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#everyone else in the course is so much older than me and won competitions and published stuff before and it's so intimidating
lgcxnoeul · 2 years
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Hello, everyone! Thank you for the welcomes and making my life easier by following me first, aha. Anyways, it’s great to be back here with a new character. I was the mun behind Jude, Jina, and Won. However, I'm very excited to throw Noeul into the LGC universe and for your characters to interact with the fourth year trainee. Find more about Noeul under the read more or in the following links: 
                                                    PROFILE | TIMELINE 
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MEET NOEUL 🖤
is a huge DBSD fan, but the real reason why he auditioned for Legacy Ent. was because his father dangled a PS4 in front of his face. 
Graduated from Hanlim Multi Art High School in 2020. Currently attending Kyunghee Cyber University and majoring in Post-Modern Music. He takes the bare minimum of classes to be considered full-time and procrastinates like no one else. 
He works part-time as a host at an up-scale restaurant his father manages. He had tried every position from dishwashing to being a busboy and a waiter. Let’s just say that not touching any plates is the best for everyone.
He is a typical middle child but he is very close with his older brother because of the short age difference. The two jokingly claim to be twins even though the two look nothing alike.  
Noeul is a very chaotic individual. He enjoys being a contrarian and debating everything and anything until the sun comes up. He loves being around people even if he’s not the center of attention. He always finds the perfect time to interject in conversations, or display his playful sense of humor. He is full of energy but having too many ideas has him unable to achieve all that he wants to do in a day. 
His first year at LGC was rocky. He didn’t take many of the lessons seriously and had a hard time focusing, but he has gradually found the lessons and workshops enjoyable to the point that he no longer stands in the back of the room and is an active participant. 
He doesn’t know if he wants to debut yet, but what he does know is that he wants to eventually be able to search up his name in KOMCA. He might be moving at a tortoise-like pace, but he wants to be an asset to the group that he debuts in rather than a weak link. 
POSSIBLE PLOTS  
Hit me up if your trainee is not in FD and needs a thread for the trainee mission! 
Friendships? He is actually a really good friend, but can be a bit insensitive at times (prioritizes rationality over emotions). So, even a friendship that is souring or has soured because of that will be fun to write. 
Calling all ‘Junior Morning Trainee Group’ trainees. Chances are Noeul either has vibed with, annoyed, or befriended your characters. 
Another fourth year trainee that Noeul can be competitive with for fun, of course! 
I’m much better at plotting organically so give this a like and I’ll come to you. 
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littlespoonevan · 3 years
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y’know, i’m aware i know how to write to some degree. bc like, i’ve been writing steadily for 8 years now and it would be ridiculous to think i haven’t improved and i absolutely do take every compliment i get on my fics to heart so i know my strong suit lies in character/emotion, it’s what i’ve built my fics on - plot be damned. but god it was my 2nd week in the creative workshop i’m attending right now and the whole time everyone else was reading their pieces i was panicking bc everyone had written 300 word stories with actual plot!! and i’d gone for something v simple this week, just a little snapshot into a moment in life, y’know? and for an actual published author to compliment me on that, to tell me it was beautifully written and point out all the little phrases she loved????????? guys i could actually cry i never thought i’d have a chance to have my work taken seriously outside fandom spaces before but i’m starting to feel like maybe i might???????? 
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devildomimagines · 3 years
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I live to make these bois into whores 😎
Can I get head cannons of the boys meeting MC’s family; the catch is, MC is attractive as hell and so is their family? Literally everyone is hot. Their Dad is a whole dilf, their Mom is a milf, their older brother and sister are both sexy as hell, and MC’s just casually introducing them to the demon boys who could barely handle being around them.
They have a storm coming hehe 🤭
Sorry for the long wait but what else is new on my blog ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The older brothers are under the cut because this ended up longer than I first planned. I hope you enjoy~
Belphegor
It might take some bribing to get him to promise to be awake for the whole day but he gave in because it was important to you that he meet your family.
As you two approached the house, your mom was out in the front yard gardening.
When she turned around and caught the sight of you two she beamed a bright smile and waved.
You giggled as you waved back and looked at Belphie to see if he was waving too.
He was waving like a robot.
You have to elbow him to make him focus again.
He blushed as he admitted, “Your mom is really pretty.”
“I know,” you looked proud of the fact.
Your mom had called to the rest of the family and soon they were all outside to greet you.
You started greeting and hugging everyone.
Your dad clapped Belphie on the back and you caught his blush as he watched your dad head back towards you.
He mouthed the words, “Him too?” and you nodded.
Your brother and sister wasted no time in teasing you about bringing someone home.
Your brother tousled Belphie’s hair and your sister draped herself off you as she assessed Belphie.
“He’s cute,” she finally decided, “Be careful or I’ll steal him away,” then stuck her tongue out at you as she went inside.
You responded with your own tongue out at her retreating form.
Belphie fixed his hair and straightened his clothes, “You didn’t say your whole family was so handsome?”
“I thought it would be obvious, where do you think I got it?” You teased as you grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.
Beelzebub
You had thought maybe he wouldn’t fall victim to your family’s charm. You were wrong.
When the two of you entered the house, your mom greeted you two with a hug.
Beel blushed at the contact but recovered quickly. That is until your dad came up and patted him on the chest, “What a solid guy you caught, MC.” 
You rolled your eyes but you caught Beel’s eye sparkle at the compliment.
Your sister introduced herself to Beel and he shook her hand before she pounced on him. He caught her in surprise.
“Ok, that’s enough, get off him!” You pulled your sister away with a huff.
She made a face at you before retreating.
Your brother was sizing Beel up from across the room.
“Are you gonna say hello bro?” You asked.
“How much can you bench?” Your brother stood up.
Beel wasn’t prepared for the question, “Uh…”
“Probably a lot by the look of it,” Your brother supplied.
Beel looked at you for help. Leave it to your brother to make a demon uncomfortable. “Can you cool it and get out of his face? Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Hm,” then a wicked smile flashed on your brother’s face, “Arm wrestle for the loser’s dessert?”
Oh no.
Beel’s smile reflected your brother’s, “You’re on.”
You pulled on Beel’s sweater as he was rolling up the sleeve. “Wait, go easy on him please, actually maybe let him win? With your strength you could break his arm.”
“But MC, the dessert,” Beel looked determined.
“I’ll give you mine,” he looked like he was debating it but the enticing offer of two desserts was winning out. “And… I’ll do that thing you like.”
That was clearly the winner. Beel sat down across from your brother and gave you a quick thumbs up before putting up a compelling fight if you didn’t already know he was going to throw it.
Dinner went off without a hitch. Beel complimented the hell out of your parent’s cooking and they complimented his appetite. As he ate your dessert, he whispered to you, “Don’t forget about your promise.”
The thing Beel likes is when you two go to the gym together, don’t get it twisted!
Asmodeus
“Oh?” Asmo smiled, “This is gonna be fun!”
He immediately starts towards your mom, “Hello! You must be MC’s sister?”
She laughs at the compliment, “No honey, I’m their mother.”
Asmo lays on the charisma in his shock, “No way! I could have sworn,” he looks back at you and you roll your eyes, what did you expect?
Asmo offers his arm and your mom takes it with a smile. The pair of them walk towards the house chatting about something that you couldn’t hear.
He was a tricky demon but you laughed it off as you walked after them.
You bumped into Asmo as you entered and you caught his surprised face. He then smiled to himself as he found a spot on the sofa, he clearly felt at home.
Loud enough for everyone to hear, even those in the kitchen he commented, “MC, you didn’t tell me your family was so attractive.”
Your brother and sister snickered at your embarrassment as you sat next to Asmo.
“Because,” you lowered your voice just for him, “I knew you’d act like this.”
“Like what?”
“Can we just have a normal dinner?” You asked, taking his hand.
“Of course MC,” he squeezed your hand, “but I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It figures. Asmo just gets like this when he’s surrounded by others that he both appreciates their features but finds them to be competition. If he can get them to like him, then he’s ‘won.’
He effectively keeps your family enchanted the whole night, he really does shine in social situations.
Satan
Interesting is the word of the night.
You had shown him pictures of your family as he was ‘studying’ for the night. He wanted to make sure he didn’t call someone by the wrong name, pronoun, or bring up a story you had told him in confidence.
The pictures did not do your family justice. They were gorgeous.
He immediately fell into his gentleman image. Satan took your mom’s hand and kissed the back of it.
She giggled but you shook your head, “That’s a bit much,” you commented.
“I don’t think so?” Satan tilted his head towards you.
“What about me?” Your dad snickered as he extended his hand.
“Dad~” You whined but Satan didn't skip a beat by taking his hand and kissing the back of it.
You dad chuckled heartily as he wrapped an arm around Satan, “Son, I like your style.”
Satan was starstruck and easily led further into the house by your dad.
You groaned, you clearly had not prepared Satan for how bewitching your parents could be.
Your sister and brother sandwiched you in the middle as they laughed. “Another one falls victim huh?”
The running joke being that the two of them had plenty of partners defeated by the magnetism your parents had. The partners often choosing the charming company of your parents and not the child they were dating when they visited.
You sighed and hung your head, you figured it’d play out like this but it was disheartening. That is until your thoughts were interrupted by a throat clearing.
You looked up and smiled at seeing Satan’s emerald eyes on you, silently asking if everything was ok.
You nodded and wiggled out from between your siblings to stand next to him as you formally introduced them.
You gave Satan’s waist a squeeze, happy he found his way back to you.
He smiled back at you softly, that is until your mom called out for him. He then blushed deeply as you let him get back to the kitchen. 
“Good luck!” You called after him with a giggle. Your parents were incorrigible.
Leviathan
It took a lot for Levi to agree to meeting your family.
He was a nervous wreck, already sweating and you hadn’t even opened the front door.
“Hey,” you took his face in your hands, “You’re going to be ok, they’re going to love you and I’ll be with you for every second.”
Levi exhaled and relaxed into your hands. He nodded and finally smiled.
Then the door opened and he was tense again.
You shift your hands from his face to holding one of his hands.
“Oh I’m sorry!” Your mom said, “Was I interrupting?”
“No,” you confirmed before she could make a big deal.
“Well, welcome!” She threw her arms around Levi. 
He squeezed your hand but said, “Thanks for having me.”
“Of course,” Your mom took his other hand and pulled him inside, “If you’re important to MC then you’re important to us!”
The three of you entered the living room and everyone got up to offer their greetings to you and Levi.
He never let your hand go.
When you got through everyone, Levi was a blushing mess.
He held you back as everyone made their way to the dining room. “I can’t do this, MC!” He whisper-yelled at you, “You didn’t say they were all so hot?! I can barely stand just you, but...” Levi looked at the dining room, “it’s like you times five now!”
You had to giggle and he gave you a pout. “Levi, we just got here. Dinner will be a breeze. Dad will probably tell stories of when me and my siblings were little, something about him in college and my mom will ask you-”
“She’s going to talk to me??”
“Well yes but she’ll only ask about your interests and hobbies. She loves anime BTW. It’ll be a sitch for you! I’m not worried at all.” You gave him a smile and you could see the gears turning.
He could talk about anime, that is manageable… “But won’t the others think I’m lame?”
“Nonsense! If you haven’t realized we’re a pretty accepting family, what other family would agree to send their child to hell for a year?”
Levi nodded, this is true. He took a brave breath and pulled you to the dining room.
Mammon
He’s overconfident in his ability to woo your family, which means he’s nervous.
It’s cute that he wants them to like him but it’s not as serious as he’s making it out to be.
You knew they would love him, they love everyone.
“Oy, this is it?” He shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up at your house.
“Yep,” you took his hand and led him around to the side door.
“Wait, shouldn’t we use the front door?”
“We’re not guests, I lived here.”
“But I’m…”
The two of you entered the kitchen and your mom looked over her shoulder as she was pulling a large pot out of the oven, “You’re here!”
Mammon straightened up and took a step forward, “Let me help you with that, it looks heavy.” He grabbed the towel hanging from the oven handle and effortlessly carried the dish to the pot holder on the table.
“What a gentleman,” your mom snickered as she hugged you hello.
Mammon blushed and looked away but hugged your mom when she made her way towards him as hello.
“Who’s that holding my wife?” Your dad boomed.
Mammon backed off immediately as he came eye to eye with your father, “S-sir.”
With a smile your dad embraced Mammon, “I’m kidding, we’re all huggers here, better get used to it!”
Mammon blushed again in your dad’s grasp and you laughed. He shot you a look before smiling at your dad letting him go.
You shuffled up next to Mamms as he sighed, “Tired already? I know they can be a lot.”
“W-what are you talking about? I’m fine!”
“Good! Because my siblings are even worse!” As if on cue, the pair entered the room sizing up Mammon.
Your brother smiled, “I like him. He looks like he can get in some trouble.” If only he knew, but Mammon relaxed with the assessment.
“He’s pretty attractive,” Your sister said but her tone was skeptical.
“He models part time,” you offered, proud that you were making her somewhat jealous.
“Too bad he couldn’t cut it full time,” she dismissed. She moved in close to Mammon as if she was going to whisper in his ear but said loud enough for you, “If you ever want the better sibling, call me.”
His eyebrows shot up, Mammon was not expecting that.
You pushed your sister out of his space, “Go suck an egg!”
Your sister retreated with a vicious smile.
When you looked at Mammon, he was frozen in his shock. “God, she got you with just that?” You groaned, “This is gonna be a long night.”
“N-no!” Mammon was recovering, “I wouldn’t call her! You know that, right?”
“I know,” you sighed, “She’s just like that. I swear her and Asmo would have a day trying to one-up each other.”
“This is gonna be a long dinner huh?” Mammon was finally realizing it for himself.
You took his hand, “Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be!” He squeezed your hand and smiled, “The Great Mammon can handle anything!”
Lucifer
“Hm?” He would hum as you two walked up to your childhood home. “Who’s that?” 
Your dad was outside mowing the lawn. He turned the mower to start a line towards you two but stopped when he recognized you.
“That’s my dad!” You ran over to hug him.
Lucifer watched as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth in his pocket before catching you in an embrace.
Lucifer steeled himself and made his way over to join the conversation.
“You must be the man of the hour! Wonderful to meet you finally, after all MC has said about you!” Your dad had extended an arm to shake hands, “I’d usually hug you but I’m a sweaty mess. Come on inside, everyone is waiting!” He led you two to the front door and announced your arrival as he excused himself for a shower before dinner.
The rest of the family entered, your mom, brother and sister, each dazzling in Lucifer’s eyes.
He was used to beautiful people; angels have their allure, demons their temptations but humans had always seemed somewhat average until he met you and now your family.
Lucifer subconsciously fixed his shirt and then ran a hand through his hair. Then he caught your gaze.
“You look fine,” you whispered as you sidled up next to him.
“I see where you get your captivating looks from, I believe the celestial lineage is from your paternal side,” Lucifer gave your returned father a long glance. “He cleans up well.”
“You’re not too bad yourself, Mr. Morningstar,” you teased as you took his hand and led him to the table.
“This will be an interesting dinner,” he murmured as he took a seat next to you and then gulped as your dad took a seat next to him with a brilliant smile. 
Is Lucifer nervous? Not that he would ever admit it, but who gave this human the right to be so handsome? With a hand on his chest, Lucifer clears his throat to regain composure.
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notchesandbullets · 3 years
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She’s Mine (Protective!Bakugou x Punk!Tattooed!Reader) feat. Erasermic
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Warnings: racism, implied homophobia (not by anyone in the main cast), sexism, discrimination/discriminatory behavior, Modern!AU, Aged-Up!AU, features Bakugou’s parents, Erasermic, Kota, Eri, Mahoro, Katsuma and all of Class A defending you when insults start to fly.
Synopsis: This is not the first time you’re seeing Bakugou’s family but it is the first time you’re meeting his grandmother, who is not the best company to be around. He comes to your defense after you stand up for yourself and he had no qualms about sticking his face in the old hag’s because he’d be damned if he lets anyone talk to you like that. You’re his.
Words: 3.2k
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“Y/N’s here!!!” Mitsuki called over her shoulder as she threw the front door wide open before you could even ring the doorbell.
Her son had texted her that you two were on their way and she was eager to see you. With the job and your relationship with her son, you two were busy bees and didn’t come around as often anymore. 
Which is why she insisted that her stubborn son at least come around for his birthday since it only happened one day out of the year. Then he could continue doing whatever it was that he was doing. 
Luckily, you were on her side and helped convince him to go just this once.
You laughed at the pitter-patter of tiny feet scampering across the cherry hardwood before dropping everything to catch the little kid that tunneled into your legs. 
“Y/N!!! You’re back!!!”
Eri’s ruby red eyes sparkled with joy as she clung to your legs.
“I missed you!!!” She shouted excitedly, hugging your knees tight.
You giggled, resting a hand on top of her head. “I missed you too, munchkin.”
Bakugou snorted behind you and you were reminded of his presence. “Oi, brat. Are you going to let us in or what?”
Eri stuck her tongue out at him childishly before dashing back inside, a trick she learned from her big brother Izuku, doubling back to grab your hand and hauled you inside with her. You casted a glance over your shoulder at your boyfriend but he shrugged, giving you the go-ahead.
He would catch up to you two troublemakers later. Besides, he knew you would want to see all the kids first. 
Kota, an orphan whose extended family gave him up for adoption, along with the siblings, Mahoro and Katsuma, were all under Aizawa’s guardianship.
After he adopted Eri, it sort of just snowballed until he was in too deep. He told Mic repeatedly that it wasn’t his fault that he had a soft spot for orphans.
His husband had merely shook his head with a laugh and hoisted Katsuma up higher so that he could reach the cupcakes they were going to sneak behind his back before dinner.
Mitsuki closed the door behind him as her son kicked off his shoes. 
“She gets that from me.” She said proudly as she gazed lovingly at Eri. She loved having her around the house. 
Since Aizawa and Mic lived relatively close, they came over often since she was feeling rather lonely with an empty nest.
Bakugou snorted. “Yeah, no shit.”
His mother glared at him for his language but didn’t reprimand him like she normally would and his eyes turned into hateful slits.
“Don’t tell me—” He started, gritting his teeth.
“They’re here.” She said with a heavy sigh.
Bakugou cursed vehemently under his breath, his brow furrowing deeply as he fought to control himself. He was banking on them not making an appearance today. 
His grandparents on his dad’s side, though he adored his grandad and thought the world of him, he absolutely could not stand his grandmother. 
She was racist, sexist, had limited views on literally everything and would raise hell if she didn’t get her way and she was a huge pain in his ass.
Even his own mother couldn’t stand her and that was saying something because she tolerated everyone to some degree, despite her odd love language when it came to him. 
They were both shit at communicating but it had gotten better as he got older. 
Now, the worst things that happened were spats here and there when they disagreed but his mother was usually good about backing off if she felt he could make the right decision for himself, which wasn’t often but it was better than none. 
Bakugou strolled inside and his eyes softened for a second when he saw you playing with Mahoro, Kota sitting on your lap as Eri was climbing all over Midoriya. You four were currently playing Monopoly and Eri exclaiming in shock as she realized she was losing since the devious Kota was slowly claiming more and more property.
“Haha!!” He cackled, rubbing his hands together evilly. “You landed on the purple one!!”
“No fair!!” Eri protested. “I don’t have enough money!!!”
“Too bad!!”
“Deku-niichan.” Eri cried, her eyes watering and you nearly fell over laughing as he frantically tried to get her to stop crying. 
The rest of his old class from college was already here, as per his mother’s request and Kirishima’s invitation.
Shinsou, Tsuyu, Todoroki and Iida were all near the food, the previous class rep serving drinks even though it wasn’t his job to play host. 
Tokoyami was currently engaged in a conversation with his dad and as Bakugou spun around the room, he realized every last one of his old classmates had shown up.
It was fucking crowded in his house. 
But the spark of joy he felt diminished the instant he saw his grandmother and he scowled, straying to your side almost protectively as her eyes burned into his back. 
This. 
This was why he didn’t fucking want her here. He didn’t want her to rain judgement upon the person who had won over his heart.
No way in hell.
Look, you weren’t fragile by any means. Your heart was filled with a healthy amount of self-esteem and you had built up your walls to protect yourself against people who had something to say about your many tattoos or piercings, yet you still were the kindest soul he had ever met. 
It was in the way you walked and interacted with people, a genuine smile always present on your features as you gave them more respect than most would give you upon first glance.
Bakugou knew you could handle yourself but you shouldn’t have to with his own fucking relatives. That shit was messed up. 
You glanced at your boyfriend out of the corner of your eye and your gaze dropped down to where his hands were clenched into fists, jaw locked tight and you sigh, softly urging Kota to get up and continue playing with Mahoro and Katsuma until you got back.
The boy grumbled but did as you asked, easily getting swept up in the competition of the game as you drifted to Bakugou’s side.
“I know that look,” You murmured into his ear, your hand covering his as you ignored the idle chatter coming from your friends and family around you. “What’s wrong?”
Bakugou clenched his teeth and debated about it for a second.
“Nothing.” He spat out eventually, choosing to deal with the old hag himself and you let him go when he stomped off, knowing that Kirishima or Kaminari would handle whatever it was that just happened if he didn’t want to talk to you about it. 
Momo greeted you warmly and a smile slipped onto your face as though it had never left. 
You hadn’t bothered to dress all that nice or different from your usual getup, feeling more comfortable in leather and all black that looked like you just came from a rock concert but you got the feeling that not everyone was feeling it as much as Jirou was when she came over to compliment you on your fashion taste.
Shoji and Koda each greeted you respectively and before you knew it, the catered dinner arrived and it was finally time to eat. The judging look you had been aware of from someone you didn’t recognize passing by as you brushed it off as unimportant and focused on helping Mitsuki set the table. 
You clapped your hands gleefully when Eri pitched in to help, complimenting her on how well of a job she did as she finished and you beamed at her when she smiled up at you.
Of course, Aizawa needed to help her since he didn’t want her to stand on a chair and lose her balance but it was easy enough to lift her up. She wasn’t that big yet. 
He had already told Mic he was dreading the day when she would grow up and have to leave home to start her own life and his husband patted him on the back sympathetically, reassuring him that it wouldn’t be the end of the world. 
They loved their children and their children absolutely adored them. 
You had told them as such on more than one occasion since they got insecure that they weren’t adequate parents but you reassured them that they were perfectly imperfect.
They put their kids’ health, safety and happiness before everything else and did everything they could for them. 
You wished your own parents had done that for you. 
As soon as you set down the place settings for everyone and called everyone in for dinner, they flooded the huge dining table that overflowed into the living area to accommodate everyone. 
Bakugou had left for a second to grab something from his old bedroom, promising to be back right away and you reassured him that you would be fine. 
You were barely into helping Mic convince a stubborn Kota to take a spoonful of green beans onto his plate, Shinsou helping Aizawa with Mahoro’s vegetable serving, when a throat cleared itself loudly.
The lively chatter died all around the table died down as grey eyes pierced your own and you stiffened but held your ground. 
You knew that look, you had seen it too many times. 
The older woman opened her mouth and spoke.
“So, you’re my grandson’s girlfriend?” She enunciated, looking you up and down from where she was sitting at the head of the table, her hands setting down her knitting project to glare at you. “I don’t see why he’s dating you.”
The expressions of shock at her vulgar words made several of your friends angry in your defense, Iida and Todoroki trembling in anger and Mina’s eyes narrowed as she dropped her happy-go-lucky personality in favor of ripping her a new one. 
But before any of them could act, she was continuing evenly.
“For someone who doesn’t know how to dress properly and looks like that, I mean, it’s already bad enough that your skin is that color, my dear, and you’ve ruined it even further with those ugly things.” She spat, unaware of the wrath she was evoking from every single person in the room. 
Kaminari’s electric eyes glowed as he saw red. “Bad enough?” 
“Excuse me?” Shoji seethed with unparalleled anger rising up in his chest, a rare sight for the normally calm and collected man.
Jirou, Ochako and Momo were furious at the way she was talking down to you and they shared a look amongst themselves, communicating wordlessly that this wasn’t going to be allowed to get out of hand any longer.
Kirishima was visibly shaking and even the normally shy Koda was fuming in his seat, openly glaring at the elderly woman who spewed insults at you. 
A chair scraped back as Midoriya shot up but you shook your head, holding your finger up to your lips as you subtly gestured for everyone to hold back. 
Aizawa’s nostrils flared from where he was covering Eri’s ears while several of his former students took care of the rest of the kids to make sure they wouldn’t hear this.
To their horror, the grandmother wasn’t even close to being done as she pointed a gnarly finger at you.
“Your job as a girl is to stay in the kitchen and attend to your husband. To even think you’re worth anything if you weren’t involved with my grandson is absurd.” She hissed at you venously, her skewed ideals rooted deeply in her beliefs and how she was raised. “You are a disgrace to even breathe the same air as someone like me.”
“Mother!!”
Bakugou’s father frantically tried to amend what had been done and Mitsuki was about to yell at her but you stopped her. 
Everyone’s eyes turned on you as you took a deep breath. 
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I won’t apologize for being who I am.” You said quietly but firmly, failing to notice someone coming down the stairs and overhearing your steady words as they flowed from your lips like honey. 
Not tricks. Just genuine sympathy, like you didn’t even hear her say all those horrible things to you. 
It was supposed to be your boyfriend’s day and you weren’t going to ruin it for him in the same manner that she had just done. 
“I understand what you’re saying, but don’t you think that we should be allowed to love who we love?” 
You inclined your head slightly, allowing a sliver of the emotion you felt to slip onto your face as you glanced pointedly as Aizawa and Mic.
After you noticed her staring so openly at you, you also noticed that she would scowl whenever the two men would walk in the room and play with their kids and while you would take whatever she was going to throw at you, you weren’t going to tolerate the same for them.
They didn’t deserve that.
Holding up your arm, you inspected the ink running up and down the length of it. “As for my appearance, my style is my own. I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”
There were a couple of snickers from Jirou, Kaminari, Sero and Mineta as you put her in his place and Todoroki leaned back in his seat, gazing up at you proudly as you stood your ground without firing any hate back at the old woman. 
Hagakure clapped her hands jubilantly as a few cheers of agreement sounded around from the table but you had one more thing to say. 
Your eyes softened. “I understand how you may feel about me, but I don’t need your acceptance. I love myself just as I am and if Katsuki ever feels differently about me and we split, then we’ll split. But please do not judge my love for him based on how you believe I should be. I am who I am and I won’t ever apologize for that.”
“And you never fucking have to.”
Bakugou strolled into the dining area, smirking at the old hag who had the nerve to look shocked at his appearance. Of course she would be so fucking disgusting to say something this horrible to you when he wasn’t within earshot. 
Bitch. 
Blood relations didn’t excuse behavior. 
Narrowing his vermilion eyes at his grandmother, he faced her head on as he took your hand into his. 
“She’s my fucking girlfriend.” He declared, tenacity and stubbornness dripping off of his tone as he snarled at his grandmother. “And if you ever speak to her like that again—”
He nodded in time to Mic and Aizawa, the men who had mentored him and taught him almost everything he knew. 
“Or either of them, including the rest of these shitheads, I’ll fucking kill you.”
The veiled threat hung in the air and you squeaked as Bakugou abruptly dragged you to the front door.
“Where are you going?!” Mitsuki cried out, worried that you both were going to leave without eating anything and she was sad to think that her mother-in-law had driven you away.
Bakugou gnashed his teeth at the confused clamour that arose from his classmates. “Out!! We’ll be back later!!”
You could hardly get a word in edgewise as he dragged you all the way out to the car after barely giving you enough time to put on your shoes.
“Katsuki!! What—”
Your bewildered protests were interrupted as he whirled around and kissed you hard. You melted into his touch as his hot palms settled on your hips, pulling you flush against him. Whining softly when he pulled away, you panted as he breathed hard against you, his exhales fanning out over your face.
You were in a daze as he led you to the car, buckling you in before he got in the driver’s seat. 
And he drove, taking a detour that would take him towards the countryside where there were no people, no places, just you and him. 
Just how he liked it. 
The painted lavenders and pale pinks of the setting sun faded to midnight black with stars twinkling high above you as you cruised around for hours before he finally spoke. 
“I’m sorry.” He apologized quietly and you immediately grabbed his hand that wasn’t currently occupied with steering.
“No!! You don’t have anything to apologize for—”
“Yes I do.”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel a fraction as he slowly explained that if he had told you earlier about what she was capable of instead of ranting to his best friend like an idiot, maybe he could’ve—
“Katuski.”
Your soft murmur brought him back down to planet Earth and you shook your head firmly. 
“It’s not your fault.” You told him without wavering once as he brought the car to a stop just at the edge of the trail. “I don’t blame you at all.”
Bakugou slammed his hand against the steering wheel angrily. “Yes it fucking is!!!”
He ranted and he ranted about how he had come downstairs only to hear his own flesh and blood spitting those vile insults that you didn’t deserve at all. 
You didn’t deserve it at all.
You were quiet when he finished and when his chest was heaving with the spent rage he had aired out, you asked, “Feel better?”
“Like hell I do!!!” He snapped at you, about to go off again when he noticed the bemused expression on your face. “What the fuck, dumbass?”
You tilted your head in confusion. “Huh?”
“Why the hell aren’t you bothered at all?” He questioned, genuinely flabbergasted. 
Eyes clearing in understanding, you traced the back of his hand with your fingers. “Because it doesn’t bother me.”
At the sight of Bakugou opening his mouth, you hurried out, “I mean, do you really think someone like that gets to cut me down? Her words don’t mean anything to me.”
You hesitated and opened yourself a little bit, trusting him not to take advantage of your weakness because while her words stung in the moment, it was nothing your heart couldn’t come back from. But…
“If you were to say them, it would hurt a lot more, but I don’t think you would— eep!!”
You yelped as he dragged you over to his seat, yanking at the seatbelt that got in the way, but pulled you to his chest once he released the safety clip.
“Never.” He breathed against your hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “I would fucking never.”
You closed your eyes. “I know.”
There, in his car, you two stayed in a tight embrace under the stars until you it got late enough that you insisted you should go back and at least spend the rest of the time with your friends, which, if their sleeping schedules hadn’t changed since college, there was a good chance almost all of them would still be up.
So Bakugou drove you both back, his heart a little more at ease after he got to hold you close and be alone with you. 
That was all he wanted.
Well… He thought to himself as he unconsciously brushed his left hand over the small velvet box that had been hastily stuffed in his pocket the second he grabbed it from his room.
That and one other thing.
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stephspurs · 3 years
Text
A Family Affair | Euro 2020 Football Fanfiction
Life is beautiful and life is cruel. This is a window into the souls of the victorious and the vanquished. In a way, football did come home during the summer of 2021. Follow along Amelia’s journey, navigating the football world as a tactical analyst for the Italian football team, with a brother and father part of the three lions. Will Amelia leave Italy and come back to England? Will she leave the Serie A for the Prem? Will she set aside the bianconeri stripes for new colours, leaving behind friendship for love? Maybe she can have both...
Wow - the response i received in a little under 24 hours since i posted the first taste of part 1 has truly bowled me over! I wasn't expecting that reaction & tbh i would have been happy if 2 people wanted to read this story hahaha! So, i've been writing in the background & the first few parts have already been proofed and are ready to go. HOWEVER! I am open to your suggestions so please please let me know what you think and how you want to see Amelia's story play out. As far as i'm concerned, this fic is as much yours as it is mine! So please enjoy this first part, in its entirety, and let me know your thoughts! Love always,
Steph xx
UPDATE as of 31/07: I've made some additional editing changes due to some feedback about the confusion between ben white (her brother) and ben chilwell (not her brother LOL). Nothing has been added to the story, just the addition of either surname has been added where i think it could be more straightforward - for future readers!
Part 1 | prima parte
warnings; none - maybe a bit of angst? (what sibling rivalry doesn't have a bit of angst)
word count; 1978 words
writing tools; third person until dashed line, first person thereafter.
next update; Sunday 25/07 5pm AEST. Updates will be twice weekly at this stage. Probably Wednesday’s and Sundays from next week!!
link to fic masterlist here
The world of football, no matter how big it may seem, is as tight as a close-knit family. Whether its management staff, senior players, scouts, academy players, business developers, medical team, groundskeeper - everyone knows someone who knows someone else involved in the sport. For Amelia White, it was a family affair.
Having grown up with her father as a senior tactical analyst for many different clubs throughout his career, and an older brother currently playing for Brighton in the Premier League, there was no opportunity for her to escape the fanaticism of the sport. It was what her household lived and breathed, football. Most would think that, with her brother being as successful as he is now, her childhood was shadowed by her brother's success but that's not the case. She capitalised on her ability to think both logically and creatively, and absorbed all of the information her father could give her as if she was a sponge, to establish a name of her own in the sport and advance her career in the sport. At the age of 21 she upped and left the comforts of her home in West London, accepted a position at Juventus within their graduate program & worked her way up the ranks to be their youngest tactical analyst by the age of 24.
So far in her career, the support of her mother, father & brother were unmatched by any. They were all so proud of her for making her own name, proving herself and succeeding in one of the most competitive football leagues in the world. She was smart, tactful, both meticulous and ruthless in her approach to her career and the success of her players. Because after all, they were her players. She worked day in and day out, studying them and their opponents, drafting performance plans and set pieces for every possible outcome of the play, so that they could perform at their best. They had her trust and faith, and she had theirs. This is probably what her family was most proud of, and wished her every success, until she was appointed as a tactical analyst for the Italian National Team for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament. Which happened to be the same tournament that her brother had received his call up to the Three Lions. Which was the current level at which her father was a senior tactical analyst for the English National Team. The Euro 2020 Tournament was about to be a real family affair...
10 July 2021
It had been 2 months since she last had any contact with her family. 3 months ago, Amelia signed a contract with the Federcalcio, the governing body of football in Italy, to become the Azzurri’s tactical analyst for the foreseeable European Football Championship. In turn, her silky signature at the bottom of the agreement, also constituted a digital and physical contact ban with members of her family that were also involved with the tournament...her father and her brother.
At the time of the contract, and against her better judgement, Amelia hadn’t told her family of her opportunity. She knew her father would be proud, but her brother would be bitter. Her mother was switzerland, completely neutral and rooting for both of her children - but that's not how football works. No matter your role you have a job to do, and you do everything you can to make sure it is your team that lifts the trophy at the end of the tournament. So, on May 23rd her family congratulated her for another successful season at Juventus, and unbeknownst to them, said goodbye for the next 2 months. Until the day before the final match of the tournament, Italy v. England.
Her heart dropped when England won their semi final match against Denmark. She wanted nothing more than for her brother to be happy and for her father to succeed, but she didn’t want to have to go up against them in the final. Ultimately, she knew they were good, but she also knew that she could hold her own and compete with the best. Having a close relationship with her brother, up until this period, meant that she often paid attention to the premier league. This was a major benefit to her as she had already started analysing the azzurri’s opponents. It was her job to know what foot Raheem Sterling preferred to pass with, what direction Declan Rice preferred to take the ball up the field, what direction of receiving the ball did Harry Maguire struggle the most with. So that's how she spent the three days between matches, solidifying her knowledge of her opponents & predicting the plays her dad would be instructing the English team to complete, to attempt to outperform the Italians. However nothing would prepare her for the knock on her suite door, or for what was on the other side…
_____________________________________________________________
“Ciao Amelia, vieni con me per favore. abbiamo organizzato una visita supervisionata con tuo fratello prima della finale di domani sera. sorpresa!” (hi amelia, come with me please. we have arranged a supervised visit with your brother prior to the final tomorrow night. surprise!). I stood there in shock staring at one of my players & closest friends, Federico Bernardeschi. I was a person who didn't enjoy spontaneity, who thrived off of preparation and organisation. I needed the opportunity to overthink every situation so that I could prepare for every possible outcome. This was not my idea of a good time. Of course I missed my brother, but I know just how volatile he can be. Nevertheless, I grabbed my jacket and shoved my sneakers on before following Fede down the hall and into a blacked out van that was waiting to take me to St. George’s Park for my family reunion.
Upon arriving, and after a stern pep talk from Fede (who was my appointed supervisor for the visit - not sure I would say he was the most responsible choice but he did talk some sense into me) I walked into the main entrance and saw my father leaning against the reception desk waiting for me.
“Papa!!” I called as I walked over to him, ready to smother him with my love and affection. My father, Dean White, and I had as good of a relationship as possible, being that he was always heavily involved with my brother Ben’s footballing career as well as his own. I think when I came along, my father didn't know how to be a girl dad, so he took my mothers advice and just involved me like he would Ben. I was glad that I would be seeing him first, and he would be taking me to see my no-doubt pissed off brother.
“Dad, this is Fede, one of my players”
“Ciao Dean, it’s very nice to meet you but i am also her bodyguard for this evening” Fede introduced himself to my father and they exchanged pleasantries. I had a look around the foyer of the facility until I heard my name brought up in conversation.
“Amelia, come on. The boys are just over here. I don’t think you have long before heading back to your camp” My dad called to me. Boys? As in...more than just my brother?
“Hahaha that's funny dad, just show me to his room and we can have our screaming match there. Should only be about 20 or so minutes”
“Ben’s not in his room, we have a recreation room for the players and staff to lounge about and relax in. Pretty sure he’ll be in there. Come on, you’ve never been scared of your brother before. Why start now?” Before I knew it, Dad was leading us through some doors and into a large common area with bean bags, pool tables and couches - all occupied by current first team members of the English National Football team.
“Dean mate, don’t normally see you down here after 7pm. Oh look at that, someone let the trash in.” A loud mouthed player, that I used to adore as if he was my own brother, calls out as he notices us enter the room. And just like that, I shake off my nerves, stand in front of my taller & more argumentative bodyguard, relax my shoulders and stare into the eyes of Kyle Walker - daring him to challenge me and push me further.
“Relax Kyle, Benjamin White - your sister is here to see you.” Dad cut Kyle off. I didn’t need him to defend me against Kyle’s harsh comments, I could defend myself.
“Wow, I thought hell would freeze over before I got the opportunity to speak to you. Of course, I didn't realise hell would look quite like seeing you in that shade of blue.” My brother, Ben, spoke bitterly at me as he approached me from the other side of the room. This, coupled with Walker’s exclamation earlier, got the attention of the majority of the players scattered about.
“Ben, if you let me explain in private I'm sure you will be able to understand why things had to be this way” I tried to reason with him. Letting go of my always-defensive guard and pleading with my big brother to open his mind to see my side of the story.
“As if I would even talk to you right now, the night before the final, you’re probably here to try and get some insider information. Boys make sure you don’t say anything to her, she’s as sly as they come” Ben’s words were as sharp as a knife - but I knew what I had to say would cut him deeper.
“Ok that's enough! You are ridiculous! What did you expect me to do? Not take the job because you’re my brother? This is my career we are talking about here” I challenged him. “If you think for one second i stopped supporting you then you must be even more stupid than i thought. Of course this isn't the ideal situation, I'm proud of you for reaching a final but I'm just as proud of myself for doing the same thing.” I got progressively closer to my brother, who stood there with his hands beside himself, unable to get a word in.
“I came tonight to wish you good luck, to tell you I loved you, to give you a hug and tell you to stay safe and play smart. Whilst I still wish all of this for you, I now want you to know that I want you to play your best so I can be better than you. I can show you exactly how good at my job I am. I want you to know that no matter what way you play the ball, I'll be right there waiting for you. I am prepared for this, I hope you are too - so that it will feel that much more sweet when we beat you” I sneered at my older brother, who at this point, is quite visibly feeling a mixture of shock and embarrassment.
I take a step back, let out a breath and shake the tension from my shoulders. Breaking eye contact with my brother, I look briefly - yet confidently - at the other players in the room and take a step back. I turned to my dad, who was looking at me solemnly, as though he wasn’t happy with my outburst but understood it came from a place of frustration with my sibling. Walking up, giving him a kiss on the cheek and wishing him luck, I turned to look at Fede and began to walk to the door. This interaction with my brother, although supposed to be a nice moment shared between siblings, has only gone and motivated me to be at my best tomorrow, to prepare my players to go to war and to come out the other side victorious.
Part 2 | seconda parte
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writingbeary · 3 years
Text
Kingdom -  Sports Day
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Minyoung’s Outfit
Note:
Texts placed inside brackets are Kingdom’s show subtitles
Italicized texts are in English
Texts that are block quoted are interview cuts
────────── ♔ ──────────
Today, the groups participating in Kingdom were told that they will be competing in the groups that they will be collaborating with for the No Limit stage. ATEEZ were confident in their athletic abilities but they also know that the other groups also have members who are athletic, especially BTOB who have Minhyuk who won medals in ISAC.
Minyoung brought out her self-made cheer banners for every group, taking it upon herself to be their cheerleader since she cannot participate in most group games. She wrote individual groups names and the Collab Team names on the banners.
"Our princess has betrayed us." Hongjoong feigned a hurt look over his face noticing the cameras zooming on him when Minyoung could be seen cheering for The-i-9 team when they entered the field.
"I'll cheer for everyone! There's no discrimination here!" Minyoung joked sticking her tongue out to her leader before waving the banner containing SF9's name. "Sepgu hwaiting!"
"You're cheering for everyone today? Not just Chani?" Dawon called out grinning
"Of course, I'll prioritize our Chanhee." clearing her throat before raising her banner up high "Kang Chanhee fighting!" with Chani laughing waving her off.
“Okay then 8 makes 1 team.” Hongjoong jokingly said making Minyoung pout and say “If you do that then I’ll ask the other groups to take me in!”
Stray Kids who were lined up beside them looked over the group laughing. Jisung waving her over “Young-ah, come here and perform <God’s Menu> with us.” as he jokingly did the du-du-du-du with Felix and I.N dancing a bit.
“That won’t happen. I’m keeping her.” Yunho placed an arm around Minyoung’s figure grinning “I happen to like having her around.”
The MCs noticing something happening with both groups called out to them. Wooyoung calling them out grinning “ATEEZ, what are you doing? We’re filming something here. Please focus.”
“We would but our Minyoung-ie is about to be taken away!” San shouted back, the other participants amused at what is happening
Wooyung stood up surprised “What? I leave you guys for a bit and this happens. What happened?”
“They’re kicking me out and Stray Kids is adopting me, thankfully.” Minyoung moved over to Stray Kids fitting right in with her clothes having a hint of pink.
“Oh! Welcome. We gained a new member. We’ll gladly take her Dovey.” Changbin laughed teasing Wooyoung as the latter pointed at their female member “Yah! Park Minyoung!”
Eunkwang joining on the teasing raised his hands and said “We’ll also be glad to take her in. That will bring our average age down a bit.” evoking laughter from everyone.
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(VAULT)
Minyoung cheered on everyone waving her banners around as the The-i-9 attempted the vaults. Yunho laughed when he saw the girl near BTOB’s table, tapping on Seonghwa’s shoulder to point it out. “Where is she going?”
“Minyoung-ah, stop invading other people’s tables.” San called out to her as she fired back “They’re not other people! They’re our teammates and we’re one team!” making the rest of Mayfly look at her laughing.
“Alice, come and join us here!” Felix waved her over to which she happily skipped over and hang out with them.
“This kid. Wait where’s Jongho?” Hongjoong looked around and saw Jongho already at Stray Kids’ table too
Yeosang chuckled “Our youngest members are all grown-up. They’re already making friends on their own.” As the rest of the members watch as the two youngest play around with the others.
When it was time for Chani to attempt the vault, Minyoung screamed waving her banner excitedly. “Kang Chanhee, fighting!”
"Minyoung-ssi won't you also cheer for the other participants? You shouldn't play favorites." MC Changmin asked, teasing the younger girl
“Oh. But I’m not close with anyone else.” Minyoung mumbled making the older male laugh.
Minyoung returned back to ATEEZ’ table after a long while sitting down beside Seonghwa who gave her a water bottle. “You should take care of your throat. You’ve been cheering since we started.”
“Ah yes. Thanks mom.” Minyoung giggled while Seonghwa shook his head already used to it
“Waah. THE BOYZ is full of good looking people.” Yunho commented as he watched them all attempt the vault
“ATEEZ is also full of good looking people oppa!” Minyoung countered nodding seriously making the members laugh
“What? We also have good looking members! Don’t think otherwise.” Minyoung continued as she returned her focus on the activity
“What is this? You’re praising us now?” Hongjoong laughed, shaking his head a bit
“I’m just saying the truth.” Minyoung shrugged smiling a bit
“But you told us we looked weird. Remember that?” San fired back grinning
“Ahh. That’s different. I’m the only one that can criticize our members. Other people don’t have that privilege.” Minyoung laughed and puffed her chest out as if proud of it “I can say those things because I do it out of love.” at this the members pretended to gag before laughing
When it was ATEEZ's turn to challenge the vault, Minyoung did light stretches before standing next to the vault. "Omo. Hongjoong-oppa what do we do?" Minyoung shouted making everyone laugh.
"She says that but watch her clear it with ease." Yunho chuckled
"Oh it seems like Athlete Minyoung would attempt next." MC Changmin announced as he saw the girl walk over to the starting line
"I'm assuming she's going to do well as she's a main dancer of ATEEZ." Eunkwang commented
"Alice is scared of heights though." Felix noted making Jisung scoff a bit hearing his remark "But she's competitive. I bet she won't even care until after the fact. She's been doing stunts with ATEEZ but I wonder why she still gets so scared."
"Maybe because when she does stunts for their choreography, she knows how she'll land?"
“Minyoung Challenge!” Minyoung shouted as she ran and made it over the vault easily, surprised at herself. “Omo! How come?” she asked aloud making ATEEZ laugh
“How come you made it over?” San laughed patting her back as 6 of 8 members pass.
As they were watching THE BOYZ challenge San commented on Juyeon’s challenge “Having the hood on was so cool. We should have worn hoods too.”
“Oppa, it would only be cool if you made it over.” Minyoung jabbed at the older male sticking her tongue out playfully, the latter reaching over pretending to flick her forehead.
For their second challenge at 1.8m, Wooyoung, Jongho, and Yunho already succeeded. The ones left were Minyoung and Hongjoong. Minyoung mumbled “I’m scared but I also don’t want our team to place last.”
Yeosang who was beside her laughed gaining the attention of the other members. “If you succeed in this attempt then you already did better than me, Young-ah. Besides, we can trust the three to do it well.”
“I know but I also don’t want to lose to our members.” Minyoung pouted as she walked towards the starting point to attempt. She ran as fast as she could and jumped making it over the vault, letting out a squeal as she flew over.
“Young-ah!” Jongho cheered immediately going over to her.
“See? I told you she would do well.” Jisung laughed raising a thumbs up towards the direction of ATEEZ.
When Hongjoong failed to make it over and hit the vault instead, all of ATEEZ ran towards him with Minyoung going over patting his back before teasing him “Our leader did well. It’s just our heights aren’t made for this kind of games.”
“You made it over though.” Yunho noted laughing
“Seriously this kid.” Hongjoong laughed poking her side as they all went back to their tent.
“Are you okay?” LeeKnow asked Hongjoong seeing as how he hit the vault
“The 10cm is a huge difference.” Hongjoong informed them as they’ll go next. Felix letting out a worried sigh.
“Felix you can do it! I even made it.” Minyoung cheered on her friend, San laughing making the girl look at him “If you say it like that then what happens to the people who failed to make it over.”
Minyoung gasped, defending herself quickly in a panic “Ah. I didn’t mean that. I just thought since Felix is more athletic that I am, he has a higher chance to make it over.”
The remaining members of ATEEZ all succeeded the 1.9m and moved on to the next level. Everyone was shocked when Minyoung cleared the 2m height, even she couldn’t believe she made it past it that when she landed she was wide-eyed, looking back towards the vault. ATEEZ let out a cheer in surprise as Wooyoung helped Minyoung out of the mat patting her back.
“You made it! Wah. Our Minyoung found her talent.” Yunho laughed sending a thumbs up towards her direction.
“Oppa what happened? Omo.” Minyoung jumped around excited that she made it over then gasped realizing that she has to try an even higher level.
When she attempted for the 2.2m, she wasn’t able to go over and instead was hanging on almost on top of the vault with half of her body on it. Realizing how high up she is, she continued to cling on the vault tightly “I’m scared! This is so high! Oppa help me.” she exclaimed making everyone laugh at how cute she’s being, while Wooyoung and Yunho made their way to help the girl down. The rest of the surviving Mayfly members also went over to steady the vault for the girl to come down.
“Just let go and jump down.” Wooyoung instructed her but she shook her head “Let go. I’ll catch you if needed.” Hearing this, Minyoung let go and true to his word, Wooyoung helped her up quickly patting her back. “You did great.”
As the three of them went back to their tent, Minyoung was holding unto Yunho as she limped slightly.
“Why? Why? What happened? Did you injure yourself?” Seonghwa immediately went over and helped the girl to sit down, worriedly checking her any injuries.
“I think I hit my knee on the vault during that last attempt.” Minyoung sighed as she shook her head “It doesn’t hurt that much but I think I won’t be able to join the other events.”
“Are you sure? You also hurt it last filming.” Jongho asked handing the girl a towel to wipe herself with
“Mhm! I don’t think I really hurt it. It’s just like stubbing your toe, just temporary.” Minyoung smiled laughing a bit. “I’m serious! If you don’t believe me then I’ll get it checked tomorrow.”
“I think that’s for the best. It’s better to be safe since you did injure it before and it might get serious if not treated properly.” Yeosang noted patting the girl’s head
"Wooyoung-oppa fighting!" Minyoung cheered as Wooyoung became the last representative for ATEEZ however, he also failed to make it over the vault for 2.30m.
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(Visual Ranking Voting)
"Omo. I knew it. I told you that there’s a catch when they took our photos this morning. Jongho-yah, I'm ruined." Minyoung said to the male beside her, covering her face in regret. "If I knew this was going to happen then I'd have put in more effort in how I look today."
"Yah. If you're going to say that then what about us?" Hongjoong laughed
"Have you seen everyone else? There's no way we're winning this. That's a miracle if it happens." Wooyoung motioned to the other photos posted on the board.
"Who should I vote for?" Minyoung looked through all the photos before turning to the staff "Can I please have these photos? I'll keep them as a souvenir. Maybe I'll have everyone sign them too." evoking laughter from the staff and a cheer from the girl when they said they’ll ask if she can have it after.
"I'm voting for Minhyuk-sunbaenim. As much as I want to vote for our team...lying is bad and voting should always be objective. Sorry our ATEEZ members. I love you all." Minyoung smiled before slipping in her ballot inside the box.
As the rest of the participants voted, some even voting for themselves citing that one should learn to love yourself first, some of them voting for Minyoung.
Stray Kids Jisung: I’m not saying this because I’m her friend but just judging by the photos, she looks good today.
SF9 Jaeyoon: I’m voting for Minyoung-ssi. Her photo stands out with her posing cutely.
THE BOYZ Kevin: She’s adorable and she cheers on every team sincerely. She even showed off her charms today.
THE BOYZ Hyunjae: Throughout their performances, it’s like having an on-off switch. She’s like a kid off-stage but as soon as they start their performances her charisma explodes that why I vote for her.
ATEEZ Yunho: Do I really need a reason? Our member’s pretty. *laughs*
When the results were announced, Minyoung couldn’t believe her ears when she heard her name called out together with Felix for the 2nd place both of them getting 5 votes each. She looked around pointing to herself confused.
“Me? Why?” Minyoung looked to her group members who were cheering for her.
“Minyoung-ah! You did it! ATEEZ present!” Wooyoung shouted making the others groups laugh
Yunho grinned going over to the girl patting her back and ushering her to go to the center.
“Did our members vote for me? Is this a love your own situation?” Minyoung asked outloud making the MCs laugh.
Yunhyeong looked at the cue sheet to see who voted for her before speaking into the microphone “There’s one ATEEZ member who voted for you.”
Yunho proudly raised his hand “I did! Minyoung-ah, be confident!”
“Yunho-oppa! This is why I like you.” Minyoung laughed before shooting hearts at him exageratting every movement.
Compliments calling her cute were heard in every group while Seonghwa covered his face embarassed for both his members.
“Mom! I’m on TV!” Minyoung posed cutely for the camera before laughing and facing the participants “I don’t know who voted for me but thank you. I’ll do my best to show more of my charms in the future as well.”
“Felix~ We’re twins from now on!” Minyoung declared to her friend making him laugh as they pose for the photo sharing the wreath.
“Aussie!” Chan cheered for the two clapping for them
As soon as she got back to her group, Minyoung looked at Seonghwa and asked jokingly “Does this mean you’re also 2nd place? I mean Atiny says we look alike.”
“Oh. That’s right.” Hongjoong who heard her agreed laughing as Seonghwa just blushed shaking his head.
Minyoung cheered loudly when Minhyuk got the 1st place for the visual ranking, surprising the other groups. “I voted for Minhyuk-sunbaenim.” ATEEZ just laughed shaking their heads used to Minyoung’s fan girl mode.
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(Catch the Tail)
As the Mayfly team strategized who was going to play in the second event, Minyoung let out a giggle gaining the attention of their team.
“Why? Is something funny?” Eunkwang asked chuckling when the girl hid behind Yunho’s back suddenly conscious of everyone
“Ah. Nothing..it’s just we’re planning this seriously that it felt like this actually the competition and not the rounds.” Minyoung said her voice going softer as she talks
“What’s happening? You’re not like this Mintokki.” San laughed poking her side as the girl slapped his arm lightly, still hiding behind Yunho as she clutched on to his shirt
“Is Minyoung-ssi normally this shy?” Minhyuk asked looking at the girl
“No. Not at all. She’s far from shy.” Yunho answered quickly making everyone laugh.
“This is such a twist. I never knew Minyoung could also feel shy.” Jisung teased making the girl hide herself more pouting.
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(Relay Race)
“ATEEZ fighting! I believe in you!” Minyoung shouted on top of her lungs as the runners take their place. The race went by quickly and turned to the last lap where Wooyoung ran as fast as he could overtaking everyone.
Both San and Minyoung were jumping in their tent holding ATEEZ’ flag up as they cheered for Wooyoung. “Wooyoung run!” “Oppa you can do it! I won’t call your hair, pudding anymore if you win!”
"I never knew Wooyoung was that athletic!" Changbin exclaimed as Wooyoung overtook Sangyeon and won first place in the relay.
"Jongho's still the most athletic out of everyone but Wooyoung-oppa is also up there in terms of athleticism." Minyoung said as if giving insider information.
"Don't let her fool you! If she weren't injured right now, she'll probably be the one running. Minyoungie is pretty competitive." San commented making the MCs laugh.
Minyoung pouted "I wanted to try too. Ahh why did I have to get injured. If I could've joined, I'm determined to at least be better than Hongjoong-oppa." at the mention of his name, Hongjoong's mouth dropped looking betrayed. "Yah!" the girl just laughing throwing a heart sign on her head towards her leader
[Minyoung / 22 / Youngest on Top(?)]
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(Outtake)
“Good work today everyone” everyone clapped and bowed towards one another after the day’s activities.
Minyoung suddenly gasped remembering something. “Ah! I was given these by the staff.” She took out the polaroids from the voting before while the rest of the groups were surprised.
“Ah so that’s why the staff asked if it was okay for us if the polaroid were given..” Sangyeon laughed finally piecing together the information
“No! Minyoung-ah, let’s just take another photo. I’m not proud of how I look there.” Inseong shouted jokingly evoking laughter from everyone.
“Really? Then I’ll take you up on that!” Minyoung giggled holding her pinky up as if sealing a promise.
“Just be honest and say you want photos with Jaeyoon-sunbaenim and Minhyuk-sunbaenim.” Wooyoung started while Minyoung quickly slapped his arm, eyes-wide “Oppa!”
“Don’t forget Zuho-sunbaenim and Donghyuk-sunbaenim.” San grinned as the girl crouched down embarrassed. The males who were mentioned all looked surprised with some covering their faces feeling shy. Inseong elbowing Jaeyoon laughing knowing the male voted for her for the visual ranking.
“Ahh. Is that your type Minyoung-ssi?” MC Changming asked jokingly, the girl waving her arms around denying the allegations
“I think I see a pattern. I see a pattern.” Eunkwang laughed joining on the teasing. Minyoung just wanted to dig herself a hole and hide there as Jongho patted her back laughing.
────────── ♔ ──────────
ATEEZ Minyoung Masterlist
Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction. Any portrayal of real people is a combination based on what we could see on cameras and imagination of the author. This is purely fan fiction written for entertainment. Thank you for understanding.
━━━━━━ʕ ˵• ₒ •˵ ʔ━━━━━━
Writing Beary Corner
Truth be told, Kingdom’s episode for the Sports Day bored me a bit lol It dragged on for a long time during the vault but hey at least the groups interacted a bit more this time. So as long as they had their fun then that’s great!
I also have a question and request for the people reading this. Send me questions anon or off-anon for Minyoung! something like interview questions or fan questions haha I’m planning to use them for a future post. spoiler but meh lol
-Mimi
21
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What's the good and bad things in every season of Violetta and SL?
Violetta 1
Good stuff:
Everyone is so nerdy and cheesy and it's so cute
Good songs
The CHAOS. Like the s1 chaos was on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL I'M LAUGHING SO MUCH JUST THINKING ABOUT IT
Braco and Napo
Luca
Angie and Vilu bonding
Jade and Matias could be pretty funny sometimes
Leonetta being very cute :3
The friendships in general, especially the friendship between Maxi and Cami
But also of course, baby Franletta
CAMILA'S ARC
MAXI HAVING SOME CHARACTER
PABLANGIE
The finale!!!!!!!
Bad stuff:
THE LIES
The fact that it took Angie 72 episodes to tell the truth was literally the reason a lot of my friends STOPPED WATCHING THE SHOW back in the days lmaoooo???
Germán got on my nerves a lot
Tomas
All the random girls Maxi had a crush on
Random boys being in love with Violetta for no reason
Even if Jade and Matias were funny, sometimes I just felt like they could leave, cause I wanted to focus on other characters.
PABLANGIE BREAKING UP
Soy Luna 1
Good stuff:
The friendgroup REALLY being a bunch of quirky kids
Ámbar
Even though we don't know much about the family mystery yet, it's still real fun to see the little we get
Also it was kind of interesting to see the dysfunctional relationship of Sharon and Ámbar
And also the really super good relationship between Luna and her parents <3
The FelicityForNow plot could be pretty interesting sometimes
Lumon
ÁMBAR'S BIRTHDAY
YAM SINGING A SERENADE TO JIM
The finale <3
Bad stuff:
The fact that they had skating competitions and open music like every other week, we never had time to BREATHE
Tino and Cato were annoying
I didn't like Matteo and i'm sorry for Matteo stans but no I don't like him
Sometimes I didn't like the FelicityForNow plot
Daniela
It took me a while to really get into the show so I almost were about to stop watching after 20 eps (but I continued because I told myself it would get better... and it did! But it really took a while).
Lumon breaking up
Violetta 2
Good stuff:
THE VIBES ARE SO FANTASTIC
The gay energy of this season?? Is there ANYONE who has watched season 2 and NOT gotten a gay vibe? (who am I kidding ofc there are - I won't blame you, some people just don't have a gaydar or just never think about that stuff unless it's explicitly told. I didn't really get this vibe until I rewatched the season as older and was like "omg????")
Franletta franletta franletta franletta franletta-
TEACHER GROUP THERAPY
An actually INTERESTING love triangle I love Diego I hate Diego he has homoerotic tension with Leon he and Violetta actually had an interesting relationship
Madrid storyline
Every time they were at the karaoke bar
Violetta losing her voice storyline
Leonetta being at their very best despite not actually dating for the majority of the season, it's just the ~pining~
GOOD GOOD SONGS
Esmeralda being an interesting character
Jackie
LARA
Marco :D
THE 2x75 PODEMOS PERFORMANCE AAAAAH
Bad stuff:
Jeremias stuff... fucking traumatized two people Germán what the actual fuck
Pablo being ooc for no reason half the season
2x59...
Jade and Matias aren't really necessary anymore and they take up too much screentime
Correction: Matias isn't necessary. Go away with your handcuffs kink
The 2x20 scene. Never will forgive that despite how much the clown nose 4 eps later made me laugh
The stuff with the chinese restaurant was... why
Angie leaving sad
Soy Luna 2
Good stuff:
The Sol Benson plot really KICKING OFF and IS SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN ANYTHING ELSE
Mora and Ana moving in together
Ámbar
Jim and Yam being slightly more gay than last season
Still very good songs
Luna, Nina and Simón's little detective squad plot
It's actually quite thrilling to see just how FAR Sharon can go
Figuring out who blackmails Sharon
Good songs!!
Juliana
We finally get to see the boys apartment
Simbar
Emilia
Bad stuff:
WRONG PEOPLE WON IN THE SINGING COMPETITION
WHAT THE FUCK was the final scene
Matteo continuing to suck
WHAT HAPPENED TO AMANDA?? SHE JUST GOT MENTALLY ILL LIKE THAT??
Roller Band breaking up for a stupid reason
Benicio
Violetta 3
Good stuff:
Ludmila redemption arc!
Ludletta sisters arc!
Ludmila and Naty's relationship!
NATY AND CAMILA'S RELATIONSHIP
Leontta's "friends forever" plot that no one took seriously
Jade getting someone who actually loves her
Germán being a good dad for once...
Roxy and Fausta as characters were pretty funny
Bad stuff:
Roxy plot was weird. As I said, them as characters were funny, but not in the context they were put in. It was funny when they performed at the show, but not spying on Leon
Everyone was ooc???
Diecesca could have worked if it were for the fact that they actually had a REASON to hide. Because NO ONE CARED. EVERYONE HAD FORGIVEN DIEGO. IF IT WERE THAT PEOPLE WERE STILL IFFY AROUND HIM, THEN YES, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY FRAN WAS AFRAID TO TELL. BUT EVERYONE'S FUCKING BEST FRIENDS WITH HIM, NO ONE CARES THAT THEY'RE DATING
WHICH ADDS ME TO THE FACT THAT, EVERYONE JUST FORGAVE DIEGO OFF SCREEN????????????
Priscila is bad, though she did have a reason to be here.
Milton
GERY
The Clement/Alex plot was pointless, dear god Clement use your brain there's other ways without STEALING A FUCKING SCHOLARSHIP
SOME people got the wrong endgame and we should NOT have had the final scene be a wedding for THOSE TWO
Angie deserved better smh
Broudey and Camila were the only ones who actually were together all season and I FORGOT because they just argued all the time and I feel like they broke up for an hour sometimes and then got back together
Felipe sucks, he kissed two girls against their consent
The songs aren't as good this season. Listen, there are some bangers, but not as much. The s3 boy band songs are at the bottom off my top 60 list (because yes, there are about 60 songs in all of Violetta)
Soy Luna 3
Good stuff:
ÁMBAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ámbar and Emilia's friendship
Simbar
Jim and Yam more or less dating all season lmao
Also the fact that Jim and Yam ended up "single" so you know ;) Free to go
The Open Music in 3x40
The family plot, as usual
Red Sharks vs Jam and Roller was kind of interesting
Bad stuff
I still don't like Matteo, sorry (not sorry)
WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE LUNA HAVING A CRUSH ON SIMÓN PLOT LITERALLY ARE THEY TRYING TO TEASE ME?? I KNEW THEY WEREN'T ENDGAME WERE THEY JUST GONNA FUCKING MAKE ME HURT? WELL FUCK YOU
Like even if I love Simbar I wish Lumon was endgame? Because I didn't like Luna's endgame
If we can't go for the poly round and let Simón date both Ámbar and Luna, then Luna could've ended up with Nina or smth since Nina also got a terrible endgame
Unnecessary breakups :)
Yeah I didn't like Eric, or Niric, but who does lmao. HOWEVER, I will say this: If you think Luna "pushed" Nina to be together with him, then you either haven't watched s3 properly or you need to rewatch it. I made a whole post about this, and you may still come at me to be like "nO LUnA wAS AcTuALlY PusHy, FoR eXaMPLe wATcH ThiS ScEne" but remember that I have watched the exact same scenes as you. It just feels like ya'll wanna pick on Luna for the smallest things. Nina legit admitted in a scene that she dated Eric to forget about Gastón. That's something she herself came up with. She didn't get "pushed" into thinking she needed to date him. That IS the reason she tries to get closer to Eric and it's not because her friends said so. She can think for herself, yall are treating her like she's fragile and easily manipulated.
If you feel like this is something that you wanna talk to me about (because I am legit always nervous talking about this because I feel like people get INCREDIBLY defensive when it comes to Nina), go read the post I linked instead of commenting on it on this post, because this post is about my list of things I liked and disliked in these shows, so there's a lot of other stuff here, but that post is only about that.
That being said, she def broke up with Eric after the show ended because she didn't get over Gastón :)
WHY WAS IT ONLY 60 EPS even if a lot happened it also felt short
Like WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE 1 MONTH SKIP? THE POSSIBILITIES OF SEVERAL STORYLINES GOD
Benicio sucked even more this season I hate him so goddamn much
Gary too. I didn't like him last season but I knew he would leave, but now he's here and fucking ruins everything
I didn't like Maggie that much I miss Amanda (but not Tino and Cato)
MORA LEFT???? WHY TF-
Michel was weird, he just came and went
And that was my good and bad stuff for every season. This is just what I myself think. You all might disagree about several stuff and that's okay. Everyone watches shows differently and sees scenes differently, and this is how I see it.
Some people love Matteo, some people think Diecesca was perfect and the highlight of the show, some people don't understand why I am seeing a bunch of gayness when it's not "explicitly" said anything is gay.
If someone feels like they don't really think the same of what they liked/disliked, they can always make their own posts about it :)
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pl-panda · 3 years
Text
To Marry a Vigilante: Part 2
MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next
Disclaimer: Masterlist
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The day before Christmas… was a nightmare. Marinette had to admit that Damian was right. Her parents volunteered to help Alfred in the kitchen. The butler tried to argue, but his fighting with Sabine was an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. In the end, they got a compromise that the baker couple would help that day, but would be banned from the kitchen for the rest of Christmas. 
The boys meanwhile were ordered to decorate the house and prepare the formal dining room. And it was a mess. First, Dick and Jason spent almost an hour arguing over the decorations, only to then see that Mari and Damian already decorated the room with the merchandise Damian somehow got imported from Paris without their knowledge. Jason tried to dismantle the decorations that were put up without a warning, but it ended with Damian chasing him with a sword… again. It didn’t help that Todd kept riling the youngest Wayne up. Technically second-youngest since he was older than Marinette by a few months, but that’s beyond the point.
Then, when Jason ended up with a slight limp after he crashed into a cupboard when trying to cut the corner and Damian’s bloodthirst got satisfied, it was time for decorating the Christmas tree. When Mari saw the tree, she almost toppled over. It was put in the hall before the stairway to the second floor. It was tall enough to almost reach the ceiling. 
“That’s your tree?”
“In my defense, I tried to order a smaller one. It’s not my fault they gave size in the metric system.” Tim argued. 
“If you cut on coffee and instead got some sleep once in a while, maybe you would’ve noticed.” Jason snickered. 
Dick took the opportunity to climb upstairs and start decoration, only to be caught by Steph, who proceeded to decorate on the other side. Seeing the two already started, the three other boys also raced to start putting decorations. It was a mess, but somehow Marinette found it endearing. It felt… homey. Then she grabbed some decorations and joined Damian. Then she teamed up with Steph to make a large bat symbol on one side out of gold tinsel garland. Then she made a red ‘R’ inside it.
And this time nobody got hurt. 
After that, Dick and Jason left for their respective homes. Tim and Steph left shortly after, leaving Damian and Mari alone with the adults. Technically, Cass also stayed at the manor, but unless she wanted to be seen, only Alfred (and now Sabine) could find her. 
The teens decided to stay in the Manor. Marinette was dead set on making everyone their gifts by hand. She brought several unfinished designs that could be adjusted. Damian was kind enough to collect the measurements for each family member from Alfred. 
And so Mari then spent all evening in her room, where she worked on adjusting and finishing everything. She was beyond grateful that her room was already equipped with a sewing machine and anything else she would need to make the gifts. The whole time Damian sat nearby to offer some advice. Mostly, he just enjoyed watching her work on the designs. 
“Do you think putting a Red Robin logo on this tie would be too much?” She asked, showing a red tie with black accents. It had a meticulous black stitch going through the narrow part. It spelled MDC over and over.
“Maybe put it inside, so that it only shows when he put it upside-down,” Damian answered. 
“But then nobody will see it.”
“There is a bigger chance someone sees it than if it’s on the front.” The boy deadpanned. 
“Don’t be mean.” She scolded him, but her pearly laughter kinda ruined it. She put the tie away and reached for the sunglasses she was working on. They used to be black, but she tinted the glass deep-red and then added details at the side. Now, there was a small silver bullet-shaped decoration where they would fold. She had a case ready where she stitched the shape of a red handgun at the top of black leather. 
“And this?”
“Habibti. They will definitely love your gifts.” He gave her a soft smile. “If not, I will introduce them to my sword” He muttered, hoping she would not hear it.
“Damian!” She shouted. His hopes went in flames. “No murdering people!”
“Can I at least maim?” He asked with a hopeful voice.
“Hm… only if you ask me before.” She giggled at his expression. 
“I think it is high time I retreat to my bedroom. It’s almost midnight, Angel. Go to sleep.” He stood up and walked outside, only to be met with Sabine’s judging eyes. She watched him carefully before smiling slightly. 
“Good. You can go. I will tuck her in.” 
After she passed him, Damian let out a breath he didn’t know he held. That woman was scary.
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The next morning was still hectic, but no longer so chaotic. Mari spent half of it locked in her room giving the designs final touches. She did not let Damian or her parents in since she focused on their gifts and didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Alfred was the only one who got a peek inside and he didn’t even fear Sabine, so the chances he would tell anything to anyone were less than Joker genuinely apologizing to everyone he ever hurt. 
Finally, around midday, Marinette finally revealed herself. The room was a mess of cut fabric, loose papers, and Kwami knows what else. There was also a bowl of water in the corner. 
“That was a race.” She commented before grabbing Damian’s hand and dragging him into the living room to share a tea and cookies. All adults cooed. 
“So, Habibti. Care to reveal what you made for me?” The boy asked hopefully once they were both sitting side-by-side on the two-people couch. She held a cup of steaming tea while Damian put his in a small cup holder while he was eating a cookie. 
“Nope.” She grinned. “But I can tell you that you will like it.” 
“From you? I will like any gift.” He answered smoothly.
“Stop it!” She squealed, blushing heavily. “You can’t say things like that out of the blue.”
“Why?” He asked, giving her a barely noticeable smile.
“I can’t go around blushing all the time!” 
“But you look so cute with red cheeks.” 
“You don’t look so bad either, Mi Amor,” she retorted. She wanted to get some reaction from him, but he only smiled slightly more. 
They rested, cuddled together for a bit, enjoying the silence that surrounded them. It was interrupted when suddenly Cass dropped out of the blue. Or from the ceiling, but they would’ve sworn she was not there before. 
“You… Cousin?” The girl asked. 
“Oh! You must be Cassandra!” Mari recognized her. Cass was maybe her height. She was dressed in workout clothes. “Nice to meet you. I’m Marinette.”
“Marinette,” Cass repeated. “Call me Cass. Everyone does.” 
“Um… Sure. You can call me Mari if you like?” Both Damian and Cass grinned at that, much to the french girl’s confusion. “Did I miss some joke?”
“No, Angel. It’s just that Grayson’s daughter is named Mar’i” Damian looked at his beloved’s expression. 
“Oh. Oh…” The realization dawned on her. “Well, then what about… Nettie?”
“Nettie… Like it.” Cass responded.
“Cass doesn’t speak much.” The boy took it upon himself to explain. “She first learned to communicate through body gestures.” 
“Maman told me. I can’t believe aunt Sandra left you with that monster. Maman told her some things though, so maybe next time you two meet she will apologize.” 
“Mother… Apologize… Me?” The girl asked in disbelief.
“Maman is a very persuasive person.”
Cass didn’t speak about that, but a memory of the hug two of them shared yesterday surfaced at the top of her thoughts. 
“Anyway, you wanted to get to know me? Well… um… I’m fifteen, soon to be sixteen. I love fashion and design and I make almost all of my clothes. I also practice some martial arts in my free time. I love sketching outdoors. There is this small park next to my parent’s bakery that I love to visit. In the past, I adored the works of Gabriel brand, but after the owner turned out to be a major bastard I kinda decided to just stick to my own stuff. What else… I prefer tea to coffee unless I need to pull an all-nighter, my favorite sweets are macarons and my uncle named his soup after me when he won the cooking competition.”
“Soup… good?” Cass decided to ask. 
“Oh! It’s the best. Actually, maybe we could ask uncle Wang to cook for our wedding, Dami! Can we? He would be invited anyway but then people would get to…” 
“Of course, Habibti.” Damian interrupted her.
“Wedding?” Cass had more questions.
“Oh… Um… You didn’t know?” Marinette doubled back. “Of course you didn’t know. Damian tried to keep it down and I ruined it. Please don’t tell anyone. I’m so sorry Dami! I forgot! I was just so…” 
Damian, following the usual routine when Mari started to panic, pulled her to his chest, and hugged her. He whispered something low enough for Cassandra not to hear. She did notice the couple’s body language. Devotion and love.
When Marinette finally calmed, Damian let her out of his embrace. “Thanks. I still keep some of my… less desirable habits.” 
“It’s no problem. At least I have an excuse to cuddle with you without my brothers’ merciless teasing.” 
“Wedding.” Cass urged them. Her curiosity was peaking. 
“Ah! Right. So basically Talia kidnapped me and decided I would marry her son and then we both woke up tied before the altar and she threatened to kill us and our families if we didn’t go through with it. And I was so scared back then. And T… And I had no way to do anything else.” 
Cass saw her tense and stopped herself. There was more to it, but she didn’t drill. She would learn later. Or just get it out of Tim. He knew everything. 
“Well, now we’re stuck and there is this weird spell on us that makes it impossible to cheat on one another. At least I assume it works both ways since Damian didn’t test it.” There was no doubt in her voice and her body showed complete trust. Cass was actually impressed. 
“The bitch that my mother is,” Marinette wanted to scold Damian on the language he used, but then again, he spoke about Talia so he wasn’t lying, “used some old curse on us, probably from the time my grandfather was still young. We are tied together. But we made it work.” 
“Magic… bad.” Cass scoffed. 
“No!” Mari quickly protested. “I mean not all magic is bad. It all depends on who uses it! Besides, everything turned out better than I could’ve ever hoped.” 
“Good. I… Like you.” Her cousin smiled. “Hug?” She asked.
“Sure.” Marinette nodded and before she knew it Cass tackled her into the couch, almost breaking her bones. 
“Oooh!” a new voice cooed. Damian immediately whirled around with a small dagger that he pulled from wherever he kept it. Selina Kyle was standing there, watching everything.
“Tt. I don’t like being spied upon.” Damian scowled. 
“Relax, lover-boy. I just came and I was curious where everyone went and who were the new people.” 
“Oh. That’s probably my parents. Alfred kicked them out of the kitchen today. They will probably be relaxing in the garden since they rarely have a chance to just relax. They run a bakery in Paris.” Mari smiled at the newcomer. 
“Really now? And you’re the unlucky girl that got stuck with the short, dark, and brooding?”
“Tt. I’m not short.”
“I don’t hear you arguing about the dark and brooding part.” Selina teased. 
“Angel, meet my father’s fiancée, Selina Kyle. She is also Catwoman.”
“Oh. She is in on the family business then?”
“Tt. Yes. I don’t keep things hidden from my wife.” Damian kept scowling.
“Aren’t you a dutiful husband?”
“I’m not afraid to defend my wife’s honor with a sword, thief.” The boy threatened. Selina measured him for a moment.
“Good.” She turned to Marinette. “He will do. If he is causing you trouble, you can crash at my place.” She gave her a small square paper with an address before leaving. 
“Um… What was that?”
“Tt. That was Selina for you.” Damian was still in a bad mood until Marinette snuggled closer to him. 
------------
Around five, the guests started arriving. It was unanimously decided that the youngest couple would be the ones to greet their guests. And looking at the size of the table, there would be more guests than Mari assumed. Damian was now dressed in a flawless black suit with a matching bowtie and a white shirt. Mari chose to wear the red dress that she knew left Damian speechless every time he saw her. Her hair was let go and formed waves cascading down her back. 
Jason was first. He came on his bike alone. While everyone dressed in something elegant, he opted for an oil-stained t-shirt and brown leather jacket, complete with black cargo pants and heavy boots. Marinette had to admit he gave a bad-boy vibe that told her to stay away. But she’s seen this with Ivan and she was pretty sure Jason was, in fact, a big softie once one got to know him. 
Next to arrive were Tim and Stephanie. She wore a black and purple knee-length dress. It had no sleeves and hugged her form tightly. The design was several large squares of material sewn together so no two colors were the same. It was an interesting design. Tim wore a blue suit with black accents and a white shirt. They looked like a nice couple. And the boy looked almost awake, which was a success. Also, they were dragging a giant bag of gifts. 
Shortly after, a small van pulled close and five people exited. There was an older couple, a joyful boy around their age jumping around them, and two people Marinette recognized instantly. You couldn’t hang around Alya and not recognize Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent.
“Tt. Jon.” Damian greeted the boy.
“Sup Dames? Hello fair lady.” He greeted them, happiness almost oozing from him. Jon went as far as kissing her hand. 
“Could you stop with the flowers and rainbows?” Wayne growled.
“But it’s Christmas!”
“Tt. I know.” Damian was angry. Seeing it, his beloved grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly.
“Hello Mr. Kent, Mrs. Lane-Kent.” Marinette greeted the adults, hoping to diffuse the situation  before Damian gets too riled up. 
“You must be Marinette. I remember Jon mentioning you when we talked about his trip to Paris.” Clark smiled. He then nodded toward the older couple. “These are my parents, Johnathan and Martha Kent.”
“It’s nice to meet ya, girl.” The man nodded toward her. 
“Hi. I’m Marinette.” She gave them a smile. Just as the Kents went inside, another car pulled in. 
This time, it was Dick with his wife, Kor’i, and daughter Mar’i. They all got out of the car.
“I still don’t understand why you insist on driving this thing. I could’ve flown us here twice as fast.” The woman had distinctively orange skin and her eyes were entirely green. Marinette instantly recognized her as Starfire. She wore a white shirt with bell-like sleeves that reached to her elbows and blue jeans that ended just above her ankles. Dick had a dark-gray shirt and jeans. She would classify their outfits as smart casual. 
“Yeah, daddy! I can fly too!” To prove her point, the little girl rose a bit into the air. She was dressed in an oversized purple jumper that reached to the ground. She also wore white trainers. Her skin was less orange than her mother’s but the color was easily visible. And her eyes were also entirely green without any white. And she was flying. Her hair was black though, as opposed to her mother’s fiery red. 
“Sweety. Come here.” Kor’i reached up and grabbed the floating daughter. The girl immediately nuzzled into her and smiled victoriously. She got exactly what she wanted. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle.
“Tt. I still find her annoying.” Damian scowled. 
“I don’t know, she looks cute to me. And you already admitted that you love cute things.” To make things worse for her love, Marinette gave him puppy eyes and a bright smile. He tried to scowl, but couldn’t muster enough strength to oppose his wife.
Dick almost tripped over the car when he started laughing. 
Since they were the last to arrive, Marinette and Damian returned inside to join everyone for festivities. 
----------
Somewhere else, in a much darker place, a lone figure stood in an empty room. His clothes were dirty and torn. The light entered only through a small window. 
“So you see? It was all a set-up!” He shouted. 
From the shadows, another figure joined. 
“But of course, sweetie. Of course.” They said in a patronizing tone. “I will of course help you.”
“You understand me. And what about… Marinette?” 
“I don’t understand your obsession with her, but I can share.” 
“Whatever. She will be mine!”
----------
Masterlist // Next
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When the front door swung open and Ugetsu found himself face to face with a short-haired blonde not-Mafuyu, two thoughts immediately entered his head. First, despite Mafuyu’s directions and the note on the door, he must have accidentally come to the wrong place.
The second thought – swiftly following its forerunner – was a cold shower of recognition that froze him in place and dropped the bottom of his stomach.
“Oh”, a soft sound escaped him before he could trap it inside.
It seemed the blonde man had arrived at the same discovery as him. Gaping at him slightly and his amber eye wide as saucers, he stood in the doorway.
Ugetsu wanted to flee. As soon as possible, by any means necessary. An earthquake. A meteor. A secret trapdoor under his feet.
No, he thought, I can’t look back. If I look back, I’m lost.
“Uhh…,” the blonde man said, emerging from his stupor fist, “ahh, you must be – ”
“Yes, hi,” Ugetsu interrupted him. “I’m here to drop off Mafuyu’s present.”
He held out a white rustling paper bag with I ❤️ NY printed on the side. The man glanced at it but wouldn’t reach for it.
“He told me to come here.”
Mafuyu invited Ugetsu to his birthday party. Only he failed to mention the part about a party. Ugetsu found out just in time when a familiar-looking blonde man opened the front door. Social awkwardness and chaos ensue.
Takes place after the Ugetsu extra booklet that was released with the Blueray of the movie.
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Ugetsu blinked at the note taped on the front door looming in front of him. A party? Mafuyu hadn’t mentioned anything about a party when he had asked Ugetsu to come over.
Stiffly, he stood in the unfamiliar staircase and listened for any party-related noises from the apartment. But his only answer was the background humming of the hallway. Hesitant, he toyed with the idea of texting Mafuyu some excuse. He could always give his birthday present some other time.
Before he let the temptation get too big, he pressed the doorbell and a sharp buzz rang in the apartment. He had made a promise, after all.
Perhaps, with any luck, he had arrived before the party.
When the front door swung open and Ugetsu found himself face to face with a short-haired blonde not-Mafuyu, two thoughts immediately entered his head. First, despite Mafuyu’s directions and the note on the door, he must have accidentally come to the wrong place.
The second thought – swiftly following its forerunner – was a cold shower of recognition that froze him in place and dropped the bottom of his stomach.
“Oh”, a soft sound escaped him before he could trap it inside.
It seemed the blonde man had arrived at the same discovery as him. Gaping at him slightly and his amber eye wide as saucers, he stood in the doorway.
Ugetsu wanted to flee. As soon as possible, by any means necessary. An earthquake. A meteor. A secret trapdoor under his feet.
No, he thought, I can’t look back. If I look back, I’m lost.
“Uhh…,” the blonde man said, emerging from his stupor fist, “ahh, you must be – ”
“Yes, hi,” Ugetsu interrupted him. “I’m here to drop off Mafuyu’s present.”
He held out a white rustling paper bag with I ❤️ NY printed on the side. The man glanced at it but wouldn’t reach for it.
“He told me to come here.”
Don’t look back. This was his trial by fire. He had taken a fourteen-thousand-mile trip to another continent to not look back.
“Haruki,” a familiar deep voice carried from behind the blonde man, “who is it? If it’s the neighbors, I already told them to – “
Akihiko’s face appeared over the man’s shoulder. Under other circumstances, Ugetsu would have laughed at how his eyes widened and mouth slacked open. Under circumstances that didn’t involve Akihiko’s arm casually around someone else’s waist.
Haruki.
So, that was his name. A soft name for a soft face.
“Anyway,” Ugetsu said, feeling how his words cut the thick air, “here.”
Again, he nudged the paper bag towards his audience, now doubled in volume and social discomfort.
“It’s for Mafuyu. I have to get going, my ride is waiting downstairs.”
There was no ride other than his own car, but no one needed to know that.  
Akihiko looked at the gift bag dangling in Ugetsu’s outstretched hand like it was a foreign object from outer space. Ugetsu wanted to exclaim at the stupid look on his face.
Please, just someone take this damn thing and let me go.
Forces of nature. Astronomic events. Mr. Secret Trapdoor Handler.
If he had to stand here for much longer, he would look back. That night. The hand leaving his. The invisible vines strangling him and blurrying his vision.
“It’s alright.”
Ugetsu looked up at the blonde man’s – Haruki’s – gentle voice, just now realizing his gaze had slid to stare at the linoleum floor. Haruki gave him a small smile and pushed Akihiko’s arm off around his waist.
“You should join us. I’m sure Mafu-chan has been waiting for you.”
“It’s fine, really. My ride…”
The smile softened when it reached the amber eyes. There was something about it that unexpectedly loosened the squeeze around Ugetsu’s chest a little.
“At least have some cake and drinks. There’s plenty.”
Ugetsu glanced at Akihiko. All he received was s shrug of shoulders.
“Then,” he said, squeezing the handle of the gift bag, “I guess, for a moment.”
The heavy front door clanked shut behind his back, sealing him in comfortable homely warmth. Distant chatter carried from the apartment. The entryway had been nearly overtaken by a messy assortment of shoes. Most of them looked like something high schoolers would wear. Stiffly, Ugetsu toed off his pair and tried to leave them somewhat neatly on the edge of the chaos.
“Sorry, we’re out of slippers,” Haruki said with an apologetic smile. “And it’s a bit messy everywhere with the kids around.”
“No, it’s – “
Ugetsu loathed the hesitance in his voice. He cleared his throat and straightened up.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Akihiko snorted.
“You could say that again. Really, you should see this guy’s place.”
His jibe was rewarded with a frown from Haruki.
“Come on now,” he said and shooed Akihiko along the hallway, “you were supposed to help the kids with the karaoke machine.”
Ugetsu stifled a cringe.
“You better keep the microphone away from Akihiko. I doubt his vocals have improved since high school.”
The annoyed glare Akihiko threw at him restored some of the lost confidence in Ugetsu. He still got it.
The apartment looked like a color bomb had gone off. Bundles of bright balloons floated from the ceiling. Strips of colorful streamers dangled off the furniture. Hanging over the window was a big pastel banner that screamed HAPPY BIRTHDAY at Ugetsu’s face.
“Mafu-chan,” Haruki said, “there was someone looking for you at the door.”
The buzz of the conversation died down, and a crowd of curious gazes was glued to him. Mafuyu’s eyes widened.
“Ugetsu-san,” he said, his whole being visibly brightening, “you could make it.”
Ugetsu found himself smiling.
“Yes, despite your vague directions. You almost missed your present and souvenirs from the Big Apple.”
He handed the gift bag for the umpteenth time. He could almost see the small stars glittering around Mafuyu’s face when he cradled it in his arms.
“Thank you, Ugetsu-san.”
Compared to his entrance at the door, his debut in the living room was mercifully less stress-inducing. A small herd of teenagers was sitting on the sofa and crowding around the coffee table.
Ugetsu relaxed his shoulders and let a cloak of practiced calm settle over himself. One-on-one audiences were one thing but crowds he could handle.
“Uh, well, then,” Haruki said, looking around the room. “You need a seat! It’s a bit crowded, but – ”
Suddenly the concentration of people stirred into an awkward shuffle. The couch was cleared vacant except for one boy with dark hair that curled slightly at the tips. Silently he dragged himself to the corner of the sofa, leaving the opposite end for Ugetsu to reign over.
The rest of the kids settled on the floor in a half-circle. One of them – a boy with a poor dye-job that reminded Ugetsu of pudding – kept shamelessly staring at him.
“What would you like to drink?” Haruki chimed. “We have sodas and coffee. And tea. And water too, of course. And – though I’m not sure if it’s really…I think we have some beer, too, if you prefer something more…”
“Coffee is fine,” Ugetsu cut in, taking pity on him. “Preferably with Jim Beam, but I’m fine with black too if you’re fresh out of bourbon.”
Visibly relieved with a task at hand, Haruki gave a nervous-sounding little laugh and headed to the kitchen. Ugetsu wondered if he was silently regretting inviting him in already.
“I’ll get the cake,” Akihiko said and followed suit. “Might as well cut it now that everyone is here.”
And so Ugetsu was left in the midst of teenagers. Mafuyu seemed to have floated off somewhere in his thoughts and was absentmindedly tracing the I ❤️ NY slogan on the paper bag. Next to him was another dark-haired boy. He kept casting quick glares between Ugetsu and the surface of the coffee table. Ugetsu noticed he had strikingly blue eyes.
“So,” Pudding Head broke the silence, “who are you?”
Amused, Ugetsu arched his eyebrows at the tone that seemed to pay no heed to the fact that Ugetsu was older than him. He liked the kid already.
“I’m a friend of Mafuyu’s.”
The kid tilted his head in appraising.
“He’s never mentioned you, though.”
Ugetsu smiled.
“Oh? I was about to say the same about you.”
Mafuyu stirred back to the present and looked up from his gift.
“Ugetsu-san is a violinist,” he said as if that explained what was needed.
Pudding Head’s eyes widened.
“Violin? Like Beethoven and stuff?”
“Yes,” Ugetsu said, a bit coldly, “and stuff.”
“Are you any good?” Pudding Head asked.
Before Ugetsu could deliver a well-edged reply, Mafuyu beat him to it.
“Ugetsu-san just won a big competition in Russia. What was the – ” he trailed off, and the dreamy look returned to his eyes.
“Tchaikovsky,” Ugetsu filled in, glancing at Pudding Head for good measure, “and stuff.”
The kid leaned forward. His lively eyes were now gauging him with new intensity. Even Baby Blues had decided he was more interesting than the coffee table. Broodylocks seemed the only one not phased but was listening on silently.
“We’re on a band together,” Pudding Head went on and nodded at Broodylocks next to Ugetsu. “Me and Shizu-chan – ah, Shizusumi.”
Ugetsu glanced at the brooding boy. Yes, he definitely looked like a Shizu-chan.
“Uenoyama is helping out, too. A little. For a while.”
Baby Blues nodded solemnly. Ugetsu suddenly realized he remembered him from the live shows. So, this was the genius kid that Akihiko had sometimes talked about. Besides Mafuyu, of course, he added silently in his head.
“So,” Ugetsu asked, “are you any good?”
It seemed the question pleased Pudding Head. Gearing up to boast, he folded his arms and grinned confidently.
“We won a big competition, too, just recently. And we have a music video coming. And a big gig.”
The confident grin sharpened into a more challenging one as the kid tilted his head back and ever so slightly looked down on Ugetsu.
“You should come and see us.”
“We got an offer from a record company, too,” Uenoayama said, frowning at Pudding Head before going back to glaring at the coffee table. “But we’re still thinking about it.”
Pudding Head huffed and rolled his eyes.
“You better not keep them waiting for too long, you know. You’re not that special.”
The other boy stiffened visibly. He whipped his glare on full force at Pudding Head who – to his credit, Ugetsu had to admit – didn’t even flinch.
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion!”
Pudding Head’s grin turned almost predatory.
“That’s not how I remember it. Oh, Hiiragi what should I do?” he said, mockingly exaggerating a troubled tone and gestures. “Hiiragi, how do you know? Hiiragi, I’m so confused! Hiiragi, how are you so good at this?”
“I never you said you were good!”
Ugetsu made a mental note of Pudding Head’s name, Hiiragi, and tuned out the bickering. It sounded like it was merely just starting. His gaze roamed the apartment.
The wooden paneling and floorboards made him feel like he was enclosed in a homely nest. A chestnut, he thought absently. This is what a nest made out of chestnut would be like. The overall atmosphere was very – he searched for a suitable word – approachable. The room breathed. Nurtured. Everything seemed cared for, and they radiated that same energy back.
It certainly fit someone called Haruki.
So, this is where Akihiko had stayed back then, Ugetsu thought, quite not able to keep a note of bitterness at bay. No wonder.
No, don’t look back. You will get lost.
“Haruki, does this need more oomph?”
Akihiko’s voice caught Ugetsu’s ear from the kitchen. Instinctively, his gaze followed.
Don’t look. If I look –
The two of them were standing side by side at the counter. Akihiko was holding out a spoonful of dip. A bit taken aback, Haruki tasted carefully before nodding his approval. Akihiko grinned and swiped at the corner of Haruki’s mouth with his thumb.
– lost, I will get…lost.
Unable to take his eyes off, Ugetsu watched Akihiko’s arm find its way around Haruki’s waist again. Blushing, Haruki brushed a strand of blond hair behind his ear. He was saying something Ugetsu couldn’t make out.
“Ugetsu-san?”
Mafuyu’s voice snapped him back. The bickering around the coffee table had quieted, and everyone was looking at him. Mafuyu studied him closely.
“Hmm? What?”
“I asked if you found the record store you talked about in New York?”
“Ahh, that, yes.”
“Who buys records anymore?” Hiiragi said. “Just download an app.”
“If I ever want to fill my head with bubblegum instead of music with soul, I’ll be sure to ask for your app recommendations.”
Hiiragi bristled.
“What?!”
“Oi, let’s cut the cake!” Akihiko called from the kitchen.
Hiiragi threw Ugetsu a death glare, but Shizusumi led him away by the shoulders.
The kids crowded the dining table that was groaning with all kinds of snacks and treats. Chips and dips, gummy bears, sour candies, small sausage rolls, soda bottles. In the middle of it all, laid a square cake like a great whipped cream island topped with diced fruit.
Wisely Haruki and Akihiko took over the distribution of cake. Ugetsu heard Mafuyu say he preferred a corner piece because it had the most whipped cream.
After that, things started to get exceedingly out of control.
Ugetsu caught Akihiko’s wicked grin which turned out to be the one and only warning. But by then, it was already too late. With a shift swipe, Mafuyu’s precious corner piece came down in his face with a faint smack.
The whole room fell silent. Haruki froze in a horrified grimace. Uenoyama’s blue eyes widened comically. Hiiragi looked both surprised and impressed. The only one who once again didn’t seem phased was Shizusumi who was calmly forking down his own piece of the cake in the background.  
“Happy birthday, kid,” Akihiko said.
He clapped Mafuyu’s shoulder briskly, and a small piece of cake dropped off on Mafuyu’s hoodie. Ugetsu pursed his lips to keep from laughing. Eerily silent, Mafuyu scooped off some of the whipped cream covering his eyes.  
Akihiko’s grin faltered a little.
“Oi, Mafuyu, you want a napkin or – “
Splat.
Akihiko froze mid-sentence when Mafuyu mushed a handful of cream over his face. Ugetsu nearly chewed through his tongue to hold back his snort of laughter. Mafuyu didn’t seem to think such niceties were needed. He threw his head back in open-mouthed, whipped cream laughter that rang bright and sweet in the room.
Gradually, Akihiko’s whipped cream mask begun to quiver. Carefully he blinked. His tongue darted out to swipe at the fluffy smears.
“Good aim,” he said, a grin in his voice.
Haruki finally stirred from his wide-eyed horror and sprung to action. He snatched a roll of paper towels and started to hand out thick tufts.
“Honestly,” he said, frowning but not really sounding angry, “do that in someone else’s kitchen, both of you. Here, Mafu-chan, let me help you, you’ve got some in your – Akihiko, stop eating it off your face, use a napkin!”
Carefully, Haruki wiped Mafuyu’s face, holding him still by the chin to keep from making the mess any worse. Akihiko was scrubbing his face with a handful of napkins. Hiiragi and Uenoyama seemed to be edging to an argument again. In the background, Shizusumi was quietly carving himself a second chunk of the cake.
Ugetsu watched the chaos unfold from the sofa, wondering if this would be an appropriate gap for him to go on his way.
“You like the corner piece, too, right?”
A shadow was suddenly looming over him.
Akihiko stood there holding two cups of coffee and balancing plates loaded with cake on top of them. Gingerly he landed the dishes on the coffee table and sat next to Ugetsu. He caught a waft of the familiar aftershave.
Don’t look back. If I look back, I’m lost.
He cradled the steaming mug in both hands. Wafts of the strong aroma tickled his nose. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Akihiko fiddling with his cup, his fingers tapping lightly against the ceramic.
“Thanks for coming,” Akihiko broke the silence first. “Mafuyu kept checking his phone the whole night. I had a feeling it was you.”
Ugetsu hummed down at the dark surface of his coffee. He was glad he had come, too. Truth be told, he had missed Mafuyu.
Rain and snow were never far removed from each other. Offsprings of two different seasons. It took water to understand another water.
“Someone needs to tell him that highway isn’t a direction.”
Akihiko chuckled and rested his coffee mug on his knee. A familiar habit Ugetsu recognized.
But he shouldn’t look back. He needed to stop tempting the path he had set for himself.
“So, how was it? New York.”
“Dirty, expensive, and rude.”
“Your kinda place, then.”
“Exactly.”
At the dining table, Hiiragi was explaining something while conducting his animated speech with a fork. Mafuyu still had smears of whipped cream in his hair. Haruki was carving him a new piece of cake from the corner.
“So,” Ugetsu said, “he seems nice. The gentle and pure type.”
The topic made his heart pound in his chest. What was he doing? He didn’t want to talk about this, about him. He wasn’t supposed to be looking back.
Akihiko’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed a mouthful of coffee. The mug came to rest on his knee again. His thumb smoothed the arch of the handle.
“He is.”
“Do you love him?”
The question was out before Ugetsu could shove it back down his throat, and he silently cursed at himself. But Akihiko didn’t flinch at his frankness. For a while, he just quietly looked at Haruki fuss in the middle of the kids.
“I do,” he finally replied.
Ugetsu glanced at him. He noticed there was a smudge of cream under his chin that had gone unnoticed.
“Good.”
The coffee was strong and scalding when he took a careful sip. Just the way he liked it.
“What about you?
“Hm? Oh, I don’t think Haru-chan and I are there yet. We just met.”
Akihiko rolled his eyes.
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m too busy for love,” Ugetsu said with a dramatic sigh. “I barely have room in my calendar for an occasional beau.”
Akihiko frowned at him, mid-sip.
“What happened to Mr. Viola?”
Ugetsu had broken things off with the violist before the competition in Russia. The guy hadn’t been exactly surprised or even argued for staying together. He supposed not returning any calls or messages for two weeks put a wet blanket on romance.
“He said that my Tchaikovsky sounded pitchy. There’s no way I would let the guy in my bed on the back of something like that.”
“Naturally.”
Akihiko kept fiddling with his mug, his eyes cast on the coffee table. Ugetsu realized he was a furniture-glarer, too. Like Baby Blues.
“Just,” he said to the table, “don’t go off some deep end on your own. Or something. I know how you can get.”
For a moment, Ugetsu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this.
“Me?” he said, mustering up a lilt. “I have competitions to win. I’ve also been wondering about remodeling the basement. Or maybe even get a new place. Or a houseplant, I haven’t decided which one yet.”
When wouldn’t raise to the tease, Ugetsu let the jest fade. He knew he was full of it, too. With a sigh, he looked down at his coffee, realizing he seemed to be of the same cloth as the furniture-glarers. He wondered if mug-starers were a rare species.
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch up to you on the being happy department. Just you see.”
Akihiko’s look softened, and the corner of his mouth curved into a small smile. It reminded Ugetsu of a certain autumn park years ago. Similar but not quite the same.
“Good.”
Uncharacteristically not finding anything witty for a comeback, Ugetsu fumbled for the plate of cake. His fork sunk into the soft pastry as he tore off a piece, covered almost entirely in thick whipped cream. Moist sweetness burst on his palette. Small surprises of fruit and berries popped off on his tongue.
“I saw your competition a while back. Fourth place?”
“Shut up. I was just a bit rusty.”
“A bit? It sounded more like you had suddenly forgotten your middle finger existed.”
With irked vigor, Akihiko stabbed his slice of cake.
“Your trap could stop existing sometimes.”
“But it did remind me of your Brahms,” Ugetsu went on, pondering. “From high school. It sounded like you had actually thought it through.”
“Gee, thanks,” Akihiko grunted around his mouthful of cake, “nice to hear it didn’t sound like I was just swinging it.”
“But the solo was shaky at best. If you don’t do something about that bowing, then you better get comfortable at the fourth place.”
Just as Akihiko was about to let Ugetsu know, in no uncertain terms, where he could shove his bow, the kids started drifting back from the kitchen. They sprinkled around the coffee table with various snack-souvenirs. Shizusumi reclaimed his old spot at the deep corner end of the sofa.
Haruki cast an unreadable glance at Ugetsu and Akihiko sitting next to each other but went quickly back to hosting.
“Why don’t we open your presents next, Mafu-chan?”
A small stack of various gifts appeared in front of Mafuyu on the coffee table.
“Ours first!” Hiiragi declared and shoved a medium-sized rectangle gift at Mafuyu. “It’s from Shizu-chan and me.”
Shizusumi stirred in the corner.
“Happy birthday,” he said.
Ugetsu realized this was the first time he heard him talk.
They had gotten Mafuyu a pair of new headphones. Ugetsu recognized the brand; it was the latest, top-of-the-line model. He had been eyeing them not long ago, too.
Mafuyu frowned.
“I thought you said you were going to buy these for yourself?”
“You need them more,” Hiiragi said with a shrug. “It’s time you upgrade already.”
Mafuyu traced the plastic window of the package.
“Hmm.”
“What? You don’t like them?”
“No, it’s not that…I was just wondering if they sold these in blue.”
“I told you,” Shizusumi said.
“What’s wrong with orange?!” Hiiragi roared.
“We went through all the stores down the station. Blues were out of stock everywhere.”
Mafuyu blinked at them before flashing one of his soft Mafuyu-smiles.
“Actually,” he said, “I think I like the orange better. Thank you, Hiiragi, Shizu-chan.”
“Mine next,” Uenoyama cut in and lifted the biggest gift out of the pile.
Judging by the shape, it looked like a book. Only it was the size of a pillowcase and seemed to weigh a small housecat. Mafuyu tore the wrapping and peeled out a colorful, shining book cover. The Greatest Guitarists of All Time. CD-edition. A selection of notes with instructions included.
Mafuyu blinked at the heavy tome, his eyes shining.
“Uenoyama-kun,” he breathed out. “This…”
Abashed, Uenoayma frowned and glared at his old faithful, the coffee table.
“So you won’t have to keep borrowing mine,” he said. “Not that I mind, but you really should have your own.”
The brand-new binding creaked when Mafuyu lifted the thick cover and leafed through the shining pages with colorful pictures. Hungrily, his eyes scanned the instructional illustrations and bars of notes.
“Ohh,” Haruki said, peeking at the book. “I think this is the new improved edition. The previous one didn’t have the CDs. Be careful taking it home in the cold, Mafu-chan, so they won’t crack.”
There were three gifts left on the table. Ugetsu’s paper bag, a small soft-looking pastel package, and a blank white envelope. Haruki picked the neatly wrapped pastel present and offered it to Mafuyu.
“Mine isn’t as impressive,” he said, “but I hope you’ll like it.”
Gently, Mafuyu undid the strings that dug into the softness. A pair of colorful mittens emerged. For the most part, they were yellow but had stripes of orange, red, and blue laced in. On the back, there was a knitted white snowflake.
“You’re always bare-handed,” Haruki said. “It made me cold just looking at you.”
Mafuyu pulled the mittens on and admired them, wiggling his fingers inside.
“Thank you, Haruki-san. I’ll be sure to keep these away from Tama.”
The corner of Haruki’s mouth twitched, and he glanced at the mittens worriedly.
“Uh, yes, I’d appreciate that. Happy birthday.”
“I didn’t know you could knit.”
Ugetsu nearly flinched at Akihiko’s voice suddenly rumbling next to him.
Haruki shifted and kneaded the back of his neck, embarrassed.
“Well, my grandma taught me and my sister. She always said that if you can do something yourself, you should.”
Akihiko leaned in to take a better look at the mittens that Mafuyu was helpfully showing off.
“You should knit something for me, too. I could use new gloves. And socks.”
“I want mine black,” Uenoyama piped in. “Or dark blue.”
“I’m not your knitting machine!” Haruki said. “Don’t just start placing orders.”
“Who’s this from?” Mafuyu said and clumsily picked the blank envelope.
“It’s mine,” Akihiko said.
“Such beautiful wrapping job,” Ugetsu snickered.
“It’s the thought that counts. And you’re one to talk with your paper bags.”
“It’s a gift bag. Not to mention a cultural reference.”
“It’s a printed logo on paper.”
“It’s one of a kind. Not everyone has a bag like that.”
“So, you’re telling me that’s not one of biggest New York cliches you could buy?”
“Just see which one will get chucked to the trash after this.”
“We recycle. That envelope is going to save the world. Your bag was probably made in some sweatshop in a jungle.”
“I won’t apologize for having a sense of style, unlike – “
“Ah!” Mafuyu exclaimed. “Now, I can buy the new pedal!”
Ugetsu’s eyes widened at what Mafuyu was holding up in his mittens. A gift card to a music shop. No, the music shop. He recognized the logo of the store.
In their first winter of going out, a couple of their classmates had cut the strings of Ugetsu’s violin. It had been the peak of torment after someone had seen them kissing in the music room. He still remembered how it had felt like a piece of himself had been violated.
The next Saturday, Akihiko had taken him to buy new strings to that store. After that, it had become Ugetsu’s go-to shop.
“I didn’t really know what to get you,” Akihiko said with a shrug. “So, I figured you could pick something for yourself.”
“Thank you, Kaji-san. Now, I can get the pedal that I wanted.”
Akihiko smiled and nodded.
“Good. Happy birthday.”
“Then,” Ugetsu said, “mine next.”
Curious, Mafuyu rummaged through the gift bag. He pulled out a white T-shirt with I ❤️ NY printed on the front and – he blinked at what had dropped on the coffee table – another gift card to the same music store.
“I’ll see your gift card,” Ugetsu said, glancing at Akihiko in triumph, “and raise you a piece of New York.”
“You mean you matched soulless cash and topped it with some tacky tourist crap?”
“Come on, now,” Haruki said with a tentative smile, “it’s not a competition.”
“But if it was…,” Ugetsu trailed off, taking a sip of his coffee.
“You know – “ Akihiko started, whipping to glare at him.
“Well, then!” Haruki said, the level of merry and volume of his voice increasing. “Mafu-chan, should you try the shirt?”
Mafuyu began to wiggle the shirt over his hoodie. With some help from Haruki, his tousled hair eventually emerged through the neckline. Smiling softly, Mafuyu smoothed the front of the shirt with his colorful mittens.
“Thank you, Ugetsu-san. It’s a perfect fit.”
“It’s culture, so make sure not to wash with the pinks,” Ugetsu said, his heart suddenly vibrating with warm and fuzzy. “Happy birthday.”
Akihiko cleared his throat and set his coffee mug on the table.
“Time to break out the entertainment. I wanted to get something memorable, but Haruki rejected all my good ideas, so – “
“Half of them were illegal ideas!” Haruki exclaimed. “The rest were just…morally questionable.”
“So, we’re stuck with Karaoke Revolution.”
That didn’t seem to disappoint a roomful of musically gifted kids with a strong competitive streak. Except for Broody Locks, of course, though he did hoist himself to the edge of the sofa. Hiiragi was quick to demand the first go which drew some resistance from the others.
Haruki began to pick up the remains of the gift wrappings and scrunch them un in a tight ball.
“Did you get the console hooked up?” he asked.
The console whirled as it swallowed up the game disk. The animated logo of ‘Karaoke Revolution’ flashed across the television screen.
“Yeah, no problem. You’re talking to someone who has taken care of everything even remotely electric you can find in a household for years.”
“Karaoke?” Ugetsu said, eyeing the console suspiciously. “That’s a bold choice in an apartment.”
“It’s fine,” Akihiko said, “I took care of the neighbors.”
“Would you stop saying it like that,” Haruki groaned.
“Well, I did. And by the looks they gave me, I doubt they will complain.”
Haruki looked like wanted to cover his face with both hands and weep.
“I knew I shouldn’t have sent out the guy with blonde hair and piercings.”
“No, Haruki-san,” Mafuyu said, holding the mic. As the birthday boy, he had rightfully reserved the first place for himself. “For threatening jobs, I think Kaji-san is exactly the one you send.”
“I didn’t say anything about threatening!”
“I didn’t threaten anyone,” Akihiko defended himself, flicking the buttons of the console controller, “I just informed them. Mafuyu, what genre do you want?”
“I need a smoke,” Haruki whimpered, rubbing his forehead in suffering. “Maybe holler out an apology or something if I see the neighbors...”
“Why does Mafuyu get to choose the genre, too?!” Hiiragi said. “He’s going to pick something impossible. I just know it!”
Deadpan, Mafuyu looked at him.
“Surely, you – of all people – can handle any genre. Right?”
“Sorry,” Akihiko said, “birthday rules. Mafuyu gets to pick.”
“Just nothing too loud, okay?” Haruki reminded over his shoulder before stepping out to the balcony.
“I think this is my cue to take my leave, too,” Ugetsu said and stood up.
His legs had gotten stiff from sitting. Blood rushed to his head from the sudden change in altitude.
“Really?” Mafuyu said, looking disappointed like a puppy who was left home. “Already?”
“Sorry, my limit goes at karaoke.”
“Do you need that ride?” Akihiko said. “My bike’s here, I could drive you.”
It had been a while since the last time Ugetsu had sat on Akihiko’s bike. He still remembered the weight of the machine between his legs. The exhilaration of pressing against Akihiko’s broad back as they leaned into the corners. But that seat behind him wasn’t his place anymore.
“It’s fine, I’ll manage. I will have a smoke before I leave, though.”
Akihiko didn’t comment, but Ugetsu could feel his eyes on him as he zigzagged through the crowd of kids. He found a pair of familiar dark green crocks next to the door to the balcony. They were still the ugliest things he had ever laid his eyes on.  
The balcony door creaked when Ugetsu pushed it open. Immediately, cold February air rushed in to greet him.
Haruki turned to glance over his shoulder. When he saw Ugetsu coming out, his eyes widened and he started coughing.
“Got any of those to spare?”
Ugetsu nodded at the blue pack of cigarettes.
“Uh, sure,” Haruki wheezed.  
The film of crinkling wrapping was still a bit warm from Haruki’s hands when Ugetsu dug out a cigarette. There was a dark red lighter stuffed in as well. Its flame trembled in the cold air but hung on to its short-lived life honorably.
Ugetsu drew a deep breath, just now realizing how he had been craving for a smoke ever since ringing the doorbell.
“I never really took to the taste of Mevius,” he said, giving the package back. “Seven Stars is my brand.”
“Ah, I see, well,” Haruki said, conjuring up a light tone.
The metal railing was icy cold when Ugetsu leaned on it. He huddled up in his too-thin shirt, trying to wrap himself tighter. A mixture of vapor and smoke swirled out between his parted lips. Haruki cast him a side-eyed glance but didn’t say anything.
Ugetsu wondered what would happen if he just let the silence linger.
“It’s a nice view. You can see the whole sky.”
As if to confirm his words, Haruki looked up. The late-night February sky was dark but illuminated by the sea of artificial lights from the city below.
“Oh. Yes, it’s nice especially in the mornings.”
Ugetsu rolled the cigarette between his fingers. His thumb followed the round edge of the filter tip.
“My place is a basement. You can’t really see much of the outside from there.”
He drew another drag of smoke, let it sit deep in his lungs for a while before letting it escape.
“But I think I prefer it that way.”
Haruki’s shoes scraped against the cement floor as he shifted.
“Uh, well, to each their own, I guess.”
The first beats of Karaoke Revolution carried faintly from the inside. Ugetsu could hear Mafuyu’s vocals. He didn’t recognize the song, but just listening to Mafuyu’s voice helped him relax a little.
It’s okay. Right, Mafuyu? If I look back, it will be okay?
“He seems happy with you. Akihiko.”
Haruki visibly flinched. Like whiplash, he looked at him. Ugetsu noticed his cheeks were a bit rosy – from the cold or the fluster, he couldn’t tell.
“I – uh – ,” he stammered for words, “I don’t…really know if…I mean…”
“I don’t mind talking about him,” Ugetsu dragged on the cigarette and glanced Haruki, “do you?”
For a while, Haruki’s mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. His eyes darted nervously around, and he tucked his hair behind his ear. Ugetsu wondered if he had a nervous habit of doing that. It was kind of cute.
“Well, I suppose it’s – if you want to, then, I don’t…really mind, I guess.”
“Are you sure? It’s your balcony.”
Ugetsu waited. He wanted to give Haruki a chance to take it back and leave.
Going once, he counted in his head.
Going twice.
But to his surprised, Haruki stayed. His gaze settled on the scenery of rooftops in front of them. His hands were fiddling with the pack of cigarettes.
“No, it’s okay.”
Ugetsu blew out the smoke.
Sold to the cute blonde with gentle eyes.  
And so, looking down at the February night stretching over the city – so different yet similar to his view from the hotel room in New York – Ugetsu finally looked back.
“I came to watch him perform that one time after he moved out – when he placed fourth,” he began. “I guess I had to see it for myself. When you guys had your live show, I kind of had a feeling, but…”
Ugetsu swallowed and took a steadying breath. The cool winter air brushed against his cheeks soothingly.
It’s okay.
“I wasn’t completely sure until listening to his violin performance. That’s his sound that I’ve always known the best. But that’s when I fully saw it. He was playing like he used to. Well, not really – he had let himself get rusty. But at the core, it was the same sound.”
He remembered sitting in the packed concert hall. Not knowing what he would hear. Not knowing what he wanted to hear. On one hand, defiance sat heavily on his chest. On the other hand, hope made his skin prickle with nerves.
But in a few strokes of the bow, Akihiko’s violin had opened a channel like a wormhole in Ugetsu’s mind. He was back in the music room. Skipping classes together. The smell of the dusty music sheets. The warmth of the heater against his back. Akihiko practicing with him.
Fighting the burn of tears, Ugetsu had closed his eyes and let the relief wash over him. The Brahms Akihiko had chosen had been his private piece of absolution. It was all still there, still safe in Akihiko; his love for music.
It was the least lonely Ugetsu had felt since Akihiko had moved out.
“That’s when I fully realized,” he said in a low voice, almost more to himself, “he had gotten his music back.”
His heart pounding heavy, Ugetsu lifted the cigarette to his lips. He noticed his hand was trembling a little, and he doubted it was entirely from the cold.
“Have you always played in a band?”
Perplexed at the sudden change of topic, Haruki’s hands ceased their nervous twiddling.
“Yes, I played in my girlfrie – um, with a different group before Given.”
“Do you think you could ever give up music? For good?”
Haruki frowned.
“I…I have never really thought about that. But no, I don’t think I could ever give up music completely.”
Ugetsu smiled a little.
“Good. I hope you never have to. It’s the worst feeling. Worse than death.”
He almost laughed at the way Haruki’s eyebrows shut up.
“Well, maybe not that dramatic,” he admitted. “But something close to that.”
He looked at the dark, vast sky opening above them.
“To me, my music is freedom. I’m not very good at expressing myself, I guess. But music is…transcending. It doesn’t need pesky things like words.”
Now, it was Haruki’s turn to look like he wanted to smile. His eyes softened.
“I know someone else who once said something similar. But I think – from where I’m standing – you’re both doing just fine.”
Ugetsu wet his dry, chapped lips. Immediately, the cold night air attacked the moisture.
“Maybe. Usually, the things I want to say – what I know are true inside me – come out warped and wrong. I hurt Aki a lot like that. Me and my mouth.”
From behind them, Mafuyu’s singing switched to Akihiko’s deep vocals. It had been a while since Ugetsu had heard him sing. Sometimes he had used to hum under his breath to the radio while cooking. He didn’t have perfect pitch, but he easily went with the flow and could summon up an amazing level of poise.
Ugetsu smiled around the stub of his cigarette. Akihiko had always been like that. Walking down a packed hallway in a girl’s uniform and execute the perfect kabedon on the loudest homophobe in the school took poise if anything.
“But that’s beside the point,” he continued. “What I’m trying to say is that Akihiko did that. Gave up his music. And I could feel it was because of me. I would have had to be blind to not see that.”
Haruki went back to remaining quiet, but his hands didn’t return to their restless dance. Ugetsu was relieved. He was getting to the hard part, and Haruki calming down gave him an odd sense of comfort.
“I think,” he went on quietly, Akihiko’s singing in the background, “when two people love each other, they also…change each other. Almost like molding. With us, too. Akihiko changed me, and I changed him in return. And I think some of those shapes we put in each other will never leave.”
They had fallen in love in the music room, but they had gotten to know each other in the basement. On the outside, the basement had looked still and quiet. But inside, there had been one of nature’s most curious transformations underway. Two individual souls rippling against each other, overlapping and exploring.
It was a beautiful and wonderful chemical reaction but also violent and gruesome. To fit together, the souls needed to be molded – bits of them were destroyed, and not all of those pieces were rebuilt.
“But the longer we stayed together,” Ugetsu mused, “there more I realized that I was changing in ways I didn’t want to. I was getting so wrapped up in Akihiko that I wasn’t really thinking about my music anymore. I was chasing him instead. That’s when I got…scared.”
In truth, it had been a far more complicated feeling, but he supposed ‘scared’ was at the root of it. Losing focus on his music had crept up to him in secret and undetected. He had become restless and irritable. An uneasiness had vibrated somewhere deep inside him.
Then it had dawned on him where his relationship with Akihiko was taking him. And where he was taking Akihiko, in return.
His first instinct had been to retreat. Cut himself free. Both of them.
But then he had lingered. The edge of his resolve had dulled until he was merely listlessly hacking at what kept them together.
It wasn’t fair. He loved Akihiko.
Why did he have to choose? Was this the price of loving someone? Could he ever pay it for anyone?
Please, don’t ask this of me, he had wanted to plead. Anything else but this. Not his music.
Ugetsu let out a humorless chuckle.
“The irony was, though, while I was struggling to keep my music, I could see Akihiko giving up his. He was giving me a part of himself that I never wanted him to give up. I never asked for it. But I saw it leaking out of him like there was a hole in him somewhere. And I realized that not only had I put that hole in there, but I was the hole.”
Pressure built behind his eyes, but he blinked it away. He took a shaky drag on his cigarette but found it almost burnt to the filter. The heat of the smolder had crept up to burn his fingers. A bit lost, he blinked at the stub.  
“There,” Haruki said and pointed at a pickle jar at his feet.
The loose lid came off easily. Ugetsu savored the metallic clank against the glass rim. The sound was somehow hollow and full at the same time.
“Could I,” he said and nodded at the cigarettes again, “bother you for one more?”
Hurriedly, Haruki fumbled the pack for him. The red lighter spat a couple of times, but Ugetsu’s hands were too unsteady to get the small flickering flame to lick the end of his cigarette. After his third failure, a pair of cool, warm hands took the lighter from him.
“Here,” Haruki said.
Ugetsu drew on the filter, and the flame took.
“Thanks,” he said, letting out puffs of smoke.
“Ugetsu-san – “
“Just Ugetsu is fine.”
“Then, Ugetsu,” Haruki continued, “can I ask…why are you telling me all this?”
He looked at Ugetsu straight on. Not challenging or rejecting, but with the same sincerity as when he had invited Ugetsu to join the party. To think that Akihiko had been around this person for so long, having this shoulder to lean on. He wondered if Akihiko had ever looked at him and thought if only Ugetsu was more like Haruki.
If only it had been him back then and not Ugetsu.
The thought choked him, but he pushed it behind him. For another time.
“Why? I’m giving you a manual, of course. From the previous owner. Akihiko is delicate.”
“Delicate? He doesn’t…look very delicate to me.”
“Ahh, don’t let the piercings and fierce glare fool you. They’re all part of it.”
A small flock of blinking lights slid across the dark sky. An airplane. Ugetsu wondered absently how much tickets to Europe would cost. Rome. Prague. No, maybe Paris. Maybe he could talk his manager into letting him take another intercontinental trip under some violin-related pretense.
“But I guess,” Ugetsu said, “I also thought you looked like the type who would listen to me. Despite everything.”
Yes, maybe Paris. He could drink too much expresso. Sit on a patio, judging people passing by. Get lost in the narrow early evening alleys. Let some French man sweet-talk him thinking Ugetsu didn’t understand what he was saying.
“I’m not sure if, uh,” Haruki said, “if I fully understand the situation. And maybe it’s not my place anyway. But…”
Haruki craned his neck to look at the sky. Ugetsu wondered could he make out the blinking plane, too. Did he ever just want to buy a one-way ticket and not look back?
“But I think I understood at least a little bit. So, I’m glad you told me.”
Suddenly, their wavering, rippling tunes brushed against each other and then met at the same note. Resonation ran through Ugetsu, amplifying and overwhelming. Unexpectedly, the two seeming opposites – spring and rain – had connected and found each other in a cold midwinter night.
Well, I’ll be damned, Ugetsu thought, gripping the railing a bit tighter.
They both flinched when the balcony door creaked open and Mafuyu’s head popped out.
“Haruki-san, it’s your turn to sing.”
“What!?” Haruki exclaimed, swirling around.
“Kaji-san said that co-hosts should do a duet.”
Groaning, Haruki stubbed out his cigarette. The jar lid clanked again, full but hollow. Ugetsu took a deep drag of his cigarette, riding the small burst of endorphins coursing through him.
“Oi, I told you – “
The door cut him off before they could hear more about the reasons as to why there was no way this duet was going to happen.
Mafuyu’s slippers scraped against the pavement when he shuffled over to Ugetsu’s side. He noticed the mittens were finally off. Ironically, he would have probably needed them right now.
“Oh, a plane,” Mafuyu said.
“Did Akihiko send you?”
“Hmm, well, you were gone for a long time. What were you talking about?”
“Nothing. Weather and politics.”
The last puffs of smoke swirled out of Ugetsu’s nostrils when he bent down to put out his cigarette as well. He wondered if he should buy a jar of pickles, too, and save it for an ashtray.
“Is everything…alright?”
“No, I can’t feel my toes anymore. Let’s go back in.”
But Mafuyu wouldn’t budge.
“Ugetsu-san.”
Mafuyu’s tone was stubborn but caring, so Ugetsu stifled his sigh. Expectantly, he waited but the kid seemed to be struggling to find the words. As endearing as the crease of Mafuyu’s brow was, Ugetsu’s feet were freezing in the airy crocs.
“Look,” he said, “I know what you’re probably thinking. Something like maybe you shouldn’t have invited me, right?”
The way the frown deepened told Ugetsu he had hit the nail in the head.
“I was just…I mean…Ngh…”
Ugetsu studied him.
Really, this kid.
“It’s pretty simple, actually. Did you want me here?”
“Yes!” Mafuyu said immediately, with no hesitation. “I really wanted to celebrate with you, but…”
“Then I wanted to be here, too. Everything else is irrelevant.”
Winter breeze fluttered a puff of snowflakes in the balcony and tousled Mafuyu bangs. His frown melted when he smiled at Ugetsu warmly.
“Then, thank you for coming, Ugetsu-san.”
“Good. Now, come on, I want to take these hideous things off my feet already.”
It seemed the status of Akihiko’s mission to convince Haruki of the health benefits of a duet was to-be-continued. Ugetsu was glad he was getting out of the way before he would find himself sitting through that.
Akihiko nodded his goodbyes at him. Haruki seemed to be buried up to his waist in the fridge, trying to make room for all the snacks. Mafuyu in tow, Ugetsu made his way down the hallway. Like a puppy, the kid watched him dress.
“Why don’t you come over sometime next week, and I’ll show you what records I got from New York.”
“Hm.”
“You can pick some if you want to. You should grow your record collection instead just of CDs.”
“Hm.”
“Thank Haru-chan for the cake and coffee for me.”
“Hm.”
“Annoy Akihiko. It’s your right as the birthday boy.”
“Hm.”
“Then, I’m off.”
“Bye-bye.”
Mafuyu was left waving after him in the hallway as the front clanked shut. Ugetsu found himself looking at the notebook page again. A grin played on his lips, he dug a pen out of his breast pocket on a whim.
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He was halfway across the parking lot when his phone vibrated. Mentally groaning, he decided to ignore the troublesome thing – he had had enough social interaction for one night. But then he dug it out. Maybe he had forgotten something. It was easier to come back from downstairs than from across the city.
He halted. It was from Akihiko.
Another single-word message.
“Okaeri.”
Perhaps looking back won’t get him lost. Maybe if I look back, Ugetsu thought as he left Akihiko on seen, it will help me find my path instead.
The End.
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soulmate-game · 4 years
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Marinette blinked, tilting her head a bit. The streets around them were loud and bustling with bodies and vehicles despite the sun being right at the horizon. Gotham would slow down soon, people being wary of the darkness in the crime-ridden city,but for now it was busy as usual. Marinette and Jon stood outside the stadium that would be hosting the World Fencing Finals, but a familiar face had stopped them right before they entered.
“I didn’t know you liked fencing,” Marinette mused out loud, making Damian tsk and look away. The boy got along with Marinette alright, but that didn’t immediately cancel out his natural standoffish nature.
“Of course you didn’t, I never told you,” he retorted smoothly, the youngest Wayne moving forward to reluctantly open the door for his two friends.
“You hardly talk about yourself at all, actually,” Marinette continued, humming to herself. “Are you keeping secrets?”
Damian scoffed again, even as Jon snickered behind them. “Everyone has secrets. Even a naive child like you should know that.”
Jon couldn’t quite wipe the smile off his face. He had long since gotten used to the strange way the two communicated over the past month since they first met. Marinette always seemed to know when one of Damian’s jabs were or weren’t meant as serious insults, just as Damian was somehow able to always pick up the exact second that Marinette’s caring nature switched from being rooted in kindness to coming from a place of fear.
Yet Jon was the only one of the trio of friends who could hear their heartbeats change pace when they spotted one another, or when their hands accidentally brushed. Neither Damian nor Marinette seemed to realize their own feelings yet, but Jon would be there when they did.
He just hoped their relationship didn’t develop too quickly. Both his best friend and his new sister were dangerously fragile, just in different ways. He didn’t want them accidentally breaking each other.
“Come to think of it,” Jon heard Damian say, pulling the young kryptonian from his thoughts. “You do not talk about yourself quite as much as it seems like you do. You’ve certainly never mentioned liking swordplay.”
“Ah,” Marinette gave Damian a lopsided smile, rubbing the back of her neck. “I like watching it sometimes, but I’m mainly here to see my friend. She’s one of the competitors today, she and I managed to convince her mom to let her sleepover at our place for two nights.”
“But only if she wins,” Jon added sourly. He and his dad had both heard that condition of the deal that Kagami’s mother had made loud and clear. “I’m sorry Mari, but your friend’s mom sounds way too strict and demanding. If she wins this competition, she can spend two days hanging out with you, but if she even gets as low as second place they have to go back to Japan for remedial training immediately?” Jon shook his head. It wasn’t right.
Damian raised both eyebrows at that, but seemed more intrigued than surprised. “I’ve seen stricter,” he commented casually, only succeeding in making Jon glare at him for the veiled reference to his own dark childhood. “But you are right, Kent. That is concerning treatment. Who is this friend of yours, Marinette? Perhaps I have heard of them if they are good enough to qualify for the World Finals.”
By then, the trio had already handed in their tickets and reached the stands. Jon and Marinette glared at Damian when they realized all of their seats were in the front row, right next to each other even, knowing without a doubt that the rich boy was somehow behind it. The two Kents had had much worse seats when they had first purchased their tickets online.
Marinette waited until they all sat down before answering. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you know her. Her name’s Kagami Tsurugi—“
“World class fencer from a long family line of Japanese fencers,” Damian interrupted, nodding knowingly as one of his hands raised to gently grip his chin. “Before Fencing was introduced to Japan, they were famous for their practice of kendo and katana technique. Especially considering their typically untraditional way of insisting that the females in their family take up combat. That, of course, traces all the way back to the ancient female samurai, or Onna-Bugeisha, Tomoe Gozen, one of the ancestors of the Tsurugi family before they split from the Gozen family.”
Marinette and Jon just blinked at the young heir, before Jon’s mouth slowly started to curve up in a mischievous smile. Damian’s eyes narrowed in warning.
“Kent—“
“You’re a fan,” Jon ignored the warning, gleefully grinning ear to ear. “You did your research on her and her family, that’s some hardcore biggest-fan behavior right there. Do you want us to see if she can give you an autographkfgdjgdgj—“ Jon was cut off as Damian lunged over Marinette, the only person separating the two boys, and muffled Jon’s mouth with one hand as his other tried to slam Jon’s head on the chair’s arm. Of course super strength was no joke, and Jon’s head didn’t move even an inch as he laughed through Damian’s hands.
Marinette was somehow able to separate them, and Damian sat back in his chair with a huff and straightened his button-down shirt imperiously.
“I am not a ‘fan’,” he denied primly, but not even Marinette missed the slight pink to his cheeks even through his denial. “I simply acknowledge her skill. As a practitioner of swordplay myself, it is only me being proactive to research her family history. If she is so inclined, I intend to invite her to the manor sometime before she leaves for a casual spar.”
“Oh, she’ll love that,” Marinette agreed, nodding even as the first duel started. “Kagami is always looking for new sparring partners who can keep up with her, but so far only our other friend Adrien and her mom are capable enough. But…” her voice had dropped to a whisper out of respect for the current combatants, but both boys noticed her pause and the way she worried her lip.
“What?” Jon whispered back, worried. Marinette’s nose wrinkled.
“But I don’t know if it’s a good idea to introduce Kagami to Damian. They might end up taking over the world.”
Jon slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a snort. Damian just smirked.
“Now you must introduce us. Perhaps I can finally meet someone who can conspire with me to get rid of my brothers.”
With that, the three quieted and actually watched the fights. Jon didn’t really understand the rules or what was happening, but he liked watching the footwork and the different styles that each competitor used when they dueled. Then, about the third or fourth match, a fencer in a bright red uniform walked out.
“That’s her!” Marinette squealed, leaning forward in her seat. She and Damian had occasionally whispered to one another about what they thought were good or bad calls on points, and critiquing different competitor’s techniques. It was a bit of an eye opener to Jon, who realized that he didn’t know much about what Marinette’s life was like back in Paris despite living with the girl for almost five months. In fact, he didn’t know much about her beyond what she actively showed at home.
Maybe Damian had a point earlier. Marinette had a weird way of making it feel like she spoke about herself a lot but in reality didn’t share much about herself at all. Most of what Jon knew about her came from experience. He knew her tells for whenever she started getting nervous, excited, worried, or was close to an attack. He knew how to tell when she was feeling overwhelmed or started retreating into herself because she didn’t want to intrude. But this?
Jon watched as Marinette stood up and cheered for Kagami when the red-clad fencer scored swift points.
He didn’t know the things that she liked to do besides designing. She mentioned listening to Jagged Stone, maybe that was her favorite kind of music.
Whatever. Jon wouldn’t let himself dwell on how Marinette didn’t open up as much as he would like—it was his job as the older brother for once to put some effort in too. Besides, with everything else Marinette had been through over the months it made sense for her to be a little closed off.
Jon moved his eyes back to the floor. Kagami lunged forward right then, ruthless as she slashed and didn’t allow her opponent a moment to do anything but scramble to deflect. But the red-uniformed woman was too fast, almost violent in her strikes, and she landed three hits on her opponent within one second.
Yeah. Now that he knew what was going on, he knew how to gently, slowly, learn more about his sister. Sorry Kon, but Jon had his eyes on the Best Brother prize.
Kagami won, without her opponent winning a single point against her.
“You know, Kagami’s fighting reminds me of someone,” Jon spoke up, ignoring the venomous glare Damian sent him. His sister looked over curiously as the fighters swapped out and Kagami was led to the back, where a locker room of sorts was set up for the competitors.
“Really? Who? I’ve only ever seen Kagami fight like that. Maybe her mom, but that’s different.”
Jon smiled, knowing he’d get some shit for this stunt later when he went on patrol with Damien but decidedly not caring.
“Robin. The newest one anyway, you can find videos online from different sightings of him around Gotham. He uses a sword.”
Marinette raised an eyebrow, obviously knowing that he partnered with Robin a lot as Superboy but not knowing that Damien was also intimately aware of that fact.
“Huh, that’s weird. Ryuuko, one of the Paris heroes, also uses a sword. But it’s a Miraculous weapon, so it’s a bit different than a normal sword.”
Jon winced. That backfired, he and his dad weren’t quite ready for the rest of the JL to know about the Paris situation. So much for the plan to bring it up later, when Marinette was better settled into life in America.
“Paris has heroes?” Damian asked, eyes sharp. All it took was one glance from the green-eyed boy for Jon to know that this would definitely be brought up to Batman. Great.
At least the next match started, distracting both of the fencing fans from continuing the conversation. For the moment.
—*—*—*—*—*
Marinette was the loudest voice in the stadium, standing on her chair without shame as she cheered for her friend, Kagami’s lips twitching in the slightest hint of a smile before she bowed her head to accept her medal.
Marinette was not surprised at all to see her friend win first place in the whole competition. Damian was pleased, and suitably impressed. Jon was just happy that this meant Kagami’s mother couldn’t keep Marinette from spending time with her friend.
Hopping down from the chair, Marinette turned to her friend and brother with a large smile. “Come on! Kagami and her mom are going to meet us in front of the building once everything is done, but I don’t want to fight the crowds.”
Jon cringed, nodding and standing up immediately. Marinette didn’t do well in crowds nowadays, though it could certainly be worse. Inside buildings like the school wasn’t so bad, it was mainly outdoors. Jon and his parents never missed how Marinette would constantly hold Lois’s hand or stick religiously to the woman’s side whenever they walked outside around tall buildings or through thick crowds. None of them mentioned it.
Damien picked up on it, having observed Marinette’s behavior firsthand during the only time he had went outside with her somewhere other than school. They had merely gone to buy Damian a new tie that Marinette approved of, but the girl had scarcely gone further than a foot away from him the whole time they were outside in the city. Only the stern glances from Jon had kept him from commenting on it.
Moments later, the two had found themselves waiting outside the stadium at almost ten at night, though none of them seemed particularly uncomfortable. Marinette seemed downright at home, besides her occasional glances up at the building next to them and her refusal to leave Damian’s side. They waited a good half hour in the slight chill of the night air before Kagami Tsurugi, completely changed out of her uniform, walked up beside her mother Tomoe Tsurugi.
The older woman was, to Jon’s slight shock (Damian’s research was VERY thorough), blind. She tilted her head when she and her daughter stopped in front of the trio.
“Miss Marinette?” She asked in flawless English. “How have you been?”
Marinette smiled, the expression oddly soft compared to her usual beaming grin. “As well as I can be, Madame Tsurugi. With me are my adoptive brother, Jon Kent, and one of my new friends, Damian Wayne. If it is alright with you, we would like to go to Damian’s house for the night. My guardians and his father already approved.”
Jon and Damian blinked, never having heard Marinette speak so properly before. It truly said a lot about the kind of woman Tomoe Tsurugi was. The woman gave an icy smile, pleased but distant. She raised one delicate eyebrow.
“I am getting old, but not dumb Miss Dupain-Cheng. I know very well who the Waynes are, and referring to his home as a mere house is a gross understatement that you couldn’t hope to fool me with in a hundred years,” the woman remarked with subtle humor. Marinette chuckled.
“It was worth a shot,” she defended herself with a shrug. Tomoe shook her head in amusement before settling both hands on her cane and straightening her posture.
“If you vouch for your… friend…” Tomoe said with deliberate slowness. Marinette was quick to nod.
“I do. Damian is trustworthy, and I won’t leave Kagami alone, Madame Tsurugi.”
Tomoe’s mouth flattened, and she was silent for a moment. “You know that you are one of the few people I trust with my daughter, Marinette. I will trust your judgement this time as well. However, Kagami must still call me in the morning and when she does reach your new home as well. And you remember her vacation training schedule?”
Both boys looked at each other, wondering why Kagami did not even try to speak up even though they had their own suspicions. The Japanese teen found that to be the moment she was done being silent however, and sighed.
“Mother,” Kagami spoke, back straight and tone level and proper. “I am perfectly capable of sticking to my training on my own. I do not need Mari-hime to remind me.”
Tomoe pursed her lips, but nodded nonetheless. “Alright. Mister Wayne? I trust your father is alright with Kagami bringing her fencing equipment?”
Damian nodded, despite knowing that Tomoe would not see it. For some reason he got the feeling that she was fully aware of the gesture regardless of her lack of sight.
“Of course. I am actually a fencer as well, though not competitively. I was hopeful that Kagami would humor me with a spar, our manor has a rather nice gym that would provide a more than sufficient space for such an activity.”
At that, Tomoe seemed rather pleased. “That is, of course, up to Kagami since she has not seen Marinette in quite some time and likely has plans for her time already. But I encourage any opportunity that my daughter finds to hone her skills.”
“The competitors today were skilled, but lack knowledge of real battle,” Kagami added, locking gazes with Damian. “My mother trains me as if I were actually fighting, so I seldom find fencers able to match my reactions. If you believe yourself capable, I would be honored to cross swords with you.”
“Oh no,” Marinette stage-whispered to Jon even as her eyes stayed on Damian and Kagami. “This is where the world domination starts.”
Even Tomoe couldn’t resist a small grin at that, and it wasn’t much longer before the trio were picked up by Damian’s butler, who introduced himself as Alfred Pennyworth. Inside the limousine, Kagami visibly relaxed. Her back was still straight, though not overly so, and her face was no longer stringently stoic. Once they pulled away from the stadium, she wasted no time pulling Marinette into a tight hug.
“I am sorry I could not be there for you, Mari-hime.”
Marinette laughed, returning the hug enthusiastically. “Don’t be silly! You were at the funeral, and you video chat with me at least twice a week. That’s plenty.”
Kagami shook her head, tightening her hold. “My mother would have been more than happy to take you in. Sometimes I believe she likes you more than me,” Kagami finally pulled away, turning to level a hard stare at Jon. “But that obviously did not happen, so you and your parents better take good care of Mari-hime, or nobody will find your bodies.”
“Kagami!” Marinette immediately reprimanded, aghast. “The Kents are wonderful! And what did I say about the death threats?”
Kagami rolled her eyes. “My cousin’s family still makes traditional katanas. I have plenty of available arms to carry out my promises.”
“Kagamiiiiiii.”
“If they treat you well, then they have nothing to worry about.”
Marinette groaned in despair, dramatically flopping over until she was draped over the side of Kagami like a limp towel. “I’m gonna get you a spray bottle, and every time you threaten somebody with violence I’m going to spritz you.”
Kagami’s eyes narrowed in playful challenge. “You will have to catch me first.”
Damian was smirking, enjoying this interaction a bit too much. “I believe the two of us will get along just fine, Tsurugi. Do you have a favorite katana craftsman, by any chance?”
—*—*—*—*—*
“They’re so tiny!” The man did not seem to realize the danger he was in with that statement. He was apparently one of Damian’s older brothers, Jason Todd. Both Kagami and Marinette, the “tiny” people in question, glared daggers at the man. “Okay, you,” he said to Kagami, “You’re at least intimidating. Don’t unsheathe that sword please. Bruce already told us that you won the World Finals, and I would rather not die today.” He held his hands up in surrender. Kagami just smirked smugly, and crossed her arms.
Marinette narrowed her eyes. “And me?”
Jason blinked. “What about you? You’re tiny and adorable, even when you’re glaring at me!” He boldly came forward to rustle her hair. “Like a little pixie.”
Kagami covered her smile with a hand, eyes dancing with amusement. Bruce, who had been the first to welcome them all in and introduce himself to Kagami, was pinching his nose next to Alfred in the background. Damian’s other brothers were also gathered. Apparently they all had wanted to meet his new friend and Jon’s new sister.
“Be careful, I’m not the one you should be worried about. At least without my sword I am not as dangerous,” Kagami warned. Everyone blinked at her, and her expression quickly turned confused. Her eyes darted to Marinette, who was too busy glaring at Jason with puffed-out cheeks to notice. “Mari-hime… you didn’t tell anyone?”
Marinette finally looked over, shrugging. “I mentioned it to Jon, Clark, and Lois.”
“What are you talking about, Miss Tsurugi?” Bruce asked, curious after the warning from the fencer. Kagami looked up, and slowly a devious smile spread over her face. It was small, but sent shivers over Jason’s spine.
“Jason and Marinette should spar. Mari-hime is quite the combatant when she desires to be.”
Jason crossed his arms, raising his brow and looking Marinette up and down. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I’m about double her size—“
“Hey Jon, why don’t you call Lois?” Marinette interrupted, turning to look at her brother with a small smirk. “We’ve got her a huge story— burly biker is too scared to spar a girl half his size.”
Cackles arose, the other two of Damian’s brothers leaning on each other as they guffawed. Bruce and Alfred even stifled chuckles of their own, and Damian’s smirk was infuriatingly prominent. Jon was much like the other two Wayne boys, nearly bowled over in laughter. Jason, after a brief moment of shock and offense, straightened up and grinned. He shrugged off his leather jacket with a small huff of laughter of his own.
“Alright, that was pretty good. You want a spar that badly, you got one. But you’re gonna have to really impress me if you want me to take back what I said about you being adorable and nonthreatening.”
“I’m putting fifty dollars on Marinette,” Kagami bet loudly, raising her hand. “Who wants to bet against me?”
Jason and Marinette both shook their heads in amusement, the big man leading Marinette to the family fitness room (the public one anyway, outside of the Batcave) as everyone besides Bruce and Alfred energetically placed their bets on who would win the spar.
Dick and Tim were betting on Jason, for obvious reasons. Damian withheld from betting, but it was clear he was hoping Marinette would somehow win. Jon just stayed quiet, refusing to share any opinion on the matter. But once Jason and Marinette started heading to the sparring mat that was already laid out, he stopped her.
“You sure about this?” He asked, pulling her away so that nobody else could eavesdrop. “I know I laughed and everything, but you don’t have to spar. Jason won’t hold back if you tell him not to, but he’s not a pushover in any respect.”
Marinette frowned. She had gotten a little caught up in the moment, but at the same time… she wanted this. “You guys are great,” she replied to her brother, voice equally soft. “But you and Clark don’t focus on combat technique. I haven’t had a real fight, at least not one where I don’t have powers to fall back on, in a long time. I need this.”
Jon sighed, but nodded. He squeezed her shoulder for a moment, before smiling at the shorter girl. “Then show everyone what you can do. And I suggest telling Jason not to hold back, or you won’t be able to show off as much as you want.”
Marinette bounced on her heels happily, leaning up to kiss Jon on the cheek. “I’m winning Kagami some money today!” She yelled with a fist-bump before jogging over to join a very amused Jason.
“Was your bro giving you some tips?” He asked, stretching out his arms as Marinette giggled.
“Kind of! Jon suggested that I ask you to not hold back!”
Jason froze, gaze sliding over to the young kryptonian, who only smiled back enigmatically. He might not have spent much time around the youngest Super, but he hung out with Kon often enough and he knew that Jon was fully aware of what he was capable of as Red Hood. He wouldn’t suggest that Jason not hold back unless he was actually confident in Marinette’s skill.
The rest of his family seemed to pick up on that as well, also frozen in shock. Jason was one of the most ruthless fighters of all of them, fearless and brutal.
“Kent better know what he’s doing,” Damian hissed under his breath, to which his father and brothers could only nod to silently.
“So the pixie wants me to not hold back? Alright,” Jason agreed to after a moment of stunned silence. Immediately most of his jovial manner drained away, replaced with focus as he spread his legs and sunk into a stance that came naturally to him at that point. If Jon and Marinette both wanted him to treat her like a real threat (without forgetting that this was just a spar, anyway) then he would. Maybe the girl had super strength or invulnerability like the other Supers. That would explain why Clark was so quick to take her in.
“Oh I hope we don’t regret this later,” Bruce groaned before stepping into the center mat and raising one hand. “Alright. Winner is whoever can pin or otherwise subdue the other first. Please, don’t break any bones or skin. I do not need an angry Lois Lane on my doorstep tomorrow morning. You can use the whole room as long as you don’t risk hitting or involving any of us innocent bystanders. Ready?” Bruce backed up off the mat. “Start!” He wasted no time backing away to a wall.
There was no moment of stillness. There was no waiting with baited breath or looking for an opening. As soon as Bruce called Start, Jason attacked.
He jumped over the distance separating him and Marinette, bringing his knee up to try and end this in one strike like he would have in the field.
Only Marinette wasn’t there to take the hit. Just as quickly as Jason had lunged, she had jumped. Instead of Jason kicking her in the stomach, the small Asian girl had leapt up, and landed on the upraised knee balanced on only one nimble foot.
Suddenly, they were face to face. They grinned at each other, and then they were nothing but movement again.
—*—*—*—*—*
@fantasiame @thestressmademedoit @amayakans @resignedcatservant @too0bsessedformyowngood @chocolatecatstheron @mooshoon @jeminiikrystal @bigpicklebananatree @thezestywalru @bugaboosandbees @ironspiderstark @mikantsume @marinettepotterandplagg @more-or-less-human-i-guess @myazael @ladybug-182 @buticaaba @dast218 @maribat-is-lifeblood @elspethshadow @fandomsaremylifeline @moonlightstar64 @whats-she-gonna-post-next @toodaloo-kangaroo @maybemanymuffins @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @legendaryneckjudgestudent @goblinwhoships @yin-390
Part 5
This got long, so the majority of the spar will be in the next part so that I don’t get cut off. :D OMG, StOrY DeVelOPmeNT?! Who am I?!
More good stuff next chap.
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elsanna-shenanigans · 3 years
Text
June Contest Submission #6: Love, imperfect
Words: ca. 5,500 Setting: mAU Lemon: lime CW: angst  
“Do you think they’ll end up canceling people’s flights?” 
With her heart still stuck in her throat, Anna opened her eyes to look at the stranger sitting next to her on the plane. He appeared calm, but then again, she was sure that so did she. 
“I hope not,” she muttered before she gave him a tight-lipped smile and looked away. Another rough movement had her gripping the armrests and her stomach dropping. She kept trying to remind herself that airplanes were built to handle the worst—or so the article she’d skimmed as she waited at the gate had said. Even in the most severe turbulence, your plane isn’t moving nearly as much as you think! It sounded like a load of bullshit then and it sounded like a load of bullshit now. Plus, the exclamation mark at the end was absolutely unnecessary. 
The man next to her loudly cleared his throat. He seemed like he was trying to grab something out of the pocket of his trousers. Anna glanced at him. What the hell are you doing? she wanted to ask. The whole thing set her on edge for some reason. She just wanted to land in Miami already, call a cab and get to the address Elsa had texted her days prior. Was she looking forward to it? Not really. But it was better than thinking she was about to die and hadn’t even said goodbye to Chester, her cat. 
She’d told her parents this wasn’t a good idea. But her mom had insisted on some quality time because, “When was the last time the four of us spent some time together?” Anna had no idea, and she’d said so as much, which only aggravated her mother even more. But wasn’t she proud that her daughters were onto bigger and better things? Surely a few skipped holidays meant nothing compared to the pride their parents must feel on a daily basis. 
The turbulence continued. There was a storm coming. It wasn’t supposed to hit until late that night, which still allowed Anna to make it to Miami on time and probably even make it to Elsa’s apartment before the rain began. 
As to her parents… well, she really hoped their flight wasn’t canceled.
~~~
Anna could still remember the exact moment she became fixated with success. It happened on the summer day when she was ten years old and saw her older sister, Elsa, draped in four gold medals at the regional swimming competition. Their mom had signed them up for the swimming team at the community center after reading an article on the importance of sports in building girls’ self-esteem. Elsa had provided an aloof smile before she’d gone back to reading her book, but Anna… she was excited—she loved swimming. 
 When the season started, it didn’t take Anna a stopwatch to tell her that Elsa was easily the fastest swimmer on the team, often finishing races a full length ahead of everyone else. Anna would know, being that she was usually the one bringing up the gear. “You just need to practice more,” her mom would gently instruct when she complained about being last. So she spent the summer in the pool, with her dad dropping her off early on his way to work while Elsa was still at home, probably combing her pretty, perfect blond hair. Anna didn’t mind though, because she was sure all the effort would pay off in the end when she showed her parents and her sister how good she’d become in the final match of the summer. But things didn’t exactly go as her optimistic ten year-old self had expected. Elsa won four first place medals while all Anna walked away with was a cruddy participation ribbon with dry hot glue sticking out from under its cheap label. 
Watching Elsa standing on the podium, nodding humbly at the rousing applause with the medals draped around her neck and that stupid, perfect blond hair darkened still by the water, Anna was filled with a burning need to be up there. Because she didn’t just want to be a hard worker. She wanted to be a winner. 
But unless she wanted to grow up in Elsa’s superior gene pool shadow, she had to find another way to get noticed. In the end, she learned that if she studied hard enough and had a 4.0 GPA, she’d earn awards and scholarships. She discovered that if she steered clear of sports or sororities in college and filled her time with extracurricular activities like the debate club, she would be able to quell the worries in her head that her sister was the only winner in the family. 
Of course, those who truly knew her, knew how much she loved Elsa. It was one of those things that just… was. Inevitable and innate. In her eyes, Elsa was perfect. And she hated her for it just as much as she adored her for it. Because where she was clumsy, Elsa was poised. Where she didn’t know when to shut up, Elsa would say the right thing at the right time. Where she would feel inferior, Elsa would tell her just how much there was to admire. And where she would go weeks without contact, Elsa would give her a call, reminding Anna of all the times she has ever loved her. 
But that didn’t seem to matter in the end. Anna pulled away from the family in order to forge her own identity and so did Elsa. The Holmen sisters, thriving. The parents, proud. It was perfect. It should have been perfect. Except it wasn’t. 
Somewhere deep inside, Anna always knew there was something missing.
~~~
The night skies were crackling by the time she got in the taxi. The driver was requesting an address. The radio was giving out unsurprising news.
There is a thunderstorm warning already being reported by the National Weather Service in areas such as Miami, Miramar, Aventura and other parts of South Florida, with potential wind gusts up to fifty-five miles per hour—
“You’re shitting me,” Anna muttered under her breath, already pulling out her phone again. The first time she’d done it was to let Elsa know she’d landed. Some drab text that was responded to with a much nicer Can’t wait to see you! It shouldn’t have warmed Anna as much as it did but that was beside the point. 
Her mother picked up after the fourth ring. “Hi, honey. I was just about to call you. Did you land safely?” 
“Hi. Yes, I did. Did your flight get canceled yet?” 
“No,” her mother drawled. “It is delayed.” 
The man on the radio went on and on about flooding and frequent lightning. The first signs of rain speckled the car’s windows. The trees were wildly ruffled by the wind. 
“But you saw the news, right? It’s going to be canceled eventually.” 
“Even if it is,” Iduna said calmly, “we can fly in tomorrow. This isn’t an emergency. We can wait.” 
Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. “This was a bad idea,” she couldn’t help but say. 
There was a pause before Iduna spoke again. “Can you fault us for wanting to spend time with you two? It’s the only time of the year you’re free, given how holidays seem to be getting more and more complicated for you.” It was a jab, fair and square; exactly what Anna got from skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas for the past two years. 
“Could’ve been anywhere but Miami,” she still mumbled. 
“Miami is nice,” her mother argued. “Besides, your sister’s apartment has room for all of us.” There was something hidden in her mother’s voice that made her feel dejected. The underlying praise that Elsa always seemed to get even by the most offhanded of comments. Even when she wasn’t in the room. 
Anna was ready to hang up. 
“Just let me know when you’ll be flying in.” 
“Maybe you girls can catch up in the meantime,” Iduna suggested as if she hadn’t heard her, “I know it’s been a while for you too, but trust me, it’ll be like old times.” 
Looking out the window, Anna forced a smile even though no one was watching. “Sure, mom,” she said. Truth was, she couldn’t remember what old times even felt like. 
After hanging up, she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. The ride was supposed to be a short one. Ten minutes or so, Elsa had told her over the phone some days ago. She’d sounded happy—excited in that demure way of hers that was stupidly charming and which drove Anna nuts in a way she could not explain. 
Was Anna also excited? It was hard for her to tell. Her knee began to bounce as soon as the car merged into traffic. Her palms were damp despite the coolness inside. Her heart was beating like it was trying to hammer its way out of her chest. No, she was nervous. Or maybe… maybe she was both. 
Maybe she was just a mess and acceptance was long overdue.
When the taxi slowed down and parked outside an apartment building Anna only recognized from pictures Elsa had shared in their family group chat, she briefly considered asking to be taken back to the airport. But instead, she paid the fare and allowed the driver to pull her carry-on suitcase out of the trunk amidst strong gusts of wind and a rain that was starting to pick up. “Welcome to Miami,” the man exclaimed—sarcastic given the circumstances—while all Anna could do was give him a smile she was sure looked more like a grimace. 
The wheels of her suitcase announced her entrance into the building. The lobby was empty; quiet in an almost unsettling way. She sent Elsa a quick message and ignored the sensation of her stomach churning in anticipation. A distant thunder rumbled as she made a left, slowly heading for apartment 112. 
It didn’t come as a surprise that Elsa was waiting for her outside. She was leaning against the door, flashing Anna a lovely smile she did not know she had missed until that moment. 
“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” were Elsa’s first words. 
“I thought I wasn’t gonna make it,” were hers. 
Her sister met her halfway with outstretched arms that welcomed her with such gentle affection that Anna could not help but melt in the embrace for a brief pause. Elsa smelled like gardenias, faint and familiar. 
After stepping back, she stretched out a hand to grab a hold of Anna’s suitcase. “Let me take this for you.” 
“I—it’s okay. It’s not heavy.” 
Elsa gave her another disarming smile. “I don’t mind, Anna. You must be tired.”
She found herself blushing for no reason as she let Elsa take the suitcase and lead her down the hallway. “I’m not, actually. Just… weary. Lots of turbulence.” 
“Well,” Elsa dragged out, “mom called.” 
“Of course she did.” 
Elsa chuckled. They entered the apartment at the same time that she announced, “Their flight’s canceled ‘til tomorrow.” 
Anna rolled her eyes. “Shocker.” She paused in the middle of the spacious living room, taking things in. It all looked so perfect. The immaculate furniture, the carefully arranged throw pillows, the pristine wooden floor, the tall plant in the corner that looked real. And then the absolute mess of a storm that was happening outside the window. “I told her since the beginning this was—” 
“A bad idea?” 
Anna turned to where Elsa still stood in the hallway, a hand resting on the handle of her suitcase. 
“What—” 
“Mom told me,” she provided, a sad, apologetic smile slowly appearing on her face. 
Anna’s stomach churned. “I’m sorry. I just meant that—you know, Miami’s weather isn’t the best at this time of year and maybe we could have gone somewhere else like the woods or a small town or, I don’t know, New York or something.” 
“Of course. Yeah.” Elsa rubbed her arm in what Anna could tell was a sign of self-consciousness. “The weather’s pretty bad, huh?” 
“The worst,” she awkwardly agreed. 
They stood in silence for a few seconds before Elsa pointed her thumb in the kitchen’s direction. “I have wine. Would you like some?” 
Anna felt a sliver of ease. “Wine would be nice.” 
She sunk into the sofa while Elsa went to grab a bottle of chardonnay and a couple of glasses. Through the window behind her, she could see that the storm had gathered force. Gusts of wind whipped the heavy rain around while the trees were roughened by it, moving sideways as if tugged by a rope. The street lights, it seemed, shone for a deserted world. 
“Are you hungry?” Elsa asked once she was back from the kitchen. “I can cook something real quick if you are.” 
“I had lunch before getting on the plane,” she answered as she watched Elsa pour the wine. She let out an inconspicuous huff of breath, rubbed her sweaty palms on her jean-clad thighs. Guilt gnawed at her insides. But she meant what she’d said. This was a bad idea because of the weather. Nothing else but that. 
So why did she still feel so guilty? 
“Thank you,” she muttered when Elsa handed her the glass of wine. She watched her join her on the sofa, prop both feet up, fix her platinum blond hair by running a hand through it. Anna wasn’t sure why such a banal action drew so much of her attention. So she decided to look everywhere that wasn’t her sister. “This place is cozy,” she commented.
“It looks like it’s been pulled straight out of a catalogue,” Elsa said. 
“I mean…” 
“It’s okay, you can say it.” 
She chuckled. “Fine. It does. But it’s still nice, and it’s very you.” 
“Very me?” 
“Yeah, you know,” she shrugged, “perfect.” 
Something flashed across Elsa’s eyes that was gone before Anna could discern it. The guilt grew. She tried to mollify it. “You did a good job, though, seriously.” 
“I should take that as a compliment, coming from a successful real estate agent.” 
Anna rolled her eyes but the smile on her lips gave her away. Being called successful by the one person who’d always seemed to be better than her at everything felt nothing short of amazing. “I should hang a sign on your door that says ‘Holmen Approved’.”
Elsa laughed, which instinctively made her smile grow. “What an honor.”
A thunder rumbled in the sky. Anna wondered if it would be a good idea to close the curtains. Watching the city being trashed by a thunderstorm didn’t exactly scream comfort.
“This is my first Miami storm, you know?” Elsa suddenly said. 
“Popped your cherry then.”
Her sister’s foot bumped against hers. “Gross.”
Anna took the time to take a large swig of wine. She wanted to take the edge off herself; get rid of that nagging notion that this was bound to end up being a disastrously awkward night simply because she did not know how to act normal around Elsa. “So how’s the city treating you overall?” she decided to ask, aware that she’d probably asked this before but unable to come up with anything else at the moment.
“I can’t say it’s been bad,” Elsa said, “But I’m looking forward to starting the school year. I’ve had too much free time on my hands.” 
“So there’s no one in your life?” she found herself asking.
“I…” Elsa tilted her head, giving her a curious look, “I would have told you if there were,” she said in a voice that ignited in Anna a deep feeling of shame. How many people had she been with that she had not told her sister about? 
“Besides,” Elsa added, “I just moved here. You know I’m no social butterfly.”
“Right,” she said before she looked away. How could she have forgotten? Elsa had always liked spending time at home rather than being outside, meeting people and making new friends. She liked her books and her European authors whose names Anna could never pronounce. She liked her solitude, her quiet time. And yet… Yet, it had always been her the one unwilling to lose touch.
“What about you?”
“Hm?”
“What about you?” Elsa repeated. “Anyone in your life?”
Anna found it a little comical that they were carrying themselves as if they hadn’t talked in years rather than three days ago. “No,” she responded, “Not for a while.” 
Elsa’s gaze carried a strange sense of intimacy. “I’m sure there’s someone out there…” 
She paused. “Right now? I hope not.” 
The hearty laugh that broke out of Elsa caught her by surprise. It was so uncommon in her that for a moment Anna did not know how to react. All she could process was the way she swooned despite herself, feeling warm all over and even, she dared think, happy. Happy in the company of Elsa in a way she had not been so in years. 
The lights went out some time later, while she was in the bathroom and Elsa was back in the kitchen preparing something to eat. It was one of those things that was predictable yet appalling, and the only thing Anna could think of saying in the middle of the pitch black room was, “Well shit.” 
Back in the living room, Elsa was moving around with her cellphone acting like a single spotlight at a club. She was lighting candles, placing them each on strategic places. “All these catalogue candles are finally going to serve a purpose,” she said, and Anna couldn’t help but smile at the offhandedness of it.
It wasn’t until they’d sat back down, bathed in the warm light of the candles while they ate and shared a lighthearted conversation, that Anna could have laughed at it all. 
Because her mother was right. It was like old times.
~~~
The window had ceased to rattle from the gusts of wind outside, but the power had yet to return and the rain had yet to stop. The food was gone and so was the chocolate bar Elsa had taken out of the non-working fridge. A new bottle of wine sat on the coffee table amidst lit up candles. The girls sat on each side of the sofa, facing each other. 
“There’s no way he said that,” Anna laughed. She was nursing her third glass of wine, more at ease now than she had been the whole two preceding days. 
“He did,” Elsa groaned while she covered her face with the hand that wasn’t holding her own drink. “And then he slipped me a note and winked at me. He winked at me!”
“What did the note say?” 
“Something about how he’d been crushing on me since I gave that Durkheim lecture in class. Can you imagine? How bold he had to be to slip a note like that to his professor?” 
Anna laughed some more. “Can you blame him though?” 
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” she responded, embarrassed still.
“Kinda hard to blame him at all for having a crush on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I—” Anna paused. What did she mean? “You know, you’re just,” she waved a hand in her general direction, “you.”
Elsa arched an amused eyebrow. “Me.” 
“Yeah. You’re just… really crushable. No. Wait. That came out wrong. I just—I mean you’re just so pretty and smart and your hair’s always so perfect and you’re practically good at everything you do. So what's—what’s not to like?”
Elsa was biting her lip. It was very distracting. “You think too highly of me,” she murmured.
Anna frowned. “No, I don’t. Or maybe I do. But that’s because it’s true.”
“But it’s not…” She shook her head, trailing off. 
Lightning suddenly illuminated the room. Anna readied herself for the thunder while across from her Elsa began to recoil. The loud bang came at last, making her sister visibly wince.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You sure?” 
Elsa shrugged nonchalantly. “Thunder just makes me anxious.” She took a sip of wine as if to restate the casualty of her words, but Anna wasn’t convinced. She watched her closely for a handful of seconds while in her mind she struggled to make a decision. She dwelt on it, bit the inside of her cheek in hesitation. But in the end, the need to comfort Elsa won over everything else.
“Come here,” she said.
“What?”
Anna spread her legs open and patted the empty space between them. “Come here.” 
She playfully rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid, Anna.”
“If you don’t tell anyone, I won’t either.” 
Elsa bit her lip again. And again, Anna’s eyes traveled down to witness it. She set her glass of chardonnay on the coffee table. Might be best to stay clear of alcohol for the rest of the night. 
Elsa moved slowly across the sofa until she finally settled between her legs, facing forward. Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa’s midriff, and was unable to ignore how the whole of her seemed to react to the touch, the proximity, the warmth of Elsa’s body. She rested her chin on her shoulder, felt the way Elsa relaxed and leaned back. A smile appeared on her face. She could not remember the last time they’d embraced like this. 
“You weren’t scared of thunder before,” she pointed out in a soft voice.
“Probably one of those things that comes with age.”
She was amused by her answer. “We’re not that old.”
“But we’re not ten anymore,” came Elsa’s whispered retort. She finished the last of her wine and stretched an arm to place the empty glass next to Anna’s on the table. As she rearranged herself again, Anna paid close attention to the softened features of her face in the dimness of the room. She traced with her eyes the lines of her profile, the freckles that had always been fainter than hers, and the lips that, for some reason, kept drawing her attention tonight.
“What?” Elsa asked.
Anna blinked. “Nothing,” she said, heat prickling the back of her neck.
Her sister shifted slightly in their embrace in give her a side glance. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because.”
“Hasn’t dad told us enough times that ‘because’ is—”
“Not an answer,” Anna finished. “Yes, I’m aware.”
Elsa cast her another glance, lingering this time in a more intimate way. "Then tell me.“
She hesitated. “Were you always this stubborn?”
“No,” Elsa chuckled, “that was you. Stubborn and determined.” 
“Well, I had to be.”
“Why do you say that?”
Anna’s lips parted but no words left her. They were drowned in silence for a moment, the rain incessant against the window. What could she possibly say to that? How could she possibly explain that the sole reason of her determination—of her never-ending stubbornness—was the one sitting safely in her arms?
She rested her chin on Elsa’s shoulder and looked down instead, focusing on the hand that rested atop hers; on the hand whose fingertips had been drawing loose patterns on her skin only seconds ago, drawing a comfort she did not know she deeply needed.
“Anna?”
“Yes?” she answered, lost someplace else.
“Say something…”
She slowly tensed up. There was so much vulnerability in Elsa’s voice that she knew she wasn’t just seeking random thoughts and vacant words. But where Elsa wanted the truth that hid beneath her silence, Anna wanted none of the insecurities that came along with it. She wanted none of the detachment, none of the things that could separate her from her sister. Not tonight. Not again. But no matter how hard she tried, the thoughts persisted. Like a nagging passenger in the backseat of her mind, Anna could not ignore what had been so deeply ingrained into her life.
“It’s dumb,” she murmured at last.
“I’m sure it’s not.”
Anna breathed a weary sigh through her nose. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head to the side, resting against Elsa’s. Her mouth opened again, then closed. Words felt heavy in her tongue, reluctant to come out.
“Why won’t you just drop it?” she asked.
“Because,” Elsa said, “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me.”
“Is that what you think I feel?”
“Is it not?”
At her silence, Elsa extricated herself from Anna’s arms. She moved in the sofa until she was facing Anna, sitting still between her legs, knees digging into the cushion. The light of the candles danced in the blue of her eyes, piercing Anna’s own until the air left her in one quiet rush. There lay an ardency beneath them, captivating and impossible to look away from, so much so that Anna’s desire to stay quiet shifted into something else entirely.
But then Elsa was talking again, and again, she was asking to know what was going on in Anna’s head. And out of everything she’d ever had to learn, why could she not have learned to deny Elsa a thing?
She gathered what she could of the scattered remnants of her past, of the cumulus of memories that ruled most of her decisions and shaped their relationship into what it was today. The impotence of feeling like she’d never be as good as Elsa turned into the impotence of being unable to put it into words. The back of her eyes stung. A lump formed in her throat. She waved a hopeless hand in Elsa’s direction, and let it drop in defeat.
“I look at you,” she finally said, “and I see all the things I’ll never amount to.” Pain flashed across Elsa’s eyes, causing Anna to look down at the space between them. “I can’t see anything else but that,” she softly added, “and it gets in the way… It’s been getting in the way for so long.”
“Anna, I…” She went quiet. Anna could see the way her chest rose and fell. The brow that was marred with sadness and regret. “I wish I’d known this sooner.”
“Why?”
“So that I could show all the ways you’re a much better person than me.” 
She let out a humorless chuckle. “That’s so unlikely it sounds ridiculous.”
“How?” Elsa questioned. She inched closer until her hands were cupping Anna’s cheeks. “Please tell me how so that I can prove you wrong.”
At the impossibility of looking away, Anna ended up lost in her sister’s eyes. “I don’t know,” she whispered, deep down knowing she would never find an answer to that.
“I know you think I’m this perfect human being,” Elsa murmured, “and that I have everything I could hope for. But the truth is that all the accomplishments in my life could never compare to the mere presence of you in it. And still… I’ve always missed you, even when you were right next to me.”
Anna’s eyes fluttered closed. The walls were crumbling around her and all she wanted was for Elsa to become her solace.
A thumb caressed her cheek, and she leaned into the touch without thinking. Her heart was thumping heavily in her chest. Her voice was raw when she finally asked, “Do you miss me now?”
“… No.” 
Slowly, Anna opened her eyes. A tender smile was tugging at Elsa’s lips and, like a magnet, the depth of Elsa’s gaze drew her in. She leaned closer until they were breathing the same air and the buzzing in her mind had quietened to a vacant hum. The wind howled, but all Anna could register was the blood pulsing in her ears and the barest of sighs as she softly pressed her lips against Elsa’s.
It was sudden and overwhelming. An impulse fueled by a feverish pleasure that soon drove her to press harder by capturing Elsa’s lower lip between hers. She sucked lightly, eliciting the softest moans out of Elsa as warmth shot straight through her body and settled between her legs. It wasn’t until she nibbled, hoping to elicit a greater reaction out of her sister, that Elsa’s lips parted and their tongues met in a desperate need that would not be satiated.
Submerged in candlelight, their bodies shifted until Anna was lying on top of Elsa with both forearms framing her head. There was no pause in between, only the innate desire for more. Anna could feel her sister writhing beneath her, subtle movements of her hips bucking while her hands trailed up Anna’s back. The room was growing hot. She could feel the smoldering heat in this sweater she wanted to take off as soon as possible. But it was hard to do that when Elsa would not stop kissing her in a way she’d never been kissed before. Her passion shook Anna to the core. It sent waves of ecstasy through her body.
With one last sucking motion on Elsa’s lower lip, she kissed her way down the line of her jaw and towards the warm, soft spot below her ear. The scent of gardenias reached her nostrils. A low, throaty moan reached her ears. Elsa’s hand weaved itself through her hair as she bucked her hips for the last time that night.
The power came back on and all Anna could think of for a dreadful split second was that their parents had walked in on them. She froze with Elsa’s fingers still in her hair and her lips parted in a mix of shock and fear. She was panting, her arms shaking from the propped up position she was in. Below her, Elsa was dead silent.
In the seconds that followed, Anna quickly sat up and looked at her sister with wide, frightened eyes. Elsa’s hair was disheveled, her lips here rosy and plump. The air escaped her lungs in one quick, short breath.
What had they done?
“I’m so sorry,” Anna rushed out, all but falling off the couch on her way out of the living room.
“Wait—”
She did not listen. Her feet carried her down the hallway.
“Anna—”
She ran out of the apartment, the door slamming shut behind her.
Blinded by panic, Anna sprinted towards the exit. She heard a door opening and shutting again, her name being called out. She registered the everlasting emptiness of the lobby before the front glass doors parted, leading her out into the night and a city that was still being pounded down by rain. There, covered only by the roof of the driveway, she froze again, aware of her feet clad in nothing but the mismatched socks she’d put on this morning and the flimsy sweater she’d wanted to get rid of mere minutes ago.
Elsa’s helpless voice came from behind her: “Anna.”
She heaved a sigh and, a moment later, turned around. Elsa was standing there, in socks and downbeat, watching Anna with eyes that begged her to stay. 
“I’m sorry,” Anna said, loud enough that it could be heard above the downpour.
“Don’t apologize. Please.”
“But I shouldn’t have—” She looked away, withdrawing into herself. Her mind was a mess. All that talk about Elsa being perfect must have gotten to her head, messed with her feelings. They got carried away, that was all. It did not matter that she’d enjoyed kissing her. It could not matter.
But Elsa… 
Anna looked at her again; at the person who’d always given her nothing but unconditional love and support. She saw the person who’d taken her out for ice cream after she flunked her calculus test in twelfth grade, the one who’d cheered the loudest when she graduated college. She saw the twelve year-old girl who’d turned six chocolate gold coins into medals and draped them around Anna’s neck that one memorable summer. She saw them all in the woman Elsa had become and was overcome by an insurmountable need to cry. Because Elsa had been the greatest constant in her life and still, Anna felt as if she were seeing her for the first time. Imperfect but beautiful all the same.
“Come back inside,” Elsa murmured at last, taking a step closer towards her.
“But what we did…”
Elsa shook her head and extended a hand for Anna to take. “What we did, we can figure it out together.”
Lightning gave way to thunder, but Elsa barely flinched: Anna was finally holding her hand.
They fell into each other’s arms the same imminent way that sunshine follows the rain. Anna let herself be held as she burrowed into the warmth of Elsa’s neck and hugged her tighter around the waist. Tears prickled her eyes before she shut them closed. They would figure it out, she reminded herself. Whatever this was—whatever this could be—they would do it together. 
“You know,” Elsa said after a while, holding her still, “I don’t think either of us would have made it very far in socks.”
“I did realize pretty late that this was a bad idea.”
Elsa hummed. “Seems like the night’s been full of bad ideas, huh?”
“Maybe not all of them were bad,” she dared to say in a voice so low that the words would have been lost to the rain had her sister not been so close.
“Maybe,” Elsa whispered, holding her tighter and placing a lingering kiss on the side of her head. 
21 notes · View notes
scandeniall · 3 years
Text
cause u were my baby
pairing: atsumu x (implied black)f!reader (ur Aran’s sister but if u wanna imagine youre adopted go ahead no physical descriptors)
summary/warnings: honestly just based off my boo by usher. ur life around atsumu over the years (from kids to adults)/implied nsfw at the end when ur adults, bad words, thats it./timeskip spolier 
a/n: format might be weird because i was initially doing these as headcanons but kept going and it changed. also also started with a sakusa version based on this song so um tune in next whenever i finish it oop-
wc:4.4k 
It started when we were younger, you were mine 
You’re not exactly sure when you’d met Atsumu. It seemed like he was always around. From the first day Aran came home trailing two considerably shorter twins behind him you’d been intrigued. 
“Aran you never told us ya had a sister!” When they found out your name and exclaimed how cool it was there was no way you could’ve predicted your future. 
Eventually it became a tiny school girl crush, on one of them as kids (you couldn’t quite tell them apart for the longest). You’d be overly happy whenever Aran brought them around, and always asked to tag along with him, but only when he mentioned he’d be seeing the twins. 
You’d watched over the years as your brother only grew closer to them and as a result so did you, sorta. In middle school you’d come back from hanging with your own friends to hear the twins bickering while your brother just continued in with his homework. Being in the same year, you’d occasionally be dragged into helping them out, or sharing answers when it was too hard and “they’d learn it later, but need the answers now.”
At some point during middle school you’d grown an official crush on Atsumu, opting to take his side more often than not within his competition with Osamu. Despite that, nothing ever came of it as kids. 
The older you got, the more attractive they’d seem to get, but you never paid much attention. After all, once you reached the world of high school, your young crush practically disappeared. Instead you’d taken a liking to all the new people you were exposed to.  
As they got more and more passionate about volleyball and you parted class ways you never really saw them, except for the occasional times they’d come to your house. Even then, the conversations were short. Growing more confident, and friendly you’d still jokingly take Atsumu’s side to which he’d parade around like he’d won the lottery. “At least someone thinks I’m right.” 
Of course you’d heard about Atsumu’s lack of popularity among his teammates. You’d overheard Osamu telling him at lunch one day to be nicer, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the lack of care he showed for others thoughts on his personality. As long as he was doing his job as a setter all’s good. 
“Don’t think you’d say that if they decided to throw you in a ditch one day,” you’d tease hovering over their lunch table. “Maybe you should be a little nicer,”
“If they suck, then they suck.” 
For the rest of your first year your conversations took on similar natures. One of you’d overhear something then butt in for a few moments before returning to your regularly scheduled lives. 
You’d watch as the two of them grew into their volleyball skills, alongside your brother cheering from the sidelines as much as you could. Come your 2nd year Their notoriety and your connection to them caused a spike in your popularity. It was something that came to the irritation of your brother. 
“Another date?” Your brother eyed the way you searched for the perfect pair of shoes while you waved him off. 
You’d heard about the twins biggest fight. Osamu admitted that he’d be quitting volleyball after high school. Heard about the way Atsumu reacted, seen the way they stopped sitting together at lunch
“Shouldn’t ya be with yer friends,” the blonde twin mumbles, continuing to stab at the rice he’d brought for lunch. Or that Osamu packed, which is precisely why he couldn’t eat it. You slid into the empty seat in front of him, not even phased. 
“Atsumu you need to make up with your Osamu. You two are driving Aran mad. And more importantly you need each other.” Your hand stops his that were previously stabbing at the food, by knocking the chopsticks out. With a sigh, you move the bento he’d been messing over and replace it with your own lunch. “Since you’re on your whole anti Samu stance, figured I’d get you some non Samu food. I’ll be eating this by the way.” You were intentional in keeping your voice light not wanting to further upset the firecracker. “I’m waiting on my thank you.”
“For what. Tryna get me to talk to the traitor-“
“Atsumu. He's your brother. Grow up. I’m just trying to help out my friends-“
“Yer just Aran’s sister who has a stupid crush on Samu. That’s why yer taking his side,” at that your eyes widen and the annoyance starts to set. Before you could refute he cuts you off.  “We’re not friends. Never have been and never will be. Go hang out with Samu if you’re that desperate”
Silence settled upon the two of you before you swallowed the lump that had started to form. 
“You’re right. We’re not friends and I’m just Aran’s stupid little sis how could i forget,” your tone is mocking as you gather up your own food. “You clearly have some issues to work through with Osamu and you’re upset but I’m not gonna be your verbal punching bag. Keep the lunch,” you sigh before standing. “I’ll see you around, maybe.” Atsumu couldn’t pinpoint it then but there sense of finality in your voice might’ve aided in the further irritation he carried through the rest of the day. 
You’re not even sure when the twins got back on good terms. One day they’d started hanging back out at your place with Aran however you made it a point to never be around. It wasn’t until your brother’s graduation months later that Atsumu caught you for more than a few fleeting seconds. 
“He’s really graduated huh-“ you were sitting in the empty gym after the ceremony. Everyone else had gone outside before you ditched your family with the promise of catching up and being back for Aran’s celebratory dinner. However Atsumu had watched you slip back in and curiosity killed the fox. 
“Hey Tsumu,” you hummed, eyes glued on the chairs covering the floor. You only glanced at him once you felt the bleachers creak and did as he settled next to you. 
“Why’re ya in here (Y/N)”
“Just thinking. I’m gonna miss him-“
“Arans really leaving us for the big guys huh- they grow up so fast.” The lightness in Atsumu’s voice has you smiling before shaking your head before focusing back on the gym floor. 
“Not Aran. Well- yeah I’m gonna miss him too but I’m talking about my boyfriend. Well ex who kinda broke up with me yesterday. Something about going off to Uni and needing something new. Seeing him here too was weird.”
Atsumu just nods. He’d heard that you’d started dating some 3rd year shortly after your disagreement. According to Aran and even Osamu the guy wasn’t necessarily a bad guy but wasn’t really a good one either. “(Y/N) could do better but if she’s happy,” he’d listen to Aran complain before, a rarity from a guy who tried seeing the good in people. And it was true, you were happy. Extremely so. 
“Sorry about that,” you just give him another nod before he sighs. “M’sorry about blowing up at ya a while back too. Saying that we weren’t friends,”
“Is Miya Atsumu apologizing for someone.” Your fake shock is accompanied by you turning your body to face his. “Do I need to get this on camera for proof. Where’s Rin.” The way you pull out your phone pretending to film has him laughing before jokingly telling you to shut it. 
“You worked things out with Samu?”
Atsumu only shrugs. “I’m still pissed but we still have 1 more year. And I gotta focus on being happier and more successful.”
“Do I even wanna know?”
Instead of responding Atsumu just stands before offering you a hand. “Ya going to the party?” He was referring to the one the parents had planned to celebrate the graduates. It was at your house but you weren’t sure if you were gonna actually show or just hang with a friend for a few hours. You still hadn’t taken his hand up and he looked at it expectedly. 
“Hadn’t decided. Kinda sad ya know,” you joke before taking it. 
“All the more reason. Forget about that loser. Besides if Aran finds out I knew ya were sad and did nothin’ he’d kick my ass.” You thought for a moment before caving, not even noticing had neither of you had let go. 
That was the start of it all for you two. Following the party you’d rekindled your friendship with the twin and as break started the two of you grew closer. There’d been many nights when you two would sneak out and go on late night adventures. Convenience store runs. Scooter rides or even to parks to help him practice. You’d even started hanging around when they had official team practices to where he’d started walking you home. 
Your first kiss happened on one of those walks. Your arms had brushed several times as he complained about poor spikes or missed serves and how they weren’t gonna be Karasuno with that performance. 
“They’re stressing you out just how you stressed Kita out captain”
“And yer brother,” you nod as your hands brushed again. “How’s he doin anyways,” 
“Pretty good. Just practicing a lot and stuff. He’s always tired when we talk.” Another brush. You start tuning Atsumu out as you debate on making a move. The two of you had gotten considerably closer to the point where people had teased calling him your boyfriend. However you could’ve been imagining it and the chemistry. Maybe he just saw you as a sister much like Osamu but picked up on your feelings and didn’t wanna hurt them and ruin things. 
“Hey Atsumu,” the way you stopped had him confused. However before he could question it you started. “Do you like me? Like-like me?”
He thought for a moment before answering just with a shrug. “Well yeah. Course Aran would kill me for some of my thoughts but—yeah.” You weren’t even sure why you were so surprised with the ease of how he admitted it. He always said what he meant and all you could do was nod before managing to could out something that sounded like “good”
“Good. That’s all ya gotta say? C’mon (Y/N) give me something. Do ya like me?” With a nod from you he finds himself surprisingly flustered before doing the same as you. Only this time he’d moved closer head lowering. “Well that’s good”
The two of you started dating shortly after and into your last year. It wasn’t something that went unnoticed either. The way he’d lean against your locker trying to be cool, definitely falling more than once. The few people that had been privy to your quick makeout sessions when you’d meet up in empty hallways while you were supposed to be using the restroom. The way you’d started eating lunch together more often and if people played enough attention they’d noticed that you often shared drinks because “things taste better when they aren’t yours.” Then the most obvious, how you’d hang around early at games and stayed after and how he was so excited to beat Karasuno at nationals that he’d actually made out with you in public. (Aran had nearly murdered him upon finding out about that)
After graduation you two had gone off to different places and it was a struggle. There were arguments about not making time for one another. Between your academics and his pursuit at going pro, it was a struggle. But things were always made worth it. The time you’d created and sent him a care package and he texted you back a selfie with the basket with tears in his eyes. Or how you made the 3 hour train ride down for important matches or during your school breaks because he’d sounded super down about not being able to nail a new serve. 
There were times where he’d stay on video call with you long after he should’ve been in bed because you were stressed about finals and up still studying. Then the time he surprised you by coming down for a milestone birthday. He’d showed up at your apartment at some odd hour completely exhausted and ready to fall over the second you opened the door. 
“Atsumu?”
“Surprise baby,” he slurred using the last bit of his energy to hug you tightly. “Happy birthday”
“Tsumu what are you doing here,” you’d pull away however he attached himself back to you arms locked around your middle and face buried in the side of your neck.
“Talk later, sleep now.” You find yourself nodding before prying his hands off your and intertwining them with yours. 
“Let’s get you some sleep Tsumu”
There were the late night drives as young adults listening to old school music and singing your hearts out just having fun. It was during the holidays and you two had both gone back home to be with your families. 
“Hey babe technically this is us.” Atsumu is the one to turn the radio down as a familiar song starts. “And you were my babyyyyy,” His screeching fills the car causing you to laugh and swat the hand that had been casually resting on your thigh off. “It started when we were younger-”
“Atsumu shut up and pay attention to the road.” You smile as his hand immediately finds its way back on you. “But you are my boo.”
The night the Jackals beat the Adlers you were sure Atsumu would want to go out and party and you were more than fine with it. However while waiting for him to finish up you’d gotten word of his celebratory plans from a post game interview. “Just gna hang at home. Watch a few movies, eat a cheat meal, ya know.” 
It’s about an hour later before Atsumu meets up with you at the stadium's entrance. You notice how his hair hadn’t fully dried as he shifts his duffel bag to the other arm to grab your hand on your preferred hand holding side as the two of you make your way across the parking lot. “Are you sure you don’t wanna go out with the guys?”
The squeeze of his hand confirms his decision. “I’ll see em’ tomorrow. We haven’t spent much time together these days. As the two of you approach the car you let go before asking him if he wanted you to drive. After he confirmed he was good to you slipped into the passenger seat listening as he tossed his bag in the back before sliding into the driver's seat. “Besides,” his hand makes its way towards your cheek, guiding your face to his. “I can think of a much better way to celebrate.”
“Is that so?” Your tease is quiet as you inch closer lips only a hair away. He’s the one who closes the space and you immediately reciprocate. Your lips immediately move against his mumbling a “congratulations” against his lips. You indulge it for a moment before pulling away to press kisses up his neck until you reach his ear before whispering something. 
“Are ya serious?” At your nod he lets out a groan that you can’t help but laugh at him. “Yer gonna be the death of me one day”
“Love you too.”
The day he found out he’d made the Olympic team had been cause for celebration for more than one reason. The two of you had been getting ready for a regular day of running errands when he got the call. After hanging up he yelled for you so loud it could have gotten a noise complaint from neighbors. 
“Atsumu why are you yelling. Im in the bathroom not fucking Antarctica.”
“I’m on the Olympic team baby.”
Following that you decided to turn the day into an Atsumu day something that made his heart swell. From the way you kept telling him how proud of him you were to watching his favorite movie even though you hated it. Once you insisted on making his favorite for dinner he knew it was time. In return he convinced you to get dressed in something other than sweats to eat dinner on your couch. “I just think we should take some pictures so I can show off my biggest supporter,” is what he told you with a shrug when you questioned it.
You also shouldve known something was up when he insisted that he had desert covered, because the man couldn’t bake for shit. “It's a delivery, cmon have some faith in me.”
“I do baby. In everything except for baking.”
You’d just finished eating dinner and the two of you were cuddled on the couch watching another movie, one of your boyfriend’s choices. You’d shifted uncomfortably for the fifth time before looking at Atsumu. “Can I change yet, these jeans aren’t comfortable anymore.” You were caught off guard when he moved so that he pulled you so that you were straddling him.
“Better?” 
“Not at all,” you rolled your eyes while he just laughed, fingers squeezing at your hips. 
“Just wait til desert, yer brother’s on his way with it now.” He placed a quick kiss on the skin of your collarbone before pointing at his phone for you to hand to him. “Did he tell ya he's on the olympic team too?”
“He's my brother. I was gonna treat him to dinner tomorrow. You tell Samu yet?”
“Not yet. Was gonna do it after Aran left.” You don’t miss the way Atsumu tries to hide the messages on his phone, his brightness all the way down, something he usually hates. Before you can question anything he's pulling you so that your lips meet his. “Stop looking so concerned,” he whispers against your lips. 
“Yer so fuckin pretty baby,” the way his fingers tighten against your sides and the way his tongue slips into your mouth has the quietest moan coming out of your mouth. You pout as he pulls away settling for kisses along your neck instead. “You’ve been so good to me today. Can’t wait to get to bed with you.”
Before anything could go any further a knock on the door interrupts. “It's probably Ojiro,” you whine, mildly annoyed at your brother for interrupting you from where things were headed. “Tsumu let go,” you frown at the failed attempt of getting off him. You've met with a quick kiss before his palm comes firm against your ass, a yelp escaping. With that he lets you go laughing at the scowl you shoot him as he goes to get the door. 
You don’t even bother to look at the two yet you can hear Aran’s scold that the two of you were disgusting.
“How’d ya know we were even doin anything”
“Your lips are swollen.” After that the two of them get into a whispered conversation that you can’t pick up on no matter how hard you try to listen. Before you know it your brother crosses through the apartment to place a box in the kitchen before joining you in the living room. “Congrats big bro,” you stand hugging him slightly before plopping down on the couch. He gives a smile of thanks before changing the subject.
“Miya here isn’t corrupting you too much right.” You both ignore Atsumu’s exclaim that he isn’t the one corrupting anyone has you hear him shuffle around in the kitchen. 
When he gets back he brings the box, some plates and a few utensils. “What is it?” He nearly trips trying to set it all down before you get up to help him. After helping him you notice that he doesn’t sit back on the couch and looks off. “Tsumu are you ok?” You give your brother a concerned look but he just shrugs. 
“(Y/N). could ya,” he nervously motions for you to stand back up and you comply confused. Grabbing his hand you watch him carefully, silently trying to check in on him. When he doesn’t answer you lean up to place a quick kiss on his lips. A silent “I love you,’ something that seems to calm him down. “I I love you too”
“You wanna sit down now?”
“Yeah just let me get this off my chest first?” Your nod is his signal to continue. “I don't remember when I met ya. At all. All I know is that there was this super cool guy with a super cool name and me and Samu kinda just followed him around. Then we found out he had a little sister.” You were used to some of Atsumu’s mindless babbling but the reason for bringing that up right then and in front of Aran was still going over your head. 
“Somewhere along the way I fell in love with ya. I can tell ya that the first day I realized my crush was after Aran’s graduation. You were sittin in the gym and we just talked. You were sad about some loser and I didnt like that. Course I couldn't say anythin cause we weren’t even really friends then.” That pause is when what might be happening hits you and you freeze. It’s something Atsumu notices right away, eyes looking at you with concern. “Ya alright?”
The only thing you could do was nod offering a slight squeeze of his hand prompting him to continue. “Alright—where was I —ok. Then we got together and I knew it was love. Ya made me feel like I was I’m top of the world even when I was a jackass.”
“I almost thought we wouldn’t make it when ya when off to university. It was hard but we made it. we used to argue so much about stupid shit back then too. You were there before anyone knew who I was as a kid and have stayed with me all the way to being an Olympic athlete.” 
At this point you watch as he begins to kneel and you’re hit with the fact that he’s really about to do it. You’re nodding before he even asks which causes him to laugh. “Let me finish alright.”
“I’m so in love with everything about you and after the announcement I realized we weren’t gettin any younger. You’ve been my boo since we were 17 and here we are almost a decade later. You’re still my boo and I want it forever. So (Y/N) will you marry me?”
You’re not even sure real words came out before you’ve tackled him to the ground in a hug immediately pressing kisses all over his face. Your eyes are teary as his hand rubs comforting circles on your back. The two of you are there for a few moments before Aran finally clears his throat. 
“I can't believe my little sister is engaged. And to Atsumu no less.congratulations you two.” He shoots you both a warm smile as he watches the two of you. After getting up your arms fling immediately around Aran. 
“Did you know about this,” the tears finally begin to fall as he just laughs confirming. “I can't believe you let him ambush me like this.” You feel your brother's arms embrace you at the mixture of laughing and crying. 
“Hey, I knew he was proposing soon, not the day. He just called me up earlier claiming today was the day. Now stop crying and look at the cake.” Confusion crosses your face until you’re turned around to see Atsumu holding a cake that reads: marry me? (pls) the ring placed right under the words. 
After you'd calmed down the three of you just sat in the living room catching up when you realized something. “Atsumu, you were so corny with the song reference.” Looking at Aran the two of you immediately burst into laughter. “I can't believe you referred to me as your boo. Out loud and in all seriousness”
“I got it on camera too. Got him in 4K” Aran shakes his head. 
“I can't believe this. I propose and yet still clowning me. I miss when ya were all emotional,” your fiancé huffs. Despite that he doesn’t move at all from sitting so close that your legs touched. His eyes kept shooting at the ring on your finger and the desire to get you alone grew by the minute. At some point his hand slipped from the back of the couch to your thigh offering a squeeze. 
It was then that Aran cleared his throat. “That’s my cue to head on out. I’ll see you tomorrow sis. Congrats again you two. Don’t—I’m not ready to be an uncle yet, s’all I gotta say.” 
“After the Olympics work better for ya teammate?” 
“How about never Miya” 
The two of you bid your brother one last goodbye after the warning and before the door is even fully closed your fiancé is pulling you back into his lap. Your heart swells at the way Atsumu’s eyes look at you with so much love and your voice comes out way quieter than you intended. “Still can’t believe you quoted Usher”
Atsumu groans at that The hand that had been plaing with your, ghosting over the ring comes to a stop. . “I’m never showing anyone else that video.” 
“It’ll be our little secret.” 
“You're lying”
The smirk on your face tells him all he needs to know and all he can do is shake his head. “If yer gonna tell my deepest secret I’m gonna need you to make it up to me.” His hand slip around your waist, fingers skimming the space where your shirt had ridden up. you return the touch by trailing your hands until palms are placed again his chest. 
“I think we can arrange something. Isn’t that right pretty?” The touch and hushed words were enough to cause heat to flare across your skin. 
“What’d you’d have in mind?”
“A few things,” Atsumu leans close, placing kisses everywhere except your lips. First your close one. Then along your jaw. Right on the corner of your lips. “Think we’ve got some celebrating to do, fiancé.”
Atsumu forgot to tell Osamu that night and was ambushed the following morning after watching his private story in which Atsumu made you flash your hand to the camera with an obnoxious number of zooms with the caption: made the Olympic team and got my forever boo 🤪
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aimee-maroux · 3 years
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I hope you had a joyful start into the holiday season 🕯️
This is the first scene from my November Patreon story, just some fun banter between Hermes and Apollon.
Chione
"Apollo and Mercurius [Hermes] are said to have slept the same night with Chione, daughter of Daedalion." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 200
Hermes followed Apollon's handsome servant into the god's bedroom. He had flown here with a burning question but the girl he had spotted bathing near Mount Parnassos had set alight a different fire. A petite beauty with shining eyes as dark as the night sky and long flaxen tresses. He had considered taking a detour but approaching a lady while bathing wasn't a very smart move. So he had continued on his way to the palace atop the peak of Mount Parnassos where his golden brother lived when he was not on Mount Olympos. Apollon hummed a melody, seated on the floor in front of a hole in the ground where he was working on a mosaic. Hermes had known the god of the arts for a long time and yet he was always amazed when he beheld the extraordinary beauty created by his skillful hands.
"Lord Apollon," the servant spoke softly, "Lord Hermes is here to see you."
Apollon looked up from his work with eyes the colour of a cloudless sky, a happy smile on his lips. He rose and Hermes flew into his arms for an embrace. Not that it had been long since they had last seen each other. Hermes always found one reason or another to drop by and if Apollon saw through the more flimsy excuses, he never said anything. Before the elder god even opened his mouth, Hermes blurtet:
"Brother! You won't believe the story I just heard in Messenia!"
"Get us a cup of nectar and some ambrosia for my brother," Apollon told his servant, then he turned to Hermes. "Sit down, little gossip, and tell me the story."
Hermes impatiently sat down on Apollon's bed, the wings on his sandals buzzing with excitement.
"I was helping the shepherds as I often do – you're going to love this – and as we sat around the camp fire passing bread and wine–"
"You stayed for mortal food? Hermes, I–"
"Shush! So I'm enjoying a simple rustic bread with watered wine when one of them says he heard a story from his older brother about Hermes and Apollon visiting the sacred grove of Karneios. So of course I ask him to tell the story."
"Of course."
"And he goes really quiet and says: 'Last year during the festival, Hermes and Apollon appeared in Messenia and wandered among the celebrants as they often do, unrecognised. Despite the loud music, the gods noticed the fearful cry of a lost lamb coming from the woods and, true to their nature, the keepers of the flocks followed it to bring it home. Only to find a shepherd boy, all by himself, trying desperately to protect the lamb from a wolf. The gods scared away the beast and, admiring the bravery of the shepherd boy, they both offered to lie with him beneath the stars. Wishing not to offend either of them, the shepherd boy asked if they would share his love like brothers and so Apollon and Hermes embraced him both and fulfilled their desire.'"
Apollon raised an eyebrow.
"That's what you came all the way from Messenia for? Some horny shepherd's fantasy?"
"Oh come on! You inspired it! You or one of the Muses!"
Apollon shrugged.
"It certainly wasn't me. What a load of bollocks."
"You totally fuck pretty shepherd boys, Apollon. Or have you already forgotten about Branchos?" Hermes nudged his brother with his elbow.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall the part where you swooped down from Olympos to join us in our love-making."
"Maybe deep down you wanted me there to help. That's why you inspired the Messenian shepherd to come up with that story."
"It's more likely one of my Muses developed an infatuation with you, wouldn't you say? It wasn't me."
"Could it have been unintentional? I'm you sure you were rock-hard setting every tile on that gorgeous mosaic." He nodded to the work in progress.
Apollon grinned.
"Someone is horny today."
"I knew it!"
"Not me. You."
Apollon's servant came in with a jug of nectar and two cups, followed by a girl with a platter ladden with ambrosia. They pulled the table from below Apollon's large bed and set out food and drink.
"If you came here for a tumble in the sheets, I have to disappoint you. But please, dig in."
Hermes didn't have to be told twice. The meals in Apollon's palace were always excellent. The god of the arts continued with his floor mosaic while Hermes ate, portraits of the Muses. Hermes thoughts wandered back to the bathing girl. If she had returned to her chambers, a linen robe covering her charms? When he returned, he would get her out of them with crafty words and tender hands. His lips would travel over smooth white skin, her sighs encouragement to be even bolder...
"I said: 'what other news from Messenia'?" Apollon said pointedly. Oh shit! Had he been talking all this time?
"Nothing much. A little help was needed with their livestock. I provided it," Hermes mumbled.
"It seems to me," Apollon said bluntly, "that your mind is somewhere else. Or your cock."
Hermes considered brushing it off with a lie but Apollon was vexingly good at seeing through them. So he put on a charming smile and said:
"Well, there is this girl..."
"I knew it."
"I spotted her on my way here. And on my way back..." He made an obscene gesture.
"Aha," Apollon said dryly. "Well, I have my sight set on a girl as well. Fair-cheeked Chione, the daughter of Daidalion, granddaughter of Eos' son the Evening Star. Beautiful golden hair, eyes as dark as the depths of Okeanos, and when I see her rosy arms I want nothing more than to hold her in my embrace. She doesn't live far from here, you may have seen her take a bath in the river around this time of day."
"Maybe I did." Hermes grinned. "I was lucky to catch my girl bathing."
"Just now?"
"Yes."
"What does she look like?"
"Blond, dark-eyed, petite... I guess we have similar taste. She looks exactly like you described the girl you fancy."
Apollon scowled.
"She is mine, Hermes, stay away from her."
"Yours? Did you get her with child or what do you mean?"
"You will not steal her away from me, do you hear me?"
"If you want her so badly, why haven't you taken her already."
Apollon was often enough rash with these things, all reason thrown to the wind.
"It wasn't the right time."
"Maybe for you it isn't. I plan on having a splendid time."
"Stay out of this, Hermes. I mean it." Apollon's voice had taken on a threatening tone that didn't sit well with Hermes. It meant that his brother was being serious and that playtime was over.
"That is so unfair! I saw her too. Why should you get to decide who takes her?"
"Because I'm the elder god and your older brother. We can have a contest for her, if you prefer losing on the race track again."
"You beat me ONE TIME. It was a fluke, I will gladly prove it to you!"
"Then run home to Olympos and get the stadion ready. There should be witnesses, don't you think?"
Hermes frowned. He couldn't wait to outrun Apollon in front of everyone. But if he left for Olympos now, he wouldn't get the chance to seduce Chione until after he had won, surely two days or more. He was horny now.
"Ooooor we could take inspiration from the mortals and, you know... share her? Like brothers?"
"Share her?" Apollon raised an eyebrow. "Are you already certain you will lose?"
Hermes rolled his eyes.
"No. But we could save ourselves the trouble of a competition. If you are willing."
"I suppose you can have her after I am done."
"No, I mean like..." Hermes put on his most charming smile. "Together."
"I see." Apollon seemed to deeply ponder the suggestion as if it were a tough mathematical problem.
"Look, it's very simple," Hermes interjected, "Instead of two partners, we will be three. So you get an extra partner to enjoy. Me."
Apollon looked down at him, his eyes soft.
"I know. I am working out the best way to go about it considering our difference in height and, well, size."
"So your answer is yes?"
"If you wait until tonight I shall be happy to go to bed with both of you."
"Deal!"
Apollon smiled.
"Await me after sunset."
"Oh by bountiful Gaia, I'm telling her! I'm telling her to work up an appetite because tonight, she gets double servings!"
~~~
Full story on my Patreon, including an explicit illustration by @roconita 🔥
In December, the story will be an Ikaros/Phaethon romance and there will be an article about the similarities of Christmas with the Roman Saturnalia.
Love, Aimée
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Text
My Pace (Drabble)
F/M Pairing: Y/N x Hwang Hyujin (SKZ)
Warnings: Smut and Language
Genre: Street Racer AU
Word Count: 2.5K
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Summary: Initially, Y/N only came to the race track because she wanted to keep a close eye on her mischievous little brother, Seungmin. She certainly didn’t expect to catch the attention of one of the racers who seems determined to impress her.
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I loved the rare mornings when the sky was nothing but an endless blue paradise, undisturbed in its picturesque setting. During the Summer, that often precluded long, miserable hot days, but in the Fall, the weather was much more tolerable. It also marked the start of my town’s local racing league, which basically meant that a bunch of high-school and college-aged teens showed up at the abandoned track downtown to race their sports cars.
They could race for hours, swerving dangerously around the curves and accelerating close enough to touch bumpers with the car in front of them. The smell of gasoline and burnt rubber was pervasive, and all the other girls seemed to go crazy. They would scream and cheer for the cars as they zoomed past the stands as if the drivers insider could possibly see their individual faces.
In all honesty, it actually wasn’t so bad, especially when they opened the concession stand booth because I could occupy my time with candy snacks and popcorn. But the only reason I even came to the track was because of my younger brother, Seungmin. If he wanted to sneak out of the house undetected by my parents to race, then I felt the need to follow him and ensure that he kept out of trouble. In such a dangerous and high-risk sport, I only wanted the best for my little brother.
I also knew that it would be impossible to dissuade his passion for racing, so it was best to simply linger around the edges of the track and watch him. Because, for the most part, the other competitors never tried to do anything too outlandish. They obeyed the rules since they couldn’t risk getting kicked out, and some of the older students even invited everyone to bonfire parties after the events. 
But I never went to those parties. I was only at the track to watch over Seungmin, and I trusted him enough to spend the night with Jeongin if he drank too much. You see, Seungmin enjoyed the social aspect of the races just as much as the actual competition, and he had tried to introduce me to his friends. They seemed nice enough, even if I only ever saw them after races with sweat perspiring on their skin, but I wasn’t looking for long-term friendships at the track. Because, at the end of the day, I didn’t share Seungmin’s passion for racing or the sleek model cars with impossibly loud engines.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Seungmin’s friends weren’t also disinterested in my company. Especially Hwang Hyunjin, the tall and lanky 16-year-old who embodied the phrase: “rebel without a cause.” Hyunjin always smoked cheap cigarettes while he waited for his partner-in-crime, Han Jisung, to make repairs under the hood of his Mustang. Apparently, the car was more trouble than it was worth, but Hyunjin had nothing else to race, so he was forced to worry over the engine on a regular basis.
He was very attractive, especially his figure, and I had caught myself staring a time or two when he crawled out from his car after a race. And Hyunjin also had long, blonde-colored hair that he pulled back away from his handsome face, exposing the expanse of his forehead and the proud cheekbones that stood out prominently. He always wore black jeans that were too big for him, and some corny t-shirt that hung limply from his shoulders. He was an irresponsible teen who didn’t seem to care that much for his safety, and he always made an effort to talk to me at the racing events, even though I had tried to make it clear that I wasn’t interested in his conversation.
For example, after one such event, Hyunjin arrogantly posed with his recently won trophy after securing first place yet again, wiping his greasy shirt sleeves against the plaque on the front. He easily found me in the stands, dropping the trophy onto the bleachers next to me before offering his best smile. “Did you see me, Y/N?” Hyunjin asked. “I was six seconds ahead of your brother.”’
“Hmmm?” I replied, entirely disinterested as I scanned through the contents of my phone screen.
“Y/N,” Hyunjin tried again, and he boldly reached out to lower my phone screen and force my attention. “I’m having a party at my place tonight. You’ll come, right?”
I smirked. “I don’t go to those parties, Hyunjin.”
“You don’t?” Hyunjin hesitated, and a decidedly chastened look affected the usual arrogance of the smile that he was clearly forcing. 
I guess that was enough to make me feel a little bad when I thought about Hyunjin’s poor attempts at flirting. “I can maybe come over for an hour.”
Hyunjin immediately brightened, shoulders rising as he cleared his throat and fetched a cigarette from his grease-stained pocket. He held the unlit stick between his teeth. “I’ll see you there.”
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It only took me exactly fifteen minutes to hate the party at Hyunjin’s house.
His parents must never come home very much because Hyunjin didn’t seem to care that his friends were trashing everything, littering the floors with discarded bottles of beer and food wrappers. It was a complete mess, and the music was too loud, thunderous with some kind of generic bass that had me retreating outside to find some fresh air. However, I was surprised to find Hyunjin outside as well, smoking as he looked out into the darkness. “Oh,” I said, drawing his attention. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” Hyunjin said with a raspy tone, beckoning me closer with a delicate crook of his fingers. “I needed a break too.”
“It’s your party,” I reminded him, and Hyunjin laughed, running his fingers through his messy hair.
“Yeah,” Hyunjin agreed. “But sometimes it can get crazy with the older kids.”
“I guess you don’t mind that they’re trashing your place?”
“I’ve got people who can clean that for me,” Hyunjin said, but it wasn’t boastful. In fact, there was a hint of resentment in his tone that he quickly banished with a shake of his head. “Hey, you want to see something?” 
I nodded because I had nothing better to do, following him to the back of the house where he messed with a combination panel on the side of the building to reveal the inside of an impressive garage. “Holy shit,” I cursed, surveying the dozens of collector cars decorating the inside. 
“They’re my dads,” Hyunjin said, tossing aside his cigarette before leading me to the first car. “He won’t let me drive them.”
“What’s the point, then?” I asked around a laugh. “I might not know much about cars or racing, but these seem pretty impressive.
“Which one do you like the most?” Hyunjin asked, and I pointed to the cherry-red Corvette. “You have good taste.”
He reached for my hand, and I shivered at the contact, allowing him to pull me closer to the gorgeous model. “He takes good care of them,” I remarked, and I was too afraid to touch the glistening paint.
“You want a closer look?” Hyunjin asked, reaching for the door handle of the passenger side without really waiting for my response.
“Okay,” I said, waiting for Hyunjin to recline the seat before carefully leading me into the back. I laughed at the absurdity of the situation before I lowered my head to accommodate the car’s smaller height, and I made sure to close the door behind us...just in case.
In the meantime, Hyunjin and I crowded together in the backseat, brushing shoulders while he giggled and reached for my hand between us. “This is kinda sexy, right?” he asked, and I scoffed at his claim.
“What do you mean?” I asked, wholly unprepared for the way he moved in closer, making the space between us even smaller.
“You know I like you, Y/N,” Hyunjin said, and I could feel his breath fanning across my face. “I didn’t think I was exactly subtle.”
“No,” I agreed, studying his eyes and the fascinating way they seemed to reflect the light from the garage. “But you know I only show up for my brother.”
Hyunjin sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before coming to a realization. “That doesn’t mean you can’t like it.”
His lips hovered against mine, almost teasingly, like he was testing his limits. “Hyunjin...”
He silenced me with a gentle kiss, and Hyunjin tasted like cigarettes and alcohol, but I ignored the combination as I allowed him to lick inside my mouth. It was actually really good, and he knew exactly what he was doing, pulling back only to reclaim my lips again before I could question whether or not this was a good idea. “Y/N,” he eventually whispered, looking at me with lust-filled eyes. “Please.”
I traced the swollen purse of my bottom lip before nodding, allowing him to pull me into his lap as our kisses grew feverish. It felt like there were fireworks going off all around us, electrifying the air and blinding my senses. But I was enraptured with the feeling of Hyunjin’s touches, and I started to trail my hands underneath his shirt, surprised when my fingers ran across the hard lines of his abdomen.
Oh, so there was muscle underneath those baggy clothes. 
“Turn around,” he whispered, and he helped me carefully maneuver myself in our limited space. It was difficult, but Hyunjin pulled me against his chest, adjusting our positions so that his hand could crawl its way under the waistband of my shorts. 
I whimpered when I felt his fingers tease the edge of my panties, and his other hand directed my chin to the side so that he could distract me with another kiss. It was a distraction that proved worthwhile, and I became lost in the hypnotic feel of his lips while his fingers started to part the folds of my labia, prodding at the entrance of my wet pussy.
I gasped into our kiss, stroking his tongue with messy movements while he started to thumb across my clitoris, providing the perfect stimulation in addition to the slow penetration of his fingers. “So beautiful,” he remarked, looking at me with hooded eyes, and I could see the way the muscle in his arm started to flex as he scissored his fingers against the sensitive walls of my pussy.
“Hyunjin,” I tried again, trying to fight the heavy fog weighing down on my shoulders as I relaxed further into his touches, allowing him to support me against his chest while his sinful fingers continued their work on pleasuring me. The squelching sounds becoming loud and downright vulgar in the narrow space of the car’s backseat.
“What a dirty girl, Y/N,” Hyunjin remarked, and he was suddenly moving faster, sliding his fingers through my juices while flicking his thumb across my throbbing clitoris. He handled me with such skill, and I was turned on beyond belief as I fell apart on his fingers, chasing his lips for more kisses as my hips started kicking in time to his rapid thrusts.
I swallowed around a moan when the heat became unbearable, and my legs started to shake, fighting to close against the intrusion of his fingers. I could feel myself teetering on the precipice, closing my eyes to savor the pleasurable ache building in my lower abdomen, muscles clenching tightly as I exhaled around the sudden and explosive release. I cried loudly as a result, chasing the fiery waves of my orgasm while Hyunjin removed his hand, bringing his fingers to his lips to lick over the evidence of my arousal.
I shivered at the sight before I reached behind me, squeezing his cock through the loose material of his pants. Meanwhile, Hyunjin removed his fingers from his mouth, turning his gaze to my hand as it gave his cock some much-needed attention. Eventually, I grew frustrated with the barrier of his pants, turning around in the narrow space to support myself on my knees as I helped him tug down his jeans and boxers. Immediately, his cock sprung free from the restrictive material, standing proudly against his stomach. 
And I was practically salivating, tracing one finger against the head of his cock and watching as he jerked in response. “Y/N,” Hyunjin whined, and I allowed my hand to enclose itself around his erection, squeezing at the base because it seemed to drive him insane. And I tugged at him with lazy movements, studying the way his head fell back against the window, breaths coming out in harsh pants that continued to fog up the glass surrounding us. 
When I pulled my hand away, Hyunjin opened his eyes, looking at me desperately as I spread out my legs and lowered myself to meet his cock at eye-level. He understood my intentions, lacing his fingers through my hair as his hips practically jumped in my face. I stilled them with a glare, swallowing hard as I allowed my tongue to trace across his narrow slit, following the little beads of precum that had gathered at the tip.
Hyunjin exhaled harshly, fidgeting around as he fought to keep himself in place, and I ended his torment by opening my mouth and taking him inside the wet cavern. He moaned with delight at the sensation, brushing my bangs out of my eyes as I took him even deeper, deciding that the taste of his precum was preferable to the alcohol and cigarettes from earlier.
I wasn’t that experienced with sucking cock, but I knew the basics, and Hyunjin seemed to be enjoying my efforts. Huffing around little whines as he begged me for more. And I was willing to give him everything, hollowing my cheeks as I felt the tip of his cock touch the back of my throat, forcing me to gag around his erection. “Do that again!” Hyunjin said, and I complied with his request, deep throating him until I couldn’t breathe before pulling off and using my hand to tug at his foreskin.
He was incredibly soft to the touch, and I could tell that he was close, hips practically humping against my fingers. I smiled at the sight of Hyunjin because he looked totally wrecked and ruined, but I still wanted to know what he looked like when I took him completely apart. So, I returned my lips to his cock, swallowing him down around a moan. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Hyunjin chanted, like it was his life’s mantra, forcing his cock down further as I tried to relax the muscles in my throat.
Tears were falling from the corners of my eyes, and my jaw was starting to ache from his girth. Still, I managed to persevere, and I heard his warning just before I tasted his cum on my tongue as he released down my throat. I swallowed hard to force it down, groaning as his taste lingered on my tongue. Afterward, Hyunjin sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his brow as he petted at my cheeks with gentle fingers. I looked up at him as I pulled back from his cock, and the flaccid length fell between us as I leaned forward to kiss Hyunjin again, struggling to find purchase on his chest.
“Thank you,” I finally managed, meeting his intense gaze as he grabbed my face between his hands to press his lips against the tear-stained tracks falling down my cheeks.
“You’re so good, Y/N,” Hyunjin said, and he pulled me closer into a necessary embrace, and I savored the warmth from his chest as we both came down from our highs.
I guess the next time I came to the track, I would be sure to look for Hyunjin.
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the-regal-warrior · 4 years
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Making Mat: Part One
Welcome to my new Elorcan AU!! Yes, this definitely stemmed from the fact that I’ve watched Cheer like a million times, but I tried to write it so it would make sense if you haven’t seen the show. I’m so excited to share this little mini-series with you - it’ll be three parts in total!
Summary: It’s an Elorcan meets Cheer AU, because why not? Elide Lochan: member of the champion Terrasen University cheer team. Lorcan Salvaterre: serving his country in the army and Elide’s loving boyfriend. Watch their love unfold as their friends try to get him home to see her.
Warnings: Just some language, I think!
.
It was a very big day - probably the biggest day of the entire season. Well, aside from Banjali. 
Elide could practically feel the entire squad buzzing with energy as she walked into the gym. She was a member of the cheer team at Terrasen University, which just so happened to be the reigning champion collegiate cheer squad - and the most decorated. They’d won more than any other team, and just making the squad was a huge honor.
But today was the day they could be granted the greatest honor of all - being chosen for mat. Even though there were forty members, only twenty of them could actually compete at the Collegiate Championship Competition in Banjali, Eyllwe. They worked hard all season - basically competing amongst themselves - to prove themselves to be deserving of one of those coveted spots. 
Tossing her bag onto the bench, she was just turning to go stretch with some of the others on the mat when she was lifted into a hug from behind and spun around. She squealed in surprise, her fingers gripping the muscular arms around her waist - arms she thought belonged to her boyfriend’s best friend in the entire world. A glance down proved her suspicions were right - a mountain range was inked across his left forearm in greyscale, a perfect match to the one on Lorcan’s arm.
“Vaughan,” she giggled, “put me down.” Expecting to find her feet on the ground, she shrieked when she was tossed into the air. Reaching down to brace her hands on his shoulders, he caught her just before she hit the ground, pulling her into a tight hug as he set her down. “You’re such a pain in my ass, Osten.”
“If that’s your polite way of saying that I’m your best friend,” Vaughan started, tickling her sides and chuckling when she giggled, “then I humbly accept.”
She huffed, but nodded anyway. “Mmm, I mean, I’m basically stuck with you because of Lorcan.” He rolled his eyes, so Elide leaned up to press her lips to his cheek in a quick kiss. “I’m just kidding, love. You know I’m glad of your friendship.”
“I’m glad of yours, too.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Vaughan began steering her in the direction of the mat. “Besides, as his best friend, it’s basically my duty to look after his girl while he’s gone.” Lorcan Salvaterre, Elide’s boyfriend and Vaughan’s best friend, was serving in the army, and he’d been deployed to Adarlan’s base in Melisande for almost nine months. She missed him terribly, but she was glad that she and Vaughan had become close. It was a way for the two of them to bear the weight of missing someone they both loved so much.
She giggled, coming to the stop at the edge of the mat. “And he’d kill you if anything happened to me while he was gone, right?”
“Erm, yeah, more or less.” Vaughan scratched the back of his neck and offered her a small smile. “But that’s not the only reason I’m your friend - I hope you know that.”
Taking his hand as she turned to look at the two people taking turns tumbling across the open space in front of them, she murmured, “of course I know that - but thank you.” 
He squeezed her hand in a silent thank you, and then they both immediately started laughing when they realized that the two people tumbling like beasts across the floor were Fenrys and Asterin. They were the two best tumblers on the team, and it was fairly common to see them trying to out-tumble one another.
The fact that they had been dating for almost three years only seemed to make them more competitive. As Elide folded her legs and sank down onto the mat, Asterin flipped her golden ponytail over her shoulder and arched her brow at her boyfriend. 
Taking the silent dare, Fenrys winked at his girlfriend and took off across the surface, his body twisting and turning through the air so quickly that Elide almost struggled to keep up. He stuck the landing with a massive smile on his face and stepped back, gesturing for Asterin to take her turn.
She did so, with all of her usual swagger in place, even going so far to blow Fenrys a kiss before she sprang into action. If his pass had been difficult to follow, then hers could only be defined as practically impossible. Elide had always considered herself to be a decent tumbler, but Asterin made her look like she had no clue what she was doing. 
Slowly easing herself into a split and feeling her muscles starting to stretch, Elide watched as Asterin rounded on her boyfriend, giggling happily when he bowed his head and held his arms out to her. She launched herself at him, squealing when he caught her and spun her around.
Though she was happy for her friends, watching them be so happy together sent a pang of sadness right through her heart. Though she knew Lorcan was doing something he loved, something he was proud to do, Elide couldn’t help but wish that he was home with her. 
Her mind was consumed with thoughts of him as she continued stretching, though her mood improved significantly when she remembered that he, according to his last email, was supposed to be calling her later that night. She was just thinking that she’d have to ask her coach if she could break the no phones rule when the woman stepped up to the edge of the mat and called them all to attention. 
“Alright, everyone,” Evalin Ashryver Galathynius started, “I know you all know what today is - it’s Mat day. So, I won’t hold you in suspense. I have the list right here, so I’ll go through who’s actually on first, and then we’ll talk about who’s doing what.” Everyone shuffled off to the sides, leaving the center clear for those who had been chosen. “And remember,” she added, “just because you weren’t chosen doesn’t mean you’re not a valuable member of this team, okay?”
She waited for everyone to nod their agreement before reaching for the notebook on the chair behind her. Elide felt her nerves settle into the pit of her stomach, and she reached for the dark blue scrunchie flecked with little white stars on her wrist. Lorcan had given it to her - well, technically, he’d given it back, since he’d stolen it from the pack before she’d even had time to open it - before he’d left for his last deployment, and she only took it off when she absolutely had to. It was a source of comfort for her, a way for her to keep him close whenever he was gone, and it helped take the edge off her nerves. 
Evalin cleared her throat. “Okay, then: boys first. The eleven of you chosen are Sam, Ilias, Enda, Ress, Galan, Luca, Dorian, Nox, Aedion, Vaughan, and Fenrys.”
Elide could see each of the boys let out a sigh of relief when they were chosen, and she realized that the moment of truth was all but upon her.
“And now, the girls.” Her coach looked up at all of them for just a moment, offering them a small smile before she read the names. “Kaya, Briar, Edda, Vesta, Lysandra, Nehemia, Aelin, Asterin, and Elide.”
Feeling the smile pulling at her lips, Elide joined her teammates in the center of the mat, hugging Fenrys quickly before Vaughan was tucking her into his side with a happy little grin on his face. 
Evalin offered all of them a very happy smile as everyone else shuffled over to the back half of the gym to keep stretching. “So, I have a feeling you all know why you’ve been selected, but I’ll just go over it quickly. The stunt groups will be as follows: Elide, Fenrys, and Vaughan; Aelin, Aedion, and Nox; Vesta, Ilias, and Enda; Lysandra, Ress, and Galan; and Nehemia, Dorian, and Sam. Baskets will be all but Lysandra’s stunt group, with Lys joining Elide’s, Galan joining Aelin’s, Ress joining Nehemia’s, and Edda joining Vesta’s. Elide, Aelin, and Vesta will be the top girls in the pyramid, with Lys, Nehemia, Edda, and Briar as the other fliers. Luca, Asterin, and Kaya will be our main tumblers, though Fenrys will also be doing quite a lot as well.”
She’d been listening with rapt attention as her coach rattled off their spots, and she felt some of her nerves settle back in. Stunts, baskets, and pyramid, plus the necessary tumbling, was a lot to ask of one person, but Elide knew that she could handle it. She’d spent years training for this exact moment, and she was never one to back down from a challenge.
“Now that everything is all sorted,” Evalin began, “let’s get started on the pyramid. Take five more minutes to stretch and then we’re going to run this.”
Realizing that she’d better talk to her coach before practice really got underway, Elide jogged up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
Turning, the older woman offered her a smile. “Elide. What can I do for you?”
“Well,” Elide said, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “I sort of have a favor to ask you.” 
She arched an eyebrow questioningly, and Elide idly realized that was where her daughter must have picked up on the habit - Aelin had perfected the single-eyebrow-arch before they were teenagers. “What’s up, dear?”
“Okay, so I know you have the no phones rule, but Lorcan told me he’d be able to call tonight, and I was really hoping you’d be willing to bend it a little, just for tonight.” The words rushed out of her mouth in a single breath, and Evalin blinked at her, a slight smile on her face. “I was just really hoping you could keep an eye on my phone so I don’t miss his call?”
“Elide,” Evalin finally said, interjecting before she could keep rambling. “Of course I’ll watch for him to call - I know how important this is, and I’d never want you to miss it.”
Elide grinned, a happy little hum slipping through her lips as she hugged the other woman. “Thanks, Aunt Evalin!” Though they weren’t related by blood, Evalin and Elide’s mother, Marion, were as close as sisters, and the two families spent as much time together as they did apart.
“Of course, love.” She returned the hug before nudging Elide in the direction of the rest of the team. “Now, get yourself over there, miss. I’ve got a winning routine to perfect, and you’ve got a pyramid to run through.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She handed her phone over and jogged back to the mat, taking her place between Ress and Galan for the pyramid. Both of them offered her small smiles. Though she usually stunted with Fenrys and Vaughan, her starting spot took her away from the two of them. Not that it mattered - she trusted every member of this team with her life. 
“Alright, let’s do this!” Evalin yelled, clapping her hands twice and starting the music. 
Waiting for her cue, Elide took a deep breath and braced her hands on the boys’ shoulders. She nodded once, held still for two counts, and then she was moving. 
Being one of the top girls meant that she was constantly moving, constantly twisting and turning and flipping, being passed from one set of bases to the next to being braced on someone’s thigh or shoulders. She was rarely still, only hitting a pose for a matter of seconds before she was being tossed around again. Even though Vesta was the center top girl, the one who would be the focal point of the actual pyramid, Elide and Aelin were both given parts that were just as difficult. 
She lost count of everything that was going on in the gym around her, only focusing on the pyramid and her role in it, making sure that she was doing what she needed to be doing when she was meant to be doing it. 
It wasn’t until she’d been put safely back on the ground after their fifth - or was it the sixth? - run-through of the pyramid, Nehemia slinging an arm around her shoulders as they both tried to breathe, that she noticed Evalin was holding her phone in her hand. She gestured for whoever was FaceTiming her to wait for a moment before turning to face the team. “Okay, y’all, let’s take a break. Elide, someone’s on the phone for you.”
There was a loud chorus of “oooo” and “aww” echoing around her - everyone knew that she was waiting for him to call, but Elide hardly noticed. She was ducking around her teammates, all but sprinting for her coach. “Thank you, she managed to breathe before her phone was in her hands and her eyes met her boyfriend’s. “Lorcan!” she squealed, tears springing into her eyes.
“Hey beautiful,” he greeted, his normally stoic face splitting into the widest grin. “Are you crying, love?”
She sniffed, sinking to the ground and wiping the few tears that had slipped down her cheeks. “I just missed you, baby.”
He gave her a soft smile, and she noticed that there were unshed tears lining his eyes. “I miss you too, Elide.” They just stared at one another for a few moments, grateful for this time to catch up when they were apart, but eventually Lorcan broke the silence. “So, first things first - did you make mat?”
“I did! And I’ll be doing stunts, baskets, tumbling, and pyramid!”
She could see the pride filling his eyes. “I knew you would, El. I’m so proud of you, baby. Tell me everything.”
~*^*~
Vaughan watched Elide slowly sink to the ground, and the smile that spread across her face was as happy as he’d ever seen her. As he watched her keep talking, an idea was slowly forming in his head. 
Grabbing Aedion’s wrist where he was leaning against the wall next to him, he dragged him over to where Fenrys, Asterin, and Aelin had flopped down on the floor. “Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees how happy Elide is right now?”
“Aww, I know,” Asterin sighed, the others nodding along with her. “She really loves him.”
“They both love each other so much,” Fenrys added.
Aedion heaved a sigh. “I wish he could be here to see her - he’d be beyond proud of how talented she is.”
Vaughan nodded, a small smirk spreading over his face. Aelin noticed, and she raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you thinking over there, Vaughan?”
“What if we found a way to bring Lorcan home to see her - and us - cheer?”
The others were all telling him that they thought it was a wonderful idea when Elide’s voice reached them “Fenrys, Vaughan!” she yelled, waving them over. “Get your asses over here - Lor wants to talk to you!”
Agreeing to table the discussion for the moment, the two of them jogged toward Elide, though Vaughan knew that the gears were still turning in Fenrys’s head, just like they were still turning in his.
Whatever it took, he would find a way to bring his best friend home to see his girl.
.
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notyourdayrdream · 3 years
Text
Summer’s Almost Over (So Come Spend it with Me)
Day Twelve, Side A: Exacerbate
read it here on AO3!
Blaine Anderson’s never been lucky in love.
His first crush was in third grade on Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet. Oh he’d almost burned the DVD out from watching it too much. His crush ended when his brother accidentally broke the disc and Blaine couldn’t watch the animated teen anymore. Plus, all of the other little boys were crushing on girls, ones that were real and not animated. Most importantly they were girls. So he put crushes on the backburner for a while.
His next crush was in seventh grade, on Joey Partmon. Joey was new from Texas, which may have well been a foreign country to him and the other private school kids Blaine went to school with. He was tanned under his school mandated uniform, with dark freckles and floppy red hair. Blaine loved his deep southern accent and the way he twirled his pencil around in his hand when he was bored. They weren’t close, Blaine wasn’t outgoing enough to say ‘hi,’ and Joey moved away that summer. But he did dream about kissing him on more than one occasion. That’s when he realized he was gay.
Freshman year’s candidate was Ryan Night.
He went to a public school then. He and Ryan were the only two boys in their choir, which already put a huge target on their backs, not to mention the fact they were both gay. Blaine still doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, but he was able to hide it. Ryan wasn’t as lucky. But it didn’t matter, they were friends, brought together by this horrible thing they had to deal with. The whole situation turned into something beautiful. So when Blaine asked Ryan to homecoming, he expected everything to go fine.
He’d be proved wrong, of course. So he took a break from crushing for a little while. In fact, he took a break on everything, for about a year.
Everything was different when he came to Dalton. The kids, the students, the zero tolerance bullying policy. It all kept him safe. So he joined the Warblers and became their leading man, not because he was gay or straight, but because he was good. They kind of idolized him, and he suddenly had this giant group of friends. That’s when he met Jeremiah.
Maybe it was because he was finally out and proud, but his crush on Jeremiah felt so different. It was almost like love. He was older and wiser than Blaine, and so so cute. And as the days ticked on and the boy was all he could think about, he decided he had to do something, and he had to do something big.
Safe to say that totally backfired. Blaine promised himself to never let a crush get that serious again, not until he was sure. And that plan had worked, until now. Because he met Kurt Hummel.
They actually met at NYADA, at a Midnight Madness competition.
Blaine had been dragged there by his friend Leslie, who wasn’t actually a singer but a dancer, she just liked drama. So he went, dressed in sweatpants and a Dalton hoodie, and sat in the back. The whole place was honestly just a giant fire hazard, and the heat from the candles was making him sweaty. They were waiting on someone apparently. Rachel Berry, the senior who had won last year. Blaine knew she had a reputation of being a diva, but good Lord she was taking forever. The crowd of theatre geeks was becoming antsy.
“Wait!” The door opened and shut in a swift motion, blowing out a few candles by the entrance. The young man’s chest heaved, like he had just run all this way. “Rachel’s out sick. But I’m here, I’ll do it in her place. The dim light blocked out most of his face, but Blaine could see the outline of him; slim and tall with a smile that lit up the room. Was it weird to be attracted to a shadow?
The moderator nodded. “That’s fine, Kurt, we just need someone to challenge you,” he said. Kurt stepped into the ring in the center of the room and took Blaine’s breath away.
It had to be illegal to look this good at twelve in the morning. Whereas everyone else was dressed in casual clothes and pajamas, Kurt wore tight jeans and a cream sweater so soft Blaine wanted to reach out and touch it. His pale skin was painted tan from the candlelight and his hair stood so high and perfectly coiffed on his head Blaine was sure it must have taken hours to fix.
“I’ll do it,” Blaine offered, cringing at himself when every pair of eyes turned to him. He could have smacked himself in the forehead. He didn’t come here to compete, he didn’t even come for the drama. He was going to horribly embarrass himself and be forced to switch careers. Slowly and on shaky legs, he made his way to the center of the room.
Kurt smirked and said, “You’re going down.” But his eyes were gleaming with mischief. Blaine almost smiled himself, but the moderator whispered that Kurt will go first and Blaine could sit back down. The song is announced, or whisper-yelled, to be “On My Own” from Les Mis.
The music started and Kurt took a moment to close his eyes, drinking in the silence before performing. And then he sings. He floated atop the song like a leaf across water, dipping in and swirling through the melody. He sounded like he might cry, and Blaine felt a tear threatening to slip out of his eye. That’s when he knew he wouldn't win. Emotional ballads had never been his thing. And when only fifteen people gathered on his side of the room and waved their hands in silent applause, he didn’t care.
“Hey, Blaine is it?” Kurt asked when Midnight Madness had ended and students poured out the doors and back home or to bars. Blaine’s eyes went wide. Leslie spotted his fear and left without him, blonde braids swishing behind her. He was going to kill here.
“Yeah,” he replied, breathily as he turned around and finally got a good look at Kurt’s eyes. Icy blue and gorgeous, Blaine felt stripped down under his gaze. “You were really amazing, I mean obviously since you won but…”
Kurt bit his lip to hide his smile, and Blaine guilty pocketed the moment for a later time. “Thanks, but you were great too. I couldn’t imagine being a freshman and being able to sing like that.”
“Ah, I’m actually in my third year,” Blaine said, rubbing at the back of his neck. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t do too many extracurriculars at NYADA, not any he imagined Kurt would also be a part of.
“Oh! I’m so sorry,” Kurt apologized, face flushing pink. “Um, I was wondering if you wanted—”
“I should go,” Blaine interrupted, feeling more and more embarrassed as this whole ordeal went on. He honestly just wanted to go home and forget the whole thing even happened.
Kurt actually looked a bit upset for a brief second, but he caught himself quickly and went back to his bright smile. Props of being an actor. “Right, well, it was nice meeting you, Blaine.” He nodded and walked off and out of the glass double doors.
This time, Blaine did smack himself on the forehead. He was so stupid. Kurt was going to ask him out, wasn’t he? Or at least for coffee, everybody drinks coffee super late. He trudged out of the doors and down to the subway, trying his best to not think of himself as a total screw up when it came to love. But he did check Kurt’s Instagram on the ride home. Just to look.
“I’m going out! It’s my grandmother’s birthday and she misses me,” Leslie said even though Blaine already knew she was leaving. The red party dress he helped pick out popped against her dark skin.
He closed his journal and glanced at his roommate.“Tell her ‘happy birthday’ for me!” Leslie just kissed his cheek in response and shut the door behind her, leaving Blaine alone for another quiet evening.
It was finally summer, another year of college completed. Blaine had decided to stay in the city instead of going back home like a lot of students did. Not that he didn’t enjoy Ohio or his parents, he just didn’t feel like the cold small talk that would follow him the entire summer. The only thing he missed was the weather. It was a scorching summer this year in New York City, and Blaine had always preferred the cooler months. The whole city felt as though it had been placed in a boiling pot, and Blaine and Leslie spent most of their days inside at work or avoiding the heat. Their nights were spent partying on Leslie’s part, or curling up to watch a movie for Blaine.
If he were being honest with himself, he had no idea what he was going to do after college. Being a Broadway actor was no guarantee, if he would even make it there. He had heard of graduates from NYADA, bright eyed and filled with dreams, fizzle out like burning stars and end up in jobs that they didn’t even major in. Blaine couldn’t end up like that, he’d be proving his dad right.
So he had a moleskine journal filled with songs. The kind of music he sang in the shower. Poppy love ballads and short and brash breakup songs, even though he had never been broken up with before. The other people who had ever heard them were Leslie and Will, an ex-fling who he had mistakenly let get closer than he should have.
A set of sharp knocks at the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
“You have keys, Les!” Blaine yelled but got up anyway. She probably forgot her keys. The knocking didn’t stop until Blaine swung the door open, gaping at the sight.
“Hi,” Kurt gasped, looking just as surprised as Blaine probably did. His hair was dripping wet, and he had...shower shoes on?
“Are you okay?” Blaine asked. “How do you know where I live?” He ushered Kurt inside.
“I don’t, and I am,” Kurt said, running a hand through his hair. “I saw Leslie leave and asked if she could help me and she said her roommate was home? I didn’t know you two lived together…” He glanced around their living room.
“Oh, we’re not dating, I’m gay.” Kurt’s eyebrows knitted together, that wasn’t what he was asking at all. What was it about this guy that turned Blaine into a complete idiot?
“Um, what did you need help with?”
“My shower isn’t working, and I have a date in an hour,” Kurt groaned. Blaine tried to make his heart stop freaking out at the mention of a date. They hadn’t spoken beyond Midnight Madness, save a nod in the hallways on the off chance they passed each other. “Can I use yours, please?” He pouted and poked his lip out, as if Blaine wouldn’t have said yes before.
He gulped. “Yeah, yeah. Of course.” He squeaked despite his best efforts and led Kurt to his bathroom. At least he didn’t have to worry about it being dirty. Leslie was a bit flighty, but they both shared their germaphobe tendencies.
“You just turn the water on like this.” Blaine twisted the knob left then right until it clicked to get the water to the hottest setting. When he turned back around, Kurt had already taken his shirt off. Blaine’s mouth went dry. When his biceps flexed when he moved to unbutton his pants, Blaine covered his eyes and shut the door as fast as he could, not wanting to further exacerbate the situation.
He was almost at his room, ready to bury his head into his pillow and just scream, when Kurt knocked on the bathroom door and said, “Stay?” So soft and barely loud enough over the rushing water that Blane just had to stay.
“I’m here,” he smiled and slid down the other side of the door until he was sitting. “What’s up with your date?” he asked, trying not to sound so bitter.
Water splashes the ground and Kurt yells through the door, “Oh, some guy kept asking me out, for like months. And I eventually just said yes.” Blaine heard a groan from inside the bathroom, and ignored the way all the blood rushed to his face. And other places.
“Do you even want to go out with him?” He didn’t mean to be nosey, truly. But the way Kurt described him, the guy kind of sounded like a dick.
It was a moment before Kurt responded. “I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date, so…” There was a soft click and the water stopped pouring.
“I get that. I’ve actually never had a boyfriend before, so the only dates I’ve had are usually followed by a messy hookup,” Blaine said. He didn’t know what it was about the whole ordeal that made him want to spill all of his secrets out. His head eventually caught up to what he said though. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.”
“Come in here.”
Blaine shook his head from the narrow hallway. “No, no it’s, that’s–”
“Blaine. Come inside.” Kurt’s voice was deep and stern, but when the door opened, he was laughing softly. Blaine thanked God he was dressed, because he was totally prepared to faint if he wasn’t.
“I have a deal for you,” Kurt said, drying his hair with a towel. “If my date goes terrible, I’ll call you. If it goes well, I’ll still call you.” He grinned and handed Blaine his phone.
It was crazy how contagious his smile was. Blaine felt his lips tug upwards as he typed a smiley face next to his name. “What’s in it for you?”
Kurt rolled his eyes with that same smile on his face and took his phone back. “Getting to hear your voice, or course.” He squeezed past Blaine, who’s limbs had temporarily planted into the floor. “Thanks for the shower, Blaine.” He winked, freaking winked, and Blaine heard the door shut softly behind him.
He smiled alone to himself in his foggy bathroom and turned his ringer all the way up.
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