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#THE FRESH OUT OF JUVIE LOOK ?!?!!!?
4kominato · 1 year
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WHY ISNT TIMESKIP KAZUTORA TRENDING ON HERE
LOOK AT THIS SHIT MFS
ARE WE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS ?!?!
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cheesus-doodles · 3 months
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How does Ran view Rindo’s best friend reader? And what’s his opinion on their relationship? I really like your work on Rindo and reader!
thank you for your kind words anon!
Masterlist | Rindo Tags
ㅤ‎
Ran thinks that the two of you together are adorable.
Yes sure, he knows damn well that both the both of them are delinquents who ruthlessly rule the back alleys of Roppongi with an iron fist, and that they are indeed supposed to be feared. But how was he supposed to think any other way when he sees Rindo with you?
Even though you clearly are the more easygoing and naive of your little pair with a tendency to go along with whatever it was that Rindo wanted, in Ran's eyes, its still his younger brother who comes off as the lost puppy trailing you looking for affection and attention, happy to let you lead him around by the nose. Yes, both of the Haitanis have both been in and out of juvie for various reasons, and Ran is perfectly aware of how Rindo is actually like during fights, having no qualm with breaking bones and putting faces through cement. Yet Ran still finds it hard to find any good reason to fear Rindo whenever you are arm-in-arm with him, chattering away with a complete lack of awareness to your surroundings. Ran, in fact, finds it rather amusing to occasionally poke his younger brother by linking arms with you just to get a reaction out of him and see him growl and threaten.
There was no way that Ran could possibly hate you, not with what you had done for Rindo. As the older of the two (not by much but still), Ran takes it upon himself to learn about and keep an eye out for Rindo, even if the younger Haitani dislikes his older brother's intrusions into his life.
And from what Ran can tell, Rindo has only changed for the better - as much as a delinquent can, at least. He knew that the day you picked Rindo over him was the day that something within Rindo had sparked (or snapped), and the younger Haitani had never let go of you since then, which you didn't seem to mind. Good thing either way, since with you came a sense of responsibility for Rindo that he never had, and Ran do so appreciate Rindo caring about something outside of picking fights for a change. Maybe you could get him to care about bills as well soon.
You did bring a breath of fresh air into both their lives, which the older of the brothers appreciates. With you came normal afternoons, calm evenings, and even peaceful nights; being a regular civilian with no ties to the gang life, you usually were the one to drag the two Haitani brothers around to your favourite cafes or the newest shops. Normal activities. Of course, the the only caveat to peace and normality being that you were within arm's length of Rindo, but that was easy enough to achieve.
Ran does however wish from time to time that you were the slightest bit more self aware and less air-headed. The amount of stress you cause his younger brother on a day-to-day basis simply can't be healthy, but more importantly, it affects Ran as well. Don't get him wrong, this older delinquent was content to watch his younger brother run around like a headless chicken from time to time, but when it spills over into his life and causes Ran to lose his precious sleep is where he draws the line. Maybe with a few more brain cells, you would be able to learn which action would result in a explosive reaction from your best friend, but it has already been years and Ran isn't hopeful.
Rindo always anxiously checking in on you whenever he could as if you would vanish off the face of the earth the moment he wasn't looking (being lured into a van and kidnapped with candy was what Rindo swears would be enough to work on you, and Ran didn't doubt as much). And when he couldn't, Ran would have the chance to be amused by his younger brother compulsively opening and closing his phone every second just to make sure he wasn't missing any messages that you were sending him, before giving in after five minutes and simply calling you. This would quickly turn into a full blown cursing and swearing session when you fail to pick up within half a minute, followed by a panicked Rindo dropping everything to take off and hunt you down.
This usually happens during school time, when the younger of the Haitanis reluctantly let you attend class, only to storm your classroom later on, though meltdowns also tend to happen at night when you aren't sleeping over at their place. And the latter is when Ran gets awoken by all the scrambling, sometimes getting dragged up as well to look for you when Rindo happens to barge into your room on the rare occasion you wandered out for a midnight snack.
Despite Ran knowing that whatever Rindo has going on with you isn't quite normal, with Rindo being a tad too obsessed with knowing where you were and what you were doing at all times, the older delinquent doesn't care. As long as his younger brother was happy, Ran was content with playing along. And alas, until Ran can knock some common sense into that empty head of yours, he'll settle for tying you to a chair and hauling your ass back to Rindo.
Ah the woes of being an older brother.
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1tbls · 11 months
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kim used to work in the RCM morgue???? huh????
at what point did this happen..... when he was fresh out of training? to escape juvie duty? after eye's death to take a break from fieldwork? at any point is insane. sir, i don't think you and your ptsd need to look at any more dead bodies.
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lily-fics-11 · 2 months
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The Girl Next Door: Chapter 3 (Hazel Callahan, Bottoms)
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Fic master post here (feel free to comment to be added to taglist)
The Girl Next Door
You hadn't been close with your neighbor Hazel for years. But you find her beat up in the locker room after fight club and all of that changes
Chapter 3
You attend your first fight club meeting and it causes things to go awry with Hazel.
CW: Canon level violence and gore. Sexual innuendos. Profanities. Angst that turns to fluff. 
You are on the edge of your seat, overwhelmed by anticipation all day. You have a few classes with Hazel, but you don’t get many opportunities to talk to her. You are painfully reminded of the way you two had avoided each other all these years when you found yourself sitting far away from her in every classroom. 
You share your plan to give the fight club a chance with Isabel and Brittany at lunch. The two cheerleaders share stories about the fights they’ve been in over the past few days with a reassuring enthusiasm. They tell you that they were thinking about dragging you along after they had officially tested the waters. They weren’t sure if fight club was your style of chaos or not, but they are excited for you to join. Though you can't help but notice that they are not quite as excited as Hazel. Your friends were surprised that you knew Hazel at all, which makes sense. 
Regardless of being too humble to say it out loud, you are seated atop the throne of the Rockbridge Sapphic Hierarchy. There were queer girls scattered throughout the spectrum based on physical appeal and societal contribution. PJ and Josie are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from you, scraping the bottom of the barrel. Saying that Hazel was somewhere in the middle would be generous, though she by no means falls under the ugly and untalented category like the other founding members of the fight club. Her adorable face and easy going nature score her a lot of points, at least in your book. You do however understand that not everyone sees Hazel the way that you do. You tell Isabel and Brittany how you and this girl, that is so different from you, are neighbors, neglecting to mention the entirety of the situation. 
For the rest of the day you try to prepare yourself for a fight and spending time with Hazel. You are unsure which is the most daunting. After the last bell you take a deep breath before entering the gym. You immediately spot Hazel across the room in the midst of a deep conversation with Josie and PJ. She is still wearing your sweatshirt. You decide to put your stuff down and not interrupt. You barely have time to say hi to Brittany and Isabel before PJ gets everyone’s attention by yelling “alright bitches circle up!” You move quickly so that you can stand next to Hazel before someone else can. You can see her excitement when she tells you “you don’t even know how happy I am to have you here. I’m glad that we are spending time together again.” Your heart is racing from Hazel’s words even more than the anticipated violence. “Alright skanks, let's get started!” PJ screams and steps into the center of the circle. “I’ll go first,” she announces. She paces around the circle a few times before stopping in front of you. 
“Who am I to pass up the opportunity to draw fresh blood?” She asks, looking around at the rest of the group. An anxious lump forms in your throat. Hazel steps in front of you. “I told you she was with me” she practically growls at PJ, who doesn’t even acknowledge Hazel except for a push out of the way so she can get closer to you. The alleged delinquent looks you up and down hungrily. It’s like she can’t decide if she wants to kiss you or inflict pain. 
“I’m sure she can handle herself, isn’t that right sweetheart?” PJ coos. Hazel tries to protest while you are focused on PJ. “Little miss juvie doesn’t scare me. I can take her,” you declare confidently. 
Have you ever called yourself chaotic? No. Have you ever denied allegations of being chaotic? Also no. Do you shy away from chaos? Absolutely not. While Hazel is a true chaotic good you are more of a chaotic neutral. Your ambitions come first and your morality comes second.
You learned the hard way that you could not in fact ‘take’ ‘little miss juvie’. But you weren’t going down without a fight. The experience was exhilarating despite your struggle to hold your own. You make the first move, a simple shove.
“Is that the best you can do?” PJ taunts, disregarding your inexperience, before delivering a punch to your gut in retaliation. You start to double over in pain and PJ’s other fist meets your jaw in an uppercut. You stumble backwards and PJ takes advantage of that, kicking you in the face. You feel the pain seer across your mouth and cheek. “What a shame,” PJ continues taunting, “to defile such a pretty face.” As PJ regains her footing she looks at Hazel and asks “isn’t that right?” Murmured reactions buzz around you. You take PJ’s temporary distraction as an opportunity to dive towards her legs and knock her off her feet. Her head slams against the ground. Before she can take back the upper hand you clamber over her and grab her wrists. PJ has a smug look on her face as you pin her arms to the ground. You glare down at her and say, “I don’t go down so easy. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
You thought you were hot shit for about 10 seconds before PJ admits, “normally I would let a girl as hot as you do whatever she wants to me,” and knees you in the chest before declaring “but not this time.” You crumble to the ground beside her. PJ pulls you up off the ground, onto your knees, by your hair as she rises to her feet. She’s clearly trying to get inside your head as she continues to mock you. “You have overestimated yourself princess.” She circles you like a predator hunting its prey. As you attempt to get up she takes you out at the knees in one swift movement. She approaches and hovers over you. You are expecting a final blow but instead PJ leans in really close like she’s about to kiss you. You lean as far away from her as you can. Nevertheless she continues to get closer. When her lips are about a centimeter away from yours she grabs you by the hand and pulls you to your feet. Everyone applauds, signaling the end of the fight.
“I have to admit babe, I’m pretty impressed. I never thought someone so dignified could also be so scrappy” PJ confesses with a sly smile. “Really?” You scoff, not letting her get inside of your head. 
“Yes. But you’ve got a lot to learn. A pretty girl like you, I’m more than willing to teach you everything I know.” She offers with a wink. You roll your eyes at her. This wasn’t the first time PJ has flirted with you and could only assume that it wouldn’t be the last. Brittany is clearly the girl she has her sight set on but she treats you like a backup plan for when she is inevitably rejected by the very straight, out of her league, cheerleader. Not that you weren’t out of your league. The fact that you were also a lesbian caused her to be bolder than she usually is with others. However, this felt personal and you can’t tell if she wants you or wants to be you. You leave the center of the circle and PJ trades places with Josie, who looks around trying to figure out who she’s going to challenge. 
You take back your spot next to Hazel. She subtly inches towards you. She puts her hand on your shoulder and her lips get close to your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “Are you ok?” She whispers. You give her a nod and she searches your face for something, though you aren’t sure what it is. As she steps away from you she doesn't go far, staying much closer to you than she was originally. Her hand slides down your arm, finding itself in yours. Her hold on you lingers for a moment before she fully lets you go, as if she’s afraid of what might happen when she does. 
There are a lot of fights including a variety of match ups. None of PJ’s other fights get taken to the level that yours did, although she enjoyed getting pinned down by Brittany a little too much. You are very thankful that you only participated in one fight because you are aching all over. Everyone else seems to be handling the pain a lot better than you are. It must be something you get used to. Feeling a little dazed, the longer the meeting goes on, the harder it is to stay on your feet. Once the meeting has concluded the circle disbands and you collect your things. Hazel had taken off your sweatshirt before the meeting to avoid getting any blood on it. She puts it back on and timidly approaches you. “Want to walk out with me?”You just nod your head because your mouth and jaw hurt so much. Your silence seems to make Hazel even more nervous. 
As you push through the doors to exit the gym she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and asks, “so, what did you think?”
You just laugh. “I think I got my shit rocked.”
“I know, I know. But you knew what you were signing yourself up for. You saw me after yesterday's meeting. I will admit that you were at a disadvantage. What I meant was how did it make you feel?” She starts to fidget with her rings, drawing attention to her hands, making you lose your train of thought. Hazel looks at you expectantly and you try to regain your composure as fast as you can. 
“I’m not sure why, but I think it felt… good? I was able to let go of my inhibitions. I felt the pain instead of my feelings.” Hazel playfully punches you in the arm, which is fortunately one of the few places on your body that doesn’t hurt. “Why do you sound so surprised?” She teases “I promised you. Pinky promised. You know that’s practically a blood oath to me.”
“There was definitely blood,” you begin, then mumble “but your promises don’t hold the weight that they used to.” You weren’t sure if you wanted her to hear that or not so you left it up to fate.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hazel questions. She’s not angry, just hurt. Her eyes grow wide with panic. 
“You know exactly what that means,” you snap at her. The fire of all your hurt and resentment burns through the feelings of longing and nostalgia. In rare form, Hazel is at a loss for words. She starts to break out in a sweat. 
“You know what, I am feeling pretty good and I’m not ready to let go of that yet. We are not going to do this right now.” You continue on, leaving her behind. You no longer hear Hazel’s footsteps on the linoleum floors. She’s stopped dead in her tracks. “Please,” she calls after you, her voice strained. 
“Hazel, I told you I’m not doing this right now.” You hear her approaching so you stop and turn around “You’ve been acting like nothing ever happened. Did you think I was just going to forget? Or did you forget because you weren’t the one that got left behind?”
Tears begin to well up in Hazel’s eyes. Her voice cracks as she tries to plead with you, “please, just hear me out, I promise I can explain…” You cut her begging off. “It’s not worth wasting your breath, Hazel. I promise.”
You turn your back on her as tears start to fall from your own eyes. You’re stomping away at first but you can’t get away from her fast enough as your heart breaks all over again. You start to run. It triggers an escalation in your physical pain, but that doesn’t stop you. You are too far into your own head to notice whether or not she is following you.
When you get to your car you throw your bag into the passenger seat and slam the door behind you. You don’t even bother to put on any music. You peel out of the parking lot and drive well above the speed limit while the effects of your injuries continue getting worse. You know that you probably shouldn’t drive like this, but you needed to get the fuck out of there. Once you are parked in your driveway suffering washes over you. Your head falls to the steering wheel and you begin to sob. You had never let yourself cry over Hazel before. Years worth of pain pours out of you, an agony far worse than any physical damage could ever cause. If she had punched you in the face it would at least only have left a temporary mark. There is nothing you can do but let the heartache eat you alive. You have tried to ignore it, but you are in love with Hazel. You wonder if she has any love for at all. If she did, why would she do this to you?
You have no idea how much time has passed when you hear a car pull up next to yours. You turn and see Hazel's car in her driveway. “Fuck!” You scream, balling your fists and pounding on the steering wheel. You sling your bag over your shoulder and make a break for it. You only manage a few steps before your fight catches up to you and you go down. Hard. You hear Hazel coming towards you repeating “oh my god, oh my god, oh my god” until she is knelt down at your side. You turn away so that you don’t have to look at her and she can't see your puffy red face.
“I know that you don’t want anything to do with me, but you need to let me help you.” You can’t stand the effect that she has on you as you weigh your options for a moment. You ultimately end up nodding your head in agreement. You are not sure you could even make it into your house on your own because your head is spinning from the pain and tears. You take a deep breath and turn your head towards her. Hazel’s hands gently move to your face, wiping away your tears and telling you that it’s her turn to take care of you. She puts your bag over her shoulder and wraps her other arm around your waist to help you up. Hazel brings you inside, and helps you get comfortable on the couch. 
“First aid kit?”
“Bathroom. Ice packs are in the freezer.”
It’s been a while but Hazel knows her way around. She rushes around your house and quickly returns with everything she needs. She warns you that she is going to have to get close to you before she kneels down in front of you, settling between your legs. She passes you the ice packs and you put them where you are feeling the most pain. 
“Do you have a hair tie?” She asks. You nod and hold out your wrist. Hazel takes the hair tie and tells you to turn your head. You oblige and she gently pulls your hair away from your face and into a ponytail. You hold your breath the whole time. 
You wince in pain as Hazel attends to your split lip and cheek laceration. That doesn’t stop the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when she touches your face. Your heart nearly stops when her fingers brush over your lips. Once she finishes cleaning you up she sits back on her knees and assures you that you won’t need stitches. You’ve had enough time to calm down so you tell her “you can talk.”
“Are you sure?” Hazel is very hesitant and a little afraid. 
“I’m listening.”
“I want to start off by telling you how sorry I am, and that I only did what I did because I thought that’s what was best for you. I never wanted to hurt you and I thought that letting you go would cause less harm than holding on. I was going through so much and I didn’t want to drag you into it. There were things I couldn’t talk to you about. Couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I had all these feelings… they were so strong… and I didn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t think that you would understand and it felt like I was going to lose you one way or another. So I bit the bullet instead of stringing you along. By the time I came to terms with things it was too late. You had already moved on. You had new friends and popularity. I know now that I was wrong. I was young and stupid and in-“ she pauses for a brief moment and mumbles “in deep.” 
She returns to her previous tone and assures you that “no one has ever been as important to me as you are. You never stopped being important to me. I haven’t gotten close to anyone else because no one could ever replace you. I’ve spent every day since I let you go regretting my decisions but I was also too scared to do anything about it. I hate myself for screwing up my one opportunity to have you back in my life. I’m not asking you to forgive me. All I ask is that you believe me when I tell you that I never meant for any of this to happen and I’m really, truly, sorry.” Hazel is the one crying now. She anxiously waits to hear what you have to say, clearly in distress. You take a moment to collect your thoughts. Your brain is in fight or flight mode, telling you to lash out, but your heart is telling you that it’s time to forgive and forget. So you turn to your intuition.
“I’m not going to forget what happened, but I do believe you. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t missed you” All these years the ‘why’ had cost you countless hours of sleep. You finally have an answer and it gives you a sense of peace. You trust Hazel. Not just because of her history of honesty, but because you know that she is a terrible liar. You needed to get your feelings out, though you should have known you could never stay angry at her. You are hopelessly in love with Hazel Callahan, the girl next door. The tears stop falling from Hazel’s blue eyes and they are filled with a new sense of hope. You reach out to wipe the tears off of her face and she smiles. She throws her arms around you and holds you tight. “I’m never going to do anything like that to you ever again,” she whispers in your ear. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.” You pull away, arms still around her, your faces mere inches apart. A smirk creeps onto your face. “Anything?”
“Yes. Literally anything. Whatever you need and whatever you want. Now that I have you back I’m never letting go again.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
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coldflasher · 6 months
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thinking about how all the deaged fics i've seen have dealt with a young (usually teenaged) leonard snart, fresh out of juvy, mistrustful of authority and adults in general, and crushed under the responsibility of trying to raise an even younger lisa, stealing things and getting into trouble while barry tries to coax him back onto the straight and narrow, and while that's fun, i'd actually love to see a grown leonard snart dealing with a deaged barry.
look at like, 11-12-year-old barry allen, freshly traumatized, bullied, really fucking angry, lashing out at all the adults in his life because no one believes him, running away from home because it's the only kind of rebellion he knows how to do. i genuinely think that'd be such an interesting dynamic because len is actually very good with kids and he'd respect and listen in a way that barry wouldn't be expecting or used to from adults (or anyone, tbf, because everyone thinks he's crazy) but len would also take absolutely no shit from him whatsoever. like. this man raised lisa snart. he can deal with a troubled kid. and you know that for all grown adults barry can be snarky and difficult, young and freshly grieving barry would be SO MUCH WORSE
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ereardon · 10 months
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Bradley Bradshaw masterlist
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Kiss me, it's a mystery, let's figure it out together.
*All of my fics are 18+. Please do not repost my work without consent or steal my work. Reblogs and comments give me life so please do interact if you'd like!
✤: Fluff
❂: Angst
❀: Smut
Full-length series:
❀❂✤ Come Back — Bradley x OC [Maggie Brooms] – Complete
Eight years ago, Bradley Bradshaw was just a college boyfriend who broke your heart. Now, he’s back in your life after a coincidental reunion, and he’s adamant about starting up a friendship. Will it be possible to be just friends with Bradley, or is he inevitably going to end up ruining everything you’ve spent the better part of a decade rebuilding?
❀❂✤ That Summer — Bradley x Reader – Complete
One night during the summer you turned eighteen, you woke up to a surprise. Your father, a retired Navy Admiral, had posted bail for the son of a former colleague who was now orphaned and had gotten himself mixed up with the law. Instead of letting him get lost in the judicial system, your father signed himself up as Bradley Bradshaw’s guardian to prevent him from going to juvie. You were explicitly told to stay away from the boy in the attic room. But as the summer went on, you and Bradley struck up an unlikely friendship that turned into a forbidden relationship. Bradley tipped your world upside down, challenging everything you had once thought you knew. How could the two of you think it would end any differently than it did when your father called the cops the night he found the two of you in bed together?
❀❂✤ Golden Hour — Bradley x Bob x OC [Dr. Olive James]
Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?
Miniseries:
❀❂✤ His Best Friend's Wedding — Bradley x Reader – Complete
Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw has been your best friend for a decade. He’s also your fiancé’s best man. So when he shows up at your hotel room the night before your wedding, it’s just because he’s your friend, right? 
One shots:
❂ Too Far Gone — Bradley x Reader – Complete
Your life changed forever the moment you fell for Bradley Bradshaw. But his life wasn’t an easy one to fit into. He had more baggage than lost and found at JFK airport. You were always one for a fixer upper. Bradley could be your ultimate passion project. But was he too far gone for you to save him? 
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wannaeatramyeon · 1 year
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Do you write for Seo Haesu? even though he hasn't appeared much, that boy really drives me crazy 😭
I literally had to go back and reread some chapters to remember who that guy is. You can see I gave him a lot of thought lol. That boy is a blank canvas to me though. You probably can't tell with the shit I come out with but I do attempt to stay in character (key word is ATTEMPT) and he's too much of a mystery right now. Hey, having a shit imagination isn't a crime >:(
Anyway, have some fresh brainfarts... and thanks for the ask anon!
Some Seo Haesu bs (I can't in good conscience even call these headcanons)
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I swear to god PTJ loves the 'i can fix him' trope.
What you making all these morally grey characters with sad backstories for?
What is there about Haesu? Well for one we know this guy just wants to eat. Hobin shared a meal with him once at that academy and they're bff. Literally the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
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Some parallels with Johan Seong (Lookism). I've seen Haesu described as a cat - definitely true. A stray cat vs a wild pup.
Haesu just wants a decent life, and to eat and sleep. This man is all of us.
Opposite in other ways - he's not reckless or childish and he is perceptive. Haesu is calm and collected, weighing up his options. But nowadays, what he wants he usually gets. Violence has a way of forcing people's hands.
Surprisingly doesn't bite the hand that feeds though, considering Hobin a friend even after the rejection.
IMO, VERY easy to break with kindness (like many of PTJ's fools).
Like I said, he just wants some good fuckin' food. He may have jinho on his side now but old habits die hard. You're just sitting there mid mouthful and this kid steals your food? "Im hungry" Tsk. Look at him in his scrubby clothes and overgrown bangs. You and your stupid weak heart. "Fine - take it. Have more. Are you full yet? Shall I put another order in?"
Or he had some sort of life up to 14, however pitiful it was. Imagine if you and your family were his only escape to whatever dreadful home life he had, kept him clothed and well fed until he's had enough of your charity... And had enough of being a burden. It's easier to go to juvie and that's what he chooses.
In both these instances, it's not that he seeks you out while working under Jinho but he can't figure you out. Nothing in his life is free, and kindness always comes with a hidden agenda - at least in his experience. So what's up with you?
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eisukevint · 7 months
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Amygdala
Pairing: mamoru kishi x reader
Genre: angst
Warnings: tw/domestic violence, cursing, sa, abuse
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a/n: i tried to keep the actual violence parts to a minimum, it can be really triggering! anyways, it was asked by an anon some time ago im so ashamed of myself for doing it so late so here it is. and as always, @hellocupie my favourite proof reader always helps me pull through my writer’s block.
…Nine
You counted mentally as put ointment on your fresh bruises
…Ten
Except, however you turned your legs, a barrage of bright scabs followed your eyes, painted in gorgeous shades of blue and purple.
You flinched as one hurt particularly bad. Putting aside the medical box, you almost stumbled when you got up. Regaining your balance you walked into the bathroom and analyzed your face.
“That bastard’s clever.”
You whispered under your breath as the only thing still safe and free of injuries on your body was your face except for one eye. You couldn’t go down to grab an ice bag. No, absolutely not. That man still would’ve been in the kitchen, drinking and eroding away.
You wanted to be free. There was nothing you wouldn’t give to be steer free of this torture cell that wasn’t even worthy of calling a home.
01:00 a.m.
There was still a timid little child rooted in you somewhere that was afraid of roaming the streets at this hour. All kinds of creeps hung out in the dark streets, especially at this hour of the night. It wasn’t easy sneaking out, but food, however, was still a priority and you hadn’t more than a slice of stale bread in two days.
Pulling your hood up, you walked into the 24 hour convenience store. Strawberry milk and two cups of ramen would do it, right?
You stuffed one cup under your hoodie, hoping the part-timer hadn’t noticed. Reaching the door, you made a dash for it but the guy working in the store caught on to your antics. Before you could even get away you smashed straight into a sturdy chest. Looking up, your eyes connected with grey orbs. You wanted to move back but the part-timer was right behind you.
“I told you I was hungry! I’ve never did this thing in my entire life, please believe me.” Pleading to the cop in the grey suit, you put your hands together in forgiveness, hoping for him to let you go.
“That still doesn’t give you an excuse to shoplift. Tell me either of your parent’s phone numbers if you don’t want to end up in juvy.” The man in grey said as he held you captive. You couldn’t risk your father knowing about this. Starvation won’t be the only cause of your demise if that happened.
“Please, I’m not lying. I haven’t eaten in over two days. All I wanted was some food in my stomach. I’ll never do this again!” Right on cue, your stomach grumbled and you pointed at it to prove your point.
It was at that moment when your hood pulled back a bit when the officer finally got a good look at your face. The purple bruising on the left side of your face definitely wasn’t from a stumbling into a pole, if that was the excuse you were gonna give him.
“What gave you that black eye?” He asked while he sat you on the stool outside the store, the part-timer back at the counter.
Your brain hollowed. Eyes dilated and breathing erratic. He wasn’t supposed to know about this. Not if you wanted a roof over your head. Playing it cool, you dismissed his question,
“That’s none of your business, officer.” You leaned on the table and the bearded man raised an eyebrow.
“I’m an officer of law, kid. It is my business.” He countered.
“Oh yeah? Says who?”
“The law.”
You couldn’t argue with that so you pursed your lips as you saw the faintest ghost of a smirk on his face.
“Wait right here and don’t you dare run away. I’ll still catch you.” He said as he disappeared into the store. You obviously didn’t want to get yourself into more trouble so you waited obediently.
Five minutes later, the man emerged from the store with two cups of your favourite ramen, the one you almost stole earlier, and a carton of choco milk. He placed one in front of you and took his place in the stool opposite to you. It was odd but you wouldn’t turn away free food.
“I wanted strawberry milk...” You said, breaking apart the chopsticks.
The officer slurped his and shot you a glare, “Be grateful. I don’t do this for everyone.” You glared back but continued to eat without further protest.
You made it safely back to your room after bidding goodbye to the officer and evading your father. With a full stomach, you slept well for the first time in weeks.
It has become a part of your daily routine now. You escape out of the house without your father catching on and having late night dinners with Mamoru outside the convenience store. He’d treat you to dinner or buy you little snacks which you initially refused until Mamoru forced them in your hands. You learned his name a week ago when he showed you his police card. In return, he asked yours.
He saw the scabs and scars on your arms and legs every now though except he never asked about them. He had seen enough victims of domestic violence before to figure out what was happening but he didn’t want to pry until you were ready to open up to him and you appreciated that.
You two often argued about him walking you to your house.
“I’m not a kid!” Your nose flared as you glared at him.
“Please, you’re the size of a munchkin. How are you not a kid?” Mamoru folded his arms.
“I’M SIXTEEN, I CAN WALK HOME ALONE.”
“You just proved my point, hence, you can’t go alone. Let’s go.” He grabbed you by the arm and dragged you with him. You eventually gave in and he walked you home from that point, leading to him learning your address. You were more than glad to find that your father wasn’t home nor asleep whenever Mamoru was outside your door.
Mamoru was worried. It had been six days. Six days since your last meet up. He waited late into the night hoping you’d show up but you didn’t. His texts were left on read and calls weren’t being answered. It was possible you were just busy with school work but it had never been this quiet on your end.
You were never open to him actually learning about your family so Mamoru only sought for help through his connections. His assumptions about your bruises hung over his head like a bad omen and he couldn’t shake off the bad feeling.
He found a little sister in the 16 year old that he never had. He had to find out what was going on in that house and if there was any person who was good at infiltration, it was Mitsunari Baba. When Mamoru explained to Baba why he had to go look for a teenager, he was baffled. But Baba had never seen the man look more distressed in all the time he has known him. So Baba took time out of his busy schedule to help the man and his little friend out.
The clock read 11:30, but you couldn’t figure out how long you’ve been lying in the kitchen, blood seeping out from every inch of your body. Your mind kept recalling all the events from an hour ago.
Your pathetic excuse of a father had just gotten home from God knows where. The awful stench of booze could be sensed from a mile away and that was your signal to make your escape. You wish, oh how you wish you hadn’t decided to lay down in the living room for a normal evening for the first time in a while. Before you could run off to the comfort of your room, your father grabbed you roughly by the hair and pulled you towards him.
“Now where are you running off to, huh!?” He uttered with a manic face. You knew what it meant and you wanted nothing more than to stay away from this man.
“You’re just a little whore, a whore like your slut mother who ran off with another dude for some dick!” He struck you across the face as he spat. Clenching your fist, you closed your eyes and endured whatever shit he threw at you.
“Now look at you! You’re running away at nights doing whatever the hell that whore did! The apple doesn’t fall from the tree, I guess. You thought I wouldn’t find out?” Your eyes widened in absolute horror when you heard that. At this point, he had already grabbed the golf club, your body being the recipient of his repetitive strikes.
“Do you get money for it too? You look plumper for someone who barely eats the food she’s given. You ungrateful wench, is the food I put on your plate not enough?”
He struck you in your stomach. You thought of the stale bread and the beer cans in the refrigerator. What food was he talking about?
“...Or do you enjoy getting fucked by men twice your age?”
This time, he aimed for your legs. Your battered and bloodied self could barely hold on to the last of the strength and you ended up collapsing on the wooden floor.
He grabbed the collar of your shirt and yanked you upwards. “You know, whenever I fucked the brains out of your stupid mother, she always stayed home like an obedient bitch. You’re the filth that came out of that shameless slut, it shouldn’t be difficult getting you on the same page.” You tried to lift your hands and swat his hands away when he puts them on your thigh, but failed. You wanted to vomit.
It was too much. You thought of everything that built up to this moment. You thought of Mamoru. You thought of the food he bought you because you were hungry. You thought of the warm hugs he gave you when you felt down. Even though this disgusting man continued his assault on you, you tried to think of the limited happy things in your life so you wouldn’t feel as bad as you leave this miserable life behind.
Baba was prepared to break the window to get in if he had to but he was quite surprised to see the back door of the house unlocked. He expected a shabby house but the state of the house was rather immaculate. His awe was short-lived when he stepped into the living room.
Blood. So much blood, he could hardly believe his eyes.
His eyes widened beyond belief when his gaze landed on you sprawled across the floor. Are you even breathing? He thought as he crouched down to check your pulse so he breathed a sigh of relief when he could hear your silent breathing. It was slow and soft but it was there. Your body was littered with bruises, most of them looked fresh and some, a few days old. He could hear water running somewhere upstairs and he couldn’t let this go on anymore.
Mamoru was devastated when Baba reported everything to him. How could he let something so big like this happen right under his nose? He had so many opportunities to help you, to pry the information out of you. But he resisted it all for your sake, and in the end, all he felt was regret. He had to resist the urge to destroy the man who had done this to you. But right now, his priority was you. Your safety and your well being so he did everything in his power to get you out of that hell.
You could barely make out the scene before you. You peeled your ears open to hear what they were saying but it was all so hazy. People dressed in police uniform were placing handcuffs on your father’s wrists while you felt yourself being carried in someone’s arms. It was a warm embrace and it felt familiar.
What’s going on?
You wanted to ask, but your hazy mind didn’t allow you, and you succumbed to the protection that the arms holding you provided.
When you opened your eyes, Mamoru was the last person you had expected to see in front of you. A nurse tended to all of your injuries, the injuries that your rotten father had cruelly inflicted on you. Mamoru was speaking with someone but this time you could make out some of the words they were saying.
Once the nurse was done treating you, Mamoru walked up to you. You didn’t mean to, but you unintentionally flinched. You didn’t want him to see you in this state. He understood that but it was all he needed in order to reassure himself that you were alright. You were okay, alive and breathing so he hugged you with all his might until you had to smack his arm to push him away.
He ended up telling you about how he got a call from your neighbour, a neighbour you don’t remember having, hearing thrashing noises from your house and immediately reported it to the police the moment he saw you lying in the lounge when he decided to check it out. Baba’s disguise had worked yet again and he was more delighted than anyone that his skills had actually saved someone’s life this time.
You were still terrified.
Years and years worth of abuse you had to endure had just come to an end and your brain could not keep up. What if he came after you? What if all of this was just one of the delusions you had cooked up when you had tried imagining yourself in a much better life? Your thoughts were quickly pulling you into that dark place again but Mamoru was there to drag you away from the pit of darkness you were living in. He believed he could and you allowed him to. You had just come to love him as an older brother, someone you could rely on so when you heard him utter the words ‘everything will be okay’ for the first time in years, you let your tears fall freely.
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A new side of you: Waltz of emotions
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Pairing: Eugene 'Flash' Thompson x reader
Summary: Surprised, again and again.
Warning: 13k words, Tension, tension, tension, angst, a bit of fluff, OCs, don't know what else to warn you about.
A/N: I feel like this is standard by now but sorry again for being such a slow writer, I hope the fic is enough to be forgiven for my usual tardiness. Might have edited but I'm not a native speaker so get ready for plenty of mistakes, enjoy!
Tags: (Don't hesitate to tell me if you want to be added or removed, and thank you again for your feebacks ❤️) @loxerclu8 @wheelerzluv @ray-of-sunrise @m00nkn1ghts
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People's view of the costume is accurate. The fabric is thin and flexible but unfortunately, it is quite a cold way to fight crimes during the chilly nights of New York.
"That was awesome! I wonder if it'll end up on the internet?"
"I doubt it. If it does end up there it'll be out of frame and shaky. The police were quite insistent when they were shoving people to safety," I say feeling the breeze as I swing around at full speed.
Landing with a huff I realize I'm out of breath, "Ned." I pant, "Remind me to get a custom binder, this one is killing me."
"I told you! You can't just buy any binder from the internet. It's like corsets, of course they are uncomfortable if they are not tailored for you!"
Your vendetta against Hollywood has reached another level," I say taking another deep breath.
With a leap I swing from the American Museum of Natural History and land on a school's rooftop.
A buzz makes me pause and crouch to check my phone and see a second call coming in from May.
"I got to go May is on the other line."
"Okay, 'night."
"'Night."
Swiping on my phone I wait for the inevitable.
"Where are you?!"
I try to defuse the damage as I look around, "I am at the park close to the flat," I draw out slowly.
"…Which park?"
"Do not tell me you're close to Central Park which is on the other side of the city."
"Okay, I won't say it."
"Damnit! you know I don't want you farther than Long Island at night!"
"I know, I know!" I whine, "But there was this guy with a huge Scorpion armor and he was doing mass destruction! The police couldn't do it alone they needed help!" I protest.
"Before being Spiderman you're my niece and my niece will obey the very few rules I put in place for her safety."
"Don't you think the fact that I can knock out people 3 times my size should allow me a bit of indulgence on those rules?"
"No young lady I read a ton of books on this and I know how this ends."
"How?" I ask curiously.
"Mostly teen pregnancy."
"Wow! Okay let's not be dramatic now, shall we?"
"And juvie," May continues her list.
"May I fight crimes, I don't commit it."
"Listen we have a system and it works, I don't get sarcastic with my boss and you don't go farther than Long Island past 11 PM."
"In retrospect, I think we should've thought harder on those rules."
"Too late, the system works and it's flawless. Now swing your ass back home before Spiderman gets grounded."
"Yes ma'am."
"Love you," she says smugly.
The line dies and I breathe out the annoyance I feel to then breathe in the fresh evening air.
Tearing off my mask I try to crack my neck and let it hang down to massage and release the night's tension when my eyes catch a familiar sigh.
Flash?
He sits on a bench with his phone in hand looking perplexed.
It's been a week since we last saw each other, or even talked. I didn't want to bother him and I have the feeling it's the same for him.
I look down at my wrist and fumble with the different settings before I find and activate the voice modificator.
Swinging down, I drop on the cemented ground and accidentally startle him as he jumps and stumbles to the floor.
"Oh shit, sorry I didn't mean to scare you," I say genuinely with my voice coming out deeper thanks to the device.
Stumbling around to step back up, Flash looks at Spiderman with wide eyes and his jaw on the floor.
A torrent of curses comes out of his mouth along with an excited laugh of disbelief.
"I can't believe it, it's you!" he says and motions to me up and down.
"Oh yeah, it's me!" I say rethinking my decision to offer guidance disguised as Spiderman in front of Flash Thompson.
"Oh my god I was having such a bad night and now I'm talking to Spiderman!"
"Yeah, that's awesome! Listen, I saw you from up there and you looked troubled and honestly a bit underdressed," I point to his light shirt.
"Oh yeah," he says more calmly looking down at his outfit, "I just needed to take a walk to think about-"
He hesitates.
"No that's not important."
"No way, tell me, that's why I came down here," I say sitting on the bench inviting him to join me.
It's not the first time that Spiderman has a sit-down with someone in distress; words being as useful as a handful of punches.
He sighs and sits down, "There's this um-Charity thing and my mom told me I had to bring a date and I told her I would but let's say it's easier said than done."
"Why's that? Having trouble finding a date?" I tease.
"No," he chuckles, "No actually I already know who I want to invite, but I don't know if she would say yes, and even then I don't really know where we stand. Inviting her could compromise everything," he says sliding his hands down his face with a pained sigh.
Is it me?
Who am I kidding? It's not because we kissed once that I'm his only date choice.
"Alright, so you have an idea. Why not ask her?"
"Because she could say no and I really do not want to have the conversation that would follow after that."
"What conversation?"
"You know the conversation!" he shouts full of frustration as he stands up from the bench, "The one a girl gives you when she's not interested in you. The one that goes 'It's not you, it's me' or the 'We're just friends' except in this case I'm not even sure we're friends to begin with!" he finishes his rant pacing left and right.
"That seems complicated," is the only thing I can say after a few moments of tense silence.
"Yeah and also what kind of date would be a charity event?"
"A date?" I choke out.
"I just-I've always been good at reading people, I know whether they hate me or they tolerate me. But recently it's been hard to read her."
I listen silently nodding my head from time to time.
"Before, she just rolled her eyes or would just snap back at me but now she listens to me and she worries about me and I just-I like being around her. I just worry it is all just a front and she's simply gonna drop me or tell me we're not actually friends and she just had pity on me and took me for some sort of charity case."
He finishes sitting back down his head in his hands.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have kissed her." he groans.
I'm thankful for the mask covering my flushed face.
So it is about me.
It couldn't be anyone else. Flash Thompson is a lot of things. Sometimes an idiot, an asshole, even a jerk at times but what everyone always seems to agree on is that Flash Thompson is no player.
"You could always invite her as a friend," I loudly blur out after an awkward pause.
Flash frowns.
"You ask her to be your date and you precise it's as friends," I precise my thought.
"I guess I could try but what if she says no?"
"Well, best case scenario she says yes and you do have a friend. Or worst case scenario, she does pity you and says yes allowing you to hang out with her and convince her to see you as more than that."
He stays silent staring out into the void before snatching his phone out of his pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling her right now before I chicken out."
Oh shit!
"Wow! Hey there how about we think about it before we make any rash decision," I say standing up from the bench in a hurry.
"What do you mean? you just told me to ask her."
"Listen," I panic and rack my brain for any last-second plan, "Here's what I propose. You walk back home and think about what you're gonna say to her on the way there, and then you call her once you get there."
He pauses, "Yeah okay, that makes sense."
A buzz startles me and reminds me of my curfew.
Trying to stay calm I hurriedly try to bid my goodbyes.
"O-Okay well, I got to go. Hope it works out for you!" I say carefully stepping backward, "As for me I'm expected somewhere so I'm gonna head there!"
"Oh yeah for sure. That's crazy man, I've always wanted to meet you, and now that it's the case you've just helped me!"
He looks back down at his phone's contact and slowly takes a few steps back nodding to me as a goodbye.
"You know what they say. I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, emotionally and physically!" I shout jogging back.
When I'm sure he's far enough, I leap into the air and swing away.
"Wait! Can we take a picture-?!" his demand fades as I shoot my next web.
Answering the phone I reassure May I'm on my way and get a few more calls from Flash that I cannot answer.
The last swing sends me to my bedroom window with a thud as I slide the glass panel up and throw my phone in first before climbing inside in a hurry as my cell buzzes again.
"Is that you?!"
"Yeah, I'm home!" I say sliding my mask off before trying to unzip my suit as I stomp around attempting to slip out of the gear.
Jumping on one foot I try to snatch the blue and red material off my feet and trip falling on the cool wooded floor.
"What was that?"
May's panicked tone and the incessant buzz coming from my phone is overwhelming.
Out of breath and my head still on the floor, I raise my hand and blindly pat around my covers before they brush against the device.
I sit myself up with a grunt and bring the phone to my ear.
"Hi!" I say enthusiast and breathless.
"Hi," he answers back abruptly.
"Everything okay?" I ask dipping my elbow amongst my blanket and burying my hand in my hair to ground it.
"Yeah!" he says back quickly with a lighter tone, "Sorry I just thought I would end up leaving a voicemail and now I just don't remember what it is that I wanted to say," he awkwardly confesses.
"Oh yeah sorry about that I was taking a shower," I skillfully lie.
"You often run out of breath after a shower?"
"No! it's just, I left my phone in my room and I heard it in the shower and started panicking the third time it rang I thought something horrible happened," I spew out.
I'm getting really good at this.
"Oh crap, my bad I didn't think it would-" he sighs, "Of course you would think that, I shouldn't have called at this hour I'm sorry I didn't think."
"No! Really it's nothing. What did you call about?"
Silence on the other line. I let it run until I start thinking he must've hung up and asks if he's still there.
"Yeah um, okay so here I go. There's this charity event that happens like every year and it's kind of badly seen to go alone."
My heart speeds up and hammers against my ribcage. It feels like my blood skyrockets through my body leaving an ice-cold feeling behind that gives me chills. This feeling gets stuck in my throat making me believe I'm struggling to breathe.
"And you'd like me to be your plus one?" I attempt to finish the sentence for him.
"Not like a date or anything like that! More like as…friends?" he ends his sentence with hesitation.
Leave the blood impression right now it feels like I was punched in the guts as the air escapes my lungs in a swift.
"Friends?" I repeat meekly to make sure he is comfortable with the term.
"Yeah if you're up to it?" he asks anxiously in return.
I feel frozen for a moment before my eyes are drawn to my wardrobe.
"Yeah of course. I'd love to go with you," I say putting my phone on speaker before laying it down on my bed.
Standing up with a grunt and newfound confidence, I skip to my closet and push stuff back and forth.
"So what type of event is it exactly?"
"Well, it's a charity but it's a charity on the Upper East Side so…there's going to be a lot of snobby people," he says with an awkward chuckle, avoiding talking about our apparent new friendship.
"So," I draw out, "Dressed up."
"Yup," he confirms.
I sigh pushing a few hangers back, "Well I don't think they'd be much impressed with me," I chuckle embarrassed, "When is the event exactly? Maybe I could go grab something that won't cause a public humiliation," I chuckle throwing yet another hanger back with a huge cling.
"That's where you hate me," he says with a pained voice.
Frowning I look at my phone still lying on my bed.
"The event is tomorrow."
My eyes bulge. I don't feel angry, I'm more surprised than anything else.
"Oh, so that really was a last-minute decision to invite me," I try to say light-heartedly.
'Actually, I already know who I want to invite.'
"It wasn't," he replies softly.
I'm getting better at making him open up. A fact that makes me smile, but I realize that I can't push my luck at the risk of going too far and having him close back up in a blink.
Trying to brush off his confession I decide to joke.
"You know Flash, when people invite you to events they tell you days beforehand," I laugh, "Now I don't even have anything worth wearing to your fancy charity!"
"I'm sorry."
"No I'm not mad it's just-I don't want to walk in with a summer dress on," I chuckle trying to reassure him, "And it takes more than a few hours of shopping to find a dress that looks expensive but is not."
"You don't own a black dress?" he asks confused.
"No."
"Not to generalize but I'm ready to bet every girl owns at least one plain black dress."
"I mean I do but it doesn't fit me anymore," I say putting the black dress at least three times too small against my much-grown self.
After a few moments of silence, I start thinking the invitation is gonna be retracted.
"I might have a solution."
"What is it?"
"Can't tell you."
"And why is that?" I frown trying to conceal my offense with a teasing tone.
"Can't tell you either."
"I'm not liking this."
The other line stays silent for a moment.
"Does that mean you don't want to come anymore?"
"No, that's not what I said," I clear up.
"Good, I'll take care of it, and thank you again. Would you like me to pick you up? Tomorrow I mean."
"Oh no, thank you but I'm sure I can find my way around."
"Okay," I wouldn't bet on it but I think I hear the hint of a smile in his words.
"Hum, when does it start? When do I have to arrive exactly?"
"Oh well you know, there is no designated time but people generally arrive later and leave earlier so no pressure."
"Okay so let's say around 9 PM? How does that sound?"
"Awesome."
"Cool," I smile.
I look around my room sheepishly waiting for a goodbye or any other signs he would like to continue the conversation.
Walking to my bed I spin around and let my ankle bump into my bed's rail letting myself fall back on my covers.
"Cool," he repeats.
"Cool," I reiterate chuckling.
"Thanks again, really."
"It's no big deal I'm sure I'm gonna have fun anyways," I say with a smile.
"Well you know it's a charity event so people are gonna do a LOT of talking."
"Why are you making it sound bad," I chuckle.
"I wouldn't say bad, I'd say boring," he says nonchalantly.
"I think I can handle boring for a night."
"I'll take you on that one," he says almost as a challenge.
My door creaks open and May's frown makes my smile drop.
"Hum I'm sorry but I have to go, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
"Bye."
When the line goes silent I awkwardly sit up waiting for a scolding or a rant or anything else.
"So?" she asks with her brows raised.
I know she's waiting for an explanation but the news is too important, "I might've been invited to an event tomorrow."
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The warmth is too much and in the heat, I throw my cover to the side with the help of my feet to turn around and try to go back to sleep in my haze.
Having opened my blinds and window during the heated night to let in the fresh breeze, the sunlight shines through and highlights my cluttered mess of a bedroom.
The usual New York rumble is accompanied by a merry voice.
"Wakey wakey night owl!"
"May," I whine sleepily, "It's the last days of summer, can't you let me oversleep?"
"Nope because you have a package and I've been trying to guess what's in it for about twenty minutes now."
"Huh?" I say with a hoarse voice.
"Come on, stand up!"
"I don't remember buying anything," I try to reason.
"And I don't remember buying anything either so come on up, up!" she says jumping up and down.
Sliding off my bed a box is thrown onto it. A huge white rectangular box closed and flattered by a black bow wrapped around it like a Christmas present.
I groan.
"I know what it is."
"What?"
"I have nothing to wear for the charity and Flash proposed to help but I thought it would just be a quick drop off not…that," I say with a gesture to the box.
"How nice."
"I guess but I'm uncomfortable getting a dress from him. If it wasn't so last minute I would've bought one for myself but-"
"Didn't you say it was a fancy event?"
"Yeah?" I answer not getting her point.
"Rich people smell a fraud it's better if he's the one dressing you up for tonight."
"Dressing me," I bark a laugh, "Flash would not dress me, maybe his mom helped or-"
I'm cut off by the phone going off in the other room.
As May walks out to reach it I admire the simplicity yet classiness of the box. I smile as I fidget with the bow before tugging on it and letting it loose.
Half-listening to May's phone call I push off the ribbon and lift the lid.
"Holy fuck!"
I throw the lid back on top of the box the corner not fitting back properly and let it slide aside.
"I'll call you right back-what?! What happened?!" May says in a hurry with the phone still glued to her ear.
I face her with my back turned away from my bed where the dress is sitting, "I can't wear that."
"Can't wear what?" she asks walking to my bed and opening the box back.
"Oh wow."
"I know."
"This is gorgeous."
"I know, I can't wear that."
"Wait-why not?"
“It’s too much. It’s the kind of dress you wear to attract attention, not just to walk around at a charity event,” I spit out at full speed as May puts the phone back to her ear and asks the person who is on the other line and who has not bothered to hang up to come forward and open the front door which is not locked.
"I think you're overreacting a little bit. It's just a pretty dress."
Listening to her I gather up the courage to turn back around and have another look at the black glittery dress.
"It's too much! He told me it's an event full of snobby rich people and you know what's gonna happen if I wear this around snobby rich people?"
May straightens up and takes a posh accent, "What a promiscuous little lady you are," she scolds before laughing.
"I'm serious!" I whine taking the dress out of the box.
The dress's length reaches the ground and the long sleeves hang loose. As the front of the dress faces Aunt May, the back view horrifies me.
I choke on my gasp and swiftly turn the dress around.
At the view of the open back of the dress May's eyes match mine as they widen like sausages.
"Oh wow now that's promiscuous," she says with no accent or tease this time.
"What was he thinking?!"
"Nothing. I doubt Flash handpicked this dress himself," she speculates feeling the fabric of the dress.
Her observation is followed by the front door shutting and a voice calling out to May.
"We're in here Happy!"
With a frown, I watch as Happy Hogan appears at the threshold of my bedroom.
"What is he doing here?" I question as I point to him with the dress still in my hands.
"Your aunt said you're going out tonight and she didn't want to stay alone so I proposed to stay with her," he says all the while analyzing the dress up and down before pointing to it, "Where did you get that?"
"It's a gift," May explains.
"No! No no no no no, it's temporary, a temporary borrowed and very expensive looking dress."
"Not just looking," Happy informs me.
My body proves that it is in fact possible to get even more tense.
"What do you mean by that exactly?" I ask with a meek voice.
Seeing my distressed face Happy makes eye contact with May, gauging the situation.
"Well I mean," he draws out walking up to me and grabbing the dress raising it to examine the fabric, "It looks like the kind of dress Tony makes me pick up for Pepper so I figured-"
"Oh my god!" I shout throwing the dress back on my bed.
I walk to my nightstand and reach for my phone.
"What are you doing?" May ask.
"I'm canceling," I say hurriedly.
"What? No!" she protests.
Flash's number is already dialed and the phone is placed at my ear as I shoo both of them out of my room.
Hurrying May out I close the door as the fourth dial rings in my ear.
Somehow the sound of his voice allows me to breathe out.
"Hey, what is it?"
"What the fuck Flash!"
The warmth leaves his voice and worry takes its place, "What is it?"
"The dress!"
"What? what's wrong with it, you don't like it?"
"It's too much!" I exclaim.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry."
"What were you thinking?" I said feeling a little guilty knowing he couldn't have guessed that I wouldn't like the dress.
"Hey in my defense I didn't choose the dress."
"Then who did?!"
"Well I wasn't sure so I kinda asked Lea to choose," he hesitates to say.
My brain freezes and a headache is right around the corner, "Wait, isn't she supposed to be on her honeymoon?" I ask pinching my nose and scrunching my eyes closed.
"She was but she's a big part of the charity so she is flying back for tonight and is gonna finish her honeymoon here in New York."
"Oh and so you let her choose a dress for me not thinking that our way of dressing up might be way different?" I ask incredulously.
"You make it sound bad."
"It is Flash!" I shout hyperventilating, "She's a model and this type of dress is made for the runway, not charity, and not on me."
"Wait so the problem is that it doesn't fit?"
"No!" I groan falling back on my bed beside the same dress that is making me break down.
"I'm sorry but I'm having a hard time understanding the problem right now, do you hate the dress is that what it is?"
"No, I don't hate the dress," I say.
It's true I like the dress, it's a pretty dress.
"Have you tried it on?"
I pause and answer 'no' in a tone that says it should be obvious to him that I would never try on a brand-name dress.
"So what's the issue exactly? You don't dislike the dress and you haven't tried it on so you can't complain that it doesn't fit, so what's up?"
"It's not a normal dress," I explain as a matter of fact.
"A normal dress?" I can hear the tease in his tone.
"Yes, a normal dress." I reiterate.
"And what is a normal dress exactly?"
"A dress that doesn't look like it was made in a studio in a fancy part of Beverly Hills!"
"Okay, I understand, Lea has a particular style."
"And Lea knows how to walk around with people's eyes on her!" I shout convinced that he now understands my point of view, "I just-" I sigh, "I don't want to walk in there and have people looking at me and judging me, especially rich snobby people."
"Oh if that's what scares you I can reassure you right now and tell you that no one will pay you any attention."
"You haven't seen the dress," I say as a matter of fact.
"No, but I can tell you that standing beside me as my da-my plus one, everyone will obviously be too busy admiring me to be paying you any mind."
I snort and try to muffle the noise by cupping my mouth but the unflattering cackle reaches the other end of the phone.
I know he's reassured now that I laughed but it doesn't erase my worry.
I calm down and weigh my request before verbalizing it.
"Could you drive me to the event?" I decided to just come out with it hoping for the best.
"What happened to taking the bus?" He asks genuinely.
"Again, you haven't seen the dress and I'd rather not travel around Queens dressed to the nines. I just want to be safe, you know?"
I know that my safety isn't at risk but dressed like that, a judging stare would be as dreadful as a wandering hand.
I can't hear him but I'm certain he nods agreeing with me.
"Well, it would be an honor to be your knight in shining armor for the night knowing you're actually my savior," he jokes, "But sadly there isn't any carriage available so we will have to settle for my car, I hope that's alright."
"Oh what a shame, I expected nothing less than the fanciest vehicle," I chuckle.
"Sorry Cinderella but fairy godmother only managed to get the dress."
"And I still wonder how she managed to do that," I say turning on my side and feeling the fabric.
"That's a secret…Try the dress on and call me back to tell me how it fits. Or better yet text me, It's kind of crazy around here today."
It is only now that I realize there is noise around him, a lot of noise and that makes me gather that he must already be over there helping to set everything up and I'm here having a meltdown and calling him having a tantrum about a dress.
"I'm so sorry I didn't, I mean if I knew you were busy I would've-"
"No no, it's alright really-" He tries to chime in.
"No I mean you're probably busy, I can't believe I didn't think of that-" I ramble before he cuts me off.
"No really, you're a life-savor Parker. Those events are old-fashioned and you're like forced to have someone with you and I really didn't want to spend my entire night answering the same question over and over again-"
It's his turn to ramble and I find myself listening on liking the idea of him opening up to me.
It is not every day that I get to listen to Flash Thompson ramble, let alone to me.
"It's annoying when people crowd you and ask why you don't have a date with you and they end up dissecting what must be wrong with you to not have a girl on your arm."
"Sounds annoying."
"It is. Sometimes I manage to avoid that kind of event but for this one my family is in charge so," He finishes dragging his word.
"You are forced to participate."
He confirms and gets interrupted by another voice. I frown trying to listen and make up a bit of the conversation going on before he comes back to the line with a sigh.
"I'm sorry it's a bit crazy right now. My mom always goes nuts the day of these events," he says as I can hear Mme.Thompson shouting in the back.
"Okay, that's my cue. Try the dress on and text me okay?"
"Sure," I say with a smile.
"Bye," he says along with another sentence that I cannot decipher, presumably aimed at someone else before the line dies and I'm left lying on my bed retracing the conversation.
I look at the dress once more. The sparkles look more and more inviting instead of revolting and I stand back up fixing myself before I open the door to face both May and Happy.
Making awkward eye contact I see that they are half bent toward my door before they stand straight up and cough to ease the tension.
After a moment of silence where my gaze is enough judgment, I speak up and ask for help.
"Can you help me do my hair?"
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Meddling with the final strand of my hair May stands back to admire her work as I add the final touch to my makeup applying the red lipstick with precision.
Closing the cap I stand up and have an overall look at myself as May squeals and hands me my jacket. She asks a few more questions when I head to the door and check if I have everything I need placed in the pouch she lent me for the night.
My brain barely has time to register the questions before I hum and give a half-assed answer as I put my jacket on and try to exit the apartment.
I turn around to hear her give me rule after rule for the night.
"Flash drives you to the event, you stay at this event," she points out referring to the birthday incident where the only reason I wasn't grounded was the fact that my exit saved me from a potential wound from the blowout of fireworks.
"You have your fun and you come home at 1 AM. Not 2, not 3, 1 AM, got it?"
I nod.
"And Flash drives you back, no one else, Flash."
"Yes," I say a bit exasperated.
"And you stay glued to him all night."
"Yes, Aunt May I promise! Can I go now he's waiting for me outside," I lie.
He's not waiting for me outside, as a matter of fact I haven't even sent him a message informing him I'm ready for him to pick me up.
"Okay be careful-And text me both when you arrive and when you're coming home."
I nod at her as I walk backward to the elevator and watch as she smiles before closing the apartment door. I huff loudly and turn around to look down to my phone texting Flash that I'm ready and will be waiting for him outside.
It's when I'm halfway down the elevator that my phone rings.
"Yes?"
"Hey, I just got your text and huh," he draws out.
I don't answer and just let him bask in the silence of the line.
"I'm sorry things were crazy. I'm just now getting ready."
"Wait you're getting ready?! Then when are you coming to pick me up?" I ask walking out of the elevator and pushing the door of the apartment building open letting the New York ambiance bask me in its hurriedness.
The breeze reaches me and I rub my arm getting used to the weather slipping up the back of my jacket and biting at my open back when I notice a…no way.
"Flash what did you do?"
"What-what do you mean what did I do?" he stutters.
"I mean why is there a guy looking at me waiting by a car that looks like it's worth more than the neighborhood," my question is more of a statement.
I hear him curse under his breath.
"I'm really sorry. She told me she would be subtle."
"Who?" I ask taking my eyes off the supposed driver.
"My mom. I told her I had to come to get you but she still needed me around so I insisted and even said I'd call you to push back our meeting but she said it would be disrespectful and that she would send someone."
I stay silent processing all of it.
"I'm sorry I wanted to call and tell you but I just got to my room."
I look back up to the driver and make eye contact before we exchange hasty smiles.
I sigh thinking of this all over walking down the stairs one by one slowly.
"Okay, I guess it wasn't really in your power. But you better be here when I arrive I will not show up and walk around alone." I say firmly.
"Of course," he says in all seriousness.
Telling him I'll see him soon, I hang up and focus my gaze on the driver as I approach him.
"Miss Parker?"
I nod before confirming my identity verbally.
He then motions to the car before opening the door and gesturing for me to step in.
When it clicks shut I am left with the silence of the empty vehicle.
As the buildings go by and I get closer to the venue my stress level rises and I start fidgeting and falling into a cycle of grabbing my phone, second-guessing texting Flash, and then abandoning the idea and letting my body fill up with more anxiety.
The arrival doesn't stop that nagging feeling that causes goosebumps to rush down my spine, that or the wind nipping at my back through my coat.
Walking up the stairs my nerves run wild through my body as my legs shake walking up the stairs.
Reaching the top, I make eye contact with a man standing in front of the doors. Approaching him carefully, I struggle to find my voice and I am cut off in my stutter as he guesses my last name.
Confused, I confirm his guess and my frown must ring a bell for him as he turns to the door, "I was informed that one of Mme.Thompson's guests would arrive alone and I'm guessing it's you," he says as he buzzes me in.
I nod to him as a thank you and continue to walk ahead this time on a soft and long red carpet instead of stone.
The voices, which were mere mumbles turn into booming voices coming from every corner of the room and my coat is starting to make me sweat reminding me that I'll have to discard it soon.
The thought makes me sweat even more.
Like fate, my eyes scan my surroundings and immediately fall on him standing in front of the counter right beside Lea.
He's fidgety and I see Lea receiving a glass of alcohol before making eye contact with me as she nods in my direction.
I feel hands on my shoulders and jolt stepping aside to see who touched me. I see a man who stumbles back apologizing and realize he is trying to gather my coat to let me join the crowd and a cold sweat replaces the regular sweat.
As the fabric leaves my shoulder my voice stays stuck in my throat and instead, a small squeak manages to slither out.
Still looking for my voice, I turn to him walking away with my coat.
I'm left standing there helpless.
When I see the man disappear I turn back to my previous position to look back at Flash when I see him getting hit behind the head and scolded by Lea. I also notice the glass now empty on the counter as I hear his voice more distinctly dismissing Lea with a 'Whatever' as he rushes to my side.
"He took my jacket," I husher panicked but still trying to be subtle.
"I'm sorry," he says sincerely taking off his jacket.
"I feel naked," I whisper.
"I'm so sorry," he reiters putting his jacket on my shoulders before ushering me to walk ahead leading us towards Lea at the bar.
His hand is placed on my back flaring shiver with the new sensation of his hand on my back, or maybe it is just the fresh jacket on me?
My brain focuses back and sets on Lea greeting me.
With her asking how I've been I let my hand play with the jacket and nod along with the conversation. Flash himself messes with the blazer by first securing it over my shoulder and then playing with the sleeves that hang loosely.
When my mind stops fixating on him, I blink in surprise when my ears register an apology coming from Lea about the dress. I try to protest and instead thank her for the last-minute save when Flash's mother appears to join and inform us that we need to scatter around.
I stand clueless for a moment before I feel his hand on my back gently pushing me to walk alongside him.
Led around once more I decide to stop being dragged around like a clueless puppet and tug the hand placed on my back to entertwine our arms and walk together instead of letting him direct me around.
I don't talk much. I mostly nod and answer small questions here and there.
The evening runs along pretty smoothly as each interaction the two of us have only lasts few minutes before Flash skillfully finds a way to bid our goodbyes and walk us to yet another couple beckoning us over.
"Oh no."
"What is it?" I ask him trying to glance in the direction he was looking at to see an older lady standing there motioning us to join her.
"That's Garret's grandmother."
"And she's a mean old lady," I deduct.
"No worse, she's a passive-aggressive bitch."
I'm taken aback by his name-calling and look back at the woman waiting impatiently for us.
"I think she's waiting for us," I suggest.
"Okay, don't talk and stay close to me," he instructs.
"You mean like I've been doing for the past hour and a half?"
My teasing provokes a smile to appear on his face for a moment but it quickly disappears when his head turns back to the lady as he walks us toward her.
I hug his arm getting closer to him as he uses his opposite hand and brings it to our linked arms as a sort of comfort I'm guessing.
"Eugene," she beckons us over with a honeyed voice.
Her mask falls for a moment and I can see a glimpse of irritation before, like any other influential figure, she morphs her face into a more pleased expression.
"Madam Pennington," Flash says with an edge.
I first think that his tone might've been hesitation, but that changes when the woman gets that sour look back on her face and I realize his tone is subtly bitter.
Without trying, my brain does the math in a matter of seconds and I realize that if Flash refers to her with another last name than Garret's it must mean she is divorced.
She makes eye contact with me as my face must've shown that I figured Flash's comment out and her burning stare drives me to get closer to him for protection.
He clears his throat driving her murderous stare back to him as I abandon the idea of nodding along to their conversation and instead subtly look around the room.
The buffet, the people, anything other than the two of them.
"My grandson seems to be upset. When I tried talking to him about it he refused to speak but I did overhear that you two fought over a girl," she ends her sentence looking at me up and down.
"And by overhear you mean that you snooped around against your grandson's wish," his argument is aimed not only at defending himself but McCoy's privacy as well which surprises me.
"Excuse you?"
Her voice getting louder I notice McCoy himself standing just a few feet away from us looking at his grandmother about to blow a fuse and I decide to diffuse the tension.
"I believe your grandson is looking for you," I say nodding toward him standing there frozen, "And Flash your mother is looking for us over there."
Pushing him into motion I look back to see Garret approaching his grandmother but decide to not dwell on the talk they're about to have.
"Are you okay?" I ask as we hurry away from them.
He doesn't answer and just nods with a hum. He does however ask where his mother is and that's when I frown.
"You know I made it up so we could flee the conflict, right?"
He stops in his tracks before turning to me and I can see the gears turning in his head.
"Oh, yeah."
We keep eye contact and it must take a toll on him because he then avoids my stare and decides to look forward, all stiff.
I'm guessing the only reason he doesn't flee is the fact that our arms are still tangled together but I don't want to let go.
Maybe it's selfish but since the last time we talked, or more precisely the last we talked and I was not in gear, he ran away and ghosted me.
I want an explanation.
"This place is beautiful," I say looking around at the structure trying to pry a conversation out of him.
"I have something to tell you."
His tone is particular and I can't make out if he's hopeful or desperate.
My own tone embarrasses me as I egg him on full of anticipation.
"There's this type of dance and-" he cuts himself off and stares behind us.
Turning around, I spot McCoy staring right back at him.
"Not again," I hear him say under his breath.
I want to ask him if he's gonna be okay or if he'd like me to stay with him to talk to Garret but he shakes my hands off his arm and grabs it before taking off in the direction of the stairs.
"Come on follow me."
I can only let out a small squeal of surprise before catching up with his footing as the previous noisy venu dies down when we reach the second floor.
Once up there he doesn't stop and continues to sprint down the hall before taking a turn and tugging me to a corner away from McCoy.
My back is placed against the wall and I rearrange the jacket on my shoulders as I see Flash look around the corner to see if Garret is following us.
I suppose he gave up the idea as Flash visibly relaxes and turns back to me.
The proximity reminds me of that night at the laser game and the sudden look on his face tells me he must reminisce as well.
He knows that I know what we're both thinking about because we avoid eye contact and I let my eyes bounce between the multiple decors as a decoy.
"This place is beautiful. I wonder what it would feel to go to sleep in a place like that," I try to deflect from the tension.
"It's like any other place, you go to bed and you fall asleep," he brushes off trying to avoid the tension as well.
The simple statement makes me turn back to him and make eye contact as the realization slowly sets in.
"No."
"No, what?" he frowns.
"You slept here before?" my question sounds more like a statement.
"Yeah."
"But you live like 20 minutes away."
"Oh so now you know where I live Parker?"
My eyes widen at his insinuation.
I'm not a stalker!
"Well after you pointed out that I didn't know where you lived I was curious. If anything you're the one who told me I should know where you lived."
"Yeah and by that I meant coming over not googling my address."
"I did not Google your address!" I lie, "You're making me look bad!"
My restlessness makes him laugh.
Still chuckling he points ahead silently asking me to follow him.
"It's more of a tradition. My mom wants us to stay and sleep here every year," he says walking peacefully beside me.
It's a change compared to his erratic running just a few minutes ago.
"So you also slept at the fairytale mansion?"
"Fairytale mansion?"
"Yeah, the one where Lea got married."
Confused, it takes him a few seconds before his frown disappears and his mouth opens with an 'Oh'.
"Yeah," he simply says opening a door as I stand here frozen.
I know he probably wants me to enter but I'm confused and look at him waiting for an explanation.
He doesn't answer and instead walks inside reaching the other side of the bed to retrieve something.
With hesitation, I take a cautious step in looking around as if the room is full of boobie traps when I hear a dull thump and look back to see him throwing a gym bag on the queen-sized bed.
It must be the glamour of the night inhibiting my ability to be logical at times because it takes me a few seconds before my confusion turns into curiosity.
"Is that your bag?"
"No, I just love going through other people's stuff."
I don't answer or laugh and just raise my brows.
"Yes Parker, It's my bag."
I relax and close the door behind me before walking toward the bed warily and sitting down softly as the mattress sinks under me.
"I thought if I have to run away from Garret, why not pause before going back out there?" he explains throwing a book on the bed covers.
He dives back into his bag as I grab the book.
"Hey, I know that book!" I note joyfully.
I see him stop scrambling through his bag and look back up at me.
"Really?" he hesitates.
"Yeah I talked about it with Susan on your birthday. Usually, she's not into these kind of books but she's been watching a show similar to it so I mentioned it to her."
When he doesn't answer and doesn't make a move to dive back into his bag, another question comes troubling me.
"By the way, how did you hear about this book?"
"Oh um, someone told me about it," he says fumbling with the clothes inside the bag.
"Really? Who?" I ask knowing this isn't his type of book.
He doesn't answer and I assume it must be Garret who told him about the book and he simply doesn't wanna talk about him.
"You know as much as I don't like Garret, he's been your friend for years," I tip-toe around the issue and remember that he must not know about the video I saw where he's going off on McCoy and his clique.
"And?"
"And. With such a great taste in books, how could you not forgive him?" I try to turn the tension into something lighter with a chuckle gesturing to the book.
His frown turns into surprise, "Oh yeah, yeah! It's Garret who told me about it a few weeks ago."
"I never thought Garret would be the kind of guy who reads outside of school," I try to say without sounding mean.
A flash of red in my peripheral vision attracts my attention to turn away from the papercover and fills me with excitement when I recognize the sight.
"You brought him!" I say gripping the plushy and letting the book fall back on the covers.
He seems satisfied with my reaction and tugs his bag to fall back down before he too takes a seat beside me.
I lean down with my feet dangling as my back makes contact with the lavish bedding.
I take a look over at the Spiderman plushy wondering if in the small period of time any harm came his way. My detective work comes out dry as the plush doesn't seem to have been put under any distress when I hear him lay down as well.
I turn my gaze to him ready to make another joke and congratulate him on the plush's wellbeing when I see him already looking back at me and lose my smile as the memories flash back.
The muffled music, the way his curls were laying on his bed. He's been growing them out.
I like his hair long.
I like his lips too.
The calmness I feel is cut short when the bedroom door swings open and the sound of heels thud on the carpeted ground.
I raise up in my seat in a rush and grip the plushy hard against my chest in a panic as if I had just been caught having sex.
"Jee! Ever heard of knocking?!" he shouts sitting up after me.
"Coming from you?" Lea says looking up and down at him with an incredulous expression.
He sighs. I don't know if it comes from annoyance or relief from the previous scene.
"I've been looking for you two, your mother sent me to get you, come on now it's about to start," she says turning back on her heels and pulling the door behind her to leave it half closed waiting for us to join her.
"What's about to start?" I wonder looking at him after admiring her walk away.
The face I find makes mine fall. The paleness and distress plastered on his face makes me feel like I'm about to be the butt of the joke.
His blank stare angers me and figuring out I won't get any explanation from him I jump on my feet straightening the jacket on my shoulder to run after her.
Any other day it would've been to get an autograph but right now my only hope is to get reassured that all of it is just a huge misunderstanding.
Surely 'It's about to start' cannot be that bad? Maybe just a toast, or a speech?
"What's about to start?" I say trying to catch up to her but my question goes unanswered when we reach the top of the stairs and I see the Thompson matriarch taking the venue by storm as she speaks up in the middle of the stairs with her voice reasoning through the immense space.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
I hear her call out before my arm is engulfed and my gaze is redirected to him.
"I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you really, but I kept being interrupted and then there was Garret and then we had a moment of calm and we started to talk and-"
"This evening has been fulfilling and I enjoy each and every one of your presence-"
My ears cannot keep up in between the two speeches. I'm even more overwhelmed when I realize that Lea has left us at the top of the split stairs, walked beside Aliyah, and joined her newlywed husband down the stairs.
"The time has come, and I know you enjoy it as much as I do," she says with a cheeky smile and a look of knowledge across the room sending the surroundings into a fit of chuckles.
"So now. I invite you to take your partner by the arm, and let's join each other in the other room so the waltz can take place."
The end of her speech sends a cold sweat down my back and I turn back to him unable to scream.
I'm speechless and incapable of voicing my anger and frustration.
The words want to come out but my brain is mushing together my two arguments, the one where I tear him a new one for not warning me or the one where I yell that I don't know how to dance.
Why didn't he think of inviting someone who knows how to dance?!
"A waltz?! I don't even know how to dance!" I say loudly enough to share my panic and frustration without attracting any looks.
His newest excuse gets cut off by his mother reaching us at the top of the stairs, " What are you two still doing here, come on chop chop," she finishes clapping her hands to drive us to hurry downstairs.
Another gasp fights its way into my lungs when I realize I'm about to disappoint her as well.
It's only logical for her son to dance in an event she organized.
I'm standing here looking like an idiot with my mouth wide open when my own voice surprises me, "I don't know how to dance!" I say point-blank.
"Of course you do! You went to the same elementary school and I distinctly remember your grade took ball lessons," she says proudly.
The new information confuses me and I doubt the woman's memory.
Maybe she's confusing me with another girl.
Not knowing how to question her or flatly deny her version of the event, I start to babble as I notice Lea walking back up the stairs with her arm under her husband's.
"No-I. I don't. I mean-I never," I ramble, any argument dying on my tongue leaving me a stuttering mess.
I don't know how to word my sentence when my eyes notice Flash's face getting sour the more his mother insists.
"Mom she said she doesn't want to," he says dryly.
I don't know if it's out of annoyance or out of shame but both possibilities are taking a toll on me and I feel the tears coming alongside the lack of oxygen.
"Well, what do you propose we do? Your father isn't here so I can't dance and one of us needs to!"
"We've been hosting this event every year for 5 years now I think we can sit this one out," he says somewhat confidently.
"I would've liked a bit of a heads up Eugene," Aliyah scolds him through her teeth.
Yeah, me too.
"They're waiting for us. Flash come on, come dance with me," Lea says extending her hand to him and taking a look at her proposal I see Mme.Thompson's bulb light up atop her head.
"You didn't even tell her there would be a dance?!" Her accusation seems rhetorical as the deep frown on her face doesn't seem ready to welcome any excuses.
He scrunches his eyes close and rubs them but doesn't answer and opens them back up to look at me.
I see regret and wonder if he regrets inviting me. A ball clogs my throat and I try to stay as stone-faced as possible instead of making a scene by dropping on the stairs and starting to ball like a baby.
He breathes in before following Lea's lead and I stop him. Placing my hand on his chest, I then shrug off the jacket he gave me and hand it back to him, my subconscious somehow realizing he would need it to look put together.
He walks down the stairs as his mother softly takes my arm under hers.
"I'm sorry, I would think my son would have the decency to tell you about this," she sighs as we walk down the stairs.
"But then again I should have known better with how different he's been acting lately."
I didn't intend to answer but that last bit of rant resonates with me and the wave of embarrassment and sadness I feel take a step back to leave place to my curiosity.
"Yeah I think Lea made a comment about it," I say looking at his back.
He suddenly turns his head around and looks at me following him before he turns back around and walks ahead taking his place with Lea in the middle of the room with the others.
Mme.Thompson stops us to stand around the crowd around the room and leave enough space for the others to dance in the middle of it.
Taking her attention away from me, she nods away seemingly to someone before music starts resounding in the area.
"I shouldn't burden you with that," she says with a warm smile while she rubs my arm in comfort.
"Oh no it doesn't burden me. I just hope he gets better."
My well wishes widen her smile.
"I'm glad he has you to hang out with," she says warmly.
"You're a good influence on him. and I can only hope you two stay close, it's not every day my son doesn't complain about this event."
"Yes, he told me about that. He was very thankful for saving him from those stares about him not having a date," I remember our conversation.
"Stares? Why would anyone stare at him fo not having a date?"
I frown, "You know. The rule about having a date for this charity in fear of being the talk of the night," I say trying to nudge her to remember.
"There was never such a rule. Who told you that? Eugene? Léa?"
I'm left speechless and with my mouth hanging open as the frown orning my face doesn't subside.
Her own frown is quickly replaced by a smile before she abruptly apologizes when a woman motions her over.
The loss of her arm is like a warm blanket has been ripped away making me notice the stares I was previously blind to.
A couple stares at me while another switches their stare back and forth between me and Flash, probably wondering why his date is not the one in his arms.
I look at him and see he's arguing with Léa while they waltz around and the sight would impress me if I wasn't confused as to why they look like they're ready to bite at each other's throat.
Another peep and I see that same man watching me with a nasty look before not-so-subtly whispering to his wife who makes eye contact with me before she answers him with a snarky smile.
I look around trying to convince myself I'm being tricked by my own paranoia when I start hearing my own intakes of breath and know it's a sign that it's all getting too much.
In my panic and without Ms.Thompson around to take my mind off things, I search for his face and find him already looking at me.
The panic sets in my chest and I know I need to step out for fresh air but I hesitate to do so in worry of the scene looking bad to the public.
Feeling the meltdown creeping up closer and closer, I look around and notice an arch under the stairs leading to a hallway and remember seeing multiple people passing through during the night and I conclude it must be the path towards a bathroom.
Sending a tense smile his way, I turn around to walk away.
Getting closer to my goal I step aside to let someone exit before walking in and locking the bathroom door behind me.
With the door shutting off most other noise from outside, I stand in front of the mirror and take a deep breath filling my lungs and trying to shake my head off those thoughts before hanging my head down and blowing out.
I raise my head and look at myself in the mirror to see the tears pricking my eyes and silently scold myself before reaching for a towel and trying my best to chase away the tears without messing up my mascara.
Another breath in and I take in my appearance one more time giving myself a pep talk before straightening my dress and deciding to go back out there before anyone starts to whisper about a possible date on the run.
I wouldn't want him to be surrounded.
Or maybe he'd like me to go.
I remember his face, the one he had on those damn stairs where I wondered why I accepted his invitation and why I let myself believe it could be that easy.
I violently shake my head off those thoughts and unlock the door ready to indulge the rest of this night before cutting all contact with Flash Thompson as I hear the distant music flooding back in my ears.
Lost in my thoughts I run straight into someone.
"I'm so sorry I-" My automatic response is cut short when I recognize him and the words get stuck in my throat.
"Hi," he blurs out.
I can only say hi back coldly as I believe any other response would send me back into the bathroom to place another tissue under my eyes.
"I swear I was gonna tell you."
His voice breaks the silence and when my ears register his words, I can't respond and instead walk around him to the other side of the hallway with my mind fixed on the idea that tonight was a mistake.
"No need to say sorry Flash-" I say nonchalantly, done with this poor decision of mine to accept his invitation.
"But I want to!"
I mess with a bust displayed on a table and let my finger slide on the statue trying to avoid his stare.
"Listen, it's completely my fault and I'm an idiot for not telling you. I was freaking out when I asked you to come here with me and I had my mind set so hard on you telling me you wouldn't come that when you said yes I was taken by surprise and the dance completely slipped off my mind."
I listen on with a frown. I stop messing with the bust and turn around leaning on the table as I look down avoiding his stare.
"My mom was the one who reminded me of it and then you called freaking out about the dress so I focused on that and I forgot again and then you walked in with your dress and then there was Garret's grandma and then Garrett and everything else followed so when there was just the two of us I just couldn't remember. And then Léa came in and you looked so sad and scared and angry I didn't know what to do."
I stand there listening to him spit out everything weighing on him before he suddenly breathes in for the first time and looks at me.
"I'm so sorry. I really am."
His gaze traps me and the remorse drowning his irises drains the anger out of me.
"You also lied about the date rule," I say, my voice barely able to convey any emotion.
I don't even find it in myself to yell at him, any scolding coming to mind being one he already gave himself.
"I'm an idiot and a coward and I completely get it if you never want to talk to me again."
At that I don't even know what to answer.
I did say I'd cut all contact with Flash Thompson after tonight but just a few weeks back I would've also said I'd never talk to him outside of schoolwork.
"Okay," I say after a while of silence trying to set us back in a way we can both be comfortable discussing with each other.
"If we're going on an apology spree I think I should be apologizing as well."
"What could you possibly have to apologize for? I'm the one who invited you last minute, so last minute that you didn't even have anything to wear."
I hear his step closing up on me before I put distance between us and walk back and forth down the hall.
"You invited me here to be your partner and I couldn't even participate in the important part of the night. Then there were the stairs and then people were talking and looking at you and Lea and then at me and it was all just so-"
My apology turns into a ramble and the simple retelling of the event produces that same panic inside of me.
Getting ready to excuse myself to go to the bathroom a second time, I turn around to see him standing right behind me. I can't look at him and instead focus my gaze on the floor trying to breathe properly when I feel his arms gently wrap around me and pull me in for a hug.
My finger messes with the fabric at the back of his jacket as my face is buried in the front of it trying to hide my face and not make eye contact.
I fool myself into thinking if I avoid eye contact with him we will stop talking in circles or better yet stop avoiding each other like the plague.
I also hope this way he won't see me on the verge of crying for the second time tonight.
"If anything," he says using my words as I feel his hand come up to stroke my hair, "I'm the one who should've thought better than to think you would still remember those dance classes," he says in a lighter tone.
I recognize his attempt to lighten up the situation and change the topic.
His comment makes me frown and against the warm feeling blossoming in my chest, I lift my face from the depth of his jacket to look at him.
"Yeah your mom talked about that but I don't think I ever took any dance classes, I think she mistook me for someone else."
His face, previously relaxed, falls and a sympathetic smile appears, "No you did," he says quietly, matching the hushed hallway.
My knitted brows are enough indication for him to continue his explanation.
He exhales through his nose and looks down messing with my hand to avoid making eye contact, "It was back when we were…around six? Seven?"
My confusion only deepens as I'm unable to rack my brain for a memory when I feel him tug on my hand gently drawing me closer to him and my frown turns into a muted gasp.
I don't have time to ask what he is doing when he laces our hands together and asks me in the quietest voice if he can.
It is then I realize he's asking to put his hand on my bare back to, I assume, teach me how to waltz.
I can't find my voice, the situation taking me aback so much so that instead of voicing my consent I decide to instead nod and place his hand myself to reassure him of my agreement.
I did not realize that my back was cold, most likely due to getting used to the lack of coverage but I feel it now as his hand feels hot against it.
My full attention is on him before my eyes are drawn down as I see him taking a step forward driving me to respond and step backward.
The motion has me uncontrollably giggling as my left foot follows his right to step to the side.
"Why exactly are we doing this right now?" I ask with another titter.
"Doing what?"
"Dancing Flash," I laugh, "Waltzing in the hallway."
"Dusting up memories. Proving to you that you do know how to dance or if you're right, to teach you how to waltz to apologize for not telling you there would be a dance."
My previous smile falls and I tilt my head back with a loud sigh.
"I apologized again," he awkwardly notices.
"Yes Flash, stop apologizing," I say looking at him straight in the eyes and raising my brows to emphasize my demand.
"I can't, I feel bad."
I reposition my hand on his shoulder with a light stroke as I squeeze our hands letting us continue swaying gently.
I find myself frustrated at his confession when my brain clears up and suddenly remember our last time together.
He feels bad about not telling me about the dance but he doesn't feel bad about running off the last time we saw each other?!
I remember waiting an entire week for a call or even a text. Jumping to my phone at every notification hoping it was him giving me an explanation for running off on me.
I force myself to brush it off when the feeling of his thumb stroking my back envelops me in a daze I want to hold onto until the night inevitably ends.
"Let's call it even then. You didn't tell me about the dance and I couldn't fulfill my side of the bargain."
"It wasn't a bargain, you just did me a favor."
I can't argue back and decide to look away.
"See, you're doing it."
I look back at him with panic thinking he's going to call me out on my avoidant stare and start a new argument when I see him smile before I notice that he's talking about us dancing and it is then that I look down and realize I'm naturally mirroring his movements.
I laugh impressed at myself before looking back at him as we acknowledge my accomplishment.
Our shared smile diminishes as he stops our dance.
"I didn't invite you because I was desperate," he confesses, "I just really wanted to hang out with you."
I stand there frozen before he gently nudges me sending us back into a soft waltz.
His honesty stuns me and I follow his lead again.
"I think it might be the first time you've been honest with me," It's my turn to confess.
"I don't always lie," he defends himself.
"No, but you never opened up like that before."
I see him trying to avoid eye contact and I silently scold myself as my words seem to drive him away once again.
"I like that," I quickly follow up.
That does it. his eyes raise back to meet mine.
"Why don't you do it more often?"
At that, he seems to hesitate as we gently sway side to side.
"You know friends share their feelings," I remind him of our conversation yesterday where he invited me to come here as a friend.
I can see that the memory rings a bell as he stops our movement once more.
I see his eyes desperate to say something but he's struggling with himself to find the right words as I witness his mouth open and close over and over again.
"See, like riding a bike. It comes back naturally," he manages to say stepping back trying to avoid the subject.
"You're doing it again," I say trying my best to not sound frustrated.
He huffs and slides his hand down his face.
He huff?!
How is he the one pissed off right now?!
I cross my hands taking a harsher stance.
"Okay, you said open so I'm gonna be open," he says fidgeting around.
"If you want us to be friends, you can't expect me to just tell you everything that goes through my head at every moment."
I sigh, "I guess it's fair."
My response appears to relax him.
"But," he interjects, "I guess I could make an effort."
I smile despite myself and look away to try and hide the fact that he turned the situation around once again.
My attempt fails when he looks for my face to catch me smile.
I turn away but he walks around me trying to catch me.
In a last attempt, I hid my face on the verge of laughter.
"Hey wait, you're cheating!" he protests with a chuckle.
I feel his hand on my wrists and yet he doesn't use force to uncover my face.
We stay like this for a moment before I muster the courage to slide my hands away from my eyes and meet his.
He smiles back and that feeling comes again, the one where I feel electricity run through my body.
Like the night he kissed me.
I feel frozen in space like I'm only able to breathe and blink.
He gets closer, so close that our forehead touches and I instinctively close my eyes waiting to feel his lips on mine like that night.
He's so close and yet doesn't make a move to close the distance between us. It makes me groan internally when I remember he's probably waiting for me to make a move.
He's literally two inches away from me and I'm still here what more does he need? for me to swing a flare in the air? Scream at him at the top of my lungs to kiss me?
The tension is suffocating and it's cut short when I feel a breeze of air where I should feel him.
"Thank you, I really wanted to dance with Lea. And don't be mad, I promise, you'll get a dance too," he says cheekily as I stand there completely confused.
He's quick to hold my shoulders and push us to the side. It's when I get my senses back and see a man walk past us to access the bathroom.
I get the answer I'm looking for when I look back at him and see him smile at me.
That's when I have to hold back my laugh with him as the bathroom door closes.
Placing my hand on my mouth, I snort before I see an arm presented to me and look up to see Flash waiting for me.
With the tension now gone I happily hold his arm as he directs us away from the lonely hallway to the booming evening when we cross paths with Mme.Thompson.
"There you are!" she says joyfully.
"I was talking to a few colleagues and they were adamant that I at least ask you to join us."
I open my mouth trying to find the words to politely decline when her son beats me to it.
"No Mom I think it's time for her to go home. Her aunt will kill me if I don't drive her back before 1."
Sharing her chagrin, Mme.Thompson bids me her goodbyes before she shares a look with Flash and tells him to come back as soon as possible telling him he'll be spending time with Garret.
The end of her sentence isn't met with agreement or joy but silence as I'm ushered outside with the cold temperature that doesn't get to reach me before I feel his jacket engulf my shoulders once again.
Another gesture he makes is to offer his hand to help me walk down the stairs of the building. I pause and look down at my heels and conclude like him that it's going to be harder to step down the stairs than it was to climb them.
The thought makes me laugh to myself before I accept his hand and carefully make my way down with another set of giggles.
"I'm never borrowing heels from May ever again," I manage to let out in between giggles.
"Miss Parker forgot to calculate the probability that those heels were gonna be a problem?"
The remark takes me by surprise and makes me stumble.
I crouch to make sure I don't end up face-first on the concrete and my position makes me snort as I hide my face behind my hands and kneel in the middle of the stairs to ground myself.
From any other perspective, I look drunk and I'm being chaperoned by Harrison Thompson's son.
My laugh turns into a fit and I'm left laughing out loud, gripping my aching stomach and praying the feeling doesn't kill me.
"Okay I think I got it, sit down," he says laughing about my situation.
Lost in my euphoria I barely manage to sit up on one of the stairs waiting to see his plan to help me down.
I try to calm myself down when he stands in front of the stairs and places my hands on his shoulders. I finally understand his idea when I'm lifted in the air by my hips and grip his shoulder in a reflex as I'm left gasping when I land on the ground.
I gaze at him and his previous smile falls a bit as he stands there with a blank expression.
I'm almost sure I see his eyes switch to my lips.
"Sorry," he apologizes for his sudden plan to get me down those stairs with a small smile trying his luck at diffusing the tension.
I reassure him before he gently directs me to his car.
The silence is calming and comfortable and I notice I had never been in his car before.
I bask in the comfort, all giddy as I look outside the window admiring the city I love to swing in so much.
He chimes in with small talks here and there and in my new feeling of serenity, I mindlessly make one-word answers.
After a while of admiring the scenery, I look back inside the car when I notice him fidgeting around looking tense.
"Is everything okay?"
"Are you mad?" he asks as his hand tightens up on the steering wheel.
"No, why do you ask?" I return the question fidgeting in my seat to get more comfortable.
"I don't know, you don't talk much. Usually I can't get you to stop talking," he says scratching his face before returning his focus to the road, his side eye gauging my reaction.
I guess the comfortable silence wasn't shared and so I rattle my brain to find a topic we could discuss to fill the apparent discomfort he feels.
Trying to take the attention away from the topic of 'us', I remember the look he and McCoy shared and decide to ask hastily.
"Are you gonna reconcile with Garret?"
"Is that what you're mad about?"
"No Flash, I'm not mad. I'm just trying to make conversation since you seem to think my silence means that I'm angry."
"So you're not mad," he affirms one more time.
"No, I'm not mad."
"Cool," he finishes before he falls himself into silence.
"So? Garret?" I ask after a few beats of silence.
"Let's not talk about Garret."
"Too late, now I'm curious," I say turning on my side to give him my full attention.
"I reminded you how to dance cut me some slack," he whines.
"No," I laugh, "You taught me how to dance. I told you I didn't take dance courses."
His own laugh is short-lived, "Yes, you did."
"When?" I challenge him.
He pauses and takes a deep breath as we reach a red light, "It was during that time you moved to your Aunt May's."
The confession throws a cold in the vehicle.
"Oh," is all that manages to come out of my mouth.
"I remember," he says messing with his steering wheel waiting for the light to turn green, "You looked out of it during that time. It was what? 1st grade? 2nd grade?"
I wish he wouldn't pause in between bombs because the multiple aspects of the current situation make everything point to us being forced to look at each other.
I audibly exhale and wait for anything to come and fill the heavy silence of the car.
I even think about reaching over and turning on the radio.
"Why would we talk about my friendship with Garret?" he tries to distract from the conversation with a new topic.
"Oh, so there IS a friendship," I point out jumping on the occasion to step away from the previous topic, proud we have succeeded in shifting the subject.
In a streak of luck, the light turns green, and new chatter fills the car with a newfound lightness.
He sighs, "I don't know. Would that be a problem?"
"Why do you ask me? I don't manage your friendships."
"I don't know. I thought about just leaving that friendship behind but who knows," he says glancing at me with a teasing glint in his eyes, "If you root for him I could find it in myself to grace McCoy."
I chuckle as I change my position deciding to hug the headrest with my arm to rest my head on it.
"Sounds to me like you're afraid to choose for yourself."
He scoffs and laughs it off, "No, I'm just asking for someone else's opinion. Second opinions are important too."
It's silent as he shifts gears and I realize we're getting closer to my neighborhood.
"I thought about just ghosting him for a while. And with what happened last time, it feels like he's never gonna change," he confesses, "And maybe that's how it's supposed to end between us two."
"Ghosting?"
"Yeah, I don't think a discussion could get us anywhere useful. Garret is not the type of person to apologize anyways."
His demeanor is nonchalant but his expression shows a rare vulnerability.
"Some people just don't grow up," I barely manage to hear him mutter.
I hesitate but the observation kills me.
"That's very wise of you," I notice out loud.
He realizes I must've heard him and chuckles mostly at himself.
"I am wise," he proudly states as he turns the car again.
"That's just something Léa said," he adds.
He notices when I frown, "Believe it or not but my problems with Garret started before his attempt on your life," he jokes as he parks.
With the car now off I place my hand on his shoulder as a silent encouragement, squeezing and smiling at him before letting go of the headrest and looking out the window to see my apartment building.
I don't think much of it and open the car door to slip out of the vehicle.
"You know I'm supposed to be the one that opens the door for you, right?"
I turn my focus away from the building to see him getting out of his car, his head poking up from his car's roof.
He gets closer and stands right beside me at the bottom of the paved stairs.
He faces me and with newfound courage, I try my luck.
"Didn't you say we were going to this event as friends?"
"Opening a car door doesn't mean anything. It just says I have manners."
I hum impressed by his quick answer and see his hand already out for me to take.
Frowning, his smile turns my grimace into a bright smile when I recall the stairs incident.
I chuckle and grip his hand as he leads me up the stairs.
"See," he says as we reach the top of the stairs, "Just a gentleman."
My laugh dies down as we face each other with an awkward silence that I break when I slip his jacket off of my shoulder and hand it back to him.
He grasps it and looks down at it. He seems to hesitate before he looks back up at me clutching the fabric in his hands.
"School starts back tomorrow. See you there?" he asks.
"Yeah," I let out, my voice softer than it should be, "See you there."
I end the night with a kiss on his cheek, taking the risk of letting it last longer than it should.
The silence isn't tense or awkward and I know this time it goes for the both of us as we share a smile and I grip his shoulder squeezing it one last time.
"Good luck with McCoy."
His serene expression turns sour as he scrunchs his eyes shut and rolls his head back.
"You didn't have to bring up McCoy," he whines as I let a quick laugh escape me one last time tonight.
"Good night," I say with a smile, satisfied with how fulfilling this evening has been.
"Good night."
I let go of him and step back towards the door before I have to inevitably turn around and leave him there.
My last view of him is his figure standing right there looking back at me with a charming smile.
I'm not sure but I could swear he grazes his cheek where I kissed him goodbye in-between the smallest gap of the building's door as it shuts close.
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lostintra · 10 months
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Open to anyone: Status Closed
Test Muse: Rorke O'Connell
(Plot based on being fresh out of prison from excon perspective x. He's a kid of the system. Was in and out of juvie when he was young then finally landed himself a m*rder charge as an adult even though it was "technically" in defense of a third person.)
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He was sitting on the stoop out front watching the world go by when the other came out and seemed to take it upon themselves to join him. Their proximity made him shift uneasily and reminded him how much he hated this. Hated that he didn't know how to be around another person anymore and the way words seemed to die on his tongue half the time they tried speaking to him, but he forced himself to stay put anyway. Even if their kindness was a bit more frustrating than it should have been because the man simply didn't understand why they bothered. "Why-" he began then took a breath collecting the rest of his words as he looked away from them for a moment before finishing his thought "Why're you so comfortable next to me? ...M'not even a nice guy."
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GENESIS CHAPTER!!! YESSSSSSS MY BOYY
Genesis is a hate-reader 🍷 Canon to me. I'm also glad you give him time to shine as a strategist, like, he IS a caster and one of the most proficient SOLDIERs in existence 💅stands to reason he does have to think things through on the battlefield and this isn't addressed nearly enough imo.
Zack "I'm not traumatized 😀" Fair is breaking my heart here. Both Cloud and Zack get to miraculously be together after losing the other, but the fear is fresh in Zack's mind. And unfortunately due to the rapidly developing situation (SCREAMS) he doesn't really have time to process and address it, and that's assuming he isn't avoiding doing so like the plague because Cloud's alive so everything's fine now right? 😀 Except it's super not and now Zack is the only one who really knows how not fine it is 💔
Speaking of not addressing emotions lol Angeal is in full repression mode and Sephiroth is isolatinggg 😬 I know how easy it is to withdraw when you're used to not having anyone there for you, when you have to figure out and manage everything yourself regardless of how unequipped you are for the task, but I also feel for Genesis here because it really does take a lot of work to gently coax people out of that over and over again. I like how you're addressing this in general, but especially from this pov! I really feel Genesis' frustration here. He knows it would get better if Seph just came home 😥
I really enjoyed the intel gathering scene with Bolin 👌👌👌 You're really serving up top shelf Genesis in this chapter and it's delightful to watch! But Camp 28 is stressing me tf out agagshshshshs Zack is somewhat reassured for now but even Kenny is worried about Cloud's lack of self preservation (physically and emotionally damn) and he doesn't even know how bad of a situation they're walking into! Though no one really knows and that's kind of the problem, but I love Kenny and I want him to survive this 😭 He needs to survive so he can be brave and trust Juvie with the kids!
Speaking of kids, CLAUDIA IS SO PRECIOUS I CANT 💕 I'm as bad as Vincent at this point. Claudia deserves the world (and she doesn't even exist anymore.. I will never be ok again 🫠)
I'm a little worried about whatever Genesis has planned to address the Camp 28 situation, because, well, it's Genesis lol but at the same time I love his constant rebellion against being told "no" 💅
Thanks for the amazing chapter!!!! Time to reread the whole thing again to distract myself from the incredible suspense of what's to come 😁🍿
HI HI HI THANKS FOR LEAVING ME THIS TO WAKE UP TO!!!
Genesis being a strategist just makes sense to me. Like. The man led a rebellion against Shinra that turned into a straight up war, waged it for a decent amount of time, and managed to not immediately get eradicated. That in itself says the man’s got SOME brains on him lol
Yeahhh Zack’s still in the “just happy Spike’s here” stage and honestly doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. The weight of carrying Cloud’s secret is kinda trumping his own emotions in importance, which miiiiiight not be good :/
It’s kind of sad when, to an extent, Genesis is being the most emotionally intelligent among them. I mean. Seriously. Genesis? Same guy that thought talking Sephiroth into insanity would make the dude help heal him? Yeah if he’s the smartest emotionally everyone needs some DIRE help.
But also guess what conflict is going to be resolved next chapter because I like making Seph suffer but not THAT damn much? Angeal’s repression might take a bit longer but gimme a second there’s five character arcs going on at once 😂
Camp 28 is, if you guys didn’t notice, another parade situation, except I’m dragging it out for effect LMAO. It obviously isn’t exactly the same but…well, you’ll see ;) Kenny’s just trying to look out for a buddy :( Cloud’s doing the same thing, just like…way more risky and possibly self destructive. Immortality went RIGHT to his head IMMEDIATELY
Cloud says it’s his daughter but that’s OUR DAUGHTER!!!
And like you said lmao—
Sephiroth: Genesis, no
Genesis: is that a fucking challenge
Nah seriously like, Genesis and ‘letting that slide’ don’t go in a sentence together. it’s just
Genesis, squinting at Camp 28: I don’t know what the fuck’s going on but TRUST you will be dealt with
Feel AWFUL for leaving this answer to you in my drafts for like…for fucking ever 😭 But thanks for leaving me this lovely!!! Always encouraging to read a lil smth from you 🖤🖤🖤
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eggtartz · 1 year
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a/n : my heart actually is in pain after reading the manga... major manga spoilers alert
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summary : kazutora coming out from juvie to visit his dead friends (kinda like a twisted timeline i created myself)
wc : 1111
"thankyou for your care sir"
"don't come here again okay? it's already enough time you're here, now go your friends are waiting outside" kazutora gave a slight nod and went through the juvenile hall gates where there he met your eyes. your eyes that warmed his heart a nth time and would always do. upon seeing him, you ran towards him and launched your body againts him where he catched you and hugged you.
"gosh baby i miss you so much"
"i miss you too tora, don't do this to me again. don't leave me again. please" you sobbed while furiously crying in his arms. chifuyu just stared from afar, feeling conflicted on how to drop some bombsheels to the man who've been in the rehabilitation center for a decent amount of years.
after settling down, you three went to a restaurant where the kawata owns and ate a lot of yakisoba. chifuyu kept fidgeting with his fingers on how he was going to tell kazutora about takemichi and mikey and everyone else. that they're dead and he has no idea.
you saw his troubled eyes and reassured him, after all you were the one who insisted to keep it secret from him. if you did tell him God knows what kazutora would do?
"tora can we talk?" you softly said while both of you were resting in your apartment that day. he was eating chips while watching tv so when you he looked at you there was pieces of chips on his cheeks. you giggled a bit and swipe the chips away.
you looked him straight into the eye "im so sorry". suddenly, tears come rushing in as you reminisce the old days where everyone was happy, everyone was alive but it couldn't stay like that. a confused kazutora looked at you who was crying and put down the chips. he didn't said a word, silently asking what's wrong.
"it's.. it's takemichi and mikey. and draken. tora, tora they're all.. gone"
the apartment fell silent that both of you could hear the water dripping from the kitchen sink. "they're.. gone? but, but that can't be?" he questioned while his own tears start sweeling up.
"tora they got into a fight. everyone, mikey and such. takemichi tried to save everyone but he couldn't and he died. im so sorry, i couldn't tell you because you would do something and i can't-"
"damn it y/n at least tell me something! you said mikey was fine EVERYONE WAS FINE"
"I DIDN'T WANTED YOU TO GO TO JAIL KAZUTORA"
again, the apartment was silent. both of you had fat tears rolling from your eyes.
"if they send you to juvie you can still come back. if you did something and they catch you they'll send you to jail, tora. i can't do that"
tears streaming down, kazutora hugged you and both of you cried so much that day. kazutora has plans to meet with everyone but he was too late. acknowledging that, kazutora hugged you tighter if that was possible and cried harder. you silently comforted him. it was painful enough that he lost keisuke but losing more of his friends will take a toll on him. he grew gloomy over the days but one morning he woke up extra early.
"can we visit them?" he said.
you drove him to visit keisuke's cemetery first. there, he placed fresh flowers and paid his respects while being on his knees. you waited him in the car while he took his time having chats with his late friend. he would occasionally, smiled to himself almost like his friend was there to smile with him. your heart physically ached. then, you drove him to the sano cemetery. you could see kazutora trying to keep the tears at bay but he totally lost it when he saw mikey's grave specifically besides shin's and emma's. he fell down on his knees and cried so much you could hear his sobs through the closed windows.
he had told you prior that you do not have to be with him, that he needed time alone to cry for his friends that have left him too soon. so, you stayed silently in the car while hearing to your boyfriend's pleas and why's. a lot of "why did you do it" or "why can't you just settle down". he placed another fresh flowers on their grave and broke down again. the pain was unbearable at one point kazutora wondered did it had to go this way? could he have prevented this in some way?
with guilt he cried some more. he cried some much that day, kazutora forgot how to breath and his oxygen supply suddenly felt restrained. upon visiting, draken and takemichi's grave he sat there about an hour to talk to them. you heard yellings but most of the yellings were his regrets not being there to protect them.
"takemichi you dumbass" you heard that a lot and he said the same words with different voice tones too. angry, sad, amused. kazutora couldn't bring forgiveness for himself, that he was a horrible friend. he started to knock his own head on the cemented floor and that was where you draw the line. you slammed the car doors shut and stopped him but didn't spoke. kazutora was grieving and mourning but that wasn't an excuse for him to do this to himself.
"he would hate it if you did that, you know? takemichi would cry if he knew you hurt yourself because of him. mikey and draken would tease you for that. keisuke would knock your head you know?" you mumbled softly in order to calm him down.
"that would be much better i wanna hear their voices again y/n why does this have to happen?" his voice was desperate, filled with pain.
"that's what life is kazutora, people would die for each other. they care for each other so much, it's so beautiful and reckless. i wish we all had more time but unfortunately they had to go. it's life kazutora, everyone leaves one day" you said while longingly stared at takemichi's grave. you stroked kazutora's yellow highlighted hair to calm his sobs. later that day, you both came home and kazutora plopped down on the sofa. you observed his face and saw tear stains. sighing, you took a seat on the floor. it's been a long emotional day. it's been hard for both of you. you informed chifuyu about everything and he said he would come that night to comfort him more. you would do anything to lift his grieves but this one particular grief might never leave.
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Mr Evershed x Student!reader - worth more than you think
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Hey, do you think you could write a Evershed (fatherfigure) x Student Reader? About a trouble student, who is doing a lot of mischief and one day the police either picking up the student from class or taking Reader to school? Because Reader did again some stupid things what ever you think would fit into this story... Thank you :) - Anon💜
Your legs ached, lungs burnt as you ran down the hallways, pushing students out of the way, trying anything to get away from the officers chasing you.
“(Y/N)!” One of them yelled.
“No!”
Skidding around the corner, you ran down the stairs and jumped the rest of the stairs, making you stumble a few steps but you couldn’t get through the door.
More police officers stood there and you cursed, realising you had managed to trap yourself with nowhere to run.
“What the hell is this about?!”
You spun around to face the head teacher and back away from him as well, jumping behind the reception desk.
“Your student is under arrest, and the more they run the worse it’s going to be, isn’t that right (Y/N)?”
“Oh bite me officer Dan, fresh out the academy right? You got that little innocent face.” You taunted.
“(Y/N)!” Mr Evershed snapped.
You snickered, holding your bag in your hands as you watched the police officers stalk closer, cornering you in.
“Right, let’s everybody calm down and how about someone explain to me what’s going on and why you’re trying to arrest one of my students in school property yeah?”
Mr Evershed walked over and stood in front of you, holding his arm out to block them from trying to grab you.
“Vandalism and Anti social behaviour. We’ve had an urgent warrant for their arrest placed.”
One of the officers showed Mr Evershed the papers and he slowly turned to look at you.
You looked up at him, giving him a sheepish grin and he sighed.
“What have you gotten yourself into…?” He asked softly.
“They don’t even have any evidence it were me sir.”
You tried everything to persuade him to leave you, and that there was nothing wrong with some harmless spray paint.
“(Y/N) I can’t stop this, okay? You know that right?”
“You’re coming in with us.”
An officer stepped forward and Mr Evershed held his hand out to stop her in her tracks.
“Give us a few minutes.”
Mr Evershed pulled you into his office and closed the door, standing in front of it so you couldn’t use it as an escape.
He saw you looking around.
“Don’t even think about it. You’ve got officers posted all over this school for you! What did you do?!”
“Nothing sir! I swear it weren’t me this time!”
He shook his head and ran a hand down his face.
“Well they wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t done anything (Y/N) would they?” He snapped.
You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms as you scowled at him.
“So what? Fine, yeah I did it sir. Spray painted all over that car, and set a bunch of fireworks in the park, and what?”
“It’s unacceptable! That’s what! You could go to juvie for this!”
You shrugged a little, stuffing your hands in your pockets as you leant back against one of the chairs.
“So what sir? Huh? Am already gonna go there anyway. The moment I turn 18, there’s already a court order for me to get sent behind bars, why not just go now? Not like I’m gonna need this crappy education anyways.”
Mr Evershed sighed and walked over, standing in front of you he placed a hand on your shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“If you can prove to them you’ve change they won’t, okay? We.. we can figure something out, alright?”
“We can’t! Okay! Everyone’s right, I’m never gonna change my ways, so why change?”
“Because I know you can change, you’re destined to be more then just another number in the system, alright?”
Mr Evershed leant down a little.
“(Y/N) look at me.”
You looked up and he offered you an encouraging smile.
“Trust me?”
“Why?”
“Because i know you’re more than just spray paint, fireworks and arrest warrants. Right? I know you are, so just trust me.”
Looking at the teacher, you turned your attention to the police officers who were waiting outside for you.
Looking back to him.
“Just go with them, alright? Go with them, cooperate with them and I’ll sort this. Okay?”
“Don’t waste your time sir. I’ll be fine.”
You pushed past him and held your bag out for one of the officers to take it and he did, and you placed your hand on your head and turned around, putting yourself against the wall.
“No I’m not carrying anything that can hurt you. I have my keys in my left pocket, wallet in my right one, my blazer pocket had a drink and some crisps.”
Mr Evershed stood at the door to his office watching.
You had done this so many times before and he knew that just by watching the interaction.
You were lead away to a car and one of the officers turned around to him.
“Don’t bother with that one, will be behind bars by their 18th birthday.”
“Not if I can help it, I’m coming.”
He walked into his office, grabbed his jacket and keys before he left, walking straight to his car, looking at you through the window of the police car.
He gave a smile and a nod of his head.
He was going to do everything he could to get you out of this, to get anything he possibly could because he wasn’t about to watch you waste your whole life.
You had so much potential and he knew it, you just needed a father figure to show you the way, to help you and show you the right path in life.
The path you should be on.
You sat in the back of the car, head against the back of the seat.
You knew they’d come for you eventually, it was a just a matter of time, and you weren’t expecting to get away from this.
You were led into the station and you spotted your head teacher standing with the lead on your whole file.
You stopped and Mr Evershed smiled at you.
“It’s alright.” He said softly.
“Don’t try to hard sir… some students just ain’t worth the time.” You smiled back.
You walked away and he sighed.
You were so ready to just accept this is was your fate, and he needed to somehow convince everyone else that you were worth the chance, and show you how much more you were worth
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gaytotaldrama · 8 months
Note
Since you asked about prompts, while I haven’t got to World Tour in my rewatch, the thought comes to mind of a Gwortney piece where Courtney believes Gwen’s claims that was the one who Duncan kissed her rather than blaming her for “stealing” him
thanks for the prompt! hope you enjoy
also on my ao3
"Uh, I saw Duncan and Gwen kiss!"
In just a few words, Tyler Tucker had completely ruined Gwen's life. She knew she couldn't really blame him - the guy was clearly under Alejandro's crafty spell. But if he'd just stuck around for literally two seconds longer the night before, he would know the truth of what had actually gone down.
Gwen should be so lucky.
Duncan was on the ground, out cold from Cody's sucker-punch to his jaw. Gwen couldn't care. Serves him right, she thought. I told him to fess up to Courtney himself, and now the jackass has dug his grave even deeper.
As Cody and Tyler began to take flight, Gwen realized with a horrible clarity that since Duncan was out of commission, Courtney was headed straight for her. 
"I hate you!" she was screaming, flailing like some sort of enraged marionette. The only thing preventing her from tearing Gwen's face off was Sierra's  - surprisingly expert, though definitely slack - chokehold. "How could you?! I thought we were friends!"
"We are!" Gwen exclaimed, instinctually taking a few steps back. "Courtney, you have to believe me, I didn't want - "
"Oh, sure you didn't," Sierra sneered as Courtney continued to wriggle in her grasp. "You've been all over Duncan since season one! It was only a matter of time before you tried any funny business."
Gwen stamped her foot in frustration, gritting her teeth together. "I do not like Duncan! I never have! I was with Trent in season one, remember?"
But her defenses appeared to fall upon utterly deaf ears. "You," Courtney seethed, steam practically pouring out of her nostrils like a raging bull. "Are so eliminated."
"Look, if I could just - " Gwen started in a panic, but by then, Cody had already won the tie-breaker, and the wave of relief that crashed through her nearly knocked her down to her knees.
Back on the plane, things weren't pretty. Duncan was still passed out somewhere in economy - was Cody's punch really that strong, or was Duncan simply prolonging the inevitable? In any case, Gwen felt terrible. She was being looked down upon by her fellow contestants. She hadn't gotten to say (sing?) all she'd wanted Duncan to hear during their boar challenge, hadn't let him know just how pissed she really was. Not to mention that the person who was angriest with her right now was the very person Gwen wanted to - 
Whatever. Like that was gonna happen now.
And yet, she knew she had to try.
Leaving the confessional (the lock was still busted, if this show weren't so fucking cheap, if McLean wasn't such an asshole, none of this would have even - ), Gwen steeled her resolve and made her way back to first class as slowly as possible. Cody tried to catch her eye as she entered the cabin, but she steadfastly ignored him, ignored the daggers Sierra was shooting her way, too. Courtney was curled into one of the seats, sobbing uncontrollably as Heather patted her on the back. If Heather was now appreciated more than Gwen, she didn't know what she would do.
"Courtney, please," Gwen said softly upon approach. "I can explain everything to you."
"I don't want to hear it, boyfriend stealer!" Courtney screamed.
Gwen winced, shook her head. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just need you to listen to me. Can we go out to the cargo hold or something?"
"What, so you can go spy and make sure Duncan hasn't been eliminated?!" At this, she fell prey to a fresh bout of tears.
"If you really want to talk to Courtney, then you can say whatever it is in front of us," Heather said, crossing her arms. "And if that juvie punk gets booted, then I say Good riddance."
"Fine!" Gwen threw up her hands, exasperated. "Fine, I'll just say this here." She hated to air more of her dirty laundry on TV, but that had always been par for the course with Total Drama. "Courtney, I didn't kiss him."
"Yes you did you little - "
"Duncan kissed me," Gwen all but yelled. Her cheeks burned shamefully at the memory. "Tyler didn't see the whole thing, but I pushed Duncan off of me almost as soon as it had begun. I didn't expect it to happen. I didn't want it. And when I rejected him, he got all grouchy and left."
"Oh, yeah, like we're gonna believe that!" Sierra shouted. "You stab Courtney in the back and then can't even own up to it?! You are soooo getting voted 'Least Popular Contestant' on my blog!"
But Cody, looking at Gwen with puppy-dog eyes, asked, "You're being serious, Gwen?"
"Yes." Gwen ran her hands through her rough hair, not even caring if she pulled out any strands. "I wouldn't lie about this. Ask Chris to show you the footage." She scowled at the floor. "And if Duncan gets kicked off tonight, I'll sleep as snug as a bug in a rug."
Silence, for a moment. Heather seemed about to say something. But then - 
"Oh my God," Courtney croaked. "She's telling the truth."
If Gwen had felt relieved when they won the Greece challenge, it was nothing compared to this. "Yes," she repeated, voice breaking. "I swear to you, Courtney, I am. I'm telling the truth."
And Courtney nodded, not meeting Gwen's gaze, her eyes rimmed with red. But it was enough for Gwen to know she believed her.
The others, however, weren't so easily convinced.
"Oh, come on, you two have always been close," said Heather. "If you're not into Duncan, then I'll marry Alejandro."
"I'm not," Gwen said emphatically. "So happy trails, Heather, you two will be perfect for one another." She turned defensively to Sierra. "And I guess you're gonna tell me you totally saw this coming and there's no way I'm being genuine, right? Because since you're an expert on this show, you must know me better than I know myself, huh?" When Sierra didn't answer, Gwen knew she had her pegged. "Ugh, you guys, I am not in love with Duncan! And, sorry, Cody, I'm not into you, either." At Cody's heartbroken expression, Sierra growled at her, but Gwen kept going. "Just because you all have complicated love lives doesn't mean I have to!
"You are so obviously into Alejandro," she continued, rounding on Heather. "But you won't admit it because you're too proud to own up to the fact that there's actually a perfect guy for Heather Hamada out there, and he's just as evil as you are!" Before Heather could splutter her way through a half-baked excuse, Gwen spun to level with Sierra. "And you - if you actually took a second to care about what Cody wants, you would know that you are always overstepping his boundaries!" She contemplated raking her nails down her face, so strong was her frustration at the people around her. "I won't deny that Duncan and I have a lot in common, and I won't deny that he has some sort of feelings for me. But I don't feel the same way. I was into Trent, I'm into Courtney, but I am not and never will be into Duncan!"
Finally, she broke off, heaving, throat drier than the stupid path to the Nile had been. She'd said her piece. She was finished, and if they still decided to send her home next time the Amazons lost, then she'd just learn to live with it.
But no one seemed angry anymore. In fact, they all seemed to be experiencing variations of different emotions, none of them hatred. Sierra's eyes were blown wider than usual, her jaw slack and her fingers twitching like she was itching to blog about something. Cody looked crestfallen, and Gwen felt bad for being harsh, but it had been three seasons and the guy still couldn't deal with the fact that she was never going to date him. Heather, meanwhile, was staring at Gwen with her hand pressed over her mouth and...giggling? It felt wrong to attribute such a cutesy word to the Queen of Mean, but there was no other way to describe the sickening sounds she was making. And Courtney...
Courtney was looking at Gwen like she'd just seen a ghost - and a real one at that, not Harold's stupid soccer ball-bedsheet combo.
"You," Courtney started and swallowed hard - Gwen tried not to track the bobbing motion of her throat. "You like me."
At last, Gwen's brain caught up with her stupid mouth, and she realized what she'd just admitted. Oh, shit...
It was at least a small comfort to know that no one would be asking her about Duncan again any time soon.
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bonecuisine · 1 year
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Pushed over
⚠️TW for mentions of:Self-no no live,Death and other sensitive topics, if you are uncomfortable with any of these don’t read!⚠️
‼️MAJOIR SPOILERS FOR s1&s5!!‼️
(Takes Place during pain in the neck)
It was finally the end of the three-hour open lecture,multiple students where crowding around the auditorium stairs to head for the free lunch hour. But there was one boy who hadn’t left yet. The boys name was Julian. Julian Ramis. He was 18 years old, and wanted a new fresh start to his future. But his reputation around town was.. not positive.
5 years ago he had accidentally murdered his best friend, Freddy Stewart.Him and Freddy had robbed a few houses but one night both boys decided to rob the Greene mansion. Freddy and Julian had stolen an old crossbow that shouldn’t have been tampered with.When him and Freddy where celebrating, Freddy had handed him the crossbow and it went off on its own shooting Freddy right through his eye killing him instantly. When he was found guilty he got 1 year in Juvie. He was only 12 years old at the time.
Julian wanted to put his past behind him, but with his reputation being known as “The murder kid” it has not been easy. Especially after his father was found dead at the hands of the rocket cow killer, Aka Rosamund Wilcox. That was only a few months ago, and Julian has been stuck in the deep end ever sense. He wanted to get out of it, but with having a criminal record with murder, theft ,and doing along with selling cannabis. It’s very difficult when people only see you as a walking criminal record, nothing else.
Julian today was going to take a step of trying to give himself a future, he decided to go to the university orientation to hand in an application.
Once everyone had left, Julian walked down the auditorium stairs to where the only other man left in the room was the economics professor. Rene Narcisse. As the professor was packing up his things, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Julian standing there. “Uh hi professor, I just wanted to turn in my application” Julian nervously laughed at bit as the swears silence filled the room.
The professor started laughing,Julian stared at him in confusion.
“What’s so funny?” Julian asked raising an eyebrow
“Oh nothing, just the fact you thought you could actually come HERE.” The professor laughed.
“What do you mean by that..”
“Julian,Did you really think this school would accept a unintelligent delinquent like you? I mean it’s just going to be a matter of time until your sent to prison again!”
Julian felt like a bullet just went through is heart as it shattered,he could only look down on the floor as the professor walked out of the auditorium laughing.
He couldn’t move, tears started forming in his eyes as the words the professor had said kept on running through his head.
“unintelligent” “delinquent” “matter of time until your sent to prison again!”
Those words couldn’t leave his head.The professor probably had a point, what was he thinking, trying to turn In his application. He was right, he’s just a stupid delinquent who didn’t deserve to go to university.He didn’t have a future here anyway.
Or one at all..
He looked at the application he was holding.He ripped it up into pieces and threw it on the ground,stomping his foot on it to make it tear more. He looked around the auditorium, he noticed an economics trophy and picked it up. It belonged to the professor, Tears fell from his eyes as he looked at it.The stupid professor didn’t need it. He kept on holding it as the tears from his eyes landed on the trophy.Without thinking he took the trophy and smashed it on to the ground. He backed away in shock as he realized what he’d done. He quickly ran up the auditorium stars tho get his bag, as soon as he got it he ran out the top entrance to leave the University building.
——————————
It was late afternoon in the day and Julian was looking down at the viewpoint. Apparently professor Narcisse was murdered, Julian didn’t care though. At least it wasn’t another person he cared about. He sighed as he looked down the high view of the city, the words the professor said still running through is head.The more he thought about what the Professor said the more he thought it was true.
He is a stupid delinquent
He is a fucking unintelligent piece of shit.
One day he’ll just get thrown back in prison before he knew it.
Julian felt the tears he had before running down his face.This time they weren’t out of anger or sadness,Just tiredness.
He Wanted this to Stop
He didn’t have a fucking Future
He was a Killer.
He Murdered Freddy.
He was a DELINQUENT.
He was UNINTELLIGENT.
There was no FUTURE in his life,not once. Not ever.
He looked down to where the end of the cliff where the viewpoint was.
It was pretty high up
If someone fell they could well,die.
“Jump.”
“what the fuck?! No!”
“you know you want to, I mean what’s the point of living if you have not future already”
“No!
“Do it”
“No..”
“You have no future Julian, just fucking do it”
“..fuck”
The ringing on Julian’s ears got higher and higher until-
“Julian?” A voice called. Julian turned around. It was that Gabriel dude form the GPD, he helped him a lot after his dad died, but why was he here? “Why are you here?” Julian turned his head back around looking down at the grass now.
“I wanted to check up on you after..all that.” Gabriel said looking at Julian.
Julian didn’t respond, he didn’t know what to say after what he was feeling just a few minutes ago. He looked up at Gabriel, “how’d you find me?” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Cathy tracked to where your phone was,As i said before I just wanted to see how you where doing.” Gabriel turned his head back to Julian, “could I ask you a question?” Julian nodded.
“How did Rene’s words..feel?”
Julian widened his eyes, and looked away. He thought for a moment, “Uh… If Im being honest..” Gabriel raised his head a bit.
“Kinda..fucking painful, if that makes sense.”
“I understand, I mean what he said to you must’ve mentally and physically hurt..”
Tears formed in Julian’s eyes, he still couldn’t stop thinking about it, the words just rushed through his head all day, not wanting to leave him alone.
“Yeah uhm..” Julian tried to keep his tears away from talking. “He really made me think about my future you know?”
Gabriel nodded, “it uhm..” Julian felt some tears running down his face again.
“Its really made me think that..I literally don’t have one.” he looked down.
“Julian…what where you thinking when you kept on staring down at the edge?”
Julian went silent for a bit. Until he finally broke down. “Oh kid..” Gabriel wrapped his arm around Julian, trying to comfort the poor kid. “I-I’m sorry.” Julian tried saying between sobs. “No kid don’t apologize.” Gabriel said looking down at him.
When Julian had stopped crying, Gabriel let go of him as Julian wiped away his tears. Gabriel looked back at Julian who was now just leaning against the small ledge fence. “Hey would you want to go back to the station with me? I think you feel safer in my office kid.” He asked tilting his head at Julian while smiling a bit. Julian smiled a bit too, “I would uh..I’d like that” he said, now looking up at Gabriel. “Alright,let’s go kid.” He said wrapping his arm around Julian as they walked over to the car.
Thanks for reading this 👍 Also, credits to @alexlesuagz for the fic idea, go check them out there cool
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mandareeboo · 11 months
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Total Drama Island Review, "Not So Happy Campers- Part 1"
Total Drama! It's such an odd show. I'd say about, hmm, 60% of the jokes have aged poorly? But it's such a facet of most of our childhoods. It matters a lot to us even with all of that- and I just think that's neat.
As previously discussed, each elimination round will be held by us as well! Every time someone is voted off the Island, I will hold a poll at the bottom asking who you think should have left that week! Just as a bit of extra fun.
This particular series won't have any Character Introductions, simply because there's so many characters and they're introduced by the show itself, but it will have the usual Synopsis, Fun Tidbits, Character Mistakes, and final Votes!
SYNOPSIS
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We open on Chris McLean, a washed-up Hollywood star hoping to revitalize his career. He tells us all about the reality show he's producing- he claims it's somewhere in Muskoka, that twenty-two teenagers have signed up to live here for eight weeks, and at end the winner will be gifted a small fortune and tabloid fame.
The point of this show is the same as ever other reality show- drama. Every three days the campers compete in challenges. The losing team must then decide who to vote off with the iconic marshmallow. The camper voted off is then jetted off on the boat of losers- home, he claims, but everyone whose watched this show knows he's lying.
"Who will crumble under the pressure? Find out here, right now, on Total. Drama. Island!"
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"We told them they'd all be staying at this five star resort, so if they seem a little TO'ed that's probably why."
One by one, we meet the campers. We get a little segment on all of them, showcasing exactly the kind of shenanigans we should expect. It's a long list so buckle up:
Beth, sweet but blunt, hugs Chris proclaiming he's a bit short. DJ is a kindhearted guy with a love for animals, high-fiving Chris before grumbling about the application form bullshitting him. Gwen is sullen but not unrightly so, ripping up her contract. Chris laughs that he has more. Geoff parties right off the boat, just a genuinely chill guy. Lindsay is a nice girl but doesn't have a lot going on upstairs other than amazing hair. Heather, clearly less than pleased, recoils from Beth and looks ready to have a hernia. Duncan's fresh from juvie and somehow managed to smuggle a radio into his bag. Tyler- athletic but uh. Not great at sticking the landing. Harold, quiet but intense, is excited to get started. Trent's a guy with a guitar whose probably attractive if you're a teenager and into men, neither of which I was when I saw first watched this show rip. Either way he and Gwen hit it off. Bridgette is a surfer girl who is all about saving animals, even going vegetarian. She accidentally whacks Chris with her board passing through.
Halfway there!
Noah is book-smart and got a sharp tongue. He has life-threatening allergies which Chris casually brushes off. Leshawna is charismatic and loud, something Harold mentions and gets told off for. Katie and Sadie are friends who took the "twinsies!" trend waaaaaaay too seriously. Ezekial is home-schooled and not allowed out much. Cody's got a lot of pep but rolled low on charisma stats. Eva is strong but short-tempered. Owen's a big guy with a big heart and a LOT of love to share. Courtney is proper and a bit full of herself. Justin gets a personality later but for now he's just eye candy. Owen instantly gets a crush and we stan a bisexual king. And Izzy is either a woman with mental issues or a secret genius, depending on the theories you buy into, and crashes chin-first into the deck.
Chris calls the campers to the end of the dock for a promo photo and it collapses beneath them.
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"Everyone say Wawanakwa!"
Given ten minutes to dry off, the campers are gathered at the campfire. Chris promises one hundred thousand dollars to the winner- an amount that really isn't worth the hassle, looking back on it- and announces the cabins are co-ed, with women on one side and men on the other. Gwen complains but is shut down by Tyler, who reminds her he's sleeping next to Duncan- currently noogieing a deer.
The campers are then split into two teams: The Screaming Gophers and The Killer Bass. Gwen, Trent, Heather, Cody, Lindsay, Beth, Katie, Owen, Leshawna, Justin, and Noah make the Screaming Gophers, while the Killer Bass are made up of Goeff, Bridgette, DJ, Tyler, Sadie, Izzy, Courtney, Ezekial, Duncan, Eva, and Harold.
Chris explains that everyone will be on tape constantly- even in the toilets, which are designed for private video diaries to let the people back home hear their personal thoughts.
The campers move in (Gophers to the East, Bass to the West) with some mild friction. Heather and Gwen get off on the wrong foot, Cody tries to flirt with Gwen, Lindsay gets a dose of reality upon realizing everyone showers together, and everyone gets a little homophobic about Owen liking to have sleepovers with guys. Still stanning a bisexual king.
Chris further explains that there's no chaperones, leaving twenty-two teenagers to be, well, teenagers. A few on both sides of the cabins get together to murk a cockroach that invades the Gopher's female cabin.
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"Listen up! I serve it three times a day, and you will eat it three times a day. Grab your tray, getcha food, and sit your butts down, NOW!"
We meet the other host, Chef Hatchet, serving fiddles at the cafeteria. Chef is a retired military man implied to have been in at least one war. He serves as the camp chef and also as Chris' partner in crime.
Some of the kids fuss over major food groups, but Chef shuts them down. He feeds the scrawny campers extras. Leshawna tries to befriend Eva but is rebuffed. Everyone tucks into food that's still a bit wiggly and Chris returns to introduce the viewers to the main lodge.
Goeff asks for a pizza, and Chef yeets a literal hatchet into the wall. Judging by Chris' lack of reaction, this is not the first time. Terrified, the kids stop asking. Chris explains the first challenge is in an hour and dips back to eat some gold-plated caviar or something.
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"What do you think they'll have us do?" "It's our first challenge. How hard can it be?"
Regrouping in their swimsuits, the campers find themselves at the highest peak of Wawanakwa overlooking shark-infested waters. Recognizing the trope, DJ cuts the first half off with a well-placed "Oh, shit."
FINAL REVIEW
It doesn't feel right to rate one half of a two-parter, so for now this stays un-rated! I will say it's not shaping up to be my favorite by far, if only for Chris. He feels much less.... himself in the first episode. I guess I'm used to his later, more eager sadism.
It was a great way to introduce the concept and characters, though!
Votes
No one's walked the dock of shame as of yet, so I figured why not have a silly, fun poll this time around! Just to get the juices flowing.
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