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kuroopaisen · 3 years

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cause & effect || chapter 4

➵ your work friend, kuroo, has a tiny favour to ask. to say you’re surprised is an understatement. but, for some stupid reason, you agreed to it.

warnings: f!reader, alcohol

wc: 2.1k

m.list | ch. 3 ↞ ch. 4 ↠ ch. 5

You sip the hot sake with a grimace. It’s not bad per se, just… different.

For a restaurant whose whole gimmick was hot sake, you’re surprised it clashes so much with your meal. But at least it brought you a little warmth.

Kuroo’s having as strange a time as you are. Each sip of his sake is accommodated with a grimace. Somehow, it makes him look a couple years younger.

Your legs are tucked under the futon attached to your table, but admittedly there’s not much room. Kuroo’s legs are far too long and the kotatsu much too cramped.

“Give me some room, would you?” You grin, nudging him with your knee.

“Oh, sorry,” Kuroo chuckles, adjusting himself.

This isn’t the first fake date you’ve been on with Kuroo. Well, they weren’t dates – not technically. The purpose of them was to get to know each other better; something you’d both agreed was important if you were going to pull this whole thing off.

You’d never really thought about it before, but there’s a lot of mundane information shared in relationships. Things you might not think to mention to other people, or even things you haven’t told anyone else. Not that you were saying any of that to each other – you just need to be convincingly close.

You are going to meet his family, after all.

“So,” you sigh, setting your cup on the kotatsu, “you lived with your dad, your grandmother, and your grandfather?”

“Mhm,” he nods.

“And I need to stay on my toes around them?”

“Oh yeah,” Kuroo grins. “Chances are they’ll tease the hell out of you if they get comfortable enough.”

“Great,” you chuckle.

“You’ll be fine,” he smiles. “I’m sure they’ll love you.”

“You sure?”

“Chances are they’ll tell you you’re too good for me.”

“Maybe I am,” you smirk, taking another sip of sake.

Kuroo scoffs. “Brutal!”

You’re not sure if he can tell you’re lying. He’s handsome, clever, and witty enough to be entertaining. You’d feel lucky to have a guy like him look your way.

Oh well, you think as you place your hands in your lap. You’re quite happy to keep that thought to yourself. There’s no good reason to feed a man’s ego.

He stretches his arms above his head, groaning. You swear you can hear his bones cracking.

“You sound like an old man,” you grin.

“Look, it’s not my fault the human body is badly designed.”

“Ah, so it’s not your fault for not looking after it properly, hm?” Perhaps he has a point. But you have to make your own fun these days.

“I’ll have you know I take very good care of my body, thank you very much.”

You’re not sure if he intended it to sound so flirtatious, but you blush anyway.

“Your bones say otherwise,” you muse.

“I won’t stand for this abuse,” he grins, standing up. “You ready?”

You follow suit, scampering after him as he approaches the cashier.

As always, he pays. No matter how hard you try to protest, he just smiles and says he feels bad for taking up your evenings.

You don’t know a casual way to say that you actually enjoy these outings.

Your solution is just buy him fancier coffees in the morning.

Kuroo deals with the transaction in the same smooth and charming way he always does, and you’re sure he’s definitely made an imprint on the dear cashier’s memory.

It’s only late afternoon, but the sky is already darkening. The trees that line the street are speckled with fairy lights, already glowing like candles in the dim twilight.

You gaze at them with a tiny sense of wonder. You’ve heard the theory that people made winter a time of celebration to give them something to pull through the dark and the cold for. Maybe that’s true – but there’s always such beauty to be find during wintertime, even if it feels like the tip of your nose is about to fall out.

Fairy lights in a tree are so small, so inconsequential, and yet so human.

You shake your head. That’s the sake talking.

You turn to Kuroo to say something.

He’s peering at you intently, eyes roaming your face.

You blush, unsure what to make of that look. Is there something on your face? “Everything okay?”

“The lighting’s good here.”

You frowned. “Huh?”

Kuroo fishes his phone out of his pocket, taking a step towards you and hovering an arm above your shoulders.

“You all good to take a photo?” He asks, and it clicks.

“Oh! Right!” You nod, almost a little too fervently. “Sure.”

He smiles, slinging his arm across your shoulders. You lean into him, tilting your face to what you believe to be your best angle.

Sure, these photos are technically ‘fake’, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look your best.

He snaps a couple of photos of the two of you before opening his gallery. The two of you take a moment to observe the handful of images.

The two of you may not really in a relationship, but you’re sure these photos could fool you.

You point at one of them, nodding. “That one looks good.”

Kuroo chuckles, adding it to his favourites. “Thanks.”

He smiles and slips his phone into his pocket as he steps away from you. You miss his warmth more than you should.

“Have they liked the photos?” You ask.

“Loved them,” he grins.

You know Kuroo’s been sending them to his family – with your permission, of course. It’s partly to satiate their desire to intrude on his love life, and also to make it more believable when you finally meet them. You have half a mind to save them to your own phone with how cute they are.

“Oba-chan’s been joking about putting them on the wall.”

You snort. “That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“She’s desperate,” he grins.

“She must be, if she’s considering omiai.”

Kuroo shrugs. “Ah, she’s just worried about me. She doesn’t want me to be ‘married to my work.’”

“Are you?” You ask, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, God no.”

You laugh as you dig your hands in your pockets.

“I’ve just got a lot going on,” he explains. “I don’t have the time to date.”

“Really?” You tilt your head at him. “You kind of strike me as the kind of guy who’s content to just go home and play dating sims all night.”

Kuroo reels back, a hand on his chest. “You’re joking.”

“I thought you were single because you had some digital waifu or something.”

Kuroo stares at you with an expression of absolute horror. “What have I done to deserve this?”

“I’m just teasing,” you giggle, hopping down the street. “Okay, so if you’re not cuddling up against a body pillow of a scantily clad anime women during those lonely nights, then what do you do with your spare time?”

Kuroo scoffs, shaking his head as he jogs to catch up with you. “Well, I catch up with my friends a fair bit. Oh, and I’m part of a hobby volleyball club.”

“You play?” You look him up and down. Now that he’s said it, it makes perfect sense.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I take good care of my body,” he grins.

Another glance and you realise – yes, actually, he appears to be taking very good care of his body. Those shoulders look a little broader than you’d first thought.

“Is that why you applied for your job?” You ask. “Personal interest?”

“Mhm,” he nods.

Interesting. “Have you always played?”

“I’ve played for as long as I can remember,” he grins. “Believe it or not, but my high school team actually made it to Nationals. With me as their captain.”

“Wait, really?” You look up at him with wide eyes. Now that was certainly unexpected.

“Sure did.”

“How far did you get?”

Kuroo furrows his brow for a moment. “I think it was something like the top 16?”

“That’s… pretty impressive,” you admit. Your knowledge of sports is perhaps a little lower than might be expected of someone in your position, but you digress. Top 16 in the entire nation is definitely something to be proud of.

“Glad you think so,” he grins.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you pursue it professionally?” From your perspective he certainly has the build for it. And if there’s one thing you’re sure of after working next to him for a while now, it’s that he’s clever. A trait that seems to be surprisingly useful on the court.

“There were some real monsters on the teams we faced,” he says, voice languid as ever. “You know about Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, right?”

You nod. Even if your understanding of the sport itself wasn’t particularly advanced, you were well-aware of the top players. That, at least, you’d made an effort to stay up to date with. Also, a lot of them were unfairly attractive – making that task a bit easier to stick to than some of your others.

“We faced them at Nationals,” he glances at you, a new glint in his eye. Maybe it’s nostalgia.

You shiver.

“That genuinely sounds terrifying.”

Kuroo grins. “It was. Oh, and you know Bokuto Koutarou, right?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Well, we were friends in high school,” Kuroo says, as if it’s the most mundane piece of information you could receive. “Our teams often practiced against one another.”

You stare at him, jaw slack. “No way.”

“I have several embarrassing photos of him to prove it,” Kuroo chuckles.

He’s so confident about it that you have no choice but to believe him.

“You have to introduce me to him,” you say, voice a little more desperate than you’d like.

“Why?” Kuroo flashes you a wicked grin. “Got a crush?”

“No,” you roll your eyes, praying your cheeks aren’t turning too red. “He just seems… nice.”

“Nice and… attractive?”

“Shut up!”

“I’m just saying, he’s technically single—”

“Aren’t I supposed to be your fake girlfriend?” You knock him with one of his shoulders to little avail. You stumble back a bit from the impact. He stays completely still.

Kuroo cackles a little louder than usual. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Who knew you were so annoying?” You scoff.

“That’s on you,” he smirks. “You’re the one agreed to this.”

“It’s a hell of my own creation,” you mumble.

“Should’ve read the fine print,” Kuroo teases.

You have half a mind to glare at him to keep this going, but a question pushes itself to the forefront of your mind.

“Wait, so…” You press your lips together, frowning. “You didn’t pursue professional volleyball because of people like Bokuto?”

Kuroo tilts his head to the side with a pensive expression. “Sort of,” he shrugs. “I guess I just felt like I didn’t have the same passion for the court that guys like him did.”

“Oh,” you murmur. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “I just realised my talents would be better applied elsewhere.”

“So… in marketing?”

He grins, glancing at you. “I just think that volleyball has the power to really connect people.”

You tilt your head at him.

“When I first moved to Tokyo, I wasn’t great at talking to people,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “But, because of volleyball, I found a way to… feel more comfortable opening up to people.”

The thought of Kuroo Tetsurou of all people being shy strikes you for a second. It’s hard to picture – but only for a moment.

“So,” he continues, “I want to make it easier for kids to get into this sort of thing. You never know who it might help.”

You smile to yourself. Once again, he’s being cute. And he doesn’t seem to have any clue.

“What about you?” Kuroo asks. “How’d you end up there?”

“Oh, it was just the first place that took me in,” you shrug.

He snorts. “Really?”

“Yeah. I just sent out my resume to a bunch of places and they got back to me first.”

“Oh, wow,” Kuroo grins.

“Sorry it’s not very romantic,” you blush, glancing at him.

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “It sounds very reasonable.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle.

In all honesty, part of you had expected this whole ‘fake dating’ thing to be a bit of a burden. The thought of pretending to like someone a lot more than you actually do sounds draining.

But it’s not hard to like Kuroo Tetsurou. In fact, you think he’s quite pleasant company. This whole charade shouldn’t be much trouble at all.

You dutifully ignore the thought that, if this were a real date, you’d absolutely ask him if he’d like to go on another.

#kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou x reader #kuroo x you #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo tetsurou x you #cause and effect by rowan

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scathecraw · 3 years

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BBRae Week 2021 - Day 3: Into The Woods

“Summer camp has been so much fun, Rachel. Teether hasn’t cried once since the day after you dropped us off, and Tommy got first place in the obstacle course. You were right, we should have done a camp last year, too.” Melvin chattered excitedly on the office phone while Rachel listened patiently. “They’ve made a bunch of arts and crafts, and the woods here are so cool. They’re really old, and Gar knows so muchabout all the trees and animals and bugs.”

“And who is this Gar, Melvin? A new friendof yours?” Rachel’s emphasis was obvious, and Melvin’s blush was practically audible.

“NO! He’s a counselor. He’s really nice, but he’s really old. Like, 50 or something. You’ll meet him on parent’s day next week.”

Rachel didn’t remember anyone older than the director, a middle aged woman she had spoken to when getting them enrolled and again during drop-off. She suspected Melvin was fibbing to cover her embarrassment, but she brought it on herself by teasing the preteen. “I’m sure I will. Does this mean that you’re going to drag me out into the forest when I come? I thought it was going to be an afternoon of arts and crafts and then some campfire songs, not a forced march.”

“Duh. Arts and crafts are lame. Gar said that next year he’d show us how to whittle, which sounds better than making lanyards.” There was muffled adolescent shouting, and Melvin covered the receiver and yelled back. “I gotta go. We’re going swimming. I’ll call you on Friday. Love you, bye.” She hung up before anything could be said back, and Rachel was left with dead air while Melvin sprinted after her friends, untied shoelaces flailing behind her.

Arriving at the aforementioned “Parent’s Day”, Rachel wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The camp had at first seemed like a good way to get the three adopted children outside instead of rotting their brains, but the sheer noise of a few dozen milling, clamoring kids and groups of socializing parents made her wonder what she had subjected them, and by extension, herself, to. She was late, which probably didn’t help the situation, but she looked around the chaos in an effort to find her own three chaos engines. Instead, she was spotted.

A wild, dirty missile made a high-volume impact with her legs, nearly toppling her and babblingso fast that even Rachel’s practiced ear couldn’t discern what he was saying. She was wobbling and about to fall over when a firm hand caught her upper back and helped her regain her balance. “Teether, dude! I said you could go get her, not try to body slam her.”

Rachel finally planted her feet, acknowledged Teether with a gentle hand on his head, and looked up. And up. They both froze for an instant, but the tanned, blond man recovered first. His slack jaw snapped into a smile, and he said “Hi. You must be Rachel. I’m Gar, one of the counselors here.”

His hand was still on her back and heat radiated from it like afternoon sun. Her face had never fallen into the silly expression his had, but unconscious thought raced before she could regain her composure. ‘Definitely not fifty,’ she thought. “Hello. Yes, I’m Rachel, Teether’s mother.” She peeled Teether from her leg with practiced ease, and he sprang off of her and ran.

Gar realized that his hand still rested behind her, almost possessively, and retreated to a more respectable distance. He chuckled, nervously. “Heh. Um, Melvin and Tommy are with their friends, still, but we should probably get them. Ms. Waller asked me to show you around – she said you had just moved to the area?” It wasn’t a question, but he phrased it like it was. They began walking back towards the milling crowd of parents, children, and quite possibly enough noise to drown out a jet engine.

“Yes, it’s our first summer here. She mentioned that most of the kids made this an annual activity, but I didn’t think we’d be so strange as to warrant a personal detail.”

“Oh it’s nothing like that, it’s just that there’s not really many other summer camps around, and ‘cause we go from K-12, we get pretty much everyone. A lot of the other parents already know everybody. You’re not strange, just… new.” His eyes never left her, even as they began walking.

Back with the crowds, Melvin and a gaggle of similarly aged girls watch the two of them. One of them nodded decisively and turned to Melvin. “Okay. They’re too cute together. Look at how awkward they’re being.”

Anotherhuffed a little. “They’re just staring at each other. They should be holding hands or something, right?”

Melvin’s eyes narrowed critically. “It’s been like 10 minutes and they aren’t kissing yet. Gar’s probably too much of a nerd to do anything. We need to do something to make sure they know how perfect for each other they are.”

“Like what? They aren’t going to start making out in the middle of the crowd.”

An evil smirk crept across Melvin’s face. “Maybe not in the middle of the crowd, but what if they were all alone in the woods? Then they’d have no excuse not to!”

A look of awe crossed her companions’ faces. “That’s evil. I love it.”

But the smirk fell, half-formed plot evaporating. “But how could we get them out there alone? It can’t be anything serious, or else Rachel will ground me forever, and I bet she won’t even go unless we can trick her into it.”

“Could you just tell her you feel sick?”

“No.” Melvin shook her head slowly. “Then she’d either stay with me or just take me home early.”

One, heretofore silent, chimed in. “I think I know what we can do. But Mel, you’re going to have to make a lanyard.” She giggled at the disgusted look, and said “C’mon, we only have like 15 minutes before they start wondering where we are.”

Across the crowd and a million miles away, Garfield and Rachel were, in fact, being tremendously awkward as they watched the kids run and play. Gar fumbled his words and couldn’t decide to stare at her eyes, the curve of her neck, or decidedly anywhere except her. Rachel was the opposite. She answered in short, monosyllabic whispers and swallowed, trying to ease her desperately dry throat.

“So, uh, you said you just moved here! Do you have a job, er, of course you do, unless you don’t! That’s fine, too! Nothing wrong with… that. Yeah.” He trailed off, before gamely trying again. “So what do you do when you’re not, y’know, coming to summer camps?”

Rachel took a deep breath and centered herself. Gar started. “I’m not, like, annoying you, am I? I’m sorry, I tend to blabber -”

“No. I’m just… a little off-kilter. I’m a curator of antiquities at the museum.”

“That is so cool. Gar’s eyes were like dinner plates. “I love the museum! I always wanted to volunteer there, but I never feel like I have time between summers here and planning classes during the year.”

“Oh, you’re a teacher? Grade school or high school?”

“High school and occasionally some classes at the community college. I figured I was already teaching AP and college bio isn’t much different. I’m sure the kids get tired of me after the sixth year, though, heh.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, uncomfortably warm even for a summer afternoon.

“I suppose they wouldn’t let you teach so many years if you weren’t good at the job. Not that biology is my area of expertise.” She clarified, hearing his unspoken question. “I studied history and preservation, so a natural history museum is certainly a big change.”

“Wow, I bet. Still, nobody does what they expected to when they were in college. I got a bachelor’s in Environmental Science, but it turns out most of those jobs are just telling corporations what they want to hear.”

Rachel leveled him with a newly assessing gaze. “Believe it or not, so are quite a few jobs in archaeology. It’s what put me off of the field.”

“But hey, teaching led me to Jump and to Lake Titan Camp, so I can’t complain.”

While the two nominal adults conversed, a far more intricate conversation was happening in the craft cabin. Kole, a pink haired co-conspirator of Melvin’s, was creating a half finished lanyard in pink and purple while the rest strategized. “Okay, so I need to throw her off so she’ll agree. The pink and purple color scheme is good – pink for me, purple for her, but I need something to knock her off her game.”

“You could tell her something that surprised her, maybe. But what?”

Realization dawned. “Okay. This is a little mean, maybe, but I was planning on talking to her about it anyway. I know just what to say. Kole, how’s the lanyard coming?”

“I’ve got it to the perfect length. Just long enough that you might ‘Need a little while to finish it, pretty please.’” She held up the dangling lengths of string. “Everything ready? We’re running out of time.”

“Now or never. Let’s go.” Melvin took a deep breath and led them to the doorway.

Garfield and Rachel were deep in conversation. The initial awkwardness had faded, and while there were still sparks flying whenever they made eye contact, it was more a static buzz than the almost painful live wire sensation of their first glances. At some point they had migrated closer to where Teether and Tommy’s two groups had merged into a supercrowd of children all making noise, forcing them to stand closer to one another to be heard. They were in this huddle, all focus on each other except for both of their frequent check-in glances to the children. Rachel had dipped her toe into a hint of vulnerability to test the waters, quietly and without fanfare explaining that she had adopted all three of them from the same orphanage she had found herself aging out of.

Gar reciprocated. “That’s really incredible. I was adopted pretty young by some family friends. I know how complicated that sort of relationship can be, but it’s doing something amazing for all three of them.”

Melvin, seeing their closeness, hesitated, just a bit. She was messing with fate, a little. But she was certain it was for a good cause. And it was now or never, they were already cutting it close to “Shared Activity Time” for her age group. “Umm. Rachel.”

“Yes, Melvin?” Rachel saw that Mel was nervous. Melvin was never nervous.

“I want to finish a project for you, but won’t have time later. So, uh, I need you to find something else to do. During the Activity Time, I mean. I just want to finish making this. Please, M-mom?”

Time stopped for Rachel. She had adopted them six years ago, and there had never been a time when Melvin had consciously called her “Mom”. Forms asking for “Mother’s Name”, sure. Mother’s day celebrations, absolutely. Even a few mostly-asleep, teary pleas, but never, never while Melvin was in control of her faculties.

But while time had stopped for Rachel, it marched onward for everyone else. Melvin held her breath and waited for long, tense seconds, but Rachel didn’t seem to be coming back to her senses, so she hurriedly spat out “Okayloveyouseeyousoon,” and fled back to the safety of her friends.

Gar, too, was frozen. Not to the same degree, nor for the same reasons, but he felt like he had intruded on something intimate that he had no business being a part of. He looked around, helplessly as Rachel gaped. After several seconds of silence, he couldn’t not do something. “Uhh. Rachel? You… okay?” More frozen immobility. He waved a hand in front of her face. “Rae? You there? Do I need to get a doctor?”

She seized his hand. “Did… did she just call me “Mom”? Or did I have a stroke?”

“Yeah, ouch. She did. I’m guessing this was new?”

“I… Yes. She’s never… What… what do I do? Was she angry I didn’t answer? Where did she go?” Rachel began looking around for her.

“Whoa, slow down. She’s with her friends. She wasn’t mad, it seemed like she was nervous, but not scared. And what you do is let her come to you and talk to her like you always do, and just make sure she knows you’re okay with it. As long as you are okay with it, right?”

“Of course. I just thought...” Rachel trailed off.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about! She loves you and just told you how she feels. That’s a good thing. Let’s give her a chance to do whatever she’s doing. The rest of the kids are about to go do an activity, so we have time.”

“I think I need to get away from the crowd for a minute. I can’t believe I’m asking this, but is it alright if we just go for a walk?”

“Of course.” Gar’s grip had at some point shifted to be holding her hand back, and he led her down a dirt path towards a grove of trees. “This path is quiet and not too hard.” Her sudden harsh look had him follow up. “You’re not really wearing the shoes for hiking, Rae.”

“Hmf. And since when did I say you could call me Rae, Garfield?”

He looked stricken. “I am so sorry. I dunno what I was thinking, Ra-chel. Rachel.”

She narrowed an eye. “Rae is… acceptable, as far as diminutives go. Just don’t make a habit of it in public.”

“Cross my heart. Hey, at least being a little mad at me put your mind off of Melvin, right?”

“And now it’s right back. So very helpful,” she deadpanned.

“Easy come, easy go, right?” His smile grew a little. “I don’t wanna pry or anything, but is it really that surprising? She said you were her mom like, a dozen times during camp.”

“I suppose not. It caught me very off-guard, though. Teether and Tommy sort of switch between Rachel and Mom, but Melvin’s never really seemed like she even wanted that sort of, I don’t know, ‘Official’ title for me.”

“Listen, the whole ‘mom’ thing isn’t as scary as you’re making it out to be. You’re already giving her the kind of love a mom is supposed to, and she loves you. She talks about all the time with stars in her eyes. Being adopted doesn’t make her less your daughter. Rita Farr isn’t any less my mom for taking me in when I was eight, and Marie Logan isn’t any more or less important to me just because she’s not around.”

Rachel took a breath and sighed it out. “Thank you. That does make it easier.” They walked in silence for a short time. “Wait, Rita Farr, as in the movie star? As in, the philanthropist and art collector, married to Steve Dayton?”

He blushed a little. “Whoops, probably shouldn’ta dropped that so casually, I guess. Yeah. Steve and Rita adopted me when my parents died. It’s not always easy, but I love ‘em.” He watched her reaction carefully, hoping she wouldn’t suddenly start treating him differently for having such well-known parents.

Rachel schooled her face after having that bombshell dropped on her. “Well, if we ever meet we’ll be able to talk about some historic pieces she has that I wrote papers on.”

A beat passed, then Gar’s loud laugh broke relative silence of the forest. “Aw man, she is gonna love you.”

And just like that, the tension was broken. All the concern, the lack of balance, everything fell away, and the static buzz of easy conversation punctuated by something just a little too close to intimate for an average friendship was back.

They wandered together down the shady paths, miles away and only a few trees distant from the campground. Rachel didn’t notice the distance she had walked on the formerly dreaded forest hike, and Garfield forgot to try quite so hard with his jokes and wise cracks. They walked, hand in hand and only somewhat realizing how close they were to one another, shoulders nearly touching.

The spell was eventually broken, as they always are. They rounded a final bend, seeing in the distance the campground they had left, what, less than an hour ago? And the reality that they had left behind when they entered the sun-shafted canopies woke them up, and they found that really, their hands were quite slick. Had they been clasped together the whole time? And Rachel, especially, was starting to sweat from the heat and the walk. Garfield was suddenly nervous, after all, he never talked this much, not without making a fool of himself.

But even after emerging from that hazy dream, they held on, gently rising out of the fog and into the real world so no sudden movements could disrupt the memory, the closeness that two almost strangers that fit together like complementary puzzle pieces had shared.

It wasn’t even fully dispelled when their hands slipped apart to be wiped on cargo shorts or dark jeans, though the almost hidden flight from behind a few low-branched trees of blonde hair and untied shoelaces and quiet giggle quickly sobered them.

Garfield turned. “Was that -?”

“Melvin. Oh, that little brat, she is too damn smart for her own good. I would put money on her scheming to get us alone.” Rachel fumed and her face tightened into a mask of cold anger. “I can’t believe that she would manipulate me like this! How could she – How could she finally call me -” and the mask broke, shifting from anger to near tears in seconds.

Gar panicked. “Whoa, hold on, no. She’s not that cruel, I know it and so do you. We’re probably missing something. You just said you can’t believe she would do this – she probably didn’t. Rae I promise you, there’s got to be an explanation that makes sense.”

Rachel took a deep breath, followed by another, centering herself. “I am going to get to the bottom of this. Where would she be doing this “project” she made up?”

“The craft cabin. I’ll take you there, but I guarantee you it’s not as bad as it might sound.”

It was like the crowd parted for them without even reacting. No one looked at the worried counselor or at the steely featured parent, but nonetheless they found their path almost unimpeded. Gar held up a hand just outside the door. “Let me get you two some privacy. Please.”

“Fine. Do it.” Terse and unhappy, Rachel’s displeasure was apparent in her voice, and it made Garfield wince.

He opened the door to see five preteen girls, huddled and tittering. At least until they saw him and his serious frown. Then their eyes went wide, and they looked to Melvin in a panic. “Out, girls. Clear the room. Not you, Melvin.” He stopped her when she tried to take shelter in the middle of the pack. He turned to follow them, and glanced back almost pityingly, then shook his head and exited.

The girls all ducked their heads when they saw Rachel just outside the cabin and hurried off, racing to be the first around the corner and away from the ticking time bomb.

Garfield simply nodded, and left her to it. Rachel entered the cabin and saw Melvin almost trembling, and it broke her heart. She had worked up a head of steam on the walk and the wait, but seeing her precious daughter actually afraid stopped any real anger and left only a bitter emptiness.

Rachel wasn’t quite sure what to do with her hands. She settled on a vague, open armed shrug gesture. “Why, Mel? Was it just a prank? Just a way to manipulate me?”

Tears brimmed in Melvin’s eyes. “No, I just wanted to give you guys a chance to talk alone. I’m sorry I lied, I really did try on the lanyard, but I’m just bad at them so I had Kole do it. I’m sorry, I am.”

“What? What lanyard? Melvin, I don’t care if you had a friend help with a lanyard! I just can’t believe that you would call me your mom, just to trick me into talking to someone. I can’t tell you how badly that hurts me. I… I love you too much for that.”

“What!No, nononono, Mom, I promise that wasn’t a trick. I promise. I was gonna talk to you about it, but I just – I thought that if I – I thought that maybe if I just did it you’d just let me and maybe you’d talk to him and then it everything would be perfect. I promise. I love you, Mom. I do. And I was just trying to maybe make you not spend all your time watching me and talk to him. He’s really cool, and I could tell you like him, and he’s completely in love with you, and you’re perfect for each other. I was just trying to help you be happy!” She sobbed, breathless.

Rachel froze, then instinctively wrapped her daughter in her arms and let her cry. “Mel, you don’t need to worry about me. I am happy, I promise. I don’t need you to try to trick me into being happy. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to say I’m not mad, but I get it. You don’t have to trick me into talking to, what did you call him, “really old, like 50 years old” guys? If we talk, we talk. That’s how adults work.”

“No, it’s not! I’ve never seen you go on a date, and you just ignore people when they try to talk to you. I know it was dumb, but I had to try something ‘cause otherwise you’d just give him that serious face until he ran away, and he’s perfect for you if you’d just give him a chance!”

“Mel. Mel, okay. I promise. I will give him a chance. But you don’t need to be worried about me. I don’t need a twelve year old playing matchmaker. You should be doing kid things, not bad romcom plots.”

“*SNRK*. They’re not bad. They’re sweet. And you like them, otherwise you wouldn’t have so many of them.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and glowered.

Rachel internally cursed Kori. “If you say so. Now let’s sit here for a minute, then we can go wash your face and you can go hand out with your friends. And I will have a talk with Garfield, and you will not stick your nose into my dating life. Understand?”

“Yes, mom.”

It still startled Rachel to hear that coming from Melvin, but it also warmed her heart. She hadn’t even known she wanted it until it happened, but it was like a spoken guarantee that she really was doing things right, and her little family really was working.

They sat together and Melvin showed her the lanyard that she had made via Kole. Rachel put it on the silver chain she wore around her neck and let it rest beside her heart promising mostly to herself that it would be kept safe at home. Then, when Mel had calmed down, they headed to the bathroom where Mel cleaned the tear tracks from her dirt-smudged face and rinsed her red rimmed eyes. Rachel gave her a final kiss on the forehead, and sent her off.

Gar found her standing there, staring off into space against the wall of the concrete shack. He leaned against it and slid down to sit around the corner and next to her. “So.”

“So,” she said back.

“Not saying it just to confuse you?” He glanced at her, gauging her reaction.

“No. But she wasn’t against confusing me.”

His eyebrow cocked. “Not mad?”

“Still mad. Still going to be grounded, probably. But she did it out of love.”

“Y’know, I don’t want to say I told you so, but...”

“But you totally want to say ‘I told you so,’” she finished for him.

“Yep. So what now?”

“Now, I guess I do what I was going to do before we had all this to deal with,” she said, the soul of nonchalance.

“What’s that?” he said, and when she didn’t respond, he stood up and looked around the corner. “Rae?”

“This.” with only his head around the corner, she turned and kissed him, gentle and sweet, and far too short for either of them. “I’d like to go out sometime. I want to take you to a behind the scenes at the museum, and I’ll let you choose the restaurant.”

His head spun and his eyes were out of focus. His thoughts were like molasses and he could barely get out the word “Okay.” before she was gone, a little bounce in her step.

AO3 FF.net

#bbraeweek21 #bbrae #fic

42 notes · View notes

2seokfan · 4 years

Text

Scarlet & Hazel | Ch. 4

pairings: hoseok x reader x yoongi

genre: fluff, very light angst, smut (future)

warnings: mentions of physical abuse

word count: 5.3k

chapters: ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4

summary:

Just cause you’re living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny apartment even after graduating college doesn’t mean you’re not happy. So what if your best friend is working her dream job making close to six figures every year? So what if she’s in a loving, committed relationship with her perfect boyfriend that you’re 99% sure is going to propose to her sometime next year? It doesn’t matter that your idea of a perfect relationship is a $9.99 bottle of wine on Friday nights while you binge watch Netflix specials.

Ok so maybe you’re a teensy bit miserable. Maybe you have no idea what you’re doing with your life. Maybe all you need to do is accidentally cross paths with two hybrids who will drastically change that.

Meet “Scarlet” and “Hazel”, two of the most gorgeous hybrid men you have ever laid eyes on. With their help, you learn that life is an adventure, a roller-coaster with ups and downs, and you were too preoccupied with yourself to climb out of your own predicament. And hey, you’re not much of a romantic, but with these two, you just might change your mind.

a/n: Y/N gets the surprise of her lifetime today! Also to clarify, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is an old cowboy movie with a very famous theme song (just in case some people don’t get the reference). Thank you for being patient! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

tag list: @wilhelminalucinda @ghostkat23 @ayoo-bangtan @sadgurllayha

How come whenever you’re excited for something, time purposely slows down?? It’s like the weekend can’t come fast enough. Each day feels like a whole week and each hour stretches like two. You swear the clock hanging on the wall of your clinic has some sort of personal grudge against you, the second hand moving at the pace of a snail.

You’re currently on the last two hours of your shift. The hustle and bustle of morning appointments have died down but that doesn’t stop the constant train of incoming calls. You wonder if there’s an award out there for maintaining a professional voice after getting asked stupid questions, because you deserve that award, exhibit A being the person you’re dealing with right now. You pick at your nails while you balance the work phone on your shoulder.

“Sorry ma'am we’re actually a hybrid clinic so no, I can’t put your son down for a checkup. Mhm. Mhm. Uh huh.” You peel off a hangnail and flick it into the trash can under your counter. “I understand you're frustrated but none of our doctors specialize in human treatment. May I suggest the hospital? Ok have a good day now. Bye.”

You hang up as a string of expletives are leaving the receiving end of your phone. What part of ‘hybrid clinic’ did she not understand?

You lean back into your office chair, vowing for the 100th time to invest in one of those lumbar support pillows for your poor, aching body. Checking today’s schedule, you see that a first-time client should be coming in any minute now. Her voice had sounded eerily familiar when she called all those days ago, but you didn’t bother to think twice.

Right on cue, you hear the clinic door open. A very familiar arctic fox hybrid is ushered in by her impatient owner.

“Hurry up won’t you! We don’t have all day!”

Yep. That’s blondie alright.

Sylvia has already recognized you, giving you a small smile when her owner isn’t looking. You’re shocked by her appearance, small cuts and bruises adorning her face and a noticeable bandage around her left wrist. You smile back, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

Blondie hasn’t noticed your presence yet, currently rummaging through her gigantic purse for a pen. She freezes when she finally looks up, making eye contact with you.

You both narrow your eyes like it’s some sort of cowboy showdown in the old west, theme song from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly playing in the background. If it weren’t for the counter in front of you you’d probably be slowly circling each other, hands ready to draw your pistols from your holsters.

Except it’s the 21st century and all you can do is clench your jaw and offer her a steely glare.

“What are you doing here?” Blondie is the first to break the silence.

“I work here,” you say matter of factly.

“Don’t you own hybrids?” Her voice is menacing, but it doesn’t mask her confusion. “How can a receptionist afford two hybrids?”

“I’m here on my off time cause I have nothing else to do.” You find it so much easier to lie to her now that you’ve successfully done it before. No harm in stretching your little fable.

Blondie huffs, having no rebuttal ready.

“Anyways, I need you to fill this out here.” You decide not to push her temper further since you’re at work and need to act civilly. You hand her the basic information form and contact the doctor about their arrival.

While blondie is busy filling out the paperwork, you make quick eye contact with Sylvia, mouthing a silent ‘are you ok?’ to her. She gives you a tense nod but nibbles on her bottom lip and shifts her pupils in blondie’s direction. You can’t forget that look on Sylvia’s face, one of desperation and misery, and you want so badly to pull her out of this situation.

Blondie finishes and hands the papers back to you. You glance down and find her name on the forms. “And Karen,” of course her name is ‘Karen’, “how did Sylvia get these injuries?”

A flicker of panic flashes across her features but it instantly disappears into a frown.

“She fell down the stairs.” Karen snaps, then proceeds to tap her foot impatiently. “Well? I’ve got an appointment??”

You sigh and swallow down the urge to talk back. “Dr. Lao is ready for you. Just head down the hall and into the office on your left.”

Karen puts her pen back in her purse, then grabs her fox by the elbow and pulls her down the hallway, out of sight. When they disappear, you sit back and take the time to process what just happened.

You don’t believe for one minute that Sylvia fell down the stairs. Her injuries seem obviously inflicted by another person, most likely Karen, but you don’t want to jump to conclusions. Since you have no proof, you can’t really report the issue. Also you’re well aware of how corrupted Hybrid Services are and you don’t want to leave Sylvia in their hands.

The phone rings, bringing you back to your senses. Oh yeah, I’m still at work. You remind yourself to google some safe hybrid help centers when you get home. There’s nothing you can do now but you’ll be damned if you won’t try.

The two emerge from the checkup after an hour or so. Karen turns to your counter, face still in her signature scowl as she approaches you.

“I need to schedule a second appointment.” Her tone sounds a little stiff, as if she didn’t want this outcome. “Sylvia will need another checkup for her wrist.” Her entire demeanor is suspicious to you at this point. When you met her for the first time, you were only focused on getting her to stop bothering your two hybrid friends. You regret not noticing her obvious physical aggressiveness.

As the two head out, Sylvia turns back and gives you a small ‘bye’. You melt at how cute she is despite all her injuries. You give her one last wave, determination welling up inside.

You head home and immediately dive to your laptop. Sylvia’s next checkup isn’t till two weeks later so you want to use that time to become as productive as you can in finding the numbers of various hybrid centers. Even though your work revolves around hybrids, you have no personal experience helping any of them out of trouble so you need the advice of professionals. You have no idea what any of these centers can do and you’re aware that your lack of information means you’re starting from scratch but you refuse to sit by and do nothing. Not when something fishy is obviously going on.

You’re surprised to find no decent hybrid centers, even though you live in a pretty big city. Most seem like shady adoption centers that put in the bare minimum amount of effort in taking care of and re-homing their hybrids. One center was so repulsive you’re surprised they’re legally allowed to operate. You click on their ‘About’ page for shits and giggles and the description makes you want to gag. ‘Having problems with your hybrid? Don’t worry! Call this number and we’ll take them off your hands!’ What the actual fuck!? It’s like one of those junk collecting commercials where they take away your old furniture except they’re talking about living, breathing hybrids, not an old refrigerator. This goes to show how little the government actually cares about hybrids and you find yourself involuntarily clenching your fists.

After a few websites that lead nowhere, you stumble across one for a Hope Hybrid Center that seems promising. The description indicates how they’re dedicated to the ‘safety and comfort of all hybrids without discrimination’. The only catch is that the particular center in your city has just been built and will not open till later this week. Nevertheless, you decide to trust this location since there are several other branches under the same name littered across the country that all have raving reviews. You bookmark the page and remind yourself to contact their main call center tomorrow.

You don’t know what’s come over you. It’s true you’ve always had a soft spot for hybrids, and you’ve always been in full support of every new law that passes, bringing them closer to citizenship. But you’ve never been this passionate about personally helping them. It’s a good feeling, being actively involved in something you care about. Saving your two hybrid friends two months ago has really opened your eyes to what human bystanders can do. Every action, big or small, can have an impact and you mentally scold yourself for not being aware of your surroundings previously. Oh how ignorant you were.

The rest of your research is futile, and you end up closing your laptop with a sigh of defeat. This is all you can do right now. Who do you think you are? Some sort of vigilante? What power do you have to make any change?? You’re just one silly receptionist against the big bad world.

Before you start mentally beating yourself up even more, you close your eyes and remember the image of Sylvia’s face. She looked so hopeless, so resigned to her fate, that all your self pity dissipates. Whatever miserable situation you’re in, you know she’s probably experiencing something ten times worse.

You think about bringing this run-in up with Scarlet and Hazel but you chicken out last minute. They’ve been pretty busy on the days leading up to your dinner doing god knows what. They’ve been polite enough to reply to you but you can tell from the short, quipped answers they supply that they have other things going on right now. You know that they’re not doing this on purpose so it doesn’t bother you too much, but you do miss the comic relief they provide in your hectic life. Guess you’ll tell them all about it when you see them on Saturday.

The last thought in your head before you shut your eyes is to call the Hope Hybrid Center as soon as you go on break tomorrow.

“Hi! Thank you for calling the Hope Hybrid Center! This is Jodie speaking, how can I help you?”

“Uh, hi yes!” Jeez why are your palms so clammy? It’s just a phone call, you do these everyday! “My name is Y/N and I was wondering if you can help me with a couple questions about hybrids, if that’s ok?”

“Of course!” Jodie sounds all peppy and excited. You wish you still had her energy when you do your customer service calls. You were like her for only a brief period all those years ago when you began at the clinic. Boy did that die down fast.

“Um,” You’re not really sure where to start. Do you just straight out say someone is hurting their hybrid? That might sound a little too accusatory. “What do I do if I think someone is abusing their hybrid? Like I have no proof but I still feel like it’s happening?” You’re not used to doing things behind other peoples’ backs, even for someone as awful as Karen, and it’s got your entire body erupting in cold sweat. You mentally reprimand yourself. I’m trying to help. This is for a good cause.

“That’s a good question.” Jodie’s voice is reassuring, like she can hear the nervousness of your tone through the call. “There are several things you can do actually! The first thing we recommend you do is observe their behavior as much as you can and try to record or take note of any signs of aggression displayed by the supposed abuser. This can be used in case any legal action is taken.”

“Uh huh.” You reach into your purse and grab your handy dandy little notebook, pull out the pen stuck in the spiral, and quickly flip to a random blank page to jot down everything she says.

“Now if you want to take direct action, that can be a little riskier but it is possible. The best option is to take one of our unique business cards and pass that along to the hybrid in need.”

“Unique business cards…?” She lost you there.

“Yes. You can find them at each of our shelters or we can mail them to you.” She answers fast, and you have a feeling she’s used to this question. “Each of our business cards contain an emergency phone number, a security code, and are coated with a unique scent that is virtually undetectable by humans. When the number is called, our first question is to ask for the security code, then confirm the matching scent of their business card. These cards work best with the majority of hybrids that contain a heightened sense of smell, such as the mammalian hybrids. We may need to adjust for certain bird or aquatic species that rely on other senses.”

Your writing arm is sore from taking all this down but you pause to answer Jodie. “She’s a fox hybrid, so that should be ok I think?”

You hear a large sigh of relief over the receiver. “Ok that makes things a lot easier.” Her tone switches to serious once again. “But remember this can only be done if the hybrid is willing to contact us in the first place. Beyond that, someone will have to catch them in the act of abuse and that can be very hard to do.”

You nod your head in agreement, forgetting that she can’t see you. “I understand. There’s a small chance this may just be nothing but I want to try and help at least.”

“That’s awesome! It takes a lot of guts to report these issues and you’d be surprised how many people let them slide under their noses.” She’s so encouraging that for a short, sweet moment, you envision the whole plan falling into place. You can see it now, a happy Sylvia free from her oppressive captors. Wow they really do a good job. Jodie deserves a raise.

“Thanks Jodie that means a lot!” You shake your sore arm, trying to relieve the pain. “I might need you to mail me a business card since the Hope Hybrid Center in my city isn’t open yet.”

“No problem! I’ll just need your full name, an email and phone number, and your address.”

You relay all your information over. By the time the call is finished, you have a whole 2 minutes left on your lunch break. You look down at your untouched PB&J sandwich and cry internally. It’s for a worthy cause you repeat again and again in your head like a mantra.

Friday. Finally. This week has been the longest you’ve experienced since midterm week of college. You received a package from Hope Hybrid Services this morning and it’s currently sitting on your bedside table. You won’t need to open that up till Sylvia’s next appointment.

You power through another hectic day at work, motivated by the prospect of seeing your two friends in person tomorrow. Both boys are now well aware of your work schedule and take extra care not to text you until you’re off.

5pm rolls around and your phone vibrates just as you enter your car and buckle your seat belt. You check and see that it’s from ‘Hazel’s Nuts’, your favorite groupchat. You gun it towards your apartment, wanting to reply to them in the comfort of your own home. You must have made it in record time and you’re surprised you didn’t get a speeding ticket. Listen, you aren’t the best driver out there but no one’s died on your watch so you count that as a win. When you arrive home you immediately jump onto the couch and unlock your phone.

Hazel: Hi Y/N. Sorry we’ve been so busy this week but we’re excited to see you tomorrow

You: that’s ok! I figured you were occupied

Hazel: Yep. Had to take care of some stuff but we’re all set now

Scarlet: Y/N!!!!!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOOUUUU

Scarlet: (excited emojis)

You: Same!!!

Hazel: Oh yeah

Hazel: We’re meeting at La Cucina Classica tomorrow btw

You let out a small gasp of surprise. No fucking way?! La Cucina Classica is one of THE most expensive restaurants in your city. You’ve never stepped foot inside their doors because they’re usually booked months in advance. Karli’s lucky ass managed to eat there once before and she described the food as, and you quote, ‘orgasmic’. How on earth did they manage to nab a spot there?

You: No way! Really?

Scarlet: Yes way!!

You: how the hell did you manage to get a table???

Hazel: We pulled some strings

You: omg u mysterious boys

Scarlet: We promise to tell you everything tomorrow!! <3

You: ok! but don’t feel obligated or anything

You: i trust u guys

Hazel: Good

Hazel: So tomorrow. 7pm

Scarlet: Oh yeah! Also dress nice

You: you bet! It’s a fancy place so i can’t let them know i’m secretly poor

Hazel: Lol

Hazel: I have to make a call for work so bye for now Y/N

You: bye kitty

Scarlet: See you tomorrow! I can’t wait!!!

You: me too!!

You: bye!

You set your phone down and whisper to yourself. “What does he mean by ‘work’? They have jobs??”

And they got a table at La Cucina Classica by ‘pulling some strings’, like it was no big deal to them?! Oh my god do you need answers!

You wake up promptly at 9am.

Why? Because it’s #SelfcareSaturday. And this has nothing to do with seeing the boys in person tonight at 7pm. Nothing at all.

You usually have a lot of shit to say about how crappy your little apartment is but today you’re feeling thankful because your dingy bathroom comes equipped with a little tub. You have a bath bomb that was a birthday gift from one of your college friends and you pray these things don’t expire (they do lol) because you’re about to crack this baby open for the first time.

You’ve still got 9 hours, 23 minutes, and 16 seconds till dinner tonight but who’s counting? Not me, you think as you slowly sink into the rainbow-colored tub water. The atmosphere is perfect. You’ve lit up two of your scented candles and have a lofi hip hop playlist on shuffle. You should really do this more often except, you know, water bills.

Right after bath time you decide to do one of your more elaborate skincare routines, hoping to remove the stress and fatigue from your face after a week of work. You facetime Karli so you’re not alone during the whole process.

“Hi Y/N!!” Karli’s face pops up onto the screen. It’s a little more blurry than usual and the sunlight is harsh behind her so she must be outdoors. “Why is your face all glittery?”

“Oh this?” You point to your cheeks. “Remember that fancy Japanese face mask I bought when I got my holiday bonus?”

“Oh yeah! But you said you’d only open it for a special occasion. Unless,” then she comes to a conclusion. “is it for the boys??”

“No!” You correct her too fast. “I mean yes, but also no.” There’s a blush creeping onto your cheeks. “Sometimes a girl just wants to treat herself…”

“Sweetie, your idea of treating yourself is ordering takeout and drinking wine on the weekends, but I’m not gonna pressure you.” Karli sure loves to tease.

“Shut up you don’t know me,” you pout. You’re furiously red at this point.

“Au contraire, I know you too well. You’re like that mole I have on my left ass cheek, I’ll never get rid of you.”

Classy.

“True.” She’s not wrong. You two have been through thick and thin and everything in between. It’ll take divine power to separate you now.

“Oh yeah good thing you called! I’ve got some news!” She’s raising her voice since the background noise of traffic behind her is a little deafening.

You tilt your head, a question forming on your lips. Is it about the wedding?

“Remember that Bryce guy?”

You do now, since she brought him up. But it does bring back a few embarrassing memories. “Yeah?”

“Well he told me he has a football game coming up so he’s probably gonna text you soon to ask if you can go.”

“I forgot I said yes to that,” you wince as you suddenly remember that night.

“I mean, you can always let him down gently,” Karli suggests.

“No, I shouldn’t. That would be mean. I did agree to go.” Just admit it. You don’t like disappointing people.

“Ok girl, if you say so.” She doesn’t push you, probably cause it looks like she’s hurrying somewhere. “Ugh I promised to meet my coworkers for lunch but why did I wear heels downtown!”

“I don’t know girl, sounds like a ‘you’ problem.” You snicker at her.

“Hey don’t be fucking rude!” She quotes that famous Kim Kardashian meme perfectly.

“Stop! Don’t make me laugh too hard!! It’s gonna mess up my face mask!” You’re trying to keep your face still but it’s damn near impossible at this point.

The rest of the day you spend pampering yourself, the whole nine yards. You even booked an appointment with the nearby nail salon after one glance at your unkempt cuticles. God you’re a mess. All you had today was a salad you picked up after your nail appointment because you want your stomach to prepare itself for the gorging you’re about to do tonight.

As the evening approaches, you hunt in your closet once again for appropriate dining attire. The words ‘dress nice’ echo in your head. This time you do open your ho drawer, because you remember having some sort of shimmery dress that isn’t too bad and can probably pass for being presentable in such a fine dining environment. You reach into the furthest corner and finally feel the soft, silky fabric, pulling it out and hoping against all odds that it isn’t full of wrinkles. Lucky for you, the dress is still in good condition. It’s a spaghetti strap and flows all the way down past your ankles. You’ve never found the occasion to wear it, only buying it cause it was on sale and you thought it was so pretty at the time.

You put it on and glance in the mirror. Usually you have a lot to critique about your physical appearance but today you admit you don’t look so bad. The dress shows a little bit of tasteful cleavage and there’s a slit that rides up your right leg but it isn’t too revealing. Attach some chunky, strappy black heels and you’re good to go. Except makeup, you’ve gotta do that first.

As the clock ticks closer to 6:30, you finish up on your smokey eye and swipe on a little lip tint. You’re definitely taking an uber tonight because you don’t want to miss out on the restaurant's excellent drink selection. Also parking on a Saturday night? Absolute nightmare.

The place is downtown and a good 20 minutes away so once you get in the car you tell the driver to step on it, promising to tip him extra when you get off.

You can’t stop the constant drumming of your heart as the car nears the location. You feel like a kid who’s been told they’re going to Disneyland and you’re giddy with excitement. Maybe it’s better not to see them in person because you might faint on the spot.

As the car pulls up you take a deep breath. Calm down Y/N, you think to yourself, I’m just meeting two good friends for dinner.

The restaurant is located at the rooftop of one of the taller buildings downtown. You enter the elevator, smoothing your dress and your nerves at the same time.

When the doors slide open, you’re greeted by an immaculately dressed hostess. You glimpse at the restaurant behind her. Expensive is definitely the right word to describe this place. There’s dimly lit, warm lighting above each of the tables, and a live band is playing soft tunes in the corner. Waiters and waitresses are carrying loads of food on only one hand, serving each table with grace and poise.

“Name?” The hostess asks you, breaking you out of your observation.

“Um,” You’re unsure what to say. Did they put the table down under Scarlet or Hazel? That can’t be right since those are fake names.

“Y/N?” You try with your name first to see if that’ll lead anywhere.

“Right this way Miss Y/L/N.” Holy shit, ok. Guess that worked.

You’re led past the many tables, ladened with various couples, and back into a private room. They even managed to book a private room?!?! You really feel out of place with your drugstore makeup and cheap dress.

The hostess graciously opens a door for you and-

“Y/N!!”

“Ooof!” You’re enveloped by the familiar scent of honey and cinnamon. “Hi Scar.” You try to compose yourself since he smells too good to be true. Hazel is right behind him, signature sleepy smile on his face. You back away from them, taking in their appearance

Oh. My. God.

Your jaw drops. Beautiful isn’t enough to describe what’s standing in front of you. Scarlet is in a perfectly fitted, baby blue suit that shows off his lean physique. One of his top buttons is undone, revealing his caramel colored skin and collarbones. You pry your eyes away from such sin and opt to look in Hazel’s direction but that does nothing to help you since he’s also dressed to the nines, wearing all black, silver jewelry sparkling on his neck and fingers, a stark contrast to his milky white skin. You look in between them instead, fearing you’ll drool if you stare at them any longer.

Hazel steps forward and also gives you a small hug. His scent is floral, with a spicy undertone, and you want nothing more than to drown in it.

“Hi Hazel,” God you must be blushing like crazy right now. You can’t help it since they look so delicious. Stop that! They’re your friends and they’re not interested!! You want to slap yourself for thinking such impure thoughts.

Well you say that but the way they’re taking in your outfit sends a shiver down your spine. Is it just you or did their eyes darken? The atmosphere quickly returns to normal and you start to wonder if that moment was all in your imagination.

“Look! We already have the champagne ready!” Scarlet’s tail is wagging a mile a minute as he returns to his seat. Hazel slides next to him right after, trying to swat away the offending appendage that’s taking up his spot.

“How ‘bout you control that tail of yours, hm puppy?” Hazel huffs, finally managing to sit down once he successfully shoves the tail back into Scarlet’s lap.

“Hey!” Scarlet looks downright offended. “I’m a fox, not a dog! We’re a much more sophisticated creature.” He crosses his arms and states pointedly, “just like you can’t control your purrs, we can’t control our wagging.”

Hazel only sighs. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m mated to you.”

“Because you love me. Now shut up or poor Y/N’s gonna feel like she’s being third-wheeled.”

Now this is the Scarlet and Hazel you’re used to. You sit across from them, nursing the sparkling flute of champagne that’s calling your name and trying not to snort out loud at their antics. It’s still extremely hard to maintain eye contact with either of the boys but you put in effort all the same.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we already ordered.” Hazel shifts in his seat, one hand ruffling the back of his hair.

“Actually that’s perfect!” You chuckle. “I have no idea what to get in places like these.”

“Ok, good.” His voice is now sounding a little bit shaky, which is very puzzling. Is he nervous?

You take a better look at them, temporarily ignoring their attractiveness (which is a very hard thing to do), and you notice their body language is off. Both their tails are now twitching anxiously and their ears are a little droopy. What’s going on?

“Hey guys.” You keep your voice gentle. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah! There’s just, um…” Scarlet is twisting the napkin in his lap. “We have some very important things to ask you and-”

“Wait!” You interrupt him, putting one hand up. You need to get this across before the boys tell you anything. “Before you continue, I just want you both to know that under NO circumstances do you ever have to tell me anything you’re uncomfortable with. I understand that you have a lot of secrets to keep, being two hybrids who probably don’t have owners. I want to respect our friendship and your privacy, and if that means not knowing a lot of your secrets, then fine by me.” You’re almost out of breath from letting all this out but it’s worth it because you truly value your friendship with them. You always joke to yourself about wanting to know what they’re hiding but deep down you cherish being their friend more than anything.

Both boys glance at each other for a second, nerves having vanished, then they suddenly throw their heads back and erupt into giggles. Scarlet is full on shaking, slapping his knee while he roars with laughter. Even Hazel is cackling, gummy teeth on full display.

This throws you off and your eyebrows furrow together. What’s so funny? You were being sincere and trying to protect them from revealing secrets they don’t want to tell you.

By this time the waiter has come by with a tray of small appetizers so you grab an olive and chew on it in confusion, waiting for their laughter to die down.

“See? What did I tell you about her?” Hazel is wiping a stray tear off his face.

“You’re right, you’re right!” Scarlet nods back in agreement.

Their laughter has finally fizzled away and they both turn to face you once again.

“Um,” You’re completely lost for words so you take another sip of champagne for courage. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No not at all!” Scarlet is quick to reassure you. “In fact, we were nervous at first but you’re making this so much easier for us.”

“Easier?” If you had a penny for all the times these boys have confused you, you’d probably be a millionaire by now.

“Right.” Hazel leans into the table a little bit, a small smirk on his face. “You see, there’s something very important we want to ask you tonight.”

“But first,” Scarlet juts in, also leaning in next to Hazel, “just to clarify. You trust us right, Y/N?”

“Of course.” You say without hesitation. These boys literally have no reason to harm you. Except they’re a little too close to you now and you resist the urge to fan yourself because oooh boy do they have the prettiest eyes you’ve ever seen. And their ears! Why are their ears so fluffy looking?! You bet their super soft to touch but you dare not reach out.

“Even though you don’t know our real names?” Hazel urges you on.

“Well, I always figured you’ll tell me when you’re comfortable...” Your voice is getting smaller now, and you feel yourself getting red from head to toe. They’re too close to you and you try not to let your obvious attraction show so you look down and twiddle with your silverware.

“Excellent.” Both boys snap back into their seats, startling you.

“Y/N.” Scarlet clears his throat and tries to make his voice sound serious but he can’t hold back his smile. “We would like to officially ask you to adopt us.”

The fork you’re playing with clatters onto the table.

#bts fic #bts hybrid au #hoseok fanfic #yoongi fanfic #bts smut #bts fluff #bts fanfction #hybrid hoseok #hybrid yoongi #bts hybrid fic

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tfw-no-tennis · 3 years

Text

ani....morphs.....

ok so picking up after the david trilogy, which hit hard as FUCK, we have book 23, which basically was a semi truck that ran over my corpse, jesus christ, they really followed up the david trilogy w/all that....

23 was so so good and also painful. its the culmination of a lot of tobias’s characterization in the series thus far and also we finally get the reveal we’ve been waiting for about elfangor....ooooh man

and there was a lot of painful stuff in this book but the worst imo was tobias wondering if it were possible that somebody wanted him and would take care of him, only to have it all come crashing down in the worst way when it turned out aria was visser three in morph, ouch.

that was so brutal augh. and when he figured it out and just crash landed and kept thinking about how he wanted to die and how he was stupid to think he could have a home...bro get these kids some THERAPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so yeah that book was absolutely brutal but also so good...and it further fleshed out the animorphs working as a near-flawless team, w/the whole setup of tobias meeting w/the lawyer being so airtight and well-planned

also more free hork bajir!! its cool that there's stuff happening w/them offscreen, I like that

I literally had to take a break from reading the books bc the david triology + 23 was like so much, and also bc the olympics were on and all my time got dedicated to watching those, but then I opened 24, not sure what to expect, and BAM it was the helmacrons lmaoooo

I don't even remember the helmacrons but ig a lot of people hate them? lmao so that whole reputation preceded the book and I was like oh wow time for a change in tone

which wasn't wrong but also I liked that book?? I was never bored, even tho the whole thing was patently ridiculous and also had very little bearing on the overarching story

but I think it would be a standout if it were a TV episode w/a good budget - the visuals were amazing even in text, and I can imagine all the cool shrinking/growing/cellular stuff would be WICKED cool visually (ideally 2d animation but an ant man-esque live action adaptation wouldn't be terrible if they had the budget for it)

whatever let me dream. so yeah I didn't hate the helmacron book even tho the helmacrons themselves were...sure something. lmao I think they come back? that should be interesting

next book is the arctic one, we have yet another alien of the week style adventure - I liked this one too, it felt like more plot-y stuff happened since they destroyed the base, and marco’s POV is always fun

I do find it funny/interesting how sometimes when the animorphs do something - like in this book, destroying that base in the arctic - it doesn't really seem to impact the yeerks much/it doesn't get brought up much after that. and then other things like them destroying the ground-based kandrona get mentioned a lot (that example is understandable tho bc that WAS a big deal). its just hilarious to me how blowing up entire building complexes has become so routine that it isn’t even worth mentioning at this point

Also I adore when they meet other random people/kids and are chill w/them, like w/that kid they met in the rain forest earlier on w/the time travel

the descriptions of the brutally cold weather were great. I hate the cold so I was like oof this is a nightmare lmao

also ig that was the first ghostwritten book and I did kinda notice it was slightly different than usual? maybe? I could be imagining it tho

okay but book 26 tho...BOOK 26. bruh

that was SO good and I really didn’t know what to expect - but when we finally revisited Jake’s dream w/crayak I knew it was gonna be good (but I didn’t expect it to be a chess game war epic..!)

basically I loved it. SUCH a good Jake book - I really appreciate his character now as opposed to when I was 10 and often overlooked him (sorry jake).

similarly, when I was a kid and read these I sympathized a lot w/the chee and felt bad for them towards the end of the series when they had to get more involved in the war (genuinely don’t remember what they even do but ik I felt bad)

but now I've basically 180′d and I'm like damn those chee sure are hypocrites huh.

like they could solve So many of the animorphs problems but their stringent adherence to nonviolence leads to them actively getting in the animorphs way sometimes? and obviously pacifism is a complicated topic, but in this case it also intersect w/the whole ‘child soldier’ thing, and as beings who are insanely old and wise, the chee probably shouldn't just leave all the dirty work to a bunch of literal middle schoolers

aaaaanyways. there’s so much I love about this book. the iskoort! they were sure something. and the ‘plot twist’ that they are actually 2 beings, the Isk and the Yoort - and the Yoort are essentially Yeerks - that slapped. the symbiosis of it all!

I loved the part where they all realize what this means, that this is why Crayak wants the iskoort destoryed - because someday the yeerks might come across them and realize parasitism is not the only way. I love it!

alas I don’t recall the iskoort returning in the story (but also my memory is terrible so who knows?) but still that would be cool

basically I feel like this is the book where Jake Truly comes into his own as a leader, in every sense. he outmaneuvers Crayak, and even the ellimist, who’s yanking them around in his own way

the scene where jake shoves the howler off the cliff and jumps off and morphs and acquires the howler...that was fantastic and tense.

also the murder is definitely becoming more overt. I mean, it has been for a while, but it isn’t really pointed out as much anymore. oof

more on the chee - as Jake points out in this book, and other characters point out in other books - the chee could have saved the pemalites, but instead just stood by while their creators were slaughtered. on the other hand, jake says, what do the chee do AFTER they’ve killed the howlers - where to point them next? when is the end of their violence?

buuuuut also standing by while atrocities occur is pretty damning, as is frequently mentioned in this series - from the very beginning, when marco initially doesn’t want to get involved in the war at all, and the other animorphs basically tell him that turning his back on the war and acting like he doesn’t even know it’s happening would be immoral and cowardly (which imo this reaction helps to push marco in the direction he ends up going, but I digress) - this topic comes up again in 19 when cassie quits the team and rachel is upset bc she sees it as cassie elevating her own feelings above the greater good (as in, as long as cassie feels good about how she acts, it doesn’t matter how much preventable evil the yeerks are committing while she turns away). etc etc. but that’s essentially what’s happening w/the chee - even tho they help w/intel, the lack of any sort of Action on their part means that they’re essentially allowing awful things to happen when they could prevent them. this is rambly but basically...animorphs deals so much in grey areas, and the chee are noticeably black and white in their actions, despite falling, in a meta sense, in an extremely grey area. its such good, thought provoking writing!

anywayssss I keep talking about the chee lmao what else was there. oh YEAH jake and cassie kissed for the first time awww that was super cute

and ofc immediately marco teases them as asks jake if he’s gonna kiss him next, and all I can say is...marco is a bicon

also I love the background worldbuilding w/the iskoort, how they have all these groups and guilds and stuff - its not dwelled on much, which actually works really well to give the world/species a sense of lived-in realness

okay oh man and the reveal at the end that the howlers were just like...children who thought the whole thing was a game...AUGHH man that’s sooo fucked

like, when jake morphs the howler and has rachel ready to knock him down in grizzly morph if he gets out of control due to the howler’s murderous instincts, and he morphs to find that the howler is...playful, like a dolphin morph. SUCH a good fucked up sense of dawning horror there

and the fact that as far as I can tell the chee KNEW this, but wanted revenge anyways, so they let the animorphs assume that the howlers were Evil On Purpose

also I love smaller moments, like jake seeing that ax is ashamed for briefly running away during one battle w/the howlers, and then entrusts him w/an important task bc he knows that ax will see that as redemption - and when everyone thought jake was dead and were so happy when he wasn't (they all love each other so much im gonna cry about these child soldiers augh)

basically that book was so good

man one thing I absolutely love is that the longer the series goes on the more obvious it is that andalites, despite inventing morphing technology, barely use it themselves

like, most of the andalite characters we see barely morph. its kind of a last resort to them, as they’re already plenty dangerous in their regular forms

meanwhile for the animorphs, that’s all they have to fight with. that’s their only weapons against the yeerks, and its so fun to see them use the power in so many varied ways, and so creatively, while the andalites have barely scratched the surface of their own technology

its also interesting to contrast against the yeerks who start out w/absolutely no technology, and the andalites share some but not all of their technology w/them...its too bad that morphing technology was just starting out cause that would’ve been interesting

like imo a lot of the conflict w/the yeerks could’ve been avoided if they could just nothlit into better forms - of course, there’d still be plenty of yeerks who want to go start wars or w/e, just like pretty much any species in the series, but a lot of yeerks would probably be like ‘yeah I'm good’ and just chill out as nothlits

also people online love to talk about how humans are alienfuckers and would definitely have sex w/sentient aliens and whatnot, and while I'm not saying that's untrue, its just funny bc in animorphs the truest alienfuckers are definitely the andalites

as of the hork-bajir chronicles, we now have a second instance of an andalite morphing another species to be in an inter-species alien romance (and eventually have kids)

speaking of, I don’t think I’ve talked abt the hork bajir chronicles yet??? even tho I read it a while ago lmao

HBC was great...I honestly haven’t really run into an animorphs book I’ve actually disliked at this point, I’m sure it’ll come w/all the ghostwriting and whatnot, but I’ve liked at least some aspects of every book

anyways HBC was great, and it’s funny bc I remember that I read this book as a kid, and yet rereading it now I didn’t remember a single bit of it lmaooo

I really liked the framing device of the free hork bajir telling this story to tobias. I also liked how we know from the beginning that this story wont have a happy ending - we know all the hork bajir end up enslaved by the yeerks, but it’s still somehow hopeful at the end? I think this is largely due to the framing device tbh.

also I love toby, and I love that the First free hork bajir named their kid after tobias ;_;

and oooh mannn I LOVED the different POVs from this book. all the characters were so interesting! aldrea was fascinating - I really like the increasingly negative view of the andalites that the readers are getting, all while maintaining the sense that they aren’t like, actively evil, just that they have their issues - like aldrea’s arrogance, and the general andalite arrogance which lead to the loss of the hork bajir. also, who knew andalites had their own brand of sexism? Ls

I did like getting a female andalite tho, that was cool. and dak was really cool, he was such a good, compassionate character who was able to maintain his morals in an interesting way throughout the story

and VISSER THREE...or should I say esplin 9466, because he’s not visser 3 yet...getting his ‘origin story’ was excellent - I really like how we’re learning about visser 3 backwards - we start off the series w/him as the main villain, and he’s campy and menacing, and then we see him in the andalite chronicles as a power-hungry sub-visser trying to climb the ranks and eventually getting alloran as a host, and then back even further here, w/the start of his focus on the andalites and the beginning of his ambition. its been very cool and interesting to see

plus, the beginning of the yeerks as we know them! seerow! alloran! it’s a party and nobody is having a good time, except for some of the yeerks.

I like how it’s pretty obvious that the andalites are well-meaning with their interactions w/the yeerks, but go about it the wrong way - they give them enough technology that the yeerks realize there’s a whole world out there to experience, and then they blockade the yeerks on their planet and tell them they can’t leave. nnnnot the best approach imo

again, as I said above, I’m interested in how things could’ve gone if the andalites had given the yeerks morphing technology early on - could a lot of the conflict have been avoided, or would it have been worse? the yeerks seem pretty evil in this book, immediately jumping to enslave anyone they can. otoh we hear from esplin that not all yeerks like having host bodies, and find it overwhelming, preferring to swim around in the yeerk pool as a slug - I assume as host bodies became more available this type of thinking was probably stamped out in yeerk society or w/e, but there are a lot of interesting what-ifs in the situation

I loved the scene where esplin first experiences having a host, and immediately knows he can’t go back. there are a bunch of great sensory descriptions, and it’s a nice scene to pinpoint as a foundational moment for the visser three in the current story, who spent a lot of time and energy getting what he sees as the best possible host body, an andalite

I find it interesting how much visser three clearly respects the andalites, even while constantly deriding them. and you can see the origins of that here as he immediately focuses in on the andalites, working to become an expert on them in order to make himself useful enough to move thru the ranks

another thing I like is how esplin seems a lot more crafty and ambitious than the visser three from modern times - I would guess that reaching his goal (andalite host body) and being given all that power was detrimental, playing on his weaknesses instead of his strengths. basically, I don’t think it’s ooc or anything, I can see how HBC-esplin became animorphs-esplin, especially w/TAC in between

as for seerow...poor dude. you really do have to feel for him, because you get the sense he really did just want to be kind to the yeerks, but it was borne from a place of pity, and he (and the other andalites) consistently held too much power over the yeerks for the species relations to ever be truly equal and functional

AUGH I have so many thoughts about alien space politics. omg. I need to talk about the actual story lmao

so yeah I also feel for aldrea, she had a rough time, watching her entire family die and being thrown into a hopeless war

and then the andalite council or w/e not listening to her bc she's a girl AND seerow’s daughter...oof

also, I really really liked the running theme of the andalites - specifically aldrea - looking down on the hork bajir as ‘simple’ and constantly underestimating them, especially dak

and I like how this is portrayed as a bad attitude for aldrea to have, and she still remains and interesting and sympathetic character even while having obvious flaws. it’s about being 3-dimensional baby!

and oh man I love that dak realizes that aldrea looks down on him, and his entire species, but he can see that that’s how the andalites are, and it all connects back to the beginning of the story w/the yeerks, bc the andalites looked down on the yeerks and treated them with pity and kept them pinned under their proverbial thumb ‘for their own good’ and look how that turned out

but dak is wise and kind enough to not hate aldrea for this, even acknowledging when she’s using him, but not pushing her away because he recognizes good in her too - and she ends up changing, partially because of his faith in her

and I feel like it can all be compared to that scenario of like - a hypothetical creature that lives in a 2D world suddenly being thrust into a 3D world, and comprehending what its seeing, and understanding that there’s so much more out there outside of the flat lines of its world - and then its dropped back into 2D-land with the knowledge of all the stuff its missing out on, and no way to get back to it or explain it to anybody else

I loooove that ‘trope’ or w/e you wanna call it, and it’s done beautifully here w/the yeerks - whos the say they wouldn't have been fine in their pool swimming around; as esplin said, a lot of the yeerks were terrified of having a host, it was only from the andalites’ perspective that their lives were sad and pitiful, and the andalites showed them what the world could be like, and then said ‘no, you can’t travel the stars like we do, you have to stay here on your planet and do what we say.’

and then again, w/the hork bajir - dak talks about how, even though he drinks up the knowledge that aldrea gives him, in the end it might have been better to just have lived peacefully, not knowing what was in the sky or the Deep - as aldrea says: “It was too late for Dak: he knew that the stars were not flowers.”

plus the hork bajir having to go from a completely peaceful species who don’t even understand the concept of violence, to a bunch of soldiers fighting a war...oof

basically everyone in this story uses the hork bajir. the yeerks use them as hosts, the andalites use their planet as a convenient place to dump seerow and then take their sweet time coming to help, and the arn created them as means to stabilize the planet, but block them off from their society and refuse to help when the yeerks come

like, the arn modifying themselves to be un-infestable by the yeerks and then being enslaved for physical labor instead? oof guys. if they had teamed up w/the hork bajir resistance things might have gone better, but probably not

more on aldrea - throughout the story I was always thinking ‘how am I supposed to see her? as a good person, or as a bad person?’

as a POV character, especially a ‘good guy’ andalite, you just start off automatically thinking of her as a good person, but as the story goes on, she starts getting lost in revenge and begins using dak and the hork bajir, and you’re left wondering if this is a story about her slide into darkness, and then towards the end of the story her character development culminates in her making the decision to stay w/the hork bajir, and the be with dak, and that’s about when I went ‘ohhh right this is animorphs so every character is pretty much gonna be grey’

I feel like that moral grey-ness was on full display w/aldrea, and I really enjoyed that. I love so much when characters who are good do bad things, for good or bad reasons, especially in media like animorphs that’s aimed at kids. it’s so compelling.

oof, and the ending when aldrea convinces dak to mobilize the hork bajir and teach them violence...and dak asks her if she’s ever killed another andalite, and she’s horrified, and says of course she hasn’t, and he says that that’s what she’s asking him, and all the hork bajir, to do - to kill their own people, even if they are being controlled by the yeerks. biiiig oof. I love that dak can keep up w/aldrea and her andalite supremacy attitude - it seems that the non-andalite characters who get along best w/the andalites are the ones who wont take their bs

what else happened....oh my god how could I forget about alloran, and his quantum virus. oooof. I like how we find out about alloran in parallel to visser three, in the same backwards way - in animorphs he’s the tragic host of visser three, in TAC he’s the disgraced but still semi-respected war-prince who becomes the first ever andalite controller, and here he’s the guy who decides to commit some war crimes because, hey, we haven’t tried that yet

but yeah that was fucked up, I love it. I’ve said it before I think but I like that alloran isn’t some perfect martyr tragically taken by the yeerks - it’s a lot more compelling that he’s a very flawed person who was taken as a controller partially due to his own bloodthirstiness.

but yeah, the part where aldrea morphs alloran and ‘sneaks’ into that room was great. aldrea’s dedication to disposing of the virus is a great indicator of her character development - it really feels like the straw that broke the camels back w/re: to the andalites not being what she thought they were, w/their tardiness coming to help the hork bajir planet and the way her father was treated being the precursors to this realization. it all culminates nicely in aldrea saying ‘fuck this actually’ and nothlit-ing into a hork bajir.

and it’s really tragic but realistic that even though aldrea and dak end up seeing eye to eye at the end and getting together, the virus ends up being released anyways (and fails in its objective to stop the yeerks from using the hork bajir - the whole thing was p much a lose-lose situation oof), and aldrea and dak still die fighting a hopeless war

but then we have the free hork bajir on earth, including toby, who, like tobias, has andalite ancestry, but no DNA to show for it - I like that they have that connection as well as tobias being her namesake

so yeah I enjoyed that one and its many-layered themes

WOW this got long uuuuuhhh ok I think i’ll leave this one off here. at the time I’m actually finishing the writing and editing, I’m on book 35 lol so I have some backlogging to do. never fear, I have a lot to say....

#lj reads animorphs #animorphs

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chimtaera · 4 years

Text

imagine model namjoon.

ok let’s not kid ourselves

boy’s already a model

he’s got the body.

got the looks.

what can i say, he’s no super model (too clumsy), but he get’s around with the more diverse castings yanno

probably got started on instagram,

with his #kimdaily outfits

which are sometimes just chill, pretty, sporty, casual, cool

and other times completely wacky and just ??? how did you even think to wear those ??? at the same time?? together ???

he always looks good tho

but some looks will give you whiplash. ur warned.

but that’s part of his appeal tbh

hhhh probably gains a lot of popularity when one of those more ‘out there’ outfits circulates on twitter or reddit and people are like “hOW does he make that work??? why does it look good??? is he just that hot??”

the answer is yes.

from there he builds a solid following.

for his great looks, great fashion sense, and his 4am instagram stories that are just a black pic with like a three paragraph text about how rain might feel if it had feelings.

also, solid music recommendations omg

you probably make ur own spotify playlist with just his recommendations.

ok ok so you best bELIEVE when this boy finally gets cast for a show he’s gonna fall on his ass and go viral

claim to fame baby

probably becomes a meme and rolls with it tbh

like he’ll share the memes in his story, so as not to ruin the ・ﾟ:*aesthetic*:・ﾟand react to them and shit

but then also get on live and talk at length about how faceplanting on the catwalk impacts your self-esteem, how he’s habit he could benefit positively from such an embarrassing moment, and how there’s a lesson for everyone here, and that he hopes all our embarrassing moments may in some way benefit us one day.

he’s such a sweetheart im-

so you might be a stylist?

a hair stylist?

makeup artist?

fellow model?

whatever you’re comfortable with.

you definitely see him on instagram first tho

you came for the memes but are super impressed with his profile and end up staying for the music.

...... and him.

he’s hot, come on.

also 90% of networking is done on instagram these days let us be real.

okay so oNE DAY, or like late evening, who cares

he post a music recommendation and you’re like !!!!!!!!

it’s that low key indie band with like only one EP out that you found on some obscure spotify playlist and you’ve been jamming to since october

and apparently namjoon has too because they’ve released a new single and you didn’t even know ????

and you’re so excited your fingers slip and oopsie you’ve sent a short but rambling message explaining exactly that into his DM’s

instant regret.

then the anxiety bubbles up in you.

and then you calm yourself and convince yourself that he gets a LOT of messages he probably won’t even see yours, so it’s fine it’s fine it’s-

next morning you have a reply

a new follow

and a mcfUCKING LIKE ON A PICTURE OF YOU FROM TWO WEEKS AGO

yikes, you didn’t even have time to give your feed a spring cleaning

you just like his short “ikr!!!!”, too mortified to reply.

alas, the regrets!

but also

the butterflies.

then you see him at an event one time.

it’s fashion week, you’re hecking busy and about to leave because it’s like midnight and you’ve got places to be tomorrow

but it’s always so strange to see people from insta irl like ??? all those dimensions??? you really be lookign like that ??? damn.

once you’ve stared long enough to be certain that’s actually what he looks like (so handome!!! so tall!!!! wtf!!!! who allowed this??) you turn to leave just as he glances up and cetches your eye for like the tiniest fraction of a second

and you hightail it outta there and hope to heaven he doesn’t know you were staring.

but he likes your pic from the party the next morning and you almost choke on your coffee and the lump in your throat stays there all day

and you’re like, am i?? catching feelings ??? for the catwalk faceplant guy??? you’ve never even talked to the man smh

he’s fucking hot tho.

so, fashion week ends and with it comes another party

you can finally relax, celebrate, wind down from the long week.

yA THOUGHT lmao

you’re talking to some designer about their next project and they’re going on about this instagram dude who’s already on board when they start waving someone over like “hey hey, there he is, y/n have you met kim namjoon yet?”

you turn around you’re like !!!!! fuck. he’s so much taller up close.

“hey, no, yeah, no, but i’ve seen you on, uh, on instagram. i think.” smooth, y/n.

after introductions, the designer gets pulled along into some other conversation and you and namjoon are kinda awkward for a minute.

you just sip your drink like ‘fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck aaaaaaa’

but then he asks you easy questions about what you do and what you’ve been working on this week and it’s the same thing you’ve been talking about with everyone you’ve met this week so it goes pretty smoothly

he makes it easy for you, like he’s very attentive, nods along enthusiastically asking follow-up questions and seems genuinely interested in your work it’s so nice! he’s so nice!

and you ask him the same things you’ve asked everyone else this week like you haven’t seen everything on his instagram already.

actually you’ve missed a few things since you’ve been so busy and your interest is genuine, before you know it the two of you are at a table and getting along like a house on fire, showing each other pics from the week.

he asks you send him a pic from one of the shows he didn’t get to see and when he do he’s sees your old messages and is like ?? oh !!

i mean, he totally knew it was you, but he had forgotten the part about that obscure indie band and the new single, so he shows you!

you’ve been following them even closer since then so you know they’re playing a gig in like two weeks and you tell him.

turns out he’s missed this info because of fashion week and he’s super excited!! you guys have to go together!!!¨

“i mean, we don’t have to- it’s just, i don’t know anyone else who listens to them, i could probably go alone, but, you know, it would be cool-”

and of course you’ll go with him, so you two exchange numbers and end up texting the next two weeks.

at first you’re just making tentative plans to meet and go to to the gig, but then there’s a gallery opening the same day, and you know this realy good thrift shop nearby that he should check out, and you guys should get dinner before because namjoon knows this really cool place and-

and it’s a date.

namjoon has every intention to kiss you that night after the gig, but he wants to ask you first and he’s not sure exactly how so he’s just like “um ??? can i ??? uhhh ?? do you ??? uh”

and ur like, “hey, namjoon, i really want u to kiss me, please?”

the rest is history.

you two are too cute, with your instagram aesthetic and lowkey couple outfits, and highkey couple pics, i’d follow.

you two would be gOALS, and it does wonders for both your careers tbh

omg imagine all the cool collaborations you two could do.

and eventually namjoon would go viral again when the paparazzi captures him spilling his coffee and your cute reaction.

but the best thing about dating model namjoon is he makes you your very own playlist.

and you get your very own story highlight with all the aesthetic pics he snaps of you just like buying milk and stealing his fries, and exploring the city on sundays afternoons, going vintage shopping and reading in the park, titled: “bae.” with every colour heart.

hyping each other in the comments always.

and the thirst omg

anyway, nsfw under the cut.

so you take it kinda slow at first because turns out namjoon has a huge crush on you and he lowkey can’t keep his hands off you but also wants to “date you properly”, whatever that means.

props to you if you get impatient with him and tease him a little, a thirst trap here, a netflix and chill there, sending a sexy song his way, or even better post it on your story for him to see.

if it doesn’t provoke him to action it’ll at least get him hard flustered, which is cute.

in the end joon is a soft boy and you can sit up all night talking, so you end up talking about sex long before having it.

and that just makes it all the more special tbh

and when it does happen, it’s like everything else the two of you do, a little awkward at first, a little clumsy, fumbly, but a lot of fun, and it’s namjoon, and you love namjoon. so, so much.

like it doesn’t matter if he accidentally bumps your nose, because he’ll apologise and the two of you will just giggle and continue.

and he might pull your hair on accident, but that way you can admit to him that it’s.. kinda hot.

and when your teeth collide when you kiss it’s only because any amount of distance between you quickly becomes unbearable, and you both need each other so, so much.

imagine slow, lazy sunday morning snuggle fuck with namjoon.

and then later when you’re on a blanket in the park reading both your books he’ll get distracted, thinking about it, lean in close and tell you something ridiculous like he wishes you would wake him up by sitting on his face.

and imagine backstage heavy petting after a show, leaving the afterparty early, because you’re both buzzing with unrelieved tension and namjoon is very hard in his pants, pressing himself against you as you try to have a polite conversation with some influencer.

love, love, loooooves, watching you ride.

and he’ll go down on you for hours if you let him, honestly.

anytime, anywhere tbh

how did you get so lucky?

#namjoon smut #namjoon scenario #namjoon #namjoon imagine #bts scenarios #bts smut #BTS au #bts imagines #bts reactions #kpop smut #kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #kpop imagines

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naferty · 4 years

Text

Happy Holidays!! Here’s some good ol’ winteriron for you. Thank you for my wonderful followers for helping me decide on winteriron and for the wonderful anons who helped with the idea. You’re all the best!

~~~~

It had been all Steve’s fault.

Steve was the first to initiate the challenge. A challenge he and Sam had accepted every year without fail. It was a challenge that couldn’t be ignored.

The streets were frozen over. The sidewalks covered in snow and black ice. The park a battlefield. It was destiny.

The three of them had separated as quick as a flash into their own corners. Bucky scooped up snow like no tomorrow and set up his fort and ammunition. The pelting of snow had begun. Snowballs after snowballs flew between the three. There was never any shortage of ammo, even with all of the misses.

A snowball hit him square on his shoulder. He looked over his fort to see Sam readying his arm for another lucky throw but Bucky wasn’t going to let him. Locked and loaded and with precise aim, he threw the deadly cold projective and nailed Sam right on his forehead. Sam jerked back, desperately batting away the crumbling snow.

“That’s a dick move, man!”

“This is war, Sam,” Steve said from behind his own fort, head sticking out briefly. “There’s no mercy here.”

“Yeah?” Sam said before throwing the snowball that had been meant for Bucky to Steve, hitting him square on the face. Steve made an indignant squawking sound as he stood from the shock of the temperature change. “No mercy, Babe,” Sam fired back.

Bucky saw his chance. While his best friend was distracted he grabbed another snowball and aimed it perfectly to Steve’s face, wanting another strike at it. He pulled his arm back, locked it and threw. It all happened in slow motion after that.

Bucky could see the snowball moving through the air. Spinning as it got closer and closer to Steve’s scowling face. Bucky held his breath as the snowball was within inches of hitting its mark when, unexpectedly, Steve’s face moved. Just a few inches over. Enough for the snowball to miss and keep going, following Newton’s first law.

An object in motion stays in motion.

True enough, the ball kept going until it was stopped. By something in its path. By a someone in its path. By a face of a someone in its path. By a complete stranger that Bucky had just struck with a snowball because his dumbass best friend decided to move on that one second.

The stranger reacted fast. Not having expected a snowball to the face, he took a wrong step and that step just happened to land on black ice. Unsurprisingly, the step kept going, unbalancing the man and down he went, but not before trying to right himself and having his other leg stick out for balancing before finally giving out.

If Bucky had not been so mortified, he would have laughed internally at the image. Just his luck, Bucky had been very much responsible for the man falling and so no internal laughter for him. Instead, he squeaked out “damn” and went running to the fallen man who had not gotten up yet.

As he got closer the panic set in. The fallen man still hadn’t gotten up, meaning possible injuries, and if the fancy coat that probably cost more than Bucky’s prosthetic arm was any indicator, this wasn’t a man he wanted to be held responsible for injuring.

“Shit, are you okay?”

The fallen man needing life alert groaned. Definitely not okay.

“Look, sorry about that. That snowball was meant for my friend. It hit you on accident.”

The man was faced opposite of Bucky. If there was an injury to his head or face, Bucky couldn’t see it. He kneeled down and gently aided the man to sit upright by his shoulder. The man did so with little trouble.

So not a serious injury. Perhaps winded?

Bucky finally got a good look at the man’s face. He was gorgeous. Model material. The kind of face Bucky expected in a magazine. The kind of face in magazine’s Bucky collected.

Hot damn. The snow might as well have melted away when the face of this man was upon them.

“What happened?” The man said with the sexiest sounding voice Bucky had ever heard.

“You fell.”

The man looked around him as if barely noticing he was on the ground. “Huh, guess I did.” He looked at Bucky. “You happen to know why’s that, handsome?”

Bucky felt the temperature rise on his face. “A complete accident. I meant to hit my friend. Instead, the ball found its way to you.”

“Sure did. Felt the whole impact and everything.” The gorgeous man stood, aided by Bucky in order to avoid the black ice and a repeat of earlier.

“You okay? Maybe you shouldn’t be walking yet.”

“I’m fine. Not the first time I fell on my ass and it won’t be the last.”

“Shame. It’s too nice an ass to be treated like that.”

The man let out a surprised laugh. Bucky considered it a win.

“You’re cute. If I wasn’t in a hurry I’d stay and have you make this up to me, but I gotta fall and run.”

“Too much in a hurry to not maybe give me a number?” The weather was chilly. The temperature below Bucky’s comfort, but somehow his hand still managed to sweat.

The man thought about it for a second, giving Bucky a once over. He must have found something he liked because he nodded. “Sure, why not. Let’s see what happens, huh?” He pulls out a card from somewhere and hands it over. “If I get an unsolicited dick pic from you I’m saving the picture and blocking your number. I’m not that kind of girl. Not on a first date anyway.”

Bucky snorted. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Can I get a name?”

The guy looked surprised for a second. “Tony - my name - huh, Tony.”

“Tony,” Bucky repeated. Hot name. Hot voice. Hot guy. Hot everything. “I’m Bucky. Talk to you soon?” He held up the card.

“Yeah,” Tony said, already walking. “Text me, Handsome.”

Bucky grinned. Oh, he’ll text him, all right.

He turned when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. Steve and Sam were standing there. Eyebrows high to their hairline and arms crossed.

“What are you both doing here?”

Both were smirking now. “Having a snowball fight,” Steve said.

“Looks like Bucky is interested in a whole other game here,” Sam added.

“Yeah, yeah, so what?” Bucky tucked the card away in the pocket of his jacket, making sure to zip it. No chance of losing the thing.

“So what? You even know who you just smacked with a snowball and got a number from?” Steve’s voice had gone higher towards the end.

“Does it matter?”

“Shit, he doesn’t know,” Sam shook his head, grinning. “Dude, you just got Tony Stark’s number.”

His mind went blue screen for a moment.

“I what?!”

~~~

He texted nonetheless, not really expecting much. It was surprisingly fun to chat with the billionaire. He wasn’t as stale as one might have expected a billionaire to be with their fancy clothes and cars, mansion and yacht. Tony was very down to Earth, loved to get his hands dirty, couldn’t function without coffee and was apparently a disaster bi. He was Bucky’s type of man.

Time, however, was true for a COO of a large company. Time was limited for Tony and trying for a date seemed impossible to plan. When Bucky was free, Tony wasn’t. When Tony was free, Bucky wasn’t. It was hard, but Tony had expressed multiple times he was very interested.

Bucky was willing to try if Tony was willing to put the effort, too.

One day, the most peculiar phone call came from Tony.

“Hey, Handsome! How do you feel about joining me for a holiday party with my Carbonell side?”

“Uhh,” Bucky said, not truly understanding.

“It’ll be only for two days, then I’ll have you back safe and sound before your bedtime. Your parents won’t even know you’re gone!”

“Tony,” Bucky couldn’t help but smile, “are you inviting me to spend the holidays with you?”

“Yes and yes, but don’t be fooled. This is me being a little selfish, too. My grandparents have been nagging me to settle down. That hasn’t happened and probably won’t for a while so, at this point, they’ll be happy if I just bring someone to meet them for the holidays. They’re getting old and I don’t want to disappoint them for another year. We haven’t gone out for a date yet, but I figured what we’re doing is close enough. We know stuff about each other already. You can come with me and be my fake date!”

Bucky’s heart sank a little. Fake date?

“Wait, scratch that. Horrible idea. You’ll be my date-date. No fake anything. My better half. Consider this our first date.”

Bucky exhaled. That was a relief. “So you’re taking me out to meet your grandparents for a first date?”

Tony paused. Not something he often did. “Is it too much?”

“No - no, I mean, yes. A little, but it’s for your grandparents, right?”

“No, not just for them. For us, too. You know what - this was a bad idea. Forget everything I said. This is just me jumping without thinking -”

“Wait, Tony,” a few weeks of chatting with the genius, Bucky was getting used to his quirks and thoughts. He was interesting, and Bucky looked forward to unlocking every corner in true Bucky Barnes fashion. “Sounds like a fun time. Just tell me what to pack.”

“...really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Oh, okay, great! Get ready for me to romance the shit out of you.”

“I can’t wait.”

#text post #long text post #naferty writes #winteriron #buckytony #some samsteve too #happy holidays y'all #thanks again for the help in deciding!

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iwillgiveyoumyhappiness · 5 years

Text

Poison & Wine

This was requested by Anonymous.

Anon, you DMed me and let me know that the name you wanted to be used, your personality, and what genera of story you wanted (fluff + angst), and little, specific things that you’d like to see. To those who came here by chance: I recommend reading this while listening to Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars. That’s the song that was requested. ^^ Now, please enjoy!

“Dad! Dad can you help me real quick?”

Minhyuk turned around, giving his ten year old a smile. He would swear to it in court—little girls grow up too fast. Wasn’t she five years old and asking for a piggy-back ride just a couple days ago?

He knelt down to her height. “Yes, my lovely Ae-Cha? What can I do for you?”

She flashed him a grin, so similar to his own. “Can you answer some questions for me? It’s for school.”

He nodded. “Of course I can!” He picked her, playfully spinning her around before dropping her lightly on the couch. He let out a huff of air. He was really getting too old for that, but she always laughed so happily when he did it.

He supposed a little back pain was worth it. “So, what’re these questions I’m gonna be asked?” he asked, plopping down into the chair across from her. “If I answer incorrectly, are you going to arrest me?”

Ae-Cha laughed. “Of course not!” She cleared her throat, trying to put on a serious expression. Honestly, she just looked cute. “My literature teacher gave us an assignment about first loves. We’re supposed to ask an adult that we’re close to a few questions about their first love and write an essay on it.”

He tilted his head to the side. “First loves, huh? Why’d she choose that?”

She shrugged. “Ms. Kang says that first loves are important. She says that she wants people to never forget how they were first introduced to love, and she wants us kids to remember that love is different for everyone.”

He nodded slowly. “So, where you might find love isn’t exactly where I might find love, yeah?”

She snorted. “Well, obviously. You married mommy—I didn’t.”

“You couldn’t have even if you wanted to!” He stuck his tongue out at her playfully. “You weren’t even born.”

She giggled. “Yeah, yeah, whatever! Can we start yet, dad?”

He chuckled along with her. “Fine! Let’s do it.” He snapped his fingers. “First question! Hit me up!”

Ae-Cha cleared her throat again, trying to clear away any giggles that might surface. She flipped through a thin pamphlet, looking for the right question. “Do you have a first love?” she finally asked.

He nodded, a fond smile perched on his lips. “Yeah, I do.”

“What was their name?”

“Her name was Kim Chin-Sun. I just called her Sunny for short.” He snickered. “She hated it, though.”

Ae-Cha took notes furiously in her note book. Minhyuk wondered what exactly she was writing since he really hadn’t said that much. If he knew her at all, she was probably mostly doodling. She stopped and scanned for another question. “How did you two meet?” she asked.

“She was a trainee at the same time as me,” he said, leaning back. He knew this was going to be a long story. He could remember it like it was yesterday.

Minhyuk walked into the practice room, adrenaline rushing through his veins at the thought of achieving his dream. He was young and excited and maybe a little too eager. But as the days went on, he became a little less eager. His smiles became a little less genuine.

Though, that tends to be what happens when people tell you that you’re not good enough. That you were just a pretty face, untalented. That you wouldn’t make it.

No one noticed his pain. Or maybe no one cared. Maybe even she didn’t, but she still reached out to him, for whatever reason that may be.

He could remember the scene clearly: him sitting in the corner before anyone else had arrived, back pressed against the mirror, knees pulled to his chest. He’d been trying to fight it for about an hour, the tears he felt welling up in his eyes.

“Crap,” he mumbled, blinking a few times, trying to keep the salty nuisances at bay. He fanned his hot cheeks. “Curse you, Lee Minhyuk,” he scolded himself, “you cry too easily.” Just then, he felt something hit his head. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He looked down.

A flower.

He rolled his eyes. Oh, great. Now someone was throwing stuff at him.

He glanced around for the culprit. Finally, his eyes landed on a girl, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed casually. “Hey,” she said simply.

He held up the flower, shaking it at her in irritation. “Why’d you do that?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Because flowers are attracted to sunlight.”

Yeah, that was definitely a first meeting he would never forget.

“Wow!” Ae-Cha laughed. “That’s really how you met?”

He nodded, laughing a little himself. “Yup. Odd as it sounds, it is.”

“She sounds goofy. Anyway,” she said, flipping a page in her notebook, “next question! Did you fall in love with her when you first saw her?” Her eyes shimmered. “Like the princes and princesses in the stories?”

He pondered it for a moment, tapping his thighs thoughtfully. “No, actually. I didn’t. Believe me, she was a princess, but I thought she was really weird princess.” He flashed her a wink. “But I was definitely a prince, so it was bound to happen at some point.”

Ae-Cha smiled at the answer. She liked learning new things about her dad. “When did you fall in love with the princess from your company?”

“It was really slowly,” he said after a pause. “I don’t think I even realized it, I just kind of fell into loving her. We started holding hands while going to get ramen, or we would share scarfs when it was cold, or we would text each other to make sure we got somewhere safely, or we would link pinkies while the dance instructors weren’t looking.” He chuckled at the memories. They remained just as bright and beautiful as the days they were made.

Though, they were more painful to think about now.

The girl tapped her fingers, trying to think up a good question. “Daddy?” He hummed in response. “Did she love you?”

He sucked in a long breath. “I think she did.”

“You think?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so. You see, we never officially agreed that we were in love, and since we both realized our feelings too late, most of our time was spent denying we were dating or that we liked each other when people asked. We pulled the: ‘We’re just friends’ card.”

She tilted her head. “Why’d you lie, daddy?”

“Well, it wasn’t a lie at first, sweetie,” he said with a shrug. “We really didn’t like each like that, at first. We got on each other’s nerves and we argued about the smallest things and we annoyed the heck out of each, but there was more to it than that. Even after all the times we made each other mad or upset, we always found a way to forgive each other, even when we didn’t feel worthy of forgiveness.

We were there to comfort each other during our lows and we were there to cheer for each other during our highs. We had lots of inside jokes that only we would laugh at, and we’d talk about our dreams well into the night. We shared secrets and we knew all the little meaningless details about each other, down to our favorite flavors of ice cream.”

He leaned forward to whisper to his daughter, like it was some grand secret. “Her’s was Pistachio, so I always teased her about having an old man trapped in her body.”

Ae-Cha giggled. “She sounds fun.”

He smiled nostalgically. “She was fun.” He cleared his throat. “Do the next question!”

She scanned her papers. “How long has it been since you’ve seen your first love?”

He shrugged. “Years and years, baby, I’m not sure.” That was a lie. He knew exactly how long it’d been.

“What’s one of your funniest memories of your first love?” she read off.

He hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm... That would be,” he started, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the memory, “when I gave her a bloody nose.”

Ae-Cha’s jaw dropped. “You did what?”

“It was an accident!” he whined, covering his eyes. “During practice, I elbowed her in the nose.” He gave a wistful sigh. “I apologized so much that day, but she just laughed at me.”

It was really funny, though. He looked back on it whenever he needed to laugh.

“Sunny—I’m so sorry,” Minhyuk repeated for the umpteenth time, handing her a tissue.

“Dude, I already told you,” she said through her laughter, “it’s all good.” She grabbed the tissue from him. “You’re so clumsy.”

He groaned, hiding his face in his hoodie. “I said I’m sorry!”

“And I forgave you!” she giggled. She held up the bloodied tissue. “You see? I’m all good.”

He cringed away from her. “Please don’t shove that grossness in my face.”

She got an impish glow in her eyes. “Oh, yeah? You a little creeped out by it?”

He held up a finger. “Ah-ah! Don’t even think about it!” he said.

“Are you seriously wagging a finger at me? You don’t even know what I’m gonna do!” She started standing up.

He dashed away from her. “Yeah, I do! You’re gonna throw it at me!”

She pouted at him. “You have no faith in me.”

“But am I wrong?”

There was a pause.

She grinned at him. “Nope!”

He remembered her chasing him all around the company building, their laughter and loud screeching echoing through the halls. They got into so much trouble with the staff that night (and some crabby trainees), but he really couldn’t find himself to care that much.

He missed her freedom. He missed the freedom she gave her.

The girl looked to her pamphlet. “Was was it about her that made you fall in love?”

He heaved a long breath. “You’re asking the hard questions now, aren’t you?”

“Yup,” she said.

He threw a pillow at her. “Meanie!”

She laughed, throwing it back at him. “You’re the one that threw a pillow at me!”

“And you threw it back, Little Missy!”

“Dad! Just answer the question!”

He put the pillow back in its rightful place. “Fine, fine—I’m going!” He nibbled his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I probably fell in love with... Her purpose.”

Ae-Cha furrowed her brows.

“What I mean by that is why she became a trainee. She wanted to travel all around the world so she could leave an impact of people, but most of all, so people could leave an impact on her.” He smiled. “I thought that was pretty cool.”

“Anything else?”

He scanned his memories, looking for the things that stood out the most. “Probably the way she knew about everything I tried to hide. Like, I wouldn’t tell anyone how I was really feeling, but she would just know. It was really creepy sometimes.”

Ae-Cha’s dark eyes widened. “Do you think she was magic?”

Minhyuk chuckled. He had thought that a few times himself, back in the day. “No, I don’t think so, sweetie. I just think she was really cool and observant. I mean, there were tons of things that were cool about her.”

“Like what?”

He didn’t have to think for long. “Like the way she spoke. She just had this way of talking that made you wanna listen to her for hours and hours. She also had this habit of turning her back whenever she was upset, so if you were talking to her and she turned around, there was a 75% chance she was crying.”

He remembered all these things so clearly. Of course, how could he forget? “She also cared about people really subtly. Like, you thought she didn’t care, but then she’d suddenly leave a lunch box in your backpack, or something like that. She’d pretend she didn’t do it, of course.” He nodded. “I think she was just a good person.”

Ae-Cha nodded fervently. “I think so, too! Almost as cool as mom!”

He felt a pang in his chest. “Yup,” he said, mustering a smile. “Almost as cool as mom.”

The little girl picked out another question. “What’s your most precious memory with you first love?”

“The day she left,” Minhyuk said. There was no hesitation.

She looked at him, confused. “Why did she... leave?��

He clasped his hands together tightly. What a bittersweet memory to think about. He heaved a breath, thick with suppressed emotions. He was glad that Ae-Cha was still so young; she probably wouldn’t notice how much he still dwelt on it, intentionally or otherwise.

“Sunny was really talented,” he finally said. “Really talented. Her singing voice could captivate anyone and she was a fine dancer too, but... She was also weak.”

“What do you mean?” she asked in a small, curious voice.

He gripped his own hand tighter. “She got sick really easily. Because of that, there were lots of days that she couldn’t perform her best during practice.”

“She kept going?” Ae-Cha asked. “Didn’t it hurt?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it hurt her, but she still did it. She tried so hard to reach her dreams. But in the end, the company noticed that she wasn’t at her best. They kicked her out.”

Her eyes widened. “But that’s so mean!”

“I agree, sweetheart. It was really mean.”

She crossed her arms with a huff. “I’d be so mad at them!”

He chuckled sadly. “I was mad too, baby. I was really mad. I threw around all sorts of threats and curses. But do you know why the night she left is my most precious memory and not my saddest?”

She quirked a brow. “Nope.”

“Because of what happened that night.”

Three precisely spaced knocks. It was their signal.

Sunny opened the door to her dorm room, the bright light from the hallway nearly blinding her. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was a mess and her nose was red. All around, she looked like a mess.

It broke his heart. She was so strong around everyone when the news came out.

“We’re so sorry to tell you this,” they had said, “but we can’t keep you on as a trainee any longer.”

How cruel of them, to do it in front of everyone. He had been fuming, but she just nodded and smiled.

“I understand,” she had said. “I’m a burden, aren’t I?”

She had spent her time comforting everyone else as they cried and worried and lamented. She rubbed their backs and hugged them and told them that it was all going to be okay. She said she wasn’t sad, that she’d been expecting it for some time now.

Even if that was true, Minhyuk had heard her cry alone in the bathroom, and he was sure that she cried again in her room.

She quickly wiped her damp eyes with her sleeves. “What’s up, dude?” she whispered, trying not to wake her roommates.

He reached out for her hand, holding it tightly. “Let’s go somewhere.”

She gave him a look. “What’re you talking about?”

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Let’s run away. I don’t wanna be here if you’re not here.”

She pulled her hand away. “I won’t let you do that.”

He frowned. “But... It’ll hurt too much without you here.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Min,” she said softly, “I know for a fact that you’re strong enough to make it through it all. Besides, one of us has to make it, right?” She rubbed his arm. “One of us has to travel all around the world and share our voice...”

“And make an impact,” he finished, staring at the floor. “Yeah, but... What’s the point if it’s without you?”

She paused, a sigh passing by her chapped lips. “It was gonna be without me anyway,” she chuckled. “We weren’t going to be in the same group, or anything.”

He clenched his fists. “Sure, but at least we’d be in the same place. We’d see each other. We’d share the same dream.”

She nodded. “I can see where you’re coming from, but what’s done is done. And I can find new dreams.” She trailed her fingers down his arm until they reached his hand again. “It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”

Finally, he looked at her. Their eyes met, time froze. “Can we still do somewhere?” he whispered.

“At two in the morning?” she chuckled.

He squeezed her hand tighter. “Yeah. It can be our first and last date.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “You know I’m not into temporary boyfriends and one-night-stands, Lee,” she said.

He clicked his tongue. “Are you saying this isn’t real? What we have?”

“I didn’t say that,” she argued gently. “I just mean that it’s not official or realistic. You’re going places, I’m going home.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then can we please go on a date as friends?”

“As friends?” she scoffed, her voice laced with humor.

He hummed. “Mhm. Just you and me, two buddies, kicking it together on a Thursday night.” He pulled her forward so that their chests were touching. “Y’know. All platonic like.”

She let out a huff. Still, she didn’t pull away. “Cheeky,” she said. There was an impish glow in her eyes. “What could we do? Platonically, of course.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his soft lips. “Bubble tea?” he offered. “And...” He thought for a moment. “Late night karaoke.”

“Oh?” she said. “I’m intrigued.” She leaned further into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Anything else?”

“Dancing in the middle of the street,” he continued.

She cocked her head to the side. “Where everyone can see us?” He dipped her dramatically, making her giggle. She quickly covered her mouth, remembering her task of staying quiet. She smacked his chest. “Lee-freaking-Minhyuk! What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t mind being seen with you,” he said quietly, his warm breath fanning over her face. “I like you a lot. Platonically, of course.”

“Oh, of course,” she whispered back. They stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other. They were memorizing. Memorizing every feature, every small dent and flaw, every curve and every freckle. How precious those things were. “What else could we do?” she breathed.

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He took a shaky breath, gathering his courage. “This,” he whispered. With a small lean forward, their lips touched. It sent lovely electric shocks through both of them. For a moment, he was worried that she might pull away, but she didn’t. In fact, she pulled him closer.

Platonically, of course.

“We did all those things we said we would,” Minhyuk spoke with a fond smile and glassy eyes. “We got bubble tea, we sang karaoke till our throats hurt, we ran through the streets like maniacs and we ducked into alleyways just to stop a giggle like idiots for minutes on end.”

“Did you dance in the street, too?” Ae-Cha asked with a big grin on her face, her eyes crinkled in the corners.

“We did,” he chuckled. “People looked at us like we were crazy, but we didn’t even care. It was our last night together and we were going to spend it exactly how we wanted. That’s why it’s my most precious memory.”

“Of her, right?” she asked, just for clarification.

A pause.

“Yes, of course, sweetheart.”

She nodded proudly. That’s the answer she’d expected from her awesome dad. Something dawned on her. “Did you ever see her again, dad?” she asked.

He frowned, staring at nothing in particular. Usually, he wasn’t so affected by this, but all of this reminiscing had gotten him thinking. The curse of the ‘what-if’s. “No,” he said softly. “Haven’t seen her since that night. She left early the next morning and we didn’t stay in touch.”

Ae-Cha looked confused. “Why didn’t you?” she said. “If you liked each other, why didn’t you keep talking?”

Minhyuk chuckled. She was growing up fast, but she was still young. “She didn’t want to hurt me. She didn’t want to distract me, and she wanted me to do well.”

“I don’t understand.”

He leaned forward and mussed up her dark hair. “And that’s okay,” he said. “You will someday.”

She swatted his hand away, flattening her hair again. “Whatever you say, dad,” she giggled. “Okay!” She clapped. “Last question! This one comes straight from Ms. Kang.”

He smiled a little. “Oh, really? Well, gimme! I’m super excited now!”

She cleared her throat dramatically. “Do you regret your first love?”

The room fell quiet. Suddenly, Minhyuk’s throat felt so very dry. Why could he suddenly not think of any words? Why couldn’t he speak?

“Well, I...” he stuttered ungracefully. “I—” The doorbell interrupted him. He let out a breath of relief. “I’ll get that!” he said, standing up quickly. He pat her hair at he walked by. “I’ll answer in a second. Okay, princess?”

She nodded. “’Kay, dad.”

He felt as if he’d never rushed to the door so quickly in his life. It was like, all of a sudden, the living room was suffocating him with memories and unanswered questions. “I’m coming!” he called.

Three precise knocks.

He froze. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking. He couldn’t move from his spot, as if he were glued there. He thought he could hear a sigh and then footsteps, walking away. He knew he had to move.

Quickly (and with more force than he’d intended), he swung the door open. There was a woman, back turned to him, halfway down the walkway. “Sunny!” he called without thinking. The name rolled off of his tongue, like a habit.

The woman stopped walking.

He closed the door behind him. “That’s you, isn’t it?” No answer. “I know it’s you.”

Slowly, she turned around. It was her.

Kim Chin-Sun—just as beautiful as ever. She was thinner now, her hair was shorter, her ears were finally pierced and she’d ditched the makeup, but she remained the same. She had the same curve of the nose. The same long eyelashes, the same deep, nostalgic eyes, and the same chapped lips. She remained.

“Hey,” she said quietly. She let out a shaky breath, laced with nervousness. “Been a while, huh?”

He couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in his eyes. “Yeah,” he sniffled. “Forever, really.”

She chuckled at his antics. He was the same as ever. “I didn’t think you’d open up.”

He shook his head, trying to stop his tears. It didn’t help. “Well, I did.” He looked up at her, looking her over. “You look good,” he said.

“You, too,” she said. “Despite the gross tears.”

He gave a watery laugh. “You ass.”

“Jerk,” she countered playfully.

They really hadn’t changed at all, had they?

He walked closer to her. He couldn’t stop the smile that’d grown on his face, nor did he wish to. “Let me look at you,” he said. “You grew up.”

“You didn’t,” she said, smiling just as much, a painful glaze of bittersweet in her eyes. “You’re just the same as back then. Just a little grayer,” she added fondly.

He rolled his eyes. “Geez, thanks. So, what brings you here?”

She shrugged, shifting her weight a little. “I was just passing by and I heard that you’d shacked up here after you retired. I thought I’d stop by, is all.”

He searched for an answer in her eyes. “That’s... the only reason?” he asked.

She sighed, looking down at the ground. “You make this really hard for me, you know.” She met his eyes. “I missed you.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Platonically?”

He could tell she felt the same. “Of course,” she spoke quietly. She cleared her throat. “So, you’re married, right?” She gestured to his ring. “Well, obviously you are. Kids?”

He snapped himself out of whatever trance it was that he’d fallen into. “Oh, yeah,” he stuttered, “I’m married. We have a daughter, Ae-Cha. She’s just recently ten.”

“Is that so?” she asked, smiling lightly. “Pretty name. Well, tell her I said happy late birthday.” She paused. “Actually, maybe don’t tell her that. She’d probably just be confused, that coming from a stranger.”

Stranger...

Why did that hurt so much, coming from her?

“How about you?” Minhyuk asked. “Have you tied the proverbial knot yet?”

She held up her left hand, flashing a silver band. “Yup. Few years ago now.”

He nodded slowly. Congratulations. He should congratulate her. “Congrats,” he said flatly. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Kids?”

She put a hand over her stomach. “One on the way. Only a few weeks in, so I’m not showing yet.”

“Oh... Congrats.”

A silence. Surprisingly, it wasn’t awkward. It was still comfortable, just as it had been all those years ago.

“Are you happy?” she asked.

What a loaded question. He sighed looking at his feet. He hadn’t even put shoes on when he ran after her. “My daughter makes me happy,” he said.

“That’s not what I asked,” she said. Kim Sunny. Ever the observant one. “Are you happy?” she repeated.

He met her warm eyes. “Content,” he said. “You?”

“The same,” she replied.

He chuckled, his tears resurfacing. “We’re a mess, aren’t we?”

Salty wetness started building up in her eyes, too. “A little bit,” she chuckled.

“I missed you,” he said.

She nodded. “And I missed you.”

“I thought about you every day.”

“Same here.”

“I thought I would die when you first left.”

“Me, too. But we made it through.”

“I still love you.” A pause. “Platonically.”

She stared at him for the longest time before she just smiled at him. That same smile she’d always used to comfort him with. “I still love you, too,” she whispered. “Platonically.”

He gave a watery smile. “Yup. Platonically.”

They spent the next few hours catching up with each other, laughing about little things and getting to know each other again. Though, honestly, it felt as if they’d never been apart. They still knew each other just as well.

At the end of the day, they exchanged numbers and addresses. They were parting once again, but this time, they would keep in touch. They wouldn’t let go completely ever again.

They might not be able to be together, but they could be together platonically.

For real, this time.

“Daddy?” Ae-Cha asked when Minhyuk finally came back inside. “Who was that—?” She was caught off by her dad picking her up, spinning her around and giving her a wet smooch on her cheek.

“No,” he said with a bright grin on his face.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “What?”

“It’s my answer,” he said. “To your question. I don’t regret my first love. Not in the slightest.”

THE END

#request #reaction #requested #this is really cute #Monsta X #monsta x imagines #monsta x scenarios #monsta x minhyuk #lee minhyuk #kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #kpop angst #song fic #for anon

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chococustard · 6 years

Note

((I’m really sorry if I’m becoming too annoying with asks and all that!!! U don’t have to respond!!)) Kind of random, but out of curiosity, do you have any A/B/O AU family headcanons?? I honestly would LOVE to know more about all of them!! Thank you sm!!

!!! NOT AT ALL I ACTUALLY GET SUPER HAPPY WITH YOU LIKING THEM SO HUSH YOU’RE NEVER A BOTHER ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT

legit i have a shit ton of notes in my notebook with my horrible hand writing and basically nonsense notes and while writing the edited ver a) like the dingus i am i accidentally clicked a thing and lost all the answers b) the internet dies haaah

SO YEAH THERE’S A SHIT TON UNDER THE CUT

MIDORIYAs

mido worries about his mom getting overwhelmed by paparazzi so as a pro hero he doesn’t really give off his name to the public and the name midoriya kinda just fades over time

i’m guessing heroes give birth in secluded hospitals who won’t give off their info yeah? but mido’s location got leaked somehow and yu got kidnapped by villains which then todo fucks shit up and got her back so since then they’ve been kinda worried about safety and shit

inko stands in as guardian for school related stuff most often since todo and deku are mostly busy

idk why i kinda hc todo’s mom as an ice dancer or something (look at how that boy works with ice that does not come from endeavor) she used to take the kids to the ice rink and teaches them to skate. todo still holds that place as a safe space and goes to the one a few train stations away from campus after he gets his shit together. he took deku there for their date and ends up also taking the girls there too.

rei gets out at some point, as she gets used to being in society again she stays with inko (and all might//SHOT) at deku’s old room when he got a place with todo. she gets along with them and also mitsuki. they have tea together and share embarrassing stories about their kids it’s great

yu and tsumu plays mostly at tsumu’s house which was closer to the school, they hit it off super well and they even talk about each other to their families, todo and deku are super relieved to know their girl has another friend. yu actually met mirio and tamaki already but are not aware they know her parents

so tsumu one day just “hey you wanna come over for dinner we’re having bbq you should bring your family over!” and they do come over cause why not i guess and then the 2 families meet and damn

their balcony is filled with potted plants courtesy of inko. there’s also a small bottle with a single morning glory flower, wrapped in a blue ribbon and a duck cutout stuck into the dirt

no one uses watashi in the house, yu uses boku, chi uses ore, yu calls them oka-sama and otou-sama and generally uses more formal speech while chi uses the more common -san honorific, not sure if this is relevant of anything but yeah. also todo calls deku bunny from when they started courting (2nd year)

they have a thing with nicknames. obviously deku uses -chan, but also

BAKUGOUs

baku and kiri works as partners tho sometimes kiri helps out with the fatgum office, they have an office at home and basically a small gym

meat. so much meat. there’s always meat in the fridge

baku and kyou both eat with so much fucking spice and chilli kiri’s basically kinda used to it to a point. but if they have the girls over (like when deku’s in heat//SHOT) they have to have extra of the low impact portion. one time chi took the spicy portion by accident, apparently she’s immune

they’re an outdoor family basically. whenver they can they go mountain climbing when kyou is old enough. baku’s chili peppers kept getting stolen by animals, he tries every time to blow them up

baku and kiri dated and courted first, but deku and todo mated first cause of a quirk related accident. but then they got engaged and married first because baku is fucking petty.

baku’s parents fucking love kiri he’s a good boy he’s glad baku somehow ended up with someone so great. baku however have to holds himself back to be a good boy™ to kiri’s more traditional family. he managed somehow

when baku’s parents meet kiri’s they’re shocked to find how they find baku as a charming and wonderful young alpha and they’re glad their eijiro found someone who accepted him. SO MITSUKI OUT OF SPITE INVITES THEM A LOT AND BAKU HAS TO ENDURE SO MUCH SHIT

BAD NEWS FOR HIM CAUSE THEY GET ALONG

“MRS KIRISHIMA WOULD YOU LIKE TOO SEE KATSUKI’S BABY PICTURES?” BAKU, INTERNALLY DETONATES

baku ended up basically deaf so he has to learn sign language, kiri the ever supportive bf learns too, as well as their families, and they also thought it to kyou

friday nights are mario kart nights, no holds bar

the rest of the baku squad (and camie) often visits but since they converted the extra room to baku’s office and their couch isn’t all that big they have to sleep at mido’s place, or borrow their extra futon

kiri, when asked if he wants another kid, “holy shit no it was so hard to get my body back into shape ok and also how the heck do you even hold yourself as a hero not to save people IZUKU SOMEHOW DID IT MORE THAN ONCE IM STILL SHOCKED”

when kyou got his quirk he accidentally burned his bed, then screamed to dad and pop hOLY SHIT I GOT MY QUIRK

he was so proud of it at first and shows it off at schooltho when it's found out that he has little control with it, as lava often seeps through his skin and out of his mouth at random times, almost hurting the other kids, the at first popular kyou was feared by his peers, until yu got her quirk late in the year and was able to put out his lava whenever

"you're not scared of me? even before you got your quirk?" "why would i it's not like you did it on purpose" also like she's used to baku. that goes along for years until kyou presented. yu comes over after school with meds and stuff, but kyou, out of his mind and his body out of his control, attacked her, trapping her in a cascade of hot burning lava. she managed to escape with some mild burn and they kinda got awkward for a while. they're cool eventually

however when yu presented the fear of that happening again got way fucking worse

YAOYOROZUs

momo and kyouka wants to be independant yeah, so they got their own apartment (more of a penthouse if anything) with their own money

a note, dams are gender neutral pronouns for moms, sires for dads

itsu calls momo dad, kyouka mom

since he’s mute since birth, in addittion to sign language, as his interest with music grows they make a system for basic stuff he can make with notes and sequenses as answers where he’s unable to use signs

momo however also makes a list of codes for specific teas

he carries around at least a whistle or kazoo, mostly he uses a harmonica

momo’s parents worries at first about enrolling him into a normal school but momo and kyouka themselves are convident their kid can get along with the other kids

they right, even without his connection as their kid

is he a goth? not really, he just really likes the color black

he also like birds, he has a bunch of photos and encyclopedias of birds in his room

kyouka often holds charity concerts, momo and itsu always comes to support her

IIDAs

it surprised everyone when iida, the rule abiding iida, had ochako pregnant before they got married, so with the power of the iida family they got engaged and married so fucking quick

tho really it was an accident, ocha misscounted her birthcontrol pills during her heat and they’re already courting anyway and their familes are already aware of each other and get along well so whatever

HE WAS ALSO LATE FOR HIS BIRTH BECAUSE HE HAD TO FUCKING OBEY THE GODDAMN TRAFFIC LAW

also i need someone to get me like, you see iida and ura, they cute right, pure and soft. but holy shit when ocha’s in heat she takes no shit and is basically a goddamn dominatrix

they, deku and todo shares a hero agency, so basically when tenma was born they made a baby space for him in their shared office with toys and shit and the sidekicks can play with him, they’re putty in his chubby hands. same thing happened with the tododeku kids. the sidekicks are all okay with this

there’s not many support and rescue heroes, so ocha often gets called in as an instructor at ua, she brings tenma for lessons for her students to safe

tenma likes to hang around the future heroes, he likes to play hero

“senpai senpai do you need help!” “ooh ye see i think i accidentally blew my shoe way up that tree can you get it for me?” “YES!!”

he takes martial arts lessons as early as from 3 years old, as a teenager he’s able to fight midair

TOGATAs

so like not sure yet, tamaki’s either an omega or beta so tsumu is either theirs biologically or adopted so

either way if she’s their biological kid, during his heat tamaki used his quirk when doing the dirty so the genes stick and mutates and shit

aNYWAY

tamaki doesn’t really like making appearances on tv and in public, he even rarely sign for merch deals, tsumugi often finds knock off merch of him and she likes to get it as a kind of joke cause the design was actually kinda funny, mainly this actually

she also likes to find show cameos of him, that too was hilarious

she loves hanging out with aunt nejire they often go shopping, she’s the one who bought her the knock off suneater shirt

“lol you wanna know why your dad’s hero name is suneater?” “what?=D” “tha-” tamaki: NEJIRE I SWEAR TO GOD

also like mirio totally acts like the protective big bro to eri when someone likes her

she likes buff/big bodies, mostly to sleep on, she sleeps on mirio and mr fatgum

she has a bunch of miruko merch cause she’s a rabbit and has strong ass legs and she may or may not have a gay awakening cause of that

here is, in fact, said bootleg shirt

she likes the giant gaping mount

SHINSOUs

SHINSOU’S AN UNDERGROUND HERO FIGHT ME

he teaches the hero course and LIKE HIS DAMN DAD IS A LITTLE SHIT TO HIS CLASS

so he’s the one who changed the entrance exam to make it more fair for kids with quirks that are not flashy his, so the robots are then deligated to the recomendation exam kids while the regular ones gets a basically game of hide and seek with his hero buddies and the older students

i actually have this for his hero costume back from goddamn january i dont even know

i, i have nothing for fuyusei they met at the hospital and they hit it off and that’s….. it

i have even lESS SHIT FOR OJITOORU

ALSO LIKE I FUCKING LOVE THE IDEA THAT ALL MIGHT RUNS A VILLAIN REHAB FACILITY OR SOMETHING WITH ALL HIS MONEY, YOU KNOW, FROM BEATING VILLAINS TO SAVING VILLAINS, AND LIKE INKO HELPS WITH TALKING TO THEM IM WEAK

#so yeah #may or may not update anytime soon but here's all of it?#most of it anyway #a/b/o au #lovechild au #tododeku #bakushima #kiribaku #momojirou #iichako #shinhatsu #mha #bnha #my hero acadamy #boku no hero academia #ask #whereismypastasauce #doodle

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bookdragonlibrary · 5 years

Text

Second Tuesday YJ appreciation

1-3 ; 4-6 ; 7-9 ; 10-13 ; 14-16 ; 17 ; 18 ; 19 ; 20 ; 21 ; 22 ; 23 ; 24-26

—————————— First Impression

- Is that... a Reach ship? Could it be linked to the machine? It’s fonctionning, nothing good...

- 4 days later.

- I love how Garfield is respectful and aknowledges Kaldur and M’gann efforts despite the situation. Batman should take him as an example...

- A public Team. So is that what he had in mind in the previous episode? I’m relieved. So much clever that what I thought! But the bad guys will probably guess if there is a public Team, there also is a covert Team. Not all of them were aware of this...

- Kaldur being a protective Big Brother :)

- Lex restricted even more the JL? What does he want them to do? Charity missions and gala?

- Strikes against meta people :( Not really surprising as we have strikes against POC and queer people... Humankind really doesn’t like difference, does they? :(

- Of course bad guys would find a way to make profit of humans. We already do it with pollution,

- Gar has good points actually! My boy had mature so well!

- It’s me or Traci is drown way differently when she is in civics and hero costume? Her face seems different.

- It’s them at the end of the previous episode! And there’s a picture with Gar and Perdita. #RelationshipGoals I agree!

- “We’re gonna start a revolution! A... a small one anyway.” xD It would be a revolution in YJ verse and against the Light actually :)

- “Get on board or get out of the way!” xD And Conner is not really proud about this and probably wonders who told this to Gar xD Who bet Wally?

- “Green skin. Can’t hide.” He’s already a famous star anyway. But easily recognizable because of it.

- “Public doesn’t always get I’m a different guy.” Aw sweetie :(

- “They already know what I have become. Now I want to show them who I have become.” So powerful :)

- “And there were no way I was gonna let this be a no girl squad.” / “Group needed a little color.” Seriously writers? Can’t they have real character motivation? Like Cassie wanting to be aknowledged as a true hero (to show her growth since her insecurities in season 2) or Virgil wanted to be known as a hero (since in the previous episode the girl didn’t know Static). This kind of comments are in the 4th wall dimension, something the fans see, not something the writers say to show they have included diversity in their characters. It’s something you show, not tell, or it doesn’t have the same impact on the fans.

- But I like Jaime and Virgil friendship

- “Not ready. Noy yet.” That would also have been a great occasion to give them character development. Like Forager is supposed to be dead, Terra still copes with her abduction and Traci doesn’t trust her control on her powers yet (her hero insecurities) and develop why Halo isn’t ready yet.

“Guessing we’re too old. Whoa. When did that happen?” Technically Conner is 8 so he can still be part of their Team and I would have love Artemis being with them as their Team lack of martial arts :)

- So it’s Teen Titans Tower but in Hollywood instead of San Francisco? And it’s called the Hub.

- Wait... where’s Traci? I know she’s the only one who isn’t part of the Outsiders or lives there but still!

- “This is so crash!” I agree Bart!

- “Finally! I mean: thank you!” Brion is so glad to have his own personal space again :) The bioship should have felt pretty small compared to his room in a royal palace.

- “Who’s paying for all this?” “Gretchen Goode.” xD

- “Now that what I call payback!” “This is a sympathy bump.” I love Cassie and Virgil frienship! Finally a girl and boy being BF without love involved! :D Please, writers, let’s them stay BF! :( I want Cassie to give poor flirty advice to Virgil when he meet a girl he like xD But fans, still feel free to ship them ;)

- Poor Forager :(

- “No way 6 teenagers are gonna to live here alone and unsurpervised.” *she says while looking at Violet and Brion* “Yeah, who knows what might happen?” Those two make love (with their respective boyfriend) in the Cave, didn’t they?

- “I would be happy, honored to act as a den mother.” Helga, stop saying honored, that’s weird and suspicious... What everyone else doesn’t find it suspicious?!

- 3 days later. It feels like it’s the same day, doesn’t it?

- Nowadays teenagers reflex: record it before to go in safety...

- Does he... play against himself? Super cute!

- EyeSpasm? What kind of technology is that? Something to make livestream? I don’t like the “Spasm” on it... Look like Granny’s goggles to me...

- So the Reach ship makes a move 6 days after?

- “Mother of God!” Brion is still so funny while he’s angry xD

- “No drill, the Reach are back!” “No, just no!” My poor babies, please no more trauma for them :( maybe we’ll have flashbacks of Bart’s past and Jaime’s while on mode?

- Kaldur is so great and... beaten to easily? I know it’s Reach tech but I thought he would manage longer as he put Blue inconscious in season 2...

- He’s DEAD? No, he’s ok! Don’t give me heart attack like that! I had enough with Forager already!

- “Chill, Aquaman!” Is that supposed to be a joke? You know, because it’s winter and/or Kaldur is Atlantean.

- *fangirl laugh* I hated that... I just hope she won’t get hurt because the fangirling makes people dumber...

- “My spectacles” Is that an old word for glasses? “Gratitude.” This girl definitely has a high rank vocabulary.

- “Stay calm, citizen, and stay inside.” Cassie feels a little unease and in a confident character :) Not confortable yet with speaking with the population yet :)

- “Superamalgamated.” No clue of what she said...

- Love that Virgil has a techonological plateform now :)

- Helga seems so proud of Brion :) Ok, maybe she’s not evil, but just overprotective like I thought...

- “Please, miss, you must get to cover.” Give up, Kal, she’s a teenager AND a fangirl, no way she stay out of danger...

- Wait, why Joan is at hospital? What happened to her? :(

- Aw... Ed showing the Team to his proteges :3 And Wendy is laughing!

- “Maybe it was a bad idea to do this in mid-air.” You think? Didn’t Scarab tell you about this? “This is a really bad idea, Jaime Reyes. You should...” “Don’t worry, Scarab, I’ll handle this!” By the way, why we don’t hear him? It would be interesting to have his pov since it’s the Reach in front of them!

- The scream doesn’t seem to be Jaime’s voice but Brion’s...

- Aw... Mom Arty is sad they’re leaving :( Or did they already have? Violet is crying :( “One last sleepover.” They haven’t leave yet.

- So cool Gar is introducing his team :)

- The Sheriff is funny but what kind of American accent is that? Is it cliché? I find it annoying :/ (no offense, it’s just difficult to understand)

- “We prefer protégé.” = “don’t call us sidekicks!” in season 1 xD But more diplomatic.

- Whisper A’Daire and Intergang are back! Blue already met her in season 2 with Superboy. And here are Scorpia A’Daire (her little sister I guess?) and Cairo Defrey. Is she from Egypt? Is she old or does she have metapowers with her white hair?

- Scooby Doo vibes? I mean the Team appeared in an episode, so why not? Wait, so the two girls are from Scooby Doo Team too? (Don’t know their names in English...)

- This bip doesn’t look good... The big ship is awake again! So the Reach will come? But it seems pretty empty so? Did the signal activate because of Whisper’s line? As she said they didn’t succeed?

- “Look what they’ve done to our library!” It’s just a glass sir, pretty sure it’s no big deal compared to a destroyed city... Have you seen Central City after Neutron?

- Tommi Tompkins, sound like a boy name... Wait! Is Tommi transwoman and his dad just use his dead/birth name? He’s really a jerk :(

- He’s on Lex Luthor’s side, that’s why...

- The ship is huge! Is it the same than where the heroes and Runaways were abducted in season 2?

“This is so moded!” “No way...” “Yes way! I mean: look at us! We’re in chackles!” They still have the same dynamic! :’)

- When the bad guys told you to call the JL, you know you’re in trouble! Except if you’re a dumb jerk...

- He called the US Air Forces. Is he dumb or... No, there’s no other explanation that stupidity (I mean a lack of knowledge, but essentially common sense...)

- And... they’re dead... Mayor, your stupidity caused two deaths (maybe 4?) of soldiers. Are you proud? Remorsed? “No, no, no!’ He’s a stubborn dumb jerk, isn’t he?

- “Mine aren’t (tied). Just handcuffled.” and they break free so easily it’s funny xD Why do you think they use collar in Belle Reve, stupid mayor?

- Tara’s flashbacks are heartbreaking :( She couldn’t see her parents again after her kidnapping :(

- “Do you see how brave Tara and Violet are? You can be brave like them.” *Violet hides because of thunder* It was sweet and funny :) And Artemis is educating Lian to be brave like her parents and auntie :)

- Big sisters Artemis and Tara :) It’s rare to see Tara smiling, those family moments do good to her :)

- Gar still likes to perch on people’s shoulder :)

- “No baddies, just their bones.” Bart, the Reach are insect-base, they don’t have bones... Wait, could be the bones of the abducted teens in season 2 who didn’t have the metagene? Virgil said there were kids they never saw again and they were only 5: the Runaways plus Chimmer. Where were the other kidnapped kids? Dead. And that won’t make any sense the Reach stay on that ship to die at the end of season 2... And the Team didn’t kill anyone while saving the abductees. So yeah, it have to be the murdered abducted kids :’(

- “bad news, there are still militaries air force.” The mayor is really stupid or the soliders didn’t get the memo their colleagues are dead in one blow?

- “Good news.” “Please no bad news, Please no bad news.” “Bad news.” “Urg!” xD

- Virgil’s sarcastis comments are back! xD

- Gar still has clever solutions :)

- Of course, Ed is worried :) And Wendy doesn’t have the collar anymore! The Team did inspire her! :D��

- Joan :(

- Big Bro Kaldur is so proud of them!

- “No concept of how much that thing is gonna cost to get out of my lake?” Sorry, mayor, we thought Brooklyn was a democraty, not Tompkins’ kingdom... And the taxes aren’t your money either but serve the city... --’

- “A Young Justice League” that a recall of the show title, isn’t it?

- “We are all Outsiders.” Catchy indeed!

- “Relax, your time will come.” Tara can’t wait to act, but against what? against who? Those family moments didn’t stop Tara for working with Slade :(

- Is she looking at Lian? Why? :o :(

- So the ship was indeed empty for 2 years. Man, Jaime and Bart would be so mad at them when they’ll learn the Anti-Light thing and that they knew there were no Reach on it...

- Lag’aan! Is still in the hero game! Only for Atlantis or he’s part of the League now?

- Oracle!

- So Kal was indeed holding back!

- Who is the second guy? He looks like Garth’s old brother. Edit: name’s Wyynde. he appeared in the tie-comics.

- “I don’t think he’s ready for that, for this.” M’gann also talks about the lies and secrets the Anti-Light has to come up with. She doesn’t want that responsibility and burden on her brother’s shoulder. And maybe fears his reaction to this.

- What is the Anti-Light mission?

- Brucely and Wally plushie! Wait... is that text sounds? This’s Tara but where is... In Lian’s room? In her own room? Are they sleeping in the same room just like Violet and Artemis?

#young justice #Yj reviews #watch young justice #watch young justice outsiders

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stayupnaddie · 5 years

Text

part one

"Good day everyone, I'm really glad you're all here today. I know we all have different stories to tell, but all of us share the same experience. The same pain of loosing people that are important to us. And I'm glad because the seven of you being here is a sign that you guys are finally ready to move on, or at least take that first step forward."

The man smiled encouragingly at us. He's good at this, it doesn't feel like he memorised his speech, it comes out from him naturally that makes me wonder if he has been doing this Before.

That's how everything is now, the Before and the After. Before Thanos snapped his fingers and erased half of the Earth's population; and After he ruined and broken everything including happiness, dreams and hope.

"Why don't we start by introducing ourselves? My name is Steve Rogers, you can call me Steve." He then smiled expectantly at me, with a clear message of wanting me to introduce myself next.

Well, being as I'm the only girl in here, I might as well just get the introduction over with.

"Hi, I'm Lizelle. 21 years old." I bit my lip because I didn't know what else to say.

What else is there to say anyway?

Thankfully Steve nodded and moved to the guy beside me, and the poor boy folded into himself, like he's trying to hide himself even if it was impossible because he's gigantic.

"I'm Sanha. 19 years old." He was so shy and uncomfortable to the point that it was painful to watch. Steve gave him an encouraging smile and moved on to the handsome guy beside him.

"My name is Eunwoo, I'm 22 years old." He said formally.

"You look really familiar, do I know you from somewhere?" Steve asks.

"He's an actor." The buff guy seating directly in front of me said.

"I used to be. Before." Eunwoo corrected.

Again, Before and After.

I felt the urge to laugh and I had to pinch my thigh to stop myself. The idea of meeting an actor, and a really handsome one at that might have been exciting Before. But now I'm in a freaking support group with him in an abandoned restaurant basement re-vamped into a meeting place for traumatised After survivors.

What a joke.

"My name is Jinjin, I'm 23 years old." The next guy said. He has a cute and kind face. I bet he would look cuter if he's smiling. If he can still manage to smile.

"Moonbin, 21 years old." The buff guy in front of me said.

Eunwoo's perfect looks might be intimidating, but it's because he's most probably prettier than me. But Moonbin is intimidating in a different way. A more darker way. He's radiating an aura of "fuck off" and ironically, it just makes him a lot more mysterious. I wonder how badly damaged he is.

"Hi, I'm Rocky. 20 years old." Another intimidating one. But I guess he has been the serious type even Before.

"My name is Mj, I'm 25."

In a weird way, I expected him to laugh, or smile at the very least. But he just pursed his lips and it rested into a straight line again. I looked at his face carefully and wonder why I expected him to laugh in the first place.

Ahh, it's because of his laugh lines. They aren't wrinkles per se, but his face looks like a face that is used to smiling and laughing a lot. A contrast to Rocky's.

"It's nice to meet you guys. So here we all are, part of the other half who survived." Steve started.

We might as well have died with the other half too, looking at how traumatised and broken we all are.

"Who wants to talk first?" Steve asks, and when no one answered he smiled a little. "You can talk about anything. What you've been up to lately. What you miss the most. What you've lost. Your plans for the future, or at least, plans tomorrow?"

Moonbin leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees before speaking, "It's just so fucking unfair."

"What is?"

"This entire thing. How can he just wipe away half of our population? Who gave him the right? And.. and why are we here while they're gone?" Moonbin's voice is shaking with venom. I'm pretty sure that if he has the means to bring back Thanos from the dead, he would just so he can kill the monster himself.

"Everyone lost someone." I couldn't help but say.

"Who are they, Moonbin? Who did you loose?" Our speaker asks calmly.

"I was going to propose to her. I prepared everything for more than a month. I worked my ass off and saved up for the ring, for the wedding, for our future together. And then she just.." His voice broke and my heart broke right with it.

This is too familiar. I know exactly how he feels. Bummer how the reason for my crippling pain is not as uncommon as I thought it was. I've been suffering alone for a long time that I forgot that the entire world went through the same hell I did.

"She disappeared right in front of my eyes. I couldn't do anything but just watch the love of my life turn to dust. I didn't even have a freaking clue what was happening."

"None of us did." Mj suddenly spoke, "I was in a meeting when it happened. I was worried sick for weeks because I was finally gonna show the building I designed to our boss. If my design was chosen, my dreams would finally come true. I remember thinking that it was the most important meeting of my life." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Imagine that, thinking that a meeting was the most important thing happening in your life while a bunch of heroes fight for the entire universe's life. Now I don't even know why I bothered drawing that building, why I even bothered becoming an architect in the first place."

"You're an architect? Then you can do something those heroes couldn't do." We all looked at Steve quizzically. "You can help rebuild our world. Draw houses, rebuild buildings and bridges and tunnels."

Mj shook his head, "I stopped drawing. I haven't picked up a pencil since that day. And I don't really think I ever will."

"Never say never, Mj. We are the ones that's left. We need to do something, anything for our world. Because if we don't, then who will?"

Steve continued talking about being heroes in our own way, about how we can help the world, about how big the impact is of our small actions.

I zone out to most of it, to be honest. And I think the six boys did too. I wonder why they even bothered to come here if they weren't even planning to listen to Mr. Positive in the first place.

Why am I here anyway?

Finally, an hour passed and our time here is done. We bid Steve goodbye and silently left the basement together.

"Are you going to come back here?" Sanha suddenly asks the six of us. If I remember correctly, he's the youngest one of us, but he's the tallest. It's also obvious how much courage it took for him to ask us that question, so I answered him.

"Maybe. It's just an hour per week."

"Yeah, and it's not like I have something better to do." Jinjin said.

Sanha looked at the ground and nodded. He looks so like such a baby at that moment that I instantly wanted to protect him. I don't know this child, but I'm going to take care of him as best as I can.

"Do you guys want to grab some dinner?" Eunwoo asked, and as if on que Sanha's stomach growled.

In other circumstances, it would have been funny but Sanha looked so embarrassed that no one dared laugh.

Eunwoo smiled a little and patted Sanha's back, "Come on, I'm going to treat you dinner."

"Really?" Sanha's eyes practically shined.

This poor child, I wonder if he's eating enough. For a growing boy his age, food is really important. I wonder if his parents survived.

"My auntie actually has a restaurant. It's nothing fancy, but the food is really great. Do you guys wanna try it?" Rocky suggested, but I almost couldn't hear him because his voice was just barely above whisper.

I shrugged, "I don't have anything to do anyways so I'm game."

"I'm gonna go." Moonbin announced, he turned around abruptly and walked away.

"Me too. Enjoy your meal guys." Mj said and walked after Moonbin.

We watched them in silence. I do get it though, it was really hard for me to start making friends After. But it's been almost three years, I should get a life. I should move on.

That's what Manuel would have wanted.

I inhaled deeply and faced Jinjin, Eunwoo, Rocky and Sanha. "Should we go eat, then?"

#astro imagine #astro au #jinjin #mj #cha eunwoo #eunwoo #moonbin #rocky #yoon sanha #sanha #minhyuk #stayupnaddie #myungjun

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trickkombowerskru · 5 years

Text

Christmas Miracle-Snowbarry Imagine

Request: No here is the 10th day of the 25 days of trickkombowerskru! (yes I know I’m late I apologize, but I have been swamped with catching up with things plus finals, But NOW IS THE TIME an influx of posts ill be coming in today and tomorrow!) which goes to @fandomxgodess and she wanted something Snowbarry related A/N:Their powers are not going to be present in this fic Warnings: None Barry took a deep breath letting the cold winter city air hit his face. He quickly got pulled back into realty by a tug on his pants. He looked down smiling at his 4 year old daughter, Nora, picking her up into his arms, causing her to burry her face in his shoulder. This year she was spending Christmas with him after spending the past 2 with her mother only seeing him a few times, and he wanted to make it as special for her as he possibly could, wanting to do a bunch of chesey Christmas movie things with her from baking cookies, to building a snowman, and everything in between. He figured why not start by taking her ice skating it was simple, yet very fun , and he knew she would have a good time. He payed for them and he held her had as they got into the rink. She quickly got a hold of things, she had always been a fast learner, taking after him in that sense. She let go of his hand and she was off, Barry breaks out into a huge grin watching her zoom around the rink making sure to get a video of to send out to everyone who would want to see her. His smile quickly disappears he goes over to help her up when she bumped into someone, and is crying. “Nora are okay? Are you hurt?” She shakes her head no, clearly just shaken up from the impact on the ice. Barry looks to who she bumped into to apologize, when his breath silently got taken away seeing her gorgeous face and her soft sweet brown eyes. “I’m sorry about that.” “No worries, it’s fine.” Barry was about to speak when a few kids came rushing to to her asking if she was okay. “I’m fine thanks guy, but we are gonna get gong soon so you should probably get in a few more laps while you can,” she tells the kids they give a vary of responses and then skate away, going to play. “Are those your kids or?” Barry questions. “Oh no. No I’m a nanny,” the woman responds with a smile as sweet as her eyes. “Really?” “Yeah for a while now, the kids are just all so sweet.” “I know it’s out of nowhere and kind of short notice, but would you mind watching her for a few days next week, just for a bit, I just got called into work today ,and it’s really important.” “Sure! I’m Caitlin by the way. Caitlin Snow.” she replies holding out her hand. “Allen er Barry. Barry Allen. Nice to meet you,” he fumbles as he shakes her hand. “And I believe I heard your name was Nora?”, Caitlin asks bending down to look at the adorable toddler in front of her. Nora looks at her from behind Barry’s legs and nods. “Nice to meet you,” “Hi,” Nora says shyly. “She’s adorable,” Caitlin tells Barry. “Uh thanks,” he replies wondering why how this girl already has some sort of hold on him. “And how old are you Nora?” she questions with a smile. Nora holds out four of her small fingers into a response. “Four huh? Well I think you’ll definitely make some friends tomorrow most of the kids are around your age.” Nora smiles at the thought of finding new friends, as Caitlin gets up looking back at Barry. “I was going to take the kids to Jitters for hot chocolate after this, we can discuss the times and my rates there if you want.” “Oh yeah sounds great I was actually going to take her there myself.” “Great, let me just round them up and I will meet you there.” “Yes you will.” Caitlin turns away going to get the kids as Barry picks up Nora, skating off the rink to help her get her skates off. At Jitters Barry decides Nora should also meet the other kids, he and Caitlin let them talk ad get their own little table, very close to theirs where they can watch them. Throughout the conversation Barry felt himself letting go and really connecting with her as they laughed, talked a bit about themselves, and just felt in the moment. She was sweet, smart, funny, and not to mention the obvious fact that she was incredibly beautiful. “Well I gotta get going I have to take the kids to the park where they can play until their parents show up. But I will be looking forward to seeing Nora soon it looks like her and the others are really getting along.” “It's so nice to see her making friends. At the daycare she goes to sometimes it doesn't seem like the kids like her too much. Breaks my heart." "I'm sorry to hear that." "It's fine really. Ya know with how well she's getting along with them I might just pull her out. Not to be forward and throw another kid at you or anything." "It's cool I get it. It's definitely important for a little girl to have some friends before she starts up school." "Yeah. Yeah exactly,I just don't want her to be too closed off only ever talking to her mom and I." "Completely understandable. Alright I gotta round them up again,but-",she pauses to write something on a napkin "Here's my number if you ever need to talk to set up another time or anything," she says giving him another sweet smile. She rounds up the kids Nora runs over to Barry, with a smile of her own and a hot chocolate in hand. Nora proceeds to tell Barry about all the fun she had and about all the kids. She gets even happier when he tells her she'll get too see them again soon. And before either of them know it the week goes by very quickly with Barry and Caitlin having talked quite a bit about all kinds of things really. It had been so long since he had felt such a connection to someone like this in such a short time. As he strolled into work he got stopped at the door by one if his coworkers and friends, Ralph.

"Hey Rookie,"Ralph greets making Barry roll his eyes at the nickname Ralph loved to give him.

"Hey Ralph. Thanks. " Barry replies as they start walking to Barry's office and Ralph hands him a coffee.

"Speaking of coffee l when I was doing my gaily run I noticed you there at a table with a cute brunette. You gonna ask her out?"

"What? No I just met her. That day actually Nora bumped into her ice skating-"

"That video was super cute by the way," Ralph cuts in.

"Right she was so happy zooming around there. But anyway her name is Caitlin and she's a nanny."

"A nanny?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Dude jackpot! She loves kids. You have a kid. You should get her to watch Nora, then make your move when you go to pick her up."

"Well for one she is watching Nora for the few days I have to be here, and two I don't even know if she's single."

"You have that look in your eyes buddy you dig her. Oh my God you should totally invite her as your date to the Christmas party!"

"I don't know man. I mean we met so recently and-",Barry gets cut off by his text tone.

Caitlin had sent him a picture of Nora and some of the other kids at some Christmas themed place, Nora smiling with her head stuck through a cutout of an elf. Barry breaks out in a big smile,one Ralph hasn't seen him give in a while.

"Is that her?," he questions raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Look,"Barry replies showing Ralph, who in return takes

"Dude!"

"Okay listen I may not get all this science shit you guys talk about, but she is definitely hitting on you."

"No she isn't.....wait is she?"

"Most definitely. I mean it's been what...three years since the divorce? You need to get yourself back out there. You haven't had a serious relationship since then. I know you tried with Linda and Patty, but they didn't last long. You deserve to be happy man."

"Thanks dude. And I get it, it's just hard to put yourself out there ya know."

"Woah."

"Woah what?"

"You said her name was Caitlin right?"

"Yeah. Why?

"Is it Caitlin Snow?"

"Yeah."

"Dude. Okay I know from those messages she's smart, but damn."

"What?"

"Girl's got two doctorates and a phd."

"What!"

"Yeah check it out," Ralph says handing the phone back over to Barry that now had Caitlin's academic accomplishments listed on screen along with a picture of her.

"Okay she is officially perfect for you. You two can nerd out together....well more than you already have nerd, and make sweet little nerdy babies."

"Dude."

"Okay. Okay, but I'm just saying if she's single you'd be crazy to let a girl like that go Rookie." Barry got to work as Ralph left with his words echoing through his mind all day. It didn't help that when he went to pick up Nora, Caitlin had somehow looked even more beautiful than she did before. They had exchanged a few words and a joke as Barry left, knowing his time to ask Caitlin out was somewhat dwindling. All this going through his head as Nora tells him all the fun stuff she got to do today. When they get home Barry pops in a Christmas movie grabbing a cookie for each of them to enjoy, and watches as she slowly drifts off to sleep. After tucking her in right before Barry can shut out the light a sleepy eyed Nora is staring up at him. "Hey Daddy?" "Yes." "Do like Caity?" "Well what kind of question is that? Of course I do she looks after you." "No Daddy I mean do you like like her?" Nora giggles. "Now why would you need to know that?" Barry questions back as he "You look at her funny." "What do mean?" "Your eyes get real big like mine do with a new toy," Nora explains making it Barry's turn to laugh. "Okay Sweetie if you say so." "They do! Her eyes do it to you too!" "Are you saying you want me to date your nanny?" Nora nods. "She's nice and she's really pretty," she explains smiling again. "Okay we'll see,but for now get some rest okay? I love you, Barry says kissing her forehead before getting up , and finally turning out the light. "Love you too Daddy. Good Night." It was now the end of the week and after today Barry had the rest of the upcoming days off. He wouldn't need Caitlin to watch Nora for a while, of course that doesn't mean they wouldn't talk to each other, they still did. Hell they practically texted every night. He figured it was now or never now with both Ralph's words and his daughter's somewhat approval. Barry figured if he could pull her away from that playground for a bit to just go on a walk through the park with him he could do it there. It was snowing after all and asking out a girl in the snow was romantic. Right?

“Hey Cait. Uh Caitlin, would you mind walking with me for a bit?”

“No not at all, I didn’t really have many kids today, and Nora is the last one,I know as long as we stay close to can keep an eye on her on the swings that she’ll be okay.”

“So. I go question. Well...a few actually...”

“Alright.”

“Okay so and don’t take this the wrong way, but what is a girl with 2 doctorates and phd doing as a nanny?”, Barry asks making Caitlin laugh.

“Oh so you heard of me huh?”

“Well actually my friend did when he found out your name, he uh saw us at Jitter’s last week and thought we were together.”

“Oh! Well to answer your question I love kids and it is just a temporary job until I my friend Cisco can get his company up and running. We met in college and by the end of it he became like a brother to to me he promised me a job there.”

“That’s really cool. As for the other question would you maybe want to...go to a work Christmas party with me next week....like a date?...only if you want to of course....and you’re not single I’m sorry I asked...ummm..,” Barry fumbled out.

Caitlin cut him of with a little laugh.

“I would love to Barry.”

“Really?,” his face lights up.

“Yeah it sounds fun.”

“I will see there.”

“Yeah, sure,” she says giving him a smile.

Barry goes to get Nora bringing her back home, her happy to hear Barry is going out with Caitlin.

The week goes by quickly and soon it’s time for the party. Barry helps Nora get ready in her adorable little Christmas dress and then he goes to pick up Caitlin.

Nora runs to Caitlin to give her a hug, honestly making Barry’s heart melt.

“Well don’t you look like a little Princess,” Caitlin tells her bending down.

“You look pretty too,”

“Well Thank you.”

Caitlin notices Barry staring.

“What?”

“What nothing? You just....you look amazing,” he says in awe of her in her sparkly yet simple red dress.

“Well I don’t always dress like a high school Principal,” she jokes making him laugh.

When they get there Barry takes Nora to the kids section of the party then heading out with Caitlin. Heading over to the table to get a drink, Ralph sees them and comes over.

“Hey hey Rookie. I see you took my advice. You must be Caitlin,” he says extending his arm out to shake her hand.

“I am you must be Barry’s friend who googled me.”

“That would be me, Ralph Dibny at your service. 34, 25 ,34,” he introduces himself as he eyes her giving her measurements.

“Did he just give my?” Caitlin trails of f confused.

“Just ignore him,” Barry tells her.

“Stop,” Barry mouths looking at Ralph.

The party goes great with them talking and bonding even more, when all of a sudden a slow song plays for them to dance.

Barry take sher to the floor and all the nerves melt away as they sway there together.

Baryr notices Ralph dance up near him, with some blonde on his arm.

“Hey look above ya,” he whispers.

Barry looks and sees mistletoe.

“Don’t say I never did anything for ya. Merry Christmas Rookie,” Ralph finishes with a mouth click, patting Barry on the shoulder before he dances away with the mystery girl.

Barry shakes his head before Caitlin takes notice of their situation, also turning bright red, almost bright enough to match her dress.

“Um should we?,” Barry asks nervous.

“I-I mean only if you want to,” Caitlin replies looking to the side.

They stare deep into each other’s eyes feeling the whole world disappear as they slowly lean in.

When there lips meet, nothing but sparks runs through their bodies, enough to even send a comfortable chill down their spines.

They pull away both smiling extremely wide, soon enough the arty is winding down Barry leaves a sleeping Nora in the car as he walks Caitlin to her door.

“Well I had great time,’ Caitlin tells him the blush slightly returning.

“Yeah me too. Would you wanna go out again sometime?”

“Yeah sounds great.”

“Barry‘s eyes flicker from Caitlin’s to her lips.

He kisses her again and she quickly reciprocates, when they pull away their foreheads are touching.

“We are quite the pair Mr.Allen,” Caitlin says.

“Yes we are Dr.Snow,”he replies with a slight chuckle.

“Goodnight,” she tells him.pulling away for his touch.

“Goodnight,” he says giving her one last smile before walking back to the car.

Little did Barry know that night would be that start of a new part in the rest of his life.

#the flash #caitlin snow #danielle panabaker #barry allen #grant gustin #barry allen x caitlin snow #caitlin snow x barry allen #snowbarry #snowbarry fic #snowbarry fanfiction

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starryeyed-char · 6 years

Text

Expecto Patronum (2/7)

Hunk

Second part of my self indulgent Harry Potter AU. You don’t really have to read them in order, but you should. Basically, I’m doing all of the happiest memories they use to cast their patronuses, and this chapter is about Hunk. I hope you enjoy! It’s 3 AM now so I might have to edit this tomorrow but it’s fine.

Hunk had always been a family-oriented guy. He loved his relatives more than anything in the world, and he spent all his time with them, even though his moms were in the very small percentage of wizarding families that had decided to send their children to public school until they grew old enough to go to Hogwarts. Most would just homeschool their kids.

But Hunk had never had many friends. At school, he was shy and anxious, and never talked to anyone much. The other students teased him for his weight more often than not. Then again, if you accidentally make things happen that no one but you understands, that gives bullies plenty of material.

Hunk had been terrified to go to Hogwarts, to be away from his family and at the mercy of people who would probably just end up being new bullies for nine whole months. He wouldn't even have any siblings there his first few years, since he was the oldest. His parents, both witches who had gone to Hogwarts and in fact met there, assured him he would love it, but Hunk wasn't so sure.

Which is why it was surprising that Hunk's happiest memory didn't take place at home, or with his family. It involved only him and one other person, a person he was meeting for the first time.

But it also made sense, because of the impact this one specific person had had on his life since that time. He was Hunk's first friend, his best friend.

No matter how many happy memories Hunk had with his family, no specific moment could hold a candle to the day he met Lance McClain on the Hogwarts Express.

Hunk stared out the window, even though the train hadn't left the station yet. He'd already said goodbye to his family, and with every second his dread grew.

He'd secured a car near the front of the train, where the first years usually sat, all to himself. Hunk had already made up his mind that he would talk to the other kids as little as possible. Maybe that way, he wouldn't get made fun of.

Hunk turned back to look at the door when he heard noises from behind it, only to see several Hogwarts students, both in robes and out, passing by him without so much as glancing in the car.

One short boy with black hair and eyes that seemed almost purple did pause to look, but quickly continued trailing after the older girl in front of him, who was probably his sister.

Hunk nearly turned back to the window, but stopped when he made eye contact with another boy walking past a few moments later.

This boy's eyes were a calm, dark blue, and he was walking with his two apparent brothers. They stopped, and asked the boy something.

The boy stared at Hunk and the empty car for a moment longer. Then he nodded once, and slid open the door. He plopped down onto the seat across from Hunk with an enormous grin that was all but contagious, and stuck out a hand.

“Sorry to barge in like that. I was going to sit with my siblings, but when I saw you sitting alone I figured you could use someone to talk to! I'm Lance, by the way.”

Hunk stared at his outstretched hand, dumbfounded.

And Lance's smile faltered. “Unless... sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you'd want to talk to me. I can go—”

“No!” Hunk blurted, finally finding his voice. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew that he didn't want Lance to leave. “I mean... no, you can stay. I'm— I'd love someone to talk to. I'm Hunk.” They shook hands.

“Hunk,” Lance echoed, and Hunk mentally cursed himself. He shouldn't have told him that. “Is that... like a nickname, or...?”

“No,” Hunk said, with a sigh. “It's my actual name.” He waited for the teasing to begin. How someone who looked like him shouldn't have a name like that. How his name didn't fit him in any way, shape, or form.

“Hunk,” Lance said again, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He was smiling again before he'd ever really stopped. “I like it! What a cool name! I'll bet the ladies love it, huh?”

Hunk snorted. Ladies? They were eleven years old.

Lance was undeterred. “Man, I'll bet there are so many cute girls at Hogwarts! I don't really have that many friends my age, since my siblings and I were homeschooled before this, but I just know it's going to be great! I'll get to meet so many new people, like you! How fun is that?”

Hunk hummed vaguely, trying to seem interested. The idea of being in a permanent setting with all his peers wasn't exactly all that appealing... but he had to admit that if everyone at this school was as nice as this Lance kid, then maybe he could get used to it.

Lance was, apparently, unfazed by Hunk not answering any of his questions. In fact, he rambled on, not hesitating to ask even more.

“What house do you think you'll be in? I'm pretty sure I'll get put in Hufflepuff, like my brother Marco. But it'd be super cool to be a Gryffindor, don't you think?”

This time, Hunk nodded. He'd done as much research as he could into Hogwarts, and the four houses were actually something he knew quite a bit about.

“Ravenclaw seems pretty cool, too,” he offered, and Lance nodded.

“Yeah, Veronica was a Ravenclaw. I'm nowhere near smart enough for that, though. I hear you have to answer a different riddle every time you go through! As if remembering a password isn't hard enough! How crazy is that?” Lance asked, with a shake of his head, then continued before Hunk could reply. “Man, I hope we're in the same house! Then we could be roommates.”

“Maybe,” Hunk said, and he couldn't help but hope so. But this boy seemed like a Gryffindor if Hunk had ever seen one. Outgoing, speaking his mind, yet kind for no reason at all. And Hunk would probably get put in Hufflepuff, which he didn't mind.

Still, it would be nice if he got to spend more time with his first friend.

“You said you had siblings?” Hunk asked, trying to contribute more to the conversation. If he wanted to return the kindness Lance was showing, he should at least give answers of more than one word.

“Yep!” Lance replied, instantly beaming. “Veronica's the oldest— she was a Ravenclaw before she graduated. Luis is a Slytherin, and he's in his seventh year. Marco's in his fifth year now. Hufflepuff. Do you have any siblings?”

Hunk nodded. “Two, but they're both too young to go to Hogwarts yet.”

Lance tilted his head to the side. “Both your parents are magical, then?”

“Yeah,” Hunk said, nodding again. “My moms are both witches. They sent us to regular public school, though, instead of homeschooling.”

Lance seemed to hesitate, before blurting another question. “You're pure-blooded, then?”

Hunk shook his head. “One of my moms is, or at least it's all wizards so far back that we can barely keep track. But my other mom's parents were muggles. So I'm a half-blood, I guess.”

Lance, who had become momentarily tense, relaxed again. “Good.”

“Do... you weren't asking because you have something against people who are muggle-born, were you?” Hunk wondered, almost afraid to ask. He had really hoped this Lance was as nice as first impressions had suggested.

Lance's eyes widened, and he shook his head automatically. “No! Of course not! It's just... well. My dad was a muggle, and my mom's a witch. She warned me that a lot of pure-blooded wizards have a problem with people who aren't like them. Even though I'm not fully muggle-born, a lot of people think that muggles and wizards shouldn't be allowed to be together at all. That's... that's why I asked.”

“Nope. Half-blood brothers, man,” Hunk said with a grin, then immediately regretted it. Just when he was making a friend, he had to go and say something lame.

But Lance smiled back. “Yeah!” He gave Hunk a high-five, then opened his mouth to say something else. Before he could, however, the door to their car opened.

“Anything from the trolley, dears?” asked the little old lady wheeling a cart of candy and treats.

Lance was visibly staring at all the food longingly, and Hunk couldn't blame him. The smell alone was enough to make his mouth water.

“No, thank you,” Lance started to say anyway. “I'm good—”

“Hey,” Hunk interrupted, fishing out some of the galleons his moms had given him specifically for this purpose. “What's life without a little sweetness? Can we get... two pumpkin pasties, two chocolate frogs, and... some every-flavor beans, just for fun?”

He returned to his seat with the goods, and Lance stared at him in awe. “You didn't have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Hunk said, handing Lance his share. “You didn't have to come sit with me when you saw me by myself.”

“I wanted to.” Lance held out his own chocolate frog case, and clicked it against Hunk's in a childlike toast. “To magic and to new friends, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Hunk echoed, mimicking the gesture.

They ate the chocolate quickly, as children always did, and enthused about their cards. Lance had received Professor Alfor and Hunk had gotten Professor Gyrgan.

Lance sighed contentedly, wiping a hand across his face and smudging chocolate on the side of his nose. “I hope everyone at Hogwarts is as amazing as you.” he said, voicing Hunk's thoughts exactly.

The rest of the train ride they spent just as happily, eating both impossibly disgusting and delicious jelly-beans and talking about their excitement for sorting and classes while the rolling green hills sped past them under a sunset out the window.

Hunk opened his eyes, with a small smile at the memory. A translucent dog materialized out of thin air from the point of his wand, and ran around in circles at his feet. A pretty fitting patronus, he thought. Man's best friend.

And Lance really was his best friend. Even after being sorted into different houses, him in Gryffindor and Hunk in Ravenclaw, they still did everything together that they could. And in their second year, Pidge joined their group, resulting in countless wonderful memories that Hunk had never had before meeting them.

But out of all of those, this moment stuck out the most. It was the beginning of a whole new era of Hunk's life, the moment he met his favorite person.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Lance looking at his patronus, a smile on his face.

“Woah, a Labrador! Aren't they, like, one of the friendliest and cuddliest dogs ever? It fits,” Lance said, then seemed to think for a moment. “Well, but wait, is it a chocolate lab or a yellow lab? Or a black lab? I can't really tell.”

Hunk shrugged, not sure which color the ethereal blue light was supposed to represent. “I don't think it matters, man.”

Lance snorted. “Yeah, you're right. Whatever it is, it's perfect.”

And it really was.

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sassycassie-s-writing · 6 years

Text

To Be Happy - Summer

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam, SuperFam - Jason Todd/Robin & Conner Kent/Kon-El/Superboy

Rating: PG

Original Idea: @welovegroot really loves it when I write a Jason/OC/Kon drama triangle I guess so here’s this one. This one’s drama came from this song. (S/O to my sister for listening to the soundtrack on perpetual repeat)

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) This one will have several parts. Five, to be exact! I go to a college where we get out the first week of May, so yes May counts as summer fight me.

^^^^^

May 18, 2:15PM

“Welcome to Mount Justice,” Nightwing said as the zeta tube spat us out. I stumbled clumsily onto all fours like an idiot. “Don’t worry, Stars. You’ll get used to that. It’s not so bad after the first couple times.”

I cleared my throat. “Right.”

“Hey guys! What’s going—who’s this?” a new voice asked as a boy who was half-a-foot shorter than me but about the same age as I was approached us.

“Oh,” Nightwing said. “This is the new recruit. Starbeam. Starbeam, this is my brother. Robin.”

“Nice to meet you, Robin,” I said, sticking my hand out. The smaller boy took it and shook it.

“Pleasure’s mine,” he replied.

I grinned.

“Hey Robin, how about I let you give her the tour? I think you’re closer to her age,” Nightwing suggested.

“Sure,” Robin said. He extended his elbow to me. “M’lady. May I escort you around the fortress? You’ll find it’s easy to get lost alone.”

I laughed and looped my arm through his. “You may, good sir,” I said playfully.

He grinned and started to show me around. “So. New recruit, huh? Didn’t know we were recruiting.”

“According to Nightwing you’re always recruiting, but there aren’t enough sidekicks to add to the team.”

“Ah. Makes sense I guess. So what’s your story? Who trained you?”

I sighed and stuck my other hand in the pocket of my suit to bring out a photo. “This is Mind Beam. She mentored me.” I passed it to him. He took it and examined it before handing it back to me. I put it gently back in my pocket.

“Never heard of her,” he said thoughtfully. “She’s not part of the Justice League I'm guessing.”

“No. She refused. Personal reasons. But she’s powerful and agreed to train me.”

“So what can you do?”

“I'm telekinetic,” I said.

“Cool. This is the kitchen. Only two members of the team live here full-time so it doesn’t get too much use.”

“Three,” I corrected.

“You’re going to live here?”

“Don’t have anywhere else to go.” I shrugged.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Thanks.”

“Speaking of full-timers—hey Supes! Come meet the newbie!”

A boy taller than both me and Robin approached us. “Hi,” he said blandly.

I smiled and stuck my hand out. “Starbeam,” I said.

He shook it powerfully. “Superboy. You can call me Kon.”

“Call me Stars.”

Kon looked at Robin. “Giving the grand tour, huh?” he asked. He was so handsome. Defined features for a teenager with bottomless blue eyes, black hair, and muscular.

Robin nodded. “Yup,” he said, a proud smile on his face. He held himself confidently for a 4’7” fifteen-year-old who Kon could probably break in half with a snap of his fingers. I could tear this tiny Robin in two with a blink and a thought. But I liked his confidence. I thought it had a certain cute charm to it.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Kon said before bowing out of the kitchen.

I stared after him as he left. “He’s cute,” I said impulsively.

Little Robin puffed his chest out. “You think so?” he asked with a disgusted expression on his face. I chuckled and grinned at Robin.

“You’re cute too,” I amended.

“Hmph,” Robin grunted.

I looked at where Superboy disappeared. “So what’s his story, though? I didn’t know Superman had a son—I mean, a sidekick.”

“Technically he doesn’t have either,” Robin said begrudgingly. “Supey is a half-clone of the big guy.”

“Half?”

“The other half is Lex Luthor.”

I blinked. “… Oh.”

“But, really, he’s not much like either of them,” Robin said, completely cavalier. He beckoned me out of the kitchen. I followed curiously, eager to see the rest of the base.

^^^^^

Jason glanced at Starbeam as she wandered Mt. Justice with him. She had an awed expression on her face. She seemed so sweet and pretty. Her banter was quick-witted and playful. She greeted M’gann with a kind, gentle smile and excitement that made her eyes light up. She matched up with Jason’s sense of humor easily. She knew what he was talking about when he mentioned favorite classic novels of his and commented on the philosophy of some of them.

He was head-over-heels.

But… the way she looked at Conner…

It was common for girls to look at Conner the way she had. He was a handsome guy, Jason supposed, with something rugged that girls liked—for some reason. But it was uncommon for the type of girl Jason usually found himself liking to stare at Conner like that. The ones with incredible mental intelligence and emotional intelligence who looked deeper than the surface.

Maybe…

Maybe it was better if she went after Conner. She’d only end up breaking Jason’s heart… right?

Jason shook his head while Starbeam and M’gann chatted with pleasant tones and grins. Her laughter was infection and her smile made his heart melt.

Stop it, Jason. You can only bear so much, he chastised himself. Compared to a six-foot football player, a four-foot-seven pipsqueak like you has no chance. Better not get your hopes up.

She looked back at him. “Shall we continue the tour?” she asked.

“Yeah sure,” he said, voice more dejected than before.

She noticed and scrunched her eyebrows as they headed off. “What’s wrong? Did I say something to offend you?”

Jason shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. “No. Sorry. Just got distracted.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“So, this is going to be your room, I guess…”

They continued the tour, and Jason found himself looking at her more than what he was meant to be showing her. He knew what all of it was anyway—he could explain whatever he was showing her without looking.

When it was over, they ended in the zeta tube area where her bags were waiting for her to move them.

Kon was already there, picking three of them up. She had several duffle bags with her clothes and gear. “Sorry I just… thought I’d get these out of the way in case someone comes in without knowing they’re there and tripping. Which room is yours?” Kon asked.

Jason bent down to grab another duffle bag, rolling his eyes when Stars and Kon wouldn’t see.

“Uh… Robin? Remind me which room is mine?” she requested, setting her hand on Jason’s back as he pretended to be fiddling with untwisting the strap. He straightened up.

“I’ll show you how to get there from here,” he said, giving her a smile. She grinned back.

“Thanks.”

Jason pretended he didn’t notice Kon narrowing his eyes at him as he pulled the bag strap onto his shoulder. She grabbed three—one with her powers and the other two on each shoulder—and followed after him.

^^^^^

June 15, 4:35PM

Over Jason’s next several visits to Mt. Justice after school and on weekends, he began to notice Stars and Kon developing crushes on each other. Awkward blushes when the other would look away. Occasionally getting flustered when speaking to each other. Lots of stumbling over words. Several accidental impacts when one would enter the room as the other was leaving that ended with more stumbling over words and blushes. A training session where she ended up pinning him down while he stared at her like he’d just been blessed by Wonder Woman.

Jason tried not to feel anything, but that green monster of envy and the red monster of anger reared their disgustingly ugly heads in his chest and stomach. The angry one eventually got put down because he had no reason to be angry that she was happy, but the envious sensation didn’t want to go away.

One Friday he arrived to hear her singing Broadway and Disney songs in her room. M’gann sounded like she was in Stars’ room as well, singing the two parts near the end of For the First Time in Forever from “Frozen”. Stars sounded like she was singing Elsa and M’gann Anna.

They were also laughing.

Jason jogged through the base to her doorway. It was open.

Stars was all dressed up—wearing a nice blouse and dressy jeans, and makeup for the first time since Jason met her. “You look… nice,” he said.

She beamed at him. “Thanks! Kon and I are going to a movie so I thought I’d look nice.”

“Like… a date?”

“Uh… we didn’t specify. He just asked if I was interested in that new sci-fi movie that came out and of course I am so we’re gonna go see it while everyone else is busy.”

Jason slouched his shoulders. “Uh… cool,” he said. “I’ll, uh, leave you to it.”

“You’re welcome to join us,” Stars remarked.

“No, no. You two have some… girl time.”

“Oh we do all the time,” Stars dismissed. “We both live here full-time. Come on in and join.”

^^^^^

Knock-knock!

Robin, M’gann, and I all turned to my door. Kon was standing there with a nice jacket on over his usual outfit of his House of El crest T-shirt and jeans. M’gann paused the music and Robin relaxed out of the instinctive fighting stance he took.

Kon cleared his throat. “Are, uh, are you ready, Stars?” he asked, ignoring my visitors.

I nodded and grabbed my purse off my bed. “Yup!” I said. I turned to M’gann and Robin. “See you guys later. Say hi to Wally for me when he gets here.”

I ducked out of the room, hearing M’gann and Robin both call out a, “Will do!”

Kon and I headed to the exit of the mountain that would take us to the nearby town, walking side-by-side.

Kon stopped. I did too a step-and-a-half after. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He bit his lower lip. “I, uh… something seems… wrong,” he said quietly.

I blinked. “Like…?” I prompted gently.

He sighed. “Like, am I supposed to hold your hand or have your arm through mine? Is that a thing?”

“It’s a thing. It’s not a thing we have to engage in if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then how about the escort?” I suggested. “Bend your elbow towards me.” Kon did so. I looped my arm through his. “See? There we go. All fixed. It shows we’re doing something together but might not necessarily be a couple.”

“Oh. Okay.”

I smiled and giggled quietly as we proceeded the rest of the way out the mountain, heading into town.

The movie was fun. We laughed a lot and glanced at each other to make sure the other didn’t miss what just happened.

I half-expected Kon to fake-yawn and wrap his arm around my shoulders before remembering he didn’t exactly have a normal life like I had and hadn’t been taught that something like that was a thing. I was fine when it didn’t happen. I was fine when he didn’t put his hand on the armrest with his palm up, inviting me to hold his hand. I was fine. I actually liked it. First time I went to a movie alone with a guy and he didn’t try to make a move on me.

How refreshing.

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its-love-u-asshole · 6 years

Text

Twelve Hours [Ch. 1]

Pairings: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Summary: Kuroo Tetsurou has dealt with a lot since he was eighteen, each year bringing the same depressing challenges on the same depressing night. He expects this time to be no different, but the universe is trying desperately to prove him wrong in the most bizarre ways imaginable. So screw it, Kuroo’s only choice is to buckle in and hope he doesn’t die. Easy enough. And hey, with some new allies at his side, maybe he has a chance. Who knows? At least Kuroo is sure of one thing in life when it comes to March 15th, and he stands by this unwritten law, no matter what happens:

If you try to kill pizza delivery boys on Purge Night, you’re irrevocably a bitch.

Rating: T

Tags: Purge AU, mentions of violence but nothing graphic or too bad, no character deaths here okay, this is borderline crack and idk what I was thinking, first meetings, other characters, shenanigans and just...a lot of fun (it seems angsty but its not)

Note: I said I had a new weird au and I do not lie. This au....is so fun to write lmao I got the inspiration from a writing prompts blog (they always work wonders, I swear) and I'm so glad I actually sat down and produced this, no matter how crackish it is lol. I hope everyone enjoys! I already have 2 more chapters written so 'm going to try and be frequent with the updates (as much as I can anyways), so expect those every other week ^^ Thanks to @emeraldwaves for reading this over!

AO3

Sec. 175. In accordance with national law and employment regulations, no government corporations, hospitals, schools, or select businesses are to remain open on the night of the annual Purge. Should a private chain or entity choose to conduct themselves, all labor codes must be adhered to, and employees are to be compensated with a wage fifty times the normal hourly rate, as well as provided with basic equipment needed for protection. Any businesses found to be neglectful of such policies will be examined and penalized.

March 15, 2020

1:00 PM

6 hours until the Purge

"Shit."

A shrill, joyless tune rang through Kuroo's room, and his eyes snapped open. His first mistake of many.

The sound of his alarm and his general grogginess had him rolling right out of bed and onto the floor in his piss poor attempt to reach for the snooze button (for real, how had he fucked that up?). His limbs acted like hooks, bringing his bundle of blankets and pillows down with him.

It wasn't that different from a regular morning, in truth. The only difference was that this time, he was ashamed by how late he'd managed to sleep in.

Kuroo prided himself on being an early riser. He had his good name to defend. At this rate, even Bokuto would be up and about (or in the midst of his first nap), that log.

"Dammit," Kuroo muttered, reaching up to silence his phone. The end of the stupid ringtone didn't end Kuroo's suffering. The sun shone through his window, making him squint, and that, along with his mind beginning to power on, reeling with dates and to-do-lists, became far too much stimulation for the morning.

Er...afternoon.

Kuroo sprang up, unaware he'd collapsed the previous night in such exhaustion he hadn't been able to pull his jeans all the way off his legs.

The result? He fell face first onto his unvacuumed carpet once again, and okay, out of all the days of the year, this was not the day for him to be so clumsy. It probably hadn't been a good idea to work a double shift the day before at the pizza parlor, but there was a gaming console he really wanted (not to mention his strong desire to keep his savings growing), and he was so close to being able to afford it.

And make no mistake, Kuroo didn't like stealing, sanctioned crime or no sanctioned crime.

So he was saving up, like a high schooler or something. Oh well, it beat the alternative...

On autopilot, Kuroo fumbled for his remote, groaning as his hand touched something mushy.

Oh god. Gross. Gross and weird, what the fuck--

Clearly, some spring cleaning would be in order for tomorrow. The world ‘tomorrow’ made his heart stop for a second in fear of the unknown, but he got over himself quickly. He had to. Today he just had to.

After some deep breathing, he managed to pry his eyes open enough to find what he was looking for: the remote. Switching on the television, because that's what he did on a normal day, he couldn't help but groan at his mistake.

Routines could be his downfall at times, especially when his television automatically turned onto the news station. He should really know better by now…

This was the one day where he preferred to not watch the news while he got ready. Kuroo would've much preferred some B movies, or even better, a documentary on how to make soap.

Not caring enough to switch the set off, he threw the remote to his bed, and waited for the coverage to begin. No point avoiding it now. In the meantime, he figured he really needed a quick rinse, and a good brush through his hair (it wouldn't look any better afterwards, but it was the thought that counted).

Kuroo had to return to work by five anyways, as was policy. Even though the pizza place he worked at wouldn't start accepting orders until the start of the Purge, they had to be there to lockdown, take inventory, prepare their cars, and get their gear on.

So basically, Kuroo would have to get gas, organize his artillery, and make lunch all before then.

I want ramen...no...fried chicken.

Fuck it, he was getting paid fifty times his usual wage tonight, he could afford to treat himself to both.

The news logo flashed onto the television, gaudy and bright. On screen, two anchors sat, the countdown clock framed innocently in the upper right-hand corner.

"Good afternoon and thank you for joining us on the eve of our nation's 7th annual Purge! I sure hope everyone is excited. What should we be expecting from tonight Kudobera-san?"

Before closing the bathroom door, Kuroo glanced back, catching the far too cheery smiles of the news anchors giving their annual spiel.

"Well Takigawa-san, we expect a much higher turnout than last year. However, reports show that a lot of businesses have upgraded to new top of the line security systems. It'll be interesting to see how these changes will affect the crime rates tonight.

"But in celebrity news, idol Fuwa Reiko's Purge bash is said to have a guest list of over fifty people this year, and prizes will include..."

Kuroo rolled his eyes, grabbing the nearest bath towel, and shutting the door.

The Purge began when Kuroo was eighteen years old, and it was truly a terrifying and horrific time and blah, blah, blah, blah...

Yeesh.

Look. Kuroo could go on and on about the corruption and politics surrounding the Purge and how it came into being. He could then spend another few hours about how it ended up impacting him personally. His newly formed anxiety, his suppressed fears, the fact that many people he knew and met sometimes didn't survive the year.

Very grim stuff. No fun.

Tonight wasn't about any of that, and Kuroo wasn't going to waste time on detailing the Purge and all the blood-chilling and fucked up things which happened during it.

No one had time for that.

And yeah, one day Kuroo dreamed he'd be rich enough to move away from this cursed nation, safe and healthy with all his friends without the Purge looming over him every month until March rolled around.

But, it was not the time for escape quite yet, so Kuroo refused to dwell on the subjects of blood and gore. No time to reminisce over his childhood, no reason to recount his tragic backstories or feelings on the matter.

Not tonight. Maybe next year.

Tonight, he had a twelve-hour shift, and he was expecting to be paid well.

The point of all this? (Aside from the gaming anyways...) Simple. In order to one day achieve his dream, and keep himself alive until then, he needed money. Purge night, as shitty and immoral as it could be, let him earn enough money to cover three months’ worth of rent. That was without tips too.

That was his only focus.

So in short, in order to keep himself sane, Kuroo worked hard, and had no problem with diverting his internal angst into jokes at any given moment.

Liiiiike now.

Kuroo kicked open the door to Bokuto's bedroom, where he was still cuddling Akaashi against his chest. One of their infamous afternoon naps. How cute.

They were sickening. "Hello naughty children, it's murder time!"

The couple jolted awake, and while he might deny it later, Bokuto totally screamed. Kuroo smirked as Bokuto flailed on the floor, reaching for a nearby water gun to defend himself.

Given that Kuroo knew Bokuto was quite skilled with actual guns, it was a sight to see.

Akaashi glared at Kuroo from the bed, eyes full of pure, empty disgust, like Kuroo was a dead bug on the windshield of Akaashi’s life. Kuroo's joy was not deterred, and in a sudden moment of bluntness, Akaashi uttered his first sentence of the day: "Kuroo-san, I hate you."

"Is that any way to treat your best friend who woke you guys up in time for your flight?" Kuroo wiped his fake tears, gesturing to the bundle of suitcases Akaashi had packed dutifully two nights prior.

"I had an alarm set--"

"And your best friend, who made you guys lunch and drives you to the airport every year," Kuroo continued, not willing to wilt under Akaashi's piercing stare. Bokuto stayed on the floor, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes.

Kuroo could defend himself alright? Being a cunt was a defense mechanism he used so he wouldn’t just start fucking crying all over how much he loved his friends on the worst day of the year, so he was sticking with it. They knew of course, but maybe they didn’t say anything for Kuroo’s sake, and he loved them for it.

Akaashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he channeled his inner anger management guru. Kuroo liked to poke fun at the fact that maybe Akaashi needed to purge more than anyone, but they all knew the raven abhorred violence.

Well, most of the time.

Without another word, Akaashi chucked a pillow directly at Kuroo's face (with impressive force he might add), and Bokuto became aware enough to tackle Kuroo to the ground two seconds later.

And though Kuroo whined and complained, eventually crying his surrender after Bokuto had him pinned down long enough, he couldn't help but smile at how much he cherished these moments.

Bokuto and Akaashi would only be gone for a week, but he would miss them. They always picked the time of the Purge to take their yearly vacation.

It was...better that way.

They could afford it too, being players for the national team. Bokuto got nervous and overly protective whenever the Purge rolled around, and though Akaashi wouldn't admit it, they were both scared of ever being remotely close to a situation in which they might lose each other.

So, they decided to travel to a different country every time the heinous event rolled around, one where the Purge had no weight or influence.

As Kuroo made them their pancakes and helped them with their bags, he couldn't help but doubt himself, like he did each year.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us Kuroo, we can still get you a ticket, we can figure something out!" Bokuto's concerned look almost had Kuroo giving in. He slammed the trunk, putting Bokuto's suitcase down next to him.

The airport was never that crowded on Purge night. Guess people trust their security systems enough to not leave the county.

The couple never failed to offer Kuroo a ticket. They cared about him, didn't like the thought of him not being safe. Kuroo agreed. That's why he'd begged his family to move out of the country years ago, why he encouraged Bokuto and Akaashi to leave around this time as well.

But Kuroo...Kuroo was stubborn.

He hadn't finished school yet, and his savings weren't where he wanted them to be. When he moved, he wanted to be secure. Plus...Kuroo could be kind of dumb about these things. He got a twisted sense of pride when he survived Murder Night™ every year, even more so now that he chose to work during the event.

Yeah...that was a whole different story.

Kuroo shook his head, smiling easily. "We've been over this man, you don't have to worry about me. I refuse to die."

Akaashi curled his hand around Bokuto's before the other could begin to protest. Akaashi disagreed with Kuroo's decisions too, but he knew arguing got them nowhere. "You are like a roach."

Kuroo stumbled back, as if punched. "Ouch. I'll try to take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't."

"Akaashi."

They all laughed, and as the clock struck four, he watched them disappear into the airport, after a painful, drawn out embrace, waving at him one last time.

He smiled through his misty eyes, and couldn't help but feel relief knowing they'd be far away by 7 PM.

Now generally, it was pretty agreed by all that during the Purge, people shouldn't target delivery boys. Out of all the people to kill, you're gonna go after Papa John? Get fucked.

Who the hell was shitty enough to murder some sad minimum wage worker?

Well, a lot of people actually. People were cruel during the Purge, that was sorta the point. But, in Kuroo's experience, the freaks with knives and masks would often overlook him and his crappy pizza delivery uniform.

Some things were worse than death, they probably thought.

Kuroo wouldn't complain. The less trouble for him the better. While he did occasionally have to fire warning shots and rev his car at people who were a bit bolder and more bloodthirsty, he stayed fairly safe.

Or as safe as one could be, surrounded by crazed people wielding machetes. He was more than fine with ignoring the screams and explosions by turning up his stereo to inhuman levels, bottling up his inner hero.

Because in reality, Kuroo had never managed to shake his core beliefs, no matter how fucked up the system was. He was honest, valued good work ethic, respected his elders, all that jazz.

Yes, Kuroo Tetsurou was the guy who helped old ladies cross the street. Definitely not someone who should be working during the Purge. But, well, his mother always told him people would underestimate him if given the chance.

Kuroo's natural instinct was to defend, to protect. However, during the Purge, it simply wasn't practical, and he was forced to hate himself for it later.

At least he had Matsukawa and Semi to keep him company.

"Happy Murder Night, would you like to hear about our specials?" Matsukawa deadpanned as Kuroo walked through the front door of the parlor. The blast shields were already up, and the shop was technically closed. The only occupants of the booths were his fellow coworkers, the other people insane enough to be working that night.

Semi rolled his eyes, greeting Kuroo without a polite nod. He assumed Kyoutani was in the back, making breadsticks. Again, normal day, if he didn't count the various rifles and bulletproof vests spread out on the counter. Backup measures, in case somehow, the titanium doors were broken down.

Kuroo laughed, walking over to where Matsukawa sat perched behind the register, and picked up the vest with his nametag on it.

So much to do, so little time.

He clipped the vest on securely, holstering two of the guns and a knife.

"I don't know how this place stays in business," Semi muttered from where he polished the counter. "Why would people order pizza on the most dangerous night of the year?"

"You say that as if we don't get at least ten or so orders every year," Matsukawa reminded.

"Robbing and plundering does work up an appetite," Kuroo agreed.

"Like you'd know," Semi said with a snort, throwing the dirty dish rag at Kuroo's face. All this disrespect today.

"Hey, I'll have you know, I once stole a bag of chocolate coins from the discount store." Kuroo crossed his arms, his grin wide and triumphant.

Matsukawa squinted, tapping his hands on the bright red countertop. "It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"..."

"Did you cry afterwards?"

Fuck.

Kuroo said nothing, and Semi looked two seconds away from laughing his ass off. Wankers. All of them. Nothing but wankers.

"I'll take that as a yes," Matsukawa said, ducking just in time to avoid Kuroo's headlock.

It was at that moment Kyoutani made himself known, asking if Kuroo had ever done jail time for a crime so heinous.

"You've got jokes now? What's the world coming to?" Kuroo cried, falling to his knees.

"Given what day it is, should you really be asking that?" Semi said, and man, too far.

They all stared at each other, letting the dark foreboding and realization settle over them. The thoughts sprang up like they always did, violent and despair-riddled, before Kuroo defiantly squished them down.

Then, they all broke out into laughter, the kind which brought tears to the eyes.

Yeah, the Purge was fucked up, but it brought them closer together.

And honestly, grease stains or not, Kuroo was glad to wait out the Purge in the company of these assholes.

After all, it was the best he was gonna get for now.

Kuroo's car was geared up and ready to go.

The delivery vehicle given to them for Purge night only opened from the driver's side. The rest of the car was plated with a lightweight metal, armor essentially. The front behaved more like a battering ram than a hood, in case of extreme circumstances, like having to get through a crowd of attackers. The mirrors were shatter resistant, and the tires were as slash and puncture resistant as possible. Still, the car came equipped with a set of spares just in case.

They kept the car in a special fortified garage which was only accessible through the parlor. The garage door into the parlor locked every time it was closed, a security measure for if someone tried to break in while Kuroo was leaving for a delivery.

All in all, Kuroo felt safe at his workplace. Outside though...he didn't trust anything, and for good reason. Better safe than sorry.

After helping with food prep, checking the car's interior, and filling up the tank, hours had gone by. Looking at his clock, Kuroo's heart skipped a beat.

6:50 PM. Ten minutes until the Purge.

Dread coiled in his gut for a moment before it was gone. Kuroo never got used to this, but he knew what to expect now after seven years.

"Kuroo c'mon, time to get inside," Semi said, poking his head through the garage door. Kuroo was technically safe in the garage but...they just liked to all be together during the opening broadcasts.

Taking a deep breath, Kuroo followed after him, just in time to catch the start. The large flat screen in the dining area which usually played sports games and cheesy commercials lit up blue, the emergency broadcast text slowly beginning to scroll up the screen.

"This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by your government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7 a.m., when The Purge concludes. May God be with you all."

The classic pause.

The silence.

Kuroo never got why there had to be the brief stall before the alarms began, but he despised it. Everyone in the parlor remained stone-like as the chilling sirens began echoed in the distance. They were ghostly almost, unreal, like a thick fog no one could escape from. Sometimes, Kuroo could hear them in his dreams, and he’d wake up with two pillows pressed against his head, as if trying to block the sound.

Kuroo couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself.

Guess the walls aren't that thick.

As the sirens began to fade, none of them moved. Yeah, it never stopped being sort of surreal. They waited for the telltale crash of store glass or gunshots in the distance, but for now, things had yet to get into full swing.

Or so they'd thought.

Life was weird and unexpected. That much Kuroo knew. But if someone had told him all the twists and turns he'd go through over the course of the next twelve hours, he would have laughed in their face.

He'd be wrong though.

Now, it wasn't abnormal for them to get orders later in the night, usually from families waiting out the Purge or from rich assholes throwing Purge parties. Kuroo didn't get it, and he didn't appreciate the calls, but it was his job.

But again, the calls normally came later. Like, much later.

So when the phone on the counter started to ring not even two minutes after the sirens stopped, only Kyoutani managed to find his voice through the shock of it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

#kurotsuki #haikyuu!!#adri writing

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rei-fletcher · 6 years

Text

WIP Part 2

The instructions said to bring a kerchief for hair and an apron. At the shop she found a wide variety. The colours, patterns, and features were overwhelming. Finally she chose a set that had the cartoon character on it that she had chosen for her application skin. She tied the apron in place and went to find her station.

“It looks like we’re baking buddies.”

Ed appeared. She had a black apron. It should have stood out awkwardly, but instead it looked very professional. It looked cool. Her kerchief had flames on it.

“You got a set, huh? It’s really cute.”

Compliments were sometimes hard to respond to. As she decided she saw Ed’s expression begin to take on a familiar look. A sort of confusion, embarrassment and regret that made every social interaction an awkward agony.

“Thank you.”

Ed’s retreat was halted.

“I like your kerchief.”

She made a face and laughed, adjusting it. “Thank you. The whole idea” — she gestured to the mandatory baking attire — “is so much like a little housewife. At least I can do it my way, right?”

They began measuring. She checked and double checked each amount. It was better to measure twice and cut once. They’d taught her that aphorism to help explain response lags. Ed was watching her a lot. The little swell of anxiety was prone to make her clumsy. She concentrated hard on her work so she didn’t make a mistake.

“What brings you to baking class?”

“My-” She reminded herself that her pregnant friend was a lie meant for the application. Two workstations away the men from the first lesson were messily attempting to mix the wet ingredients.

“I was told it was a good place to meet people.”

“Men, you mean?” She laughed. She felt bit of her anxiety uncoil.

“Maybe that’s what they meant, after all.” She watched Ed stirring the dry ingredients. Her arms looked too strong for the task. “Why did you come?”

“Hm? I promised my sister. I think she thinks it’ll be a gateway class.” She looked up and shrugged. Her expression seemed almost embarrassed. “I didn’t really like school. Only made one semester at university. Even my brother finished, but not me. She’d like me to go back. Do something with my life.”

“What do you do?”

“Intake secretary at the art collective.”

“Do you enjoy it?” Small talk worked the way they said it would. Ed chatted for awhile about her job.

“It’s all right,” she concluded. “But I really always wanted to be one of those people who were passionate about their work. I wanted to find something that spoke to me.”

They poured the batter into the pans. Ed opened the oven door, face lit by the glow of it.

“Whoosh! I think it’s preheated.”

She admired the smooth surface of the batter for a moment, pleased at how evenly they were portioned, before stepping back so Ed could put them in the oven. They washed and scrubbed the workstation according to the notes she’d made.

“You must have done well at school.”

She thought about it carefully. The Centre’s school was different from the ones other people went to. There had been a seminar to explain it.

“I like following rules. So I don’t get into trouble.”

“No smoking in the bathroom for you, then?”

She looked at her, trying to decide if she were joking.

“Did you?”

“Once or twice. It really isn’t healthy, but I wanted to try. Just to see.”

The cakes came out. They were pleasingly golden. Their surfaces were smooth, as the instructor said they should to be.

“I should give it to my sister,” Ed said, then cut into it anyway. “Need to prove that I’m doing my best.”

Her knife was hovering over the perfect surface of her own. It was better to give a whole cake, wasn’t it? Then it could really make an impact. It was a kind thing to do.

She pushed her cake over. “You can give her this one.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I was…it isn’t important.”

She felt her cheeks burn. Was it wrong? Strange enough for her to turn away?

“Well, thank you,” Ed said. She seemed embarrassed, so maybe it was her error.

“You’re welcome.”

“Sorry,” Ed said. “I wasn’t expecting such a nice present.”

They shared the other one, and she declined leftovers. She didn’t need more than her piece, and Wyn didn’t eat. And he shouldn’t be back for awhile anyway. It would be spoiled by then.

“Are you coming back next week?”

“Yes. Two times a week, so I can make baked goods.”

Ed’s eyes sparkled. They were brown. Not as glamorous as blue eyes, but somehow kinder. Emma was glad to have brown eyes herself. “You need a picture for your profile, you know.”

“I do?”

“Definitely. Here, I’ll take one for you.”

She stood still for the picture. Ed fiddled with the screen for a moment, then hand the pad back to her. Her own face peered out above her name. She looked surprised, even though she knew the picture was being taken, and worried. She looked too small for the frame. She needed to practice a picture face. One that looked normal.

“Thank you.”

“I like taking pictures of cute things.”

She reached up to touch the cartoon kerchief. It was a good idea to have bought it, then.

The application lit when she returned home.

“How was your lesson?”

“It was nice. Fun,” she added.

“That’s wonderful to hear! Maybe you have a secret passion for baking!”

The voice was full of excess enthusiasm. It was the fun. She needed to use stronger adjectives more often, so it wouldn’t get so excited.

The application went on a bit while she stood in the dark. Her mind drifted to Ed. She pictured a slightly smaller version of her, otherwise unchanged, smoking in a bathroom that looked like public bathrooms. It was probably secret, so she would be alone, she guessed.

Some vices were acceptable. It was normal. That’s why she’d said she was going to the pub. Drinking alcohol in a social situation was an acceptable vice. In other contexts alcohol was deviant. Drinking over a certain amount while alone, for example, could be an indicator of degenerating mental health. Smoking wasn’t healthy — she didn’t want to die — but maybe she should find something like that to do.

“Are you still there? Did you fall asleep?” The application’s voice was full of teasing humour.

“I’m here.”

She was afraid it was going to offer to send Wyn again.

“I should wash my baking things. I might go buy some things tomorrow. To practice.”

The application liked that idea, and bid her goodnight. She went about her work, trying to imagine herself indulging in vice.

It was cookies, the next lesson. The instructor greeted her cheerfully. She went to her workstation and started taking things out. Ed wasn’t there, and she was seized by sudden fear. She must have said something wrong. She was too odd about the cake. She didn’t think it was wrong to offer cake.

“Hello?”

One of the men from the first lesson, who had talked about meeting women, stood at the end of her workstation.

“Hi. I’m Jeff. I don’t think we were introduced.” He paused. “So, my partner isn’t here, and it looks like yours isn’t either. I wondered if you wanted to pair up?”

She did not. She didn’t want to be alone, because it would be odd to be alone when no one else was, but she didn’t want to be his partner. Her understanding of this was absolute, in a way almost nothing else in her life was.

She needed to have an acceptable reason for her refusal.

“I don’t bite. Promise.”

She was saved by Ed’s arrival. She strode through the door, still taking off her leather jacket. She heard her apologise to the instructor, weaving between the tables.

“Sorry I’m late! I think the ASeL were doing one of their stupid protests.” Ed looked at Jeff. “You horning in on my baking buddy?”

He lifted his hands. “I’ll just go over here and play it solo.”

Ed watched him leave. “Yeah, you do that, Jeffery.” She paused. “Oh, fuck. Were you flirting with him? Did you want to buddy up?”

“No. No, I didn’t want to. He came to ask.”

“I know you’re here to meet people.” She rattled around the cupboards.

“That’s what I was told to do.” She saw the flame kerchief sticking out of Ed’s bag and wondered if taking it out would be helpful. Or welcome. Would it be rude?

Ed surfaced with cookie sheets, and ended her internal debate by doing it herself.

“My sister said to say thanks. For the cake. She said it was delicious.”

“We made it together.”

“Yeah, but this was her real thank you, not her sisterly duty thank you.”

The instructor roamed the room, keeping up a steady stream of chatter, sprinkled with witty comments that made the students chuckle.

“I wonder if she’s really that spontaneous, or if it’s a script.”

Emma watched the instructor. Didn’t people usually speak spontaneously? They’d practiced with scripts at the Centre, always with the understanding that success meant working without them. She had passed all of her tests before she left, though her pace was only just within parameters.

They had been told to bring something to carry the cookies in. She had bought a waxed box. Ed had a bag. She watched the delicate cookies break.

“I’m sorry!” Ed laughed.

“Pardon?”

“I can see you wincing. I’m used to tougher cookies.”

“I think they’ll all fit in my box.” She folded it together.

“That’s for yours.”

“I’ve eaten many already. Maybe you can give them to your sister again?”

“We’re going to make her fat.”

We.

“She must look like you, so it would be hard for her to gain too much weight.”

Ed cocked her head, smiling. She hesitated in packing the box. Was it the wrong thing to say? What if her sister were adopted? What if they were for some reason not genetically related? What if it was the sort of genetic quirk that made each sister take on different qualities?

“She’s always dieting. Running on a treadmill, you know.”

There were a few left over. They sat on the steps of the education centre. There was a small light in the sky at the edge of the upper city. The security lights burned overhead. A brisk wind was shaking the trees, it felt damp, as though it were going to rain, but not quite yet. Ed had zipped her coat against it. Whenever she moved it creaked a little. It smelled nice. It seemed like a really old thing. Hundreds of years. Thousands of years. Humans had been wearing it. There were other, better things, now. Even this jacket wasn’t from a real animal. But the sense of it was comforting somehow, as though it were real and old and solid.

“Cookies are good to give to coworkers,” Ed said. “You don’t work with anyone to give them to?”

“I don’t have a job right now.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

She’d been let go. The lady had been nice, and given her a positive letter for her file.

“Just nothing customer-facing, my dear.”

That hadn’t been in the letter, and she hadn’t had the courage to tell the Centre. The application hinted that she might need more lessons. She’d promised to do better at the next interview. Now the application was looking for a new place for her.

“They didn’t like how I talked to customers. They said I should be working on my own.”

“What did you say to customers?”

She thought about it for a moment. She’d tried to pinpoint the event that had triggered the firing, but no matter how many times she replayed her final weeks in her head, she couldn’t think of which thing it was.

“I think I took too long. Or I made them nervous somehow.”

“Huh. Sounds like bullshit.” She shrugged. “Customers are all assholes anyway, you know.”

“But…I’m sometimes a customer.”

“Me too. And we’re all raving assholes, until we go home and bitch about everyone else.” She smiled. The security lights made her glittery eye shadow sparkle like stars. Her makeup was art.

“I bet you’ll find something good soon.”

“I hope so.”

It was the appropriate thing to say. But she didn’t mind, actually, staying home. Or at least she didn’t mind not having to talk to strangers and coworkers. Workplace etiquette was so hard to navigate. It didn’t matter how much she studied it, she was wrong as much as she was right.

“Where do you live?”

“Not far. Only a few stops.” She pointed at the crowded monorail gliding along.

“I can give you a ride.”

“You have a car?”

Ed grinned. “Nope. When I choose a rebellious image, I go all in.”

It was a bike that she had. As they got close she tapped a button on her tablet and it came to life, humming to itself. The tech was alien. They’d given many gifts, and people hated them coming but took the gifts. Now it was old enough that everyone except fanatics like the ASeL used it all the time. An intake secretary probably wasn’t wealthy, but Ed could afford a personal machine.

She gave her a protection field to put on, and climbed onto the bike. She hesitated. Bikes weren’t so dangerous, now. They were mostly used for delivery, and in petty crimes. Would someone think she was a criminal?

“You can trust me.” It was rude to refuse without good cause. It was probably better to accept the ride. She tried to analyse it beyond her own wants, like they were taught at the Centre.

That stopped her. Want. She wanted to do it. She wanted to ride Ed’s bike with her. She clambered on behind her, not very gracefully.

“Hold on to me.” Emma clutched the sides of her jacket. “Tighter.” She squeezed her hands. “Like this.”

Ed guided her arms around her, folding her hands together against her stomach. Then they were flying over the ground, leaves and bits of grass and paper swirling up in their wake. She pressed her cheek against her leather-clad back, feeling it warm.

The street flashed by. Emma squeezed tighter.

Ed went far, far out of the way, careening up and down the hills, finally reaching a wide, empty highway and raced the river that ran along its side. Out there the upper city vanished. The moon emerged from behind it, full and so bright and white that it carved sharp shadows even in the night.

They made a wide circle. The city sparkled like a shining mountain, rising in layer after layer, into the sky. When she turned to look the other way there were stars and wide, empty plains.

For the whole of the ride she was suspended. Everything was out of her hands. So there was nothing to worry about.

She was stiff from holding on when Ed finally took her home. Coming away from her and climbing down off the bike were accomplished with clumsy movements.

“Did you like it?”

Her face hurt. She touched it, and found a broad smile.

“Very much. Thank you. Thank you so very much.” She ordered herself to stop talking. Repeating oneself wasn’t good.

Ed smiled. “Are you sure about the cookies?”

She nodded. “I hope you can enjoy them.”

She was half way to the door when she realised that she hadn’t said goodbye properly, and came back to do it.

The quiet dark of her apartment embraced her. She went to the window, reluctant to let the feeling dissipate. To her surprise Ed was still waiting. When she turned on the light and lifted her hand in a tentative wave Ed waved back, and only then rode away.

The application pinged. She flinched.

“Emma, you’re so late.

#wip #writing #romance #scifi #fiction #short story

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