the doors, and was greeted with a dozen conversations all at once. Multiple people sat at tables and talked excitedly with one another, others played cards and drank, all of them were enjoying themselves thoroughly. 

The inn had two floors, the second floor having  a balcony that stretched across the main room, where people could sit and watch what happened below, or simply keep to themselves, two hallways and a staircase led to the multiple rooms that one could stay in for a night. The main room itself had many tables and chairs, and at the back a wide bar and shelves full of alcohol ready for purchase. There was a small set of swinging doors that led to a backroom, good smelling food being brought out every few minutes, steaming hot and ready to eat. Someone was playing a piano that sat on the top floor, a happy tune that didn't seem too complicated to replicate. 

Malon pulled the flier out of her bag and approached the woman at the bar. She had amber skin and dark brown wavy hair pulled into a bun, no older than thirty. She wore an apron covering a pale blue dress, and smiled when she saw Malon. She set down the rag she was cleaning the counter with and wiped her hands. "How can I help you?" Her voice was warm and genuine.

"Hey there," Malon's voice was cold in comparison. She cleared her voice and tried to sound lighter. "I'm here because of this." She showed the woman the flier. "Would you know anything about this?"

The woman's face dropped, what used to be a smile was now tired and resigned. "Yeah, I'd know what that's about. You wouldn't be the first to ask for him."

"Him?"

"Caleb, or Galore I guess. He's the one looking for people. He's going to hold a meeting talking about this job here soon, there's a few people staying here waiting for him."

"When's the meeting?"

"Tomorrow actually, you came just in time." She smiled again, trying to shrug off the tired look in her eyes. "I can set you up with a room if you'd like?"

"Sure, smallest you have." Malon pulled out her coin purse, happy with how full it was. 

"Don't worry about paying, the flier says compensation for travel." The woman assured her. 

"Are you sure? I can pay."

"I'm sure you can, but so can he." She said it with such surety that Malon didn't feel like it was her place to question her. "You can take room three on the second floor, here's the key, dinner is whenever you want it before ten at night."

Malon took the key and nodded to the woman. "Thanks."

"No problem, hope you have a good stay."

Malon found her way to her room. It was small with only a bed, a single pillow, two blankets, and a dresser drawer that held a lantern and a shallow basin filled with water. Malon checked inside the drawer and found nothing but a dusty cobweb and some abandoned paper. There was a window above the bed that looked out to the roads below, Malon closed the curtain that was provided to give herself some privacy before collapsing on the bed. It was late in the day, and she should get her food soon, but Malon was tired from riding and walking all day. 

So she closed her eyes, and slept through the entire night. 

The next morning was calm, Malon woke up surprised that she had been able to sleep through the entire night. There had been another person behind the bar that greeted her and given her a simple breakfast. She'd learned that the meeting would be held at noon, in one of the backrooms the inn had for small private events like this.

She was sitting in it now, alone because she was the first person to arrive. She kicked her legs back and forth, wondering when other's would start arriving. She'd began to count the floorboards when somone pulled the narrow door open. 

An Avia shuffled through. He was tall and lanky, with ashey brown skin. The wings on his back and feathers that crept up his face were a soft min green. He was able to make it through the door and waved violently when he saw Malon. "Hey there! I'm Kylyre, but you can call me Kyle!" He sat down forcefully, and tucked his wings behind him. "So about this job you posted about, consider me very interested."

Malon stared at him for a second. "I'm sorry, but I'm not the guy that posted about the job."

"Oh no, oh no I'm so sorry." Kylyre, or Kyle, was blushing violently. "I uh, I thought-" he trailed off into silence.

"Yeah." Malon bounced her head lightly. "I'm here for the same reason though, so you're not lost."

"Oh, oh that's good." Kyle looked away from her, still embarrassed. "I had my whole speech memorized too." He mumbled. 

"You can still say it. It's not like I'll tell him you had it planned."

"Would you? That'd be nice."

"Sure. I'm Malon by the way." She offered her name, since she already knew what Kyle's name was. 

Kyle perked up, and flashed her a wide grin. "Nice to meet you, Malon! You look around my age too, what brings you here?" 

Malon didn't even consider being candid "Money." The research and travel might end up being interesting, but she'd do anything if it paid decent and gave her something to do.

"Nice, me too. I saw this weird flier at a settlement that promised twenty five alems a month, that's a steal! So I had to come check it out and see if it's any good." He talked excitedly, waving his hands around as he spoke, all pretenses about talking to a stranger were gone. 

The door opened again and in came two teenagers, younger than Malon by a few years at least. The first was a boy with shiny blond hair and a poor man's excuse for armor. The other was a girl who was wearing a yellow dress and a bored expression. Both of them took their seats, not bothering to introduce themselves. A few more people entered, and Malon saw the first adult of the night. A lady with wrinkles on her face and a hard expression, and a man with a shaved head and few missing teeth. 

The two teenagers talked to each other, but the rest of them stayed silent. After a few moments of silence, the door was opened a final time. This time by the woman that Malon had talked to the night before, she was in a hushed conversation with a man behind her.

"-Can't we talk about this later Clarissa." He sounded defeated.

"Oh I'd like to see you try getting out of this conversation later." She sounded a little upset. There was a sigh, and the man strode through the door that she shut after him. He looked disgruntled, but shook himself and straightened his posture. 

He was a Tissian man who dressed finely with a crisp blue waistcoat and an undershirt that gathered at his sleeves and covered his neck. Decorated with a dark blue ascot. His silvery white hair fell in wisps around his face and was loosely pulled back, showing off his pale skin, thin face, and sharp, pointed ears that were decorated with gold earrings. Everything was tailored to fit him perfectly, and he held himself with all the importance of a king that was meeting with rabid thieves. Everything about him appeared perfect. 

Except for the hat. 

There was a brown deerstalker hat that was too large for his head haphazardly thrown on, and it looked utterly out of place. Ridiculous even. 

"Good afternoon everyone." He had a pronounced accent and a smooth voice. "My name is Cassius Galore, it's good to meet all of you."

Funny, Malon thought. Didn't that lady say that his name was something else? She waved that thought away and concentrated on what Galore was saying. She was interested in this job after all. 

"I’m sorry, your end goal here is what?"

Galore, sitting across from Malon, didn't hesitate to repeat himself. "I said my end goal here was to kill The Beast." 

"If your end goal is to kill the beast, why on earth are we here then?" She countered, "I didn’t sign up for a death mission?"

"I said my goal was to kill him. My goal for you is to have you all get some research done for me."

The Beast was the demon that had brought upon the apocalypse almost a hundred years ago. From what Malon could remember from word of mouth, had come from hell to take over their world as they knew it. There had been an earthquake, accompanied by a week of constant rain, snow, sleet, ash, and everything else imaginable falling from the sky. It scorched the earth for decades, and killed more than half of Alcion’s population. The world was just starting to get on its feet again. 

The beast never left Alcion. No, the shadowy figure had spent its energy destroying the world, and now hoarded itself in Alten, the once capital of Alcion, and is said to have never left the castle. Most people didn't know what it looked like, let alone if it could be killed. 

Another voice rose up "And how are we ‘sposed to just sit back and just do some research’n when we know your gonna try and up and kill that goddess damned thing?" It was the woman with the lined face.

"There are a lot of unseen factors, research is a very practical and important factor when it comes to-"

"When it comes to nothin’ I say." She got up. "I’m out of here, You said you’d pay my dues for traveling here and my stay at the inn?"

The man wordlessly pulled out a bag, and handed her Ten alems. "For your troubles then." She grabbed them from his hand, and left the room, leaving the others watching. "The research I’m looking to conduct is on lost ruins. I know that doesn’t narrow it down much seeing as we live in Alcion, but I am specifically looking for the three Temples of the Gods."

Malon couldn’t help but snort "Aren’t those lost? Since forever?"

"They happen to be, yes. Hence all of the researching and traveling mentioned in my flier. I don’t why any of you are surprised by this, it was all implied."

"I’m sorry, but killing the scourge of the living realm wasn’t exactly implied."

"And as I recall, I never asked you to partake in that particular quest." He sighed. "I’m looking for a group to travel around Alcion, and find the location of all three. They’re not as lost as some people might think they are."

"Then why are you asking us to do it?" The man with missing teeth asked.

"I’m not asking you to do anything, I’m paying you." Galore was growing increasingly exasperated. "I have some things that I need to do that will further my plans."

"So we’re just part of a plan huh?" He countered, sneering.

"If you’re intent on just picking arguments with me, you can leave."

He got up, and as Galore paid him his due, he tried to snatch the purse away from him.

Several things at once happened. 

There was a knife at the man's throat, held courtesy of Galore himself. Malon was also standing, ready to cast a spell if needed. Kyle had a long and thin sword drawn, and the two teens in the corner sat in the corner looking dumbfounded. 

The man let his hands drop, and stepped away. No one stopped him as he quickly left the building.

"Well" Galore put his knife down. Malon hadn’t seen where it had come from. "That was certainly unexpected." He eyed the rest of them. "Good to see you’re at least confident in your skills to fight."

Of course they were, Malon thought. Ever since the Collapse of Alcion, not one person left their hometown without knowing how to defend themselves. Monsters could be around any corner, not to mention thieves, or other unsavory persons. 

"You, are you a spellcaster?" He singled out Malon.

"I am." Spellcasters, or mages, weren’t entirely rare. Everyone in Alcion, or even the world, Malon didn’t know, were able to use magic to some degree. But it was a toss up on how good a person was, or what they specialized in.

"That’s good." He nodded, "Now please tell me that none of you are going to try and rob me, or argue nonsensical things that don’t matter."

Kyle shrugged, "That’s not why I’m here." He looked to Malon and the teenagers. "Are you?"

"What? No! But if I were, why would I tell you that?" The boy protested. The girl stood up and tugged on sleeve. Malon could hear him try to protest, but soon the two of them were out the door in a rush, arguing the way down.

Malon shook her head watching them go, "Anyway like I just said, I’m here to see what you're on about, killing the Beast or no."

Galore sighed, "Well I guess that would make two of you." He said, the room feeling quite empty with only the three of them."Do you two remember the Collapse? Well I guess not remember, you'd be a bit old if you did. Do you two remember the story of the collapse?" He paused briefly, but continued talking before Malon or Kyle were even able to answer his question. "The downfall of Alcion was a disaster decades in the making. But one of the direct causes was the Beast overtaking many sacred places, and loosening the grip of the gods on this earth. The god’s power on earth is directly linked to their temples, it’s their place of residence. Taking those out, by overpowering and hiding them was the most strategically important thing that the Beast had done, although taking out is a strong word, poisoning them is more correct. But without these points of power, gods couldn’t stop the Beast before it was too late. Only able to trap it in the confines of Aitan." He spoke like he was giving a history lecture. 

"Wait, is that why it never leaves the capital?" Kyle frowned, "I thought it just didn't like moving."

  "There are many reasons, I assure you. The popular myth that it was just too tired to leave Aitan is true, for the first part. It rested there for a time, and that is when the gods tied it down to the castle. So while the world still feels the effects of its rampage, the capital is still currently living it." He paused for a second "But I am getting horrible sidetracked. I believe that if we find these three temples and clear them, I’ll have a better shot at killing the Beast." Finishing his explanation he looked at the two of them. "Now it’s going to be your job to find them, no more no less. I have some leads, and the money to get you started." 

"I’m down!" Kyle responded quickly. "It’s a lot more than I was expecting, but it sounds alright!" 

Malon shrugged, "Sounds like a good way to kill some time."

"Well if you’re up to the task, your first is to visit a friend of mine, she has most of the equipment you’ll be using." Galore wrote an address down on a slip of paper, and passed it to them, Malon was the one to take it. As the two of them got up, Galore did as well. "If you two are the ones that I’ll be employing, after you are finished there please return to the Inn and we’ll move on from there."

They all agreed, and were soon out of the room, pushing into the much busier main room of the Inn. It was mid afternoon, and there was a large amount of people that were either getting an early dinner or a late lunch. The Lady who had been arguing with Galore and talked to Malon yesterday, greeted them as they exited. "Did you have a good time back there? I saw a lot of you leave."

"We had a good time!" Kyle chirped, "By the way, thanks for showing me back there Ms Kruger."

"It was nothing. And please, call me Clarissa." Malon stood as Kyle quickly caught Clarissa up on what happened. "So he’s sending you on a research mission?" Clarissa repeated "Well I hope you’re getting off on the right foot, Caleb can be quite-" She paused, "Difficult." Her voice grew colder as she annunciated the last word. 

"Wait- Caleb? I thought his name was Cassius."  

Clarissa shook her head and went back to wiping at the table. "He’s changed his name a few times. I wouldn't question it."

"Do you know each other then?"

Clarissa faltered for a second "We do. Although we hardly talk anymore."

"You don’t seem to like him a lot." Kyle added.  

"Well, things change."

"Did he do something?" Kyle kept on asking "See I’ve only known him for half an hour, but he doesn’t seem like the best guy to hang around with, really he feels like just another rich guy who’s a little bit rude to other people and-"

Someone cleared their throat, and Kyle stopped. Galore was standing next to the table with his arms folded. "Don’t you have someplace to be?"

Wordlessly, Kyle turned and walked away, Malon caught a glimpse of his blushing face. She followed, giving Clarissa a short nod goodbye. As she left she could hear a curt "Good to see you, Clarissa." followed by an even colder "Galore."

What the hell had she just gotten herself into?

#the ruins of alcion #chapter 1 #new chapter #writblr #ye of good faith #formatting is weirder on tumblr oh whoops #authors on tumblr #aspiring author #book #fiction #3k #3.4k #3k words

[kin-the-muffin]

you have no idea how happy i am that i finally finished this

ive had this in my drafts for months

i made my own outertale sans

his name is altair

i love him very much

yes the following is entirely self-indulgent

dont judge

You slammed the door shut, locking it behind you as you tossed your backpack onto the couch. You brushed your hands through your hair and fought back tears but to no avail.

“Hey, how’d the first day go?” You heard your roomate, Avery, say from their room.

“Fine,” You called back, quickly retreating to your room so as to avoid more humiliation. You didn’t know your new roomate very well, so you couldn’t trust them to understand. Or at least not make fun of you. The only interactions you’d had with them in the past two weeks of living together was when they invited you to parties or told you it was your week for chores. Eventually, even those conversations ceased. They realized you weren’t a fellow party-goer and figured you had gotten the gist of the housework schedule.

Dropping that train of thought, you picked a book off of your nightstand and lied on your bed. You should have started studying but you really needed to let off some steam after today. Plus you had left your backpack in the front room so you couldn’t risk Avery seeing your tear-stained face and giving you a sympathetic attitude you both knew they didn’t really mean.

Shaking off those depression-accompanied thoughts, you focused on your book.

You were barely through the fifth chapter when you heard Avery shout from the living room.

“I’m going to Lilo’s party. Don’t wait up and don’t wake me up tomorrow.”

You sighed, “Don’t you have exams this week?”

They didn’t hear you, or if they did, they just didn’t care. Not that you had expected them to. The front lock clicked and the door opened.

You were about to return to your book when Avery again interrupted your thoughts.

“Oh, well hello there.” They had put on their flirty voice so you figured it was a monster boy, their current center of attraction.

Whoever he was, he talked a lot quieter than Avery, so you couldn’t make out any specifics of what he was saying.

“Well that depends on who’s looking for ‘em,” you could almost hear them winking at the poor monster.

After a moment of what you assumed was the boy talking, Avery replied, “What’s a fine man like you want with Y/N?” They sounded almost annoyed at what he had said.

You finally put your book down at the mention of your name and sat on your bed, listening.

You could tell that Avery was trying to whisper now, though you doubted anyone else could, as their volume only decreased a little, “I’m plenty friendly, say, here’s an idea: you ditch the wallflower, join me on a short ride, and I’ll take you out for the time of your life.”

You would have been offended, though you still had no idea who in the stars they were talking to.

You guess he finally told them off, as they huffed, mumbled a gruff good-bye and closed the door. All was silent so you could only assume that Avery had left. Without a second thought towards your unstable roommate, you returned to your book.

You nearly dropped it on your face when a knock on your door startled you. The door opened a crack and you warily sat up. The sliver stretched to reveal who it was. Your eyes widened and your face broke out into a smile.

You jumped off of your bed and into Altair’s arms, burying your face into the fluff on his hood. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see his freckles glow a soft blue and you smiled. You’d been dating for at least five months now and he still got flustered whenever you showed affection. Of which you had a lot for him.

If it wasn’t obvious enough, you were overjoyed that he was here. You hadn’t seen him since you left home to head to college three weeks ago.

“Wait, what are you doing here?” you pulled your face out and looked at him questioningly.

Then he made that face at you. The one that said that he was amused by your antics. He grinned slightly, one eyebrow raised, and a light glow exuded from his freckles. What did you do that’s so funny??

“Today is the thirteenth, isn’t it..?” He asked.

“What? No, it’s the twe-“ you stopped and thought. Your eyes went wide.

He laughed, “But we talked about today yesterday.”

“Was that yesterday?”

“Yes,” he chuckled.

“I am so sorry! I didn’t- okay, I kind of did forget, but I didn’t mean to!! My plan was that class would end and I would pick you up at the train station and take you to the beach, but things got so hectic and class was awful and-“ Stop talking, dangit.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he interrupted the word-vomit, took your face in his hands, and looked in your eyes. “I get it. I’m here, aren’t I? I got here alright. I’m just glad I had your apartment address. Everything’s okay.”

“But you were-“

“Nope.” He put a finger over your mouth. “We’re not doing that today. I heard mention of a beach, is what we’re doing today?” He grinned.

“Uhhh, did you say that?” That was supposed to be a surprise! Why did you say that??

“I believe you did, actually.” He booped your nose and leaned back against the door frame.

“Uh- well- I, um-“ Oh, screw it. You sighed, “That was supposed to be a surprise…”

“Pfft, just because I know it’s a beach, doesn’t mean I can’t be surprised, right?” He offered a hand for you to take.

You put yours in his and your fingers folded together. Closing your eyes, you drifted toward him and put your cheek against his chest. You just stood there for a few minutes, you listening to the barely-discernible sound of his soul pulsing inside his ribcage, him putting his other arm around you and waiting.

Once your thoughts stopped racing around each other, you sighed and opened your eyes.

“We should probably go now if we don’t want to miss the sunset. I still can’t believe you haven’t seen it yet.” You said.

“What are you talking about? The first month back on Earth, I watched it every morning.”

“Only from your house. You haven’t seen it,” you insisted as you leaned away from his peaceful aura, “Not really. Not yet.” A smile creeped out and you tapped between his eyes.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” He raised his hands in surrender, “Show me what I’ve missed, Nine.” He grinned right back at you.

Taking his hand, you led him outside and into the passenger seat of my car. You climbed into the driver’s seat and switched the car on.

As you pulled out of the parking lot, you remembered something, “That reminds me, how is your driving going?” Since monsters had returned to Earth, those who wanted to drive had to take a nine-week course. There was a lot of annoyance at the length once monsters realized that the courses for humans were much shorter, but there wasn’t much anyone could do. Even though monsters have been living on Earth for quite a while now, there’s still a lot of mistrust towards them. Most of it unwarranted, in your opinion. But anyways, Altair was currently in the driving hours phase.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Altair grumbled.

“Whoa, that bad?” That surprised me, since you had met Altair, he had been really optimistic about everything, curious and excited by many new things here. He never grumbled about anything. Scratch that, he only grumbles about politics, though you can’t say you blame him for that.

“It’s been a month since class finished and I only have two hours in.”

“Oof, I didn’t know you hated driving so much.”

“Eh, that’s on me. You would if I texted more often.”

“Hey, I’m the one with bad communication skills here.”

He smirked at you, “Okay, okay, I’m bad at texting and you’re bad at communicating your feelings.”

“Wha- I- that’s a low blow, dude,” you stammered.

“You didn’t deny it.”

“Denying it! You are dead wrong, handsome.”

He pretended to be thinking for a moment, “Hmm, no, that’s impossible. I am an astronomer and a marine biologist! Scientists are never wrong.”

“Ah, ah, ah! You are a marine biologist-in-training. Don’t think you can pull the wool over my eyes so easily.” Smirking, you looked at him out of the corner of your eye for a moment.

“Hmph…at least I’m still an astronomer and that has to count for something, right?”

“Weeeellll… Technically, your degree doesn’t count for much until the curriculums from Starter University are approved.”

He mock-gasped in horror, “You would doubt the scientific prowess that is Professor Willhem Kansay?! He is a modern genius and an awesome entrepreneur. I am offended that you would suggest anything that would downplay his scientific achievements.”

You chuckled. It was mean of you to go after his old school but he acted really cute and funny when he was defending something against the attacks of others.

“Professor Kansay is a modern genius.”

“You already said that, Altair,” you said with a smile.

“Only because it’s true,” he huffed.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Kansay is pretty cool.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, look at that.” You decided to change the subject. “We’re here! And we have yet to miss the sunset. Yes! Would you mind helping me with the stuff in the back?” You parked the car and turned it off.

“No problem.”

He climbed out and walked to the back of the car. You popped the trunk and he started to unload the trunk. You hopped out and joined him.

“Whoa, dude! Chill!” You tried to hold back your laughter. Altair was trying his best to pile all of your stuff on his back, “We don’t even need all this!” You pulled things off of him and packed it back into your car.

“What? Then why’s it here?”

“Because I’m bad at cleaning my car, okay? C’mon.” You swung a backpack over your shoulder, shut the trunk, and locked the car.

“Hey-! What do I carry?” He called over to you.

“Well, if you wanna help so bad,” you reached into the backpack, yanked out a blanket, and tossed it at him, “then here.” You laughed a little, as your aim had gone right past his open hands and straight at his face, covering his head. You walked back to him and lifted the edge of the blanket. “You okay in there?”

He chuckled lightly, his freckles glowing brightly, “I’m fine. Uh, oh.”

“What is it?”

“It’s getting dark,” He pointed up at the sky, which, true to his word, was dimming to deeper shades of blue.

“Oh, no!” You grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind you as you quickly ran across the parking lot, through the tall grass, and up a large hill.

“Wait-“ He panted, “Where are we- Can’t we just-“

“Ack, sorry, Altair, but we can’t miss this. Just a little more!”

You jogged up the hill, which was starting to feel more like a mountain, just based off of the ache in your legs. And as you ran, the sky only darkened further.

“No, please.”

You finally reached the top but to my dismay, the sun had disappeared and stars were beginning to appear. A whisper of the beautiful streaks of orange and pink and blue faded away with the light of the sun. Clouds slowly moved over the scene, further dampening the colors.

You dropped your backpack on the sand with a soft thump. You pressed your lips together in an attempt to not shout your frustration at the world and stared at the sand. Behind you, Altair panted as he finally caught up to you. When did you lose him?

He crouched next to you, breathing heavily for a few moments before standing up. He gasped softly and whispered your name in disbelief.

You sighed heavily, defeated. “I’m so sorry, Altair. I got you all excited and we got here too late and it was all my fault.” You had let your own crap get in the way of picking him up from the train station so he had to find his own ride to your apartment; you were clingy and too excited to see him so you left late; you were distracted by your conversation in the car so you missed that turn; and you were messing around too much at the car. If you had just stayed focused instead of being selfish with Altair then he could’ve-

“Wait- what?” Altair turned towards you. “You mean this wasn’t what you-? Oh, come on.”

Your gaze lifted as he pulled your face in his hands to meet his gaze. A determined expression sat on his face. Brows softly pressed together with a concerned frown and a light blush. You felt your soul flutter, as his blue-and-purple eyes now contained a galaxy’s worth of sparkles and stars in them, which were only made more mesmerizing by the look of warm adoration. You felt your own cheeks warm.

He sighed, his expression softening, “I know what you’re thinking. You’re rationalizing that very irrational line of thought.”

You looked down, not sure you deserved someone so amazing looking at you like that.

He tilted his head to meet your line of sight. “I wish you wouldn’t. It’s not fair to you.” When you shifted your look away again, he sighed and straightened. “You should know by now that I really like you. We wouldn’t be dating if I didn’t.”

“You don’t.” You whispered, “You just haven’t realized it yet.”

“Hey, now that’s definitely not fair. To you or to me. For one, you planned this whole outing so I could see something amazing.” His expression softened.

“But you didn’t even get to see the sunset…and it was my fault.”

“You know what? You’re right. I didn’t get to see the sunset, and not because of you. But because I’m here now, I got to see this.” Altair shifted a hand behind your back and turned you to face the sea.

You let out a small gasp and your eyes widened.

Flying high above the ocean floated a host of wispy cirrus clouds. You could hardly even see the horizon, there were so many. They were beautiful in and of themselves but what really took your breath away were the colors. Each cloud had the luminous coloring of a rainbow. Every color you could think of was being showcased in the skies. They almost seemed to glow.

“How- what- when-?” You stammered, completely dumbfounded by the sight.

“Yes, it’s been there almost since we got here,” Altair answered, knowing perfectly what you had been trying to communicate.

For some reason, you started crying. Maybe it was the stress of the past few weeks finally coming down. Maybe you were just a big softie and the clouds got to you. Heck, maybe it was just hormones, you sure couldn’t tell.

Without a word, Altair enveloped you in a hug, radiating safety and comfort. You wrapped your arms around his neck and put your face in his hood again. You knew this couldn’t last forever so after a few minutes in his embrace, you dropped your arms and he copied your movement. Instead he took both of your hands in his and just looked at them. He glanced back up at you, his brows scrunched in frustration.

“What?” You asked.

After a moment of hesitation, he replied softly, “How do you not see how amazing you are?”

The warmth returned to your face, “I-I’m really not that great. Nowhere near perfect.”

“When did I ask for perfection? So what if you have flaws? Everyone has them. And I happen to quite like yours.”

You weren’t sure your face could be any redder. “You don’t really like me. I’m just so charismatic that I tricked you into thinking you do,” You joked pathetically.

“You’re right.”

You looked up at him in surprise. His look was tender and his freckles glowed.

“I don’t like you.” Your heart almost broke. “I love you.”

Before you could think anything, he closed the gap between the two of you and kissed you. Your eyes were wide for a moment before you melted into his embrace and you put your arms back around his neck, answering him. The kiss was tender and sweet, in it you could feel how much Altair adored you. You felt the struggles he had gone through and realized how completely he understood your own. You also felt his happiness. His love. It was no shock for a lot of it to be saved for his brother and friends, but you were surprised to find that a large portion of his soul was cordoned off for one person. You.

Somewhere in the background, someone was setting off fireworks on the beach but their loud explosions took nothing from the moment. Their brilliant lights burned behind your eyelids, creating incomprehensible images and shapes. For some reason, you found yourself comparing each one to Altair.

Surprised at yourself, you broke away without thinking. Altair’s expression was full of light but you could see the thin layer of hesitation at you pulling away.

“S-sorry, I just need a moment to think,” You quickly explained.

He nodded and took a step back, though you felt your heart stretch towards him in longing.

Ignoring your inward pleading, for the moment, you turned back to the beach and sat on the sand. You heard Altair plop down a few feet behind you. You let yourself enjoy the beauty of the scene in front of you, but just for a minute, as Altair was waiting for a response. You knew how patient he was but you thought it wasn’t fair to keep him in suspense.

After revelling in the night sky, you turned your thoughts back to what had just happened. You raised a trembling hand to your lips, which were buzzing softly from the sensation. You put your hand down and sifted them through the sand, returning your thoughts to the important subject.

I love you.

You couldn’t believe he had said that. You didn’t doubt it for a second, first because he was no liar and second, because you had felt the truth of his words in his kiss. Still, you were surprised at his feelings for you. You had convinced yourself that your relationship would never grow into anything else, maybe that it would even end and you would part as friends. You hadn’t dared hope against it until now. You looked into your soul and imagined everything you two had gone through together in the relatively short time you’d known each other. You peered into lots of memories, or more specifically, your feelings in each memory. It only took a moment for you to realize what you felt.

You took a deep breath then turned around to face him. He had been looking at you with anxiety but when he noticed you moving, he put on a calm face. Your brows furrowed softly at that. You made a note to bring it up later.

You looked into his eyes, but found his gaze too penetrating and instead locked onto his hands which were folded neatly in his lap. As smooth as his facade was, you could see his foot bouncing nervously. You decided to start out easy.

“H-how long-?” You gestured from him to you, hoping he would understand.

Altair laughed once then put on a thoughtful expression. He thought for a moment then replied, “Not very long.” You waited for him to elaborate. “I-I suppose that’s an understatement. It kinda just hit me like the Core, only just now I guess. But I should’ve noticed before. N-Not that what I feel for you is insignificant, in any way, I feel very strongly for you! Wait, that sounds like I’m pressuring you- I will accept whatever your feelings are for me, even if they are non-existent, which they probably are. Oh stars, why did I even do that?” He mumbled that last part to himself and his calm exterior crumbled. Hunching over, he put his face in his hands.

Suddenly you could see his anxiety, clear as day and just as overwhelming as your own. You couldn’t help it, you panicked.

You rushed forward and put your arms around his shoulders. You squeezed for a moment then let off a little. Under your breath, you whispered, “I love you too.”

You pulled back, smiling a bit at his wide eyes, and kissed him.

thanks for reading (if anyone made it this far, yes i realize how cringy this is)!

hope you enjoyed!

#undertale #undertale au #undertale au fic #outertale #outertale fic #outertale sans #outertale altair #my skele #self-insert #y/n fic #y/n x altair #one shot #3k words #my fics #my first finished fanfic everyone! #feel free to ignore this!

[homogrimoire-archive]

A Rose in Bloom

Summary:  David finally reveals to Claudette and Jeff that he does have someone he loves back in the real world.

Rating: Teen [could be lower but w/e]

Warnings: Lightly implied homophobia and internalized homophobia

Excerpt: 

"Now!" Claudette shouted, breaking away and surprising David. "Tell us everything about him. And don't try to wiggle your way out of this, I know you wanna."

"We know you do. And it's been a while since we heard a good love story. Imma sucker for those." Jeff admitted.

David blushed, though, he tried to hide it. He felt like a kid again, shying away from talks of crushes. Though, unlike then, he didn't have to hide who he loved. He didn't have to lie and put up a front and say it was whoever everyone else thought was pretty or get angry and tell the other's to drop it so they wouldn't find out. It was quite the opposite now. He could tell the truth. It brought forth a giddy feeling.

AO3 Link

#dead by daylight #David King #dbd #claudette morel #jeff johansen #ash williams #3k words #i love david :)