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#I've reached a decent spot for a chapter break
aethersea · 10 months
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also how's conman in a bottle going 👀
it has not gone anywhere in well over a week bUT here, for you!
The [magic crimes division] worked out of a double-walled complex within the grounds of the royal palace. It had only one entrance—well, two, but the second was supposed to be secret. Neal assumed there were at least a few more, somewhat better concealed.  The wide expanse of cobblestones between the two walls was lit day and night by specially enchanted lanterns whose light never flickered. Neal thought it was hilarious. Demons weren’t actually creatures of darkness. It wasn’t that much harder to turn into a discreet little dust cloud drifting on a breeze than it was to become a pool of shadow. He assumed—hoped, really, for the sake of Peter’s pride if nothing else—that there were other, actually useful detection spells embedded in the lanterns, or possibly in the cobblestones. He wondered if his footsteps were ringing a dozen bells in some little security room somewhere.
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chahnniesroom · 9 months
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tenderness | chapter 6: on my own
[noun] /ˈtendərnəs/
1. the quality of being gentle, kind, or loving
2. the feeling of pain, aching, or soreness
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pairing: bang chan x female reader
summary: in a world where soulmates are rare and precious, you don’t know why the universe has decided to give you one. you never could have imagined that they would be an idol, and one that you worked with at that, or the challenges that would arise from your bond.
chapter word count: 4.8k
chapter warnings: jealousy (? not really a warning, but i'll include it anyway)
a/n: i was blown away by the response for chapter 5 (and the rest of the fic too). thank you everyone so much!! can't believe that we're already past the halfway point of tenderness, hope that everyone continues to enjoy it!
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It feels like you’ve barely fallen asleep by the time that your alarm wakes you. The hum of Charge between you and Chan is faint through the layers of clothing that you wear. For once, it doesn’t bring you any comfort. Although the two of you had maintained physical contact throughout the night, it feels like you’re miles away compared to the previous nights that you’ve spent curled around each other. You have no idea when he had finally gotten back to the dorms even though you had a fitful sleep.
The second you extricate yourself from the sheets and break contact from Chan, your stomach drops. Exhaustion seeps into you and you have to steady yourself on your bedside table to avoid losing your balance. In his sleep, Chan shifts, rolling towards the warm spot where you were previously lying, but doesn’t wake up. Remembering what happened last night makes things worse, so you do your best to compartmentalise it so that you can focus on the day ahead. One day with less sleep and less Charge can't hurt you, you think to yourself.
When you check the time on your phone, you realise that you must have slept through your first alarm and you’re going to be late if you don’t leave in 15 minutes. The adrenaline is enough to fully wake you up and you stumble to the bathroom in the dark. Somehow, after getting ready as fast as you can without waking anybody, you make it to the company in time. You’re lucky that the early hours mean that transiting was smoother than usual and you didn’t have to fight your way onto the bus. 
You unpack your things at your desk and head down to the room that was booked for the interviews planned for the day. The bright studio lighting that has already been set up exacerbates a pounding in your head that you hadn’t noticed before, but you ignore it to greet the staff that are already there.
When Eunsung enters the room and sees you, concern immediately creeps into his expression. He sidles up to you and bumps your shoulder with his.
“Rough night?”
You lean in close to him and whisper as if sharing a secret, "stayed up late rewatching a drama."
"Ah," Eunsung nods, immediately accepting your lie at face value. "Which one?"
"Moonlight Lovers. Last few episodes."
"Say no more. I've never been able to watch that without shedding a tear." You both laugh at that, knowing Eunsung could cry at a sad commercial. You don't know if he believes your story, but you're just grateful that he's playing along that nothing is wrong. He knows better than to prod too much, it’s a sure way to get you to instead close down even more.
"Is it really that obvious?" you ask quietly, fingers reaching up to poke the eye bags that you had hastily covered up this morning. You’re pretty sure that last night you had done a decent enough job making sure that your eyes wouldn’t be swollen today, but hadn’t had a chance to look at it carefully. Since you had barely enough time to get ready, you had hoped that you might be able to touch up your makeup more before starting work, but had been swept away in preparations the second you had arrived.
"No, I just know you too well." He laughs when you swat his shoulder half-heartedly.
The boys file into the room right after you’re finishing getting everything ready, but before you have a chance to leave the room. You smile and greet them with the rest of the staff, but studiously avoid looking at Chan. Just the brief glance when he had first walked in had stung. He looked… normal. Maybe a bit tired, but he always looked tired and well, that was what had gotten you into this mess in the first place.
Maybe to him, last night was just another night and you were being too sensitive. But his harsh words had reopened a wound in you that you thought had long scarred over. Somehow, it hurt even more thinking that he was totally unaffected.
You quickly try to pack up everything you need, handing out a timeline of the day to the team who are helping film that outlined which interview is for which company, what props, if any, are required, and whether or not a company representative would be present to help facilitate the interview. You make sure Eunsung has a copy of all the questions that Stray Kids are supposed to be asked and which are off limits, both in English and Korean. Almost all of the members are familiar enough with English that the interviews go smoothly without any other help, but a lot of the staff aren’t as fluent. You have a quick chat with the company translator and make sure she’s also comfortable with the schedule and what’s expected of her.
After making sure that everything on your checklist has been completed, you finally grab your things and leave, almost colliding with Felix in the hallway.
“Oh, you’re not staying, Y/n?” He asks, grabbing onto your arms to steady both of you. He smiles at you and you return it but look away quickly, not wanting to meet his eyes, and shrug off his hands.
“Sorry, I have some meetings that I can’t miss this morning. I hope the interviews go well Felix-ssi!” you call as you head to the elevator. When you glance back, his smile has faltered and he’s still standing in the hallway, looking a bit lost.
You’re not sure if he’s more surprised that you’re not going to be attending the schedule or your sudden return to addressing him formally. You had done your best to keep things more professional while at the company, but it had been surprisingly difficult, especially when most other managers also addressed the members more casually.
You feel a bit guilty, but last night had served as an important reminder that no matter how close you seemed or felt, you were still just staff. This time, you won't forget your place.
When you finally get back to your desk and open up your laptop after finishing all your meetings for the morning, you despair at the number of emails that have piled up in your absence. You start to sift through them, filing away the ones that don’t require any response. It’s probably a good thing that you’re not in a hurry to see Chan or any of the members, there’s a lot of work that you have to do in the next few days and not enough time to be distracted by attending schedules.
Your phone pings and you see a message from Eunsung waiting.
[12:14 pm - received]
lunch?
Huh, you hadn’t even realised it was already noon. Even though you hadn’t had a chance to eat this morning, you still don’t have much of an appetite. So far, tea has been enough to sustain you as well as provide the much needed caffeine after your late night. You’d had enough foresight to throw a protein bar into your bag before you left, but it still sits untouched on the side of your desk. You know that you should probably eat to help make up for the Charge that you missed last night, but you can't bring yourself to take a bite. Just looking at the bar is enough to make you nauseous so there's no way that you'd be able to stomach any other food. 
[12:15 pm - sent]
sorry. have a mountain of work to do so i don’t have time today
[12:15 pm - received]
:(
want me to bring something to you?
[12:17 pm - sent]
no thanks! i’m fine for now
[12:17 pm - received]
:(
you sure?
[12:19 pm - sent]
please do not bring me anything.
[12:19 pm - received]
:(
:(((
:((((((((
Amused, you lock and put away your phone and focus on your work. You really are scrambling to finish everything and probably wouldn't have taken a break even in normal circumstances. 
Only 15 minutes have passed before there’s a knock at the door. Nobody else is using this work area today and you’ve learned over the years that Eunsung is one of the most persistent people you know.
“Oppa,” you whine, not bothering to look away from your screen. “I told you I didn’t need anything for lunch.”
“Uhm.” Your neck hurts with the speed that you whip your head around to look. Chan’s standing halfway through the open door, looking out of his depth. 
He’s still in his outfit for the press junket, hair carefully styled and makeup immaculate. He looks like a different person. Sometimes you forget that the bare-faced, curly-haired boy in shorts and a hoodie that you’re used to is the same as the polished idol that is presented in front of the camera. He seems so far away, even though he’s right in front of you.
“Sorry, I thought you were Eunsung-oppa. He was… teasing me earlier,” you explain, embarrassed.
"Ah," he says. "You didn't eat yet?"
“Not yet, I’ll get something later,” you lie. “I have a lot of work to do.”
"Oh, okay. We have a break right now. I wanted to talk." He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “About… you know. Yesterday.”
“It’s fine,” you say quickly, forcing yourself to smile. You try to stay concentrated on the email that you have to send, but it’s hard enough to think of the right English words to use when you're alone. Instead, you stare at the blinking text cursor, already wanting this conversation to be over. Maybe it was better when you thought he didn’t care about what he had said to you.
“No, it’s not fine. I shouldn’t have said all those things. I was too harsh. I hurt you. I'm sorry,” he insists, stepping closer. 
You finally turn to look back at him, but still can't get yourself to look him in the eye, instead focusing on the cut of his jaw. His hair has grown long enough that curls are starting to gather below his ear even after styling. You wonder how long it will be until the stylists are able to wrestle him away from his laptop and into a chair to cut it again.
“Okay. It’s not fine,” you concede. “But I forgive you. I understand that you felt frustrated. I can tell that you’ve been wanting to talk for a while and I’m glad that I know how you feel now. The delivery was just… poor, but it’s really not a big deal.” 
That's not a lie, but your fingers start to curl into your palm anyway, nails digging into the flesh there. The tiny pricks of pain ground you, not stopping the hurt that came from Chan's words from echoing in your head like they had been the whole day, but distracting you from it. 
I don’t need you bringing me food. I don’t need you reminding me about schedules. And I definitely don’t need or want you telling me when I should be resting. 
It stung, especially knowing what he really meant when he said that. 
I don't need you. 
Looking back, you could see how you were acting overbearing. Yes, there was a soulmate bond connecting you two, but really that didn’t give you permission to act in such a familiar way. More than anything else he had mentioned, it had left a bitter taste in your mouth that he compared you to your eomoni when he now had the insight that your relationship with her had caused you so much pain. It hurt even more to think that maybe that was the reason he had mentioned her, that you had been that much of a burden.  
No matter what he argues now, there was truth in what he said in the heat of the moment, frustration and lack of sleep bringing forth his honest thoughts. 
I’m good now! I’m really good now. I was also good when you were not here. When you were not my soulmate.
You had never really considered what things would be like if you weren’t soulmates, there had been no point in it. Well, you hadn’t considered it until yesterday. After half an hour of trying to sleep with no sign of Chan returning, you had rolled onto your side and reached for your phone. With shaky fingers, you had pulled up Naver and typed in 'can you break a soulmate bond.'
The results had confirmed what you thought. There was no evidence of a bond being broken before. Of course, it was possible for soulmates to live apart from each other for extended periods of time. It just required more food, more water, more rest for both people in order to compensate. That seemed even more inconvenient than the current situation and you knew it would never work for you and Chan. 
This was the next best solution. You promised yourself that he wouldn't have to pretend that he wanted you around anymore. You'd keep your distance, stay professional, just like you had done before your First Touch. 
“It’s not how I feel, I was just-” Chan protests.
“Chan-ssi,” you interrupt gently, hiding your feelings by reverting back to the formal speech that you had used when you first met. He blinks in surprise. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide things from me. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m really okay.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I do. I wanted to clear up everything. I know it’s not an excuse, but I was stressed.” He explains, cheeks slowly turning pink. “There was just a lot happening and then you were there and I don’t know what happened. I really really shouldn’t have yelled. It won’t happen again.”
“I believe you,” you say. “Thank you for apologising. You can go now.”
Maybe it’s a bit harsh as Chan visibly blanches, before his expression is wiped clean.
“Oh, okay.” 
“Sorry,” you say, making sure to soften your voice. “I just. I really do have a lot that I have to finish right now. I appreciate that you came to talk to me, though. I’ll see you later.”
“Right, see you later.” Chan echoes faintly and turns towards the door. After it closes, there’s a long pause before you finally hear his footsteps resume.
The rest of the weeks before you leave for Japan seem to somehow simultaneously crawl by and pass in a flash. You’re frustrated by how unproductive you feel like you are at work compared to the amount of things you have to do because you keep getting distracted, but once you’re off, there’s nothing that you want to do. You spend an disconcerting amount of time catching yourself staring at your phone not realising it has already timed out and all you’re looking at is a black screen.
When you confess this to Eunsung, he starts dragging you out for dinner with the rest of the team. It keeps you busy and you have fun in the moment, but every time you get back to the dorms, the emptiness that has been plaguing you creeps back in.
It’s the same today. When you enter your room, there’s no sign of Chan other than the clothes that he was wearing earlier sitting on a pile on his side of the bed. 
It’s no surprise to you, he’s been alternating between being out late at night, either in the studio or working out, or hunched over his laptop with his headphones on. You’ve gotten used to it by now and honestly don’t mind the decreasing number of interactions that you’ve had. On the surface, things are fine between the two of you, but everything is stilted in a way that it wasn’t before. Your relationship, whatever it was prior to that night in Chan's studio, has been strained and you don’t want to do anything to test the breaking point.
You shower quickly and head to the kitchen for a glass of water. When you pass through the living room, Felix is sprawled out on the couch, doing something on his phone. He straightens, legs falling back to the floor when he sees you.
“Hey stranger,” you greet him, instinctively smiling. In the safety of the dorms, with his hair fluffed up to form a dandelion puff around his head, you can’t help but treat Felix with the warm familiarity that you’ve tried to restrain the past few weeks. You had been friends with him way before the mess of your relationship with Chan and you feel guilty every time you see him at the company.
“Y/n! It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. How have you been?” You make a face at that.
“Work is crazy, you know. I think I’ve been dreaming about planning the tour, it’s basically all I think about these days.” You shrug. “But I can’t complain, I really like doing this and it’s not like you guys are spending the days relaxing. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” You abandon your task of getting water and settle beside Felix who puts an arm around your shoulders to tug you closer.
“I miss you,” Felix says quietly. “I know that you don't have time to come to our schedules anymore, but I miss having you there.”
“Aw, Felix. I miss you too. You can always come and find me, I’m never going to be far.” You wrap your arms around his waist and rest your head on chest. You don't tell him that it was more a choice by you rather than time constraints that led you to stop attending schedules. Felix is well intentioned, but you know he would immediately confront Chan if he found out that you weren't as 'okay' as you had assured Chan and that would just make things worse. You don't want to be more of a bother than you already are.
“What were you doing on your phone?” you ask after a moment of silence. Felix picks back up his phone and unlocks it. He has to turn it horizontal to properly show you the screen and the motion means that his arms encircle you.
“It’s a new game I’ve been playing,” he explains. “I’m still not that good, but it’s been fun! I thought Hannie would be around to play with me, but I think he’s still at the company.”
“Show me how it works,” you prompt him. You aren’t really interested in mobile games, but are rewarded when his face lights up. He starts by giving a quick tutorial of the game and showing off all the characters he plays as, before continuing on where he had left off.
The steady beat of Felix’s heart combined with the gentle rumble of his commentary and the constant exhaustion that plagues you these days easily lulls you into a semi-conscious state. You’re not quite fully asleep, but only partially aware of what’s going on around you. You keep thinking that you should get up so that Felix isn't stuck on this couch with you, but can't muster up the energy to actually move.
Eventually, you hear the front door open and footsteps pad towards the two of you.
“Is she sleeping?” a voice that isn’t Felix’s whispers.
“Yeah, she must have been pretty tired, hyung. I think she fell asleep almost an hour ago.”
“Thanks for taking care of her, Lix. I’ll bring her back to our room.”
A pair of hands ease under you and shifts your weight from Felix and into the person’s arms. The Charge sparks to life and you can’t help but lean into the comforting buzz, nestling into the warm hold.
It must be Chan, you think blearily. 
You want to protest that you can walk yourself, that you don’t have to be carried back, but the Charge feels so good and so safe that you just relax further. It’s only a short walk down the hall, but the gentle rocking puts you back to sleep before you reach the bed.
Trying to balance concert practice, promotional photoshoots, and getting approvals for the next comeback means that it takes Chan an embarrassing amount of time to notice that something’s off.
It starts with the little things.
In between filming for a dance practice video, the members get a short break. Everybody collapses in different parts of the room, only getting up when a staff member enters with a couple trays of drinks. A small crowd forms and Chan waits until everyone else has taken their pick before heading over. He’s disappointed to find that there’s only iced americanos left. When he instead goes to fill his water bottle, he finds Felix already at the fountain.
“You didn’t get a drink?” Chan asks. Felix scrunches up his nose in response.
“They only had coffee today.”
“Don’t they usually have other options? I thought you’ve been getting that fruit tea these days.”
“That’s only when Y/n is organising the order. She always tries to get me things I like.”
“Oh, that’s nice of her.” 
“Come on, hyung, you’re the one that’s her soulmate, shouldn’t you know this? She’s the only one that remembers to get that weird custom protein chocolate smoothie thing that you always drink.” 
“I-” Chan stops to think. It’s true that he had been favouring a strange specialised order from one of the cafes that they usually get drinks from. He had stopped by there one afternoon when he had been in the area, then mentioned it off-handedly when eating lunch with the team and from then on it had appeared at a lot of their schedules. Most of the time, a staff member’s phone gets passed around to order their drinks or they just get served a variety of drinks to pick over, but now that he’s trying to recall, it’s been a while since either of those have happened. 
He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, he’d just been happy to have a drink that he liked. He hadn’t even realised that Y/n was the one behind their personalised orders, but feels off-kilter knowing that he had never thanked her for it.
Y/n hasn’t attended Channie’s Room in weeks either. Chan knows that everyone on her team has been scrambling with work related to the international legs of the tour, but even with a heavy workload, Y/n had never missed an episode before. Having her in the room had been a quiet comfort that Chan hadn’t appreciated at the time as much as he should have. 
He misses her.
It doesn’t feel the same. Chan finds himself playing a song and turning slightly to see what Y/n’s reaction is, or reading out a silly pick up line and then feeling his smile drop a little bit when he realises Y/n wasn’t there to hear it.
He’d like to say that he’s playing it off well, but Stays can see it too. It’s almost embarrassing how fast they catch on. The comments that scroll by, most of them too fast for Chan to read, are getting increasingly concerned for him. Where previously they had spammed messages about how happy he seemed, they’re now pointing out that he looks tired, that something is different. After enough people tell him to eat more or get more rest, he just ends the stream, annoyed and guilty at the same time.
Another time, Chan’s spending the evening in his studio with Changbin and Jisung, trying to finalise a guide for one of the tracks they’re planning to record.
“Oh hey, I didn’t know noona was close with Minyoung,” Jisung says. When Changbin makes a noise of interest from where he’s sitting beside Chan, Jisung flips around his phone to show them an Instagram story that Minyoung, one of their stylists, had posted. Y/n, Minyoung, Eunsung, and a number of other people are crammed together in a booth at a dimly lit restaurant. They’re all smiling widely.
Chan looks a little too long at the way that Eunsung’s arm is slung around Y/n. Even after Jisung takes his phone back, Chan keeps thinking of how natural it looked, Eunsung at the perfect height so Y/n could rest her head against him, his hand curled around her shoulder, pressing her tightly against his side.
He can't remember the last time he saw Y/n smile like that.
“It makes sense,” Changbin comments. “Y/n hasn’t been spending as much time in the dorms lately, but the tour is coming up so close. I’ve heard that her team has been going out a lot to try to keep up morale and get to know each other before we leave. It’d probably be suspicious if she keeps cancelling."
"I wish we could have team bonding dinners to keep up morale before the tour." Jisung pouts.
"That's what this is!" Changbin gestures towards the spread of empty takeout containers that fill Chan's desk.
"That's the dinner part, where's the bonding, hyung?"
In response, Changbin immediately pulls Jisung into a headlock causing him to shout.
"Don't you feel closer to me now?" Changbin looks up at where Chan is zoned out. "Hyung, don't we look close?"
"Uh, yeah. Super close. Can we just focus on finishing this guide first and leave the bonding for later? I promised that we'd send it for review by tonight."
Contrary to his words, Chan’s thoughts continually wander, straying to the blurry image of Y/n. They get the guide sent off, but Chan's not fully satisfied and he can tell the others agree.
He doesn’t know what's wrong with him.
Really, Chan should have known that something is up the evening he finds Felix over at their dorms.
A flare of something curls in his stomach at the sight of Y/n curled up against Felix. When she turns her head, nuzzling his chest, that something becomes a sharp twist of emotion, one that Chan still isn’t able to identify. 
He knows that Felix is strong enough to carry her to bed, but still steps in and scoops her up before he can make an attempt to get up. He lays her down on her side of the bed as gently as he can, but her face still scrunches up when he lets go of her. He cups her cheek until her expression smooths out, then steps back. 
When he returns to the living room, he joins Felix on the couch and they stare ahead at the darkened screen of the TV for a moment. Chan can tell that Felix has something he wants to say.
“Do you think she’s been working too much, hyung?” Felix finally asks in a hushed voice.
“What do you mean?”
“It just seems like she hasn’t been well recently. I don't know if something happened or if she just hasn't been getting enough rest.” 
“It’s probably her job,” Chan says noncommittally. He's definitely not thinking about a late night in his studio a few weeks ago. "Everyone has been busy these days.”
“Hyung,” he says tentatively. “You’ve been working a lot lately too, we’re a bit concerned-”
“What is this, some sort of intervention?” Chan’s not quite sure where the sudden burst of irritation is from, but it seems to be a common occurrence these days. “First Y/n, then I can’t get Stays off my back, and now you? Why is everyone ganging up on me so much?”
“No, it’s-”
“Felix! Just leave it, okay?" Shaking his head in frustration, Chan stalks back to his room.
Sitting heavily on the bed, he buries his face in his hands and lets out a deep breath to calm himself. Luckily he didn't wake Y/n during his conversation with Felix and he takes the time to study her for a moment.
He has to admit that Felix is right, under her eyes are shadows that never used to be there and even in her sleep, she's not fully relaxed. It's just for the next few days, he tells himself. After my deadlines have passed and once the concerts resume then we'll both be less busy and have the time to focus on each other.
In the meantime, he slides under the covers until he's right behind Y/n. He loops his arm around her waist, then pulls her closer, relieved when he sees that the tension in her body drains away.
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catmonk · 2 years
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Straight as a Spy
Part One Part Two Note
Yuri Briar x Loid Forger
Yuri woke up with his head in someone’s lap- someone who wasn’t Yor. Slam. He elbowed the stranger in the gut, holy shit were they made of iron. He looked up to see their face only to realize it was the handsome stranger from last night. Oh no. He was saving himself for marriage.
“Oh, you pack quite a punch. Yuri, I can't thank you enough for marrying me last night.”
What.
“I made this myself.” Lo- Forger leaned over to the side of the couch, and pulled up a tray that smelled amazing. 
It wasn't too late to kill everyone in the room and make an escape. No one would suspect anything. No, Forger had a daughter. He couldn't kill someone’s Yor. Well, a quick bite before interrogation wouldn't hurt. 
It didn't work out that way. 
Yuri found himself scarfing down the whole plate. Hmph. Forger might be a tall, handsome, considerate doctor, but it's going to take a lot more than a decent meal to earn approval. 
“You're lying. I can't remember anything from last night.”
“Ah that makes sense. I was quite drunk too, but luckily one of us remembers something. I told you about how I needed to get married to enroll my daughter into Eden Academy, and you proposed to me using a paper ring you made on the spot- it was very cute.”
Yuri felt his ears burn, he definitely remembered that part.
“Anyways, we walked down city hall which was possibly a choice made far too drunk. After the papers were completed, you collapsed and I had to carry you back here. I pulled in a favor from a friend at the courthouse and got our marriage backdated a year, so it wouldn't look too suspicious to the academy.”
“And what would you know about what looks suspicious or not. To protect my sister, I've eliminated all sorts of threats to this country. Who says you won't be one of them.” Forger didn't know Yuri was a secret police officer, but his cover story was that he worked for the government so it wasn't a far stretch.
“Wow, you're really bad at pretending to not be a secret police officer.”
What.
“How do you know that.” Yuri’s hand gripped hard on the glass of water that was on the breakfast tray. He forgot his gun in his locker, dammit.
“You told me yourself last night when we were signing the papers.” Forger had a stupid stupid smile on his face like Yuri wasnt considering the best way to kill him. “Don't worry, I won't tell your sister. Everyone has a secret self they don't show to other people, not to friends… not to lovers... not even to family. I understand.”
“I see. Well, if we are to act as a married couple, I'll be moving in tomorrow.” Yuri was doing this because he wouldn't let his secret reach Yor, because he needed dirt on Forger. Nothing else.
A moving van rumbled through Berlint. It arrived shortly at a home harboring a very unusual family. A home riddled with secrets. A home where Anya was currently hiding behind Papa’s legs, looking up at the stranger.
“Welcome to Anya’s house!”
*So this is the spawn from Forger’s previous marriage.* Anya wasn't sold on this man.
Nonetheless, she took a deep breath. Papa needed her help on his super duper important mission. 
“Can I call you Old Man like Bondman does?”
“No…call me Sir.” 
She didn't even have to read Papa’s mind to know what face he was making.
“Why doesn't Anya call you Father instead? Sir seems a bit…impersonal.”
“Mm.”
“Well that's settled, after we sort out the boxes, shall we practice for the interview?”
Greatful for all reblogs
ok so the ** is basically like the little sparks around anyas head whenever she mindreads in the manga Im following the manga but yuri doesnt get alot of apprearences toe events might be slightly out of order hard to characterize someone who doesnt appear often ill propably get a new chapter up soonish, unfortunately theyve been short, not satified with that but it might take longer im impatient tho being gramatically correct really breaks up the flow sumtmes
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slimeywooper · 6 months
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Labmas AU - Unintended Consequences
Chapter 10 Part 2 - The Kennels
CW: A curse word at the end
"Oh… alright." This was the first time you heard such an introspective statement from Kudari, though to be fair, you had only just met him. From what you have seen, he is prone to switching between emotions without any warning. It was nice to learn that, at least some of the time, he could realize he was becoming upset and try to prevent an episode. Handing the Purrloin to Kudari, you quickly clean the two glass cases and a cage nearby. The Purrloin is the first to be put away, Kudari petting it before the small door is shut. Gently grabbing the Joltik from your shoulder, you tell it goodbye, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Joltik. We are going to put you back with your friends now." After putting it in the glass case, you move to the side so Kudari can also return his Joltik.
With a hint of sadness, Kudari says, "I will see you soon, my friends." Placing his hands in the case, the Joltik begin to crawl single file inside. "I am now getting more time out of my room, so I will make sure that you remain as close together as possible." You are watching his ability to control them with fascination. He vocalizes a few more clicks and the ones still on his arms cease their migration. Kudari closes the case and moves to the one next to it. Clicking again, the last few Joltik depart from him into this new case. After closing the door, he moves on, checking the next few cages. When he spots one that is occupied, he looks at it and opines, "Nasty Fire type, bleh!" He glances at you, distaste apparent on his face. "Most of these Pokemon are easy to handle, but I do not like dealing with Fire types. I suggest instead of pulling it out and holding it while we clean, we should find one of the unoccupied cages and shove it in there. That will cut the time we spend interacting with it down."
Not wanting to push him to do anything that would make him uncomfortable, you reassure him, "That shouldn't be an issue. I'll look for an open cage, clean it, then we can quickly put it inside." Wasn't Nobori part Fire type? Perhaps Kudari suffered from some kind of trauma after the fight that Colress told you the hybrids had when they were teenagers. Or being part Bug type gave him a natural aversion towards them. You hope it is the latter.
The both of you are making progress at a decent pace. Half way through cleaning the kennels, you decide to take a break. "That's it. Let's stop for now. We can go upstairs to the break room and grab a bite to eat," you announce, stretching your body.
Agreeing with your proposal, Kudari states, "That sounds like a good idea, I'm starting to get hungry."
Setting the cart to the side, you both begin your journey to the elevator. Making chitchat, you comment, "I've only been in the break room once before. That was the day Colress and I saw your webbing in the trees. I was pretty terrified, so when I ran into Nobori, he took me there to calm me down."
Kudari pouts, folding his arms. "Was he talking about me?" he questions.
"Well… yeah… but nothing bad. I promise. He just went over basic facts, like how you two are hybrids. I was frightened for Colress at the time, but Nobori was able reassure me the he would be fine," you tell him frankly.
Giving you a skeptical look, he asks, "Why would you worry about him?"
Realizing you may have said too much, you feel compelled to answer honestly, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to stir the pot by telling you this, but Colress may have just slightly implied you were dangerous." You inform him apprehensively, not wanting to cause any upset.
Kudari is quick to defend himself, "I have never been violent without reason! So Dr. Colress was saying bad things about me!" He stops in his tracks, eyes widening with rage at the confirmation. His arms drop down to his side, fists clenching.
You cease walking when he does and reach up to touch his shoulder, "Hey, hey, don't get angry. I know that Colress can be an asshole. In fact, I learned that before I met you. He really likes to criticize people. Sometimes he doesn't even have the courage to be open about it. He'll pass it off as some kind of joke." Stepping in front of him, you wait until he looks at you before continuing, "We're supposed to be going on break. Let's save the talk about work stuff for later. It's time for us to relax." He nods, not saying anything. "We'll have a little something to eat, then continue with our task."
Before you can press the button to call the elevator, the doors open. Two researchers step out, their demeanor shifting when they see Kudari. They fearfully watch him as they sidle against the wall to pass, before making a run for it. Stepping on the elevator, seemingly oblivious to what has just happened, Kudari calls you inside, "What are you waiting for, little one? Let's go." He's tapping his legs on the floor rhythmically.
From his reaction, the answer should have been obvious, but you feel compelled to inquire, "So… what just happened there… is that… normal?"
"Hmm? Oh, the researchers. Yes, yes, completely normal." Kudari waves his hand as if it's nothing important.
You're reminded of how you reacted when you first saw Kudari. It didn't help that Colress had been telling you things about him that added to the fear, but you now feel awful for considering him so scary. You offer him an apology, "When we first met… I'm sorry if my reaction hurt your feelings. It was wrong of me to judge you before getting to know you." He takes up a large portion of the elevator, but you squeeze in beside him.
Kudari is taken aback by this, almost coming across as if he is embarrassed, responding, "It's partly my fault. I wanted to meet you so badly, I did not think about how my appearance may bother you. Sometimes I do not think things through. I also figured you were exaggerating when you said you were afraid of spiders."
"Well, from now on, don't worry about those things. Even if your appearance did bother me, it's my problem to get over." There's a feeling of guilt as you admit to yourself, that yes, his Galvantula half does disturb you. But it's nothing he can control, and it's fucked up for you, or anyone, to hold it against him. "It might take some time, but eventually, I'll be able to handle spiders without any problem! I may even be able to touch the lower half of you someday!" Catching the potential double meaning of that statement and panicking, you attempt to correct yourself, "Not like that! Sorry! I'm trying to be sincere and it's just coming out awkwardly." You cover your face with your hands to hide your shame.
He giggles at your discomfort, "I don't mind if you are awkward. Whenever you are ready to test yourself, let me know. But if you faint again, I'm going to make fun of you, hee hee."
Lowering your hands, you see he has a broad smile on his face. Pressing the 'up' button on the panel, you respond, "Okay, fair enough. Now let's get our lunch. We've been hogging the elevator. There might be people upstairs waiting to use it. I didn't actually bring anything to eat, so hopefully something good is in the vending machine." The door closes, and the elevator makes its ascent to the first floor.
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tinyboxxtink · 3 years
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"Not My Yacht" *Chapter 1?*
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So this is interesting:
So "Not My Yacht" was my very first fic. Like, I'm talking VERY VERY first.
So when I started asking around about ideas for a new series, a few of my lovelies went through my one shots and this story and "Doodling" got some good votes.
So, I decided to include the one shot and just added to it for a POTENTIAL new series. We'll see how this chapter goes over.
Also I'll be including Rita Calhoun in this for the FIRST time ever, so I may need assistance from @storiesofsvu to get her voice right. I did my best here. I'll be honest I've never really watched her, just that one where that guy blackmailed her or something.
Also Also, if it wasn't obvious enough this is obviously the beginning of the SVU episode "Her Negations".
I don't want to give anything away because I haven't even really thought that far, but I'm 95% sure this is going to turn in a William Lewis situation fic. So...pretty dark. I'm just warning you NOW.
Tag List
@madamsnape921
@lolliepopsicle
@chasingeverybreakingwave
@milkshqke
@wanniiieeee
@word-scribbless
@gibbs274
@sassyada
@aprildecker-blog
@bookishfanfic
@stars-in-the-skies-world
@stars-trash-18
@omgsuperstarg
@objection-argumentative
And yes, the results are in. There is a part 2!
You breathed in the salty air of the sea of the sunny South Hampton shore; It was a beautiful day for a yacht party.
You walked along the pier as you got closer to your boss’s boat: The Crime Wave. Her husband’s idea of a funny name she claimed as she had invited people from the office to this soiree. You were lucky to even get an invite, just being the assistant to the owner of the law firm. “Who else is going to help me dodge boring conversations with men who just wanted a "free ride” on the bosses boat?“ She had teased you; or at least you hoped she was kidding.
You really wanted to just relax and mingle among the elite lawyers of NYC, seeing as you wanted to be one of them someday.
You saw your boss, Rita Calhoun waving you down as you reached the dock space.
"Ah! There you are, for a minute I thought I’d have to mix my own drinks!” She laughed with a wink. You laugh nervously, unable to discern if she was kidding.
“Calm down sweetie, I’m a big girl. Besides, I like to make them myself, strong,” she laughed again, patting your shoulder. Crap had your face looked that panicked? Keep it cool!
“Go ahead, enjoy yourself. I’ll be here, making sure none of those damn punks tries to sneak on here for free booze,” she scoffed, nodding to a group of highly dressed teens playing chicken on the shoreline.
You nodded with a half laugh, stepping onto the yacht. It was a decent size, a second level deck and a very spacious main level. Not a lot of people had arrived yet, so you decided to pick a spot on the yachts back bench area before all the seating was taken. You began removing your over clothes revealing your swimming wear when you hear Rita greet someone else.
“Ah, Barba. You know we have flare guns on board,”
You turn to see the ADA of New York, Rafael Barba. He’s dressed in a windbreaker and what could be either a dark red or salmon polo. You realize Mrs. Calhoun is referring to the almost neon yellow color of the windbreaker, and you can’t help but giggle. It must have been way too loud because they both turn to you which caused you to immediately shut up and go back to undressing and laying out your towel, but ever so slightly still honed in on the conversation.
“You can never be too careful Rita, who knows how many enemies I’ve made in this town; someone might throw me over,” he smirked.
“And anyone here could make it look like a very convincing accident….even my aspiring protege over there,” Rita nods over to you, knowing full well what you were doing.
Barba turned and looked at you, your body frozen in mid towel thrust. You didn’t know whether to throw it over yourself or just run off the boat right there.
“I know it’s an awful jacket dear, you don’t have to keep staring at him.” She called over to you. God why did she have to be so….her.
“Jesus Rita give the girl a break, or did you invite her just to torture her on unbillable hours?” Barba scoffed with a half smile, walking over to you.
“Is it really worth the minimum wage to put up with her?” He asked.
“Mmm…it’s more for the experience, honestly.” You replied surprisingly smoothly.
“Oh….well I mean I could give you the experience without–” He started but was interrupted by your boss’s loud exclaiming.
“Yeah I’ll BET you’d give her experience Barba! Stop hitting on my intern and mingle with the adults.”
If you could dig a hole straight through the boat into the ocean you would do it right then and there.
“…..Without THAT.” He rolled his eyes, lightly flipping her the bird behind his back. You see her respond with a laugh then turns her attention back to the guests boarding.
“She’s probably been drinking since she got on the boat, yeah?” He asked you.
“I…I don’t know I just got here….” You managed to squeak out as your towel strayed from your hands. Barba grabbed it and helped you reposition it on the bench.
“Kinda windy for a yacht party, but Rita will take any chance to celebrate anything remotely resembling a boost to her ego. Am I right?” He chuckled, before sitting down on your towel.
“Just to keep it from blowing away, do you mind?” He asked, gesturing for you to join him. You nodded a boisterous “NO”, plopping next to him on the bench.
“I’m Rafael Barba,” he extended his hand to you, which you took and shook gently, praying to God he didn’t notice you were literally shaking. You had probably had the biggest crush on him since you started working with Mrs. Calhoun, he was constantly in her office challenging her with warrants and favors.
“Oh yeah I know,” you blurted out, mentally facepalming immediately.
“I see….” He raised an eyebrow. “And you are….?”
You were about to answer when his phone went off. He answered it putting one finger up and mouthing the words “one second.”
“Barba. Yeah….what? Seriously, Olivia? On a Sunday?!” He groaned into his phone with an exaggerated eye roll. He raised his hand and ran it over his face begrudgingly as he talked.
“Yeah….alright, fine. Yeah I’ll be there, give me an hour. I’m in the Hamptons. Because it’s my day off, Liv! Do you think I lock myself in my office over the weekends like a vampire in a coffin? Yeah…I’m sorry, I just…” He glanced at you.
“I was enjoying my Sunday.” He gave you a small sad smile.
“Yeah. Ok. See you soon.” He hung up the phone with an exasperated sigh.
“I’m sorry, I gotta go back to the city. Don’t let Rita push you around too much, okay?” He chuckled, rubbing the top of your head like a puppy. You felt your face scrunch up in annoyance, seriously? He thought of you as a kid?!
He obviously noticed, and quickly held out his hand again very sternly.
“Sorry, future counselor.” He said in an overly serious tone, and you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling. Again. Like an idiot.
Relieved he had fixed his faux paux, he gave you one last beautiful Barba grin as he jogged over to Rita and told her something before nodding to you once again, then walked off the boat and disappearing down the pier.
Your boss sauntered over to you, a shit eating grin across her face.
“Well Cinderella, you sure kept that cool.” She gestured for your phone beside you.
“Be sure to tell him your name this time,” she winked, handing it back to you. You glanced down at it as she walked away; she had added a number to your contacts.
“BHole Barba.” You laughed out loud. Nice. Maybe she wasn’t such a horrible boss after all….
--------------
By Monday you still hadn’t had the balls to text Rafael Barba. You had just stared at the number in your phone, imagining all the possibilities contacting him would lead to. You may have gotten so far as planning your summer wedding in the Hamptons, but nobody needed to know that.
But you had chickened out and left it alone, and now you were sitting at your desk typing up a memo for Rita when you saw him come waltzing through the door.
“Ah, Cinderella!” He smiled at you.
“Hey…” Your mind went blank, you couldn’t think of words. Wait, had he already given you a nickname?
“Cinderella?” You blinked in confusion.
“Well I never caught your name-- But I guess I shouldn’t even push it, you’ve clearly moved on and I must seem like a creep,” His train of thought proceeded out loud as he realized you hadn’t taken his number and here he was still flirting with you. Rita had given it to you, he had seen her type it in your phone. Obviously you weren’t interested, why was he pushing this?
“What? NO!” You said a little louder than you intended, actually a lot louder than you intended. You slapped your hand over your mouth after your little outburst, but to you relief he was still smiling.
“Oh? Well I suppose that’s good…” He was obviously fishing for your excuse as to why you had waited until he popped back in your face to talk to him.
“No, I um--” You racked your brain for an excuse that wasn’t “I was busy planning our lives together”.
“I….couldn’t think of something interesting to say,” You finally admitted with a pitiful sigh. You were not a good liar, and under pressure, forget about it.
Again, he still smiled-- but this time he laughed along with it.
“I mean, ‘Hello’ is always an option,” He chuckled. “Or...your name?”
“Oh!” Idiot. You hadn’t even given him your name, how was he supposed to fall madly in love with you without a name?
“Y/N,” You stuck your hand out awkwardly, Was this a ‘shake hands’ moment? Hadn’t you already met before? You stared at your hand as you moved it slightly back and forth, arguing with yourself whether or not this was necessary. Luckily, Rafael settled the argument by taking your hand and shaking it firmly.
His hands were so soft, his long fingers enveloped yours in them. You lost yourself in the moment, and before you knew it he was making an uncomfortable cough, snapping you back to reality. You dropped his hand and snapped yours back into your body like a zip cord, your face in a horrified stare.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry, that was so weird. I’m weird. I’m--”
“Well I don’t know what you were so worried about Cinderella, you’re clearly a chatterbox,” He gave you a tongued smile, referring to the word vomit you just couldn’t help spill all over him.
“Oh yeah, I’m a total word machine,” You laughed nervously. A word machine? What the fuck was that?
“...Word machine. Right,” He nodded in amusement. “Well word machine, would you mind shooting some words to my phone, or do you just enjoy this face to face thing?”
“With that face? Definitely the latter. But you can have my number anyway,” You typed a quick message and sent it to his number. Damn that was smooth! How did you do that?
Rafael made an impressed face with your line, but when he opened his phone his brows furrowed.
“Hit?” He gave you a curious look as he read the text out loud.
“Fuck it was supposed to be ‘hi’-- stupid autocorrect,” You muttered angrily. Yeah, that was more like you.
“Oh yes, the dreaded autocorrect,” He nodded while saving your number. “Turning fucks into ducks since 2011,”
“Oh I didn’t have a phone in 7th grade but I’ll take your word for it,” You laughed, but stopped when his face twisted into a mix of horror and discomfort when he realized how young you actually were.
Dammit. Why...why would you do this?
“....Right, is Rita in?” He quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed into Rita’s office before you could answer.
“...Idiot!” You yelled at yourself as your hands went over your face and your face planted into your desk.
Well, that was nice while it lasted. All 2.5 seconds of it.
-----------------
“Well Barba, about time,” Rita smirked as Rafael abruptly burst into her office trying to get away from you. “Done flirting with the intern are we?”
“Shut up,” He rolled his eyes, though his face was a deep shade of red.
“Oh no, what happened? Did your dentures fall out in front of her?” She smirked.
“I’m younger than you!!” He scoffed.
“Yeah but I’m not the one trying to boff a 25 year old,” She smirked harder, making Rafael angrier.
“Can I just get the warrant I came here for, Rita?” He huffed.
“Oooh, struck a nerve there, did I?” Rita chuckled as she grabbed some papers from her desk and started to hand them to him. “Barba, for the record I’m really not judging you. If I were 20 years younger, I’d hit it too,”
“Excuse me?”
“I had a lot of ‘cats’ in college,” She winked.
“Wow,” Rafael held up his hands. “Rita, we really don’t need to be that personal.”
“Fine, but all I’m saying is if you like the girl, don’t let a stupid thing like age deter you. Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s actually very competent and organized. I would almost prefer her not to graduate, unless she'd come work for me. She’s going to be a hell of a lawyer,” She gestured outside to your desk.
Rafael looked at the ground as he mulled over what she was saying, a small smile crawled across his lips as she complimented your potential.
“I’ll take that under advisement, Mrs. Calhoun,” He nodded as he walked towards the door with the papers in his hand, a huge smile across his face now.
He walked out to find you cursing at yourself and whimpering in embarrassment at your desk. When you heard the door shut you snapped to attention and stared at him, shocked he hadn't sprinted out of the office like Usain Bolt. Even more shocking was that Cheshire cat grin now upon his face.
“I-I’m sorry, I totally meant I was--” You tried doing math trying to make yourself reasonably older.
“It’s fine,” He chuckled as he put a hand over your counting fingers. You blushed at the touch of his skin on yours again, but quickly shoved your hands under the desk nervously as you tried not to look him square in the eye. His eyes were so gorgeous you were positive staring straight into them would actually get you pregnant.
“So does Rita ever unchain you from this desk?” He smirked as he was now very aware and very amused at how nervous he made you. He may be old, but clearly he’s still got it.
“Oh yeah, if I ask very nicely she let’s me--” You tried to think of something witty, but it wasn’t coming with him staring at you with those eyes. “....Yes,” You wanted to put your hands over your face but you didn’t want it to be a ‘thing’.
“Well, maybe if you’re an extra good girl she’ll let you off your leash early tonight,” He winked.
“....Am I a dog or a toddler in that situation?” You were genuinely asking, but Rafael clearly realized how insulting that must have seemed.
“Oh no no no, I just, shit,” He tried to backtrack but if he was being totally honest, you made him nervous. Maybe he didn’t have ‘it’ as much as he thought.
You noticed he was the one blushing now, oh my god were you making him nervous? QUICK, BE SMOOTH. BE SMOOTHER THAN YOU’VE EVER BEEN IN YOUR LIFE.
“Are you asking me out, counselor?” You did your best “sultry “voice with a bat of your eyes. Were you batting them too much? What was too much? Oh god you’ve done it for too long now. STOP BATTING.
“...I don’t know, guess you’ll have to wait for me to text you, future counselor,” He was impressed by the line, and decided to bow out before either of you made idiots of yourselves again. He gave you a wink and sauntered out of the office.
Great. Now he’ll probably make you wait two days for a--
*BEEP*
Your phone went off in your desk. You pulled it out to see a text message:
BHOLE BARBA: Dinner? Tonight?
You really needed to change his contact name. But that wasn’t the point right now. He just asked you out. Rafael Barba just asked you out. You stared at in your hands, unsure of what to do. Then you realized you couldn’t do this again, you couldn’t just sit there and imagine things, this required an immediate response.
You nervously typed a reply and hit SEND:
Sire ;)
“DAMMIT!!!” You cursed your autocorrect. You instantly sent another text.
Sure***
Before you could lecture yourself again, your phone beeped again:
BHOLE BARBA: Play
Play? What did that--
BHOLE: Okay** ;)
You typed the word ‘okay’ into your text reply bubble, ‘play’ came up in the autocorrect word list.
He was joking with you. He was flirting with you. RAFAEL BARBA WAS FLIRTING WITH YOU.
This work day could not end fast enough.
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sonicasura · 3 years
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Balan Wonderworld Review - Favorite Costumes Part 1
I have officially beat the game with every single Gold Balan Statue in every level, got the Balan Costume, got all the main game costumes and the latest section of the Tower of Tims that I need to unlock being the sixth section.
I had quite a ball playing the game despite Square Enix being backstabbers to Balan Company and the game. Now, this huge ass review will split into different categories and will have their own page. These categories are:
Favorite Costumes
Level Design and Level Music
Boss and Boss Music
Now, these picks will be my personal opinion. I'm starting with costumes because it's probably the hardest out of these to choose from since every costume has incredible designs to them.
There will be two picks for each Chapter: a Common Costume and a Rare Costume.
Common Costumes are those you can easily find in each act. If you can find them in multiple spots in one act or they can seen im both acts then they count as common.
Rare Costumes are ones you have to go the extra length to find. Some are hidden while others require certain costumes to get.
The Balan Costume isn't being counted for obvious reasons. It is the only costume found on the Isle of Tims and it's requirements are staggering.
How To Get Balan Costume
First you need to feed the Tim Statue on the isle a certain amount of Rainbow Drops. Once it's full, you need to get a white Crowned Tim. This very Tim can be acquired by getting Tims with three badges.
A Tim can get a badge for consuming the equivalent of 30 Tim Drops(3 large drops) in either blue, pink or red colors. You need at least 2 Tims with all 3 badges and then breed them together. It is trial and error so I suggest getting multiple Tims with badges but also exit the game if ya fail to get a white Crowned Tim.
Once you have the Tim, do a level and it should be the proper size to pick up. Throw it at the statue and it will become the Father Tim. That big Tim will fly you up to the costume so you can get. If ya lose the costume, then give the Father Tim more Rainbow Drops. Rainbow Drops can be given by redoing stages, bosses or Tim Statues scattered about the levels.
Now let's get started.
Chapter 1
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Common Costume: Tornado Wolf
An obvious choice for me. Wolves are one of my favorite animals and werewolves being one of my favorite mythological creatures. Tornado Wolf can be found in Act 1 and in the Boss Level. A simple jump engulfs the player in a mini tornado that can reflect wind projectiles and break blocks.
Powerful, agile and cute plus Tornado Wolf just gives me Werehog nostalgia since I'm a Sonic Unleashed fan.
Rare Costume: Jumping Jack
You can't just give me an adorable kangaroo and one of the better costumes when it's comes to movement. Jumping Jack can only be found in Act 1 so it's actually rare. This costume allows the player to do a flutter jump, great for getting extra air, reaching slightly far platforms and a decent recovery.
It's a costume I suggest stocking up on since you can't get the better mobility options until Chapter 6 Act 2. Also love there's a plushie in the pouch and the white patches of fur. Kangaroo are marsupials who do carry young in their pouches, and the silver tufts just add extra charm to the design.
Chapter 2
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Common Costume: Jelly Jolt
Very useful! The Jelly Jolt is the perfect costume when it comes to electric resistance and make enemies stay five feet away while you shock them to hell. Can be found in Act 1 and the Boss Act. First time seeing an adorable jellyfish that actually doesn't mean harm.
Jellicent, Frillish, and Healslimes don't count considering the former have a habit of wrecking ships and the latter is a pain in the ass in boss fights or tough opponents. Also, all of these attack you! Case in point.
Rare Costume: Double Jumper
Definite pick for many reasons. This costume can only be found in Act 2 and requires the Fixer Upper Costume in Chapter 12 or the Frost Fairy Costume in Chapter 8(harder difficulty for reaching it).
It allows you to double jump, a godsend when it comes to reaching Balan Statues, costumes, recovery and careful platforming. You can get some major air with this costume and makes backtracking for certain levels easier.
I love the demonic imp design too. Imps are agile and mischievous creatures after all. Just like the basis, this costume is difficult to grab like the imp.
Chapter 3
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Common Costume: Sickle Slicer
Slickle Slicer are one of your first go-to for fighting spiked enemies. This costume can be found in Act 2 and the Boss Act, it allows you to throw sickles that act like a boomerang. If you do a combo, these sickles can go farther than their already decent range.
The design is a very nice touch since the praying mantis can be considered a high level predator amongst insects. The costume is quite agile which helps in a pinch against fast opponents.
Rare Costume Itsy Bitsy Elf
A mini chinchilla perfect for tiny doors. Costume can only be found in Act 2 and takes some careful platforming to get. Suggest using the Jumping Jack costume if you don't want to wait for the better option in Chapter 6. This costume lets you enter tiny doors that often hold Balan Statues or Balan Bout inside. Very adorable, very fast (probably second fastest in the main story) and super fun.
Chapter 4
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Common Costume: Aero Acrobat
Holy Balloon Popping Batman! This costume can be found in Act 1, Act 2 and the Boss Act. It allows you to pop balloons and even jump kick enemies caught in the crosshair. Balloons are scattered about in various levels and this guy is a great option of transport to reach these specific areas.
The aviator outfit makes it even better and I love bats. Probably my favorite flying mammal of the bunch since I often have a bat ally in games like Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, a Crobat for hunting escape happy Legendaries in Pokemon and Hidabat in Yokai Watch.
Rare Costume: Happy Horn
My first performing costume. It can be found in Act 2 and performs on special stage platforms scattered throughout chapters. A good way to gain some extra drops and hear a different version of stage clear. Not only is the costume charming, this is the first time I actually like listening to a marching band.
Chapter 5
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Common Costume: Guardian Bird
The first costume to find in Act 1, can also be found in Act 2 and the Boss Act. The Guardian Bird costume lets you throw a mini whirlwind in midair. A nice costume to have for hitting far off opponents and counter wind projectiles.
I love the purple and yellow of the feathers and that orange mimics the bandana and ponytail of the costume's human equivalent. This costume is quite quick and good for dodging, the ability can act as a last second recovery should the need arrives.
Rare Costume: Sickle Slayer
A much stronger version of the Sickle Slicer that can be found in Act 2. One of the early options for breaking iron blocks or fighting iron coated opponents. The extra bulk does slow down the player but the payoff is worth it.
The larger size, serrated sickles and the color palette proves that this is a costume you rightfully earned. A sign that you can handle the much stronger costumes that can be found in the game. The general amongst the Sickle race.
Chapter 6
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Common Costume: Pumpkin Puncher
The Fruity Boxer! A costume found in Act 1, 2 and the Boss! This costume lets you punch opponents from afar with straight Rayman equivalent punches. Doing a combo even extends the range. A faster hitter than the Sickle Costumes but also great at getting tons of Drops from Negati. If you take out tons of Negati in a single costume without changing or getting hit, the number of Drops they give increases.
I love the design since it's practically a scarecrow boxer. The outfit is cute, has a sort of fanciness you can only find in medieval periods in wealthy districts.
Rare Costume- Air Cat
The princess of platforming. This costume can only be found in Act 2 and allows the player to walk on air for a short amount of time. A perfect option for reaching far off areas, recovery and even avoiding ground hazards.
I've used this costume A LOT for most of my playthrough of the game. Even go back to Chapter 6 just to restock if I run out. This costume is that good. Very adorable too, just has this Artistocats nostalgia to it as well. Also I am a cat lover, literally got 5 cats at home and all are rescues as well.
That will be it for now. Part 2 of Favorite Costumes will be out sometime this week. I would've put the whole thing here but Tumblr limits how many pictures you can add to a post, 10 to be precise. Also, I don't want to make this too long for any fellow readers.
Until next time folks! See ya back in Wonderworld.
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echo-three-one · 3 years
Text
Chapter 42
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THE ROAD SO FAR
This chapter was a mess. But it's my mess.
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FOUR weeks of Silence
Gary "Roach" Sanderson
Veteran's Village
A peaceful Sunday meant that Roach, Alex and Soap were chilling at the house Samantha and Maxine were in. It had been 4 weeks since that Cuban incident and Francine had gone to therapy for her near death traumatic experience. If it wasn't for Soap, she would've been left out there for good.
France thought that it would be healthy to stay in a more domestic setup rather than the base so she took her time off duty to recover in the veteran's village. And ever since that day in Cuba, Soap and France's relationship was more expressive than ever.
"If we're having a barbecue tonight, we better head off to the meat shop." Alex peeked by the door, giving a heads up to the rest of the people sitting on the couch. Soap turned his head to Alex and tossed his keys as Roach stood up and came with Alex.
"Any other requests?" He looked at the group then to Maxine, who shook her head and laughed. 
"Just be back safe." She replied.
"Got it." Gary nodded and waved goodbye at them. Soap wanted to come along but France had been falling asleep on his lap for quite a while. And Maxine and Samantha noted that she hadn't had decent for days.
"Oh, Roach! Grab me a cigar maybe." He whispered, trying not to wake France up.
"Roger that." He nodded and made his way to Soap's jeep, where Alex was already waiting on him. He sat himself on shotgun and let Alex lead the way to their destination.
He turned on the radio as it played a song about driving. Roach was quick to shazam it and found out it was Automobile by KALEO.
"Now this is going to be on my playlist." Alex said as his head nodded to the music, taking him where the winds take him, far away.
"Agreed. Oh, Soap actually asked for cigarettes so we might have to stop by a convenience store on the way back." Roach informed as the song ended. 
"Okay. That's cool. Maybe add a few sodas for the girls. They probably haven't had those i  ages." He said as he turned the radio off and switched it to AUX.
"Here. Grab my phone and play that song again." Alex instructed as he drove through the streets, and Roach followed him. Playing the song again.
"Ah yes. This song is good." Alex sighed.
"Yeah. It's fire." Roach commented, making Alex raise an eyebrow.
"You know, fire… lit… slaps… Modern terminologies." Roach explained shyly as Alex chuckled.
"I'll never understand the young ones of today." Alex chuckled as he stopped by the parking lot, pulling his phone and leaving the car.
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Dinner was the best part of the Sunday evening as the three couples enjoyed a hearty meal together, sharing experiences and funny stories like an extended family. Roach talked about his raccoon story once again as one topic led to another until such time that the inevitable topic was discussed.
"Speaking of fires, do you have any leads on Nero?" Samantha asked innocently as the men fell quiet, looking at each other. Wondering who would open up the topic.
"Well, uh… After his assault in New York…" Soap trailed off, his eyes went to Alex, signaling him to continue.
"Alex, it's your girl's question! Go answer it!" Soap complained as France laughed, wrapping her arms around Soap.
"He's gone silent." Alex muttered. Samantha was kinda sad she asked about it so she tried to make up by brightening up the mood.
The night continued on as the group played charades, girls vs boys. For an hour or so the soldiers forgot about their worries and acted like they're normal people living their normal lives outside work. It wouldn't hurt to pretend like that, especially when the baggage of guilt was hard to handle.
"So, Gary. I've been meaning to ask you something…" Maxine said as she assisted him in the kitchen.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"How are you… like mentally. You seem… off." She asked, Gary sighed and eased his shoulders.
"It's just… we almost lost a life back there… for nothing. Lannister hasn't said any useful information and as the days go by another assault might occur." he breathed out his worries, earning a back rub from Maxine.
"People have their limits. Lannister could break anytime. Let's just hope we're not too late." She assured him. It was a very negative statement but somehow it's actually helpful. Gary smiled and gave her a hug.
"Thanks Maxine." he said.
"Yeah. Don't ever think you're alone. I'm here for you. Actually, just last night. I had another memory restored. And it felt so important that you have to know it first. Before…" she said, her voice lowering down after every word.
"Before what?" Gary whispered jokingly. Maxine laughed and hit his chest gently.
"Nevermind that word. Back to my memory…
I…" she trailed off, looking like she was too shy and scared to finish the statement.
"You…?" Gary raised an eyebrow. Maxine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"I had an ex-girlfriend." She blurted and paused right after saying it, bracing at what Gary's reaction.
"I- uh.. That's okay… There's nothing wrong with that, Maxine." He said like he meant it. Maxine was too shocked about his reaction. Maybe she thought about it too much.
"Like… does that change anything?" She asked.
"Nothing at all. Oh wait! Yes! It does." Gary announced and Maxine's smile almost dropped.
"It means that if I want to have you, I'll have to step up my game. I have more competition now." He realized and Maxime sighed in relief. This man was about to get some scolding.
"You worried me, you know!" He continued gently hitting on Gary's chest, giggling away all her fears. He still accepted her. This was great.
"My point's valid!" He laughed, defending himself from her hits,.like children playing house. This may seem like a simple event, but this was the beginning of something new for the two of them.
Task Force 141 Base - Interrogation Room
Price sat in front of Gabriel, they've been silent for about an hour now as Gary and Soap stayed on the viewing area to observe the interrogation. Alex was here thirty minutes ago but he left after he got a phone call.
"What kind of twisted play is this?" Soap asked, crossing his arms and looking at Gabriel.
"The bastard won't talk. Just cut off a finger or something." He scoffed. To Gary, it would make sense, but with all the cameras and the formalities, It wasn't allowed. Especially that Gabriel's alibi was that he got their first to investigate. Which was total bullshit.
"He still has his ace on his sleeve. As long as we don't find proof of involvement, he's going to be free soon." Gary commented, making Soap grumble some Scottish curses.
"It's pretty obvious!" Soap yelled as Alex entered the interrogation room, saying something to Price as they immediately left him alone. Whatever that message was, looked way more important than Gabriel.
"We've got a lead on Nero!" Alex said as he peeked on the door, making the two stand up immediately and head to the briefing room.
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"Operation Eye of the Storm." Price announced.
"In 24 hours, Nero and his newfound friends will meet on a hotel in Prague. This intel was from one of the Resistance Leaders Alex once teamed up with. They reached out for help since Nero started to secure the whole city." Price paced back and forth on the big screen.
"The plan is to eliminate Nero and his allies. As simple as that. We have the element of surprise in our hands. Soap, I want you to position yourself on the clock tower, just by the hotel. A bullet to the head should work. Alex will be watching your six. Jack will be our eyes and ears inside the convention. He'll be signaling when they'll be out on the open. Roach and I will enter the building for cleanup. We only had one shot at this so let's make it count." Price briefed and everyone else murmured their thoughts, some were already thanking for a solid lead. This was it. The final showdown. The end of the war.
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Alex and Soap already left the resistance safehouse, they had to be at the clock tower tonight, using the concealment of the night and the noise of the rain for cover. The perfect opportunity to say under the radar. Meanwhile, Roach and Price stayed to defend the place as Nero's men once again ransacked the streets just to ensure his safety. The world may have announced that the war in US was over, but Nero still had some cities under his control. This minor setback was the reason he's planning for something new. And they're here to stop it.
"Alright, Roach. Your replacements here." Price said as he stood up from his spot. 
"Get ready for the big day tomorrow." He added as he nodded and left his gun for the next person to use. Tomorrow's battle is going to be tough, and even though he didn't want to admit it, Roach needed some rest.
Despite the occasional gunfire and screaming, Roach was able to sleep. He didn't mind the battle outside the building as his battle was with Nero. Once Soap shot him dead, he would also want to shoot him again, just to feel satisfied.
0639H 
Hotel Lustig
Prague, Czech Republic
Roach hid on the west wing of the hotel, while Price was on the other side. They were both clinging on to the walls as their entrance was at the small opening where Soap would shoot Nero. Roach eyed the convoy just below him.
"Convoy's up ahead. Nero should be in one of those cars." Soap muttered.
"Can't see shit through the lens. He could be anywhere." Alex added.
"Easy lads. We'll have a clear shot once they're in the balcony. Right Jack?" Price asked. Jack didn't respond, but maybe the signal inside was too weak.
"Jack? Do you copy?" Price asked.
"Da. I do copy, Captain Price. I'm just here to get my old prisoner back. I've had him in the gulag for quite a while but it seems this is our first time meeting face to face." A russian voice which everyone assumed to be Nero said in the most villainous tone possible.
"You're too predictable, Captain." he said as he clicked something, prompting an explosion on the clock tower.
"Get down! C4!" Price yelled as the two soldiers jump out, falling on to railings. Alex landed on a fruit cart by the tower while Soap landed on the car, crashing it as it alarmed.
"Roach! Go help them out!" Price ordered as Nero's men started to circle around the two while the resistance team helped them defend. 
Roach quickly pulled Soap up who was groaning in pain. Alex looked pained too but the look in their eyes says that they're still willing to end this today.
"Let's catch up with them." Alex said as a resistance member tossed them a rifle and quickly hid for cover, pushing their way into the hotel. At the corner of Roach's eye, he saw Price enter the building, loading his gun and ready to end this as well.
Next Chapter : THREE Bullets
Notification Squad my Beloved
@smokeywhalee @enderio @samatedeansbroccoli @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach @bumblingbee1
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xmint-conditionx · 3 years
Text
☆ flanked ☆ ch2 | knj
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(verb) flank -
guard or strengthen (a military force or position) from the side.
attack down or from the sides, or rake with gunfire from the sides.
☆ pairing: soldier!namjoon x widow!reader; namjoon x fem!reader ☆ word count: 3.1K ☆ summary: you’re a recently widowed military spouse who is stationed at camp walker, south korea. you’re dealing with the tragedy of your husband’s recent death, and in the process, you accidentally meet a k-pop idol you’ve had a crush on for years. who knew you’d both be at the same post while he’s doing his compulsory service? who knew he’d be so damn nice? who knew it would be impossible to get him out of your head? ☆ warnings: angst, mentions of death, grieving, lots of fluff in this chapter tbh and you might die because dork namjoon has come to the party ☆ a/n: hey everyone c: sorry this repost is a little late; i've been sick the past two days and holed up in bed for the last one. i'm so excited to release this for you and start on the next chapter.
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It is 6:05 in the morning, and you are awake. Not wide awake, but awake. You can’t believe you let Namjoon convince you to get up this early, because frankly, nobody has ever convinced you to get up this early. When he said that you’d have to get there first thing in the morning so you can see everything, you really didn’t think he would mean you’d have to get there at 7 AM. It’s always been your philosophy that it’s wrong to wake up before the sun, and you’re finding that getting out of bed in your pitch black room isn’t easy. You’re gonna have to make sure to clarify everything that man says in the future. Ugh, military men, you think.
You groan, muscles stiff as you finally manage to get yourself out of bed.
Bananas is obviously not getting the memo, the only sign of him being his fluffy tail poking out from under the covers. He’s never been into early mornings either.
Namjoon sent you a text yesterday and told you that the exhibit that he really wants to show you requires tickets. He then told you that because they only sell 100 tickets per day on a first come first serve basis; getting in line any later than 7 AM would surely be entirely too late, apparently. The Daegu Art Museum opens at 10, tickets go on sale at 9:30, yet you need to be in line no later than 7? Sure.
He seemed really excited about the exhibit, though, saying that Yayoi Kusama, whoever that person was, was a genius. So… you couldn’t exactly turn him down. Her works were deep and breathtaking and spoke so much about life, according to Namjoon. He had promised it would be worth it, and you thought about that promise as you groggily did your morning routine. Yeah, you thought, it had better be. If only he hadn’t sent too many pleading-eye emojis.
You grabbed your over the shoulder bag and gave Bananas a good belly rub before heading outside.
Despite being almost non-functional this early in the morning, you beat Namjoon to the museum. Gawking at the massive modern building, you walk up to the front doors, where a decent line has already formed. Okay, maybe he was right.
You find yourself a place at the back of the line and just as you reach in your bag to grab your phone to text him, you see Namjoon walking in your direction, long legs making short work of catching up to you. You catch his eyes lingering on your bare legs as he approaches, and for just a moment, you’re glad you chose to wear this skirt.
“Morning, Namjoon,” you groan, leaning up against the museum’s outer wall. More people start filing in line after you, and you’re thankful Namjoon wasn’t too late. “I guess you were right. Look at all these people.”
“Morning, peach,” he says with another one of his dimpled grins, “Glad it’s warming up out? It’s supposed to hit 20 degrees today.”
“Okay, it is entirely too early for you to be this happy,” you say, voice groggy. Namjoon just shrugs.
“Guess I’m just excited.”
You look around the small crowd that has formed and notice that a lot of the people are sitting up against the wall while they wait. You decide to do the same.
“I am too, trust me,” you say, back resting against the cool stone, “I’m just not usually up this early.”
“I see. Maybe conversation can keep you awake. Are there any other places in Daegu you want to see?” Namjoon inquires.
“Well, there is that aquarium I keep hearing about. One of my coworkers on post says that there are mermaids that do a little performance with the fish.”
“Oh! I know which one you’re talking about! I’ve actually been there a few times. I love it there! Fish are so cool.”
“Before I went into veterinary science,” you say, “I was originally planning on being a marine biologist.”
“You’re a vet? I didn’t know that! No wonder Bananas looks like such a happy pup!”
“Yeah,” you say, letting your head fall back, “he really is. But, I really want to go check it out. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to an aquarium.”
“The mermaid performers swim around with a bunch of stingrays. Stingrays are actually not that dangerous, especially if they have the barbs removed from their tails.”
You feel your eyes growing heavy.
“Wow, I didn’t know that.”
“A lot of people think they’re really dangerous because Steve Irwin died from a sting from a stingray, but his injury was a result of the barb piercing his thoracic wall. Most stingray injuries are actually very mild.”
“That’s interesting,” you say quietly, eyes fluttering closed.
“Some people think that cutting down their barbs is abuse, but it’s like cutting off a fingernail to humans. They don’t feel it at all and it grows back over time.”
“Mhmmmmm,” you say as you feel yourself slipping back into sleep.
“It’s the touch tanks that can be a little problematic,” Namjoon continues, oblivious, “Stingrays have a type of mucus that covers their body that protects them from bacteria. If that gets rubbed off, they become vulnerable. A lot of zoos and aquariums are taking plenty of precautionary measures though, like making sure the guests wash their hands before and after they experience the touch tank. In fact, I think that given the proper precautions, touch tanks…”
______________
The warmth next to you feels like home, and threatens to pull you back to sleep. You feel yourself holding onto something... firm and yet so soft, but it’s comforting, so you tighten your grip and nuzzle further in. You then feel a gentle breeze run across your legs and wonder where your blankets have gone. Bananas has probably hogged them all. You breathe in and smell laundry detergent, a little musk and… men’s deodorant? There’s the quiet chatter of birdsong, and an unmistakable trickle of water, and you instantly remember where you are.
Your eyes snap open to find yourself snuggled up to Namjoon, arms hooked around his bicep and cheek against his shoulder. He seems un-bothered by your lack of respect for his personal space; he doesn’t even look up from his book. Like it’s the most natural thing for you to be attached to him like this. Embarrassed, you quickly distance yourself from him and apologize profusely while he just chuckles a bit. He puts his bookmark in to keep his place and turns towards you as you blink yourself awake, tasting the dryness in your mouth. Oh god, you must have had your mouth open.
“It’s fine, peach. I didn’t even realize you were asleep until you started snoring.”
You gasp. “I did not!”
“Oh, you did,” he says, eyeing you playfully, “It was only a little though. And it was really quiet. Kind of cute, actually.” You play hit him in the arm that you had just been latched on to.
“Hey, don’t be mad at me. I bought your ticket!”
“You what?! What time is it?” you ask, scrambling to look at your phone. It was 5 minutes until open. “Namjoon, why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I was going to, but you were sleeping so hard...”
“Well, at least that means I wasn’t all over you this entire time.”
“Oh, no," he says, "you were.”
You groan. “How did you get up and buy the tickets then without me knowing?”
“A man has to have some secrets, you know. Come on, let’s go look at some art.”
The inside of the Daegu Art Museum is stunning. The lobby is bright and open; the sunlight pours into that first room through the large windows, casting a lovely morning light on all of the bright and cheery visitors. Some of the larger pieces are displayed in this grand lobby, some towering ten of feet above you.
“Namjoon, this is beautiful.”
“Just you wait, Come on, first we’ll do classical, then lunch, then modern art. The best one we’ll save for last.”
Classical art wasn’t your favorite, but Namjoon got absorbed in just about every piece. When he saw one that really grabbed his attention, he would sit there gawking at it, mouth open as he read from the little plaque next to it. The way his eyes filled with wonder and widened with discovery at the newly rotated paintings was absolutely adorable. He almost had this child-like wonder about him, eagerly looking back and forth from the plaque to the painting and back again. You almost enjoyed studying Namjoon instead of the art.
You let him take the lead, showing you some of his favorite pieces as you navigate through the galleries. He is definitely in his element here. After he finishes his embellished tour of the classical works, you both decide it would be a good time to break for lunch. The museum has a little cafe, so Namjoon takes care of waiting for your orders while you are tasked with finding a nice spot to spread your blanket outside on the grounds. You see a spot beneath a tree offering up a little shade, so you spread the blanket over the soft grass and take your place, closing your eyes and breathing in the fresh air. Namjoon soon arrives with your food, and settles down next to you.
Before you start to eat, you remove your cardigan, exposing your chest and arms to the air, hoping to enjoy some of the new warmth in Daegu. You hear Namjoon take a sharp inhale, and thinking something’s wrong, you quickly look over at him. He’s got his eyes trained on you, and he swallows hard before he realizes you’re looking at him. He jerks his gaze away, finds something else to look at and shakes his head, as if to clear it. Was he… checking you out?
“Sorry, I thought I uh…” he trails off, “thought I saw a bug. It was, uh, just a shadow.”
“Uh, thanks for uh, looking out,” you say, before a thought strikes you, “Hey, Namjoon. I brought my painting stuff with me today. I was hoping to paint a little while we eat, is that okay? I don’t want to be bad company.”
He perks up, “Oh, yeah, sure. I can just keep reading my book. Hypervelocity stars aren’t going to learn about themselves!”
You set about getting out your watercolor palette, planning on using some of your bottled water to wet your paints. For some reason, you glance back over at Namjoon. He’s sitting with his back against the tree, legs crossed at the ankles, book in one hand, and bao in the other. His eyebrows are slightly furrowed together in concentration, and he lazily takes a bite, not even looking at the bao bun. You hold back a giggle when you see he got some sauce on his mouth. You can’t help but point it out by getting his attention and tapping your own bottom lip. Namjoon studies you for a minute, and slowly licks his bottom lip, almost too slowly. Before you can register what he had just done, he just smiles at you innocently and goes back to reading his book.
This man is going to kill you, so he might as well be the subject for your art. The way he’s positioned himself is just too adorable to ignore.
After getting the basic shape of his outline done and halfway through the details in his face, he stirs from his place under the tree. You watch him as he places his book down carefully on the blanket and walks toward your back, steps ever so gentle. You turn your head and see a little bird hopping around on the grass, and Namjoon is after it. He breaks off a piece of bread from his second bao and extends it towards the bird, who eyes him suspiciously. To your surprise though, it hops forward and takes the bread, chirping up at Namjoon. He goes to sit cross legged on the ground, but doing so ends up startling the bird, who then flies a short distance away on the lawn. Namjoon sulks and pouts a little before getting up and walking after the bird. This is the craziest thing you have ever seen. You love animals so much that you’ve dedicated your career to helping them stay healthy, but this is on a whole other level.
You go back to refining your art, throwing some color into the sky and on the tree, seeing as your main subject has wandered off.
You’re startled when he comes back from behind you.
“How’s the art coming?” he asks, looking over your shoulder at your book, “Hey! Is that me?!”
“Well, it was going to be until you started playing Snow White.”
“Yeah…” he says, looking down at what’s left of his sandwich, “the little guy ate all my bread.”
You laugh a little at him as he frowns at the char siu pork filling barely being contained by the thinnest bun dough you’ve ever seen. Widening his eyes, he downs the rest of the bao bun in one bite.
“Dind youh whanna fhinish youhr phaintingh?” he says, covering his full mouth as he speaks.
“I can finish it some other time. Let’s go see the modern stuff before I want another nap.”
Stepping into the large room that houses the modern art, you take in a sharp breath with how absolutely full it is. Sculptures, paintings, installations; and in the back of the room is a line leading to a small door. You don’t know where to look first, so thankfully your personal tour guide is there to show you the way.
You’re reading the plaque on a minimalistic piece when Namjoon comes and grabs your wrist, excitedly ushering you to follow him. He leads you to the other side of the room where he stops in front of a section of blank wall, gesturing for you to look at it. You sit there and wonder what in the world he could be talking about when you see it. A piece of bright pink gum is stuck to the pristine white wall.
“This wasn't here last time!” he exclaims in a whisper. “I can’t believe this.”
“Yeah, kinda sucks that someone did that.”
“No, you don’t get it. This is an installation.”
“... are you sure about that?”
“Yeah! Look, it's about how such a simple thing can ruin something so large. Like finding a fly in your chardonnay, or there being a hair in your food, or one small imperfection in a person ruining your whole view of them.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s actual trash, Namjoon.”
“Of course it’s actual trash. I don’t think the artist could have gotten the point across without using actual chewing gum. It says so much. It might also be depicting the actual process of tainting something too! Like, how long did the artist chew the gum before they stuck it there? How much time and effort did it take them to ruin this whole wall with their gum? Where’s the plaque?”
As Namjoon searches the nearby walls for a plaque, a janitor comes by and scrapes off the gum, smiling gently at the both of you. You send Namjoon a pointed look, one that’s screaming “I told you so,” and then you both start laughing, having to hold back most of the sound in the quiet of the viewing space.
“Okay, last but not least. You ready?” The two of you were next in line to enter that small door you had seen at the back of the room when you first entered. The lady taking the tickets had already informed you that you would have five minutes once the door shut. You still had no idea what to expect.
“Yeah, I guess I had better be.” The door opened, letting out the museum goer who had just been in there.
Namjoon leaned up to your ear from behind and gently said, “Close your eyes.”
You were about to protest when he continued speaking, placing his hands on your shoulders, “I’ll walk you in there and tell you when to open. Trust me?”
You answered him by letting your lids drop. You felt him guide you by your shoulders as you walked gently forward and then to the right. You could tell that the floor texture had changed from the concrete you’d been walking on all day to something more plastic. You heard the door softly click shut behind you.
“Open,” he commanded softly, and you complied.
You could not make sense out of what you were seeing. The view went on forever, but you could tell that the actual room was so very small. Directly in front of you and on all sides were mirrors, infinitely reflecting off of themselves into the horizon. You were both completely surrounded by them. Scattered around the part of the room that wasn’t the black platform that you were standing on were delicate fairy lights in a cool white tone. It felt like you were floating in a void, so endless and empty. There were specks of brightness, but they did nothing to change the darkness enveloping you. Though it felt infinite, there was a nagging sense of being trapped. Surrounded on all sides. It was beautiful and terrifying to look at. Consumed by everything and nothing. You forgot Namjoon was there until he spoke quietly against your ear.
“This is what I think grief looks like. If it could take a physical form, this would be it.”
He’s right. He’s so right. You’re being swallowed by emptiness. You both are.
You both stand there in silence for the next few minutes, Namjoon’s warmth radiating onto your back, his hands still on your shoulders. Occasionally, his breath would brush against the nape of your neck.
“You really get it, don’t you?” you ask quietly.
“I can’t say I understand what it’s like to lose a spouse, peach. But I understand grief in my own way. I know this sounds crazy, because I don’t believe in any higher power, but I think we were supposed to meet each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... “ he starts, “I just feel better when I’m around you. I feel like a… better person. You don’t treat me like... “ he stops himself.
“Like what, Namjoon?”
“You don’t treat me like other people do. In a lot of ways. That’s... the easiest way to say it.”
You just nod, wanting to soak up these last few moments in this room with him. In this dark space, it’s not so scary to get close. You allow yourself to lean back into him, and he stiffens up for a moment before circling his arms around you.
“We’re gonna get through all of this together,” he says against your ear, “I promise. Together.”
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Text
The Road So Far (pt. 3)
Sweet Pea x reader
Summary: You and your brothers train a group of gang members the best you can in a short amount of time. Will it pay off?
Riverdale + Supernatural Crossover
Word Count: 2482
Chapter 1 • Chapter 2
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After school you and your brothers waited in your motel for Sweet Pea to text you. "This is a bad idea." Dean stated.
"You don't know that." You argued.
"Oh, I do. We shouldn't involve other people in hunter's business."
"This isn't a normal town, Dean. This town is different."
"Different my ass. Don't get too attached. We'll be back on the road, heading to some other town that needs saving."
Your emotions got the better of you, and you opened your mouth to say something that you'd been keeping to yourself for a long time. "What's so wrong with being attached? What's so wrong with belonging to someplace? Why can't I belong anywhere?"
He fell silent. "I need some space." He mumbled before grabbing his keys and leaving.
You felt tears welling up. Emotions that you've been suppressing came bubbling to the surface. You turned to Sam. "I shouldn't have said that! I'm sorry. I shouldn't ha..." You trailed off, tears threatening to spill.
He pulled you in for a hug. "No, it's okay. You shouldn't have to apologize."
"Yes I do." You sniffed. "I'm a hunter. I shouldn't think like that."
"You don't have to be a hunter if you don't want to. We never gave you a choice."
"I do like being a hunter. I like being able to save people. But always being on the move. It's tiring, and I want someplace to get to always have. No matter what happens, I'll still have a home to go to. Like Bobby's, before everything happened."
"I get that." He offered you a smile. "I'll talk to Dean about it."
You shook your head. "I don't know Sam. Dean seems to shut down whatever I say."
Sam didn't know what to say. "You should take a quick shower. It'll make you feel better."
When you got out of the shower and dried your hair, you opened the bathroom door to see Dean. "Look kiddo, we need to talk–" he was cut off by the knocking on the door.
"I'll get it!" You said eagerly, not wanting to start that conversation.
It was Jughead and his dad. "Come with us." You all followed them to the Whyte Wyrm, where about thirty Serpents and Archie were inside. "These are who were open to the idea." Jughead explained.
You noticed that some of them were eyeing Archie. "You told gingy #1?"
"I can help." He said. "I want to help."
You shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Teens, you're with me. The rest of you are with Sam and Dean."
The ten teenagers followed you, while Sam and Dean split up the rest. You showed them how to load a gun, as well as turn the safety on and off. You then showed them how to fire, with targets being stapled to trees. "Okay guys, your turn. I'm trusting you with my guns, so don't be dumbasses. Please."
They were mostly bad. The best one was, surprisingly, Archie. Apparently this wasn't the first time he's dealt with a gun before. You looked back at Sweet Pea, who was barely hitting the target. You watched as he closed one eye and shot again.
"Y'know," you said as you walked up to him. "If you want to hit the target, you should try looking at it with both eyes. Maybe you'll see twice as good."
He looked at you, heat spreading across his face. You were smiling at him, not an amused smile but a gentle one. "It's not like it's just me."
"I know. The only one who seems decent is Archiekins."
Your smile faded as you saw the look of anger on his face. He looked down. "He's not as amazing as everybody makes him."
"Of course not." You brought your hand to his cheek so he could look at you. "He couldn't measure up to you, of course. He wouldn't tell it how it is. He wouldn't give me some of his stuff so that he would have to see me again. He wouldn't be so sweet even when I'm going to leave. You're my hero, remember?"
He looked at your lips before leaning towards you. Just before your lips were going to touch, Dean clasped both of your shoulders, slightly pushing you away. "You should move on teaching different weapons now."
Later on Sam and Dean were eating together while taking a break in teaching the others how to fight an army of werewolves. Dean looked over to you, who was eating and laughing together with Sweet Pea. "We need to break them apart." He stated.
"Dean, it's not like they're dating." Sam looked annoyed as he listened to his brother complain again about the two teenagers. "And either way she won't listen to you."
Dean thought for a moment. "No, but she might listen to someone else." He took out his phone and looked at a certain contact, sighing.
"Dean, no. There's no reason for Crowley to get into her business."
"It's for the case." Dean tried to urge.
He scoffed. "Yeah, if the case is killing Sweet Pea."
Dean ignored his brother and pressed the call button. Dean then proceeded to tell Crowley about the boy you were getting carelessly close to. After he was done talking, he heard silence. "Hello? Crowley, you there?"
"Hello boys." The brothers turned to see a familiar demon with a bag in his hand. "Where's the girl, I want to give her a gift."
"Damnit Crowley." Dean said. "How many times do I have have to tell you to stop spoiling her?"
"Oh, you big, lumbering piles of flannel, you need to learn that there's nothing wrong with a bit of pampering here and there." He then spotted you with Sweet Pea, Jughead and Archie. "Ah, here we are."
You were talking to your friends, but your voice died off as your attention was brought to the demon heading towards you. "Crowley?"
"Hello darling." You hopped off of the bench you were on with a big smile on your face. You gave him a hug, and he patted your head in response. "Here you are, love. Just a little something I feel you deserve."
It was a necklace with an expensive looking jewel attached to it. "I love it! So, how's hell?"
"The demons are dreadfully annoying, darling. I'm glad you gave me an excuse to get away from them for a bit."
"Demons?" Jughead said. "Are you a demon?"
Crowley rolled his eyes. "Not just any demon, the king! The king of hell!" He then took a step closer, showing his red eyes. "What's your name boy?"
"Crowley." You said in a warning tone.
Jughead backed up a bit, saying his name. He then looked at Archie. "And you?" Archie gave his name as well. Crowley then turned to the boy sitting next to you. "Ah, so you must be Sweet Pea."
"Crowley!" He snapped his head to you. "Stop. I don't know what Dean told you, but leave him alone." He continued to stare at you. "Please. For me. Your favorite human, remember?"
He looked back at Sweet Pea. "This isn't over."
He then walked away from a Sweet Pea was looked like he was two words away from shitting himself. "I'm so sorry, he shouldn't have done that to either one of you, and–"
"He won't kill us, right?" Jughead asked, still eyeing Crowley.
"No! I won't let him, I promise."
"What if he doesn't listen to you?" Sweet Pea quietly asked.
You reached out to hold his hand. "No, Sweets–"
Sweet Pea unconsciously backed up. He realized what he did from the hurt look on your face. "Y/n I'm sorry–"
"No, it's okay." You put on a weak smile. "I'm gonna go be alone for a bit." He tried to grab your wrist but you were quicker, and quickly walked away.
While Dean and Crowley were arguing with Sweet Pea, Jughead and Archie, blaming them for whatever reason you left, Sam slipped away to follow you. He found you sitting on a boulder by Sweet Water River, watching the rapid stream. "Hey tiny. You want to talk about it?"
"Why can't I be happy?" You quietly asked, eyes not leaving the river.
Sam hesitated. "You can–"
"No I can't. Dean shoots down anything related to stability, which is something that makes me feel at ease. I get scolded for making friends, who make me feel like I'm not some freak. Now the first outside person to accept all of me is getting threatened by the people in my life, even though he makes me happier than I've been in a long time. How come I don't deserve to be happy?"
This made Sam's chest tighten with sadness for you. They weren't giving you a choice, just like your dad did to them. They just wanted to be there to see you grow up, to protect you from the dangers of the world. Sam thought it would be better if he gave you more freedom, but that wasn't good enough.
He put an arm around your shoulder, and you rested your head on his chest, enjoying the peaceful silence. When you were ready to return you two found Sweet Pea running around, looking for you. He found you, and Sam decided to give you two some space.
"Y/n," he panted. "We need to talk. I'm so sorry–"
You shook your head and put your hands on his cheeks, silencing him. You then took off the dog tag you were wearing, bringing it out to him. "You shouldn't have to work so hard for someone like me. You deserve better than that."
He stared at the dog tag, and shook his head. "What if I want to work hard for someone like you? Maybe that's what you deserve."
He paused before taking the dog tag and putting it on. He then brought his pocket knife out and put it in your front flannel pocket. "Pea." You couldn't help the small smile forming.
"I really like that pocket knife, so I'll definitely be back for that." He smiled at you.
"Why me?"
"Because you've had it worse than any of us, but you still manage to show your pretty smile. You say what you think is important. With you, I'm not a person from the Southside. I'm just me." He then went down and kissed your cheek. "I want to take this slow to savor it. Is that okay with you?" Ghosting your hand over your cheek, you nodded, somewhat in a daze. He then took your hand, interlocking fingers. "You ready to go back?" You smiled and nodded.
Later on, people were relaxing at the Whyte Wyrm. You looked over to Crowley, who was talking to Jughead and Betty, answering their questions with annoyance. You then watched people play pool. You then turned to Sam. "Feel like making some money?"
"I bet I'll get more." He said, full of pep.
"You're on." You then saw someone finish up a game of pool, walking up to them. "Wow, that looks fun! I've never played before, but I bet I'd like it." You pretended to stumble a bit, fake giggling.
"I don't mind teaching ya, babe." This caught Sweet Pea's ear. He didn't see you drink anything, so why were you acting like this, as well as letting that man talk to you like that?
You bounced up and down, giggling. "Yay! You know what would make it even more fun? It we bet money on it! I get to learn how to play pool, and you could make some money!"
The man smirked you got yourself a deal. $80." He took out a stack of money, and you didn't too. Sweet Pea was caught off guard with that. How did you have so much money on you? You ended up winning fairly quickly.
"Yay! That was fun!" The man grumbled. "Aw, don't be like that. I bet it was beginners luck. How bout this, double or nothing?" So you played again and won. You put the money in your pocket, ignoring the man's curses. "Dude, a bet's a bet. I won, fair and square." You then went to Sam, confident. "$160. You?"
"$210."
"Damn." The two of you laughed, and Sweet Pea watched in awe of you Winchesters that you were all able to make money so easily.
You then looked over to Dean, who was with a woman. He then mentioned having a motel room, and with that the two of them left. Sam sighed. "Dean."
"Gross." You grumbled. "Sleeping in Baby it is."
"You could sleep at my place." Sweet Pea offered. You two stared at him. "I have a bed sofa, and a chair couch. It'll be fine."
Sam nodded his head. "That's very nice of you. Let's go then."
As the three of you were driving to Sweet Pea's trailer, you look out a chest from under the seats, and opened it. It had photographs, as well as jewelery. You put Crowley's necklace in there with ease. "I didn't know you were into that stuff."
You shook your head. "I'm not, but it's nice have I'm even getting gifts. It's the thought that counts."
Sweet Pea offered the bed to you, while Sam slept on the couch bed and Sweet Pea slept on the couch chair. You only problem was your nightmares. They happened mainly when you were alone at night, or some bad memories were brought up to the surface.
You shot up from your very realistic evil dream. You quietly went out of the room, and was about to wake up Sam when you looked over at Sweet Pea. He looked so gently, not to mention uncomfortable, so you gently shook him. "Sweets." You whispered.
He gave out a groan. "What's wrong?" He asked, groggily.
"I had a nightmare. Could you lay back down with me?" He hesitated. "Please? I feel more calm with you."
He got up, and remembered that you were only wearing one of his shirts, like he offered. You both laid down, and you snuggled into his chest as you tangled your limbs. He out one arm around you as the second one was in your hair as he buried his face in it. You both then dozed off.
When Sam woke up, he didn't see Sweet Pea on the sofa chair. He went into his bedroom, and saw the two of you snuggled up together. He had noticed that Sweet Pea was out of the covers while you were under them. He smiled. Sweet Pea didn't want Sam to get mad, so he untangled himself from you while you were sleeping, but stayed with you.
Sam loudly knocked on the door, waking both of you up. He stood there as you both began to stir awake. As soon as Sweet Pea realized that your big brother was standing there, he immediately jumped away from you. "It's not what it looks like."
Sam nodded. "She gets nightmares and doesn't like being alone. I get it." You sat up with a lazy smile, causing Sweet Pea to smile. "C'mon. Today's our last day of training."
-------
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artificialqueens · 5 years
Text
i've been too lonely too long (trixya) - cherry
a/n: hello, this is my first fic, ever. so be gentle pls. i hope that you all will enjoy it! this is also posted on ao3 under the user satinhorror! (also the song “the end of the world” by skeeter davis is mentioned throughout the fic, it’s not necessary but listen to it to understand some references)  
summary: it’s the early 70’s, katya’s on a roadtrip, trixie’s on tour, and the radio are playing sad songs for the sleepless. 
fic: 
when katya thinks about it, this is it. she’s racing through the dessert in a red cabriolet, just her and a duffle bag of necessities. she’s somewhere between huston and phoenix, closing in on tucson. she’s on the road, kinda like jack kerouac, but also kinda not. she’s visited a friend in florida, and is making her way to another one in san francisco; and maybe after that, she’ll make her way back to boston, just maybe. a pair of big square sunglasses shielding her eyes and a houndstooth pattern dress covering, well, not so much skin. lou reed’s shouting through the car radio and the sun’s melting the train tracks, making them twirl like a phone cord. a marlboro cigarette is hanging between slender fingers, her hand resting on the car door, whilst the other’s drumming on the steering wheel in rhythm to venus in furs. a dusty sign gives promises of a world class diner and a decent motel “now with a pool!”.  katya takes a drag from her cigarette, and swerves into the parking lot.
well in the diner she’s met by a hardworking air conditioner, and a jukebox playing johnny cash. she sighs, pulls her sunglasses up behind her blunt bangs and sits down by the counter. she orders a milkshake and a slice of cherry pie and eats slowly whilst getting through another chapter of william burroughs’ naked lunch. with her duffle bag in one hand and another marlboro in her mouth she gets a room for the night and throws up a few crumpled bills to the receptionist. mumbles a “thank you” when she’s given her key. her room is hotter than hell and though the sun may be close to setting the room’s been heating up all day. katya thinks about her options. waste a few hours in what feels like hell, or cool down in the pool? it’s an easy decision and katya quickly changes into her bikini and opens the windows, hoping the evening breeze will chill her room down.
katya enters the pool area, sunglasses once again resting on the bridge of her nose, the sun’s setting throwing an endless amount of shades of pink, orange and red across the sky. along the edge of the pool sits a group of people, not too far from katya’s age, she pays them no mind wanting nothing more than to drown in the blue. she eases into the water and feels it cool her blood and bones, resting her head against the edge. wonders to herself if she could have a cigarette in the pool, then scolds herself for the bad habit. she hears a voice, “ya know, i love your hair”, the vowels dragged out, and she can’t quite place the accent. katya follows the voice to its owner and realises it comes from the only other woman by the pool, sitting with a group of men. but katya doesn’t see the men, only the woman. she’s sat on the edge of the pool, her blonde hair up in a huge bun on her head. clad in a pink gingham bikini, her thighs thick and hips almost spilling out from the bikini bottoms, she’s oh so curvy and katya doesn’t want to be crude but katya also has to rip her stare away from the woman’s breasts. when she does reach her face her jaw drops. her eyes are dark and katya can’t tell the colour from where she is, but she guesses brown, her features are somehow soft and defined at the same time, and her lips. her lips holds a smile that has to have been carved out by what must have been god. katya squeezes out a “thank you”, after realising she’s staring at the woman like a creep. “what’s yous doin’ over there all by yourself”, the woman speaks again, raising a thick eyebrow, “come over mama!” katya softly scoffs at the mama, but walks over to the woman nonetheless. “trixie” - she introduces herself as, and katya likes the way the name makes her tongue moves to pronounce trixie. trixie starts talking, and katya finds out that trixie doesn’t stop talking once she’s started, but katya doesn’t mind.
it turns out trixie’s a semi-known country singer, who’s on tour, but she dreams endlessly about being something bigger. katya tells her she’s trying to be a writer but mainly ends up being a waitress. trixie laughs loudly, like sharp, shattered stars, at katya’s jokes. tells her about tours that never end, introduces katya to the men around them - her band - who turns out to be a lovely bunch, who ultimately decides to leave them alone after listening to them speak for no more than 20 minutes. trixie’s fingertips are are light and soft as feathers when she drags her fingers through katya’s blunt cut, choppy, blonde bob. slowly untangles the wavy mess whilst they tell each other about their childhoods. trixie growing up in rural wisconsin, hours away from any big city. and katya can finally place her accent. she puts her trust in katya. shakily tells her about her stepfather, who really didn’t like her, who beat her until she turned blue. “i had to move to my grandparents ’n so. but i s’pose there was good in that. my grandpa was the one who taught me to play guitar, he taught me how to sing. ya know, without him, i’d be stuck back up north”, trixie breathes deeply. katya can see that she’s shaking and takes trixie’s hands in hers, rubs her thumbs over them. “but you did get out, he must be so proud of you”, katya whispers and trixie looks up at her, smiling though her cheeks are stained with tears.
the sun’s long gone and before the cold of the night has a chance to set into their bones, they move to katya’s room. “i’m sorry”, trixie says, “ i didn’t mean to pour my heart out on ya, but i feel like i know you. must sound like an idiot but, we clicked, didn’t we mama”. katya hides a smile at the mamas that trixie throws around, but she can’t help but like how it sounds coming from her. “no yeah we did, don’t be ashamed trixie, i lost my shame a loong fucking time ago”, trixie laughs at that and katya does too. they sit down on her hotel bed, katya licks her lips and can feel how dry the are, she hopes her crimson lipstick still looks decent. notices how plump and soft trixie’s lips are, she almost reaches out to touch them. trixie asks about her childhood, and katya tells her about her russian parents, who moved from moscow to boston just before the cold war started. how it didn’t matter that they were professors and spoke perfect english, they were always seen as the immigrants, as the russian communists, the enemy. tells trixie how much they try to hide that they’re russian, how they never really spoke russian to katya and her siblings because it was best that they had as little of a visible connection to their home country as possible. katya tells trixie how her babushka almost cries when she’s on the phone with her, because her grandchildren can barely speak their own language. they look at each other, both breathing heavy, it feels like the calm before the storm. trixie reaches over to katya and hugs her. they sit like that, just holding each other for quite some time. katya can feel trixie’s heartbeat against her own chest, and if feels like she’s found a piece of herself.
“could you sing me one of your songs”, katya asks.
“really, ya wanna hear one of my songs?”, trixie looks surprised. “yeah of course, i can’t help but think you write beautiful songs”. they smile at each other, “well kat, i do appreciate that, most fuckers don’t even think i write my own songs. but let me tell ya, i do! but a lot of people don’t even think i have any brains”. trixie winks at katya before leaving the room, she comes back a few minutes later with an old battered up guitar. she sings katya songs about breaking someone’s heart, a town called bluegrass, and then one that makes katya want to ask trixie just who judy is. but she refrains. katya reads trixie some of her poetry, about people that she’s loved. hoping, really fucking hoping trixie won’t get disgusted and leave when she realises they’re not about men. but she stays, praises katya’s way with words, and katya blushes and can’t for some reason meet trixie’s eyes. trixie rolls katya’s hair up in curlers - because she always fails when she does it on herself. she smokes another cigarette. they turn on the radio and sing along to skeeter davis’ “the end of the world”, katya supposes they must be playing sad songs for the sleepless.
“trixie, do you ever get homesick?”, katya asks, they’re sitting next to each other and katya’s drawing never-ending patterns on trixie’s thigh. trixie shakes her head no and smiles. “me neither”, katya smiles back, and continues, “i suppose we both got restless blood in us”. and she can hear how trixie’s accent already has made its way onto katya’s tongue. “i’ll miss ya katya” “i’ll miss you too”
“you never told me, where are ya goin’?”, trixie crooks her head whilst she asks. “san francisco, i should be there the day after tomorrow. i’m staying with a friend there, at least for a month”, katya chips at her nail polish whilst she speaks, it’s a nervous thing, but she can’t understand why she is nervous. “i’m playing there, i mean san francisco, in ‘bout 2 weeks. would ya like to come meet me then?” katya smiles at her, “i’d want nothing more”. they make plans about guest lists and meeting spots and katya writes down the number to the friend she’ll be staying with, sloppily, on paper with the motels sigil. “call me, whenever.” trixie kisses her forehead so lovingly that katya almost melts, and then they fall asleep on each other.
katya wakes up alone, she sits up, confused, scans the room for traces of trixie. there’s a note on the nightstand.
“ katya!
i had to go, tour calls. i couldn’t bring myself to wake you at the ungodly hour i got up!
i’ll try calling you in 2 days & hope you’re in san francisco
love trixie xx “
katya feels something boil in her stomach, guesses it’s happiness. she balances a cigarette in her mouth whilst taking out the hair curlers, and studies her map-book. she should be able to make it halfway today, stay overnight in five points. she looks at herself in the mirror, takes a drag and puts her sunglasses on.
katya’s long back on highway 10 when she - unlike skeeter davis - understands why the birds sing, katya thinks she’s in love.
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