#also yes this is a year late. i couldn't bring myself to skip a year in the order lmao

[byuluno]

favorite tracks: 2022

#p1harmony #pixy #bvndit #nct dream #nct #tempest #cix #onewe #dreamcatcher #purple kiss #kpopccc #mine #mine: misc #2022 #favorite tracks #honorable mentions: maniac ring ma bell ruby replay #the shade of red for cix is just from the opening of the mv lol #also yes this is a year late. i couldn't bring myself to skip a year in the order lmao #flashing tw

[btsgotjams27]

fool for you ~ jjk | final

you have to decide if jeon jungkook is perfectly wrong for you.

✨ title: fool for you | ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader ✨ word count: 7.7k | ✨ rating: R ✨ genre/au: romance, light angst, fluff | college, fake dating, strangers to friends to lovers ✨ warnings: language, jk is a sweet dummy, but we love him anyway, jieun is just as insecure as reader and jungkook (yes, i'm trying to make y'all feel bad for her), confessions, taehyung's a good friend, time skip, jin's shoulders (you'll understand when you see the photo), yoongi shows up again, kissing, making out, marking, a smol, not so smol erection 🙈, groping, touching ✨ playlist ✨ a/n: okay, so, i'm just not happy with how this fic went T_T i literally have no one to blame but myself! the end of part 4 was actually never supposed to happen, but i wrote it in anyway *facepalm* i was stressed for days bc i'm like how do i redeem this cute, fluffy couple?? *sigh* but i tried my best(?), and i *do* explain why jk did what he did, and if you don't like it, then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk what to tell you. anyway, sorry for the rant, but i just wanted to thank @here4btsfics for listening to me ramble about this fic and talking me through some plot points. ily. ✨ a/n 2: this is also not beta'd bc well, i'm impatient af. so if you see typos, that's why lol. ✨ if y'all want any cute or smutty (must be off anon) drabbles with this couple, just drop it in my inbox :) ✨ Any feedback, reblogs, and asks are appreciated.

[ SERIES MASTERLIST ] prev

Jungkook was ashamed of his actions at the carnival. It wasn't fair that he kept the kissing booth from you. Instead of letting it unravel as it did, he should have told you the truth. He didn't want to do what 'old Jungkook' would have done to make Jieun jealous. Because you had nothing in common with her. You were thoughtful and generous. And he realized he was bringing out a side of you you didn't know you had until he showed up - and that wasn't fair.

But he did enjoy that you took ownership of him, dragging him away from the line of girls. That was sexy for him, but that's beside the point. He made a mistake and needed to make amends before it was too late.

So, he got up early and put on some decent clothing besides his standard oversized shirt and sweats. He double-checked his reflection in the mirror. Before opening the door, he tugged at the collar of the brown flannel and flattened the black slacks. However, he was greeted by none other than his ex.

"What are you doing here?" he deadpanned.

Jieun somehow looked like shit today. With barely there makeup, hair in a bun, an oversized hoodie, and leggings. "Can we talk?"

He stepped through the threshold, closed the door behind him, waited for her to continue, and was displeased to see her.

"I'm…leaving."

Jungkook eyebrows knitted together in confusion, thinking okay, then leave.

"I'm moving back to New York." Jieun had mentioned it when they were still together, but she never made the decision.

"'Kay, have a safe trip then," he mumbled, stepping aside from her. He had places to go anyway.

Jieun put her hand out to stop him. "Kook–we're going to leave things like this?"

Jungkook clicked his tongue. "What do you want me to say, Jieun?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…are you going to miss me? Us? The way we used to be?" Jieun had been kicking herself ever since she had slept with Jimin. She had no idea how lucky she was with Jungkook. She was certain she had lost him and could not get him back. She reasoned that the best way to let go of Jungkook was to start over in a new city, far away from all the pain and suffering she had caused.

Jungkook wasn't made of stone. He'd been with her for a year. Although their relationship was mostly physical, they had fun together. She was fun to party and sleep with, but he couldn't see himself with her in the future. Their relationship was never more than that. Was he to blame? Hers? Perhaps both. Could it be that they hadn't met the right person with whom to do all that 'relationship' stuff?

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Jungkook didn't want to be a jerk. After the fiasco with her and Jimin, many of her friends completely abandoned her. He could tell she was lonely.

Jieun chuckled, reaching for the fuzzy pink bunny keychain attached to his keys. "Remember when you tried so hard to win that for me?"

Jungkook peered at the keys in his hand.

"Was that our first date?"

Jungkook nodded.

"You spent so much money. And I swear that game's rigged, plus that guy wasn't letting you off the hook either," the two of you chuckled at the memory.

"And then at the end, when you won it, you said you worked so hard for it that you were going to keep it." She leaned over, trying to catch his gaze. "See, we did have fun together."

He wasn't sure where she was going with this. Maybe she needed some sort of forgiveness or closure from him to move on with a new chapter of her life.

"I know you hate me, Kookie—"

Jungkook interrupted. "I don't hate you." Even though she has hurt him, he does not believe he will ever hate her, and he will never in his heart hate anyone. "I was upset and hurt, but I could never hate you."

With the number of women Jungkook had dated, one would think he was a fuckboy, but he was quite the opposite. He was always true to the person he was dating, which was one of many lessons his parents taught him.

Jieun smiled half-heartedly. "Kook, you're only saying that because you have a good heart. That is one of the many reasons I will never forget you." She moved in closer, fiddling with his shirt collar. "I know you don't owe me anything, but can I ask one thing from you, and then I promise you'll never have to see me again?"

Was she really going to be out of his life for good? She'd been a menace since she saw you and Jungkook together. But, out of the goodness of his heart, he would trust her one more time. "What is it?"

"Can you kiss me like you mean it?"

Jungkook let out a scoff. "Are you kidding me?"

After everything she's put him through, she dared to ask this of him. Jieun was at the top, having everything handed to her on a silver platter. Only now to be at the bottom, searching for anyone to talk to her. So Jungkook was her last resort because she knew he had a good heart even though she had hurt him.

"I know it's stupid to ask of you, but I love you, Kook. I just…I just want to remember us–you like how we used to be, you know…before…." She paused, not wanting to bring up her infidelity again. Her guilty conscience ate her alive, sucking her in like there was no tomorrow. She knew she messed up a good thing when she asked Jungkook to kiss her, going in knowing he'd say no, but she couldn't help but try.

"If I do this, you'll stop trying to come between Y/n and me?" Jungkook didn't know for sure if she'd go back on her word. But considering she was moving back to New York, he was putting his faith and trust in her.

She extended her pinky, hoping he'd reciprocate. He hesitated but chose the kiss over the pinky promise. He kissed her but felt nothing because he didn't have feelings for her—it was you. Jungkook knew he'd have to tell you about Jieun's kiss. He knew telling you was risky, but he'd rather tell you the truth than a lie.

Jungkook pulled away, cupping her face, gazing into her eyes one last time. "Goodbye, Jieun."

Jieun began to back away. He quickly opened the door to his room, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply. He now had to find the strength to tell you he had kissed his ex and then confess his feelings. He anticipated you to reject him and move on.

Jieun noticed you approaching as she walked to the hall entrance. Jealousy resurfaced in her body as she realized she'd never get back on Jungkook's good side. Jieun did what she was good at—-she mocked you, saying you'd lost. But she was only saying those things to make herself feel better, even though she was miserable. She was well aware that she couldn't compete with you. Jungkook had fallen head over heels when she saw you kiss him at the party. She wished you would treat Jungkook a million times better than she could.

"I might kiss you," he whispered.

"I might just let you."

Every fiber of Jungkook's wanted to kiss every inch of you. Wanted to know your ins and outs, wanted to see what you loved, what your body craved, but he stopped himself. He thought, what was he doing? This isn't how he wanted to treat you. He wanted to treat you better than anyone he's been with before.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I'm being stupid and selfish and thinking with my dick instead of my head," he said, pulling back from you.

You couldn't believe how much you wanted to kiss him despite knowing he had kissed his ex-girlfriend. You hadn't even bothered to ask why he did it. "We're both stupid," your voice trembling, "I just saw you kissing your ex, and now I'm about to kiss you as well. I should...I should leave," you said as you turned to unlock the doorknob.

"Wait–do you even want to hear my explanation?"

You sighed, turning back to him. "What's there to explain Jungkook? You'll always be with girls like Jieun, and I'm not in her league. So I understand if you want to rekindle your relationship with her. People like you deserve to be together."

"So, you won't even give me a chance to explain? And what do you mean, people like us deserve to be together?"

"It's nothing–I…should go before I say something I regret."

"I was kissing her goodbye!" Jungkook cried out because he felt you would leave before he could explain himself.

You shook your head and scoffed. "That's some goodbye kiss. Bye, Jungkook."

"Look, I know you don't owe me anything, but can we just talk about this?"

You weren't sure what else there was to explain. This all started because you decided to shoot your shot with Jungkook. Then agreed to be his fake girlfriend and ended up liking him because he seemed like a decent enough guy. But in the end, it was you who was a fool.

If Jungkook truly cared about you as a friend, he would have told you about the kissing booth. He wouldn't have kissed all those girls in front of you if he was a good fake boyfriend.

But unfortunately, he was neither of those.

"You wanna talk?" you took a step toward him, pressing your hand on his chest, pushing him back. "Let's talk."

Jungkook was taken aback by your sudden boldness. He walked backward until he hit his bed and sat down.

"You could've told me about the kissing booth–as your fake girlfriend, that was unfair. Why are we pretending to date if you want to go around kissing other girls? If you were sucking faces with other girls, Jieun might not have cared, but I'm not her, and I care. I understand you had unfinished business with Jieun, but did you have to kiss her too? I was naïve to believe I could be friends with you because I didn't know who I was kidding when I tried to separate my romantic feelings from you. And, despite my best efforts, I fell for you."

Jungkook had previously had girls confess their feelings for him, but this was different. This felt real---genuine. You sounded like you were speaking from the heart. He's never had a confession like that before. After hearing everything, a part of him wanted to flee. He was afraid of not being good enough for you, especially after his actions. You deserved better than anything he could ever give you. He had no idea what you saw in him.

You stared at Jungkook and then at the floor, waiting for him to say something. "Well, you said you wanted to talk."

He paused to gather his thoughts before moving toward you while maintaining his distance. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his hands were sweating profusely. He was never good at having deep conversations.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about the kissing booth. I did it to make you jealous, to see how far you would go for me. I know it's stupid—you don't have to tell me twice."

Your eyes caught his for just a moment before looking away.

Jungkook let out a sigh. "I'm also sorry about Jieun. I won’t try to explain it further because I should have said no to her. But I was on my way to see you before she arrived. I came to tell you how much I like you and how I'm afraid of being in a real relationship because I'm afraid I'll mess up. And getting to know you over the last few weeks has made me realize you're far too good for me. That you are deserving of better than anything I could ever offer. I understand if you don't want to be friends or see me again, but I felt you should know how I felt about you."

His doe eyes explored your face trying to figure out what you were thinking. "So, what now?"

You shrugged. "I don't know, Jungkook. This whole thing is a mess." He nodded. "Maybe we should just stay friends."

"You still want to hang out with me?"

"Not like how we used to. At least for a little bit."

You needed time to recover. To keep your distance from Jungkook. To regain your footing. Get in the right frame of mind because everything Jeon Jungkook has clouded your judgment.

Everyone had final exams and presentations during the last week of school before the summer break. Fortunately, you only had one more exam before finishing your junior year.

It was a beautiful day to sit outside and study for your exam, so you did just that. You sat down beneath your favorite oak tree on campus, took out your world-lit book and notes, and flipped through your scribbled notes.

"Hey!"

You looked up to see Taehyung running over to you. Great, now what? You thought. "Hey," you replied, thinking you should be nice.

"Where are you headed for the summer?" he asked, inviting himself to sit next to you.

You found it odd because he's never struck up a conversation with you before. "I'm heading to my Aunt's in San Francisco," you said reluctantly, wondering where he was going with all of this.

"Cool."

You set down your book and notes, glaring at him." Why are you here, Taehyung?"

"Damn–a guy can't be curious? Sheesh–what's got your panties in a twist?" Taehyung cocked his brow.

You deadpanned, waiting for him to explain why he was talking to you.

"Okay–I'm here to talk about Jungkook."

You continued to stare blankly at him. You needed to understand what Jungkook had to do with anything. It's been a week since you last saw or spoke to him. You two agreed just to be friends and nothing else.

Taehyung cleared his throat, adjusting his position. "I need you to take him back."

"What? What do you mean?"

"He's been mopey and lovesick ever since you stopped dating. It's quite sickening to see it unfold in front of my eyes. All he can think about is how much he misses you, how much he misses hanging out with you, how much he misses this and that. He literally wears your hair tie as jewelry around his wrist. When you think about it, it's kind of creepy." For a brief moment, he looked off into the distance. "Anyway–all this to say is, for the love of god, please get back together with him. I can't stand him being like this anymore. I'm gonna fucking scream."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his request. It's strange how the tables have flipped. You were head over heels in love with Jungkook, and now you were the polar opposite. Granted, you were still trying to suppress your feelings for him, but hearing him be so lovesick over you made your heart skip a beat.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what? That you guys were fake dating? He told me what went down after the kissing booth. I told him he was dumb for kissing all those girls if he really liked you, told him he should've just been honest with you from the get-go."

Wow–you definitely weren't expecting this conversation when Taehyung sat down next to you.

"Did Jungkook tell you to say all of this?"

Taehyung gave you a funny look. "What? No. I came here on my own accord. Just because I like to party and sleep around doesn't mean I don't care about my friends. Jungkook has always been there for me when I needed him, so I'm returning the favor. You can accept it as is or continue to make assumptions about my intentions."

"Sorry," you mumbled, "I hope you understand why I'm cautious about everything. But you understand why, right?"

"I get it. Jungkook hurt you by not being upfront about his feelings, but it's never too late to start over again."

"You're a good friend, Taehyung."

He flashed a boxy smile at you. "I know."

Arriving back at your dorm after dinner, you couldn’t stop thinking about your conversation with Taehyung. Your heart wanted to forgive Jungkook right away, but your head told you to slow down because that's how you got into trouble in the first place.

Your room was empty due to you and Lyla’s things being packed up and stored for the summer. Laying on your bed, a ding from your phone went off.

Jungkook 9:27 PM Hey. When are you leaving?

You 9:28 PM I’m leaving tomorrow. My flight is at 2.

Jungkook 9:29 PM Is it okay if I talk to you tomorrow before you leave?

You 9:30 PM Yeah. Meet me outside of my hall. Around 10?

Jungkook 9:31 PM Great! I’ll see you then!

The following morning, you woke up extra early to prepare for whatever Jungkook needed to talk to you about. You stood in front of the mirror, telling yourself, 'No' several times.

"What are you doing, weirdo?" Lyla asked as she came in, brushing past you to get her toothbrush.

"I'm hyping myself up to say no to Jungkook."

Lyla snickered, putting toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Uh-huh. Good luck with that, babe."

"You're very encouraging. Thanks," you said sarcastically.

She placed a kiss on your cheek before beginning to brush. "You're very welcome!"

You could see Jungkook waiting outside your hall's lobby as you walked through it. One thing you liked about him was that he was always on time. When you opened the door, it creaked loudly, alerting him to your presence.

Jungkook peered at you, sending a soft smile. "Hey."

"Hi," you answered with a thin smile, standing next to him.

"You look beautiful today."

Jungkook looked effortlessly good. He could never look bad if you were honest. He could wear a garbage bag, and you'd be on your knees. Today, however, he wore a blue and white windbreaker with a white tee and ripped jeans. You wished things had gone differently for the two of you.

You crossed your arms and mumbled, 'thank you,' curious why he wanted to talk. Perhaps he was trying one last time to convince you to be more than just friends. You'd think about it, but that was your heart, not your head. You knew better, and you'd been practicing saying one word, two letters, and 'no' all morning.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, um, I know we're just gonna be friends, and I'm totally cool with that,  but I was wondering if you'd mind if I texted you this summer? Not all the time, but occasionally, just to check in on you and stuff?"

Okay, you thought. This is progress. You could do this–texting. It was pretty harmless, right? And it'd only be once in a while. Because one thing was for sure, you didn't want to go all heart eyes for him so quickly.

"Yeah, I think that'd be okay." Jungkook beamed when you said okay. "And where will you be this summer?"

"I'll be at my uncle's in Seattle. Gonna spend time with him and my Aunt. You should come to visit." You let out a chuckle, and then Jungkook realized what he had asked of you. "Sorry–I'm getting ahead of myself there."

"'S okay," you said. You found Jungkook's eagerness adorable. "Anything else?" You were hoping that was the only thing because you feared the longer you were in his presence, the more you'd want to give in to him.

"I hope you have a good summer," he said, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and glancing at you.

"Thanks."

"I'll talk to you soon?"

You nodded, watching him walk away ahead of you. "Jungkook!" He turned around, his doe eyes wide open. It took everything you had not to say everything that was on your mind, but you had to bite your tongue. "Have a good summer."

His dimple was deeply etched into the softness of his cheek, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. He gave one last wave before departing.

When he was out of sight, you breathed a sigh of relief. Wanting to pat yourself on the back because you didn't let on more than you should. Your answers to his questions were short and concise, without hounding for more. Whew.

~ One month later ~ 

Staying at your Aunt's was great. You loved San Francisco. It was a completely different vibe from southern California. The weather was breezy, the sun was always out, and there were many things to do in the Bay Area.

Halfway into the month and you hadn't heard anything from Jungkook. It's not like you were jumping at every notification when your phone buzzed, but he did say he would text you.

"Why do you keep looking at your phone?" Your Aunt Jo asked, peering at your screen.

You flipped your phone over to hide your lock screen. "I'm not," you countered.

"You're waiting on a boy, aren't you?"

Flashing a thin smile, you quipped back at her. "I'm not."

"He'll call you, don't worry so much. It always happens when you're least expecting it."

Your Aunt's had her fair share of men and women, and tonight was no different. The new guy she was seeing insisted on cooking for her.

"Aunt Jo–how do you meet these guys?" you asked, wanting to know her secret. The new guy, Jin, was young, tall, handsome, and a chef in town with a hot new restaurant.

"Friend of a friend," she said with a cheeky smile. "He's cute, isn't he?"

You couldn't help but give him a once-over. Those shoulders were big enough to land a plane. You shielded your mouth with your hand, whispering, "Super cute."

"Okay, ladies. Are you ready to try my famous dish?" Jin asked, bringing over two plates with seared scallops on a bed of quinoa, apple salad, and butternut squash puree. You'd never had anything this fancy before.

"Thank you, baby," Aunt Jo flirted at the handsome man, reaching for a kiss, which he reciprocated.

A ding from your phone resounded through the kitchen. You eagerly reached for it but stopped yourself.

"You're not gonna see if it's your boyfriend?" Aunt Jo teased before taking a bite of her scallop. She groaned at the heavenly taste.

It was going to bug you if you didn't check. You grabbed your phone and nothing but a measly email. You're not sure why you were getting so worked up. You were the one that told Jungkook you only wanted to be friends, but here you were, glued to your phone in case he texted.

You sighed, trying to get a grip. You had integrity and dignity, and you weren't going to break down just because a boy hadn't texted you.

So, instead, you opened up your camera, taking a picture of this beautiful dinner. Then just as Aunt Jo had said, another ding indicating a picture message was sent to you.

Clicking on the bubble, it was a message from Jungkook.

Jungkook 7:36 PM This corn dog isn't as good as the one we had at the pier.

You 7:37 PM

Jungkook 7:38 PM Where's the rest of the entree?!

You 7:39 PM wdym?? 😂 That's it!

Jungkook 7:40 PM You should demand to get your money back. You were scammed.

You 7:41 PM This is fine dining! My aunt's boyfriend made this. He's a chef at a place called Trestle.

Jungkook 7:41 PM Fine dining, hmm? You like that stuff?

You 7:42 PM Idk. Never really cared for the finer things in life.

Jungkook 7:43 PM I'm offended! What about me?

You 7:43 PM 😂 Are you trying to get me to compliment you?

Jungkook 7:44 PM 😎

You 7:45 PM 😒 You're okay-looking. You should see my aunt's boyfriend. He's mighty fine.

"Earth to my favorite niece in the whole wide world! Remember to eat! You've been smiling ever since you picked up your phone."

"Have not!" you protested.

"My Jin can attest to that. Can't you?"

"Jojo is right. You've been smiling like a creepy doll and have yet to try my food, and that's an insult to me," Jin teased.

"Let me take a picture of you." Jin turned to you, giving you a smolder and pouty lips. "Thanks!" you said, returning to your phone.

"Wait–wait! Jinnie, take your shirt off!" Jo cried as Jin turned back around.

"Aunt Jo!"

"If you're going to make this boy jealous, might as well do it right." Your aunt gave her boyfriend a pouty face and he willingly did what she asked. He tugged his shirt off, telling you to get his best side, which apparently was his back side. And well, you couldn't disagree. Jungkook would definitely be jealous of Jin's worldwide shoulders.

You 7:50 PM

Jungkook 7:51 PM WHY ARE YOU SENDING ME NUDES OF OTHER MEN??

You 7:51 PM Blame my Aunt Jo. She suggested it. Anywho, time for dessert now. Byeee.

You have yet to hear back the rest of the night from Jungkook. It was good for you to be the first to end the conversation because, knowing you, you could text him all night, which would defeat the purpose of just being friends. You wanted to be cautious about becoming friends with him because it was all too easy to cross the line again.

~ Two months later ~

Texts with Jungkook were simple, a little flirty, but nothing more than that. He'd send you random pictures of things he was doing or food he'd be eating, and you did the same. Harmless and cute. Distance from him was a good thing, keeping you from getting in trouble.

Your goal this summer was to explore new things to do and see in San Francisco. Your Aunt and Jin helped by giving you a bucket list.

On today's list was Alcatraz. You weren't a fan of boats, but it was the only way to get onto the island. The nice thing was you had a friend to accompany you on this trip. Yoongi made a surprise visit, checking out a doctorate program in the area. He mentioned wanting to check it when he was your TA, so you thought it'd be fun to explore with him.

Jungkook 1:11 PM Made it to the gum wall.

You 1:20 PM 🤢 Don't get sick. Did you put one on there too?

Jungkook 1:21 PM 😎 Ofc I did. What's your view rn?

You 1:23 PM

Jungkook 1:24 PM Fun. You have a visitor today?

You 1:30 PM Yeah, he's checking out another school here.

Jungkook 1:31 PM Cool. Have fun!

"Who's that? Lover boy?" Yoongi teased.

You glared, tucking your phone away in your back pocket. "I don't have a lover boy," you huffed at him.

"What happened with you two, anyway?"

You shrugged, not really wanting to go into detail about your whole ordeal with Jungkook. What happened, happened and now the two of you were just friends.

"Well, whatever happened, just don't be so hard on yourself. You both probably screwed up, and neither of you is perfect, so learn from it and move on," Yoongi said casually, moving on with the rest of the tour group.

Shaking your head, you chuckled at his words. He was never a man of many words but you appreciate him for caring about you.

~ Three months later ~

You 10:27 AM

What's good here?

Jungkook 10:30 AM

What's good here? You're in Seattle? 🥲

You 10:32 AM YOU'RE IN SF?! 😩 This is like a missed connections ads lol

Jungkook 10:33 AM I guess this is what happens when all we do is send pictures, huh? 😅

You 10:34 AM Guess so lol

Jungkook 10:35 AM Have fun in Seattle.

You 10:36 AM Have fun in SF. I'll see you when we get back to school?

Jungkook 10:36 AM Definitely 💛

"What happened? You look sad," Aunt Jo mentioned when she saw the frown on your face.

"Oh, it's nothing," you stated with a wry smile, stuffing your phone in your bag. Today was not about you. It was about Jin.

"Were you expecting to see your boy while we were here?"

You rolled your eyes at her. No, you weren't expecting to see Jungkook because you assumed he'd be as busy as you were. Aunt Jo invited you to accompany her to Jin's new restaurant in Seattle, and you jumped at the chance. Okay, so you thought there was a chance you'd see Jungkook while in town. Unfortunately, luck was not on your side.

"I–no–I mean, maybe."

Aunt Jo stood before you, raising your chin and forcing you to look at her. "Sweetheart, it's okay to miss him or want to see him even though he hurt you. It's only natural, and you can't deny what your heart wants."

"Exactly–" Jin interrupted, "The heart wants what it wants," he said, kissing Aunt Jo's cheek from behind.

You debated if you should text him back, but what would it do? What would you even say? Hey, after thinking about it, I kind of wanna be more than friends? You were the one that initiated being friends again. What kind of person would you look like? Being super wishy-washy with your decisions. It was hard to keep your sense of worth when it came to Jeon Jungkook.

Throughout the rest of your trip to Seattle, you were good. You didn't text him besides when he would send you photos here and there of activities he was doing in San Francisco. You were proud of yourself for not giving in to your wants, and you stood your ground.

Returning to San Francisco felt bittersweet because you assumed Jungkook had already left. You didn't want to ask where he was going next for fear of sounding nosy or needy. You'll just have to guess. Maybe he was already back in SoCal.

"Knock, knock," Aunt Jo said, holding your door open. "I know we just got back, but Jin invited us to a special event at his restaurant tonight. So get your cute little butt showered and dressed up, 'kay?"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Free food? I'm there."

Aunt Jo whistled when you walked down the stairs in your outfit. The only semi-nice thing you packed was a black slip dress. Then you threw on a black leather jacket.

"You couldn't have chosen better shoes?" Aunt Jo asked, gawking at your pair of black and white checkered Vans.

"What? I wanted to be cute and comfy," you said, pulling the strap of your bag over your head, letting it drape across your body.

When the two of you arrived at the restaurant, you expected it to be packed, but it was completely empty. You got out of the Uber and waited for your Aunt to get out of the Uber. You turned around only to see her smiling like a lunatic.

"Aren't you coming?"

Jin called your name and waved you over as he exited the restaurant. You cast a glance in his direction, curious as to what was going on with them tonight.

"It's just you, sweetheart, have fun tonight!"

"We forgot to mention it's a private event for you," Jin grinned, sending you a wink. He stepped into the Uber, and then they were off, leaving you utterly confused on the sidewalk.

A high-pitched ding from your phone went off. Opening your bag, you checked your phone to see a text from Aunt Jo.

Aunt Jo 6:22 PM

Gonna stay at Jin's tonight.

Please be responsible. Love you.

Her text was cryptic and vague, leaving you even more puzzled. You sighed as you turned to face the restaurant and walked to the door. When you first walked in, the atmosphere was quite cute and quaint. Many tables had been cleared away, leaving one in the middle of the restaurant. Someone was sitting with their back to you, and when they heard the door close, they turned to see you standing there.

"Jungkook?"

He got up from his seat and walked over to you. He was dressed in his favorite color, black. A black open button down, tucked into black joggers, black combat boots, and finished with a thick silver chain. The biggest bunny smile you'd ever seen on him adorned his pretty face.

"What are you doing here? How–how did you–"

"I might have done some digging, called around, and got ahold of your Aunt's boyfriend."

Your jaw opened and closed, amazed by how sneaky everyone was–including Aunt Jo and Jin. "So you planned all of this?"

Jungkook shrugged. "I had some help from your Aunt. She's a pretty cool person. Jin too." You couldn't stop smiling, and your cheeks were beginning to ache as a result. "Do you want something to eat? Because I'm hungry, and the food smelled delicious while I waited, "He smiled.

You nodded in response to his question. He extended his hand, and you accepted it without hesitation. When your hand found his big warm ones again, your heart raced at a million beats per minute. He escorted you to the seat across from him, pulling out the chair and pushing it in while you sat.

You felt so flustered and scatterbrained you didn't even hear when Jungkook called your name. "Hmm?"

Jungkook chuckled. "How was Seattle? Did you like it?"

"I liked it a lot. It reminded me a lot of San Francisco. Minus the gloom," you giggled. You mentally kicked yourself when you realized you had just giggled in front of Jungkook. It was too hard not to get all excited over this. So you took a deep breath to ground yourself and remember that he is just a boy–a friend–nothing more.

A server greeted both of you, handing you the menu. Everything sounded so fancy, and for half of the items, you needed clarification on what they were. Nevertheless, it was free, so you'd try anything.

After placing your orders with the server, the pair of you couldn't stop smiling at each other like young teenagers in love. It was pretty nauseating if someone were watching the two of you.

"Ahem… you're growing out your hair," you said, finally breaking the weird smiling contest between you.

Jungkook touched the hair resting on the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I thought I'd try it and never had it this long before."

"I like it."

Your compliment made him look away, a sheepish smile plastered on his face, showing off his dimple.

The rest of dinner continued. You both groaned at how delicious everything tasted. It's no surprise that people enjoyed fine dining, but you didn't enjoy the cost. But one rule Jin lived by was that he would not charge people an arm and a leg just to eat good food. He thought it was ridiculous and vowed never to do it again when he owned his own restaurant. And you thought it was very honorable.

As the last course came out, you ordered the coconut custard while Jungkook got the chocolate cake, one of each, so you could enjoy the desserts instead of picking one.

"How is it?" Jungkook asked when you took a bite.

"It's good," you swallowed, "but it might be too coco-nutty for me."

Jungkook set his fork down after taking a bite of his cake. He pushed the small plate toward you. "Here, take mine. I'll eat it if you don't like it."

"Jungkook, we're supposed to share! I can't let you do that."

"It's fine! I don't mind, honestly!" He pushed the cake further to you while taking the custard away from you. You felt he wouldn't give up, so you let him have it.

After dinner, Jungkook insisted on taking an Uber with you to make sure you got back to your Aunt's okay, and then he'd take off to his hotel for the night. As the car arrived at Aunt Jo's, Jungkook followed after, walking you to the door.

You turned to Jungkook. "Thanks for dinner. It was a lot of fun."

Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't do much. It's all thanks to your Aunt and Jin for helping me set everything up."

"Yeah, I know, but you put a lot of thought into it too, and I really appreciate that."

He nervously toyed with his lip ring, letting it flip back and forth. "Um, well, I guess I should say goodnight, and I'll see you when we get back to school?"

Your eyes flickered to his. "Do you want to come in? My Aunt's gone for the night."

"Are...you sure?" Jungkook stammered.

"Yeah, we can watch a movie or talk."

"Uh, okay. Let me tell the driver. Be right back."

The time was almost nine, so you opted for a nightcap. You grabbed a bottle of wine from Aunt Jo's cupboard and two glasses, setting it down on the coffee table before pouring one for you and Jungkook.

Jungkook quickly finished his glass which made you chuckle. Was he nervous? You didn't take him that type of guy.

"Why did you come to San Francisco?" you asked after taking a sip of your wine.

He chuckled. "Is it not obvious?"

You could take a stab at why he was doing this, but you needed him to say what he wanted.

"I'm shooting my shot," he said casually.

Trying to hold in a grin, you stopped it by devouring the rest of your wine glass.

Jungkook turned his full attention to you. "I couldn't stop thinking about you all summer–what you were doing if you were happy or sad, lonely. I wanted to call so many times, but I didn't know if I could. That's why I only sent texts since they were less intimidating."

"You could've called. I would've picked up."

"I know, but I didn't want to mess up being your friend 'cause I'm not good at this stuff, and I've never just been friends with a girl or even known how to date. But all I do know is you make me want to learn how to do all that stuff."

"To learn how to date or be my friend?

A beat passed before Jungkook answered, "Both, I guess? I just want to get to know you, so I wanna do whatever you wanna do. But that's if you want to..." he trailed off.

The buzz from the wine began warming up your cheeks, and the invisible walls you had up were starting to crumble. Jungkook's rosy lips looked too luscious not to want to try again. "I...really, really want to kiss you."

Jungkook gulped, unsure of what to do next. He didn't want to screw this up, but he also didn't want to pass up an opportunity to kiss you. His gaze shifted from your eyes to your cute nose, then to your lips. He lingered on your lips, trying to recall how they tasted. But it'd been far too long since he'd kissed you.

"I want to kiss you too, but I don't want you to regret it afterward."

You shook your head. "I won't." You shifted closer to Jungkook on the couch, your knee brushing up against his as you leaned in, waiting for him to do the same.

Jungkook brought his hand to cup your cheek, gazing into your eyes, wanting to confirm if this was really what you wanted. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," you said as you closed the gap and pressed your lips against his. His other hand cupped the opposite side of your face, drawing you closer to him. Your lips continued to explore each other softly and slowly as if time had stopped to allow you to discover what you had been missing.

You withdrew, only to find yourself straddling him. Jungkook's eyes widened as he realized the new position. However, he didn't mind it one bit. When his hands fell to grip your waist, urging you closer to him, your entire body buzzed. It didn't take long for Jungkook to become aroused by this heated make-out session, his cock twitching in his strained pants. You tangled your fingers in his hair, causing him to groan in your mouth while you smiled into his. Then your hand reached for the thick silver chain around his neck, gently pulling him as close as you could.

When he pulled away, you let out a quiet whimper. His lips began to trail wet kisses down your jawline, leaving soft purple bruises on your neck. His hands dragged up to your shoulders, where your dress's delicate straps lay. His fingers tinkered with them, debating whether to slide them down, so you decided for him. Your hand reached out to take the straps off, but Jungkook stopped you.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Jungkook said breathily, nuzzling into the crook of your neck.

"No...No, you're good. I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

Jungkook leaned against the couch, shifting himself from beneath, hoping to adjust the erection straining in his pants. "As I said, I'm fine with taking things slowly, I'm not in a hurry, and I'll wait as long as it takes if it means I get you in the end."

It took everything in you not to want to rip off your clothes and his right at this moment. But he was right because you didn't want to fuck this up, either.

"You just know the right things to say, huh?"

Jungkook laughed and nodded. He leaned forward, asking for a kiss. "It's getting late, and I still need to pack for my flight tomorrow."

You slid yourself off of him to a standing position, adjusting the strap, just begging to fall. "Let me get an Uber for you."

The following day, Aunt Jo knocked on your door, asking if you were decent enough for her to come in. She covered her eyes as the door opened. "We good in here? No cute, naked boy in your bed?"

You laughed. "No, Aunt Jo. No naked boy in here."

"Darn," she teased, handing you a cup of coffee. "I'm surprised he didn't stay over."

To be honest, it would have been far too easy for you and Jungkook to fuck without first properly establishing what you two were. Again, you tried hard not to rush into things with him, but it was difficult not to.

"He was the one who stopped it from going any further, actually," you commented.

Aunt Jo took a sip of her coffee, nodding slowly, surprised at your words. "Interesting."

"Yeah...interesting."

"Well, at least you know he's trying to do things the right way this time, so that's gotta count for something?"

She was right. You'd wanted and hoped to do this thing with Jungkook correctly. Let's not fuck it up this time.

Over the last couple weeks of summer break, you and Jungkook constantly texted, called, and video-chatted. You couldn't wait to get back on campus to see him again.

As you settled into your new apartment with Lyla, the boxes in your new room were piled high. You reached for a box on your tiptoes when you felt two hands snake around your waist and a kiss press against your shoulder. When you looked over, you saw a happy Jungkook wrapping his arms around you.

"Hi," he whispered into your ear before kissing your neck.

You mumbled a 'hi' before squirming away from his embrace, proceeding to finish your task before he rudely interrupted. Your hand reached into the box, holding onto the fairy lights you loved so much.

Jungkook sat on your bed, watching as you strung lights up on your wall. You crept on the bed, attempting to string the lights behind Jungkook, but he refused to move, so you crawled over him. When he suddenly leaned backward, pulling you on top of him, you yelped.

"Jungkook!" you cried, playfully hitting his chest, trying to break away from his hold, but he drew you back toward him for a kiss.

"One," Jungkook whispered, connecting his mouth to yours again. "Two."

"Why are you counting?"

He grinned from ear to ear. "Cause I owe you 100 kisses, remember?"

You rolled your eyes. "Forgot about that, and I paid good money for that, too," you laughed.

"Mm…I didn't," Jungkook pressed another kiss on your lips. "Three." He placed another on your jaw, causing your skin to burn hot underneath his lips. "Four."

"Jungkook," you whined, "I have so much to unpack."

"I'll help you later, but right now. I just wanna kiss you for a while."

You groaned. "Fine."

Although your and Jungkook's relationship began in an unusual manner and had its share of ups and downs. You wouldn't have made the mistake of foolishly falling for someone other than him.

#jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook x you #jungkook x reader #jungkook fluff #jungkook college au #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts x reader #bts x you #fic: fool for you #college au #fake dating

[physicsfox7]

Teehee.

Another late night post. I wrenched my back reaching for my phone charger, and now I think I might sleep on the couch so I dont exacerbate it.

So I'm watching the McElroy brothers play Super Mario World, have a heating pad pushing on my ouchies. And with Christmas coming up, lets do a teensy thought bubble.

This year has been absolutely crazy. A year ago I was negotiating a ridiculous raise at my last company, as everything fell apart around us because they had just demoted the obly other project manager. Meanwhile, my boss and the owner of the company was in South America because he doesn't like cold weather.

Now I'm unemployed, Kenna has a job, and I've spent most of the year playing video games and napping. No job prospects as of now, but who knows what this week holds.

We used our tax return money to fund a dream trip to Japan. We got a whole house to ourselves, finally got passports, registered for the train pass, and planned so many things.

We skipped the trip because I couldn't hold my anxiety in check after opening up the Pandora's box of emotional mess that is me. And neither of us regrets it. We haven't complained that we missed out. Other than the loss of money (almost the whole fucking trip sadly) were good with it.

Now onto my all time favorite subject. My friends.

This year, I reaffirmed my love for many old friends, and got closer with a few. I lost a couple to differences of opinions, and I just can't bring myself to be broken hearted. They have hate in their heart, I just can't. Finally, I met people who changed my whole world.

Last year, I got to attend a friends wedding and meet him for the first time, and I thought I was going to die. We had a wonderful time, and the warmth of the hugs I got changed me forever.

Earlier this year, I befriended my beloved Oat. I have a friend that I can bullshit with, who can somehow get me talling about the deepest stuff, who makes me feel heard and felt. She helped me with so much, including my mental health, relationship help, self confidence, and my streaming. Oat, I think you'll see this. I need you on my stream again soon, I miss you! Forehead kisses!

Then in August, while streaming some batshit crazy stuff (encouraged as always by Oat! < 3) I got raided. I figured cool, another Zelda streamer, maybe we can help each other out. Tch, to underestimate something so drastically. Not only did she inspire me to up my streaming game, Rachine collabs with me, has brought me tons of followers, workshops streams and tech issues with me (sometimes live on air) and most importantly, become one of my closest, dearest friends. She pushed me to play some of her favorite games, and brought me back to FFXIV. She encourages me and inspires me to try new things. (And yes, you're always right).

She also let me join her FC, and opened up a whole new world of friends. I have befriended some of the warmest, kindest people who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. They run dungeons, they answered questions, they carried my ass.

Finally, Jengo (who is not online other than streaming. Purest of us.) Who is part of Rachine's FC. She was the first one to essentially insist I run a dungeon with her, she made time for me to walk me through my combos, has mentored my climbing skills, answers more questions than anyone.

All of them also sit in VC with me when I'm having anxiety or breakdowns, support me when I doubt, encourage me. They are my family and I just...

Look, I know I dont shut up about them. This isn't a grab for brownie points, it's not attention. Its me workshopping how to express my deep love and gratitude to them without making them uncomfortable or laying it on too thick. Maybe they never read this, maybe they never have to put up with it for the fifth time this week. How do you properly express it to them? Telling someone you love them only gets me so far. Even with Kenna. After 17 years, saying I love you doesnt feel like the proper way to tell her shes my world.

As I regularly talk about, I am not a brief person. I am almost pathologically incapable of keeping any kind of explanation short. After a certain point, a 60 paragraph diatribe on how important someone is gets tired. I love my friends.

Its been an up and down year, but I have to say I wouldnt trade it for anything. I need those people in my life, because I am a gigantic baby and the alternative is I have internet access and no friends. That would be worse than what you have to read now.

To my friends: thank you. I love you. Happy holidays. Thank you.

#tell your friends you love them #mental health #wholesome #friends #hugs and kisses #forehead kisses #hugs

[laladellakang]

Wait can u post it again I’m here 24/7 the second I leave you post sth I’m gonna cry 😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

y'know what? i'll post it here and delete this once the full fic is out 😌

"Fuck! Dumb bitch," I face-palmed when I idiotically replied to Jay.

"Why? What's wrong?" "You good?" two of my friends asked while the other one just raised his eyebrow.

We're currently chilling in the school's empty library. One of them is my classmate who is also on her period and the other two just wanted to bail.

"I said something in the group chat," I groaned, covering my eyes with my arms. Why am I so stupid?

"And..?"

"Jake used to go here, remember? He knows that I'm supposed to be in class right now," I turned to my side on the bean bag. This somehow makes my ovaries hurt more.

"Oh shit- well.. Maybe he'll think that you're just opening your phone in class," one of the guys said.

"Orr worst case scenario, just tell them the truth. You skipped math cause your vagina walls are shedding and it hurts like shit so you can't get yourself to deal with more torture," the other guy said.

"But I just got into a fight with Heeseung and Jungwon yesterday so I really don't wanna get scolded again," getting scolded is nothing new to me, but when it comes from any of my boyfriends (or parents)... It just hits more.

And my currently sensitive, thick, hard-as-hell-to-achieve ass won't be able to take it. Just like what happened yesterday with Heewon.

"It's not like they've never ditched before, no?" the same guy raised his eyebrow.

"Dude, we rarely go to school and hardly ever stay for the whole day. Last time any of them ditched was probably in their trainee days," I ran a hand through my bangs."I just hope that Jake doesn't- shit! I was just about to say that I hope he won't snitch!"

"He said 'shouldn't you be in class right now?' oh my God," I groaned again.

Jake fucking Sim. I swear to- I mean, it's not his fault, it's mine but I'm feeling real petty so, JAKE FUCKING SIM.

"Well, Delle," my girl-friend snorted at the unintentional rhyme she made. "Good fucking luck."

❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆

I took a deep breath before tapping in the combination to enter the dorm and entering carefully. I didn't even announce my arrival like I always do.

"Della? Is that you?" Sunghoon called out.

Woo! My eyes are already glossing over! Hold them back, Lala. You're good at this. You've been doing this for years.

"Yes?" I tried to not sound nervous. Trust, Delle, trust. It's okay. They shouldn't be too mad.

"Come here," oh my God, now I'm even more anxious. The one who called wasn't Heeseung. The others have never told me to 'come over' with that tone.

"Yes?" I said in a small voice, barely entering the kitchen. There were only two boys there- Jayhoon.

"Did you skip class?" Jay asked calmly. I couldn't bring myself to verbally answer so all I could do was nod. "Is this the first time?" he asked next, to which I also shook my head to. "As of debut, I mean?"

Does purposefully joining a class late count..?

"I've only joined a class late. This is the first time," thank God my voice didn't shake.

"Often?" Jay went again. Shit- I know being cool is his thing and all but it's making him seem even more intimidating.

Once again, I couldn't bring myself to answer so I just nodded.

"Della, you know that we rarely go to school, right?" Sunghoon stated. "-and we almost never stay for the whole day, right? Not to mention that this is your last year," well here comes the stupid waterworks.

Please don't cry. I don't want them to think that I'm trying to manipulate them.

"Look- I know that you're struggling and trying your best but you can't ditch like that, babe. It's only for a couple of hours," Jay said. "Coming in class late? Well.. fine- at least you weren't called to the headmaster's office, right?"

"I don't give a shit about you coming in late but Della, you really shouldn't skip classes. You need to make up for your lack of attendance and you shouldn't... add more to that," Sunghoon's voice softened drastically when (I'm guessing) he saw my unpreventable glossy eyes.

"Yah! Park Sunghoon!" Jay immediately went into protective mode and got up to pull me to his chest.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! She doesn't normally cry if we argue," I felt a hand (that wasn't Jay's) brushing through my hair. "Della, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Guess what this hormonal bitch did upon hearing that? I cried harder, of course.

"Della! Oh my God- I'm so sorry I was really harsh and didn't even ask-" Sunghoon suddenly cut himself off. "Wait... You're on your period, right?"

"Oh my god! Is that why you bailed?! You were in pain, weren't you?!" Jay grabbed my face so I would look at him. His eyes were filled with worry.

"Della, I am so sorry!" is Sunghoon crouching down so he can hug my waist? "Ahh, Heeseung-hyung!"

Two days in and my period had already caused so much dumb drama. What else is going to happen down the line?

#clc - ldk asks #kang della #tumblr exclusives lmao

[kudosmyhero]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (vol. 1) #11: True Stories

Read Date: May 28, 2023 Cover Date: June 1987 ● Writer: Kevin Eastman ◦ Peter Laird ● Pencils: Kevin Eastman ◦ Peter Laird ● Inks: Kevin Eastman ◦ Peter Laird ● Letters: Steve Lavigne ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● I haven’t seen the first TMNT movie in ages, but reading this issue brings little memories back—such as April’s journaling ● omg, I’d forgotten the insult-war, too!

● 👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: The issue opens with April having nightmares about being attacked by ninja monsters who look similar to the Turtles and the Shredder. April wakes up screaming and then heads off to write in her diary. The diary becomes the framework for this issue.

Jan. 15, 1987 Yes, it's almost three A.M. again… My Night Mare alarm went off Big time tonight. It's been over two weeks now, with no relief… I was hoping to shake them before this… I think—The last time I closed my eyes and actually slept (and I believe exhaustion had a hand in that) was on the trip here… Even then my awakening was a shock… April recalls Casey startling her awake during the trip from New York City, wanting her to see downtown Northampton, Massachusetts. She is underwhelmed by the sight.

Considering my state of mind, my reaction was a few notches below "I couldn't care less." I guess I should've looked around a little; I hear that Northampton's nice… at least it might have afforded some kind of comfort for my next sight… From the road, Casey's late grandmother's house looked like a classic old New England farm house—big old barn, family-sized house, sheds, trees and rolling hills; you know, postcard material. That was from the road… Casey is full of nostalgia seeing the Jones Farm, but April is introduced to a dilapidated old building with broken windows and a front door falling off its hinges. April wants to start a warm fire and to get the still-injured Leo into the house. But she is fatigued, and falls asleep on a chair inside.

Jan. 25, 1987 Winter remains with us… snowed two days straight… Clear today. Leonardo's still pretty out of it. The battle tore him up terribly in both body and mind. Physically he has healed incredibly well, but mentally… I'm afraid has a lot of catching up. He's always put himself in front of the rest of the guys; taking charge, bearing the extra weight playing the Big Brother… When someone like that feels they've failed they fall hard! He's recently developed an intense obsession with the surrounding forests and spends all of his time there… I hope he finds what he's looking for and comes out of this depression soon… We all need him back. Leonardo, dressed in an improvised winter hunter's garb and armed with a yumi, stalks a stag through the forest without much success. The stag ambushes him, knocking him down. Leo pulls out of a knife and charges the stag head-on, but the powerful creature instead grabs the turtle with his antlers and throws him over and behind. Leo sits feeling defeated as the stag runs off.

I guess I could never know for sure how he feels inside. But I do know what losing your home—and everything that you own—feels like… Those things that you felt gave you a sense of being and strength in this world… Belongings that touched memory chords of loved ones. Father… I know he's hurting. Feb. 10, 1987 Everything is so strange… I feel like I've never looked at myself or the guys before; we're all so different now I try to identify the people I used to know with those that surround me now… and it's hard. Don isn't doing too badly, although he does work obsessively at the huge amount of repairs that need to be done here. The place has been vacant since Casey's Grandmother Left four years ago, it was pretty run down then. Besides a million little things, Don's rebuilt the windmill to pump water, devised a water wheel that creates enough current for lights and the fridge, and also installed a wood stove for better heating, all around. His most recent undertaking will—if it works—satisfy a craving we've all had lately… …Hot running water! Feb. 15, 1987 Success! Showertime! Everybody's going nuts! Feb. 17, 1987 Feeling strangely depressed lately… I guess I expected Don to rest a bit after the last hard-won victory… No such luck. I heard him rummaging around in the attic early this morning… who knows what he's working on now. Feb. 17, 1987 Don's Writing Too! He must have found an old typewriter in the attic yesterday. I awoke to the tapping of busy keys around seven A.M. and he's been at it ever since! I wonder what he's writing about… is it a journal, like mine? I'd love to know… Donatello is shown in the attic room with the typewriter…and a trash can filled to overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper.

Feb. 26, 1987 Michaelangelo worries me the most Mike, who could find a joke in just about any situation, doesn't laugh much anymore. Except for some half hearted goofing around with Casey and Raph, he's been almost painfully solitary lately it's so unlike him. But then all of us seem to have a need to be alone these days. Has what's happened made us unable to be close? I don't know… Mike's chosen a back section of the barn for his sanction… cleared a lot of junk out and created a little work-out space. The other day I happened in on one of his sessions. He was already on edge. Michelangelo is shown repeatedly kicking a punching bag until it breaks completely off its chain. He bashes and destroys a workbench with his arms. Unsatisfied, his takes his rage to the barn wall, ripping a hole out of the wood. He rests his arms on the new hole and groans.

We all feel so much pain and confusion— Each of us keeping his personal torment bottled up inside… Each seeking relief in his own way. The cure hangs plainly, clearly in front of our faces, but who will be the first to reach out? We Need Each Other! March 2, 1987 Raphael scares me. The rest of the guys I can feel for, worry for… but not Raph. Raph runs Hot and Cold… very unbalanced, unpredictable. I keep my distance. Lately I've noticed he doesn't sleep much. He's always always the first up and the last to bed. I think I've heard him Leaving the house late at night, too. I wonder what he's doing… standing guard? Late at night out in the cold on top of the barn, standing guard is exactly what Raphael is doing. He judges the front of the farm clear, then flips several times across the barn rooftop to the back, and judges the back of the farm also clear.

March 10, 1987 I've known some odd characters in my time, living in Brooklyn most of my life, But the likes of Casey Bernid Jones is beyond compare. I believe that in Casey's mind there's a petulant, mischievious ten year old waging constant war with a somewhat mature, Bright young man… unfortunately the ten year old wins far too often. Casey spends all of his time with Raphael, fighting, or "doin' projects, doin' projects!" as they say— usually more damage. What next? In the barn, Casey is trying to repair the engine of an old pickup truck while Raphael sits behind the steering wheel. As they work, they carry on a debate.

Casey: Not even close—The Professor and Maryann, without a doubt, married! Raphael: No frick'n way! Gilligan was her main man, everyone knows that! Casey: Bug off! He was a geek. Raphael: You're a geek! Casey: Get a life, no mind! Raphael: Spasmo! Casey: Puke brain. Raphael: Clayhead. Casey: Duck fart. O.K. Turn it over. Raphael: Yawn… Yup. Gack face. Casey: This piece 'a junk will never start!

Raphael: Sounds good! Casey: O.K., O.K., ease off, this thing's ancient! Check the hand brake so it won't roll… …Ease off already! Raphael: Don't worry! {yawn} Casey: Ut-oh… Raphael: Oop! Casey & Raphael: It's in gear!!

The truck speeds toward the barn doors, bashing them open.

Casey: Ease down, dude! Foot off gas pedal!! Raphael: The throttle's stuck!!—Wide open! Casey: Use the brake—the brake!!

Raph struggles in vain to steer the vehicle into control.

Raphael: No control!—

The truck scrapes the side of the farmhouse's front porch.

Raphael: —it's the snow—no traction!

The truck rams into and destroys the windmill just before it crashes head-on into a hillside. Raph gets out safely, but the truck is a wreck.

Casey: I hated that Jeep anyway. Raphael: Have they seen the windmill yet? Casey: Couldn't miss it. Raphael: Mad? Casey: Saw 'em carring gun and a noose! Yuk, yuk! Raphael: Eat worms and die!

One day later in the month, April is out walking on the ice of a frozen lake. But the ice cracks under her weight, plunging her into the freezing water. Leo is hunting nearby and hears her shouts. At the edge of the lake, he takes off his hunting garb which unrolls into a long strip of cloth. He stakes one end of the cloth into the lakeside with his katana, and crawls out onto the ice holding the other end of the cloth, successfully pulls April to safety, and carries her back to the farmhouse.

Back inside, April is resting and recovering from hypothermia. Splinter, the turtles and Casey are gathered around her.

Splinter: She'll be fine. But we must let her rest. As for you, my sons, enough time has passed… Your spirits have drifted far too long. Come, we have much to do.

Splinter takes his four sons out into the wilderness for training.

Splinter: You must work harder! This winter has seen the diffusion of your energies… With the spring, you must rebuild your group spirit… For now, set aside individual pursuits… Your healing requires collective focus!

May 1, 1987 I can't believe it's been over a month since I fell through the ice… and even longer since I've picked up this journal. I almost didn't this time, either. it all seems to mean so little now. I started this book to rebuild all I had lost in the fire. I guess after my mid-winter swim (HA, HA) I realized how little my life long accumulation of possessions had. I thought I was all I had in this world. Not true. I've got me, and I've got memories. I also have friends, real friends that I care for and that care for me. I'll always be there for them and they for me; we have each other, we are a family… one. This will probably be my last entry. I guess I just wanted some kind of final word …sort of wrap up all I had written so far. Life is Good… and Life Goes on. After a day of training, Splinter and his sons are gathered around a campfire.

Splinter: You've done well, my sons… Your spirit glows bright and pure this night. Although I sense an almost peaceful nature throughout… Something still lingers. Yes, we were attacked by our past, Leonardo nearly killed… But we all feel the real cost was to April, a burden we shall always bear. Yet, our experience teaches us, in all the universe change is the only constant. Thus, the way of harmony is to accept change, we make choices in life—and our karma is to accept the changes those choices bring. Just as April chose to take us all into her life, she knew there would be changes… … I believe that April has gained more by her choice than she has lost… And I believe that she knows this. Life is good… And life goes on.

April wakes up in her bedroom to the sound of creaking. Is this another nightmare? She is pleasantly surprised by the four turtles: One serves her breakfast in bed as another prepares to give her flowers and another opens the window blinds to let in the morning light.

(https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/True_Stories)

Fan Art: TMNT by Kuvshinov-Ilya

Accompanying Podcast: ● Shellheads - episode 16

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #comics #comic books #fan art #fanart #podcast recommendation #my other read #podcast shellheads #podcast – shellheads #shellheads

[blondepomwrites]

Uh, that's quite a few of them, but I couldn't pick! For the end of year writing meme: F, M, O, T and/or V!

Thank you for the ask and apologies for the lateness of this answer. I thought this meme would help revive my desire to write again, but not quite. So I had to do some good ol’ fashioned keyboard CPR before I could tackle these. I think I’ve got it now.

F. What stories are you planning for the future?

Oh gosh. Well, finishing What We Leave Behind, for one, would be a great place to start. After that, I think it’s mainly give Walk the Void the boot out of my WIP section whether it (or I) like it or not. It needs to see the light of day before the sun sets on DA2 Fenhawke and DA4 utterly wrecks the story’s canon. I don’t have any other concrete fanfiction plans at the moment… though re-reading Room by Emma Donoghue and churning out Playing House could be rewarding (and, again, doing it before DA4 comes in and wrecks known canon).

As far as original fiction goes, I really need to hop back on The Girl Who Struck Lightning. It’s theoretically halfway done, and I did that in maybe a year and a half? Maybe with some luck and more stability (fingers crossed) in the future, I can accomplish the second half in just as much time.

M. Meta! Have any meta about a story you’re dying to throw out there?

I’m VERY disappointed in myself because I cannot for the life of me think of anything that fits this. I reserve the right to reblog this later when an idea suddenly hits me at ass o’clock.

O. Do you believe in outlines? Show us one!

YES! Listen, I am all onboard for spontaneity, particularly when it’s character driven in the moment, but I think spontaneity in writing as a whole only works when you are nearly constantly ~in the groove~. I am not one of those people, so outlines mainly help me remember 1.) what the fuck I’m doing and 2.) why the fuck I’m doing it.

Here’s an (old) outline from the the middle part of What We Leave Behind, before it evolved into what it is:

THEY TRAVEL A BIT IN THE DIRECTIONTHEY THINK WILL FIND THEM A DALISH CLAN FASTEST. FENRIS TRIES TO HAVE THE BOYWALK ALONG WITH THEM BUT HAWKE IS LIKE NO YOU CAN’T DO THAT FIRST OF ALL HE’LLGET DISTRACTED AND MIGHT RUN OFF INTO TROUBLE, AND TWO IT’LL TAKE FOREVER.PLUS, HE LOOKS TIRED AND COMFORTABLE WHERE HE IS. DON’T DISTURB THE PEACE. SOTHEY TRAVEL FOR A BIT FENRIS HOLDING HIM. (include bit about muscle memoryseemingly not affected by the memory wiping effects of the lyrium that runsover them like a river.) THIS IS SOMEWHERE WHERE THE “I’m not jealous.” LINECOMES IN?

LATER IT’S NIGHTTIME AND THEY MAKECAMP. (don’t need to set the scene for this probably. Can just skip to ‘theyfed him and went to sleep at some point’.) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FENRISWAKES FROM A NIGHTMARE (not a bad bad one but still one) AND FINDS THAT HAWKEAND THE BOY ARE ALREADY UP, HAWKE CRADLING THE SOBBING BOY IN HER ARMS IN THEDARK. (include bit about open arms, human or elven or whathaveyou, feel thesame in the dark of night) THE BOY EVERY NOW AND THEN SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT MAMAAND PAPA AND SLAVERS AND SUCH, AND HAWKE JUST HOLDS HIM AND REASSURES HIM ASBEST SHE CAN. ONCE HE SETTLES A LITTLE MORE, SHE QUIETLY SAYS HOW HE REMINDSHER OF CARVER AFTER FATHER DIED. HE PUT ON A BRAVE FACE DURING THE DAY, BUT THENIGHT UNRAVELED HIM.

MORNING COMES. THE BOY IS BACK TOBEING FENRIS’ LITTLE BUDDY, BUT COMING AROUND TO HAWKE BECAUSE OF HER VOICEFROM THE NIGHT. SEEMS ESPECIALLY TAKEN WITH HER BLACK HAIR WHEN HE GETS MORECOMFORTABLE (like his mother’s). HAWKE LEAVES FENRIS AND THE BOY FOR A LITTLEBIT TO SCOUT AHEAD WHERE THEY SHOULD GO NEXT. THE BOY EXPLORES THINGS AND TALKSTO FENRIS IN BROKEN DALISH/TRADE. FENRIS SHOWS/TEACHES HIM HOW TO DO SOMETHING.FINDS IT COMES RATHER NATURALLY.

THEN LATER

HE HAS BITTERSWEET FEELINGS ABOUTSEEING HAWKE AND DA’LEN CURLED UP. FATHERLY FEELINGS AT FIRST, TOTALLY IN LOVEWITH THE SIGHT; THEN IT BEGINS TO FALL AS HE HAS REMEMBERS THAT TOMORROW THEYWILL TAKE HIM TO THE NEARBY CLAN. IT COINCIDES WITH THAT FAMILIAL FEELING THATHAS BEEN CREEPING UP ON HIM—THAT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS WAS WHAT HEWILLINGLY GAVE AWAY, SO THAT [he’d hoped] HIS MOTHER AND SISTER COULD LIVEFREELY. BUT THAT TIME, HIS SACRIFICE HAD RATHER BEEN IN VAIN, SO THERE’S ABRIEF MOMENT WHERE HE ENTERTAINS THAT… MAYBE THEY JUST DON’T. MAYBE THEY JUSTKEEP GOING, DO AS HAWKE SAID. ESCAPE. REST. THEY DO DESERVE IT, DON’T THEY?

BUT THEN HE REMEMBERS THAT THEONLY REASON THEY ARE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE THEY HAD TO FIGHT TOFREE DA’LEN AND ALL THE OTHER WOULD-BE SLAVES, AND IF THEY JUST STOPPED NOW,THERE WOULD BE SO MANY MORE THAT THEY WOULD NOT GET TO, THAT DID NOT DESERVEWHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM.

AND FENRIS? THIS IS WHAT’S HE’SCHOSEN FOR HIMSELF. HE CHOSE IT WHEN HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS LEAVING BEHIND, AND,RIGHT NOW, HE DOES NOT FEEL WORTHY OR READY TO RELEARN WHAT HE GAVE UP. BUTTHEN, WHAT OF HAWKE? SHE’S CHOSEN HIM AND HE’S CHOSEN HER, BUT WHAT IF THAT ISNOT WHAT SHE WANTS? WOULD HE BE PREPARED TO MAKE THE CHOICE, IF IT CAME DOWN TOIT? WOULD HE BE ABLE TO?

LEAVE THAT KIND OF UNANSWERED, ASHAWKE STIRS AND BECKONS HIM TO JOIN THEM. REGARDLESS OF WHAT TOMORROW WOULDBRING, HE JOINS THEM AND LETS HIMSELF RELISH IN THE MOMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHATTOMORROW WOULD BRING. LEAVE TOMORROW’S WORRIES FOR TOMORROW, LET HIMSELF BEHAPPY IN THE MOMENT, JUST FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

T. Themes, motherfucker, do you have them? What are they?

Hurting and healing, healing and hurting, probably. And having someone there to go through it with you.

V. Which story was the most viscerally pleasing to write? Tell us your narrative kinks.

UNFFF. Well, the last part of chapter three of What We Leave Behind really got me going. But I guess stories like Walk the Void and Luxeferre are probably manifestations of my narrative kinks because they’re so un-apologetically purple, somewhat lyrical, and so full of malaphors that they’re practically indecipherable. (See, you’ll also notice that the last two have never seen the light of day in whole. Now it’s no wonder why.)

Again, thank you so much for the ask!!

(from the End of the Year Writing Meme)

#meme #aban-asaara #asks #2018 was a boom and bust year folks #i spent all my writing energy in the first half #don't make the same mistake i did kids

[duketheman]

Generation 4 Part 4

Skipping ahead seven months

Sunday November 24, 2019

"John Ross comes home for the Holidays"

It's 4:30am & I'm finishing up my cup of coffee & Mary is asleep as she's getting close to the Delivery date & I want her to rest. I'm sure she'll be up before I get back from the Airport with JR! His flight is scheduled to arrive at 6:00am & I'm being cautious as to have plenty of time to park & meet him at the gate! We don't miss Church, so we'll attend evening service tonight! It's 4:45am & I'm on my way to Miami International to pick up JR. Mary is so excited & as for Kellyanne, I've asked George to bring her to the house later! JR wanted to surprise her, so we didn't mention him coming home yet! It's 5:30am & I've arrived at the airport. I park in the Garage & walk across to the terminal to the arrival gate! I go to the coffee shop & purchase a Cinnamon Bun & a cup of coffee, sit down & wait for the flight to land! Ahh, his flight is landing! It 6:15am & late. But no matter, it's here, safe & that's what counts! The airport is just starting to get crowded Thanksgiving holiday & all! It's 6:40am & JR is just getting through Security! I tell: ~JR!!!!~ He sees me & walks towards in my direction. First words out of his mouth: ~Dad, how Kellyanne, God I miss her! Oh you to Dad, how have you & mom been, Is she showing big now?~ I reply: ~We've been fine & yeaaa! She showing real big son! Did Kellyanne tell you she's got a baby sister coming around the same time as you new baby

brother?~ He replies: ~Yea, that's something, isn't Dad! Weird but I like it. They can be best friends! Let's go home Dad, I really want to to see Mom. I miss her so much! Sometimes when I was down & stuck on something I thought I couldn't do; Mom encouraged me & told me I can do anything if I put my mind to it! Just like when I was a kid! She called me allot Dad!~ I reply: ~She's that way son. Always has been. She loves you more than anything! Let's go, she's probably awake & cooking us breakfast as we speak!~ We pick his bags out from the Baggage Carousel, left the terminal & walked across to the garage where my Beamer was parked! It's 7:55am & we're headed for home! We're pulling into our Driveway & it's 9:00am. JR darts for the house! He really missed his Mother! I get the bags & carry them into the house! I open the door & the two of them are hugging each other like it's been years! My wife is crying she's so happy to see her little man! I walk by them with the bags & carry them upstairs to JR's room! I smell food & I welcome it, I'm starving! She's got Bacon, sausage, Biscuits, white gravy, eggs & grape jelly on the table. Grape is JR's favorite! We have Orange juice, milk, coffee & apple juice for Mary. My wife says: ~You boys dig in now, while it's hot!~ Nobody has to tell me twice, I'm hungry! I'm finished eating, & I get up, pick up the table & clean everything up. That gives time for Mary to catch up with JR! Afterall, at 12:30pm, Kellyanne will be here & they're going to be spending an awful lot of time together! I'm done with the dishes, those two are still at it, so I go into the library & read up on seaman regulations! They're constantly changing! Wow, two hours & my eyes are killing me, I need a break! Doorbell is ringing, it 12:25pm. It's George, Lucy & Kellyanne! I invite them in & before I can say anything, Kellyanne sees JR. She yells out in Joy: ~John Ross! 'O John Ross, I didn't even know you were going to be here! When did you get in?~ He replies: ~I wanted to surprise you! I got in early this morning! I've missed you so much Kellyanne!~ She replies:

~John Ross, I've missed you terribly! I'm so happy you're home! How long are are you home for John Ross?~ He replies: ~ I have to leave on January 2, 2020. I'm here until after the Holidays!~ The go into the other room so they can talk! Man, I can't tell who's belly is bigger! Oh well, next month the new ones will be filling everybody's hearts with joy!

Skipping ahead to November 27

It's 7:00am & Mary, myself, JR, George, Lucy & Kellyanne are getting ready to board a flight to Valdosta Regional Airport Headed to spend the Holidays with my parents! Mary's Parents & Julia's Mother will also be joining us at the Mansion! We've checked our luggage & it's 7:30am. Our flight leaves at 8:00am & we're going through Security now! It's 7:55am & we're boarding the plane! The trip is expected to be smooth & take approximately 4 hours with 1 stop. We should be landing at about 12:00pm! I will be happy to see my parents & JR certainly will enjoy seeing all of his Grandparents in one place. This will probably be the last time he'll see his Grandma Rachael! She's been in poor health lately. I'm glad she'll have time with JR! It's 12:05pm & we're landing. We disembark the plane & run through Security. It's 12:45pm & we're heading towards the Baggage Carousel! The ladies are seated so not to put strain on them. They are just about a week from due date! My Father has sent a Limousine service to pick us up because of the amount of people! I spot the Chofer holding a sign with our name on it! I signal him to come & give us a hand! We get a Baggage cart & load the luggage onto it & head for the door. The Car is parked at the loading zone. We help the ladies in the we get in. The Chofer loads the luggage in the trunk! We're on our way to Madison County, just across the State line. About 30-35 minutes from here to the Mansion! It's 1:30am & we're pulling onto the Grounds of Newport Mansion! George says: ~Dang Harry, dis place be beautiful! I ain't neva seen a place be like dis!~ I reply: ~It's just a place to live George! Too big for me!~ My Parents are both outside waiting for us as we pull up! My Mother is quite famous for her Sweet tea & Lemonade! My Grandma Nippy's recipe! She welcome everyone. She kisses me on the cheek & my wife & says:

~We've missed you!~ She shakes the hands of George & Lucy & says: ~You're most welcome here, consider yourselves part of the family. My name is Candace, you may call me Candy!~ She looks at Kellyanne & says: ~Now, who do we have here child? Such a Beautiful young Lady!~ She replies: ~My name is Kellyanne Mam, Pleased to meet you! Mother replies: ~ So polite! Well then Kellyanne, you can call me Grandma if you wish. ~Now everyone, this is Charles, my husband Harry's Father!~ She turns to JR & says: ~Now John Ross, come here my boy & let you Grandma give you some love!~ He walks over to Mother & holds out his arms & my Mother gives her Grandson a hug to remember! She says: 'O John Ross, I've missed you so much! I'm so proud of you & I'm so glad you could make it & spend the Holidays with us!

Rachael, will be flying in tonight, Will & Laura are driving & should be here soon! Our family keeps growing! Now for you two expecting Mothers, arrangements have been made with Madison County Memorial Hospital! I have a Dr Jameson on call in case of an emergency! I believe your Doctor is Kleinpeter? Dr Jameson says that he knows him!

Dr Jameson has with your permission agreed to take over while you're here? Both Mary & Lucy simultaneously say: ~Of course, & thanks Mom, Mary adds!~ Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show our guest to their rooms!~ He replies: ~Yes Mam, (looks at us) right this way please?~ George asks: ~Harry, a Butler, well day beat all! Dis place be Beautiful Harry!~ Mother says loudly: ~We've had a late lunch prepared for you, if you're hungry!~ I reply: ~Yes, thank you Mother, I'm quite

hungry!~ George adds: ~Me too, me belly be achin, really achin! Me be thirsty too! Harry, Rich people drink beer?~ I reply: Yes George, my Father was born in Texas. He enjoys a cold Bud once in a while! But he quite likes his Brandy!~ He replies: ~Me too!~ I leave my wife upstairs to change & come down to say a real hello to my Father: ~Hello Father, I've missed you!~ He turns to me & says: ~Son, I've missed you too! I'm so happy you came to spend the Holidays with us!~ He hugs me & says: ~ I love you Son!~ I've always been close to my Father! He's a Good man & has always done his very best for his family! I ask: ~Father, will my Sister & Brothers be joining us?~ He replies: ~Jaime had to make a choice! She's spending Thanksgiving with Bill's parents! They'll be joining us for Christmas! You're Brothers have to work through Thanksgiving because of some bureaucratic meddling! They'll be joining us this weekend!~ Everyone is coming downstairs, let's go into the Drawing room, Huntington will be serving a late lunch! Just some horderves & little stuff like that to hold you over until dinner.~ We all enter the Drawing room & Father asks: ~Drinks anyone?~ George is ready: ~Bud please?~ Father replies:

~Of course George, Would you be a Seaman by any chance my good man?~ aye, Me would Sir!~ Both our wives reply: ~Sprite if you don't mind?~ The kids have already got Coke! I request: ~Scotch on the Rocks~ In comes Huntington: ~Horderves!~ He's serving us one by one! Shrimp, Caviar, Olives, Rolled Ham, & other various treats! Kids ask him if he'd just make the a couple sandwiches & he happily agreed! We sat, enjoyed each other's company toasted the expecting Mother's & my Parents as well as Mary's & of course Rachael! It's nice being around family & friends. I'm really glad we made this trip!

4:00pm & Mary's parents just arrived from Raleigh, NC. They've got to be tired, that's at least a 11 hour trip; allowing stopping to rest & eat! Straight through, mmmmh, I'd say 8 1/2 hours! Either way, it's hard on them at their age! Mary & Mother & myself meet them at the car, & I get their luggage out of the trunk! Laura looks at her daughter & begins to cry out of happiness! She places her hand on Mary's belly, giggles & says: ~I can feel the little guy kicking in their!~ Mother walks up to Laura & says:

~Welcome my Dear Friend, we're so glad you could join us for the Holidays!~ She replies: 'O Candice, we appreciate you guys so much. I wouldn't miss it for the world, & besides; my Baby is having a Baby! Now where is John Ross?~ I reply: ~He's somewhere around here with Kellyanne!~ She replies: ~Kellyanne? Our Little man is not so little anymore, is he?~I reply: ~No Laura, he's in love!~ She remarks: ~Well, that sounds serious!~ I say: ~Yes, it is!~ Mary hugs her Father & kisses his cheek, hugs him again & says: ~'O Daddy, I've missed you so much! How have you & Mom been doing? Have you stayed well?~ He replies:~Yes my Dear, We've been well! I get quite bored with myself since I retired from the University, but it's worth it to spend more time with your Mother! We've missed you too!~ Candace he says: ~Where's Charles?~ She replies: ~Charles has gone to the Airport! Rachael's flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:00pm from Dallas! They'll be pulling in before you know it! Let's go inside?~ We all go into the Mansion & Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show my Dear friends to their room?~ He replies: ~Yes mam~ She adds: ~Will, Laura, We'll let you freshen up! We can talk after!~ Huntington grabs their bags & shows them to their room! It's 6:00pm & Father's arrived with Rachael! Mother & I meet them at the car. I open the rear passenger door & help Rachael out. I hug her & say: ~Mom, I'm so glad you could make it! The Holidays wouldn't be the same without you!~ She replies: ~I almost didn't come Harry, I was hurting, but I want to see you & my Grandson one more time before I join my Baby & Jimmy in Heaven! Where is that boy?~ I reply: ~I'll find him for you Mom! He's around here somewhere, he doesn't know you're here yet!~ Mother asks: ~How was your trip Rachael? How are you feeling?~ She replies: ~The trip was fine Candy, I'm just a little tired! How are you doing?~ Mother replies: ~I'm doing pretty good for an old Lady! Come inside & rest, I'll have Huntington take your bags to your room!~ They go inside & I'm in search of my son! There they are, on the swing! I call out: ~JR! Your Grandma Marcantel is here! Go see her!~ He replies: ~Grammy's here, come on Kellyanne, you'll just love her!~ He takes Kellyanne by the hand & heads for the house to see his Grandmother! She has pancreatic cancer & it's spread beyond control! There's no more they can do! This is the last time he'll see her! She's all that's left of Julia besides my son! I go back to the house & go inside! Everyone is sitting in the Drawing room talking & getting to know each other! I ask George: ~How's it going Buddy, enjoying yourself?~ He replies: ~aye Harry, ya be havin a huge family ya be Harry! Me like very allot!~

It's 7:00pm & Huntington announces: ~Dinner is being served in the Dinning room!~ We all go towards the Dining & are seated! George's eyes have doubled in size! I haven't seen this table filled in years, since my Wedding! The food looks Delicious. Tomorrow is the Big one, Thanksgiving! Mother goes all out! We finish dinner & retire to the Drawing room. It's 9:00pm & my Father offers drinks. The kids are drinking soft drinks. The ladies all, except for Mother, request just water. Rebecca needs to take her meds. The remaining four of us have Brandy! We sit & visit & we are truly family! It's 10:00pm & we're all tired! Rachael calls me over & whispers to me: ~Harry, please take me to see my Julia in the morning?~ I reply: ~Of course I will Mom! First thing.... We say Goodnight & retire to our rooms respectfully! My poor Mary, her legs are swelled up, so I run her a warm bath. I wash her back for her, I love pampering my wife! I take a shower & we both get into bed. I rub her legs for her to make them feel better! We lay down & I put my arm around her, resting my hand on her belly! I can feel the baby moving around inside of her, God is Good! Goodnight all!

Thursday, November 28

Thanksgiving Morning

Julia's Grave

It's early, 6:00am, & My son & I are up drinking coffee! The others are still sleeping. I promised Rachael that I would take her over to the East side of the property to see Julia's grave! JR wanted to come along to see his Mother's grave & asked if he could come along! It's 7:00am & Rebecca has come down stairs. I ask: ~Coffee mom?~ She replies: ~No, but thank you Harry! Coffee doesn't agree with me anymore. Maybe some juice diluted with water?~I reply: ~Sure mom, Apple juice okay?~ She replies: ~That will be fine Harry, Thanks!~ She takes out this pharmacy of medication out & begins to take them a few at a time! She asks: ~Harry, can I have a piece of toast, no butter? Just to settle my stomach!~ I reply: ~Sure mom, I'll fix it for you now!~ I give a plate with toast & she nibbles on it until it's gone! 

It's 8:00am & I borrowed my Father's car! We're enroute to the East side of the property where our Family Cemetery's located! It's about a twenty minute drive. It's 8:25 & we've arrived at the cemetery. I help Rachael out of the car & the three of us walk over to Julia's grave. Rachael puts her hand on the Gravestone & talks to her daughter with tears in her eyes: ~I'll be with you & your Daddy soon Baby! We all miss you so much! John Ross is here! He misses you too Julia! But he's doing fine! You'd be so proud of him, he's grown into a fine young man!~ She closed eyes and said a prayer. JR took hold of her hand & prayed with her. He said: ~I love you Mom, I've never forgotten how you use to hold me! I never will Mom, I promise!~ I too had my own private talk with Julia, I shall keep to myself! Rachael asks: ~Harry, what a beautiful Headstone! I've never quite seen one like this before!~ I reply: ~Julia always loved the Dolphins! I only thought it right to have them watch over her!~ She replies:

Thank you Harry for that! She always thought they were the true Mermaids of the Sea! She had a whole shelf full as a little girl!~ I place an array of Julia's favorite flowers on her grave! I say: ~Mom, you know we all love you. You know JR & I love you. My Parents love you! Mom, we'd like to move Dad from Shreveport & lay him to rest beside Julia with your permission! Mom, we've a spot here for you too! She's got tears in her eyes & replies: ~Harry, we have nobody in Shreveport! Yes, of course you have my permission! Harry, our Julia loved you very much! God Bless you

Harry!~ We get back in the car & ride back to the Mansion! Throughout the day we all had time to catch up. Later that evening......

Thanksgiving Dinner

6:00pm

Huntington rings a bell: Dinner is being served! May I offer my Heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Mother announces: ~Today is Thanksgiving Huntington, & you are considered part of this family. You'll be eating with us tonight Huntington!~ He replies: ~Yes Mam, thank you mam!~ I've never seen Huntington smile before, but he's smiling now!

The twelve of us all go to the Dining room & are seated as such: Mother & Father at each end. Rachael is seated on Mother's right & Huntington on her left. Kellyann is seated next to Rachael & JR next to Huntington. Lucy is seated next to Kellyanne & her George next to JR. Mary's Mother is seated next to Lucy & he Father is seated next to George. Mary is seated on my Father's left & I on his right! My Father says Grace over the Thanksgiving Feast. Amen. The table is set in a Formal matter & with a Feast fit for Royalty, everything anyone could imagine. My Mother always does it right!

We eat drink & be Thankful for the food, love of Family & all God has provided us! God is Truly Good! God Bless us all!

We're finished with dinner & all retire to the Drawing room for Drinks & conversation! Mother decides that it's time that we put some Christmas music on! Tomorrow she will be putting up a tree! She has a 21ft Douglas Fur being trucked in from Atlanta in the morning.

We're singing Christmas Carols, we've only 27 days till Christmas! It's 11:30pm. Rachael looks tired. She needs to rest, I help her upstairs to her room! She's in pain & I ask: ~Mom, is there anything I can do?~ She replies:

~No Harry, It'll pass! I just need to rest! Thank you Harry, for everything! I reply: ~Goodnight Mom, Sleep well!~

I go back downstairs & join the rest of the Family! It's 1:00am & we decide to end the night & retire to our rooms.

Mary's Water Breaks!

We say our Goodnights & go upstairs. While in the bathroom, Mary calls me in: ~Harry, it's time,my water broke!~ I reply ~Darling, it's too early!~ I'm quite anxious by now! She has a bag ready & I proceed to take her downstairs, only stopping to knock on Mother's door to let her know & Mary's parents, who's wanting to accompany us. They'll drive since their car is here! Mother's calling Dr Jameson to meet us at Memorial!

We make Madison County Hospital & its 2:15am. Professor Covington drops us off at the Emergency entrance & I grab a wheelchair & wheel Mary in. I'm going out of my mind & Mary is cool, calm & collective. We get her admitted & Dr Jameson arrives. He examines her & says: ~How are you doing young lady?~ Mary replies: ~I'm having a Baby!~ He turns to me & asks: ~Your the Father, Are you going to be in there with her~ I reply I can be there too?~ He replies ~Yes, of course, better hurry & get ready! She's almost fully dilated, it won't be long! He tells the nurse to have me wash my hands, get me a gown & mask. He has Mary get in a gown & lay on a gurney. The wheel her I to the delivery room & I follow. They transfer her to a Delivery table. The Dr asks: ~Want an epidural?~ She replies: No Doctor, I want this to be natural!~ The nurse says: ~She's fully dilated Doctor~ He replies: ~Good, I want you to breathe!~ I'm watching this as he reaches between her legs, gently grasp this little head coming out of my wife!

Friday November 29, 2019

Time of Birth: 4:11am

Harry Jr. 7 lbs 13oz

He's crying as he comes out. I always thought they had to swat the rear end. I'm evidently wrong! He hands him to the nurse who places him on my wife's belly as he cuts the umbilical cord & cleans the fluids out of his mouth & nose! They wrap him in a blanket & hand him to me, while they clean Mary up! He's perfect & healthy & his Mother his okay too. God is Good, thank you Lord!

They're done cleaning her up, I kiss her & say:

~I love you Mrs Newport, he's perfect. ~ She replies: ~'O my Harry, I love!~ They hand her the baby & she's as proud as she can be! She crying & says: Harry: ~His name is Harold Joseph Jr.!~ She named him after me!

They tell they're taking her to the room & will let me know when I & the Grandparents can come in! I go to the visiting room & give Mary's parents the news. They are ecstatic that they have a new Grandson. It's 5:30am & I call my Mother. I spoke to JR & told him he has a new baby Brother. Everyone is excited to hear the news & are making ready to come to the Hospital. It's 8:00am, my parents, JR & Kellyanne arrive to visit Marry! The Baby is in the Nursery for now & can be viewed through a window. George & Lucy will visit later when I come back to the Hospital! Rebecca is not feeling well & is resting in her room. Mother has hired a nurse to stay with us as long as Rachael needs her! It's 10:00am & I kiss my wife, tell her I love her & I need to go get a couple hours rest & check on Rachael! We'll ride home with my parents & I'll return this afternoon. We head home & Mary's parents will follow so she can get her rest. We get home, it's 10:50am. I go upstairs to check on Rachael & find she's in pain. I ring for the nurse & she explains that she just gave her a shot of Morphine & anymore would be dangerous! She get some cool towels so to bring her temperature under control. I ask: ~Mom, how are you doing?~ She replies: ~It'll pass son, thank you~ She told me to get the envelope out of the Nightstand next to the bed: ~Harry, that letter gives you my Power of Attorney to handle any & all my business if necessary! I'm leaving the house to John Ross! It's his Mother's Childhood home! Please see that it's taken care of?~ I reply: ~Mom, you're not going

anywhere!~ She replies: ~Sure Harry, please do as I ask?~ I reply: ~I will Mom!~ The Morphine's doing its job & she falls asleep! She's a good woman & when she's gone, JR's only link to Julia will be too! He loves his Grammy & she loves him! Cancer took Julia, her Father & now it's taking Rachael!

The Christmas tree’s Delivered

It's 11:35am & The delivery truck is here from Atlanta with the Christmas tree. Beautiful tree Mother has them bring it into the house & set it up in the Grand Foyer. She loves to go big! I'm going to lay down for a couple hours so I can get back to the Hospital! It's 2:30pm & I'm headed back to the Hospital, George & Lucy are accompanying me! Lucy's looking pretty tired & I hope she's okay! George is getting excited about having another child! It's 3:00pm & we arrive at the Hospital! We park, go inside & we pass Mary's parents on the way out! Laura says: ~The Baby is perfect Harry!~ Professor Covington adds: ~Yes he is, congratulations my boy! We're going back to the house. See you there!~ I reply: Thanks, I just want you to know, I'm really glad you could be here! Talk to you when we get back!~ We go up to Mary's room, she's breastfeeding the baby! George is immediately embarrassed so she covers he breast & he relaxes! Lucy say: ~How are you feeling Mary?~ She replies~ Alls well Lucy, the baby's healthy & is a perfect little guy! He looks like Harry~ She smiles & winks at me! I'm so happy they're both okay! Mary asks Lucy: ~How are you Lucy?~ She replies: ~Oh, I'm Ooooo, ahh, I'm doing, ohhhhh, George: I think it's time~ as she holds her belly... George replies: ~Time for what me luv? Oh, Oh naw, now?~ He runs out in the hall yelling for a nurse. Lucy calmly walks out & sits in a wheelchair. Mary says: ~Go with them Harry, until he settles down! I'll be fine, not going anywhere!~ I tell George to settle down, & I ask the nurse to call Dr Jameson! Lucy's water just broke & now George is frantic: ~Calm down George, everything is fine. That's supposed to happen! Weren't you there when she had Kellyanne?~ He replies: ~Me wasn't here Harry, Navy, on a

Ship!~ I reply: ~Okay old man, everything's good!~ He settling down, Doctor's here & he takes her into the exam room! Been fifteen minutes & the Doctor comes out & asks George: ~It's time Mr Richards, coming?~ I say: ~Go with the nurse George! She'll show you where to wash your hands!~ He replies: ~Fer what? I reply: ~So you can be in there with her!~ He replies: ~Me, in der, me can be wit me Lucy? Ohhh, Okay, Me be seein ya Harry!~ He looks awfully nervous, I sincerely hope he doesn't faint! I tell him to let me know when the baby comes. I go back to my wife's room, she's holding the baby! She hands the little guy to me. He's grabs my pinky finger. His grip is strong. Just like when JR was born! I'm holding a miracle in my arms, a new life. I'm worried about Rachael too, I don't think she's got long. She says she's ready, she wants to be with Julia & The Rev!.......

Friday, November 29, 2019

Time of Birth: 7:03pm

Anabel 6lbs 2 oz

It's 7:15pm & George comes into the room: ~Me little girl be born at 7:03pm. She be Beautiful Harry, but Me need a beer!~ I ask: ~What's her name George?~ He replies: ~Anabel Josephine Richards, after me Mum!~ I reply: ~That's a Beautiful name George, is she in the Nursery?~ He nods his head Yes, & we go to see the Annabelle! She's really quite a beautiful baby. George says: ~She got me mum's eyes~ I reply: ~She's Beautiful George, Congratulations old man!~ He replies: ~Well then, Me be thankful to God, & Harry, ifin ya not be mindin, Me & me Lucy be wantin fer ya & ya Mary to be da Godmuder & Fadder, dat is, ifin ya not be mindin?~ I reply: ~George, we will be honored!~ Next he takes me to see Lucy, she had a rough time of it. She went natural too, but was in labor four hours! She's doing well now! George says: ~Me neva see nuttin like it Harry! Dat der Doctor reach down der & he pull me little girl out! Harry, she be so little, when I be holdin her, be like a bird! Awhh Me be Lovin her Harry & me Lucy too!~ I reply: ~I know old man! You call Kellyanne yet & tell her she's got a new Baby sister?~ He replies: ~Nay, Me ferget Harry! Me do now!~ I tell him I'm going back to Mary's room, there's only twenty minutes of visiting time left. Both our wives need to get their rest. Mary & Harry Jr are scheduled to be released tomorrow. I'm back in Mary's room. The nurse just gave me a ten minute heads up! I say: ~Darling, you sure gave us a Beautiful baby. I love you with all my life!~ I kiss & hold her in my arms for a minute. It's 9:00pm straight up & the nurse reaffirms it by telling me, Visiting hours are over. I say thanks, kiss my wife & tell her I will be here at 8:00am to sign her & the baby out! I meet George out in the hall, head downstairs & to Father's car! We head back to the Mansion. It's 10:00pm & we arrive, followed by my sister Jamie & her husband Bill Langley. They drove in from Little Rock! We step out of the car & greet them. I introduce George & fill them in with the news. Been a busy last couple of days. Jamie asks: ~How is Mary & the baby?~ I reply: ~They're doing well & Jamie, Little Harry is absolutely perfect!~ She hugs me & kisses me on the cheek: ~I'm glad Harry, you two deserve all the happiness in the world!~ Then she turns to George & says: ~How are your wife & baby doing?~ He replies: ~Good, me be thankin ya fer askin~ We go I to the house & our parents are waiting for me. They didn't know that Jamie & Bill were coming in tonight? Mother sees Jamie, & is surprised: ~Jaime, I wasn't aware you were coming in tonight! She hugs & kisses her hello, hugs Bob, he's a man of few words! Jaime sees Father, & like a little girl, runs into his arms: ~Daddy, 'O I've missed you Daddy! How have you been?~ He replies: ~Quite well Jaime! I've missed you too! I wish we could see more of you!~ They hug & my sister is reluctant to release him. She's always been a "Daddy's Little Girl". Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show my Daughter & Son in-law to their room?~ He replies ~Yes Mam! He takes their bags & shows them to the room! Mother says: ~Tomorrow's the first day of December Son! Everyone will be here, the girls will be home from the hospital & we're going to decorate the tree!~ I reply: ~Yes Mother, I'm bringing Mary & the Baby home tomorrow morning. Lucy & their little one should be getting the next day! Right George?~ George replies: ~Right, Sunday!~ Mother replies: ~Good then, this is so wonderful, I just love Christmas time! God has graced us once again with two new lives, what can be better than that?, Goodnight you two! We tell my mother Goodnight & she goes upstairs! My Father says: ~You both look like you can use a drink! I reply reply: ~Scotch please Father?~ George replies: ~Me too, please, Me be thankin ya fer it Sir!~ My Father says: ~Very well~ He pours us both a Scotch on the rocks. We toast each other, drink our drinks & say Goodnight! Its been a long couple of days but we're Blessed!

Continued

#newports

[amazinglyphilisnotonfire-blog]

What the Hades

  Look, It’s not easy being a half-blood. Most of us die before we become adults. The life of a half-blood is a  dangerous, abnormal life, especially kids with my father. Between the monsters, Titans, Giants and pre mortal gods and goddesses, there are only two places in the whole world where we are safe. But this isn't where my story begins. Before I tell you my story, I should introduce myself to you.

  My name is Leaha Koss. I have straight, light brown hair with blonde highlights, dark green eyes, and freckles. This is my story.

    I should start from the beginning. I was just your average, country girl, from Missouri. I lived an average life, until a few months ago. That is when my entire world flipped upside down.

  A month before school was out for the summer, I got a letter in the mail saying, that I had been accepted into a summer camp for kids who loved to read. Though I did love to read, I hadn't applied for this camp. I called the number, on the paper, and they said, that a recruiter had heard me sing and applied for me. I told them that I also play clarinet and they told me to bring it, too. They said that my camp was completely free. I decided to go. The camp started on the 15th of May, the Monday after I got of school, and lasted till 16th of August.

    So I packed, almost all of my cloths, and on the 15th I got on a plane, to Manhattan, New York, to the camp, alone. I left the airport at about 7 A.M. The flight took about three hours. The camp said they would have a senior camper pick me up at the airport. They said they would hold a sign with my name, so I would know who to go to. I walk out of the tunnel and look for my name. Nothing. So I go and grab my luggage. I go over to the waiting seats, strolling my blue suitcase behind me. I waited 45 minutes. That was when I started to worry. When 45 minutes turned into an hour and a half had passed, I called the number of the camp. They gave me the name and number of the person who should be picking me up, Percy.

    I called the number. The woman  answered who the phone, Sally, said that she would have Percy come and get me. She said he would be there as soon as possible, and if he wasn't she told me to call her.

   Within five minutes, a boy with a poster board tucked under his arm ran up to me. The poster had my name written sloppily in blue paint. The boy had sea green eyes, get black hair, and was probably about  seventeen or eighteen. He wore a orange t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

   “Are you Leaha?” The boy said to me.

   “Yes. Are you Percy?”

   “Yes. I am so sorry I am late.”

   “It's okay. I just can't wait to get to camp.”

   “I love your accent. It is so cute. It reminds me of my sister, Teagan, and my friend, Will. Here, give me your bag. Now follow me.”

   I handed my bag to Percy. He turned and headed back the way he had came. I followed him. The more I studied him and thought about it, the more he reminded me of someone. He reminds of Percy Jackson, from the books I read. No that is silly. Those books are just fiction. Eventually we made it to the parking lot. We weaved through a maze of cars. We finally reached a mercedes with hoof prints in the hood. Just like in the books. Stop thinking like that, I told myself.

  “Well let's go!” I say opening the passenger door.

  I hop inside and so does Percy. We buckle our seatbelts. Percy sticks the key the ignition and starts the car.

  “Want some food?” He asked me.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Okay. You pick.”

  “I don't really know New York restaurants.”

  “Duh. How would you?

  “Yeah. Will you just get me a hamburger, mayonnaise and ketchup.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes! I love it”

  “Okay. I know a good restaurant that we can go through the drive through at.”

  “Okay.”

  “So you are thirteen?”

  “Yep. I'm going into eighth grade.

  “I'm going into my senior year of high school.”

   “So how far away is camp?”

   “About an hour.”

   “I had to get up early. Do you mind if I take a nap?”

   “No, go ahead.”

   I rollover, on my side, and instantly I fall asleep.

  Next thing I knew I had Percy, a girl with blonde wavy hair, and a boy with blonde hair standing around me.

  “Oh. Thank the gods,” Percy sighed.

  “What are all of y’all doing?” I asked.

  “I couldn't wake you up. I thought you had died.”

  “No. Sorry. I probably should have warned you. I'm a heavy sleeper,” I apologized.

  “Your Leaha, right?” The girl said. “I'm Annabeth and this is Will.”

  “Nice to meet y'all.” I said.

  “Will she is going to fit in perfectly with you and Teagan!” Annabeth said. “ Come on, let's head into camp.”

   We walked up from the road. We walked through a grassy field. As we walked, I saw a gigantic statue and a tree with a golden cloth hanging from it. The tree had a dragon, at least that's what it looked like from there, wrapped around the bottom.

   “Leaha,” said Annabeth as we passed a large pine tree, “Welcome to Camp Half Blood.”

  “What! If this is Camp Half Blood that means that is Thalia's tree, and that is the Athena Parthenos. Wait if that's Thalia's tree that means…I'm a demigod!”

  “Bingo!” Percy shouts, tapping his nose.

  This could not be true. Why was I never told?

  “Your Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson. Like the Percy Jackson from all of the books?!” I screamed, totally fangirling.

  “Yep. The one and only,” He replied totally calm, though he did have a puzzled look on his face.

  “Leaha,” Will said worried, “Are you okay? Do you need to sit down, dear?”

  “Naw, Will, I'm fine,” I said.

  “Come on, Leaha, you need to watch the introduction video,” Annabeth suggested.

  “Okay. To the big house,” I said skipping in that direction. Though that was hard to do considering I was pulling my suitcase.

  Annabeth came with me, while Percy and Will went back into other parts of camp.

  “So Leaha, you act like you know everything here and you were talking about us like we are fictional characters out of a book. What is that about?” She asked, once she caught up with me.

 “That's the thing, there are twelve books about you. So I do know a lot about Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter. I packed the books that I own. I can lend them to you if you want?”

  “Yeah. Just give them to me later.”

  “Okay. Do you have any ideas about who my godly parent could be?”

  “No. Though I also don't know that much about you.”

  “Oh, right. I was sent a letter saying I was accepted here because of my singing abilities. So maybe Apollo?”

 “Maybe. But sometimes our parent can be the person we least expect.”

 “I couldn't have said it better.”

 “So tell me about yourself, maybe that would help narrow it down.”

 “Well, I sing, play piano, and clarinet. I am also good with a bow. That would be Apollo. I read, am considered super smart, and get straight A’s. That would be Athena. I sleep a lot. I mean I could sleep all day long. That would be Hypnos. I also want to be a Forensic Scientist when I grow up, which is working with the dead. I don't really have hardly any friends. I mostly reside alone. The music I listen to might also point in the Hades direction. My family also works with the dead, which could attract attention from Hades. I am also very competitive, just like Nike.”

  “Well, that narrowed it down to five. Honestly though, no matter who might think it could be, Aphrodite might come and claim you as her own. You never know. Also the more we try to predict the future, the worse things get.”

  “Very true.”

  “Yes. Here we are at The Big House. Let's go talk to Chiron.”

  To say The Big House, a two story blue farm house with a rap a round porch, was big is an understatement. The place was huge! On the porch, there was a man in a wheelchair and a man in with a cheetah print shirt, sitting at a table playing a game of cards.

  “Chiron. This is Leaha,” Annabeth Isaid.

  “Oh. Yes. Hi Leaha. We have been expecting you,” Chiron, the man in the wheelchair, said, “That is Dyonisis. Though around here we just call him Mr.D.”

  “Annie Bell, why are you interrupting our game?” Mr.D huffed out, grabbing a bottle of wine, that turned to water as he pored it.

  “Actually, Mr.D, her name is Annabeth,” I budded in.

  “Leolo Kiss, I suggest you keep that smart mouth of yours closed.”

  “That's not my name,” I said trying not to be smart mouthed, again.

  “Leaha, let's go in a and watch the introduction video,” Chiron suggested. “Annabeth, you wait here. Show Leaha to the Hermes cabin when we are finished.”

  “Of course,” Annabeth replied propping herself up against the railing.

  Chiron opens the door and we walk inside The Big House.

#percy jackson #fanfiction #hades #my writing

[existentialstatesofmind]

Opening Up

Kota: had made breakfast and immediately texted Clare letting her know he was awake. He smiled seeing that she texted back and decided to pick her up since Yohio was at the office already. Once he picked up Clare he drove her back to his house. "Sorry, I need some things and Emi is still sleeping, I don't want her to think I left her." He said knowing she normally didn't sleep this late, it was already 11am. When they got back to his house. Kota looked at Clare. "I can't leave again until Emi wakes up." He sighed. "And I have to help with dishes, but after that we can leave. It was easier for me to get you first and I wanted to see you." He admitted and walked inside. Genre immediately pulled him to the kitchen as they started to do dishes in an assembly line together and play around. "They're always like that. Kota doesn't know, but they have an unbreakable bond. He'll always be her favorite because in our eyes she saved him, but we don't know what she saved him from." Dom said motioning between the two as they worked and splashed each other a little. "When we were 10 a few months after our dad died, Kota went from going outside everyday to being a recluse in the blink of an eye. He stopped going to school, stopped tutoring, and stopped leaving his room for unnecessary reasons. He even locked the door if he went to the bathroom so we couldn't sneak in. Ash and I sat outside his door for a bit talking waiting for him to open it, but after fifteen or so minutes we gave up. Mom would leave a plate of food for him in front of his door and after we finished there was just an empty plate by his door. I kept banging on his door wanting to know what was going on, but when he opened the door, his eyes were empty and frightfully cold. He looked like someone crushed his hopes and dreams and I was pretty sure that's what happened. Genre came by and sat outside of Kota's door talking to him, but when we'd go into her view she resorted to knocking. After fifteen minutes, I checked on her and she was still there. Twenty minutes, she was still there, even after an hour. She just didn't move then after an hour and a half I was going to talk to her and comfort her about him not opening his door, but she was gone. We checked the house, Kota's room was still locked and then we hear that she's in his room and they were both sleeping. After that she refused to leave his room aside from going to the bathroom. Two plates were placed in front of his room for meals rather than one and when Ash and I tried to lock ourselves in our room like that, we got in trouble. We wanted to prank Kota so he'd talk to us or get mad at us or have some reaction, we got a bucket of water and Kelly said if we throw that on Kota she will beat us till we were black and blue, we of course told mom and we were told if we mess with Kota we will be Kelly's slaves for however long she sees fit so we left him alone. When school came, Genre went with us and got Kota's make up work for him. That went on for a while, then one day when we got home, Kota was sitting at the table. We were told not to get too excited or bother him. I of course asked why he was locking himself in his room and Genre started beating me with a text book, she even chased me and started throwing her books at me rather hard until I locked myself in my room. I was grounded for two days on top of that. Soon Kota started to liven up and Genre went home when he started to go back to school. She doesn't know what happened to him other than he was really sad, had nightmares where he'd wake up crying in a cold sweat, and she'd often hold him as he'd cry telling him she's not leaving and comfort him. The only ones who know what he went through are mom and Kelly, but they won't tell us since it's not their place and Genre threatened to torture us if we ask Kota and we don't want that. I got a guy to kiss Kota and Genre stalked me for a week in the creepiest way. I'd get little notes in my bag with cut out letters counting down my death and mom and Kelly would tell me there was nothing to worry about. On the last day I went to shower and someone picked the lock, I hard a dark grown male voice ask if I was ready to die, then party poppers went off and I screamed. Genre got even." Dom explained. "Clare and I will be back later or I will. Emi is all set." Kota yelled and walked to where she and Dom were sitting, his outfit consisting of a clean pair of blue jeans and a MB shirt. He opened both the house and car door for Clare so she didn't have to. When he started to drive, he glanced at her. "I know someone probably told you I became a recluse/hermit when I was little." He explained as he drove. "We'll get to that. I went out a lot when I was little. Kelly often took me to the park when Dom was busy, I made a friend there. We were 4 when we met, she lived close by, but never came over. Kelly started taking me to her house and we became best friends. She was in the same elementary school, but different class so we only saw each other during recess and Dom had his own friends so we didn't hang out with him. During summer when Dom hung out with his friends I hung out with mine and made her part of it. In middle school my other friends moved while she stayed and was in a different class, but we had lunch together while Genre isolated herself for unnecessary reasons. Her name was Makayla and we became attached at the hip, doing everything together." He pulled over. "I'd go over to her house and we'd watch movies, have popcorn fights, do homework together. We even went to our first dance together though we skipped after ten minutes because we got bored and went back to her house. She could tell Dom and I apart just by looking, we even wore the same outfit to school to confuse our friends, but she knew the difference. Her dad died when she was 7, her younger sister was a year old. I went to the funeral with her, we held hands the entire time and I stayed with them until they got better. When my dad died, she did the same. She helped me by talking to me and got my mom to drop me off at her place so I didn't have to go to stay home with Kelly and my brothers. At that time I didn't think she'd ever leave my side. I didn't think she would do something so stupid. I had gotten sick with the flu a few weeks later and talked to her on the phone. I told her I couldn't wait to see her and hear her stories, it was snowing pretty hard when she hung up. I just remember waking up to mom yelling orders as Kelly bundled me up. I thought my fever was getting too high as mom rushed me out, buckled me in the car, and sped off. We got to the hospital and mom told me not to be scared as we got out of the car, she lead me to a closed door with Ms. Jefferies in front of it and I was given a hospital mask to put on since I was sick. Makayla wanted to surprise me so she snuck outside and got me a get well card. On her way home she was hit by a drunk driver. She was in a coma, I stayed by her side for three days as I got better with help from nurses and she woke up." he said and drove to a house seconds away. "Makayla stole my first kiss when she woke up and-" he was interrupted by a ten year-old knocking on his window "Is this her, did you finally bring Clare?" The girl asked in excitement as he opened his door. "Yes, this is Clare." He said and the girl immediately ran, opened Clare's door, and hugged her. "We finally get to meet you. She needs to meet Makayla too. Oh I'm Jill, I knew Kota my whole life. Like from the day I was born, I even have pictures of him holding me as a baby, though Kay was in it too." The girl said with excitement as she drug Clare inside and to a shrine with a picture on display of Makayla and Kota at the age of 10 in front of an urn as Kota stood next to her. "Hey Kay, I bought Clare. Clare this is Makayla." He said motioning to the urn and picture. "That was the last picture taken of Makayla, she never liked taking pictures without Kota." An older woman said looking at Clare. "That's Ms. Jefferies, Makayla's mom." Kota whispered in Clare's ear. "Did you bring me chocolate?" Jill asked and he looked at her. "Sorry, I didn't check them yet." He said honestly. "For what? People always give homemade chocolate in Japan." Ms. Jefferies asked. "Not all girls have adult supervision when cooking in Japan and chocolate is often the first thing they teach themselves how to make so at times I'll find hair in it from it not being tied back or nail decorations." He shivered a bit. "I didn't find the ones from Machiko yet or I would have bought them." He added and looked at Clare. "This house contains a lot of my childhood memories, there are also videos of Makayla and I as well as pictures if you want to see. I don't have any of my by myself when I was in school. School pictures were often taken with Makayla, we'd take pictures together on picture day. She'd tell me when her class was going and I'd make an excuse to leave and I'd jump in when it was her turn, she did the same. We did get in trouble, but we kept it up by refusing to take it alone so they gave in." Kota laughed asnd walked to the kitchen to grab a drink for him and Clare. "Would you like to see pictures of Kota when he was growing up?" Ms. Jefferies asked looking at Clare.

#ou